LAKEPORT, Calif. – The last-minute touches are nearing completion for the Lake County Fair, which opens Thursday evening.

On Wednesday work was under way at the fairgrounds, located at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport, with workers assembling rides and concession booths.

The fair will run from Thursday, Aug. 30, through Sunday, Sept. 2. This year’s theme is “Summer's Biggest Blast!”

Fair Chief Executive Officer Richard Persons said preparations are on track, with a lot to look forward to at this year’s event.

There are a number of new food vendors this year, the fair’s commercial exhibits are sold out – and are almost entirely local businesses – plus, “The weather is supposed to be fantastic,” he said, with daytime highs estimated to be in the 90s.

On Thursday evening, the fair parade – the kickoff event for the fair – will start at Natural High on Main Street in Lakeport at 5:30 p.m.

The parade will travel south on Main Street, ending at the main gate at the fairgrounds on Martin Street with the ribbon cutting. Everyone who enters the parade with a float will receive free entry to the fair.

This year’s parade grand marshals are members of the Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team.

The team, which has paid tribute at the final services for more than 800 Lake County veterans, will lead the parade, and at the main gate will cut the ribbon declaring the Lake County Fair open for another year.

Persons reported that the team will lead the parade with a color guard, a marching unit and the team's commanders.

On Friday, the fair is partnering with Lake County CAN for an inaugural canned food drive to help feed Lake County’s hungry.

Those who bring four cans of food to the fair between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. will gain free fair admission. Persons said the goal is to fill 10 pear bins – the equivalent of about two tons – with food for local food pantries.

One of the fair’s main events is the Junior Livestock Auction, which takes place beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, in the Baldwin Pavilion.

“Livestock is arriving and it appears the number of lots for the Junior Livestock Auction will be up, so we're hoping to set another record for the sale on Saturday,” Persons said.

This year there are more than 4,000 exhibits entered in the fair’s many competitions and a variety of musical acts – including several based in Lake County.

There also will be the Lake County Invitational Bomber Race on Thursday evening, a freestyle motorcycle high jump with mud drags on Friday evening, California State Finals of the WGAS Motorsports Tuff Truck and Buggy Races on Saturday evening and the demolition derby – with a bigger, enhanced purse for the winners – on Sunday evening, Persons reported.

Persons said that fair prices remain unchanged from last year.

Regular admission prices are $10 for a regular ticket, $6 for a senior over age 60, and $6 for children ages 6 through 11. Children under 6 years old are admitted free every day.

In addition, children through age 11 are admitted for $3 on Thursday, Aug. 30 only, for "Kid's Day."

For more information, visit www.lakecountyfair.com or check out the fair’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-Fair/138978582794813 .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – American Red Cross volunteers from throughout the California Northwest region are helping people of the Gulf Coast face Hurricane Isaac.

They come from Arcata, Crescent City, Eureka, Kelseyville, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and Ukiah, and they all are on their way, or are already on the ground, in areas that are preparing for the hurricane’s worst impact.

The trained volunteers have been deployed to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Florida, the Red Cross reported.

Just as with Hurricane Katrina, seven years ago, the American Red Cross is helping people in their time of need. Shelters are open for voluntary evacuations, prior to landfall, and anticipated rains may soon force more people from their homes.

Volunteers already are serving hundreds of meals a day, as well as providing safe places to stay, health services and emotional support to those riding out the storm.

On Monday evening, nearly 800 people found a safe haven in 52 shelters open in five states. In addition, the Red Cross has mobilized 2,400 disaster workers, prepositioned 290,000 ready-to-eat meals and activated 187 emergency response vehicles from across the country to help.

The Red Cross also is coordinating with multiple partners including a variety of civic groups, advocacy organizations, professional organizations and houses of worship to share their expertise and volunteers.

To find an open Red Cross shelter, people can visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767). iPhone and Android users can download a free Red Cross shelter app from the app store.

People can help those affected by disasters like Hurricane Isaac, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief:

• at www.redcross.org (national Red Cross web site) or www.arcsm.org (Red Cross web site for Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties);
• by calling 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767);
• texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation;
• U.S. mail: American Red Cross, PO Box 4002018, Des Moines, IA 50340-2018;
• American Red Cross, 5297 Aero Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403;
• At local Red Cross chapters.

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced on Tuesday that two bills that will help victims by making it more difficult for human traffickers to hide their assets have passed the legislature and have been sent to the governor’s desk.

Assembly Bill 2466, by Bob Blumenfield (D-San Fernando Valley), ensures that criminal defendants involved in human trafficking will not dispose of assets that would otherwise be provided as restitution to victims.

Senate Bill 1133, by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), expands the list of assets that a human trafficker must forfeit and provides a formula for using those resources to help victims of human trafficking. Both bills passed unanimously with bipartisan support.

“Human trafficking is big business in California. It is a high profit criminal industry that is expanding rapidly across the globe, including here in California,” said Attorney General Harris. “This legislation will make sure those who perpetrate these crimes will not profit from them.”

Senate Bill 1133 ensures that those convicted of human trafficking crimes involving minors will not be able to keep the financial benefits reaped from their unlawful activity.

The bill expands the scope of property subject to forfeiture and provides a formula to redirect those resources to community groups that aid victims of human trafficking.

“Sex trafficking of minors is a horrendous crime that is driven by the prospect of lucrative profits,” said Senator Leno. “This legislation aims to deprive convicted criminals of the financial resources and assets that would allow them to continue luring young people into the sex trade. In turn, proceeds from those forfeitures would rightfully be used to help victims begin to repair their lives.”

Assembly Bill 2466 (Preservation of Assets for Victims of Human Trafficking), will help to ensure that more victims of human trafficking receive restitution. Under California law, victims are entitled to mandatory restitution; however there are no laws to help prevent human trafficking defendants from liquidating and hiding their assets before conviction.

Assembly Bill 2466 would allow a court to order the preservation of the assets and property by persons charged with human trafficking.

“Trafficking is slavery and we cannot have the perpetrators of this despicable crime gaming the system in California,” said Assemblymember Blumenfield. “We need all hands on deck to confront trafficking. By signing this bill, the governor can help reclaim justice for victims.”

Attorney General Harris is committed to the fight against this fast-growing crime that deprives persons of basic human rights. Harris co-sponsored the California Human Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2005, which made human trafficking a felony in California.

Attorney General Harris also has served on the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force.

Human trafficking is estimated to be a $32 billion industry, the world’s third most profitable criminal enterprise behind drugs and arms trafficking.

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, smuggling, transporting, harboring, buying, or selling of a person for purposes of exploitation, prostitution, domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, migrant work, agricultural labor, peonage, bondage, or involuntary servitude.

While human trafficking often involves the smuggling of human beings across international borders, numerous Americans are trafficked around the United States ever year.

Human trafficking strips people, especially women and children, of their freedom and violates our nation’s promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights.

For more information on the trafficking of human beings, go to www.oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport man was sentenced on Wednesday to 32 years to life in prison for the November 2007 murder of his neighbor, who he incorrectly believed was a child molester.

Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, received the sentence from retired Lake County Superior Court Judge Arthur Mann on Wednesday morning.

Oliver was convicted earlier this month of the Nov. 20, 2007, murder of Michael Dodele at the Western Hills Mobile Home Park in Lakeport.

“We filed an appeal today,” said defense attorney Stephen Carter.

Shortly before his murder Dodele had moved into the trailer park after being released from prison for the rape of an adult female in the late 1980s. He also had several other previous convictions for rape and attempted rape.

Because of his rape conviction, Dodele was required to register as a sex offender, and his name appeared on the Megan’s Law sex offender registration Web site.

Oliver testified during the trial to being concerned for his young son after seeing a strange car pull up to the park, with a subject inside beckoning to the boy.

When Oliver went to speak to the park’s manager about his concerns, she pulled up the Megan’s Law Web site, saw Dodele’s listing and told Oliver he was a child molester.

Several days later, Oliver confronted Dodele in his home. Oliver testified that Dodele attacked him, a claim Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff argued in court was a fabrication.

The autopsy report showed that Dodele had been stabbed about 65 times, suffering a broken vertebra, a broken shoulder and several wounds that pierced his lungs and spleen.

Dodele’s sister and daughter both gave victim impact statements at the Wednesday morning hearing, Hinchcliff said.

Hinchcliff said there wasn’t much argument to be made at the hearing regarding sentencing length. “The court didn’t have any discretion.”

Hinchcliff credited the work of the case’s two key investigators – Corey Paulich and Brian Martin – for the successful prosecution.

Paulich, the primary investigator and a sheriff’s detective, was in court every day and took the stand. Martin, who also worked at the sheriff’s office at that time, assisted Paulich, Hinchcliff said. Martin also testified in the case.

“They both did a lot of work putting this case together,” said Hinchcliff, adding that a lot of people are involved with investigating cases before they are submitted to the prosecutor.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County News has posted a video of the procession on Tuesday that brought home the body of Army Sgt. Richard Essex.

The video can be viewed above.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The body of a young soldier who was raised in Lake County returned to his family and community on Tuesday in the final leg of a sad and solemn homecoming.

Sgt. Richard Essex’s body was flown on Tuesday morning from the East Coast to the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa.

There, family, close friends and an honor guard of members of the military, California Highway Patrol and Lakeport Police officers were gathered to escort him to Lake County.

Essex, 23, of Kelseyville was one of 11 people who died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on Thursday, August 16, in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Essex was serving in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He was the Black Hawk’s door gunner on its final mission.

As the hearse carrying Essex’s body headed north on Highway 101, the passing procession was saluted by community members, law enforcement and firefighters.

Originally, Essex’s procession had been scheduled to come over Highway 175 on the Hopland Grade. However, the size of the procession – along with the hearse there were numerous private vehicles as well as those of local law enforcement agencies and dozens of Patriot Guard Riders on motorcycles – made it necessary to change routes.

Instead, the procession went on to Ukiah and then headed east on Highway 20, turning onto Highway 29 at Upper Lake.

While there was about an hour of delay in his arrival – originally the procession had been set to pass through Kelseyville at noon and Lakeport at 12:15 p.m. – community members stayed on the streets of Kelseyville and Lakeport, waiting for the chance to see him pass.

At his request, the procession went through his hometown, past Kelseyville High School, where he graduated in 2008.

Then it was on to Lakeport, where American flags had been set up by city workers all along Main Street. About 200 people lined the procession’s path in the block at Courthouse Square.

In the few breathless minutes that it took for the procession to pass, it seemed the only sound was the rumble of motorcycle engines and the vehicles following Essex’s hearse.

People of all ages lined the route, many of them holding American flags, watching the hearse pass without speaking. Some family members riding in the vehicles that followed the hearse waved to those who lined the route.

At Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, with the pathway bounded by flags and salutes, Essex’s casket was taken from the hearse by an honor guard, with family gathering for a private service.

Essex’s family has invited the community to a public memorial service that will take place beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, on the football field at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Containment was rolled back slightly on Wednesday on a two-fire complex burning in northern Mendocino County.

The North Pass Fires – burning 10 miles northeast of Covelo since Saturday, Aug. 18 – have so far burned 34,119 acres, officials reported.

Containment was at 28 percent Wednesday night, down from the 35 percent estimate given by fire officials earlier in the day.

The fires have burned four residences and seven outbuildings, and evacuations remain in place for dozens of homes and structures in the fires’ path, according to Cal Fire and the US Forest Service, which have unified command of the incident.

There were 1,908 fire personnel on scene Wednesday, according to Cal Fire and forest officials. Assigned resources included 156 engines, 28 fire crews, two airtankers, 13 helicopters, 26 bulldozers and 29 water tenders.

The fire is burning in the Mendocino National Forest, and a closure order remains in effect for two-thirds of the Covelo Ranger District, the US Forest Service reported.

Lake County residents saw an increase in smoke from the fires on Wednesday evening, with satellite imagery also showing smoke near the coast.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 13th annual Lake County Wine Auction will be presented on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Brassfield Estate Winery in High Valley.

This major fundraising event benefits nonprofit arts, health services and community organizations in Lake County.

The sponsoring Lake County Wine Alliance has contributed $896,765 in proceeds to Lake County groups since its inception in 2000.

Jerry Brassfield, proprietor of Brassfield Estate Winery, will be the honorary chair for the 2012 Wine Auction.

He will be assisted by an all-volunteer committee, co-chaired by Judy Luchsinger of Lakeport and Sharron Zoller of Kelseyville.

Five senior centers, five high schools, three high school programs, and eight nonprofit organizations have been selected as beneficiaries of this year’s Lake County Wine Auction.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the selected beneficiaries. More than 40 organizations, agencies, and programs submitted their funding requests to the Wine Alliance, demonstrating the number of worthy programs in Lake County seeking financial assistance.

The recipient organizations will use their grants for these projects:

The Arts: The fine arts education programs at the five Lake County high schools (Clear Lake High, Kelseyville High, Lower Lake High, Middletown High, and Upper Lake High) will share the funds in this category.

Health: the Safe House for Homeless Youths serves youth 15-18 years of age from throughout Lake County; Hospice Services of Lake County provides physical, emotional and spiritual end-of-life support; and the five senior centers (Highlands, Live Oak, Lucerne Alpine, Lakeport, and Middletown) will support their nutrition programs for delivered meals to homebound seniors.

Community: Funds in this category will be shared by the Clear Lake Performing Arts to expand its Youth Music Education program; the Friends of the Lake County Museum to present its docent outreach program to all schools; Team DUI to purchase outreach and educational materials; Konocti Junior Tennis League to continue its operation of the annual Lake County open junior tournament; Operation Tango Mike for shipping fees and package contents for troops deployed to combat zones; and Habitat for Humanity of Lake County for its home repair program for low income residents.

An additional award will go to the three high schools with Future Farmers of America (FFA) programs (Upper Lake, Kelseyville, and Middletown) that develop leadership through agricultural education.

The elegant, black tie-encouraged affair will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 11 p.m.

The LC Diamonds will provide music for dancing.

Live auction excitement will be generated by auctioneers Shaun Hornby of Lakeport and Stephanie Green of Kelseyville. The combination of Hornby and Green resulted in heightened activity at the 2011 Wine Auction held in September at Ceago Vinegarden.

Local wineries, wine grape growers, restaurants, and other businesses and individuals are generous supporters through their donations to the live and silent auctions and to the food and beverages served at the gala affair.

Lake County and regional businesses provide support through sponsorships.

The charter of the Wine Alliance directs its efforts to foster the arts, benefit health services, and support the community, while promoting Lake County as a premier grape growing and fine wine region.

Members of the Wine Alliance board are Kaj Ahlmann, Lower Lake, president; Judy Luchsinger, Lakeport, vice president; Sharron Zoller, Kelseyville, secretary; Rob Roumiguiere, Kelseyville, treasurer; and Marie Beery, Kelseyville, and Bill Groody, Kelseyville.

Tickets are $150 per person and may be reserved at www.winealliance.org or by calling 866-279-WINE.

Sponsorship information is available from Marie Beery, 707-278-0129.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County has been paying tribute this month to a fallen local soldier, who was brought home on Tuesday.

Army Sgt. Richard Essex’s body was carried through Lake County in a dignified procession, as community members looked on.

He died in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan on Thursday, August 16.

Here are the community’s thoughts, pictures and video, shared on social media.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – They go about their work quietly, efficiently, with the utmost respect.

The Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team has paid tribute at the final services for more than 800 Lake County veterans, and they do so with no outside funding source, providing a vital service for the families of veterans entirely upon donations.

But on Thursday evening, the Lake County Military Funeral Honors Team will provide another vital service to the community when its members serve as grand marshals for the Lake County Fair opening parade.

In 2003, Craven began sending care packages to a couple of her law enforcement colleagues who were deployed to Afghanistan as part of the California Army National Guard.

It was the start of Operation Tango Mike, which translates to “Operation Thanks Much” in military jargon.

Each year the fair’s board of directors selects an individual or organization that has had a large and significant impact on Lake County.

The grand marshals lead the parade up Main Street in Lakeport on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Arriving at the main gate on Martin Street, they will cut the ribbon and declare the Lake County Fair open for another year.

The Lake County Military Honors Team will lead the parade with a color guard, a marching unit, and the team’s commanders honoring both America’s veteran’s and the way of life those veteran’s have fought and died for, as exemplified by a small town country fair.
 
Each year, the fair parade is the kickoff event for the annual Lake County Fair.

The parade starts at Natural High in Lakeport, travels south on Main Street, and ends at the main gate to the fairgrounds with the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Upon arrival at the main gate, everyone who enters the parade with a float will receive free entry to the fair.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – As two wildland fires continued burning into the Mendocino National Forest on Tuesday, firing and mop up operations also were under way.

The North Pass Fires were sparked by lightning along Mendocino Pass Road, 10 miles northeast of Covelo, on Saturday, Aug. 18.

A Tuesday night report from the Cal Fire and US Forest Service unified command said the fires had burned 32,675 acres and were 35-percent contained.

On scene Tuesday were 1,648 fire personnel, 116 engines, 24 fire crews, two airtankers, 12 helicopters, 25 bulldozers and 29 water tenders, Cal Fire and the US Forest Service reported.

Fire crews began firing operations in the southeastern side of the fire, which continued through Monday night and early Tuesday morning, the report explained. Mopping up started on Monday along the western flank of the fire on Asa Bean Ridge.

Officials anticipate the fire will spread northeast toward Tantrum Glade (USFS Road M2), north toward Wrights Valley, Hole in the Ground and Hopkins Peak over the next 48 hours.

Evacuation orders remained in effect on Tuesday for dozens of residences east of Covelo. As of Tuesday, officials said the fires had destroyed four residences and seven outbuildings.

The fires have continued to spread north toward the Middle Fork of the Eel River, Hammerhorn Lake, Foster Glade and Asa Bean Ridge within the Yolla Bolly Middle Eel Wilderness, eastward toward Forest Road M2 and south toward Forest Highway 7.

Forest officials said a closure order is in effect for the northern two-thirds of the Covelo Ranger District.

Forest Service officials said that on Monday heat from a large smoke column rose into the air and merged into a cloud, which then developed into a large pyrocumulus cloud that was noticeable from miles around.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The community is preparing to welcome home a fallen soldier on Tuesday.

The body of Sgt. Richard Essex, 23, of Kelseyville, is being flown to California on Tuesday, with a procession planned through the county early in the afternoon.

Essex was serving in the U.S. Army, and was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

He was the door gunner on a Black Hawk helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan's Kandahar province on Thursday, Aug. 16, as Lake County News has reported.

The cause of the crash – which claimed a total of 11 victims – remains under investigation.

The body of Essex and several of his fellow soldiers was returned to the United States on Sunday, Aug. 19, according to the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Office.

The “dignified transfer” on Aug. 19 occurred at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

His body will be flown from the East Coast on Tuesday morning and then will be driven to Lake County.

Essex’s procession will move down Highway 29 and then to Merritt Road before turning onto Main Street in Kelseyville, where it’s expected to pass through at about noon.

It will pass Kelseyville High School – where Essex graduated in 2008 – before moving back onto Highway 29 and then to Lakeport, where it’s expected at about 12:15 p.m.

The procession will turn onto S. Main Street at the Highway 175 intersection before winding its way through Lakeport.

The California Highway Patrol will be on hand to help control traffic to allow the procession to move on and off the highway.

Community members are welcome to line Main Street in both Kelseyville and Lakeport for the procession.

A public memorial service for Essex will take place beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 1, on the football field at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.

A map of the anticipated procession route is shown below. It will be updated as more details become available.
 
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