VIDEO UPDATE: Helicopter bucket dumps water on fire as onlookers watch from roadside.

NICE – A burn barrel was the reported cause of a fire that burned three acres and a travel trailer on Monday morning.

Northshore Fire District Chief Jim Robbins said that the fire, which was on Bartlett Springs off of Selkirk Road, was reported at 10:07 a.m., with the first Northshore Fire unit arriving on scene nine minutes later.

A man was burning materials in a burn barrel, next to his travel trailer, said Robbins. “Unfortunately, the burn barrel caught the trailer on fire.”

Along with that, three acres of wildland were set ablaze, Robbins said.

Northshore Fire had two units and Robbins on the scene. They received assistance from Cal Fire, which sent five engines, a battalion chief, two air tankers, a helicopter and a dozer, Robbins said. The U.S. Forest service also sent one engine and a water tender.

The fire was contained at 11:20 a.m., said Robbins.

The man who was using the burn barrel was uninjured, said Robbins. However, he's facing a citation from both the county's air quality management district and Northshore Fire, said Robbins.

That's largely because of using the burn barrel, said Robbins.

“Burn barrels haven't been allowed for the last seven years within Lake County,” he said.

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LAKE COUNTY – With more visitors coming into the Mendocino National Forest during the summer months, forest officials are advising people to be on the lookout for illegal marijuana gardens and the people who guard them.

Nearly half a million illegal marijuana plants were seized on the Mendocino National Forest last year and the prime growing period is now underway, prompting national forest officials to advise the public to be especially vigilant when visiting the forest.

“We want the public to be aware that this is going on and know what to do if they encounter marijuana gardens on the forest,” said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras.

Illegal marijuana growing is an increasing problem on public lands in California. National Forest System lands are becoming increasingly used for growing and harvesting illegal marijuana gardens and these operations can potentially present a safety hazard to forest visitors and employees.

Most of the marijuana gardens are in very remote locations. The national forest has vast and mostly uninhabited lands with many areas of rich, fertile soil and a climate that provides the necessary conditions for growing marijuana. Plants are put into the ground between May and June and harvested in late September through November.

“If a private citizen comes upon something suspicious, don’t enter the area; just leave and notify local law enforcement authorities immediately,” Dennis Cullen, Forest Service Law Enforcement Patrol Captain, advised. “Do not enter any garden area.”

In 2006 the MNF law enforcement team spent over 300 days eradicating 405,399 marijuana plants from 55 illegal marijuana sites on the Mendocino National Forest. More marijuana was taken by this team than any other group in the Forest Service in 2006.

In addition to the criminal nature of the marijuana gardens, there is substantial environmental degradation caused by the illegal growers. Herbicides and pesticides used to remove competing vegetation and gnawing rodents (which are a food source for the northern spotted owls), human waste and garbage, all end up in rivers after winter rains. Also, the irrigation systems dewater small streams needed by fish, and compacts the soil in the gardens, leading to erosion.

The typical marijuana garden has changed from the late 1980s and early 90s. During that time the typical operation had 100 to 1,000 plants. These days, operations are far larger, ranging in size from 1,000 to 30,000 plants, or more. The larger growing operations often have armed individuals tending the gardens, Cullen said.

“Most of the increase can be attributed to the proliferation of foreign Drug Trafficking Organizations,” Cullen said.

Forest Service law enforcement officers work with county sheriff’s departments and Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) teams. Headed by the Department of Justice Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, CAMP teams were created in 1983 for the primary purpose of eradicating illegal marijuana from public lands in California.

Growers can live in the forest near these sites for months at a time. Officers have come across camps with exercise facilities, tree houses, barbed wire fences and numerous firearms, Cullen said.

These camps often contain cooking and sleeping areas which are within view of the cultivation site. Some camps have tents, hammocks and sleeping bags on the ground and have been found with large overhanging tarps as cover for the entire campsite.

There are some things to watch for which may indicate marijuana is being grown in an area. They can include:

• Isolated tents in the forest where no recreational activity is present.

• The utilization of trailers with no evidence of recreational activities.

• A pattern of vehicular traffic or a particular vehicle seen in the same isolated area on a regular basis.

• Unusual structures located in remote forested areas, with buckets, garden tools, fertilizer bags, etc.

• Signs of cultivation or soil disturbance in unlikely areas.

• Black piping and trash scattered in forested areas.

For additional information or to notify law enforcement authorities of a suspected garden area in the Mendocino National Forest, persons can contact Forest Service Law Enforcement at (530) 934-3316.

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LAKE COUNTY – While there was a lot of activity going on in the county over the past weekend, leading up through the Fourth of July, overall it appears to have been a safe holiday, with no fatalities on the roads and few driving-under-the-influence arrests.

Officer Adam Garcia of the Clear Lake California Highway Patrol office said Thursday that, as far as safety and arrests, it was a good Fourth.

CHP's DUI checkpoint, held Monday on Highway 20 at Lake Street in Clearlake Oaks, actually yielded no DUI arrests, said Garcia. Officers did give seven driver's license-related citations, and made one arrest for possession of a controlled substance.

Over the entire holiday weekend, CHP logged only two DUI arrests, said Garcia.

In addition, there were zero fatalities, Garcia reported. “That's the big number there.”

Officers didn't notice a more-than-normal number of collisions either, he said.

Jaime Coffee, spokesperson for the CHP's Sacramento headquarters, said that 18 people died in accidents around the state during the CHP's maximum enforcement period, which because of the way the holiday fell this year lasted just over two days, from 6:01 p.m. July 2 to 11:59 p.m. July 4.

Last year's maximum enforcement period stretched over four days, said Coffee. The last time the Fourth of July fell in the middle of the week and there was a maximum enforcement period of the same length was 2001, said Coffee. That year, CHP recorded eight fatalities statewide. This year's numbers, said Coffee, illustrate a significant increase.

DUI arrests across the state totaled 568, with 34 in the CHP's Northern Division, which includes the Clear Lake office, said Coffee.

Of this Fourth of July's 18 fatalities, 13 were within CHP jurisdiction and five were within city jurisdictions, said Coffee. The CHP's Northern Division had a total of two traffic deaths.

In looking at those statistics, Coffee said one thing stood out: use of seat belts.

The 13 fatalities in CHP jurisdiction included two motorcycle deaths and 11 deaths in vehicle accidents, Coffee reported. Of those 11 vehicle fatalities, eight – or 73 percent – of those who died were not wearing seat belts, said Coffee.

“Had they taken that one second to buckle their seat belt, they may have saved their own life,” Coffee said.

She added, “It's a good habit to get in, and it can mean the difference between life and death.”

A more quiet year around rest of county

Lakeport and Clearlake Police and the Lake County Sheriff's Office noted a busy Fourth, that, overall, was quieter than previous years.

LCSO's arrest logs for July 3, 4 and 5 showed no arrests for DUI or any serious assaults.

Lt. Brad Rasmussen of the Lakeport Police Department said there was one serious gang-related assault in Lakeport on Wednesday, and some other arrests.

“If we're talking about the celebration in Library Park, that portion of it was pretty quiet,” said Rasmussen, a lot quieter than previous years, he added.

There were a lot of fireworks-related calls, said Rasmussen, with calls for service on the street showing an increase.

In Clearlake, the city's busiest day was Saturday, when it held its Fourth of July festivities, said Lt. Mike Hermann of Clearlake Police.

On Saturday, “We made numerous arrests during the day,” said Hermann.

A rap concert that night yielded only one minor fight between two young women, he added.

The city was relatively quiet on Wednesday, said Hermann, with one traffic collision. Clearlake Police made no DUI arrests over the Fourth of July holiday, he added.

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LAKEPORT – A 14-year-old juvenile injured last week in a gang-related assault has died after being involved in a Friday car crash.

The young Kelseyville resident, whose name was not released by California Highway Patrol, was hit in the head with a large rock on July while walking along 11^th Street with his brother, as Lake County News previously reported.

On Friday, he and three other juveniles – a 15-year-old male from Lower Lake, a 16-year-old female and a 16-year-old male, both from Kelseyville – were riding along Bell Hill Road when the collision took place. CHP Officer Josh Dye said the 14-year-old was seated in the right rear of the vehicle.

A CHP report indicated that the 15-year-old driver, who was behind the wheel of a 1989 Buick, drove through a stop sign at Renfro Drive while attempting to turn left at an unsafe speed.

The car went off the road's west edge and collided with a walnut tree, causing major damage to the front end, the CHP reported. The driver suffered bruising and small cuts, the 16-year-old male had a bruised abdomen and the 16-year-old girl had bruised ribs. The extent of the 14-year-olds injuries are under investigation.

The three teenage males fled the scene, and the girl stayed behind, claiming to be the driver and filing an accident with CHP Officer Greg Baxter, the report said.

Late Saturday, the 14-year-old and 16-year-old males went to Sutter Lakeside seeking treatment for their injuries, the CHP report stated.

Officers Kevin Domby and Mark Barnes were notified of the two teens' arrival at the hospital, and began a felony hit-and-run investigation, according to the report. During that investigation they discovered that the teenage girl hadn't been driving the car, and that the three male juveniles had been in the car as well.

At 7:45 a.m. Sunday, Domby and Barnes arrested the 15-year-old driver at his Lower Lake home, said Dye. That teen is now in Juvenile Hall, facing a felony hit-and-run charge.

In the meantime, the 14-year-old reportedly fell into a coma at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. CHP reported he died early Sunday morning.

Charges haven't yet been filed on the other teens, but Dye said they're also likely looking at charges.

Dye said alcohol isn't believed to have been involved in the collision.

Lakeport Police Chief Kevin Burke said his department is waiting for the results of the 14-year-old's autopsy, scheduled for Wednesday, in order to decide if they'll need to take a new approach to their investigation into the July 4 assault.

“At this point, we're classifying his death as an undetermined death,” said Burke.

The concern, said Burke, is whether he died of injuries specifically from the car crash, or if his death was precipitated by the assault two days earlier. “At this point it's not clear.”

If it does look like the death is related to the original assault, Lakeport Police could switch gears into a homicide investigation, said Burke.

Even without its chief witness, the case against the 16-year-old who is believed to have led the July 4 assault is going forward. “The district attorney is seeking to prosecute the 16-year-old as an adult,” said Burke, who added that decision was made Monday.

A fitness hearing on the juvenile standing trial as an adult will take place in about three weeks, Burke said, which will give officials time to have the autopsy results and determine if they have any bearing on the assault case.

Burke said his department is continuing to aggressively pursue additional leads on the attack. “We've got more people working it now,” he said, saying four Lakeport Police personnel had been assigned to the case.

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First, it is in the process of being expanded to accommodate a larger crowd. Additionally the ninth fairway is being used for a leech field for the new and upgraded restrooms.

“It’s a refreshing change,” said longtime patron Mary Miles Ryan. “The restaurant did need a face lift; it will be a much more enjoyable place to visit in the future.”

Since the Gilberts bought the troubled club in January 2006, they have been attempting to make the facility a profitable business and have succeeded to some degree. The food and service at the restaurant have greatly improved and the pool has been upgraded at a considerable expense so it can be open on a regular bases.

The biggest expense in operating the facility is the maintenance of the golf course. The cost of keeping the greens watered is a major drain on the operating budget so there are plans to shorten up some of the fairways and planting grapes and olive trees on part of the area.

“I wouldn’t mind grapes because they have a low profile,” said Kathleen Quick, who lives on Sunset Ridge on the second fairway. “But if they were to plant olive trees where they will block our view, I would be very upset. We bought the home for the view and because it was on the golf course. Blocking our view would definitely affect our property value.”

In checking with the county there have been permits pulled to plant grapes but not olive trees at this time.

“They do own their land and have a right to make it viable,” said Alan Siegel, president of Clear Lake Riviera Home Owners Association. “We need to look at if they plan on spraying pesticides of any kind at any time.”

“One thing for sure, change is in the air,” said Ryan. “Let's hope that it’s change for the better.”

Visit Ray Perry's Web site at www.rayperry.com.

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NORTHSHORE – A San Francisco man lost in a remote area of the county was found Wednesday afternoon by a California Highway Patrol pilot.

A report from CHP Officer Adam Garcia of the Clear Lake CHP office explained that the agency received a request for assistance at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday from the Lake County Sheriff's Office, who were searching for a man reported lost in the Clearlake Oaks area.

Anton Oenning of San Francisco was riding his BMW motorcycle somewhere northwest of High Valley Road and east of Bartlett Springs Road when he became stuck in a ditch, Garcia reported.

Oenning had run out of water, Garcia reported, was disoriented from the heat and was unsure of his location.

CHP deployed one of its fixed-wing airplanes from the Redding office, piloted by Officer B. Singleton along with Lake County Sheriff's Search and Rescue, according to Garcia.

Pilot Officer Singleton was able to locate Oenning at approximately 4:30 p.m., Garcia said.

A CHP helicopter piloted by Officer G. Bakker with flight paramedic Officer T. Stanley was deployed and transported Oenning to Sutter Lakeside Hospital where he was treated.

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Fire crews and sheriff's deputies respond to a report of a woman lying in the road on Hotel Road at Country Club Drive in Lucerne. Photo by John Jensen.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED. 

LUCERNE – A helicopter, sheriff's deputies and emergency medical personnel descended on Lucerne Sunday evening to respond to several incidents where subjects were reported seriously injured.

Radio traffic indicated a young woman was electrocuted in the vicinity of the Clear Lake Queen in Harbor Park Sunday evening. Her injuries were minor and she was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in a personal vehicle, according to the Northshore Fire District. Further information about that incident was not immediately available.

At about the same time, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and Northshore Fire emergency personnel were responding to the report of an attempted suicide at a Foothill Drive address, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins. That man was airlifted to UC Davis Medical Center, said Robbins.

Shortly thereafter, at about 9:55 p.m., a woman was reported lying in the roadway on Hotel Road at Country Club. She was transported to the hospital, with Robbins saying that incident, too, was believed a possible suicide attempt.

The policy of Lake County News is not to report on the specifics and identities of attempted suicides or suicides, unless a suicide or an attempt is made in a highly public manner.

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KELSEYVILLE – The quick action of three men is being credited with saving additional homes from a fire that destroyed a mobile home Thursday afternoon.

The Walnut Estates Senior Mobile Park on Fifth Street in Kelseyville was the scene of the fire.

Dorothy Pinson, the park's manager, said the fire broke out about 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the home of Norman Wykes, who lived next door to Pinson in space 26.

Wykes was at a neighbor's home when the fire started, said neighbor Lynne Quartarolo.

Pinson said Wykes lost everything but “the clothes on his back,” with the fire killing his two cats as well.

Both Pinson and Quartarolo lauded the neighbors Jon Hanley, Conrad Boehm and Robert Potter for jumping into action and keeping the fire from spreading before Kelseyville Fire arrived.

Hanley, said Pinson, ran out barefoot, grabbed a hose and began watering down the home on the other side of Wykes' mobile, where the wind was starting to blow the fire.

“It was pretty hot,” said Pinson.

So hot, that it cracked the neighboring home's double-pained windows, said Pinson, who added that Hanley's actions helped prevent the mobile from catching fire.

Boehm stood in Pinson's yard with a hose, putting water on Wykes' burning mobile.

“These guys, in my estimation are real heroes,” said Quartarolo.

Kelseyville Fire came on scene and contained the fire. Medical personnel took Hanley to the hospital, where his feet were treated, said Pinson. Other than blistered feet, he's OK.

The Red Cross gave Wykes three nights of lodging at the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport, along with vouchers for food at Grocery Outlet and clothes at Kmart. Pinson added that one park resident also is offering Wykes a place to stay.

On Monday, Pinson said she's supposed to pick up a report on the fire's cause. She said authorities indicated there was a 99-percent chance it was accidental, with Wykes believing it may have been caused by a fan he was using.

Pinson said the park had a fire about seven years ago in which a man died. The cause of that fire was believed to be a cigarette, she said.

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Lakeport -- The Fourth of July fireworks as seen from the Clear Lake Queen are presented in video for your viewing pleasure. Please note that some Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) may have issues displaying the video so if you use IE7 you may prefer to download the file here. 

 {playerflv}Lakeportfourth2007.flv|320|240|#000000|false{/playerflv}

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LUCERNE – Lucerne Community Water Organization (LCWO) will discuss a change in rate setting schedules by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) at a 7 p.m. meeting Thursday, July 12, at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 10th and Country Club in Lucerne.

California Water Service (CWS), Lucerne's corporate water supplier, last week notified public officials and community leaders of the change.

The company had been expected to file a company-wide rate increase request in August, but because of the CPUC schedule change now has an interim request pending for the Redwood Valley District's Lucerne customers. It would increase rates by 21.3 percent, effective on July 1, 2008, or later, and 3.4 percent the following year.

LCWO president Craig Bach said the Thursday agenda includes discussion of intervening in the current rate increase request.

LCWO was formed in September 2005 to intervene with the CPUC when CWS had requested a 273 percent increase in Lucerne rates. With the help of pro bono attorney Stephen Elias of Lakeport, it won approval for greatly reduced rates and discounts for low income residents.

The next company-wide increase requests will be filed in July of 2009, covering costs of its centralized services and district-specific operations that could result in rate changes effective January 1, 2011 or later. After the 2009 company-wide filing, rates (both centralized services and district-specific operations) will be reviewed every three years.

Cal Water also has a separate conservation-rate application pending before the CPUC. If approved, it would promote water conservation by setting lower rates for a base amount of water usage and higher rates as water usage increases.

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LAKEPORT – A Wednesday evening assault that police are calling gang-related left a 14-year-old male seriously injured and another 16-year-old male in jail.

Lt. Brad Rasmussen of the Lakeport Police Department said Thursday that officers were dispatched to the area of 11^th and Pool Street at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on the call of an injured male subject.

At the scene, officers found a 14-year-old male – whose name authorities did not release because he is a minor – with a serious head injury, said Rasmussen. Lakeport Fire Department medical units responded and transported the victim to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.

Investigators established that five to six male subjects – among them a 16-year-old male who is a documented Nortenos street gang member – approached the victim while he was walking down 11^th with his brother and some others, said Rasmussen.

The victim and his brother were both wearing blue pants and hats, a color associated with the rival Surenos gang, said Rasmussen.

The group of males, said Rasmussen, suspected the 14-year-old was a gang member and attacked him, hitting him over the head with a large rock.

Lakeport Police went to the residence of the 16-year-old gang member, who Rasmussen said is well known to local law enforcement. “The suspect has an extensive history of gang-related activity in both Sonoma and Lake County,” he added.

Because the teen is currently on probation, officers were able to conduct a search of his home. They arrested him for assault with a deadly weapon, resisting/delaying and obstructing a peace officer, criminal street gang enhancements and violation of probation.

The victim said he didn't know his attackers, Rasmussen reported. The teen isn't a gang member and hadn't had previous contacts with police.

The boy's brother, who police also hadn't had contact with, did admit to being associated with the Angelino Heights gang, a subset of the Surenos, said Rasmussen.

The investigation is continuing, said Rasmussen. “We've got some leads on some other suspects and they are known to us.”

He added, if police can put together a case on anyone else, they will make additional arrests.

Lakeport Police submitted a report on the 16-year-old arrested in the attack to the Juvenile Probation Department Thursday morning, said Rasmussen. That department will then review the case and decide whether to send it to the District Attorney's Office.

“I would suspect that this will be sent to the DA,” said Rasmussen.

Anyone with information regarding the Lakeport assault is asked to contact Officers Jarvis Leishman or Destry Henderson at 263-5491.

Gang assaults look similar

Wednesday's gang-related assault looks strikingly similar to a March assault that took place in Library Park, in front of TNT on the Lake restaurant, said Rasmussen.

In that March 16 incident, 19-year-old Alex Larranaga of Clearlake Oaks was allegedly attacked and stabbed outside of the restaurant by five Lakeport teens, among them known Surenos gang members. Larranaga survived the assault.

Both assaults involved multiple subjects attacking one victim, said Rasmussen.

“The only difference here,” Rasmussen said of Wednesday's assault, “is that they used a rock instead of a knife.”

Police don't believe the similarities translate into the two attacks being related, Rasmussen said.

The Nortenos and Surenos are the two leading gangs in the Lakeport area, said Rasmussen, and are most responsible for gang-related problems.

He added that there are more Surenos than Nortenos around Lakeport.

Rasmussen said that although there have been more gang-related incidents in recent months, police don't believe there are actually more gang members, but that current gang members are becoming more brazen.

“It just shows that they don't have any fear of carrying out their assaults on people, because they'll do it right on a public street or in front of a restaurant,” said Rasmussen.

In the Larranaga case, four of the five suspects – including two teenagers who will stand trial as adults – are due in court for their preliminary hearings later this month, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.

Ricardo Tapia Muniz, 18; Elias Hernandez, 19; Mathew Domeier, 16; and Juan Yepez, 17, all will be in Superior Court's Department 2 on July 24 to face charges of attempted murder with gang enhancements and aggravated mayhem, which is a lesser charge related to attempted murder, said Hinchcliff. Hernandez and Yepez also face conspiracy charges.

A fifth suspect, a 14-year-old male, faces conspiracy and attempted murder charges with the gang enhancement as well, but isn't being tried as an adult, officials previously reported.

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Crews work to fix a broken water main along Country Club at 15th Avenue in Lucerne. Photo by Lenny Matthews.

LUCERNE – Lucerne's aging water system sprang another leak over the Fourth of July holiday.

Residents noticed a huge main break at 15^th Avenue and Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.

Lenny Matthews said her home was without water for at least a half hour. She called Cal Water's toll-free number to report the emergency but was told no emergency crews were available to respond.

She then drove down to Cal Water's Lucerne office on Highway 20, which was closed. From there she went to the Northshore Fire Protection District main office in Lucerne, where Chief Jim Robbins had already made calls to Cal Water about the pipe break.

Robbins had better luck than Matthews, with crews from Cal Water and Epidendio Construction on scene late Wednesday afternoon to repair the break.

The crews had to dig a trench about 5 feet deep in the dirt alongside Country Club to get down to the broken pipe.

Matthews said her water was back on later in the afternoon.

Cal Water customers began receiving letters this week from the company, thanking them for conservation efforts so far this spring.

However, the letter informed customers that that continued conservation was needed to prevent water outages, especially over the Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays.

Among the company's suggestions to save water: stop outdoor irrigation and fix leaking pipes.

There's no word yet on the amount of water lost in the Lucerne water break.

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