NICE, Calif. – A Lower Lake man died early Friday after he was struck by a vehicle while walking along Highway 20.

The  California Highway Patrol did not release the name of the 35-year-old man in its initial Friday report on the crash.

The CHP said that at 12:10 a.m. Friday Matthew Hochleutner, 51, of Upper Lake was driving his 2006 Toyota Tundra eastbound on Highway 20, west of Pomo Way near Robinson Rancheria, at an estimated speed of 50 miles per hour.

At the same time, the pedestrian was walking in or about the eastbound lane and south shoulder of Highway 20, the CHP said.

Hochleutner was unable to see the pedestrian until just before his vehicle hit the man. The CHP said the Toyota's right-side headlight, bumper, grill and hood hit the pedestrian, who was thrown onto the highway's south shoulder.

Northshore Fire Protection District personnel who arrived at the scene minutes later pronounced the pedestrian dead, the CHP said.

The CHP said Hochleutner was evaluated at the scene and it was determined that he was not under the influence. It is not yet known if drugs or alcohol were contributing factors for the pedestrian.

Hochleutner was wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash and was uninjured, the CHP said.

CHP Officer Bews is investigating the crash.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Organizers of the annual Lake County Special Olympics Polar Plunge reported that, due to lake conditions, the event is being moved.

The plunge fundraiser is set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18.

Originally scheduled to be held at Lakeside County Park, the event is being moved to Kelseyville County Park, located at 5270 State St., according to organizer Peggy Buchholz.

Buchholz said that Clear Lake’s flood conditions necessitated the move.

As for how the plunge will take place, they’re still considering options – from sprinklers to a horse trough, or just standing in the rain, Buchholz joked.

“Somehow, they’re just going to have to get wet,” she said.

After the plunge, there will be the awards ceremony and lunch, Buchholz said.

The Polar Plunge is Lake County Special Olympics’ major annual fundraiser, and a critical way of providing services to local athletes.

Last year’s event raised about $22,000, which Buchholz said was “a very good amount.”

Registration is still open for Saturday’s event, and can be completed online at www.ipolarplunge.com or at the event, Buchholz said.

For those who don’t want to plunge but want to support Lake County Special Olympics, Buchholz said they can mail a check to P.O. Box 94, Lakeport, 95453.

Plungers – which have included individuals, companies, law enforcement, families, schools and organizations – are asked to raise a minimum of $100 each to participate.

Buchholz said this year’s signups are on par with last year. They have many of the same groups participating each year, including teams from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Probation Office and the Lake County Office of Education.

All proceeds from the Lake County Polar Plunge benefit Special Olympics Northern California to continue to showcase the capabilities and achievements of individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Along with providing year-round free sports and competition programs to nearly 20,000 athletes, Special Olympics Northern California encourages education through Unified Sports and the Schools Partnership Program, and is committed to improving the health and well-being of athletes through a variety of screenings and programs.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NICE, Calif. – A pedestrian died early Friday morning after being hit by a vehicle on Highway 20.

Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters, the California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash, first reported just before 12:15 a.m. Friday, according to radio reports.

Initial reports said the individual was hit by a vehicle described as a Toyota Tundra on Highway 20 in front of Robinson Rancheria Resort and Casino.

The pedestrian was found lying on the eastbound side of the highway, according to fire units arriving at the scene minutes after dispatch.

Shortly after their arrival, firefighters reported that the injured pedestrian had died.

Initial reports on the incident were limited, and more information will be posted as it becomes available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State officials said Wednesday that repairs are continuing around the clock to repair the Oroville Dam’s emergency spillway ahead of anticipated storms.

Concerns that the emergency spillway was about to fail led on Sunday to the evacuation of 188,000 people in Butte, Yuba and Sutter counties, as Lake County News has reported. Those mandatory evacuations were reduced to a warning on Tuesday.

The California Department of Water Resources said that levels on Lake Oroville fell an additional 5 feet and were 26 feet below the emergency spillway as of Wednesday night.

Crews continue to work around the clock, regardless of weather conditions, to make emergency repairs. Barges and cranes are being mobilized to remove debris and sediment from the diversion pool, the agency said.

The Department of Water Resources said 100,000 cubic feet per second of water continues to flow through the flood control spillway in an effort to accommodate anticipated inflow from upcoming storms.

Officials said the storms are forecasted to bring colder temperatures and inflows are anticipated to increase to 45,000 cubic feet per second. However, lake levels will continue to decrease throughout the storm activity.

The agency said it continues to aggressively monitor the status of the dam, spillways, related structures and progress of repair activities.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport officials said that Library Park remains closed to the public due to flooding.

On Feb. 9, the city of Lakeport closed the park for public safety and to prevent further damage.

Since that time, many people have ignored the closed signs and entered the flooded areas of the park, which is causing further damage. The city said it continues to have crews working in the park to protect the infrastructure. 

To further assist with encouraging people to follow the closure the city said it has added barrier-tape between the "park closed" signs.

Police officers will be patrolling the area and persons found entering are subject to citation for entering a closed area, officials said.

The city said people are still welcome to view the park from open sidewalks on Park, First and Third streets.

Caltrans crews are working around the clock seven days a week on numerous state routes in California to repair roadways impacted by recent storms and unstable soil.

“Our roadways have been pounded this winter by the severe weather conditions,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Crews are mobilized across the state removing debris, repairing road damage, performing traffic control and assessing ongoing risks. As we work to reopen many of our roadways, we are also preparing for the next wave of storms. We will continue to work around the clock.”

Every region in California has been affected by the winter storms, and thus far, there has been an estimated $401 million in storm damage to the state highway system at 190 locations.

Meteorologists are predicting storm systems to impact California beginning Thursday and by Monday, the state may receive three to eight inches of rainfall, and snow levels could drop as low as 5,000 feet in Northern California.

Crews are currently working to restore full access to the following roadways; however, an estimated time of reopening is unavailable due to the incoming storm:

· Westbound Interstate 80 is closed at the Nevada State line due to a landslide.

· State Route 1 near Leggett in Mendocino County has been closed since Feb. 3 due to an active slide. Cleanup to reopen the highway has been slow due to the instability of the slide and concern for worker safety.

· Northbound State Route 17 at Sugarloaf Road in Santa Cruz County is closed due to a mudslide.

· Crews are working to restore State Route 37 between U.S. Highway 101 and Atherton Avenue in Marin County.

In the Caltrans News Flash above, get a glimpse at the work that was done to clear fallen debris and to stabilize the hillside on While U.S. Highway 50.

The recent storms have also affected rail and freight movement; below are a few of the major routes affected:

· Union Pacific Fresno Sub South of Elk Grove is out of service due to derailment on Feb. 10.

· Union Pacific Sub above Oroville is out of service due to washouts, rockslides and flooding.

· Heavier than usual freight traffic over the Martinez subdivision between Oakland and Sacramento is leading to significant delays to Amtrak trains.

· The Coast Starlight is canceled between Redding and Sacramento; however, trains are running from Redding to Seattle, and Sacramento to Los Angeles.

Caltrans anticipates additional closures with the new storm systems; motorists should check road conditions frequently.

For the latest road condition information, the radio may be tuned to the Caltrans Highway Advisory Radio (HAR) at 530 AM, 1610 AM or 1670 AM or call the Caltrans Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).

Real time conditions are also available online and for mobile phones at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Thursday, the California Department of Water Resources said it had begun reducing outflow from the Oroville Dam as part of the ongoing repairs to the dam’s spillway.

The agency said that while construction crews continued work to remediate the emergency spillway’s erosion, water flow from the flood control spillway was reduced incrementally from 100,000 to 80,000 cubic feet per second.

The outflow reduction allowed crews to begin removing debris from the diversion pool below the spillway, officials said.

The Department of Water Resources said that removal of debris from the diversion pool further protects, safeguards and provides for the eventual reoperation of the Hyatt power plant.

At the same time, the reduced outflow still provides for the reduction of reservoir levels within the timeframes prescribed by the Department of Water Resources.

State officials said Thursday that the reservoir’s level has so far been reduced by 36 feet to accommodate inflow from upcoming storms. Inflows from forecasted inclement weather are not expected to exceed current outflows.

The trail system directly affected by the damaged spillway include the Brad Freeman and Dan Beebe trails; officials said those trails have been closed. Launch ramps serving the lake also remain closed.

California State Park Rangers are providing roving patrols due to a large number of contacts in the closed area, officials said.

On Sunday, 188,000 people in Butte, Sutter and Yolo counties were ordered to evacuate due to concerns about the emergency spillway failing. That evacuation order later was changed to a warning, according to state and local officials.