LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Officials have issued a red flag warning for areas of Northern California, including Lake County and other parts of the North Coast.

The National Weather Service reported that the red flag warning runs from midnight Wednesday until 10 a.m. Friday for Lake County, as well as the Coastal Ranges and the west slopes of the northern Sierra Nevada.

A red flag warning signals weather conditions that increase fire danger.

In particular, forecasters are predicting gusty north to east winds combined with very low humidity which – combined with the region's dry vegetation – will create critical fire weather conditions.

Community members are asked to use extra caution to avoid potential fire starts.

The National Weather Service said this month is shaping up to be driest January on record for Northern California, with the small amount of rainfall recorded so far well below even the severe drought years of 1976 and 1977.

There is no rain forecast for Lake County in the coming week, with daytime temperatures expected to continue in the low 60s and high 70s, with nighttime temperatures in the mid 40s.

Winds are expected to peak on Thursday night, with gusts as high as 24 miles per hour, tapering off on Friday morning, according to the forecast.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mathematics Department at Mendocino College has announced that the registration deadline for the AMC10 and AMC12 math competitions hosted at the college has been extended to Monday, Jan. 27.

The competitions are open to both middle and high students in Lake and Mendocino counties.

Both the AMC 10 and the AMC 12 are 75 minutes in length and have 25 multiple-choice questions that focus on problem-solving skills.

The AMC10 (for students in grade 10 and below) contains problems which can be solved with algebra and geometry concepts.

The AMC 12 (for students in grade 12 and below) contains problems which can be solved with pre-calculus concepts.

Students are encouraged to register for one or both competitions.

The AMC 10 is the first in the series of competitions leading to the USA Team at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

Students who rank in the top 25 percent nationally will qualify for the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME).

The USA Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad qualifiers are selected from the top performing students on the AIME.

Forms have been sent to area high schools and also may be obtained by contacting Leslie Banta, assistant professor of mathematics, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The registration fee is $5 per participant for each competition. This fee can be waived for financial reasons by contacting Professor Banta.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) will hold an informational forum on the Affordable Care Act and its new benefits on Saturday, Jan. 25.

The forum will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

Enrollment in Covered California, the state's new marketplace for affordable, quality health insurance, opened on Oct. 1, 2013.

At the forum, constituents can learn how to enroll and receive information about what benefits and options are available to them.

To RSVP, please contact Maira Ayala at 707-226-9898 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Several Northern California members of Congress on Wednesday came out strongly against California water legislation proposed by House Speaker John Boehner (OH-8) and Reps. Devin Nunes (CA-22), David Valadao (CA-21) and Kevin McCarthy (CA-23).

The legislation would allow water to be pumped south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for as long as water is available, or until summer 2015; it would undo portions of the San Joaquin River restoration, an agreement to reconnect the river with the Pacific Ocean and reintroduce salmon flows; and it would create a joint House-Senate Committee to find longer-term solutions to California’s water challenges.

The members of Congress who voiced opposition to the bill included John Garamendi (CA-3) and Mike Thompson (CA-5), whose districts cover portions of Lake County; Doris Matsui (CA-6); Ami Bera (CA-7); Jerry McNerney (CA-9); and George Miller (CA-11).

The group said the bill ignores environmental concerns and the health of the Bay Delta, guts the Endangered Specie Act, doesn't propose a longterm solution to California's water needs, ignores science and will exacerbate the water shortage in Northern California.

Thompson called the proposal “nothing more than a shallow attempt to use the state-wide drought as an excuse to steal water from the delta.”

He added, “It shows zero regard for the fishers, farmers, families and businesses who depend on the delta for their livelihoods, ignores a half-century of established science, guts environmental protections, harms drinking water and will cause enormous economic hardships across the delta region. The health of the Bay Delta is integral to California’s economy. It supports thousands of jobs in farming, fishing and tourism. Pumping more water south of the delta not only puts these jobs at risk, but will do nothing to alleviate drought conditions.”

He said all stakeholders should be at the table so that those who depend on the delta to make a living aren’t left high and dry.

Garamendi said he'd like to welcome Boehner to California so he can meet the people whose livelihoods depend on the Bay Delta, from family farmers and fishermen to recreational business owners.

“If he’d like to learn more about smart investments we can make in water recycling, conservation, storage and levee construction that create more water for the entire state, I’d love to walk him through my comprehensive water plan for all California communities,” Garamendi said.

Miller said what the bill – which will attempt to gut federal and state environmental and water protections without sound science or considering the economic toll on the Northern California economy – proposes to do is “dangerous.”

He said the Endangered Species Act does not control pumping operations in the Bay Delta, and is not expected to significantly reduce water supplies this year.

“Rather, the lack of rain, low storage in reservoirs, and low river flows – not environmental laws – are the major causes of low water allocations across the State. Environmental protections in the Delta and our state’s rivers not only protect delta smelt, salmon and other endangered fish species, but also tens of thousands of jobs in fishing, tourism, and farming in Northern California, while also ensuring drinking water quality for millions of Californians,” Miller said. “Putting those interests at risk for the benefit of Central Valley agribusiness is not a sustainable compromise.”

McNerney said the bill would allow south-of-the-delta water contractors and their allies who want to steal water from the delta to do so, further exacerbating the problem. “To steal from one community to benefit is unacceptable.”

“This proposal is a water grab, plain and simple,” said Matsui.

She added, “Sucking the delta dry is not the answer to California’s water issues. We need long-term solutions that will benefit the entire state, and should be working together to solve California’s water problems through a balanced approach. This proposal is anything but balanced and will only create further discord.”

“We need to find both real solutions to address this crisis in the short-term, and a comprehensive plan for securing water access and storage throughout the state,” said Bera. “This proposal, however, is a misguided effort to use the state-wide drought as an excuse to take much-needed water from one area of our state and send it to another.”

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The service of a search warrant by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force last week resulted in one arrest and the seizure of 48 pounds of processed marijuana.

Christopher John Caruso, 29, of Kelseyville was arrested following the warrant service, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Jan. 14, narcotics detectives secured a search warrant for a residence and property located in the 10000 block of Bachelor Valley Road in Witter Springs, Brooks said.

At 2:20 p.m. Jan. 16 detectives served the warrant at the property. Brooks said detectives entered the residence and detained Caruso and 30-year-old Rachel Ann Gregg of Kelseyville without incident.

During the search detectives located in one of the spare bedrooms several tubs of processed marijuana, which had a total gross weight of 48 pounds, Brooks said.

Brooks said detectives also located 259 marijuana plants growing in the garage and four marijuana plants growing outside which were eradicated.

In the kitchen area detectives located scales and packaging material commonly associated with the trafficking and sales of marijuana. Brooks said they were unable to locate any medical marijuana recommendations.

Caruso was arrested for cultivating marijuana, possessing marijuana for sale and for having an outstanding arrest warrant. He was later transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, according to Brooks.

Caruso remained in custody on Wednesday, with bail set at $35,000, according to jail records.

Gregg was not arrested at the time, although detectives are submitting their report for complaint against her for cultivating marijuana and possessing marijuana for sale, he added.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Relay for Life Lake County is inviting the community to the kickoff event for the 2014 relay.

It will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at TJ's Downtown Bar and Grill, 370 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

Whether you are a veteran or a new participant, team captain, committee member or haven't been involved so far, you're encouraged to attend.

Relay for Life brings the community together to celebrate cancer survivors and to remember those who have lost their battle. The goal is to get one step closer to a cure.

At the Tuesday event there will be raffles, music, guest speakers, handouts, team sign ups and fun.

For more information contact Angie DeMaria at 707-245-9743 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Committing to "pay down our debts and remember the lessons of history," California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on Wednesday delivered his annual State of the State address, highlighting California's comeback while vowing to establish a solid rainy day fund to help maintain the state's fiscal stability.

The governor also renewed his call for all Californians to conserve water, laid out the key elements of the state's long-term water plan and noted the work ahead to fight climate change and build on historic reforms to the state's school funding and criminal justice systems.

Read the full address below.

2014 STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS

I am here today to report on the state of our state, choosing to ignore those who say that Article 5 of our Constitution, which requires the governor to report to the Legislature, is outdated; that you can’t report on the condition of our state from Sacramento because California is too spread out and too diverse. It occurred to me that these critics – who have long recited our state’s decline – perhaps have nothing to say in the face of California’s comeback – except, “please, don’t report it.” Well, I’m going to report it, and what a comeback it is: A million new jobs since 2010, a budgetary surplus in the billions and a minimum wage rising to $10 an hour!

This year, Californians have a lot to be proud of. For a decade, budget instability was the order of the day. A lethal combination of national recessions, improvident tax cuts and too much spending created a financial sink hole that defied every effort to climb out. But three years later, here we are – with state spending and revenues solidly balanced, and more to come.

For that, I thank all of you – for your courageous and dedicated legislative work. It is truly impressive. I also want to thank the members of my administration who have worked so hard to help make all this happen. But above all else, I think we should thank the voters of California. In 2010, through Proposition 25, they established a majority vote for passage of the state budget. That ended the gridlock. Then, in 2012, they approved the temporary tax increases of Proposition 30. These two initiatives, together with the recovering economy and the tough decisions you took, made all the difference.

But we are not out of the woods and we certainly are not out of the drought. Life is uncertainty, the climate is changing – not for the better – and the business cycle and the stock market are historically volatile, with good years followed by bad, with painful regularity.

And while we know our revenues will fluctuate up and down, our long-term liabilities are enormous and ever growing. Let me list some of them: Over $100 billion for pensions owed to state workers, teachers and judges; tens of billions needed to cover retiree health care; and $65 billion needed to maintain and keep our roads, buildings and other infrastructure in sound repair. We also must account for future risks that could negatively affect our budgets like congressional decisions, natural disasters and the uncertain costs of the Affordable Care Act.

So we can’t go back to “business as usual.” Boom and bust is our lot and we must follow the ancient advice, recounted in the Book of Genesis, that Joseph gave to the Pharaoh: Put away your surplus during the years of great plenty so you will be ready for the lean years which are sure to follow.

Most governors and legislatures – in modern times – have forgotten this advice. This time we won’t do that. We will pay down our debts and remember the lessons of history. The American philosopher, George Santayana, famously said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” To help us keep our fiscal realities in mind, I have some playing cards with a chart from this year’s budget summary that shows our last 15 budgets. It’s not pretty. So I decided to put a picture of Sutter on the other side to keep our spirits up. It will make you smile but also help us not forget.

Fiscal discipline is not the enemy of our democracy but its fundamental predicate. To avoid the mistakes of the past we must spend with great prudence and we must establish a solid rainy day fund, locked into the Constitution.

In 2004, the people voted for a rainy day fund which was found to be unworkable. In 2010, you created another rainy day fund, now scheduled for the November Election. But this latest effort doesn’t give the state the option to pay off debt, doesn’t deal with the ups and downs of Proposition 98 and doesn’t account for spikes in capital gains. So let’s fix these flaws before going to the voters. This is work that must be accomplished in the next few months.

Last year, I spoke of the principle of subsidiarity, a rather clunky word that nevertheless points to a profoundly important principle, namely that in our federal system there are separate layers of government, each with its own distinct responsibilities. The Oxford English Dictionary defines subsidiarity as the idea that a “central authority should have a subsidiary function, performing only those tasks which cannot be performed effectively at a more immediate or local level.”

No better example of this can be found than in your enactment last year of the Local Control Funding Formula. This was a major breakthrough in the way funds are allocated to California’s schools so that our laws explicitly recognize the difficult problems faced by low-income families and those whose first language is other than English. As a result, those with less are going to receive more and that is good for all of us.

But something else is at work in this Local Control Funding Formula. Instead of prescriptive commands issued from headquarters here in Sacramento, more general goals have been established for each local school to attain, each in its own way. This puts the responsibility where it has to be: In the classroom and at the local district. With six million students, there is no way the state can micromanage teaching and learning in all the schools from El Centro to Eureka – and we should not even try!

Last week, 324 people from across the state traveled to Sacramento to speak to the State Board of Education about the merits of this new law and the regulations which should be adopted under it. Principals, teachers, students, parents, religious groups and lawyers, all came forward to express their views. Now that shows interest and real commitment! But their work is just beginning. Each local district now has to put into practice what the Local Control Funding Formula has made possible. That, together with new Common Core standards for math and English, will be a major challenge for teachers and local administrators. But they are the ones who can make it work and I have every confidence they will.

In a similar vein, in the field of public safety, we have changed historic practices in our prison system and transferred significant responsibilities to local authorities. The Federal courts, backed up by the United States Supreme Court, have ordered major reductions in our prison population and dramatic improvements in the medical and mental health programs that the state makes available. In response, we have transferred the supervision of tens of thousands of lower level offenders from the state to our 58 counties. This realignment is bold and far reaching, but necessary under the circumstances. And local law enforcement has risen to the occasion.

Our prisons are pioneering new programs and treatments – and so are the counties. Last week, I visited the Lerdo Jail just north of Bakersfield and sat in on some classes. It was moving to hear the men’s stories and the struggles they encounter. It was also inspiring to see the enthusiasm of Sheriff Donny Youngblood and his efforts under realignment to work with probation, the district attorney, local judges and the police to try new ways to deter crime and help offenders straighten out their lives.

Of course there are issues with realignment, but together – with our local partners – we are facing them. We have plenty of work ahead of us, including building more capacity at the state and county level and becoming more effective with those who suffer mental illness or who are drug addicted. But we are on the right track.

In all this, your legislative work – particularly funding – is crucial but we should never lose sight of the reality that life is local and that so many things we try to do here in the State Capitol can only be handled by local representatives and leaders. They deal not with the abstractions of law but with the flesh and blood reality of everyday life. That’s a lesson I learned firsthand as mayor of Oakland.

Among all our uncertainties, weather is one of the most basic. We can’t control it. We can only live with it, and now we have to live with a very serious drought of uncertain duration.

Right now, it is imperative that we do everything possible to mitigate the effects of the drought. I have convened an Interagency Drought Task Force and declared a State of Emergency. We need everyone in every part of the state to conserve water. We need regulators to rebalance water rules and enable voluntary transfers of water and we must prepare for forest fires. As the State Water Action Plan lays out, water recycling, expanded storage and serious groundwater management must all be part of the mix. So too must be investments in safe drinking water, particularly in disadvantaged communities. We also need wetlands and watershed restoration and further progress on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

It is a tall order.

But it is what we must do to get through this drought and prepare for the next.

We do not know how much our current problem derives from the build-up of heat-trapping gasses, but we can take this drought as a stark warning of things to come. The United Nations Panel on Climate Change says – with 95 percent confidence – that human beings are changing our climate. This means more droughts and more extreme weather events, and, in California, more forest fires and less snow pack.

As you know, of all the states, and even of most of the countries of the world, California is the leader in dealing with climate change. From AB 32, to our building and appliance efficiency standards, our renewable portfolio standard and our support of electric vehicles, California is leading the way. Nevertheless, in terms of greenhouse gases, our biggest challenge remains the amount of gasoline Californians use. Each year, our motor vehicles use more than 14 billion gallons of gasoline to travel over 330 billion miles. To put those numbers in perspective, the sun is 93 million miles away. Reducing our oil consumption, two thirds of which is imported by ships and tank cars, will take time, breakthrough technologies and steadfast commitment. It will also require that the countries which burn the most fossil fuel join with us. We’ve started building those partnerships with other states and countries like China. We will go to Mexico next. California can’t do this alone.

In so many other ways, California is a pioneer. We have 25 percent of the nation’s foreign born and we are the first state in modern times to have a plurality of families of Latino origin. So it’s not surprising that California is the state where immigrants can not only dream – they can drive.

We are also the state of innovation, of Silicon Valley and more venture capital investment than any other state – by far.

We’re on our way to a million electric vehicles and we’re building the nation’s only high-speed rail.

We’re expanding health care coverage to millions more. And, California is the nation’s leader in developing medical and scientific advances that will cure diseases and lower costs. We have six of America’s twelve top-performing metropolitan areas in biotechnology: San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles and Orange County. Last year, we created a tax credit to help innovators, in these regions and beyond, hire and expand in California. Four out of the world’s twenty leading academic bioscience institutions are located here in California: UCSF and Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford and UC San Diego. Just as California has led the way with stem cell research, so too can we pioneer the new field of precision medicine which uses genomics, medical devices, computer sciences and other fields to treat individual patients, instead of broad populations.

Yes, California is a leader in so many ways. But, the dangers and difficulties we face can never be taken lightly. We still have too many struggling families, too much debt, and too many unknowns when it comes to our climate. Overcoming these challenges will test our vision, our discipline and our ability to persevere. But overcome them we will and as we do, we will build for the future, not steal from it.

COBB, Calif. – A 3.7-magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers geothermal steamfield early Tuesday.

The quake occurred at 3:11 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

The survey said the quake was recorded at a depth of 1.4 miles, and was centered five miles northwest of The Geysers, 13 miles southwest of Clearlake and 15 miles north of Healdsburg.

Some Lake County News readers reported being jolted awake by the quake.

Shake reports were submitted to the US Geological Survey from Cloverdale, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Middletown, Napa and St. Helena.

A 4.5-magnitude quake occurred three miles northwest of The Geysers on Jan. 12, as Lake County News has reported.

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.

California has received an “F” grade for “access to emergency care,” ranking 42nd in the nation, according to the 2014 American College of Emergency Physicians’ state-by- state report card on America’s emergency care environment.

The “access to emergency care” mark reflects the serious lack of on-call specialists who provide critical, specialized care like obstetricians and gynecologists, neurologists and cardiologists; a below-average number of trauma centers; a lack of inpatient hospital beds; inadequate psychiatric services; serious emergency room overcrowding and patient boarding; and the lowest number of emergency rooms per person in the nation.

Low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates also place a strain on California’s health care system, according ot the report. Repeated cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursement result in fewer physicians accepting Medi-Cal patients, causing inadequate access to primary care for Medi-Cal recipients.

According to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Medi-Cal patients were most likely to be in the ER for serious conditions that might have been prevented from progressing had they had better access to primary care.

“We’re not surprised California is failing in ‘access to care’,” said Dr. Thomas Sugarman, president of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

“The fact of the matter is that when you repeatedly slash Medi-Cal reimbursement, physicians won’t participate in the program, and patients are left with nowhere to go but the ER where we see everyone regardless of their insurance status,” said Sugarman. “This report card shows that Californians are paying for past budget cuts with their health.”

Another factor affecting California’s failing grade for access to care is the number of inpatient psychiatric beds.

According to the report card, California only has 18 psychiatric beds per 100,000 residents, while the national average is 29 beds and even Mississippi has 52 psychiatric beds per 100,000 people.

Without sufficient psychiatric resources in the community, psychiatric patients are taken to emergency rooms, where they use a disproportionate share of resources without receiving the psychiatric care they need, based on the report.

With the huge shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, those patients languish in the emergency room for hours, days, and in some instances weeks, awaiting transfer to a facility where they can be treated for their psychiatric condition, according to California ACEP.

Not only is this harmful to psychiatric patients, but it creates crowding in the emergency room for all other patients in need of medical treatment, California ACEP said.

The report card indicates that patients need improved access to a complete network of physicians who can provide ongoing health care and mental health care.

As California implements the Affordable Care Act, California ACEP said legislators and regulators must take action to improve access to care by continuing recent efforts to increase mental health funding and by improving Medi-Cal reimbursement rates so patients can see a physician before their conditions deteriorate and they end up in the emergency room.

While California received failing marks for access to care, it also received a C+ in “medical liability environment” on the report card.

California’s emergency physicians face high medical liability insurance premiums, approximately $39,135 on average and no additional liability protection for Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act-mandated emergency care.

California also may face an attack on the California Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act through a ballot initiative that would make it easier to file meritless health care lawsuits, increase health care costs and further reduce access to care.

Weakening the reform act could have a disastrous impact on the emergency care safety net. Without the protections of MICRA, physician malpractice premiums will skyrocket once again. The financial pressures on emergency physicians- who are independent contractors, not hospital employees – are immense, according to California ACEP.

“Higher malpractice premiums translates to fewer dollars for direct patient care – fewer emergency physicians per shift, and longer wait times for all patients who walk into an ER to get care,” noted Dr. Sugarman, “Without MICRA, increased insurance premium costs for emergency physicians threaten the emergency care safety net for all of California’s patients.”

California ACEP has long argued that California’s emergency room crisis can’t be ignored.

The group said that if everyone assumes these problems will take care of themselves, that there will always be an open emergency room when they need one, “the safety net will continue to unravel to the point where the nearest emergency room might be an hour away instead of five minutes – and that will be the difference between life and death.”

California ACEP is a not-for-profit association representing California’s emergency physicians, who see and treat all Californians regardless of their ability to pay, providing more than 11 million emergency care visits each year.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The service of a search warrant by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force has resulted in two arrests and the seizure of approximately 100 pounds of processed marijuana.

Detectives arrested 52-year-old Agustin Padilla Ochoa and Ulises Sanavia, 32, both of Clearlake, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Brooks said narcotics detectives secured a search warrant on Jan. 16 for a residence and property located in the 14000 block of Palmer Avenue in Clearlake.

At 6:30 p.m. the following day the detectives served the warrant at the residence, Brooks said.

As detectives approached the residence they could see two adult males in the living room. When the detectives announced their presence and the fact they had a search warrant, both subjects ran toward the back of the residence and out the back door, according to Brooks.

The two men were detained as they attempted to flee the property. Brooks said they were identified as Ochoa and Sanavia.

During the search detectives located several large black garbage bags in the kitchen area, all containing packaged processed marijuana, Brooks said. Each package was consistent in size and appeared to contain 1 pound of marijuana.

In the living room detectives located a black duffel bag, which also contained packaged processed marijuana. Brooks said the detectives also located digital scales and equipment used for marijuana cultivation.

Brooks said Ochoa told detectives he lives a few streets over and only 5 pounds of the marijuana belonged to him. He brought the marijuana to Sanavia’s residence, because a subject named “Jose” was going to purchase the marijuana from him for $1,100 a pound.

Ochoa said he has a medical marijuana recommendation. He also said he knew it was illegal to sell the marijuana and that is why he became scared and attempted to run, according to Brooks.

Sanavia told detectives that all of the processed marijuana located inside the residence came from plants he grew. He explained that he does not smoke the marijuana; he uses approximately 2 pounds of the marijuana to rub on his body each time he takes a shower, Brooks said.

Sanavia admitted to not having a medical marijuana recommendation. Brooks said Sanavia denied the statements Ochoa made regarding the sale of marijuana, and told detectives that he pays Ochoa $500 a month to live at the residence.

There were a total of 83 individual bags of processed marijuana seized, which had a gross weight of 96.6 pounds, Brooks said.

Brooks said both Ochoa and Sanavia were arrested for the possession of marijuana for sale and resisting arrest. They were transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked.

Sanavia remained in custody on Wednesday due to an immigration hold. Ochoa posted the required percentage of his $15,000 and was released, according to jail records.

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

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A local child whose battle with cancer touched the hearts of community members has died.

Ronnie Dekeyser III – a boy with a big laugh, who liked the outdoors, sports, bikes, monster trucks and camping – ended his fight on Monday afternoon, according to his family.

“Ronnie passed away today at approximately 1:00 pm. He went peacefully, surrounded by people who love him up to the moon. I miss my baby already,” his mother, Jennifer Hittson posted on Facebook shortly after his death.

Ronnie was 11 years old.

The community at large learned about the child's battle with an inoperable brain tumor this past fall, when he was named an honorary Lakeport Police officer, one of the dreams he chased and accomplished during his all-too-short life.

Ronnie suffered from diffuse pontine glioma, a cancerous brain tumor that is one of the most challenging tumors to treat, according to cancer experts.

The condition is inoperable, and researchers have found that neither chemotherapy nor radiation are effective in the long-term.

Diffuse pontine glioma remains a condition that doesn't appear to be well understood, and survival rates are low: A December 2012 paper in Frontiers in Oncology by researcher Katherine E. Warren quoted statistics that noted the average survival rate for children with the condition is less than one year from diagnosis.

However, it appeared that Ronnie, at least for a little while, was beating the odds.

Ronnie was diagnosed with the condition at age 5. Then, three years ago, when he was 8, the tumor became inactive.

Last spring the family got its first indications that the tumor had become active once more, which was confirmed by subsequent medical tests over the summer.

At that point, Ronnie was still able to pursue some physical activities, and his family worked to help him fulfill some of his dreams.

That's when the Lakeport Police Department welcomed Ronnie into its ranks as an honorary police officer.

Ronnie's family said he had wanted to be a police officer someday, and so Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen administered the officers' oath to Ronnie on Oct. 2 as family, friends, police and city staff, and city council members looked on.

Department personnel outfitted Ronnie with a full police uniform and duty gear, and he accompanied Lt. Jason Ferguson on patrol and went out for a cup of decaffeinated coffee at Rene's Café with officers.

His duties with the department continued when, on Oct. 11, he led the Lakeport Homecoming Parade down Main Street.

In the months ahead, however, Ronnie's ability to continue pursuing his dreams became increasingly difficult as his health deteriorated.

Fundraisers took place to help his family afford to take him on some of the trips he still wanted to make.

At the same time, his parents sought traditional and alternative treatments alike to save his life, but nothing worked.

In December, shortly before Christmas, the family got news that the tumor had grown again and was crushing the boy's vital nerves.

Friends and complete strangers alike reached out to help the family. Kelseyville Fire personnel came to offer help and Sutter Lakeside Hospital loaned the family a bed to make Ronnie more comfortable.

Over the heartbreaking final weeks, Hittson continued to post updates, almost daily, on her son's battle, and thanked those who had offered their assistance.

The Lakeport Police Department's members issued a statement Monday night expressing their sadness at Ronnie's passing.

“The Lakeport Police Department and its entire family are saddened by the passing of Officer Ronnie,” the statement said. “Ronnie was an inspiration to all of us and we were so blessed to have him be a member of this department. We will forever cherish our time spent with him, having him ride along and be a part of our law enforcement family.”

The department's statement added, “Our law enforcement family wishes to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Ronnie and we thank you so much for allowing us this wonderful opportunity to be a part of this amazing young man's life.”

Ronnie leaves behind his dad, Ron Dekeyser; mom, Jennifer Hittson; his two younger brothers, Daniel and Blaine; faithful pup Tila; and many family members and friends, some of whom he never met, but who were rooting for him all the same.

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.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On the Middletown map, the Chauncey W. Gibson building sits at the intersection of Calistoga and Calloyomi streets. But townsfolk will tell you that it sits where the past intersects with the present.

The official dedication of the smallish structure on the property to the Gibson Museum and Cultural Center that for more than 80 years served as the Middletown Public Library will not occur until early May. But the past and present have already come into contact there.

It was a serendipitous occasion this past summer when community leader Voris Brumfield, about to have lunch at a restaurant across the street from the Gibson building, looked out the window and saw a man who seemed vitally interested in the structure.

“I was sitting there watching him and thought he was a building inspector or something,” said Brumfield. “So I went out and introduced myself and asked him his name. He said, 'My name is Gibson.'”

The stranger, in fact, was Chauncey Gibson's great-nephew.

“He just happened to be driving through – from where I don't know – on his way to his home in south Lake Tahoe,” said Bob Kauffman, facilities manager for the Gibson Museum project, picking up the story from there. “About two weeks later we had a check from him with stipulations and a Gibson family genealogy for the museum.”

Gibson was a successful turn-of-the-20th-century Oakland, Calif., businessman who had a vacation home in Middletown.

In 1929 he offered to fund the construction of a permanent library for the town if the community would provide the land. The townspeople responded to his offer and the new library was dedicated in May 1930, a month before Gibson died.

Good fortune also has attended the latest Gibson building project, for which on Saturday the first fundraiser – a concert by Karen Melander-Magoon and keyboard accompanist AJ Franks – was held at the new Middletown Senior Center, which shares space with the new home of the Middletown Library on Washington Street.

From Calpine, two ore cars from the Socrates Mine era eventually will sit out front of the museum.

The cars were secured by Calvin Higgins, a Calpine employee and Gibson Museum Committee member.

“There were, like, four of them sitting up on a hillside and I was always interested in them,” said Higgins. “Calpine owned them because it covers a lot of acres. About seven square miles, I think.

“Then when the museum project was started I went to the landowner and asked if he would consider donating two of them to the museum. He got right back to me and said, 'They're yours,'” Higgins recalled.

With proceeds of more than $4,000 from Saturday's sold-out fundraiser – including $2,000 from the District Attorney's Office's Alternative to Community Service program – treasurer Judy Kauffman said nearly $25,000 has been raised for the project, with another $4,500 promised.

The project has tapped into a gold mine of volunteer labor and donated materials, including $1,100 in building supplies from Hardester's Market, $350 worth of paint from Kelly-Moore in Ukiah and free use of the Middletown Senior Center for Saturday's fundraiser.

“The interior is looking wonderful. Clean and bright. It's much too wonderful to describe,” said project committee member Nina Bouska.

Bouska said Judy Kauffman and Linda Moran dragged old furnishings out of the storerooms and, with elbow grease and a little wax, made them look like new.

“Bob Kauffman and Tom Moran took up the time-worn linoleum in the tiny bathroom and found newspapers from the 1950s, still intact enough to yield a few clippings,” said Bouska. “A security system has been installed and new deadbolts installed on the doors.”

More than anyone else, Bob Kauffman championed the conversion. He, alone, painted the interior walls and took charge of preserving the building's Spanish tile floors.

But, Bouska said, “A handful of volunteers have donated several thousand hours of labor and a good deal of pocket cash and supplies.

“The main problem is getting the handicap access and repairing the floor, which is badly cracked in places,” she said.

A contractor has been hired to construct the handicap ramp to ensure it meets federal Americans with Disabilities Act specifications. That is the only part of the overall project not being done by volunteer labor.

Although it is small for a museum, the Gibson building is a critical piece of the Middletown community tapestry. Without it, Middletown's own history might someday be forgotten.

How to contribute: To donate, go to www.cgibsonmuseum.com and scroll down to the bottom left of the page for a “donate” button. Checks also may be mailed to the Gibson Museum, P.O. Box 31, Middletown, CA 95461.

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