The fire, first reported late Tuesday morning at 18390 North Shore Drive, drew dozens of firefighters from around the county.

The Lake County Arson Task Force had been called to the scene Tuesday to lead the investigation.

South Lake County Fire District Battalion Chief Scott Upton, the incident commander on the fire, said Wednesday that the investigation had concluded that the fire’s cause was “accidental but undetermined.”

He said the home’s insurance company is planning to conduct some more advanced testing.

“So hopefully we’ll get more of a determination,” he said.

Upton said the two people injured in the fire were listed as being in critical condition on Wednesday morning.

Both were transported via air ambulances to out-of-county trauma centers, one to UC Davis Medical Center, one to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, officials reported.

The fire victims’ names were not released by the fire district, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office did not have their names for release on Wednesday.

CHP Officer Josh Dye, who had been one of the first on scene and helped tend one of the burn victims, suffered some smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital on Tuesday, according to CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, the Clear Lake CHP Area office’s public information officer.

However, Dye was back at work on Wednesday and doing great after getting “a little too much smoke,” Reynolds said.

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“The times dictate that state government always be on the lookout for ways to reduce costs when possible,” Chesbro (D-Arcata) said in a Tuesday statement.

The new address is 200 S. School St., Suite D, Ukiah, CA 95482. The phone and fax number will remain the same: 707-463-5770 (phone) and 707-463-5773 (fax).

“An opportunity opened up for us to scale back our Ukiah office while still offering the same level of service our Mendocino and Lake County constituents deserve,” Chesbro said. “By moving into the Ukiah Valley Conference Center we cut our office rent in half and also help the city, which owns the conference center. The city has been more than accommodating.”

Chesbro will host an open house at the new location so the public will have an opportunity to become familiar with the new office. The date is yet to be announced.

The Ukiah office services Mendocino and Lake Counties, and will continue to be staffed by Field Representative Ruth Valenzuela.

The new office – in addition to having better parking – is in the same building as State Sen. Noreen Evans’ office making it a sort of “one stop shop” for state legislative business.

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Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown said the fire occurred on Flying Jib Court in Clearlake Oaks just after 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

He said the smoke detector activated due to smoke in the family room area. A fire had started on the rear wood deck area and spread to a exterior wall, and the home's occupants reported active flames from the window.

Brown said the home's residents used a fire extinguisher to knock down the fire and called 911.

Northshore Fire Protection District responded with two engines and a duty chief out of the Clearlake Oaks Station, Brown said.

Firefighters with the first arriving engine used their thermal imaging camera and found active fire in the exterior wall. Brown said the firefighters proceeded to use a chain saw and pry bars to open up the wall.

There was damage to the deck area and a section of the exterior wall, Brown said.

The fire is under investigation with the damage estimate around $6,000, according to Brown.

The operating smoke detector in the Flying Jib Court residence saved the family and reduced damage to their home, Brown said.

Brown said the incident is a good reminder of the importance of checking smoke detectors twice a year. The twice-annual time change due to daylight savings is a good time to check.

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Jose Louis Vallejo Ruiz, 28, was arrested for driving under the influence causing injury and driving without a driver’s license, while both of his passengers, 29-year-old Neri Averdano-Rosas and Clemente Sarmiento Rosas, 21, were booked for public intoxication, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.

The crash occurred at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday on Highway 29 north of Hofacker Lane, the CHP reported.

The CHP said Ruiz was driving his 1994 Honda Accord northbound at an unknown speed when he allowed his vehicle to drift off the roadway, resulting in it overturning several times.

Ruiz and Averdano-Rosas were not injured, but Clemente Rosas sustained minor injuries in the collision, the CHP said.

CHP Officers Jensen and Garcia responded to the crash scene and contacted the three men, arresting all of them, according to the report.

All three men were taken to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake Hospital and medically cleared prior to being booked at the Lake County Jail, the CHP said.

Jail records indicated all three men remained in custody late Wednesday due to no-bail immigration holds.

The collision is still under investigation by Officer Jensen.

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Superior Court Judge Richard Henderson sentenced Cody Fisher, 30, to a four-year state prison term, according to a report from Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster's office.

Henderson characterized his decision as “very, very difficult” after he heard pleas for leniency from the defendant’s family and friends.

The maximum that Fisher could have been sentenced to was 11 years in state prison.

Before the four-year sentence was imposed Assistant District Attorney Paul Sequeira argued on behalf of the people in favor of a state prison commitment despite an emotional plea for mercy from the mother of victim.

Sequeira contended Fisher needed to be held accountable for Mark Pare’s death, especially in face of Fisher’s prior conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol, and other unusual circumstances of the fatal accident.

While Sequeira acknowledged the courtroom pleas seeking mercy for Fisher, Sequeira countered, “Mercy is the business of God. Justice is the business of the court.”

District Attorney David Eyster said, "Our primary interest as prosecutors is public safety and drunk drivers, especially repeat offenders like Mr. Fisher, put us all at great risk. Prison is appropriate given all the facts of this case and the background of the defendant."

Prosecutors have described Fisher’s case as a story of a birthday celebration turned deadly.

Fisher, Pare and another friend on the night of Aug. 28 left a home in the remote area of McNab Ranch, located west of Highway 101 between Ukiah and Hopland, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Fisher drove his pickup truck down to the intersection of Highway 101 and McNab Ranch Road, where the trio of friends met a cab to take them into town for a night of drinking. They hailed a cab to return to the truck in the early morning hours.

Fisher insisted on driving up the unpaved dirt road despite concerns from his friends about his level of intoxication. On the way home, the pickup suddenly went off the road, overturned and slid down an embankment on its roof before slamming into a tree.

Pare was trapped inside the cab of the truck, but Fisher didn’t call authorities for nearly four hours because he claimed he knew his friend had been killed instantly, officials reported.

Instead Fisher called his fiancée to bring him a pot of coffee to help him sober up before summoning the California Highway Patrol to the scene.

According to the investigation, Fisher initially lied about what happened at the time of the accident, telling investigators first that a deer had run across the road causing him to swerve. Later Fisher admitted he was intoxicated, and missed a turn while driving up the darken road.

“What Mr. Fisher did that night could not have been any more callous,” said Sequeira.

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“We had to dismiss it,” said District Attorney Don Anderson, who appeared in court to announce the dismissal of the case against Rowland Mosser.

“Rowland was delighted to finally have an end to his ordeal,” said Mosser’s attorney, Mitch Hauptman.

Mosser, 67, of Lucerne served as the senior center’s executive director from 2002 to 2005.

He had faced two felony counts of embezzlement and two felony grand theft counts for allegedly taking an unspecified amount of funds from the senior center between Jan. 1, 2005, and Aug. 12, 2005.

In October 2010, following the conclusion of a preliminary hearing that lasted two and a half days, Judge Andrew Blum had ordered Mosser to stand trial on the charges, as Lake County News has reported.

Hauptman said the District Attorney’s Office previously had offered Mosser a plea deal that would have reduced the case to a misdemeanor, but he said Mosser turned it down.

Anderson told Lake County News that he concluded that he could not move forward with the case because of the death of its lead investigator, Ron Larsen, who died in August.

“He was the only one who can authenticate the evidence, the documents we have, and testify to the chain of custody,” said Anderson.

Without Larsen’s testimony, the prosecution lacked the evidence it needed, Anderson said.

Anderson said he and the case’s prosecutor, Gary Luck, went over the case in detail and tried to find a way to rehabilitate it before concluding they couldn’t move forward.

“We have no choice in this case at all,” Anderson said.

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Sgt. Rodd Joseph said an on-duty Clearlake Police officer noticed a suspicious silver colored Lexus sedan on 18th Avenue near Boyles Avenue at 12:44 a.m.

He said the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road and turned its lights off as the officer approached in his marked police vehicle. The driver of the Lexus, reported to be a Hispanic male adult, then turned the vehicle’s lights back on and made a quick U-turn.

Joseph said the officer got behind the vehicle and attempted to initiate a vehicle stop for a vehicle code violation, but the vehicle fled from the officer at a high rate of speed.

The Lexus and its driver led the officer on a high speed pursuit for several blocks before the officer briefly lost sight of the suspect vehicle due to poor visibility from roadway dust, Joseph said.

The officer located the vehicle at the intersection of 21st and and Phillips avenues. Joseph said the Lexus had slid off the roadway and collided with a tree. No other vehicles were involved in the collision.

He said the driver's door was open, with the driver having apparently fled on foot.

Officers discovered two additional passengers in the vehicle. Joseph said the rear passenger was identified as 28-year-old Leona Delapena of Ukiah, while the front passenger was identified as 20-year-old Jason Steele of Ukiah. Both passengers complained of pain.

Delapena initially reported that she and Steele had been carjacked at gunpoint by the suspect at a gas station, Joseph said.

However, during questioning by officers, Delapena became uncooperative and refused to provide any statements regarding the reported carjacking, Joseph said.

He said both Delapena and Steele were transported via ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake. Steele was later transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital via helicopter. Both passengers have since been released from medical care.

This case is still under investigation, Joseph said.

Any person with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Officer Middleton at the Clearlake Police Department at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

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Firefighters respond to the fire on North Shore Drive in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Photo by Eric Trueblood.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A fire destroyed a Hidden Valley Lake home and injured three people – two of them critically – on Tuesday.

Forty firefighters from agencies around the county responded to the blaze, reported at 11:49 a.m. at a home at 18390 North Shore Drive, according to the South Lake County Fire Protection District.

Responding were firefighters from South Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Lake County Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire, the report said. Cal Fire also sent two battalion chiefs, with one battalion chief each coming from Lake County Fire and Northshore Fire.

Six engines, three medic units, a Cal Fire helicopter used to drop water on the blaze and two air ambulances – one from REACH and from CalStar – were part of the response, fire officials reported.

Firefighters en route to the scene were notified that power lines were down, and also had to deal with a venting propane tank in the home’s front yard, according to South Lake County Fire Battalion Chief Scott Upton, the incident commander.

The wind blowing the fire over North Shore Drive, along with the downed power lines and venting propane tank, made for what Upton called a “pretty severe situation.”

Fire personnel also were challenged in reaching the scene due to vehicles stacking up on North Shore Drive, with CHP officers helping control traffic. Lake County Sheriff’s deputies also assisted at the scene, according to radio reports.

CHP was among the first responders, with Officer Josh Dye responding to help treat one of the two burn patients, a man who was reported to have run from his home while on fire, according to fellow CHP Officer Kory Reynolds, who arrived sometime later.

Reynolds said Dye called for assistance, and CHP sent five additional units, totaling six in all.

Upton said when paramedics reached the burned man Dye was assisting, the man was across the road and down the hill from his home. The other burn victim also was out of the home by the time firefighters arrived.

“We have two very serious injuries,” Upton said, with one being flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and the other to the UC Davis Medical Center in the Sacramento area.

The third injury was Dye himself. Reynolds said Dye appeared to have suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. He didn’t have a condition update for Dye late Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was contained at approximately 12:52 p.m., South Lake County Fire reported.

Upton said the two-story wood structure was destroyed. He remained on scene late into the afternoon with a skeleton crew that was mopping up hot spots.

He was awaiting the arrival of the Lake County Arson Task Force, which will work to determine the cause.

“It’s still under investigation, just exactly what happened,” Upton said.

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A Cal Fire helicopter picks up a load of water to drop on a house fire on North Shore Drive in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Photo by Eric Soderstrom.

The fire, reported late in the morning on Tuesday, December 20, 2011, destroyed the two-story wood structure, according to fire officials. Photo by Eric Soderstrom.

The California Department of Education reported that only 31 percent of students statewide posted healthy scores in all six areas of the latest Physical Fitness Test.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson called the test results “a public health challenge we can't wait to address.”

The 2011 Physical Fitness Test was administered to 1.34 million students representing 93 percent of pupils enrolled in fifth, seventh and ninth grades. In Lake County, approximately 1,935 students in all three grades were tested.

Students were tested in six fitness areas: aerobic capacity, body composition, abdominal strength, trunk extensor strength, upper body strength and flexibility.

A score in the Healthy Fitness Zone, or HFZ – meaning that the student passed all six fitness standards – indicates the student's level of fitness is sufficient for good health.

For all six areas of the 2011 test results showed that 25.2 percent of fifth-grade students statewide were in the HFZ, compared to 29 percent in 2010; 32 percent of seventh grade students were in the HFZ, compared to 35 percent in 2010; and 36.8 percent of ninth-grade students were in the HFZ, compared to 38.7 percent in 2010.

In Lake County, students meeting all six fitness standards included 24.8 percent of fifth graders and 25.5 percent of seventh graders, with both groups falling under the state average.

However, Lake County’s ninth graders scored 37.6 percent, just over the state’s average score for that grade level.

The state said that to score in the HFZ the test requires that a 5-foot, 6-inch, 150-pound, 15-year-old ninth grade male run a mile within nine minutes, perform at least 16 push-ups and do at least 24 curl-ups.

The research showed that body composition is perhaps the most important indicator of who will develop future health problems.

“We have always had this silent epidemic of childhood obesity in the state,” California Department of Education spokesperson Tina Jung told Lake County News. “These are the very first indicators where we’re able to measure this.”

The state report showed that 52.1 percent of fifth graders, 55.5 percent of seventh graders and 59.4 percent of ninth graders statewide met the HFZ for body composition.

By comparison, 53 percent of Lake County’s fifth graders were in the HFZ for body composition, while 53.9 of seventh graders and 64.2 percent of ninth graders met that healthy standard.

Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook said he’s concerned about physical education having to compete for precious instructional minutes with areas like language and math, where state and federal officials have placed increased emphasis.

His perception is that physical education has lost some of those instructional minutes, and he suggested that the pendulum can’t swing too far one way toward some subjects without affecting other areas of education.

“That’s one of those real delicate balances,” he said.

Jung said all of the fitness testing boils down to an important truth for students: “If you’re healthier, you learn better.”

To address the fitness levels of the state’s children, Torlakson – who has has coached high school cross country athletes – launched the Team California for Healthy Kids effort.

The program’s three major goals are to increase physical activity, especially moderate to vigorous physical activity throughout every day in schools and communities; increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables in meals and snacks in early childhood and after-school programs, and in salad bars in schools; and increase access to drinking water.

Torlakson’s office reported that athletes and others involved in the campaign will visit schools throughout the state to encourage local efforts to increase physical activity and increase access to water, fresh fruits and vegetables.

In Lake County, there already are successful efforts to increase students’ access to nutritious foods, said Holbrook.

As an example, he pointed to the Kelseyville Unified School District’s food program, led by Michelle Malm, which recently was profiled by CBS News.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health’s locally produced video “Health Living in Lake County: Keeping Flu Out of the Landscape” tied for a Bronze Award in a national competition hosted by the National Public Health Information Coalition.

The organization considered more than 230 entries and issued awards in a variety of categories.

Lake County’s video was in the “Special AV Projects – Broadcast//Audio Visual” category and the entry with whom it shared the Bronze Award was California Department of Public Health’s “The H1N1 Flu: California’s Response.”

Developed with federal Centers for Disease Control Public Health Emergency Response Funds, the video was produced in 2010 as part of Lake County Public Health’s efforts to develop local capacity for health education of the public.

According to Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait, public messaging is most effective when the message is tailored to the local community.

“There are all kinds of generic messages about hand washing and vaccination, but I wanted to create something that speaks directly to residents of Lake County and which reflects our local values,” said Tait.

The video highlights familiar scenery and faces, noting a general appreciation for Lake County’s natural beauty.

The video also can be viewed in English and Spanish at http://health.co.lake.ca.us/site10.aspx.

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Eric Trueblood photographed this home fully engulfed in flames in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Firefighters are at the scene of a structure fire in Hidden Valley Lake.

The fire was first reported in the 18000 block of North Shore Drive just before noon on Tuesday, according to radio and California Highway Patrol reports.

South Lake County Fire and Cal Fire were responding, with additional help called in from Northshore Fire, which was bringing in several units to assist.

Witnesses reported that sheriff’s deputies were on scene, with CHP reporting it also had officers on scene to assist with traffic control.

As firefighters were approaching the scene they were alerted that power lines were down, according to dispatch.

A Cal Fire helicopter was brought in to drop water on the fire, according to witnesses.

Reports indicated there was at least one severely burned patient, with the possibility of a second injury.

A REACH air ambulance also was called to the scene to transport a patient, reports indicated.

The helicopter lifted off at 12:45 p.m. with one patient. The REACH crew indicated they could not get into a Sacramento-area burn unit and were en route to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

A Cal Fire helicopter was brought in to drop water on the fire, according to witnesses.

Reports indicated there was at least one severely burned patient, with the possibility of a second injury.

Updates on the incident will be posted as they become available.

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A fire burned a home in Hidden Valley Lake on the morning of Tuesday, December 20, 2011. Photo by Eric Soderstrom.

Hidden Valley Lake resident Hedy Montoya took this picture of black smoke rising from the home fire on North Shore Drive in Hidden Valley Lake on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.

The Employment Development Department’s unemployment report, released Friday, said Lake County’s November rate was 16.7 percent, up 0.5 percentage points over the month, but down 2.5 percent from November 2010, when the county's rate reached 19.2 percent.

California’s unemployment rate dropped to 11.3 percent in November, down from 11.7 percent in October, and 12.5 percent in November 2010, according to the report.

The state’s job’s increased by 6,600 during the month for a total gain of 211,400 jobs since 2011 began, according to data from two separate surveys used in the California Employment Development Department’s report.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,058,000 – down by 64,000 over the month, and down by 212,000 compared with November of last year, the report showed.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nationwide unemployment rate in November was 8.6 percent, down from 9 percent in October and 9.8 percent in November 2010.

Lake’s statewide ranking slipped from 53rd to 54th among the 58 counties statewide because of its November rate, noted Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s Labor Market Information Division.

Unemployment rates for surrounding counties included Colusa, 19.7 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 13.8 percent, No. 39; Mendocino, 10.1 percent, No. 17; Napa, 8.6 percent, No. 6; Sonoma, 8.9 percent, No. 8; and Yolo, 12.2 percent, No. 29.

Marin County, with 6.9 percent, had the lowest unemployment in the state, with Imperial County, 27.2 percent, having the highest, the report showed.

Mullins said that in Lake County wage and salary jobs declined by a total of 730 between October and November.

Seasonal farm and leisure and hospitality/tourism – down by 540 and 170 jobs, respectively – accounted for more than 97 percent of the month-over downturn, Mullins reported.

He said total industry jobs were down 230 over the year with overall government cutbacks, number 120 cut jobs, accounting for more than half the downturn. Six sectors gained or were unchanged over the year, and five declined.

Year-over job growth occurred in farm; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and other services, with each category adding 10 jobs, Mullins reported.

Industries with no change over the year were information and professional and business services, he said.

Mullins said industry sectors with declines over the year included mining, logging and construction, down 40 jobs; financial activities, 20; private educational and health services, 70; leisure and hospitality, 20; and government, 120.

Within Lake County, Employment Development Department statistics showed the following unemployment rates, from greatest to least: Clearlake Oaks, 24.9 percent; Nice, 24.3 percent; city of Clearlake, 23.9 percent; Lucerne, 17.6 percent; Middletown and Kelseyville, each with 17 percent; city of Lakeport, 16.1 percent; Cobb, 15 percent; Lower Lake, 14.1 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 13.8 percent; north Lakeport, 13.3 percent; and Upper Lake, 8.8 percent.

Lake County’s November workforce consisted of 23,830 people, with 3,990 of them out of work, compared to the 24,340 people in the October workforce, when there were 3,950 unemployed.

Statewide, there were 536,294 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the November survey week, the state said, compared with 494,752 last month and 600,196 last year.

New claims for unemployment insurance were 74,082 in November 2011, compared with 68,724 in October and 72,768 in November of last year, according to the state report.

State sees small job gains in November

The federal survey of 5,500 households showed an increase in the number of employed people. It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in November was 16,124,000, an increase of 116,000 from October, and up 246,000 from the employment total in November of last year, the state said.

The Employment Development Department’s report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 14,170,100 in November, a net gain of 6,600 jobs, according to a survey of 42,000 businesses. This followed a gain of 37,600 jobs in October.

The agency said eight categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 34,800 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest increase over the month, adding 18,000 jobs.

The report showed that three categories – construction; manufacturing; and professional and business services – reported job declines over the month, down 28,200 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest decrease over the month, down 13,200 jobs.

In a year-over-year comparison – November 2010 to November 2011 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 233,100 jobs, up 1.7 percent, the Employment Development Department reported.

Ten categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – posted job gains over the year, adding 233,200 jobs, the report showed.

Of those categories, professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 53,700 jobs, up 2.6 percent. Information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 4.1 percent, an increase of 18,000 jobs, the Employment Development Department said. One category, manufacturing, posted job declines over the year, down 100 jobs, small enough to register as a zero-percent decrease.

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