Even if you live more than 1,000 miles from the nearest large city, it could be affecting your weather.

In a new study that shows the extent to which human activities are influencing the atmosphere, scientists have concluded that the heat generated by everyday activities in metropolitan areas alters the character of the jet stream and other major atmospheric systems.

This affects temperatures across thousands of miles, significantly warming some areas and cooling others, according to the study in Nature Climate Change.

The extra “waste heat” generated from buildings, cars, and other sources in major Northern Hemisphere urban areas causes winter warming across large areas of northern North American and northern Asia.

Temperatures in some remote areas increase by as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the research by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego; Florida State University; and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

At the same time, the changes to atmospheric circulation caused by the waste heat cool areas of Europe by as much as 1 degree C (1.8 degrees F), with much of the temperature decrease occurring in the fall.

The net effect on global mean temperatures is nearly negligible—an average increase worldwide of just 0.01 degrees C (about 0.02 degrees F). This is because the total human-produced waste heat is only about 0.3 percent of the heat transported across higher latitudes by atmospheric and oceanic circulations.

However, the noticeable impact on regional temperatures may explain why some regions are experiencing more winter warming than projected by climate computer models, the researchers conclude. They suggest that models be adjusted to take the influence of waste heat into account.

“The burning of fossil fuel not only emits greenhouse gases but also directly affects temperatures because of heat that escapes from sources like buildings and cars,” says NCAR scientist Aixue Hu, a co-author of the study. “Although much of this waste heat is concentrated in large cities, it can change atmospheric patterns in a way that raises or lowers temperatures across considerable distances.”

The researchers stressed that the effect of waste heat is distinct from the so-called urban heat island effect. Such islands are mainly a function of the heat collected and re-radiated by pavement, buildings, and other urban features, whereas the new study examines the heat produced directly through transportation, heating and cooling units, and other activities.

The study, “Energy consumption and the unexplained winter warming over northern Asia and North America” appears this Sunday. It was funded by the National Science Foundation, NCAR’s sponsor, as well as the Department of Energy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Hu, along with lead author Guang Zhang of Scripps and Ming Cai of Florida State University, analyzed the energy consumption – from heating buildings to powering vehicles – that generates waste heat release. The world’s total energy consumption in 2006 was equivalent to a constant-use rate of 16 terawatts (one terawatt, or TW, equals 1 trillion watts). Of that, an average rate of 6.7 TW was consumed in 86 metropolitan areas in the Northern Hemisphere.

Using a computer model of the atmosphere, the authors found that the influence of this waste heat can widen the jet stream.

“What we found is that energy use from multiple urban areas collectively can warm the atmosphere remotely, thousands of miles away from the energy consumption regions,” Zhang says. “This is accomplished through atmospheric circulation change.”

The release of waste heat is different from energy that is naturally distributed in the atmosphere, the researchers noted.

The largest source of heat, solar energy, warms Earth’s surface and atmospheric circulations redistribute that energy from one region to another.

Human energy consumption distributes energy that had lain dormant and sequestered for millions of years, mostly in the form of oil or coal.

Though the amount of human-generated energy is a small portion of that transported by nature, it is highly concentrated in urban areas.

In the Northern Hemisphere, many of those urban areas lie directly under major atmospheric troughs and jet streams.

“The world’s most populated and energy-intensive metropolitan areas are along the east and west coasts of the North American and Eurasian continents, underneath the most prominent atmospheric circulation troughs and ridges,” Cai says. “The release of this concentrated waste energy causes the noticeable interruption to the normal atmospheric circulation systems above, leading to remote surface temperature changes far away from the regions where waste heat is generated.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Office of Education and two local high schools, Middletown High School and Upper Lake High School, are quickly approaching their inaugural Mock Trial Competition.

In 1980, Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) introduced the Mock Trial Program to all the counties in California.

The program was created to help students acquire a working knowledge of our judicial system, develop analytical abilities and communication skills, and gain an understanding of their obligations and responsibilities as participating members of our society.

The program currently involves 36 California counties.

Schools are partnered with teacher coaches and local attorneys to coach them through the materials and the rules in a court room.  

Students compete during local, county competitions and the winning team then travels to compete at the state level Mock Trial competition.

Thanks to local donations, including a donation from the District Attorney’s Alternative to Community Service program, the winning Lake County high school team, will be able to travel to the state competition which is held in Riverside this year.  

“This is a great program that introduces students to the legal system. We are glad to be able to support our local youth,” said Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson.

Lake County Office of Education officials said they are very grateful to all of the local attorneys and deputy district attorneys who have partnered with local teams to support our youth.   

Donations are still being sought to help support the winning team’s expenses. For more information or to send a donation to support the state level competition, please contact Lake County Office of Education, Attn: Mock Trial program, 1152 S. Main St., Lakeport CA 95453, or contact Stephanie Wayment at 707-262-4163, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – “Lake County Live!” will kick off 2013 with its first show this Sunday, Jan. 27.

The show takes place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.

The audience is asked to be seated by 5:45 p.m.; they’re also invited to stay after the show for additional performances by the featured musicians.

Show creator and host Doug Rhoades said 2013’s first show will feature return performers Three Deep, whose members include Jill Shaul, Anna McAtee and Sarah Tichava, as well as guitarist Travis Rinker.

Enjoy the continuing adventures of the “Ladies of the Lake,” and occasional visits from other comedic characters in this popular variety show.

Lake County Live! airs live on Lake County Community Radio KPFZ at 88.1 FM and is also streamed live on the Internet via www.kpfz.org .

Tickets cost $5 and are available at the theater box office at 275 S. Main in Lakeport Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the Travel Center in Lakeport at 1265 S. Main, at the door and online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several Lake County women made the trip across the United States last week in order to witness President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Deb Clarke, Judy Conard, Wanda Harris and Joy Swetnam took the trip together to Washington, DC for the Jan. 21 celebration.

The four braved huge crowds, long walks and cold weather to attend the event, joining about another one million people, according to estimates of crowd size.

They received tickets to the event from Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the newly redrawn Third Congressional District, which includes the northern portion of Lake County.

In addition to the inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, the group attended the Democratic California Bash held at the Washington Court Hotel, one of the celebration’s many inaugural balls.

There, they met up with Garamendi and his wife Patti, who graciously stayed and took time to speak with the group.

They also were able to meet House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, US Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland, who also attended the event.

The trip was full of sightseeing for the Lake County residents and meeting of many lovely citizens of the DC area, as well as nearby Maryland where they shared a condo. When eating out, they were surprised by the nice selection of Lake County wines.

“Health in Mind,” a new report from Healthy Schools Campaign (HSC) and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), details immediate solutions that can help close the achievement gap and create a healthy future for all children.

American children are struggling academically and the nation faces a growing achievement gap that is increasingly tied to health disparities-today’s children could become the first generation to live shorter and less healthy lives than their parents, notes the report.

Health in Mind offers a strong framework for addressing the nation’s most urgent health and education challenges by outlining strategies within the current regulatory and budget framework of the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services that the administration can utilize to better the conditions for health and learning in schools.

The report also examines the research connecting health disparities with educational outcomes and presents case studies of innovative on-the-ground practices across the nation.

“We’ve never met a parent, teacher or school leader who didn’t recognize that healthy students are better prepared to learn,” said Rochelle Davis, president and chief executive officer of HSC, a national advocacy organization that focuses much of its work on improving the food and fitness environment in Chicago schools.

“But the truth is that vast health disparities exist in our nation and far too many children attend school in environments that do not support their health,” Davis said. “Unless we address these challenges, our efforts to close the achievement gap will be compromised. The consequences are enormous for children’s learning and for their lifetime health.”

Health in Mind presents research, policy analysis and immediate recommendations focused on:

• Preparing teachers and principals to promote student health and wellness;
• Engaging parents in school health;
• Incorporating health and wellness into school metrics, accountability and recognition programs; Building the Department of Education’s capacity to address student health and wellness; and Placing a school nurse in every school.

“We are beginning to see an important shift in the way the nation addresses health and wellness,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “With Health in Mind and the National Prevention Strategy, we’ve begun to move toward integrating and thinking about health in all of the contexts-education, transportation, housing and other areas-that impact health. Specifically focusing on the connection between health and school will ensure students can do as well as possible academically and are healthier.”

“We know that health and education are inextricably linked; with that knowledge, we must shift how we approach both wellness and the school day,” said Dr. Gail Christopher, vice president for program strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “The Health in Mind report points us forward. Our communities truly can develop children who are healthy, smart and strong. Doing so will take creativity and commitment from leaders at all levels. I am confident we can rise to that challenge.”

The report follows a May 2012 event at which HSC and TFAH, with the support of the nation’s largest education unions, presented a set of recommendations to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

At the event, both Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius publicly expressed their support for the goals that would form the basis for Health in Mind.

In December 2012, 10 members of Congress signed on to a letter to Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius expressing their support for the recommendations.

More than 70 organizations representing the nation’s health and education advocates have signed on to the Health in Mind vision statement.

For more information or to view the full report, please visit www.healthinmind.org .

A new image from the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) telescope in Chile shows a beautiful view of clouds of cosmic dust in the region of Orion.

While these dense interstellar clouds seem dark and obscured in visible-light observations, APEX’s LABOCA camera can detect the heat glow of the dust and reveal the hiding places where new stars are being formed. But one of these dark clouds is not what it seems.

In space, dense clouds of cosmic gas and dust are the birthplaces of new stars.

In visible light, this dust is dark and obscuring, hiding the stars behind it. So much so that, when astronomer William Herschel observed one such cloud in the constellation of Scorpius in 1774, he thought it was a region empty of stars and is said to have exclaimed, “Truly there is a hole in the sky here!”

In order to better understand star formation, astronomers need telescopes that can observe at longer wavelengths, such as the submillimeter range, in which the dark dust grains shine rather than absorb light.

APEX, on the Chajnantor Plateau in the Chilean Andes, is the largest single-dish submillimeter-wavelength telescope operating in the southern hemisphere, and is ideal for astronomers studying the birth of stars in this way.

Located in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter), 1,500 light-years away from Earth, the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth, and contains a treasury of bright nebulae, dark clouds and young stars.

The new image shows just part of this vast complex in visible light, with the APEX observations overlaid in brilliant orange tones that seem to set the dark clouds on fire.

Often, the glowing knots from APEX correspond to darker patches in visible light – the tell-tale sign of a dense cloud of dust that absorbs visible light, but glows at submillimeter wavelengths, and possibly a site of star formation.

The bright patch below of the center of the image is the nebula NGC 1999. This region – when seen in visible light – is what astronomers call a reflection nebula, where the pale blue glow of background starlight is reflected from clouds of dust.

The nebula is mainly illuminated by the energetic radiation from the young star V380 Orionis lurking at its heart.

In the center of the nebula is a dark patch, which can be seen even more clearly in a well-known image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Normally, a dark patch such as this would indicate a dense cloud of cosmic dust, obscuring the stars and nebula behind it.

However, in this image we can see that the patch remains strikingly dark, even when the APEX observations are included.

Thanks to these APEX observations, combined with infrared observations from other telescopes, astronomers believe that the patch is in fact a hole or cavity in the nebula, excavated by material flowing out of the star V380 Orionis. For once, it truly is a hole in the sky!

The region in this image is located about two degrees south of the large and well-known Orion Nebula (Messier 42), which can be seen at the top edge of the wider view in visible light from the Digitized Sky Survey.

The APEX observations used in this image were led by Thomas Stanke (ESO), Tom Megeath (University of Toledo, USA), and Amy Stutz (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany). APEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO. Operation of APEX at Chajnantor is entrusted to ESO.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Three male dogs are waiting at the county’s animal shelter for adoption this week.

There are two young male pit bull mixes and a smaller Pomeranian mix cleared for takeoff to new homes.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Pomeranian mix

This male Pomeranian mix is 2 years old.

He has a long black and white coat, is small in size and has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 35274.

Male pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix is 1 year old.

He weighs 42 pounds, and has a short brown brindle and white coat. Shelter staff did not report if he had been altered.

He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 35318.

Male pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix is 2 years old.

He has a short brown brindle coat and is of medium size. It was not noted if he had been altered.

Find him in kennel No. 24, ID No. 35338.

Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A young Sacramento man was sentenced this week to 31 years to life in state prison for a May 2011 drive-by shooting in Clearlake that left a man wounded.

On Wednesday Judge Stephen Hedstrom handed down the sentence to Jerry Lee King Jr., 20, who a jury had found guilty of shooting a firearm from a vehicle at a person who was not an occupant of a vehicle, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Det. Ryan Peterson with the Clearlake Police Dept. was the lead investigator into the shooting that occurred in Clearlake on May 7, 2011.

Senior Deputy District Attorney John DeChaine prosecuted the case and Barry Melton served as King’s defense attorney.

The evidence at trial revealed that prior to the shooting, one of King’s friends, a juvenile male, was in a verbal dispute over the telephone with a juvenile female and others at the victim’s residence.

King drove his male juvenile friend and two others to the street where the victim lived in anticipation of an encounter following the heated phone calls, according to the investigation.

When King pulled to the end of the street where the victim lived, the victim, a male adult, was outside his residence with two friends, the District Attorney's Office reported.

As the men approached the car, investigators said King retrieved a firearm from under the car seat and, reaching across his front passenger, fired out the open, passenger side window. King fired the gun more than once before driving off.

The victim, who was unarmed, was shot in the abdomen, the District Attorney's Office said.

The victim was transported via helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where he underwent emergency, life-saving surgery. Officials said the bullet, resting near the victim’s spine, remains there today.

Hours after the shooting, King was arrested at a Clearlake apartment complex after it was reported that he brandished a firearm at female resident in an otherwise unrelated matter.

Det. Peterson searched the vehicle King used to drive to the apartment complex and located a gun that later turned out to be the gun used in both the shooting and the brandishing incidents, the investigation revealed.

The jury trial, presided over by Hedstrom, began on Oct. 11, 2012, and concluded on Nov. 15, 2012, when the jury reached their unanimous verdicts, the District Attorney’s Office said.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest is revising the Mill Fire Closure Order to allow for foot traffic – hiking and walking – within the fire perimeter starting Saturday morning.

The Mill Fire started Saturday, July 7, 2012, and consumed more than 29,500 acres between the Letts Lake area and the community of Stonyford on the Grindstone Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest, as Lake County News has reported.

The area remains closed to motorized vehicles, including off-highway vehicles (OHVs), through May 31. However, managers are continuing to evaluate the stability of the area to assess when it will be safe for motorized.

“We are happy to be able to allow foot traffic into the Mill Fire Area,” said Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune. “This is a positive sign that the area is beginning to recover from the effects of this past summer’s fire. We are continuing to monitor the area for opportunities to once again restore access to the recreating public, including OHVs.”

The closure order is formally referenced as Order Number 08-13-03 and replaces Order Number 08-12-09. The order is available online at www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

Violation of the closure order is punishable by a fine of no more than $5,000 for an individual, $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months imprisonment or both.

The OHV trail system, which was heavily impacted by the fire, is gradually being restored by Forest employees and volunteers.

“The help we have received to date has been inspiring,” Tune said. “There is still a lot of work to do to restore the many miles of trail affected by the fire, but by working together we are confident OHV use will be able to return to the area soon.”

Volunteer opportunities are still available. If interested, please visit the www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino and select “Stonyford OHV Fire Closure” in the upper right corner, or contact Paige Makowski at 530-963-1328.

Visitors who plan on hiking in the area are advised to use caution and monitor weather conditions.  

The area, including the Grindstone OHV trails, was heavily impacted by the Mill Fire this summer, adding to the risk of flooding and landslides as stormy weather continues this winter and spring.

Following are some additional safety suggestions for those recreating in the forest this winter:

• Plan your trip – check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel and any other supplies necessary for the activity. Call to check if the area you are planning to visit is still open and accessible.
• Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains!
• Let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.
• Keep vehicles on designated roads and trails and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over to hike or turning around and finding a different area.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

Peering deep into the dim edges of a distorted pinwheel galaxy in the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear), astronomers at Case Western Reserve University and their colleagues have discovered a faint dwarf galaxy and another possible young dwarf caught before it had a chance to form any stars.

Within the faint trails of intergalactic traffic, the researchers also found more evidence pointing to two already known dwarf galaxies as probable forces that pulled the pinwheel-shaped disk galaxy known as M101 out of shape.

M101 is the dominant member in a group of 15 galaxies in Ursa Major. Most galaxies reside in such small-group environments, which means the factors shaping M101 are likely the same shaping most galaxies throughout the universe, the researchers say.

Their efforts, which required the researchers to discern starlight 100 times fainter than the black of the dark night sky and trace extremely low concentrations of interstellar gases among the celestial bodies, are reported in two papers published in the Astrophysical Journal.

“We created the deepest image ever taken of M101 and followed it up with the most sensitive survey of gas clouds surrounding the galaxy,” said Chris Mihos, an astronomy professor at Case Western Reserve and lead author of both papers. “Compared to what is seen in the Hubble Space Telescope image, the galaxy’s disk is much larger and we can see very large, faint plumes of stars and streamers of gas in its outskirts.”

Perhaps most surprisingly, the researchers discovered two new clouds of hydrogen gas in the M101 group, more distant and distinct from M101’s own supply of gas.  

The gas clouds, formally named G1425+5235 and G1355+5439, were nicknamed Skipper and Gilligan by the team, and identified as new dwarf galaxies in the group, independent from M101 itself.

A followup analysis of images from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey showed a faint patch of starlight associated with Skipper, confirming its status as a true dwarf galaxy with a population of both gas and stars.

But the same analysis found no stars inside Gilligan. Gilligan could be a proto dwarf-galaxy, Mihos said, where the density of gas inside the cloud was too low for gravity to squeeze the gas down and form stars.

“We’ll follow up,” Mihos said. “There’s a gas cloud but no stars yet. People have seen a few starless clouds before, but they’ve always associated with gas from a larger galaxy. This is different—it has nothing to link it to the other galaxies in the group. It may be one of the first true protogalaxies ever discovered.”

As galaxies move within galaxy groups, they may sideswipe one another or even run into each other head-on.

These intergalactic traffic jams leave behind telltale signatures in the galaxies’ stars and gas. In the faint light around M101, the researchers discovered such evidence of a sideswipe in the galaxy’s past: a distorted plume of starlight reaching far to the northeast of the galaxy, and a second plume extending to the east.

The shapes and colors of the plumes suggest that they formed when a small galaxy passed by M101, and its gravity tugged stars and gas out from the bigger galaxy.

The northeast plume of the pinwheel is bluer than any other region of the galaxy, indicating it is made from younger stars.

“We think it was born about 250 million years ago. It has the right colors,” Mihos said. “If the material in the blue plume was pulled out of an interaction with another galaxy, the interaction was probably 250 million years ago.

“The eastern spur is redder, which is what you expect from an older set of stars. We think, unlike the blue plume of new stars, the eastern spur formed when stars from the older, inner part of the disk were pulled out during the encounter.”

The gas far from the center of M101 is less strongly attached to the galaxy and is therefore more likely to be drawn out by interactions with other galaxies. The trail of neutral hydrogen leaves clues that can be used to reconstruct past near misses and collisions with other galaxies.

Analysis of position and motion of gas around M101 suggests that the nearby galaxy NGC 5474 was the one that recently interacted with M101. The two galaxies appear to be linked by a stream of gas pulled out from one or both galaxies during the interaction.

The plume of red stars also may have been formed during this interaction, from older stars pulled from M101’s inner disk, the researchers conclude. Or, another nearby dwarf galaxy, NGC 5477, may have acted alone or in concert with NGC 5474 to draw material from inner disk.

To do the optical survey, they relied on Case Western Reserve’s revamped 72-year-old Burrell Schmidt wide field telescope, located at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Ariz.

The team then used the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W.Va., to perform the most sensitive survey ever of neutral hydrogen gas – the fuel for forming new stars and galaxies – around M101.

To see the incredibly faint light from M101’s outer disk required a series of changes to the Burrell Schmidt telescope.

“We’re looking at signals buried in the noise; the noise here is scattered and stray light,” said Paul Harding, Case Western Reserve’s observatory manager.

Harding, associate astronomer Charlie Knox and the rest of the CWRU team reconfigured the telescope, replacing the secondary mirror with a larger version, but moving it farther from the primary mirror. The results: a wider field of view – nine moons can fit in the view – without significantly increasing the amount of light obstructed by the secondary mirror.

They then treated the optical surfaces of the telescope’s camera with an anti-reflective coating and lined the inside of the telescope with black velvet, further reducing scattered and stray light.

To test whether Gilligan is a protogalaxy, Mihos said they hope to use the Very Large Array telescope at the National Radio Astronomical Observatory in the desert southwest of Albuquerque, N.M., to map out the gas in more detail, compare it to known dwarf galaxies, and determine if it’s getting ready to form stars.

If, however, this gas cloud is a protogalaxy, it may not begin forming stars for millions or billions of years to come.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Clearlake man has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an August 2012 stabbing in Santa Rosa that prosecutors charged as a hate crime.

Aaron Joseph Welch, 26, a Barbarian Brotherhood gang member, pleaded guilty on Thursday to two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, and admitted to personally inflicting great bodily injury on one victim, along with hate crime and gang allegations, according to Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch.

“Gang violence will not be tolerated and will continue to be aggressively prosecuted,” Ravitch said. “The hate crime aspect of the assault makes the crime particularly egregious.”

The charges resulted from an assault that took place near the McDonald’s on Santa Rosa Avenue in South Santa Rosa, Ravitch’s office reported.

On Aug. 26, 2012, at approximately 2:00 a.m., it is alleged that Welch and co-defendant Salvatore Bordessa both wielded knives and assaulted two male victims.

Welch is alleged to have stabbed one of the victims in the arm and leg requiring stitches to close each wound.

During the assault Welch yelled racial slurs and “BBH,” the common initials of a white supremacist criminal street gang, the “Barbarian Brotherhood,” of which Welch is a member.

Sentencing is set for Thursday, Feb. 21, before the Judge Gary Medvigy.

The guilty pleas are part of a plea negotiation in which Welch will be sentenced to prison for 15 years, Ravitch reported.

Bordessa’s preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday, Feb. 19, along with Vanessa Michaels, who is alleged to have taken a telephone from a witness, preventing the police from being called.

The case is prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Jason Riehl. Sgt. John Cregan and Det. Kyle Philp of the Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.

NICE, Calif. – Seven people were arrested Wednesday afternoon following a fight that erupted between law enforcement and Robinson Rancheria tribal members during an eviction on tribal land, with injuries reported on both sides.

The eviction was the latest in a series of disenrollments and similar eviction actions taken by the tribe’s chair, Tracey Avila, and the tribal business council, with tribal leaders alleging that those removed from their homes have refused to pay rent and utilities.

However, those who have been removed maintain that it’s another example of retaliation against rival families and an attempt to control proceeds from the tribe’s casino.

The fight was reported to have broken out inside the apartment of Dwayne Duncan and his wife, Monica Anderson, when law enforcement came in during a religious ceremony led by a tribal spiritual leader, 57-year-old Douglas Duncan of Oakland, who was among those arrested.

Tribal member EJ Crandell, who was inside the home, said they were singing and praying when the deputies and tribal officers came in.

“This is the most extreme it’s been,” said Crandell – who has run for the tribal chair’s role and advocated for disenrollees and evictees – of the situation at the rancheria.

He reported being shoved by sheriff’s command staff during the fight, and watching as women were pushed to the floor.

Charlene Duncan, sister of Dwayne Duncan, said the evictions have arisen over political disagreements between her family and the Anderson family. “We just don’t believe in what they do.”

During the Wednesday incident law enforcement arrested Douglas Duncan for assault with a deadly weapon, battery on a peace officer and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer, according to the sheriff’s office.

Also arrested were Kenneth Marcus Duncan, 26, of Lucerne, for battery on a peace officer and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer; Adrien Thompson Malicay, 40, of Hidden Valley Lake for resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer; Raelene Renee Cromwell, 41, of Upper Lake for trespass, disturbing the peace and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer; and Nina Nicole Duncan, 31, of Lucerne for resisting a peace officer by threat or violence, attempting to take a firearm from a peace officer and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer, officials reported.

In addition, the sheriff’s office said Cathy Lyn Cooper, 24, of Sacramento was arrested for trespassing, disturbing the peace and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer; and 34-year-old Dwayne Warren Duncan of Nice for trespassing and resisting, obstructing or delaying a peace officer.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said that on Wednesday morning Robinson Rancheria Police Commander John Irwin requested assistance from the sheriff’s office with a civil standby as he and tribal police officers evicted residents from a home and an apartment.

District Attorney Don Anderson confirmed to Lake County News on Thursday that he and some of his investigators also were on scene during the evictions on civil standby.

Brooks said Irwin did not immediately evict Dwayne Duncan from 3006 Quail Top Trail and allowed him several hours to remove his property from the apartment.

Charlene Duncan told Lake County News that on her way to drop her child off her child at school on Wednesday morning, she saw tribal police and sheriff’s deputies gathered at the Upper Lake Park. She said her sister-in-law first reported law enforcement outside of the home at 9 a.m.

Charlene Duncan went to the apartment on Wednesday morning to help her brother and his wife pack their things before leaving the home.

When Charlene Duncan got to the home, she said a sheriff’s deputy got in front of her and told her she couldn’t go on the property. At the same time, other people supporting her brother showed up to his home.

She said she went into the yard and Irwin put his hand on her back and tried to lead her off the property. Her brother then told her she could come inside to help his family pack. Eventually, they would be able to get almost everything out of the home and into storage.

She confirmed that an agreement had been reached to allow her brother until 2 p.m. to leave following a “back and forth” between tribal police and her brother that lasted about 40 minutes.

Another woman being evicted that day had her home broken into and then boarded up, despite having been given a time extension, Charlene Duncan and Crandell said.

She said her brother and sister-in-law had received eviction papers in December, and that they were seeking a 30-day extension. She maintained that they had receipts showing that the tribe had withheld per capita payments – which are payments to tribal members from casino profits – to cover rent and utilities.

“My honest belief and feeling is the only reason why they were going after Dwayne and Monica is because they loudly speak out against Tracey (Avila) and the tribal council,” Charlene Duncan said, maintaining there was “no legitimate reason” to take the home otherwise.

At about 2 p.m. her uncle, Doug Duncan, showed up to perform a blessing ceremony due to the “evilness of this action.”

Charlene Duncan said her uncle informed tribal police of what he was there to do. That ceremony was still going on when law enforcement arrived.

Brooks said that at approximately 3 p.m. Irwin again asked the sheriff’s office for a civil standby while he and his officers evicted Dwayne Duncan from the apartment. Investigators from the District Attorney’s Office responded for the second request as well.

While sheriff’s deputies were on scene both times during the day, Capt. Chris Macedo informed numerous people who were standing by that the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was not assisting in the evictions, but they were there to prevent any criminal acts that may take place, Brooks said.

Irwin and his officers entered the apartment to evict Dwayne Duncan, with sheriff’s deputies following to observe and help maintain peace, Brooks said.

He confirmed that a ceremony was still going on when law enforcement went into the apartment. Brooks said 15 to 20 people – including Dwayne Duncan – were inside and in a circle, performing a ritual.

Brooks said Irwin ordered Dwayne Duncan to leave the residence, he refused and Irwin placed him under arrest. Dwayne Duncan didn’t resist as Irwin handcuffed him.

As Irwin tried to take Dwayne Duncan out of the apartment, it’s alleged that the other people inside surrounded him and tried to prevent him from leaving, according to Brooks.

Brooks said when Irwin attempted to walk through the crowd of people, they pushed him backward and refused to follow any of the orders he gave.

Sheriff’s deputies went further into the apartment to create a safe path for Irwin. Brooks said the crowd inside the apartment pushed and shoved deputies and refused to follow any orders to move out of the way in order to allow Irwin to leave with Dwayne Duncan.

According to Brooks’ report, the people inside the apartment escalated their efforts to not allow Irwin to leave and the pushing and shoving of the deputies intensified.

Brooks – who described what followed as a “melee” – said Douglas Duncan hit two deputies with a bamboo stick. One of the deputies was struck over the head and received minor injuries.

During the fight Nina Duncan allegedly grabbed and attempted to remove a holstered firearm from one of the sheriff’s deputies who was attempting to assist Irwin, Brooks said. Nina Duncan was then taken into custody by deputies.

Brooks said the seven individuals who were arrested were transported to the Lake County Jail, where they were booked.

With the exception of Cromwell, who had a misdemeanor bench warrant, the rest of those taken into custody had posted the required portion of bail and been released by Thursday afternoon, according to jail booking records.

Charlene Duncan said her uncle, Doug Duncan, and his daughter both suffered injuries in the fight, with Doug Duncan having to wait until his release from jail to see a doctor for bruised ribs and lower back problems.

Anderson said that the seven who were arrested could end up being prosecuted in federal or local court. He expected it was a more likely outcome that they would be referred back to his agency for prosecution.

County Counsel Anita Grant told Lake County News that there are no cooperative law enforcement agreements between the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Robinson Rancheria.

Grant said the sheriff’s office acts in accordance with Public Law 280, which grants exclusive authority to designated state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce criminal law violations which occur on Native American lands.

She explained that Public Law 280 applies to six states, including California, adding that tribes retain jurisdiction over tribal members for violations of tribal law.

Robinson’s intertribal conflicts began to escalate in 2008, as Lake County News reported, after Crandell defeated Avila for the tribal chair position, only to have Avila’s family on the tribe’s election committee later throw the results out.  

Later that year, Avila and the tribal council took action to disenroll 67 members of the Quitiquit family – including the family matriarch who by that time had been dead a decade – saying they had been inappropriately added to the tribal rolls.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs later denied the disenrollees’ appeals and upheld the tribal council’s actions.

Since then, disenrollees have been evicted, as have other tribal members who maintain that they were forced from their homes as a matter of politics and retaliation.

Avila has managed to hold onto the tribal chair’s job since the 2008 election, despite the fact that she’s facing trial next month for embezzling more than $60,000 from the Elem Colony of Pomo in Clearlake Oaks between 2006 and 2008, while she worked as Elem’s fiscal officer.

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.