UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Two people died early Saturday morning in a solo-vehicle crash just outside of Upper Lake.

The wreck occurred at the roundabout at the intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 29 at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

CHP Officer Ryan Erickson said a Chevrolet Malibu, with two male occupants, was traveling northbound on Highway 29 at a high rate of speed when it reached the intersection and the driver failed to negotiate the roundabout.

Erickson said that, based on his initial assessment of the scene, the car hit the roundabout and became airborne.

“It flew a distance before it came to rest in its current position,” he said.

At that point, the vehicle was on its roof between two large walnut trees in an orchard on the north side of Highway 20, about 50 feet off the roadway.

Erickson said the car did not hit the trees. He did not know at that time, however, if the vehicle had rolled multiple times before it came to a stop.

The car's driver and passenger, both of whom were wearing their seat belts, were trapped in the overturned vehicle, Erickson said.

Firefighters from Northshore Fire and Lakeport Fire who responded found the men unresponsive, declaring them deceased shortly before 1 a.m., according to radio reports.

While firefighters worked to extricate the bodies of the two men from the car, Lake County Sheriff's deputies and CHP officers walked the scene and looked over the roundabout's island, the concrete structure in the center, which it's believed the vehicle hit. There did not appear to be serious damage to the concrete island as a result of the crash.

Erickson said speed was a factor, with investigators just beginning their work early Saturday to determine what else had contributed to the wreck.

He said the identification of both men was being withheld until their families were notified.

The roadway remained open during the emergency response, with fire trucks and other vehicles parked off the highway.

Firefighters began clearing the scene shortly after 2 a.m. Erickson anticipated CHP officers would be at the crash site for several hours to conduct the investigation.

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.

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Forty-seven years ago, humans first set foot on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission. That success would not have been possible if not for the team of 400,000 people who worked to ensure the success of the mission and the safety of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins.

One of those 400,000 people was Margaret Hamilton.

On Nov. 22, President Barack Obama awarded Hamilton the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution that led to Apollo 11's successful landing.

The very first contract NASA issued for the Apollo program (in August 1961) was with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop the guidance and navigation system for the Apollo spacecraft.

Hamilton, a computer programmer, would wind up leading the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory (now Draper Labs).

Computer science, as we now know it, was just coming into existence at the time.

Hamilton led the team that developed the building blocks of software engineering – a term that she coined herself.

Her systems approach to the Apollo software development and insistence on rigorous testing was critical to the success of Apollo.

As she noted, “There was no second chance. We all knew that.”

Her approach proved itself on July 20, 1969, when minutes before Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon, the software overrode a command to switch the flight computer’s priority system to a radar system.

The override was announced by a “1202 alarm” which let everyone know that the guidance computer was shedding less important tasks (like rendezvous radar) to focus on steering the descent engine and providing landing information to the crew.

Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the Moon, rather than aborting the approach due to computer problems. In fact, the Apollo guidance software was so robust that no software bugs were found on any crewed Apollo missions, and it was adapted for use in Skylab, the Space Shuttle, and the first digital fly-by-wire systems in aircraft.

Hamilton was honored by NASA in 2003, when she was presented a special award recognizing the value of her innovations in the Apollo software development. The award included the largest financial award that NASA had ever presented to any individual up to that point.

This week, Hamilton was honored again – this time at the White House. President Obama selected her as a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The highest civilian award of the United States, it is awarded to those who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.

Watch the ceremony below. Hamilton's presentation is at the 41:20 mark in the video.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The name of a man who died in an apartment fire in Clearlake earlier this month has been released by the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Lt. Steve Brooks said the fire victim was Conrad Albert Garcia, 75, of Clearlake.

The fire that took Garcia's life occurred early on the morning of Nov. 4 in a 13-unit, three-story apartment building at 3891 Country Club Drive, as Lake County News has reported.

Brooks said he was not aware of investigators having reached a conclusion about the fire's cause, and the Lake County Fire Protection District official in charge of the investigation was not available when the district was contacted by Lake County News this week.

Fire Chief Willie Sapeta told Lake County News earlier this month that the fire was not suspicious in nature – it appeared to be unintentional – and so there were no criminal components to the incident.

Due to the damage to the building, the city of Clearlake red-tagged it, which resulted in the remaining residents being unable to return until repairs are completed.

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. – Golden State Water Co. is set to begin installing a new water pipeline in the city of Clearlake.

The company said the installation will begin on Dec. 5 and is expected to be completed by Feb. 20, weather-permitting. Work hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The new pipeline will be installed in Country Club Drive from Lakeshore Drive to Arrowhead. In addition new pipeline will also be installed on Kings Street from Country Club to Lakeshore Drive and new water services will be installed to existing meter boxes as required.   

The project includes installing approximately 1,600 feet of 8-inch pipe and will include connecting the new pipe to all the existing pipelines just outside of the intersections, as well as the installation of new fire hydrants and water services.

The company said construction crews with backhoes, dump trucks, crew trucks and hand tools will be digging along the new pipeline alignment.

The streets will remain open – with detours as required – to local traffic during the construction period but traffic and parking may be restricted and access to driveways may be limited for short durations of time, the company said.

The construction crews will make every effort to keep dust to a minimum, but the company asks community members to expect an increased level of noise during the construction period. Weekly activities such as trash pick up will not be interrupted. 

Community members who have additional questions or concerns about the project can call the Golden State Water Company Customer Service Center at 800-999-4033.

A campaign to reduce the number of collisions caused by impaired drivers, supported by the California Highway Patrol and the California Office of Traffic Safety, will focus on education and enforcement.

“Statewide Impaired Driving Enforcement,” or SIDE, runs for one year, from Oct. 1, 2016, to Sept. 30, 2017.

The SIDE grant will enable the CHP to conduct additional driving under the influence saturation patrols, DUI checkpoints, and traffic safety education efforts throughout California.

A saturation patrol is a concentrated enforcement effort that targets impaired drivers by observing moving violations.

During a sobriety checkpoint, law enforcement evaluates drivers for signs of alcohol or drug impairment at certain points on the roadway.

A saturation patrol is generally spread over a larger geographic area than a sobriety checkpoint.

“Reducing impaired driving through education and enforcement remains a high priority, and this campaign provides us another opportunity to further that goal,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “As a public safety organization, we will continue to do everything in our power to promote safety on California’s roadways.”

The Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System of the CHP shows that in 2014, impaired driving collisions in California resulted in 645 deaths and 10,478 injuries. Each of these collisions represents a preventable tragedy that had a profound effect on all those involved.

The CHP will also actively participate in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign as part of the continuing efforts to remove impaired drivers from the roadway to prevent injuries, property damage, and the loss of life.

The CHP reminds the public to call 9-1-1 if they see a suspected impaired driver and only if it is safe to make a call. Callers should be prepared to provide a location, direction of travel, and vehicle description.

Drivers are also reminded to plan ahead: designate a sober driver, call a friend or family member, or call a cab or rideshare service. There is always a better option than getting behind the wheel while impaired.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Community meetings are planned in December to discuss abandoned mines in the region.

The Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan has kicked off a “brownfields” project that will engage communities in the Cache and Putah Creek watersheds about abandoned mining sites.

As part of that project, the Westside Sacramento Integrated Regional Water Management Plan is working on an area-wide assessment of abandoned mines in the two watersheds.

The group will host two upcoming meetings to give landowners information on how to get involved in the assessment.

The meetings will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Middletown Lions Club, 15399 Central Park Road; and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, at the Calistoga Community Center, 1307 Washington St.

Discussion topics at the meetings will include the location of abandoned mine lands, how to get involved and potentially receive cleanup funding, and what property owners can do to get their land assessed.

Officials said this program is completely voluntary and there is no risk of enforcement.

For more information visit http://www.westsideirwmbrownfields.org/ .

In a column in July regarding the passage of Medi-Cal Estate Recovery reform, I said that estate recovery will apply much less often with respect to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who die after Jan. 1, 2017.

As we approach the effective date more information regarding its implementation is becoming available.

Under the new law, California will only recover with respect to assets held in the “probate estate” of a deceased Medi-Cal beneficiary unless an exception applies, such as, they are survived by a spouse, a child under 21 years of age or a disabled child.

The foregoing restriction to recovery against a probate estate and the exception when a spouse survives are major changes from current law.

Presently Medi-Cal estate recovery applies to all assets in which the decedent retained a continuing interest at the time of death, including assets in the decedent's living trust, unless the decedent was survived by a disabled or minor child in which case no recovery applies.

Probate is the court-supervised administration of a decedent’s estate. Probates, generally speaking, are either testate, when the decedent’s will is admitted to probate, or intestate, when the decedent does not have a will. Having a will, therefore, does not avoid probate.

One thing that is new and exciting is that Medi-Cal Estate Recovery does not apply when the deceased Medi-Cal recipient is a survived by a spouse. Even if assets pass to someone other than the surviving spouse the foregoing exception to recovery applies.

The exception regarding a surviving spouse mirrors the longstanding existing exemptions for surviving disabled or minor children. That is, the very existence of a surviving spouse, disabled or minor children (under age 21) exempts the decedent's entire estate from Medi-Cal recovery, regardless of whether or not any of the decedent's assets are received by such persons.

Next, what is included in a person's probate estate, and thus potentially subject to recovery, will also be greatly reduced.

As previously reported, under the new law assets passing outside of a formal probate will no longer be subject to Medi-Cal Estate recovery. Assets held in a trust, because they are not subject to probate, will also not be subject to Medi-Cal Estate Recovery. 

The same is true for joint tenancy assets, life insurance, annuities and pay on death bank accounts that pass by survivorship and without probate to a surviving owner or beneficiary.

Thus it is important to make sure alternative death beneficiaries are named in order that a living beneficiary is likely to receive the asset outside of probate.

Of significant comfort to many persons receiving Medi-Cal is that small estates of California decedents' under $150,000 in gross value are also excluded because they are not subject to formal probate proceedings.

Previously, I had reported that such small estates would presumably be subject to Medi-Cal recovery but that is not the case.

Likewise, court petitions to confirm title to real property belonging to a small estate are not probate proceedings and thus do avoid Medi-Cal Estate recovery.

Mobile and manufactured homes are already excluded from probate under California law and for that reason will not be subject to Medi-Cal recovery under the amended law. The same is true for unpaid compensation not exceeding $15,000 that is due the decedent for services in the US Armed Forces.

From 2017 onwards, Medi-Cal beneficiaries can absolutely protect their assets from estate recovery by making sure that their estate is not subject to a formal probate.

So long as less than $150,000 in gross value, excluding mobile homes or assets passing to a surviving spouse, remains in the decedent's name (outside a trust or other non-probate asset) and is not transferred to beneficiaries under formal probate Medi-Cal Estate Recovery does not apply.

Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Rotary Club will hold its 25th annual fundraiser, “Small Town, Big Heart,” on Saturday, Jan. 28.

The dinner, silent and live auction, and wine raffle event will take place at the Twin Pine Event Center in Middletown. 

Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5 p.m., and a prime rib dinner starts at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar.

Individual tickets are $60 per person.

The club is soliciting donations and sponsorships for the popular event, which draws large crowds and  usually is sold out. All contributions are acknowledged publicly.

If a donation cannot be mailed, club members will arrange a pick up. Business/corporate sponsorships are available also.

Rotary is a volunteer organization, so all fundraiser proceeds go to projects and programs.

Since the club’s charter in 1985, it has supported various local community needs and some international Rotary projects.

Contact Kathey Crothers at 707-355-0393, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about how to participate. Table and individual tickets also are available.

The Middletown Rotary Club meets every Friday at 7:15 a.m. at the Greenview Room in Hidden Valley Lake.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Middletown, contact Club president Ron Roberts, 707-987-9824.