LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center has a new name.

The name of the center, located at 3985 Country Club Drive, has been changed to the Northshore Community Center, according to Executive Director Rae Eby-Carl.

Eby-Carl said the center is continuing to expand services and wanted to reflect its multi-age activities in a new name.

“The center will continue with all of the same activities and nutrition programs for seniors while adding new services for all ages in Northshore communities,” said Northshore Community Center Board Chairman John Brosnan.

The center will continue to provide senior services from Glenhaven to Blue Lakes. The thrift store is open from Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We are the heart of the north shore and have an excellent location to involve everyone needing a space for activities and meetings,” Eby-Carl said.

Northshore Community Center will continue to hold its own events, rent out space, and offer a location for community benefit activities, she said.

Upcoming center-sponsored activities this month include the Poet and Songwriter’s Workshop on Oct. 14 and Open Mic Lucerne on Oct. 17. Both are free events. Bring the whole family to this historic site for activities and plan to have a great time.

For those who would like to get involved, the center is always recruiting volunteers for the thrift store, Friday food pantry, pickups and deliveries, office and kitchen help.

For more information or to reserve rooms, call the Northshore Community Center at 707-274-8779. 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg was recognized this week for his role in a nationwide “Call to Action” that emphasizes the importance of school attendance.

Education Week listed more than 200 superintendents who are launching the academic year with a commitment to making reducing chronic absence a top priority, digging deeper into attendance data and working with community partners to improve school attendance starting as soon as children enter school.

The Call to Action drew leaders from some of the nation’s largest districts – New York City, Los Angeles and Miami-Dade County – as well as superintendents from smaller places, such as Glasgow, Montana with 850 students or Alpine County, Calif., with 80.

“We will continue to keep the future of Lake County's children as our top priority,” Falkenberg said. “I encourage you to work with friends and family, carpool, and help one another to make sure that all our children have access to quality education each and every day.”

Poor attendance is a surprisingly prevalent but often overlooked factor in why students and schools are struggling academically, officials said.

Although absenteeism is often considered a high school problem, national research shows that one in 10 kindergarten and first-grade students miss nearly a month of school every year in excused and unexcused absences.

Regardless of the reason for the absence, these missed days can leave children falling behind in reading and math. By sixth grade, chronic absence becomes a warning sign that a student might drop out of high school.

The Call to Action for superintendents is sponsored by seven national organizations that lead the Attendance Awareness Month campaign: America’s Promise Alliance, Attendance Works, The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Get Schooled, Healthy Schools Campaign, Points of Light and United Way Worldwide.

By joining the Call to Action, Brock Falkenberg will have access to tools, expert advice and peer learning opportunities.

Although many residents are still displaced, schools have reopened and education officials are working with each other across districts as well as the community to ensure that children attend school.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While there has been no upward movement on the Valley fire's containment in the last few days, officials said firefighters are continuing to do mop up and perimeter control on the 76,067-acre incident.

Todd Derum of Cal Fire, who served as the initial operations chief on the Valley fire, told community members at the opening of the new office for Assemblyman Bill Dodd and state Sen. Mike McGuire on Tuesday that the fire remained at 97-percent containment.

That containment number remained the same on Wednesday morning.

Derum said 10 hand crews and six engine strike teams – composed of five engines each – are continuing to work in the fire area, with their work ranging from digging out hot spots and dealing with damaged trees to assisting with road repairs.

Other resources still assigned to the fire on Tuesday included 815 personnel, nine water tenders, four helicopters and three dozers, Cal Fire reported.

Cal Fire had estimated that the fire – which began Sept. 12 in the Cobb area – may not be fully contained until early next week.

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.

Year in and year out, thousands of people have been killed by distracted drivers and even more have been injured.

By simply changing your driving habits, you can help stop distracted driving.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is launching the statewide Adult Distracted Drivers traffic safety grant in partnership with the California Office of Traffic Safety.

The grant is a yearlong campaign that combines education and enforcement in order to combat distracted driving.

The CHP will complete a minimum of 50 distracted driving enforcement operations and at least 300 traffic safety presentations statewide by the end of September 2016.

Many distractions exist while driving, but cell phones remain the top distraction because so many drivers use them for long periods of time each day.

Driving and talking on a cell phone are both tasks that require a lot of thought. When doing both, your brain cannot do either very well.

“For your safety and the well-being of those around you, keep your eyes on the road and not your phone,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Nothing on that phone is worth endangering a life.”

It is important that drivers understand that the likelihood of being involved in an automobile accident increases dramatically if you drive distracted.

Distracted driving puts everyone on the road in danger. Some of the most common types of distracted driving include: texting and driving, talking on a cell phone, eating while driving, grooming while driving, talking to passengers, operating a navigation system, and adjusting the radio.

“Our goal with this grant is to further educate the public about the hazards associated with distracted driving and ultimately encourage drivers to discontinue the potentially deadly habit,” Commissioner Farrow added.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority said it will continue offering free rides through October thanks to a federal grant.

Mark Wall, general manager for Lake Transit, said the free rides began on Sept. 15 to help Lake County residents with transportation needs during the Valley fire emergency.

He said the extended free rides program is made possible through the help of a federal grant designed to assist with Valley fire recovery efforts.

Lake Transit officials met with Caltrans and Federal Transit Administration last week to discuss ways to boost service to help those who have been displaced from their homes, Wall said.

Along with the free rides in October, additional services are being planned and will be announced soon, according to Wall.

Since some customers have already purchased October monthly passes, Wall said Lake Transit will honor the October passes through November.

For more information, including schedules and routes, visit Lake Transit online at http://laketransit.org/ .

The turn of the calendar from September to October each year goes without fanfare in most of California, but for the Department of Water Resources’ State Water Project, each Oct. 1 is the start of a new water year.

Water year 2015 has been noteworthy for much less precipitation than normal in California, temperatures much warmer than normal and a growing El Niño in the Eastern Pacific that many Californians hope will end the state’s drought.

Most of all, Water year 2015 will be remembered as the fourth year of one of the state’s most severe dry periods on record.

Water year 2015 continued the trend of surface water shortages for many urban and agricultural agencies. 

Most notably, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project again had record low deliveries of zero project water to its north-of-Delta and south-of-Delta agricultural contractors and to agricultural contractors in its Friant Division.  

The State Water Project provided only 20 percent of its urban and agricultural contractors’ requested amounts.

Statewide, the only bright picture was the Colorado River service area, where contractors for this interstate supply continued to receive their full allotments.

A look back at the water year would not be complete without noting the water conservation efforts undertaken in earnest by Californians following Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s April 1 executive order mandating a statewide 25-percent reduction in potable urban water use.

Save Our Water, the Department of Water Resources' partnership with the Association of California Water Agencies, ramped up its conservation messaging, as did water agencies and municipalities. Many of them encouraged residents to conserve by offering turf and appliance rebate programs.

In August, the Department of Water Resources launched its own program with rebates up to $2,000 for turf replacement and $100 for households that replace an inefficient toilet. By late summer, statewide urban water consumption was about 30 percent lower than during the same months in 2013, according to the State Water Resources Control Board.

The statewide snowpack on April 1 held only 5 percent of the average water content on that date in records dating to 1950. The previous low record of 25 percent of average was set in 1977 during one of California’s most significant droughts and was tied in 2014. Of the nine April 1 snowpack values below 50 percent of average since 1950, three have occurred in the past three years of drought.

Lower-than-average precipitation and record warm temperatures during the traditional winter wet season produced the diminished snowpack. 

According to the California Climate Tracker, the winter average minimum temperature for the Sierra Nevada region was 32.1 degrees Fahrenheit, the first time this value was above water’s freezing point in 120 years of record-keeping.

The few winter storms of the past two years were warmer than average and tended to produce rain, not snow.

Most of the rainfall in Northern California, the State Water Project's primary water supply region, occurs from November through March, but with virtually no snow in the mountains to melt, storage in the state’s reservoirs also has been much lower than average.

The Department of Water Resources continuously tracks storage in 154 reservoirs around the state, and as Water Year 2015 ends, they hold only 54 percent of their historic average.

Storage in Northern California’s major reservoirs (as percentages of their historic averages for this time of year) also is far below normal: Lake Shasta (59%), Lake Oroville (48%), Trinity Lake (33%), Folsom Lake (32%) and New Melones (20%).

As the reservoirs’ storage continued to decline, the Department of Water Resources determined that a temporary emergency drought barrier was needed on West False River to block salt water intrusion into the central Delta.

The barrier was an essential part of the Department of Water Resources' strategy to maintain good water quality in the Delta and preserve water in upstream reservoirs to help keep young salmon cool enough to stay alive downstream of dams.

The barrier was in place by June, and dismantling began in early September. Removal will be complete by mid-November.

Water year 2016 – the El Niño question

The periodic warming of surface waters in the equatorial Eastern Pacific Ocean, known as El Niño, was first observed in the 1800s and has been studied intensely for its observable effect on weather patterns around the world – including, on occasion, heavy precipitation in California.

El Niños are categorized as weak, moderate or strong depending on how much the surface temperatures increase and on certain atmospheric measurements.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, there is about a 95 percent chance of a strong El Niño during the coming winter, meaning the water temperature will be 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit or more warmer than normal.

Six strong El Niño events since 1950 produced wet conditions in Southern California, but only the strongest ones in water years 1983 and 1998 brought significant precipitation throughout the state.

In the four other strong El Niño years, the critical up-state water-collecting regions received far less rainfall.

As Water year 2015 draws to a close, it is still too soon to know whether the building El Niño will be a drought-buster or simply a bust.

As it does during every water year, the Department of Water Resources will continuously monitor precipitation totals and reservoir storage as California enters its traditional wet season.

The first media-oriented manual snow survey of the winter will be conducted in the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento around Jan. 1.

That survey may provide an indication of whether water year 2016 will see enough precipitation and enough snowpack to move California closer to the end of the drought.

A fifth year of drought certainly is a possibility. California has experienced two six-year droughts in the past nine decades  – 1929 to 1934 and 1987 to 1992.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An open house concerning the expansion of the Clearlake Walmart will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Clearlake City Hall, 10450 Olympic Drive.

The purpose of the open house is to solicit comments from public agencies and the community in regard to the scope of the project's environmental impact report, which is currently being prepared.

Exhibits concerning the proposed project will be on hand for review and comment.

Walmart is planning an approximately 40,000-square-foot expansion of its Clearlake store, which is currently about 105,000 square feet.

According to contracted city planner Gary Price, the project will increase store size by about 40 percent.

Walmart proposes its expansion on the north side of its existing building, which is adjacent to the Yuba College Clear Lake campus.

The project includes removal of an existing loading dock and demolition of the tire and lube center. The garden center will be enlarged by about 2,900 square feet.

Numerous changes to the inside of the building are planned as are parking lot improvements including additional lighting.

Truck lanes are to be added the east side of the building and additional entry ways are planned.

Facade and signage changes also are included in the project.

As the applicant, Walmart will pay for all costs associated with preparing the environmental impact report.

Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport man and his mother were arrested on Wednesday in connection to a felony hit-and-run crash on Tuesday night that seriously hurt two local men.

David Allen Lent, 28, and his mother, Lynda Lou Lent, 52, were taken into custody early Wednesday morning, according to a report from the Lakeport Police Department.

David Lent was arrested for felony hit-and-run causing great bodily injury and a local warrant for theft, while his mother was arrested for being an accessory to a crime, authorities said.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday Lakeport Police officers were dispatched to an injury hit-and-run accident involving a vehicle versus two bicycle riders in the area of Martin and Bevins streets, according to the Lakeport Police report.

Officers arrived on scene and found two male subjects lying on the street on Bevins Street. Police identified the two cyclists as Corey Bauman, 41, of Lakeport and Nicolas Thompson, 32, of Upper Lake.

Both Bauman and Thompson sustained major injuries and were transported by ambulance to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, from where they were flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, police said.

Officers on scene received information from witnesses that the vehicle description was a gray-colored, 1990s model Nissan truck, with front grill damage and a shattered windshield. Police said the vehicle was reported to be heading in the direction south on Bevins Street.

The police report said officers put out a be on the lookout for the vehicle to allied agencies and immediately canvased the city looking for a vehicle matching that description. Officers secured the scene of the accident to further conduct a felony hit-and-run investigation.

Throughout the night, officers developed information that led to the identity of the driver as being David Lent, with a possible location of his whereabouts, police said.

Lakeport Police officers, along with the California Highway Patrol, responded to the 4000 block of George Road in Lakeport, the residence of Lynda Lent. Upon arrival, officers made several attempts to make contact with the occupants but received no response. Officers noted the television was on and it appeared the residence may be occupied, according to police.

Lakeport Police and a Lake County District Attorney’s Office investigator remained on scene, pending the authorization of a search warrant, police said.

At approximately 6 a.m. Wednesday, officers observed lights turning on within the residence. Within minutes of seeing the lights turn on from inside, David Lent was observed exiting the property in a gray-colored Nissan truck with major front end damage, and a broken windshield, the report explained.

The Lakeport Police Department report said officers converged on the vehicle, at which time David Lent exited the driver’s seat and fled into the residence. Officers pursued Lent to the front door, where they were contacted by Lynda Lent, who allowed them inside.

Once inside, police took David Lent into custody, subsequently arresting his mother as well. Police said both were transported to the Hill Road Correctional Facility, where they were booked.

Lynda Lent's bail was set at $15,000, while her son's is set at $250,000. Both remained in custody on Wednesday afternoon.

Officers continued to follow up on the conditions of Bauman and Thompson throughout the night, and received information that Bauman is listed in critical condition and Thompson is listed in serious condition, police reported.

The Lakeport Police Department is continuing the investigation and is seeking information regarding witness reports of a pedestrian who was nearly struck by David Lent at the Bella Vista Apartments on Martin Street just prior to the crash involving the bicyclists.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lakeport Police Department at 707-263-5491.

The Lakeport Police Department thanked the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol, District Attorney’s Office and Lakeport Public Works for their assistance during this investigation.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – This week the Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol will offer a free “Start Smart” traffic safety class for soon-to-be licensed, newly licensed, and teenage drivers and their parents or guardians.

The class will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Clear Lake Area CHP office located at 5700 Live Oak Drive in Kelseyville.

The leading cause of death for Americans ages 15 to 19 years old is motor vehicle collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the CHP's goal is to reduce the death rate among young drivers as the result of these collisions.

“The CHP is committed to mitigating traffic collisions involving young, inexperienced drivers, because they are preventable,” said Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the Clear Lake Area CHP office. “Start Smart is an excellent program that promotes safe driving for young new drivers.”

The CHP’s “Start Smart” program is aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers understand the critical responsibilities of driving and to understand that accidents happen, but collisions are 100-percent preventable. 

The program is designed to provide an interactive safe driving awareness class which will illustrate how poor choices behind the wheel of a car can affect the lives of numerous people. 

“Start Smart” also focuses on responsibilities of newly licensed drivers, responsibilities of parents or guardians and collision avoidance techniques. 

Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP office, 707-279-0103. 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – CalRecycle, the California Office of Emergency Services and Lake County Environmental Health have announced the opening of two debris removal operations centers for residents affected by the Valley, Rocky and Jerusalem fires.

A debris removal operations center for the Rocky and Jerusalem fires is located at 16195 Main St. in Lower Lake. 

Referred to as the “old bank building,” the lower lake center now serves as the information center for residents who have had their residences or outbuildings burned by the fires and have signed the right of entry form with the county of lake for the provision of the fire-related debris on their property. 

Debris removal on the Rocky and Jerusalem properties was initiated on Sept. 30, and will continue until it is completed.

An additional debris removal operations center for the Valley fire will be opened this Friday, Oct. 2, at 21297 Calistoga Road in Middletown, one block south of the Middletown Senior Center.

This center will serve as the contact point for residents who lost their homes in the Valley fire.

Visitors to the center will be able to receive information on the anticipated dates that their property will be cleaned, amend the original right of entry form left with county staff, or submit new right of entry forms.

Debris removal work on the Valley fire will be initiated on Oct. 2 and will continue until the job is completed.

Telephone numbers for both centers are currently being arranged, and will be published as soon as they are available. Hours of operation for both centers will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The opening of the debris removal operation centers means that the right of entry forms will no longer be available at or accepted at the local assistance centers, and should only be submitted at the debris removal operation centers.

In addition, staff of the US Environmental Protection Agency, Emergency Response Office, have initiated removal of visible hazardous wastes from the burned residential and commercial properties in the Valley fire area. 

This project is expected to take two to three weeks. The debris removal portion of the project will be initiated once the hazardous materials have been removed, and the priority for both aspects of the project will be clearing the burned dwellings nearest schools.

For the latest news and information on the Valley Fire recovery, please visit www.lakecountylac.com or Lake County OES’ social media sites.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A Kelseyville man who escaped from a sheriff's patrol vehicle over the weekend was taken back into custody on Tuesday during a traffic stop.

Edward Dallas Gutierrez, 30, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon without incident, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.

At 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 deputies responded to a residence located in the 10000 block of Point Lakeview Road in Kelseyville. People were reported to be inside a residence which was not supposed to be occupied, Brooks said.

Brooks said the deputies located Gutierrez inside the residence with two other subjects. All three said they were renting rooms at the residence from another individual.

The deputies requested that Central Dispatch conduct a records check on each of the subjects, Brooks said.

While waiting to receive information concerning the records check, one of the deputies noticed several items in the garage, which looked similar to items reported taken during a burglary earlier in the year. The deputy asked specific questions concerning some of the property, which the subjects could not account for, Brooks said.

Central Dispatch advised that Gutierrez had two outstanding warrants for his arrest, and Brooks said Gutierrez was arrested for the warrants and placed in the rear seat of the patrol vehicle, while the deputy returned to the garage and continued his investigation concerning the possible stolen property.

Brooks said Gutierrez was able to force one of the rear windows down and escaped from inside the patrol vehicle while handcuffed.

Several additional deputies responded to the area to assist in locating Gutierrez with negative results. Residents in the area were notified of the escape via City Watch, which is a program designed to call people living within a specific area and advise them of emergencies or law enforcement activities, Brooks said.

On Tuesday at approximately 1:40 p.m., a deputy recognized Gutierrez as being a passenger in a vehicle, according to Brooks.

Brooks said the deputy conducted an enforcement stop in the area of Highway 29 and Kit's Corner in Kelseyville.

Gutierrez was arrested for the two warrants, being in possession of methamphetamine and for escaping custody while being charged with a felony, Brooks said.

He said the investigation concerning the possible stolen property is ongoing.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild is happy to announce that the Falling Leaves Quilt Show will occur as planned at the Lake County Fairgrounds this weekend.

With fire crews based in the fairgrounds – located at 401 Martin St. – quilt show organizers have been holding their breaths and assessing other locations while waiting to learn if the show’s long-time venue will be available in time for the show to open this weekend.

The quilt guild learned Monday that firefighters who have been fighting the Valley fire are now leaving Lake County and the fairground is available for civilian activities.

Sue Schedler, Linda Morrison and Donna James, the show’s co-chairwomen, want to reassure the public that the quilt show, which draws 500 to 600 quilt-loving guests from all over Northern California, will be open Saturday, Oct. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The air is clear and the roads are open.

The show will feature about 200 quilts, from minis a few inches across to king-size bedcovers executed in a variety of techniques and in all colors of the spectrum.

Other attractions will be featured quilter Judy Sisneros, the Country Store Boutique, a vendor mall, quilting demonstrations, themed gift baskets and an opportunity quilt. Angelina’s Bakery will cater lunch Saturday and Sunday.

For more information contact show co-chairs Sue Schedler, 707-900-8265, or Linda Morrison, 707-263-4504.

More information can be found on the Web site at www.LLQG.org/quilt-show.html .