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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – At its meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Michalyn DelValle interim Community Development director for the county of Lake.

DelValle has a bachelor’s degree in management and has worked in Community Development at the county of Lake for more than 10 years. Since 2016 she has served as principal planner for Community Development’s planning division.

A nearly life-long Lake County resident, DelValle comes from an extended family that has a history of public service. Following their lead, she chose a career in local government to give back to her community.

Her father worked as a local real estate broker when she was a child, and his discussions of land-use inspired her interest in this area. This prompted her decision to pursue a career in Community Development.

DelValle readily acknowledges challenges in Community Development and sees the opportunities that they present.

“For example,” DelValle said, “we have opportunities to revise our land use plans and our zoning ordinances to create a more business friendly environment.”

She is ready to take on this and other challenges in her new role.

DelValle appreciates the board’s confidence in her ability to fill this interim role and looks forward to serving in this assignment.

DelValle’s appointment is effective on Friday, April 20.
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Habitat for Humanity Lake County volunteers and staff working on the foundation of a new home on Cobb Mountain, Calif. Courtesy photo.


COBB, Calif. – The construction of Habitat for Humanity Lake County’s first Cobb Mountain home is under way and the group is looking for volunteers help with the building process.

Volunteering can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience, and gets you custom-designed shirt for your efforts, as well as the camaraderie with other volunteers and the satisfaction of knowing you have helped build a home for a Valley fire survivor family.

If you have construction experience or are interested in gaining some, and are interested in helping, please contact Habitat for Humanity at 707-994-1100, Extension 103, to find out how you can help.


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NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Tuesday the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said a DNA analysis has confirmed that a body found in the ocean near Westport on April 7 was one of the missing children of a Washington family killed in a crash late last month.

Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Van Patten said the agency’s coroner’s division was notified on Tuesday by the Richmond DNA laboratory that the body was that of 12-year-old Ciera Hart.

Van Patten said the sheriff’s office’s examination of legal documents led to them finding the legal spelling of the girl’s age and confirmation of her actual age. She previously had been believed to be 15 years old, with the spelling of her name given as Sierra.

The girl’s two adopted mothers, Jennifer and Sarah Hart, both age 38, and three of her siblings, Markis, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail, 14, all of Woodland, Wash., had been found dead at a crash site in the area of Juan Creek near Westport on March 26, as Lake County News has reported.

A passerby spotted their upturned GMC Yukon SUV at the base of a 100-foot cliff off a turnout along Highway 1.

At that time, the two women were found inside the vehicle while the three children were found outside of it. None had been wearing seat belts, and with no signs of braking or skid marks, the California Highway Patrol – which his conducting the crash investigation – has said it appeared to have been an intentional crash.

Last week the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office also reported that Jennifer Hart had a blood alcohol limit of 0.10, which surpasses California’s legal drunk driving limit, and that Sarah Hart and two of the children had a positive toxicology finding in their blood for diphenhydramine, an active ingredient in Benadryl.

At the time of the crash’s discovery, all but three of the family members were found. Ciera, her sister, Hannah, 16, and brother Devonte, 15, were missing.

Authorities had concluded the entire family was traveling together and that the missing three children possibly had gone into the water at the time of the crash.

Since the crash exhaustive searches have been conducted of the coastline looking for the three children.

Then, on April 7, authorities responded to a report of a black female whose body was found in the surf not far from the crash site, as Lake County News has reported.

Due to the condition of the body the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Division enlisted the assistance of the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services Richmond DNA laboratory in identifying the body, Van Patten said.

With the child now identified, Van Patten said autopsy results – including blood alcohol and toxicology analysis – are pending.

The search for Devonte and Hannah Hart also is continuing, authorities 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.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Businesses in Clearlake have a new benefit thanks to a decision made by the federal government.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service last week designated opportunity zones in 18 states, including California.

The federal tax bill signed in December 2017 created opportunity zones to spur investment in distressed communities throughout the country.

New investments in opportunity zones are eligible to receive preferential tax treatment and qualified opportunity zones retain the designation for 10 years.

“The opportunity zone designation should provide a nice incentive for investments in Clearlake,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “We worked with the California Department of Finance to make sure all our major business areas were included in the zone and we plan to use this designation as an economic development tool to help spur business investment and job creation in Clearlake.”

The IRS is currently working on guidance for investments within qualified opportunity zones.

For more information regarding the opportunity zones, please see the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Web site at https://www.cdfifund.gov/Pages/Opportunity-Zones.aspx .
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The “Sunburst and Saw Blades” quilt block in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Quilt Trail.


KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The recently installed “Sunburst and Saw Blades” is the newest quilt block on the Lake County Quilt Trail.

This uniquely designed and framed 2-foot by 6-foot quilt block is located at the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, located at 3825 Main St. in Kelseyville, where it joins many other quilt blocks on Main Street.

This building was originally a private home to Rees and Margaret White, according to granddaughter, Margie (Norton) Mitten.

When Grandmother Margaret passed, it then belonged to Rees and wife, Florence. When Rees passed, Florence sold the private home.

This building was then used as an actual saw shop hardware store until Marie Beery purchased it for an art gallery in 1999.

Beery remodeled it to be a restaurant, which has been the Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, a favorite of locals and visitors, since 2001.

The 2-foot by 6-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team.

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride. It’s composed of a group of dedicated volunteer quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers,
carpenters and a videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit http://lakecountyquilttrail.com or go to Facebook.
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LUSD Superintendent April Leiferman presents education goals at the Boys and Girls Club, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Lakeport, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Superintendent April Leiferman and key team members from the Lakeport Unified School District recently visited Big Valley Rancheria Boys and Girls Club to actively engage parents and students in dialogue about how to improve education in Lakeport schools.

Stakeholder engagement is an important component of the Local Control and Accountability Plan, or LCAP.

In an effort to obtain more equitable input from all education stakeholders, Leiferman decided it would be more effective to take a team to where the parents are, instead of asking the parents to come to them.

Lakeport Unified Board members Phil Kirby and Lori Holmes, Terrace Middle School Principal Rachel Paarsch and Lakeport Unified Family Advocate Schad Schweitzer joined Leiferman in this team effort.

Leiferman began the evening with a presentation focused on the “California Way,” the strategic plan the California Department of Education has set forth to improve schools.

She also explained the California Dashboard, a Web site where parents can see how their children’s schools are performing.

The evening wrapped up with a round table discussion on potential improvements and solutions to the concerns that were voiced.

“A lot of great ideas and suggestions came out of the conversation,” said Leiferman.

Topics discussed included spotty Internet service on the reservation; not enough computers; transportation issues; and how to take a more positive approach to discipline.

“I’m excited to work with the LUSD team and Big Valley Rancheria stakeholders to find solutions to these issues,” Leiferman said.

A very important takeaway from the meeting was increased support for the students from Kristin Amparo, Boys & Girls Club director, Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

Amparo is working to obtain permission slips from tribal parents, which will allow her to check their students’ progress such as grades and attendance through the “Aeries Portal.” Aeries is the software system that Lakeport Unified utilizes to track student data that must be reported to the state.

Leiferman said that they are working to provide Amparo with office space on the LUSD campus with Schwietzer, so that she can meet with students and parents on campus.

This Family Resource Center will be a place for parents to receive support services from the family liaison, district nurse, tribal education liaisons, and other support services. Leiferman will coordinate with all tribal liaisons to provide the same services for all native students.

The Lakeport team was excited about the outcome of the evening.

“We hope that this is just the beginning of more meetings to increase our stakeholder engagement, which in turn will allow us to serve our Lakeport Unified School District students better,” said Leiferman.

The LCAP is a three-year plan for each district, which spells out goals and progress indicators; stakeholder engagement; and action, services and expenditures.

Each district is required to create an LCAP in order to receive state funding.

California law requires that each school district post their LCAP on their Web sites. Lakeport Unified’s LCAP is located at www.lakeport.k12.ca.us.

Jill Ruzicka is communications coordinator for the Lake County Office of Education.
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Following through on his commitment to fight transnational crime, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Wednesday announced that the state will mobilize up to 400 California National Guard personnel to combat criminal gangs, human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers – within the state, along the coast and at the U.S.-Mexico border – after securing the federal government's commitment this week to fund the mission.

The personnel will supplement the staffing of the Guard’s ongoing program, which includes 250 members statewide – 55 of whom are currently supporting counterdrug work at the U.S.-Mexico border in California.

Consistent with the terms spelled out in Gov. Brown’s letter last week, the governor’s order, issued today, specifies that the California National Guard will not enforce immigration laws or participate in the construction of any new border barrier.

The location of guard personnel – and number specifically working in support of operations within the state, along the coast and at the U.S.-Mexico border – will continue to be dictated by the needs on the ground.

Some guard personnel are expected to deploy before the end of the month and the mission will continue until at least Sept. 30 – the end of the federal fiscal year.

Wednesday’s announcement reflects two weeks of productive discussions between the Brown administration – including the California National Guard and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services – and its federal counterparts and follows similar targeted Guard assistance provided by the state in 2006 under President Bush and in 2010 under President Obama.

The text of the order issued by Governor Brown in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard is below:


April 18, 2018

GOVERNOR’S GENERAL ORDER NUMBER 2018-01

In response to the request from the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security, and consistent with my April 11, 2018 letter to Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Mattis, I issue the following General Order under sections 146 and 365 of the California Military and Veterans Code and in accordance with article V, section 7 of the California Constitution as the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard.

You shall call into active service up to 400 service members of the active militia, under section 502(f) of Title 32 of the United States Code, as needed to:

– Combat the non-linear threat of transnational crime that extends to areas of California beyond the U.S.-Mexico border;
– Disrupt transnational criminal gangs and human traffickers and illegal firearm and drug smugglers;
– Interdict illegal firearm and drug shipments crossing both directions of the U.S.-Mexico border and through coastal and offshore routes;
– Execute counterdrug and counter-narcoterrorism operations crossing both directions of the border and through coastal and offshore routes;
– Coordinate with federal officials to deploy personnel and equipment where needed to fulfill this mission;
– Coordinate with the Adjutant General of any other state as needed to fulfill this mission;
– Arm military personnel with issued military weapons during this mission only when you or your designee determine there is a mission requirement for doing so; and
– Ensure all California National Guard forces participating in this mission comply with the California National Guard’s Rules for the Use of Force.

California National Guard service members shall not engage in any direct law enforcement role nor enforce immigration laws, arrest people for immigration law violations, guard people taken into custody for alleged immigration violations, or support immigration law enforcement activities. California National Guard service members shall not participate in the construction of any new border barrier.

You shall decline missions that would compromise the state’s ability to respond to state emergencies, missions that would exceed the mission scope and limitations outlined above, or missions that do not meet a valid state and/or national security interest.

This order will remain in effect until September 30, 2018 unless further modified or rescinded in writing by me.

Edmund G. Brown Jr.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino College is pleased to invite the community to attend the 32nd annual Native American Motivation Day, which will be held in the Center for Visual and Performing Arts at the Ukiah campus on Friday, April 20, starting at 9 a.m.

The keynote speaker will be American Indian actor and model Dyami "Eagle" Thomas.

Thomas is an enrolled member of the Klamath Tribes in Oregon and a descendant of the Leech Lake Anishinabe in Minnesota. He is also a recipient of the National UNITY Organization’s prestigious 2016 class of "25 under 25" award.

Thomas, whose first love is theater, has acted in many theatrical productions, movies, public service announcements and commercials. He is also currently starring in the television series, “Runstone.”

He has always remained rooted in his culture’s traditions, and implements teachings from his Klamath and Anishinabe heritage into his everyday life.

Thomas also is a youth basketball coach, mentor, suicide prevention peer counselor and advocate for "Native Youth Leading Youth," a movement he started with his sister Rebecca in 2015.

This free event will provide an opportunity for American Indian students in grades six through 12 and community members to learn about Mendocino College programs and meet representatives from four year universities. Complimentary lunch will be provided.

For more information about Native American Motivation Day, please contact Native American Outreach Specialist Chantell Martinez at 707-468-3223 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Ukiah campus of Mendocino College is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah.
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Lake County Campus students from the Early Childhood Education Program provide a planting station for children at the 2017 Earth Day Event in Clearlake, Calif. Courtesy photo.


CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Come and celebrate Earth Day at the Lake County Campus of Woodland College on Thursday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The festival is sponsored by the Associated Students and is free of charge.

Explore local environmental resources, green practices and outdoor living. Enjoy music, poetry, crafts, flower planting for preschoolers, plant and wildlife identification activities as well as booths featuring the Sierra Club, Konocti Trails, Lake County Land Trust, Lake Audubon and more.

At 11 a.m. and again at noon, Shelly Ryan, trained by Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project, will host a slide presentation: “Climate Reality – A Looming Threat or an Opportunity for Change.”

Earth Day mugs will be available for purchase to help raise funds for book scholarships, and Aromas Café will be selling items from a special menu. Additional prizes will be given away throughout the event.

The Associated Students invite local environmental resource groups interested in hosting a booth at the event to contact Danielle Stennet at the Lake County Campus administration office by calling 707-995-7900.

The college is located at 15880 Dam Road Extension in Clearlake.

Stan Patterson and Professor Harry Lyons pose with an environmentally friendly solar powered cart which will be on display at the event. Courtesy photo.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County is once again ranked among the best areas in the nation for its air quality.

The American Lung Association has released its annual State of the Air 2018 Report, which grades state and local area air quality on an A through F scale by comparing local ozone and small-particulate concentrations with the federal air quality standards.

Although many areas, especially within California, were given failing grades, Lake County passed with top marks.

Lake County received an “A” grade for Ozone, a “B” grade for short term particulate pollution and is ranked the fourth-cleanest county in the nation for annual particulate average concentrations.

“The fourth-cleanest county in the nation for particulate matter is a significant indicator of the hard work and dedication this community has to maintaining a healthful environment. Even with the drought and wildfires of recent years, we can still enjoy clean air,” said Douglas Gearhart, air pollution control officer of the Lake County Air Quality Management District.

Lake County did not change significantly from its previous annual averages even though the period of time covered by this report includes the Valley fire, Rocky fire, Jerusalem fire and Clayton fire.

Out of California’s 58 counties, Lake County is one of only 11 counties in California that did not have any days of ozone exceeds from 2014 through 2016. Local officials said this impressive record has been documented by continuous air quality monitoring.

The report presents data showing what the residents of Lake County actually are breathing on a daily basis. It does not exclude wildfire impacts or other natural events that are excluded when determining our attainment status.

The “B” grade for short term particulate pollution is the result of impacts from the 2015 wildfires. This shows that despite the Valley, Rocky, Jerusalem, Clayton and other fires, the residents of Lake County still enjoy some of the cleanest air in the nation.

The American Lung Association grades are the latest recognition of a long history of air quality accomplishments in Lake County.

Strong local support for clean air measures has enabled the county to comply in full with not only the Federal Clean Air Standards, but also with the more rigorous California Standards for ozone and other air pollutants for the past 28 consecutive years. No other air district in California can match that record.

Gearhart attributes the success of the program to strong community support for maintaining clean, healthful air, cooperation of local government, including the county of Lake, cities of Lakeport and Clearlake, the local fire protection districts, Cal Fire, the agricultural community, industry, the district board of directors and to the dedication and hard work of Air Quality Management District staff.

The State of the Air Report can be found at www.lung.org/sotc.
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BERKELEY, Calif. – UC Berkeley fossil researchers are using an exceptional stash of fossils found during the construction of a new East Bay dam to piece together a picture of what the Bay Area may have looked like some 15 to 20 million years ago.

Water covered much of the region, extending down the Central Valley as far as Bakersfield.

Ancient whales sifted food through baleen over what is now Berkeley and Oakland, while now-extinct megalodon sharks might have hunted dolphins over San Jose.

Hippo-like creatures waded along the coast, which was dotted with palm and pine trees. Seals, larger than today, frolicked in the water.

Researches have new evidence of all of this thanks to remarkable collection of at least 1,500 fossils that were found and preserved starting in 2013, when the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission began heavy excavation to construct a new dam to replace the existing 93-year old Calaveras Dam that is seismically vulnerable.

The massive project sent workers moving almost 10 million cubic yards of rocks and soil, where they unearthed one of the most complete collections of Bay Area fossils found in more than 50 years.

“We had expected to find some fossils during construction, but we had no idea the team would find this many,” said Dan Wade, SFPUC director of Water Infrastructure Capital Projects and Programs. “It was extremely important to us to keep the collection together, to keep them in the Bay Area, and to be able to make them available for scientific research.”

The fossils found their way to UC Berkeley’s Museum of Paleontology, which used a $500,000 contract with the PUC to re-open a mothballed fossil lab.

“Fossils are found all the time in the Bay Area, but the concentration of unique and varied specimens is what makes this special,” said Cristina Robins, a senior scientist at the Museum of Paleontology and head of the project to clean, catalog and study the fossils.

The first specimens, which include whale skulls, shark teeth, crab claws, snails and fossilized palm trees, were delivered to the lab from the dam site in the fall, and the work is expected to continue for at least another 18 months.

Already, Robins and her team have uncovered species of whale never before seen in the Bay Area.

The fossil record will eventually be made available online, and scientists anywhere will be able to use the fossils to better understand evolution, geology and global change. The museum also plans to develop educational materials that will be posted on its website.

Almost from the moment the dam replacement project started, construction crews and paleontologists working with the San Francisco PUC began finding fossils. News of the discovery attracted media attention in 2014; it was unclear then where the fossils would be stored.

Each fossil was carefully plotted on a map by paleontologists working the PUC and encased in a thick layer of plaster before eventually being hauled to the UC Berkeley lab for examination.

Technicians at the lab – all of them undergraduate and graduate students – spent hours removing the plaster cases with medical cast-cutting saws, and then carefully clearing away rock and sediment from around the fossils with powerful air chisels and dental tools.

The work can be laborious.

“They’ve been in their sediment for 15 million years, and they’re pretty content to stay there,” Robins said. “It has been a fight to get them out.”

Parts of the Calaveras Dam fossil find can be seen at Cal Day, this Saturday, April 21, on the UC Berkeley campus. The fossils will be on display in the “Fishbowl” of the Valley Life Sciences Building (Room 1101) behind the T-Rex from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Will Kane writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The city of Clearlake is still accepting applications for the open position on the Clearlake Planning Commission, but the deadline is coming up this week.

Planning commissioners are appointed by the Clearlake City Council to review matters related to planning and development.

Recent issues have included the general plan update; a service station expansion; commercial cannabis; large family day-care centers; commercial signage; and much more.

Upcoming issues anticipated for discussion at the Planning Commission include commercial cannabis; proposed motel expansion plans; proposed transitional housing; a proposed market-rate housing project; and an update to the city’s zoning code and design review manual.

“If you have an interest in the growth of Clearlake, this is a great time to be a part of the planning commission,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “The Big 5 and Tractor Supply Company projects are being built out and development interest in our city is starting to increase.”

The Planning Commission meets on the first and third Tuesdays. Applicants must be a resident in the city of Clearlake in order to be appointed to the planning commission.

Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 18.

The Clearlake City Council will consider appointing an applicant at its April 26 meeting.

For more information and an application visit https://ca-clearlake.civicplus.com/151/Planning-Commission .

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