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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters said that Lake County can expect more days of steady rain in the week ahead, with the possibility of an atmospheric river moving over the region later this week.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Lake County’s northern mountains. It’s in effect through 10 a.m. Sunday.

Portions of Lake County, mostly along the Northshore, also are under a winter weather advisory through 6 p.m. Monday.

Forecasters also are reporting that there is the possibility of an atmospheric river that could impact Northern California beginning on Thursday, bringing with it heavy precipitation, strong winds and continued cool temperatures.

On Saturday, rain – accompanied by high winds – fell steadily across Lake County.

The heavy rain and wind, plus snow in higher elevations, caused traffic issues throughout the day.

The California Highway Patrol reported snow on parts of Highway 175 in Cobb and at Soda Creek and Elk Mountain Road in Upper Lake.

There also were reports of rock and mudslides along Highway 20, particularly near Blue Lakes.

The day’s major traffic incident was a fatal head-on crash involving two vehicles on Highway 20 near the Oasis east of Clearlake Oaks.

The resulting highway closure backed up traffic for miles in both directions, according to reports from the scene. It was not immediately clear what caused the wreck.

In addition to impacting safety on the roads, the weather conditions appeared to have caused a number of small power outages around Lake County, based on Pacific Gas and Electric’s online outage map.

The National Weather Service reported the following 24-hour rain totals as of 2:30 a.m. Sunday based on its network of observation stations in Lake County. Amounts are in inches:

– Bartlett Springs: 0.71;
– Hidden Valley Lake: 2.05;
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.72;
– Kelseyville: 0.84;
– Knoxville Creek: 1.22;
– Lakeport: 0.68;
– Lower Lake: 1.21;
– Lyons Valley: 0.67;
– Soda Creek: 0.73;
– Whispering Pines: 1.32.

The specific Lake County forecast anticipates rain through Monday night, with lesser chances of precipitation on Tuesday and Wednesday. Rain is likely on Thursday and Friday, but the local forecast so far only says there’s only a chance of rain on Saturday.

Daytime temperatures will range into the lower 50s, while nighttime temperatures are expected to drop into the high 30s.

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.
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What's up for December? Venus, Saturn, the crescent Moon and Mars make close passes at dusk and dawn throughout the month.

December starts off with a lovely string of pearls — with Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the crescent Moon forming a lineup at dusk on Dec. 1.

You'll need a pretty clear view toward the horizon to see Jupiter, which is setting soon after the Sun these days. Look for an unobscured view toward the southwest about half an hour after sunset.

In the middle of December, watch each evening from Dec. 9 through 13, as Venus and Saturn just skim past each other, with brilliant, cloud-swaddled planet Venus rising higher in the sky each day.

Early risers can catch a glimpse of the Red Planet being visited by the slim crescent of the Moon on Dec. 22 and 23. To see them, look toward the southeast about 45 minutes before sunrise. You'll see the Moon above Mars on Dec. 22. By Dec. 23, it's moved below Mars and a bit toward the east.

At the end of December, you won't want to miss a dazzling pair-up of Venus and the crescent Moon.

On Dec. 28, look low in the southwest sky at dusk to find Venus hovering in twilight just above a slim lunar crescent.

NASA's space missions explore the Moon and the planets of our solar system to answer fundamental science questions about where we come from, where we're going and whether we're alone.

Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The phases of the Moon for December 2019. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
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Moving to strengthen safeguards for fish and expand science-based decision making, the California Department of Water Resources has taken formal steps to begin environmental review of long-term operations of the State Water Project, or SWP.

The action enables California’s water project operations to avoid relying on proposed federal biological opinions announced last month to achieve environmental approval to operate consistent with state law.

Instead, DWR will seek approval from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to operate the SWP in a way that improves protections for fish and complies with the California Endangered Species Act, or CESA.

In a key step toward that goal, DWR today issued a draft document prepared under the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA, that identifies potential operational changes to protect species and manage the SWP based on real-time conditions in the Delta ecosystem, including additional flows dedicated to the environment.

DWR’s draft environmental impact report, or EIR, draws on a decade of science and a quantitative analysis of best-available data on flows, modeling, habitat and climate change impacts.

The draft EIR is available here and the appendices can be found here.

“This draft points to a more sophisticated and nimble way to manage the State Water Project to improve our ability to protect species and operate more flexibly. This is essential in order to capture water when it’s available and leave more water when and where fish need it,” said DWR Director Karla A. Nemeth.

The SWP captures and stores water that originates in the Sierra Nevada and delivers it to 27 million Californians in the Bay Area, Central California and Southern California.

DWR’s draft EIR is separate from the proposed biological opinions issued by federal agencies on Oct. 22 for long-term operation of the federal Central Valley Project and the SWP.

Earlier this year, out of concern for the scientific rigor of the federal process, DWR indicated it would pursue its own environmental review and permit process to ensure protection of endangered species under state law.

Concurrent with the environmental review under CEQA, DWR is developing an application for a permit from CDFW for long-term SWP operations under CESA.

CDFW will determine requirements for the permit in the coming months, with a specific focus on mitigating impacts of SWP operations on longfin smelt, Delta smelt, winter-run and spring-run Chinook salmon.

The draft EIR assesses impacts of proposed project operations, a “no project” alternative that reflects current operating rules, three alternatives that provide fresh water flows in the spring and summer, and an alternative that uses physical barriers and other deterrents to keep fish away from the SWP pumps.

Historically, DWR had relied on federal Biological Opinions to cover the SWP under the federal ESA, with a consistency determination provided by CDFW.

Securing a separate permit under CESA provides flexibility for CDFW to consider amendments to the permit based on better scientific understanding as part of the adaptive management program, without relying on changes to be made to the federal biological opinions.

It also provides CESA authorization for SWP regardless of any potential changes in federal law.

DWR’s draft proposal differs from the federal biological opinions in several key ways:

– It improves species protection by vesting authority in CDFW to stop operational changes if it determines they will violate CESA standards.
– It includes multiple alternatives that provide a block of environmental water that can be used to offset pumping impacts in the Delta, with adjustments made over time as new information is learned.
– It provides clear direction on when Delta pumping can be increased during storm events and caps the amount that exports can be increased in those events.
– It includes updated modeling and quantitative analyses to support habitat actions in summer and fall to benefit Delta smelt.
– It includes specific protections for longfin smelt, a protected species under CESA, and a commitment to implementing a longfin smelt science plan.
– It does not seek to increase SWP exports.

DWR’s draft EIR will be available for public comment through Jan. 6, 2020.

DWR anticipates completing a final document in early 2020, with a permit from CDFW expected to follow.
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Acorn-cache on a gnarled oak trunk. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After the recent rains, on a blessedly damp and shiver-inducing gray day the landscape's colors and textures, painted by the grandest environmental designer of all, take on a different look.

We are always cognizant of the texture, or tactile quality of everyday objects with which we are in contact, even if it is at the periphery of our senses – the smooth sheets of a bed, soft fleece of a well-loved sweater, or the comforting and creamy texture of a bowl of hot oatmeal.

Looking out the window the layers of texture in the just-fallen leaves and the tree's gnarly bark can be seen.

Taking a walk along Cache Creek the waterscape of the creekbed appears to take on a newly-textured look, since the recent rain has rearranged it.

The demure pools in the creek soon become outrageous after the rain's redesign. The harmonizing of water's abundant flow now creates a new story to “read” in nature, and is enhanced by these forces in the natural world.

Moss on a tree trunk. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

Next to the creek, where I stroll, is a level trail that consists of soil's organic material, that of decayed plants and animals, chipped rock and mineral fragments that formed over the millennia. Now this trail demonstrates a new and slightly different topography with a range of textures.

If you consider just one small square of soil, maybe just outside your door, it is almost mind-boggling to think about the layers that lie beneath our feet.

From the organic or humus layer of a plants remnants derived from a tree – fall's leaves and twigs – then next, the relatively thin layer, possibly 5 inches deep, down to the subsoil beneath that, with its iron, clay and additional organic matter. Then, delving deeper, the “parent layer” of hefty rocks, and on down several feet to the bedrock beneath our feet – that huge heap of rock can be found.

That is a lot of texture-inducing material.

Nature's landscape design – in its leaves and bark and waving grasses – does on a large scale what a good landscape designer tries to achieve on a smaller scale around a home or in a garden.

Textural contrasts play a part in both, as you perceive leaves of differing sizes, shapes and surface feel. The contrast of coarse tree bark overlaid with cotton-soft mosses seem to be tricks to elevate our awareness of what we are viewing.

The varying textural contrasts relate to both how a plant feels, i.e., smooth, abrasive, or rough, or it can refer to how plants look as they are juxtaposed in the wild.

Unfurling manzanita bark. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

In other words, sometimes we are drawn to these contrasts in texture because of the objects' properties of color, or its size. The plants' wispy foliage or its coarse leaves create other nuances of texture.

To delve further into nature's nuances we might consider the plant's scent as part of its textural makeup.

The fine fragrance of pine may initially draw you in, then on closer observation you note the subtle changes which have occurred since it grew new and feathery soft needles.

Looking closer you see the bark has so many hues that combine to make up the trunk's unique grainy covering.

You might ascertain the proximity of a California bay laurel tree by its sharp, fresh scent and again at further notice, as it draws you nearer you ascertain the miniscule spheres of its fruit, the olive-colored bay balls.

Take a texture walk and consider all of the surfaces around you, using your eye to sense color and grain of the scenery nearby.

You may want to write about them, sketch some or simply wander and enjoy!

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”

A stellar jay feather juxtaposed against leaves and grass. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
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At the Friday, November 15, 2019, “Palette to Palate” event at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, Calif., Lisa Kaplan, artist and Director of MAC, speaks about the work directly behind her: “Burn,” two archival digital prints by Yelena Zhavoronkova. In the foreground are works of fiber art by Alana Clearlake, some of which include items from nature, such as Spanish moss and eucalyptus bark. Photo by Esther Oertel.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On the evening of Friday, Nov. 15, lights at the Middletown Art Center beckoned warmly on an otherwise dark street.

Inside, bottles from the Shannon Ridge Family of Wines lined a tasting table and the work of local artists graced the exhibit space.

Visitors sipped wine, mingled and wandered reflectively among the pieces.

The exhibit, “All That Is Now: The Fourth Anniversary Fire Show,” featured work created in response to the Valley fire of September 2015, as well as more recent fires. The event was also the closing reception of the show.

The artwork, done in various media and often using objects changed by fire, showcased the varied ways artistic creativity can express reaction to traumatic experience.

The pieces, from sculptures to photographs to fiber art to paintings, reflected both the poignancy of surviving fire and the resilience needed to be present now, four years after the event.

“At a Loss for Words,” a sculpture by Terry Church made from salvaged metal and burned wood from the 2015 Valley fire, was on display at the “Palette to Palate” event at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California, on Friday, November 15, 2019. Photo by Esther Oertel.


A “documentation room” featured photographs of area fires since 2015. This was in a space separate from the main exhibit to respect those who might be triggered by scenes of fire.

As artist and Middletown Art Center Director Lisa Kaplan welcomed visitors and presented information on many of the exhibited pieces, a multi-faceted story unfolded, one of individual experiences forming a communal whole.

Two of the participating artists, Alana Clearlake, fiber artist, and Terry Church, sculptor, spoke in more detail about their work.

During her presentation on wines, Joy Merrilees, Shannon Ridge director of winemaking and production, compared winemaking to art with yeast as the medium. With a background in landscape design, her prior focus on plant science and art has easily translated to winemaking.

“Salt & Pepper,” a 2019 art piece by Monte Brill, chronicles the finding of his wife’s salt and pepper shaker collection after the loss of her home in the 2015 Valley fire. The work was on display at the “Palette to Palate” event at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California, on Friday, November 15, 2019. Photo by Esther Oertel.


Merrilees, a Lake County native, fell in love with the wine industry while traveling in New Zealand. It was there she embraced a career in wine, beginning as a migrant worker in the vineyards and eventually becoming a winemaker. Her experience was literally from the ground up.

Shannon Ridge vineyards lie in three of Lake County’s seven wine appellations: Red Hills, Big Valley and High Valley. Each growing area creates unique flavor qualities, whether from red volcanic soil or the heavy black earth of an old lakebed.

This is the winemaking palette from which Merrilees and her associate winemaker, also a woman, craft the wide variety of wines offered by Shannon Ridge.

“Containment Line, Geysers Fire,” a 2017 chromogenic print by aerial photographer Herb Lingl was on display at the “Palette to Palate” event at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California, on Friday, November 15, 2019. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Events such as Palette to Palate help support the programs of Middletown Art Center. To find out more about events, exhibits, classes, volunteer opportunities and membership, please visit their website at www.middletownartcenter.org.

As Kaplan said in her closing comments, “MAC is weaving the arts into the fabric of our community. We hope you’ll be part of our threading.”

To learn more about the Shannon Ridge Family of Wines, visit https://www.shannonridge.com.

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She lives in Middletown, Calif.
“Wherever They May Fall,” a work by Jaye Moscariello, features fire damaged pieces of garden hose at the “Palette to Palate” event at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California, on Friday, November 15, 2019. Photo by Esther Oertel.
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The wind speed of a devastating Category 5 hurricane can top over 150 miles per hour.

Now imagine another kind of wind with an average speed of 0.87 million miles per hour.

Welcome to the wind that begins in our sun and doesn’t stop until after it reaches the edge of the heliosphere: the solar wind.

The corona is the sun’s inner atmosphere – the brightness that can be seen surrounding an eclipsed sun – and home to the continually expanding solar wind.

Right now, the Parker Solar Probe – a NASA mission launched in 2018 – is orbiting the sun and will get as close as 3.83 million miles of the sun’s surface.

Parker is gathering new data about the solar particles and magnetic fields that comprise the solar wind. More specifically, two of its main goals are to examine the energy that heats the corona and speeds up the solar wind, and determine the structure of the wind’s magnetic fields.

While many theories describe the solar wind’s history, this is what we do know: The solar wind impacting Earth’s magnetosphere is responsible for triggering those majestic auroras typically seen at locations close to our north and south poles.

In some cases it can also set off space weather storms that disrupt everything from our satellites in space, to ship communications on our oceans, to power grids on land.

Nicky Fox is the division director for heliophysics at NASA Headquarters. She explains in more detail how the solar wind disrupts our magnetosphere: “As the wind flows toward Earth, it carries with it the Sun’s magnetic field. It moves very fast, then smacks right into Earth’s magnetic field. The blow causes a shock to our magnetic protection, which can result in turbulence.”

NASA also has another reason to study the solar wind and its properties – the solar wind is part of a larger space weather system that can affect astronauts and technology.

As Fox notes: “We not only have to ensure our astronauts are protected from the harmful effects of radiation. We have to protect our equipment too. So, we’ve already found aluminum to be a good shield to protect our crafts from many energetic particles. But there are also faster particles that travel at 80 percent of the speed of light, which can cause havoc with parts of a spacecraft. They can smash into and damage solar panels, disrupt electronics, or affect electric currents that flow along power grids. So, we’re currently conducting tests with small pieces of technology to study how well they can survive in intense radiation areas.”

Knowing more about the effects of the solar wind is not only important to those of us who live on Earth. It will be critical to know how to mitigate its effects once our astronauts travel back to the Moon and beyond for extended periods of time.

Fox concludes: “My feeling is – if the Sun sneezes, Earth catches a cold, because we always feel the impact of what happens on the Sun thanks to the solar wind.”

Get blown away by the science behind the solar wind at http://science.nasa.gov .
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Last-minute shopping can be stressful. Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com

Gift giving is a big deal this time of year.

To find the “perfect” gift, Americans will spend about 15 hours shopping. Women will do about twice as much as men. And they’ll shell out about US$1 trillion on gifts.

While retailers relish the holiday shopping season as a time when consumers open their purses or wallets, for many consumers – especially those who do not like shopping – these days are filled with dread. They mark moments when shoppers clog malls, websites become overloaded and delivery trucks block streets. The entire process generates untold amounts of stress and anxiety.

One source of stress is just how much to spend on gifts. Spending too much can put you in financial distress. Spending too little may make you look cheap.

How do you decide what’s the “right” amount to spend on gifts?

As an economist, I study holidays and gift giving because a large fraction of retail shopping is driven by seasonal events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday – also and more appropriately known as Panic Saturday – which is the last Saturday before Christmas.

‘Dead weight loss’

Gift giving is stressful because nobody wants to buy what they think is a perfect gift only to discover it is a dud.

The long lines of people returning items after the holidays seem evidence enough for that.

This has led some economists to argue there’s a “dead weight loss” to Christmas presents that “destroys” as much as a third of their actual value. A 2018 study estimated Americans spend $13 billion a year on unwanted gifts.

Other economists, however, have resisted this Scrooge-like view of gift giving and point to evidence that a present can actually have more value to the recipient than the price the giver paid. In other words, a gift, even when technically unwanted, could have more value simply because someone else bought it for you.

A third of those polled by Gallup said they planned to spent more than $1,000 on gifts this year. Piotr Piatrouski/Shutterstock.com

Setting a budget

So if you’re dead set on buying some gifts, how much should you budget for it?

Since gifting is a social act, it makes sense to consider how much other people typically spend.

There are a number of surveys run each year that ask people during the fall to estimate what they plan on spending for holiday gifts. The National Retail Federation’s annual survey of holiday spending estimates the typical American will spend $659 on gifts for family, friends and co-workers in 2019. On the high end, Gallup puts the average at $942, with more than a third of respondents expecting to spend over $1,000 on gifts.

But these figures aren’t that helpful for an individual since $659 means something different to someone making $40,000 a year versus $200,000.

That’s where the Consumer Expenditure Survey comes in. It’s a large survey run by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that tracks the spending habits of 12,000 to 15,000 families each year. The government uses the survey to determine the cost of living and inflation rates for the typical family.

The survey follows gift giving very precisely. It has categories for common holiday presents like electronics, books and clothes, as well as gifts that typically aren’t associated with the season such as housing and transportation.

After removing these non-holiday gifts, the typical U.S. family spends about 1% of its annual take-home pay on gifts. So whatever you earn, you could multiply it by 1% to get a figure that is in the ballpark of what the average American spends – but won’t break the bank.

A gift is one way to make a child feel special. Alliance Images/Shutterstock.com

Making the holidays memorable

While calculating a gift budget is one way to take the stress out of how much to spend on gifts, my family has another: Only give gifts to children.

Adults get wrapped boxes filled with paper. After the real gifts are opened and the young children are safely moved out of the way, we crumple up the paper and throw it at each other in our annual paper fight.

That keeps the cost down while making the kids feel special. It also ensures the kids don’t feel left out when their friends talk about the gifts they received. Other families follow their own methods for controlling expenses, such as secret Santa gifts or by focusing attention more on togetherness than on the stuff received.

Whether you have a paper fight or follow another family tradition, my main message is that it doesn’t take very much money to make the winter holidays memorable.

[ Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day. ]The Conversation

Jay L. Zagorsky, Senior Lecturer, Questrom School of Business, Boston University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Representatives of the city of Clearlake, Clearlake Police Association, Golden State Water Co., and the Outreach Team of Clearlake United Methodist Church with some of the turkeys to be distributed in Clearlake, Calif., for Thanksgiving 2019. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake United Methodist Church furnished 47 families with a turkey and all the trimmings to go with it to local Clearlake residences who may not otherwise have celebrated Thanksgiving Day with their families.

With the help of the city of Clearlake, Clearlake Police Association and Golden State Water Co., the Outreach Team of Clearlake UMC quickly got the word out to their pantry clientele, neighbors and sister churches to come pick up a Thanksgiving meal.

“We are very fortunate to have these agencies to help us serve the Clearlake community during the holiday season. The city of Clearlake and Golden State Water Co. provided the turkeys, while our Clearlake Police went out to shop for all the sides and pies for the dinners. These agencies have great compassion for the community,” said Rev. Dawn Roberts, pastor to the church.

Clearlake United Methodist Church is a full community outreach and teaching ministry. Sunday begins the week with worship service, with Pastor Roberts, at noon. All are welcome.

The members, known for their warmth and friendliness, have a saying, “Come as You Are, Leave with A Blessing!”

The services are contemporary, while honoring tradition. Live music and video, Sunday School and Fellowship following. Communion first Sundays the month.

During the week, there are classes to wind down, center and help heal mind and body in one of the long-time established Tai Chi or Yoga classes.

“Our approach is safe for those with limitations, open to men and women, no previous yoga experience is necessary. This benefits many ailments such as arthritis, asthma, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Relaxation practice balances our overworked nervous systems,” explained Marion Kaiser, certified instructor for Relax with Yoga.

AA “Bacon & Egos” group, meets every morning. The Disaster Relief office is open Monday through Friday and by appointment. The food pantry is open to the community each Sunday at 1 p.m., providing fresh, canned and boxed goods. The award-winning Fresh Start Program serves approximately 30 children under age 3 during the school year. CCUMC Thrift Shops as been noted as one of the best in town.

Clearlake Community United Methodist Church campus located at 14501 Pearl Ave. in Clearlake. Call the church at 707-994-2134 or check Facebook.

The Clearlake United Methodist Church Outreach Team with food distributed to community members in need in Clearlake, Calif., for Thanksgiving 2019. Courtesy photo.
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From left, Daniel Wayne Ford, 49, of Lakeport, California, and Michael Sean Shaffer, 35, of Upper Lake, California, are in custody for the killing of 70-year-old Nicky Smith of Lucerne, California, on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Lake County Jail photos.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The two men charged with the murder of a Lucerne man have made their first court appearance in the case while the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it is continuing to try to locate the truck belonging to the victim.

The body of Nicky Dale Smith, 70, was found on the side of the road in the 4550 block of Scotts Valley Road near Lakeport shortly before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, as Lake County News has reported.

Within hours, sheriff’s detectives had identified Daniel Wayne Ford, 49, of Lakeport and Michael Sean Shaffer, 35, of Upper Lake as the suspects in Smith’s killing.

Both men were arrested on Saturday night, as Lake County News has reported.

The sheriff’s office subsequently asked for the community’s help in locating Darlene Geneva Anderson, a Northshore resident they believed had information needed in the investigation.

Sheriff’s Lt. Corey Paulich said detectives were able to locate and interview Anderson.

He said they weren’t commenting on what statements Anderson made to investigators.

Paulich also reported that Smith’s autopsy took place on Wednesday.

“It was determined that he died from blunt force trauma and gunshot wounds,” Paulich said.

Detectives are working hard to contact potential witnesses and searching for evidence, according to Paulich.

Paulich said Smith’s dark green Toyota Tundra pickup, with the license plate “NASTOSR,” is still missing.

The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with information regarding this investigation or the location of Smith’s missing truck to contact Sheriff’s Central Dispatch at 707-263-2690.

Suspects make first court appearance

District Attorney Susan Krones said Ford and Shaffer were arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Tuesday.

Krones has charged the men together with the following crimes:

– Count one: murder, with special allegations that the murder was committed during an attempted robbery, an attempted kidnapping and a carjacking;
– Count two: attempted robbery;
– County three: kidnapping;
– Count four: carjacking, with special allegations of Ford discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, and Ford personally using and firing a handgun;
– Count five (Ford only): assault with a firearm, with a special allegation of Ford using a handgun;
– Count six: (Ford only): assault with a deadly weapon, a flashlight;
– Count seven: Assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, with a special allegation of inflicting great bodily injury on a person who was 70 years old;
– Count eight (Ford only): felon in possession of a firearm.

Court records indicate that Ford has previous felony convictions, including reckless evading in Mendocino County in 2007, possession of methamphetamine for sale in Mendocino County in 2011 and for criminal threats in 2015 in Del Norte County.

Shaffer has felony convictions in Lake County including in 2012 for assault with a deadly weapon and for reckless evading in 2017.

Krones said both men indicated on Tuesday they wanted to hire a private attorney. “So they did not enter a plea.”

She said Ford and Shaffer are scheduled to return to court at 8:15 a.m. Dec. 10 for appearance of counsel and plea entry.

Asked if there is any idea of motive, Krones said, “At this point, no.”

She added, “At this point it’s still an early investigation.”

Krones said, however, that it wasn’t a random killing, with Smith having had prior contact with Ford and Shaffer.

Both Ford and Shaffer are being held at the Lake County Jail without bail, according to jail records.

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.
Authorities are trying to locate this Toyota Tundra pickup, with the license plate “NASTOSR,” that belonged to 70-year-old Nicky Smith of Lucerne, California, who was found murdered on Saturday, November 23, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.


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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control is starting off December with many new adoptable dogs.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd,
bluetick coonhound, cattle dog, Chihuahua, corgi, Doberman Pinscher, Great Pyrenees, McNab, Patterdale terrier/Fell terrier, pit bull, shepherd, treeing walker coonhound and wirehaired terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license 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 hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

“Freckles” is a male McNab-border collie mix in kennel No. 12, ID No. 13299. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Freckles’

“Freckles” is a male McNab-border collie mix with a medium-length black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 13299.

This male Doberman Pinscher is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13284. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Doberman Pinscher

This male Doberman Pinscher has a short black and brown coat.

He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13284.

This female Great Pyrenees is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 13285. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Great Pyrenees

This female Great Pyrenees has a long white coat.

She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 13285.

“Patsy” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13290. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Patsy’

“Patsy” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.

She is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13290.

“Daisey” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13291. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Daisey’

“Daisey” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.

She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13291.

This male Patterdale terrier/Fell terrier is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13194. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Patterdale terrier/Fell terrier

This male Patteradle or Fell terrier has a short brown and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13194.

“Max” is a male treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13289. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Max’

“Max” is a male treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.

He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13289.

This male Chihuahua-corgi mix is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13274. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Chihuahua-corgi mix

This male Chihuahua-corgi mix has a short brown coat.

He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13274.

“Scrappy” is a female wirehaired terrier in kennel No. 27a, ID No. 13174. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Scrappy’

“Scrappy” is a female wirehaired terrier with a coarse tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 27a, ID No. 13174.

This male Australian Shepherd is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13250. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Australian Shepherd

This male Australian Shepherd has a long black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13250.

“Pessie May” is a female Chihuahua in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13225. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Pessie May’

“Pessie May” is a female Chihuahua with a short white and tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13225.

“Hazel” is a female cattle dog in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13255. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Hazel’

“Hazel” is a female cattle dog with a medium-length tricolor coat.

She has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13255.

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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

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.
Posted On

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – To help house displaced farm animals during times of disaster, portable livestock pens have been deployed to seven fairgrounds around California, including the Lake County Fairgrounds.

The pens, purchased through a partnership between the California Farm Bureau Federation’s charitable foundation and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, were formally dedicated during a ceremony this week at the Yuba-Sutter Fairgrounds in Yuba City.

“During wildfires, floods and other emergencies, farmers and ranchers take great care to be sure their animals can be safely evacuated, often to nearby fairgrounds,” CFBF President Jamie Johansson said. “These portable livestock pens will make it easier for fairgrounds to fulfill their role as shelters during disasters.”

After the Camp fire ravaged part of rural California last year, the California Bountiful Foundation – a charitable foundation established by CFBF – created a Farm and Rural Disaster Fund.

Donations from 50 individuals and companies allowed the foundation to contribute $75,000 toward purchase of the portable livestock pens.

With additional funds from CDFA, a total of 280 pens were acquired.

CDFA has distributed 40 pens apiece to fairgrounds in Anderson, Auburn, Lakeport, Merced, San Mateo, Ventura and Yuba City.

Manufactured by Plymouth Industries of Nebraska, the panels to create the pens are stored on racks so they can be quickly mobilized and transported during a disaster.

“Already this fall, we’ve seen the pens used to help livestock during the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County,” Johansson said. “We also look forward to having them used for happier occasions, such as ongoing events at county fairgrounds around the state.”

For more information about the Farm and Rural Disaster Fund, see the CFBF website at www.cfbf.com .
Posted On

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – One death was reported on Thursday evening as the result of a structure fire.

Shortly after 6 p.m. firefighters were dispatched to a residential structure fire in the 19100 block of Grange Road near Middletown, according to radio reports.

Dispatch had received multiple reports of the fire, and when firefighters got on scene they reported finding a fully involved RV.

The RV was located next to a structure, with firefighters reporting they had no water supply.

Just before 6:30 p.m., incident command reported over the air that a primary search of the trailer had confirmed one fatality.

The fire was reported to be under control shortly before 6:40 p.m.

Additional details will be published 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.

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