CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man who led a police sergeant on an early morning vehicle pursuit and foot chase was apprehended and found to be in possession of a homemade gun.

James Thomas West, 41, was taken into custody following the chase, which occurred early Monday, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs of the Clearlake Police Department.

At 2:20 a.m. Monday, Clearlake Police Sgt. Travis Lenz was on patrol when he observed a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta driving on Lakeshore Drive without its headlights on. Hobbs said the driver of the vehicle later was determined to be West.

Hobbs said Lenz attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle by activating his patrol vehicle's emergency lights. 

West turned his vehicle from Lakeshore Drive onto Kabal Street and accelerated to approximately 50 miles per hour in the posted 25 mile per hour zone. Hobbs said West continued to flee and drove towards the east end of Kabal Street. 

Near the end of Kabal Street, West lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked car. Hobbs said the parked car then moved forward and crashed into a second parked car and the second parked car moved forward and struck a tree.

Hobbs said West exited the vehicle and fled on foot to a foot path that leads from the east end of Kabal Street to Memory Lane. 

About 200 yards down the footpath, Sgt. Lenz caught up with West and was able to place him under arrest, Hobbs said.

During a search incident to West's arrest, Lenz located ammunition in one of West’s pants pockets, according to Hobbs.

Hobbs said that during an inventory search of the vehicle, Lenz located a loaded homemade zip gun in between the driver’s seat and the center console of the vehicle West had been driving.

The ammunition in West’s pocket also was the same caliber as the ammunition in the zip gun found in the vehicle, Hobbs said.

West was booked into the Lake County Jail for being a felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of a zip gun, felon in possession of ammunition, possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle, resisting arrest, hit and run, felony evading and driving with a suspended driver’s license, Hobbs said.

Jail records showed that West's bail was set at $65,000. He remained in custody early Tuesday.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Taylor Observatory and Norton Planetarium will host a special show on Thursday, Aug. 11, to mark the Perseids meteor shower.

The Friends of Taylor Observatory group invites Lake County residents to enjoy the Perseid shower from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. at the observatory, 5725 Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville.

Meteors showers occur when the orbit of the earth intersects the debris from a comet that passed through the solar system in the past.  For example, the Perseids meteors are remnants of Comet Swift-Tuttle. 

Generations of families have enjoyed the yearly celestial show of Perseid meteors cascading from the sky. 

A possible “Jupiter enhancement” may double the number of meteors seen this year. According to NASA astronomers, Jupiter’s gravity has shifted the comet’s debris stream in such a way that collisions with the earth’s atmospheric shell will be increased, producing up to two times the normal 100 per hour rate from dark sky locations. 

Enjoy a talk on meteors at 9 p.m., consult with Taylor astronomers, view the planetarium show “Firefall” between 9 and 10 p.m., observe Mars, Saturn the moon and several deep sky objects through the observatory’s telescopes from 10 to 11 p.m., and from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. watch the meteor shower.

Guests should bring warm clothing and a ground cover or lawn chair for observing the meteors. Meteors are best viewed after midnight.

Admission is free but donations to benefit STEM education for Lake County schools are always appreciated. 

Visit www.taylorobservatory.org or www.friendsoftaylor.org or for more information call Friends of Taylor Observatory President Bill Haddon at 415-209-3084.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will get project updates and discuss goals when it meets this week.

The meeting will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 10, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a status report from city Associate Planner Dan Chance on the Lakeport Downtown Improvement Project's phase two, which is now under way, and the Lakefront Revitalization Plan.

City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram will lead the discussion of goals and priorities in developing the Lakeport Economic Development Strategic Plan.

LEDAC advocates for a strong and positive Lakeport business community and acts as a conduit between the city and the community for communicating the goals, activities and progress of Lakeport’s economic and business programs.

It is chaired by Wilda Shock, with the membership including Vice Chair Christine Hutt, Secretary Rebecca Southwick, and members Bill Eaton, Melissa Fulton, Pam Harpster, George Linn, Taira St. John and Panette Talia.

Lakeport City Community Development Director Kevin Ingram and City Manager Margaret Silveira serve as ex-officio committee members.

Shock reported that there are currently two vacancies on LEDAC. Members do not have to be Lakeport residents.

Meetings for the remainder of the year are scheduled on Oct. 12 and Dec. 14.

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.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office, in conjunction with Impact Teen Drivers, is offering a free presentation aimed at reducing collisions in Lake County caused by reckless and distracted driving.

The Impact Teen Drivers organization will make its unique, educational presentation beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 17, at Twin Pine Casino, 22223 Highway 29 in Middletown.

All interested community members are invited to attend this presentation which, according to CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, is very impactful.

“I had the pleasure of seeing this presentation about three years ago and have been looking for the opportunity to bring it to Lake County,” Reynolds said. “While the main focus is to educate and hopefully impact our young drivers, Impact Teen Drivers is something everyone will find educational and worthwhile.”

Automobile collisions have been the leading cause of death for American teens for generations.

Since 2007, Impact Teen Drivers has emerged as a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing this pervasive yet 100-percent preventable crisis.

Impact’s mission is to change the culture of driving forever thereby saving lives not only in this generation of drivers, but also in all future generations of drivers.

Impact Teen Drivers endeavors to do this through a nationwide educational program that confronts the dangers and consequences of reckless and distracted driving.

With manifold free online materials, and direct trainings available, its unique grassroots framework empowers people to make meaningful behavioral changes in their own driving habits, as well as to promote safe driving in their community.

Distracted and reckless driving is a multifaceted public health crisis that requires a multi-faceted response, so while Impact’s message remains the same – to end it – the formats and venues to spread it vary.

Impact has developed evidence-based curricula and guides for different professional fields, and for different target audiences.

Impact Teen Drivers offers myriad free resources to educators, first responders, health care professionals, parents, community members, and teens and teen organizations.

“We are excited to partner with Impact Teen Drivers and Twin Pine Casino to educate our young drivers about the dangers of unsafe driving behaviors,” said Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office.

“All too often, the CHP is called upon to investigate traffic conditions where people are seriously injured or worse and it's determined that the cause was a teen's distracted driving,” Paredes said. “Impact Teen Drivers is an excellent program to emphasize that these collisions are 100-percent preventable when teens adopt safe driving practices.”

To find out more about this free event contact Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP's Clear Lake Area office at 707-279-0103.

For more information on the Teen Impact Drivers program, visit the organization's Web site at www.impactteendrivers.org .

California’s birth rate among adolescents has continued to decline to record-low levels, with Lake County's rates also showing another reduction, according to a new report from the California Department of Public Health.

The state’s 2014 numbers indicate a record low of 20.8 births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19. Those numbers reflect a 10 percent decline from 2013 and a 55 percent decline from the 2000 rate of 46.7, the agency reported.

"California’s continued success in reducing births among adolescents is an excellent example of public health at work,” said CDPH Director and State Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “We can have a positive influence on the lives of young people when we empower them with knowledge, tools and resources to make healthy choices.”

In Lake County, the most recent study showed the teen birth rate was at 34.3 per 1,000, with a repeat birth rate of 16.7 per 1,000, according to state data.

While significantly higher than the state average, Lake County's rates have shown marked improvement over the past several years, based on CDPH studies, and the new rate reported this week appears to be the lowest in more than a decade.

Past years' studies showed that in 2013, the birth rate was 35.5 per 1,000, compared to 38.8 in 2012, 42.1 in 2011 and 43.4 in 2010. Additional data going back to 2005 showed the lowest rate was 37.5.

Across California, the birth rate among adolescents decreased among all racial and ethnic groups between 2000 and 2014. During this time, the birth rate dropped from 77.3 to 31.3 (births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19) among Hispanics, 59.1 to 24.6 among African Americans, 22.3 to 8.4 among Whites and 15.0 to 3.7 among Asians, according to the report.

Despite these declining birth rates, racial disparities persist in adolescent childbearing in California, the numbers showed.

African American and Hispanic adolescents are three to four times as likely to give birth as white females. In addition, officials reported that the birth rate among adolescents varies considerably across counties, from a low of 7.0 in Marin County to a high of 45.1 in Kern County.

California has a number of programs aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and improving pregnancy outcomes among young women.

CDPH funds the Information and Education Program, the Personal Responsibility Education Program authorized through the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and the Adolescent Family Life Program for expectant and parenting adolescents.

In addition, the state provides no-cost family planning services to eligible men and women, including adolescents, through the Family PACT Program.

ACCUWEATHER GLOBAL WEATHER CENTER – AccuWeather reports as the weather pattern transitions to La Niña this fall, warm weather is predicted across much of the eastern United States. Meanwhile, developing dryness and worsening drought conditions will grip the majority of the western U.S. The Northwest may mark the only exception where cooler air will rule as a result of frequent showers.

Warm, dry weather to dominate fall across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic

Those anticipating the turn to cool fall weather will have to wait longer than usual this year as a warm, dry start to the season is in store for the Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Typical cool shots will hit the region at times in October and November, but prolonged chilly weather will wait until late in the fall for most areas.

“As far as Philadelphia and New York City, I would expect that you're not going to see many arctic shots or cold shots to spoil your plans here in the fall,” AccuWeather Expert Long-Range Forecaster Paul Pastelok said.

“The only days that really may be cool are those that are wet. If the season follows our predictions, we're not expecting too many of those coming up,” he said.

The warm, dry conditions will lead to a promising harvest season for farmers and excellent weather for those attending fall festivals. Leaf peepers may get the short end of the stick, however.

“Fall foliage looks like it may be hurting just a bit because of the current dry conditions going on and then what we expect in September and October...,” Pastelok said. “Those leaves, they may not be as vibrant and they may not stay on the trees very long.”
 
Southeast to remain on alert for tropical impact into peak of Atlantic hurricane season

Opposite of areas farther north, the Southeast will experience largely beneficial wet weather early.

Northern and southern edges of the region, in South Florida and the Tennessee Valley, may be the dry pockets this fall, while rain spreads over the rest of the area.

An active weather pattern in October may allow severe storms to form across Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina at times.

“Fronts and any tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, that will all contribute to help out and break this short-term drought that they're in right now,” Pastelok said.

Experts predict the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season will yield a normal or slightly above-normal number of storms. However, regardless of season totals, one or two more impacts may be in store for the U.S.

Severe weather to follow early fall warmth in the Midwest

The beginning of fall may seem like an extension of the summer season for much of the Midwest, as heat waves grip the region into September.

“Places like Chicago, St. Louis and Des Moines, they still have chances to touch 90 degrees or better for a few days in early September,” Pastelok said.

Severe storms will also intrude on the season for some areas, including in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri.

“Let me stress, though, this is not going to be frequent...,” he said. “I think there will be some breaks in between [storms] ...”

Cold to hold off until late fall for central US

Warm and dry conditions will extend over the northern Plains into October, before a quick turnaround to fall-like weather.

Cold shots are predicted to arrive by the middle to late November, just in time for Thanksgiving. The cold air, paired with a likely transition to a La Niña weather pattern, could allow snow to fall in late November.

“The more snow we see, the colder the end of November and into early December will be,” Pastelok said.

In the southern Plains, a large area of developing dryness will promote hot weather into the fall. The exception may be in eastern Texas, where tropical moisture will help to lower temperatures.

Despite the temperature divide across the region, severe weather is unlikely to pose a major risk into fall.

Cool, showery weather in store for Northwest

Cool, showery weather will define the fall across the Northwest.

Periods of wet weather, sometimes lasting for a few weeks at a time, will allow cooler air to become entrenched across the region. However, there's hope for those looking to enjoy some early fall days outdoors.

“You're still going to have some warm days. So, I wouldn't cancel out the Northwest as far as outdoor plans go. Just be cautious that there could be some [wet] periods that go on for a couple of weeks.”

Snow could build up in the highest elevations of the Northwest as soon as late September or early October this year, slightly faster than normal.

Lack of rain to amplify drought in West

After El Niño failed to bring sufficient rain and snow to California and the West over the winter season, drought conditions will continue to raise the risk for devastating wildfires.

Heading into the peak of the wildfire season, which stretches into September, a lack of moisture will allow dry vegetation to serve as fuel for new and ongoing blazes.

“It's bad now and it's only going to get worse,” Pastelok said.

Additionally, Santa Ana winds will fan the flames of existing fires, helping them to spread.

Dryness will also continue in the Southwest, despite some early rainfall from the monsoon.

“We still may have another spurt of moisture here and there into early September in eastern parts of Utah, but other than that, those areas will start to dry out as well by middle fall,” Pastelok said.