LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In the next several weeks a team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) will be sampling the sediments under Clear Lake to help answer a wide range of questions about prehistoric Lake conditions, ancient plant and insect life and the possible effects of global warming on Clear Lake and its surrounding environment.

The UCB scientists will use a floating sediment core drill rig out in the center of the Upper Arm of the Lake to extract two 3-inch diameter cores about 400 foot long.

These cores should contain sediments as old as 130,000 years, about one-quarter the estimated age of Clear Lake.

This type of sediment sampling has been done in the past and has yielded evidence ranging from the types of prehistoric plant communities to recent human impacts on the Lake.

These new cores will be done in the same locations as previous work but will focus on the older profile of the Lake’s history.

The sediment coring equipment will be assembled in Lakeport on April 25 and coring operations will start April 27. The floating coring rig will be located from one to three miles west southwest of Lucerne and will operate around the clock for seven to 10 days.

Due to safety issues, boaters need to keep clear of the operations and not disturb the work crews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The trial of two young local men for a June 2011 shooting that killed a child and wounded five others let out early on Friday after a broken elevator prevented them from getting to court on time.

Paul William Braden, 22, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 24, are each facing 15 counts for the shooting on June 18, 2011, that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and wounded five others, including the child’s mother, Desiree Kirby, and her boyfriend, Ross Sparks.

During the week Josh Gamble, a cousin of Sparks, continued testimony he began last week, with Sparks also taking the stand, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

On Friday, Curtis Eeds, who lived next door to Sparks and Kirby, was called to take the stand, Anderson said.

Eeds was on the stand in the morning before testimony stopped so Anderson and the defense attorneys – Doug Rhoades representing Braden and Stephen Carter representing Lopez – could work out issues with the case out of the presence of the jurors, Anderson said.

Court was to reconvene at 1:30 p.m., with those issues from the morning still not worked out, but proceedings couldn’t continue because the defendants didn’t show up, Anderson said.

“The elevator broke down and they were stuck in it,” he said.

As a result, visiting Yolo County Superior Court Judge Doris Shockley let jurors go early for the day, Anderson said.

Testimony will resume next week.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Proactive enforcement efforts by Lake County Sheriff’s patrol deputies have resulted in two arrests, the seizure of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

On Tuesday, April 17, deputies arrested Ashley Nicole Saxon and Casey Rodgers, both 26 and Kelseyville residents, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday at approximately 11:28 a.m. deputies conducted a search of Saxon and her Cypress Avenue residence, Brooks said.

Saxon allegedly had been released from custody with a search clause for a prior narcotics sales case, Brooks said. When deputies entered the residence they also contacted Rodgers.

While conducting a search of the residence deputies located a substantial amount of methamphetamine. Brooks said they also located digital scales, a glass pipe commonly used to smoke methamphetamine and packaging materials.

He said Saxon admitted that the aforementioned items belonged to her.

Saxon was arrested for possession of a controlled substance for sales, committing a felony while released on her own recognizance, possession of paraphernalia used for smoking a controlled substance and for being under the influence of a controlled substance, Brooks said.

Saxon was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. She remains in custody on a no-bail hold, according to jail records.

Rodgers was arrested for having an outstanding warrant. He later was released from custody on his signed notice to appear in court.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

The likely culprit in sharp worldwide declines in honeybee colonies since 2006 is imidacloprid, one of the most widely used pesticides, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

The authors, led by Alex Lu, associate professor of environmental exposure biology in the Department of Environmental Health, write that the new research provides "convincing evidence" of the link between imidacloprid and the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which adult bees abandon their hives.

The study, “In Situ Replication of Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder,” will appear in the June issue of the Bulletin of Insectology.

"The significance of bees to agriculture cannot be underestimated," said Lu. "And it apparently doesn't take much of the pesticide to affect the bees. Our experiment included pesticide amounts below what is normally present in the environment."

Pinpointing the cause of the problem is crucial because bees – beyond producing honey – are prime pollinators of roughly one-third of the crop species in the U.S., including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and livestock feed such as alfalfa and clover.

Massive loss of honeybees could result in billions of dollars in agricultural losses, experts estimate.

Lu and his co-authors hypothesized that the uptick in CCD resulted from the presence of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid introduced in the early 1990s.

Bees can be exposed in two ways: through nectar from plants or through high-fructose corn syrup beekeepers use to feed their bees. Since most U.S.-grown corn has been treated with imidacloprid, it's also found in corn syrup.

In the summer of 2010, the researchers conducted an in situ study in Worcester County, Mass. aimed at replicating how imidacloprid may have caused the CCD outbreak.

Over a 23-week period, they monitored bees in four different bee yards; each yard had four hives treated with different levels of imidacloprid and one control hive. After 12 weeks of imidacloprid dosing, all the bees were alive.

But after 23 weeks, 15 out of 16 of the imidacloprid-treated hives – 94 percent – had died. Those exposed to the highest levels of the pesticide died first.

The characteristics of the dead hives were consistent with CCD, said Lu; the hives were empty except for food stores, some pollen, and young bees, with few dead bees nearby.

When other conditions cause hive collapse – such as disease or pests – many dead bees are typically found inside and outside the affected hives.

Strikingly, said Lu, it took only low levels of imidacloprid to cause hive collapse – less than what is typically used in crops or in areas where bees forage.

Scientists, policymakers, farmers and beekeepers, alarmed at the sudden losses of between 30 percent and 90 percent of honeybee colonies since 2006, have posed numerous theories as to the cause of the collapse, such as pests, disease, pesticides, migratory beekeeping or some combination of these factors.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The final list of Stars of Lake County Award nominees has been announced.

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce released the list on Friday.

The final tally on nominations for 2012 is 74 in all, with almost every community in Lake County represented. Each nominee has received a letter notifying them of their nomination.

The entire list of nominees can be seen below.

All nominees will be honored on Sunday, May 6, at PSI Seminars in High Valley above Clearlake Oaks. The reception begins at 4 p.m. with the very popular David Neft providing music during the reception and dinner hours.

PSI Seminars is a state-of-the-art conference learning center and will accommodate seating for up to 400 guests for Stars this year. The chamber said it was only able to accommodate 300 guests the past two years and had to turn away people.

The chamber thanked everyone who made time to forward a nomination for the 2012 Stars Community Awards and to everyone who responded with the additional information requests.  

The Stars Selection Committee will be meeting Thursday, April 26, after reviewing all 74 nominations. Their decisions on the recipients will be revealed at the Awards Program on May 6.

Tickets are on sale for Stars through the Lake County Chamber office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point in Lakeport.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for Angel Tickets, the chamber will be able to furnish some nominees with tickets who have limited incomes.

The Stars of Lake County Dinner Sponsor this year is Calpine Corp. Category Sponsors are: Cliff & Nancy Ruzicka, WestAmerica Bank, Marymount College, Mendo Mill Lumber & Home Center, Umpqua Bank, Calpine Corp., Savings Bank of Mendocino, Strong Financial Network, Lake County Land Trust, Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, Foods Etc., Bruno’s Shop Smart, Kathy Fowler Auto Dealerships, U. S. Representative Mike Thompson, John Tomkins Tax Consultants, North Lake Medical Pharmacy and the Lake County Record-Bee.  

There are still 3 categories available for sponsorships; anyone interested in those should contact the Lake County Chamber at 707-263-5092.

2012 STARS OF LAKE COUNTY NOMINEES LIST

Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian of the Year
Sponsored by Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka
1. Dr. Paula Dhanda, Kelseyville
2. Levi Palmer, DDS, Lakeport
3. Taira St. John, Lakeport

Senior of the Year
Sponsored by Westamerica Bank    
1. Janet Taylor, Lakeport
2. Christine Hansom, Cobb

Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored by Marymount College
1. Edward McDonald, Lakeport
2. Bruce Maxwell, Lakeport
3. Don Stewart, Findley
4. Phyllis Kelsey, Middletown
5. Gregory Scott, Lakeport
6. Don and Peg McCown, Lakeport
7. Richard Birk, Hidden Valley Lake

Student of the Year-Female
1. Alice Crocket, Lakeport
2. Brittany Elkington, Lakeport
3. Cheyanne Horvath, Cobb
4. Krystina Riccio, Hidden Valley Lake

Student of the Year-Male
1. Eli Wade, Clearlake        

Youth Advocate of the Year-Professional
1. Patty Chandler, Lakeport  
2. Antoinette Goetz and Sheila LaVine of Antoinette School of Dance, Lakeport
3. Tami Cramer, Lakeport
4. Tanya Biasotti, Clearlake
5. Barbara Clark, Lakeport
6. Bill MacDougall, Kelseyville
7. Alan Mathews, Lakeport

Youth Advocate of the Year-Volunteer
1. A&B Collision, Clearlake
2. Kristi Weiss, Lakeport

Agriculture Award
Sponsored by Calpine Corp.
1. Farm to Table Program, Kelseyville
2. Lake County Quilt Trail, All Around Lake County

Organization of the Year-Nonprofit (has paid staff)
Sponsored by Savings Bank of Mendocino
1. Hospice Services of Lake County, Lakeport
2. KPFZ/Lake County Community Radio,Lakeport
3. Healthy Start, Lakeport

Organization of the Year-Volunteer (all volunteer staff)
Sponsored by Strong Financial
1. Any Positive Change, Lower Lake
2. Animal Coalition of Lake County, Clearlake
3. Lake County Rodeo Association, Lakeport

Environmental Award of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Land Trust
1. Gae Henry and Henry Borenstein, Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, Lower Lake
2. Victoria Brandon, Sierra Club Lake Group, Lower Lake

New Business of the Year
1. A Touch of Tranquility Day Spa, Lakeport
2. Jolly Kone, Middletown
3. One Stop Print Shop & More, Lucerne
4. 2 Women Traders, Middletown

Small Business of the Year
Sponsored by Foods Etc.
1. Tatonka Land Miniature Golf & Zippies, Clearlake
2. Here for the Holidays/Accents on the Lake, Kelseyville
3. Innovative Physical Therapy, Kelseyville

Large Business of the Year  
Sponsored by Bruno’s Shop Smart  
1. Mendo Mill Home Center & Lumber Co., Lakeport, Clearlake
2. Calpine Corp., Middletown
3. Hardester’s Markets, Middletown, Hidden Valley, Cobb

Best Idea of the Year
1. Window Treatments for Vacant Storefronts, All Around Lake County
2. Funtown at Lakeside Family Fun Center, Lakeport
3. “Lake County Live!”, Lakeport
4. District Attorney’s Office Charitable Contribution Program, Lakeport
5. “Penny’s For Education,” Lakeport

Local Hero of the Year
Sponsored by U. S. Representative Mike Thompson
1. Amy Zingone, Clearlake Oaks
2. Gabriel Lopez, Hidden Valley Lake
3. Lee Buckmaster and Rhonda Straub, Lower Lake

The Arts Award of the Year-Professional    
1. Verna Wicks-De Martino, Lakeport
2. McKenzie Paine, Kelseyville
3. Lyle and Deanna Madeson, Kelseyville

Woman of the Year
Sponsored by North Lake Medical Pharmacy
1. Susan Cannon, DVM, Lakeport
2. Linda Burton, Clearlake
3. Pat Grabham, Clearlake Oaks
4. Joyce Overton, Clearlake
5. Antoinette Funderburg, Lakeport
6. Voris Brumfield, Middletown
7. Lannette Huffman, Lakeport
    
Man of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Record-Bee
1. Charles Davis, Clearlake
2. Gary Dickson, Lakeport
3. Joey Luiz, Clearlake
4. Tom Lincoln, Lakeport
5. John Hodgkin, MD, Clearlake
6. Sheriff Frank Rivero, Lakeport
7. John Fulton, Lakeport

Lifetime Achievement
1. Griffie Ratterree, Clearlake
2. Lynn Brookes, Lucerne
3. Cliff Ruzicka, Lakeport
4. Don Johnson, DDS, Lakeport
4. Stephen R. Elias, Esq. (posthumously)
5. Gardiner (Buster) Jones, Lucerne

This weekend, NASA scientists, amateur astronomers and an astronaut on board the International Space Station will attempt the first-ever 3D photography of meteors from Earth and space.

“The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks on April 21-22,” said Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. “We’re going to try to photograph some of these 'shooting stars' simultaneously from ground stations, from a research balloon in the stratosphere, and from the space station.”

Lyrid meteors come from Comet Thatcher.  Every year in late April Earth passes through a stream of debris from the old comet, which has been bringing Lyrid meteors to our planet for at least 2,600 years.  
Specks of Thatcher’s dust hit the top of atmosphere at 110,000 miles per hour and disintegrate in a flurry of meteors. Most years, the shower produces about 15 to 20 Lyrids per hour.

This is a good year to look for Lyrids because the Moon will be new when the shower peaks. Dark skies favor sightings both from Earth and from Earth orbit.

“Even though the Lyrids are not noted for spectacular rates, the combination of a New Moon and a very favorable viewing geometry from the International Space Station (ISS) presents a unique opportunity to simultaneously image shower meteors from above and below,” said Cooke.

ISS Flight Engineer Don Pettit will be operating the camera on the space station.

“Even though his equipment was designed for tasks other than meteor observing, Don is a skilled astrophotographer, and we have every confidence that he will maximize the chances of capturing a Lyrid from 400 km above Earth's surface,” Cooke said.

As the Space Station passes over North America multiple times on the night of April 21, a network of all-sky cameras – some operated by amateur astronomers and others by NASA – will be recording the shower.

In Bishop, Calif., a group of high school and middle school students will launch a helium balloon to the stratosphere. The payload floating some 40 kilometers above Earth’s surface will carry an experimental low-cost meteor camera and recorder developed by the Meteoroid Environment Office.

As astrophotographers know, catching a fleet meteor with a single camera takes some luck. Catching one meteor with multiple cameras, some of them on platforms moving as fast as 17,000 miles per hour, scattered from Earth to Earth orbit, sounds more like winning the lottery.

“Actually, we think the odds are fairly good,” said Cooke, who estimated a one in six chance of a simultaneous catch between the ISS and one of the wide-field ground cameras.

If the effort does produce 3D imagery of any Lyrids, Cooke plans to use the photos to test ideas and algorithms for processing date gathered by future space-based meteor observatories.

“We’re laying the groundwork for small satellites that might one day be used to monitor meteor showers from Earth orbit,” he explained.

Cooke encourages sky watchers everywhere be alert for meteors this Saturday night. Typical Lyrids are about as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper, so they’re good for beginners. And it's not unusual to see one or two fireballs when the shower peaks.

A good time to look is during the hours after midnight, when the shower’s radiant is rising toward its zenith.

Although the Lyrid meteor rate is usually capped at 20 per hour, better displays sometimes occur when Earth glides through an unusually dense clump of debris. In 1982, for instance, astronomers counted as many as 90 Lyrids per hour.

“Such an outburst would be great for our experiment,” said Cooke.

Amateur astronomers who wish to help monitor the 2012 Lyrids are encouraged to download the Meteor Counter for iPhones. The app records meteor counts and reports the data to NASA for possible analysis.

Also, Cooke and colleagues will be “staying up all night” on April 21 to chat with the general public about the shower. Tune in at http://www.nasa.gov/connect/chat/ .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Last month, when the sun unleashed the most intense radiation storm since 2003, peppering satellites with charged particles and igniting strong auroras around both poles, a group of high school students in Bishop, California, knew just what to do.

They launched a rubber chicken.

The students inflated a helium balloon and used it to send the fowl, named "Camilla," to an altitude of 120,000 ft where she was exposed to high-energy solar protons at point blank range.

"We equipped Camilla with sensors to measure the radiation," said Sam Johnson (age 16) of Bishop Union High School's Earth to Sky student group1. "At the apex of our flight, the payload was above 99 percent of Earth's atmosphere."

Launching a rubber chicken into a solar storm might sound strange, but the students had good reason: They're doing an astrobiology project.

"Later this year, we plan to launch a species of microbes to find out if they can live at the edge of space," explains team member Rachel Molina (age 17). "This was a reconnaissance flight."

Many space enthusiasts are already familiar with Camilla. She's the mascot of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

With help from her keeper, Romeo Durscher of Stanford University, Camilla corresponds with more than 20,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, filling them in on the latest results from NASA's heliophysics missions.

"Camilla's trip to the stratosphere2 gave us a chance to talk to thousands of people about the radiation storm," said Durscher.

On the outside of her space suit – knitted by Cynthia Coer Butcher from Blue Springs, Missouri) – Camilla wore a pair of radiation badges, the same kind medical technicians and nuclear workers wear to assess their dosages.

Camilla actually flew twice – once on March 3 before the radiation storm and again on March 10 while the storm was in full swing. This would give the students a basis for comparison.

On March 3, during the calm before the storm, the Earth to Sky team assisted by a local class of fifth graders attached Camilla to the payload, inflated the balloon, and released the "stack" (balloon, parachute and payload) into a cloudless blue sky just before local noon.

"It was a beautiful lift-off," said Amelia Koske-Phillips (age 15), the team's payload manager and "launch boss."

During the two and a half hour flight, Camilla spent approximately 90 minutes in the stratosphere where temperatures (-40 to -60 C) and air pressures (1% sea level) are akin to those on the planet Mars. The balloon popped, as planned, at an altitude of about 40 km and Camilla parachuted safely back to Earth. The entire payload was recovered intact from a landing site in the Inyo Mountains.

The payload, a modified department store lunchbox, carried four cameras, a cryogenic thermometer, and two GPS trackers. Seven insects and two dozen sunflower seeds also rode along to test their response to near-space travel. The seeds were a variety known to gardeners as "Sunspot" (Helianthus annuus).

One week later, on March 10, the storm was underway, and the students repeated the experiment.

Camilla flew into one of the strongest proton storms in years. The source of the radiation was sunspot AR1429, which unleashed more than 50 solar flares during the first two weeks of March. At the peak of the storm, March 7-10, charged particles hitting Earth's upper atmosphere deposited enough heat in only three days to power every residence in New York City for two years.

At the moment of Camilla's launch on March 10, Earth-orbiting satellites reported proton counts ~30,000 times normal.

"The profile of the second flight was almost identical to the first--perfect for our experiment," adds Johnson. "We recovered the payload from a landing site near Deep Springs, Calif."

The fifth grade assistants are now planting the sun flower seeds to see if radiated seeds produce flowers any different from seeds that stayed behind on Earth.

They're also pinning the corpses of the insects – none survived – to a black "Foamboard of Death," a rare collection of bugs that have been to the edge of space.

Meanwhile, Camilla's radiation badges have been sent to a commercial laboratory for analysis.

The students say they are looking forward to the data and maybe – just maybe – sending Camilla back for more.

Educators are encouraged to follow Camilla on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans maintenance crews statewide dedicated Thursday, April 19, to litter removal for this year's annual Litter Day.

Last year's Litter Day efforts resulted in the removal of 2,533 cubic yards of litter statewide, enough to fill 158 garbage trucks, Caltrans reported.

Caltrans said a final tally for the litter picked up in Lake County wasn’t available on Friday.

However Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie said crews worked on Highway 29 and on Highway 53, picking up trash – most notably 10 discarded mattresses found along the highways – and painted over graffiti they found on several local bridges.

This cleanup effort is part of the Great American Cleanup campaign, sponsored each spring by the nonprofit organization Keep America Beautiful.

More than 2,800 Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway groups also are helping this campaign by picking up litter along their sections of highway sometime in April or May.

Caltrans said litter is an ongoing problem on state highways. Litter is not only ugly, but it also can lead to pollution in lakes, rivers and beaches.

Cigarette butts are the No. 1 item littered in California — they are discarded by the millions, often causing roadside fires, clogging storm drains, and threatening water quality and wildlife, Caltrans said.

In addition, motorists face the risk of accident, injury, and death as the result of trash and other debris fallen from vehicles hauling unsecured and untarped loads, the agency reported.

“During this time of limited public resources, Caltrans is spending millions of dollars every year cleaning up litter from California highways,” said Caltrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder. “There are so many other uses for that money. We’re asking the public to help us reduce the litter problem — please Don’t Trash California.”

For more information on the Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway program, call Mike Cossolotto at 707-445-5761.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A man who crashed his vehicle last weekend and who allegedly left the scene and his passenger – who died – has been rearrested in the case.

Danny Fields II, 27, of Clearlake was arrested for vehicular manslaughter, felony driving under the influence, felony hit and run resulting in death or injury and driving on a suspended license, according to Officer Kory Reynolds of the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.

The collision in which Fields was involved, which occurred early on the morning of Sunday, April 15, took the life of 31-year-old Jennifer Clark of Clearlake, as Lake County News has reported.

According to the investigation, Clark had been riding with Fields in his 1984 Chevrolet El Camino, headed southbound on Highway 29 just north of Lower Lake when the collision occurred, sometime between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sunday.

Fields’ vehicle went off the road and down an embankment, hitting a walnut tree, according to investigators.

He then allegedly left the scene, got a ride to the Lower Lake Tower Mart, and from there was transported by his parents to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, which notified the CHP just before 9 a.m. that day that a collision had occurred.

The vehicle was discovered by sheriff’s deputies less than 20 minutes after the crash was reported, according to officials. Clark, still inside the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

CHP officers originally had arrested Fields for felony driving under the influence and felony hit and run causing death or injury, and had a blood sample taken. However, they had released him due to his injuries, Sgt. Rick Okazaki told Lake County News earlier this week.

Okazaki had said releasing Fields did not preclude the CHP from pursuing charges against him.

Reynolds said Fields, who sustained major injuries in the crash, was arrested on Thursday following his release from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he had been transferred for treatment.

Fields was booked into the Lake County Jail with bail set at $210,000, Reynolds said.

Fields did not appear in online jail records Friday afternoon.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Unemployment in California and in Lake County increased slightly in March as employment figures for the rest of the country appeared to show improvement.

The California Employment Development Department’s latest report, released Friday, showed that the state’s unemployment increased slightly to 11 percent in March, rising from 10.9 percent in February. The state’s March 2011 unemployment rate was 11.9 percent.

Lake County’s unemployment rate last month was 16.8 percent, up from the revised February rate of 16.5 percent but down from 18.1 percent in March 2011, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division in Eureka.

California derives its unemployment rate from a federal survey of 5,500 California households, and uses a survey of 42,000 California businesses to measure job growth in  the economy.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation’s March unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in February.

The bureau also issued a Friday report that said unemployment was down in 30 states, with the West continuing to show the highest regional unemployment rate in March. At the same time, some Southern and Midwestern states were showing improvements in employment.

Based on the state’s newest unemployment figures, Lake County was ranked 43 out of California’s 58 counties for its March jobless rate.

Lake’s surrounding counties' employment figures were as follows: Colusa, 26.2 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 17.7 percent, No. 48; Mendocino, 11.5 percent, No. 20; Napa, 9 percent, No. 7; Sonoma County, 9.5 percent, No. 9; and Yolo, 14.2 percent, No. 32.

Marin, with 7 percent unemployment, continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state, while Colusa tied with Imperial County for No. 57, both reporting 26.2 percent jobless rates.

Mullins said Lake County wage and salary employment increased 20 jobs between February and March and remained up 540 jobs over the year.

He said there was year-over job growth in the following categories: farm, 420; trade, transportation and utilities, 90; professional and business services, 40; leisure and hospitality, 10; other services, 40; and government, 10.

The financial activities sector had no change over the year, Mullins reported.

Industry sectors that showed year-over declines included mining, logging and construction, 20; manufacturing, 10; information, 10; private educational and health services, 50, Mullins reported.

Statewide, there were 570,089 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 565,418 last month and 630,829 last year, according to the report.

New claims for unemployment insurance were 55,393 in March 2012, compared with 55,287 in February and 61,076 in March of last year, the report showed.

A separate state report on county residents claiming unemployment – which only had numbers through February – showed that 2,634 Lake County residents claimed unemployment benefits in January and 2,553 in February.

Jobs increase but unemployment rate still rises

Despite California’s slight upward unemployment rate increase, the Friday report showed that nonfarm payroll jobs totaled 14,237,300 in March, an increase of 18,200 during the month for a total gain of 385,900 jobs since the recovery began in September 2009. February had seen a job increase of 38,600.

The year-over-year change – March 2011 to March 2012 – shows an increase of 181,000 jobs, up 1.3 percent, the state reported.

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people, and estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 16,457,000, an increase of 2,000 from February, and up 278,000 from the employment total in March 2011.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,031,000 – up by 19,000 over the month, but down by 148,000 compared with March of last year, the report showed.   

In March, seven categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; financial  activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure  and hospitality; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 37,800 jobs, the state reported. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 13,800 jobs.   

The state said four job categories – construction; manufacturing; information; and other services – reported job declines over the month, down 19,600 jobs. Information posted the largest decrease over the month, down 13,400 jobs.  

Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 235,200 jobs, the report showed.

Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 66,300 jobs, a 3.1-percent increase, while information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up 3.8 percent, adding 16,300 jobs, the report showed.

Three categories – manufacturing, other services and government – posted job declines over the year, down 54,200 jobs. The monthly report said government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, losing 46,000 jobs, or experiencing a decrease of 1.9 percent.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The service of two search warrants by the Lake County Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force Wednesday morning has resulted in four arrests and the seizure of narcotics, firearms, body armor and drug paraphernalia.

Arrested were Clearlake Oaks residents Kenneth Kurt Neumiller, 29; Ashley Lauren Jackson, 20; Timothy Todd Ryden, 45; and Karen Lyn Williamson, 45, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Brooks said narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for Neumiller's person, home and vehicle, as well as for Ryden's home, vehicle and person on Friday, April 13. Both search warrants were based on
a single narcotics investigation.

On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 7 a.m., both search warrants were served simultaneously, Brooks said.

When narcotics detectives entered Neumiller’s residence, which is located on Iris Way in Clearlake Oaks, both Neumiller and Jackson were detained without incident, according to Brooks.

During a search of Neumiller’s residence narcotics detectives located and seized a loaded 12 gauge shotgun and an AR-15 rifle in the master bedroom. Brooks said they also located three glass pipes, commonly used to smoke methamphetamine.

Neumiller was arrested for being in possession of a loaded firearm while under the influence of a controlled substance, under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia, Brooks said.

He said Jackson was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.

Both were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.

Neumiller's bail was set at $15,000, while Jackson's was set at $5,000. Jail records showed both later posted bail and were released.

Brooks said when narcotics detectives entered Ryden’s residence, which is located on Nectarine Way in Clearlake Oaks, both Ryden and Williamson were detained without incident.

During a search of Ryden’s residence narcotics detectives located and seized a handgun in a nightstand in the master bedroom. Brooks said they also located a hypodermic needle and a glass methamphetamine pipe in a dresser located in the master bedroom along with numerous narcotics and body armor.

Ryden was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He was booked into the jail with bail set at $200,000, and remained in custody early Saturday.

Williamson was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of narcotics paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled substance. Her bail was set at $15,000 and jail records indicated she later posted bail and was released.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Communications workers rallied in Clearlake Thursday afternoon to bring attention to their struggle to reach a contract with AT&T.

Members of Communications Workers of America Local 9400 carried signs at the intersection of Old Highway 53 and Olympic Drive between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, and organizer Shawn Heape said they will continue such demonstrations around the county every Thursday until they get a new, fair contract.

Those taking part were mostly local outside technicians who work on overhead and underground communications equipment for AT&T, said Frank Arce, senior vice president for Local 9400. There also were some AT&T workers from Concord and Santa Rosa who came for the event.

Union members have been working without a contract since April 7, when their last three-year contract expired, Arce said.

By working without a contract, said Arce, “that allows us to walk at any moment.”

Although the workers weren’t yet on strike on Thursday, Arce said there has been no progress made at the bargaining table, and a strike could take place any time.

AT&T said that four core wireline contracts for different regions of the United States – West, Midwest and East, plus Legacy T Core – expired on April 7, affecting 40,000 employees.

The company said the parties agreed to continue to negotiate. Employees are to work under the expired contract’s terms while the negotiations continue.

In the case of the West contract, which covers the workers rallying in Clearlake, it affects a total of 17,000 employees in California and Nevada, AT&T reported.

The company said the bargaining tables “are working on major issues like health care, attendance and pension.”

AT&T provided a health care proposal to the union on April 7, the union responded on April 13 and on Tuesday the company responded to the proposal. In a Wednesday report AT&T said proposal details will remain confidential.

Arce said union members are not asking for big gains; they just want to keep what they have and not have to roll back pay and benefits at a time when the company is thriving and its chief executive officer and board chair, Randall Stephenson, reportedly has a total compensation package of $22 million annually.

“Their answer is to cut our salaries and have us work harder,” said Arce.

Technicians already work long days, sometimes seven days a week, he said.

Some of the technicians who were rallying on Thursday afternoon described challenging working conditions and company actions that stripped them of seniority.

Matt Willis said he had worked for the company for a time before it laid him off for nearly seven months, rehiring him after he lost his seniority. He was required to go back through the probation process and now makes $10 less an hour than he did before.

Bryan Brentwood said he was told he had to take an $11 an hour pay cut and was forced to move across the state with his family in order to keep his job.

“We’re just in a tough spot, you know?” Brentwood said, holding a sign at the intersection’s edge.

Arce, a 28-year AT&T veteran, said he’s been on strike three times in his tenure with the company; eight years ago, for four days; for two weeks in 1989; and for two and a half weeks in 1983.

Customers could face some service losses if a strike occurs, said Arce. While new teams are waiting to be brought in to cover for striking workers, he said it takes two to three years to learn the technician jobs.

Arce said the union also is fighting against AT&T’s efforts to move jobs and services overseas.

“We want jobs here in California,” he said.

On Wednesday, North Coast Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey sent a letter to Stephenson at his Dallas office, urging AT&T to invest in its workers’ health and welfare.

She said AT&T workers in her district have expressed concern that their wages, health benefits and workplace considerations are being eroded. “I share these concerns.”

Woolsey added, “At a time when the American public believes increasingly that it is ignored by corporate interests and excluded from employers’ profits, it would be irresponsible to exact such substantial concessions from middle-class families,” and encouraged the company to “reach a just and expeditious resolution that respects its workers’ contributions.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews .