LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Jerome passed away peacefully on Oct. 31, 2016, after a long illness.
He is survived by his wife Connie Eddings, and his mother and three sisters in North Carolina.
Graveside funeral service will be held at Kelseyville Cemetery on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at 11 a.m.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 6, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone to “turn” their clocks back an hour and “test” the batteries in their smoke alarms.
The Red Cross recommends that all Northwestern California residents have working smoke alarms on every level of their home, including inside and outside bedrooms.
“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half,” said Jeffrey Baumgartner, CEO, American Red Cross of the California Northwest. “Turn and test is a reminder to set your clocks back and take a few minutes to push the test button to make sure all alarms are working.”
It’s also an opportunity to make sure all households are prepared for home fires and other emergencies:
Create and practice a fire escape plan.
Make sure everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes. Select a location outside for everyone to meet.
The Red Cross responds to 66,000 disasters across the country every year and most of these are home fires. Tragically, some people lose their lives in these fires and countless others are injured.
The Red Cross has launched the Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25 percent over the next five years.
Since October of 2014, the Red Cross and partners have saved more than 110 lives as part of the Home Fire Campaign.
The Red Cross is committing to install 2.5 million free smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires, and to educate those residents about fire prevention and preparedness during the multi-year campaign.
Since the Home Fire campaign began, more than 530,000 smoke alarms have been installed in all 50 states and four territories, and it has reached more than 597,000 children through campaign youth preparedness education programs, such as The Pillowcase Project.
The Red Cross also recommends keeping disaster supplies in an easy-to-carry bag to use at home or carry in case ordered to evacuate.
Download the Red Cross Emergency App which includes content on how to prevent home fires and what to do if one occurs. The Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App is a game designed for kids. Both apps are available to download for free in app stores or at www.redcross.org/apps .
People can visit www.redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from a fire. A variety of emergency preparedness kits and supplies are available at www.redcrossstore.org .
To help prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, visit www.redcross.org , call 1-800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
I knew Monica Rosenthal before she started campaigning for District 1 supervisor so I wasn’t surprised when she was chosen as our 2015 Woman of the Year.
Monica has served our community in numerous ways including volunteering to assist those affected by the fires. She was our District 1 planning commissioner, and is a member of several community service groups. She has experience working within our local government.
Monica’s endorsements include a diverse mix of supporters. If you look at her campaign funding disclosure documents, you will see that her contributions come from a variety of friends, neighbors and people who know of her 20-plus years of service and commitment to our communities.
On the other hand, her opponent, Mr. Simon, has received campaign contributions totaling $27,500 from three sources – Robert Rosette, Attorney at Law, Ariz; Middletown Indian Rancheria, Twin Pines Pomo Indian Tribe, Middletown; and the CA Nations Indian Gaming Association, Sacramento.
Mr. Simon has stated he will not step down as the Middletown Rancheria tribal chair should he win this election. I see that as a conflict. I want our next supervisor to commit 100-percent to the duties he or she is elected to do.
Monica is ready to serve 100-percent as our District 1 Lake County supervisor. She has the experience and dedication to our district and our county. Her focus is fire recovery, economy, and the health and well being of our communities and our environment.
Please join me in voting for Monica Rosenthal.
Sandy Bayles lives in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.
California has released a new surveillance, prevention and care plan designed to dramatically reduce new HIV infections in the state, with the goal of eventually getting that number to zero.
The “Getting to Zero” plan is a blueprint for state and local health departments and community organizations working to achieve a more coordinated statewide response to HIV.
“Thanks to better treatment and prevention options, new testing technology and better access to health care, California has reached a point where we can begin to envision the possibility of zero new HIV infections,” said California Department of Public Health Director State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “In a state as large as ours, it will take an incredible amount of coordination, innovation and work to make this vision a reality. This report lays the foundation for achieving our goals.”
The “Getting to Zero” plan was developed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in coordination with local health officials, other state departments, medical and non-medical providers, and HIV community organizations and planning bodies.
The report set four goals to be achieved by 2021. The four goals are to reduce new HIV infections, increase access to care, reduce disparities in underserved communities and achieve a more coordinated statewide response to the HIV epidemic.
To achieve those goals, the report outlines 15 strategies and 12 key objectives that will be monitored on an annual basis by CDPH’s Office of AIDS. Some of the strategies include improving HIV testing and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) utilization, enhancing availability of HIV care and increasing community collaboration and involvement.
“This comprehensive plan reinforces the state’s ongoing commitment to address the HIV epidemic,” said Dr. Karen Mark, Chief of the Office of AIDS at CDPH. “This commitment includes supporting people living with HIV, reducing the rate of new infections, and recognizing that not all communities have been equally impacted by this epidemic, and making those most at risk a high priority.”
The full Laying a Foundation for Getting to Zero: California’s Integrated HIV Surveillance, Prevention and Care Plan report and Executive Summary are available on CDPH’s Web site at www.cdph.ca.gov .
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Habitat for Humanity has received a contribution from AT&T to help the organization with its new office space and with the rebuilding homes destroyed in the fires during the past two years.
Preston Dickinson, representative for AT&T, presented the $5,000 contribution to the Lake County Habitat for Humanity on Nov. 3 at the organization's new office in Clearlake.
Lake County Habitat for Humanity suffered the loss of its Lower Lake office during the Clayton fire in August.
Despite the loss, Lake County Habitat for Humanity continues to aid the community by assisting fire victims and helping those in need of repairs to their homes.
“Our mission has always been to help those in need and we are grateful to AT&T for helping us rebuild after this devastating fire,” said Richard Birk, president of Habitat for Humanity Lake County. “Our residents rely on our support and having an office to conduct our community efforts is vital to the rebuilding process for us and our Lower Lake residents.”
“AT&T is proud to support Habitat for Humanity in Lake County,” said Dickinson. “Lower Lake has suffered two devastating fires in the last two years and organizations like Habitat for Humanity need support to continue their great work in helping residents and those affected by the fires.”
Lake County Habitat for Humanity will continue efforts to aid the Lake County community, to assist fire victims and help those in need of repairs.
AT&T is working with school districts and community-based organizations to spread the word about a new program, called Access from AT&T, designed to help bridge the digital divide by making wireline home Internet service more affordable for low-income households.
Access from AT&T is available to qualifying households in California with at least one resident participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Qualifying households will be assigned the fastest of five speed tiers – 10Mbps, 5Mbps, 3Mbps, 1.5Mbps, and 768kbs – available at their address.
Internet speeds provided at over 3Mbps will cost $10 a month, and Internet speeds at 3Mbps and below will cost $5 a month.
The company also will waive installation and Internet equipment fees for participating households.
To learn more, please visit www.att.com/access .
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Thursday afternoon fire destroyed a Spring Valley residence, but no one was hurt.
The fire at 3755 Spring Valley Road was dispatched at around 3:30 p.m. Thursday, according to radio reports.
Firefighters arriving at the fire found that there was no one in the home, with the blaze at that point active at the back of the structure, reports from the scene indicated.
Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said the structure was a mobile home with a roof built over the top of it.
“That's what made it so difficult,” said Beristianos, explaining that the fire went through the mobile home's original metal roofing and was under the additional roof.
A deputy at the scene reported hearing an explosion in the structure, but Beristianos said nothing of significance was found, and such explosions are common in residential structure fires.
Firefighters quickly gained ground on the fire. “We had a pretty good handle on it. It wasn't going anywhere,” said Beristianos.
He said the fire took about an hour to get under control.
The structure was a total loss, said Beristianos, adding that firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to a nearby travel trailer.
Beristianos said Northshore Fire had two engines, the support team and a total of about 16 firefighters and support crew, with two engines and a battalion chief from Cal Fire and an engine from Lake County Fire.
He said crews cleared the scene at around 7 p.m.
The fire's cause is under investigation. “It appears to be accidental, though,” Beristianos said.
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 celebrated the completion of the Willits Bypass Project on U. S. Highway 101 on Thursday in Mendocino County.
The celebration included the dedication of the 1.1-mile-long viaduct as the Jesse D. Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge, in honor of a fallen local hero.
On Aug. 6, 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL and Willits local Jesse Pittman was aboard a military helicopter participating in a night raid over Afghanistan to root out Taliban fighters.
The helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed, claiming the lives of those aboard.
Pittman also served his community as a Cal Fire firefighter in Mendocino County shortly before enlisting in the Navy.
Crews constructed approximately six miles of roadway and 14 bridges on U.S. Highway 101 in Mendocino County for the $300 million two-lane bypass project to improve safety for traffic and pedestrians traveling through the city of Willits.
The project also eliminated the only stoplights on U.S. 101 between San Francisco and Eureka, relieving congestion and reducing delays for motorists.
“It’s a great day for motorists traveling both north and south on U.S. 101,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “I’d like to thank the Willits residents for their patience and support throughout the life of this project. Driving, riding a bike, or walking through downtown Willits will finally be safer and easier, with significantly less traffic through the center of town.”
Local classic cars were among the first to cross the viaduct and carried honored guests including Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, Assemblyman Jim Wood, Willits Mayor Bruce Burton, and the family of and those who served with Pittman.
Cal Fire provided a color guard for the bridge dedication ceremony, and Caltrans Honor Guard members were present to honor the fallen Navy SEAL.
This highway improvement project is partially funded by $136 million in Proposition 1B funds from the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. To date, more than $19 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.
The recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to open statewide on Saturday, Nov. 5 – with a health warning in place for crabs caught north of Point Reyes (Marin County).
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued a warning to recreational anglers not to consume the viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught in coastal waters north of Point Reyes due to the sporadic detection of elevated levels of domoic acid in the viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the Northern California coast.
The health warning is effective for recreationally caught Dungeness crabs taken from state waters north of Latitude 38° 00' N. (near Point Reyes). CDPH believes that Dungeness crab meat is safe to consume, however, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (also known as "butter" or "guts") of crabs.
CDPH further recommends recreational anglers follow best preparation practices to ensure that they avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in some crab's viscera.
Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin related to a "bloom" of certain single-celled algae. Fish and shellfish are capable of accumulating elevated levels of domoic acid in their tissue, which can sicken people who eat them.
Last fall and winter, domoic acid along the West Coast interrupted Dungeness and rock crab fisheries from Santa Barbara to the Oregon state line.
This year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will continue to work with CDPH and the fishing community to collect crab samples from the northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated.
Consult the CDPH biotoxin information line at 800-553-4133 or CDPH's Domoic Acid Health Information webpage for more information.
CDFW reminds crabbers of new regulations that became effective on Aug. 1, 2016. For a complete description of the regulations, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov and click on "New Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Regulations" in the Announcements box.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Authorities said human remains found Wednesday on the Sonoma State University campus belong to a missing Cotati man who is believed to have been the victim of foul play.
The remains of 18-year-old Kirk Kimberly were discovered by a university employee, with the identity confirmed on Thursday, according to Sgt. Spencer Crum of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
Just after noon on Wednesday, the Sonoma State University Police Department was informed by the campus employee that they had discovered what appeared to be human remains in a shallow grave, Crum said.
Crum said the body – covered by dirt and debris – was located on the outskirts of the Sonoma State University campus in a wooded area about 200 yards west of parking lot “M.”
At the request of Sonoma State University Police, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office assumed lead role in the investigation and deputies and detectives responded to the scene, Crum said.
Due to the lack of daylight, Crum said detectives decided to cordon off the area and post officers to secure the crime scene overnight.
On Thursday morning, Sheriff’s Crime Scene and Violent Crimes detectives responded back to the university and began the task of processing the crime scene, Crum said.
At about 3 p.m. Thursday, the body was unearthed and taken to the Central Morgue Facility, Crum said. At that time authorities determined that the decedent was a male.
Crum said a forensic pathologist conducted an external examination of the body. Through fingerprints, investigators confirmed the identity of the body to be that of Kimberly, who was reported missing on Oct. 17. His family has been notified.
The pathologist also was able to determine the preliminary manner of death to be at the hands of another. As a result, Crum said the sheriff's office is now considering this to be a homicide investigation.
If anyone has information about Kimberly’s disappearance or has knowledge of this incident, they are asked to call Det. Horsman of the Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Unit at 707-565-2185.
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning recreational anglers not to consume the viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught in coastal waters north of Point Reyes.
This warning is due to the sporadic detection of elevated levels of domoic acid in the viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the Northern California coast.
This warning is effective for recreationally caught Dungeness crabs taken from state waters north of Latitude 38° 00' N. (near Point Reyes).
CDPH believes that Dungeness crab meat is safe to consume, however, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs.
Consumers should follow these preparation practices to ensure that they avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in some crab’s viscera.
When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid can leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips.
The best ways to reduce risk are:
· Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, or
· Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or broiling, and discard cooking liquids.
Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.
In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.
Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. CDPH routinely monitors phytoplankton levels in coastal waters and bi-valve shellfish, and will increase sampling of other species when monitoring indicates that an event may be occurring.
CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the fishing community to collect Dungeness crab samples from the northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated. Please consult CDFW for information about the recreational Dungeness crab season, which is scheduled to open November 5th.
To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page or CDPH’s Domoic Acid Web page, which includes additional information and domoic acid testing results.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed the presence of two gray wolves in western Lassen County.
After a wolf-like canid was photographed by trail cameras in Lassen County in fall 2015 and spring 2016, CDFW began operating additional trail cameras in the area and regularly searching for wolf scat and tracks.
This summer, photographs, tracks and eyewitness sightings suggested the presence of two canids frequently traveling together.
Numerous scat samples were collected by CDFW scientists and submitted to the University of Idaho’s Laboratory for Ecological, Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics. Genetic analysis of the samples confirmed the presence of a male and a female gray wolf.
There is no current evidence – such as trail camera images, tracks, scat or reported observations – suggesting the wolves produced pups this year.
Analysis of scat indicates that the male wolf was born into the Rogue Pack in 2014, and most likely dispersed to Lassen County in late 2015 or 2016.
The founder of the Rogue Pack is the well-known gray wolf OR7 (collared in Oregon by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife) who dispersed from northeast Oregon and traveled around northern California in 2011 and 2012 before eventually finding a mate and establishing a territory in southern Oregon in 2013.
The DNA of the female wolf does not match that of any known individual wolves from Oregon, and initial analyses indicates she is not a close relative of current Oregon wolves.
Dispersing wolves have commonly been documented to travel great distances, and it is possible that she dispersed from another western state, officials said. The collection of higher-quality genetic samples may eventually lead to a better understanding of her origin.
Gray wolves were eliminated from California more than 100 years ago, until the return of OR7 in 2011.
In May and July 2015, a trail camera in Siskiyou County captured images of a single adult, black wolf. Additional cameras were placed in the vicinity and in August 2015 images of two separate adult black wolves and five pups were captured. CDFW designated these animals the Shasta Pack.
Until confirmation of the pair of wolves in Lassen County, these were the only wolves known to occur in California.
According to strategies identified within CDFW’s draft Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California, CDFW will continue to assess and monitor gray wolves in California.
If the pair documented in Lassen County continues to stay in the region, monitoring may include capturing at least one of the two and fitting it with a satellite-based GPS transmitter.
“The purpose of collaring gray wolves is to understand some key biological parameters such as habitat use, prey preferences and reproduction, as well as to potentially minimize wolf-livestock conflicts” said Karen Kovacs, a CDFW Wildlife Program manager who has studied the wolves. “Due to concerns for the welfare of wolves, capturing them is generally not feasible in cold weather. Therefore, we would not attempt to capture and collar the wolves until late spring at the earliest.”
Gray wolves are currently listed as endangered both federally and within the state of California.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and CDFW have no plans to reintroduce gray wolves into California.
CDFW’s draft Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves is available at www.wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/mammals/gray-wolf .
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