This is in addition to defense cuts of near-equal size already planned across the same decade.

President Barack Obama promised before Thanksgiving to veto any attempt to block the automatic cuts unless Republicans agree to replace them with a “balanced” debt reduction package, one that includes tax increases on the wealthy and closing of corporate loopholes as well as Democrat concessions to curb popular federal entitlement programs.

With most Republicans having pledged to a powerful lobbyist, Grover Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform group, not to allow tax increases of any kind, military associations fear pay and benefits are in the crosshairs of both parties, particularly the TRICARE health program for military retirees.

It is against this backdrop of threats to current benefits that gays and lesbians in uniform have begun to press for benefit equality.

Advocates are lobbying the department for regulation changes, filing challenges in federal court and pressing Congress to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act which prohibits extension of federal benefits, including military allowances, travel costs and health care, to spouses in same-sex marriages.

Military gays and lesbians have been able to serve openly since September 20 when repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law took effect.

A social research center at UCLA, the Miller Institute, estimates that 66,000 homosexuals serve on active duty and the National Guard and Reserve.

Defense officials recently released a list of 14 military benefit programs that allow service members to designate “beneficiaries of their choosing, regardless of sexual orientation.”

These include: Service Members Group Life Insurance; Veterans' Group Life Insurance; Post Vietnam-era Veterans Assistance Program; the All-volunteer Force Educational Assistance Program (active duty death benefit); military death gratuity; final settlement of accounts; wounded warrior designated caregiver; thrift savings plan; casualty notification; escort for dependents of deceased or missing; designation as “person having interest in status of a missing member; persons eligible to receive effects of deceased persons; and travel allowance to attend Yellow Ribbon Reintegration events.

And, under the military’s Survivor Benefits Plan, members can designate anyone to be a beneficiary under an “insurable interest” category of SBP. For such coverage, retirees pay a monthly premium equal to 10 percent of covered retired pay versus 6.5 percent for spousal coverage.

Same sex partners, even if armed with a marriage license from a state that recognizes homosexual unions, remain ineligible for spousal SBP.

Zeke Stokes, communications director for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a gay and lesbian advocacy group, said the list is a helpful resource.

But every program listed was available to gay members before repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, even if many hesitated to list same-sex partners for these programs or notifications for fear of revealing too much while DADT was in effect.

Eileen Lainez, a Defense Department spokeswoman, said officials continue “a careful and deliberate review” of programs with an eye toward revising eligibility for additional benefits “if legally permitted.”

The day before the list was released, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network filed a lawsuit in federal court in Boston on behalf of six married homosexual couples on active duty or two who are retired seeking full military benefits.

The lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act and other statutes that prohibit same-sex married couples from getting all benefits and family support that straight couples get.

Benefits illegally denied, the suit contends, include housing, health care, full survivor benefits, identification cards, and access to base stores as well as other morale, welfare and recreation programs.

“If one of our plaintiffs deployed and died in combat, the same level of survivor benefits that accrue naturally to a spouse would not accrue to their spouse because they are not recognized by the federal government,” said Stokes.

Alexander Nicholson, executive director of Servicemembers United, the largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, said DoD doesn’t have to wait for courts or Congress to extend more benefits to gay and lesbian members.

For example, the law allows base shopping and ID cards for military “dependents.” DoD through regulation simply could broaden the definition of dependent to include same-sex spouses.

Defense officials said these issues are, in fact, being studied.

The services are getting a lot of questions from gay members on benefits, particularly access to health care and base facilities such as commissaries, exchanges, housing and education services. Members are encouraged to direct these questions to their personnel office.

A DoD Web site with general information is:www.defense.gov/dadt_repeal.

Support groups are strengthening. One Nicolson helped to launch is American Military Partners Association at: www.militarypartners.org.

Believing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional, President Obama’s Justice Department announced in February that the department no longer would defend the law in federal court.

That has left opponents of gay marriage, including the Family Research Council (www.frc.org) looking toward the Republican-led House of Representatives to provide attorneys to defend DOMA against the new lawsuit.

Nicholson said that, besides the benefits disparity, gay service members have reported very few problems so far with repeal of DADT.

“We haven’t hear many complaints at all,” he said.

Gay members who have revealed their status to peers, subordinates or commanders “are really expressing a lot of surprise at how well they are received,” Nicholson said.

“Certainly not everybody is coming out. People are making judgments based on their environment and surroundings. It’s an individual judgment call, but it’s just like any other conservative workplace,” he said.

To comment, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com.

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Jessica Rachelle Armstrong, 40, of Hidden Valley Lake was arrested in Fort Bragg for obstructing police on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 16, according to a report from the Fort Bragg Police Department.

Armstrong did not respond to a message seeking comment Wednesday evening.

A police officer pulled Armstrong over for not wearing her seatbelt, and when she was asked to present her driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of vehicle insurance as required by California State vehicle code, she refused, the agency reported.

Armstrong reportedly told the officer that she was not required to provide any identification, nor was she required to possess a driver license due to her freedom to travel about the country in her private property which is protected by the US Constitution, according to the report.

Fort Bragg Police said its officers explained to Armstrong that she is required by California state law to have a valid driver’s license, valid vehicle registration and proof of valid automobile insurance any time she operates her vehicle on public roadways, and that she was required to present these items upon request of a peace officer during the performance of their duties.

They also told Armstrong that should she refuse to present the required documentation that she could be subject to arrest, have her vehicle towed and impounded, and the canine she had inside her vehicle would be required to be transported to the Mendocino County Animal Shelter in Ukiah during her incarceration, police reported.

Armstrong reportedly refused to cooperate with officers, and denied their having any authority over her or her private property, and stated she was going to leave. Police said officers subsequently removed Armstrong from her vehicle and placed under arrest for obstructing a peace officer during the performance of their duties, and additional vehicle code violations.

Police said Armstrong’s vehicle was towed and stored, and her dog – which reportedly bit one of the officers during the arrest – was transported to the Mendocino County Animal shelter. Armstrong was later transported to the Mendocino County Adult Detention Facility in Ukiah.

Shortly after 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 21, Armstrong and an unidentified male subject showed up at the front desk at Mendocino County Animal Care and Control on Plant Road in Ukiah and asked to home quarantine the dog, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Animal Care and Control Director Bliss Fischer was working the front desk when the two came in, and explained to Armstrong that the dog had to stay at Animal Care and Control during the quarantine period, Smallcomb reported.

Smallcomb said that while Fischer was speaking with Armstrong, the unknown male suspect allegedly sneaked around to the kennel area and retrieved the dog, then contacted Fischer and asked about the spay and neuter program that was going on that day.

When Fischer went to retrieve information for the male suspect, he and Armstrong allegedly fled the area in Armstrong's vehicle with the dog, Smallcomb said.

Fischer then realized the dog the unknown male suspect had was Armstrong's quarantined dog. Fischer then contacted the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, according to Smallcomb.

Deputies contacted Armstrong via telephone, where she admitted to taking the dog. However, Smallcomb said Armstrong refused to return the dog to Animal Care and Control and advised the dog was being quarantined at an unknown location somewhere in Lake County.

Smallcomb said a report was forwarded to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office for charging.

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Clearlake Police officers responded to D&M Compassion Center, located at 14491 Olympic Drive, shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Joseph said officers arrived at the scene and discovered that a glass sliding door had been shattered.

Officers made entry into the business, but no suspects were located, Joseph said.

It is believed that the suspect, or suspects, made off with some personal property, however Joseph said no marijuana was stolen.

Evidence at the scene suggests that the goal was to try to steal marijuana secured inside the building, Joseph said.

He said the case is still under investigation.

Joseph added that this is the third burglary of D&M Compassion Center in the last few months.

Anyone who may have information about this burglary is asked to contact the police department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

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A three-vehicle crash east of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., closed down Highway 20 for just over an hour on Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Wednesday evening collision resulted in minor injuries and traffic delays.

The crash occurred east of Clearlake Oaks on Highway 20 near Catholic Church Road shortly before 7 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Reports from the scene indicated there were multiple injuries and three vehicles involved, including a red Thunderbird and a silver Dodge Durango pickup which collided head-on, and a 1990s Chevy Suburban.

All lanes of traffic were blocked and incident command called for three tow trucks to remove all of the vehicles from the scene, according to radio traffic. Traffic was reported to be backed up all the way to Butler Avenue in Clearlake Oaks.

CalStar, REACH and Enloe Hospital all declined to send air ambulances because of the inclement weather, so the patients were transported by ground ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, officials reported.

Two people from the Thunderbird were admitted to the hospital, according to the CHP. It was not clear how many other victims there were.

The roadway was reopened by 8:15 p.m., the CHP said.

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A red Ford Thunderbird and a silver Dodge Durango pickup collided head-on, and a 1990s Chevy Suburban also was involved in a collision east of Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

This artist's concept depicts the rover Curiosity, of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, as it uses its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instrument to investigate the composition of a rock surface. ChemCam fires laser pulses at a target and views the resulting spark with a telescope and spectrometers to identify chemical elements. The laser is actually in an invisible infrared wavelength, but is shown here as visible red light for purposes of illustration. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Following Wednesday morning's Launch Readiness Review, NASA and contractor managers gave the launch team the go-ahead to continue working towards liftoff of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) on Saturday, Nov. 26.

No significant launch vehicle or spacecraft issues are being worked on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket or the MSL spacecraft, which includes the rover Curiosity.

“This rover, Curiosity rover, is really a rover on steroids. It's an order of magnitude more capable than anything we have ever launched to any planet in the solar system. It will go longer, it will discover more than we can possibly imagine,” said Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. “The Mars Science Lab and the rover Curiosity is locked and loaded, ready for final countdown on Saturday's launch to Mars.”

The next major prelaunch milestone is rollout of the Atlas V to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.

“We plan on rolling the vehicle out of the Vertical Integration Facility on Friday morning,” said NASA Launch Director Omar Baez. “We should be on the way to the pad by 8 a.m.”

“We've had our normal challenges and hiccups that we have in these kinds of major operations, but things have gone extremely smoothly and we're fully prepared to go on Saturday morning. We hope that the weather cooperates,” said Peter Theisinger, MSL project manager from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Launch day weather is predicted to be favorable, with only a 30 percent chance of conditions prohibiting liftoff.

The launch can be watched at www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html.

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The group OneJustice has organized the hearings, which are co-sponsored by the California Chamber of Commerce, the State Bar of California and the Access to Justice Commission.

In July, the Judicial Council of California allocated a $350 million reduction for fiscal year 2011-12, the largest budget cut in state court history, as Lake County News has reported.

The Administrative Office of the Courts said that reduction translates into a 6.8 percent cut in funding for the 58 California trial courts, a 9.7 percent cut in funding for the California Supreme Court and the six Courts of Appeal, and a 12 percent funding reduction for the Judicial Council and its staff organization.

The Lake County Superior Court, which for 2011-12 has a $3.6 million budget, received a $300,000 cut, according to court officials.

The first of the planned hearings around the state took place Nov. 15 in Sacramento at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.

Additional hearings are planned for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Administrative Office of the Courts, 455 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 2, Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7, University of California, Irvine School of Law, 401 East Peltason Drive, Irvine.

For more information visit www.CaliforniaHearings.org.

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The fire, which occurred early in the morning on Sunday, Nov. 20, killed Clearlake residents 55-year-old James Gerace and 14-year-old Daniel Critser, and injured 43-year-old Michelle Critser of Clearlake and her 4-year-old son, David, according to reports from friends and information from the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office.

“It’s just a terrible tragedy,” said Humboldt County Coroner Dave Parris.

Parris said the fire was reported at approximately 1:38 a.m. at an RV park on Patricks Point Road in Trinidad.

Gerace and his girlfriend, Michelle Critser, had gone on a camping trip with her sons Daniel and David in the 1980s motorhome, which Parris said the family had recently purchased.

Michelle Critser and her young son were able to escape through a side window, but not before both were burned. Parris said the little boy had burns over 40 percent of his body.

Gerace used a weapon to try to break out the windows in order to escape, said Parris.

“He did every possible thing that he could” to escape, Parris said of Gerace.

When Gerace and Daniel Critser were found, Gerace’s head was out a window, and the boy’s body was in his lap. Parris said Gerace finally was overcome by smoke.

“It’s all indicative of this guy being a true hero,” Parris said.

Michelle Critser and her 4-year-old son initially were treated at Mad River Hospital in Arcata before they were flown to Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento, Parris said.

He said Michelle Critser was burned but not to the same extent as her younger son. She later was released from the hospital.

Lake County News contacted Shriners Hospital for Children seeking an update on the child’s condition, but no information was provided by the end of the day Wednesday.

Parris said no autopsies have been performed on Gerace and Daniel Critser. The cause of death for both is attributed to the fire.

However, work is continuing to narrow down the fire’s cause, which Parris said is being ruled as accidental.

“Whether we’re going to be able to find the exact cause, it’s hard to say at this point,” Parris explained.

He said an arson task force is investigating the fire’s cause, but the investigation is being delayed by the holidays. Parris said he expects work to resume on the matter next Monday.

What the investigation has revealed so far is that the fire began on the inside of the motorhome, Parris said.

A laptop and battery were charging on the kitchen table, which Parris said appears to be in close proximity to the fire’s area of origin.

Parris said investigators also are following up on information that the motorhome recently had work done to it to ascertain whether that could have contributed to the fire.

He said the laptop and other mechanical parts recovered from the motorhome may have to be sent to a lab for more thorough investigation in order to arrive at a final cause.

The family’s insurance company also is coming in to assist with the investigation, Parris said.

Services for Daniel Critser have been planned for 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, at Grace Church Kelseyville, 6716 Live Oak Drive.

A memorial service for Jim Gerace will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, at Clearlake Community United Methodist Church.

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Rosetta Forrest, 70, was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital where she was undergoing surgery on Tuesday afternoon, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Crutcher, who was investigating the crash.

CHP reports indicated the crash occurred at around 11:45 a.m. just north of Kelseyville Auto Salvage, which is located in the 7600 block of Highway 29.

Crutcher said Forrest was traveling southbound on Highway 29 at 55 miles per hour in a 2006 Pontiac G6 sedan when, for an unknown reason, she drifted to the right and onto the shoulder, and then went off the roadway.

He said Forrest’s vehicle went down a dirt embankment, with the passenger side glancing off an oak tree.

The car continued on and hit another oak tree head-on, with the car then catching on fire, Crutcher said.

Reports from the scene indicated passersby stopped to help Forrest – who was trapped in the vehicle – by attempting to break out the car’s windows. At the same time, the fire was reported to be spreading under the vehicle.

Crutcher said the Kelseyville Fire Protection District responded and extinguished the fire, which burned a small area.

The CHP reported there was a highway closure that lasted about an hour and a half while the scene was cleared. Highway 29 was reported to be reopened at 12:14 p.m.

Crutcher said drugs and alcohol did not contribute to the crash.

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Law enforcement is still seeking the suspects, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

Smallcomb said Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched at 8:30 a.m. Monday to the 300 block of MacMillan Drive in Hopland on the report of a home invasion robbery.

When deputies arrived they contacted a woman at the residence, who advised that she – along with two other subjects – were inside the residence when two masked suspects forced their way inside, Smallcomb said.

The woman told deputies that the robbers sprayed her in the face with some type of caustic chemical, which Smallcomb said is believed to be some type of pepper spray or mace.

Smallcomb said the suspects then allegedly took approximately $1,500 in cash and approximately 10 pounds of processed marijuana before fleeing the residence.

Deputies checked the neighborhood for any possible suspects but didn’t find anyone, Smallcomb said.

Mendocino County Sheriffs Deputy Butch Gupta is requesting anyone with information regarding this incident to contact him at 707-463-4086.

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Firefighters responded to the scene of a structure fire at 13195 Country Club Drive in Clearlake Park, Calif., on Wednesday, November 23, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

CLEARLAKE PARK, Calif. – A Clearlake home was damaged in a Wednesday night fire.

The fire was reported at 13195 Country Club Drive shortly after 8 p.m., according to radio reports.

The home was damaged but not a complete loss. Reports from the scene indicated the fire ran through the attic space and destroyed the roof.

Firefighters reportedly had to pull down much of the ceiling to make sure the fire was completely extinguished.

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The National Weather Service said that rain is likely throughout Wednesday and Thursday.

Between a quarter and half an inch of rain is expected on Wednesday, with wind gusts as high as 22 miles per hour expected.

Temperatures overnight are expected to drop into the 30s, the agency predicted, with as much as another inch of rain possible.

The National Weather Service said there is a 60-percent chance of rain on Thanksgiving, with the total expected to be up to a quarter of an inch. Southwest winds up to nine miles per hour during the day also are predicted.

On Thanksgiving night, temperatures are forecast to drop into the high 30s, with a 40-percent chance of showers and west northwest winds at around 9 miles per hours, the National Weather Service reported.

Weather through the rest of the week is expected to be sunny, with some clouds, and daytime temperatures in the 50s and 60s, according to forecasters.

The National Weather Service is predicting a slight chance of rain early next week

Caltrans urges travelers to be prepared for winter storms when traveling, to give themselves extra time to reach destinations during inclement weather, and be equipped with chains, blankets and flashlights, and food and water in case of travel delays.

Current road conditions can be found by calling 800-427-7623 or by visiting www.dot.ca.gov.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Clearlake man formally entered no contest pleas on Monday to charges connected to a June shooting that killed a young child and wounded five others.

Twenty-nine-year-old Kevin Ray Stone pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit robbery, accessory to murder and possession of a .22-caliber rifle by a prohibited person before Judge Stephen Hedstrom at the Monday court appearance.

At sentencing – due to take place early next year – Stone will face up to 10 years and four months in prison, and a possible fine of about $64,000, according to statements in court on Monday.

Stone – along with Clearlake Oaks residents Paul William Braden, 21, of and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 23 – originally was charged with murder, mayhem, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and several special allegations for the June 18 shooting that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and also wounded the child’s mother, Desiree Kirby, her boyfriend, Ross Sparks and his brother, Andrew Sparks; and friends Ian Griffith and Joseph Armijo.

District Attorney Don Anderson said on Monday that, after five months of intense investigation by his investigators and the Clearlake Police Department, the decision was made to allow Stone to enter pleas to the lesser charges.

During an eight-day preliminary hearing that concluded in October, the court heard an interview police conducted with Stone in which he insisted that he had only driven Braden and Stone to the scene of the shooting after they had called him.

Anderson said the decision to accept Stone’s guilty plea – which he noted wasn’t an easy one – was made on Nov. 16 during a meeting in which he discussed the matter with Skyler Rapp’s parents, Clearlake Police and the District Attorney’s Office’s Victim-Witness Division.

After a complete discussion of the case’s facts and applicable law, Anderson said everyone at that Nov. 16 meeting agreed that the plea agreement was “a just resolution” regarding Stone’s involvement in the crime.

Based on the investigation of the shooting, Anderson told the court that on June 18 Braden and Lopez planned an assault on Ross Sparks and his family, and contacted Stone for a ride, telling him that they wanted to do an armed robbery in order to steal drugs from the residence of Curtis Eeds, who lived next door to Sparks and Kirby.

Stone – convicted in July 2010 of assault with a deadly weapon and therefore prohibited from possessing a firearm – is alleged to have gotten a .22-caliber rifle from his apartment before driving Braden and Lopez to a location near Eeds’ residence, where they parked, Anderson said.

From there, Stone, along with Braden and Lopez – both armed with shotguns – walked into Eeds’ backyard, Anderson said.

Stone was going to go into the back door of Eeds’ home, but the other two men kept walking to the fence that separated Eeds’ home from Sparks’. Anderson alleged that Braden and Lopez then opened fire into a crowd of people, killing the child and wounding five adults.

Stone, who Anderson said was unaware of Braden and Lopez’s intentions, then left the scene with them and went back to the vehicle that he had borrowed from his girlfriend’s cousin, driving about two blocks before crashing.

The three then allegedly hid the firearms in nearby brush before fleeing in separate directions, Anderson said.

Hedstrom ordered that Stone return at 3 p.m. Feb. 28 for a continuation of the hearing, at which time he will schedule the sentencing. He also ordered that Stone will be held on no bail going forward.

Stone had several other misdemeanor and probation violation cases pending that Anderson said he intended to dismiss in the interest of justice.

Anderson said the investigation into Braden’s and Lopez’s actions on the night of June 18 is continuing.

Braden and Lopez are due for a joint trial – with separate juries – that will begin Jan. 11, 2012, as Lake County News has reported.

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