Thursday, 28 March 2024

News

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A mobile blood bank will visit St. Helena Hospital in Napa County next week to benefit two young south county men badly burned in a fire earlier this month.


Friends Kevin Hart and Jordan Armstrong were severely injured in the fire, which occurred on Dec. 20 and destroyed the home, as Lake County News has reported. Fire investigators have ruled the fire’s cause as accidental but undetermined.


Both young men are being treated at UC Davis Medical Center’s burn unit, with Hart having been burned over 80 percent of his body and Armstrong over 30 percent of his body.


A mobile blood bank will be at St. Helena Hospital Napa Valley, 10 Woodland Road, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3. Hart’s blood type is O+ but all blood types are asked to donate. Information on Armstrong’s blood type wasn’t immediately available.


To schedule an appointment call Susan Ganz at 707-963-6451 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..


A steady supply of blood for the two young men is necessary because of the number of skin grafts and reconstructive surgeries they are facing, according to Facebook pages their families have set up to update friends and community members.


Hart has undergone three surgeries since the fire, according to his Facebook page. The most recent was Thursday, when doctors worked on skin grafting and addressing his facial injuries.


This week Armstrong was to have undergone his first surgery, according to Hart’s page.


The Hidden Valley Lake Hardester’s plans to raise money for both Armstrong and Hart through their “Change for Children” program.


The Hidden Valley Community Church is taking donations for Armstrong. Checks can be sent to the Hidden Valley Community Church, P.O. Box 1049, Middletown, CA 95461, with “Jordan Armstrong” in the subject line. The church can be contacted at 707-987-3510.


For those who can’t make the Jan. 3 blood drive, blood donations for the two young men can be made through Blood Source, 3505 Industrial Drive, Santa Rosa, telephone 916-456-1500, www.bloodsource.org.


Armstrong’s Facebook page can be viewed at www.facebook.com/events/239085382830595/, and Hart’s at www.facebook.com/pages/Kevins-Blood-Drive/303291886377820.

 

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 .

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Nationwide law enforcement fatalities, 1961 to 2011. Courtesy of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
 

 

 

For the second straight year, law enforcement fatalities nationwide rose sharply with 173 federal, state and local officers killed in the line of duty during 2011, according to preliminary data compiled and released today by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.


This represents a 13 percent increase over the 153 officers killed in 2010 and an alarming 42 percent spike when compared to the 122 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2009, the group reported.


The primary cause of death in 2011 was gunfire, which claimed the lives of 68 officers and nearly matched the decade-long high of 69 firearms-related deaths in 2007, the report showed.


For the past 13 years in a row, traffic-related incidents had been the primary cause of law enforcement fatalities.


In 2011, though, the number of officers killed on the roadway dropped by 10 percent. There were 64 traffic-related deaths among officers in 2011, which matched 2005 for the second-lowest total in the past 15 years.


Of that total, 44 died in automobile crashes, 11 were struck and killed while outside of their vehicles, seven died in motorcycle crashes and two were killed when their car was struck by a train.


“Drastic budget cuts affecting law enforcement agencies across the country have put our officers at grave risk,” declared National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Chairman Craig W. Floyd. “At a time when officers are facing a more cold-blooded criminal element and fighting a war on terror, we are cutting vital resources necessary to ensure their safety and the safety of the innocent citizens they protect.”


Floyd also noted that the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is partnering with the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, among others, on a number of law enforcement safety initiatives to combat this growing problem.


Floyd cited a recent survey by the International Association of Chiefs of Police that found 60 percent of responding law enforcement agencies had cut back on training, 64 percent had cut back on buying or upgrading major equipment, and 58 percent had cut back on buying or upgrading technology.


A report issued in October by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, stated that by year’s end, it is expected that nearly 12,000 police officers and sheriff’s deputies will have been laid off.


In addition to the officers killed by firearms or traffic-related incidents, 27 officers died as a result of job-related illnesses, four died as a result of falls, two drowned and two were stabbed.


One officer died due to each of the following causes: aircraft accident, beating, bomb-related incident, struck by a falling object, electrocution and strangulation, according to the report.


During the past year, more officers were killed in Florida, 14, than in any other state; followed by Texas with 13; New York with 11; and California and Georgia with 10 each.


Ten of the officers killed nationwide in 2011 served with federal law enforcement agencies. Seven of the officers who died during the past year served with correctional agencies. Eleven of the 173 fatalities were women.


On average, the officers who died in 2011 were 41 years old and had served for 13 years.


The preliminary 2011 law enforcement fatality report was released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in conjunction with Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a nonprofit organization that provides critical assistance to the surviving family members and loved ones of officers killed in the line of duty.


“The hard fact is that for the first time in 2011, more officers were killed in firearms-related incidents than traffic-related incidents,” said Linda Moon Gregory, national president of Concerns of Police Survivors.


“I’m deeply concerned that budget constraints may be compromising the safety of our remaining law enforcement officers due to cuts in personnel and reduced affordability of life saving equipment. At a time when criminals have the latest technology and weapons, we must ensure that our peace officers are adequately equipped and protected,” she stated.


Her brother, Officer James Homer Moon from the sheriff’s office in Jacksonville, Fla., was shot and killed in the line of duty in September 1971 and Gregory’s family continues to deal with parole issues related to her brother’s death.


The statistics released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and C.O.P.S. are based on preliminary data compiled and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2011.


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2011 Preliminary Law Enforcement Fatality Report

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Luwana Quitiquit of Nice, Calif., died on Friday, December 23, 2011, at her home. She was 70 years old. Photo courtesy of the Quitiquit family.


 




NICE, Calif. – In the days before the Christmas holiday, Luwana Quitiquit was tired.


The 70-year-old Quitiquit, a respected local Pomo elder and basket weaver, artist and activist, had been the lead plaintiff in a case filed against Robinson Rancheria, whose council was trying to evict her and several others from their homes on the reservation.


It was the latest assault on Quitiquit and her family, who in 2008 were disenrolled by the tribe. Also disenrolled at that time was her mother, who was posthumously removed from the tribe’s rolls.


Quitiquit, who had formerly served on the Robinson Rancheria tribal council, told Lake County News at the time that the move to force her family out of the tribe was purely political and retaliatory.


“I'm ready to fight,” she said in a December 2008 interview. “They're not going to make me cry. I'm going to fight all the way.”


She had continued to fight, even as the tribe attempted to push her from her home, signing up to be the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to fight the evictions. A judge recently had granted a delay in the proceedings until March, according to her sister, Wanda Quitiquit.


But, as sister Wanda pointed out, Luwana Quitiquit was both busy and tired from the battle, and she was struggling with her health.


“You would not believe the stress she was under,” Wanda Quitiquit told Lake County News.


In order to pay for the retainer fee for the attorney representing her and others targeted for eviction, Luwana Quitiquit had just sold one of her exquisitely beaded American Indian dresses, Wanda Quitiquit said.


With money to pay the attorney, Luwana Quitiquit believed things were going to be all right, said her sister.


On Thursday, Dec. 22, she went to bed exhausted. The next morning, her son went to check on her.


“She died in her sleep and we should all be so lucky,” said Wanda Quitiquit, who called her sister her best friend.


Wanda Quitiquit said the fight to battle the evictions at Robinson Rancheria needs to continue on behalf of her sister.


“They can't touch her now,” she said of the tribal council.


Luwana Quitiquit was born in Isleton, Calif., on Nov. 13, 1941, to father Claro Quitiquit, of Filipino ancestry, and mother, Marie Boggs Quitiquit, who came from Robinson Rancheria.


She was from a big family, with a total of 15 siblings.


She grew up on Union Island in the Bay-Delta area near Stockton, where she and her family were employed as farm workers.

 

 

 

 

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Luwana Quitiquit of Nice, Calif., demonstrated traditional Pomo basket weaving. She died at age 70 on Friday, December 23, 2011. Lake County News file photo.
 

 

 

 


Her interests and activism took root there, but grew beyond the boundaries of a youth spent in farming.


While in her 20s she worked at the University of California, Berkeley, and in November 1969 she took part in an earlier “occupy” movement, when she and other American Indians decided to occupy Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay.


Her family said she was one of the first Indians to step foot on the island as part of that occupation, remaining there until its end two years later, in 1971.


Her older brother Lawrence Thompson, who died in 2009, also had been involved in the Alcatraz occupation, captaining a boat that transported people from San Francisco Pier No. 40 to the island.


In the years that followed the Alcatraz occupation, Luwana Quitiquit continued her education. In 1977 she received her bachelor's degree in sociology from U.C. Berkeley.


Since then, she had become known as a talented scholar, researcher and grant writer, and worked to address challenges facing natives in Indian Country.


Her family said she even went on to visit New Zealand and Australia. Indigenous leaders there encouraged her to work to preserve her Pomo culture and heritage.


Luwana Quitiquit studied Pomo basketry – renowned weaver Mabel McKay was among her teachers – and owned and operated the Pomo Fine Art Gallery in Lucerne’s Harbor Village Artists complex.


She traveled around the state to share her talents, going to Albany last month to take part in an American Indian art show with her son, Alan Harrison.


“Luwana taught a cultural wellness class at the health clinic that became a class model for other tribal clinics in California,” said friend Sandy Elgin. “She was, and still is, a legend with a gentle spirit that will live on forever.”


Luwana Quitiquit is survived by her three children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, 11 of her siblings, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son, Tyrone A. Douglas; her parents and four of her brothers.


Quitiquit's obituary can be viewed here: Luwana Quitiquit, 1941-2011 .


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 .

 

 

 

 

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Joy White modeled one of the original handmade buckskin dresses made by Pomo artisan Luwana Quitiquit (left) of Nice, Calif. Quitiquit died at age 70 on Friday, December 23, 2011. Lake County News file photo.
 

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The gray wolf that was wandering in southern Oregon has crossed the California border.


The 2 and a half year old male wolf, dubbed “OR7,” crossed the state line into northern Siskiyou County on Wednesday, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.


"Whether one is for it or against it, the entry of this lone wolf into California is an historic event and result of much work by the wildlife agencies in the West," said DFG Director Charlton Bonham. “If the gray wolf does establish a population in California, there will be much more work to do here."


The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said “OR7” came from a pack in northeast Oregon.


Since the animal has been collared with a GPS device that periodically transmits its location, biologists have been able to document its travels since it was collared in February 2011, wildlife officials reported.


Tracking data puts his most recent location as a few miles south of the Oregon border. Biologists believe OR7 is now more than 300 miles from where his journey began.


The wolf’s journey, in total, has been more than twice that far with many changes in direction, according to the Thursday report. Several times he has reversed direction and returned to previous locations.


The Thursday report said it’s not possible to predict his next movements, which could include a return to Oregon.


DFG continues to collaborate with ODFW and expects to receive daily location data. This information is transmitted daily when atmospheric conditions permit.


DFG will be sharing only general location information as this wolf, while in California, is protected as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act.


Any wild gray wolf that returns to California is protected as endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


DFG has been following the recovery and migration of gray wolves in Western states with the expectation that at some point they will likely reach California.


The last confirmed wild gray wolf in California was killed in Lassen County in 1924.


The available historic information on wolves in California suggests that while they were widely distributed, they were not abundant.


DFG has been compiling historic records, life history information, reviewing studies on wolf populations in other Western states, enhancing communication with other agencies and training biologists on field techniques specific to wolves.


This effort is to ensure that DFG has all necessary information available when needed, it is not a wolf management plan and DFG does not intend to reintroduce wolves into California.


There are more than 1,600 wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains following a federal reintroduction effort which occurred in the mid-1990s, the agency reported.


In 1999 a single wolf crossed into Oregon from Idaho, after nearly a 60-year absence in that state, according to DFG. There are now at least 24 wolves in Oregon in four reproducing packs. It has taken an additional 12 years for the first wolf to now reach the California border.


This particular animal is exhibiting normal dispersal behavior for a young male and there is no way to predict whether he will stay in California, return to Oregon, or travel east into Nevada, officials said.


Eventually, DFG expects that other wolves will reach California. Whether this will lead to the establishment of packs or simply transient individual animals is unknown.


Gray wolf recovery in other western states has been controversial, particularly regarding impacts on prey populations, livestock depredation and human safety. There have been instances where gray wolf predation has contributed to declines in deer and elk populations, however, in most cases, predation has had little effect.


Some gray wolves have killed livestock – mostly cattle and sheep – while others rely entirely on wild prey. In other Western states the impact of depredation on livestock has been small, less than predation by coyotes and mountain lions, although the effect on an individual livestock producer can be important, particularly when sheep are killed.


Concerns about human safety are largely based on folklore and are unsubstantiated in North America, the Department of Fish and Game reported.


The agency said that in recent years there was one human mortality in Canada caused either by wolves or bears and one confirmed human mortality in Alaska by wolves.


Based on experience from states where substantial wolf populations now exist, wolves pose little risk to humans. However, DFG recommends that people never approach a wolf, or otherwise tamper with or feed a wolf.


More about how to avoid human-wildlife interactions can be found on DFG’s Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/.


In the near future DFG expects to add information to its Web site, www.dfg.ca.gov, to provide extensive information on wolves to the public.


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 .

SACRAMENTO – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will conduct this winter’s first snow survey on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.


One center of attention will be the manual survey scheduled for 11 a.m. off Highway 50 near Echo Summit. This and other manual and electronic surveys up and down the state will determine the amount of water in the early winter snowpack.


Statewide electronic readings indicate that Wednesday’s snowpack water content – near the end of an unusually dry December – is only 24 percent of normal for the date.


On Dec. 27, 2010, the statewide snowpack water content was 202 percent of average.


Despite the low early readings, the snowpack and its water content can be expected to increase through the winter months to April 1, when melting snow begins flowing into streams and reservoirs.


“Thanks to good reservoir storage left over from last winter’s storms, we anticipate an adequate water supply next summer,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Our initial estimate is that we’ll be able to deliver 60 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet of water requested from the State Water Project, and we hope to increase the percentage as winter storms develop.”


The initial delivery estimate for this calendar year was only 25 percent of the slightly more than 4 million acre-feet requested by the 29 public agencies that distribute State Water Project water to 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.


As winter took hold, a near-record snowpack and heavy rains sweeping the state resulted in deliveries of 80 percent of requests in 2011.


The final allocation was 50 percent in 2010, 40 percent in 2009, 35 percent in 2008, and 60 percent 2007. The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years because of Delta pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006.


DWR and cooperating agencies conduct manual snow surveys around the first of the month from January to May. The manual surveys supplement and check the accuracy of real-time electronic readings as the snowpack builds then melts in spring and summer.


Most of the state’s major reservoirs are above normal storage for the date.


Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal storage reservoir, is at 115 percent of average for the date, or 72 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 108 percent of average for the date, or 68 percent of capacity.


San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, an important storage reservoir south of the Delta, is at 139 percent of average for the date, or 94 percent of capacity.


San Luis, with a capacity of 2,027,840 acre-feet, is a critically important source of water for both the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project when pumping from the Delta is restricted or interrupted. An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, enough to cover one acre to a depth of one foot.


The mountain snowpack that melts into reservoirs, streams and aquifers provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, industries and farms.


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


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


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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education reported Tuesday that recently announced mid-year state budget cuts include massive and unequalled reductions to much-needed transportation funds for rural and small school districts.


As a result, Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook said Lake County school districts are again preparing to deal with more reductions to funding for education and schools.


This time, however, the proposed cuts are in the middle of the budget year, lack specificity and are based on disproportionate funding allocations for school districts that provide necessary but not mandated transportation, he said.


Holbrook said the Lake County schools revenue limit funding per-student has been reduced over the last five years by approximately $1,300 per-student, and local schools are now preparing for an additional $13.10 per student mid-year reduction.


In addition, transportation funding will be reduced by 51.5 percent, which Holbrook said will result in a loss of approximately $875,000 to Lake County schools.


The mid-year cuts in transportation raise many issues for Lake County’s schools, Holbrook said.


Lake County schools and parents rely heavily on home to school transportation – in the form of school buses – to get their children to school, Holbrook said. Due to the county’s geography and walking distances to school, a higher percentage of local students ride the bus.


While home to school transportation is not a state-mandated program, Holbrook said it is a critical service ensuring that students attend school on a regular basis, and average daily attendance (ADA) is the primary determiner for school funding. Simply discontinuing school transportation service is not a viable solution for Lake County schools.


Another issue raised is the apparent lack of fairness in how the reductions in transportation funds will be calculated, according to Holbrook.


The 51.5-percent reduction is planned to be applied in January to a decades-old base-funding appropriation that varies from district to district. Holbrook said the result of this approach will be a disproportionate reduction of dollars on a per-student basis.


According to the chart below, total Lake County reductions per-student will range from a low of $60 per-student to a high of $157, Holbrook said.


In addition, state transportation funds allocated to Lake County schools already have been reduced and do not fully cover the cost of providing transportation, Holbrook said.


In 2011-12 Lake County school transportation entitlements have been reduced by $435,000, thereby requiring local school districts to allocate more than $1,803,000 of scarce regular education dollars to maintain the current level of service, he said.


As an example, Kelseyville Unified School District’s initial transportation allotment was $442,359 and was reduced to $354,616 in July, Holbrook said. Now that allocation will be reduced again by 51.5 percent, leaving just $171,989 as the state funded amount.


Kelseyville’s regular education budget will now need to fund $277,230 of the total transportation costs, which Holbrook said amounts to $449,219.


Lastly, Holbrook said the timeline for implementation of mid-year reductions is problematic.


Schools cannot simply reduce personnel costs, he said.


Most, if not all, school districts are subject to collective bargaining agreements requiring them to adhere to strict procedures for notification and communication related to reducing staff, Holbrook said. In order to fairly and efficiently implement any reductions in staff, a minimum of 60 to 90 days is required, thereby reducing the potential savings in the remaining school year.


While it may be overly optimistic to expect that education would be held harmless from future cuts until the budget stabilizes, the reductions could be applied in a more equitable fashion, he said.


The same dollars generated in the 51.5 percent reduction to transportation could be achieved by a statewide “across the board” reduction of $42 per student, Holbrook suggested.


Holbrook is encouraging local parents to consider contacting Lake County’s state legislators to encourage them to quickly address this issue.


“Together we can make a difference,” Holbrook said.


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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As 2011 draws to a close, California motorists should be aware of some of the new laws going into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

These new traffic laws were passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year, and the California Highway Patrol is asking the motoring public to familiarize themselves with the changes before they take effect.

“Our hope is by educating the public of these new traffic safety laws in advance, more lives will be saved in the new year,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

The following are highlights of a few of the significant changes for the upcoming year.

SB 929, Evans

A change to California’s child passenger safety seat law will now require children to ride in either a car seat or booster seat until the age of eight, or until they reach a height of 4 feet 9 inches.

This law also requires children who do not meet the age or height requirement to ride in the rear seat of a vehicle unless the vehicle has no back seats, the restraint system cannot be properly installed or the rear seats are already occupied by children under age 8.

However, the law still maintains that a child may not ride in the front seat of a vehicle with an active passenger airbag if they are under one year of age, less than 20 pounds, or riding in a rear-facing child safety seat.

AB 353, Cedillo

This new law requires drivers to stop and submit to a sobriety checkpoint. However, peace officers will be prohibited from impounding a vehicle for 30 days out of a sobriety checkpoint if the only offense by the driver is failing to hold a valid driver license.

The new law requires that the officer make a reasonable attempt to identify the registered owner in order to release the vehicle.

AB 520, Ammiano

Anyone who is convicted of reckless driving under Section 23103.5 of the Vehicle Code can apply for a restricted driver license prior to the completion of their one-year suspension, provided they meet specified conditions, including the installation of an Ignition Interlock Device in their vehicle.

AB 1105, Gordon

Vehicles will be prohibited from crossing double parallel solid white lines except where permitted.

AB 348, Buchanan

A segment of Vasco Road between I-580 in Alameda County and Walnut Boulevard in Contra Costa County has been redesignated as a double fine zone until Jan. 1, 2017.

AB 475, Butler

Electric vehicles (EV) must now be plugged in for refueling when occupying an EV-designated parking space, otherwise they may be towed.

In addition, the law prohibits a person from obstructing, blocking, or otherwise barring access to an EV-designated parking space.

AB 61, Jeffries, and SB 290, Correa

The county of Riverside, or any city within the county, has been permitted to develop a neighborhood electric vehicle transportation plan.

AB 628, Conway

Inyo County, using a pilot program, has been granted authority to explore options for developing a greater network of linked Off-Highway Vehicle trails; they will be allowed to designate combined use highways on unincorporated county roads for up to 10 miles, subject to CHP approval.

This program will remain in effect until Jan. 1, 2017.

AB 607, Brownley

The city of Santa Monica can now operate 25 city-owned buses with illuminated signs displaying advertising messages.

This pilot program is authorized through Jan. 1, 2017.

AB 1298, Blumenfield

Local governments can now regulate advertising signs on any motor vehicle parked or left standing upon a public street, except for signs painted directly upon or permanently affixed to the vehicle for permanent decoration, identification, or display that do not extend beyond the overall length, width, or height of the vehicle.

AB 349, Chesbro

Licensed livestock carriers can continue to travel on Highway 101 within the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino from its junction with Highway 1 near Leggett, north to the Oregon border until Jan. 1, 2015.

AB 1601, Hill

A law dealing with repeat driving under the influence offenders that was passed in 2010 also goes into effect on Jan. 1.

Section 23579 was added to the Vehicle Code, which authorizes courts to revoke a driver’s license for 10 years if a person is convicted of three or more DUIs.

Under this law enacted in 2010, a motorist may be allowed to apply for reinstatement of his or her driver’s license with the Department of Motor Vehicles after five years, if the person installs an Ignition Interlock Device in their vehicle.

The law allows the DMV to terminate this restricted license if the Ignition Interlock Device requirements are not met.

The points above are only a synopsis of the new laws listed here and only a partial list of California’s new laws adopted for 2012.

For complete information on chaptered bills enacted in 2011, please refer to the Legislative Counsel Web site at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

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Michael Sean Shaffer, 27, of Lucerne, Calif., was arrested on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, after he attempted to flee deputies. Lake County Jail photo.



 



LUCERNE, Calif. – A Lucerne man who resisted arrest and fought with a deputy on Tuesday was finally arrested with the help of a sheriff’s K9.


Michael Sean Shaffer, 27, was arrested for a felony parole violation and resisting arrest, according to his booking sheet.


At approximately 11:45 p.m. Tuesday Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and a K9 responded to an address on Ogden Road in Lucerne in an attempt to contact Shaffer, who had a felony arrest warrant, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.


Brooks said Shaffer is a known escape risk and had a history of resisting arrest and possessing prohibited weapons.


When deputies knocked on the door of the Ogden Road home and announced themselves, Shaffer exited the house and started running toward Country Club Drive, Brooks said.


The K9 deputy identified himself and told Shaffer to stop or he was going to send the dog. Brooks said Shaffer continued to run and the deputy deployed his K9.


The K9 engaged Shaffer as he collided with a garbage can and fell to the ground. Brooks said Shaffer continued to resist as the deputy struggled to gain control of his hands.


The K9 engaged Shaffer again and he was taken into custody moments later, Brooks said.


Shaffer was transported to the hospital where he received medical treatment for some abrasions, puncture wounds and a laceration behind his right ear which required several stitches, according to Brooks.


Brooks said Shaffer was arrested and transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.


Shaffer remained in custody on Wednesday due to a no bail hold, according to his booking records.


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Lake County, Calif., had a foggy morning on Tuesday, December 27, 2011, which created some icy road conditions. Photo taken by Greg Cornish from his home in Nice, Calif.

 



LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Fog and icy road conditions resulted in county road workers and California Highway Patrol officers keeping an eye on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff on Tuesday.


A thick morning fog came off Clear Lake in that area of the Northshore, resulting in icy roads, said Lake County Road Superintendent Steve Stangland.


“We didn’t have any accidents to our knowledge,” said Stangland.


Stangland said the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff is the busiest of the roads that Lake County maintains, and his staff gives it extra attention as a result.


A county sand truck on Tuesday spent part of the day sanding the cutoff, and the CHP set out flares to warn drivers of icy areas, Stangland said.


Stangland said the county has three road districts, each of which has a staff member who starts work at 4 a.m. – ahead of commuter traffic – to monitor areas like the cutoff, Bottle Rock Road and Point Lakeview Road for ice, downed trees and other road hazards.


With the fog lifting, Stangland said he’s not anticipating Wednesday to replicate Tuesday’s icy conditions.


The National Weather Service is predicting chances of showers increasing through the end of the week.


Stangland said the cloud cover and chance of rain will mean slightly warmer temperatures and less chance of icy roadways.


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. – An initial list of Kmart and full-line Sears stores that Sears Holdings Corp. said would be closed has been released.


The 79 stores on the list, released Thursday, include no California Kmarts, and only three California Sears stores.


Lakeport has one Kmart, and there are no full-line Sears stores in Lake County, only “hometown stores” in Lakeport and Clearlake, the corporation reported.


Sears Holdings Corp. had said Tuesday that it intended to close as many 120 stores in response to declining sales in some categories.


The move is expected to generate between $140 and $170 million as inventory is sold and real estate is sold or leased, as Lake County News has reported.


The Thursday closures list has only one West Coast Kmart – one in Lacey, Wash. – with most of the closures appearing to come in the Midwest and Southern states.


Among the Sears stores slated for closure, those in California are located in San Diego, where there will be two store closures, and El Monte.


A typical store slated for closure employs between 40 and 80 associates, the corporation reported.


“Employment varies by store and format and at this time we cannot provide the total number of impacted associates,” according to the statement.


Sears Holdings Corp. operates 1,307 Kmart stores across 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 890 full-line Sears stores.


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 .




122911 Kmart and Sears Store Closures

LUCERNE, Calif. – A head-on collision on Highway 20 in Lucerne Wednesday morning sent a Ukiah man to the hospital with major injuries.


William J. Adams, 59, was transported via REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital following the crash, which occurred at 8:20 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.


The other driver in the crash, 35-year-old Christopher Genho Jr. of Clearlake Oaks, claimed no initial injury but may have possibly suffered shock, the CHP said.


The CHP report said Adams was driving his 2002 Saturn coupe eastbound on Highway 20 at an unknown speed through a series of “S” curves in Lucerne and passing Country Club Drive, with Genho traveling westbound at between 40 and 45 miles per hour in his full-size GMC 2500 panel van.


As Genho was approaching Ogden Road, Adams reportedly drifted across the double yellow lines into Genho’s path, the CHP said.


The crash’s cause is still under investigation, but the CHP report suggested that, based on a brief statement Adams was able to provide as well as that of an independent witness following his vehicle prior to the crash, Adams may have fallen asleep while driving.


That witness and Genho both told the CHP that Adams drifted across the double yellow lines, with Genho attempting to take evasive action by veering the van toward the eastbound lane in order to avoid hitting Adams, the CHP said.


However, Adams unexpectedly swerved back toward the eastbound lane. The CHP said Genho then moved the van back toward the north, with Adams again changing direction.


The front left portion of Adams’ Saturn struck the van’s front left area, with both vehicles coming to rest within the westbound traffic lane. The CHP said the van was oriented in a westbound direction with the Saturn positioned eastbound.


Northshore Fire personnel had to extricate Adams from the Saturn due to his injuries and the vehicle’s condition, the CHP reported.


Reports from the scene indicated Highway 20 was closed briefly as firefighters and CHP worked at the scene.


Officer Nick Powell is investigating the crash.


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 Illinois-based Sears Holdings Corp. said Tuesday that due to lower sales and expense increases it intends to close between 100 and 120 full-line Sears and Kmart stores.


The corporation said it hasn’t yet determined which stores will be closed.


"Given our performance and the difficult economic environment, especially for big-ticket items, we intend to implement a series of actions to reduce on-going expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model,” said Chief Executive Officer Lou D'Ambrosio. “These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail – at the store, online and in the home.”


The corporation reported that it operates 1,307 Kmart stores across 49 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 890 full-line Sears stores.


There are no full-line Sears stores in the Lake County area, with the closest being in Santa Rosa, according to the Sears Web site.


However, the corporation Web site showed there are “hometown stores” – not reported to be slated for closure – in Lakeport and Clearlake. Lakeport also is home to a Kmart.


The proposed closures are expected to generate $140 to $170 million of cash as the net inventory in these stores is sold, along with additional cash proceeds from the sale or sublease of the related store real estate, the corporation said.


Sears Holdings Corp. said it expects to reduce its 2012 peak domestic inventory by $300 million from the 2011 level of $10.2 billion as a result of cost decreases in apparel, tighter buys and a lower inventory position at the beginning of the fiscal year.


The Tuesday report attributed Kmart's sales decline to decreases in the consumer electronics and apparel categories and lower layaway sales, while Sears’ declines were primarily driven by the consumer electronics and home appliance categories, with apparel sales flat and Lands' End in Sears stores up by mid-single digits.


D'Ambrosio said the corporation plans to take several specific actions to improve its situation, including focusing on improving gross profit dollars through better inventory management and more targeted pricing and promotion; reducing fixed costs by $100 to $200 million; and carefully evaluating store performance going forward.


“While our past practice has been to keep marginally performing stores open while we worked to improve their performance, we no longer believe that to be the appropriate action in this environment,” the corporation said in its Tuesday statement. “We intend to accentuate our focus and resources to our better performing stores with the goal of converting their customer experience into a world-class integrated retail experience.”


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 .

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