A fire has heavily damaged a building at a Lake County winery. The fire was called around 9:00 Tuesday night from the Ceago Vineyard on Highway 20 between Nice and Lucerne, and by the time the first crews arrived, the fire had engulfed the building. Owner Jim Fetzer says the building was used for events, and he had planned to put a restaurant and kitchen there. No one was inside at the time. Firefighters from Northshore Fire, Lakeport Fire, and Cal Fire were at the scene for several hours, putting the fire out and doing overhaul. The cause remains under investigation.
The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians is responding to a lawsuit filed against its proposal for a casino in Vallejo. As we’ve reported, two tribes near the site of the proposed 700 million dollar project have sued over the Interior Department’s approval of plans earlier this year. Those tribes contend that the approval violates their rights under laws that protect them and their ancestral lands. The Pomo band says the suit was expected. They call it an anti-competitive attempt to stop the casino. Lake County news reports a statement from Tribal Chairman Shawn Davis says the suit misrepresents the facts and the law, and that his tribe has taken all the required steps to get the Interior Department OK. He also says that the land in Vallejo is the legal, sovereign territory of the Scotts Valley Tribe.
