LAKEPORT, Calif. – On the shores of Clear Lake, the annual Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17.

The seaplanes will come out of Clear Lake onto land at Natural High Grounds at 810 N. Main St. in Lakeport. 

Seaplane pilots throughout California and beyond are registering for this annual seaplane gathering that began in 1979.

Spectators will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with pilots and get up close and personal views of the planes.  

The Splash In Committee has arranged for a sound system by City of Light so everyone on the field can hear what’s going on including the pilot briefing, what planes are there and descriptions of aerial demonstrations over the lake demonstrations later in the day.

This year's field marshall is Ray Shipway of Shipway Aviation. He will be assisted by Lee Cook, a longtime Splash In volunteer. 

Shipway will oversee the Scouts of Sea Scout Ship unit 711 as they direct planes entering and leaving the field. 

As the Sea Scouts camp on site from Friday through Sunday, they and their leaders do 24 hour security for the field.

The day’s activities include a pancake breakfast at 8 a.m. ($7/person) put on by the Lakeport Kiwanis Club to benefit Boy Scout Troop 42; a pilot’s briefing at 9 a.m. to cover what demonstrations they will be doing over the water beginning around noon; a display of classic cars and trucks, Lakeport Fire District will be on site with one of their trucks and firemen to talk about their great work in our community. 

Seaplane rides over Clear Lake with a couple of our commercially licensed pilots will be available for purchase. Two seaplane rides on Sept. 17 will be raffled off. Raffle sales close at 2 p.m.; winners must be present at the time of the drawing. 

Representatives of the National Seaplane Pilots Association from Lakeland Florida will have a booth where anyone interested in learning more about flying seaplanes can talk with them. Additional aviation industry vendors will also be on hand. 

The Clear Lake Modelers will have many of their models on display as well as a simulator where visitors may try their hand at flying a model. The club members will answer questions and demonstrate how to build models.

Commemorative Splash In T-shirts will be available at the Konoctee’s of Clearlake booth. Don’t forget to check out the many arts, crafts and food vendor booths.

This event is produced by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the city of Lakeport and the county of Lake.

Since its inception the Splash In’s official headquarters has been the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport.   For those seeking accommodations to attend the event visit the Lake County Chamber Web site at www.lakecochamber.com . For general questions call the chamber at 707-263-5092.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The “Wood & Glory” quilt block recently joined the Lake County Quilt Trail.

This 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block has been installed on Jim and Gail Robello’s dock, located on the water at 2310 Eastlake Drive, Kelseyville in Buckingham.

It is the third quilt block to be on the water trail.

The Robellos chose a nautical theme for their quilt block to express their love of boating on Clear Lake. They have enjoyed boating most of their lives which helped them decide to retire in Lake County.

“Our ‘barn’ is our floating boathouse which is used for antique and wooden boats, as well as fiber-classic boats,” Gail Robello said.

The Robellos hope those passing by viewing “Wood & Glory” enjoy Clear Lake as much as they do, and hope it puts a smile on their faces.

Wood & Glory is an annual boating event on Clear Lake which has been sponsored by the Antique and Classic Boating Society since 1999.

Each year about 200 people and 50 antique and classic boats gather to enjoy boating and sightseeing on Clear Lake.

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.

The 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block “Healing Star” was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team from the design suggestion given by Dr. Dhanda.

LCQT is a group of dedicated volunteer quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a
videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or visit the group on Facebook.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities are offering a reward for information leading to the capture, arrest and conviction of a man who attempted to shoot a California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer late last month.

With the assistance of California Wildlife Officers Foundation, California Waterfowl Association, The Humane Society of the United States, The Sportfishing Alliance, The Nature Conservancy and private donors, a reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information about Shawn Eugene Hof Jr.
 
On Sunday, Aug. 21, at around 12:40 a.m., a CDFW wildlife officer was patrolling for poachers in Carlotta in Humboldt County when the officer saw a pickup truck with occupants using spotlights in an attempt to poach deer on Redwood House Road near Highway 36.

Officials said the wildlife officer attempted to conduct an enforcement stop on the vehicle when a person who was in the rear of the vehicle began shooting at the wildlife officer.

A vehicle pursuit ensued with the suspects crashing the vehicle off the road. The suspects fled on foot into the woods, evading arrest, according to the report.
 
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and Humboldt District Attorney's Office are the lead investigating agencies concerning the shooting incident.

Through their investigation, they determined one of the suspects is 24-year-old Shawn Eugene Hof Jr.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office has since obtained a $500,000 Ramey Warrant for Hof's arrest.
 
Shawn Eugene Hof Jr. is described as 5 feet, 9 inches tall, 150 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
 
Anyone with information in this case (#201604226), particularly the whereabouts of Hof, is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office at 707-445-7251 or the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Crime Tip line at 707-268-2539.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Firefighters from several agencies were part of the effort to quickly knock down two early morning fires, one at a home that burned a vehicle and outbuilding and another that did some limited damage at a Lakeport grocery store.

The fires at the residence in the 4800 block of George Road and at Bruno's Shop Smart on Lakeport Boulevard were reported on Thursday at about 3:30 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. respectively, based on radio traffic.

Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said his district, along with Kelseyville Fire and Cal Fire responded, to the fire at the George Road residence.

He said the family living there was awakened to sounds of popping. They went out to find a pickup on fire, which in turn ignited a nearby shed.

The fire also burned a small amount of grass, with Hutchison pointing out that the family had kept their grass mowed, which kept the fire from spreading.

He said he's not yet 100-percent sure of a final cause, but that it appears to have started with the pickup, which along with the shed was destroyed in the fire.

As they were getting that fire under control, Hutchison and some of the units left to go to the fire at Bruno's, where Lakeport Police officers were on scene clearing the building of about three employees, based on radio reports.

While initial reports indicated the fire was seen on the outside of the building, Hutchison said there actually was not any fire on the exterior. “The fire was contained inside.”

He added, “The fire for the most part was confined to the roof and a flue vent from one of their commercial ovens.”

The main damage was to ceiling tiles, a membrane used to seal the roof and an air pump for ventilating the store's oven. Hutchison said the rooftop unit was destroyed.

He said firefighters had to cut out a 10-foot by 6-foot section of insulation and roof membrane away during overhaul, but did not have to cut down into the metal decking.

Inside, firefighters “shot a little bit of water back inside the bakery section,” but Hutchison said most of the water in the store came through the roof from the firefighting effort on top of the building.

There also was light smoke throughout the entire store when firefighters arrived, which Hutchison said they cleared out using large positive pressure fans at the store entrances.

Pacific Gas and Electric also responded, said Hutchison, and helped isolate the electricity in the bakery and the rooftop so firefighters could safely work on overhaul.

Hutchison said Lakeport Fire's resources included one engine and a ladder truck, Kelseyville Fire sent an engine, Northshore Fire sent three engines and a battalion chief and Cal Fire had an engine and battalion chief on scene. A ladder truck that had been requested from Lake County Fire was canceled en route. Units cleared the scene at about 6:30 a.m.

Hutchison said the incident looked like a classic chimney fire, with a buildup of flammable material in the flue.

He did not offer a damage estimate but said that the structure itself had little overall damage, with the main loss being the rooftop air pump unit.

The store itself is open and operating, said Hutchison, who visited the store later in the day to pick up equipment.

He said the bakery section will have to be closed temporarily for repairs and will need a health department inspection to reopen.

At the store on Thursday afternoon, it was mostly business as usual, with the exception of the bakery services being offline temporarily and some of the impacts from the firefighting effort, according to store manager, Carlos Fagundes.

He said the damage was mostly isolated to the roof, with the only disruption being the water used to fight the fire.

Fagundes said he expected the store to be fully operational on Friday, except for the bakery, where he believed repairs will take about a week.

In the meantime, he said Bruno's will bring in baked goods from a sister store in Clearlake.

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.

The adult obesity rate in California is 24.2 percent, giving it the fifth lowest rate nationwide, according to a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

“The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America,” showed that U.S. adult obesity rates decreased in four states (Minnesota, Montana, New York and Ohio), increased in two (Kansas and Kentucky) and remained stable in the rest, between 2014 and 2015.

This marks the first time in the past decade that any states have experienced decreases – aside from a decline in Washington, D.C. in 2010.

Despite these modest gains, obesity continued to put millions of Americans at increased risk for a range of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, and costs the country between $147 billion and $210 billion each year.

In 2015, Louisiana has the highest adult obesity rate at 36.2 percent and Colorado has the lowest at 20.2 percent.

While rates remained steady for most states, they are still high across the board. The 13th annual report found that rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent in four states, are at or above 30 percent in 25 states and are above 20 percent in all states. In 1991, no state had a rate above 20 percent.

The analyses are based on the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

The State of Obesity also found that:

• Nine of the 11 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South and 22 of the 25 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest.
• Ten of the 12 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South – and rates of diabetes increased in three states (Louisiana, Mississippi and Oregon). California's diabetes rate is 10 percent, 25th highest.
• American Indian/Alaska natives have an adult obesity rate of 42.3 percent.
• Adult obesity rates for blacks are 32.8 percent in California, the ninth lowest rate, and at or above 40 percent for blacks in 14 states.
• Adult obesity rates for Latinos are 31.3 percent in California, the 23rd highest rate.
• Adult obesity rates for whites are 22.2 percent in California, the fourth lowest rate, and at or above 25 percent for Whites in 39 states.
• Nationally, adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent in 40 states and Washington, D.C. for blacks; 29 states for Latinos; and 16 states for whites.

There is some evidence that the rate of increase has been slowing over the past decade. For instance, in 2005, 49 states experienced an increase; in 2008, 37 states did; in 2010, 28 states did; in 2011, 16 states did; in 2012, only one state did; and in 2014, only two states did. (Note: the methodology for BRFSS changed in 2011).

“Obesity remains one of the most significant epidemics our country has faced, contributing to millions of preventable illnesses and billions of dollars in avoidable health care costs,” said Richard Hamburg, interim president and CEO, Trust for America's Health. “These new data suggest that we are making some progress but there's more yet to do. Across the country, we need to fully adopt the high-impact strategies recommended by numerous experts. Improving nutrition and increasing activity in early childhood, making healthy choices easier in people's daily lives and targeting the startling inequities are all key approaches we need to ramp up.”

Some other key findings from the report include:

• The number of high school students who drink one or more soda a day has dropped by nearly 40 percent since 2007, to around one in five (20.4 percent) in 2015 (note: does not include sport/energy drinks, diet sodas, or water with added sugars). In California, 14.2 percent of high school students reported drinking one can or more of soda per day.
• The number of high school students who report playing video or computer games three or more hours a day has increased more than 88 percent since 2003 (from 22.1 to 41.7 percent). In California, 42.1 percent of high school students reported playing video games and 23.1 percent reported watching three or more hours of TV per day.
• More than 29 million children live in “food deserts,” and more than 15 million U.S. children – including 13.5 percent in California – live in “food-insecure” households – having limited access to adequate food and nutrition due to cost, proximity and/or other reasons.
• The federal government has awarded more than $90 million via 44 Healthy Food Financing Initiative financial assistance awards in 29 states, including California, since 2011 – helping leverage more than $1 billion and create 2,500 jobs.
• Eighteen states, including California, and Washington, D.C. set a minimum amount of time that elementary students must participate in physical education; 14 states, including California, and Washington, D.C. set a minimum amount for middle schools; and six states, including California, set a minimum amount for high schools.

The report also includes a set of priority policy recommendations to accelerate progress in addressing obesity, including investing in obesity prevention, focusing on early childhood policies and programs, school-based policies and programs, and community-based policies and programs,

“This year's State of Obesity report is an urgent call to action for government, industry, health care, schools, child care and families around the country to join in the effort to provide a brighter, healthier future for our children. It focuses on important lessons and signs of progress, but those efforts must be significantly scaled to see a bigger turn around,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Together, we can build an inclusive Culture of Health and ensure that all children and families live healthy lives.”

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A fire early Thursday morning caused damage at a Lakeport grocery store.

The fire at Bruno's Shop Smart, 355 Lakeport Blvd., was first reported just before 4:15 a.m. on Thursday, according to the initial dispatch.

The original report indicated that there was a fire in the roof near the bakery.

At around 3:30 a.m., Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire units had been dispatched to a fire in the 4800 block of George Road where a small outbuilding and about a quarter-acre of vegetation had burned, with units leaving that scene to get to the incident at Bruno's, radio reports indicated.

Just before firefighters arrived at Bruno's, Lakeport Police officers who were at the store reported that fire was showing on the building's south side and on a portion of the roof, with extension into the building.

At that point the officers were working to clear the building, with reports indicating that three employees had been present at that point.

Lakeport Fire units that arrived confirmed there was a working roof fire on the building's south end with extension into the store's bakery area.

Chief Doug Hutchison asked for mutual aid from Northshore Fire as well as a ladder truck from Lake County Fire, in addition to the ladder truck from his district. The Lake County Fire ladder truck later was canceled as firefighters got the blaze under control.

Firefighters worked on the roof of the building, where they reported laying down hose in an effort to reach the fire, which was knocked down at around 5 a.m. The fire was reported to be fully contained at about 5:05 a.m.

Pacific Gas and Electric arrived on scene shortly after 5 a.m. to help with turning off certain electric panels so firefighters could safely work on overhaul, according to radio traffic.

By that point the store's manager also was reported to be on scene and being taken into the building by firefighters to look at damage.

The extent of damage to the store was not immediately available at the time of publishing, with firefighters still engaged in working on overhaul of the fire at that point.

Additional 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.