NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – State Sen. Mike McGuire announced that the Capital Fellows Program is now open for Northern California applicants.

McGuire currently has a Capital Fellow in his office, Chris Nielsen, who is from Novato.

The program features a select group of graduate-level students from across the country who participate in a ten month program, working daily on issues critical to the state’s legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

McGuire's office is encouraging Lake County students to apply.

“Our Senate office is proud to participate in the Fellows program and we truly enjoy working with these students on legislative and policy issues,” said McGuire.

Each year the program accepts just 18 representatives for the fellowship programs in the State Senate.

The programs start this October, and runs through the summer of 2016.

Fellows experience a broad range of activities including researching public policy issues, developing legislative proposals, analyzing and staffing legislation, assisting with constituent services and participating in meetings as the senator’s representative.

Anyone with a bachelor's degree by Sept. 1, 2015, and a demonstrated interest in state government and public service is eligible to apply. Applicants must be 20 years of age by Sept. 1, 2015. Graduate, postgraduate and mid-career applicants are welcome.

Prospective applicants can obtain information about the California Senate Fellows program online at www.csus.edu/calst/senate .

The program application period for 2015-2016 is currently open and closes on Feb. 9.

To find more information and apply, please go to http://www.csus.edu/calst/capital_fellows_programs_overview.html .

For more information or questions, please contact Jason Liles, chief of staff, at 916-651-4002 or at 707-570-7070, or email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
                   
McGuire’s Senate District runs the span of the entire North Coast and includes all of Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity, Lake and Marin counties, and the majority of Sonoma County communities.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5), has been reappointed to serve on the House Committee on Ways and Means in the 114th Congress.

The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of Representatives.

The committee has jurisdiction over revenue, tariffs, trade agreements and the nation’s bonded debt.

It also oversees the revenue-related aspects of the Social Security system, Medicare and social services programs. 

“It’s an honor to once again be appointed to serve on the Ways and Means Committee,” said Thompson. “This Congress, the focus of our committee must be on making sure all Americans who work hard and play by the rules have a fair opportunity to get ahead and succeed. To achieve this goal we need to reform our tax code in a way that will support small businesses, grow our economy, and strengthen our middle class.”

He added, “We need to pass laws that encourage companies to keep jobs at home instead of shipping them overseas. We need to continue improving the health care reform law so that all Americans can afford insurance. And, we need to make sure any trade deals support and help create good American jobs. I look forward to working with my Ways and Means colleagues as we address these important issues.”

In the 114th Congress, Thompson will serve on the Health and Select Revenue Subcommittees.

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Health includes legislation that relates to programs providing payments for health care, health delivery systems, or health research.

More specifically, the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Health includes bills and matters that relate to the health care programs of the Social Security Act. Additionally, the subcommittee has jurisdiction over tax credit and deduction provisions of the Internal Revenue Code dealing with health insurance premiums and health care costs.

The jurisdiction of the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures consists of revenue measures that are referred to subcommittee specifically by the Chairman of the full committee.

The Committee on Ways and Means is the oldest committee of the United States Congress. Eight presidents and eight vice presidents have served on Ways and Means, as have 21 speakers of the House of Representatives, and four justices of the Supreme Court.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Hospice Services of Lake County announced that Corrigan Gommenginger has assumed the position of executive director following the retirement of Anja Koot in December.

Gommenginger has worked in the health care industry for nearly a decade, most recently as the executive director of a hospice in western Washington.

He enjoys the challenges presented by constant change in the health care industry and is dedicated to increasing services to the community. 

During his tenure at the Washington hospice, Gommenginger successfully implemented new community programs and expanded caregiver services through a nonmedical homecare program.

He served on the board of directors for Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, its certificate of need task force, the public policy and finance committees.

His background extends to accounting and finance and he earned the Certified Hospice Administrator accreditation in 2014.

Born and raised in a rural community in northwest Montana, Gommenginger enjoys hiking, cycling and fishing.

He and his partner, Dave, and their two pet corgis are relocating to Lake County and looking forward to enjoying the natural treasures that Lake County offers.

He may be reached at 707-263-6222.

For more information about Hospice Services of Lake County, visit http://www.lakecountyhospice.org/ .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Wednesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released its annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report that showed that the majority of toxic chemicals managed at industrial facilities in the U.S. were not released into the environment.

Nationally in 2013, approximately 84 percent of the 26 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were managed through the use of preferred practices such as recycling.

The 2013 TRI National Analysis report, including long-term trends and localized analyses, can be found at www.epa.gov/tri/nationalanalysis .

Of the 4 billion pounds that were disposed of or otherwise released to the environment, 66 percent went to land, 19 percent to air, 5 percent to water, and 10 percent was transferred to other facilities. Individual fact sheets for the Pacific Southwest Region states and territories also were made available.

"We all have a right to know what toxic chemicals are being used and released into our environment, and what progress companies are making to reduce, recycle or prevent waste from being generated in the first place,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “This year, our online database known as the TRI Explorer is more robust than ever, and we encourage the public to make use of the extensive information available there.”

In the TRI, a "release" generally refers to a chemical that is emitted to the air, water, or placed in some type of land disposal unit. Most of these releases are subject to a variety of regulatory requirements designed to limit human and environmental harm.

TRI data is submitted annually to EPA, states, and tribes by facilities in industry sectors such as manufacturing, metal mining, electric utilities, and commercial hazardous waste.

Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), by July 1 of each year facilities must report their toxic chemical releases for the prior year.

The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 also requires facilities to submit information on pollution prevention and other waste management activities related to TRI chemicals.

The report showed that a total of 1,263 California facilities reported a 42.9 million pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013.

California’s total reported on-site and off-site releases increased when compared to the 32 million pounds reported in 2012. Clean Harbors Buttonwillow, a hazardous waste facility and the Mesquite Mine were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

The report does not show any TRI facilities in Lake County. However, there are such facilities in neighboring counties.

The counties, number of facilities, total pounds of releases and top releasing facilities are as follows:

– Colusa, Three facilities; 100,539 pounds; top facility for releases, Adams Vegetable Oils, 58,888 pounds.
– Glenn: Two facilities; 24,472 pounds; top facility for releases, Land O'Lakes, 24,451 pounds.
– Mendocino: Three sites; 15 pounds; top facility for releases, All Weather Wood LLC, 15 pounds.
– Napa: One site, Boral Stone Products LLC, 404 pounds.
– Sonoma: Nine facilities; 301 pounds; top facility for releases, Stero, 255 pounds.
– Yolo: Seven facilities; 115,022 pounds; top facility for releases, Truck Accessories Group DBA Tag West.

For detailed California information and the list of the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=CA&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

Other Pacific Southwest state and territory highlights are as follows.

ARIZONA

A total of 257 Arizona facilities reported 70.1 million pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013. Freeport-McMoran Miami, a metal mine, and the Asarco LLC Ray Complex/Hayden Smelter were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

Arizona’s total reported on-site and off-site releases decreased when compared to the 86 million pounds reported in 2012.

For detailed Arizona information and the list of the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=AZ&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

HAWAII

A total of 35 facilities reported 3 million pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013. Hawaii’s total reported on-site and off-site releases increased when compared to the 2.7 million pounds reported in 2012.

AES Hawaii Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Co.’s Kahe Generating Station, both electric generation utilities, were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

For detailed Hawaii information and the list of the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=HI&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

NEVADA

A total of 133 Nevada facilities reported 370 million pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013.

Nevada’s total reported on-site and off-site releases increased when compared to the 286 million pounds reported in 2012.

Newmont Mining Corp’s Twin Creeks mine and their Copper Canyon Facility Clean were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

For detailed Nevada information and the list of the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=NV&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

AMERICAN SAMOA

In 2013, American Samoa total releases were 25 pounds from one facility, Star Kist Samoa Co facility’s air releases of ammonia.

For detailed American Samoa information visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=AS&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

COMMONWEALTH OF NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS

A total of eight facilities reported 15,370 pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013, a decrease in total reported on-site and off-site releases when compared to 2012 data.

The Commonwealth Utilities Corp, an electric generation utility and the Mariana Acquisition Corp’s Saipan Terminal, a petroleum bulk terminal were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

For detailed CNMI information and the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=MP&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

GUAM

A total of 12 facilities reported 517,157 pounds of toxic chemical releases during 2013.

Guam’s total reported on-site and off-site releases decreased when compared to the 572,000 pounds reported in 2012.

Guam Power Authority, an electric generation utility and the Naval Base Guam’s Apra Harbor wastewater plant were the top two facilities for total on-site and off-site releases.

For detailed Guam information and the list of the top facilities, visit http://iaspub.epa.gov/triexplorer/tri_factsheet.factsheet_forstate?&pstate=GU&pyear=2013&pDataSet=TRIQ1 .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The work to total up the damages to the county following a heavy early December rainstorm has been completed as part of the process of seeking a state emergency declaration.

The rainstorm, which hit the region on Dec. 11, dumped several inches of rain and ended up flooding a number of roadways around Lake County, resulting in closures and damage.

The cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, and the county of Lake all issued local emergency declarations on the day of the storm.

Lake County's state legislators, Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Bill Dodd, subsequently asked Gov. Jerry Brown for a disaster declaration for the county, as Lake County News has reported.

However, to qualify for the state disaster declaration, officials said damage estimates had to be submitted to the state.

Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe said Monday that the damage assessments have been completed.

“Our preliminary numbers were approximately $4 million,” she said.

That number is for the entire county operational area – including both cities, Chilafoe said.

Most of that $4 million was road damage – including cleanup response and debris removal – in addition to the more serious damage done on stretches of Soda Bay Road and Bartlett Springs Road, according to Chilafoe.

While city and county agencies are expecting to have to deal with much of the road damage, Chilafoe said there were about a dozen homeowners – with damages totaling about $5,000 each – who submitted reports.

Those totals, she said, weren't enough to trigger assistance for individual homeowners.

“This was certainly not an emergency that would bring any individual assistance in. I think we knew that going in by we wanted to collect that information,” Chilafoe said.

The county has made requests to the state for funding assistance with some of the road repair projects. Chilafoe said they won't know the status of those requests for a few weeks.

She said county representatives met last week with members of Cal OES.

Cal OES told Lake County News that Assistant Director of Recovery Charles Rabamad visited Lake County last Thursday.

Officials said Rabamad is to make recommendations to the governor on the declaration.

Chilafoe said local and state representatives discussed the request for an emergency declaration from the governor during that visit.

However, she said there was no indication about which way the request would go.

The county should know the results of its request later this month, Chilafoe said.

In late December, Gov. Jerry Brown issued emergency declarations due to the storm in Marin, Mendocino, San Mateo and Ventura counties.

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. – A Clearlake man was injured on Sunday when police said he rode his motorcycle into the path of an oncoming car.

Firefighters were dispatched to the crash, which occurred in the 13000 block Morgan Avenue near Manakee Avenue, just before 12:15 p.m., according to radio reports.

When they got to the scene, Lake County Fire Protection District personnel reported finding one patient with major trauma and called for an air ambulance.

Clearlake Police Sgt. Dominic Ramirez said the crash victim, a Clearlake resident in his late 30s whose name was not released, was riding what appeared to be more like a motorized scooter than an actual motorcycle.

“He was basically cutting through a vacant lot into a roadway,” and went into the road and the path of an oncoming vehicle, Ramirez said.

The rider wasn't wearing a helmet, “Let alone the bike shouldn't have been on the road,” as Ramirez said it wasn't street legal.

Ramirez said the injured man was alert and talking to first responders at the scene.

REACH 18 initially was requested to land at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, with incident command subsequently asking the air ambulance to divert to Redbud Park.

The air ambulance lifted off shortly before 1 p.m. and transported the patient to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, according to radio reports.

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 District Attorney's Office will not seek the death penalty against a father and son who are being prosecuted for killing two men in January 2014.

Going before Judge Andrew Blum on Tuesday, Senior Deputy District Attorney Ed Borg informed the court that following a review of the case, the District Attorney's Office had concluded that it would not pursue a capital case against 42-year-old Conrad Joseph Velez of Lakeport and his son, 20-year-old Dakota Joseph Velez of Kelseyville.

The men are being charged with murder, robbery, carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon in the deaths of 54-year-old William Frank Busch of Lakeport and Edward Harry Morgan, 46, of Kelseyville.

Rather than the death penalty, Borg said the District Attorney's Office will pursue life without the possibility of parole for the men.

He said the decision was made in consultation with the families of the victims, who agreed that seeking life sentences was more appropriate.

The preliminary hearing for the father and son was held Dec. 3 through 5, with both being ordered to stand trial, said Borg.

The Velezes' codefendant in the case, Dahnna Phyllis Burrows, 27, of Lakeport – who was Conrad Velez' girlfriend – had her preliminary hearing at the same time, Borg said.

However, Burrows – who also had been charged with murder, robbery, carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon as well as being an accessory after the fact in the death – was only held to answer on two counts of vehicle theft and two counts of accessory to assault, according to her defense attorney, Angela Carter.

“Those charges are considerably less than what she was facing when the complaint was originally filed by the District Attorney's Office,” Carter said.

If convicted, Burrows could face a maximum of five years in prison, rather than life in prison, which had been the previous possibility, according to Carter.

Carter said she also succeeded in getting Burrows' bail reduced from $1 million to $25,000 on Tuesday as a result in the reduction in charges.

Barry Melton, representing Conrad Velez, told Lake County News that he couldn't discuss the facts of the case at this time. A message left for Mitchell Hauptman, representing Dakota Velez, wasn't immediately returned.

The facts of the case

Borg called the murders of Busch and Morgan “extremely brutal crimes,” the motivations for which still aren't clear.

Late on the night of Jan. 27, 2014, firefighters responded to the 3800 block of Highland Springs Road near Lakeport for a structure fire, finding inside of the building the body of a man, later identified as Busch.

Borg said it later would be determined that Busch had been stabbed numerous times. However, what killed him were the five skull fractures his autopsy found. It appeared that he had been beaten with a blunt object.

On the morning of Jan. 28 a vehicle belonging to Busch was found burning in a field in the 900 block of Soda Bay Road in Lakeport.

Later that same day, deputies and firefighters were dispatched to the area of Robin Hill Drive and Lakeshore Boulevard near Lakeport on the report of an assault victim, arriving to find Morgan badly injured, with the assailants having left the scene in his white Chevy Tahoe. He died at the scene shortly after their arrival.

In the case of Morgan, Borg believes the motive may have been the carjacking, adding, “They didn't need to kill him.”

Morgan died from multiple stab wounds, most of which he suffered while still inside the vehicle, Borg said.

After he was stabbed, Morgan was pushed from the vehicle, which ran him over, causing a compound leg fracture. Borg said it's not clear if anyone was actually at the wheel of the vehicle at that point. However, one of the men got out and stabbed Morgan again while he was on the ground.

Borg said a sheriff's detective found vehicle registration paperwork in Morgan's pocket, with information about the vehicle subsequently broadcast as a “be on the lookout” to local and regional law enforcement.

It was a Napa Police officer who spotted Morgan's Chevy Tahoe, left at a city park after it was closed. Borg said the officer found the vehicle identification number and determined that it was being sought by local authorities.

“Napa city police did some pretty good work on that,” said Borg.

Subsequently, Conrad Velez – who Borg said had a long and violent criminal history, had been released from prison just weeks before the murders and was a parolee at large – was arrested along with Burrows in the city of Napa at a relative's home on Jan. 28 after an unrelated domestic disturbance report, Borg said.

On Jan. 30, after discovering that Dakota Velez was at a relative's home in Hopland, Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies surrounded the residence and took him into custody, as Lake County News has reported.

Since then, Burrows and the Velezes have remained in the Lake County Jail.

Conrad Velez's bail is set at $3 million. His booking sheet also shows additional charges of assault on a custodial officer. Dakota Velez's bail is set at $1 million, according to jail records.

After her bail reduction, Burrows was still in custody on Tuesday, night, according to jail records.

Reasons for not pursuing the death penalty

After the early December preliminary hearing, with the Velezes held to answer for the murders, an arraignment followed on Dec. 16, Borg said.

Due to scheduling issues, the arraignment was put over to Tuesday, when Burrows' bail setting hearing and a determination on whether to pursue the death penalty also scheduled at that time, according to Borg.

The death penalty issue had to be dealt with at this point, said Borg, because it “kicks a lot of different things into effect.”

For one, Borg said the defense attorneys would be entitled to additional co-counsel, and both Hauptman and Melton had asked for that assistance.

With Borg noting that both of those two public defender contract attorneys are the only ones qualified to handle capital cases, the court wanted to know if the death penalty would be sought, as efforts would be needed to find additional counsel outside of the contract.

So, over the last couple of weeks, the District Attorney's Office examined the case factors to determine what was appropriate in order to give the court an answer, Borg said.

In explaining the District Attorney's Office's approach to the case, Borg said, “Not every homicide case is a death penalty case.”

State law lays out a number of special circumstances that must exist to pursue the death penalty in a first-degree murder case, he said.

“When we charged this case, there were two special circumstances,” said Borg.

One was multiple victims, he said; the second was that Morgan's murder occurred during a carjacking.

District Attorney Don Anderson, Borg and other staffers weighed the options, including talking to the family of the victims and speaking to the investigating officers, Borg said.

Borg said Anderson was very clear about his concern that Dakota Velez was 19 at the time of the murders, and he's not in favor of the death penalty for teenagers.

“It was very unlikely we were ever going to seek death against him,” Borg said of Dakota Velez.

However, another important factor was that the victims' family members didn't want to pursue the death penalty, expressing their belief that life without the possibility of parole was the more appropriate maximum sentence.

“They were on board with the decision,” which Borg said was finalized on Monday.

The Velezes and Burrows all are due to return to court on Feb. 3, at which time Borg said a trial date is to be discussed.

However, he believes a trial is still some time off, as there is forensic evidence from the arson at Busch's house that is still being processed by the Department of Justice, which has an extensive evidence backlog.

The defense attorneys also may want to reinterview witnesses and conduct other investigations of their own, he said.

However, Borg suggested that Judge Blum would not be happy if the trial date is set too far out. As such, he expects a trial late in late summer to be the most realistic.

“I don't expect anything earlier than that because there's a lot of material to go through and a lot of different ramifications,” Borg 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake Transit Authority this week is rolling out some modifications to an eastbound route and offering new evening service in Lakeport and on the Northshore.

Beginning on Tuesday, the eastbound Route 1 buses heading to Clearlake will operate on Highway 20. 

For many years Route 1 traveled eastbound toward Clearlake on Country Club Drive in Lucerne, and westbound toward Lakeport on Highway 20.

However, having to catch the bus on two different streets was confusing to many, Lake Transit reported.

With the addition of new parks over the past several years along the Clear Lake side of Highway 20 in Lucerne, there are new opportunities for Lake Transit passengers to enjoy the shoreline park settings while waiting for the bus. 

The old Country Club bus stop signs are being covered and eventually removed, and new bus stop signs are being installed along Highway 20.

You can wait for the bus at the following Highway 20 eastbound locations:

– Second Street, between the crosswalk and the Alpine Park sign.
– Fifth Street near the fire hydrant in front of California Water Service Co.
– Ninth Street at the new Lucerne Harbor Park bus stop.
– 13th Street at the entrance to the community garden park.
– 16th Street at the old abandoned monument sign.

There are no changes to the westbound stops.

Other changes Lake Transit announced this week include new, more frequent schedules on Route 1 and Route 8, which began Monday.

The new schedules will result in evening service on Route 1 along the Northshore, and on Route 8 in Lakeport.  

Lake Transit said the new evening schedules are designed to provide service late enough for Mendocino College, Marymount College and Yuba College students to attend night classes and then ride the bus home to communities along the Northshore, including North Lakeport, Upper Lake, Nice, Lucerne, Glenhaven and Clearlake Oaks. 

The last buses leave Mendocino College at 9:40 p.m. and Yuba College at 9:37 p.m.

The Route 8 Lakeport bus continues as Route 1 so that no transfer is needed, and, likewise, the Route 1 bus continues in to Lakeport as Route 8. 

For more information, call Lake Transit at 707-994-3334 or visit http://laketransit.org/ .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – To Karen Schaver dogs and underdogs are one and the same.

“ … Because dogs are innocent and have no choice for what happens to them,” Schaver explained. “Our society created them and then abandoned them. They are underdogs as are any domestic animals and I’ve always been for the underdog.”

But never more than she was 15 years ago when, with her husband Mike, she founded Lake County Animal Services, an alternative to the dog pound or animal shelter.

This past May her organization “homed” its 2,500th dog.

Their service began when the Schavers were stunned to see some small children out in front of a house playing with some puppies from a litter of eight in a most alarming way.

“The kids were naked or had dirty diapers on and were playing with the puppies as if they were footballs,” said Karen Schaver. “The puppies were about 6 weeks old and I just walked over and took them. “Nobody said anything when we took them home.”

Second Chance Dog Rescue, a service with which Schaver was associated at the time, “was a little miffed because they were just ugly black Lake County dogs and there were so many of them. So we broke with Second Chance Rescue and started our own group,” she said.

But then it was the county’s turn to be “miffed” because it reasoned the Schavers had too many dogs on the property they rented for them.

The couple got married and started saving up to buy their own property. “We saved enough to buy 80 acres up the road,” she said.

There have been more crises since then. One this past year involved 10 newborn puppies in the litter of a purebred German Shepherd.

“Because they were purebred they came with a whole set of health issues,” Schaver said.

Two of the 10 died. All of the surviving pups were at risk for a life-threatening intestinal disease. Two of them got the disease, requiring surgery that costs in the neighborhood of $5,000. 

An expensive endeavor

Today, you can find Lake County Animal Services on the Old Toll Road in Lakeport.

The number of dogs on the property ranges from five to 35 and they’ve reached the higher figure no less than three times in the last six years.

“If you have two litters that’s 15 to 20 right there,” Schaver said.

Lake County Animal Services adopts each of its dogs for $250. Puppies are adopted out when they reach 8 weeks old, Schaver said.

By the time all the expenses are paid for – dog food, toys, spaying and neutering, and extra medical aid when needed – the organization nets about $40 per dog, Schaver said.

“I work with a lot of veterinarians,” she added, estimating the organization's annual vet bill is $40,000 to $50,000, or about $200 per dog.

The Schavers had no intent of adopting any of the mutts that come to the service. But one of the dogs – a sweet-natured female German Shepherd mix – adopted them.

“Monique came to us to have puppies four years ago. She is 8 now. She was always a good girl, but, boy, she’s got her stubborn side,” Karen Schaver said.

“Mike and I wanted to go to the movies and we left three times, but she got out each time so we finally just took her with us,” she continued.

“She loves cats. She thinks they’re delicious,” Schaver added. “She doesn’t eat them in front of me, but I think she’s done it. She can also scale a six-foot fence and will do it to get where I’m going.”

She said that Monique is no longer up for adoption.

“I’ve worked with her and she’s a marvelous dog,” said Karen. “I couldn’t give her up, although I’ve tried real hard to find her a home. She doesn’t get adopted because of her cat-eating.”

Monique laid contentedly at Schaver's feet, oblivious to the passersby at Safeway in Lakeport, during an interview.

Offering another chance at life

The health of unvaccinated dogs and puppies is an ultra-sensitive issue because of a highly contagious and invisible infection called parvovirus, which causes fever, vomiting, dehydration and diarrhea.

“Sometimes you have no choice but to euthanize them,” said Schaver.

The good news is she’s had a 90-percent success rate in restoring dogs’ health. That’s partly because of a “paranoia,” as she calls it, for keeping the puppies’ environment immaculately clean.

Schaver said that, as far as she knows, her organization is the only one in Northern California that takes in puppies with parvovirus. People from shelters in Humboldt and Mendocino counties call her organization asking for help.

In addition to caring for ill dogs, Lake County Animal Services takes in dogs that are physically and behaviorally challenged dogs.

“We’ve had three-legged dogs, two-legged dogs, blind and deaf dogs,” Schaver said. “They have the same sort of difficulty that people with physical and mental frailties do. Sometimes they’re just real shy.”

She added, “Whether they have a physical disability, a physical illness, or a mental disability, it’s oftentimes very easy to take care of it.”

As part of the effort to find homes for the dogs, Schaver and a group of dedicated volunteers make almost weekly trips to the Bay Area, where they hold adoption events.

Lake County Animal Services, which won a Stars of Lake County Award several years ago for its efforts in the community, is a labor of love for Schaver.

“It’s a labor, an avocation and a need,” she said. “I thought that after 10 years we’d solve the problem. We had a new shelter built for the dogs. We have a clinic now and I thought it would be easy for me to stop. But it’s not stopping. We have to be all over the county. We get calls from people everywhere.”

The time requirement for caring so many dogs is immeasurable.

“We don’t get to take our dogs places,” she said. “We don’t get to take them to the beach, we don’t get to go camping with them anymore. We gave up a lot. When you have so many animals to take care of you can’t leave them.

“I get one to 20 phone calls a week from people who need to give up their dog, one to five calls a week from people who need help with their vet bills and one to 10 calls a week from people who need to get their animals spayed or neutered,” she said.

“But,” she added, “I get one to 50 calls a week from people who want to adopt.”

To learn more about Lake County Animal Services or to donate, visit http://www.lakecountyanimalservices.org/ or www.orphandog.org . A donation button can be found at the main Web site home page. Follow the group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LCAnimalServices . Karen Schaver can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Arts Council will present its all-star MusicFest at the Soper Reese Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 24.

Performances will begin at 7 p.m. at the theater, located at 275 S. Main St.

The show is comprised of the best talent from Lake County, including the Renaissance a Capella, all-female singing group, My Divas; and the Mendo-Lake Singers, who specialize in barber shop harmony.

Special guest is Dr. Michael S. Brophy, president of Marymount California University in Rancho Palos Verdes, who will be performing on the piano.

The evening’s program also includes songs and music by such well known local performers as Kay Ashley, Barbara Clark, Saro and Reikor Deacon, Bert Hutt, David Neft, Travis Rinker and Andy Rossoff.

MusicFest tickets are $15 each, open seating, and are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or up to two hours before the show; and at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control is once again offering two cats for adoption this week.

For the last several weeks the two cats – one male and one female – have been waiting for adoption.

Both are adult domestic short hair mixes.

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

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

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

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

Domestic short hair mix

This male adult short hair mix cat has a coat with brown and white markings.

He's in cat room kennel No. 48, ID No. 1364.

Domestic short hair

This female domestic short hair mix has a coat with white and brown tabby markings.

She's in cat room kennel No. 73, ID No. 1316.

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

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

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

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

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Giants World Series trophies were welcomed to Kelseyville on Thursday as part of the World Champions Trophy Tour.

The trophies from 2010, 2012 and 2014 were escorted through town in a parade headed by new Sheriff Brian Martin before arriving at Kelseyville High School, where they went on display Thursday evening.

The Clearlake and Kelseyville Junior Giants leagues hosted this year's Lake County stop on the trophy tour.

The 2010 and 2012 trophies previously had visited Lake County in February 2013, stopping in Lakeport, as Lake County News has reported.

The video above documents the visit and gives more information about the Junior Giants baseball program, which has helped hundreds of Lake County children.

For more information about the Kelseyville Junior Giants League, call Camacho at 707-349-2484; for information about the Clearlake league, call Lake County Youth Services at 707-994-5437.

For more information about the World Champions Trophy Tour, visit http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/fan_forum/trophy_tour.jsp .