"Top Cat" LOL! (And a gripe at the end.. *sigh*)

Can you imagine walking down the street and seeing this fellow with his pal? I'm sure the regular readers of my blog know I like cats, and I think I've mentioned a while back that I have 2 cats here that "own" me. But my cats have never tried riding around on my head! LOL


I guess I'll continue the feline funnies by adding an LOL Cat...

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I'm still watching the news, both on TV and online. I just haven't found a lot to write about lately. The Casey Anthony case is progressing, both for the murder trial and for the fraud case. Apparently the prosecutors are going to try to push the fraud case ahead of the murder case. The defense for the murder case is saying they won't be ready until some time next year, so why not push the fraud case ahead.. The motions have been filed, so we'll have to wait and see what the judge says. And we'll probably have to listen to Baez whine about how unfair it is for Casey to have to face up to her theft of money from her friend and her grandparents before she has to face the music for Caylee's death.

Someone recently asked about the case against a local man that I posted about months ago, and I've done some looking around and have found absolutely nothing online about the case that is recent. The man I am talking about is Rex Archer. When I went for that drive on Sunday with my Mom and Stepdad on Father's Day, we talked about Rex and the lack of news about the case against him. (Rex Archer was accused and arrested for sexual abuse on two girls. ) There were two postponements of hearings and then suddenly there was no news at all about the case. My folks and I are thinking that Rex has pulled some strings in Yuba County.. After all, he is one of the "good old boys" over there. I'll keep trying to find out what has happened with the case.

Now, about a case that is done with. Sort of. Phil Spector. Apparently there are a few people trolling the net who object to anything being posted that is the least bit unfavorable towards thier idol, Phil Spector. They've decided my blog is a good place to play again. (Similar childishness happened back when I posted the photo of Rachelle Spector playing with a gun during the second trial for Phil.) So, since the children have decided they want to use my blog for their games, I am putting the comment moderation back into effect. If they want to post about how much they love Phil and Rachelle Spector and spread their hate for everyone that doesn't love them, I suggest they start their own blog or message board. I guess they haven't noticed that Phil Spector is only a very minor part of my blog. As the civil cases that Phil Spector is involved in advance, there may be other posts about him on here. If Rachelle Spector does any outrageous things again, there may be other posts about her. The fans of Mr. Spector and his wife need to grow up and realize that their games aren't going to change anyone's minds about his guilt or anything else. Give it a rest, kids... I'm not going to change my mind about Phil Spector. He has been found guilty of murdering Lana Clarkson. And rightly so. He has been sentenced to prison, most likely for the rest of his life. Again, rightly so. If his "fans" don't want to behave themselves in the comments here, the comments won't see the light of day. Period.

After all, this is my blog and since it is my blog, I can post my opinion whenever I want, no matter how popular or unpopular it is. (And I don't have to put up with abuse from people who oppose my views... lol)

My apologies to my regular readers and commenters. Hopefully the children will go find another place to play soon.

News on The Fires and Stuff

First of all, I want to explain why I didn't manage to get the blog updated yesterday. A friend of mine came up from Sacramento yesterday and we spent the day "goofing off" in Yuba City, including going to see the Will Smith movie "Hancock" (which was good!) and went shopping for another friend's birthday presents. Then last night a group of friends gathered in a restaurant in Yuba City to celebrate the birthday. It was a surprise to the birthday guy that his wife had set up. We had a great time.

There is good news and bad news from the fire lines today. The good news is that the weather is helping the firefighters get lines around the fires. The bad news is that yesterday a firefighter lost his life. Not in the fires, but in a motorcycle accident near the Butte Complex. according to the article from the Chico Enterprise Record Steven E Zinn, 27, who was a firefighter assigned to the Butte Lightning Complex was killed Sunday when he lost control of his motorcycle on the transition ramp from Highway 149 to southbound Highway 70. He was a member of the Feather River Hotshots, operating out of the Feather River Ranger District office in Oroville. He was reportedly off-duty at the time of the accident and witnesses told the California Highway Patrol that Zinn was traveling south on the southbound onramp to Highway 70 at a high rate of speed and passing other vehicles when he lost control on a curve at 2:15 a.m. He was reportedly ejected from the motorcycle and slid several hundred feet before coming to rest in the roadway and then was struck by two oncoming cars whose drivers failed to see him in the roadway.

Here's the update from Cal Fire's 9pm update:

Statewide Fire Overview - Lightning Series

Current Situation: Nearly fifteen hundred fires have been contained due to the endless efforts of firefighters from California, as well as from throughout the nation and Canada. Additional firefighting resources from Australia, Greece, Mexico and New Zealand are in transit to assist California. Isolated thunderstorm activity occurred throughout the Sierra Nevada range this afternoon and included numerous lightning downstrikes. The priority of firefighting is for the protection of life, property and natural resources.
Download the latest fact sheet. (Updated 7/14 at 9 p.m.)
Download the latest statewide map.

Statewide Fire Statistics
Total Fires at Peak: 1,781
Total Fires Contained: 1,493*
Total Active Fires: 288*
Total Acres Burned: 861,385
These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred from state, local and federal firefighting agencies beginning June 20, 2008.
* Numbers reflect data as of 7/13 at 7:30 a.m.

CAL FIRE Statistics

• Total Fires at Peak: 1,005
• Fires Contained: 849
• Active Fires: 15
• Acres Burned: 257,128

These numbers are total fires and acres that have occurred ONLY in CAL FIRE jurisdiction since June 20, 2008.
The number of contained and active fires will not equal the total due to some fires merging together.

Statewide Resources Committed

• Personnel Committed: 19,748
• Fire Engines: 1,359
• Hand Crews: 464
• Dozers: 207
• Water Tenders: 373
• Helicopters: 129

Highway closures: State highways, county and local roads are closed throughout California due to wildfire activities. Closures and delays remain in place for State Highways 32, 70 (delays) and 299 (delays). Travelers are advised to seek current information from local law enforcement. Click here for detailed road closures.

Evacuations: Areas of Kern, Monterey, Shasta and Trinity counties are under evacuation orders at this time. Precautionary evacuation orders currently exist in areas in Butte, Kern, Mendocino, Monterey, Plumas, Shasta and Trinity counties. Residents are advised to monitor their local fire situation, check with local law enforcement agencies for information, and be prepared to evacuate when necessary. Click here for detailed evacuation information.

Structures:
Threatened: 7,657 residences, 139 commercial, 2,310 outbuildings.
Destroyed: 100 residences, 1 commercial, 128 outbuildings.

CAL FIRE Summary of Fires by County

Butte: The Butte Lightning Complex has burned 54,000 acres and is 75% contained. The Butte Fire Information Number is (530) 538-7826. Click Here for more information.

Mendocino: The Mendocino Lightning Complex has burned 53,300 acres and is 90% contained. The Mendocino Fire Information Number is (707)-467-6426. Click Here for more information.

Shasta & Trinity: The Shasta and Trinity Lightning has burned 79,375 acres and is 55% contained. The Shasta-Trinity Unit Information Number is (530) 225-2510. Click Here for more information.

Humboldt: The Humboldt Complex burned 1,325 acres and is now 100% contained.

Lassen, Modoc: The Corral Fire burned 12,434 acres and is now 100% contained.

Mariposa: The Oliver Fire burned 2,789 acres and now 100% contained.

Lake: The Walker Fire burned 14,500 acres and is now 100% contained.

Napa & Solano: The Wild Fire burned 40,000 acres and is now 100% contained.

Santa Clara: The Whitehurst and Hummingbird Fires burned a combined 994 acres and are both now 100% contained.

Tehama & Glenn: The Tehama-Glenn Lightning Complex burned 22,907 acres and is now 100% contained.

Major Federal and Local Incidents
For information on major federal incidents click here.

Kern County: The Piute Fire has burned 37,026 acres and is 70% contained. Click Here for more information.

Maps and Links

For incident maps, resources available to fire victims or to volunteer, visit the Maps and Links page.

I'm going to add in some information from the National Interagency Fire Center website this morning. These are just the California fires, there are more in other states. (If anyone reading this blog wants me to "follow" the news on other fires, please leave a comment and let me know.)

American River Complex (Tahoe National Forest): 18,721 acres at 30 percent contained. This complex of two fires is 11 miles northeast of Foresthill. Power lines, watershed, and residences remain threatened.
Information: Call (530) 367-6223 or visit the web site.

Basin Complex (Los Padres National Forest): 119,728 acres at 61 percent contained. This complex is five miles southeast of Big Sur. The mandatory evacuation of cabins in the Santa Lucia Tract remains in effect. Roads in the are are closed.
Information: Call (805) 961-5770 or visit the web site.

Bear Wallow Complex (Six Rivers National Forest): 1,200 acres at zero percent contained. This complex of four fires is 13 miles southeast of Happy Camp. Active fire behavior was reported.
Information: Call (707) 457-3879 or visit the web site.

Blue 2 (Six Rivers National Forest): 3,796 acres at 15 percent contained. This fire is 12 miles east of Klamath. Cultural and heritage resources are threatened.
Information: Call (707) 457-3879 or visit the web site.

BTU Lightning Complex (Butte Unit, Cal Fire): 53,000 acres at 70 percent contained. This complex of four fires is 27 miles north of Yuba City. Fire activity was minimal.
Information: Call (530) 538-7826 or visit the web site.

Canyon Complex (Plumas National Forest): 30,812 acres at 60 percent contained. This complex of eight fires is 16 miles northeast of Paradise. Residences and archeological sites are threatened. Precautionary and advisory evacuations for the community of Belden remain in effect.
Information: Call (530) 283-7882 or visit the web site.

Clover (Sequoia National Forest): 15,924 acres at 76 percent contained. This fire is 32 miles north of Weldon. The fire received some rain yesterday.
Information: Call (760) 376-3781 ext. 625 or visit the web site .

Cub Complex (Lassen National Forest): 15,300 acres at 83 percent contained. This complex of two fires is 16 miles southwest of Chester. A precautionary evacuation order was issued for the communities of Butte Meadows and Jonesville including the Lassen Boy Scout Camp. Humboldt Road remains closed at the point that the paved portion of the road ends, just past of Jonesville. Due to falling tree snags, and rocks, State Highway 32 remains closed through Deer Creek Canyon from the junction of Highway 36, south towards Chico.
Information: Call (530) 258-3932 or visit the web site.

Gap (Los Padres National Forest): 9,443 acres at 90 percent contained. This fire is located six miles northwest of Santa Barbara. A mandatory evacuation continues for West Camino Cielo Road west of the Windermere Ranch to the actual fire area. West Camino Cielo Road from Highway 154 to Windermere Ranch is open to residents only. West Camino Cielo Road from Highway 154 to Refugio Road is closed to the public.
Information: Call (805) 961-5770 or visit the web site.

Hell's Half Complex (Six Rivers National Forest): 7,858 acres at 29 percent contained. This complex of two fires is eight miles southwest of Burnt Ranch. Communities are threatened. Evacuation orders have been issued for the Big Slide and Hyampom West areas.
Information: Call (530) 629-2184 or visit the web site.

Humboldt Complex (Humboldt-Del Norte Unit, Cal Fire): 1,325 acres at 95 percent contained. This complex is in Humboldt county. Fire activity was minimal.
Information: Call (707) 726-1225 or visit the web site.

Iron and Alps Complex (Shasta-Trinity National Forest): 42,667 acres at 44 percent contained. This complex of 11 fires is one mile north of Junction City. Mandatory evacuation in effect for Cedar Flat. Advisory evacuations in effect for Corral Bottom, haglund, Trinity Village, Hawkins Bar and Fisher Ranch, a community on Fisher Road, east of the Colony.
Information: Call (530) 623-6415 or visit the web site.

Lime Complex (Shasta-Trinity National Forest): 76,663 acres at 58 percent contained. This complex of 40 fires is 14 miles west of Hayfork. Communities, ranches, and youth camps are threatened. Reduction in acreage is due to transferring some fires to Cal Fire incident management staff.
Information: Call (530) 226-2500 ext. 2 or visit the web site.

MEU Lightning Complex (Mendocino Unit, Cal Fire): 53,300 acres at 85 percent contained. This complex of seven fires is in Mendocino county. Evacuation warning for the community of Rockport has been lifted. Mountain View Road between Signal Ridge and Mile Post 14.04 has been reopened.
Information: Call 707-467-6426 or visit the web site.

Piute (Sequoia National Forest): 37,026 acres at 64 percent contained. This fire is 17 miles northeast of Caliente. Fire activity moderated due to favorable weather conditions. Firefighters made good progress on line construction.
Information: Call (760) 549-0213 or the web site .

SHU Lightning Complex (Shasta-Trinity Unit, Cal Fire): 77,510 acres at 55 percent contained. This complex of three fires is in Shasta and Trinity counties. Several evacuations orders are in place. Visit the web site for the most current information.
Information: Call (530) 225-2510 or visit the web site.

Siskiyou Complex (Klamath National Forest): 35,400 acres at 16 percent contained. This complex of two fires is 18 miles southwest of Happy Camp. Historic and cultural resources are threatened. Active fire behavior was reported.
Information: Call (530) 493-1518 or visit the web site.

Soda Complex (Mendocino National Forest): 7,567 acres at 66 percent contained. This complex of two fires is 15 miles northwest of Upper Lake. Crews made excellent progress on line construction around the Mill and Monkey fires.
Information: Call (707) 275-2017 or visit the web site.

Ukonom Complex (Six Rivers National Forest): 22,176 acres at 20 percent contained. This complex of two fires is 10 miles east of Orleans. Structures are threatened and area closures near the fire were issued.
Information: Call (530) 627-3291 or visit the web site.

Yuba River Complex (Tahoe National Forest): 3,819 acres at 97 percent contained. This complex is 13 miles northeast of Nevada City. Several communities, hydroelectric facilities, and recreation sites are threatened. All roads are open except those that are west of the Bowman Road in the immediate vicinity of the fire.
Information: Call (530) 478-6107 or visit the web site.

Whiskeytown Complex (Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, National Park Service): This fire was 100 percent contained at 6,240 acres.
Information: Call 530-242-3438 or visit the web site.

Other News

It wasn't a big surprise that Earnest Rex Archer pleaded not guilty to seven child-molestation charges Monday at his arraignment in Yuba County Superior Court. Judge Julia Scrogin set a Dec. 2 jury trial for Archer. Archer, 70, allegedly molested two girls under the age of 10 when they were foster children in his Linda home.

Quick Update on Rex Archer

The Appeal Democrat has a "Breaking News" article about the status of Rex Archer's case this morning. Posted at 9:37AM, it states that after watching the taped interviews with the victims in the case, Archer will be held to answer for the charges.

From the article:

Yuba County Superior Court Judge James L. Curry scheduled an arraignment hearing at 9 a.m. July 14 for Archer, who is accused of molesting female foster children under 10 who are not related to Archer.

So, July 14th (or shortly thereafter) is the next date to watch for.

More Fires, Weather and Everything Else.

Wow.. It's been a week since my brother or I posted. This week has been so hot that I just haven't sat in here at my computer a whole lot. And when I have been at the computer, I'm semi brain dead! lol... No, not really. I got sidetracked a bit watching some of the Neil Entwistle trial among other things.

First of all I'll start the "news" with an article in the Appeal Democrat (the local newspaper) about Rex Archer. The preliminary hearing for the case was supposed to have happened last Wednesday the 18th, but was postponed again at the request of the defense attorney. The new hearing is supposed to happen this coming Wednesday, June 26th now. We shall see, I guess.

I got a bit of information about Mario Lozano's location from a couple of sources. He was apparently transferred from the El Dorado County Jail to Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) at Tracy. My sources tell me he could be there anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on how long his processing takes. They'll be looking at his entire history; medical, psychological, criminal, his life and everything about him before deciding where to house him next. Kacie's family and friend as well as the other people this man victimized are hopefully resting much easier knowing that Mario is secure in the hands of the California Corrections Department.

As for the fires I had been following and reporting on, most of them have been 100% contained or extinguished. (Thank goodness!) The Humbolt Fire near Chico, the Whiskey Fire and the Martin Fire are all at 100% contained. The problem the firefighters are having today though are hundreds of new fire starts as result of dry lightning strikes all over the state yesterday. With manpower stretched over all of the fires, it's going to be a mess to clean up! California Fire News had a couple of images up that showed the dry lightning strikes yesterday. Very scary..

The Indians fire is still very active though. It's 59% contained and has burned over 53,000 acres. Fort Hunter Liggett is still somewhat "safe" as the fire is burning more towards the North and East. The fire did manage to get onto the Fort's territory some before turning back on itself and going to the North again. They have determined that the cause of the fire was an "escaped campfire". The Inciweb site has no estimation of control or containment yet.

A new fire, the Wild Fire near Napa is causing evacuations and a lot of fear today. They've lost 1 home so far and over 100 more are threatened. The fire is only 10% contained as of 8am this morning and the acreage scorched is over 1000 acres.

I'm not going to list all of the fires that are going on. There are just too many. If you click on this link to the CalFire Current Incidents page, you'll see what I mean. Or just click on this link to CalFire's Northern California Lightning Series Summary you'll see even more. Between the hot dry weather here in the West, the floods in the Midwest and other "weather events" around the world, the news media is going to be very busy reporting on disasters this summer, I think.

As for me right now, I'm going to go fix some iced tea and perhaps turn my air conditioner on. It's not even 11am and it's getting uncomfortably warm in the house.

Fires and a Local Crime Update

Updates on fires have been posted below.

I drove North to Redding yesterday with my Mom, Stepdad and my brother. The sky was nasty looking because of the fire near Chico, we thought. But, as we drove up the highway, we saw another plume of smoke to the west of the highway. Chico is East of I5! Another fire in the mountains... We took care of our "business in Redding, had dinner and then headed back towards home after having been in Redding for 4 hours or so. The smoke on both sides of the highway was worse. The smoke over towards Chico was thick enough that we couldn't see the mountains at all in the East. The "new" smoke on the West side was thicker and it wasn't just one plume of smoke anymore. It was split into at least 3 columns of smoke!

I checked the CalFire incidents web page to see if they had any new information on the Chico fire and to see if there was anything about those other plumes of smoke off to the West. They had both, and they've named the "new" fire the "Whiskey Fire". So here's the updates on the fires:

Humbolt Fire: It's still going strong apparently. As of 7:30pm last night, the fire was only 20% contained and has burned about 23,000 acres. It's destroyed about 50 homes and damaged a dozen more. 5,600 more homes are still in danger. The town of Paradise has essentially been cut off from the outside world because of the fire and road closures. The fire is still endangering the city of Chico. The Chico news paper has put together a google map of the fire, view it here.

Whiskey Fire: This is the "new" one we saw from the highway yesterday. As of 6pm last night, the fire was 10% contained and had burned over 2,500 acres. No calls for evacuations yet, as the fire is burning in the Mendocino National Forest.

Electra Fire: When I was browsing through the active incidents on the Cal Fire incidents page, I found another "new fire". This one is over in Amador County... This one isn't big, but it's given the firefighters a different problem. All along the foothills over there are high voltage electrical lines. You know, those big towers with the power lines? Well, the fire has damaged some of the lines so power has been shut down for the majority of that county. I do not envy the folks living over there.. With this heat and no electricity, that means no relief from the heat.

Indians Fire: From what I can get out of the update sites for the forestry, the fire has changed directions and is no longer headed towards Fort Hunter Liggett. As of 8pm last night it is 36% contained and has charred almost 24,000 acres. It's also destroyed one home and it's threatening 660 more. They've also determined that the cause is "human, under investigation". So someone set it.. Whether intentionally or accidentally, we don't know yet.

Martin Fire: Firefighters seem to be fairly successful with this one. As of 7:25pm last night it was 65% contained and has burned less than 1,000 acres. They have lost 10 homes though, and more are still threatened.


At least the winds have calmed. No North winds yesterday and so far none today either. That should help the firefighters get a handle on all the blazes. There is a lot of smoke in the air as you can see from the photo above. I took it about 7am this morning, the sky is an ugly brownish color and the sun can barely shine through... I'm typing this at about 8am and the sun still isn't really shining..

On to other news; The local paper has an article about Rex Archer and the hearing that happened on Thursday. It was posted as "breaking news" last night, but the full article is in today's paper:
Archer ruling expected Wednesday

What it boils down to is that the judge will watch the recorded interviews with two alleged victims before ruling this coming Wednesday whether Earnest Rex Archer will be held to answer on seven child molestation charges. Archer was in court for the preliminary hearing Thursday morning.

I'll be watching the paper this coming week to see what the judge has to say after he's watched the interviews of the two girls.

Fire Updates @ 9:30am:
I just checked the CalFire website for the current incidents and it's reporting that the Electra Fire has been 100% contained. Great news!

The other fires still have a ways to go though. The Humbolt Fire is 35% contained, but they've lost more homes. The count is up to 66 homes lost now. The Whiskey Fire is 15% contained and has charred 3,477 acres as of 6:00am this morning. The Indians Fire is at 38% contained and almost 25,000 acres burned. The Martin Fire is 75% contained this morning and they are reporting that the cause is "human".

Hopefully the winds will stay away again today. It's still calm outside and that helps the firefighters. The sky is still pretty mucky looking, but the sun is managing to shine through it now.

Trial & Crime Watching and Travel

I love traveling, but coming home and trying to catch up on everything that has gone on with the trial and crime watching that I do is sometimes frustrating. Apparently there were a few things happening with the cases that I've been watching during the time I was out and about enjoying the sightseeing and traveling. So, here we go:

• Mario Lozano; I mentioned in my post last night that I'd gotten an email from VINELink that he'd been moved from the El Dorado County Jail. Well, I still don't have any further information on where he's been taken. I'm still working on it and will post his current location when I find out.

• Rex Archer; The local paper, The Appeal Democrat had a little blurb in their "Mid-Valley Briefs" section that says the preliminary hearing had been postponed. Here's what the paper said:

Archer hearing postponed

A preliminary hearing for Earnest Rex Archer, a former Yuba County Board of Supervisors candidate charged with child molestation, was postponed Friday until June 12.

Unavailability of witnesses caused the continuation, according to the Yuba County District Attorney's Office.

Archer has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for comment on the case and answered an e-mail Friday with a "no comment."

• Drew Peterson; Drew's lawyer, Joel Brodsky is working hard trying to get the weapons charges stemming from that "too short" automatic weapon that Drew had dismissed. They filed motions yesterday for the dismissal of charges and the state has 14 days to respond. The preliminary hearing for the charges has been set for June 30th. The lawyers are also trying to get the judge to modify Drew's bond so that he can travel outside Illinois while he's out on bond from the weapons charges. Ok.. I have to wonder where Drew is planning on traveling.....
  
  The Grand Jury heard testimony this week from Stacy's aunt, Candace Aiken and from the 22 year old tanning salon girl, Kimberly Matuska, that Drew has apparently been "wooing". Neither one of them would talk about what they said before the Grand Jury, of course. I can understand them calling the aunt, because she knew both Stacy and Drew before Stacy disappeared and can testify to what she knew of both Stacy and Drew and their relationship. But this 22 year old "girlfriend" of Drew's? What can she testify to? How "sweet" Drew's been to her? Oh.. Yeah.. She did admit that Drew gave her a cell phone and showed it to the investigators. Of course the cell phone has GPS on it, I suppose so Drew can find out where his new girlfriend is whenever he wants. The girl was quoted in one article claiming that "at one point he (Drew) told her he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her". Geez... I think this girl has had her 15 minutes of fame now and can go back to her tanning salon.
  
  Oh yeah, there was also a news item about the investigators taking the bathtub that Kathleen Savio died in. They're saying that it's a "key piece" of evidence. Lets see, Kathleen died in that bathtub more than 4 years ago now I think. I doubt if there is any real evidence left in it. No blood, no DNA or anything else that can be proven to be part of her death. The only thing I can see for speculations sake is that it would be good for demonstrative purposes during a trial for her murder.
  

• Cesar Laurean; He's still in Mexico awaiting extradition, but law enforcement have released a lot of court documents relating to the murder of Maria Lauterbach. Go here and check out the list of documents. One news site details some phone calls and such from the Laurean home the day he took off for Mexico. Another one writes about how Cesar was researching things in Mexico before he left. Things like buying property and finding jobs in Mexico. I couldn't find anything in the articles about how the extradition process is going, so we wait.

• Les hauts de la Garenne; I haven't followed this one in the news, but have been following it with the posts by Donchais on Sprocket's blog, Trials & Tribulations. From what Donchais posted while I was gone, there's been an arrest, more bones and teeth found along with other things in the excavations of the cellars. Kudos to Donchais for providing excellent coverage of the Jersey Abuse scandal.

I'm sure there are more news items that I've missed posting about here (or even reading about!) but I do need to get busy and get my stuff unpacked, clothes into the washer and spend some "quality" time with the 2 felines I share my home with. They are most insistent that I not be out of their sight right now. lol... So, I'll leave you all for now with a funny picture.....


more cat pictures

More Wind.... Ugh!

Today is Day 3 of north winds. The weatherman said that we wouldn't have as much wind today, it was supposedly going to die down last night. I wish he'd told the wind that it wasn't supposed to blow today! As I look out my window here, the trees are bending and blowing in the wind pretty much the same as they did for the last 2 days. The strange part of it is that the wind is blowing a lot here in the valley, drying out the plants, making people miserable with their allergies and all, but up in the mountains the weather is very different. I got a call from my trucker friend and he reported that it was snowing up in Truckee! Yep! Snow! According to the weather websites some of that snow is actually supposed to stick to the ground.. Weird.

I keep checking the El Dorado County Sheriff's website where they show the inmates, and according to that page, Mario Lozano is still there. I've signed up on another website to receive an email when he is moved or his status changes. I haven't heard from them yet, so apparently Mario is still sitting in the El Dorado County Jail. I would have thought the state would have picked him up by now.

Other trial/crime news has been sort of interesting the last couple of days. Drew Peterson got arrested for a weapons violation, and Stacy is still missing. Phil Spector's date for the 2nd go around of his murder trial has been set for September 29th. And I finally found some "references" to the Rex Archer thing.. Sort of. Apparently there were Federal search warrants served on a local doctor who is running for a political office and the comments section of the local newspaper became quite a debate with Rex airing his dissatisfaction with the local paper and airing some of his legal woes (pertaining to his arrest a while back on child molestation charges.).

Postings here are going to be somewhat sporadic over the next week or so because I'm not going to be as close to my computer as usual. (I wish I had a laptop in addition to the desktop I have! lol) This weekend I'm going to be going back and forth from my house to my daughter's house because I'm "watching" the kids (2 teens and a 4 year old!) while my daughter and her husband "get away" for a couple of days by themselves. Then next week, I am going to be the driver for my Mom and Stepdad on a trip down the coast. But after the trip south, I should have some good photos to post (for those who are interested! lol)

Local Crimes ~ Update

Well, the day before yesterday bail for Rex Archer was reduced to $100,000, and the former Yuba County supervisor candidate, charged with sexually abusing two girls, could be released from custody by Monday after filing a property bond according to the local paper. (Appeal Democrat) Archer's lawyer, Donald Wahlberg, asked the judge to release him on on his own recognizance. The Probation Department recommended that his bail be reduced from $500,000 to $200,000. I guess the judge decided to split the difference between what the lawyer asked for and what the Probation Department asked for. There are still protective orders in place ordering Mr. Archer not to contact the victims.

The prehearing conference is now set for March 7th. So, for now, Mr. Archer is still in the jail over in Colusa.

Local Crimes

Yesterday, a discussion occurred between my parents, myself and some other folks about a local man who's been arrested for child molestation. My parents and the other people we were talking to are in shock about the accusations. Now, a little background.... My parents owned a wholesale produce business in this area and had dealt with Mr. Archer (who owned a tire company) for tires for the produce trucks they owned.

The man accused, Rex Archer, is well known in the area, he is a prominent local businessman. He is also a past president of one of the Reclamation Districts, a former Yuba County Sheriff's Department reserve deputy. He was/is a vocal critic of local government's flood protection efforts, challenged Supervisor Dan Logue in the June 2006 election and lost. A year or so before he ran for Supervisor, he announced plans to run for Sheriff, but ended up not running due to questions about his eligibility. Last year, he headed an unsuccessful effort to recall Supervisor Logue.

A quote from the local newspaper, The Appeal Democrat, dated Feb. 8th describes the charges:
"The seven-count complaint, filed Wednesday by Deputy District Attorney Bradley Enos, includes two counts of continuous sexual abuse, three counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, oral copulation with a child under 14, and penetration by a foreign object of a child under 16." (Archer faces sex charges ~ Appeal Democrat, Feb. 8th, 2008)

Following Mr. Archer's arrest on the 7th, the judge appointed a public defender and scheduled a a Feb. 20 bail hearing and a Feb. 22 preliminary hearing. The judge also issued a criminal protection order against Mr. Archer, prohibiting him from contacting the victims or their families and he must stay at least 100 yards away from their homes. The victims were 8 and 9 year old girls and the assaults occurred over the last 3 years.

Then in an article on Saturday, (Archer moved to Colusa County Jail ~ Appeal Democrat, Feb. 9th, 2008) said that he plead "not guilty" and bail was set at $500,000. But, the main focus of the article is that they had to move him out of the Yuba County jail to another county nearby because of his "previous affiliation" with the Yuba County Sheriff's Department.

I've got a google alert set up so that any new news that happens about Mr. Archer will land in my email box. I am going to follow this one as much as I can. And if I can, I just might pay a visit to the Yuba County courthouse when the time comes.... We'll see...