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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will hold a special meeting this week to take up several items of business related to city projects, delinquent utility fees and a final parcel map.

The meeting will take place beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

On the agenda is a public hearing on delinquent utility charges.

The council will consider adopting a resolution to confirm and approve the utility billing delinquency list and direct staff to submit the list to the Lake County Auditor-Controller’s Office for inclusion on the property tax roll.

The staff report said that approximately $22,654.01 in water and sewer bills was delinquent as of June 30.

Also on the agenda is the proposed award of the Giselman Street Overlay Project to Team Ghilotti Inc.

Team Ghilotti was the lowest bidder, at $279,305. According to Public Works Director Doug Grider’s report for the meeting, that’s roughly $35,000 more than the city’s engineer had estimated it would cost.

Grider said the project will take place after school is in session, and the city will work closely with the contractor to divert traffic to minimize delays during busy school hours.

“The contract is 30 working days although the significant portion of work impacting traffic will be completed in three consecutive days,” said Grider, with the anticipated start date Aug. 14.

In other business on Tuesday, the council will consider adopting a resolution approving the final parcel map for D & R Lake Properties LLC at 1930 S. Main St. and 10 Queen Ann Way, which is the undeveloped portion of the Victorian Village subdivision, according to Community Development Director Kevin Ingram.

The council also will consider authorizing the replacement of the city’s 8-inch well pump by Valley Pump & Motor Works Inc., which submitted the lowest bid of $40,685, Grider 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.

080817 Lakeport City Council special meeting agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The C. Gibson Museum and Cultural Center is hosting a traveling exhibit, “Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California.”

The exhibit, which continues through Sept. 16, was sponsored and brought to Lake County by the Friends of the Gibson Museum.

This exhibit covers the history and evolution of civil liberties and civil rights in California as part of the democratic process and covers the topics such as citizenship, slavery, voting, unlawful arrests and education.

It complements the Historic Courthouse Museum's newest exhibit, “Political Citizens,” offering a broader scope and perspective of Californian civil liberties.

“Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California” is part of Cal Humanities' Searching for Democracy initiative designed to examine the meaning of democracy today, as a partner to the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The exhibit will be available for viewing over six weeks and will be open to the public during the "First Fridays in Middletown."

The Gibson Museum’s hours are noon to 4 p.m., Thursday through Saturday.

For more information, contact the museum at 707-809-8009.

“Wherever There's A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California” covers the history and evolution of civil liberties and civil rights in California. Photo courtesy of Curator Whitney Petrey.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A man authorities say was responsible for the Thursday night shooting of a woman in Clearlake has been taken into custody in Southern California.

Marco Murillo, 22, was arrested Friday in Los Angeles County for the shooting, according to Det. Ryan Peterson of the Clearlake Police Department.

Police officers responded at 10:45 p.m. Thursday to the 15600 block of Sharpe Drive for an activated residential motion alarm, finding a 48-year-old female gunshot victim alone inside the residence when they arrived, Peterson said.

The Clearlake Police Department’s Investigation Unit was called in and took over the investigation. When the victim spoke with investigators, Peterson said she identified a person she only knew as “Marco” as the person who had shot her.

Peterson said detectives found that the victim’s 2003 Toyota Camry had been taken along with other personal belongings following the shooting.

He said a photograph of the person the victim knew as “Marco” was provided to detectives. That led to Murillo being identified as the suspect in this case.

The Lake County Superior Court subsequently issued a $3 million arrest warrant for Murillo’s arrest on charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary, assault with firearm and vehicle theft, along with numerous special allegations, according to Peterson.

During the course of the investigation, Peterson said it was discovered that Murillo had fled to the city of La Puente in Los Angeles County.

He said the Clearlake Police Department contacted the Los Angeles County Sheriff Office Industry Station and notified them of Murillo’s possible whereabouts.

Deputies in Los Angeles County located the shooting victim’s stolen 2003 Toyota Camry a short time later, Peterson said.

Peterson said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office deputies conducted a stakeout of the area, spotted Murillo and took him into custody at about 2 p.m. Friday

When Murillo was arrested, he was discovered to be in possession of a handgun that is believed to be the weapon used to shoot the victim. Peterson said Murillo also had in his possession numerous other items believed to have been stolen from the victim’s residence.

Murillo is currently being held in Los Angeles County on the $3 million warrant pending further judicial hearings to bring him back to Lake County, Peterson said.

Peterson said no other details about the case are being released at this time in an effort to not hinder the investigation.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Peterson at 707-994-8251, Extension 320.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce and the city of Clearlake will host the second annual “State of the City” presentation and town hall on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The town hall will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Clearlake Community Center, located at 3245 Bowers Ave.

The program will begin at 5 p.m. with an open house featuring the opportunity to interact with and ask questions of the Clearlake Police Department, Code Enforcement, Public Works, Finance, Building Department, City Clerk, Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce, PEG TV and more.

The formal presentation by the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce and the city of Clearlake will begin at 6 p.m.

Highlands Senior Service Center’s Chatterbox Catering will provide the appetizers.

“The Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce is excited to be working with the city of Clearlake to help inform the local business community about the positive changes being made,” said Chamber President Denise Loustalot.

“This is our second annual ‘State of the City’ meeting,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “We have accomplished a lot and have a lot more in the planning stages and we want the community to know all that is happening.”

“It’s a great time to be mayor of Clearlake,” said Mayor Russ Perdock. “The city of Clearlake is rebounding and we are starting to see real changes for the better happening.”

The public is invited to attend and is encouraged to come early in order to have time to interact with the different departments to find out what programs are being offered and to get questions answered.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's heyday of hot springs resorts occurred between 1875 and 1920. Some resorts were well-known prior to that, however.

Our county's hot springs history is remarkable and diverse. Back then, folks from the cities and countryside would flock to Lake County to soak and swim in the many and assorted spring waters that ran from hot to cold.

Many of the precious waters were bottled for consumption and boasted healing cures for whatever ailed one.

Lake County's spring waters or resorts numbered in excess of 100. They included Allen, Bear, Grizzly, Harbin, Royal, Siegler, Wilbur and many more.

California Indians took advantage of the many hot springs in what is now Lake County when the springs were used as gathering places and spiritual oases for centuries, long before the Euro-Americans “discovered” them.

Lake County's hot springs originated due to an intense heat deep below the earth's surface.

Layers of rock heat up which are situated above the molten rock. The magma is thought to be located about 4 miles beneath the earth at The Geysers, which is now known as the largest geothermal field in the world.

Since the rock is layered with fractures, water is heated naturally, creating hot springs and fumaroles across the land.

The book, "History of Lake County 1881" states:

"The springs of Lake County are a marvel, and to write of their beauty and usefulness would require the pen of a poet. They may be divided into three general classes, as follows: Pure cold water, cold mineral water, and thermal mineral water. Of the first there are thousands and thousands; every hill and mountain side teem with them, and the weary traveler and his thirsty beast find streams of pure water, cool and fresh, gushing from the wayside banks, and gathered into troughs for his convenience. The flow of these springs vary from a few gallons a day to barrels per minute. The largest flow, perhaps, in the county, is from the Howitzer Spring, the stream from which crosses the road a short distance north of the toll-house on Cobb Mountain. The amount of water which comes pouring forth from this place is something wonderful to contemplate, and, what is more strange, the yield seems to be always the same; winter's flood nor summer's drouth seem to have no appreciable effect upon it."

Anderson Springs was a popular destination for work-weary vacationers.

Anderson Springs began operation in 1873. There were accommodations for 30 at the hotel, and there were also bathhouses which utilized the nearby hot springs. One could also take a steam bath on the creek's hot spring.

Some of the springs at Anderson Springs were hot and some cold, with a total of nine different springs.The minerals which could be enjoyed included iron, magnesia, sulfur and combinations thereof.

Anderson Springs advertised, " No fog. No harsh winds. Sparkling trout stream bordered by trees. Ferns and flowers. Lovely wooded trails. Grand mountain scenery."

Harbin Hot Springs has a long resort history since it was settled by James Madison Harbin. In 1866, soon after his arrival, it became a destination resort.

It was a common site for travelers to pull in by stagecoach, having endured a nine-hour hour journey from San Francisco.

Besides “taking the waters,” guests had the option to play games such like croquet or bocce ball.

It was not uncommon for famous folks like heavyweight champion Jim Jeffries to train at Harbin in the early 1900s.

Another popular hot springs resort was Howard Hot Springs. They were located farther up Big Canyon Road, outside of Middletown, past the road from Harbin Hot Springs.

Their brochure boasted, "The door to health. We are sure that one visit is enough to convince you on your future vacations. Ask your doctor."

After World War I, when the Model T Ford car began to pop up across the country, the hot springs resort industry in Lake County declined. Then, folks chose to vacation where the highways led them.

Since Lake County was far off the beaten path, the numbers of hot springs resort vacationers diminished almost to the point of no return.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, 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.” She also formerly wrote for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
A short list of the hot springs of Lake County, Calif. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
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Sandra Wade. File photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Friends are remembering the life and work of one of Lake County’s great artistic voices.

Sandra Wade, Lake County’s poet laureate from 2006 to 2008, died July 18 in Hailsham, East Sussex, England, where she had lived since leaving Lake County in 2014.

Wade was born in Hertfordshire, England, in 1944. In February 1970 she came to Lake County.

“Flew to California, thinking it would be for one year, and ended up living there for 40 years or so!” she wrote on her Facebook page.

Wade helped establish the Lake County Arts Council in the early 1980s, served as president of the Lake County Writer’s Guild, and also would be a part of the creation of the community radio station KPFZ 88.1 FM, where she hosted the weekly literature program “Accent on Words.”

She worked as a massage therapist and yoga teacher, and became well-known for her poetry.

Casey Carney, Lake County poet laureate for 2014 to 2016, described Wade’s poetry as “ranging from the elegiac to the political, and from the spiritual to the nuts and bolts of living.”

Carolyn Wing Greenlee, another Lake County poet laureate from 2004 to 2006 and a friend of Wade’s, said Wade began working in poetry long before she became the laureate.

“At the Lake County Fair, she established the Danish system of judging in which there was no lone first place,” Greenlee said. “All pieces that reached a certain level of excellence received a blue ribbon. It was an effective way to build the confidence of aspiring poets in our area. In the early ’80s, I was one of those.”

Greenlee said Wade also was a regular at the monthly Writers Circle she hosted at the Lake County Arts Council, later taking over the responsibility and hosting numerous workshops for both poetry and prose.

Wade was named Lake County’s fourth poet laureate in 2006, a post she held for two years.

Greenlee said she remembered Wade’s oral interview when she was being considered for the Lake County poet laureate post.

She said she and the other previous poets laureate – Jim Lyle and James Blue Wolf – questioned each candidate then listened to them read.

“The poets were strong writers with interesting proposed ways of encouraging poetry in Lake County, but that voice, that perfect pitch in both her poems and her reading, knocked us off our chairs. It was unanimous: Sandra Wade would be No. 4,” Greenlee said.

In her role as poet laureate, Wade spearheaded the introduction of the Poetry Out Loud program in Lake County’s high schools and attended poets laureate gatherings across the nation.

She also kept busy with writing poetry, such as the short work, “Hope,” written during her tenure:

“Hope rose bursting up out of the earth
as a horse that lifts its head
snorting from the great velvet nostrils
submerged to take long draughts -
the muzzle streaming now with water
lifted up to air and light”.

“It’s her voice I remember most easily, and her bright eyes and silver hair. I can still hear the precise diction and soft sound,” said Greenlee. “Even when the words of a poem might be strong and acerbic, it still came in that gentle elegance and sturdy intelligence.”

In 2014, after 44 years of living in Lake County, Wade returned to her native England, where she continued her involvement in the arts community.

She joined the committee for the annual Hailsham Festival of Arts and Culture. There, she introduced that community’s first-ever poetry contest, just as she had done in Lake County.

Wade’s life, poetry and contributions to Lake County will be remembered from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday during the “Wordweavers” radio program, hosted by Lourdes Thuesen on KPFZ 88.1 FM.

Thuesen said they will read and play recordings of some of Wade’s work, and share stories about her during the show.

Those wanting to share reminiscences about Wade are invited to call in during the program at 707-263-3435 or stop by the station at 149 N. Main St. in Lakeport.

“Sandra’s literary legacy, born of her zeal to encourage artistic expression, has influenced generations with the healing that comes from sharing with supportive community words offered with authenticity and no guile,” said Greenlee. “It was who she was, and we who knew her carry it in our own works and hearts always.”

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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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported that new water quality criteria for mercury in California waters have been approved.

The new rules, developed by the State Water Resources Control Board, set mercury limits in fish tissue to protect human health and aquatic-dependent wildlife.

New protections also have been added for tribal cultural use and subsistence fishing.

In California, Gold Rush-era mining operations released millions of pounds of naturally occurring mercury, a potent neurotoxin, into state waterways. Once there, the toxic metal builds up in fish tissue and is consumed by people and wildlife.

To address that risk, the state’s new criteria set maximum mercury limits in fish tissue for various species caught for sport, subsistence and cultural practices.

“We commend the State Water Resources Control Board for working with numerous tribes and dischargers to develop and adopt water quality standards for protecting human health and wildlife throughout the state from the harmful effects of mercury,” said Alexis Strauss, EPA’s acting regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “By focusing on mercury concentrations in fish tissue, these rules will have a direct and positive impact on public health and the environment.”

The state’s new rules set five new water quality criteria for mercury in fish tissue for tribal subsistence fishing, general subsistence fishing, prey fish, sport fish and for fish commonly consumed by the protected California Least Tern.

The new criteria will help protect and inform the public about levels of mercury in popular sport fish like salmon, bass, sturgeon and trout.

“Salmon, bass, sturgeon and other popular fish like trout are sought after as a key food source by California Native American tribes, and other groups that depend on fish for sustenance, but are often contaminated by mercury. Mercury is found in many freshwater bodies in California, and is largely a legacy of the Gold Rush era, and difficult to deal with, but cannot be ignored,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “This approval is an important step in focusing attention on what can be done to limit exposures.”

The new mercury criteria will apply to inland surface waters, enclosed bays, and estuaries of the state, except for water bodies where approved site-specific objectives already exist, such as San Francisco Bay and Delta; Clear Lake; and portions of Walker Creek, Cache Creek and Guadalupe River Watersheds.

For more information on the health effects of exposures to mercury, visit https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-exposures-mercury.

To view a copy of the approval letter and standards, visit http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/mercury/docs/ca_hg_approval_letter_with_enclosures_signed_071417.pdf.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – There are five dogs waiting for new homes this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control, including one that likes to give hugs.

This week’s available dogs include mixes of border collie, hound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, shepherd and terrier.

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

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

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

This female terrier is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 8151. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Terrier mix

This female terrier has a short brindle coat with white markings.

She’s in kennel No. 10, ID No. 8151.

This female border collie mix is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 8091. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female border collie mix

This female border collie mix has a medium-length tricolor coat.

Shelter staff said she loves to give hugs.

She’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 8091.

This male hound-shepherd mix is in kennel No. 17, ID No. 8142. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Hound-shepherd mix

This male hound-shepherd mix has a short tan and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 17, ID No. 8142.

This male Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier mix is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 8089. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier

This male Labrador Retriever-pit bull terrier mix has a short black coat with white markings.

He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 8089.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 8097. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short white coat with red markings.

She’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 8097.

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

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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

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

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Pear Festival Committee is well under way with its preparations for the 25th annual Pear Festival, scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30.

The festival originally started with a handful of vendors, a barbecue and a scarecrow contest.

Today it is attended annually by 10,000 to 12,000 people and hosts musicians and dancers, more than 100 craft and food vendors, an old-fashioned Main Street parade and fly over, a Lake County wine tent, pear pavilion, horse faire and a kid’s town recreational area.

Also featured are agricultural, historical and art displays throughout the town.

New this year is a Farm to Fork Kickoff Dinner served down the Main Street of Kelseyville on Friday, Sept. 29.

The dinner will be followed by a street dance featuring music by the Funky Dozen.

Local catering company, Rosey Cooks, will be preparing a three-course meal served family style, featuring the freshest of local ingredients. Local wine and beer will be offered at a nominal price.

Tickets for the Farm to Fork Dinner and Street Dance are $65 and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com or from Oak Boutique located on Main Street in Kelseyville.

Additional information is available at pearfestival.com or by calling the Kelseyville Pear Festival office at 707-413-3503.
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This week in history takes a look at Christianity in America and the protestant revivals that sparked a Great Awakening.

Aug. 6, 1801: Christianity in America today

Every Sunday millions of American Christians file into the pews of their local church, joining together in a millennia-long tradition of communal worship. It is a time-honored tradition; Sunday is for Football and God.

Or at least, it used to be.

According to a two-year long study conducted by the Hartford Institute of Religion Research, only some 20 percent of Americans actually attend Church every week, although another 20 percent say they do but actually stay home.

What on earth (or in heaven) is going on here?

I have no idea. I suggest you ask your local minister or priest for the answer (if you can remember his name).

At any rate, it appears that Americans are falling out of love with organized religion, or at least have become too lazy to pull themselves out of bed on Sunday morning. Each year an estimated 4,000 to 7,000 churches close up shop, their ministers growing tired of preaching to empty pews.

As we ride down, down, down the parabolic graph of church-going in this country, it might sooth our aching hearts to remember a time when religion mattered, a time when God’s Word washed forth from the fiery lips of traveling preachers and people flocked to hear its joy.

For that, we have to go to the beginning – not all the way to the Word, only to the settling of America.

The Enlightenment

As we know from our school lessons, Puritans, Quakers and other religious minorities seeking asylum from persecution in England and Europe flocked to America in the 16th and 17th centuries. These early Americans brought with them, alongside their children and luggage, their faith in God. Of course, each one of them had a particular notion of how that faith ought to be organized. In an irony as old as religion itself, these formerly persecuted refugees were quick to themselves become the persecutors. This was the age of witch trials and pernicious religious police.

The new century, the 18th century, found America (and all of Europe) struggling against a torrent of subversive ideas.

The Age of the Enlightenment had arrived and men like Isaac Newton, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire began to systematically chip away at the foundation of society.

All that was established sat precariously on its now unsteady base. The Old could either cling to its entrenched ideas and fight like a cornered animal against the New, or it could readjust to a new equilibrium, one that worked with the New rather than against it.

The revolutions and the schisms of the next century were the fruits born of this struggle.

Having just clawed its way through a century of bloody civil strife, one that saw the birth of Protestantism and its many branches, Christianity found itself once more in the crosshairs. This time, the Protestants stood alongside the Catholics on the chopping block.

A tent revival during the Second Great Awakening. Public domain image.

The Great Awakening

By the 1730s most American colonists identified with some branch of Protestantism – Calvinist, Congregationalist (former Puritans), Anglican take your pick.

Although adamantly separated from the Catholic Church, these branches still clung to the same pomp and ritual that characterized Catholic worship.

Sure, among the Protestants, the power to commune with God now lay with the individual, rather than an intermediary like a priest, but this was largely a theological distinction.

For the average congregant, worshipping in a Protestant church in 1730s America had all the emotional and religious intimacy as a court proceeding has today.

To rescue the individual from the hoary traditions of religion and bring a sense of personal guilt and need for salvation through Christ – these would be the goals of what would become known as the First Great Awakening.

Leading this crusade were protestant ministers like Solomon Stoddard and George Whitefield, men whose dynamic and impassioned styles of preaching ignited the fear and love of God in all who listened.

For the next decade and a half, wandering preachers in the Stoddard-Whitefield vein blazed holy trails through Europe and England. When they reached the American wilderness, they evangelized Indian, colonist and slave alike.

The fiery blast of religious fervor that announced the awakening’s arrival gave way to a slow simmer that lasted for the rest of the century.

The Second Great Awakening

With the creation of America following the Revolution came a clear separation of religion from the affairs of state.

This decisive delineation between earthly and heavenly powers had the effect of splitting adherents’ loyalties; on the one hand lay God and spiritual devotion and on the other money, earthly goods and social success. Some Americans, especially the educated elite, compromised between the two and argued that leading a moral life on earth, not church attendance, guaranteed salvation in the hereafter.

Meanwhile, population in the new country reached epic proportions, rising from one million in 1750 to nearly four million in 1790. These new people stretched the limits of the original 13 colonies and began the era of western migration that would characterize American life in the 19th century.

Amid this crisis of faith and demographic shift, the embers of the First Great Awakening glowed red, found fresh fuel and on this day in 1801 roared to life under the canvas tents dotting the fields of Cane Ridge, Kentucky.

The Second Great Awakening began just as furiously as the first, but spread farther afield. From the muggy magnolia groves of Georgia to the thickets of Kentucky poplar, revival tents rang with the voices of the saved. American Protestants exulted in their newfound faith, revived and reinvigorated with the knowledge of their dependence on God.

This first, massive revival event in Kentucky in 1801 attracted an estimated 20,000 men, women and children. At the pulpit stood seven or more ministers at once, preaching simultaneously to the seething crowds of worshippers. Those who experienced this unique, emotionally-charged form of worship would never forget it.

This new wave of religiosity in America had more staying power than the first, and carried the nation through half of the 19th century.

Membership to Methodist, Baptist and other evangelical churches rose steadily, looking to outpace the staid Congregationalists of the previous century in no time.

Antone Pierucci is a Sacramento-based public historian and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.
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Humanity’s farthest and longest-lived spacecraft, Voyager 1 and 2, achieve 40 years of operation and exploration this August and September.

Despite their vast distance, they continue to communicate with NASA daily, still probing the final frontier.

Their story has not only impacted generations of current and future scientists and engineers, but also Earth’s culture, including film, art and music.

Each spacecraft carries a Golden Record of Earth sounds, pictures and messages. Since the spacecraft could last billions of years, these circular time capsules could one day be the only traces of human civilization.

“I believe that few missions can ever match the achievements of the Voyager spacecraft during their four decades of exploration,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, or SMD, at NASA Headquarters. “They have educated us to the unknown wonders of the universe and truly inspired humanity to continue to explore our solar system and beyond.”

The Voyagers have set numerous records in their unparalleled journeys.

In 2012, Voyager 1, which launched on Sept. 5, 1977, became the only spacecraft to have entered interstellar space.

Voyager 2, launched on Aug. 20, 1977, is the only spacecraft to have flown by all four outer planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Their numerous planetary encounters include discovering the first active volcanoes beyond Earth, on Jupiter’s moon Io; hints of a subsurface ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa; the most Earth-like atmosphere in the solar system, on Saturn’s moon Titan; the jumbled-up, icy moon Miranda at Uranus; and icy-cold geysers on Neptune's moon Triton.

Though the spacecraft have left the planets far behind – and neither will come remotely close to another star for 40,000 years – the two probes still send back observations about conditions where our Sun's influence diminishes and interstellar space begins.

Voyager 1, now almost 13 billion miles from Earth, travels through interstellar space northward out of the plane of the planets.

The probe has informed researchers that cosmic rays, atomic nuclei accelerated to nearly the speed of light, are as much as four times more abundant in interstellar space than in the vicinity of Earth.

This means the heliosphere, the bubble-like volume containing our solar system's planets and solar wind, effectively acts as a radiation shield for the planets. Voyager 1 also hinted that the magnetic field of the local interstellar medium is wrapped around the heliosphere.

Voyager 2, now almost 11 billion miles from Earth, travels south and is expected to enter interstellar space in the next few years.

The different locations of the two Voyagers allow scientists to compare right now two regions of space where the heliosphere interacts with the surrounding interstellar medium using instruments that measure charged particles, magnetic fields, low-frequency radio waves and solar wind plasma.

Once Voyager 2 crosses into the interstellar medium, they will also be able to sample the medium from two different locations simultaneously.

"None of us knew, when we launched 40 years ago, that anything would still be working, and continuing on this pioneering journey," said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist based at Caltech in Pasadena, California. "The most exciting thing they find in the next five years is likely to be something that we didn't know was out there to be discovered."

The twin Voyagers have been cosmic overachievers, thanks to the foresight of mission designers.

By preparing for the radiation environment at Jupiter, the harshest of all planets in our solar system, the spacecraft were well equipped for their subsequent journeys.

Both Voyagers are equipped with long-lasting power supplies, as well as redundant systems that allow the spacecraft to switch to backup systems autonomously when necessary.

Each Voyager carries three radioisotope thermoelectric generators, devices that use the heat energy generated from the decay of plutonium-238 – only half of it will be gone after 88 years.

Space is almost empty, so the Voyagers are not at a significant level of risk of bombardment by large objects.

However, Voyager 1's interstellar space environment is not a complete void. It’s filled with clouds of dilute material remaining from stars that exploded as supernovae millions of years ago. This material doesn't pose a danger to the spacecraft, but is a key part of the environment that the Voyager mission is helping scientists study and characterize.

Because the Voyagers' power decreases by four watts per year, engineers are learning how to operate the spacecraft under ever-tighter power constraints. And to maximize the Voyagers' life spans, they also have to consult documents written decades earlier describing commands and software, in addition to the expertise of former Voyager engineers.

"The technology is many generations old, and it takes someone with 1970s design experience to understand how the spacecraft operate and what updates can be made to permit them to continue operating today and into the future," said Suzanne Dodd, Voyager project manager based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, in Pasadena, Calif.

Team members estimate they will have to turn off the last science instrument by 2030. However, even after the spacecraft go silent, they’ll continue on their trajectories at their present speed of more than 30,000 miles per hour, completing an orbit within the Milky Way every 225 million years.

The Voyager spacecraft were built by JPL, which continues to operate both. The Voyager missions are part of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of SMD.

For more information about the Voyager spacecraft, visit https://www.nasa.gov/voyager and https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov.
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What are the primary differences between a will and a living trust (“trust”)?

Some primary differences are whether a probate will be necessary; the costs and fees involved; the kind of assets and legal affairs to be managed; and when the document takes effect.

A will is a “legal instrument” used to name an executor of your estate and to gift assets.

A will controls so-called probate assets – such as real property, personal property, and financial accounts – if they are held in the deceased person’s name.

It does not control any assets which pass automatically to designated death beneficiaries under insurance and retirement accounts, to assets that pass to surviving joint tenants or to assets held in trust.

In California, a will involves a court supervised probate when the gross value of the decedent’s estate is at or above $150,000. Debts are not subtracted when valuing the estate.

Since Jan. 1, 2017, only estates that are subject to probate are also subject to Medi-Cal estate recovery when a Medi-Cal recipient dies without a surviving spouse.

Probate begins with a petition for probate to admit the will and to appoint the personal representative. Typically, the person nominated in the will as the executor becomes the personal representative.

The probate requires the preparation of an inventory and appraisal of assets, the notification of creditors, the payment of all taxes, and the settling of creditor claims.

Probate ends with a petition to distribute assets to the beneficiaries pursuant to the terms of the will.

Once probate commences, the court appointed personal representative safeguards and inventories assets, notifies creditors, files tax returns and pays taxes, handles any unfinished legal matters, and ultimately distributes what remains to the decedent’s named beneficiaries according to the written terms of the will.

Probate takes five to six months at a minimum (usually longer) and may take much more if there are complications (e.g., creditor disputes, controversy over the terms of the Will, and valuation issues, etc.).

Executors and their attorney receive a percentage of the estate and sometimes more if extraordinary services are involved.

Next, let’s examine the trust.

A trust is a contract between the “settlor” (the person who creates – establishes – the trust) and the “trustee,” the person who agrees to hold certain property “in trust” for the benefit of “beneficiaries” according to the terms of the trust.

A trust controls those assets that are legally transferred (retitled) from the settlor to the trustee (such as one’s home and investment accounts).

Unlike the will, the trust commences once funded. When the settlor is disabled, resigns or dies, a new trustee (nominated in the trust) takes over, manages the trust assets, and administers the trust according to its terms.

Assets in a trust avoid probate at death and avoid conservatorships of the estate during disability.

A trustee still has to do most of the same tasks as inside a probate. However, it is usually more expensive, time consuming and aggravating to probate a decedent’s estate than to administer a decedent’s trust estate. That is why most people prefer the living trust.

So, when would you want a will versus a trust? Very simply put, a will is better for anyone with under $150,000 in probate assets.

With small estates, tangible personal property, financial assets and mobile homes can be transferred by way of the “affidavit procedure” (without court).

Above $150,000 a trust is usually preferred, as settling trust estates are usually less expensive and time- consuming than probate.

Nevertheless, everyone should still have a will. There are always assets held outside of a trust to which the will applies. That includes any bank accounts, vehicles and those assets which were not put in the trust.

Typically a person who has a trust uses their will to transfer these assets into their trust – hence the term “pour over will.”

Not everything is handled through the trust. Estate planning also requires powers of attorney to control financial, legal, and property affairs outside of what is held in one’s trust and an advance health care directive to handle health issues.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com.

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