MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will begin planting rainbow trout in Lake Mendocino for the first time this February.

Approximately 15,000 pounds of trout will be put into the lake throughout the winter and early spring, giving anglers an opportunity to enjoy one of the state’s most popular activities.

“There are very few trout fishing opportunities in Mendocino County,” said DFG Environmental Scientist Scott Harris. “We are pleased that we can add Lake Mendocino to the annual allotment list as a winter trout fishery.”

This is the first time that Lake Mendocino has been stocked by DFG. Historically, only the Mill Creek ponds east of Talmage have been stocked during winter and early winter months in Mendocino County.

The triploids will be put in the lake several times during the winter and early spring, the agency said.

To ensure there is a constant supply of fish in the upper East Branch Russian River area, fish will be planted in the East Branch Russian River in Potter Valley from late April to October.

The planted fish are between a half and three-quarter pounds each and are raised at the Darrah Springs Hatchery in Paynes Creek.

Other popular fish species inhabiting the lake include large and smallmouth bass, striped bass, channel catfish and black crappie.

DFG sells approximately 1 million fishing licenses a year. Anyone over the age of 16 must have a valid fishing license in their possession while fishing.

To buy a California fishing license, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/ols/.

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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Thursday night fire in Clearlake burned a trailer and nearby vegetation.

The fire was reported just after 11:30 p.m. on Third Avenue near Wilkinson Avenue, according to radio reports.

A caller from Third Avenue had reported seeing flames and a lot of smoke near two structures.

A short time later, a second caller told dispatchers that abandoned trailers and brush were on fire.

Lake County Fire Protection District firefighters initially had difficulty accessing the scene, but when they arrived they reported finding a single structure that already was well involved, as well as a small amount of wildland with a slow rate of spread, radio reports indicated.

The fire was reported contained just before midnight.

A battalion chief on scene reported that the damaged structure was an abandoned singlewide mobile home.

Also on Thursday evening, a brush fire near a residence was reported on Highway 29 near Twin Pine Casino in Middletown just before 5 p.m. No further details were immediately available.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The Legislature has passed a bill to restore school transportation funding, and the North Coast’s legislators are urging Gov. Jerry Brown to sign it.

On Thursday morning SB 81 passed the Assembly, moving on to be heard and passed in both the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee before the full Senate passed it 26-8.

SB 81 seeks to undo the trigger cut made by Gov. Jerry Brown which eliminates funding for the Home-to-School Transportation Program.

The bill would replace the $248 million cut to the transportation program, which disproportionately impacts rural and low income students, with a much smaller, more equitable reduction which impacts all school districts in California.

The midyear cuts amounted to a loss of $875,000 in transportation funding for Lake County schools, according to the Lake County Office of Education.

Both Sen. Noreen Evans and Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, Lake County’s state legislators, are urging the governor to sign the bill.

Following the vote on the bill, Chesbro requested that the bill be fast-tracked in order for it to get to the governor as soon as possible.

“I am grateful that many of my colleagues joined me in getting SB 81 passed so swiftly,” Chesbro said. “Quick passage of this bill is especially important because of the impacts on children and their educational opportunities. Many school districts in my area are considering laying off personnel and some have already sent out pink slips.”

“Children can’t learn if they can’t get to school,” said Evans. “SB 81 was the result of both houses and both sides of the aisle coming together to find a solution that will get kids to school.”

“Today, thousands of parents and students are relieved to hear our leaders agree we must keep our school buses rolling,” said Allan Clark, president of the California School Employees Association. “School buses are by far the safest way to get kids to school, so we hope the governor will quickly sign this bill.”

SB 81 was introduced by the Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, of which Evans is a member.

Home to School Transportation is particularly important to rural schools on the North Coast. Cuts in transportation funding can cause a double hit on school districts’ budgets. Without SB 81, school districts would lose large chunks of transportation funding and then lose out on ADA funding due to students inability to get to school.

“This is the survival of my community," Chesbro added. “The future of these communities depends on educating children and getting them to school.”

SB 81 is headed to the governor for his consideration and will go into effect immediately if it is signed. Brown has reportedly indicated his support for the legislation.

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A cardinal rule of trust administration is that the intentions of the settlor(s) – the person(s) who created the trust – are to be given effect. A second cardinal rule is that a trust must be strictly administered according to its stated terms.

What happens, then, when the stated terms of an executed trust no longer give the same effect as a settlor’s intention at the time of signing the trust instrument? All is not necessarily lost.

Let us examine some possible scenarios and how the situation may be salvaged.

In the easiest situation, when the settlor is still alive and competent, the settlor can always amend his/her revocable trust to correct any inadequacy or drafting error.

What, however, if the settlor is not competent, or, if the trust is an irrevocable trust (e.g., a special needs trust) or it became irrevocable upon the settlor’s own death?

If the settlor is incapacitated – as that term is defined in the trust instrument or as adjudicated by a court – then we must see whether the trust grants someone else power to amend the trust that are sufficient to correct the error.

Perhaps the trust allows the incapacitated person’s agent acting under a durable power of attorney, or a trust protector, the authority to amend the trust.

If so, we must further examine whether the powers of amendment granted are sufficient to fix the problem.

For example, an agent who can amend the trust to change who becomes successor trustee might not also be authorized to amend the distribution of trust assets, and if the latter is the problem the agent cannot correct it.

In that case, another solution would be to amend the incapacitated settlor’s revocable trust by means of a court order using a petition for substituted judgment. Such a petition can only be brought by the conservator of the settlor’s estate. A temporary conservatorship could suffice and be terminated after the court order is obtained.

A substituted judgment proceeding, amongst other things, allows the conservator to petition the court to exercise the incapacitated settlor’s own reserved authority to amend the trust.

The conservator must first convince the court that what is proposed is justified under the circumstances and the law. Moreover, substituted judgment petitions can be contested and result in trials.

If the settlor is deceased and their living trust is now irrevocable, or if the trust was irrevocable at the outset, then a court proceeding either to reform or to modify the trust or for instructions to the trustee are all options.

Reformation and modification of a trust are completely different approaches.

In a reformation action, an aggrieved party petitions the court to rewrite the terms of a trust to correct an inaccuracy due to a mistake or fraud. Evidence outside of the trust may be allowed to show its inaccuracy. Once reformed, it is as if the trust were written as reformed from the start.

In a modification action, on the other hand, a beneficiary, trustee or settlor petitions the court to modify the trust on a go forward basis in order to address a problem involving an ambiguity or changed circumstances, i.e., circumstances that did not exist at the time the trust was established.

When the settlor is deceased and an ambiguity is involved, all beneficiaries must consent to the modification.

Lastly, instructions to the trustee may solve problems where interpretation of existing language is at issue.

It is very important to a successful outcome that the correct approach be taken. It is also important to consider the implications of any no contest clause before proceeding with any action.

Obviously, court proceedings should be undertaken with the assistance of a qualified attorney.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) on Thursday led a bipartisan group of representatives in calling on President Obama to protect local clean energy royalties from harmful budget cuts.

The letter urges the president to not repeal the sharing of geothermal royalty payments with counties.

Because of the high burdens that geothermal production places on the counties where it is developed, counties currently share in the revenue of the federal receipts. Revenue sharing has been a target of cuts in the past.

“The geothermal energy produced in California’s counties is good for our environment, reduces our dependence on foreign oil and helps our economy by spurring green job creation,” said Thompson. “Repealing geothermal royalty payments to counties is a short sighted plan that will do nothing to reduce our deficit. Also, it is not fiscally responsible. It will kill jobs, cripple future green job growth and slow our economic recovery – all of which will only make our deficit larger. If a community invests in developing geothermal energy they deserve to get their fair share in returns.”

Last year, Lake County received $800,000 a year in geothermal royalties. The county has received among the highest reimbursement amounts nationwide thanks to The Geysers geothermal steamfield.

Revenue sharing was first started through the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005. Geothermal revenue sharing accounts for less than one half of one percent of the total federal deficit. Ending this sharing would negatively impact counties.

Currently, counties use geothermal revenues to pay for governmental services, such as road maintenance, public safety and law enforcement, and conservation easements.

Many of the counties receiving revenue from geothermal receipts are small, rural counties like Lake, facing uncertain budget situations.

The loss of such revenue for these counties could result in the elimination or reduction of essential services.

"Geothermal energy brings jobs and growth to Nevada with 20 plants in operation providing clean, reliable electrical capacity to the grid and significant additional capacity under development," said Congressman Amodei. "Given the important role of the counties in the development of this domestic energy source, it's only proper that they should share in the revenue of the federal receipts."

“By generating geothermal energy, my home county of Sonoma is making an important contribution to an environmentally sustainable future,” said Congresswoman Woolsey (CA-6). “The royalties Sonoma earns from that production pay for the services our people expect and deserve from their local government, at a time when our county is facing a fiscal crunch. This very modest federal investment yields a significant return – these royalties must not be eliminated in the President’s budget.”

“In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on America to double down on our clean energy investments. I agree, and that’s why I support preserving incentives for geothermal development, which help us produce affordable American-made renewable energy and strengthen our energy independence,” Congressman Garamendi (CA-10) said. “This revenue is essential to many rural communities, especially in Northern California. Cutting geothermal royalties would be shortsighted, devastating vital public services while doing virtually nothing to address the deficit. I urge the President to maintain his commitment to clean energy by preserving geothermal royalties for local communities.”

“Geothermal development comes at a cost,” Thompson continued. “Our counties spend money on public safety, road maintenance and law enforcement in and around areas where geothermal is produced.”

The full text of the letter is below.


February 1, 2012

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

As you draft your Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal, we urge you not to include a repeal of the sharing of geothermal royalty payments to counties. We understand the need to propose a fiscally prudent budget, but repealing geothermal royalty payments to counties is a short sighted method that does nearly nothing to solve our fiscal problems.

In the bipartisan Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress decided that because of the high burdens geothermal production places on the counties where geothermal development is located, these counties should share in the revenue of the federal receipts. In turn, counties have used these revenues to pay for critical governmental services, such as road maintenance, public safety and law enforcement, and conservation easements. This revenue sharing has also made counties vested partners, and ultimately champions, in the continued development of geothermal energy — a clean, renewable, and domestic energy source that provides jobs in rural areas.

Ending the geothermal revenue sharing plan would have a significant negative impact on our districts, while the overall effect on our nation’s fiscal well-being would be miniscule — less than $7 million a year. Many of the counties that receive revenue from geothermal receipts are small, rural counties facing precarious budget situations. The loss of such revenue for these counties could result in the elimination or reduction of essential services. As such, we urge you not to include the repeal of geothermal revenue sharing with counties in your Fiscal Year 2013 Budget proposal.

We appreciate your attention to this issue and look forward to working with you as you prepare your budget.

Congressman represents California’s First Congressional District, which includes the Counties of Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa and Yolo.

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NOTE: The article has been updated to reflect the board's final decision on the credential screening process.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – As it's facing one of its biggest financial challenges in recent years – the need to cut $2.8 million from its 2012-13 budget – the Konocti Unified School District also is beginning the process of searching for a new superintendent.

Dr. Bill MacDougall, who rose from the position of Carlé Continuation High School principal four years ago to be district superintendent, has announced he'll retire at the end of June.

MacDougall told Lake County News on Wednesday night that he submitted his resignation letter to the board just before Christmas.

The selection process for his successor was on the agenda of a more than four-hour-long Wednesday night meeting, at which the board also had its first public discussion regarding a zero based budget model.

MacDougall and the district management team are proposing that zero based budget model – which focuses on providing the bare minimum services and then building upward – in order to reduce the coming year’s budget by $2.8 million.

Getting the district through the current budgeting process is a priority for MacDougall before he retires, he told Lake County News.

In addition to the $2.8 million reduction in funding the district is facing for 2012-13, MacDougall said the district has experienced $3.6 million in reductions in the previous three years.

Board Trustee Hank Montgomery requested the board discuss the new superintendent search and establish guidelines for the process, as well as the compensation they would offer.

The board asked MacDougall for his opinion on how the recruitment should take place.

He proposed they welcome applications both from within the district and from outside.

“It's a very important position,” he said. “It's a very important time for Konocti.”

MacDougall said the zero based model is meant to offer building blocks for the future, and he said he believed it will make the district strong – both educationally and fiscally – going forward.

“At that point you're looking for the vision for the future,” he said.

MacDougall recently attended a conference for superintendents in Monterey and handed out fliers on the job to assistant superintendents and superintendents from all over the state.

“There are excellent candidates both in house and outside,” he said.

MacDougall also met a retired headhunter while in Monterey, and told him about the district. He said he spoke with pride about Konocti Unified in his conversation with the man. “There's a lot to be proud of here.”

In turn, MacDougall said the man offered his services – which it was noted at the meeting generally run between $10,000 and $20,000 for an executive recruitment – for free to help the district.

MacDougall said he believes the district can find the right person, and hopes that they find a successor far stronger and more knowledgeable than he is.

Board President Anita Gordon assured MacDougall that the future superintendent would have big shoes – or, offered Board member Herb Gura, sneakers – to fill.

Montgomery wanted the board to have an active part in screening candidates up front, suggesting that the Lake County Office of Education could begin the process by double-checking credentials.

The board set a March 30 deadline for applications, with applications to be forwarded immediately to Marty Aarreberg in the superintendent’s office for a credential check instead of the Lake County Office of Education.

In the middle of April the board will meet to begin its own applicant screenings, with the goal of having initial interviews start the last week of April in hopes of having a candidate selected by the end of May.

A 17-member committee of composed of teachers, classified employees, board members, parents, community members and a student representative will take part, said Gordon.

Beyond the selection process, the board had to decide what salary range it could offer.

MacDougall's salary, including benefits, is just over $121,000 a year. Gordon said he has refused to take any raises during his four years as superintendent.

That salary is well below the state average for similarly sized schools of $148,000, said district Business Manager Laurie Desimone.

It’s also low based on a countywide comparison of school district superintendent salaries and benefit packages district staff presented to the board, along with the superintendent's current job description.

That countywide salary comparison shows that while MacDougall heads the largest school district in the county – with more than 3,000 students – he is the second-lowest paid superintendent. Only the Lucerne Elementary School superintendent receives less.

The survey showed that the highest-paid superintendent in the county is Upper Lake Elementary’s, with more than $146,000 in salary and more than $15,000 in benefits, for a total of just over $162,000.

During the meeting, a teacher told the board that he and fellow teachers wanted the job description to include a requirement of past teaching experience in order for the candidate to have an understanding of their work. They also wanted to see a workshop take place to discuss desirable traits for MacDougall's successor.

Ultimately, after discussing whether to offer a range or a single number, board members took Desimone's suggestion of listing MacDougall's salary in the recruitment materials and offering to make that amount negotiable based on experience.

MacDougall agreed that offering to be negotiable on the final amount is one way to appeal to candidates.

He worried that his salary level may not attract many candidates, noting that many of the superintendents he met recently at the Monterey conference were making $250,000 and up in the $300,000-plus range.

“You want somebody who really wants the job,” he said.

MacDougall added that if a candidate is looking for a district where they can serve people, Konocti Unified is an incredible district for that.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Needing to cut millions of dollars in order to have a balanced 2012-13 fiscal year budget, the Konocti Unified School District Board on Wednesday night took up a new approach to budgeting.

District Superintendent Dr. Bill MacDougall took to the board a proposed zero based budget model, accompanied by an updated list of proposals for basic services and losses that he and district management staff compiled.

The zero based process, according to MacDougall, will allow the district to begin with the vision of services it wants for its students.

From there, he said they must determine what the minimal program requirements and positions are to achieve that vision, noting they’re planning for continued success.

He suggested that the mantra needed to be how to do business differently in the face of the deep cuts Gov. Jerry Brown is projecting.

Board members went into the Wednesday night meeting knowing that they would have to begin the process of some serious considerations for the district's future, with $2.8 million – more than 10 percent of the district's budget – needing to be cut back.

“It's a tough night for all of us, whether you're sitting out there or sitting up here,” said Board Chair Anita Gordon.

The board plans an all-day budgeting workshop on Saturday, Feb. 11, but Wednesday was a chance for the management team to present its proposals to the trustees and get their initial input.

MacDougall said the document is still a draft.

He noted that in the first three years of his four-year tenure as superintendent, the district sustained $3.6 million in budget cuts. Now, in addition, it's looking at another $2.8 million.

“We want your input. It's crucial. As a community we can make this work,” he told the board and staff.

Later in the evening, as the zero based model came up for discussion, MacDougall compared the district's budget to the board game “Jenga,” in which building blocks are pulled out one at a time until the structure finally collapses.

“We have been pulling blocks out of the foundation of the Konocti Unified School District for over four years,” he said.

With $2.8 million needing to be pulled out of the district budget, “at that point the district crumbles,” he said, noting that the district is the largest organization of its kind in the county and must be fiscally responsible.

Rather than taking the approach of cutting, MacDougall proposed starting with zero and building upward. “We rebuild from a base, and that base is the bare, bare, bare minimum of operations.”

In the past four years the district has made many wise moves, including preparing for midyear cuts when other districts didn't, MacDougall said.

While the governor is proposing to put on the ballot later this year a bill to give funds to education and other state agencies, MacDougall warned it won’t be a panacea.

He said the district has to be prepared, otherwise it will be devastated. To help staff prepare, MacDougall said he will visit the district’s schools in the days ahead to discuss the budget with staff.

Understanding the new model

Among the recommended actions, the district will go from 181 days down to 177, two above the state minimum. MacDougall said it will have staff development days, which will allow them to pay staff. He said staff has made many sacrifices, and called the plan “a win-win.”

Board member Mary Silva was trying to keep track of how the various proposals would save the district money, but MacDougall said he didn't want to talk about what they were cutting, but what they were keeping.

“I have to see where it all comes from,” said Silva.

MacDougall said he wanted to discuss how to build up from zero.

Gordon said the zero based process has been described to her using a pizza comparison: the district is starting out with a thin crust pizza with sauce and cheese, and it has to decide later on the toppings.

Staff went through the proposals with the board, going over everything from federal mandates for special education services in transportation to needs for appropriate numbers of licensed vocational nurses, food services and the importance of keeping the technology director position, which helps guide the district's technology policies.

As the night wore on, MacDougall said the board was doing well with the new budget concept, noting it was a little uncomfortable at first.

“It's just a new concept,” said Silva, adding that in the 14 years she's been on the board she's never budgeted that way.

MacDougall said the board needs to be really comfortable with the method by the time the Feb. 11 budget workshop arrives.

If there was a bright spot it was that the revised document presented Wednesday was not as dire as originally proposed.

“I really had to gulp over the original one and I think this is a really good compromise,” said Gordon.

At one point, while discussing the bare minimums in food service, Board member Hank Montgomery said they needed to focus on what was needed to keep the doors open, pointing out that what they were doing had nothing to do with peoples' worth, otherwise they would have had a very different discussion.

The Wednesday evening discussion had focused mostly on the management team's proposals to the board. The next steps will be for the discussion to be opened up to everyone, MacDougall said.

“We're preparing for the worst. We will hope for the best,” he said.

Montgomery thanked the management team for its efforts.

“I think you've provided us with a thoughtful approach to a horrible situation,” he said.

He added that “it's always been kids first,” and the proposals reflected that, showing what the district values in the face of what he called “a tragic situation.”

Gordon added that the hardest thing for the board members is knowing that they didn't cause the problem.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

020112 KUSD Zero Based Model - Staff Recommendations

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A two-vehicle crash resulted in minor injuries and caused a minor blockage on Highway 20 Thursday evening.

The collision, involving a sedan and a pickup, occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. on West Highway 20 near Old Highway 20 not far from the Lake and Mendocino County line, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Reports from the scene said the pickup was on its side following the crash.

Cal Fire and CHP units from Mendocino County and Northshore Fire from Lake County responded to the crash, where both eastbound lanes of Highway 20 were reported to be blocked.

Firefighters called for extrication tools due to one person being trapped in a vehicle.

Radio reports indicated there were two patients, both with minor injuries. One later was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport.

The CHP reported that advance warning was needed to warn drivers approaching the scene. Flares were reportedly placed at the scene.

Fire Chief Jay Beristianos terminated the incident at 7:46 p.m., according to scanner traffic.

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E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Google+, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local officials and veterinarians are partnering in an effort to reduce the county's number of unwanted cats, which has resulted in thousands of animals being euthanized annually.

Lake County Animal Care and Control reported that Lake, like many other counties, has a serious cat overpopulation problem.

Unfortunately, that problem has resulted in the county having the highest feline euthanasia rate in the state.

According to shelter statistics, of the 4,000 animals turned into the shelter in 2011, 65 percent – or 2,600 – were cats.

Of those 2,600 cats, 18 percent – or 480 – were adopted or transferred to a rescue; the remaining 2,120 cats were destroyed.

This is a cycle that just keeps repeating year after year, according to Animal Care and Control officials. Without some kind of significant intervention, the cycle will not be broken. 

Many people in the county start out feeding one or two stray cats because they don’t want them to go hungry, not realizing that one or two cats soon leads to eight or nine, according to the report.

Within a few weeks time, they’re now dealing with a colony of 12 to 15 cats, which in turn will continue to grow and reproduce exponentially unless action is taken.

That agency suggested that the appropriate action is spaying or neutering cats in order to stop the cycle, because taking them into the shelter, holding them as stray animals and then trying to adopt them out to a public who doesn’t want them isn’t working.

That approach is costly to the taxpayers, and agency officials suggest that destroying thousands of healthy cats each year isn’t a socially acceptable solution. 

Many agencies work with local groups on “trap neuter release” – or TNR – programs. TNRs are a wonderful idea, but must be properly maintained in order to work, according to Animal Care and Control.

Many people start out with good intentions, spaying and neutering, vaccinating, releasing and feeding colonies of cats only to find out after they start, the property they are using isn’t allowed to be used for that purpose, the agency reported.

First and foremost, with any TNR program, use of the property for this purpose must be established and granted by the property owner. Additionally, in order to maintain a colony in one area, it has to be monitored and fed on a daily basis, animal control officials said. Local rescue groups and volunteers are necessary in order to follow up with this maintenance and care. 

In light of Lake County’s euthanasia status and cat overpopulation problem, local veterinarians have offered to help by providing assistance with cat alterations.

Together, local vets are hoping to provide as many as 20 surgeries a month through a program they call “Catsnip,” which is managed by Vicki Chamberlain.

Additionally, starting in March of this year with the grand opening of Animal Care and Control's new medical clinic, the shelter will offer the same service for those people who wish to keep the community cats in their neighborhood, rather than simply turn them over to the shelter for euthanasia. 

Although local vets and the animal shelter will be providing a small scale spay/neuter program for community cats, what the county really needs is a large-scale, high-volume TNR program to really make a difference in the cat population and euthanasia rates, Animal Care and Control said.

For questions about having feral or community cats altered in your neighborhood, please contact Vicki Chamberlain at 707-263-3958.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Fire District Joint Volunteer Firefighter Academy will honor 10 graduates at a Friday graduation ceremony.

The 10 recruits – five from Lakeport Fire, four from Northshore Fire and one from Kelseyville – completed their academy training last Sunday, according to Andrew Bergem, the academy’s coordinator and a firefighter/EMT for the Lakeport Fire Protection District.

“We made the academy very difficult and demanding of recruits,” said Bergem. “We wanted them to understand and be able to apply everything we expected.”

Graduating volunteers are Josh Armstrong, Kelseyville Fire; Beau Bastian, Lakeport Fire; Tom Beall, Lakeport Fire; Nick Elam, Northshore Fire; Gregory Fricker, Lakeport Fire; Shavona Graham, Northshore Fire; Robert Hopkins, Northshore Fire; Jordan Mills, Lakeport Fire; Miles Monte, Northshore Fire; Sean Thomas, Lakeport Fire.

At the Friday ceremony they will receive certificates of completion. Additional awards for top performance also will be given.

Bergem said the academy was designed to train new volunteer candidates to the firefighter level so they could respond and operate with a basic knowledge and safety on emergency response calls.

He said the academy physically challenged the recruits, requiring them to participate in morning physical fitness exercises that pushed them further mentally and physically than many had ever experienced before – much as they would be challenged on a fire scene.

Recruits had 10 hour days of physically and mentally intense training on the drill ground where they learned everything from building construction to how to throw ladders and apply streams to compartmentalized fires, Bergem said.

The recruits also learned how to operate on a company level, meaning on a fire engine or truck, and a a team member, working together to accomplish an objective, he said.

In addition, the academy included station cleaning duties, academic requirements, hands-on drill ground exercises and core values and their importance in the fire service.

Bergem said he is very proud of all of the recruits.

“We held them to a high standard and each one stepped it up to impress me each and every day,” he said.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Gang Task Force made seven arrests during a countywide gang sweep conducted late last month.

The Lake County Gang Task Force operation took place on Monday, Jan. 23, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Brooks said the purpose of the sweep was to conduct parole and probation searches.

Arrested were Justin Thomas Cordero, 27, of Clearlake, probation violation; Aaron Lee Pifer, 22, of Nice, probation violation; Brandy Nichole Lopez, 22, of Lucerne, under the influence of a controlled substance; Shawn Patrick Stallings, 38, of Lakeport, parole violation; Curtis Frank Anderson III, 39, of Lucerne, probation violation; Rickey Lee Floyd Jr., 27, of Clearlake, under the influence of a controlled substance; and 25-year0old Nicholas Stephen Jarvis of Kelseyville, who had a misdemeanor arrest warrant.

The task force is comprised of personnel from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeport Police Department, Clearlake Police Department, California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Probation Department, Brooks said.

During the Jan. 23 sweep, the task force was divided into two teams. Brooks said one team worked in the city of Clearlake and the other team worked in the North end of the county.

He said they conducted 25 probation and parole searches and five warrant services, and noted the task force considered the operation to have been very successful.

Brooks said the task force’s continuing proactive enforcement efforts are designed to send a clear message to criminals, gang members and drug dealers that Lake County will not tolerate their illicit endeavors.

Anyone with information that can assist the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force or Narcotics Task Force with this effort is encouraged to call the anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education College-Going Initiative will host the Lake County Academic Decathlon Super Quiz and awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 4.

This year's Academic Decathlon theme is “The Age of Empire.”

The Super Quiz and awards ceremony are the portion of the two-day competition that are open to the public.

The quiz starts at 3:45 p.m. at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St., with the awards presentations to follow.

The afternoon will feature a performance from the Kelseyville High School Band, poster and poetry contest display, and Blue Lakes Scholarship Award presentations.

The event is sponsored by the The Lodge at Blue Lakes, the Lake County Arts Council and Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

For more information call the Lake County Office of Education at 707-262-4162 or visit www.lakecoe.org.

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