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Telescopes in Hawaii have obtained new images of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, which will assist the first-ever close-up study of the Great Red Spot, planned for July 10. On that date, NASA's Juno spacecraft will fly directly over the giant planet's most famous feature at an altitude of only about 5,600 miles.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously to once again support the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which now is under federal review.

The 331,000-acre monument was formed in July 2015 by President Barack Obama under the auspices of the Antiquities Act.

Two-thirds of the monument is within Lake County, with the rest of the acreage spread across Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Yolo and Solano counties.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is one of 22 national monuments across the nation and six in California formed under the Antiquities Act that are now under review as a result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April.

Trump ordered that monuments of 100,000 acres or more created over the past 21 years should be reviewed.

Lower Lake resident Victoria Brandon, speaking on behalf of the Lake County Sierra Club and Tuleyome, gave the Board of Supervisors a brief presentation on Tuesday morning about the monument’s review as part of asking for a vote to reaffirm support.

Brandon had similarly gone to the Lakeport City Council earlier this month to ask for support, getting a unanimous vote.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and Congressman John Garamendi also have spoken in favor of preserving the monuments, with Garamendi offering specific support for Berryessa Snow Mountain, which runs through his district.

Brandon noted that the Board of Supervisors had voted twice previously to support the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument’s creation, and asked for them to do so once again.

She said the county needed to expand its appeal to visitors in as many different ways as possible.

“This truly is an asset for us. It's all public lands, it's just been rebranded,” said Supervisor Jim Steele.

The public lands within the monument are managed by the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, which Brandon said had hired a monument manager.

She said she hoped to get Berryessa Snow Mountain’s status protected and any changes off the table so the agencies can continue the good work they do. Both agencies have been in the process of creating a shared management plan.

At the end of her presentation, Brandon received the board’s unanimous approval for the proposed resolution.

A recent Conservation of the West Poll showed that 80 percent of residents of the Western United States supported keeping national monuments in place.

The public comment period on the review of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument ends on July 10.

The conservation organization Tuleyome, which championed the monument’s formation, is offering online postcards for community members who want to support maintaining the designation.

Letters also can be submitted directly to the federal government online.

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.

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UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Authorities say an Upper Lake woman died on Friday as the result of a physical assault by the father of her children.

Vanessa Yvette Niko, 35, died of her injuries at the residence where sheriff’s deputies were dispatched on Friday afternoon, according to Sgt. Corey Paulich.

Willy Tujays Timmons, 37, of Upper Lake subsequently was arrested for Niko’s murder, Paulich said.

Paulich said that at approximately 2:15 p.m. sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 7800 block of Bridge Arbor Road in Upper Lake for a report of a physical altercation between a male and female.

The first deputy arrived on scene approximately five minutes after the initial call, Paulich said.

Shortly after arriving, that deputy made contact with Timmons and Niko through an open bedroom window of the residence, according to Paulich.

Paulich said the deputy observed Timmons assaulting Niko and was able to get Timmons to stop the assault by using verbal commands.

Timmons was placed under arrest while first aid was provided to Niko, who Paulich said succumbed to her injuries.

The scene was secured and detectives from the Major Crime Unit responded taking over the investigation, Paulich said.

Paulich said Timmons and Niko had an on-again, off-again relationship with three children in common. They also had a history of domestic violence during their relationship.

Timmons was transported to the Lake County Jail where he was booked into custody for murder, with bail set at $1 million, Paulich said.

Paulich said Niko’s official cause of death is pending an autopsy that will take place next week.

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