Tuesday, 04 March 2025

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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On Friday Congressman Mike Thompson was in Middletown to meet with local students and hear their concerns about gun violence.

Thompson, who chairs the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, said he had received a letter from the south county students about their concerns and he had promised to stop in and visit with them the next time he was in town.

During his visit he fielded questions from students in different classes.

“The dominant question was school safety and gun violence prevention,” he said.

Thompson lauded the students for being articulate and intelligent.

In addition to answering their questions, he shared with them information about gun violence prevention measures in other communities and his experiences in meeting with the victims of last year’s deadly Las Vegas shooting.

Thompson’s visit came at the end of a busy week in which he was working to get background check bills through Congress.

Thompson’s visit with students can be seen in the video above.

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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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Planning Commission will meet on Tuesday to discuss a sign permit and a commercial cannabis project.

The meeting will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

On the agenda is a public hearing to approve a use permit to allow a change in the height of the existing pylon sign located at 15910 Dam Road from 30 feet to 35 feet to allow additional signage for potential businesses.

The project is proposed by the Carrington Co., the firm that owns the former Ray’s Food Place store, where Big 5 Sporting Goods and Tractor Supply stores are set to open later this year. The property where the sign is located is owned by Robert Rodde, according to the staff report.

Also on the agenda is a public hearing to approve use permits for a commercial cannabis business that will include manufacturing and distribution.

The operation, to be located in a 2,825-square-foot portion of a warehouse at 2395 Ogulin Canyon Road, is proposed by Clearlake Growth Fund I LLC, Growth Fund II Inc. and Clearlake Growth Fund III Inc.

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. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a number of new dogs this week available immediately to new homes.

The dogs offered adoption this week include mixes of border collie, German Shepherd, golden retriever, greyhound, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, Rottweiler, Schipperke 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 male terrier-Schipperke mix is in kennel No. 3, ID No. 9534. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Terrier-Schipperke mix

This male terrier-Schipperke mix has a medium-length tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 3, ID No. 9534.

This male husky mix is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 9532. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Husky mix

This male husky mix has a medium-length black and brindle coat.

He’s in kennel No. 5, ID No. 9532.

This female border collie is in kennel No. 6a, ID No. 9533. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female border collie

This female border collie has a short black and white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 6a, ID No. 9533.

“Brisa” is a female German Shepherd mix in kennel No. 7, ID No. 9527. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Brisa’

“Brisa” is a female German Shepherd mix.

She has a medium-length black and tan coat, and already has been altered.

She is very sweet.

Brisa is in kennel No. 7, ID No. 9527.

“Rowdy” is a female greyhound-Labrador Retriever mix in kennel No. 8, ID No. 9523. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Rowdy’

“Rowdy” is a female greyhound-Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short black coat with white markings, and already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 9523.

This male Labrador Retriever is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 9546. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male Labrador Retriever

This male Labrador Retriever has a short black coat.

He’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 9546.

This male golden retriever is in quarantine kennel No. 19, ID No. 9302. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male golden retriever

This adult male golden retriever has a medium-length golden coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in quarantine kennel No. 19, ID No. 9302.

“Baby” is a female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 23, ID No. 9501. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Baby’

“Baby” is a female pit bull terrier with a short fawn coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 23, ID No. 9501.

This young female pit bull is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 9465. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull

This young female pit bull has a short blue and fawn coat.

She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 9465.

This male pit bull is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 9480. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull

This male pit bull has a short blue and white coat.

Shelter staff said he is super sweet and bubbly.

He’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 9480.

“BamBam” is a male Rottweiler mix in kennel No. 33, ID No. 9517. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘BamBam’

“BamBam” is a male Rottweiler mix.

He has a short tricolor coat.

He’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 9517.

“Kali” is a female pit bull in kennel No. 34, ID No. 9516. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Kali’

“Kali” is a female pit bull with a short red coat.

She’s in kennel No. 34, ID No. 9516.

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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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors this week will take up new cannabis-related regulations and consider voting to move forward on a sales tax measure.

The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

At 10 a.m., the board will hold a public hearing to consider proposed amendments to Chapter 21, Article 27 of the Lake County Code to regulate the cultivation of cannabis.

At 10:30 a.m., the board will consider a resolution placing a 1.5-percent general transactions and use tax in the unincorporated area of the county on the June 5 ballot, as well as the accompanying ordinance to implement the tax if approved by voters and the tax measure document itself.

In other business, at 9:08 a.m. the board will present a proclamation designating the month of March 2018 as Meals on Wheels Month in Lake County and at 9:30 a.m. will give out the annual Employee Service Awards.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

7.1: Adopt proclamation designating the month of March 2018 as Meals on Wheels Month in Lake County.

7.2: Approve letter of support for Lake Pillsbury Fire Protection District's request for grant funding from FEMA.

7.3: Approve letter of support for the Middletown Art Center's 2018 Local Impact Grant application and authorize the chair to sign.

7.4: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Sheila McCarthy, occupational therapist, registered for occupational therapy services in support of the California Children's Services Program and the Medical Therapy Unit.

7.5: Appoint Kim Tangermann, Lakeview Health Center director, to Serve on the Partnership HealthPlan Board of Commissioners and represent Lake County for a two-year period.

7.6: Adopt resolution authorizing conducting criminal background checks for commercial cannabis licensing purposes.

TIMED ITEMS

8.2, 9:08 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation designating the month of March 2018 as Meals on Wheels Month in Lake County.

8.3, 9:15 a.m.: Erratum, public hearing, consideration of a resolution imposing the county’s first, best, and final offer to Lake County Safety Employees Association. The correct title is: consideration of a resolution imposing the county’s last, best, and final offer to Lake County Employees Association. This matter will be continued to March 20 at 9:15 a.m. to allow for appropriate noticing.

8.4, 9:15 a.m.: Presentation of the annual syringe exchange program report by Denise Pomeroy, Health Services director.

8.5, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of Employee Service Awards.

8.6, 10 a.m.: Public hearing, consideration of proposed amendments to Chapter 21, Article 27 of the Lake County Code to regulate the cultivation of cannabis.

8.7, 10:30 a.m.: Continued from Feb. 27, (a) consideration of an ordinance adding Article VII to Chapter 18 of the Lake County Code imposing a general transactions and use tax establishing a general tax of one and one-half percent in the unincorporated area of the county of Lake; (b) consideration of a tax measure, a transactions and use local revenue measure, for the June 5, 2018 General Election; and (c) consideration of a resolution placing the tax ordinance and the ballot measure statement on the June 5, 2018 election.

UNTIMED ITEMS

9.2: Sitting as Kelseyville County Waterworks District No. 3 Board of Directors, consideration of a resolution approving solar equipment finance agreement with TCF Equipment Finance in the amount of $951,800 and authorize Special Districts administrator to sign.

CLOSED SESSION

10.1: Public employee evaluations title: Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley, Water Resources Director Phil Moy.

10.2: Conference with legal counsel: Decision whether to Initiate Litigation Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(4): One potential case.

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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The ruins of the Alamo, less than 20 years after the battle. Public domain image.

In the stillness of the night, the lonely outcropping of adobe walls and wood palisades huddled together, the white plaster of what remained of the old mission buildings reflecting the light of the moon.

The scene would almost look peaceful, if it weren’t for the lumps of crumpled bodies lying under the sage and coyote brush outside the walls.

For nearly two weeks, hundreds of men had expended their last reserve of strength, exhaled their final breath and now lay where they had fallen, too close to the enemy fortifications to be retrieved by their comrades.

Now, arranged in four columns of attack, the over 2,000 soldados of General Santa Anna prepared themselves for another assault. For the final assault, it was hoped, against the Alamo.

* * * * *

Ever since winning its own freedom from Spain in 1821, Mexico had grappled with the difficulty of managing its extensive northernmost territories.

During Spanish control, the lands that would become California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas had primarily served as an unoccupied bulwark against competing French, British and then American expansion.

By 1820, only the Apache and Comanche tribes populated the northeastern section of this land, because so few Mexicans wanted to risk life among the wild country.

In time, the new government of the Republic of Mexico faced a problem, a similar one America was then grappling with: land only becomes a national asset when it is settled and therefore taxable.

Before then, land is just a liability and a drain on the coffers – a place to maintain at all costs lest another country snatch it from you, but one rampant with dangerous natives and impassible to all but an armed group of soldiers.

Previously, Spain had solved this problem by encouraging Anglo-Americans to settle in upper Louisiana (St. Louis, Missouri today) and become Spanish citizens.

When she won her independence, Mexico copied her former oppressor and opened vast stretches of its northern territories to those Americans who wished to settle and integrate into Mexican society.

The government facilitated settlement by offering contracts to specific men, who were then charged with bringing in American families for settlement in designated colonies.

These selected men were called empresarios. The most influential of these would be Moses Austin and his son Stephen Fuller Austin, after whom the city in today’s Texas is named.

For their part, Americans immigrated to Mexican Texas for several reasons, not the least being that America and Mexico didn’t have an extradition treaty for debtors.

A good number of these intrepid American settlers were actually Mississippi valley farmers who had defaulted on their loans and sought greener (and prison-free) pastures in a new land. Other immigrants settled in Texas as a gamble that America would soon buy eastern Texas from Mexico. By 1830, empresarios like the Austins had settled over 1,000 American families in designated colonies.

To encourage American immigration, Mexico exempted these new settlers from certain tariffs and allowed slaveholding settlers to keep their slaves, even though the Mexican government had banned slavery in 1829. These incentives proved wildly popular.

Too popular, actually.

By the early 1830s, so many Americans had taken advantage of the incentives that the Mexican government became concerned of being overwhelmed in foreigners.

A failed rebellion of American settlers in 1830, known as the Fredonian Rebellion, excited further fears among Mexican officials. Many American settlers actually rode alongside the Mexican army to assist in putting down this rebellion, something they wished to forget a few years later in the middle of their own fight for independence.

Over the next few years, the system began to break down as speculators won contracts for new settlements and began selling shares to businessmen in Boston and New York.

This was not only illegal, but contrary to the whole spirit of the law. The Republic’s fears gave birth to the April 6, 1830, law that prohibited the immigration of Americans unless they held a passport for one of two state-approved colonies, including the Austin colony.

The colonists that already lived in Mexican Texas, some 6,000 or more, looked askance at this attempt to stem the tide of – as far as they were concerned – good American families.

General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Public domain image.

They were downright afraid of another matter: all of those tax exemption incentives they were given when they first arrived were approaching their end date.

The settlers held conventions to draft and send demands for reform to the central Mexican government in 1832 and 1833.

They primarily wanted two things: an extension on the tariff exemptions granted to them in the 1820s, and the right to create their own state.

Having been given land, the American settlers now wanted a home and the autonomy to make it. Unfortunately, the timing couldn’t have been worse.

As the Texans worked to negotiate with the government, the newly elected president began a power grab. His name was Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

As a rule, dictators don’t relinquish power, least of all to newcomers. The Texans’ entreaties fell on deaf ears, and the situation deteriorated. It turned into open war in October of 1835.

So it was that in the new year of 1836, the Texans armed themselves for war.

Their defense rested on a triangle of cities. On the west was San Antonio, on the south was San Patricio, and on the northeast was La Bahía (Goliad).

Militarily speaking, San Antonio shouldn’t have been Santa Anna’s target, since the door to eastern Texas, home to most of the American settlements, was through Goliad.

But it was to San Antonio, and its 180 Texan defenders, that Santa Anna marched his army of some 2,000.

On Feb. 23, his advanced companies reached the front gate of the town’s fort, the old Mission of San Antonio de Valero, known locally as the Alamo.

* * * * *

Almost two weeks would drag on, bogging down Santa Anna’s army and wasting resources and men.

The final assault took several hours. In reality, though, all but an hour and a half of that was spent inching quietly toward the unsuspecting defenders. The actual fighting lasted less than two hours.

At sunbreak on March 6, all the Texan defenders lay dead, there to keep company the 600 soldados who also lost their lives. All of this in a needless assault on an inconsequential fort.

Antone Pierucci is curator of history at the Riverside County Park and Open Space District 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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Personnel from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia conduct payload tests for the AZURE mission at the Andøya Space Center in Norway. Credits: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.


From the ground, the dance of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, can look peaceful. But those shimmering sheets of colored lights are the product of violent collisions between Earth’s atmosphere and particles from the Sun.

The beautiful lights are just the visible product of these collisions – the kinetic and thermal energy released, invisible to the naked eye, are no less important.

Understanding the contribution that aurora make to the total amount of energy that enters and leaves Earth’s geospace system – referred to as auroral forcing – is one of the major goals of the NASA-funded Auroral Zone Upwelling Rocket Experiment, or AZURE.

The more we learn about auroras, the more we understand about the fundamental processes that drive near-Earth space – a region that is increasingly part of the human domain, home not only to astronauts but also communications and GPS signals that can affect those of us on the ground on a daily basis.

AZURE is the first of eight sounding rocket missions launching over the next two years as part of an international collaboration of scientists known as The Grand Challenge Initiative – Cusp.

These missions will launch from the Andøya and Svalbard rocket ranges in Norway to study the processes occurring inside the Earth’s polar cusp – where the planet’s magnetic field lines bend down into the atmosphere and allow particles from space to intermingle with those of Earthly origin – and nearby auroral oval, which AZURE will focus on.

AZURE will study the flow of particles in the ionosphere, the electrically charged layer of the atmosphere that acts as Earth’s interface to space, focusing specifically on the E and F regions.

The E region – so-named by early radio pioneers that discovered the region was electrically charged, and so could reflect radio waves – lies between 56 to 93 miles above Earth’s surface. The F region resides just above it, between 93 to 310 miles altitude.

The E and F regions contain free electrons that have been ejected from their atoms by the energizing input of the Sun’s rays, a process called photoionization.

After nightfall, without the energizing input of the Sun to keep them separated, electrons recombine with the positively charged ions they left behind, lowering the regions’ overall electron density. The daily cycle of ionization and recombination makes the E and F regions especially turbulent and complex.

AZURE will focus specifically on measuring the vertical winds in these regions, which create a tumultuous particle soup that re-distributes the energy, momentum and chemical constituents of the atmosphere.

Existing wind measurements from ground-based instruments show evidence of significant structure at scales between 6 miles and 60 miles wide in both the charged particle drifts and the neutral winds.

But so far, the in-situ scientific measurements of winds have been limited to a small set of altitudes – and already those measurements don’t fit with what we would have predicted.

To better understand the forces at play, in early March the AZURE team will launch two sounding rockets near-simultaneously from the Andøya Space Center in Norway.

Waiting to launch until the conditions are just right, the rockets will fly up into space, making measurements of the atmospheric density and temperature with instruments on the rockets and deploying visible tracers, trimethyl aluminum and a barium/strontium mixture, which ionizes when exposed to sunlight.

These mixtures create colorful clouds that allow researchers to track the flow of neutral and charged particles, respectively. The tracers will be released at altitudes 71 to 155 miles high and pose no hazard to residents in the region.

By tracking the movement of these colorful clouds via ground-based photography and triangulating their moment-by-moment position in three dimensions, AZURE will provide valuable data on the vertical and horizontal flow of particles in two key regions of the ionosphere over a range of different altitudes.

Such measurements are critical if we are to truly understand the effects of the mysterious yet beautiful aurora. The results will be key to a better understanding of the effects of auroral forcing on the atmosphere, including how and where the auroral energy is deposited.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council this week will pay tribute to community members who serve the city through participation in various bodies.

The council will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St., for a reception with members of city committees and commissions before the regular meeting begins at 6 p.m.

During the meeting, Mayor Mireya Turner will read a proclamation honoring the city’s committee and commission members, and will present certificates of appreciation to outgoing committee and commission members.

In other business, the council will consider authorizing Police Chief Brad Rasmussen and Public Works Director Doug Grider to close portions of N. High Street, Lakeshore Boulevard, Giselman Street, Sayre Street and Lange Street, and also conduct traffic controls at other intersections along the route between the 1800 block of N. High Street and the Lakeport Unified campuses on Lange Street on the morning of May 9 during a walk and bike to school event.

Items on the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the council’s regular meeting on Feb. 20 and the special meeting on Feb. 28; the Feb. 26 warrant register; adoption of the resolution approving a memorandum of understanding with the Lakeport Employees’ Association for the period of Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2020; adoption of a resolution approving the Compensation and Benefits Program for the City of Lakeport Confidential Employees for the period of March 1, 2018 through December 31, 2020; adoption of a resolution approving the Compensation and Benefits Program for the City of Lakeport Unrepresented Management Employees for the period of March 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020; approval Amendment No. 2 to agreement for services between the city of Lakeport and Margaret Silveira.

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.

030618 Lakeport City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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LUCERNE, Calif. – A joint meeting of all three town hall advisory councils within District 3 is scheduled for Friday, March 16.

The meeting will take place beginnings at 6 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive.

The purpose of the joint town hall is to take public input and explore possible solutions to the problems of trash in District 3 neighborhoods and the backcountry.

One method could be universal garbage collection services such as used in the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport.

County staff will be on hand and there will be time for questions and answers with staff and Supervisor Jim Steele, who represents the Northshore.

“Complaints about trash problems in neighborhoods and in the backcountry are among the most persistent complaints I receive; only 40 percent of District 3 residents have their garbage picked up,” said Steele.

“This is an important meeting to obtain community feedback on whether we should require that all households maintain garbage collection services or explore other solutions,” he added.

This meeting is in lieu of the regular March meetings for the councils.

The three town hall advisory councils in District 3 will resume their regular meeting schedules in April.

For more information about town hall meetings in District 3 watch for announcements or contact Supervisor Jim Steele at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You can also find town hall meeting dates and updates on Facebook at North Shore Town Halls, Lake County District 3.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – State officials this week denied parole to a Mendocino County man convicted of torturing his ex-girlfriend by setting her on fire in 2001.

The California Board of Parole Hearings denied parole for the fifth time to Gregory Patrick Beck, 55, at a six-hour hearing on Tuesday at Soledad Correctional Training Facility.

The parole board denied Beck's bid for release based on his continuing evasiveness, his minimizing of what he did and his "need to come to terms with the truth,” according to the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office.

Beck was convicted in 2002 of gravely injuring Sherry Carlton, age 32 at the time of the attack, by means of torture, assault with caustic chemicals and corporal injury on a cohabitant.

In 2001 Carlton had moved out of the home she shared with Beck. The two had been together for 12 years and had a child.

When she went back to the home they had shared to pick up some of her belongings, Beck soaked her with lighter fluid and set her on fire, refused to give her help then tried to cover up his crime in order to make it look like a barbecue-related accident.

The case was prosecuted by then-Deputy District Attorney Rick Martin, who in 2005 became a Lake County Superior Court judge.

At trial, Martin presented evidence including Carlton’s 911 phone call in which she told the dispatcher that Beck “sprayed lighter fluid all over me” and that he tried to murder her.

Carlton was left disfigured, unable to walk, speak or care for herself. She remained in a Lake County care facility until her death in March 2016.

Her parents, Phyllis Kline and Jeffrey Carlton, attended the Tuesday hearing. Kline said she also was accompanied by a cousin who acted as her support person.

Kline went armed with 150 signatures on paper petitions and approximately 51,272 signatures in an online petition against Beck’s release: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/328/208/588/refuse-parole-to-convicted-torturer-gregory-patrick-beck-cdc-t61119/.

“We were very anxious,” Kline told Lake County News.

She credited Mendocino County Deputy District Attorney Elizabeth Norman, who attended the hearing to argue against Beck’s release, and the parole commissioners for their work.

“They were so thorough, professional, and possessed an incredible insight of Beck's issues,” said Kline, who has called Beck “absolutely evil.”

Kline recognized the prison staff for their understanding and caring for her and her family throughout the seven hours they were at the prison.

Beck has been refused parole before due to the board concluding that he has failed to take responsibility for the attack and has not succeeded in the rehabilitation process.

Norman said the parole board ruled it will be another five years before Beck is eligible for another hearing.

"We wished it had been another 10 years but we are satisfied the board saw Beck still hasn't accepted the horrific crime he committed,” Norman said.

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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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has four dogs that need homes soon, as they’ve been waiting for weeks to find their new families.

The available dogs are Hutch, Jessie, Magnolia and Robbie.

To meet the animals, call Clearlake Animal Control at 707-994-8201 and speak to Marcia at Extension 103 or call Extension 118, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or leave a message at any other time.

Below are this week's available pets.

“Hutch.” Courtesy photo.

‘Hutch’

Hutch is a calm shepherd mix estimated to be between 1 and 2 years old, with a short brown coat and weighing 55 pounds.

Shelter staff said he appears to be good with other dogs, and is attentive.

He walks great on leash but also likes to just chill on his bed.

“Jessie.” Courtesy photo.

‘Jessie’

“Jessie” is a small female shepherd mix, weighing about 20 pounds and estimated to be 4 months old.

She has a short tan coat with black and white markings.

Shelter staff said she is good with other dogs and with children.

Jessie is very spunky and on the go, and loves to play chase and zoom around. Staff said she is quickly learning to walk nicely on leash.

“Magnolia.” Courtesy photo.

‘Magnolia’

“Magnolia” has a short brown and white coat.

Shelter staff said she loves walks and commands you rub her belly. She wiggles over then flops over for the rubs.

She came in as a stray and is already spayed. Staff estimated she is around 2 years old and weighs about 60 pounds.

Magnolia is very social and friendly. She is fine with other dogs, and walks well on leash.

“Robbie.” Courtesy photo.


‘Robbie’

“Robbie” is a young and happy-go-lucky mix – possibly Labrador Retriever and Rottweiler.

Shelter staff said is he around a year and a half old and weighs 50 pounds.

He walks well on a leash, makes friends with other dogs, and is playful but not super active.

Robbie is vaccinated and will be neutered prior to adoption.

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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Friends of the Lake County Library members Elva Hohn, Irehne Dishman, Terry Hopkins and Debbie Zacharisen at a recent meeting. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It is still a great time to support your library.

In November, the Friends of the Lake County Library announced a fundraiser with the goal of raising $10,000 by Jan. 31.

The Friends want to raise $5,000 in donations which they will match, thereby having $10,000 to donate to the library for the purchase of books and materials.

At the end of January, the Friends were just over halfway to their goal. So it was decided at a recent meeting to extend the deadline of the fundraiser until March 31.

State funding for libraries over the last several years has been at an all-time low, leaving the Lake County Library to rely on the funding it receives from the small portion of county property taxes dedicated to the library.

Over the years, the Friends organization has worked to raise money to supplement the library budget with membership drives, book sales and donations.

With the loss of state funding and the pressure on property taxes due to recent fires, this mission has become more critical and led to this fundraising idea.

With its branches in Clearlake (Redbud), Middletown, Upper Lake and Lakeport, our county library system is a community asset that enriches the entire county.

Along with our parks, schools, museums, arts organizations and local media, the library system provides the educational opportunities and cultural enjoyment that make Lake County a place that we all want to live.

To help the Friends make this a successful fundraiser mail checks made payable to the Friends of the Lake County Library (a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization) to 1425 N. High St., Lakeport, CA 95453.
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Free copies of Braving the Wilderness will be available at all Lake County Library branches beginning March 6, as the library gets set for the 2018 Book to Action events coming in April. Photo by Jan Cook.


LAKEPORT, Calif. – Book to Action, the Lake County Library’s community-wide reading program, will feature “Braving the Wilderness: the Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone” by Breneì Brown.

Free copies of “Braving the Wilderness” and the Book to Action event calendar will be available to pick up at all Lake County Library branches beginning March 6.

The Book to Action discussions and events will happen in April.

Lake County Library is one of 20 libraries across the state that won the Book to Action grant from the California Center for the Book. This is the third year that Lake County has done this program.

The California Center for the Book is a program of the California Library Association, supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian.

Book to Action is an exciting program that builds on the classic book club concept by creating a dynamic series of events.

Along with discussing an engaging book on a current topic, libraries across the state will be hosting events that help people put their new-found knowledge into action by collaborating on a community service project or civic engagement activity related to the book’s topic

The book was chosen because it is a down-to-earth guide to achieving a healthy connection with one’s community.

JoAnn Saccato, local author and mindfulness teacher, is helping to develop the Book to Action events.

On the selection of the this book she said, “At this crucial time when our public conversation is rife with increasing polarization, discord and unrest, meaningful conversation around the vital issues we grapple with as a community and nation is desperately needed to find peaceful, lasting solutions.”

In “Braving the Wilderness,” Brown redefines what it means to belong in an age of increased polarization.

Using research, storytelling and her own personal stories, Brown changes the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to achieving a sense of what she calls true belonging.

“Author Breneì Brown offers us an opportunity to forge an authentic and meaningful path to these solutions that brings dignity, civility, authenticity and bravery back to the town square,” Saccato said. “Brown argues that we're in a ‘spiritual crisis of disconnection’ and invites us to not only dig deeper and embrace our own sacred truth, but to courageously bring that truth to community – even if we stand alone in it.”

Lake County’s Book to Action events will begin with book discussions at each of the library branches on April 7 at 2 p.m. Lakeport Library is located at 1425 N. High St., Redbud Library at 14785 Burns Valley Road in Clearlake, Middletown Library at 21256 Washington St and Upper Lake Library at 310 Second St.

The events continue with a screening of the Breneì Brown’s TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability” on April 14 at 2 p.m. at the Lakeport Library.

Saccato will lead a free workshop and discussion of “Braving the Wilderness” on April 21 at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library.

This workshop will be a discussion around each of the four strategies put forth by Brown, namely: “People are hard to hate close up. Move in.” “Speak truth to BS. Be civil.” “Hold hands. With strangers.” “Strong back. Soft front. Wild heart.”

It will encourage conversation around the validity and value of Brown's ideas as a strategy to return to passionate and respectful civil discourse.

The workshop agenda will set ground rules around safety and civility, then take each topic separately.

Saccato’s workshop will take the work as a whole as a turning point to invite participation in the "Hold hands. With strangers" community conversation on March 28 at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library. The conversation is the final event in the 2018 Book to Action program.

The Lake County Library is on the internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov and http://library.lakecountyca.gov, and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary.

For more information call the library at 707-263-8817.

Jan Cook is a technician with the Lake County Library.
JoAnn Saccato will lead a workshop discussing Braving the Wilderness at Lakeport Library on April 21 as part of the Book to Action program. Photo by Nathan DeHart.

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