Craig Lemke, in a 2007 Lake County Jail photo, is being considered for medical parole from the California prison system. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A former Lakeport man sent to prison for 68 years for a home invasion robbery and previous felony strikes will go before the Board of Parole Hearings next month for a hearing to determine if he is eligible for a medical release from prison.

Craig Alvin Lemke, 48, will appear before the parole board on June 15 at Pleasant Valley State Prison near Coalinga, where he is serving his sentence, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Lemke is one of several inmates up for medical parole, an issue set in motion by SB 1399, authored by state Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco).

The bill, passed by the Legislature last year and signed by then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September 2010, is intended to reduce the skyrocketing costs of health care for prisoners.

In a statement released last August, Leno's office said the bill “allows for the medical parole of those inmates who are severely incapacitated and no longer pose a threat to public safety.”

The bill did not offer medical parole eligibility to prisoners sentenced to death or life without the possibility of parole.

Luis Patino, a state corrections spokesman, said inmates like Lemke who are being considered for the medical release are eligible due to “dire” health conditions.

Prisoners considered for release, Patino added, are no longer considered dangerous to their communities, and are severely incapacitated or bedridden.

“They have to be that severe just to be eligible to be considered,” he said.

In most cases, the inmates up for consideration are in hospitals and will remain there, Patino said.

Medical parolees would remain under parole supervision and would be eligible for federal financial assistance to cover medical expenses, “and this burden would no longer fall entirely on California taxpayers,” according to Leno's statement.

The bill was anticipated to save California taxpayers $200 million, with no associated public safety risk, according to Leno.

Leno cited figures from the state's 2009-10 fiscal year, in which California taxpayers reportedly spent nearly $2 billion on the health care needs of state prisoners.

Leno's office said that a state audit found that in a single year 1,175 inmates accounted for 39 percent of specialty health care spending, totaling more than $185 million.

Patino said state prison doctors determine which prisoners are eligible to be considered for medical release.

The prisoners have to be watched by two guards 24 hours a day, said Patino. As prisoners, they're not available for Medicare, but on parole they would be eligible for some federal benefits to cover their costs.

The first of several scheduled medical parole cases came up last week when the Board of Parole Hearings considered the case of 42-year-old Steven Martinez.

Martinez, who became a quadriplegic following a 2001 prison knife attack, had been sentenced to prison for 150 years for a violent 1998 kidnap, attack and rape of a San Diego woman, according to a Los Angeles Times story by reporter Tony Perry (www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-prisoners-20110530,0,78103.story).

It's up to the Board of Parole Hearings to decide of such releases are truly safe. In the case of Martinez, who the board turned down for the parole, Patino said that Martinez had made threats against his nurses.

Due to the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which protects patient confidentiality, Patino said specifics about Lemke's medical issues were not available for release, although they may be discussed publicly at the June 15 hearing.

Lake County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff, who will travel to the hearing to argue against Lemke's release, said he hasn't received any of the details about the medical justifications for Lemke's proposed release, either.

“They're saying he needs 24-hour care for something but they don't say what,” said Hinchcliff.

Patino said the details of Martinez's cases were available to be made public because he had previously been considered – and denied – for “compassionate” release due to his condition.

An 'extremely violent' individual

Lake County Superior Court Judge Stephen Hedstrom sentenced Lemke to 68 years to life in November 2007 for a home invasion robbery of an elderly Lower Lake couple's home in February 2006, as Lake County News has reported.

In that February 2006 case, Lemke and an accomplice allegedly broke into a home, tied up an 89-year-old man and his 70-year-old wife with duct tape and put them on the floor before taking money, jewelry, firearms and ammunition, according to the original report from the Lake County Sheriff's Office. Neither victim was seriously injured.

The following month, the sheriff's office reported arresting Lemke – in jail on other felonies – on charges related to the home invasion robbery.

Hedstrom sentenced Lemke to the 68-year sentence for two counts of first degree robbery, first degree burglary, elder theft, two counts of false imprisonment of an elderly person and grand theft of firearms, with the previous strikes doubling the sentence.

One of the previous strike cases had involved a similar home invasion robbery case in 1995 in which Lemke bound a man and his 15-year-old son with duct tape and robbed them.

Hinchcliff said he was angered by the decision to consider Lemke for medical release after only four years into a 68-year sentence.

He called Lemke an “extremely violent person,” and pointed to his previous convictions.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records on Lemke show that before his 2007 conviction he had been sentenced to prison terms on weapons charges in 1986, burglary in 1990 and the 1995 home invasion robbery.

Pointing to the Martinez case, Patino said of Lemke that, just because he's being considered doesn't mean he'll receive the medical parole.

“The Board of Parole Hearings is obviously taking it very seriously,” Patino said.

So is Hinchcliff, who doesn't find the justification of saving the state money and trouble worth risking Lemke's release.

“I'm going to tell them I don't care how much trouble it is,” Hinchcliff said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

New this year is the addition of a special Sunday event that features a guided Lake County Wine Adventure.

The Konocti Challenge features three challenging event courses, as well as a leisurely 20-mile Family Fun Ride for kids of all ages.

Riders can opt for the 40-mile course that winds through the resort and vineyard sections of north Lakeport; for more adventuresome riders, the event also offers a 65-mile course (100km) and an endurance-testing 100-mile course, both of which follow the north and east rim of Clear Lake and wind into the foothills of the south and west, offering breathtaking views of the lake and vineyards.

All three rides begin and end at the Lakeport Yacht Club. The 65-mile and 100-mile rides get under way between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and the 40-mile riders leave between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

Registration fees range from $10 to $60 depending on the course selected. Registration includes a tasty well-earned barbecue at the end of the course. The event proceeds benefit local and international Rotary programs.

Seven fully stocked rest stops are located along the course route and are decorated and staffed by local volunteers who compete for prizes by creatively decorating their stops. In addition, plenty of SAG support will be along all the routes to assist you.

More information about the event and online registration may be found at www.konoctichallenge.com or by contacting Jennifer Strong, 707-349-0815.

The $10 “Early Bird Discount” ends at midnight on Tuesday, May 31. The first 400 registered riders receive a free event shirt, water bottle, and patch.

Registrations also are accepted the Friday before the event at the Lakeport Yacht Club in Library Park, Lakeport from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

A free grand opening event is scheduled for Sunday, June 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Stroll along the center trail of the 107-acre County Park to view the sculptural expressions of award-winning artists, as well as local schools and community groups.

Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy your meal at one of the tables located through out this naturally scenic park.

Visitors will enjoy the sculpture walk as well as the beauty of the park that is also home to many types of wildlife.

The park is located at 21435 Dry Creek Cutoff, Middletown, California and is open daily from dawn until dusk.

The Trailside Nature Preserve Park is accessed via Dry Creek Cutoff off of State Route 175. Sensible shoes and water are recommended.

Admission to the Sculpture Walk is free.

Please visit www.ecoartsoflakecounty.org or call 707-928-0323 for more information.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The two people riding along Highway 175/the Hopland Grade outside of Lakeport, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2011, escaped injury when this Nissan Altima went off the road, into a ravine and overturned. Photo by John Jensen.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two people escaped serious injury on Monday when the vehicle they were riding in went off the Hopland Grade and down a steep embankment, landing on its top.

The California Highway Patrol reported the crash just after 3:45 p.m. Monday.

The burgundy Nissan Altima was traveling westbound on Highway 175 over the Hopland Grade when it went off the road and down a ravine, according to witnesses at the scene.

At some point the vehicle went over onto its roof, but the man and woman riding in the car didn't report injuries, behind a scratch on the man's elbow.

The CHP, Lake County Sheriff's Office and tow trucks responded to the scene.

John Jensen contributed to this report.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The single-vehicle collision resulted in a Nissan Altima and its two occupants going down a ravine off the Hopland Grade/Highway 175 outside of Lakeport, Calif., on Monday, May 30, 2011. Photo by John Jensen.

The housing squeeze, which impacts at least 19 bases, isn’t going to be relieved anytime soon and will worsen in some areas, GAO explains in a new audit report on the effectiveness of rate-setting under the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) program.

“Adequate and affordable” housing for military families is in short supply at three quarters of bases identified as “growth” installations because they have gained, or will gain, at least 2000 personnel under long-planned shifts in U.S. force structure.

The shortage of family housing to rent in surrounding communities exceeds 20 percent at some stateside bases. The policy of the department over the last two decades has been to rely largely on local communities to build housing for base populations. They are incentivized to do so through housing privatization and build-to-lease agreements with local bases.

But recent economic conditions “have made it difficult for developers to obtain funding for new construction projects…particularly for multifamily rental housing projects,” GAO reports.

This is particularly true around bases experiencing frequent troop deployments for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The constant turnover leaves many lenders uncertain about occupancy rates and income streams from proposed or new constructed projects.

GAO found significant housing “deficits” for families at four of the five bases that its own auditors visited for its report on BAH rates.

Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., projects a 20 percent family housing shortage (530 units) for its expanding base population.

The shortage will be aggravated by growth in the civilian labor force expected from major base construction projects.

Occupancy rates for rental housing in the community exceeded 99 percent in 2010 and 2011, with high demand reported “for even inadequate housing units on base” and off base rental in “less desirable areas.” Rents are higher than monthly BAH rates for many members.

Fort Drum, N.Y., reports a shortage of 1700 family housing units, and increasing numbers of soldiers are relocating there without families so they can rent smaller units or share housing with other members. More soldiers can only find affordable housing 30 to 40 miles from post.

Installation officials said housing availability will tighten even more next year when all but 1,000 of Fort Drum’s soldiers are to be home from deployment for the first time since the base saw a significant pop in its population.

At Fort Riley, Kan., the gap between supply and demand for family housing is 700 units, a shortage of four percent. Demand is expected to climb by fall 2011 when all but one of the brigades assigned there will be home from deployment. Housing officials anticipate that more and more Fort Riley families will have to go move far from post to find adequate housing.

The shortage at Fort Bliss, Texas, is 2900 family units, 15 percent of demand. GAO says “junior personnel typically obtain housing on the outskirts of El Paso and experience long commutes.” The housing supply is strained by families relocating from Mexico, GAO says, and will be strained further “as more soldiers return from deployment over the next year.”

At Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River, in North Carolina, the family housing shortage has reached 3500 units, or 20 percent of demand. Marines there have closed the gap largely by buying or renting mobile homes. The Department of Defense considers mobile homes “inadequate” housing and doesn’t include them in housing availability lists.

The services are using a variety of “tools” to address their housing challenges including housing privatization projects and closer collaboration between installations and communities, GAO says.

But auditors criticize the DoD for lacking a “formal communication process” to share information between installations on what’s available and working to ease shortages.

The primary focus of the GAO audit, however, was to review the BAH program for setting local allowances for members living off base in stateside areas.

GAO concludes that the $18 billion-a-year program generally is meeting its goals, and satisfaction is high among BAH recipients. But auditors recommend several ways to enhance its effectiveness.

BAH rates are set using local cost surveys of rent, utilities and rental insurance for particular types of housing deemed appropriate for each pay grade, with and without dependents.

On average, more than 75 percent of BAH covers actual rent and more than 20 percent covers utilities, with renter’s insurance accounting for the remaining costs.

But the cost elements vary widely by locale. GAO contends that BAH would be more effective if the local breakout of these costs were shared with housing officials and BAH recipients.

ctual utility costs, for example, can range from 8 to 40 percent of BAH. Lacking information on local utility expenses, GAO suggests, can leave renters in high cost areas signing leases that bring unexpected out-of-pocket costs.

Also, GAO argues, “some landlords view the overall housing allowance rate as the market rental rate and set rental rates equal to the full housing allowance rate for a specific pay grade without regard to utility expenses that would also need to be paid.”

Officials with the Defense Travel Management Office, which sets annual BAH rates, told GAO that publishing all three elements of BAH in every housing area could be distracting for members as they might try to match each element to what’s available among local rental units.

But as a compromise, DoD officials will publish, starting in 2012, BAH cost elements nationwide as a percentage range across various types of housing.

Defense officials also accepted GAO recommendations to improve housing availability by sharing of best housing practices between bases, and to expand the definition of “available” rental properties in military housing areas to improve the accuracy of data collection for setting local BAH rates.

To comment, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

GAO - Military Housing Report May 2011

This microscope photo shows whole spheres and partial fragments of orange volcanic glass, of the type recovered from Apollo 17 sample 74220 from which the lunar melt inclusions were recovered. The largest sphere in the center is 0.2 millimeters across. Credit: NASA.

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. – A team of NASA-funded researchers has measured for the first time water from the moon in the form of tiny globules of molten rock, which have turned to glass-like material trapped within crystals.

Data from these newly-discovered lunar melt inclusions indicate the water content of lunar magma is 100 times higher than previous studies suggested.

The inclusions were found in lunar sample 74220, the famous high-titanium “orange glass soil” of volcanic origin collected during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The scientific team used a state-of-the-art ion microprobe instrument to measure the water content of the inclusions, which were formed during explosive eruptions on the moon approximately 3.7 billion years ago.

The results published in the May 26 issue of Science Express raise questions about aspects of the “giant impact theory” of how the moon was created.

That theory predicted very low water content of lunar rock due to catastrophic degassing during the collision of Earth with a Mars-sized body very early in its history.

The study also provides additional scientific justification for returning similar samples from other planetary bodies in the solar system.

“Water plays a critical role in determining the tectonic behavior of planetary surfaces, the melting point of planetary interiors and the location and eruptive style of planetary volcanoes,” said Erik Hauri, a geochemist with the Carnegie Institution of Washington and lead author of the study. “I can conceive of no sample type that would be more important to return to Earth than these volcanic glass samples ejected by explosive volcanism, which have been mapped not only on the moon but throughout the inner solar system.”

In contrast to most volcanic deposits, the lunar melt inclusions are encased in crystals that prevent the escape of water and other volatiles during eruption.

“These samples provide the best window we have on the amount of water in the interior of the moon where the orange glass came from,” said science team member James Van Orman of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

In a 2008 study led by Alberto Saal of Brown University in Providence, R.I., the same team reported the first evidence of water in lunar volcanic glasses. They used magma degassing models to estimate how much water was originally in the magmas before eruption.

Optical photograph of a lunar melt inclusion from Apollo 17 sample 74220, enclosed within an olivine crystal. The inclusion is 30 microns in diameter. Credit: NASA.

Building on that study, a Brown undergraduate student, Thomas Weinreich, searched for and found the melt inclusions. With that data, the team measured the pre-eruption concentration in the magma and estimated the amount of water in the moon's interior.

“The bottom line is that in 2008, we said the primitive water content in the lunar magmas should be similar to lavas coming from the Earth's depleted upper mantle,” Saal said. “Now, we have proven that is indeed the case.”

The study also puts a new twist on the origin of water-ice detected in craters at the lunar poles by several recent NASA missions.

The ice has been attributed to comet and meteor impacts, but the researchers believe it is possible that some of the ice came from water released by the eruption of lunar magmas eons ago.

The paper entitled, “High Pre-Eruptive Water Contents Preserved in Lunar Melt Inclusions,” was written by Hauri, Weinreich, Saal, Van Oman and Malcolm Rutherford of Brown. The research is funded by NASA's Lunar Advanced Science and Exploration Research and Cosmochemistry Programs in Washington, the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI) at the agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif., and the Astrobiology Institute at Ames.

The NLSI is a virtual organization enabling collaborative, interdisciplinary research in support of agency lunar science programs. The researchers are members of NLSI teams from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio and Brown. The institute uses technology to bring scientists together around the world, and it is comprised of seven competitively selected U.S. teams and several international partners. NASA's Science Mission and Exploration Systems Mission Directorates in Washington fund the institute.

For more information about the NLSI, visit http://lunarscience.nasa.gov.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The event will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lakeport Yacht Club, 15^th Fifth St.

A social hour will begin the evening with wine and hors d'oeuvres.

Local musicians Kevin Village Stone and Lindy Danton will begin the presentations.

The sponsoring organizations – the Lakeport Main Street Association, Sierra Club Lake Group and Watershed Books – are proud to premiere this small but wonderful collection of new films that feature the amazing and unique aspects of Clear Lake.

Reservations are required and seating is limited.

Call Cheri Holden at 707-263-5787 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information and reservations.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Peppermint fresh from the garden. Photo by Esther Oertel.

I visited a Kelseyville home yesterday to give vegetarian cooking lessons and left with a generous helping of fresh herbs from the garden there, a fragrant combination of peppermint, flowering thyme, oregano and sage.

The cab of my little truck smelled heavenly as I plied my way home.

The generosity of this client, as well as the rapidly spreading potted spearmint on my deck, provided the seed of inspiration for today’s mint musings. A steaming mug of fresh peppermint tea made from today’s bounty is proving to be fine fertilizer.

(Technically, an herbal infusion such as the one I’m enjoying should be referred to as a tisane, but the word tea is so delightfully comforting.)

Mint is popular in a wide swath of cuisines around the world, from Europe to Africa to Asia to the Americas.

More than 20 years ago I had my first Moroccan restaurant experience, complete with low tables, floor cushions for seating, hot lemony washcloths and communal eating from one bowl sans utensils (providing the reason for the washcloths).

All of this was interesting, but I was mesmerized by the tea ritual that took place at the beginning of each meal. Experienced wait staff poured hot, sweet minty tea from a great height into waiting cups below. Not once did I see an errant drop from those tall, silver urns splatter awry.

In Morocco, mint tea is an icon for hospitality and such a ritual is essential for welcoming a guest into one’s home. If you’d like to make mint tea Moroccan style at home, instructions for this are included below with my regular recipe offering for the week.

As to my simple peppermint tisane, simply pour hot water over a tablespoon or so of fresh peppermint leaves in a mug.

Mint cools us down from the inside out, and imbibing beverages containing this herb helps when the weather is hot; hence the popularity of mint tea in Morocco.

An alcohol-free Mojito-style cooler may be made by muddling mint with a bit of sugar in the bottom of a glass before adding fresh lime juice and sparkling water. Ice and a good stir are all that’s needed before enjoying.

Mint is a delightful addition to another citrus cooler, lemonade. Allow fresh sprigs to infuse in the pitcher, or add a sprig to individual glasses.

Water infused with mint is wonderfully refreshing. Simply add mint sprigs to a pitcher of water and allow it to cool in the fridge for an hour or so. The longer it infuses, the stronger the flavor. The mint may be lightly “spanked” prior to adding to the water, meaning it’s hit against the palm of the hand to release its essential oils.

If desired, peeled, seeded cucumber spears may be added to the water. Not only is this is a delightful flavor combination, but cucumber heightens the cooling effect of the beverage.

The combination of mint, yogurt and cucumber, three cooling foods, is found in the cuisines of a variety of hot countries, such as those in the Middle East, North Africa and India.

A chiffonade of fresh mint for flavoring foods may be made by layering mint leaves, rolling them cigar style and slicing them thin. Photo by Esther Oertel.

In addition, mint is a main ingredient in salads of these lands, such as tabbouleh of the Middle East, a favorite salad of mine and a fresh companion of another favorite, hummus.

To make tabbouleh, fresh vegetables such as cucumber, scallions and tomato are added to bulgur wheat along with generous helpings of chopped parsley and mint. Olive oil and fresh squeezed lemon juice complete the mixture.

Its fresh herbal taste and crunchy texture provide a nice contrast to the smooth creaminess of hummus and they’re perfect together in a pita.

In addition to cucumbers, mint is paired with vegetables as diverse as carrots, peas, potatoes, beets and beans. Fruits such as melons, strawberries and raspberries benefit from the addition of mint.

I add fresh mint to peas, flavor cooked carrots with mint and honey, toss sliced beets with mint and orange zest, and making a soup of fresh peas and mint is on my culinary to-do list.

Mint is a flavor component in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, such as that of Thailand and Vietnam. Along with Thai basil and cilantro, mint flavors the fresh spring rolls of those countries. I love how the strong herbal tastes of the three herbs work together to excite and refresh the palate.

There are over 30 species of mint, with spearmint and peppermint being the most popular and accessible. Fresh spearmint has a milder flavor than the stronger, more pungent peppermint.

Like other herbs (thyme and basil, for example), some mints have overtones of other flavors, such as chocolate, cinnamon, pineapple and bergamot mints.

It is generally accepted that if the mint variety isn’t noted in a recipe, spearmint should be used.

This hardy Mediterranean herb holds a place in Greek mythology, where it’s said that mint was once the nymph Mentha. She angered Pluto’s wife Persephone, who turned her into this aromatic plant. While Pluto couldn’t undo Persephone’s spell, he softened it a little so that the more Mentha was tread upon, the sweeter her smell would be.

Mint, which is rich in vitamins A and C, is a popular home remedy for ailments ranging from abdominal and digestive problems to headaches and fevers to insomnia, toothaches and bad breath.

It also contains a wide array of essential minerals, such as manganese, copper, iron, potassium and calcium.

Today’s recipe is a favorite hot weather salad, Tzatziki (pronounced tah-zee-kee), combining yogurt, cucumber and mint.

Tzatziki hails from Greece, where such cooling food is welcome in the bright sunshine of that country.

Other versions of tzatziki are flavored with fresh thyme or dill, and either of these herbs may be added along with the mint, if desired. Enjoy!

Tzatziki: Greek cucumber yogurt salad

2 medium cucumbers (English or Armenian preferred), peeled*, seeded and thinly sliced

2 cups plain Greek yogurt

2 cloves garlic, smashed, then finely diced

Juice of half a lemon (or more to taste)

Fresh mint, large handful, chopped

Fresh dill or thyme to taste, chopped, optional

Freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste

*If using English, Armenian or other thin-skinned cucumbers, peeling and seeding is unnecessary.

Combine the yogurt, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl.

Add cucumber to yogurt mixture and combine well.

Add mint, using more or less depending upon taste; blend.

Add dill or thyme, if using, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Adjust lemon juice and seasonings, if needed.

Note: Greek yogurt is thicker than other yogurts and if unavailable, use regular plain yogurt drained in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight. To do this, line a colander with cheesecloth or paper towels, add yogurt, then place colander over bowl for drainage. This method creates a thick Greek-like yogurt. (The volume reduces with this method; two cups of yogurt become one after draining.)

Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Moroccan mint tea

2 teaspoons of gunpowder tea

1 bunch of fresh mint

2 tablespoons of sugar

Boil a kettle of water. Put the tea in a teapot. Pour a little bit of boiled water from the kettle into the teapot. Swirl it around with the tea to wash the tea. Pour out the water. Then fill the teapot with boiled water. Put the teapot back on the stove on a low flame, until the tea starts to simmer. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t boil over! Take the teapot off the stove and add the mint and sugar. Moroccans tend to take their tea very sweet, but you may choose to add less sugar.

Recipe courtesy of Moroccan cooking site www.fescooking.com

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

This pot of fresh spearmint is part of a small backyard herb garden. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Lakeport Mayor Suzanne Lyons cuts through a toilet paper ribbon in celebration of the reopening of the city of Lakeport's restroom facility in Library Park on Friday, May 27, 2011. Looking on include Public Works Director Doug Grider, Councilman Tom Engstrom, City Manager Margaret Silveira and Barbara Breunig of the Lakeport Main Street Association. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – City officials gathered on Friday afternoon to celebrate a significant overhaul and facelift for Library Park's restroom facilities.

Over the last two months the building, which sits next to the Carnegie Library, has been the focus of a project to improve the facility and make it more user-friendly – both to visitors and residents.

The project got some of its impetus from the city's Parks and Recreation Committee, which worked with Public Works Director Doug Grider to get it off the ground.

Mayor Suzanne Lyons, a member of the committee, also lobbied for moving the project forward.

Lyons, on hand for the ribbon – or, in this case, toilet paper – cutting on Friday afternoon to officially reopen the restrooms, said the facilities had been less than welcoming, and downright dirty, before the renovation got under way.

Grider said the building – which had new paint and floors two years ago – was a common target of graffiti, and someone even broke a sink off the wall in the men's bathroom. “The restrooms typically get hammered.”

With the building having been so frequently targeted, and with the city in tight financial straits, at one point Lyons said there was a consideration about taking the building down entirely and using portable restrooms.

However, a 2002 state parks bond provided the nearly $120,000 that made it possible to carry out the work, much of which was done by Lakeport Public Works staff, said Grider.

“We said, we'll give it one more try,” said Lyons, noting that the Lakeport Main Street Association also urged the city to maintain and fix the building.

The renovation of the building – erected in the late 1970s – included completely revamped interiors; a lowered, sheetrock ceiling; new floors; new paint and new recycled plastic partitions, Grider said.

Grider said the renovation also has several energy- and water-saving measures built into it. Those include solar tubes that use the sun to light up the interior so lights don't have to run all day, and new sinks and toilets that operate on sensors and are metered to cut down on water use. New hand dryers are expected to arrive next week.

The building now is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Grider said, with the men's and women's restrooms each having one wheelchair-accessible stall.

On the building's exterior, its former brown color has been replaced by an off-white that is close to the color of the Carnegie Library – the final coat was drying Friday afternoon – and it has a new roof, Grider said.

“Everything's brand new,” he said.

Lyons said she'd heard some car clubs hadn't wanted to use Library Park for shows because of the bathrooms, so it's hoped that the renovation will help attract tourism in addition to serving residents better.

This summer, “There's going to be a lot of happy concert goers,” Lyons said.

Grider said the city hired Bruce Brower to manage the project, with Frank Totorica and his crew doing the plumbing work.

The project moved quickly – it started in March and was completed within two months. “This thing was on high speed,” Grider said.

The bathrooms will be open during the day and closed at 5:30 p.m. unless there are special events, Grider said. When the building is closed, visitors will be able to use facilities at First and Third streets.

Lyons said the city plans to hold a slogan context to engage the community in keeping the bathrooms in good shape, and also wants to find volunteers to help police them, in addition to the monitoring Grider's staff carries out.

“We want to create community ownership, that's what we're after,” said Grider.

He said he wants to communicate that the funds that went into the project aren't the city's – but the community's.

“This is taxpayer money that did this,” he said of the project. Anyone who damages it is just cheating themselves and others, he added.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Earlier this month Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) tried to offer an amendment to H.R. 1231, “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” which specifically opens the Southern California coast – estimated to contain six billion barrels of oil – the entire Atlantic coast, the Arctic Ocean and Alaska’s Bristol Bay for leasing.

A March statement, the House Natural Resources Committee – chaired by Congressman Doc Hastings (R-WA) – said the H.R. 1231 would help create jobs and generate $800 million in revenue over 10 years.

The committee statement accused President Barack Obama and his administration of moving the United States “backwards in terms of offshore energy production.”

“Failure to develop our offshore energy resources is costing American jobs, hurting our economy and denying American taxpayers revenue to help pay down the national debt,” the committee's statement said. “According to the American Energy Alliance, permanently lifting the offshore moratoria would result in 1.2 million U.S. jobs, $8 trillion in additional economic output, $2.2 trillion in total tax receipts, and $70 billion in additional wages each year.”

Despite the statements of several Republicans – including Hastings – that the bill wouldn't open up the North Coast to drilling because the region does not contain at least 2.5 billion barrels of oil or 7.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Thompson nevertheless said he wanted to be sure that was the case.

“There's been efforts to open it up,” he told Lake County News.

As part of that “trust but verify” decision, Thompson said he introduced an amendment clarifying that the North Coast – Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties – may not be open for drilling under H.R. 1231.

He said Congressman Don Young of Alaska was managing the bill. Thompson staff asked to amend the bill and were told by Young that it would be allowed.

Later, the Natural Resources Committee staff refused to take the amendment, which caused Thompson to ask, “What are their real motives here?”

The Republican leadership opposed the amendment, he said, with Hastings – known for his attempts to strip back regulations on drilling across the board – reportedly asking his colleagues to oppose it, which they did.

On May 12 the bill went to the House floor.

Thompson, speaking on his amendment, urged support for it, explaining that drilling on the North Coast would be disastrous, and the legislation needed to be clear that the area wasn't included.

“The coastal area of my district is one of only four major upwelling regions in the world’s ocean,” he said.

An upwelling is where cold, nutrient-rich waters are brought from the ocean depths to the surface, he explained. Such areas promote seaweed and growth, supplying energy for some of the most productive ecosystems in the world, including many of the world’s fisheries, he said.

“North Coast ecosystems also sustain some of the largest salmon populations in the lower 49 states and provide essential habitat for Dungeness crab, rockfish, sole and urchin,” he said. “The 2006 and 2008 commercial fishery disasters that virtually eliminated salmon fishing in California were economically disastrous for my district, our states and our nation.”

The bill passed out of the House on May 12 without Thompson's amendment. Govtrack reported that the vote was 243 to 179, with nine members not voting.

In a statement released the same day, Hastings said the bill received a “bipartisan majority,” adding that H.R. 1231 “is just as much of a job creating bill as it is an energy creation bill.”

Thompson said he had concerns about the bill beyond just the possibility that it could impact the North Coast, noting that it expedites drilling leases “and ignores both science and oversight.

Following the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico last year, Thompson said it's known what happens when oversight is stripped away. He said that incident will take decades to clean up.

Nevertheless, he said, there is a call to expedite drilling elsewhere, using what he called an “intellectually dishonest” argument that drilling will reduce rising gas prices. He said, at best, it may drop the price per gallon a few cents many years down the road.

Thompson cited a 2009 Energy Information Administration report that said opening up waters that are currently closed to drilling would only yield an extra 500,000 barrels of oil a day, which would reduce gas prices by no more than 3 cents a gallon – in 2030.

His office reported that if all the recoverable reserves of Northern California’s Outer Continental Shelf were tapped, they would provide enough oil to fuel the U.S. for only 100 days.

Thompson believes the Republican majority is setting the stage for future North Coast drilling in spite of its statements otherwise. If that took place, he said it would be “absolutely catastrophic.”

He said he's seeing regulations to protect natural resources being stripped back everywhere – not just with drilling but in water policy – with “gung ho” efforts to remove any barriers to allowing water to be sent south of the Bay Delta.

That puts everyone on the North Coast – from fish to timber to development – at risk, and would harm the Pacific Flyway, he said. There already has been a 97-percent loss of natural wetlands, which supports a $7 billion industry that includes fishing, duck hunting and bird watching.

Thompson said he's introduced separate standalone legislation which would permanently ban drilling on the North Coast.

However, with a Republican majority in place, he doubts it will be either taken up or passed.

Neither does he think that H.R. 1231 is going to make it past the U.S. Senate.

“They're not going to get their way on this,” he said.

Govtrack reported that the bill next goes to the Senate, but no action by that body has yet been taken.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

The quake, which occurred at 3:55 p.m., was centered two miles east of The Geysers, four miles southwest of Cobb and four miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, according to a preliminary report from the US Geological Survey.

It was recorded at a depth of 2.3 miles, the survey reported.

The US Geological Survey received a large number of shake reports – 85 shake reports from 18 zip codes just before 2 a.m. Sunday.

Reports came from Clearlake, Lower Lake and Middletown, from around Sonoma and Napa counties, and as far away as Sonoma County, records showed.

A 3.3 magnitude earthquake was reported near The Geysers on May 9, as Lake County News has reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf , on Tumblr at http://lakeconews.tumblr.com/ and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .