The Glass fire as mapped by Cal Fire on Monday, September 28, 2020.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Thousands of people across Napa and Sonoma counties are once again under evacuation due to a fast-moving wildland fire incident that includes three fires that began on Sunday.
The Glass fire began shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday in the Deer Park area of Napa County. Cal Fire said the first units on scene found a fast-moving 20-acre vegetation fire. By 1 p.m. Sunday, it had grown to 1,200 acres and had doubled again to 2,500 acres by nightfall.
The fire has had a dangerous rate of spread and has expanded into Sonoma County, officials said.
On Sunday night, two additional fires – the Shady and Boysen – began in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said those fires were in the area of St. Helena Road and Los Alamos Road.
Cal Fire said those fires have merged with the Glass fire.
Overnight the incident as a whole burned several thousand more acres, with officials reporting on Monday morning that it had burned 11,000 acres, with no containment.
The Glass fire evacuation area in Sonoma County, California, as of Monday, September 28, 2020. Map courtesy of the county of Sonoma.
Cal Fire said crews have reported the Glass fire has had short-range spotting with wind-driven runs.
Early Monday, firefighters reported over the radio that the fire was jumping Highway 29 in Napa County and also had crossed over in the 4400 block of Silverado Trail.
Resources have been thin due to so many other fires around the state – Gov. Gavin Newsom said 27 incidents are burning across California – and early Monday crews were being moved around to priority areas as the fire moved closer to homes.
Cal Fire said that the fire is threatening 8,543 structures. There was no report from Cal Fire on Monday about how many structures have been damaged or destroyed, but there were multiple reports Sunday night and into early Monday about losses to vineyards and wineries, including photographs and video footage of burning homes.
The Shady fire portion of the incident was reported to be burning in and around Trione-Annadel State Park on Monday morning.
The Glass fire evacuation area in Napa County, California, as of Monday, September 28, 2020. Map courtesy of the county of Napa.
The fire has led to evacuations across Napa and Sonoma counties. The maps below show the evacuation areas as of Monday morning for both counties.
On Sunday night, thousands of residents were on the highways attempting to leave the areas of the Shady and Boysen fires, with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office directing evacuees to head east on Highway 12 toward Sonoma because westbound traffic toward Santa Rosa was gridlocked.
By Monday morning, Cal Fire had 1,070 firefighters assigned to the incident, along with 133 engines, 22 water tenders, five helicopters, 26 hand crews and 35 dozers.
Cal Fire said it has activated two new incident management teams. One is being sent to the Glass fire and the other to the 15,000-acre Zogg fire in Shasta County.
A red flag warning remains in effect through Monday for strong and gusty offshore winds, low humidity and dry fuels.
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.
This past week, the United States passed 200,000 deaths due to COVID-19. When Dr. Deborah Birx predicted this death toll back in March, the high number was called alarmist; now, it is a sad reality for thousands of families who have lost their loved ones in this pandemic.
The novel coronavirus continues to rage across the country. K-12 schools in many states are open for in-person learning and college students have returned to campus – but schools like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have already sent students back home due to rampant outbreaks.
Cases are rising in the Midwest, specifically in South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic.
Though testing is trending up in some regions, the increasing use of antigen tests makes it difficult to determine accurate counts.
As has been true throughout America’s COVID-19 history, every state – and even every county – has its own COVID-19 story, driven by local policies and behaviors.
The state-level visualization uses data from the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic, a volunteer project, which compiles COVID-19 case, testing, and outcomes figures from state public health agencies.
The county-level visualization uses data from The New York Times’ COVID-19 data repository, which includes case and death values compiled from state and local health agencies.
Both visualizations rank geographic regions according to their current infection rates, calculated by summing the region’s case count for the past week (Sept. 15 to 21), then dividing by the region’s population (using population data from the U.S. Census’ 2018 American Community Survey).
The visualizations also include data on current death rates, positivity rates, and hospitalizations at the state level.
County-level test positivity data are taken from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ county testing dataset, and are as of Sept. 9, the most recent date available.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control again this week has a mix of all kinds of dogs waiting for new homes.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Belgian Malinois, border collie, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback and Shar Pei.
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.
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”).
This male Chihuahua is in kennel No. 6a, ID No. 14038. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Chihuahua
This male Chihuahua has a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 6a, ID No. 14038.
“Mamacita” is a senior female Chihuahua in kennel No. 6b, ID No. 14040. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Mamacita’
“Mamacita” is a senior female Chihuahua with a short tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 6b, ID No. 14040.
This female Labrador Retriever mix is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13989. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female Labrador Retriever
This female Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13989.
This male pit bull is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 14058. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull
This male pit bull has a short white and brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 14058.
This male Rhodesian Ridgeback-Shar Pei mix is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 14023. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Rhodesian Ridgeback-Shar Pei mix
This male Rhodesian Ridgeback-Shar Pei mix has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 14023.
This female Belgian Malinois mix is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 14024. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Belgian Malinois mix
This female Belgian Malinois mix has a short brindle coat.
She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 14024.
This young male border collie is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 14052. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male border collie
This young male border collie has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 14052.
“Lilly” is a female pit bull-husky mix in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13991. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Lilly’
“Lilly” is a female pit bull-husky mix with a short brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13991.
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.
On Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Lake County Tribal Health Consortium leaders presented a $5,000 check to the Westside Community Park Committee and members of the Lakeport Lions Club to help fund a new playground at the park in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of Lake County Tribal Health. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Tribal Health Consortium is partnering with Westside Community Park and the Lakeport Lions Club to bring a new playground to the park.
On Tuesday, Tribal Health Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Padillo presented a $5,000 check to Westside Community Park Committee members.
They were joined by Lakeport Lions Club board members, who previously donated $100,000 to construct a playground at Westside Community Park.
“Lake County Tribal Health Consortium is happy to help reach the fundraising goal at Westside Community Park,” Padilla said. “Parks like Westside don’t only promote physical activity time but family time as well, which is equally important. Any opportunity LCTHC has to give back to the community that has helped us grow and promotes health is an opportunity we don’t pass up.”
Westside Community Park Committee Chair Dennis Rollins said the donation came about after the committee sent out a fundraising letter in an attempt to raise $5,000 to supplement the Lakeport Lions Club's playground donation.
“The current budget requirement is $110,000 with the cost of grading still to be added when the engineering is complete,” he said. “Ruzicka Associates is donating the engineering services.”
Rollins said Lake County Tribal Health received that letter and offered the entire $5,000 to meet the goal the committee’s letter described.
In addition, so far more than $4,000 more has come in from community donations in response to the letter, Rollins said.
“This playground will become a reality thanks to the Lions Club, Lake County Tribal Health and members of our community,” Rollins said.
Earlier this month, during Tribal Health’s groundbreaking of its new Clearlake clinic, Padilla presented a $25,000 to the city of Clearlake to go toward improvements at Austin Park, as Lake County News has reported.
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.
Dave and Denice Solgat with granddaughter, Rory Mae Boyd. Photo by Stacy Boyd. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A longtime Lake County resident who has for decades been a devoted mom to an ever-increasing number of children through foster care and adoption is being honored for her work.
Congressman Mike Thompson announced that his nominee, Denice Solgat of Cobb, has been chosen as the 2020 “Angel in Adoption” for California’s Fifth Congressional District.
The Angels in Adoption Program is run by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and honors people and organizations that promote strong adoption, permanency and child welfare programs across the county.
Each year they recognize individuals who are dedicated to these issues and make a deep national impact.
“Denice represents the very best in foster parents, having fostered more than 300 children over the past 25 years and adopting 11. She is particularly adept at helping medically fragile and special needs children who can get otherwise passed over by foster parents,” said Thompson. “She’s made a measurable difference in the lives of so many and I am proud that she has been selected as this year’s Angel in Adoption for our district.”
Solgat said the award is “an amazing honor.”
She calls her work with foster children “a grand adventure.”
Solgat said she’s always been a “kid person,” beginning to babysit when she was just 10 years old. “I’ve always been somebody kids migrate to.”
She spent part of her childhood in Marin County before her family moved to Lake County in 1978. She attended Kelseyville schools and Mendocino College.
When Solgat was a child, she said her aunt was a foster mom. Doing such work provided her aunt with a way to stay home yet bring in a second income.
So like her aunt, when Solgat first started into foster care 28 years ago, it also was a way for her to earn some extra income while she and husband, Dave, raised their three biological children.
“It just evolved into a passion, a very great passion, and something our family is very good at,” she said.
As a result of years of experience and a team of care providers who support her family, they are now able to accept with open arms and open hearts whatever child needs them.
Over the past 25 years, she’s seldom had an empty bed in her home, where she takes a maximum of six foster children at any given time. She’s quick to point out that doesn’t mean there are only six children around at once, as she still has grandchildren and extended relations coming over to hang out on a regular basis.
Between placements, she said she takes a break to refuel and recharge her family, as she acknowledges that it takes a lot of energy from everyone to incorporate a new member.
Most of the children she fosters are reunited with their families, Solgat said. “That’s the nature of the business.”
Typically, the county tries to reunify families within 18 months, preferably 12 months. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” Solgat said.
“Going to foster care is a timeout for your whole family,” she said, explaining that her family is a safety net and a time out for other families to reset priorities and to heal.
Solgat said the majority of times it works thanks to lots of good social workers and families working hard to make positive things happen.
The Solgat family specializes in serving children that are medically fragile with sometimes health complexities.
They’ve been known to travel across the country to find medical solutions for children with serious health issues.
The intricate care network Solgat has developed to support the medically vulnerable and special needs children she fosters includes relationships with agencies from the California Children’s Services, to UCSF, to the Children’s Hospital Oakland.
Solgat also credits a team of local health care providers – including Marlene Quilala, a pediatrician at Lake County Tribal Health, and Ruby Carlson at Riviera Dental – for providing a key part of her family’s foster parenting structure.
When you have long-term relationships with medical providers you’re able to communicate at a different level, Solgat said.
The Solgats have also had to face the challenges that come with wildland fires, including days-long evacuations such as the one they faced when leaving their Cobb home during the 2015 Valley fire.
“We have quite the contingency evacuation plan,” she said.
“We tend to just go calmly and with grace, and put it all in the God box and play lots of Uno,” she added.
Solgat said they treat evacuations like camping adventures. “Retreating means that we’re just going camping and we don’t know when we’re coming back and it’s a grand adventure,” she said. “It certainly adds another dimension of challenge.”
When word gets out that her family has an opening, she said she’ll get calls not just from Lake County but from Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
“The counties are really trying to do the right fit placement, and that’s a luxury,” she said, explaining that a home like hers that specializes with an established team for medically fragile kids is unique.
“Finding the right fit is so important for everybody involved,” she said, adding that it prevents foster parent and social worker burnout.
She said her husband Dave is “full-time Mr. Mom.”
About 23 years ago, she started work at Mendocino College’s Lake Center. “He came home to stay home with the kids. We traded places for health insurance.”
She serves as the center assistant at the college’s Lake Center in Lakeport. “It’s just another mom role,” in which she said she nurtures students and helps them navigate the complexities of the system.
The Solgats’ oldest daughter, Jacqueline Solgat, is now a foster provider in Lake County; her special niche is working with newborn babies.
“I can’t do babies anymore, I need my sleep at night,” Denice Solgat said.
In addition to the children they’ve adopted, Solgat said they regularly hear from about 20 others who have been reunified with their families but still like to keep in touch because they appreciated her family’s efforts on their behalf.
One thing she hears a lot from them is, “I wish I would have listened to you.”
“I have to believe that the kids are going to take from you what they can,” and apply it in their own time, she said.
For people who have an interest in helping children and the capacity to do it, Solgat encourages them to consider being foster parents.
“There’s a desperate need for foster homes, continually,” not just locally but statewide, she said.
Solgat said the county of Lake is now certifying its own foster homes.
Interested individuals can contact Lake County Social Services, 707-262-0235, for more information.
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.
A historic moment is on the horizon for NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission.
In just a few weeks, the robotic OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will descend to asteroid Bennu’s boulder-strewn surface, touch down for a few seconds and collect a sample of the asteroid’s rocks and dust – marking the first time NASA has grabbed pieces of an asteroid, which will be returned to Earth for study.
On Oct. 20, the mission will perform the first attempt of its Touch-And-Go, or TAG, sample collection event.
This series of maneuvers will bring the spacecraft down to site Nightingale, a rocky area 52 feet in diameter in Bennu’s northern hemisphere, where the spacecraft’s robotic sampling arm will attempt to collect a sample.
Site Nightingale was selected as the mission’s primary sample site because it holds the greatest amount of unobstructed fine-grained material, but the region is surrounded by building-sized boulders.
During the sampling event, the spacecraft, which is the size of a large van, will attempt to touch down in an area that is only the size of a few parking spaces, and just a few steps away from some of these large boulders.
During the 4.5-hour sample collection event, the spacecraft will perform three separate maneuvers to reach the asteroid’s surface.
The descent sequence begins with OSIRIS-REx firing its thrusters for an orbit departure maneuver to leave its safe-home orbit approximately 2,500 feet from Bennu's surface.
After traveling four hours on this downward trajectory, the spacecraft performs the “Checkpoint” maneuver at an approximate altitude of 410 feet. This thruster burn adjusts OSIRIS-REx’s position and speed to descend steeply toward the surface.
About 11 minutes later, the spacecraft performs the “Matchpoint” burn at an approximate altitude of 177 feet, slowing its descent and targeting a path to match the asteroid's rotation at the time of contact.
The spacecraft then descends to the surface, touches down for less than 16 seconds and fires one of its three pressurized nitrogen bottles. The gas agitates and lifts Bennu’s surface material, which is then caught in the spacecraft’s collector head.
After this brief touch, OSIRIS-REx fires its thrusters to back away from Bennu’s surface and navigates to a safe distance from the asteroid.
After the orbit departure maneuver, the spacecraft undertakes a sequence of reconfigurations to prepare for sampling. First, OSIRIS-REx extends its robotic sampling arm – the Touch-And-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism, or TAGSAM – from its folded storage position out to the sample collection position.
The spacecraft’s two solar panels then move into a “Y-wing” configuration over the spacecraft’s body, which positions them safely up and away from the asteroid’s surface during touch down.
This configuration also places the spacecraft’s center of gravity directly over the TAGSAM collector head, which is the only part of the spacecraft that will contact Bennu’s surface during the sample collection event.
Because the spacecraft and Bennu are approximately 207 million miles from Earth during TAG, it will take about 18.5 minutes for signals to travel between them.
This time lag prevents the live commanding of flight activities from the ground during the TAG event, so the spacecraft is designed to perform the entire sample collection sequence autonomously.
Prior to the event’s start, the OSIRIS-REx team will uplink all of the commands to the spacecraft and then send a “GO” command to begin.
To autonomously navigate to site Nightingale, OSIRIS-REx uses the Natural Feature Tracking, or NFT, navigation system. The spacecraft begins collecting navigation images about 90 minutes after orbit departure. It then compares these real-time images to an onboard image catalog, using identified surface features to make sure that it’s on the right course toward the site.
As the spacecraft approaches the surface, OSIRIS-REx updates the Checkpoint and Matchpoint maneuvers based on the NFT's estimate of the spacecraft’s position and velocity.
OSIRIS-REx continues to use the NFT estimates as it descends to the surface after the Matchpoint maneuver to monitor its position and descent rate. The spacecraft will autonomously abort should its trajectory vary outside of predefined limits.
To ensure that the spacecraft touches down on a safe area that avoids the region’s many boulders, the navigation system is equipped with a hazard map of site Nightingale, which delineates areas within the sample site that could potentially harm the spacecraft.
If the spacecraft’s NFT system detects that it is on course to touch one of these hazardous zones, the spacecraft will autonomously wave off its approach once it reaches an altitude of 16 feet. This keeps the spacecraft safe and allows for a subsequent sample collection attempt at a future date.
As the spacecraft performs each event in the sample collection sequence, it will send telemetry updates back to the OSIRIS-REx team, albeit at an extremely slow data rate.
The team will monitor the telemetry during the excursion and will be able to confirm that the spacecraft has successfully touched down on Bennu’s surface soon after TAG occurs.
The images and other science data collected during the event will be downlinked after the spacecraft has backed away from the asteroid and can point its larger antenna back to Earth to transmit at higher communication rates.
OSIRIS-REx is charged with collecting at least 2 ounces of Bennu’s rocky material to deliver back to Earth – the largest sample return from space since the Apollo program – and the mission developed two methods to verify that this sample collection occurred.
On Oct. 22, OSIRIS-REx’s SamCam camera will capture images of the TAGSAM head to see whether it contains Bennu’s surface material. The spacecraft will also perform a spin maneuver on Oct. 24 to determine the mass of collected material.
If these measures show successful collection, the decision will be made to place the sample in the Sample Return Capsule for return to Earth.
If sufficient sample has not been collected from Nightingale, the spacecraft has onboard nitrogen charges for two more attempts. A TAG attempt at the back-up Osprey site would be made no earlier than January 2021.
The mission team has spent the last several months preparing for the sample collection event while maximizing remote work as part of its COVID-19 response.
On the day of TAG, a limited number of team members will monitor the spacecraft from Lockheed Martin Space’s Mission Support Area, taking appropriate safety precautions.
Other members of the team will also be at other locations on-site to cover the event, while also observing safety protocols.
The spacecraft is scheduled to depart Bennu in 2021 and it will deliver the collected sample to Earth on Sep. 24, 2023.
Brittany Enos writes for the University of Arizona.
Retiring Lake County Planning Commissioner Bob Malley, foreground, with Clearlake Mayor Russ Cremer, left, and retired District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith, right, at the Clearlake City Council chambers at Clearlake City Hall on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. Photo via screen capture of Board of Supervisors meeting. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors last week offered honors to a longtime county planning commissioner as he retires from his position.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier presented a proclamation of commendation to Lake County Planning Commissioner Bob Malley at Clearlake City Hall on Tuesday morning, appearing via Zoom as part of the board’s meeting.
Joining Sabatier and Malley in the Clearlake City Council chambers were Mayor Russ Cremer and Sabatier’s predecessor on the board, retired District 2 Supervisor Jeff Smith.
Sabatier said Malley retired effective Sept. 24.
The Board of Supervisors voted to confirm Malley as Smith’s pick for the planning commission on Feb. 23, 2010.
In his time on the commission, Malley has considered key – and sometimes controversial – development projects around the county, including Dollar General’s various store proposals around Lake County, Valley Oaks and the Guenoc Valley Project in the south county, as well as cell towers and numerous cannabis projects.
The board commendation also credited him with helping to make decisions on important land use ordinances that will change Lake County’s future.
By the time he joined the commission, Malley already had a lengthy record of public service, from his time as a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy to serving on the Clearlake City Council, including holding the mayor’s job.
The proclamation credited Malley for bringing “intelligence, integrity, understanding, hard work, and a passion for community to the Planning Commission,” thus setting the bar for all other commissioners to meet.
Sabatier said Malley has done a lot for the city of Clearlake and the county as a whole. “He is part of Lake County.”
Smith said Malley has served the community in outstanding ways, including the sometimes thankless task of being a planning commissioner.
“I don’t know how to thank him enough,” other than to take him golfing, Smith said.
Smith told Malley, “You retired once, you need to retire again.”
Cremer said he’s known Malley going back to the time when he wore a badge.
“You’ve done a fantastic job in helping to make Lake County and the city of Clearlake a clearer and a safer place,” said Cremer.
He added in jest, “Did I mention that we have an opening on our planning commission?”
Supervisor Rob Brown said he was a teenager when he met Malley, then a sheriff’s deputy, known for treating people fairly.
Brown said Malley has been a great planning commissioner and wondered if in his retirement Malley will stop sending him text messages during the board meetings, suggesting how to vote on topics.
He also recognized Malley’s wife, Debi, for her support. “It’s a team effort on your part,” said Brown. “I appreciate both of you very much.”
Supervisor EJ Crandell served on the planning commission with Malley, and at Tuesday’s meeting recalled how Malley encouraged him to take on the vice chair job after his first year.
He said Malley may not have agreed with some projects, but he went by the book.
“We leaned on him a lot for his experience and he did a great job as a planning commissioner,” Crandell said.
“It’s been fun. It’s been a labor of love,” Malley said, adding, “This county has been very close to my heart.”
He said his parents moved him – kicking and screaming – to Lake County from San Francisco in 1966 when he was 16 years old. It wasn’t easy transitioning from his big high school in the city to the smaller school at Lower Lake.
He said his job with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was the one he enjoyed the most, but he had to leave it early after being injured.
“We found other ways to help out,” he said, referring to his service on the Clearlake City Council and then the planning commission.
He said that as a commissioner he made his choices based on the laws laid out in front of him.
Malley thanked the board for the recognition. He said his wife retires on Oct. 1 – she works as Konocti Unified School District’s manager of student and family services – and they’re looking forward to camping trips in the near future and a cross-country trip next year.
“Bob is a shining example of what we’re always looking for in our community,” Sabatier said. “The best thing you could ever do for yourself and your community is to give back.”
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.
A sunflower with a bee. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Finally! As I write this, our favorite star, the sun is shining brightly in our beautiful, blue Lake County skies once again.
After living in a sepia-colored, smoky world for so long I began paying attention to the diversity of yellow flora and fauna in the surrounding landscape now.
Those who study color psychology tell us that the color yellow solicits our attention more than almost any other color.
Yellow is said to be the shade of cheerfulness and contentment; of hopefulness, creativity along with inspiration. The happy-face color is also the color of vibrant lemons and cheerful daffodils.
Yellow tarweed makes itself known before it is even seen, through its piquant scent that clings to clothes if you happen to brush against it as you wander by. If you touch it you'll have sticky fingers for some time to come.
According to Calscape, the California Native Plant Society guide there are 51 kinds of tarweed native to California, and most are yellow or white in color.
Tarweed. Photo by Kathleen Scavone. These summer-to-fall blooming flowers have earned their name due to the secretions that coat their leaves and stems.
The special coating plays several important roles. One is that it aids the plants in retaining moisture during the heat of the day, thereby rendering them drought-tolerant, and another is that tarweed's coating keeps them from being eaten by insects or animals.
There are studies that show that some tarweed species attract insects by causing them to adhere to the plants' sticky coating then in turn, allow yet another kind of insect to dine on the tarweed victims who are stuck. This clever ability causes a decline in insects that are undesirable to the tarweed.
Some varieties of the plant were used by native peoples when they harvested the seeds to make pinole.
The book, “California Indians and their Environment” by Kent G. Lightfoot and Otis Parrish, explains that seeds from some tarweed varieties were stored raw, for use during the year when they could be cooked and pounded prior to consumption.
Is there any flower more cheering than the pollinator-friendly sunflower? These butter yellow beauties attract a large variety of both native bees and honey bees along with other pollinators such as moths and butterflies, all while producing delicious and nutritious seeds for human and avian consumption.
The Great Sunflower Project is a great way to investigate this humble plant as well as to contribute to citizen science. The organization has more than 100,000 members and has a handy set of bee identification cards for those who are interested and curious.
Starthistle. Photo by Kathleen Scavone. Native sunflowers, which grow in spring, and are smaller in stature, are also terrific pollinator-friendly plants and were used as a food source for native peoples.
A familiar but invasive yellow plant is the starthistle, a noxious weed that probably arrived in California during the Gold Rush era by fastening itself to alfalfa seed. This spiky plant originated in Turkey or Greece.
The release of a particular type of weevil – along with control burns and herbicides in some areas – has somewhat reduced the onslaught of starthistle plants. Its mellow yellow color, along with the fact that it attracts honey bees, is not reason enough to like this plant, since it takes over and crowds out native plant populations and is poisonous to horses.
I've never met a bird I didn't like, and the lesser goldfinches that congregate at my feeder always put a smile on my face. They are found in open woodlands in the oaks, cottonwoods and willow trees where they consume a variety of seed types.
These diminutive yellow and black songbirds use their sturdy bills to pry open seeds but sometimes complement their diet with plant lice.
The primary color of yellow may influence your mood and your thinking – it may even determine your snack choice by persuading you to dine on some delectable golden, locally grown pears and apples.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”
A map of the areas in Lake, Sonoma and Napa counties in Northern California where power is expected to be shut off on Sunday, September 27, 2020, due to a red flag warning. Pacific Gas and Electric map. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said it’s planning to move forward with a public safety power shutoff on Sunday that will impact 89,000 customers in parts of 16 counties, including Lake, due to a strong and dry offshore wind event.event.
The incoming weather conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a red flag warning for much of Northern California from Saturday night through Monday, with Cal Fire staffing up around the region due to fire weather concerns, as Lake County News has reported.
PG&E said Saturday evening that approximately 55 Lake County customers – two of them medical baseline – will be impacted. A PG&E map of the impacted areas showed Lake County’s customers will be near the Lake and Napa County line, south of Middletown.
In neighboring Napa County, 216 customers will have their power shut off, with two customers in Sonoma County also to be included, PG&E said.
PG&E said it began making notifications to customers on Thursday about the potential for shutting off power.
The company said its first phase of deenergization will begin at 2 a.m. Sunday and impact approximately 15,000 customers.
The forecast predicts a lull in wind activity during the day on Sunday, and then escalating again Sunday late afternoon. At 4 p.m. Sunday, PG&E will begin its second phase of shutoffs to 74,000 customers, primarily in the Central Sierra region.
The PG&E map for the shutoff indicates power is to be shut off in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties between 5 and 6 p.m. Sunday, with power restoration expected around noon on Monday.
PG&E said once the high winds subside on Monday morning, it will inspect the deenergized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the wind event, and then restore power.
The company’s plan for power restoration is to conduct it as quickly as possible; the goal is to have power back on for most customers impacted 12 daylight hours after severe weather has passed.
Customers can use an address lookup tool to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
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.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said its detectives are continuing to investigate a reported robbery and kidnapping on Sunday that led to a manhunt and shelter in place order.
Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, authorities said a Cal Fire law enforcement prevention officer on Highway 162 approximately half a mile from the intersection of Highway 101 contacted an adult male who reported being the victim of an armed robbery which had occurred approximately 20 minutes prior.
The adult male told the officer that three to four subjects armed with assault weapon-style rifles and dressed in body armor had fled, possibly southbound, on Highway 101 in a black Chevrolet Tahoe and gray Toyota Tacoma, officials said.
This information was broadcast by radio to on-duty personnel with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and Ukiah Police Department.
A Mendocino County Sheriff's Office sergeant was on routine patrol on Highway 20 east of Potter Valley when he saw two vehicles matching the suspect vehicle descriptions, the sheriff’s office said.
He attempted a traffic stop on the black Chevrolet Tahoe, which failed to stop and instead accelerated to speeds over 100 miles per hour. Authorities said a vehicle pursuit was initiated with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued several miles eastbound on Highway 20 before making a U-turn and heading westbound on Highway 20 for a short time before turning onto a rural parcel of property near Mile Post Marker 41, which was on the east side of the highway, officials said.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued along a dirt road in poor condition which led up into the wooded hillside. Fearing an ambush, the patrol sergeant discontinued the pursuit and began to establish a search perimeter, the sheriff’s office said.
During the Chevrolet Tahoe pursuit, officials said a deputy responding to assist the sergeant was able to conduct a traffic stop on the Toyota Tacoma.
Authorities said the deputy identified the driver as Jesus Estevan Vargas Jr., 41, of Moreno Valley, and a subsequent investigation resulted in his arrest in connection with the reported armed robbery.
During the establishment of the search perimeter, authorities said the sergeant learned of a possible exit point to the east along Highway 101. The sergeant took a position at this eastern location to intercept the Chevrolet Tahoe.
A short time later a few gunshots were heard and then a person was heard screaming. Sometime thereafter, law enforcement personnel on the search perimeter were contacted by two adult males. The sheriff’s office said the deputies learned the adult males had been kidnapped during the armed robbery and had been bound by zip-ties and their heads covered by some type of material.
They reported the Chevrolet Tahoe had become disabled on the dirt road and one of the adult male victims was shot in the back while trying to escape. The sheriff’s office said the adult victims reported the two subjects fled on foot, were armed with assault-style rifles and clothed in body armor.
The adult male victim with the gunshot wound to the back of his shoulder was transported by air ambulance to an ouT-of-county hospital for medical treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
Based upon the circumstances of the situation, officials said a request was made for the Mendocino County Multi-Agency SWAT team who later arrived on the scene.
The SWAT team utilized the armored citizen rescue vehicle and drove to the area of the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. At the same time, H-14, a CHP Helicopter, began providing aerial assistance to the SWAT team.
As H-14 conducted overflight operations its crew was able to locate one of the armed subjects in the wooden terrain uphill from the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. The sheriff’s office said this subject disarmed himself and surrendered to the SWAT team by walking downhill to their position.
The sheriff’s office said H-14 continued overflight operations and located the second subject nearby to where the first subject initially was observed. H-14 was able to see that the second subject was armed with a handgun and rifle.
Sometime thereafter, several gunshots were heard which were attributed to the second subject and H-14 continued to observe his location, officials said.
During this time H-14 radioed to the SWAT team that the suspect had possibly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound but was still making body movements which showed he was alive and still a potential danger as he was still armed, the sheriff’s office said.
As H-14 began to exhaust its fuel, a mutual aid request was sent to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for its helicopter Henry-1, which subsequently arrived on the scene. The sheriff’s office said that when H-14 left for refueling, Henry-1 assumed overflight operations and assisted SWAT team members in safely approaching the second subject.
At this time, H-14 was able to return to the scene to provide further assistance as Henry-1 was exhausting its fuel, officials said.
The sheriff’s office said the SWAT team was able to take the second subject into custody and noticed he needed immediate medical treatment due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
A SWAT team medic began life-saving treatment and the second subject was immediately transported by sheriff's office vehicle to the staging area near Highway 101 where an ambulance and H-14 were waiting. Authorities said the second subject was prepped for flight and H-14 transported him to an out-of-county hospital for medical treatment.
Sheriff's detectives are conducting ongoing investigations at this time into the reported robbery and kidnapping, the sheriff’s office said.
At the time of the sheriff’s office’s Sunday report, it appeared that the robbery and kidnapping were connected to a marijuana sale/purchase transaction between the involved individuals.
One law enforcement member experienced a heat-related emergency at the conclusion of the several-hour-long event and had to be transported to Adventist Health-Ukiah Valley by ambulance where he was treated/released, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said there were no other law enforcement injuries and no shots were fired by law enforcement personnel during the incident/operation.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked Cal Fire, CHP, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Ukiah Police Department, MedStar Ambulance and Potter Valley Fire Department for their assistance during this incident/operation.
Robin Best, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Steve Lem, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
A small sliver of a congressional district in Pennsylvania crossed four counties, on a map that was ruled to be a partisan gerrymandering plan. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
When voters cast their ballots in November, they won’t just decide who will be president in 2021 – they will also have a voice in determining the partisan makeup of Congress until 2030. Following each census, which happens every 10 years, states are required to adjust their congressional district boundaries to keep district populations equal.
In drawing new boundaries, state legislators usually have very few constraints. The U.S. Constitution requires that each congressional district should represent a roughly equal number of people – except in states with too few people to have multiple districts – Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming. They all get at least one representative in Congress.
But other than that, state lawmakers make their own rules. So it’s not surprising that congressional district lines tend to unfairly advantage the party whose members are a majority of the group drawing the lines.
In the seven small, single-district states and the District of Columbia, this isn’t a problem because the state boundaries are also those of the congressional district. In five others – Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island – there are only enough people to warrant two congressional districts, making it statistically impossible to manipulate district boundaries to advantage one party.
But of the remaining 38 states, our analysis found that 22 created gerrymandered districts that benefited one party or the other. Other political scientists have come to similar conclusions after their own analyses. This is true despite the natural, nongerrymandered tendency for like-minded people, especially Democrats, to live near each other.
A Pennsylvania civics teacher points at new and old congressional district maps in his state following a 2018 court decision.AP Photo/Keith Srakocic
Most of the partisan gerrymandering created after the 2010 census benefited the Republican Party. That is because Republicans won control of many state legislatures in the 2010 elections, and then delivered congressional districts in their favor.
The 2020 state legislative elections will be similarly decisive of who will control the redistricting process, and what congressional elections will look like for the next decade.
Several states have pioneered ways to draw their congressional boundaries more fairly. In New York, for instance, there is a commission that will advise lawmakers on potential maps that avoid partisan advantages. In Arizona and California, independent commissions have complete control over the district boundaries.
In New Jersey and Hawaii, commissions made up of politicians and political appointees draw the boundaries. And in three states – Connecticut, Indiana and Ohio – the legislature gets a first attempt to draw the boundaries, but must relinquish power to an independent commission if lawmakers can’t agree.
Two people discuss a detail of a district map at a 2011 meeting of Arizona’s nonpartisan redistricting commission.AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin
In some states, citizens have created independent redistricting commissions by popular referendum – through ballot propositions or initiatives – when legislators didn’t want to strip themselves of this key power. Colorado, Michigan and Utah all did this in 2018. Voters in Virginia will be given an option in the 2020 election to hand redistricting authority over to an independent commission.
Our research and others’ has found that commissions of all types tend to produce maps that are less biasedthan legislative ones. However, redistricting reforms in some states are now facing a backlash from state lawmakers who are attempting to reclaim power over the redistricting process through legislation, lawsuits or ballot measures of their own.
In presidential election years, the public is obviously focused on the race for the White House, but the decisions voters make in state legislative races affect the partisan composition of Congress for years to come. Without changes in who draws district lines, the U.S. is likely to enter another decade in which congressional elections are shaped not by everyday voters but by those who hold the power.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With forecasted high winds and dry, hot conditions raising concerns for fire danger, the National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for much of Northern California, including Lake County, which in turn has caused Cal Fire to increase its staffing.
The red flag warning will be in effect from 9 p.m. Saturday through 8 a.m. Monday for areas above 2,000 feet in elevation.
The National Weather Service said a red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly.
The forecast predicts dry east to northeast winds of between 15 and 25 miles per hour will develop over Lake County during Saturday night, and then the remainder of northwest California during Sunday.
The combination of gusty ridgetop winds of up to 40 miles per hour, low humidity and dry fuels will result in critical fire weather conditions through Monday morning, the National Weather Service reported.
The Lake County forecast calls for daytime highs in the 90s through Monday, with nighttime temperatures in the 60s.
The heightened fire weather conditions have firefighters across the region preparing, from those working on the massive August Complex in the Mendocino Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests in the north to those on the lookout for the potential for new fires closer to home.
In response to the issuance of the red flag warning, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit reported that it has increased its staffing on all available engines not already on the 25 major fires across the state.
The unit also reminded residents to prepare their families, have an emergency supply kit ready and have evacuation plans in place in case the event a fire starts near you.
Cal Fire offers more information on fire season preparations on its website.
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.
