KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A control burn that escaped and raced up Mt. Konocti on Tuesday scorched several hundred acres by the afternoon.
The “Becks” fire was first reported at about 11 a.m., according to state and local officials.
Initially a control burn at a vineyard in the area of 7900 S. Highway 29, the fire escaped and started up the mountain, getting onto county park property and damaging a bathroom facility, according to the Lake County Public Services Department.
Just before 5 p.m., Cal Fire reported that the Becks fire was at 300 acres with 50 percent containment. Full containment is expected Wednesday.
The terrain where the fire is burning is very steep, and fire officials said work on the fire will continue into the night.
Konocti Road above Mt. Vista Middle School in Kelseyville was closed due to the fire, according to Lake County Public Works.
Smoke from the fire blanketed a portion of the county, with residents in different areas reporting ash falling at various times.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Arts Council held auditions all day last Saturday for the 21st annual Winter Music Fest, to be presented Saturday, Feb. 23, and Sunday, Feb. 24.
From the many good pieces presented by talented Lake County performers, the audition judges selected around 90 minutes of first-rate music to be performed on the Soper-Reese Community Theatre stage.
The Winter Music Fest has functioned for more than two decades as a place where developing artists get to present their work to a large interested audience, and many currently popular performers got to show their stuff there in the past.
It was difficult to choose among the excellent works offered to the audition panel. The panel was working with the objective of producing a tight, exciting show lasting no more than two hours including intermission, yet with a good number of acts.
This led to the decision to forgo the use of bands with extensive instrumentation, since each interval between bands requires a lot of time in setup.
On the other hand, there was a desire to limit the number of solo guitar and voice performers, simply because the audience responds well to dynamic variety.
Fortunately the competition for the stage included an enticing assortment of styles and techniques.
The music chosen will range in time from the Renaissance to today, in style from singer-songwriter to showbiz, in length from one to five minutes.
Some of the performers will be people you’ve seen before on the theatrical stage, some will be people you’ve heard good things about, or heard before a small audience in a bar somewhere, but with the right venue and the finish coming from professional lights and sound, you will see and hear them at their peak.
Tickets for Winter Music Fest will go on sale soon. All tickets will be $15.
Performances will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – They come out at all hours of the day and night to search for people who are lost or to support law enforcement with other critical operations.
Now, Lake County Search and Rescue is asking for the community's assistance as it seeks to raise funds to support its mission of community service and to help one of its move valued members with recovery from an injury.
The Lake County Search and Rescue Association is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that helps to find lost and missing persons on a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week basis. They come out rain or shine, every day of the year, holidays included.
Search and rescue is a good cause, involving hard work, usually done in the dark of night in inclement weather and often in very rough terrain.
They are involved in searches of the county's rural neighborhoods for lost or missing children and adults, but most often when they get a call, they know they're headed for the higher climbs and rough terrain.
One of Lake County Search and Rescue's popular members is search dog “Biscuit.”
Biscuit was injured in the line of duty, and Search and Rescue is trying to help raise funds to defray the $5,000 costs for surgery and rehabilitation.
Funds the group can raise also will help purchase cold weather gear for K-Corp, a Kelseyville High School student volunteer class.
While interest in joining is high among Lake County citizens, gear costs associated with membership can be prohibitive, and the group believes its ranks would grow if those financial burdens could be alleviated.
Search and Rescue is reaching out to organizations and individuals for support, and recently received a $500 donation from the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.
Donations can be sent to Lake County Search and Rescue at P.O. Box 812, Lakeport, CA 95453. No amount is too small.
To learn more about the Lake County Search and Rescue Association and find out how you can support the organization, contact Jim Steele, president, at 707-998-1302.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant in Upper Lake are reopening this Saturday following a closure for extensive upgrades that began Jan. 2.
Owner Bernie Butcher said the hotel reopens this Friday, Jan. 25, with the restaurant resuming business on Saturday, Jan. 26. Four musical events are on tap to mark the occasion.
“The kitchen and other renovations have gone extremely well,” said Butcher. “We have some real pros on the project with Mitchell Construction in Lakeport as general contractor and subs like Totorica Plumbing and N & A Electric. It’s amazing what they’ve accomplished in three short weeks.”
To mark the reopening, the Tallman will host its first “Concert with Conversation” of the new year on Saturday evening in the Meeting House featuring Paul McCandless on reed instruments together with Spanish guitarist Antonio Calogero. Tickets at $25 plus tax are available at the Hotel.
On Sunday, Jan. 27, the Blue Wing will host the Sylvia Herold Jazz Trio from San Francisco at brunch and folksinger Dennis Percell at supper time. The John Mattern Band with Jeff Massonari on guitar will start a new season of Blue Wing Monday Blues at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 28.
“Customers won’t see a big physical difference,” said Blue Wing Chef Brian Rebitzke, “but we’ve got all new kitchens from the plumbing and flooring on up in both the Hotel and Restaurant. So an improved workspace means that our staff is more committed than ever to providing patrons with top quality food in a timely manner.”
In addition to the kitchens, the hotel has taken advantage of the downtime to do extensive deep cleaning and repairs.
The hotel’s innovative geo-exchange heating and cooling system has also been thoroughly overhauled by Air Connection, Inc. of Santa Rosa.
“Everything is spotless and ready to go,” said hotel manager Susan Mesick. “As the economy slowly improves, we’re looking forward to seeing a lot of new guests coming to Lake County – and hopefully staying at the Tallman.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There is a colorful array of cats waiting for adoption this week at the county’s animal shelter.
Tabbies in shades of brown and orange, a lovely Siamese, a handsome tuxedo and gray cat, and a multicolored calico are waiting to meet you.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
Gray domestic short hair
This male domestic short hair mix is 1 year old.
He has green eyes, a short gray and white coat, and is of medium size. Shelter staff did not report if he had been altered.
Find him in cat room kennel No. 4, ID No. 35334.
Brown male tabby
This brown male tabby is 7 years old.
He has a short brown striped coat, and he’s been neutered.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 35, ID No. 35292.
Female domestic short hair mix
This female domestic short hair mix is 3 years old.
She has a long gray coat, is large in size, and has not yet been spayed.
Visit with her in cat room kennel No. 20, ID No. 35272.
Male orange tabby
This male orange tabby is 1 year old.
He has a short coat, weighs 9 pounds and has been neutered.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 81, ID No. 35198.
Dilute calico
This female dilute calico is 6 years old.
She has a long coat, is of medium size and has been spayed.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 88, ID No. 35347.
Siamese mix
This female Siamese mix is 5 years old.
She has a long luxurious coat, is large in size and has been spayed.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
COBB, Calif. – On Tuesday morning a 3.0-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers geothermal steamfield in Cobb.
The quake took place at 9:58 a.m., according to a preliminary report from the US Geological Survey.
It occurred at a depth of 2.3 miles and was centered two miles east of The Geysers, four miles southwest of Cobb and four miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, the report said.
Four shake reports were filed from Middletown, Redding and Redwood City.
A 3.0-magnitude earthquake one mile east of They Geysers had been reported on Monday afternoon, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Organizers of the county's first comprehensive count of the homeless are continuing to seek volunteers for the effort, which takes place later this week.
The count will be held throughout the day Friday, Jan. 25.
Lake County is part of an eight-county group called the Dos Rios Continuum of Care.
That group, which works for the prevention of homelessness, is a partnership of private and public agencies that strive to improve services for individuals and families who are homeless or are at risk of losing their housing.
Its goal is to decrease incidences of homelessness and the associated impact on the individual, their family and community.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires all homeless continuums to conduct a point-in-time count of homeless individuals/families during a specified week each year.
The survey will establish a count of homeless families/individuals on this day in time that will allow Lake County to be eligible for federal funding through HUD and other agencies for housing-related programs and support services.
Results will provide a base for planning services to meet the needs of the homeless and families in the area.
A mobile survey team comprised of community volunteers and agency representatives will be in the community, and stationed at the following sites:
The Bridge, 14954 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake;
Lucerne Alpine Seniors Inc., 3985 County Club Drive, Lucerne;
County Veterans Service Office, 285 N. Main St., Lakeport;
Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St., Middletown.
If you know someone who is homeless, please direct them to a member of the survey team at one of the survey sites.
Information provided during the survey will be kept anonymous.
If you would like to volunteer as a surveyor please contact Chris Taliaferro at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-262-3111.
The California Department of Child Support Services recognized California’s top performing local child support agencies for federal fiscal year 2012 at its statewide directors meeting last week.
“We are proud of the hard work that all our counties perform daily,” said Department of Child Support Services Interim Director Kathleen Hrepich. “Once each year, we recognize those counties that have exceeded the annual goals set for performance in the child support program. These top performers are to be especially commended, given the difficult economic conditions in which all child support professionals operate. Higher performance means more real dollars for California’s families and children.”
Hrepich presented awards for local child support agencies with the top overall performance, by caseload size, most improved performance on five federal performance measures, and dollars distributed.
The department also presented awards to 11 local agencies that increased their distributed collections by more than 3 percent over the previous year.
Those agencies included Lake, Marin, El Dorado, Kern, Imperial, Yuba, Colusa, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Butte and Contra Costa.
Lake, which the California Department of Child Support Services classifies as a “very small” county, had collections of $4.4 million with a 58.2 percent collection rate on current support, putting it among the lowest in terms of its collection rate percentage, according to a preliminary report on federal fiscal year 2012.
The special “Director’s Excellence Award” was presented to two counties: Marin and San Bernardino. For this award, the recipients not only had to exceed all five federal performance measures, but they also had to increase their total distributed collections by 3 percent or more over the previous year.
Five counties were honored for top overall performance by caseload size. They ranked highest among their caseload size in all federal performance measures: San Diego (very large county), Ventura (large), Sonoma (medium), San Luis Obispo (small) and Marin (very small).
Five child support agencies showed the most improvement in overall performance, by caseload size: San Diego (very large county), Stanislaus (large), Sonoma (medium), Napa (small) and Marin (very small).
The “Top 10 Award” for those that performed best out of all 51 agencies on overall performance are listed by ranking as follows: 1. Marin, 2. San Luis Obispo, 3. Plumas, 4. Sierra/Nevada, 5. El Dorado, 6. Sonoma, 7. Ventura, 8. Central Sierra (Amador/Alpine/Calaveras/Tuolumne), 8. Lassen and 10. Napa. Two agencies were tied for eighth.
Combined, the “Top 10” local child support agencies manage 4.9 percent of the state’s total caseload and distributed 6.7 percent of the state’s total distributed collections. They distributed $155,578,314 in child support during this past federal fiscal year.
The county chosen for having the greatest percentage increase over the prior year in distributed collections was Marin, which showed a 9.4 percent increase from federal fiscal year 2011 to federal fiscal year 2012.
The California Department of Child Support Services and the 51 local child support agencies operate the largest child support system in the nation with approximately 1.3 million cases.
In federal fiscal year 2012, which runs from October through September, California’s child support program collected and distributed more than $2.3 billion in child support payments.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Firefighters on Tuesday morning were responding to a wildland fire that resulted when a control burn at a vineyard escaped.
Kelseyville Fire, Lake County Fire and Cal Fire were dispatched to the fire, first reported before 11 a.m. at Red Hills Vineyard, 7900 Highway 29. Northshore Fire and Mendocino County units joined the effort by early afternoon.
By about 11 a.m. the fire had burned between five and seven acres, with a nearby residence threatened.
By 12 p.m. the fire had reached a reported 90 acres, and was up to 150 acres about a half hour later, with 250 acres reached – with an estimated potential for 600 – just after 1 p.m., according to reports from the scene.
At 2 p.m., the fire was at 300 acres, with 10 percent containment, according to reports from the scene. Containment had neared 30 to 40 percent by 3 p.m.
It was reported to be moving through very steep terrain toward the peak of Mt. Konocti and away from Kelseyville and structures.
Firefighters arriving at the scene initially reported a slow rate of spread in thick brush, with difficulty accessing the fire, according to radio reports.
In addition to the engines responding, hand crews and dozers were being dispatched to the fire, which was getting some wind on it, raising the spread pace to moderate. Radio traffic indicated firefighters were unable to access the head of the fire.
Just after 12:30 p.m., a request was made for three additional crews, a strike team, a dozer and more overhead command staff, according to radio reports.
At just after 12:45 p.m., a call was put out over the radio for an eight engine strike team to meet at the base of Mt. Konocti. Helicopters and additional dozers also were responding to the fire.
A hand crew had arrived at the Fowler property on top of Mt. Konocti just before 1 p.m. and was going to work on structure protection, according to scanner traffic.
Firefighters requested help keeping vehicles from going into the area. The California Highway Patrol was providing traffic control at Highway 29 and Highway 175 near the fire location. Traffic control also was needed at Konocti Road near Main Street in Kelseyville.
At about 12:45 p.m. Lake County Public Works said Konocti Road, at the base of Mt. Konocti – past Mt. Vista Middle School – was closed to all traffic due to the fire.
The closure will be in effect until further notice, with drivers asked to avoid the area while emergency fire personnel are trying to get equipment up the mountain.
The fire had made it onto county park land by early afternoon. The county owns more than 1,500 acres on top of the mountain, which makes up Mt. Konocti County Park.
Lake County Public Services reported that they had received word that the fire was moving toward Howard and Wright peaks, and that a wall of one of the park’s new restrooms had been scorched by the fire.
Ash from the fire was reported to be falling in the Kelseyville area, as well as in Lakeport and Upper Lake.
Additional details will be posted as they become available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
COBB, Calif. – A moderately sized earthquake occurred in the Cobb area Monday afternoon.
The quake was reported at 1:52 p.m. one mile east of The Geysers geothermal steamfield, four miles southwest of Cobb and five miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, according to a preliminary report from the US Geological Survey.
The survey said it was recorded at a depth of two-tenths of a mile.
No shake reports had been made to the agency by mid-afternoon.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Those who knew him say that Forrest Seagrave considered everyone he knew to be a friend, and that friends – in turn – became his family.
On Saturday’s cold, clear night, hundreds of those extended family members gathered at Mt. Konocti Gas and Mart on Main Street in Kelseyville, where – less than 24 hours before – the 33-year-old Seagrave had been mortally wounded, shot in the chest during an armed robbery.
About an hour before the 7 p.m. vigil began, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office released a clip of surveillance video taken from a camera on the side of the store.
The male suspect, attired in dark clothing with his face obscured by some kind of mask or bandanna, can be seen walking along the Douglas Road side of the store at an almost casual pace.
He disappears from sight and moments later walks back toward the front of the store, appearing to adjust the covering on his face before passing under the camera.
When he is last seen, the time stamp says it was nearly 10:43 p.m. A Saturday report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were dispatched to the robbery at 10:45 p.m.
After viewing the video, some readers posted on Lake County News’ Facebook page and on Twitter that they found it chilling and upsetting.
Sheriff’s and District Attorney’s Office investigators had been at the station most of Saturday conducting the investigation, and yellow crime scene tape still framed the station’s gas pump area and cordoned off the entry to the convenience store during the nighttime vigil.
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.
Lifelong Kelseyville resident and county Supervisor Rob Brown thanked everyone for coming, saying it meant a lot to Seagrave’s family.
“It’s tough to see this,” said Brown of the tragedy of Seagrave’s murder.
While he guaranteed that the community would heal, he made an appeal to community members for information that could help law enforcement find Seagrave’s killer.
Catching the suspect, Brown said, is “going to require an effort from our community.”
Without help, it will be difficult for law enforcement to catch the shooter, said Brown, who ensured the group that law enforcement was working hard to solve the case.
Brown, who had led the effort to raise the reward money, said the store’s owners had contributed $2,000 to the reward. He also told Lake County News that a number of other local businesses, including Gossett Alarm and Calpine, had donated funds to the reward fund.
“Forrest is our family,” and that’s why the community needs to work together to catch the suspect, Brown told the crowd.
Dan Springer, who had been Seagrave’s fifth grade teacher, said the murder had hit local teachers hard.
“We don’t teach these kids so they can come to an end like this,” he said.
Springer recalled Seagrave as a “goofy” child with a lot of energy who liked to crawl under chairs.
“We teachers feel this too,” he said.
Seagrave’s brother, Christian, told Lake County News that he had seen his brother on his 33rd birthday, which took place on Dec. 27. “I still don’t know what to say,” he said of his brother’s death.
Seagrave’s sister, Rebekah Behrens, told Lake County News after the vigil that she was grateful to the community for coming and showing support for her brother and family.
“He loved all of his friends,” she said, adding that he was glad that everyone showed up.
“He’s in a better place,” she said. “He’s in heaven.”
Brown said funds are still being accepted to help increase the reward for Seagrave’s killer. Checks can be made out to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office-Forrest Seagrave Reward fund. A special account is being set up just for the funds.
For more information about the reward fund, call Brown at 707-349-2628.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 707-263-2690.
Friends ask for justice, not vengeance
Seagrave’s murder has left many community members with concerns about what is happening to the town of Kelseyville.
Longtime resident Carrie Lauenroth was struggling with how to react in the wake of the crime.
“I have such a heavy heart today and I don't know if it is because of the senseless death of a kind hearted person who would never hurt a flea, and never knew how many people loved and cared for him, or if it is because of the rapid death of our wonderful little town as we have known it,” she said.
“I think it is a combination of both, and I am both scared and saddened,” she said.
Before the Saturday night vigil, Lake County News spoke with two of Seagrave’s childhood friends, Tom Ramirez of Kelseyville and Eric Graybill, who now lives in Austin, Texas.
Both men found out about his death on Facebook.
“How he was taken away wasn’t something anyone could have foreseen,” Graybill said.
After finding out, Ramirez – who lives near the convenience store – had to leave for work in Clearlake. He said he saw crime scene tape and people removing boxes from the store.
Ramirez and Graybill remembered Seagrave as a friendly, thoughtful and generous person.
“He was very soft spoken during our childhood, but he opened up a lot as an adult,” said Ramirez.
Graybill remembered Seagrave easily moving amongst the different cliques at Kelseyville High School. “He was always at the center of everything. Everybody knew who he was.”
He added, “He didn’t exclude anybody from his circle of friends because he saw everybody as friends.”
Ramirez said Seagrave enjoyed speaking with the customers who came into the store. “He treated everyone with respect.”
Graybill said he visited Lake County in 2011, and stopped by the convenience store so he could introduce his wife to Seagrave.
“We just talked like no time had passed at all,” Grayville said. “Same old guy, just working like the rest of us do.”
The death of Seagrave has shaken up those who knew him, said Graybill. “He was such a nice person that people who are on the other side of the planet feel him leaving.”
He added, “We never figured Lake County would be a place where something like this would happen.”
Said Ramirez, “Just think about what value we lost in him.”
Both worried about the anger in the community turning to potential violence, emphasizing that Seagrave wouldn’t have wanted that.
Seagrave’s approach, said Graybill, would be to consider what can be done to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.
“I don’t think Forrest would want us to hold onto his loss and be sad about it,” but would want people to move on and learn to laugh again, Graybill said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
