LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control continues to have a large number of kittens needing their first and forever homes.

The kittens are as young as 10 weeks up to 16 weeks, with the shelter also having an adult female cat ready for adoption.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped 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 there, hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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

Male domestic short hair mix kitten

This male domestic short hair mix is 13 weeks old.

He has gold eyes, a white and gray coat, weighs 4.2 pounds and has been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 6, ID No. 40066.

Male domestic long hair mix kitten

This male domestic long hair mix kitten is 13 weeks old.

He has green eyes, a white and gray coat, weighs 2.4 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 20b, ID No. 40118.

Male domestic long hair mix kitten

This male domestic long hair mix kitten is 13 weeks old.

He has green eyes, a black and white coat, weighs 2.2 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 20c, ID No. 40119.

Male domestic long hair mix kitten

This male domestic long hair mix kitten is 16 weeks old.

He has green eyes, a white and gray coat, weighs 2.2 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 20d, ID No. 40120.

Female domestic short hair kitten

This female domestic short hair kitten is 11 weeks old.

She has gold eyes and a black coat, weighs 2 pounds and has not been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 49a, ID No. 40157.

Female domestic medium hair mix kitten

This female domestic medium hair mix kitten is 11 weeks old.

She has gold eyes and a brown tabby coat, weighs 2.2 pounds and has not been spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 49b, ID No. 40158.

Female domestic long hair mix

This female domestic long hair mix cat is 2 years old.

She has dilute tortie markings, weighs 10 pounds and has been spayed.

She's in cat room kennel No. 56, ID No. 39764.

Male domestic short hair mix kitten

This male domestic short hair mix kitten is 10 weeks old.

He has green eyes, a buff and white coat, and has not been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 99a, ID No. 40144.

Male domestic short hair mix kitten

This male domestic short hair mix kitten is 10 weeks old.

He has green eyes, a white and gray coat, and has not been neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 99c, ID No. 40146.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Lyme disease is an infection transmitted by Ixodes ticks, also known as deer ticks, tiny arachnids that are typically found in wooded and grassy areas.

Although people may think of Lyme as an East Coast disease, it is found in California and throughout the US, as well as in more than 60 countries.

Initially, Lyme disease may feel like the flu: fever, sore muscles, headache and fatigue. Some people may know they’ve been bitten and/or may develop a distinctive bull’s-eye rash. If the illness is caught at this early stage, treatment is usually effective.

However, some people may not realize they have been bitten and may not develop any rashes.

Untreated, Lyme can burrow deep into the body and contribute to many serious health conditions: heart problems, joint and muscle pain, migraines, gastrointestinal upsets, a wide range of neurological problems and psychiatric manifestations. In children, Lyme disease can also trigger learning disorders and behavioral issues. At this stage, effective treatment is more difficult.

Complicating matters, ticks don’t just carry Lyme. A single bite can spread several diseases at once.

Your best defense is to avoid ticks. Your next best defense is to quickly find and remove any that latch on to you.

Nymphal ticks, the immature ones most likely to give you Lyme disease, are as tiny as poppy seeds and easily overlooked.

They tend to stay near the ground – in leaf litter, grasses, bushes, fallen logs and on tree trunks. Researchers at Berkeley’s Tilden Park found them on the underside of wooden picnic tables.

When you brush by a tick, it may transfer to your shoe, pant leg or arm. Then it may walk up your clothing to bare skin, embed its mouth and start sucking blood. The longer a tick is attached, the more likely it will transmit disease.

To keep ticks at bay, dress defensively. Wear shoes, socks, long pants and long-sleeved shirt. Tie back long hair and wear a hat.

You can purchase clothing that has been pre-treated with the repellent permethrin at outdoor recreation stores. The protection lasts through 70 washings.

Or, you can purchase permethrin and spray clothing yourself. Protection lasts five to six washings. If doing it yourself, be sure to treat both inside and outside of the clothing.

Permethrin is a common synthetic insecticide and functions like a neurotoxin on insects and arachnids.  It’s most often used in the treatment of lice and scabies in humans.  

Like all toxins, permethrin can cause skin irritations, so discontinue use if you have a reaction to it.

Spraying your footwear with permethrin will prevent ticks from crawling up your shoes. In one study, people with treated shoes had 74 percent fewer tick bites then those with untreated shoes.

Apply repellent to exposed skin. Those with DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil are the most effective.

While outdoors, periodically inspect your clothing and skin. If you find an attached tick, don’t twist or squeeze it. Don’t burn it with matches or douse it with dish soap. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp close to the skin and pull gently but firmly.

At the end of the day, run your clothing through a hot dryer (before washing) for 10 minutes, to kill live ticks that might be in your clothes.

Then, shower and thoroughly check yourself. Feel for bumps that might be embedded ticks. Pay attention to hidden spots – ears, hair line, armpits, groin and belly button. Parents should check their young children.

Whether or not you find a tick, watch for symptoms of tick-borne illness. A bull’s-eye rash indicates Lyme disease, but not everybody with Lyme gets one. You might have a different rash or none at all.

You may develop flu-like symptoms – fever, headache, nausea – or joint pain or dizziness. If so, see your doctor immediately.

For more information about Lyme and other tick-borne infections, go to www.lymedisease.org .
 
Tuleyome Tales is a monthly publication of Tuleyome, a nonprofit conservation organization with offices in Napa and Woodland, Calif. Tuleyome thanks Dorothy Leland and the California Lyme Disease Association for this submission. For more information about Tuleyome and its programs go to www.tuleyome.org .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Fire Protection District recently received a donation of 36 car seats from the Rotary Club of Clearlake.

The donation supports the department's child safety program, which provides an ongoing safety service to the public.

The program lacks in grant funding and community assistance is being sought to overcome a $2,500 shortfall in the budget.

“Car seats are one of the most important things you can do to protect your child,” Clearlake Rotarian Karen Karnatz said. “This program was struggling. We budgeted $1,500 and most all of that was spent on car seats.”

Karnatz said the donation supports the child safety program she installed during her club presidency three years ago.  

She said she was pregnant at the time and wanted to bring pregnancy, birth and child resources to the community.  

Karnatz said she appreciates the club's continued support, exemplifying its motto of “Service above Self.”

EMT/Paramedic Marc Hill coordinates the child safety program for the Lake County Fire Protection District.

He said trained and certified technicians inspect child safety restraints and replace them, if needed.

Free inspection events happen once a month at the district station on Olympic Drive in Clearlake.

The next one is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Friday, July 11.

For those who miss the free events, call the district office at 707-994-2170 for an appointment.

Hill said the program has raised $6,800 for technician training to be provided in October.

He said additional funds are needed assist in funding training instructors, certifications and other program costs.

Donation inquiries can also be directed through the district office.

Email Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

FINLEY, Calif. – The 60th quilt block to be installed on the Lake County Quilt Trail, titled “Lake County Diamond,” is located at Scully Packing Co., 3275 Stone Drive in Finley.

The Scully family acquired the Lolilla Orchards packing sheds and adjacent orchard in 1984 from the Annette/Harrell family.

Lowell Annette built the first packing house in the county on this site.

His son, JL Annette, continued growing and packing pears, and later his son-in-law, Robert Harrell, took over the family operation.

After taking over in 1984, Philip and Toni Scully began the process of upgrading the facility.

A new cold storage room was erected in 1990, and the present state-of-the-art packing shed was completed in 1993.

The facility is modified constantly to keep up with ever-changing industry standards.

Sons Patrick and Andy Scully manage the family business today.

They pack pears from Sacramento, Mendocino and Lake counties, representing about 30 pear-growing families.

Their premium pears are distributed both nationally and internationally.

The quilt block is inspired by the premier Lake County Diamond label. One of the oldest labels in the county, it is widely recognized for premium Lake County pears.

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.

The 8-foot by 8-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-Quilt-Trail/187014251326163 .

Scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Cassini mission have firm evidence of an ocean inside Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which might be as salty as the Earth's Dead Sea.

The findings are published in last week’s edition of the journal Icarus.

“This is an extremely salty ocean by Earth standards,” said the paper's lead author, Giuseppe Mitri of the University of Nantes in France. “Knowing this may change the way we view this ocean as a possible abode for present-day life, but conditions might have been very different there in the past.”

The new results come from a study of gravity and topography data collected during Cassini's repeated flybys of Titan during the past 10 years.

Researchers found that a relatively high density was required for Titan's subsurface ocean in order to explain the gravity data.

This indicates the ocean is probably an extremely salty brine of water mixed with dissolved salts likely composed of sulfur, sodium and potassium.

The density indicated for this brine would give the ocean a salt content roughly equal to the saltiest bodies of water on Earth.

Their findings also support the idea that the moon's icy shell is rigid and in the process of freezing solid.

The thickness of Titan's ice crust appears to vary slightly from place to place. The researchers said this can best be explained if the moon's outer shell is stiff, as would be the case if the ocean were slowly crystalizing, and turning to ice. Otherwise, the moon's shape would tend to even itself out over time, like warm candle wax.

This freezing process would have important implications for the habitability of Titan's ocean, as it would limit the ability of materials to exchange between the surface and the ocean.

The data also touch on a major mystery: The presence of methane in Titan's atmosphere.

Scientists have long known that Titan's atmosphere contains methane, ethane, acetylene and many other hydrocarbon compounds.

But sunlight irreversibly destroys methane after tens of millions of years, so something has replenished methane in Titan's thick air during the moon's 4.5 billion-year history.

The rigid ice shell model published in Icarus suggests that any outgassing of methane into Titan's atmosphere must happen at scattered “hot spots” (like the hot spot on Earth that gave rise to the Hawaiian Island chain), not from a broader process such as convection or plate tectonics.

“Titan continues to prove itself as an endlessly fascinating world,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, who was not involved in the study.  “With our long-lived Cassini spacecraft, we’re unlocking new mysteries as fast as we solve old ones.”

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.

JPL manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information about Cassini, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cassini .

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

NASA has successfully launched its first spacecraft dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide.

On Wednesday, July 2, at 2:56 a.m. PDT, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) raced skyward from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket.

Approximately 56 minutes after the launch, the observatory separated from the rocket's second stage into an initial 429-mile (690-kilometer) orbit. Initial telemetry shows the spacecraft is in excellent condition.

See the launch here: http://youtu.be/njf67aov4XA .

OCO-2 soon will begin a minimum two-year mission to locate Earth’s sources of and storage places for atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas responsible for warming our world and a critical component of the planet’s carbon cycle.

“Climate change is the challenge of our generation,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “With OCO-2 and our existing fleet of satellites, NASA is uniquely qualified to take on the challenge of documenting and understanding these changes, predicting the ramifications, and sharing information about these changes for the benefit of society.”

OCO-2 will take NASA's studies of carbon dioxide and the global carbon cycle to new heights.

The mission will produce the most detailed picture to date of natural sources of carbon dioxide, as well as their “sinks” – places on Earth’s surface where carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere.

The observatory will study how these sources and sinks are distributed around the globe and how they change over time.

“This challenging mission is both timely and important,” said Michael Freilich, director of the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “OCO-2 will produce exquisitely precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations near Earth's surface, laying the foundation for informed policy decisions on how to adapt to and reduce future climate change.”

Carbon dioxide sinks are at the heart of a longstanding scientific puzzle that has made it difficult for scientists to accurately predict how carbon dioxide levels will change in the future and how those changing concentrations will affect Earth's climate.

“Scientists currently don't know exactly where and how Earth's oceans and plants have absorbed more than half the carbon dioxide that human activities have emitted into our atmosphere since the beginning of the industrial era,” said David Crisp, OCO-2 science team leader at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena.

“Because of this we cannot predict precisely how these processes will operate in the future as climate changes. For society to better manage carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere, we need to be able to measure the natural source and sink processes,” Crisp said.

Precise measurements of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide are needed because background levels vary by less than two percent on regional to continental scales. Typical changes can be as small as one-third of one percent. OCO-2 measurements are designed to measure these small changes clearly.

During the next 10 days, the spacecraft will go through a checkout process and then begin three weeks of maneuvers that will place it in its final 438-mile (705-kilometer), near-polar operational orbit at the head of the international Afternoon Constellation, or “A-Train,” of Earth-observing satellites.

The A-Train, the first multi-satellite, formation flying “super observatory” to record the health of Earth's atmosphere and surface environment, collects an unprecedented quantity of nearly simultaneous climate and weather measurements.

OCO-2 science operations will begin about 45 days after launch. Scientists expect to begin archiving calibrated mission data in about six months and plan to release their first initial estimates of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in early 2015.

The observatory will uniformly sample the atmosphere above Earth's land and waters, collecting more than 100,000 precise individual measurements of carbon dioxide over Earth's entire sunlit hemisphere every day.

Scientists will use these data in computer models to generate maps of carbon dioxide emission and uptake at Earth’s surface on scales comparable in size to the state of Colorado.

These regional-scale maps will provide new tools for locating and identifying carbon dioxide sources and sinks.

OCO-2 also will measure a phenomenon called solar-induced fluorescence, an indicator of plant growth and health.

As plants photosynthesize and take up carbon dioxide, they fluoresce and give off a tiny amount of light that is invisible to the naked eye.

Because more photosynthesis translates into more fluorescence, fluorescence data from OCO-2 will help shed new light on the uptake of carbon dioxide by plants.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As firefighters continue to gain ground on the Butts Fire – burning at the Napa and Lake County lines – another wildland fire in Yolo County has burned thousands of acres.

Cal Fire said Saturday evening that containment on the Butts Fire – which began Tuesday afternoon in Pope Valley northwest of Lake Berryessa and eventually burned into Lake County – had reached 75 percent. The fire's size remains at 4,300 acres.

The number of firefighters assigned to the incident was cut nearly in half on Saturday, with 974 personnel said to be working the incident, along with 61 fire engines, 30 fire crews, four helicopters, two dozers and 14 water tenders, Cal Fire reported.

Another injury was reported on Saturday, bringing the total to four, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said difficult terrain, along with low humidity, has continued to be a challenge for firefighters. Flare ups have been an issue but have been quickly extinguished.

Firefighters on Saturday continued to strengthen control lines and mop up hot spots around the fire perimeter, officials said.

Cal Fire said the fire suppression repair and rehabilitation phase has begun, with firefighting resources starting the demobilization process and becoming available to support new incidents.

That ability to deploy to other fires was critical because a new incident that began on Friday in Yolo County has burned thousands of acres.

Cal Fire said the Monticello Fire – first reported just after 9:30 p.m. Friday on Highway 128 at Monticello Dam, on the southeast shore of Lake Berryessa – had burned 7,000 acres and was 30 percent contained by Saturday night, with 350 firefighting personnel assigned.

Officials said 40 structures were threatened in Golden Bear Estates, where mandatory evacuations are in effect. An evacuation center has been est up at the Winters Community Center.  

Activity on the Monticello Fire increased significantly Saturday afternoon, with Cal Fire reporting that firefighters were challenged by remote and difficult access on the fire, which is burning in extremely rugged and steep terrain that includes grassy oak woodland and heavy fuels in the higher elevations.

Cal Fire said firefighters were focusing on building control lines around the Golden Bear Estates residential area.

The Napa County Sheriff's Office issued an advisory to area residents Saturday evening to explain that the large plume of smoke seen east of Napa County was from the Monticello Fire, and didn't pose a threat to Napa County.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control is offering five male dogs for adoption as the week begins.

The dogs are mixes of border collie, Labrador Retriever, pit bull and terrier, and range in age from 15 weeks to 2 years.

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.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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”).

'Dugan'

“Dugan” is a 2-year-old pit bull terrier-Labrador Retriever mix.

He has a short brown coat, weighs 66 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 14, ID No. 40080.

Male terrier mix

This male terrier mix is 2 years old.

He weighs 11 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has not been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 25, ID No. 39953.

'Kody'

“Kody” is an 8-month-old male border collie mix.

He weighs 57 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 40041.

'Blue'

“Blue” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier mix.

He has a medium-length blue coat, weighs 73 pounds and has not been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 28, ID No. 39852.

Pit bull terrier mix puppy

This male pit bull terrier mix puppy is 15 weeks old.

He has a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs 12 pounds and has not been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 32a, ID No. 39792.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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.

The California Department of Public Health reported this week that the number of reportable sexually transmitted diseases in the state increased in 2013.

“Sexually transmitted diseases can cause major health problems for people over time,” said Dr. Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health and state health officer.

“This increase is concerning, particularly because STDs are preventable,” Chapman added.

The data show that almost 168,000 cases of chlamydia, over 38,000 cases of gonorrhea, over 3,500 cases of primary and secondary syphilis, almost 2,900 cases of early latent syphilis, and over 3,600 cases of late latent syphilis were reported in 2013, for a total of 216,000 reportable cases of STDs.

In 2013, the rates of gonorrhea and primary and secondary syphilis (the most infectious stages) increased substantially compared to 2012.

In 2013, the gonorrhea rate increased 13 percent to 100.4 per 100,000 population, and the P&S syphilis rate increased 18 percent to 9.3 per 100,000 population.

In contrast, in 2013 the rate of chlamydia cases decreased slightly for the first time in almost two decades, to 439.5 per 100,000 population, Chlamydia is the most commonly reported disease in California.

For Lake County, the statistics show that Lake County had 157 chlamydia cases in 2013, down from the 172 reported in 2012 but up from the 140 reported in 2009.

Gonorrhea cases in Lake County numbered 25 in 2013, down from 53 the previous year and the 38 reported in 2009, based on the state data.

Lake County had a jump in primary and secondary cases of syphilis, with five reported in 2013 and none in 2012. There were three reported in 2010.

There was one case of early latent syphilis in the county in 2013, and no other cases going back to 2009. As for latent and late syphilis cases, there were three in 2013, with one case reported in 2012, the state reported.

Lake County also had two congenital syphilis cases reported in 2013, but none in the previous several years, based on the figures.

STD rates continue to be highest in young people 15-24 years of age, especially for females, with over 66 percent of female chlamydia cases and over 54 percent of female gonorrhea cases being in this narrow age group. Young women are the most vulnerable to infertility and other long-term reproductive health problems caused by STDs.

“Any sexually active person can get an STD through unprotected sex,” said Chapman. “They should talk with their health care provider and ask if testing for STDs is appropriate.” An online directory of test sites is available at www.findstdtest.org . Many clinics offer free tests.

Chapman pointed out that in addition to getting tested regularly, individuals can reduce their risk by using condoms, reducing their number of partners, being in a monogamous relationship or practicing abstinence.

Profound racial disparities persist. In 2013, the African-American gonorrhea rate of 351.1 per 100,000 was 6.2 times the non-Hispanic white rate of 56.9 per 100,000.

CDPH has been working to address health disparities in STDs.

The STD Control Branch has identified census tracts with high numbers of gonorrhea cases and significant racial disparities and has focused interventions in these areas.

In addition, the branch is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and California’s Department of Education to reduce the high rates of STDs among youth through supporting comprehensive sex education, improving access to sexual health services, and helping schools build supportive environments for all youth, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students.

CDPH trains medical providers to assure that they are assessing their patients’ risk for STDs, screening appropriately, and using the most effective treatments.

CDPH also works closely with local health jurisdictions to coordinate disease prevention and control efforts statewide, including helping identify infected individuals and assuring that they and their partners get treated.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Big Valley Sheep Farm and Ladera Verde Percherons in Lakeport is home to the 59th quilt on the Lake County Quilt Trail.

“Green Mountain Star” was installed at Keith and Carol Brandt's farm, located at 2766 Park Drive.

The block is featured on the side of the barn that the Brandts built in 2013 when they added Percheron draft horses to their farm.

In addition to the new quilt block, the barn houses a show wagon that is 100 years old.

“We use it to show our Percheron horses,” the Brandts reported.

The Lake County Quilt Trail is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.

The 8-foot by 8-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the Lake County Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.

For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-Quilt-Trail/187014251326163 .

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The cities of Clearlake and Lakeport reported that the candidate filing periods are about to open for the municipal elections on Nov. 4.

The clerks for the two cities said their candidate filing periods – for posts including city council seats – open at 8 a.m. Monday, July 14.

The filing periods close at 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, unless one or more of the incumbents doesn't file to run for reelection, in which case the filing period will be extended until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, for non-incumbents, city officials said.

In Clearlake, City Clerk Melissa Swanson said two city council seats, as well as the city treasurer and city clerk seats, are up for election. All have four-year terms.

The council seats are those currently held by Joey Luiz and Jeri Spittler. Spittler is headed to a fall runoff for the District 2 supervisorial seat against incumbent Jeff Smith, so it's unlikely she will run for reelection to the council.

In Lakeport, two four-year council seats are up for election in November, according to Lakeport City Clerk Janel Chapman.

The Lakeport seats to go on the ballot currently are held by Tom Engstrom and Stacey Mattina. Engstrom announced in February that he will not seek a second term.

Candidates must be registered to vote and reside within the limits of the city where they want to run, the clerks reported.

If no one or only one person is nominated for each elective office, appointment to the elective office may be made as prescribed by Section 10229 of the State Elections Code, Swanson said.

Each candidate must be nominated by not less than 20 nor more than 30 registered voters, Chapman said.

Chapman recommended that prospective candidates pick up nomination papers well in advance of the deadline for filing to allow time to gather signatures.  

For Clearlake, candidate packets will be available in the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Swanson encouraged candidates to call her office at 707-994-8201, Extension 106, or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to schedule an appointment, as the packet disbursal process will take approximately one hour.

For Lakeport candidates, Chapman asked that they contact her at 707-263-5615, Extension 12, for further information and to set up an appointment to pick up and go over the nomination packet.  

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.

SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The effort to fully contain the Butts Fire continued Friday, with firefighters gaining more ground and preventing the incident from growing.

Cal Fire said the fire's acreage remained at 4,300 acres on Friday, with containment rising to 65 percent.

The fire – the cause of which is still under investigation – began on Tuesday afternoon in Pope Valley north of Lake Berryessa, just inside Napa County, and burned into south Lake County.

The steep, rugged terrain has been a challenge to firefighters. Cal Fire said there have been a total of three injuries during the firefighting effort so far.

Overnight weather conditions allowed firefighters to continue making progress constructing handlines, Cal Fire reported.

On Friday, a total of 1,755 personnel remained assigned to the fire, along with 116 fire engines, 62 fire crews, four air tankers, nine helicopters, 10 dozers and 15 water tenders from agencies around the North Coast, Cal Fire said.

Cooperating agencies on the fire include the Napa County Sheriff's, California Highway Patrol, United States Forest Service, California Office of Emergency Services, Napa County Office of Emergency Services, Lake County Office of Emergency Services, Pacific Gas and Electric, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Napa County Fire.

Nine structures – two homes and seven outbuildings – were destroyed in the first days of the fire, Cal fire reported.

However, there are no longer any threats to homes in the area, Cal Fire said.

Evacuation orders for areas of Napa County and a voluntary evacuation order for the Butts Canyon corridor inside Lake County was lifted on Thursday, and all roads in the area have been reopened, fire officials said.

Cal Fire urged area residents to be especially careful during the holiday weekend due to weather conditions and elevated fire danger.

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