KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) will host a forum for Lake County small businesses on the Affordable Care Act in Kelseyville on Monday, July 15.

The forum will begin at 5 p.m. at Riviera Hills Golf and Country Club, 10200 Fairway Drive in Kelseyville.
 
Thompson will be joined by U.S. Health and Human Services Regional Director Herb Schultz.

The Affordable Care Act has already improved health care access for millions, and saved people across our district and nation billions of dollars on prescription drugs and health insurance premiums. Soon, the rest of the law will go into effect.

The forum will address questions about the law’s implementation and its effects on small businesses.

At the forum, consumers and business leaders will gain information about the law’s impacts and learn how small businesses can take full advantage of the new benefits.

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

LUCERNE, Calif. – A late night stabbing in Lucerne on Thursday resulted in one person being flown to a regional trauma center.

The incident was reported at about 11:45 p.m. at Country Club Mobile Home Park, located at 3630 Country Club Drive.

Firefighters were dispatched to the park on the report that a person had been stabbed in the abdomen, with the scene initially not secured and the suspect’s location unknown, according to radio reports.

Reports from the scene indicated that the victim, a male, was attempting to break up a fight when he was stabbed by another male suspect, who then fled the area.

At the request of firefighters, REACH 6 responded and landed at Lucerne Harbor Park to transport the stabbing victim.

When REACH lifted off at about 12:20 a.m. Friday, the air ambulance’s crew reported it was headed for UC Davis Medical Center.

Information about the search for the suspect and whether or not he had been apprehended was not immediately available early Friday.

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. – The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, the nonprofit association partnering with the State Parks Department to keep Anderson Marsh State Historic Park open, is asking everyone to “save the date,” Saturday, Sept. 14, for a musical fundraiser to help keep the park open.

The concert will be held at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport, starting at 7 p.m.

Featured performers will be bluegrass favorites Pat Ickes and “Bound to Ride,” along with the Anderson Family Band and local musicians.

Wine will be poured by Thorn Hill Winery and snacks will be available for purchase.

Tickets for this event are $25 per person and will be available before the event at the Soper-Reese box office on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and at the Travel Center in Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

AMIA is the interpretive association for Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and provides programs and funds to keep the park open and available to the public.

The organization presents guided nature walks and tours, school field trips and the popular Christmas at the Ranch event in December.

All profits from the upcoming concert will go towards projects, expenses and improvements at the park.

For more information about Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and AMIA, visit www.andersonmarsh.org .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A man who defrauded Caltrans out of nearly $1.9 million is facing a nine-year prison sentence, loss of homes and the surrender of his valuable Star Wars collection after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris on Friday announced the sentence for 43-year-old Eric Hodgson of Elk Grove.

Hodgson agreed to a plea deal that in addition to the nine-year prison sentence, included forfeiture of his personal and real property, which includes two residences, two cars, several retirement accounts and a collection of Stars Wars items – including replica lightsabers, spaceship and character models – worth more than $10,000.

Hodgson was arrested in April on 22 counts of grand theft following a California Department of Justice investigation that began after Caltrans staff discovered fraudulent invoices for print advertisements that had never actually run in local newspapers as promised.

On Thursday, Hodgson pleaded guilty in Sacramento Superior Court to seven of the 22 counts as part of the plea deal.

Hodgson, as the owner of Phenix Print & Image, was hired by Caltrans to publicly advertise new construction contracts to bidders, as required by statute.

Caltrans employees discovered the alleged fraud during a routine request for information and proof of publication for the construction contract advertisements.

A subsequent internal review confirmed likely fraudulent activity and, as consistent with state law, the matter was turned over to the California Department of Justice for further investigation.

The investigation of invoices submitted by Phenix found two print advertising contracts, awarded in 2008 and 2009, that totaled more than $1.8 million.

Caltrans terminated a third contract, awarded to Phenix in 2011 for more than $800,000, before any invoices were paid.

The California Department of Justice investigation found that Hodgson defrauded Caltrans of nearly $1.9 million by using false and fraudulent documentation.

He instead used the money to pay off a mortgage, make purchases of toys and comics, and pay for exotic trips for him and his company staff.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man was taken into custody earlier this week on a number of charges after he led a Clearlake Police officer on a high speed chase through the city.

Raymond Kaniela Lamb, 41, was arrested by Officer Elvis Cook with help from his K9 partner “Max” following the chase on Tuesday night, according to Lt. Tim Celli of the Clearlake Police Department.

At 9:10 p.m. Tuesday Cook and Max were on duty and, along with several other Clearlake Police officers, were preparing to serve a felony warrant on a residence where Lamb was known to frequent, Celli said.

As the officers were preparing to make contact at the residence, Officer Cook saw Lamb driving a vehicle in the area of Pine and Davis avenues, according to Celli.

Cook knew Raymond Lamb from prior law enforcement-related contacts and knew that he had an outstanding felony warrant issued for his arrest. Celli said Cook also was aware that Lamb had a history of violence and resisting arrest, and that he was not licensed to drive.

Celli said Cook attempted to make a traffic stop on Lamb, but Lamb failed to stop, leading Cook on a vehicle pursuit with speeds reaching 100 miles per hour.

During the pursuit Lamb is alleged to have driven recklessly, failing to stop at stop signs and making unsafe turning movements. Celli said Lamb slammed on his brakes several times in what police believed was an attempt to cause the pursuing police car to crash.

The pursuit lasted for approximately two and a half miles, leading to an orchard area near Denman Road, Celli said. Lamb drove his vehicle through the orchard, attempting to cause the pursuing officers to crash into trees and rock piles.

Lamb eventually abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot near Old Highway 53. Due to Lamb having a felony warrant, his history of violence and his attempts to evade the police with reckless disregard for public safety, Celli said Cook deployed Max, sending him to apprehend Lamb.  

Celli said Lamb failed to obey the warning given by Cook to stop and he continued running down to a creek and under a bridge where Max caught up with Lamb, biting him on the forearm.

Lamb continued to fight with Max for a period of time, ignoring orders from Cook to stop fighting the dog. Celli said Lamb eventually stopped fighting the K9 and he was taken into custody without further incident.

Lamb was discovered to be in possession of approximately 1.7 grams of methamphetamine and a hypodermic syringe, Celli said.

Medical personnel were summoned to the scene to provide first aid to Lamb, who Celli said was then transported to S. Helena Hospital Clear Lake by police officers for a medical clearance.

A search of the vehicle Lamb was driving revealed that he was in possession of pepper spray, Celli said.

Lamb was cleared for incarceration and was later booked at the Lake County Hill Road Jail for the felony warrant. Celli said Lamb additionally was charged with felony evading, assault with a deadly weapon, felony obstruction of a police officer, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of tear gas by a convicted felon.

Lamb remains in custody at the Hill Road Jail with bail set at $60,000, Celli said.

NORTH LAKEPORT, Calif. – Special Districts issued a notice on Wednesday strongly urging all customers in the North Lakeport Water System – CSA No. 21 – to immediately begin voluntarily conserving water, particularly for uses like irrigation and swimming pools.

The agency said the North Lakeport Water System is experiencing a significant challenge in keeping up with the high demand for water.

The public water system is experiencing a reduction in storage reserves which are approaching critical levels and an emergency request for water conservation has been issued.

The elevated summer temperatures have adversely affected the lake water quality due to significant blue-green algae growth and placed an increased demand on water consumption.  The water treatment plant is significantly challenged to keep up with the high demand and replenish the storage tanks.

Special Districts told Lake County News that the surface water plants have had problems with algae in the past but it seems to be getting worse each year.

Conditions are the worst they’ve ever seen them in the North Lakeport Water System – likely due to the extremely high temperatures last week – and agency officials said this is about a month earlier than such problems normally occur.

Special Districts administration is asking customers to refrain from using water for irrigation/outdoor watering purposes, filling swimming pools, high pressure water cleaning applications and washing vehicles.  

Using water wisely helps protects the water system, especially during these periods of short supply. Voluntary conservation efforts now can help avoid a critical reduction in storage reserves which could result in mandatory water rationing, Special Districts said.

Although this urgent conservation request applies to the North Lakeport Water System, Special Districts is requesting that customers in all water districts voluntarily conserve water. After a very dry winter and the extreme summer temperatures, ground water levels are very low and surface water sources are challenged due to the current lake water quality.

The agency said it is always important to conserve water and care should be taken to prevent any unnecessary use. Special Districts asked its customers to consider installing low-flow devices on all in-home faucets and showers, and installing low flow/flush toilets. Water conservation is important and it saves money.   

Should you have any questions about water conservation or low flow devices, please log on to the Special Districts Web site, http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Special_Districts/Water_Conservation.htm , where customers can find useful tips on using water wisely in both the home and for landscaping, and information on how to further reduce water use through conservation.

Lake County Special Districts Administration also can be contacted at 707-263-0119. 

Like a comet, the solar system has a tail. NASA's Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has for the first time mapped out the structure of this tail, which is shaped like a four-leaf clover.

Scientists describe the tail, called the heliotail, based on the first three years of IBEX imagery in a paper published in the July 10 edition of the Astrophysical Journal.

While telescopes have spotted such tails around other stars, it has been difficult to see whether our star produced one.

The particles found in the tail – and throughout the entire heliosphere, the region of space influenced by our sun – do not shine, so they cannot be seen with conventional instruments.

“By examining the neutral atoms, IBEX has made the first observations of the heliotail,” said David McComas, IBEX principal investigator at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and the paper's lead author.

“Many models have suggested the heliotail might look like this or like that, but we have had no observations,” McComas said. “We always drew pictures where the tail of the solar system just trailed off the page, since we couldn't even speculate about what it really looked like.”

IBEX measures the neutral particles created by collisions at the solar system's boundaries. This technique, called energetic neutral atom imaging, relies on the fact that the paths of neutral particles are not affected by the solar magnetic field. Instead, the particles travel in a straight line from collision to IBEX.

Consequently, observing where the neutral particles came from describes what is going on in these distant regions.

“Since first light in 2008, the IBEX mission team has amazed us with its discoveries at the interstellar boundary, including a previously unknown ribbon of energetic neutral particles stretching across it,” said Arik Posner, NASA's IBEX program scientist in Washington. “The new IBEX image of the heliotail fills in a previously blank area on the map. We are first-hand witnesses of rapid progress in heliophysics science.”

By combining observations from the first three years of IBEX imagery, the team showed a tail with a combination of fast and slow moving particles.

There are two lobes of slower particles on the sides and faster particles above and below. This four-leaf clover shape can be attributed to the fact that the sun has been sending out fast solar wind near its poles and slower wind near its equator for the last few years.

This is a common pattern in the most recent phase of the sun's 11-year activity cycle.

The clover shape does not align perfectly with the solar system, however. The entire shape is rotated slightly, indicating that as it moves further away from the sun and its magnetic influence, the charged particles begin to be nudged into a new orientation, aligning with the magnetic fields from the local galaxy.

Scientists do not know how long the tail is, but think that it eventually fades away and becomes indistinguishable from the rest of interstellar space.

Scientists are testing their current computer simulations of the solar system against the new observations to improve our understanding of the comet-like tail streaming out behind us.

For more information about the IBEX mission, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ibex .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – An investigation conducted by the county’s district attorney has concluded that the death of a young man who had been taken into custody last year was the result of a heart attack, and that there was no evidence of any wrongdoing by sheriff’s deputies who handled the case.

District Attorney Don Anderson released the report relating to the death of 19-year-old Joseph Triny Hoaglen, who died last Nov. 27.

Sheriff’s deputies had been dispatched to the Kelseyville home of Angela Hoaglen shortly after 7:30 p.m. Nov. 27, where she reported that her son, Joseph, was tearing up her home after having consumed a bottle of pills, according to Anderson’s report.

When deputies arrived they found the mother and son arguing, and Joseph Hoaglen was arrested for an outstanding warrant, the report explained.

The report stated that the young man was cooperative with deputies, answering questions and complying with deputies’ commands.

However, shortly after he was handcuffed Joseph Hoaglen became unsteady on his feet, and after having previously told deputies he had not taken pills, he said he had taken 20 to 30 sleeping pills, Anderson’s report said.

Deputies helped Hoaglen into the backseat of a patrol car and called medical personnel, who found Hoaglen conscious and alert when they arrived. However, Anderson said Hoaglen was sweating profusely and began to be evasive about if he had taken any pills.

The handcuffs were removed, Hoaglen fell to his knees, began to dry heave, then fell facedown on the ground and stopped breathing, Anderson reported.

Anderson’s report said medical personnel defibrillated Hoaglen and did cardiopulmonary resuscitation, transporting him to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake where hospital staff worked on him for 22 minutes. However, he was pronounced dead just after 9:30 p.m.

Based on toxicology results, no excess of drugs was found in his system – everything fell within therapeutic levels except for the Atropine used by medical personnel in attempting to revive Hoaglen, according to Anderson’s report.

An autopsy that took place two days after Hoaglen’s death found that he had a very large heart with small coronary arteries, Anderson said.

Anderson said the medical examiner concluded that Hoaglen had died of a myocardial infarction – in layman’s terms, a heart attack – due to coronary insufficiency, which is defined as a decrease in blood flow through the coronary vessels.

The deputies used no physical or restraining force on Hoaglen during his arrest, Anderson said.

“There is no evidence of any wrong doing by Lake County Sheriff personnel in the death of Joseph Triny Hoaglen,” Anderson concluded.

Anderson’s report in its entirety is below.

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.

FINAL REPORT
IN CUSTODY DEATH OF JOSEPH TRINY HOAGLEN

FACTS

On November 27, 2012, at about 1932 hours, Angela Hoaglen called 911 to report her son; Joseph Triny Hoaglen had consumed a bottle of pills and was tearing up the house. Lake County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the residence and contacted Angela and Joseph Hoaglen.

The Lake County Sheriff Deputy arrived on scene around 7:45 p.m. Joseph Hoaglen was visibly upset and arguing with Angela Hoaglen. Joseph Hoaglen was standing on his own and answered all of the Deputy’s questions.

Joseph Hoaglen denied taking any pills and said he only told his mother that to scare her. The Deputy arrested Joseph Hoaglen for an outstanding arrest warrant. Joseph Hoaglen answered all questions asked of him and complied with all commands during the arrest, search for weapons and the placing of handcuffs on his wrists. He was completely cooperative throughout his contact with the officers.

Just after the handcuffs were placed on Joseph Hoaglen, Joseph became unsteady on his feet and told the Deputy he had taken 20 to 30 sleeping pills. The Deputies assisted Joseph Hoaglen to the rear seat of the patrol car. The Deputies called for medical personnel to respond.

Medical personnel arrived and found Joseph Hoaglen was conscious and alert and was able to provide his full name, date of birth and age, but he was sweating profusely. Joseph Hoaglen was being evasive concerning what pills, if any, he had take.

The handcuffs were removed and he then fell to his knees and said he was not feeling well. Joseph Hoaglen’s blood pressure was taken and it was a little high. Joseph Hoaglen said he was feeling sick and started dry heaving. Joseph Hoaglen then dropped to the ground on his face.

Joseph Hoaglen stopped breathing and medical personnel turned Joseph Hoaglen over onto his back. Joseph Hoaglen did not have a pulse, he was defibrillated and CPR was begun. Hoaglen was transported by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.

Hospital staff attempted life saving procedures on Joseph Hoaglen for about 22 minutes. Joseph Hoaglen was not able to be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at 9:38 p.m.

INVESTIGATION

A reports by Central Valley Toxicology indicates all drugs found in Joseph Hoaglen’s blood except Atropine were well within therapeutic levels. Atropine was a drug administered by medical personnel while attempting to revive Joseph Hoaglen.

Forensic Pathologist Jason K.T. Trent, MD performed a Necropsy on Joseph Hoaglen on November 29, 2012. Dr Trent determined Joseph Hoaglen’s cause of death to be “Sudden death due to Acute Myocardial infarction due to coronary insufficiency”. Joseph Hoaglen’s heart was very large with very small coronary arteries.

No physical force or restraining force was used by Lake County Sheriff Deputies during the arrest of Joseph Triny Hoaglen. There is no evidence of any wrong doing by Lake County Sheriff personnel in the death of Joseph Triny Hoaglen.

Don A. Anderson
Lake County District Attorney

NORTH LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Wednesday afternoon fire destroyed a hay barn and a home in the north Lakeport area.

The structure fire, located in the 7200 block of Westlake Road near the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, was dispatched just after 1:30 p.m., according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.

By the time firefighters arrived, the building of origin – a hay barn – already was on the ground, and a nearby house was fully involved, Beristianos said.

“The home was destroyed,” he said.

In addition to the two structures, the fire burned a quarter acre of grass, Beristianos said.

Northshore Fire responded with three engines, a duty captain and Beristianos, while Lakeport Fire and Kelseyville Fire each sent a water tender, the US Forest Service sent two engines and a water tender, and Cal Fire sent three engines, Beristianos said.

Due to the home being destroyed, one man was displaced, said Beristianos. “He is being cared for by Red Cross.”

Beristianos and fire crews remained on scene throughout the afternoon for mop up operations, finally clearing the scene at about 5:30 p.m.

He said firefighters were not yet sure of the fire’s cause.

“We’re pretty confident it’s an accidental fire,” Beristianos said. “We have no reason to believe it’s suspicious.”

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. – Northshore business owner and former District 3 Lake County Planning Commissioner Marvin Butler has announced his candidacy for county supervisor.

District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, now in her second term, has announced she will not seek reelection next year.

“Lake County is facing many difficult and important challenges. I am seeking the office of county supervisor to provide the residents of District 3 with honest, dedicated and independent leadership to meet those challenges head on,” said Butler.

“Creating jobs and opportunities will be high priorities for me on the county board,” stated Butler.

He said he will use his business experience to expand tourism, support local agriculture and attract quality, environmentally-friendly employers to District 3.

Butler also plans to explore the opportunities and potential of the local colleges – Marymount, Mendocino College and Yuba College – to stimulate job creation and establish cutting-edge businesses. “I am committed to greater economic prosperity for District 3 and all of Lake County,” he said.

“Building a stronger local economy means protecting Clear Lake, our most precious economic and environmental resource” continued Butler. “As your new supervisor, I will work closely with our Northshore communities to protect the Lake’s fragile ecosystem from the quagga mussel. I’ll also be seeking greater public input and will engage multiple resources to help the county proactively address critical issues and projects such as lake algae, Lucerne water rate increases, the pending endangered species listing of Clear Lake Hitch, Walker Ridge Wind Farm and the Middle Creek Restoration project.”

Protecting public safety is another top priority of Butler’s. “On the county board, I’ll work hand in glove with our firefighting professionals to ensure the highest level of fire prevention service for Third District residents. And I will support an additional local sheriff’s substation to serve our Northshore communities.”

Butler said he’s looking forward to “an upbeat, engaging campaign and to personally connecting with District 3 residents and business owners.” He added, “I will work hard to represent you, your livelihood and your Lake County.”

Community leaders across District 3 have endorsed Butler’s candidacy.

“I’ve known Marvin for more than 15 years and he has always been an active community member with the community’s best interest at heart,” said Anne Garner, the owner of Eleven Roses Ranch and a fourth-generation Lake County resident.

Retired Lake County Redevelopment Agency Director Andrew Peterson called Butler “extremely knowledgeable on Northshore issues and thoroughly prepared to be a county supervisor.”

“Marvin is a leader who listens to people’s concerns and brings our communities together,” said Monica Rosenthal, who is serving as campaign chair for the Butler for Supervisor Committee. “He has the integrity, energy and independence to be an effective voice for the residents of District 3.”

A longtime resident of Clearlake Oaks and owner of the Garden Court Salon and Gift Shop in Nice, Butler served as the District 3 representative on the Lake County Planning Commission for five years. He was appointed as the planning commission’s delegate on updating the County Master Plan.

Butler is an active community leader, serving on the Upper Lake-Nice-Blue Lakes Area Plan Advisory Committee, the Lucerne-Glenhaven-Clearlake Oaks-Clear Lake Area Plan Committee and the redevelopment committees for the communities of Nice, Lucerne, Upper Lake and Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven. He also is a former member on the Lake County Fair Board of Directors.

A retired banker, Butler has two adult children.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Yuba Community College District is suspending participation in the Federal Student Loan Program program in response to a high default rate on education loans by former students.

The program suspension goes into effect this fall at the district’s campuses, including Yuba College and Woodland Community College.

The decision by the college and its board of trustees to suspend the Federal Student Loan Program was made in an effort to protect the availability of future federal financial aid, the district said.

The U.S. Department of Education’s policy would be to revoke a college’s ability to participate in any federal financial aid program, including Pell Grants, FSEOG and Federal Work Study, because of excessive default rates.

The board’s action to suspend federal student loans will protect all federal student aid, including Pell Grant, meaning that eligible students will still be able to receive all federal grants as well as State Cal Grants, the district reported.

Only 236 Yuba College students and 39 Woodland Community College students participated in the Federal Student Loan program in 2012-13, whereas 5,270 Yuba College students and 1,560 Woodland Community College students received other forms of federal and state financial aid, totaling more than $33,000,000.

Yuba College's draft default rate for former students currently exceeds federal limits. Should the district’s colleges lose eligibility to participate in federal financial aid programs, thousands of students would be turned away.

College administrators will assist students who rely on the Federal Student Loan Program to identify alternative financial aid solutions.

The board of trustees has formed a committee to assess its decision through data analysis for future years.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 44th quilt block on the Lake County Quilt trail has been installed on the barn at Quailbrook Farm located at 7460 Kelsey Creek Drive in Kelseyville.

The quilt block, called “4 Patch-Horse Play,” was installed on a barn owned by Kathy and Peter Windrem.

“The barn is at least 50 years old – probably older,” said Kathy Windrem. “It was on the property when we purchased it in 1976. Recently we added a new section to the barn and painted it barn red. The goal is to make it more suitable for our horses.”

The quilt block, designed by Gerri Groody, seemed a very good choice for the Windrems' barn.

The GPS location of “4 Patch-Horse Play” is Latitude – 38.94, Longitude – 122.84

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.

The 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the LC Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters, and a videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or visit the quilt trail's Facebook page.