LAKEPORT, Calif. – Shepherd, poodle and heeler mixes are waiting for new homes this week at Lake County’s animal shelter.

Dogs young and old, big and little, are ready to get out of their cages and into new families.

Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license 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 hoping you'll choose them.

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

Male pit bull mix

This male pit bull mix is 3 years old.

He has a long brown and white coat, weighs 62 pounds and has not been neutered.

Shelter staff said he may have a case of mange.

Find him in kennel No. 3, ID No. 33777.

‘Budah’

“Budah” is an 8-year-old male Rottweiler-Australian Shepherd mix.

He’s got a short black and tan coat, weighs 70 pounds and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 4, ID No. 33848.

‘Lucy’

“Lucy” is a 13-year-old female terrier-poodle mix.

She has a long curly coat, weighs nearly 16 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 5a, ID No. 33868.

‘Terrace’

“Terrace” is a 6-year-old male American Eskimo Dog mix.

He has a long coat, weighs nearly 18 pounds and has not been altered.

He’s in kennel No. 5b, ID No. 33869.

Male poodle mix

This male poodle mix is 2 years old.

He has a short white coat and weighs just under 9 pounds.

Find him in kennel No. 7, ID No. 33894.

‘Fuego’

“Fuego” is a 4-year-old male shepherd mix.

He’s neutered, weighs nearly 94 pounds and has a long tricolor coat.

He’s in kennel No. 15, ID No. 33660.

‘Madi’

“Madi” is a 5-year-old female shepherd mix.

She weighs 76 pounds, has a long black and white coat, and has been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 15, ID No. 33658.

‘Tacoma’

“Tacoma” is a 9-year-old female blue heeler mix.

She has a short blue merle coat, weighs 62 pounds and has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 20, ID No. 33744.

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

Please note: Dogs 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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Cal Fire reported Saturday afternoon that firefighters were continuing to work on wildland fires near Upper Lake, with a fire in Middletown destroying two buildings.

The Hunter and North fires in Upper Lake began on Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship.  

Blankenship said shortly before 2:30 p.m. that the Hunter Fire was being held at 10 acres, with 75 percent containment reported.

She said it was burning in the area of Bachelor Valley Road in heavy timber, with spotting reported.

On scene were 110 firefighting personnel and 10 engines from Cal Fire, Northshore Fire and the U.S. Forest Service, Blankenship said. The cause remains under investigation.

Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown said the agency had two engines, two water tenders and two chief officers on the Hunter Fire.

While the district’s resources were getting stretched, Brown said all Northshore Fire stations were manned with engine crews on Saturday afternoon.

The North Fire, in the U.S. Forest Service Direct Protection Area also was burning in heavy timber, and was at three acres and holding, according to Cal Fire’s latest information.

In the South County, the West Fire had started in the 23000 block of Hildebrand Road on Saturday morning.

Blankenship said the fire destroyed one residence and an outbuilding, and burned a 50-foot by 50-foot area of vegetation.

Additional information on the fire incidents will be posted as it becomes available.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A meeting for residents in the Spring Valley, New Long Valley, and Old Long Valley areas who were impacted by recent wildfires will be held on Monday, Aug. 20.

The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge, located at 15900 E. Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks.

District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing will lead the meeting, with participation from state and local agencies including first responders and those that provided support and assistance.

For more information call 707-263-2368.

By now it’s old news that NASA’s new Mars rover Curiosity is resting safely on the surface of Red Planet after a daredevil landing that had the nation holding its breath.

Now, mission scientists are anxious to start moving.

With such a sweet set of wheels at their disposal and the “open road” before them, just where will they go first?

“We won’t have to travel far for excitement,” said project scientist John Grotzinger. “We landed in the best possible place within the landing ellipse – the bottom of an alluvial fan.”

An alluvial fan is a pattern of sedimentary rocks, dirt and sand deposited by flowing water – in this case, perhaps an ancient Martian river.

Since life as we know it requires liquid water, this is an excellent first place to search for clues of a Mars that was once hospitable to life.

“The alluvial fan indicates that water flowed across the surface, so we’ll head downhill to where water might have collected,” said Grotzinger. “We’ll be looking for minerals like salts that might tell us where water has been. It’s kind of like a scavenger hunt with minerals as clues.”

After that, Grotzinger said it’s “full-speed ahead” to the base of Mount Sharp, a 5,000-meter-tall mountain that holds within its ancient layers possible clues to life on the Red Planet.

“We’ll have to make a deal with ourselves not to stop too often along the way,” he said. “Mount Sharp is the reason we chose this landing site, so we need to high-tail it on over there.”

Deputy Program Manager Richard Cook described the temptation to stop along the way: “It’ll be like taking a family vacation, but instead of the family you have 400 scientists who want to stop and look at every sight.”

Curiosity is bristling with instruments custom-made to look for the chemical building blocks of life.

A laser on Curiosity’s mast can take aim at interesting rocks and vaporize small spots on them from up to seven meters away.

The micro-blasts produce plasma clouds, and the scientists can examine the light reflected off these clouds to learn what the rocks are made of.

The mast also sports a high-resolution camera called Mastcam, which has already begun observing and photographing the rover’s surroundings.

The rover’s robotic arm wields its own array of instruments.

The Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer will measure the abundance of chemical elements in the dust, soils, rocks, and samples the rover gathers.

The Mars Hand Lens Imager acts like a geologist’s magnifying lens that can take its own color photos.

Ultimately samples will be delivered to a pair of onboard laboratory instruments. One of them, SAM, short for Sample Analysis at Mars, will explore the Red Planet by “sniffing” the air, bird-dog style.

It has vents that open to the atmosphere to detect gases like methane. SAM can also “sniff” the gases released by rock or soil samples it heats in its own oven.

Can 400 scientists gripped by the thrill of the greatest “family vacation” ever really rush to their destination without stopping to savor every sight?

Grotzinger made just one guarantee: “In the coming months and years, Curiosity will tell us an incredible story.”

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Firefighters are battling a three-structure fire in the Middletown area.

The fire, reported Saturday morning, was located off of Hildebrand Road, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship.

She said three structures were involved – one house and two outbuildings.

Blankenship said the fire additionally burned a small 50-foot by 50-foot area of vegetation.

Additional information about the fire will be posted as it becomes available.

Saturday has so far proved to be another busy one for firefighters, who are battling two wildland fires near Upper Lake, with mop up and work still continuing on the Wye Fire incident east of Clearlake Oaks.

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

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The service of a search warrant on Thursday by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force, California Department of Fish and Game, California Highway Patrol and the Lake County Sheriff’s SWAT Team has resulted in one arrest, the seizure of marijuana and dogs, and the recovery of a stolen vehicle.

Sgt. Steve Brooks said 32-year-old Matthew Ritchie Vines of Lower Lake was arrested during the operation.

On Thursday at approximately 7:15 a.m. narcotics detectives assisted the California Department of Fish and Game with the service of a search warrant for Vines’ person and home, Brooks said. Also assisting Fish and Game was Lake County Code Enforcement and Lake County Animal Control.  

When officers arrived, Vines and a female adult were detained without incident, Brooks said.

During the search, officers located 180 marijuana plants that Vines admitted were his. Vines said he was a member of a marijuana cooperative, according to Brooks.

Fish and Game Officers investigating the case determined that Vines had built a large dam which blocked a seasonal creek. Brooks said the investigation revealed that Vines was diverting water from the creek to water his marijuana plants.  

Numerous firearms were located in several different locations on the property along with a vehicle which had been reported stolen out of Texas, Brooks said. Vines had told officers that he and his female companion had recently moved from Texas to Lake County.

Also located on the property were 13 adult dogs and several puppies. Brooks said the dogs did not have an adequate supply of water or food and appeared to be suffering from malnutrition. Lake County Animal Control Officers seized the animals and sought medical attention for them, with one of the animals appearing to have a facial injury.

Vines was arrested for cultivation of marijuana, vehicle theft, possession of a stolen vehicle and water diversion. Brooks said he was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and Booked.

His bail was set at $15,000. Jail records indicated he later posted the required percentage of bail and was released.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be reached through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A complex of fires that began early Saturday in northern Mendocino County had burned hundreds of acres by nightfall.

The Pass Complex was reported at around 2:47 a.m. Saturday in Williams Valley, 10 miles northeast of Covelo, according to a report issued by Cal Fire Mendocino Unit spokesperson Julie Cooley.

By 8 p.m. Saturday, the two-fire complex – consisting of the Pass 1 and Pass 2 – had reached 510 acres, with containment at 10 percent, according to Cooley.

Personnel assigned to the complex Saturday totaled 255, with 13 fire engines, eight fire crews, four bulldozers, two airtankers, two helicopters and two water tenders, Cooley said.

The area’s hot, dry, windy weather is anticipated to lead to significant growth on the Pass 1 Fire, Cooley reported. The Pass 2 was holding at 10 acres.

The fires are burning in heavy timber with limited access for firefighters, said Cooley. Other challenges include crowning, torching and long range spotting.

Cooley reported that no structures have been destroyed and no evacuations were ordered, but three injuries were reported.
                             
Cooperating agencies on the complex include Cal Fire, Covelo Fire Department, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation and the California National Guard.

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

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters are on the scene of two new fires in the Upper Lake area.

The Hunter Fire is burning near Upper Lake, as is a second fire in the North Federal Direct Protection Area, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship.

Cal Fire said the Hunter Fire was located off Bachelor Valley Road, northwest of Upper Lake.

First reported early Saturday between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m., the Hunter Fire was between five and seven acres by 10:30 a.m., and had reached 10 acres and 50-percent containment by noon, Blankenship said.

Blankenship said it was burning in heavy timber, with a slow to moderate rate of spread.

Resources on scene included 10 engines from Cal Fire, Northshore Fire and other local government agencies, Blankenship said.

Radio traffic also indicated a bulldozer had arrived at the fire.

The second fire was in the North Federal Direct Protection Area, where a Cal Fire helitack was working the fire, said Blankenship.

She said that fire was burning in heavy timber. It was three acres and holding at 10:30 a.m.

Blankenship said the Direct Protection Area is in the Mendocino National Forest, but Cal Fire has an agreement with the forest to protect that area.

Reports from the scene indicated Mendocino National Forest firefighting resources were on the way to the Direct Protection Area at about 10:40 a.m.

Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt said Saturday morning that the fires were not on the forest.

Lake County residents had reported seeing lightning strikes near Upper Lake late Friday night, but Blankenship could not say if the two fires were lightning caused.

Daniel Berlant, another Cal Fire spokesman with the agency’s headquarters, reported earlier Saturday morning that more than 900 lightning strikes had occurred across Northern California on Friday night, resulting in many new fires. As a result Cal Fire was on high alert.

Schmidt said there were lightning strikes on the Mendocino National Forest Friday night, and forest officials were planning a reconnaissance flight later Saturday.

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

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A special enforcement sweep conducted in Clearlake on Monday netted five arrests.

Clearlake Police Det. Ryan Peterson said officers from the Lake County Gang Task Force conducted the sweep in the city of Clearlake.  

The Lake County Gang Task Force sweep agencies involved included the Clearlake Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Probation and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation State Parole, Peterson said.

During the operation Clearlake residents James Jordan, 28; Forrest Ranous, 33; Shy Savok, 21; David Row, 29; and Shavon Vestal, 31, were arrested for numerous different violations and booked into the Lake County Jail, according to Peterson.

During the enforcement sweep, numerous other CDCR Parole and Lake County Probation searches were conducted in regard to known criminal street gang members as defined by penal code 186.22 otherwise known as the Street Terrorism Enforcement and Prevention Act, Peterson reported.

He said it’s the goal of the Lake County Gang Task Force to prevent criminal street gang activity in the county of Lake to flourish as it has in many other communities.  

Peterson said the task force contacts known criminal street gang members, tracks gang trends and enforces local and state laws.      

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Two small wildland fires continued burning near Upper Lake Saturday evening, with the largest of the two nearing full containment.

The Hunter and North fires were first reported early Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire spokesperson Suzie Blankenship reported that the Hunter Fire was in the Bachelor Valley Road area, while the North Fire was located in a U.S. Forest Service Direct Protection Area that Cal Fire is contracted to protect.

By early evening, the Hunter Fire was estimated to be between seven and 10 acres, with final acreage to be mapped later. It was then 85-percent contained, Blankenship reported.

She said it was burning in difficult terrain and heavy timber, with spotting and poor access.

Those factors increased the challenge for the 110 fire personnel from Cal Fire, the U.S. Forest Service and Northshore Fire who worked on the fire throughout the day. Ten engines were also part of the effort, Blankenship said.

Blankenship said the work on the Hunter Fire will continue through the night.

The North Fire was reported to be between three to five acres by Saturday evening, Blankenship said. A containment estimate was not given.

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

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Nearly a week after the Wye Fire began burning along two areas of Highway 20, firefighters fully contained the incident.

Cal Fire reported Saturday morning that the Wye Fire – burning since last Saturday afternoon – had reached 100 percent containment.

The incident includes two different fires east of Clearlake Oaks – the Wye, at Highway 20 and Highway 53, and the Walker, at Walker Ridge Road, in Lake and Colusa counties.

Cal Fire Incident Management Team 4, which has been based at the Lake County Fairgrounds, is managing the two fires as one.

Altogether the Wye Fire burned 7,934 acres, with firefighters stopping the expansion of acreage about midweek, when personnel on scene totaled more than 1,200.

A total of three structures were burned and two were damaged during the week, with Cal Fire still investigating the fire's cause. Three injuries also were reported to firefighters.

Evacuations had been in effect early in the week in the Spring Valley and Wilbur Hot Springs area, and Highway 20 had been closed through Monday evening, as Lake County News has reported.

Crews were continuing to be demobilized on Saturday. Cal Fire said 138 personnel remain on scene, along with 10 engines, four fire crews, one helicopter, two bulldozers and three water tenders.

Cal Fire reported that crews would continue to patrol and work the area after full containment was reached.

Highway 20 east of Clearlake Oaks is still under a strictly enforced 45 miles per hour speed limit due to firefighters and fire equipment continuing to work in the area. Hunting also has been restricted 10 miles north and south of Highway 20, between Highway 53 and Highway 16.

Agencies cooperating with Cal Fire included the Lake and Colusa County Sheriff's offices, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, Pacific Gas & Electric, Red Cross, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and dozens of fire agencies from around the state. The Mendocino National Forest said its firefighters also had assisted on the fire.

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

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A major wildland fire burning for nearly a week in Lake County is expected to be fully contained on Saturday.

Cal Fire said Friday evening that the Wye Fire's containment was at 95 percent, with firefighters holding the size at 7,934 acres.

The Wye Fire includes two incidents burning east of Clearlake Oaks – the Wye, near Highway 20 and Highway 53, and the Walker, burning near Walker Ridge Road in Lake and Colusa counties. The fires started last Sunday afternoon.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.

With the fire about to be fully contained, Cal Fire said it was demobilizing fire crews and engines.

Cal Fire said 719 fire personnel remained on scene Friday evening, along with 82 engines, 20 fire crews, two helicopters, seven bulldozers and nine water tenders.

Highway 20 east of Highway 53 has a strictly enforced speed limit of 45 miles per hour. Drivers are asked to use caution while driving near Spring Valley due to fire personnel and equipment use in the area.

Cal Fire has set up a public information hotline on the Wye Fire; call 707-967-4207 or 707-967-4208.

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