CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Authorities have arrested a Clearlake man who they say attempted to bribe a code enforcement officer conducting a compliance check on his marijuana grow.
Travis John White-Eagle, 33, was taken into custody on Saturday on a felony charge of giving or offering bribes to an executive officer, according to Sgt. Rodd Joseph of the Clearlake Police Department.
Joseph said an investigation in the case, led by Officer Mark Harden, began on Friday.
Clearlake Code Enforcement Officer Tina Viramontes reported to police that on Thursday morning she conducted a marijuana grow compliance check in the 15000 block of Stanyon Street, Joseph said.
At the marijuana grow site, Officer Viramontes contacted White-Eagle, who offered Viramontes a significant amount of money to ignore his marijuana grow, according to Joseph.
Officer Viramontes subsequently contacted a supervisor who told her to report the incident to the Clearlake Police Department, Joseph said.
Joseph said Harden contacted White-Eagle on Saturday and met with him at the police department.
During questioning, White-Eagle provided incriminating statements which led to his arrest for attempting to bribe an executive officer. Joseph said an executive officer by definition is any public employee charged with the responsibility of enforcing laws.
White-Eagle later was booked into the Lake County Jail, with bail set at $30,000, according to his booking sheet. Jail records indicated that he later posted bail and was released.
The case against White-Eagle will be submitted to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office for filing, Joseph said.
Joseph said the city of Clearlake will not tolerate the bribery or attempted bribery of any of its elected or executive officers, Joseph said.
Question: We have a question about catching octopus.
Can octopus caught in crab traps be kept? Can sport fishermen use traps to target octopus for sushi or to use for bait? If not traps, can you recommend a better way?
Also, are there any seasons, bag limits and/or size limits for octopus? (Nick W.)
Answer: No, traps may not be used to take octopus. They can be taken only by hand or hook-and-line fishing gear and no chemicals of any kind may be used to assist in taking octopus by hand.
Octopus may be taken year-round, and up to 35 octopi may be taken per day or possessed at any time. Scuba diving equipment may not be used to take octopus north of Yankee Point, Monterey County (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.05). There are no size limits for octopus.
Legal to hunt with an AK 47?
Question: Is it legal to hunt with a California legal AK 47? I understand I am supposed to use soft point ammunition, but I was wondering if the rifle itself will pose legal issues when it comes to hunting. (James M.)
Answer: If your rifle is one that is legal to possess in California, it would be legal to use for hunting purposes. However, you must have legal ammunition for the area and species you plan to hunt.
When hunting big game, center-fire ammunition and soft-nosed or expanding bullets are required. Nonlead projectiles are required when taking bighorn sheep or when hunting any wildlife on a state-managed Wildlife Area or Ecological Reserve.
The laws relating to assault rifles and high-capacity magazine are quite complex. The agency with the most expertise in this area is the California Department of Justice, Firearms Division (note the sections that specifically address assault weapons and high capacity magazines). You can either check their Web site or call their general information line at 916-227-7527.
Trapping Eurasian doves for bird dog training?
Question: Is it legal to trap Eurasian doves? I've purchased a bird dog pup and would like to use them for live bird training. If it is legal, do I just need my hunting license or is a trapping license needed? Also, are there any special rules about transporting them live to a field to train with? (Chris R.)
Answer: Eurasian Collared Doves are resident game birds and the allowed “methods of take” can be found in the Waterfowl and Upland Game Hunting Regulations booklet under CCR Title 14, section 311 on page 26. Trapping is not an allowable method of take for game birds.
Sell a moose mount?
Question: Can a person sell a moose mount? I don’t see anything in code or title but thought you may know. (Yvette A. )
Answer: California law does not prohibit the sale of a moose mount because moose are not found in the wild in California. Fish and Game Code, section 3039(a) states, “It is unlawful to sell or purchase a bird or mammal found in the wild in California.”
Can guests fish without a license from my private pond?
Question: I recently purchased a home with a private pond. Is it ok for my guests to fish the pond without a fishing license? (Randy N.)
Answer: A sport fishing license is not required for fishing in waters on private property by the owner or the owner’s invitee IF a number of conditions are met.
First, those waters must be wholly enclosed by that owner’s real property, and the waters not have a hydrological connection to any permanent or intermittent waterway of the State.
Also, an invitee shall not have compensated the owner for such a fishing privilege, nor shall the fish be taken for profit. Otherwise, your guests need fishing licenses. Seasons, bag limits and other California angling regulations apply to all waters on private lands in California, except for the ponds of Registered Aquaculturists.
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. .
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The new “Home Sweet Home” quilt block recently was installed on the Lake County Quilt Trail.
This 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block is on Sterling Mortgage and North Bay Merchant Services in Lakeport, located at 1002 11th St., telephone 707-263-5142.
If you are driving out of the Safeway parking lot and look up, you will see this lovely quilt block.
This building, which was built in 1978, originally was a private home. It now houses Sterling Mortgage and North Bay Merchant Services.
Jacie Casteel, branch manager, and her staff help folks in becoming homeowners. The name for this block, “Home Sweet Home,” expresses the dream of homeownership.
The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.
The quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated volunteer quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's a selection of all big dogs at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week.
This dogs available for adoption include mixes of husky, pit bull, pug and shepherd.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
'LJ'
“LJ” is a female pit bull terrier and pug mix with a short red and brown coat with white markings.
She's in kennel No. 3, ID No. 5561.
'Bingo'
“Bingo” is a female adult pit bull terrier mix.
She has a short buff coat and already is spayed, so her adoption fee will be lower.
She's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 5249.
'Jasmine'
“Jasmine” is a female husky mix.
She has a medium-length black and white coat, and one blue eye and one brown eye.
Jasmine is in kennel No. 8, ID No. 5649.
Male pit bull mix
This male pit bull terrier mix has a short brown brindle coat and gold eyes.
He's in kennel No. 10, ID No. 5642.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier has a short brown brindle coat.
He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 5619.
Pit bull terrier mix
This female pit bull terrier mix has a short blue and white coat.
Shelter staff said she is very sweet and just wants attention.
She's in kennel No. 15, ID No. 5456.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier mix has a short brown coat.
He's in kennel No. 22, ID No. 5601.
'Shelby'
“Shelby” is a female shepherd mix with a short black and tan coat.
She's in kennel No. 23, ID No. 5602.
'Storm'
“Storm” is a female pit bull terrier mix with a brown and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 5363.
'Roadie'
“Roadie” is a male pit bull terrier with a short black and white coat.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
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 Lakeport branch of Lake County Library will host a program on energy efficiency on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Austin McCaffrey, an energy efficiency specialist for Mendocino County’s Community Development Commission, or CDC, will present a PowerPoint slideshow about the Mendo-Lake Energy Watch program.
McCaffrey will have free giveaways for the audience members.
The CDC operates the Mendo-Lake Energy Watch (MLEW) as a partnership with PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
MLEW provides resources to the community, including local governments, small and medium sized businesses, school and nonprofit organizations.
It offers energy services and solutions through classes on a range of sustainability topics, an energy efficiency auditing and retrofitting program, benchmarking services for local governments and technical support services for programs like Proposition 39 for Schools.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown Art Center has been hearing from community members since the Valley fire about artwork and community driven art projects in process that are helping folks heal from and deal with the traumatic experience.
The public is invited and encouraged to submit artwork inspired by fire experiences of 2015 and 2016 in any medium for exhibition at the Middletown Art Center Gallery. Poetry also is welcome.
Please submit photos of your artwork to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-809-8118 by Aug. 22.
Notifications about art to be displayed will be sent out by email after photos are received.
Actual artwork must be delivered to MAC on Aug. 23 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Call MAC to arrange a different time. Please share your expression and voice as with the community at large.
The “Community Works” exhibition will open on Aug. 27, with a festive reception from 6 to 8 p.m., and run through Sept. 5.
In addition to the exhibition, Community Works offers free healing and stress relieving classes every day until Aug. 21 in a variety of media and modalities.
Check out the schedule at www.middletownartcenter.org and join them for as many or as few classes as you wish. No experience is necessary, classes are for everyone, adults, teens, kids and families together.
Community Works is a collaboration of Middletown Art Center, local artists, musicians and dancers, and Tri Uplifting Lake County and made possible in part by Roby and Associates, a public insurance adjuster and by Lake County Rising Valley Fire Relief Fund.
Our planet is nestled in the center of two immense, concentric doughnuts of powerful radiation: the Van Allen radiation belts, which harbor swarms of charged particles that are trapped by Earth's magnetic field.
On March 17, 2015, an interplanetary shock – a shockwave created by the driving force of a coronal mass ejection, or CME, from the sun – struck Earth's magnetic field, called the magnetosphere, triggering the greatest geomagnetic storm of the preceding decade. And NASA's Van Allen Probes were there to watch the effects on the radiation belts.
One of the most common forms of space weather, a geomagnetic storm describes any event in which the magnetosphere is suddenly, temporarily disturbed.
Such an event can also lead to change in the radiation belts surrounding Earth, but researchers have seldom been able to observe what happens.
But on the day of the March 2015 geomagnetic storm, one of the Van Allen Probes was orbiting right through the belts, providing unprecedentedly high-resolution data from a rarely witnessed phenomenon.
A paper on these observations was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research on Aug. 15, 2016.
Researchers want to study the complex space environment around Earth because the radiation and energy there can impact our satellites in a wide variety of ways – from interrupting onboard electronics to increasing frictional drag to disrupting communications and navigation signals.
“We study radiation belts because they pose a hazard to spacecraft and astronauts,” said David Sibeck, the Van Allen Probes mission scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, who was not involved with the paper. “If you knew how bad the radiation could get, you would build a better spacecraft to accommodate that.”
Studying the radiation belts is one part of our efforts to monitor, study and understand space weather. NASA launched the twin Van Allen Probes in 2012 to understand the fundamental physical processes that create this harsh environment so that scientists can develop better models of the radiation belts.
These spacecraft were specifically designed to withstand the constant bombardment of radiation in this area and to continue to collect data even under the most intense conditions.
A set of observations on how the radiation belts respond to a significant space weather storm, from this harsh space environment, is a goldmine.
The recent research describes what happened: The March 2015 storm was initiated by an interplanetary shock hurtling toward Earth – a giant shockwave in space set off by a CME, much like a tsunami is triggered by an earthquake.
Swelling and shrinking in response to such events and solar radiation, the Van Allen belts are highly dynamic structures within our planet's magnetosphere.
Sometimes, changing conditions in near-Earth space can energize electrons in these ever-changing regions. Scientists don't yet know whether energization events driven by interplanetary shocks are common.
Regardless, the effects of interplanetary shocks are highly localized events – meaning if a spacecraft is not precisely in the right place when a shock hits, it won't register the event at all.
In this case, only one of the Van Allen Probes was in the proper position, deep within the magnetosphere – but it was able to send back key information.
The spacecraft measured a sudden pulse of electrons energized to extreme speeds – nearly as fast as the speed of light – as the shock slammed the outer radiation belt.
This population of electrons was short-lived, and their energy dissipated within minutes. But five days later, long after other processes from the storm had died down, the Van Allen Probes detected an increased number of even higher energy electrons. Such an increase so much later is a testament to the unique energization processes following the storm.
“The shock injected – meaning it pushed – electrons from outer regions of the magnetosphere deep inside the belt, and in that process, the electrons gained energy,” said Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the Van Allen Probes at Goddard and the leading author of a paper on these results.
Researchers can now incorporate this example into what they already know about how electrons behave in the belts, in order to try to understand what happened in this case – and better map out the space weather processes there.
There are multiple ways electrons in the radiation belts can be energized or accelerated: radially, locally or by way of a shock.
In radial acceleration, electrons are carried by low-frequency waves towards Earth. Local acceleration describes the process of electrons gaining energy from relatively higher frequency waves as the electrons orbit Earth.
And finally, during shock acceleration, a strong interplanetary shock compresses the magnetosphere suddenly, creating large electric fields that rapidly energize electrons.
Scientists study the different processes to understand what role each process plays in energizing particles in the magnetosphere. Perhaps these mechanisms occur in combination, or maybe just one at a time.
Answering this question remains a major goal in the study of radiation belts – a difficult task considering the serendipitous nature of the data collection, particularly in regard to shock acceleration.
Additionally, the degree of electron energization depends on the process that energizes them. One can liken the process of shock acceleration, as observed by the Van Allen Probe, to pushing a swing.
“Think of 'pushing' as the phenomenon that's increasing the energy,” Kanekal said. “The more you push a swing, the higher it goes.” And the faster electrons will move after a shock.
In this case, those extra pushes likely led to the second peak in high-energy electrons. While electromagnetic waves from the shock lingered in the magnetosphere, they continued to raise the electrons' energy. The stronger the storm, the longer such waves persist.
Following the March 2015 storm, resulting electromagnetic waves lasted several days. The result: a peak in electron energy measured by the Van Allen Probe five days later.
This March 2015 geomagnetic storm was one of the strongest yet of the decade, but it pales in comparison to some earlier storms.
A storm during March 1991 was so strong that it produced long-lived, energized electrons that remained within the radiation belts for multiple years.
With luck, the Van Allen Probes may be in the right position in their orbit to observe the radiation belt response to more geomagnetic storms in the future.
As scientists gather data from different events, they can compare and contrast them, ultimately helping to create robust models of the little-understood processes occurring in these giant belts.
The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built and operates the Van Allen Probes for NASA's Heliophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate.
The Van Allen Probes are the second mission in NASA's Living With a Star program, an initiative managed by Goddard and focused on aspects of the sun-Earth system that directly affect human lives and society.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum will hold its annual Quilt and Fiber Arts Show from Sept. 17, through Oct. 15.
For the 24th year running at the Lower Lake museum, this event has brought in textile artwork not only from across the county but around the globe.
An artists’ reception will take place from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, the reception will feature multiple demonstrations by various artists, including spinners and weavers.
This exhibition is an opportunity to view textiles in a new way and reacquaint yourself with the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, 16435 Main St., Lower Lake.
For any additional questions, contact Sheila O’Hara at 707-995-3565.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – To help victims of the devastating Clayton fire, Safeway is partnering with the Lake Area Rotary Club Association, or LARCA, to raise funds for the LARCA Fire Relief Fund.
Donations can be made at check stands in select Safeway stores now through Aug. 31 to help local fire relief efforts.
The Safeway stores in the following cities are collecting donations through Aug. 31: American Canyon, Arcata, Benicia, Clearlake, Corte Madera, Crescent City, Eureka, Fort Bragg, Fortuna, Guerneville, Healdsburg, Lakeport, McKinleyville, Mill Valley, Napa, Novato, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, St. Helena, Ukiah, Vallejo, Willits and Windsor.
The summer season is often the dead zone for the four major television networks.
Maybe not so much for NBC, as Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, recently averred that his network is on track to win its sixth summer in a row.
Chairman Greenblatt bolstered his argument to the nation’s gathering of television critics for its summer press tour by boldly claiming that “we will definitely win the two weeks of the Olympics.”
NBC’s winning streak may continue with another limited series that gets launched on August 23, which by the predetermined calendar should occur two days after the Olympics closing ceremony at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
For better or worse, the new comedy event series “Better Late Than Never,” in an odd sort of way, just might fit the global Olympic spirit, in that its setting of touring four countries in Asia offers an international cultural experience.
It would be more accurate to call this experiment in travel, having assembled four old guys well known in the popular culture for the tour, a matter of a culture clash with the curious customs on the Asian continent.
Based on a popular Korean series with which absolutely no one on this side of the Pacific Ocean is familiar, “Better Late Than Never” has a much better chance than its origin source of “Grandpa Over Flowers” to connect with viewers.
The primary reason this four-episode romp on foreign soil should resonate with an American audience is that it places four legends into an intercontinental excursion with no limousines, no lattes, and no fawning publicists. Hence, a great fish-out-of-water scenario happens.
The quartet of senior citizen adventurers includes cultural icon William Shatner, Pittsburgh Steelers football legend Terry Bradshaw, boxing Hall of Famer George Foreman and actor and Hollywood insider Henry Winkler.
“Better Late Than Never” has the feel of a reality travel show since the participants play themselves in what looks like unscripted dialogue, or more likely, they are so discreetly prompted in such minimal direction that all the scenes have the sense of spontaneity.
Apart from the four renowned celebrities, the group has a tour guide, loosely speaking, in standup comedian Jeff Dye (maybe best-known for hosting on MTV’s “Money from Strangers”).
As the sidekick, Dye, whose age is roughly a fraction of even the youngest member of the quartet, is tasked with steering the group into unfamiliar turf so as to disrupt everyone’s comfort zone.
The first stop is Tokyo, Japan, and Dye has secured accommodations at a place fittingly-called Capsule Hotel, where the rooms are the size of a large refrigerator, but with barely enough creature comforts.
Basically, the sleeping quarters are cozy, tight spaces which seem slightly roomier than an MRI chamber.
While Shatner exclaims the cramped hotel “looks like a kennel,” Bradshaw and Foreman, both taller than 6 feet, would have the best reason to complain.
The maiden episode in Japan’s largest city offers frequent educational tidbits about the Japanese culture and life in Tokyo. For instance, Tokyo has more neon signs than any city in the world. Las Vegas simply isn’t big enough to compete.
Japan also has more pets than children, but there are 35 million residents in Tokyo, so one must imagine, given the frequent scenes of mass congestion on the subway system, that the country is overpopulated.
Culture shock is most evident not just in scenes involving the language barrier that turn even the most temperate of individuals into mildly amusing ugly tourists, but in culinary settings where the food options would cause even the most audacious gourmand some trepidation.
I’ll bet that Guy Fieri would never find the Japanese delicacies at any of the diners, drive-ins or dives that he has documented in books and TV shows. The group has to contend with a meal of the cooked private parts of cows, pigs and chickens.
The Louisiana-born Bradshaw gamely plays up his Southern heritage, remarking in a humorous monologue that he’s “been to New York, Oklahoma City, Tulsa and everywhere” but he’s never seen anything like Japan.
NBC only made the first episode available for review, but the series travels to South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand for the one-hour episodes to follow.
The trip to Japan made the type of favorable impression that whets the appetite for the misadventures that are sure to come.
The humor comes from this fun group of travelers navigating their way through each country, communicating with the locals, immersing themselves in local traditions and enjoying, or at least trying, exotic food.
“Better Late Than Never” could be the short-term hit for NBC that keeps the summer programming worth watching right up to the start of the new fall season coming later in September.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A local assistance center has opened in Lower Lake for Clayton fire survivors.
Lake County Social Services and community volunteers are hosting the mini local assistance center, or LAC, on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at Adult Services, 16170 C Main St. in Lower Lake.
During this time, survivors will be asked to complete a brief survey to help partner agencies assess needs and provide services.
Referrals for help will also be made to American Red Cross, Salvation Army and North Coast Opportunities.
The LAC will be in full swing, just across the street at the old Lower Lake Bank building, 16195 Main St., starting on Monday. That center will operate from 10 am to 7 pm.
Officials said the LAC will run through Friday, Aug. 26, and may be extended depending on need.
The full LAC will offer many additional agencies and services including Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection Assessor-Recorder, Community Development, Behavioral Health, Public Health, Environmental Health, Veterans Services, Lake Family Resource Center, Workforce Lake, United Policy Holders, Social Security Administration, Contractor’s State License Board, DMV, Employment Development Department, California Department of Insurance, State Board of Equalization, Franchise Tax Board, California Veteran Affairs, Victims Compensation and Government Claims and more.
All Clayton fire survivors are encouraged to attend and register, enabling service providers to communicate with you as additional services and resources become available.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is presenting an interactive exploration of Lake County varietals, appellations and wine making styles co-hosted by Shannon Michele.
The series aims to help participants advance their sensory evaluation and wine tasting skills with specially selected varietals, flights and verticals paired with "snackatizers" to compliment the wine tasting experience.
The third session in the series from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, will focus on Pinot Noir, Grenache and Sangiovese.
Date and featured wines to follow are: Oct. 23 (Rhone Red Wines) $25/each session per person. Seating is limited. For reservations and additional information, contact Susan at 707-293-8752.
Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County.
Artists' shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month except in January.
The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. June to August it is open daily from 1 to 7 p.m. and on Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.
The art show on display for the month of August is by Denise Rushing.
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
