LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Behavioral Health Services recognizes April as Alcohol Awareness Month.
Drinking too much alcohol increases people’s risk of injuries, violence, drowning, liver disease and some types of cancer.
This April, during Alcohol Awareness Month, Lake County Behavioral Health Services encourages everyone to educate themselves about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
To spread the word and prevent alcohol misuse and abuse, Lake County Behavioral Health Services is joining other organizations across the county to honor Alcohol Awareness Month.
Behavioral Health Services provides alcohol misuse, abuse, prevention, intervention and treatment services by offering individual, family, group counseling and education. This is done in collaboration with and support from local partnering agencies.
"Promoting awareness around alcohol misuse and abuse plays an important role in the prevention of trauma and other hardships individuals sometimes face in their daily lives," said Behavioral Health Service Substance Use Services Programs Manager April Giambra. "We owe it to our loved ones, the members of our community, and to ourselves, to ask those difficult questions and offer support in their responses."
If you or someone you know is experiencing problems related to alcohol use or misuse, you can improve your health by cutting back or quitting.
Here are some strategies Lake County Behavioral Health Services suggests to help you limit or stop drinking:
· Limit your drinking to no more than one drink per day for women or two drinks per day for men.
· Keep track of how much you drink.
· Don’t drink when you are upset.
· Avoid places where people drink a lot.
· Make a list of reasons not to drink.
If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, offer to help, and contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services for additional resources. The agency can be reached at 707-274-9101 or 707-994-7090.
Women-owned firms made up only 19.9% of all firms that employed people in the United States in 2018 but their numbers are growing.
There were 6,861 more women-owned firms in 2018 than in 2017, up 0.6% to 1.1 million, according to the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey, or ABS.
Women-owned employer firms reported nearly $1.8 trillion in sales, shipments, receipts or revenue and employed over 10.1 million workers with an annual payroll of $388.1 billion in 2018.
The ABS provides data on race, ethnicity, sex and veteran status of owners of businesses with one or more paid employees. This information can be invaluable in helping economic development organizations promote growth of minority and women business ownership in their areas.
As the nation recognizes Women’s History Month, this data highlights some of women’s contributions to our economy.
Women business growth by sector
Women-owned firms in the Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation sector rose 10.5%, from 22,219 in 2017 to 24,542 in 2018. The 10 sectors shown in the chart below also saw growth in women-owned businesses.
Characteristics of women business owners
Demographic characteristics of the nation’s women-owned firms are similar to their male-owned firm counterparts.
Most women-owned businesses are run by White women (82.8% of all women-owned firms), non-minority (74.6%), non-Hispanic (92.4%), and non-veteran (98.9%).
Are there more women-owned businesses in some sectors?
Women-owned firms tend to be more concentrated in certain sectors than all firms overall. According to the ABS, 191,230 or approximately 16.8% of the nation’s total 1.1 million women-owned firms in 2018, were classified in the Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services sector, compared to 14.3% for all firms in the sector.
Employees of women-owned firms were also concentrated in certain sectors. Nearly 2.0 million or approximately 19.4% of the 10.1 million employees of women-owned firms worked in the Health Care and Social Assistance sector in 2018, compared to 14.9% of all firm employees.
Sex parity
Average annual earnings of employees of women-owned firms lag behind the national earnings average of the workers of all firms: $38,238 in average annual payroll per employee compared with $54,114.
Women-owned firms in nine of the 20 sectors the ABS covered had average annual payroll per employee statistically lower than the total for all firms in those sectors.
The lack of sex parity was also visible in average annual sales, shipments or revenue.
In 2018, women-owned firms earned an average of $1.6 million in sales, shipments or revenue; male-owned firms earnings were double that at $3.2 million.
What states have the most women-owned businesses?
With more firms than any other state (742,139), it’s not surprising that the nation’s most populous state, California, also had the most women-owned firms in 2018.
California’s 149,927 women-owned firms employed over 1.3 million workers with $57.4 billion in annual payroll in 2018.
In Hawaii, women-owned firms made up 24.7% of all firms in the state. In Virginia, women-owned firms made up 23.7% of all firms, and in Colorado women-owned firms made up 22.2% of all firms in the state.
In terms of employment, women-owned firms in Montana made up 11.0% of all employees in the state.
Women-owned firms in the District of Columbia reported average annual payroll per employee of $57,031, higher than the national average of $38,238 for all women-owned firms in the United States.
What about the self-employed?
In addition to ABS data on women-owned employer businesses, the new Nonemployer Statistics – Demographics (NES-D) program publishes data on women-owned nonemployer firms, typically referred to as self-employed. The 10.6 million self-employed women-owned firms in 2017 reported sales, shipments, or revenue of $286.1 billion.
The NES-D program supplements ABS data and includes similar breakouts by the race, ethnicity and veteran status of the business owner. It also includes data the business itself, including the industry classification, and breakouts by receipts size and legal form of organization. Combining the ABS and NES-D data gives us the total number of women-owned firms in the United States.
Some key statistics from the 2017 NES-D:
– The nearly 1.6 million Hispanic women-owned firms reported sales of $34.7 billion in 2017. – The nearly 3.7 million minority women-owned firms reported sales of $83.8 billion in 2017. – The 142,000 veteran women-owned firms reported sales of $3.1 billion in 2017.
Where do we go from here?
As governments and communities strive to encourage business ownership by people who mirror the race and ethnicity of their residents, there is also a push to have business ownership reflect the sex of the workforce.
The Census Bureau’s ABS and NES-D provide key data that federal agencies, for example, can use to promote business ownership by women.
The Small Business Administration, the Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, and the National Women’s Business Council also provide key resources to encourage women-owned businesses, along with dozens of federal, state, local and private sector organizations.
ABS data are only possible thanks to the millions of businesses who respond to Census Bureau surveys and programs.
Note: All comparative statements made in the text of this story have undergone statistical testing and are significant at the 90% confidence level. Comparisons shown in the tables and graphics have not been tested for statistical significance and, therefore, should be interpreted with caution. Differences between estimates may be attributed to sampling or nonsampling error rather than to differences in underlying economic conditions. Use caution drawing conclusions from the estimates and comparisons shown. For more information on the survey methodology, including sampling error and nonsampling error, check out the ABS website. All dollar values are expressed in current dollars, i.e., they are not adjusted for price changes.
Andrew W. Hait is a survey statistician/economist at the Census Bureau.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it has arrested a Lake County man who was driving a stolen vehicle and in possession of counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl.
Mark Andrew Nielsen, 33, of Nice was arrested on Friday, according to Sgt. Jay Vanoven.
At 1:53 a.m. Friday a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy was on patrol in Ukiah on Arlington Drive near North Pine Street when the deputy noticed a vehicle driving erratically down residential streets, Vanoven said.
Vanoven said the deputy caught up to the vehicle, a gray Dodge Charger, on Arlington Drive, where it suddenly pulled over and stopped.
The deputy contacted the driver, identified as Nielsen. Vanoven said that while speaking with Nielsen, the deputy learned the vehicle Nielsen was driving was reported stolen out of Lake County.
Vanoven said the deputy arrested Nielsen for being in possession of a stolen vehicle.
While searching Nielsen's pockets incident to the arrest, the deputy located a plastic bag containing three blue tablets, Vanoven said.
These tablets are known to be counterfeit prescription medications referred to as "M30" or "Fetty" and contain the dangerous narcotic, fentanyl. Vanoven said "M30" pills, and fentanyl in other forms, have been identified as the cause of many drug overdose medical emergencies and deaths throughout Mendocino County.
Vanoven said the three pills found in Nielsen's possession were seized as evidence.
Nielsen was transported to the Mendocino County Jail where he was booked for possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled narcotic, Vanoven said.
In accordance with the COVID-19 emergency order issued by the Judicial Council of California, Vanoven said bail was set at zero dollars and Nielsen was released after the jail booking process, on his promise to appear in court at a later date.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a wide variety of dogs waiting to be found by their new families.
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
‘Annie’
“Annie” is a senior female Chihuahua with a short tan coat.
She has been sterilized.
She is dog No. 930.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short brown coat.
He is dog No. 3476.
‘Dorito’
“Dorito” is a male American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short white and gray coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 4576.
‘Dusty’
“Dusty” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier with a tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4750.
‘Hector’
“Hector” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier mix with a short brindle coat.
He is dog No. 4697.
‘Inky’
“Inky” is a male German Shepherd mix with a long black coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 4324.
‘Lumpy’
“Lumpy” is a male American Bulldog with a white and brindle coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 4715.
‘Nandor’
“Nandor” is a male American Bulldog mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 4725.
‘Ranger’
“Ranger” is a 5-year-old male husky mix with a long red and white coat.
He has been neutered.
Ranger is dog No. 4443.
‘Tia’
“Tia” is a female American Bully with a short black with white markings.
She is dog No. 4602.
‘Toby’
“Toby” is a friendly senior male boxer mix.
He has a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4389.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
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 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, is upgrading its Global Forecast System weather model to boost weather forecasting capabilities across the U.S.
The agency said these advancements will improve hurricane genesis forecasting, modeling for snowfall location, heavy rainfall forecasts, and overall model performance.
For the first time, the Global Forecast System, or GFS, will be coupled with a global wave model called WaveWatchIII which will extend current wave forecasts from 10 days out to 16 days and improve the prediction of ocean waves forced by the atmosphere.
Coupling the GFS and wave models will streamline the National Centers for Environmental Prediction production suite by consolidating atmospheric and wave forecast data and distributing them together.
The GFS resolution will increase by doubling the number of vertical levels, from 64 to 127. Improvements to atmospheric physics will enhance snow and precipitation forecasting capabilities in this latest upgrade as well.
“This substantial upgrade to the GFS, along with ongoing upgrades to our supercomputing capacity, demonstrates our commitment to advancing weather forecasting to fulfill our mission of protecting life and property,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director, NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Today’s upgrade also establishes a strong foundation for further planned enhancements that will allow for the assimilation of even more data into the model.”
In addition to GFS upgrades, NOAA is concurrently modernizing the Global Data Assimilation System. This effort will allow the model to ingest more data from geostationary and polar-orbiting satellites, as well as flight-level wind, temperature and moisture observations from aircraft.
“These upgrades are part of the Next Generation Global Prediction System within the Unified Forecast System framework, which is an ongoing effort to leverage the expertise of the broader weather community and expedite the research to operations pathway,” said Vijay Tallapragada, Ph.D., chief of the Modeling and Data Assimilation Branch at NOAA’s Environmental Modeling Center, or EMC. “By coupling the WaveWatchIII and GFS models, we will extend current wave forecasts and integrate wave forecasting into the global model to streamline model products.”
EMC conducted retrospective and real-time testing, covering part of the 2018 hurricane season and the entire period from May 10, 2019 to the present, for a comprehensive evaluation of the model upgrades. This latest version of the model, called GFSv16, showed improved forecast skills in many areas, including hurricane genesis lead times, snowfall forecasting, and the prediction of extreme rainfall events.
The announcement marks the first major upgrade to the Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere, or FV3, dynamical core-based GFS, which replaced the spectral dynamical core-based GFS in June 2019. The GFS with the FV3 dynamical core brings together the superior physics of the global atmosphere with day-to-day reliability and speed of operational numerical weather prediction.
Learn more about previous GFS upgrades and the history of the FV3 dynamical core at NOAA.
Deborah Fuller, University of Washington; Albert H. Titus, University at Buffalo, and Nevan Krogan, University of California, San Francisco
A number of technologies and tools got a chance to prove themselves for the first time in the context of COVID-19. Three researchers working in gene-based vaccines, wearable diagnostics and drug discovery explain how their work rose to the challenge of the pandemic, and their hopes that each technology is now poised to continue making big changes in medicine.
Genetic vaccines
Deborah Fuller, Professor of Microbiology, University of Washington
Thirty years ago, researchers for the first time injected mice with genes from a foreign pathogen to produce an immune response. Like many new discoveries, these first gene-based vaccines had their ups and downs. Early mRNA vaccines were hard to store and didn’t produce the right type of immunity. DNA vaccines were more stable but weren’t efficient at getting into the cell’s nucleus, so they failed to produce sufficient immunity.
When COVID-19 struck, mRNA vaccines in particular were ready to be put to a real-world test. The 94% efficacy of the mRNA vaccines surpassed health officials’ highest expectations.
DNA and mRNA vaccines offer huge advantages over traditional types of vaccines, since they use only genetic code from a pathogen – rather than the entire virus or bacteria. Traditional vaccines take months, if not years, to develop. In contrast, once scientists get the genetic sequence of a new pathogen, they can design a DNA or mRNA vaccine in days, identify a lead candidate for clinical trials within weeks and have millions of doses manufactured within months. This is basically what happened with the coronavirus.
Gene-based vaccines also produce precise and effective immune responses. They stimulate not only antibodies that block an infection, but also a strong T cell response that can clear an infection if one occurs. This makes these vaccines better able to respond to mutations, and it also means they could be capable of eliminating chronic infections or cancerous cells.
The hopes that gene-based vaccines could one day provide a vaccine for malaria or HIV, cure cancer, replace less effective traditional vaccines or be ready to stop the next pandemic before it gets started are no longer far-fetched. Indeed, many DNA and mRNA vaccines against a wide range of infectious diseases, for treatment of chronic infections and for cancer are already in advanced stages and clinical trials. As someone who has been working on these vaccines for decades, I believe their proven effectiveness against COVID-19 will usher in a new era of vaccinology with genetic vaccines at the forefront.
Wearable tech and early illness detection
Albert H. Titus, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo
During the pandemic, researchers have taken full advantage of the proliferation of smartwatches, smart rings and other wearable health and wellness technology. These devices can measure a person’s temperature, heart rate, level of activity and other biometrics. With this information, researchers have been able to track and detect COVID-19 infections even before people notice they have any symptoms.
As wearable usage and adoption grew in recent years, researchers began studying the ability of these devices to monitor disease. However, although real-time data collection was possible, previous work had focused primarily on chronic diseases.
But the pandemic both served as a lens to focus many researchers in the field of health wearables and offered them an unprecedented opportunity to study real-time infectious disease detection. The number of people potentially affected by a single disease – COVID-19 – at one time gave researchers a large population to draw from and to test hypotheses on. Combined with the fact that more people than ever are using wearables with health monitoring functions and that these devices collect lots of useful data, researchers were able to try to diagnose a disease solely using data from wearables – an experiment they could only dream of before.
Wearables can detect symptoms of COVID-19 or other illnesses before symptoms are noticeable. While they have proved to be capable of detecting sickness early, the symptoms wearables detect are not unique to COVID-19. These symptoms can be predictive of a number of potential illnesses or other health changes, and it is much harder to say what illness a person has versus simply saying they are sick with something.
Moving into the post-pandemic world, it’s likely that more people will incorporate wearables into their lives and that the devices will only improve. I expect the knowledge researchers have gained during the pandemic on how to use wearables to monitor health will form a starting point for how to handle future outbreaks – not just of viral pandemics, but potentially of other events such as food poisoning outbreaks and seasonal flu episodes. But since wearable tech is concentrated within pockets of affluent and younger populations, the research community and society as a whole must simultaneously address the disparities that exist.
A new way to discover drugs
Nevan Krogan, Professor of Cellular Molecular Pharmacology and Director of the Quantitative Biosciences Institute, University of California, San Francisco
Proteins are the molecular machines that make your cells function. When proteins malfunction or are hijacked by a pathogen, you often get disease. Most drugs work by disrupting the action of one or several of these malfunctioning or hijacked proteins. So a logical way to look for new drugs to treat a specific disease is to study individual genes and proteins that are directly affected by that disease. For example, researchers know that the BRCA gene – a gene that protects your DNA from being damaged – is closely related to the development of breast and ovarian cancer. So a lot of work has focused on finding drugs that affect the function of the BRCA protein.
However, single proteins working in isolation are usually not solely responsible for disease. Genes and the proteins they encode are part of complicated networks – the BRCA protein interacts with tens to hundreds of other proteins that help it perform its cellular functions. My colleagues and I are part of a small but growing field of researchers who study these connections and interactions among proteins – what we call protein networks.
For a few years now, my colleagues and I have been exploring the potential of these networks to find more ways drugs could ameliorate disease. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, we knew we had to try this approach and see if it could be used to rapidly find a treatment for this emerging threat. We immediately started mapping the extensive network of human proteins that SARS-CoV-2 hijacks so it can replicate.
Once we built this map, we pinpointed human proteins in the network that drugs could easily target. We found 69 compounds that influence the proteins in the coronavirus network. 29 of them are already FDA-approved treatments for other illnesses. On Jan. 25 we published a paper showing that one of the drugs, Aplidin (Plitidepsin), currently being used to treat cancer, is 27.5 times more potent than remdesivir in treating COVID-19, including one of the new variants The drug has been approved for phase 3 clinical trials in 12 countries as a treatment for the new coronavirus.
But this idea of mapping the protein interactions of diseases to look for novel drug targets doesn’t apply just to the coronavirus. We have now used this approach on other pathogens as well as other diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
These maps are allowing us to connect the dots among many seemingly disparate aspects of single diseases and discover new ways drugs could treat them. We hope this approach will allow us and researchers in other areas of medicine to discover new therapeutic strategies and also see whether any old drugs might be repurposed to treat other conditions.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fire and law enforcement officials are continuing their investigation into a Monday morning house fire in Clearlake Oaks that claimed the lives of three people.
Northshore Fire Protection District Chief Mike Ciancio said his agency’s investigators and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office are working together to determine the fire’s cause.
Ciancio told Lake County News on Wednesday that he did have an estimate for when the work might be completed.
Neither agency has so far released the names of the three adult victims – two males and a female.
Sheriff’s Lt. Rich Ward said the autopsies are expected to be conducted this week, but positive identification could take several weeks.
Ciancio said firefighters from the Northshore Fire and Lake County Fire, along with sheriff’s deputies responded to the fire at 7:30 a.m. Monday in the 700 block of Bass Lane in Clearlake Oaks.
He said the firefighters arrived within minutes and found a two-story home fully involved with reports of victims trapped inside.
Due to the heavy smoke and fire conditions, as well as partial building collapse, Ciancio said defensive tactics were utilized to extinguish the fire.
Ciancio said the firefight was hampered by a limited water supply and the need to keep the fire from spreading to nearby structures.
The fire was controlled at approximately 9 a.m., Ciancio said.
He said two of the victims were located during the fire overhaul and investigation. A third victim was located on Tuesday.
“We would like to remind everyone to check and maintain their smoke detectors in their home. A smoke detector can provide valuable seconds for gathering loved ones and escaping a fire,” Ciancio said.
Ciancio said Northshore Fire offered its thanks to Lake County Fire, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Clearlake Oaks Water, California Office of Emergency Services, the city of Lakeport, All In One Towing and Wilderness Finders Search Dogs for their assistance at this incident.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – After more than a year of increased COVID-19 precautions, the Clearlake City Council this week will return to a meeting format that allows for in-person participation by members of the public.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 1.
Beginning with Thursday’s meeting, the public may attend city council meetings again in person. However, the council chambers will have limited capacity and attendees must adhere to masking and social distancing mandates.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You can also visit the city’s town hall site and submit written comments at https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/327/forum_home. Identify the subject you wish to comment on in your email’s subject line or in your town hall submission.
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments prior to 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 1.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday night, the council will present proclamations declaring Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, and declaring April 2021 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The Hope Center also will present the council with an update.
Under business, councilmembers will consider awarding a $552,662 bid for the Austin Park Bus Stop Renovation & Promenade Improvement Project to Granite Construction, and authorize the city manager to approve up to the budgeted amount for additional unforeseen contract amendments.
The council also will consider a resolution approving responsibilities and guidelines for members of the Measure V Citizen Oversight Committee.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items that are not considered controversial and are usually adopted on a single vote – are warrants; adoption of the 12th Amendment to the FY 2020-21 Budget (Resolution 2020-27) appropriating funding for design services for 2021 Measure V Projects and the Austin Park Bus Stop Renovation & Promenade Improvement Project, Resolution No. 2021-19; authorize city manager to enter into a contract with California Engineering Co. for engineering consultant services; accept the property located at 16332 27th Ave. and authorize the city manager to sign the certificate of acceptance; consideration of adoption of resolution reducing the fee for property owner requested vehicle abatement, Resolution No. 2021-20; continuation of declaration of local emergency Issued on Oct. 9, 2017, and ratified by council action Oct. 12, 2017; continuation of declaration of local emergency issued on March 14, 2020, and ratified by council action on March 19, 2020; Adopt Resolution 2021-21 authorizing the city of Clearlake's annual progress report submittal to Department of Housing and Community Development and the Governor's Office of Planning and Research Application.
After the public portion of the meeting, the council will meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations and negotiate the sales price and terms for a city-owned apartment building at 14141 Lakeshore Drive.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service is reporting chances of early April rain beginning this weekend.
The forecast calls for warm and dry weather across the region Wednesday afternoon through at least Saturday.
Temperatures for the remainder of the week are expected to range into the high 70s during the day and the high 40s at night, with light winds of up to 9 miles per hour.
Beginning on Sunday, the forecast calls for chances of showers, continuing into Tuesday.
Over the weekend and into early next week, temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler, topping out in the low 60s in the day and low 40s at night, the National Weather Service reported.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport and the Lakeport Police Department, in conjunction with Lake Family Resource Center, are raising awareness and supporting sexual assault survivors in our community.
The Lakeport City Council will present a proclamation to Lake Family Resource Center designating April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The Lakeport Public Works Department will light the downtown street lights in teal beginning April 1.
All Lakeport Police cars and officer uniforms will have a teal ribbon displayed throughout the month.
Susie Q’s Donuts, 414 S. Main St., will make donuts with teal-colored frosting, with 100-percent of the sale proceeds donated to the Lake Family Resource Center Sexual Assault Awareness Fund.
The public is encouraged to participate in Denim Day on Wednesday, April 28, and wear jeans to protest against sexual violence.
In support of Denim Day, Lakeport Police officers are authorized to wear jeans for their uniform pants from Friday, April 23, through Friday, April 30.
“We encourage the public to join us in raising awareness and supporting sexual assault survivors throughout the month of April: buy teal-colored donuts, wear an article of teal-colored clothing or wear jeans on April 28,” said Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School District is seeking to fill a vacancy on its board of trustees.
The seat became open due to Board member Jeannie Markham moving out of state.
Now, the district is accepting applications from qualified candidates for a provisional appointment to the governing board from qualified candidates.
To be eligible to apply, individuals must be registered voters and residents of the school district.
Those interested in applying are asked to submit a letter of intent and a resume on or before 4 p.m. Thursday, April 1, to Superintendent Jill Falconer, Lakeport Unified School District Office, 2508 Howard Ave., Lakeport, CA 95453.
For more information, call Falconer at 707-262-3000.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are investigating a fatal early morning house fire in Clearlake Oaks that claimed the lives of three people.
Lt. Rich Ward of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that at 8:14 a.m. Monday deputies were dispatched to the 700th block of Bass Lane in Clearlake Oaks for a reported structure fire.
Deputies arrived and spoke with personnel from the Northshore Fire Protection District and learned that fire personnel responded to the structure fire at approximately 7:30 a.m., Ward said.
Upon firefighters’ arrival, the structure was fully engulfed in flames. Once the fire was contained, fire personnel suspected there may have been victims trapped within the residence, Ward said.
Ward said deputies canvassed the area and spoke with several residents. They learned a family of three lived within the home where the structure fire had occurred and the family’s vehicles were still present.
Deputies remained on scene until the remains of the structure were safe to search. Ward said the deputies recovered the remains of two suspected male adults and one female adult.
He said potential next of kin have been notified, however, the victims’ identities are pending a forensic examination.
The autopsies are anticipated to be performed later this week, but the positive identification of the victims could take several weeks, Ward said.
The Northshore Fire Protection District remains the primary investigating agency to determine the cause and origin of the fire, Ward said.
He said the investigation is ongoing and anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office or the North Shore Fire Protection District.