Students and staff at Middletown High School in Middletown, Calif., lined the highway on Monday, October 31, 2011, as the family of PFC Steven Shapiro passed by. Shapiro died on Friday, October 21, 2011, in Talil, Iraq, where he was serving in support of Operation New Dawn. Courtesy photo.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On Monday, Oct. 31, the family of PFC Steven Shapiro knew they had to make the most difficult journey of their lives.

They would depart Middletown, bound for the airport in San Francisco, to receive the body of their loved one.

Shapiro died on Friday, Oct. 21, in Talil, Iraq, where he was serving in support of Operation New Dawn.

Shapiro’s wife, Adela, along with her brother and father, arrived at a designated location to be greeted by approximately 25 supporters.

Those awaiting the family and forming a flag line included members of the Warriors Watch Riders, Patriot Guard Riders and Operation Tango Mike.

Everyone paid their respects to the family and preparations were finalized for the motorcycle escort to accompany the family.

What the Shapiro family did not know was that more than 500 students and citizens awaited their caravan.

The student body and staff of Middletown High School and the middle school had gathered at the edge of campus, lining the caravan’s route. Many held flags; some held signs and all offered their support for the grieving family.

Ride Captain Rick Rice later commented, “There was not a dry eye on that ride.”

He said it was personally overwhelming to see so many young people honoring the family.

The caravan made brief stops in Sonoma and Marin counties, where additional riders joined the escort.

The story of the community support in Lake County, and Middletown in particular, spread quickly.

Mitch Laing, a fellow ride captain, shared with Rice that he thought special recognition should be given to the students and citizens for showing their heartfelt support to the soldier’s family.

Steven Shapiro had been home for the birth of his son, Micah, and only returned to duty on Oct. 13.

One day, Adela Shapiro can tell Micah about the time when Lake County gave their family a huge hug.

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Signs of support for the family of PFC Steven Shapiro were out in force on Monday, October 31, 2011. Courtesy photo.

The 138 projects will receive $214 million from Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, which includes $3.6 billion to improve public transit in California, according to a Monday report from Caltrans.

“These projects are a direct investment in our state's public transit system and will help energize California’s economy,” said acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Not only will these projects help create jobs, they will also reduce traffic congestion, protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and provide Californians an alternative to rising gas prices.”

Among the funded project is Lake Transit Authority's purchase of five replacement buses. The agency will receive $309,288 for the purchases.

Agencies in Lake's neighboring counties also are receiving funding, including the Napa County Transportation Agency, which is receiving $178,992 for bus stop improvements and $210,300 for paratransit vehicle replacement.

The city of Santa Rosa will receive $575,153 for a hybrid bus purchase and $798,260 goes to Sonoma County Transit to buy a 40-foot bus.

In Yolo County, the city of Davis will receive $104,295 for replacement of double deck buses and the Yolo County Transit District gets $1.4 million for administration, operations and other facility improvements.

Other notable projects around the state include $29.5 million to the San Fernando Valley Extension North/South Bus Rapid Transit to build a four-mile expansion on the existing Orange Bus Rapid Transit Line; $61.6 million to Los Angeles Mid-City/Exposition Light Rail Project, an 8.5 mile corridor project, which will be the first to connect downtown Los Angeles with the Westside and Culver City; $20.2 million to San Francisco's Central Subway, a north-south rail/transit axis connecting to the BART/Muni Metro subway; $15.7 million to purchase 29 new light rail vehicles, which will

increase rider capacity and improve transit service throughout San Diego; and $18.7 million for Orange County's Metrolink Service Grade Crossing Improvements and Track Expansion Improvement Project which will open up track capacity and improve safety for services in both directions between Fullerton and Laguna Niguel/ Mission Viejo train stations.

For a comprehensive list of all projects that received funding, visit www.dot.ca.gov/docs/Prop1BTransitProjectsOctober2011.pdf or see below.

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October 2011 Prop 1B Transit Projects

Three juveniles were arrested along with 18-year-old Patrick Jerel Johnson of Kelseyville, according to a Wednesdsay report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Monday, Oct. 31, at approximately 11 p.m., sheriff’s deputies and officers from the California Highway Patrol responded to a report of more than five male subjects assaulting a man in front of a home on Konocti Road in Kelseyville, Bauman said.

He said that as law enforcement started to reach the scene, a large group of juveniles reportedly ran in all directions through neighboring yards and over fences in an attempt to flee.

When the responding units arrived in the area, two male teenagers immediately were detained after being caught running through a yard on Konocti Road, Bauman said. As deputies continued to search the area, another teenaged male was detained in front of a home on Oak Ridge Drive and another two were found hiding beneath a parked car on the same street.

Deputies identified one of two apparent assault victims as 30-year-old Thomas Randall Thornburgh. Bauman said Thornburgh had sustained several facial injuries and had obviously been in an altercation.

Thornbaugh told deputies he had been visiting at a friend’s home on Konocti Road when he heard several people outside of the home shouting obscenities and fighting. When he went outside and told a group of teenagers to get off of his friend’s property, they threatened to assault Thornbaugh, according to Bauman.

The teens reportedly then started fighting amongst themselves and when Thornburgh tried to break up the fight, he was knocked to the ground from behind, Bauman said.

Thornburgh got up, but was then tackled to the ground again where he was kicked and punched by as many as five people at one time. Bauman said Thornburgh struggled with several subjects on the ground until they started hearing sirens approaching, which caused his assailants to disperse and flee into the neighborhood.

A second victim, later identified as 21-year-old Samantha Pfannmuller, reportedly also was struck by one of the teenagers as she too tried to break up the fight, Bauman said.

For several hours, deputies canvassed the neighborhood for additional witnesses and conducted further investigation to determine a motive for the apparently random altercation, Bauman reported.

Bauman said preliminary information only revealed that the group of teenagers deputies had detained, who were all primarily from Kelseyville, had allegedly encountered and were being verbally challenged by a group of teens from Lower Lake on Konocti Road.

When Thornburgh heard the commotion outside, he went out to tell them to leave and the group turned on him, Bauman said.

Three of the four juveniles initially detained by deputies were transported to the Lake County Juvenile Hall. Bauman said one was booked for misdemeanor battery. One was booked for misdemeanor battery and making criminal threats. The third was booked for battery with great bodily injury and making criminal threats. The fourth juvenile was cleared of any criminal allegations and released.

The fifth man, Johnson, was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked for misdemeanor battery and making criminal threats, Bauman said.

Bauman said Thornburgh declined any medical treatment for his injuries. Pfannmuller was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital where she was treated and released.

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The football game, which pits Clear Lake and Kelseyville high schools, is set to begin at 8 p.m. at the Clear Lake High School football field at 350 Lange St. following the junior varsity game.

Lakeport Police Sgt. Kevin Odom said more than 1,000 people are expected to attend, and traffic in the area will be problematic.

Odom said parking on the campus will be controlled by city of Lakeport Volunteers, California Highway Patrol Explorers and Lake County Sheriff Department Explorers.

Once full, the campus will be closed to all nonessential vehicle traffic. Overflow parking has been arranged at the High Street Village, 1800 block of High Street, the 800 block of North Main Street at the old Natural High campus, and the Fifth and Third Street parking facilities, Odom said. Buses will transport attendees to the game from these areas.

All other attendees’ area reminded to obey all traffic laws and park only in areas legal to do so. All traffic laws will be enforced during this event, Odom said.

He said residents near Clear Lake High School should be prepared for a helicopter flyover as well as additional noise from a Civil War-style cannon.

Event promoters have obtained the necessary permits to fire off the cannon after every touchdown, he said.

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Lake County’s joint Fire and Air Quality Management District’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987, and has greatly contributed to our community’s superior fire safety and air quality.

Burn permits are required for all burning in the Lake County Air Basin. Contact your local Fire Protection Agency for a burn permit or the Lake County Air Quality Management District at 707-263-7000 to obtain a smoke management plan.

A smoke management plan is required for all burns over 20 acres in size, multi-day burns, standing vegetation burns, and whole tree or vine removals over an acre. A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued.

Burn permits (agricultural and residential) and smoke management plans are $23, while land development/lot clearing burn permits are $69.

Only clean dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot, a burn location that is located at least 100 ft. from all neighbors and 30 feet from any structure.

Lot Clearing burns require special permits available at your local Fire Agency. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during the allowed burning hours. Read your Burn Permit carefully and follow all the conditions.

Each day of the burning season is designated as a “no burn day,” a “limited burn day” or a “permissive burn day.”

On “no burn days” all open burning is prohibited, unless an exemption has been given for a specific burn. Contact the Lake County Air Quality Management District for details.

Burning is generally allowed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only on permissive burn days. Read your permit for allowed hours of burning. You can determine the daily “burn day” status by calling the phone numbers found on your burn permit.

Consider using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services or composting as an alternative to burning leaves. Contact your local Fire Safe Council for chipping information.

For South County go to www.southlakefiresafecouncil.org or your local fire station, for all other areas of the county call 707-279-2968.

The law requires that an able-bodied adult supervise all fires. Burning even a small amount of illegal material can result in toxic ash and smoke that contain cancer-causing substances and contribute to other health problems.

Burning prohibited materials can also result in significant fines. Some people have smoke allergies and/or respiratory problems and their health is degraded by even small amounts of smoke. Please be considerate of your neighbors. A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others and you can be liable for health care costs, fines and other costs resulting from your burning.

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The 58-year-old Clearlake man – whose name has not been released pending family notification – was discovered shortly before 2 p.m., according to a report from Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Officers were dispatched to the 14100 block of Lakeshore Drive on the report of a person in the water, Joseph said.

Police and fire radio reports at that time indicated a possible drowning victim.

When officers arrived, they found the deceased male subject face down in the water, according to Joseph.

Joseph said the man was nude, but his clothes and personal effects were located nearby on the shore.

An autopsy will be conducted in the next few days to determine cause of death, Joseph said.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation are urged to contact Det. Ryan Peterson at 707-994-8251. Callers may remain anonymous.

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Lake County Public Works' project starts on Wednesday, Nov. 2, and will last until Thursday, Nov. 10.

All traffic from Lakeshore Boulevard to Stokes Avenue will be closed to all traffic between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, the agency reported.

“We're just going to get in there and repave it,” said Public Works Director Scott De Leon.

He said the work, which will be carried out by county road workers rather than a contractor in order to save money, will include grinding out damaged pavement and complete repaving.

The total length of the project is not quite a mile, De Leon said.

De Leon said the project will cost about $180,000, including $131,000 in asphalt costs.

After that project is complete, De Leon said crews plan to make improvements on Renfro Drive in Kelseyville, weather permitting.

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Alicia Ramos Caballero, 46, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was arrested on Friday, October 28, 2011, in Middletown, Calif., after she allegedly was found in possession of methamphetamine. Lake County Jail photo.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A routine traffic stop in Middletown last Friday morning has resulted in the arrest of a 46-year-old Santa Rosa woman for narcotics offenses and the seizure of approximately half an ounce of methamphetamine.

Alicia Ramos Caballero was taken into custody as a result of the stop, according to a Monday report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

On Friday, Oct. 28, at approximately 10:20 a.m., a patrol deputy assigned to the Middletown area stopped a white Lexis sedan on Central Park Road near Highway 29 for a vehicle code violation, Bauman said. Detectives with the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force were in the area at the time of the stop and arrived to assist.

The driver, Caballero, was determined to be under the influence of a controlled substance and arrested, according to Bauman.

During a search of the vehicle, narcotics detectives located two bags of methamphetamine concealed inside a driver’s door air vent, Bauman said. Each of the two bags contained approximately one-quarter ounce of methamphetamine.

Caballero was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility where she was booked for possession of a controlled substance for sales, transportation of a controlled substance, and being under the influence of a controlled substance, Bauman said. Bail was set at $15,000.

Jail records showed that Caballero later posted bail and was released.

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The National Weather Service in Sacramento had issued advisories for wind and winter weather throughout Tuesday for Lake County and numerous other areas of the state.

In Lake County, the winds appeared to pick up in the evening, with power lines reported to be down in Nice at Lakeview Drive, Buckingham Way in Kelseyville, Schindler at Fourth and Fifth streets in Clearlake Oaks, and Highway 20 near Ceago outside of Lucerne, according to radio reports.

The wind also was reported to be knocking down trees, California Highway Patrol reports showed.

Wind was carrying debris across area highways, and at one spot along Highway 20 in Nice an awning from a home was scattered across the road, causing a hazard.

What followed were numerous power outages affecting homes all over the county, with Pacific Gas & Electric estimating that as many as 6,100 customers may have been affected at one point.

The outages began in Clearlake at about 7:30 p.m., and followed in Clearlake Oaks about an hour later, with additional blackouts reported in Cobb, Lakeport, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake at about 9 p.m. and afterward, according to PG&E.

The power for many of those customers had been restored by about 11 p.m., although PG&E spokesman JD Guidi said 350 Upper Lake residents as well as about 20 Clearlake Oaks customers had not yet been restored by that point.

Guidi said at that time outages continued in the East Bay.

PG&E's online outage map showed that the power failures were continuing around the region on Tuesday, including in Sonoma, Santa Rosa and Calistoga.

The National Weather Service issued an overnight wind advisory for Lake County that warned of wind gusts as high as 50 miles per hour over ridges above 2,000 feet.

The agency also reported that a series of cold weather systems moving down from the Gulf of Alaska are expected to bring cooler temperatures and chances of precipitation to Northern California through the weekend.

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The fire was dispatched shortly before 4 p.m. at a home at 3180 Second St., according to Lake County Fire Protection District Capt. Brice Trask.

No one was at the home – a doublewide manufactured home – when the fire broke out, Trask said.

Trask said Lake County Fire sent two ambulances, one battalion chief, one engine, one water tender and one rescue unit, and Cal Fire sent a mutual aid engine to fight the blaze.

The initial dispatch on the fire occurred at 3:52 p.m. and the fire was reported controlled at 4:11 p.m., Trask said.

The home sustained “extensive damage” which Trask estimated at $80,000.

The fire did not damage any outbuildings or other residences, he added.

“The cause appears to be accidental but investigation is still being done to determine the exact cause,” Trask said.

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Volunteers with PSI Seminars in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., worked on painting the main dining hall at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center in Lucerne, Calif., on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center has been bustling with more than the usual activity over the past week, as the center’s building gets some tender loving care.

Last week, a group of women who participated in a workshop with PSI Seminars at High Valley Ranch in Clearlake Oaks descended on the building, located at 10th and Country Club, and painted the inside of Barnes Hall, the facility’s main dining room.

Using ladders and scaffolding to reach the room’s high ceilings, volunteers put on a new coat of bright white paint.

Robert Clifton, who became the senior center’s executive director in July, said Habitat for Humanity Lake County donated the paint and some of the equipment.

Clifton said PSI volunteers washed the outside of the building, did gardening work, and renovated the Alpine and Rose rooms – fixing plaster and scrubbing wood and floors – in July.

Last week, in addition to painting Barnes Hall, volunteers cleaned and painted what was once a third grade classroom at one end of the building, which originally had been a school.

That room, which is smaller and more easily heated, will be used as a wintertime dining room, with drapes, artwork and mirrors donated to decorate it, said Clifton.

The room’s blackboards are being refurbished, and local school children will be invited to come in and decorate them with chalk murals at different times of the year, said Clifton.

Other recent work that’s been completed on the building, though not by volunteers, is replacing broken windows and toilets, electrical upgrades, the addition of two feet onto the Barnes Hall stage and the installation of a new coil in the walk-in freezer. He said the center is considering holding a fundraiser to pay off the remaining $3,200 owed on the freezer repairs.

He said Lake County Locksmith donated lock upgrades on the building.

More volunteer work is planned in the months ahead. Clifton said a PSI Seminars men’s group is scheduled to begin painting the building’s exterior in February, and then will work on painting the building’s hallways.

He said there also are plans to restripe the center’s parking and repair its steps.

For information about the center or to make donations for its upkeep, call the center at 707-274-8779.

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What once was a classroom in today's Lucerne Alpine Senior Center