J.T. Tomlinson
April 20, 1933 – Feb. 18, 2017
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – J.T. was a well-known and much loved character who spent most of his life in Lake County.
He loved fishing and going to the casinos and would sing or play his harmonica for anyone he encountered.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In recognition of Women’s History Month, celebrated each March, State Sen. Mike McGuire has chosen a woman from each of the seven counties in the Second Senate District as Women of the Year.
Each of the women who have been selected for this award have extraordinary accomplishments, demonstrated incredible commitment to their communities and have brought positive change Northern California.
Debra Sommerfield, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission and board member for Hammers for Hope, has been chosen as Woman of the Year for Lake County.
“This phenomenal group of women continue to inspire and bring positive change to our local communities and we’re excited to recognize Debra’s track record of success in Lake County,” McGuire said.
“I’m honored and humbled by Sen. McGuire’s recognition,” Sommerfield told Lake County News. “In both my professional career and my community involvement, I have the real privilege of working with so many talented, caring and dedicated people who inspire me every day. My focus is to do my part – to share my passion for Lake County and to help others along the way.”
As president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission since 2013, Sommerfield has helped grow and develop Lake County wines into a special and distinct region.
When the devastating Valley fire swept through Lake County, decimating communities, the commission under Sommerfield’s leadership created “Lake County Rising,” which raised over $1 million for fire victims.
She continues her work on behalf of fire victims as a board member of Hammers for Hope, which is rebuilding homes in south Lake County.
Sen. McGuire, all throughout the year and especially in the month of March, celebrates the contributions women have made all throughout our state by recognizing Women’s History Month.
It is an opportunity to highlight the significant achievements women have fought to accomplish all throughout this great nation and this year’s Northern California recipients exemplify that sentiment with unmatched commitment and dedication.
In addition to Sommerfield, McGuire recognized the following women from the rest of the counties that comprise Northern California’s Second Senate District:
– Marin: Cecilia Zamora.
– Sonoma: Mary Szecsey.
– Mendocino: Val Muchowski.
– Humboldt: Julie Fulkerson.
– Del Norte: Kymmie Scott.
– Trinity: Jill Richards.
Sen. McGuire will be honoring these Women of the Year at two different luncheons, one in the North Bay and one on the North Coast.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Lake County Waste Solutions will hold a household hazardous waste dropoff event in Nice.
It will take place across from Keeling County Park, located at 3000 Lakeshore Blvd.
This event is being held due to the increased need for household hazardous waste disposal as a result of recent flooding.
The previously scheduled household hazardous waste event which will still be held Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Quackenbush Mountain Resource Recovery & Compost Facility, located at 16520 Davis Ave in Clearlake.
For more information on what items can and cannot be disposed of please contact the Public Services Department by calling 707-262-1618, or visiting our Public Services Facebook page, or visit the county of Lake Web site at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Margaret Cecelia Taffi passed away on Dec. 17, 2016, at her home with loved ones.
Margaret was one of the most compassionate, loving, selfless people we knew.
She is survived by her three children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many others she cared for as her own.
Margaret will be missed dearly and remembered always.
A celebration of life will be held later this year.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707995-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Beginning Friday evening, Lake County can expect another set of winter storms thanks to a new weather front moving over the region.
The National Weather Service said a cool Pacific weather system will bring rain this weekend and into next week, with fairly low snow levels in Northern California’s mountains.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for a sunny Friday, with strong chances of rain beginning on Friday evening and continuing through Monday, with reduced chances of showers from Monday night through Tuesday night.
Sunny conditions are forecast to return on Wednesday and Thursday, the forecast said.
In northern Lake County’s higher elevations, the forecast calls for chances of now on Saturday and Sunday.
Lake County also remains under a flood warning due to Clear Lake remaining in flood stage, which is 9 feet Rumsey and above.
In recent days, thanks to drier conditions, the lake’s flood waters have steadily continued to recede at the rate of about a tenth of a foot a day, as Lake County Water Resources estimated it would.
Early Friday, the lake’s elevation was just a little over 9.6 feet Rumsey, according to the United States Geological Survey’s lake gauge at Lakeport.
The survey also reported that early Friday the Cache Creek Dam continued high-volume releases of just under 4,300 cubic feet per second.
Despite the incoming storms, the California Nevada River Forecast Center estimates Clear Lake’s elevation will continue to steadily decrease and could fall below 9 feet Rumsey late next week.
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.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around Lake County and the North Coast during the coming week.
Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.
LAKE COUNTY
Highway 20
– Emergency highway repairs east of the Bachelor Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.
– Emergency highway repairs near Foothill Drive will begin Monday, March 6. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.
Highway 29
– Emergency culvert repairs near Hofacker Lane will begin Monday, March 6. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 53
– AT&T has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Krugelman Road beginning Tuesday, March 6. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 175
– Valley fire recovery work from the junction of Routes 29/175 in Middletown to Loch Lomond will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
MENDOCINO COUNTY
Highway 1
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near old Coast Highway beginning Thursday, March 9. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Repairs at the Albion River Bridge will continue through Friday, March 3. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs from Boice Lane to Ocean View Drive on Tuesday, March 7, and Wednesday, March 8. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Emergency slide removal near Leggett will continue. A full road closure is in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should seek an alternate route.
Highway 20
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for tree trimming from Old Willits Road to 1.2 miles east of Road 350 through Tuesday, March 7. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 101
– Routine maintenance near Frog Woman Rock will continue. Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance near Hewlitt and Sturtevant Road on Monday, March 6, and Tuesday, March 7. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
– Emergency slide repairs on the westbound Route 20 to southbound Route 101 connector ramp will continue. Intermittent ramp closures will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
– Emergency highway repairs just south of Leggett will continue. Northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– Emergency slide removal near Piercy will continue. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
Highway 162
– Emergency storm damage repairs near The Middle Way will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.
For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport said traffic work will be taking place on 11th Street on Saturday, March 4.
There will be traffic control with possible one-lane traffic in two locations on 11th Street between Central Park Avenue and N. Main Street throughout the day.
Please drive carefully and watch for workers in the roadway.
LUCERNE, Calif. – Marymount California University, Lakeside is now accepting applications for enrollment in the fall 2017 semester.
Students who have completed their lower division college coursework are invited to apply to complete a degree in psychology, business or liberal arts.
In addition, a master’s degree in community psychology is offered.
A redesign of the methods of delivering classes has been completed at MCU Lakeside.
Starting in the Fall of 2017, classes will be both hybrid and online. Hybrid classes meet one week in person and the other week online. This design means students have the support of the Lakeside staff while also being able to complete much of their coursework from home.
For residents of Lake County, Mendocino County, and five surrounding counties, tuition at the Lakeside campus is substantially discounted from the cost of tuition at Marymount California University’s main campus in southern California. Students may be eligible for financial aid as well.
The staff at the Lakeside campus is available to give tours, schedule meetings to discuss programs, or assist anyone thinking of going back to school to determine how it could work for their individual situation.
Applications may be made online via www.marymountcalifornia.edu .
The campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive in Lucerne.
For more information, please call the Lakeside Campus at 888-991-5253 or Enrollment Coordinator Kathy Windrem at 310-303-7670.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The owners of 2 Women Traders have rescheduled the opening of their store, which is set to debut in a new spot.
The shop has moved to a new location at 21330 A Calistoga St.
The shop's owners, Rita Caroni and Dayle Marshall, said Thursday that the store – originally set to reopen on March 3 – will now reopen at 9:30 a.m. Friday, March 10.
For more information call 2 Women Traders at 707-987-3870 or visit https://ispiritual.com/2womentraders .
Catching crabs with a chicken leg?
Question: California regulations stipulate that taking crustaceans by “hook and line” is not a legal method of take.
So what about a baited line with no hook (e.g. a chicken leg) with a hand line tied to it? As long as I use my hands to take the crab and not a net, is a baited line allowed to lure the crab within reach? (Patrick M.)
Answer: Ocean sport fishing regulations specify what gear may be used to take saltwater crustaceans, and any “nets, traps or other appliances” not specified in the following section are prohibited methods of take (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80(a)(2)).
A baited line without a hook is not a legal method of take, but here’s an idea … you could tie a chicken leg to a loop trap, or make the chicken leg into a loop trap by attaching up to six loops (slip knots) to the bait, and snare a crab this way. This method of a line attached to a chicken leg would be legal to use!
Looking for sustainable and ethical wild game for restaurant
Question: I am a chef and we will open a new, very small, specialized Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles. I am looking for sustainable and ethical wild game. Could you please help me find a hunter that deals with restaurants like ours? (Ni L.)
Answer: It is illegal for anyone to buy, sell or trade any sport-taken wild game meat in California. There are businesses that import “exotic” meats, and they are inspected and regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
According to the USDA, “Game meats that do not have a mark of inspection cannot be sold. This is the case for game meat harvested by a recreational hunter. The inspection and processing requirements will not be met and thus the meat cannot be sold.”
Lifetime licenses for a 3-year-old
Question: I just purchased a lifetime fishing license for my 3-year-old son and would like to purchase his lifetime hunting license as well. Do I have to wait until he is old enough to take and pass his hunters safety class first? (Anxious dad)
Answer: Great question! You will be able to purchase the lifetime hunting license now to lock in the price but he will not be able to use it until he completes his hunter safety class. Once you buy the license, our License and Revenue Branch will send you confirmation of your purchase.
After your son takes the class (usually at nine years or older) and gives us the certificate showing that he has passed his test, like magic, his profile will show that he has an active lifetime hunting license and he will be able to use it.
Likewise, his lifetime fishing license may not show up in his profile until he turns 16 (when he will need to have a fishing license to fish). If you bought one of the add-on packages that include fishing report cards, he will have access to those before his 16th birthday because the report cards are necessary for anglers of all ages.
Good luck and I hope you have many happy years of hunting and fishing with your son!
Catching bait from the piers and bays
Question: What are the legal methods allowed for catching live bait? I have used sabiki type rigs when fishing for mackerels and sardines, but recently I’ve started fishing the bays.
Is it legal to use homemade minnow traps in the bays (e.g. Mission Bay and San Diego Bay) to catch smelts to use for bait, or can I only use those bait nets available at local sport fishing retailers for catching bait fish? I am hoping to catch baits south of Point Conception. (Charles P.)
Answer: Baited traps are not authorized for the take of bait fish south of Point Conception. The only authorized methods of take for bait fish are using dip nets, baited hoop nets not greater than 36 inches in diameter, by hook and line or by hand.
“Dip nets of any size and baited hoop nets not greater than 36 inches in diameter may be used to take herring, Pacific staghorn sculpin, shiner surfperch, surf smelt, topsmelt, anchovies, shrimp and squid. Hawaiian-type throw nets may be used north of Point Conception to take such species” (CCR Title 14, section 28.80). When taking other species of bait fish, your hand-held dip net must be not more than six feet in greatest diameter, excluding the handle (CCR Title 14, section 1.42).
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty announced Thursday that Matt Brady has been appointed to the position of District 1 director, effective immediately.
The District 1 region includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino counties.
Interim District 1 Director Tim Craggs will return to Sacramento after serving for five months to bridge the gap between former District Director Charlie Fielder’s retirement last fall and Brady’s appointment.
Brady is a 25-year employee with Caltrans, a certified Project Management Professional and a California licensed Professional Engineer.
After graduating from Santa Clara University in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, Brady began his career with Caltrans in Orange County, Caltrans District 12.
After three years in District 12, Brady spent six years with Structure Design in Sacramento.
Brady was promoted to senior transportation engineer in 2000, serving as a California Transportation Commission liaison with Transportation Programming, also in Sacramento.
In late 2001, Brady moved to District 1 to become a project manager and in 2004 he was promoted to District 1’s deputy district director of program and project management.
Brady has delivered many high profile projects such as the Willits Bypass, Ten Mile River Bridge, Confusion Hill Realignment, and Alton Interchange and Mad River Bridges.
He also has taken on special assignments including a 15-month rotation as the deputy district director of maintenance and operations in District 1, and as the division chief for the headquarters division of engineering services.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – End-of-life health care often is difficult and stressful for an individual and their family.
More than 79 percent of individuals needing end-of-life care require hospitalizations. For the 79 individuals who participated in Partnership HealthPlan of California’s (PHC) Partners in Palliative Care pilot program, less than half required hospitalization.
In September 2015, PHC launched Partners in Palliative Care, which focused on patient and family-centered care by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering during end-of-life care.
For every dollar spend to administer the pilot, three dollars were saved in hospital costs.
Four organizations – ResolutionCare (Humboldt County), Collabria Care (Napa County), Interim Healthcare (Shasta County), and Yolo Hospice Care (Yolo County) – provided care that included assessment, pain management services, care coordination, access to care giver support and case management.
From enrollment to death, 55 percent those participating in the pilot avoided hospitalization, compared to 21 percent of matched comparison beneficiaries.
Only 35 percent of pilot participants died within 30 days of a hospital admission versus more than 70 percent of comparison beneficiaries.
A UCSF study from 2010 to 2013 showed that 76 percent of safety-net patients, individuals with disabilities, low-income, and/or uninsured, were hospitalized in the last six months of life. Of those, 45 percent were hospitalized in the last month of life, 33 percent died in the hospital and 21 percent had multiple admissions in the last month of life.
Although the pilot is now over, the Partners in Palliative Care pilot will guide PHC’s implementation of palliative cares services and hospice services for those with cancer, end stage liver disease, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive disease.
PHC is a nonprofit community based health care organization that contracts with the State to administer Medi-Cal benefits through local care providers ensuring Medi-Cal recipients have access to comprehensive, cost-effective health care. PHC provides quality health care to over 565,000 Medi-Cal members.
Beginning in Solano County in 1994 PHC now provides services to 14 Northern California counties – Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mendocino, Modoc, Napa, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Trinity and Yolo.
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