Agitators disrupt orderly harvest
March 6, 1941
Lower Lake >> C. A. Benson, of the Lake County Farm Bureau has just released information re a strike in Ventura county that may be duplicated here during the fruit picking season, and is there of vital interest to every fruit grower here.
The effort to “saddle agriculture with higher production costs at a time when agriculture itself, in many instances, is virtually on relief, is now being demonstrated in Ventura county,” states Mr. Benson, “where lemon growers are facing a crisis because of a pickers’ strike called against the industry for the purpose of demanding higher wages, union recognition and other benefits at the expense of the farmer.
“This strike occurred, not because of unsatisfactory relations between lemon growers and pickers, but because of agitation created by labor organizers from without the county. A majority of the workers quit work against their own wishes and are eager to return to work were it not for threats against their person or families by labor organizers.”
Nine men selected for induction by Lake Draft Board
March 6, 1941
Lakeport >> Local board 18, has just sent out the following release:
The following named men have been selected for induction by this board.
They shall report to this Local Board at Lakeport, California, at 7:00 a.m. on March 25, 1941; whereupon they shall be sent to an induction station of the United States Army at 1800 Mission street, San Francisco, California.
Order number
50 Alvin Anderson
114 Irving Grant Lindeblad
116 Merrill Wilson Vann
V137 Stanley Paul Schneider
V138 Mace Jack Knight
139 Charles Edwin Dalgleish
161 Walter Eugene Jacobs
164 Raymond Reuben Dingle
V San Andrew Tremper
Resort owners in protest against planned drug act
March 6, 1941
Clearlake Highlands >> Local resort owners and merchants have sent letters of protest to legislators against the adoption of Assembly Bill 2143 and Senate Bill 426, identical bills providing for the sale of aspirin, head-ache cures and similar emergency remedies by regular licensed drug stores only.
It has been pointed out that such drugs are carried by resorts and some merchants as an accommodation to patrons who might be forced, otherwise, to travel considerable distances to find a drug store open. Often these “pick-me-up” drug sundries are needed late at night or during the very early morning hours when it would be impossible to find an established drug store open.
In metropolitan areas of course this does not apply but it applies, so it was pointed out, most decidedly in rural districts, and it is in such areas where the majority of resorts are located.
Seven young adventurers stranded on Snow Mt.
March 3, 1966
It’s cold in them thar hills. At least that is what seven Lower Lake High school students would agree to after a chilly experience with car trouble, a 26 mile hike and a long winter night spent in freezing temperature.
Frank Hayes, Larry and Arnold Robey, Ron Scott, Donald Way, Jim Kennedy and Kurt Ackerman, set out Saturday for a drive to Snow Mt. Why? To see some snow, of course.
The drive was uneventful until more rugged terrains were reached. Finally their truck stalled in a creek bed and refused to go any further.
Arnold and Ron set out for Upper Lake at 3:30 p.m. and reached town by 11 o’clock that night – a hike of some 26 miles.
The boys were picked up and decided to return for their friends next morning.
There was a mountain cabin near where the truck had stalled where Arnold and Ron thought their buddies would find shelter for the night.
But unfortunately the cabin was tightly locked with guards on the windows. So, the five adventurers had to keep warm by a small campfire which they ignited with an owner’s manual found in the truck. By 9:30 p.m. it was so cold the mud puddles had frozen over. The lads stayed awake all night keeping the fire going.
Next morning they started walking out. They stopped at a farm house for help and were told by the man answering the door that he did not have any food, gas or inclination to give aid, then he slammed the door in their faces.
Arnold and Ron brought a rescue crew Dennis Chernoh and Gene Way, in Sunday and the students were soon home. The sandwiches and hot coffee provided by their rescuers tasted better than a banquet after hours of cold and hunger.
Donald Bartram and Burn Kennedy went up the mountain in the Bartram pickup to get the Kennedy truck. A logger happened through to rescue the squad when the pickup stalled in a bed, or else they would have spent the night on Snow Mt. Too.
Cobb. Mt. development underway
March 3, 1966
Cobb >> A multi-million dollar development is now underway on Cobb Mt. by George Hoberg, Sr. Don Emerson, Frank Bleuse, Sr. and Dean Geddes.
Master plan of the new subdivision calls for 1000 or more homesites adjoining Hobergs Resort and Pine Summit Estates.
There will be a recreation and shopping center for residents, Mr. Geddes said.
Mr. Geddes was formerly associated with Clear Lake Riviera which he helped to plan and develop. Prior to this work, he developed large subdivisions in Palm Springs, two in Minnesota and three in Washington state.
Mr. Hoberg, Mr. Emerson and MR. Bleuse have been associate in the Cobb Development Co. for 13 years. The company has developed nearly 700 residential and duplex homesites on the mountain.
Mackey gets a tenfold bonus
March 2, 1991
Lakeport >> District 4 Supervisor Karan Mackey went to Sacramento on Feb. 13 hoping to get $89,000 for the new Lake County jail.
Realistically, she figured she would get about $13,000.
But she came back to Lakeport with $1,105,639.
“It was a very exciting day,” she said, “because things like that don’t usually happen around here.”
How did she do it?
It seems she was given some incorrect information by a state agency concerning the guidelines of the Jail Bond Allocation Committee meeting. She thought she would only be allowed to request money for specific change orders.
So when she got to the capital and discovered she could bid for more money, she naturally changed her request.
Consequently, she said, some counties at the meeting are a little upset with Lake County, “to say the least,” because she changed the amount of her request.
She was in discussion with the committee for six hours.
Two other counties, Nevada and Yolo, were given the same amount as Lake. And 10 counties received between $390,000 and $754,000.
Counties with populations less than 150,000 and counties with a single jail facility were given priority in receiving the funds. Only counties that have existing countracts with the Board of Corrections were eligible.
Most of the available funds, about $6.6 million, came from “reversion money,” or money allocated to counties that were unable to spend it in time or could not match it with their own funds.
The money was originally allocated as a result of bond issues passed in Propositions 2, 16, and 52.
an additional $2.5 million was interest on money from Propositions 2 and 16.
Lake County received $605,000 in reversion money and $500,000 interest. The interest was split five ways between Lake, Nevada, Yolo, Lassen and Trinity counties.
The surprise has worn off now, Mackey said, and it’s down to the business of building the next phase of the new jail. The entire jail will cost about $14 million, she said, but it will be build in steps.
The new section will contain 132 units.
Ninety-six maximum security units will be built in the new section, Mackey said, and the maximum-security prisoners housed downtown will be moved there.
In recent years Lake County has contributed more than the 25 percent required to match state money allocated for jail construction. Mackey said the county will be required to pay less in the future because of this.
6 days’ rain big help, but more needed, officials say
March 5, 1991
County rainfall totals range from 6 to 13 inches
Six days of rain isn’t exactly enough to end the drought, but local officials say it helps a lot.
“This is good,” Agricultural Commissioner Mark Lockhart said. “All we need is more.”
Lockhart said that twice the amount of rain fell form this storm than all other rain since July.
“If we get another storm like this,” he said, “we’ll be up to way-below-normal.”
Precipitation readings vary from station to station around the county.
The readings differ because weather systems travel in different directions and cover different mountains, John Monday of the Department of Forestry said.
Lakeport had recorded 6 inches of rain Monday morning whereas the Forestry station on State Route 175 south of Kelseyville had recorded 9 inches. Kelseyville reported 13.62 inches Monday afternoon, almost 9 of which fell since Friday.
The storm, which brought high-intensity rain to Lake County, will help to recharge ground water, according to Flood Control and Water Conservation District Director Hank Porter.
High water levels create more pressure to recharge ground water aquifers, Porter said. Creeks ran for 10 days after the rain in early February, but it takes about three months to fully recharge aquifers.
Last Wednesday Clear Lake stood at .46 on the Rumsey scale Porter said, and by Monday morning it had risen to 1.22.
According to the National Weather Service, no more rain is expected for the area after Wednesday. Although another storm is expected to hit California by Friday, rain is only forecast for areas farther north.
Lockhart told the Board of Supervisors last week, before the rain, that if Lake County received 7 more inches of precipitation this year plants such as pear trees and grape vines could survive. He said that 14 more inches could mean a low-productivity year for those crops – a big step up from what is expected.
Rain this early in the growing season helps vines and trees in several ways, Lockhart said. This “pre-bloom irrigation,” can add 2 to 4 degrees of frost protection, he said.
Buds cannot absorb ice, so they are deprived of water during a frost. But if a tree has water stored in its root system from an early rain or irrigation, it can still supply frozen buds with nutrients.
And more buds means more fruit.
Because of Lake County’s agricultural and topographical diversity, Lockhart said, it is difficult to say what crops have been helped and how much. It depends on the age of the tree or vine, soil type and elevation, he said.
