LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – One of Lake County's retired judges had his portrait officially unveiled in a special ceremony last week.

Judge Richard Freeborn was the honoree at the afternoon event, held last Thursday, Oct. 3, at the Lake County Superior Court's Clearlake division.

Nearly all of Lake County's current and retired judges were on hand to honor Freeborn for his service to the county and celebrate his career.

The full ceremony can be seen in the video above.

Video by John Jensen.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A parent's concerns about changes in a school bus route will be a topic of discussion at this week's Upper Lake High School Board meeting.

The meeting will take place beginning at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in the Upper Lake high School library, 675 Clover Valley Road.

The bus route item is set for discussion only; no action is agendized.

Parent Kevin Gross will ask the board to reconsider eliminating parts of school bus route one.

“I'm the parent that's going to throw the fit,” said Gross.

Last month, representatives from the elementary and high school districts met and decided to make changes to school bus route one, according to district Superintendent/Principal Patrick Iaccino.

Iaccino said Upper Lake High School provides transportation services to the elementary and middle school district, and bills them for the services, so the changes impacted students in the lower grades as well.

School bus route one used to cover areas including Elk Mountain Road, Witter Springs, Bachelor Valley, Rancheria Road, Pitney Lane, Clover Drive, White Rock Canyon and Blue Lakes. Now, however, the bus only goes to Blue Lakes, said Don Boyd, Upper Lake High School District's assistant superintendent of student services, who oversees transportation.

The changes to the routes began on Sept. 30, Boyd said.

Boyd said the changes were necessary due to cuts to transportation, which over the last several years have reduced the district's buses from six to four, with the same number of students to serve.

The changes also addressed a number of challenges in the mornings, when the drivers had not been able to pick up all of the children, Boyd said.

Iaccino said that adding to the student load was Upper Lake Elementary's new all-day kindergarten, which began this school year and added 60 children to the busing schedule.

After the first four weeks of school they reviewed daily counts and realized that route one, which accounts for 25 percent of their busing capacity, was being used to move 10 percent of the students, Boyd said.

Boyd said Iaccino came to him and asked him for solutions, and Boyd said there were two quick ways to do it – provide more buses or redirect the resources they had.

His solution was to have route one only make a stop in Blue Lakes before heading back toward Nice.

The areas covered by route one previously had been covered by two buses, but was consolidated due to funding cuts, Boyd said.

He said notification about the route changes went out to parents on Sept. 10, ahead of the bus route decision by the board.

Boyd said overall he's fielded four phone calls about the changes. Most people understand the issue once he explains it.

Gross, however, said he only received the notice about the route change the day after the governing board meeting took place.

He has a 9 year old son who is among 24 children who are impacted by the change, Gross said.

In Gross' case, his son now isn't being picked up in the mornings or dropped off at his daycare on Pitney Lane after school by the bus.

In the mornings, Gross and his wife leave early for work, and he said they can't simply drop their son off at school before 7 a.m.

Gross' wife has to take an hour off from work in the afternoons to pick up their son from school and take him to daycare, he said.

“I don't feel that it's fair,” said Gross.

Gross said he hopes parents will show up to the meeting.

“I'm just going in there to try to get more parents involved,” he said.

Other items on the Wednesday agenda include a Title I Parent Involvement Policy for 2013-14, a memorandum of understanding between Upper Lake Union High School District and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office for a campus school resource officer, reinstatement of senior off-campus lunch privileges for the 2013-14 school year, and consideration of the 2013-14 student board member.

Correction: The story originally stated that the Upper Lake High School Governing Board had voted on the bus route change. The board did not vote on it; it was instead a group of representatives from the elementary and high school districts that made the decision.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Mendocino County jury on Monday morning returned a guilty verdict against a Fort Bragg man accused last December of beating to death a 5-month-old baby girl.

Wilson L. “Josh” Tubbs III, 39, faces a state prison term of 25 years to life. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 13 by trial Judge John Behnke in Mendocino County Superior Court.

Tubbs was convicted of the death of infant Emerald Herriot by a jury that deliberated last than two full days, according to the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office.

Tubbs showed no emotion Monday when the verdict was returned. Public Defender Linda Thompson, Tubbs’ attorney, patted him on the arm and said, “Hang in there.”

For Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira, the jury’s verdict Monday was a swift conclusion to a case that was prosecuted under state legislation specifically addressing deaths of children under eight years of age.

Sequeira said legislation enacted in the mid-1990s zeroed in on child abuse cases resulting in deaths.

“Before that they could be extremely difficult because prosecutors had to address issues of intent and implied malice associated with conventional murder cases,” said Sequeira.

Now, as in the Tubbs’ child-killing case, if prosecutors can prove that the physical abuse at the hands of the child’s caregiver led to great bodily injury and death, a conviction can result in the same sentencing standards as in conventional murder cases.

The Tubbs case is a near perfect example, said Sequeira.

Baby Emerald Herriot – a relative of the Tubbs family – had been in Tubbs and his family’s care for about a month when he brought her on Dec. 2 to the Mendocino Coast District Hospital. She was not breathing and had bruises all over her head and face.

According to the investigation, Tubbs claimed the baby had accidentally fallen from a changing table the night before. Tubbs testified in his own defense hat he delayed seeking medical care because the child didn’t appear seriously injured.

But earlier in a recorded interview with police investigators, Tubbs had said that the night before he slapped the side of the baby's head with an open palm and shook her so that her head twice whipped back and forth.

Tubbs’ taped admission came after he was told the fall he described couldn’t have resulted in two skull fractures, bruising all over the baby’s head and face and severe accumulation of blood between the skull and brain.

Tubbs took the witness during the trial to recant the story, contending that he lied to investigators because “I knew they were looking for a specific thing, and if they didn't get it from me that they were going to get it from somebody else, so I told them what they wanted.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Nominations are beginning to arrive for the 16th annual Stars of Lake County Community Awards Program.

As a reminder, anyone can write a nomination for people, organizations and businesses they feel are contributing to the communities throughout Lake County.

Deadline for nominations is Wednesday, Oct. 23; they must either be delivered in person to the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office at 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport by the end of the business day, or postmarked with that date.

Nomination information can be found at www.lakecochamber.com .

The Stars of Lake County event will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre in Lakeport.

Stars of Lake County is a production of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and it is through the generosity of many businesses in Lake County that they are able to continue this very heartwarming community awards program.

More than 1,600 entities have been recognized during the first 15 years of the program.

If anyone has a question concerning writing a nomination, please contact the chamber office at 707-263-5092.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A crash on Sunday morning that involved four vehicles sent a Kelseyville woman to a regional trauma center.

Thirty-year-old Melanie Bucher sustained moderate injuries in the crash, which occurred at 9 a.m. Sunday at the Kit's Corner intersection, located at the junction of Highway 29 at Highway 281, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said 33-year-old Ukiah resident Keith Quigley was traveling northbound on Highway 29 in a 2006 Toyota Tundra pickup when he failed to stop for a red light at the intersection. Instead, he applied the brakes and turned the vehicle to the right.

Bucher was headed southbound on Highway 29 in a 2001 Toyota Corolla and had stopped in the left turn lane to Highway 281, the CHP said.

The light turned green for Bucher to make a left turn, which she proceeded to do. The CHP said while she was making the turn Quigley failed to stop for the red light, went through the intersection and hit the right side of Bucher's vehicle.

The impact pushed Bucher's vehicle into a 2004 Jeep Wrangler driven by Natalie Levchenko, 52, of Kelseyville, who the CHP said was stopped for a red light, facing west, on Highway 281.

Quigley's pickup continued forward and hit Levchenko's Jeep, with the Jeep being pushed out of its traffic lane in a northeast direction, the CHP said. Bucher's Corolla came to rest next to the Jeep.

The CHP said Quigley continued forward and hit the front of a fourth vehicle, a 2013 Toyota Prius, driven by 26-year-old Alisha Hazelton of Hayward. Hazelton had been stopped behind Levchenko on Highway 281.

All four vehicles required a tow truck due to the extent of damage to each one, the CHP said.

Quigley, Levchenko and Hazelton were not injured, the CHP said.

Bucher was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital due to facial cuts and for further evaluation by medical personnel, according to the CHP.

The report from responding CHP officers Dan Frederick and Greg Buchholz concluded that alcohol was not a factor in this collision.

All four drivers were wearing their seat belts, the report stated.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Community members came out on Saturday morning to support Lake County residents who are fighting breast cancer.

The 18th annual Sponsoring Survivorship Walk Run took place in downtown Lakeport.

The group offers critical moral and financial support to cancer victims.

Visit the Sponsoring Survivorship Web site at www.sponsoringsurvivorship.com .

Video by John Jensen.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Wells Fargo Bank has awarded Habitat for Humanity Lake County a grant of $5,000 for the Brush of Kindness Home Repair Program.

Lorine D’Agostino, store manager of the Wells Fargo Clearlake office, presented the check to Habitat President Richard Birk on Friday, Oct. 4.

“Habitat for Humanity’s work benefits this county and we are pleased to be a part of that effort,” said D’Agostino.

Such donations and grants go directly back into the community to help better the lives of Lake County residents, according to Habitat for Humanity.

“Our organization thrives on the generosity of organizations such as Wells Fargo Bank. We appreciate their willingness to contribute to our work here in Lake County,” said Birk.

For more information about Habitat for Humanity Lake County, contact the office at 707-994-1100.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local favorite Ailura Fate won the Rock2 category at the Rising Stars Music Competition this past Saturday at the Redwood Empire Fair Grounds in Ukiah.

“We’re very pleased to have won the award and we thank our fans for getting us here. Our biggest thrill was getting to work with such hard-working, dedicated, and selfless people as the staff and sponsors of Rising Stars, the other great bands, and to give back to the community by helping Rising Stars help local charities” said Kevin Village-Stone.

Judging is based on point scores for stage presence, musical skill and audience interaction.

Ailura Fate also recently signed with KaseQTR Productions for international and domestic bookings and management ( www.kaseqtr.com ).

A tour schedule for 2014 is currently being booked as well as collaborations with other world-class performers who are also with KaseQTR.

Ailura Fate is the combined local talents of powerhouse vocalist Kayla Bell, multi-guitarist Lindy Day, and Native American Music Awards nominee Kevin Village Stone on bass, keyboards and Native flutes.

Bell, Day and Village-Stone are professional working musicians and frequently offer their services for events as part of their ongoing personal contribution to the community.

For more information visit www.AiluraFate.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – It was a whirlwind of floppy ears and stubby legs on Saturday in Lakeport, as the dachshund derby returned for another year.

The wiener dog races were a highlight of the Oktoberfest celebration.

The determined field of dachshunds entertained a large crowd of folks who wanted to see the fast-paced action.

Video by John Jensen.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Congressman Mike Thompson announced that he has co-authored a bill to reform the country's immigration system.

H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, is the House version of the bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the Senate.

“Not only is passing this bill the right thing to do for our country and in line with our nation’s most fundamental principles, it will boost our economy and lower our debt,” said Thompson. “The Senate has passed a tough, fair, bipartisan comprehensive reform bill that strengthens our borders and offers an earned pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants already living, working and raising families here. It’s time the House did the same.”

This House bill contains the same provisions from the bipartisan Senate-passed bill (S. 744) that protect workers, unite families, and offer immigrants an earned pathway to citizenship.

It also contains the same provisions from the bipartisan Senate-passed bill that reform our visa programs and the enforcement of immigration laws.

The only difference between the House and Senate bills is that the House bill replaces the Senate’s border security provision with a provision unanimously passed by the House Committee on Homeland Security in May.

While the Senate bill spelled out a specific border security plan, the House legislation simply directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop a strategic plan to secure the border which will then be approved by Congress.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), enactment of the bipartisan Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform bill would reduce the deficit by $850 billion.

The CBO also estimates that the Senate-passed bill would increase economic growth by 3.3 percent in 2023 and 5.4 percent in 2033.

The legislation has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Thompson represents California’s 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Every year in California firefighters respond to residential structure fires that take lives and cause millions of dollars in damage.

From Oct. 6-12, Cal Fire is teaming with the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) for Fire Prevention Week to educate Californians on the simple steps they can take to help protect their family from the most common cause of residential fires.

According to the latest research, unattended cooking is the leading cause of home fires. Two of every five home fires begin in the kitchen – more than any other place in the home. Cooking fires are also the leading cause of fire-related home injuries.

“Often when firefighters are called to a fire that started in the kitchen, the residents tell us that they only left the kitchen for a few minutes,” said State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, Cal Fire-Office of the State Marshal. “Sadly, that’s all it takes for a fire to start. We hope that Fire Prevention Week will enable us to reach folks in the community before they’ve suffered a damaging lesson and remember ‘Fire is Everyone’s Fight’.”

Cal Fire offers a few important cooking safety tips that will help keep your family safe:

• Have a 3-foot “kid free” zone around the stove.
• Stand by your pan and keep an eye on what you fry. If you leave the kitchen, turn the burner off.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Then no one can bump them or pull them over.
• Have a fire extinguisher 10 feet from the stove on the exit side of the kitchen.
• Never pour water on a grease fire; turn the stove off and cover the pan with a lid, or close the oven door.
• Keep anything that can catch fire – potholders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels, or curtains – away from your stovetop.
• If your clothing should catch fire, immediately stop, drop, and roll to smother flames.
• Scalds and burn injuries are on the increase. The highest risks are the very young and the elderly.

For more fire safety tips, visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake Family Resource Center is raising awareness of domestic violence throughout the month of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, the center will host a candlelight vigil at Clearlake's Austin Park, 14077 Lakeshore Drive.

The vigil is held each year to raise awareness of domestic violence, recognize those who have made a difference in the fight against domestic violence, and remember those who are no longer with us because of domestic violence.

The public is encouraged to come out and hear guest speakers talk about domestic violence. Candles and refreshments will be provided.

Lake Family Resource Center is determined to focus awareness on the tragedy of domestic violence in the hope of ending it in Lake County. The center provides a multitude of services to build family stability and strength.

For more information call 707-279-0563.