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What's up for April? The moon, Mars, and Saturn and the Lyrid meteor shower.

“You won't want to miss red Mars and golden Saturn in the south-southeast morning skies this month,” said Jane Houston Jones from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

She said Mars shines a little brighter in April than in March. By April 7, the moon joins the pair. From a dark sky you may see some glow from the nearby Milky Way.

Midmonth, start looking for Lyrid meteors, which are active from April 14 through the 30, Houston Jones said. The meteors peak on April 22.

“In the early morning sky, a patient observer will see up to more than a dozen meteors per hour in this medium-strength shower, with 18 meteors per hour calculated for the peak. U.S. observers should see good rates on the nights before and after this peak,” she said.

A bright first quarter moon plays havoc with sky conditions, marring most of the typically faint Lyrid meteors. But Houston Jones said Lyra will be high overhead after the moon sets at midnight, so that's the best time to look for Lyrids.

Through a telescope, Jupiter's clouds belts and zones are easy to see. And watch the Great Red Spot transit – or cross – the visible (Earth-facing) disk of Jupiter every eight hours, according to Houston Jones.

Houston Jones said the Juno spacecraft continues to orbit Jupiter. And Juno's JunoCam citizen science team is creating exciting images of Jupiter's features based on the latest spacecraft data.

Next month Jupiter is at opposition – when it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and offers great views for several months, she said.

You can catch up on solar system missions to Jupiter (like Juno) and all of NASA's missions at: www.nasa.gov.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In conjunction with Exhibit Envoy, all three of Lake County’s museums will present “Unmentionable: The Indiscreet Stories of Artifacts” beginning in May.

The opening will take place on May 4 to the museum’s nonprofit members and on May 5 to the general public.

“Unmentionable: The Indiscreet Stories of Artifacts” is all about “the unusual, icky, scandalous, disturbing, awful, uncomfortable and surprising artifacts in museum collections all in one place,” according to museum officials.

Some of the objects in the exhibits will be crowdsourced from local communities. Each individual museum will exhibit up to 15 distinct public objects on temporary loan from private collections around the county.

The objects will be chosen for their unique “unmentionable or controversial characteristics, subject matter or material.” These items will be strictly secured and will be returned upon the exhibit closure on Labor Day.

Visitors can vote at each museum which artifact they feel most fits the theme and these winners will be displayed at the Lake County Fair as “The Peoples’ Choice” awards.

The call for community artifacts continues through April 15.

Proposed entries must be photographed from several different angles and their basic dimensions, provenance, history, stories and origins must be emailed to the curator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Private loans remain the property of the owner and are only on temporary loan to the Museums of Lake County. This is not an initiative to acquire objects for the collection. Loan forms with complete contact information and signature by owner and museum staff are required.

The curator has the final determination for inclusion or rejection of an object in the exhibit.

If you are a collector of the offbeat and want to show off one of your unique items, the museum wants to hear from you.

What sorts of artifacts meet the theme? The Courthouse Museum’s five-legged frog, the Schoolhouse Museum’s cane collection, combination bedpan/urinal, and “hazardous” mineral samples, the Gibson Museum’s Vietnam War “blood chit.” What crazy curiosity might you have?

For more information contact Curator Clark McAbee at 707-263-4555 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office invites the community to join it for its next “Coffee with a Cop” on Friday, April 13.

The event will take place from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Adventist Health Clear Lake Medical Center's coffee kiosk, located at 15630 18th Ave., Clearlake.

Members of the sheriff’s office and the California Highway Patrol will be on hand to meet with the public.

There is no agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, and get to know the men and women who protect and serve you every day.

Coffee with a Cop is an event where police and community members come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships and drink coffee.

It is a national initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, and has been implemented by many cities and towns across the country.

The goal of the program is to increase community trust, police legitimacy and partnership building. Coffee with a Cop removes the physical barriers and crisis situations that routinely define interactions between law enforcement officials and community members. Instead it allows for relaxed, informal one-on-one interactions in a friendly atmosphere.

This informal contact increases trust in police officers as individuals which is foundation to building partnerships and engaging in community problem solving.

The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and the community, one cup at a time.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a day of heavy rain, Lake County and other parts of Northern California have been placed under a flood watch that will continue through Saturday evening.

The National Weather Service issued the flood watch, which took effect at 5 p.m. Friday and will continue until 5 p.m. Saturday.

For the northern third of the county, which include Mendocino National Forest lands, a wind advisory will be in effect from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.

The flood watch is due to a forecast of more rain to come due to a strong atmospheric river that began moving over the region on Thursday.

The heavy rain could cause creeks and streams to rise and flood, forecasters said.

The storm so far, which began late Thursday and continued through most of Friday, has brought some of the heavy’s heaviest rain so far.

The 24-hour rainfall totals through 5:45 p.m. Friday recorded by National Weather Service observation stations are as follows, recorded in inches:

– Boggs Mountain: 1.56;
– Clearlake city alert: 1.80;
– Clearlake, Mira Vista road alert: 1.67;
– Colusa County line: 2.07;
– Hidden Valley Lake: 1.75;
– Lakeport: 2.52;
– Lower Lake near Cache Creek: 1.50;
– High Glade Lookout (north of Upper Lake): 3.29;
– High Valley Road alert: 2.74;
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 2.33;
– Soda Creek: 3.91;
– Upper Lake: 2.82;
– Whispering Pines: 1.88.

On Friday evening, Clear Lake’s level had risen to about 4.2 feet on the Rumsey gauge, the special measure for the lake, according to the US Geological Survey stream gauge.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to continue through Saturday, forecasters reported.

On Friday night, rainfall totals could range from three-quarters of an inch to an inch in Lakeport and Kelseyville, and between 1 and 2 inches in the Middletown and Upper Lake areas, according to the forecast.

Lesser rainfall amounts – totaling out at about a quarter of an inch – are forecast for Saturday, before conditions clear. Then forecasters predict chances of rain will return from Tuesday through Thursday.

Accompanying the weekend rain is wind, with gusts of more than 20 miles per hour forecast on Saturday and Saturday night.

Temperatures on Friday night are expected to drop into the 50s. On Saturday, daytime temperatures in the high 50s are forecast, dropping into the low 40s at night; Sunday will see slightly warmer temperatures into the low 60s at night but still in the 40s at night.

Slightly warmer conditions are forecast early in the new week before once again getting colder midweek.

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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ACCUWEATHER GLOBAL WEATHER CENTER – AccuWeather reports residents of California are being put on alert for a renewed risk of flooding, mudslides and travel disruptions through the first part of the weekend.

A plume of moisture from the tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean, also known as an atmospheric river, will take aim at Northern and central California through Saturday.

"This atmospheric river will bring periods of heavy rain to Northern and central California through the first half of the weekend," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Rathbun.

The first round of rain began Thursday night into Friday, with another heavier wave of wet weather to follow Friday night into Saturday.

A total of 1 to 3 inches of rain may pour down on the communities of Redding, San Francisco, Sacramento and Santa Rosa, heightening the risk of urban and flash flooding.

Airline passengers with flights through San Francisco International Airport should anticipate delays, while drivers along Interstate 5 can expect times of reduced visibility and slow travel.

Motorists should turn around and find an alternate route if standing water is encountered on the roadways. Some roads may be closed due to high water or debris.

Even higher rainfall totals, on the order of 3 to 6 inches or more, are expected for the west-facing slopes of the coastal ranges and northern and central Sierra.

Snowfall will be limited to the highest peaks of the Sierra for the duration of the event. However, enough cold air may be pulled in at the tail end of the storm for precipitation to end as snow over Donner Pass.

At intermediate elevations, the combination of rainfall and melting snow may trigger rises on small streams and rivers that can lead to flooding.

Around recent burn areas, including the Tubbs fire, mudslides and debris flows will be a concern.

People who live downhill of burn scars should heed all evacuation notices that are issued. Having an emergency go bag ready is vital in the event of a quick evacuation.

"Despite the threat for flash flooding and mudslides, this rain will help to further fill area reservoirs prior to the dry season this summer," Rathbun said.

Gusty winds may kick up along the coast and over the ridges during the second wave of moisture on Friday night and Saturday. The risk of fallen trees and power lines will be heightened due to the saturated ground.

The risk of flooding will lessen heading into Southern California, where the heaviest rainfall will miss to the north. At most, Los Angeles and San Diego may be dampened by a few showers on Saturday.

"While rain is not uncommon across California during April, a storm of this magnitude is a bit unusual," Rathbun said.

January and February are typically the wettest months of the year in California, with average rainfall rapidly declining from March to April and May.

Fortunately for those hoping to get outside this weekend, Sunday will feature much nicer weather conditions.

Should Game 1 and/or 2 of the MLB series between the Giants and Dodgers at AT&T Park be rained out, Sunday will offer great weather for a potential double-header with sunshine and temperatures in the middle 60s Fahrenheit.

Renee Duff is a meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport and Lakeport Disposal Co. Inc. announce that a Community Cleanup Day for city residents will take place on Saturday, April 28.

The cleanup will take place between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the public parking lot north of the Fifth Street boat ramp in downtown Lakeport.

This event is limited to city of Lakeport residents and those dropping off trash and waste will be required to provide photo identification and copy of a City of Lakeport utility bill.

Household trash, televisions, electronic waste, mattresses, household furniture, unusable clothes/blankets/towels and similar materials will be accepted.

Refrigerators, hot tubs/spas, construction debris and Household Hazardous Waste will not be accepted.

For more details please see the city’s Web site at www.cityoflakeport.com, its Facebook page or contact Lakeport Disposal at 707-263-6080.
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Susanne Koester’s finished home on Cobb Mountain, Calif.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Local organizations continue to collaborate and rebuild homes destroyed during the recent wildfires.

After the devastating wildfires recently swept through Lake County, many fire survivors found themselves in need of assistance to rebuild their homes.

Susanne Koester is one such survivor who lost her home during the Valley fire.

As the ashes settled, and like so many survivors, Koester found herself underinsured.

Thanks to the CalHome Loan Program, Koester is now living in her beautiful, newly built home on Cobb Mountain.

Her new home was built by Lake County Contractors and her CalHome loan covered the gap between her insurance payout and the cost of her rebuild.

“Between Lake County Contractors and the CalHome Loan Program,” said Koester, “I felt secure and was able to overcome all my doubts about going through this process.”

The CalHome Loan Program is funded through the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD.

The program targets low-to moderate-income households who own or rented a home destroyed by the 2015 Valley fire, the 2016 Clayton fire and, most recently, the 2017 Sulphur fire. It provides a 30-year loan with 0 percent interest and is significantly easier to qualify for than a traditional mortgage or loan.

Today, 26 escrows are open for active projects planning to utilize the CalHome Loan Program.

Approximately $1.375 million in CalHome loans is expected to be awarded to eligible borrowers in Lake County by summer 2018.

Hammers for Hope was awarded the full grant from HCD totaling $4.6 million, and North Coast Opportunities Inc., or NCO, is the program operator.

The grant is being drawn down in smaller amounts as applications and projects are approved. Funds are still available to accept new projects.

“Hammers for Hope remains committed to helping people rebuild their homes despite any challenges we face,” adds Hammers for Hope Board Chairman Rob Brown. “This is the first time the CalHome Loan Program has been used for disaster response. We continue to work with local representatives like Senator McGuire, to create a solid and comprehensive system to support our community.”

The Hope City Crisis Network is another critical partner in the Lake County rebuilding efforts.

Established in 1999 in Indiana, Hope City is a nonprofit, faith-based humanitarian organization devoted to maintaining a holistic approach to disaster recovery, volunteerism, home rebuilding and much more.

During 2017, Hope City staff contributed more than 21,000 hours of site work in preparation for over 400 volunteers to contribute 14,000 volunteer hours to Hope City’s construction work in Lake County.

Hope City is devoted to helping at least 25 fire survivors return home in 2018, and they have already contributed more than 6,800 hours this year.

Five stick-built homes are scheduled to be completed in April with an additional seven homes slated to begin in the coming months. In addition, at least 10 Homes Direct manufactured homes will be installed this year.

“Hope City is making these rebuilds possible for our low-income clients due to the enormous volunteer labor they contribute, which significantly drives down the cost of the home rebuild, making this entire effort possible,” said Melissa Hughes, NCO’s housing programs manager.

Through Hope City the approximate average cost for a stick-built home is about $80,000, and the approximate average cost of a Homes Direct manufactured home is less than $90,000.

“We are experiencing a tremendous collaborative effort throughout the county,” said NCO Executive Director Patty Bruder. “NCO can provide administrative resources and infrastructure, but we are dependent on the expertise of Hope City and Hammers for Hope to help survivors return home. We’re all in this together.”

Funding is still available for the CalHome Loan Program and anyone who thinks they might be eligible is encouraged to contact one of NCO’s Disaster Case Managers at 707-994-2910 and complete a preliminary application.

If you would like more information about CalHome, Hope City, or Hammers for Hope, please contact Melissa Hughes at 707-994-4647 ext. 124 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Hammers for Hope was established in 2012 as a California nonprofit organization based in Lake County.

It was founded to assist seniors, low- to moderate-income individuals and families, and people with disabilities, in making minor home repairs to improve their comfort and safety. After the fires, Hammers for Hope shifted focus to help those in need of rebuilding.

For more information about Hammers for Hope or to apply for assistance, donate or volunteer, go online to www.hammersforhope.org.

North Coast Opportunities is the community action agency that serves Lake and Mendocino Counties, as well as parts of Humboldt, Sonoma, Del Norte, and Solano counties. NCO was established in 1968 as part of President Johnson's War on Poverty, with the mission of assisting low-income and disadvantaged people to become self-reliant. It provides a safety net of emergency assistance, employment, and training services for low-income individuals and families.

For more information, visit www.ncoinc.org.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Sonoma County Coroner’s Office said a San Rafael man shot by police officers in Petaluma on Tuesday has died.

Luis Alberto Garcia-Vara, 24, died shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday from his injuries, the agency said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, which is investigating the shooting, said Petaluma Police responded to a 911 call in the 100 block of Lakeville Circle at around noon on Tuesday after a caller reported that Garcia-Vara was making suicidal threats and possibly had a gun.

Garcia-Vara was found standing in front of the apartment. The agency said officers tried to use deescalation with Garcia-Vara, who pulled a handgun from his pants pocket and pointed it at his head.

When Garcia-Vara pointed the gun toward officers shortly before 2 p.m., five of the officers fired a total of 16 rounds at him. At least one round hit him in the stomach.

Officials said Garcia-Vara was taken to a hospital for treatment but later died.

Detectives from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office continue to lead the investigation into this incident with assistance of the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety and the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office in accordance with the County-Wide Fatal Incident Protocol. The coroner’s office said evidence collection and its processing as well as interviews are still being conducted.

An independent forensic pathologist will perform an autopsy to determine Garcia-Vara’s cause of death, the coroner’s office said.
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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake Police Department K-9 Unit is planning its sixth annual fundraiser for Saturday, June 23.

The event will take place beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Clearlake Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave.

The evening will include a barbecue dinner as well as a live auction, silent auction and raffles.

Tickets are $30 per person and are only available in advance.

The K-9 program is solely funded by donations and our fundraising efforts. The K-9 unit is a nonprofit organization.

The costs associated with acquiring a K-9 are considerable. A dog costs $10,000 to 12,000, initial training is $6,000 to $9,000, and a K-9 equipped car is $25,000 to $35,000 or, if the agency has an available car, the retrofit is approximately $6,000.00. The special handling equipment for the dogs is approximately $2,000 to $6,000.

After these initial costs, there are ongoing costs, including monthly training, recertification and upkeep costs.

The goal is to raise enough funds to maintain the high standard of training, cover the equipment needed and keep our K-9s at work in the city of Clearlake seven days a week.

The K-9 program is involved with activities including locating narcotics, assisting in the apprehension of dangerous criminals/offenders, searching for evidence and locating firearms.

It has assisted the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol whenever called upon.

The current K-9 unit has successfully apprehended several violent offenders and wanted fugitives. Its members have searched residences and businesses for possible subjects committing crimes and narcotics. The K-9 unit has also tracked violent offenders and saved countless man-hours by its ability to search areas faster.

A donation to our silent or live auctions would be greatly appreciated; all donations are tax-deductible.

To find out how to support the K-9 Program please contact Sgt. Elvis Cook at 707-349-0394, K-9 Officer Mark Harden at 707-533-7721 or K-9 Officer Chris Kelleher at 707-533-7413.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several events are planned in Lake County to raise awareness of sexual assault and work toward communitywide solutions.

Each year in California and across the nation, April is designated as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the goal of which is to increase public awareness about sexual assault and to educate communities and individuals on how to help prevent sexual violence and increase healthy sexuality and relationships.

The 2018 National Sexual Assault Awareness Month Campaign focuses on embracing voices, reaching new people in communities, and providing them with an introduction to unique ways to engage in ending sexual violence, because everyone has a unique role to play in prevention and changing the culture.

The Lake Family Resource Center is calling on community members to join in by helping the next generation foster attitudes that promote healthy relationships, equality and respect.

Family advocates in the Rape Crisis Center suggest the following ways for individuals to take action and ways to engage:

– Individuals can model supportive relationships and behaviors, call out harmful attitudes, and challenge the societal acceptance of rape and sexual assault.
– Communities and businesses can take action to implement policies that promote safety, respect and equality.
– Individuals can turn their social media profile picture teal and invite friends to join by taking action during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
– When you hear comments that blame victims or make light of sexual violence, speak up so others know you don’t agree.

In addition, individuals can join the Lake Family Resource Center throughout April in participating in a number of events.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month proclamations will take place during the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, April 10, at 9:10 a.m. in the board chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport, and on Thursday, April 12, at 6 p.m. at the Clearlake City Council meeting, which takes place in City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

The Lakeport City Council presented a proclamation on April 3, as Lake County News has reported.

Lake Family Resource Center invite people to participate in Denim Day on Wednesday, April 25. You can help by “Breaking the dress code, breaking the silence,” by wearing jeans on Denim Day.

For more information on Denim Day and various Sexual Assault Awareness Month activities please contact Angelina Fagundo at 707-279-0563, Extension 197.

LFRC Rape Crisis Center offers free and confidential services including a 24/7 Community Crisis Line (1-888-485-7733) that connects callers to trained sexual assault advocates.

The Rape Crisis Center also provides individual counseling, safety plans, education, hospital accompaniment and law enforcement advocacy for all victims of sexual assault and their significant others.
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NORTH COAST, Calif. – The ongoing effort to locate three children whose five family members died in a crash last week is continuing, but authorities said incoming storms have halted searches along the Mendocino coast.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it has yet to locate Devonte Hart, 15, Hannah Hart, 16, and Sierra Hart, 12, of Woodland, Wash., despite an ongoing search operation that on Wednesday enlisted multiple agencies, including Lake County Search and Rescue, to scour a stretch of coast in the Fort Bragg area.

The children’s parents, Jennifer Jean Hart and Sarah Margaret Hart, both age 38, died along with the family’s other three children, Markis Hart, 19, Jeremiah Hart, 14, and Abigail Hart, 14, when their GMC Yukon LX SUV went off a 100-foot cliff from a dirt turnout along Highway 1 at County Road 430, just south of Juan Creek in Westport last week, as Lake County News has reported.

Authorities said they still don’t know when the crash took place; the vehicle, spotted by a passerby, was found upside down on a large rock in the ocean on the afternoon of Monday, March 26.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the California Highway Patrol are leading parallel investigations into the crash, with authorities saying they believe the wreck was intentional.

A Thursday update on the search efforts from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the sheriff’s office corrected a previous statement from officials that said Jennifer and Sarah Hart were wearing their seat belts.

Investigators from the California Highway Patrol Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team have since determined, based on an inspection of the SUV, that the two women were not wearing seat-belts during the crash, Van Patten said.

Similarly, it had previously been concluded that the three children whose bodies were found on the crash scene – two on the rocky shoreline, one in the water – also had not been wearing seat belts and had been ejected from the vehicle.

Authorities continue to believe that the entire Hart family was traveling together, with the three missing children thought to have been inside of the SUV at the time of the crash, Van Patten said.

“Information obtained through interviews with family and friends indicated it was rare for the family to be apart, especially while traveling,” he said.

Van Patten said that information coupled with the other children being recovered outside of the vehicle on March 26, “supports the possibility that the missing children were swept away from the crash scene by the Pacific Ocean.”

He added, “The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office will continue to focus a majority of our resources searching with this theory in mind until other information or leads suggestion otherwise.”

On Wednesday, numerous agencies from Mendocino, Lake, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Marin and other Bay Area counties, along with 74 volunteer searchers and 10 law enforcement personnel participated in shoreline and aerial searches of the Mendocino County coastline, but the three missing children were not found, Van Patten reported.

He said the Wednesday search focused on the area from Noyo Harbor to MacKerricher State Park based upon ocean current and drift pattern analysis conducted by the US Coast Guard. A further search was conducted at the crash site and also focused to the south of that location.

Further large scale search and rescue operations are being postponed due to a pending weather event expected to bring heavy rain and winds to the Mendocino County coast for the next few days, Van Patten said.

However, he said searches of the Mendocino County coastline will continue with on-duty patrol deputies as calls for service allow until search and rescue operations can be safely resumed following the storms.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office also issued a missing persons flier highlighting the missing children in an effort to generate leads about their whereabouts or to find people who had seen them sometime around March 26. The flier is posted below.

Any information related to the investigation can be emailed to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office email account at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 707-234-2100.

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.

040518 Hart children missing persons flier by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – USDA Rural Development said it is working to address opioid misuse in rural communities.

The agency’s California State Director Kim Dolbow Vann highlighted the key efforts under way to take on the crisis.

“Opioid misuse has led to a dramatic decrease in quality of life, especially in rural areas where access to resources may be more limited,” said Vann. “We are working hard to bring all of our assets to the table in partnership with local efforts to help combat this epidemic where it is needed most.”

USDA is reserving $5 million in the Community Facilities Grant Program for innovative projects such as mobile treatment clinics.

Rural communities, nonprofit organizations and federally recognized tribes can apply for grants up to $150,000.

Applications for Community Facilities grants funded with this National Office reserve should be submitted on or before June 4, 2018.

Priority is also available in the Distance Learning and Telemedicine, or DLT, Grant Program for applications proposing innovative projects with the primary purpose of providing opioid prevention, treatment or recovery services. Eligible proposals can receive 10 priority points on their applications.

The Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus spending bill included $20 million available in the DLT Grant Program for projects that will help rural communities fight the opioid epidemic. This funding is in addition to $29 million Congress provided for the program in the annual budget.

The application deadline for DLT Grants is June 4, 2018. Applications can be submitted electronically at Grants.gov or in hardcopy to: USDA Rural Development Telecommunications Programs, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Room 2844, STOP 1597, Washington, DC 20250-1597. Complete details are available on page 14245 in the April 3 Federal Register.

The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that nearly 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016. More than half of those deaths involved opioids, including prescription drugs and heroin.

In early 2018 the Institute for Telehealth was awarded a $325,665 DLT grant to purchase video conferencing equipment to provide interactive telemedicine services. The hub site is based in Placer County and impacts 32 rural sites throughout the Pacific Northwest.

This technology will allow hospital, medical clinics and nursing homes to communicate with specialists they may not have had available through traditional avenues.

USDA is an important partner to rural communities addressing the national opioid epidemic. The Department is investing in treatment facilities and services, e-Connectivity and telemedicine, and public education efforts. In addition to program investment, USDA is helping communities share information about best practices to address the crisis. Visit USDA’s Rural Opioid Misuse webpage for more information.

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