Clear Lake's waters covered a swim beach and lined the parking lot at Lucerne Harbor Park in Lucerne, Calif., on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. Photo by Ron Keas.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While Clear Lake remained in flood stage on Tuesday, its waters continued a slow and steady decrease that is anticipated will take it out of flood level by week's end.

Clear Lake has been at flood stage, 9 feet Rumsey, since last Friday, the first time it's reached that level in 13 years, according to Lake County Water Resources records.

The lake had been expected to hit 9.5 feet Rumsey Monday, but instead it topped out at 9.37 feet Rumsey before it started to recede, as Lake County News has reported.

While Lake County continued under a National Weather Service flood warning on Tuesday – the only part of the state to be under such a warning – local officials estimated flooding concerns are on the decrease.

Lake County Water Resources staff issued a Tuesday update in which they estimated that – with no rainfall forecast through the weekend – Clear Lake is projected to fall below 9 feet Rumsey by Friday or Saturday.

On Tuesday morning, the lake was at 9.36 feet Rumsey, decreasing to about 9.32 feet Rumsey by day's end, according to a US Geological Survey gauge on the lake.

A second day of no rain and spring weather appeared to aid in pushing the flood waters back, as did the Cache Creek Dam's releases, which a US Geological Survey stream gauge showed were at 3,930 cubic feet per second late Tuesday.

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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – February's unemployment figures showed improvement not just across the state and nation, but in Lake County as well.

The latest figures released by the California Employment Development Department put Lake County's February unemployment rate at 19.2 percent, down from a revised January figure of 19.8 percent.

That most recent figure ties with Lake County's February 2010 unemployment rate, also 19.2 percent, according to state statistics.

The most recent figures placed Lake County at No. 49 statewide for unemployment.

The outlook was marginally better statewide, with California's February rate at 12.2 percent, down from 12.4 percent in January, which also was the February 2010 rate.

The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

The report showed that California's nonfarm jobs increased by 96,500 during February to a total of 14,055,900, according to a survey of 42,000 state businesses that is larger and less variable statistically. The year-over-year change – from February 2010 to February 2011 – showed an increase of 196,300 jobs, or an increase of 1.4 percent.

The U.S. unemployment rate also decreased in February, to 8.9 percent, its lowest rate since April 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The nation's unemployment was 9 percent in January and 9.7 percent in February 2010.

Lake County's workforce in February included 24,420 people, with 4,680 people out of work. That's compared to January's figures of 24,480 workers and 4,840 unemployed.

Marin County has the state's lowest unemployment in February, at 7.8 percent, with the highest unemployment in the state found in Colusa County, where it's at 27.1 percent.

Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 27.1 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 18 percent, No. 43; Yolo, 15 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 12.1 percent, No. 19; Napa, 10.3 percent, No. 10; and Sonoma, 10.2 percent, No. 9.

Within Lake County itself, Upper Lake continued its run as the area with the lowest unemployment, with a 10 percent rate in February. Clearlake Oaks reported the highest rate, 28 percent, according to the state report.

The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county, from highest to lowest: Nice, 28.1 percent; city of Clearlake, 27.4 percent; Lucerne, 20.1 percent; Kelseyville, 19.5 percent; Middletown, 19.4 percent; city of Lakeport, 18.5 percent; Cobb, 17.2 percent; Lower Lake, 16.2 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 15.9 percent; and north Lakeport, 15.3 percent.

Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division said Lake County added 200 jobs in February, ending the month with a total of 12,170 jobs.

He said seven industries gained jobs or were unchanged over the month and four declined.

Month-over job growth occurred in the farm and leisure and hospitality categories, which Mullins said gained 240 and 10 jobs, respectively.

Industries with no change in job numbers in February were manufacturing, information, financial activities, professional and business services, and other services, Mullins reported.

Among the categories that lost jobs, total government employment was down 20 jobs in February, putting that category 100 jobs below its February 2010 level, he said.

Mullins said private educational and health services also lost 20 jobs in February, and mining, logging and construction, and trade, transportation and utilities lost 10 jobs each.

Report shows areas of job growth

The Employment Development Department said a federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people, and estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in February was 15,917,000, an increase of 12,000 from January, but down 36,000 from the employment total in February of last year.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,202,000 – down by 44,000 over the month, and down by 49,000 compared with February of last year, the state said.

The state's report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 14,055,900 in February, a net gain of 96,500 jobs since the January survey. This followed a gain of 700 jobs, as revised, in January.

February's report showed that 10 categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 97,700 jobs.

Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 39,700 jobs, the state said.

Showing job declines statewide – as it had locally – was the government category, declining by 1,200 jobs, the state reported.

The state said a year-over-year comparison – February 2010 to February 2011 – showed nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 196,300 jobs, or 1.4 percent.

Eight industry divisions – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 261,300 jobs, the state said.

Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 99,900 jobs, or an increase of 4.9 percent, while information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 5.8 percent or 24,800 jobs, the Employment Development Department reported.

Three categories – financial activities; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 65,000 jobs, the report showed.

The Employment Development Department said the government category posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 62,000 jobs or 2.5 percent.

In state said there were 666,260 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the February survey week, compared to 603,946 in January and 714,145 in February 2010.

At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 68,203 last month, compared with 63,331 in January and 63,766 in February of last year, the state said.

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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Members of the Upper Lake High School Academic Decathlon team, along with Head Coach Anna Sabalone (front row center, wearing hat), at the California Academic Decathlon competition, which took place in Sacramento, Calif., from Friday, March 11, through Monday, March 14, 2011. Team members included Jordan Austin, Sarah Barnes, Joshua Buttke, Jaqueline Estrada, Roy Hankins, Alexander Mairs, Jose Ruiz, Rebecca Swaney, Ian Weber and Shayla Wyman. Photo by Jim Hankins.

Upper Lake High School, which won the local Academic Decathlon in February with a score of 34,382 out of 60,000, attended the state competition, held March 11-14 in Sacramento, to compete on the topic of the Great Depression.

Upper Lake finished with an overall score of 31,611.9, placing No. 54 among the 65 schools that competed, according to competition records.

Los Angeles Unified School District's Granada Hills Charter High School won the state competition with a score of 50,801 points, officials reported. The nine-member team will represent California as it defends its eighth consecutive national title at the 30th Annual United States Academic Decathlon Competition, which will take place April 27-30 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Upper Lake competed in the state competition's Division III.

Teams are placed in divisions based on their regional score, the state said. Division I includes the top 20 highest scoring teams; Division II, the next top 20 highest scoring teams; and Division III the next top 25 highest scoring teams.

Upper Lake's nine students were among 567 students competing. Each team was composed of three Honor students (3.75 and above GPA), three Scholastic students (3.00-3.74 GPA) and three Varsity students (2.99 GPA and below), according to competition guidelines.

The school had actually fielded two teams in the regional competition. Upper Lake Head Coach Anna Sabalone said the second team also got to go to watch the action in Sacramento, which not only offered support to the school's competing students but will prepare the second team's members for future competitions.

Sabalone's assistant coach, Angel Hayenga, now in her first year, also attended to see the competition firsthand. “It's her observation year,” said Sabalone.

She added, “It was a good experience. The kids had a great time.”

Upper Lake senior Roy Hankins, 18, agreed. Despite the grueling nature of the competition, Hankins said, “Personally, I really liked the experience.”

Hankins, competing in the Varsity category, netted two medals, a silver in economics and a bronze in social sciences, a topic in which he had won a silver medal at the regional competition.

Hankins' teammate, Sarah Barnes, competing in the Scholastic division, received the medal for team high scorer, but perhaps most impressive was her performance in the interview category, where Sabalone said she received a perfect score of 1,000 points, tying for a gold medal with two other students who also received perfect scores.

Sabalone said students in the seven-minute interview had 30 seconds to introduce themselves before responding to a series of questions from the judges. “They just want to have a conversation and get to know the students,” she said.

Barnes “did an amazing job,” Sabalone added.

Overall, Sabalone – a former Upper Lake Academic Decathlon standout now in her third year coaching her alma mater's team – said she felt the judging this year was especially hard. Her assessment was that some of her students' scores didn't reflect the true level of their performance.

Hankins, who marked his second year in competition in 2011, said he did better this year than last. “I just think that this year I studied a little bit more but the topic was easier to understand.”

In 2010, the topic was the French Revolution, and this year it was the Great Depression, an era with which Hankins said he was more easily able to connect. That's thanks to the fact that two of his grandparents survived the Great Depression and were able to share with him about their experiences in leaving the Dust Bowl.

The works of art and literature from the Great Depression also were more recognizable to him, he explained.

Hankins also believed that this year the team was stronger as a whole.

He said the state competition is extremely strict. “You listen and you do,” he said, adding, “There's no room for small mistakes.”

Hankins said he felt his hard work paid off. “Leaving the award ceremony I felt that I had done enough for my last year,” he said.

State Academic Decathlon officials reported that Marshall High/Los Angeles Unified School District received the Large School title with 49,889, Hallmark High/Fresno County received the Medium School title with 41,356 and University High/Fresno County received the Small School title with 44,745 points.

As a result, all three high schools will be eligible to compete – along with Granada Hills Charter High School – in the United States Academic Decathlon On-line National Competitions in April, officials reported.

Other top 10 schools in the state competition's Division I included Marshall/LAUSD (49,889), El Camino Real/LAUSD (48,047), Edison/Fresno County (47,857), West/Los Angeles County (45,572), Franklin/LAUSD (45,173), Palisades Charter/LAUSD (45,040), Oakdale/Stanislaus County (44,876), William Taft/LAUSD (44,826), and University/Fresno County (44,745).

The top three teams in the Division II category were Chino Hills/San Bernardino County (42,954), Torrance/Los Angeles (42,839), Burbank/Los Angeles (42,051), and Division III's top three teams were Olympian/San Diego County (40,357), Oxnard/Ventura County (38,770), and West Ranch/Los Angeles (38,340), the state said.

Sabalone said the 2012 theme is “Age of Empires.”

As in the past, Upper Lake and other Academic Decathlon teams around the county will begin preparing for next year's competition this spring.

Despite lean budget times, Sabalone said it appears that the county will be able to purchase the curriculum – which comes out in May – for the competing schools.

She said the curriculum costs $1,000 per team or $100 per student. “It's an expensive process.”

Sabalone said she feels that the Academic Decathlon offers students the chance to learn how to navigate the world.

She said it shows them how to approach problems and solve them from a variety of ways. It also teaches them to adapt to different topics, and improves time management, study skills and public speaking, which she said are important life skills that will help young people not just in college but in the world beyond school.

Hankins, who is enrolled in Upper Lake's Academic Decathlon preparation class, is now looking at possible careers – including teaching and writing – and preparing to attend California State University, Chico, next fall.

He said he and other seniors will actually be using the class time for the remainder of the year to work on scholarship applications and other preparation for college, “which is going to be an adventure all in itself.”

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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday he was calling off budget negotiations with the State Legislature's Republican leaders because efforts to reach agreement on key issues had stalled.

Brown said he actually called off discussions to address the state's “massive deficit” on Monday after he was unable to get support to put tax extensions before voters in a special June election.

Instead, he said he plans to take a budget plan directly to the people in the weeks ahead.

In a response, Senate Republican Leader Bob Dutton claimed Brown and Democrats were “obviously upset and lashing out at their inability to get buyoff from public employee unions for the reforms that the public supports and Republicans think are necessary to fix California.”

Brown said Tuesday, “The budget plan that I put forth is balanced between deep cuts and extensions of currently existing taxes and I believe it is in the best interest of California.”

However, the state constitution requires that two Republicans from the Assembly and two from the Senate must agree before the matter can be put on a ballot, support Brown's plan didn't get.

“Each and every Republican legislator I’ve spoken to believes that voters should not have this right to vote unless I agree to an ever changing list of collateral demands,” said Brown.

Brown said he supported pension reform, regulatory reform and a spending cap and offered specific and detailed proposals for each of these during our discussions.

But he added that while those reform issues were the subject of “significant progress,” he accused Republicans of making demands that would worsen the state’s problem by creating a $4 billion hole in the budget.

In a March 25 letter to Dutton he shared with the media, Brown said Dutton presented to him that day a list of 53 separate demands “many of which are new and have no relationship whatever to the budget,” including “obscure” aspects of labor law and shifting the presidential primary from February to March.

Brown wants to require multinational corporations be treated the same as individual taxpayers and not be allowed to choose their preferred tax rate.

In negotiations he said Republicans wanted to give a billion dollar tax break to corporations, which Brown said he wasn't willing to do as, ultimately, it “will come from our schoolchildren, public safety and our universities.”

Dutton said that, as far as Republicans knew, corporate tax increases weren't included in the “fine print” of Brown's campaign pledge to have all taxes go to a vote of the people.

“Republicans believe the people deserve the right to vote on issues such as reforming the unsustainable public employee pension system and placing constitutional restraints on state spending growth, in addition to taxes,” Dutton said.

Dutton said Republicans' positions on the issues are “remarkably similar” to the ones Brown championed during his campaign to return to the governor's office.

He said they, too, are committed to solving the state's long-standing budget crisis, but while they need compromise to avoid an “all-cuts” budget, Dutton added, “it involves more than the Republicans going along with the first, last and only solution of higher taxes offered by the Majority Party during this budget debate.”

Brown has pledged that, in the coming weeks, “I will focus my efforts on speaking directly to Californians and coming up with honest and real solutions to our budget crisis.”

The deadlock came just four days after Brown had signed a series of 13 budget bills to address $11.2 billion of the state's $26.6 billion budget gap.

“These are painful cuts,” Brown said at the signing ceremony.

“Certainly the next round of cuts will be much more painful and much more disruptive than the budget reductions to date,” he said, adding that he wanted people to understand, “We are in a serious bind here.”

He expressed optimism, said they were making progress and reported he was talking to Republicans who want to give people the right to vote on some of the solutions.

With the Legislature's Democrats and Republicans having reached an impasse, it leaves much undecided about the potential impacts for local communities, schools and redevelopment agencies, and just how that serious budget bind will be solved.

A final vote has not been held on Brown's proposal to abolish redevelopment agencies across the state.

Many agencies – including Lakeport's – have taken actions to shelter property and assets due to concerns that the state will take them to pour into the budget hole.

On the education front, in recent interviews with Lake County News, local educators and California Teachers Association representatives said the special June election Brown had proposed was crucial to avoiding deeper cuts for schools.

In one example, Kelseyville Unified School District representatives said having no tax extensions would necessitate $700,000 more in budget cuts over the coming two fiscal years, as Lake County News has reported.

County and city officials also have expressed concern about what the state's fiscal troubles might mean for local governments.

Brown told Dutton in his March 25 letter that he remained ready to work with Republicans on pensions, regulatory reform and a budget spending cap.

In a handwritten note near his signature line, Brown wrote, “Let's get moving!”

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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

A very full Clear Lake, pictured at about 7:30 a.m. Monday, March 28, 2011, from Library Park in Lakeport, Calif. Photo by Doug Rhoades.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After days of rain and rising lake waters, Clear Lake peaked lower than expected before starting to recede slightly on Monday.

Clear Lake, which had hit flood stage – 9 feet Rumsey – last Friday, was anticipated to hit 9.5 feet Rumsey on Monday before its level started to decrease, according to Lake County Water Resources officials.

However, the sun came out on Monday, and a day of sunshine, warm temperatures and a break in the precipitation helped keep the lake from hitting that peak number.

Instead, Clear Lake topped out at 9.37 feet Rumsey, then began to slip back slightly, according to a US Geological Survey gauge on the lake.

The Cache Creek Dam's releases – helping keep the lake's waters from rising higher still – continued running at high levels on Monday, with the US Geological Survey's dam gauge showing it releasing at around 3,900 cubic feet per second for most of the day.

Because of the lake's level, a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in Sacramento remained in effect on Monday.

However, no rain is forecast until the weekend, when lighter showers are anticipated. The dry week days likely will help the lake's waters recede further still.

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Ducks stand in the parking lot, edged by Clear Lake's rising waters, at Lucerne Harbor Park in Lucerne, Calif., on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT COUNTY MAINTAINED LAUNCHES.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Clear Lake's level increased slightly on Sunday, and county officials are predicting the lake will peak Monday before it begins to decrease.

Clear Lake hit flood stage, 9 feet Rumsey, last Friday, and by early Monday morning the lake's level was at 9.38 feet Rumsey, according to the US Geological Survey's gauge on the lake.

Lake County Water Resources said Sunday that the lake is predicted to reach 9.5 feet Rumsey on Monday, at which point it's expected to begin receding.

Because of Clear Lake's high waters, Lake County remained under a flood warning issued by the National Weather Service in Sacramento early Monday.

The Cache Creek Dam has continued sizable water releases through the weekend. The US Geological Survey gauge on the dam showed releases at 3,750 cubic feet per second early Monday morning, well above the mean release level of 638 cubic feet per second.

Last Thursday, the dam's releases had climbed above the 4,000 cubic foot per second level. The dam's highest historical release, 4,830 cubic feet per second, was measured in 1983, according to US Geological Survey records.

Lake County Public Services last week closed boat launches in county parks due to the lake level, although Lake County News received reports from community members that a ramp at Holiday Harbor – which is county owned but is not a park and is not a free launch – in Nice remained open. County officials said that launch point also was being closed Monday due to conditions.

Clear Lake edges closer to one of the homes along Lakeshore Boulevard in Lakeport, Calif., on Sunday, March 27, 2011. Photo by Susie Cashmore.

A flooded area along Bottle Rock Road near Kelseyville, Calif., on Sunday, March 27, 2011, looking from the back of the Glenbrook Cemetery. Photo by Susie Cashmore.

Ariana Diaz and Arthur Wilkie are congratulated by Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook for their wins in the Lake County Junior High Spelling Bee held at Upper Lake Middle School in Upper Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, March 15, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Four spelling standouts will represent Lake County at state competitions this spring.

Ariana Diaz and Arthur Wilkie were the champs at the Lake County Junior High Spelling Bee held at Upper Lake Middle School on Tuesday, March 15, and David Thinnes and Tyler Parrott won the Lake County Elementary Spelling Bee at Terrace School on Tuesday, March 22, in Lakeport.

Each of the four students were awarded a medal of excellence and a $25 gift certificate to Catfish Books in Lakeport.

Ariana and Arthur were the top finalists in the junior high contest, which proved a true test of endurance for seventh and eighth grade spellers.

Ariana is an eighth grade student at Middletown Middle School. Arthur is an eighth grader from Lucerne Elementary School.

They will both compete in the California State Junior High Spelling Championship on Saturday, May 14, at Miller Creek Middle School in San Rafael.

Neither Ariana nor Arthur is a stranger to competition at the statewide level. They both represented Lake County at last year’s California State Spelling Bee.

In the heated competition between Lake County elementary students – grades fourth through sixth – David Thinnes, a sixth grader from Lucerne Elementary and Tyler Parrott, a fifth grader from Cobb Mountain Elementary School, emerged on top.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook congratulates Lake County Elementary Spelling Bee at Terrace School winners David Thinnes and Tyler Parrott. The event was held at Terrace School in Lakeport, Calif., on Tuesday, March 22, 2011. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.

Both David and Tyler will compete in the 2011 California State Spelling Championship on April 16 at the San Joaquin County Office of Education in Stockton, Calif.

In addition to Ariana and Arthur, the junior high competition was filled with a host of super spellers from schools around Lake County.

Students taking part in the competition included:

– Burns Valley School: Teda Chang and Kim Gonzales.

– East Lake School: Taylor Klemin and Jeremy Meade-Malley.

– Lower Lake School: Joseph Llewellyn and Weeden Wetmore.

– Middletown Middle School: Natalia Young.

– Mt. Vista Middle School: Bryce Bouchard and Roberto Lozano.

– Pomo School: Lacey Amaral and Katrina Willimas.

– Terrace School: Charlie Crockett.

– Upper Lake Middle School: Juan Ruiz and Lyla Seevers.

Students who qualified but were unable to participate in the completion are Taylor Kruszewski, Terrace School and Alanna Taylor, Lucerne Elementary School.

In the elementary spelling bee, school spelling champs who participated in the competition were:

– Burns Valley School: Karina Martinez.

– Cobb Mountain Elementary: John Thomas.

– Coyote Valley Elementary: McKenna Farres and Olivia Glosser.

– East Lake School: Vanessa Hughes and Maile Weldon.

– Kelseyville Elementary: Esgar Aguirre and Faith Thomas.

– Lower Lake Elementary: Rhianna Rhodes.

– Lucerne Elementary: Desiree McInerney.

– Minnie Cannon Elementary: Cate Allen and Sara Vierra.

– Mt. Vista Middle School: Peter Diaz and Kaylie Williams.

– Pomo School: Cyrus Pouladdezh.

– Riviera Elementary School: Jason Gentle and Hailey Johnson.

– Terrace School: Maclane McGrath and Flynn Melendy-Collier.

– Upper Lake Elementary: Lia Long.

– Upper Lake Middle School: Emil Driskell.

Students who qualified but were unable to participate in the elementary competition include Jonathan DeCou, Burns Valley Elementary; Jordan Harris, Pomo School; and Brittany Delfino, Lower Lake Elementary.

The Lake County Office of Education, which coordinates the annual spelling competitions, offered a very special “thank you” to Principal Tony Loumena and the staff at Upper Lake Middle School for hosting the junior high spelling bee and to Assistant Principal Andy Goodwin and staff at Terrace School in Lakeport for hosting the elementary spelling bee.

Master of ceremonies/spell master for both of the spelling bees was Stephanie Wayment, ELA/ELD specialist at Lake County Office of Education.

The judges for the competition were Robin Totorica and Jan Bailey, also from the Lake County Office of Education.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook was in attendance to congratulate each of the spelling champions.

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A damaged Toyota Tundra and a Garda armored vehicle following a crash near Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, March 28, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A collision involving three vehicles – one of them an armored car – took place near Blue Lakes on Highway 20 Monday morning.

The crash occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Reports from the scene indicated a Toyota Tundra rear-ended a Garda armored vehicle, which in turn rear-ended a small Toyota Corolla that was stopped for road construction.

A total of five people – two each in the Tundra and Corolla, and one in the Garda – plus a dog riding in the Corolla that was projected into the front of the vehicle were involved, scene reports indicated.

The CHP said minor injuries were reported but information about who was injured and to what extent was not immediately available.

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Senior Defense officials defended their plan to raise TRICARE Prime fees modestly for working-age retirees at a March 15 hearing of the House armed services subcommittee on military personnel.

Next day, representatives of military associations testified. Five of them, including one who spoke on behalf of 13 other groups too, said they could accept what would be the first TRICARE fee increases in 16 years.

The same groups could accept annual adjustments to these fees if the inflation index used were the same one used to set retiree cost-of-living raises.

Every beneficiary advocate at the hearing, however, rejected the Obama administration’s call to adjust retiree TRICARE Prime fees based solely on medical cost inflation.

Defense officials haven’t picked the particular health cost index they want. But their budget savings assume fees would rise by an average of 6.2 percent a year if tied to medical inflation.

At this hearing, only the National Association of Uniformed Services said Congress should “hold the line” on any TRICARE fee increases.

Rick Jones of NAUS charged Defense officials with conducting a public relations campaign to blame retirees for the dramatic rise in health costs over the last decade, when the true culprit has been sustained warfare.

After the hearing a DoD spokeswoman, Cynthia O. Smith, reiterated that the three biggest factors contributing to health cost growth in the last decade have been introduction of the TRICARE for Life benefit for elderly retirees; higher TRICARE usage in part because more retirees use TRICARE instead of employer health insurance, and overall health care inflation.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), subcommittee chairman, said a few months ago that he would oppose any TRICARE fee increases. He did not repeat that pledge in these hearings.

Most other panel members echoed the conditional support of beneficiary groups toward the slightly higher fees and indexing.

Wilson was far more upset by the surprise appointment of John Baldacci, former governor of Maine, to lead a new comprehensive review of military health care from inside the Pentagon.

If Baldacci is interested in health care efficiencies, Wilson said at one point, he should immediately step down and save the department $200,000 – his salary of $165,300 a year and Wilson’s best guess on his expenses.

“We don’t need a health care czar,” Wilson said. “We have veterans’ service organizations that can provide this information” about needed reforms. “And this is not the government’s money. This is taxpayers money…being diverted from the military health care system.”

Baldacci was a four-term U.S. congressman before becoming governor in 2003. In January 2011 he completed his second term.

Baldacci did not serve in the military or on the armed services committee. He did establish a comprehensive health care reform system in Maine, which has been extolled by the left and criticized by the right. He also was the second governor to sign a gay marriage law, and the first to do so without a court order.

The Department of Defense made no official announcement of his appointment as director of its Military Health Care Reform Initiative. Maine reporters published the first stories on it the week of March 14.

As governor, they said, Baldacci was paid $70,000 a year. His Department of Defense appointment is for one year “with an option to extend if necessary.”

“This is a temporary project where he will review, evaluate, assess and make recommendations” on health reform to Clifford L. Stanley, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Smith said. “His leadership, executive and legislative experience will deeply enhance this initiative.”

Wilson prefaced his first question for Stanley and his new assistant secretary for health affairs, Dr. Jonathan Woodson, with words of confidence in their capabilities. Wilson also noted their oversight responsibilities for military health care, and then said Baldacci’s job was a “duplication,” just like government auditors recently warned against to cut wasteful spending.

“At a time when we are all concerned about efficiency … it just doesn’t seem right,” Wilson said. He asked Stanley why Congress should even enact health care efficiencies in this year’s defense budget “if this work can be overturned” by major new reform effort being led by Baldacci.

Stanley said health reforms in the new budget, which include the TRICARE Prime fee increases for working-age retirees and adjustments in pharmacy co-pays to encourage use of the TRICARE home delivery, are “not directly related to what Governor Baldacci is going to be doing. His charge – by me, because I asked him – is, first of all, an objective outside look …We have not really been as open as I think we should have been” with military associations or in explaining past TRICARE fee recommendations.

Baldacci also will focus on Guard and Reserve health issues, on “a holistic viewpoint of readiness and wellness, and how we’re going to do patient satisfaction. And cost was the last piece,” he said.

Stanley said he had asked Woodson, his assistant secretary for health affairs, to work very closely with Baldacci.

Wilson asked Woodson to comment. The Army Reserve brigadier general and former professor of surgery said Baldacci’s appointment probably results in part from the long wait, of nine months, between Woodson’s nomination and his Senate confirmation.

This allowed “inconsistent leadership within health affairs” and produced “a need to look at how business was conducted … I do not see the governor’s mandate as interfering with my statutory authorities and the efficiencies we need to roll out.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Me.), a longtime politician in Maine whose daughter, Hannah, was Maine’s Speaker of the House during Baldacci’s second term, briefly defended his appointment at the March 15 hearing.

“Governor Baldacci has a great work ethic. He’s very devoted to our military and he has worked very closely with the National Guard in our state to improve many of the practices,” Pingree said. “So I look forward to him looking for some of the efficiencies that could be found.”

Wilson avoided dragging the military associations into the Baldacci controversy. But he pressed for ideas on controlling health costs. Two of them said DoD should act on an old recommendation to consolidate the three service medical commands and save hundreds of million of dollars a year.

To comment, send e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111.

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MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy narrowly avoided being run over by a suspect who later was taken into custody after deputies used a Taser and other weapons to stop him.

Robert Isaac Vargas, 54, of Fort Bragg was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, resisting arrest and violation of probation during an altercation earlier this week in Fort Bragg.

At 3 p.m. Monday Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies responded to a reported neighborhood verbal dispute in the area of Peterson and Fawn Lane, according to a report from Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.

When the deputies arrived at the scene Smallcomb said they began speaking with one of the subjects involved in the dispute. At the same time, Vargas was observed in driveway approaching his pickup.

As one deputy continued to talk with the reporting party, the second deputy approached Vargas who had now entered his pickup, Smallcomb said.

Vargas started his pickup and put it in reverse as the deputy motioned for him to stop. Smallcomb said Vargas revved his engine and is alleged to have rapidly backed up towards the deputy, fast enough to break traction with his vehicle tires.

Smallcomb said the deputy jumped out of the way as Vargas allegedly continued to move towards him in the vehicle.

Fearing for his safety, the deputy drew his sidearm, pointed it towards Vargas and ordered him to stop, Smallcomb said.

Vargas is alleged to have exited his vehicle and confronted the deputy, who Smallcomb said was shortly joined by the other deputy. Vargas continued to be confrontational and resist arrest.

Smallcomb said the deputies were able to take Vargas into custody only after using a Taser, a baton and pepper spray.

Vargas was medically cleared at the Mendocino Coast District Hospital and eventually booked into the Mendocino County Jail with no bail, Smallcomb said.

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UKIAH, Calif. – Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies arrested a man late last week after he was caught stealing wire from Ukiah's Masonite plant property.

Christopher Summerfield, 24, of Ukiah was arrested for possession of stolen property and petty theft, according to a report from Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

At about 11:45 a.m. Saturday, March 26, deputies were dispatched to the area of the vacant Masonite plant grounds regarding Summerfield being detained by California Fish & Game officers for theft, Smallcomb said.

He said deputies arrived and learned Fish & Game officers had observed Summerfield inside the fenced property carrying electrical wire

The Fish & Game Officers contacted Summerfield who admitted taking the scrap wire from one of the remaining buildings located on the Masonite plant property, according to Smallcomb.

Smallcomb said Summerfield was transported to the Mendocino County Jail, where his bail was set at $15,000.

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LAKE PILLSBURY, Calif. – A three-day search and rescue operation coordinated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in the Mendocino National Forest came to a successful conclusion Saturday afternoon when two young men and a teenager from Sonoma County were rescued from the Snow Mountain Wilderness area, Northeast of Lake Pillsbury.

In a Sunday report, Lake County Sheriff's Capt. James Bauman said the three rescued subjects included Santa Rosans Joel Barnett, 16, and 18-year-old Jesse Barnett, and 20-year-old Christian Magnell of Occidental, who were found early Saturday afternoon.

At 4 p.m. Thursday, March 24, Michael Barnett of Santa Rosa called the Lake County Sheriff’s Dispatch to report his concern for his two sons and a friend who had left Santa Rosa last Monday for a weeklong camping trip in the forest, Bauman said.

Michael Barnett reported that his two sons and Magnell had traveled to the Lake Pillsbury area and planned to park their Toyota truck at the “Bloody Rock” trailhead near the base of Snow Mountain, Bauman said. The young men planned to hike several miles into the Snow Mountain Wilderness area and camp for the week.

When the three reached the Lake Pillsbury area on Monday, they had left their itinerary with phone numbers for their parents at the Soda Creek Store in Lake Pillsbury, according to Bauman.

Although the three were not due to return from the trip until Saturday, the store owners, Nick and Eddie Uram, contacted Michael Barnett on Thursday, concerned that they may not have been sufficiently prepared for the snow that came with the series of storm systems that passed through the area this week, Bauman said.

Following up on the report, Bauman said a team of sheriff’s deputies attempted to reach the area in a four wheel drive SUV on Thursday evening. However, when the deputies tried to enter the Mendocino National Forest on the county road from Potter Valley, they encountered a mud slide and fallen trees blocking the roadway and were forced to turn around.

Bauman said the deputies then tried to enter the area on Elk Mountain Road out of Upper Lake but were met with heavy snow accumulations near Horse Mountain and were again forced to turn around.

By early Friday morning, Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue began coordinating multiple resources for the search and rescue operation, Bauman said.

He reported that by noon on Friday, road crews from Mendocino and Lake counties had cleared the Potter Valley route to Lake Pillsbury. Early Friday afternoon, Lake County SAR volunteers and U.S. Forest Service personnel activated a command center for the search operation at the Soda Creek Ranger Station.

While Lake County Search and Rescue personnel were coordinating resources for an extended search, an unidentified Pillsbury resident in a four wheel drive vehicle located the trio's unoccupied Toyota truck on the main forest roadway, buried in several feet of snow and several miles short of the Bloody Rock Trailhead where they had intended to set out on foot, Bauman said.

Meanwhile, Bauman said a Cal Fire “snow cat” was deployed to the ranger station and used to transport searchers to and from the area of the truck to start looking for signs of the three hikers.

A Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department helicopter was requested to assist with the search but was unable to respond due to weather conditions. Bauman said a National Guard Black Hawk helicopter also was requested but it, too, was hampered by the weather and had to stage in Red Bluff until Saturday morning.

He said search efforts continued as additional resources started responding from other counties throughout the night.

By Saturday morning, Search and Rescue volunteers and “Type 1” Mountain Rescue teams from Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo and Monterey counties had arrived to join the search. Bauman said teams from the Tahoe Back Country Ski Patrol and the Southern California Nordic Ski Patrol also responded, while the National Guard helicopter remained on the ground in Red Bluff, still hampered by the weather.

The U.S. Forest Service relieved Cal Fire’s snow cat crew in transporting teams to and from the search area by deploying two of their six-wheel drive “UTVs,” Bauman said.

By mid-day Saturday, consultants with “Team Adam” of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children had arrived from the State of Wyoming to assist with resources. Bauman said additional Search and Rescue Mountain Rescue teams from Placer, Ventura and Los Angeles counties were due to respond by Sunday for an extended search.

At 12:45 p.m. Saturday, a search team located the three making their way out of the wilderness area, approximately one mile north of Bloody Rock, Bauman said.

He said all three were unharmed and transported back to the Soda Creek Ranger Station by sheriff’s personnel.

By late afternoon Saturday, the three had been transported down to Potter Valley where they were reunited with their families. Bauman said their Toyota truck had to be left for the time being as conditions prevented any attempts to remove it from the snow.

Bauman said the sheriff’s office commended the owners of the Soda Creek Store, Nick and Eddie Uram, for alerting the family members of conditions in the area on Thursday. He said the heavy snow accumulations and prevailing rain could easily have left the hikers vulnerable to heavy snowpack hypothermia and their plans to cross the swollen Upper Eel River were valid reasons for concern.

Sheriff’s Search and Rescue authorities acknowledged the three hikers did the right thing by leaving their itinerary with the Soda Creek Store before venturing further. Bauman said this precautionary strategy is an absolute must for any kind of excursion into the wilderness and, in this case, it greatly aided Search and Rescue personnel in focusing their efforts on the right areas.

Leaving specific plans with family members and the use of GPS, personal locator beacons and other satellite messenger devises are highly recommended for all wilderness activities, he said.

Bauman said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was very pleased with the coordination and outcome of

the three-day Search and Rescue operation, which resulted in a total of 42 volunteers and public safety workers responding to the incident.

Sheriff Frank Rivero expressed his deepest gratitude to Search and Rescue Deputy Coordinator Det. Sgt. John Gregore, and to the Lake County Search and Rescue volunteers for their efforts.

Gregore said he particularly appreciated Michael St. John of Marin County Search and Rescue for his assistance in managing the search operation.

Rivero also commended and thanked the allied agencies that supported the rescue and contributed to the safe return of the three hikers, including the U.S. Forest Service; Cal Fire, Search and Rescue teams from Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey and San Mateo counties; the Tahoe Back Country Ski Patrol; the Southern California Nordic Ski Patrol; the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children members who flew in from Wyoming to assist; and the Lake and Mendocino County Public Works departments.

Other agencies who either offered their assistance or were poised to respond for an extended operation included the California Emergency Management Agency, the Law Enforcement Branch of California Office of Emergency Services, the California National Guard and Search and Rescue teams from Ventura, Placer and Los Angeles counties, Bauman said.

An estimate on the cost of the operation was not immediately available.

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