HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake woman was arrested for driving under the influence and child endangerment after a Thursday night crash that injured her and her teen passenger.

Jewel Leos, 24, sustained major injuries and the 15-year-old female passenger from Clearlake had minor injuries following the crash, which occurred at 10:41 p.m. Thursday on Mountain Meadow North at Oak Flat Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP said Leos was driving at a high rate of speed when she lost control of her 2000 Chevrolet Metro and hit a parked vehicle.

The crash caused Leos' vehicle to spin before the drivers' side hit a power pole, the CHP report said.

Leos and the teenager were transported to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake for treatment of their injuries, the CHP said.

The CHP is continuing to investigate evidence that there was a third passenger in the vehicle, as witnesses had reported a young male had fled the scene. CHP had no additional information on that subject Friday morning.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A celebration marking the 20th anniversary of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum was held on Saturday in Lower Lake.

The event included live music in the museum's vintage parlor, a slide show, games, refreshments and recognition of those responsible for preserving the landmark.

“It's so nice to see so many people here and enjoying this building,” said Jane Weaver.

Weaver and her late husband, John, were instrumental in the formation of the Lower Lake School Preservation Committee, which worked to save the building from demolition.

Weaver Auditorium, located on the museum's second floor, commemorates their efforts.

Retired Lake County Administrator Kelly Cox, who became involved when the committee formed in 1986, said a person can't come into the museum without mentioning the Weavers.

“They are a part of this building,” he said.

Cox commended everybody involved in the museum project, from the people who launched its preservation effort to those responsible for its continued care and operation.

“It's hard to believe it's been 20 years. We were in here trying to save it and it doesn't look anything like it did (then) now,” he said. “It's everything we dreamed of and more.”

He added, “All the people involved have been the right people. They care about the building and Lake County. It's more than just a building.”

The schoolhouse was built in 1877 and was used as a school until 1935. The auditorium upstairs served as a community center and events such as meetings, funerals, plays, traveling shows and graduations were held there. With the advent of motion pictures, silent films were shown in the auditorium.

The Masonic Lodge bought and remodeled the building in 1935. Sometime during the 1960s, the Masons traded the schoolhouse for a parcel of county property.

The building was then leased to the Grange, during which time little maintenance was done. The upper story of the building became nesting grounds for pigeons and bats.

In 1986 efforts to preserve the building were launched. Formal dedication of the building was held on Oct. 21, 1993, just a year after starting renovations on the interior.

Restoration improvements since 1993 include the addition of a two-story side building for storage use on the first floor, restroom accommodations on the second floor and an elevator.

In 2007, restoration of the bell tower, which was damaged in the 1906 earthquake, was completed, and landscaping improvements were made.

The museum hosts a collection of pioneer, early settler and American Indian artifacts, a restored schoolroom and a Victorian parlor with working player piano.

For more information, call the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum at 707-995-3565.

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

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Local authorities on Monday arrested two Santa Rosa residents, and seized 112 pounds of processed marijuana and a firearm following a vehicle stop near Hidden Valley Lake.

Horacio Sierra Campos and Sandra Rivera-Sierra, both age 25, were arrested, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

At 4:30 p.m. Monday a patrol deputy was stopped near the intersection of Highway 29 and Highway 175 in Middletown when he noticed a black Honda Ridgeline pickup travel past him, driving northbound on Highway 29, Brooks said.

The deputy observed several vehicle code violations and conducted an enforcement stop on Highway 29 near Putah Lane in Hidden Valley Lake, according to Brooks.

As the deputy approached the vehicle, he could smell the strong odor of marijuana emanating from it. Brooks said the deputy first contacted the vehicle's passenger, who was identified as Campos. When Campos rolled down his window to talk to the deputy, the odor of marijuana became much stronger. The deputy also contacted the driver of the vehicle, Rivera-Sierra.

As additional sheriff’s personnel arrived to assist, both Campos and Rivera-Sierra were asked to exit the vehicle, Brooks said.

He said a sheriff’s narcotics detection K9 unit arrived on scene. The deputy deployed his K9 partner to conduct an exterior sniff of the vehicle. As the dog approached the front passenger door of the vehicle, she produced a positive alert, indicating there was the odor of a controlled substance present.

Deputies conducted a search of the vehicle and located a .380-caliber pistol on the floor board, underneath the floor mat where Campos was sitting, Brooks said. Next to the firearm were a magazine and six live .380-caliber cartridges.

During the search deputies also located 113 individual bags of processed marijuana. The bags of processed marijuana weighed a total of 112.8 pounds, Brooks said.

Brooks said Campos was arrested for the possession of marijuana for sales, sales of marijuana, armed while committing a drug offense and possession of a concealed firearm within a vehicle. Jail records also indicated he was being held without bail on an immigration hold.

Rivera-Sierra was arrested for possession of marijuana for sales and the sale of marijuana, with bail set at $20,000, according to jail records.

They were both transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.

The two Santa Rosans are the latest suspects to be arrested on drug-related charges following a vehicle stop.

In recent weeks, sheriff's deputies pulling over vehicles for vehicle code violations have discovered large amounts of marijuana and methamphetamine.

Last week, a deputy arrested a Sonoma man found with a pound of methamphetamine, the largest bust of that drug this year, sheriff's officials reported.

On Sunday, a Reedley man who had been stopped in a U-Haul van near Clearlake Oaks was arrested after deputies found 256 pounds of processed marijuana in the vehicle, authorities said.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Halloween night around Lake County was filled with fun, frights and goodies for all ages.

Communities around the lake hosted festivities Thursday evening, from several new “trunk or treat” events to the popular annual Lakeport Kiwanis party for children.

Featured here are video compilations of some of the Thursday night Halloween celebrations.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A north Lakeport subdivision where several homes were damaged by a landslide earlier this year has witnessed more destruction this week, as one of the homes collapsed on Monday.

The Lakeside Heights home of Jagtar Singh had been halfway suspended on a hillside after part of its floor had fallen away earlier this year.

However, this week the back half of the house split off and slid down the hill.

The Singh home was among several damaged by the landslide, which began to crack and split through the hilltop subdivision in March.

Most of the damaged homes, including Singh's, were located along Lancaster Road.

The causes of the slide are still under dispute, but in some part appear related to saturation of the hillside by a water source.

The subdivision's property owners, who are preparing to file a lawsuit against the county, believe it's a county water system that is the source of the water that saturated the hillside. County officials maintain that leak tests don't support that conclusion.

Earlier this month, two of the damaged homes were demolished by Coleman Construction, which the county hired to carry out the abatements as part of an effort to winterize and stabilize the hillside.

As part of the contract with the county, Coleman Construction covered the slide area with tarps.

County officials are concerned about keeping the land dry in order to prevent the ground – which in recent months has stopped moving – from again become saturated and beginning to move.

Randall Fitzgerald, president of the subdivision's homeowners association, told Lake County News that the association, at its own expense, also had winterization work completed at the site to complement the county grading and tarping.

The additional work done included the building of a storm drain bypass and tarping all of the Lancaster Road area, Fitzgerald said.

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, Calif. – Latino youth from around Lake County converged in Clearlake this weekend to learn more about opportunities to achieve a college education.

The Yuba College Clear Lake Campus hosted the “Si Se Puede” college conference this past Saturday, Oct. 26.

The conference was for local Latino youth in grades eighth through 12th and their families.

The morning started with breakfast prepared by Yuba’s culinary arts students.

Executive Dean Artemio Pimentel welcomed the families and acknowledged them for making a commitment to education on a Saturday.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook introduced keynote speaker Dr. Francisco Reveles.

“Francisco Reveles is a teacher. Not just a teacher of Math, English and lifelong learning. He is a teacher of the soul and spirit. He teaches all of us to open to the joy of learning,” said Holbrook.

Reveles, an internationally acclaimed speaker, moved many in the audience to tears. He had the youth and the parents interacting and participating. Many were visibly impacted as he spoke from the heart about the importance of family and community.

Parents and students also toured the campus. While touring the facilities all majors and programs were explained.

The tour focused on career technical, associate degrees and transfer education.

Professor Caryn Blyth presented an English lesson featuring a Latino poet. Students participated in the lesson experiencing firsthand what a college classroom feels like.

Culinary students provided a behind the scenes tour of the culinary operations. Professor Hubbard exposed the students to welding technologies and careers in welding.

Students and parents received information on financial aid, the Dream Act and scholarships.

Yuba College Board member Doc Saverse reported that one parent told him that learning that there is help and money available was the most valuable portion of the day for her. She said that everyone helped her to realize that higher education is actually possible.

Four Latino Yuba students – Alberto Macias, Pedro Miguel, Elizabeth Alvarez and Zabdy Neria – sat on a panel and told the group about their own experiences in education, their dreams and visions.

The room was silent as each of the young panelists shared their personal stories of how education has changed their lives.

The day ended with lunch, again provided by the culinary program, and access to community resources.

About a dozen community agencies presented information and resources to the families. Three institutions came from out of the area – Sonoma State University, the University of California at Davis and the Mexican Consulate from San Francisco.

The well rounded day gave youth and families inspiration and confidence to pursue a higher education.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A successful partnership between the Robinson Rancheria and the Lake County Department of Public Works, coupled with a grant from the state of California, has resulted in the rehabilitation of the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff.

“The primary purpose of the project was to repair Nice-Lucerne Cutoff and provide the safest travel possible. Through the partnership with Robinson we significantly increased the extent of those repairs.” said Scott De Leon, director of Lake County Public Works.

In 2011, representatives of Robinson Rancheria approached the county about using Indian Reservation Road funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Federal Highway Administration to improve the condition of the cutoff.

District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington is pleased with the success of the project.

“During these lean economic times, the county needs to take a creative approach to funding,” Farrington said. “Working in partnership with Robinson Rancheria is an outstanding example of pooling resources to get much-needed work completed that otherwise would not be possible.”

Phase I was completed in the fall of 2011. The county road crew performed extensive “digout” repairs and shoulder work to create a strong foundation for future rehabilitation.

To complete phase II, the county applied for and received a grant from CalRecycle in 2012. The Rubberized Pavement Grant provided funding which allowed the county to use rubberized asphalt – which includes ground tire rubber blended with asphalt binder and aggregate materials – to surface the road.

“With the addition of the CalRecycle rubberized asphalt grant the project will require less long-term maintenance, reduces vehicle tire noise, and uses scrap tires in the asphalt which reduces the amount of tires in landfills,” said Lake County Assistant Director of Public Works Lars Ewing.

Phase II was recently completed under contract by Granite Construction and included an asphalt overlay of Nice-Lucerne Cutoff and a reconstruction of the bridge approaches to provide for a smoother transition onto and off of the bridge deck.

The county of Lake also has just finished the rehabilitation of Lakeshore Boulevard in the north end of Lakeport, utilizing funds from the county’s construction vehicle road impact fee and a second grant from CalRecycle for the use of rubberized asphalt on that project.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Veterans Day – Monday, Nov. 11 – the flags of fallen veterans will fly in display at cemeteries throughout Lake County.

The Lake County Veterans Memorial-Avenue of Flags Association, with the help of local volunteers, will install the flagpoles and mount the large flags along the avenues of county cemeteries.

These flags once draped the casket of a fallen veteran. Upon the completion of the internment ceremony, the family is presented the flag. The family has the option of donating the use of the veterans’ burial flag to the Lake County Veterans Memorial-Avenue of Flags Association.

On Memorial Day and Veterans Day the flags are flown to commemorate the memory of veterans who defended our country.

Avenue of Flags will be presented at the following cemeteries: Hartley Cemetery in Lakeport, Upper Lake Cemetery, Kelseyville Cemetery and Lower Lake Cemetery.

Installation of flagpoles and flags will begin at 7 a.m., weather permitting. Takedown of flags and flagpoles will occur at 4 p.m.

Volunteers would be appreciated at all locations. Further information is available from the following representatives: Upper Lake, Byron Green at 707-275-9515; Lower Lake, Dave Schober at 707-533-5843; Kelseyville, Paul Harris at 707-279-1115; and Hartley Cemetery in Lakeport, Dean Gotham at 707-350-1159.

Express your respect for fallen veterans and experience the pride of the magnificent display of our veterans’ flags. And never forget.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The inaugural “Trunk or Treat” at the Clearlake Youth Center will take place on Halloween night.

The event takes place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Clearlake Youth Center, 4750 Golf Ave.

Come prepared to have fun with Halloween games, a haunted house, music and food, and various decorated trunks to visit and collect treats.

The event has been organized by a diverse community group and is sponsored by Lake County Youth Services.

There will be pumpkin races, bowling, basketball, angry ghost, bean bag toss, bobbing for apples, a bouncy house and many more games to play for free.

Featured will be a haunted house for everyone to satisfy their Halloween needs, absolutely free.

In addition, there will be music throughout the event with DJ Nemesis turning the youth center into a Halloween rave dance from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., free of charge.

The event will provide attendees with free hot dogs, chips and water.

Last, but not least, don't forget to walk through the vehicles parked, decorated and ready to hand out treats to all the trick-or-treaters.

To top it all off, Clearlake's Trunk or Treat will have a raffle every 15 minutes until 8 p.m. with a grand raffle prize as well.

Make sure to visit the information booth when you walk in and receive a Halloween bag with a free raffle ticket and obtain more for participating in other activities.

There also will be costume contests from from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for different age groups as well as best trunk and best booth contests.

For more information contact Bruno Sabatier via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , by phone at 707-695-0834 or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TrunkOrTreatClearlake .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake has announced the completion of phase two of the transformation of its emergency department, with all the upgraded facilities and services now available.

With an emphasis on faster access to top-quality care, the new emergency department is ready to fully serve the community, the hospital reported Wednesday night.

Home to one of the busiest emergency department in the state, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake began renovations in October 2011 to replace its cramped 1960s-era space with an efficient new layout, providing better access to critical technology and a more comforting environment for patients.

Improvements include the addition of 4,100 square feet, 12 private patient care rooms including two equipped for trauma care, new entrances and waiting areas, cutting-edge equipment and support systems upgrades.

In addition, with an eye to faster, better care for patients, the enhanced emergency department also provides increased patient care staff, and has upgraded laboratory and other services.

“This is truly a community accomplishment,” said David Santos, St. Helena Clear Lake Vice President of Operations. “This new emergency department has been one of the most needed and anticipated developments in health care for Lake County. Our goal is to provide quality care and an excellent patient experience. The new configuration will allow doctors and nurses to concentrate on superior patient care rather than improvising around cramped quarters.”

The opening of the new emergency department represents a strong partnership between St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake and the community.

“The improved level of care we’re now able to provide is truly a tribute to the many, many community members who gave donations of time and money to make this happen,” Santos said.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office said that the man whose body was found along with that of a woman in a minivan in Fort Bragg earlier this month has been identified.

Jim Tat Kong, 51, of San Pablo was found in the front passenger seat of a minivan parked in the 31000 Block of Highway 20 on the afternoon of Oct. 17, according to a report from Lt. Greg Van Patten.

Authorities previously had identified the woman found in the vehicle's driver's seat as 38-year-old Cindy Bao Feng Chen of San Francisco, as Lake County News has reported.

Van Patten said forensic autopsies were performed on Kong and Chen on Oct. 18 in connection with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office's active homicide investigation into the death of the pair.

The preliminary results of the autopsies showed both died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head, Van Patten said.

He added that toxicology and blood alcohol analysis remains pending.

The case is still being actively investigated by sheriff's detectives and anyone with information pertaining to the investigation is asked to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office "tip line" at 707-234-2100.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The team of PGA Director of Golf Mark Wotherspoon and Club Official Reggie Osburn of Buckingham Golf & County Country Club of Kelseyville claimed title to the 2013 Northern California PGA Pro-President Championship with a score of 8-under par 60.

PGA Head Golf Professional Doug Hanson and President Mark Heald of Turlock Golf & Country Club were the runner-up team at a stroke behind.

The event pairs a PGA Professional with a golf club official.

The Monday event was held at the Claremont Country Club (Par 68) in Oakland, with 35 teams vying for the title. The event is presented by Club Car Inc and supported by Antigua.

Results are listed as pro’s name, residence, facility, official’s name, score:

1. Mark Wotherspoon, Kelseyville, CA, Buckingham GCC, Reggie Osburn, *28-32-60 -8
2. Doug Hanson, Denair, CA, Turlock GCC, Mark Heald, *32-29-61 -7
3. Rich Straass, Oakland, CA, Claremont, Chris Woodward, *33-30-63 -5
3. Alex Wright, Roseville, CA, Dominic Acia, *31-32-63 -5
5. Rodney Wilson, Burlingame, CA, Eagle Ridge, Steve Self, *33-31-64 -4
5. Bradley Cady, Sacramento, CA, Granite Bay GC, Craig Johns, *31-33-64 -4
7. Brandon Huneke, Oakland, CA, Sequoyah, Bruce Maximov, *31-34-65 -3
7. Demian Reddy, Healdsburg, CA, Windsor, Ken Rhodes, *31-34-65 -3
7. Michael Robason, Alameda, CA, Metropolitan Golf Links, Chris Hansell, *34-31-65 -3
10. John Creaney, Kingsburg, CA, Kings River G&CC, Mike Visser, *32-34-66 -2
10. Jason Boldt, Yountville, CA, Vintner's, Mike Muters, *32-34-66 -2
10. Cole Gibson, Roseville, CA, Rocklin GC, Ron Rodriguez, *35-31-66 -2
10. Shea Rollins, Modesto, CA, Spring Creek GCC, David Erb, *32-34-66 -2
14. John Vest, Oakland, CA, Alameda GC at Chuck Coric, Ed Downing, *33-34-67 -1
14. Kelly Runkle, Roseville, CA, David Lanza, *34-33-67 -1
14. Charlie Gibson, Roseville, CA, Morgan Creek G & CC, Joe Syufy, *34-33-67 -1
14. Tim Loustalot, Santa Cruz, CA, De Laveaga, Ken Silva, *33-34-67 -1