CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Police arrested a woman on Wednesday morning who they say broke into a neighbor's home, stabbed him and attempted to steal his vehicle after he would not give her a cigarette.

Sara Thomas, 28, of Clearlake was arrested for attempted murder, burglary, armed robbery and vehicle theft, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs.

Hobbs identified the victim in the case as 46-year-old Andrew Beckerley of Clearlake.

At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 3700 block of Huntington Avenue for a fight and one person being hit with a bat, Hobbs said.

Officers arrived on scene within two minutes of the 911 call and located Beckerley in the roadway. Hobbs said Beckerley was found to have several apparent stab wounds, including one to his chest. 

Thomas was located inside Beckerley’s pickup truck in the driveway of the residence and detained, Hobbs said.

Medical personnel from the Lake County Fire Protection District arrived and began treating Beckerley, who Hobbs said was transported by medical personnel to Austin Park. There, a REACH air ambulance picked up Beckerley and transported him to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

During the investigation Hobbs said officers discovered that Beckerley lives in the main residence on the property and Thomas lives in a granny unit at the rear of the property.

Shortly before the Wednesday morning incident, Thomas went to the main residence to ask for a cigarette from Beckerley, who would not give her one. Hobbs said she then left.

A short time later, Thomas broke into Beckerley’s residence while armed with a baseball bat and a knife, stabbing Beckerley several times, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Beckerley was able to gain control of the bat and defended himself by striking Thomas with it several times.

During this struggle Thomas was able to take the keys to Beckerley’s vehicle and left the residence.  Hobbs said Thomas got in Beckerley’s vehicle – which was parked in the driveway – and attempted to get it started.

Beckerley went out into the street to get away from Thomas and wait for the police to arrive, Hobbs said.

Thomas was arrested and, after being medically cleared for incarceration at St Helena Hospital Clear Lake, was booked into the Lake County Jail, Hobbs said.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday Beckerley was reported to be in stable condition at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Hobbs said.

Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Det. Elvis Cook at 707-994-8251, Extension 315.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters are anticipating a break in the hot weather with lower temperatures and some showers in the days ahead.

The National Weather Service said a weather system will affect Northern California beginning Thursday and continuing through the weekend.

The system is forecast to bring the change in weather mainly on Friday and through the weekend.

The specific Lake County forecast predicts a 20-percent chance of showers with thunderstorms possible after 11 a.m. Friday. Rainfall amounts are expected to be less than a tenth of an inch except in the case of thunderstorms.

Chances of showers are expected to increase to 30 percent Friday night. Wind gusts of up to 24 miles per hour also are forecast.

On Saturday, the expectation for rain raises to 50 percent, with slight chances of rain through Tuesday, according to the forecast.

Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 60s during the day and the mid 40s at night through Wednesday, forecasters said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department reported that a suspected dangerous device has been successfully detonated.

The object was located in the area of Fourth and North Forbes streets, the agency said.

While a bomb squad was working to detonate the device at around 3 p.m. Thursday, North Forbes Street was closed between Third and Fifth streets and people in the area were instructed to stay indoors.

Shortly after 3 p.m. police said the situation was all clear and safe, and reported that the roadway was to reopen.

Additional details will be posted when they become available.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The biggest wine weekend of the year is about to start.

The 2016 Wine Adventure will take place Friday, May 20, through Sunday, May 22.

If you don’t have your tickets yet, have no fear – tickets will be available for purchase at all participating locations for “at the door” prices.

Wineries are busy putting the finishing touches on their plans to deliver a fabulous weekend of award-winning wines, food, music and fun.
 
Wine Adventure 2016 will feature a few new wrinkles including more clusters of wineries in place of lots of windshield time.

Downtown Kelseyville boasts five tasting rooms within walking distance. Owner Eric Fore of Fore Family Vineyards said he is excited about the first Wine Adventure in Fore Family’s tasting room, the newest one on Main Street in Kelseyville.
 
Adventurers also can limit their driving while taking in multiple locations in other parts of the county including the Red Hills area, Highway 29 between downtown Kelseyville and Lakeport, and Clearlake Oaks.
 
This year will also feature two locations pouring wines of multiple wineries.

The LCWA Wine Garden sponsored by Lake County Wine Studio will be offering wines by Obsidian Ridge, Sol Rouge and R Vineyards.

The Wine Stop sponsored by Twin Pine Casino and Hotel will be offering wines by Langtry Estate, Shed Horn Cellars, and R Vineyards and keep the party lively with live music and local artisans.
 
The passport booklet this year is all new with a simpler style to guide adventure participants from place to place. However in keeping with past traditions, there is a place for stamps from favorite wineries as well as notes.

A printable version of the passport including the map, list of locations, and favorite winery/stamps/and notes card is available at www.lakecountywineries.org/adventure .
 
Bond theme at many locations

The weekend will kick off with Casino Royale at the Twin Pine event center in Middletown. Whether you dress to the nines or want to be more casual, this is going to be an evening of delicious Lake County wines paired with tasty appetizers from the Twin Pine’s kitchen. Dancing and table games will make it an evening to remember.
 
Some passport locations are planning to carry the Bond theme through the weekend while others have selected more eclectic themes this year. Reports of Bond sightings throughout the county are being reported. Revelers are invited to take selfies with Bond and post them using #lakecountywineadventure to document their finds.
 
Avoid the lines on Saturday and pick up your passport kit on Friday until 5 p.m. at participating locations. All ticket holders must come in to take advantage of this service.
 
A survey of lodging partners revealed rooms available for Friday, Saturday, and in some cases both nights. The “Here’s the Latest” blog at www.lakecountywineries.org/adventure has updated information on lodging. Twin Pine Casino and Hotel is also offering a shuttle service and has limited seats available.
 
Charity partners

This year, $5 of every full price ticket will be donated to #LakeCountyRising Valley Fire Relief fund. #Lake County Rising is a collaborative fundraising effort of the Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County Winery Association and Lake County Wine Alliance with all funds raised going to fire relief projects.
 
The American Cancer Society Relay for Life will also be a beneficiary for the 2016 Lake County Wine Adventure.

This year’s raffle package, aptly named Wine & Water, includes an instant wine cellar of Lake County wines plus a two-hour boat ride for eight people.

The wines are donated by the participating wineries in the 2016 Wine Adventure and will be a great start at building or adding to your wine cellar.
 
Bob and Madi Mount and Boatique Winery topped off this year’s package with a two-hour cruise on Clear Lake in an authentic Venetian water taxi.

The raffle winner and seven guests will enjoy Boatique wines and gourmet snacks as they take in the sights on the Lake.
 
This will be the third year that the instant wine cellar raffle has benefited the Lake County Relay for Life, raising over $6,000 for the fight against cancer. Raffle tickets will be on sale at many participating locations during the weekend and you do not have to be present to win.
 
Tickets for Casino Royale are $65 per person advance purchase only online at www.lakecountywineries.org/adventure or at local wineries.
 
Tickets for the passport are $55 per person advance purchase for the two-day passport ($65 at the door) and $40 per person advance purchase for a Sunday only passport ($45 at the door). Designated drivers get in free and will enjoy all of the food and fun (except of course the wine).

Tickets and additional information for all weekend events can be found at www.lakecountywineries.org/adventure .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Police Department reported that a bomb squad will be detonating a suspected dangerous device at 3 p.m. Thursday.

The device is located in the area of Fourth and North Forbes streets, officials said.

Authorities said there is an expectation of a very loud noise to occur during the detonation.

North Forbes Street is closed between Third and Fifth streets and police are asking that all surrounding businesses and residents stay indoors until 3:30 p.m.

Traffic and pedestrians are to stay out of this area, as they will not be allowed through, officials said.

Police said updates will follow.

The Department of Water Resources regulations that will guide local groundwater sustainability agency management and regulation of California’s groundwater basins as outlined in the historic Sustainable Groundwater Management Act enacted by Gov. Jerry Brown  in 2014 were approved by the California Water Commission on Wednesday.

The approved emergency regulations now will be filed with the Office of Administrative Law and go into effect June.

“Today we reach a major milestone in California’s quest to sustainably manage groundwater,” said Director Mark Cowin of the Department of Water Resources, or DWR. “These regulations will help communities bring aquifers into balance and prepare for a changing climate and future droughts.”

Groundwater is vital to California and supplies over a third of the water Californians use, and as much as 60 percent or more in some areas during times of drought.

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or SGMA, requires local agencies to draft plans to bring groundwater aquifers into balanced levels of pumping and recharge.

Managing groundwater sustainably is a key element of the California Water Action Plan, the Brown administration’s five-year roadmap for building resilient, reliable water supplies and restoring important ecosystems.

In some parts of the San Joaquin Valley, groundwater levels are reaching record lows – up to 100 feet lower than previous records. 

In August 2015, DWR released a new NASA report showing land in the San Joaquin Valley sinking faster than ever before, nearly two inches per month in some locations. Continued extensive groundwater pumping puts nearby infrastructure at greater risk of costly damage.

High- and medium-priority groundwater basins identified as critically over-drafted must be managed under groundwater sustainability plans by Jan. 31, 2020.

All other high and medium priority basins must be managed under a groundwater sustainability plan by Jan. 31, 2022, or an alternative to a plan by Jan. 1, 2017.

In Lake County, the Big Valley and Scotts Valley basins are listed as medium priority, according to the state.

DWR offers technical and financial assistance to help local agencies develop their plans.

From the outset, the SGMA was intended to recognize that groundwater is best managed on the local level and that each groundwater basin has unique characteristics and challenges.

An inherently technical and complex task, managing groundwater requires regulations that can address the goal of sustainability across such a geologically and hydrologically diverse state as California.

These regulations recognize the two key principles of the groundwater legislation.

First, that groundwater is best managed at the local or regional level, and local agencies should have the tools they need to sustainably manage their resources.

Second, when local or regional agencies cannot or will not manage their groundwater sustainably, the state will intervene until the local agencies develop and implement sustainable groundwater management plans.

The Groundwater Sustainability Plan, or GSP, regulations also reflect DWR’s responsibility under SGMA.

DWR must evaluate the development and implementation of GSPs, alternatives and coordination agreements by local groundwater sustainability agencies or local agencies.

The regulations cover such provisions as data collection, reporting requirements, descriptions of current and historical groundwater conditions, the elements of the “water budgets” that each plan must include, and the criteria by which an agency defines conditions in its plan that constitute sustainable management.

The new GSP regulations are the result of extensive public engagement and reflect the wide variety of perspectives provided by numerous advisory groups and statewide stakeholders, the general public, the State Water Resources Control Board and the California Water Commission.

Throughout 2015 and 2016, DWR regularly met with more than a dozen SGMA advisory groups, conducted public meetings and webinars across the state, published issue papers to educate the public on the issues, prompt public discussion and gather feedback.

For more information regarding California’s groundwater visit http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/index.cfm .