LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A young local dentist is preparing to leave later this month to take part in a humanitarian mission to Colombia.

Levi Palmer, 38, will go to Colombia April 14-24, where he and a cohort of about 10 dentists and up to 40 dental students will bring much-needed emergency dental care to residents of the Cartagena area.

Beginning in 2000 – when he was a dental student at the University of Southern California – Palmer has taken such trips about once a year with AYUDA International Dental Clinics, a nonprofit organization that holds dental clinics worldwide.

The group’s Web site, http://www.smilesforall.net/ayuda/about.html, reported that over the past four decades AYUDA has helped more than 200,000 dental patients.

This is Palmer’s first trip to South America. He previously traveled to areas including Mexico and Central America, seeing as many as 1,000 patients during his last mission.

“It’s pretty rewarding,” he said.

The clinics in Colombia will be held in facilities provided by the Fundacion Granitos de Paz, a group that serves the poor.

Palmer’s wife, Christina, has accompanied him on previous missions, but this time around Christina will be staying home for an important reason – the couple is expecting their first child later this year.

A video made by Christina Palmer about the AYUDA dental mission to Belize and Guatemala in 2011 can be seen above.

Levi Palmer followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a dentist. Roger Palmer was a popular dentist who practiced in Kelseyville until his death several years ago.

He took over his father’s practice but later pursued a residency in pediatric dentistry. Today, Levi Palmer’s practice in downtown Lakeport is the only one in Lake County dedicated to pediatric dentistry.

“I love my job,” he said.

Fitting well with Palmer’s specialty, the AYUDA dental clinic in Colombia will see mostly children – about 90 percent, Palmer estimated – but some adults, too.

“There’s a lot of kids with pain down there,” he said.

Children who have dental pain, he added, have been shown to not do as well in school. Many children also are afraid of saying anything because of fear of going to the dentist.

Typically the clinic’s dentists will pull a lot of teeth, and do fillings and crowns. He said they focus on preserving adult molars, which are the teeth that the children will have for the rest of their lives and which therefore are critical.

Palmer said there is always a line of people waiting for help, and the clinic staff will work five to six days in a row, as long as 11 hours a day.

“At the end of five days we’re pretty tired,” he said.

Each year Palmer, along with paying for his own trip, offers a scholarship for a dental student to take part in one of the missions.

He said he enjoys having the opportunity to see the students working and helping patients.

Each of the participating dentists also chips in to cover the food for all three dozen or so students for one day, he said.

“It’s just such a cool experience,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.”

Incidentally, Palmer and the team of dentists and dental students will be arriving in Colombia just as the Summit of the Americas – a summit of 34 of the countries in the Americas – is in session. President Barack Obama is expected to be in attendance at the event, set to take place April 14-15.

For more about the efforts of AYUDA and to donate, visit www.smilesforall.net/ayuda/about.html .

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

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A Fort Bragg man was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly kicked in a man's door and doused him with gasoline.

Ryan Patrick Coppola, 27, was arrested on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, criminal threats and vandalism, and misdemeanor domestic battery, according to Sgt. John Gregore of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Gregore said that at 12:45 a.m. Saturday, March 31, sheriff's deputies were dispatched to an address on Deer Park Drive in Lower Lake on the report a male who had kicked in the front door to the residence and poured gasoline on the occupants.

When deputies arrived, the victim said he had been with some friends earlier in the night at Maynard’s Sports Bar in Lower Lake, Gregore said.

While the deputies were there, they saw Coppola, who they knew. Coppola recently had broken up with his girlfriend, who was homeless and temporarily staying at the residence in Lower Lake, Gregore said.

The man told deputies that Coppola got into a physical altercation at the bar, but neither he nor his friends were involved, according to Gregore.

After leaving Maynard’s, the victim and some friends went to his house and were sleeping in a front room of the home, Gregore said. The victim woke up to Coppola kicking in his front door and entering the residence carrying a gas can.

Coppola then allegedly started pouring gasoline on the male victim and the interior of the residence, Gregore reported. According to witnesses, Coppola said something about burning the victim.  

Gregore said Coppola then noticed his ex-girlfriend lying on a couch in the home. Coppola picked her up off the couch and threw her to the floor.  

The male victim said he ran outside his house and Coppola pursued him into the street. Coppola continued to chase him until a neighbor came outside to investigate the commotion. Coppola then left in an unknown direction, according to Gregore.

Gregore said deputies could smell the strong odor of gasoline coming from the victim’s clothing and the inside of his residence. Deputies were unable to locate Coppola at the scene.

Several hours later, deputies located Coppola and arrested him. Gregore said Coppola was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked. Bail was set at $25,000.

Coppola, whose arrest sheet lists his profession as jeweler, later posted bail and was released, according to jail records.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Academic Decathlon teams from Upper Lake High School and Willits High School recently traveled to Sacramento to compete at the state level competition.

The three-day competition, which took place March 15-18, included testing their knowledge of this year’s topic of “Imperialism: The Age of Empire: as well as their skills in essay, speech and interview.

Granada Hills Charter High took the champion spot for their second year in a row with a score of 51,913.30 out of a possible 60,000.

That school's team will advance to the national competition April 26-28 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, along with large school title winner El Camino Real High/LAUSD; St. Francis High/Southern California Private Schools, the medium school title winner; and University High/Fresno County, the small school title winner.

Upper Lake, competing in Division Three for small schools, scored 30,769. Willits, competing in the same small schools division, scored 27,142.

Decathletes competed in Economics, Art, Music, Language and Literature, Mathematics, Science, Super Quiz, Essay, Interview and Speech.

Although neither the Willits nor Upper Lake teams will advance to the national competition, Christine Randall of Upper Lake High beat out 565 other students from the state of California to bring home the bronze medal in Language & Literature.  

Randall and Aaron Ramirez from Willits High both earned a gold medal for earning the highest overall score for their respective teams.

The experience of being a decathlete goes beyond learning about the yearly subject and competing for medals.  

Students and coaches work hard to develop a variety of skills that will benefit them later in life including test taking strategies and public speaking.  

At the state competition students get the opportunity to meet hundreds of students from throughout the state and attend a mixer/dance after all competition is done.

According to Tammy Serpa, the regional coordinator, “All of our decathletes and coaches should be proud of their efforts at the state competition.  They represented the counties well and displayed tremendous pride and sportsmanship throughout the competition.”

Before the school year is out, coaches will be recruiting new team members and study material will be distributed to get a jump start on next year’s competition.

The 2013 topic will be Russia, including a science focus on space exploration and literature selection of “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak.

NICE, Calif. – Preliminary work on a roundabout near the Northshore town of Nice is under way.

The roundabout will be built at the intersection of Highway 20 and the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, just west of Nice.

Granite Construction received a $2.6 million contract to build the roundabout, according to Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie.

Frisbie said the total project cost – including purchase of additional property for right-of-way – is $4.6 million.

In 2007 Caltrans identified the need for an update to the intersection to increase its safety, Frisbie said.

“At that point we realized we needed to do something,” Frisbie said.

He added, “A major issue there was the collision rate.”

The intersection’s historic collision rate was five times higher than the statewide average for similar intersections, according to Caltrans.

When addressing safety issues at intersections, Frisbie said Caltrans usually considers traffic signs and roundabouts.

“The roundabout was the best option for this intersection,” he said.

Caltrans anticipates the intersection’s new roundabout will reduce the number and severity of collisions.

Another goal is to slow traffic, especially eastbound traffic entering Nice, Frisbie said.

The agency also said the roundabout will lower vehicle emissions by lessening idle times compared to a traffic signal.

Other associated improvements will include sidewalks, enhanced drainage and median islands that will allow pedestrians to cross the highway, Caltrans reported.

Frisbie said the preliminary project work is taking place now, which has included the clearing of some nearby trees.

He said it won’t be until the middle of April that construction work impacting traffic will begin.

Once under way, the project should move quickly, he said.

“We’re expecting it to be completed by this winter,” said Frisbie.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The staff at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter in Lakeport loves Lucy.

The shelter staff are hoping to find the lovable little Labrador Retriever/Rottweiler mix a new home.

She's about 2 to 3 years old, is sweet and friendly, and wins the hearts of those who meet her.

She came to the shelter with one puppy, Bonita, who was adopted.

Lucy has been spayed and is ready to join your home.

Shelter staff said she is great with kids and other dogs, has a low energy level, and is very loyal and willing to please.

Find her in kennel No. 29, ID No. 32057.

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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – She's small, curious and looking for a new family.

Delilah is a young dog who came to the shelter with a litter of puppies, some of which already have been adopted. Her previous owner was moving out of state and so had to give her up.

Believed to be a border collie/terrier mix, Delilah is small – she weighs only 25 pounds – is good with children and other pets, and looking for a loving home.

She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 32044.

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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

LUCERNE, Calif – Investigators are still working to determine the cause of a Sunday fire that killed a Lucerne man, and fire officials also are discussing hydrant upgrades with the property owner of the mobile home park where the fire occurred.

Michael Edwin Fulk, 72, was identified as the victim of the Sunday morning fire by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Fulk’s trailer, located in space No. 51 at Lorraine Village Mobile Home Park on Highway 20, caught fire early Sunday morning and was destroyed by the fire, according to Northshore Fire Protection District officials.

Despite a female neighbor’s efforts to get Fulk out of the house, she wasn’t able to reach him through the smoke and heat and had to turn back, as Lake County News first reported Sunday.

Fulk’s body later was found in the rear portion of the trailer by firefighters, the district reported.

While Fulk’s residence was a total loss, firefighters were able to prevent damage to the structures that surrounded it. Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said the other buildings close by experienced no exposure damage.

The Lake County Arson Task Force, which is leading the fire investigation, is continuing work to settle on a final cause, said Beristianos.

“I have not got an official ruling on it but we are leaning toward electrical,” Beristianos said of the potential cause on Tuesday.

The district’s initial report on the fire said that Lorraine Village has no operating fire hydrants, which made it necessary for firefighters to place 800 feet of 5-inch hose in order to fight the fire.

On Tuesday Beristianos clarified that the mobile home park’s hydrants work, but they are only capable of 150 gallons per minute on average, well below the minimum of 500 gallons a minute needed for firefighting.

Beristianos said hydrants have capacity for as much as 1,750 gallons per minute, although not all areas of Lake County have that water pressure available. He said that tends to be an issue in rural areas.

In Lorraine Village’s case, when the park was first built several decades ago – Beristianos estimated it was developed in the 1960s – there weren’t requirements for the kinds of standard hydrants found in most community areas, he said.

While the park has no requirements for an upgrade, Beristianos said the park owner has expressed a willingness to bring the hydrants to a higher standard, and he’s working with the owner on that effort.

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

SACRAMENTO – Department of Water Resources (DWR) hydrologists on Monday reported that water content in California's mountain snowpack is only 55 percent of the April 1 full season average.

"An unusually wet March improved conditions, but did not make up for the previous dry months,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “The take-home message is that we’ve had a dry winter and although good reservoir storage will lessen impacts this summer, we need to be prepared for a potentially dry 2013."                                                     

Snowpack water content is measured both manually on or near the first of the month from January to May, and in real-time by electronic sensors.

This month’s survey and electronic readings are considered the most important of the year, since early April is when the state's snowpack normally is at its peak before it  begins to melt into streams, reservoirs and aquifers in the spring and summer months.

The mountain snowpack normally provides about a third of the water for California's households, industry and farms.

Electronic readings indicate that water content in the northern mountains is 78 percent of the April 1 seasonal average.

Electronic readings for the central Sierra show 51 percent of the April 1 average. The number for the southern Sierra is 39 percent. The statewide number is 55 percent.

On March 1, snowpack water content was only 34 percent of the April 1 average in the northern mountain ranges, 28 percent in the central Sierra, and 29 percent in the southern Sierra. Statewide, the early March snowpack water content was 30 percent of the April 1 seasonal average.

On April 1 last year, snowpack water content readings were 173 percent of the April 1 average in the northern mountains, 161 percent in the central ranges, 155 percent in the south, and 163 percent statewide.

California has above average reservoir storage as summer approaches thanks to runoff from last winter’s storms.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project's principal reservoir, is 107 percent of average for the date (84 percent of its 3.5 million acre-foot capacity). Lake Shasta north of Redding, the federal Central Valley Project's largest reservoir with a capacity of 4.5 million acre-feet, is at 104 percent of average (86 percent of capacity).

DWR estimated it will be able to deliver 50 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet of State Water Project (SWP) water requested this year by the 29 public agencies that supply more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons of water, enough to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.

A 50 percent allocation is not severely low, state officials said.

Wet conditions last year allowed the State Water Project to deliver 80 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet requested for calendar year 2011.

The final allocation was 50 percent in 2010, 40 percent in 2009, 35 percent in 2008, and 60 percent in 2007.

The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years due to pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006.

Statewide snowpack readings from electronic sensors are available on the Internet at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/DLYSWEQ .

Historic readings from snowpack sensors are posted at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/rpts1/DLYSWEQ .

Pick-a-Date snowpack water content readings are at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action .

Electronic reservoir level readings may be found at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action .

See DWR’s new Water Conditions page at http://www.water.ca.gov/waterconditions/ .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The community is urged to be aware of fire hoses and reminded not to drive over them at fire scenes, as doing so is a violation of state law.

In the last week, Lake County fire districts – including Northshore Fire Protection District and Lake County Fire Protection District – have had multiple structure fires, and in each case they have had vehicles drive over fire hoses during emergency fire operations, according to Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown.

Brown said driving over fire hoses is a violation of California Vehicle Code.

Vehicle Code Section 21708 states: “No person shall drive or propel any vehicle or conveyance upon, over, or across, or in any manner damage any fire hose or chemical hose used by or under the supervision and control of any organized fire department. However, any vehicle may cross a hose provided suitable jumpers or other appliances are installed to protect the hose.”

Driving over fire hoses places the fire personnel and fire equipment in a very dangerous position, Brown said.

Fire hoses can operate at 300 pounds per square inch and often are the only protection fire crews have in fighting wildland and structure fires, according to Brown.

He said vehicles that drive over fire hoses can shut off the water supply, tear and damage fire hose, clamp the hose and make it explode from the pressure, make the diesel engine of the fire engine over rev and place fire personnel in very immediate danger.

Drivers of vehicles can be cited and held responsible for all damages to hoses, fire equipment and fire personnel, he said.