The crash, involving a pickup into a ditch, occurred on the Dry Creek Cutoff near Middletown at around 6:20 p.m., according to radio reports.

The California Highway Patrol said one person was ejected from the pickup's bed while another person was trapped inside.

The names of those involved were not immediately available.

An air ambulance transported one subject to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and the CHP indicated the other subjects were transported to St. Helena Hospital, Clearlake.

The CHP reported a blood draw was ordered as part of the investigation.

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – For recreational fishing enthusiasts, springtime is in the air, and this year, in the water as well.

Saturday, April 2 is opening day for salmon fishing in ocean waters off most of California and for the first time in many years the forecast suggests anglers may have many a tight line to look forward to.

Both the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) and the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) approved the April 2 opening date based on scientific information suggesting that the Sacramento River Fall Chinook ocean population size is more than 700,000 fish – almost triple last year’s forecast.

“We are cautiously optimistic that Sacramento River salmon stocks have recovered to the point that fisheries this year – our California sport and commercial ocean fisheries as well as river fisheries – can be sustained while still being confident that enough fish will return to natural spawning grounds and hatcheries to reproduce next fall,” said the Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Marija Vojkovich, who represents the state of California on the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

The April 2 opening date applies to waters south of Horse Mountain (near Cape Mendocino) southward to the U.S.-Mexico border.

For waters north of Horse Mountain to the California-Oregon border, the opening date will be determined in mid-April, but is anticipated to be a date in May.

When the 2011 recreational season is open off California, salmon fishing is allowed seven days per week, the minimum size limit is 24-inches total length, and the bag and possession limit is two fish per person. The retention of coho salmon and steelhead remains prohibited in all ocean fisheries.

Sacramento River fall chinook generally comprise 80 to 90 percent of the salmon catch in ocean waters off California. Therefore, the forecast for this stock plays a crucial role in determining when and where fishing opportunities can be provided.

In 2008 and 2009, virtually no fishing was allowed because of low abundance forecasts and poor returns of fish to the Sacramento River Basin. Fishing in 2010 was also constrained for the same reasons.

Approximately 125,300 adult fall Chinook returned to the Sacramento River Basin in the fall of 2010, exceeding the minimum goal of 122,000 adult fish.

In 2009, the return of adult Sacramento River Fall Chinook salmon was an all-time low of approximately 39,500 fish. The 2010 return is the highest observed since 2006.

Most charter boat operators no longer carry one-day licenses for purchase. DFG reminds anglers to purchase their license ahead of time at one of approximately 1,500 license agent locations or online at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/.

For complete regulations as well as additional information on the 2011 fishing season, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/oceansalmon.asp.

On Friday, California’s popular red abalone season opened in waters north of San Francisco Bay.

DFG reminds divers and rock pickers that anyone taking abalone must record their catch on an abalone report card, and tag the animal with corresponding tags from the cards.

This year, all licenses and cards will be available through the new Automated License Data System (ALDS), which automatically records purchases in an active database.

“Abalone report cards are a vital source of information needed to manage this resource, and the ALDS will allow us to track whether individuals have returned their report cards as required by law,” said DFG Associate Marine Biologist Jerry Kashiwada. “In the past, we could not easily determine who had not returned their cards.”

Abalone report cards should be returned to the DFG Fort Bragg office at 32330 North Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg, CA 95437-5554. This season’s return deadline is Jan. 31, 2012, although cards may be submitted early. Abalone report cards must be returned even if no abalone is taken.

Because of the nature of the paper used for the ALDS abalone report card and tags, scissors are needed to separate the tags from the card just prior to attaching them to an abalone. In the past, scissors were not needed to separate the pre-perforated tags.

Tags that are separated from the cards ahead of time are invalid. Holes may be punched in the tags immediately after purchase, however. Other slight modifications to the tagging procedure, such as using scissors to cut off tags, may be needed with the ALDS report cards.

Currently, the only open abalone fishery in California is in the northern region of the state. This fishery is biologically sustainable and has remained productive for nearly 60 years. In 2009, the most recent year for which figures are available, the recreational catch in northern California was an estimated 295,000 abalone.

Everyone engaging in the take of abalone is responsible for knowing and abiding by all California abalone sport fishing regulations.

A complete list of abalone fishing regulations is also available in the 2011 Ocean Sport Fishing regulations booklet, available wherever fishing licenses are sold, at DFG offices and online at www.dfg.ca.gov/regulations.

Large schools of fish have been observed on Adobe Creek at the Bell Hill crossing, and a few scattered specimens have been seen elsewhere, including several who have been attempting to spawn in a vineyard slough in the Cole Creek drainage a couple of specimens being caught by raptors.

The hitch (lavinia exilicauda chi) is a fish found only in Clear Lake and a California listed Species of Special Concern; they live deep in the lake most of the year, but during a brief breeding season every spring move up into the surrounding creeks.

Once present in unimaginable abundance, hitch were a valuable food source for wildlife and of great importance to the native people of the region, but their population has declined substantially over the past fifty years, for reasons that are not completely understood.

Recently they have been found in reliably large numbers only in Kelsey and Adobe creeks.

This coming Saturday, April 2, the Chi Council, an organization dedicated to the long-term survival of the hitch which has recruited dozens of volunteers to observe the spawning migration, will conduct its annual field trip to see the spawning run in progress.

This year's excursion also will include a special opportunity to observe the tribal fish-tagging process on Adobe Creek.

Participants are asked to meet at Studebaker's, 3990 Main St. in Kelseyville, at 10 a.m.

The event is free, and everyone is invited, particularly those who have never had an opportunity to see this thrilling spectacle for themselves. No reservations are needed.

For more information about the hitch, including still photographs, a video of spawning in progress, and a field guide to Clear Lake fish, visit the Chi Council Web site, www.lakelive.info/chicouncil.

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A NASA fireball camera at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Photo courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

What are the signs of spring? They are as familiar as a blooming daffodil, a songbird at dawn, a surprising shaft of warmth from the afternoon sun.

And, oh yes, don't forget the meteors.

“Spring is fireball season,” said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Center. “For reasons we don't fully understand, the rate of bright meteors climbs during the weeks around the vernal equinox.”

In other seasons, a person willing to watch the sky from dusk to dawn could expect to see around 10 random or “sporadic” fireballs.

A fireball is a meteor brighter than the planet Venus. Earth is bombarded by them as our planet plows through the jetsam and flotsam of space – i.e., fragments of broken asteroids and decaying comets that litter the inner solar system.

In spring, fireballs are more abundant. Their nightly rate mysteriously climbs 10 percent to 30 percent.

“We've known about this phenomenon for more than 30 years,” said Cooke. “It's not only fireballs that are affected. Meteorite falls – space rocks that actually hit the ground--are more common in spring as well1.”

Researchers who study Earth's meteoroid environment have never come up with a satisfactory explanation for the extra fireballs. In fact, the more they think about it, the stranger it gets.

Consider the following: There is a point in the heavens called the “apex of Earth's way.” It is, simply, the direction our planet is traveling. As Earth circles the sun, the apex circles the heavens, completing one trip through the Zodiac every year.

The apex is significant because it is where sporadic meteors are supposed to come from. If Earth were a car, the apex would be the front windshield. When a car drives down a country road, insects accumulate on the glass up front. Ditto for meteoroids swept up by Earth.

Every autumn, the apex climbs to its highest point in the night sky. At that time, sporadic meteors of ordinary brightness are seen in abundance, sometimes dozens per night.

Read that again: Every autumn.

“Autumn is the season for sporadic meteors,” said Cooke. “So why are the sporadic fireballs peaking in spring? That is the mystery.”

Meteoroid expert Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario notes that “some researchers think there might be an intrinsic variation in the meteoroid population along Earth's orbit, with a peak in big fireball-producing debris around spring and early summer. We probably won't know the answer until we learn more about their orbits.”

To solve this and other puzzles, Cooke is setting up a network of smart meteor cameras around the country to photograph fireballs and triangulate their orbits.

As explained in the Science@NASA story “What's Hitting Earth?”, he's looking for places to put his cameras; educators are encouraged to get involved. Networked observations of spring fireballs could ultimately reveal their origin.

“It might take a few years to collect enough data,” he cautioned.

Until then, it's a beautiful mystery. Go out and enjoy the night sky. It is spring, after all.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a stormy winter, and a particularly rough March filled with storms and floods, the month ended on a bright note.

Lucerne photographer Ron Keas captured this spectacular sunset from Nice on Thursday, March 31.

The day of bright spring colors and warm weather seemed to signal that spring has finally arrived in Lake County.

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SACRAMENTO – Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday released the actual bill language of seven separate pension reform measures.

In addition, Brown listed five other specific pension reforms that he is developing.

These include a pension benefit cap, limits on post-retirement public employment, hybrid defined contribution/benefit options, an action plan to address CalSTRS unfunded liability, and a measure to change and improve the board governance of CalPERS and CalSTRS.

All 12 of these pension reform measures were presented and discussed in detail with Republican legislators.

Talks broke down, however, over other issues earlier this week, as Lake County News has reported.

Brown said he intends to introduce these pension reforms with or without Republican support.

Information on all twelve pension reforms is available below.

PENSION REFORM PROPOSAL: APPLIES TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

1. Eliminate Purchase of Airtime. Would eliminate the opportunity, for all current and future employee members of all state and local retirement systems, to purchase additional retirement service credit. (RN 14777) (Note Walters, SB 522, would eliminate Air Time)

2. Prohibit Pension Holidays. All California public agencies would be prohibited from suspending employer and/or employee contributions necessary to fund the normal cost of pension benefits. (RN 14777)

3. Prohibit Employers from Making Employee Pension Contributions. All California public agencies would be prohibited from making employee contributions that fund the normal cost of employee retirement benefits in whole or in part. (RN 14777)

4. Prohibit Retroactive Pension Increases. All California public agencies would be prohibited from granting any retroactive pension benefit increases, such as benefit formula improvements that credit prior service. (RN 14777)

5. Prohibit Pension Spiking: Three Year Final Compensation. Final compensation for new employees would be defined as the highest average annual compensation during a consecutive 36 month period. (RN 14777)

6. Prohibit Pension Spiking: Define Compensation as Only Regular, Non-recurring Pay. Compensation means normal rate of pay or base pay. (RN 14777) (Note Simitian, SB 27, would exclude from defined benefit changes in compensation principally for the purpose of enhancing benefits; would place stricter limits on creditable compensation)

7. Felony Convictions. Prohibits payment of pension benefits to those who commits a felony related to their employment. (RN 14777) (*Note Strickland, SB 115, similar prohibition)

PROPOSALS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Impose Pension Benefit Cap.

Improve Retirement Board Governance

Limit Post-Retirement Public Employment

Hybrid Option

Address CalSTRS Unfunded Liability

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David Green of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., was arrested on Thursday, March 31, 2011, after he was found in possession of methamphetamine during a traffic stop in which he was the passenger. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A field enforcement stop conducted by detectives with the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force in Clearlake Oaks has led to a felony arrest, the seizure of methamphetamine, and the seizure of currency for asset forfeiture.

David Edward Green, 51, of Clearlake Oaks was taken into custody, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Thursday, March 31, at approximately 3:40 p.m., narcotics detectives were conducting proactive enforcement activities in the Clearlake Oaks area when they stopped a Chevrolet pickup truck being driven by 48-year-old Laurie Jean Goodall of Clearlake Oaks, Bauman said.

He said Goodall initially gave detectives a false name to avoid being arrested for driving with a suspended license. Detectives confirmed her license was suspended and she was detained.

Green, who was a passenger in the truck, was detained after displaying symptoms of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Bauman said Green was on formal probation for a prior narcotics possession conviction. Field testing confirmed he was in fact under the influence and he was arrested.

Incident to his arrest, detectives searched Green and recovered a baggie containing approximately one-half ounce of methamphetamine and over $400 in currency from his pockets, Bauman said. The currency was seized for asset forfeiture as the suspected profits of drug trafficking.

Green was booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance for sales, transportation of a controlled substance, being under the influence of a controlled substance and violation of probation, Bauman said.

Green remains in the custody of the sheriff with a no-bail probation violation hold, according to jail records.

Bauman said Goodall was issued a citation for giving false information to a peace officer and for driving while suspended.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force's anonymous tip line is 707-263-3663.

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Daniel Wood of Middletown, Calif., was convicted of misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and annoying or molesting a child on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday a jury convicted a Middletown man of exposing himself to two young girls in 2010, a case that didn't come together until months after the incident when one of the victims spotted the suspect again.

Daniel Laine Wood, 29, was found guilty on misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and annoying or molesting a child following a six-day trial before Lake County Superior Court Judge Stephen Hedstrom in Clearlake's Department 4, according to the Lake County District Attorney's Office.

“Even though it's a misdemeanor it's serious,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

In this case, Hinchcliff said the law didn't allow the District Attorney's Office to charge the crimes as felonies.

The case not only saw Lake County's new sheriff called to the stand to testify but also may end up in additional prosecutions for Wood, who is believed to be connected to still other cases involving crimes of a sexual nature.

Jurors deliberated 45 minutes Wednesday before returning the guilty verdicts, the District Attorney's Office said.

Wood is scheduled to return to court for sentencing on April 18. The District Attorney's Office said Judge Hedstrom referred the case to the Lake County Probation Department for a sentencing report and recommendation.

Deputy District Attorney Megan van Steenburgh, who prosecuted the case, said Wood faces a maximum of a year in jail, and will get credit for time he's served since his Dec. 29 arrest.

She said Wood also will be required to register as a sex offender for life based on the conviction.

Hedstrom ordered Wood held on $20,000 bail until his sentencing, officials said.

Wood's attorney, Jessica Schaps, declined comment for this story.

In an incident that took place last Aug. 28 in broad daylight on a Middletown street, Wood allegedly rode his bicycle up to two young girls – one age 12, one age 11 – pulled up his shorts and exposed his genitals, according to van Steenburgh.

Van Steenburgh said the girls alleged that Wood leered at them for several moments before fleeing the scene on his bicycle.

She said that, by the time sheriff's Deputy Kellie Joseph arrived on the scene, Wood could not be located, despite an area search conducted both by Joseph and the California Highway Patrol. Complicating the case was the fact that the girls didn't know Wood's identity.

However, last November one of the girls reportedly spotted Wood's bicycle at the Middletown Library on Nov. 18, Van Steenburgh said.

The girl later identified Wood in a photo lineup, van Steenburgh said. She and the second girl later would identify him in the courtroom as well.

A sheriff's office press release said sheriff’s deputies working the Middletown area and the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit – including Det. Mike Curran, who specializes in investigating such cases – worked to identify Wood, who was arrested in late December by Deputy Bill Djernes.

Hinchcliff said the case's original investigation had several problems with it. The District Attorney's Office did additional work to investigate the case, and he said van Steenburgh “worked really hard to get a conviction.”

Part of the difficulty, according to Hinchcliff, came from a report used in the case written by then-Deputy Frank Rivero, who has since been elected sheriff.

Van Steenburgh said Rivero didn't initially prepare a report himself. Hinchcliff said the District Attorney's Office asked Rivero to prepare a report several months later, which he did.

That report ended up being inconsistent with the statements given by the girl who spotted Wood's bicycle at the library, Hinchcliff said.

The girl is the granddaughter of one of Rivero's tenants, who lives behind him, Rivero said.

Rivero's report stated that the girl and her grandmother contacted him on Nov. 18 – while he was still on leave to conduct his campaign for sheriff – to say she had seen Wood at the library again.

That night, Rivero said he went to the library to look for the suspect. “By the time I got there the guy was gone,” he told Lake County News.

He said he asked the librarian about the suspect, and the librarian knew Wood and as able to give Rivero Wood's name, which Rivero said he then gave to Deputy Dennis Keithly. In addition, Rivero made phone calls and asked other deputies to take reports on the case.

Van Steenburgh said the inconsistencies arose in that the girl said she didn't actually see Wood on Nov. 18, but that she saw his bicycle, which didn't agree with Rivero's statements that she had actually spotted him.

On the stand the girl said she had seen Wood at the library once before, but saw his bicycle – not him – on Nov. 18, van Steenburgh said.

Hinchcliff said the inconsistencies led Schaps to call Rivero as a defense witness in order to impeach the girl's credibility.

Rivero said he already had been scheduled to testify as a prosecution witness. He called Schaps' attempt to use his testimony to discredit the girl “a shot in the dark,” and defended the sheriff's office's investigation, saying it was solid and helped lead to a conviction.

Van Steenburgh said the inconsistencies, ultimately, weren't enough to break the case.

On the stand the girls – who van Steenburgh said are both now 12 years old – “were very clear, they were very brave and in the end the jury believed them as they should have.”

In separate statements from the District Attorney's Office and Lake County Sheriff's Office, officials said Wood had been the subject of several previous contacts by the sheriff’s office involving alleged sexually deviant behavior, including an allegation that he possessed child pornography.

Sheriff's Capt. James Bauman said the child pornography case was reported to the sheriff's office in January of 2008 and sent to the District Attorney's Office that March, but didn't end up being filed.

Rivero said that case involved Wood downloading child pornography onto computers at Minnie Cannon Elementary School, where he worked at the time as a janitor. The sheriff alleged that Wood also was masturbating in the classrooms, and later was fired after that case was investigated.

The statute of limitations has already run out on that case, otherwise Rivero said he would have attempted to have to refiled.

Bauman said investigators also previously were contacted in 2006 about allegations involving Wood when he was a juvenile in 1999. Those cases also weren't filed criminally.

However, the most recent case involving Wood has led to inquiries into new allegations, Bauman said.

Following Wood's December arrest, Bauman said investigators were contacted about additional incidents.

“Because people have come forward subsequent to his December arrest on the indecent exposure case from Middletown, we have subsequently opened up three additional cases that are pending investigation,” Bauman said.

Rivero said Wood has been held in a special section of the jail so far, and that he would remain in that area, along with other sex offenders, as he's serving his sentence.

“If we put them in the general population they'd eat 'em alive,” he said.

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SACRAMENTO – Following significant increases in statewide rainfall and mountain snowpack this season, on Wednesday Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed an end to the state’s drought, but urged Californians to keep conserving water as we move into the spring and summer months.

“While this season’s storms have lifted us out of the drought, it’s critical that Californians continue to watch their water use,” Brown said. “Drought or no drought, demand for water in California always outstrips supply. Continued conservation is key.”

Brown issued a proclamation officially rescinding Executive Order S-06-08, issued on June 4, 2008, by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and ends the States of Emergency Schwarzenegger called on June 12, 2008, and on Feb. 27, 2009.

Brown's announcement came the same day as the state Department of Water Resources' fourth snow survey of the season found that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is 165 percent of the April 1 full season average.

“Recent storms have significantly contributed to the above-average snowpack, helping to stabilize California’s water supply for the year,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “While this is beneficial for California’s farms, businesses and communities, we remind residents to practice sensible water use and conservation as we transition to warmer weather.”

Water Resources said Wednesday's manual survey and electronic readings are the most important of the year, since April 1 is when the state’s snowpack normally is at its peak before it melts into streams and reservoirs in the spring and summer months.

March precipitation has helped register 2011 among the top years in snowpack water content, despite dry weather conditions in January and early February, the state said.

The mountain snowpack provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, industry and farms as it melts into streams and reservoirs.

Electronic readings indicate that water content in the northern mountains is 174 percent of the April 1 seasonal average.

Electronic readings for the central Sierra show 163 percent of the April 1 average. The number for the southern Sierra is 158 percent. The statewide number is 165 percent

On March 1, the date of this winter’s third manual survey, percentages of the snowpack’s normal water content were 109 percent of the full season average, 103 percent for the northern Sierra, 106 percent for the central Sierra, and 119 percent in the south.

On this date last year, snowpack water content readings of the April 1 average were 123 percent in the north, 88 percent in the central ranges, 102 percent in the south, and 102 percent statewide.

California’s reservoirs are fed both by rain and snowpack runoff.

A majority of the state’s major reservoirs are also above normal storage levels, the state said.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal reservoir, is 104 percent of average for the date (80 percent of its 3.5 million acre-foot capacity). Lake Shasta north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project’s largest reservoir with a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet, is at 111 percent of average (91 percent of capacity).

DWR estimated it will be able to deliver 70 percent of requested State Water Project (SWP) water this year. The estimate likely will be adjusted upward as hydrologists make adjustments for snowpack and runoff readings.

The SWP delivers water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly one million acres of irrigated farmland.

In 2010, the SWP delivered 50 percent of a requested 4,172,126 acre-feet, up from a record-low initial projection of 5 percent due to lingering effects of the 2007-2009 drought. Deliveries were 60 percent of requests in 2007, 35 percent in 2008, and 40 percent in 2009.

Given the heavy water inflow from the series of storms that have swept across California, the state’s flood managers are monitoring high river flows and making flood control releases from reservoirs to maintain storage space.

The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years due to pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006, Water Resources said.

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday that the number and rate of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949, despite a significant increase in the number of miles Americans drove during the year.

“Last year's drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) early projections, the number of traffic fatalities fell 3 percent between 2009 and 2010, from 33,808 to 32,788.

Since 2005, fatalities have dropped 25 percent, from a total of 43,510 fatalities in 2005, the report said.

The same estimates also project that the fatality rate will be the lowest recorded since 1949, with 1.09 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, down from the 1.13 fatality rate for 2009.

The decrease in fatalities for 2010 occurred despite an estimated increase of nearly 21 billion miles in national vehicle miles traveled, the Department of Transportation reported.

A regional breakdown showed the greatest drop in fatalities occurred in the Pacific Northwest states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, where they dropped by 12 percent. Arizona, California and Hawaii had the next steepest decline, nearly 11 percent.

“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”

The Department of Transportation has taken a comprehensive approach to reducing roadway fatalities by promoting strong traffic safety laws coupled with high-visibility enforcement and through rigorous vehicle safety programs and public awareness campaigns.

In 2009, Secretary LaHood launched a national anti-distracted driving campaign modeled on other successful NHTSA efforts to reduce fatalities, such as its Over the Limit Under Arrest and Click It Or Ticket campaigns to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use.

The agency has launched a dedicated website, www.distraction.gov, to provide the public with a comprehensive source of information on distracted driving.

The Department of Transportation also has hosted two national summits devoted to the issue, crafted sample legislation which states can use to adopt distracted driving laws, and initiated pilot law enforcement programs in Hartford, CT and Syracuse, NY.

NHTSA has also taken action to improve vehicle safety. The agency has urged automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects to keep the driving public safe. NHTSA also has encouraged the development and use of technologies to prevent crashes, such as electronic stability control, forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems.

The agency also unveiled an updated five-star rating system in 2010, which established more rigorous crash-test standards and began providing consumers with improved information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has also been encouraging the use of Safety Edge technology – which reduces drivers’ risk of running off the road by shaping pavement edge – on new road and highway projects.

FHWA has also promoted the use of rumble strips and cable median barriers to separate opposing directions of traffic to reduce the incidence of crossover head-on collisions.

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An older model Ford Mustang broke free from its tow trailer and rolled into oncoming traffic in Lower Lake, Calif., on Thursday, March 31, 2011. Photo by Georgia Hughes.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Some local residents narrowly avoided injury Thursday evening when a vehicle came off its tow trailer and rolled into oncoming traffic.

An older model Ford Mustang that was being towed by a U-Haul truck came off its trailer and ended up hitting another vehicle on Highway 53, according to witnesses at the scene and a California Highway Patrol report.

The incident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. on Highway 53 near the Lower Lake Tower Mart, the CHP said.

Clearlake resident Georgia Hughes was driving along the area when she spotted the Mustang rolling into traffic.

It ended up clipping a Lexus driven by a local couple before ending up in Tower Mart's landscaping, Hughes said.

Hughes said another witness followed the U-Haul, which was reportedly speeding, losing sight of the U-Haul truck, which was heading in the direction of Highway 20.

The CHP said a witness reported that the tow trailer's suspension was dragging on the roadway.

There were no injuries in the incident, according to the CHP and the witnesses.

Lake County News was unable to reach the couple whose car was hit for comment Thursday evening.

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From left, Robert Wenning and Anthony Peak were arrested this week as the result of Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force probation searches. Lake County Jail photos.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Probation searches conducted by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force over the past two days have yielded two arrests and the seizure of several firearms from felony probationers.

Robert Alban Wenning, 22, of Nice and Kelseyville resident Anthony James Peak, 33, were taken into custody, according to a Wednesday report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Tuesday, March 29, at approximately 5:20 p.m., narcotics detectives conducted a probation search at Wenning's home on Brown Street in Nice, according to Bauman.

Bauman said Wenning, who was on probation for a prior felony vandalism conviction, was detained without incident when narcotics detectives entered the home.

While searching Wenning’s home, narcotics detectives located a sawed-off shotgun in one of the bathrooms. Bauman said Wenning was arrested and booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility on felony charges of possessing an illegal weapon and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Wenning's bail was set at $10,000. Jail records indicated he posted bail and later was released.

On Wednesday, March 30, at approximately 4 p.m., narcotics detectives conducted a probation search at Peak's Wight Way home in Kelseyville. Bauman said Peak was on felony probation for a prior possession of narcotics for sales conviction.

Peak was not in the home when narcotics detectives initially arrived so they conducted surveillance in the area, Bauman said. After approximately 30 minutes, Peak arrived at the home and was detained without incident.

A search of Peak’s vehicle revealed a loaded rifle concealed beneath the front seat and several loaded magazines on the driver’s seat and the vehicle’s floor board. Bauman said detectives located narcotics paraphernalia in Peak’s home and the search of a travel trailer on the property revealed four more firearms, including a shotgun and three rifles

Peak was arrested and booked at the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility for being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition, possession of narcotics paraphernalia, and carrying a loaded firearm in public, Bauman said.

His bail was set at $10,000, and jail records indicated he was still in custody on Wednesday night.

Bauman said the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force will continue its efforts to monitor the activities of known convicted criminals and pursue probation or parole violators. Anyone with information that can assist the task force with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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