KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A late Sunday night crash led to a local man being flown to a regional trauma center, with authorities arresting the driver on suspicion of driving under the influence.

California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds said Kristina Elise Branda, 22, of Kelseyville, was arrested following the crash, which occurred at 11:43 p.m. Sunday near Kelseyville.

Reynolds said Branda was driving a 1997 Cadillac northbound on Fairway Drive when she allowed her vehicle to go off the roadway, where it hit an embankment.  

Branda’s passenger, Robert Lowrie, 27, of Kelseyville was flown by REACH air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with head trauma, Reynolds said.

Branda was taken to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and treated for minor injuries, Reynolds said.

She subsequently was arrested for felony driving under the influence causing injury and was booked into the Lake County Jail, according to Reynolds.

Branda's bail was set at $30,000. Jail records indicated she remained in custody on Monday afternoon.

“Serpentine soil”: when talking about the various habitats under consideration for a National Conservation Area designation in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region, that term comes up a lot.

For most people, though, it’s rather meaningless. Most of us, after all, aren’t geologists or botanists, and if we’ve ever had an encounter with serpentine soil we probably didn’t even realize it.

The truth is, though, if you live in the Coast Ranges of California just about anywhere between Santa Barbara County and the Oregon border (or in the Sierra foothills) you’re living in a region rich in serpentine outcroppings.

So what is serpentine soil?

Simply speaking, if you think of the Earth as an onion made up of several different layers surrounding a molten core, we live on the very outer layer, on top of the soil that is a thin skin on the Earth’s crust and on our layer the soil is for the most part full of nutrients and organic matter which allow a lot of plants and trees to thrive.

Below us is another layer called the mantle. This layer is made of more dense, pressure resistant, 4-billion-year-old “ultramafic” minerals and rocks that are low in plant-nurturing calcium, potassium and other minerals, and high in things like magnesium, nickel and cobalt.

When through tectonic action, veins or plugs or whole sheets of this mantle layer are thrust up to the surface, they come in contact with water, metamorphose and become “serpentinized” (converted into serpentine).

And when these serpentinized outcroppings breakdown and mix with organic matter they form what is called “serpentine soil.”

You’ve probably seen expanses of serpentine soil and didn’t realize it. Like scrubby islands in a sea of green, they look misplaced, almost “unearthly” – barren, rocky, and sparsely vegetated by only occasional large trees and plants with few or very hardy leaves designed to reflect sunlight.  

And you may ask yourself, why should we care about this place? It’s kind of ugly. But what’s really exciting about these serpentine expanses is that within their boundaries you can readily view examples of plant adaptation, natural selection and species differentiation at work.

Many of the plants and trees that can grow in serpentine soil are specialized and unique, not found anywhere else. In fact, about 280 of these serpentine species are listed as “rare” by the California Native Plant Society. Where the serpentine soils are, so are floral treasures not found in any other ecosystem … and they’re here right in your backyard.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, and to celebrate that you might try walking through some of the local wilderness areas, like Cedar Roughs which is rich in serpentine soil and holds the largest stand of Sargent Cypress trees in California.

Other serpentine areas include Walker Ridge, the public lands of the Bureau of Land Management Knoxville Unit – located north of Lake Berryessa, part of which is designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern because of the rich serpentine flora – and throughout the Putah and Cache Creek areas.

The bare monkey flower is an example of a plant species endemic to serpentine. With its “pouty-lipped” yellow flowers and feather-like leaves, it is found only in Lake and Napa counties.

You may also find about 12 different species within the mustard family that grow in serpentine, including the most beautiful jewelflower which grows in both Yolo and Solano counties. The best time to see these specialized plants in bloom are between late February and early June.

So, even though serpentine areas looked “unusable” or “uninhabitable,” they are not. To geologists they offer a unique opportunity to see and analyze rocks and minerals from deep within the earth’s mantle, and for the rest of us they are a cache of wholly unique, highly-adaptable and rare plants just sitting out there waiting for us to view them on hikes and photo-outings.

For more information about serpentine soils, check out “California Serpentines” by Arthur R. Kruckeberg and “An Introduction to the Serpentine Plant Community of the Putah-Cache Bioregion” by author Kelly G. Lyons. There’s also “Serpentine: Evolution and Ecology of a Model System” by Susan Harrison and Nishanta Rajakaruna.

Tuleyome Tales is a monthly publication of Tuleyome, a nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland, Calif. For more information about Tuleyome visit www.tuleyome.org . Mary K. Hanson is an amateur naturalist and photographer.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), chair of the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, will join the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee for a joint oversight hearing regarding the affordability of water.

The hearing, “Keeping Water Rates Affordable,” is scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 3, in Room 437 of the State Capitol.

“Ensuring clean and reliable water is important, but it’s time to examine what the State can do to ensure that all populations have fair access to this fundamental resource,” said Yamada. “Seniors and others on fixed incomes continue to pay more for basic necessities, but unlike food and medication, there are few programs providing relief for large water rate increases.”

In recent years, California’s investor-owned water utilities have submitted requests to the California Public Utilities Commission to approve water rate increases ranging from 7 percent to 45 percent in order to improve water infrastructure and reliability.

However, these requests require closer inspection to ensure that the increases do not disproportionately affect low-income or fixed income populations such as seniors, Yamada's office reported.

For example, in Lucerne, Cal Water filed a request for a water increase of 77 percent over three years after the company had already raised their rates in prior years. Although this case has reached a pending settlement agreement, there is no guarantee against future rate hikes.

Panelists include representatives from the California Public Utilities Commission, Cal Water, Sacramento Suburban Water District and Lake County Supervisor Denise Rushing, whose district includes the Lucerne area.

Discussion will focus on meeting the needs of an aging and diversifying population as well as finding solutions to balance water rates and low-income affordability for both consumers and industry.

For more information, contact the Aging and Long-Term Care Committee at 916-319-3990.

Yamada represents all or parts of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Parts of Lake County got a blanket of snow on Sunday, and forecasters are predicting more cold weather with chances of showers this week.

Snow was reported on Sunday in areas of Lake County including Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake, Cobb, Clearlake, Lower Lake and parts of Kelseyville.

The snow led to some vehicle collisions and temporary road closures during the day and into the night as drivers encountered the slick and icy conditions.

For the most part, however, area residents appeared to greet the snow and rain as a welcome break from what so far has been an extremely dry winter.

This week, the National Weather Service is forecasting daytime highs in the 50s and nighttime lows in the 20s.

There are chances this week of light winds, with a 20-percent chance of showers anticipated on Wednesday, and rain also forecast next Saturday and Sunday.

It will take more precipitation to help bring Clear Lake up to a seasonal norm.

As of Sunday evening, the lake level was still hovering around 0.59 feet Rumsey, compared with 5.89 feet Rumsey on Feb. 2, 2013, according to US Geological Survey records.

The California Department of Water Resources reported that Sunday's storms gave a modest boost to the state's thin snowpack, which rose from 12 percent of normal on Saturday to 15 percent of normal on Sunday evening.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Chihuahuas, terriers, shepherds, labs and mastiffs are among the breeds of dog available this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control.

The dogs range in age from 8 months to 10 years, with a variety of coats, sizes and colors.

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.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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”).

'Bandit'

“Bandit” is a 10-year-old male toy terrier mix.

He has a short black and white coat, and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 3, ID No. 38876.

Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix is 4 years old.

She has a short black and tan coat, and weighs 9 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if she had been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 4, ID No. 38980.

'Han Solo'

“Han Solo” is a 3-year-old male Jack Russell terrier mix.

He has a short black and white coat, weighs 21 pounds and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 38927.

'Hunter'

“Hunter” is a 10-month-old Australian Shepherd-terrier mix.

He has a short brown and white coat, and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 38981.

'Max'

“Max” is a a 3-year-old male Chihuahua mix.

He's got a short tan coat and perky ears. Shelter staff did not report if he has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 7, ID No. 38940.

Male dachshund mix

This male dachshund mix is 2 years old.

He has a short red coat, weighs 12 pounds and has not yet been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 38938.

'Frost'

“Frost” is a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever mix.

He's got a short black coat with white markings, weighs 64 pounds and has not been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 10, ID No. 38690.

Male terrier mix

This male terrier mix is 8 months old.

He has a long white coat, and shelter staff did not report if he had been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 38966.

Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier

This female Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier is 1 year old.

She is pregnant, weighs 50 pounds and has a short gray and white coat.

Find her in kennel No. 16, ID No. 38939.

Female pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix is 11 months old.

She has a short black and white coat, gold eyes, weighs 57 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 38925.

Male brown brindle

This male terrier mix is 1 year old.

He has a short brown brindle and white coat, and has not yet been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 38863.

'Joey'

“Joey” is a 3-year-old male mastiff-American Bulldog mix.

He has a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs almost 70 pounds and has been neutered.

Shelter staff said Joey is available for a low adoption fee.

He's very friendly and housebroken, gets along with female dogs but would need to be tested with other males.

Find Joey in kennel No. 29, ID No. 38803.

Pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix is 2 years old.

He has a short black and white coat, weighs 67 pounds and has not yet been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 38943.

Male shepherd mix

This male shepherd mix is 8 months old.

He has a short black and tan coat, and has not yet been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 32, ID No. 38962.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Quilt Trail is accepting applications for its fifth phase.

The project began when Marilyn Holdenried, founder and chairperson of the Kelseyville Pear Festival, visited an International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and discovered the quilt trail concept.

The Lake County Quilt Trail now has 49 quilt blocks on barns, wineries, farm stands and other businesses.

The quilt blocks are designed and painted by an all-volunteer team of quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.

Quilt blocks are selected to connect with family, community and history.

The final block of phase four recently was installed on the Red Hills Vineyard site of Boatique Winery.

Owners Madeleine and Robert Mount will open their tasting room in the spring of 2015. Meanwhile, the quilt block Mariner’s Compass can be viewed on the tasting room structure on 8255 Red Hills Road, Kelseyville.

The prices are $500 for an 8-foot block and $300 for a 4-foot block. Painting of the quilt blocks will begin in May.

Applications may be found at www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or at Kerrie's Quilting, 1853 N. High Street in Lakeport, telephone 707-263-8555.

Brochures are available at Kerrie's Quilting and the Wildhurst Tasting Room, 3855 Main St. in Kelseyville.

Groups interested in Lake County Quilt Trail Tours should contact Marilyn Holdenried at 707-279-4456.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a full house of young cats needing homes this week.

They range in age from 6 months to 2 years, with a variety of coats and colors.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

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

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

She has a short coat with calico markings and has not been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 3a, ID No. 38970.

Female seal point-flame point

This female domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

She has seal point and flame point markings, and blue eyes. She has not yet been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 3b, ID No. 38971.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 6 months old.

She has a short coat with tortie point markings, a kinked tail and weighs 2.8 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if she has been spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 6a, ID No. 38899.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 2 years old.

She has a coat with tortie point markings and a kinked tail. Shelter staff did not report if she has been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 6b, ID No. 38900.

'Tiny'

“Tiny” is a male domestic short hair mix.

He has a brown tabby coat with white markings and green eyes. He hasn't yet been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 12, ID No. 38947.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is 2 years old.

She has a short calico coat and weighs 6.6 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if she has been spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 18, ID No. 38898.

Male Siamese mix

This male domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

He has blue eyes and a coat with seal point markings. He hasn't yet been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 41a, ID No. 38968.

Male domestic short hair mix

This male domestic short hair mix is 9 months old.

He has green eyes, a black and white coat, and has not yet been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 41b, ID No. 38969.

'Kiki'

“Kiki” is a 1-year-old male gray tabby.

He has a short coat and green eyes, and has not yet been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 92, ID No. 38946.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

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.

Our solar system seems like a neat and orderly place, with small, rocky worlds near the Sun and big, gaseous worlds farther out, all eight planets following orbital paths unchanged since they formed.

However, the true history of the solar system is more riotous. Giant planets migrated in and out, tossing interplanetary flotsam and jetsam far and wide. New clues to this tumultuous past come from the asteroid belt.

“We found that the giant planets shook up the asteroids like flakes in a snow globe,” said lead author Francesca DeMeo, a Hubble postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Millions of asteroids circle the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, in a region known as the main asteroid belt.

Traditionally, they were viewed as the pieces of a failed planet that was prevented from forming by the influence of Jupiter's powerful gravity. Their compositions seemed to vary methodically from drier to wetter, due to the drop in temperature as you move away from the Sun.

That traditional view changed as astronomers recognized that the current residents of the main asteroid belt weren't all there from the start.

In the early history of our solar system the giant planets ran amok, migrating inward and outward substantially.

Jupiter may have moved as close to the Sun as Mars is now. In the process, it swept the asteroid belt nearly clean, leaving only a tenth of one percent of its original population.

As the planets migrated, they stirred the contents of the solar system. Objects from as close to the Sun as Mercury, and as far out as Neptune, all collected in the main asteroid belt.

“The asteroid belt is a melting pot of objects arriving from diverse locations and backgrounds,” explained DeMeo.

Using data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, DeMeo and co-author Benoit Carry (Paris Observatory) examined the compositions of thousands of asteroids within the main belt.

They found that the asteroid belt is more diverse than previously realized, especially when you look at the smaller asteroids.

This finding has interesting implications for the history of Earth. Astronomers have theorized that long-ago asteroid impacts delivered much of the water now filling Earth's oceans.

If true, the stirring provided by migrating planets may have been essential to bringing those asteroids.

This raises the question of whether an Earth-like exoplanet would also require a rain of asteroids to bring water and make it habitable. If so, then Earth-like worlds might be rarer than we thought.

l

Responding to record dry conditions and diminishing water supplies in the state’s major rivers and reservoirs, the State Water Resources Control Board announced two key actions to protect public health and safety from more severe water shortages should extreme drought conditions continue.

State Water Board Executive Director Tom Howard is approving a petition to adjust water quality requirements in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, allowing the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project to conserve water supplies in upstream reservoirs and more effectively operate their facilities in response to ongoing drought conditions.

In addition, the State Water Board announced that notices will be issued beginning next week to “junior priority” water-right holders to curtail their diversions of water from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River systems.

Both of these actions, which are included in Gov. Jerry Brown's recent state of emergency declaration, reflect extraordinary circumstances brought on by the state’s record drought.

After two dry years, storage in key reservoirs is lower than at this time in 1977, one of the driest years on record. And 2014 is shaping up as the driest year in state history, with the water content of the statewide snowpack just 12 percent of normal for this time of year.

“Persistent drought conditions have resulted in a rapidly deteriorating situation, prompting the executive director to take this temporary immediate action today,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Board. “These are the first of some very tough decisions that will have to be made and adjusted if conditions continue to worsen. In the coming days, the Board will be meeting to hear feedback on these measures, as well as other strategies for dealing with persistent extreme drought conditions.”

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta provides drinking water to two-thirds of the state’s population, supplies some of California’s most productive agricultural areas, and is one of the largest ecosystems for fish and wildlife habitat and production in the United States.

Water from Clear Lake flows into the delta through Cache Creek.

In a petition submitted Jan. 29, the Department of Water Resources and the federal Bureau of Reclamation requested a change to water quality requirements that govern outflows in the delta and operation of the Delta Cross Channel gates.

These requirements, in place since 1995, help control salinity in the delta and protect water quality for municipal and industrial, agricultural, and fish and wildlife uses.

The State Water Board’s order approving the petition makes temporary urgency changes in the required amount of outflows into the delta, enabling water to be conserved in reservoirs in case of continued drought.

The petition submitted to the water board also requests flexible operation of the Delta Cross Channel gates, which will enable greater protection against salt water intrusion to the interior portion of the delta while protecting fish populations.

These gates typically remain closed during the late winter and spring, which protects fish from straying into the central delta. However, due to low water flows, keeping gates closed prevents high quality fresh water to flow through the central delta, reducing saltwater intrusion.

The State Water Board’s order approving the petition provides flexibility to operate the gates based on evolving water quality conditions and fish migration information.

As a result of the order, the state and federal water projects will save approximately 150,000 acre feet of water in upstream reservoirs in February. The saved water will be available later in the year for uses in the public interest.

If dry conditions persist, and this order is amended, an additional 150,000 acre feet of water will be preserved in March and an even greater amount in April. Additional water savings can be achieved through a reduction in water deliveries.

An acre foot of water is generally the amount of water that two California households will use in one year.

The temporary order by the State Water Board’s executive director recognizes the extraordinary circumstances that Californians are facing. It provides flexibility for the water projects and regulatory agencies to make real-time decisions reflecting either improving or deteriorating conditions based on the most current information.

Due to the severity of the current situation, State Water Board staff expedited its determination on the petition to preserve diminishing reservoir storage.

The order, while in effect for six months, will be updated on an as-needed basis as conditions evolve.

California water law allows the approval of urgent changes to water rights permits and licenses in advance of public noticing.

Although the order is effective immediately, the State Water Board will hold a workshop Feb. 18 to 19 to hear from the public and interested parties on the order or other actions that the Board should be taking.

Even with the actions by the State Water Board and the Department of Water Resources, there is insufficient water to meet the needs of all water-right holders in the delta watershed.

The State Water Board, acting on instructions in the governor’s drought state of emergency proclamation, notified water rights holders on Jan. 17 that they may be ordered to halt or reduce water diversions if drought conditions worsen.

Next week, the State Water Board will begin issuing formal curtailment notices. The first notices will be sent to junior water-right holders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Clear Lake High School emerged as the winner of this year's Lake County Academic Decathlon competition on Saturday.

The team's win is its first in the brain-challenging competition in many years, according to Coach Jim Rogers.

Team members Dakota Durbin, Jose Estrada, Asia Jones, Liberty Justice, Serena Kacharos-Warren, Gabriel Kimbell-Auth, Abigail LaBar, Philip Leighton, Savannah Rasmussen and Melissa Thibeau posted the best combined score over two days of competition that began last weekend and culminated in Saturday's final day of testing at Lower Lake High School.

Clear Lake High edged out Kelseyville High School's Team A, last year's winners, with Upper Lake High School placing third.

This year's theme was World War I.

The teams competed in 10 academic disciplines – speech, interview, essay, science, economics, music, mathematics, social science, arts, and language and literature – plus poetry and poster production, and the Super Quiz.

The teams include three members each from three academic levels: Honors, with a grade point average of 3.75 to 4.00; Scholastic, 3.00 to 3.74 GPA; and Varsity, GPA of 2.99 or below.

The Super Quiz, the only portion of the competition that's public, took place in the Lower Lake High School gym Saturday afternoon.

Brock Falkenberg of the Lake County Office of Education served as quiz master, asking 36 tough questions in three rounds, with students having just seconds to answer.

Clear Lake won that event, followed by Kelseyville High Team A and Upper Lake.

In the speech competition, Kelseyville High Team A standout Blair Brookes received a perfect score of 1,000 points and was invited to give her speech on the importance of agricultural education.

Rogers said that what made the difference for the team was that this year, for the first time, the school gave him a class devoted to preparing for the Academic Decathlon, much like Upper Lake High has had for many years.

He said the team now will get back to work preparing to represent Lake County at the California Academic Decathlon, which takes place in Sacramento March 20 to 23.

The full competition results are listed below.

TEAM ROSTERS

Clear Lake High School

Coach: Jim Rogers

Dakota Durbin, Jose Estrada, Asia Jones, Liberty Justice, Serena Kacharos-Warren, Gabriel Kimbell-Auth, Abigail LaBar, Philip Leighton, Savannah Rasmussen and Melissa Thibeau

Kelseyville High School

Coaches: Erick Larsen and Heather Koschik

Team A: Eduardo Alatorre, Blair Brookes, Arnaud Caldow, Cassidy Holmes, Nicole Maines, Mary McCallister, Maeve Rixen, Claire Ryan, Austin Schmadeke, Kyle Schmidt and Andrew Vonwall

Team B: Madison Boyd, Brandon Huber, Justin Lombardo, Merin Rixen, Erik Miller, Luiz Perez, Tiara Richards, Jafeth Silva, Nate Smit, Jared Smith

Lower Lake High School

Coach: Chris Kinney

Elijah Andre-Orlando, Pamela Coleman, James Hadden, Wayne Harris Jr., Paul Johnson, Ian Lambert, Anneesa Lopez, Colton Markley, Michelle Page and Jessica Phillips

Upper Lake High School

Coaches: Anna Sabalone and Angel Hayenga

David Becerra-Lopez, Savannah Fecht, Alberto Lopez, Jamie Maddock, Wroehnyn Milks, Juan Ruiz, Thomas Santana-Alfaro, Ian Seevers, Jordin Simons, Edgar Valencia and Arthur Wilkie.

AWARDS

Team placement

• First: Clear Lake High School
• Second: Kelseyville High School Team A
• Third: Upper Lake High School

Poster contest

• First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place: Savannah Rasmussen, Clear Lake High
• Third place: Gabriel Kimbell-Auth, Clear Lake High

The Lake County Arts Council sponsored the poster contest and provided awards of $25, $15 and $10 for first, second and third places, respectively.

Poetry contest

• First place: Claire Ryan, Kelseyville High Team A
• Second place: Liberty Justice, Clear Lake High
• Third place: Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High

The Lake County Arts Council sponsored the poetry contest and provided awards of $25, $15 and $10 for first, second and third places, respectively.

Super Quiz

• First place: Clear Lake High
• Second place: Kelseyville High Team A
• Third Place:Upper Lake High

Essay

• First place: Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High
• Second place: Juan Ruiz, Upper Lake High
• Third place: Arnaud Caldow, Kelseyville High Team A

Science

• First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place: Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High
• Third place (two-way tie): Kyle Schmidt, Kelseyville High Team A; Melissa Thibeau, Clear Lake High

Economics

• First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place (two-way tie): Jordin Simons, Upper Lake High; Serena Kacharos-Warren, Clear Lake High
• Third place (four-way tie): Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A; Nicole Maines, Kelseyville High Team A; Eduardo Alatorre, Kelseyville High Team A; James Hadden, Lower Lake High School

Music

• First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place (two-way tie): Savannah Fecht, Upper Lake High; Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High
• Third place (two-way tie): Wroehnyn Milks, Upper Lake High; Eduardo Alatorre, Kelseyville High Team A

Math

• First place: Arnaud Caldow, Kelseyville High Team A
• Second place (two-way tie): Elijah Andre-Orlando, Lower Lake High; Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A
• Third place (five-way tie): Jordin Simons, Upper Lake High; Colton Markley, Lower Lake High; Brandon Huber, Kelseyville High Team B; Jafeth Silva, Kelseyville High Team B; Maeve Rixen, Kelseyville High Team A

Social sciences

• First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place (two-way tie): Ian Lambert, Lower Lake High; Eduardo Alatorre, Kelseyville High Team A
• Third place (two-way tie): Ian Seevers, Upper Lake High; Nicole Maines, Kelseyville High Team A

Art

• First place (two-way tie): Savannah Fecht, Upper Lake High; Jordin Simons, Upper Lake High
• Second place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Third place (two-way tie): Eduardo Alatorre, Kelseyville High Team A; Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High

Language and literature

• First place (two-way tie): James Hadden, Lower Lake High; Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
• Second place: Nicole Maines, Kelseyville High Team A
• Third place (three-way tie): Arthur Wilkie, Upper Lake High; Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A; Gabriel Kimbell-Auth, Clear Lake High

Interview

• First place: Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A
• Second place: Michelle Page, Lower Lake High
• Third place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High

Speech

• First place: Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A (perfect 1,000-point score)
• Second place: Abigail LaBar, Clear Lake High
• Third place: Mary McCallister, Kelseyville High School Team A

Scholarships of $250 also went to the best speech students from each of the schools, including Brookes, LaBar, McCallister and Elijah Andre-Orlando from Lower Lake High.

TOP FINISHERS FOR EACH ACADEMIC LEVEL

Honors category (3.75-4.00 grade point average)

First place: Asia Jones, Clear Lake High
Second place: Blair Brookes, Kelseyville High Team A
Third place: Jordin Simons, Upper Lake High

Scholastic category (3.00-3.74 GPA)

First place: Arthur Wilkie, Upper Lake High
Second place: Abigail LaBar, Clear Lake High
Third place: Elijah Andre-Orlando, Lower Lake High

Varsity category (2.99 GPA or below)

First place: Philip Leighton, Clear Lake High
Second place: Gabriel Kimbell-Auth, Clear Lake High
Third place: Austin Schmadeke, Kelseyville High Team A

Top scoring alternates

First place: Wroehnyn Milks, Upper Lake High
Second place: Cassidy Holmes, Kelseyville High Team A
Third place: Dakota Durbin, Clear Lake High

SECOND HIGHEST SCORING STUDENTS, PER SCHOOL

Clear Lake High: Philip Leighton
Kelseyville High Team A: Eduardo Alatorre
Lower Lake High: Elijah Andre-Orlando
Upper Lake High School: Savannah Fecht

HIGHEST SCORING STUDENTS, PER SCHOOL

Clear Lake High: Asia Jones
Kelseyville High Team A: Blair Brookes
Lower Lake High: James Hadden
Upper Lake High: Jordin Simons

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning east of Clearlake Oaks claimed a woman's life.

The crash occurred at 5:50 a.m. on Highway 20 just east of Walker Ridge Road, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.

The name of the woman and her age were not released pending notification of family, the CHP report said. Additionally, the report said her city of residence was unknown.

The CHP said the woman was driving a 2003 Ford Expedition eastbound on Highway 20 at an unknown speed when she allowed the vehicle's right-side tires to drift off the south roadway edge and onto the dirt shoulder.

The driver turned the wheel abruptly in an attempt to return the SUV to the eastbound lane, but the CHP said the abrupt turning movement caused the Ford to overturn in the roadway.

The SUV traveled in an easterly direction and came to rest on its right side against an uphill embankment that borders the south side of Highway 20, the CHP said.

The woman was trapped in the driver's seat and died at the scene, according to the report.

The CHP said the woman was wearing her seat belt. Alcohol is not considered a factor in the crash.

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.

The Super Bowl is one of America’s most highly anticipated sports events when friends and family often gather in homes, bars, and restaurants to watch the game.

Whether attending the game, watching at a bar or hosting a party, the California Highway Patrol joins with the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Football League, and TEAM (Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management) to remind everyone that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk.

Before choosing to drink, choose your team’s most valuable player – a sober designated driver.

“We want everyone to enjoy the game this year, but most importantly, we want everyone to get home safely,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Be sure to designate your sober driver before you head to your destination.”

Saving the telephone numbers for your local taxi services on your mobile device ahead of time is highly recommended.

“If you plan on drinking alcohol during the big game, we encourage you to designate a sober driver or plan for alternative modes of transportation such as a taxi cab to get you home safely,” said Office of Traffic Safety Acting Director Russia Chavis. “A taxi cab may cost you $30, but that’s nothing compared to the $10,000 or more in fees, fines, and the stigma that can stem from getting a DUI.”

In a continued effort to keep the roads safe, the CHP is reminding motorists to be extra vigilant this weekend. Any motorist who sees a suspected drunk driver is asked to call 9-1-1 and provide the vehicle’s description, license plate number, location, and direction of travel.

Preliminary figures from Super Bowl Sunday in 2012 indicated there were 221 alcohol-involved collisions statewide, which resulted in five people killed and at least 114 people injured.

If the number of collisions is not enough to deter drivers who may be impaired, consider that last year (2013) on Super Bowl Sunday, a total of 390 drivers were arrested statewide for DUI by the CHP.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of safety, service, and security to the people of California.