Acknowledging that the dismal job market is a factor, and that the Post-9/11 GI Bill is becoming a great tool to draw volunteers, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps announced Oct. 12 they had met or exceeded their recruit targets at levels not seen since the Cold War ended.

But recruit command leaders also struck a cautionary tone on challenges ahead as the economy improves, as budgets tighten, and as the proportion of youth who can serve continues to slide as youth obesity rises.

Clifford Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, unveiled the outstanding recruiting results for fiscal 2010 at a Pentagon press conference, with service recruiting chiefs at his side.

He did so against a backdrop of a force under enormous strain and some disturbing recruiting patterns, described by his boss, Defense Secretary Roberts Gates, in a very candid lecture two weeks ago at Duke University.

Gates noted that “no major war in our history has been fought with a smaller percentage” of citizens in uniform, just 2.4 million active and reserve members out of a country of more than 300 million, or less than one percent.

So few have been fighting for so long, Gates said, that it brings “dilemmas and consequences.” One is the enormous stress from long, multiple deployments, especially for junior and mid-level officers and sergeants in ground combat and support specialties.

They are “the most battle-tested, innovative and impressive generation of military leaders this country has produced in a very long time,” he said. But the strain on them and on their families is causing more anxiety and distress for their children, more domestic strife, higher divorce rates “and, most tragically, a rising number of suicides.”

While noting that all services are meeting recruiting and retention goals, Gates said that four decades of an all-volunteer force “has reinforced” demographic and cultural shifts affecting “who is most likely to serve and from where.”

Citing studies recruiting officials don’t usually discuss publicly, Gates said the biggest factor affecting propensity to serve is “growing up near those who have or are serving. In this country, that propensity to serve is most pronounced in the South and the Mountain West, and in rural areas and small towns nationwide…[T]he percentage of the force from the Northeast, the West Coast and major cities continues to decline.”

Military basing and recruiting patterns have reinforced this “growing concentration” or imbalance among certain regions and families, Gate said.

“With limited resources, the services focus their recruiting efforts on candidates where they are most likely to have success – with those who have friends, classmates and parents who have already served. In addition, global basing changes in recent years have moved a significant percentage of the Army to posts in just five states: Texas, Washington, Georgia, Kentucky, and here in North Carolina…Many military facilities in the northeast and on the west coast have been shut down, leaving a void of relationships and understanding of the armed forces in their wake.”

He noted that Alabama, with a population of less than five million, has 10 Army Reserve Officer Training Candidate programs versus only four ROTC programs in the Los Angeles metro area of 12 million and three in the Chicago area with a population of nine million.

Personnel chief Stanley was asked Tuesday whether he and service recruiting commanders have begun to address the recruiting effort’s imbalance across geographic regions described by Gates.

“We continue to focus in all areas of our nation, but we know that we have pockets, we have things, that we can do better,” Stanley said.

Location of reserve officer training, he said, “is not as diverse as it should be or could be, not as representative of different colleges [and] universities, so we are focusing on that.”

The aim, Stanley added, is for “a force that represents our nation. We are doing that very well in some areas, but we know we need to improve.”

The military tracks recruit quality by test scores and by high school graduation rates. Ninety-nine percent of recruits last year had diplomas. That surpassed DoD’s benchmark of 90 percent of recruits with diplomas.

The recruit benchmark on test scores is at least 60 percent scoring above the 50th percentile for youth nationwide. All services exceeded that goal. The Air Force led with 90 percent of new recruits scoring at or above average versus 83 percent for Navy, 72 for Marines and 64 percent for Army.

“Our economy has something to do with this but not everything,” said Stanley. The most common motivation, he said, is still youth desire to serve.

The recruiting service commanders all agreed the new GI Bill, which doubles the value of veterans’ education benefits and drops a $1200 contribution requirement, has helped pull in more quality for recruiters.

Rear Adm. Craig S. Faller, head of Navy recruiting, called it “one of the most positive things that I’ve seen for in my time in service…It really has helped us attract higher quality recruits.”

His counterpart, Maj. Gen. Donald M. Campbell, said the Post-9/11 GI Bill “has made a big difference” in Army recruiting.

“In fact, I’m using it to send my daughter to school,” said Campbell. “And I use my Army story when I talk to young men and women…It’s another great reason to serve their country.”

The new GI Bill “is certainly compelling” to prospective recruits, agreed Brig. Gen. Balan Ayyar, Air Force Recruiting Service commander. But the effect it is having on retaining careerists, given the option to transfer benefits to a spouse or to children, “is really just remarkable,” he said.

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

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On Oct. 8, Mendocino Community Health Clinic (MCHC) received notice of its $4.9 million award through the Affordable Care Act Capital Development Grant.

The Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), who administers the grant, requires that grant funds be used to support the costs of alteration/renovation or construction of a facility that is consistent with the health center program’s mission – to provide comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations.

“You’ve heard the old adage, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?’ Well, community health centers were founded on this premise,” said MCHC Public Relations Director Jendi Coursey.

Federally Qualified Health Centers like MCHC provide primary care, and they help patients manage chronic diseases so they don’t require more expensive hospital care, Coursey said.

“They’re the best bang for your health care buck,” Coursey added.

In Ukiah, MCHC has provided care at Hillside Health Center on Laws Avenue for 16 years, creatively making the best use of available space. With these grant funds, MCHC will be able to provide patients with more appropriate and comfortable spaces, better privacy and streamlined services.

Temporary modular buildings will be replaced with permanent structures. Cramped waiting rooms will be expanded. Technology infrastructure will be more robust.

Plans include investments at all three health centers: Hillside in Ukiah, Little Lake in Willits and Lakeside in Lakeport.

“We are thrilled to receive federal dollars that will allow us to meet the needs of more patients as health care reform is enacted,” said MCHC Chief Executive Officer Linnea Hunter.

As a result of the grant, MCHC will provide 16 new local construction jobs. Completion of the renovations in 2012 will coincide with the organization’s 20th anniversary.

“Thanks to this grant funding, MCHC will be ready to care for the community for another 20 years,” Hunter said.

During the next two years, health care reform will make health insurance available to more individuals than ever before.

While this is wonderful news for the uninsured, it poses a challenge for health care providers as they prepare for additional patients, Hunter said. “Our buildings and infrastructure need to be updated to meet current and future patient needs.”

“Community clinics are perfectly positioned to become people’s medical home. We provide an integrated approach to health care with medical, dental and behavioral health services for all ages,” said MCHC Medical Director Dr. Michael Carnevale.

He added, “This grant will allow us to invest in technology and building expansions so we can continue to care for everyone in need.”

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Jack O'Hara's second quarter 27-yard touchdown run gave Lower Lake a short-lived 12-7 lead on Friday, October 15, 2010. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – In a tightly fought battle, the Fort Bragg Timberwolves narrowly defeated the Lower Lake Trojans football team 49-42 in Lower Lake Friday night.

It was a seesaw offensive battle Fort Bragg head coach Jack Moyer called a “tit-for-tat back and forth game.”

After the Timberwolves lost the ball on downs on their opening possession, the Trojans drove 66 yards in 10 plays to score first, capped by a two-yard dash into the Fort Bragg end zone by quarterback Devante Scott.

Fort Bragg’s Cody Ryden ran the ensuing Trojan kickoff 53 yards downfield to Lower Lake’s 37-yard line, and nine plays later caught a Brandon Freitas pass from the three-yard line for their first score of the night. The extra point by Eric Herrejon put the Timberwolves ahead 7-6.

Three Timberwolves close in on a fumble by Lower Lakes' Roy Percoats. The recovery by Brandon Freitas (No. 21) set up a touchdown for a 21-12 Fort Bragg lead. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

Lower Lake answered with a nine-play, 74-yard drive of their own, scoring their second touchdown of the night when runningback Jack O’Hara carried the ball 9 yards into the Timberwolves’ endzone to reclaim the lead for the Trojans 12-7.

But the Wolves need just one play – a 70-yard pass from Freitas to Ryden – to take back the lead 14-12.

“They were able to score at will on us,” Lower Lake Head Coach Stan Weiper said after the game.

When the Trojans fumbled the ball deep in their own territory and Fort Bragg recovered, the Timberwolves took advantage of the turnover, scoring on a nine-yard Freitas pass to Michael Mehtlan for their third touchdown of the night, bringing the score to 21-12.

Lower Lake answered with a touchdown of their own, and when Alphonza Daniels made the two-point conversion, the Trojans trailed by only one, 21-20.

“They came right after us,” Timberwolves head coach Moyer said after the game. “They scared me is what they did.”

But Fort Bragg scored once more in the first half on a 16-yard Freitas pass to wide receiver Alfredo Huerta, and when Eric Herrejon made his fourth extra point of the night, the Wolves went ahead 28-20.

Lower Lake tried to score again, but with just 4 seconds left in the second quarter and down to their last play, quarterback Devante Scott was stopped on a four-yard run just inches from the goal line.

“That was a critical play,” Weiper said. “I had the wrong personnel in the game, and we just didn’t get a good play call.”

When the Trojans fumbled on their opening possession of the second half, the Timberwolves recovered and scored on another Freitas-to-Ryden pass, this one for 20 yards, increasing Fort Bragg’s lead to 35-20.

But running back Roy Percoats had a 51-yard touchdown carry for Lower Lake on their next possession, and that narrowed the score to 35-26.

Fort Bragg's Alfredo Huerta outfights Lower Lake's Alphonza Daniels for a pass reception and scores for a 28-20 Timberwolf lead. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

The Wolves answered with their own 50-plus yard touchdown run by Caleb Cunha, and Fort Bragg increased their lead 42-26.

“I’ll be rolling in my sleep tonight on a couple of those plays,” Weiper said after the game, noting his team made “a couple of key mistakes.”

When Lower Lake’s Roy Percoats took the ensuing Timberwolve kickoff 70 yards downfield, the Trojans benefited from a facemask penalty against Fort Bragg, and O’Hara scored his second touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run. After O’Hara made the 2-point conversion, the score stood at 42-34.

“We knew they were good, and they had a lot of speed,” Timberwolves coach Moyer said. “They’ve got so many guys that have good team speed, it’s really hard to cover them.”

Lower Lake forced the Timberwolves to punt on their next possession, but fumbled the ball deep in their territory, and Freitas threw his fourth touchdown pass of the night, bringing the score to 49-34.

The Trojans fought back with their longest drive of the night, using 11 plays to charge 62 yards downfield for another touchdown. After a successful 2-point conversion, Lower Lake was in striking distance, down by 49-42.

Fort Bragg threatened to score once more, but Freitas relinquished his only interception of the game when Lower Lake defensive back Alphonza Daniels made a spectacular, acrobatic catch on the Trojans’ one-yard line.

“He’ll catch impossible catches,” Weiper said of his defensive back.

With less than four minutes left in the game, Lower Lake tried to drive downfield again, but Ryden intercepted a Hail Mary pass by the Trojans, and Fort Bragg ran out the clock.

“We played real well on offense, and not so well on defense,” Moyer said after the game. “It’s hard getting these road wins.”

Fort Bragg runningback Caleb Cunha carried the ball 18 times for 142 yards, and quarterback Brandon Freitas completed 13 out of 18 passes for a total of 257 yards.

“The kids played hard,” Weiper noted about the Trojans (now 4-2 overall, 0-1 in league play) adding, “We just ran out of time.”

Lower Lake’s JV team also fought a close match Friday night, but they prevailed over the JV Timberwolves by a score of 8-0.

Lower Lake travels to Kelseyville (5-1 overall, 1-0 in league play) next Friday night to take on the Knights, while the Timberwolves (6-0 overall, 1-0 in league play) host Middletown (5-1 overall, 0-0 in league play) in Fort Bragg.

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Caleb Cunha was the leading groundgainer for Fort Bragg on Friday, October 15, 2010. Photo by Ed Oswalt.

Congressman Mike Thompson and St. Helena Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Newmyer were among the dignitaries who spoke at the celebration of a planned emergency room renovation at St. Helena Hospital Clearlake on Friday, October 15, 2010, in Clearlake, Calif. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson was the featured speaker at an Oct. 15 gathering of community leaders and hospital representatives celebrating the planned $12.1 million renovation and expansion of St. Helena Hospital Clearlake’s emergency department.

The project is scheduled to begin with a ceremonial “wall breaking” on Nov. 10 at 8 a.m.

Jennifer Swenson, the hospital's vice president of operations, and St. Helena Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Newmyer also spoke at the Oct. 15 event.

Thompson praised the hospital for its commitment to improving the accessibility and quality of health care to area residents.

“This important project will help enhance the health and vitality of our community,” Thompson said, noting that the renovation will also help the local economy by adding jobs and boosting support for local businesses.

In addition to Thompson, community leaders attending the event included Clearlake Mayor Judy Thein; Supervisor Jeff Smith; Sheriff Rodney Mitchell; Lake County Fire Protection Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta; Jim Dowdy, Kelseyville Fire Department.; St. Helena Hospital Clearlake Governing Board members Arthur Bikangaga, MD, Mark Cooper, DDS, Fred Poucher, Jr., and Marc Shapiro, MD; and hospital executive medical staff members Paula Dhanda, MD, and Michael Shepherd, MD.

“Today is about building for the future,” Swenson told the gathering. “We are transforming care from the inside out by establishing a program that allows our physicians to remain inside the hospital to attend to the needs of our patients; implants the high quality standards that St. Helena Hospital in the Napa Valley has known for years; and provides an environment that supports clinical innovation, education and partnerships for our staff. We are also replacing old equipment with new, state-of-the-art equipment.”

The renovation will add five state-of-the-art patient monitoring rooms, bringing the total number of private rooms to 12. Two of the new rooms will be for trauma patients.

The project also will improve the configuration of the emergency department, providing a private ambulance entrance, a welcoming entrance for walk-in patients and visitors, and a pleasant, comfortable environment in the larger remodeled waiting area.

The triage area will be redesigned so that patients can go directly from the emergency department lobby to a private bed, if necessary.

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The group received $3,950.83 for six Garmin Rino two-way radios and a rescue mule litter wheel with handles.

The funds were awarded by the Modesto-based Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation's Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund in an effort to help Lake County Search and Rescue be better prepared and “therefore be more successful in their efforts to safely return missing persons to their loved ones.”

“I am deeply appreciative for all of the volunteers who provide their time and expertise for Search and Rescue operations,” Sheriff Rod Mitchell said. “I would like to thank the Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund for awarding us this new equipment. This equipment will enhance our volunteers’ abilities to return loved ones to their families in a safe and timely manner.”

Sharon Rocha founded the Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund in memory of her daughter, Laci Peterson, and grandson Conner.

“Many people spent countless hours helping in the search for my daughter, Laci,” Rocha said. “I believe that every missing person deserves to be found and returned to their loved ones. We hope to aid in that effort by providing funds to assist in search and rescue operations.”

The fund's purpose is to provide financial assistance to law enforcement agencies and nonprofit organizations involved in search and rescue operations. These organizations are able to apply for financial assistance for search and rescue training and the necessary equipment in order to improve their search and rescue capabilities.

Since its inception in December 2005, the Laci and Conner Search and Rescue Fund has funded more than $271,000 in grants to 62 organizations in 19 states.

For more information about the foundation visit www.carolesundfoundation.com.

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Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters and California Highway Patrol were among the agencies on the scene of a crash on Saturday, October 16, 2010, near Glenhaven, Calif. Photo by Gary McAuley.

The California reported that the single-vehicle incident occurred just west of Glenhaven shortly before 1:30 p.m.

A man, whose name was not available from officials on Saturday, was traveling westbound on Highway 20 with his dog in his late model Honda Ridgeline SUV when the vehicle rolled over. It was not immediately clear why the vehicle rolled.

The vehicle, which was heading westbound, ended up back on its wheels and the driver and his dog were able to get out, officials reported. Man and canine were said to be uninjured.

A tow truck pulled the Honda Ridgeline westward to clear the roadway, but a wrecker had to be called, as the front axle of the Honda was broken and couldn't be towed. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Cal Fire responded with two engines and arrived on scene first, remaining on scene to direct traffic and assisting with removing debris from the roadway.

Two CHP units were on scene along with Northshore Fire, which sent one medic unit each from Lucerne and Clearlake Oaks and one battalion chief. Other units were canceled while en route due to the collision being noninjury.

Gary McAuley contributed to this report.

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Traffic along Highway 20 in Lake County, Calif., was backed up on the afternoon of Saturday, October 16, 2010, as officials dealt with a crash scene near Glenhaven. Photo by Gary McAuley.

THE GEYSERS – The Geysers and Cobb area experienced a 3.5-magnitude earthquake Tuesday morning.

The temblor hit at 10:51 a.m. four miles north of The Geysers and 10 miles southwest of Clearlake, the US Geological Survey reported.

The survey said the quake was poorly constrained and occurred at the earth's surface.

Cobb resident Roger Kinney, a frequent contributor regarding earthquake reports in the area, said he was standing outside when the quake occurred, and that he saw his home shudder as a result of it.

The US Geological Survey received three shake reports – one from Kelseyville, one from Middletown and one from San Jose.

A 3.0-magnitude earthquake was reported at The Geysers on Oct. 4, as Lake County News has reported.

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A vehicle that hit a power pole knocked out power to a nearby block on Saturday, October 16, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

NICE, Calif. – A driver fled the scene Saturday night after driving their vehicle into a power pole in Nice.

The crash occurred at around 11 p.m. Saturday on Floyd Way, according to the California Highway Patrol.

A Dodge Neon went into the power pole and sheared it in half before the driver got out and left the scene, according to initial reports. No injuries were reported by the CHP.

Reports from the scene indicated a sheriff's deputy who first arrived on the scene didn't see the downed power lines and got her patrol car's light bar snagged on them. The deputy was not harmed and the car later was untangled from the lines, which weren't powered.

The CHP said the entire block was out of power because of the crash.

Northshore Fire and the sheriff's office arrived to help stabilize the scene by blocking off Floyd Way to keep the public out of the area, the CHP said.

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The driver of this vehicle reportedly fled the scene after the crash on the night of Saturday, October 16, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Zino Mezoui taking part in the olive pit spitting contest at the Kelseyville Olive Festival in Kelseyville, Calif., on Saturday, March 21, 2010. Photo by Lexie Firth.

On Sept. 24, 2010, a tragic crash took the life of one of Lake County’s most beloved citizens.

Zino Mezoui was a restaurateur, an avid supporter of local agriculture, and one of the warmest people on the planet. He also made a mean eggplant parmigiana.

Mezoui (pronounced mez-WEE) was known as Zino to virtually everyone. He preferred hugs to handshakes, treated new acquaintances like old friends, and dispensed his trademark smile generously, without reservation.

Nearly 500 people attended his recent memorial service on Oct. 9, a testament to the number of hearts he touched throughout his life.

It was hard to encounter Zino without being affected by his warmth and charm.

Congressman Mike Thompson, who’s known Mezoui since the late 1980s, said that Mezoui made him feel as though he’d known him all his life at their first meeting.

“Since that time, whenever I’ve seen him, Zino made me feel like the most special person in the world,” Thompson said. “I’ve enjoyed many meals in his restaurant.”

Alison Mannweiler, also a regular customer at Mezoui’s restaurant, recalls his kindness to her after her husband passed away, assuring her she would find love again. Another fond memory is his patience in speaking French slowly and animatedly with her daughter, a novice speaker.

One evening Mannweiler took her parents to Zino’s Ristorante for a special occasion and was stymied about a wine selection.

She recalled, “He recommended the perfect wine and did it in a way that made me look smart. I will miss him and his hospitality for the rest of my life.”

As will we all.

Born in Algiers of French parents, Mezoui inherited a rich culinary tradition from his father and grandfather, both restaurateurs and chefs.

He learned cooking skills at a very young age in the family restaurant kitchen from both his parents and continued to hone those skills throughout his life, both as a chef and restaurant owner.

Zino Mezoui and his mother during a visit she made from France. Photo by JoAnn Saccato.

Though his first learned cuisine was French, he taught himself to cook Italian food later in his career.

Prior to moving to Lake County, Mezoui owned Zino’s, a restaurant on the plaza in Sonoma, which he ran for 22 years. As he is here, he was known in Sonoma for his warmth and charm. The city rewarded him in 2002 with a “Zino Mezoui Day” and gave him the designation of Sonoma’s friendliest restaurant owner.

Mezoui and wife, Jan, purchased Zino’s Ristorante and Inn on the shores of Clear Lake in 2007 after having been out of the restaurant business for about six years. They had looked at other Lake County sites, but none seemed right until they found the current locale on Soda Bay Road.

Jan recalls the exact moment. “We entered the room and when we saw the view, we put our arms around each other and said, ‘This is it!’”

What ensued was a complete overhaul of the kitchen and a marathon redecorating project, resulting in a dining room with spectacular views of Clear Lake and old world European charm.

Among other things, Mezoui will be remembered for his support of local agriculture.

He was committed to serving locally grown produce in his restaurant and Leonardis Organics of Kelseyville was his purveyor of choice.

Owner Jim Leonardis recalled Mezoui’s desire to have him bring “whatever you’ve got” and his willingness to fashion his menu around what was in season on the farm.

Leonardis, who described Mezoui as “enormously warm,” developed an almost immediate bond with him and characterized their relationship as a deep friendship, rather than a business arrangement.

“Zino was one of the most wonderful people I’ve had the joy to be with,” said Leonardis.

Mezoui’s widow, Jan, will continue the tradition of utilizing local produce in the kitchen.

I enjoyed a tomato bisque soup made with locally grown basil and heirloom tomatoes while my husband and I dined there on a recent evening. Our table was near a window, a perfect place to enjoy a peaceful view of glassy Clear Lake and the changing light on the hills at the lake’s far edge.

In view was a dock extending into the water for those who arrive at the restaurant by boat.

Jan is a warm and gracious host and will continue the Mezoui family tradition of greeting customers with hugs as she carries on Zino’s dream as a restaurateur.

Zino’s Ristorante is open five evenings a week for dinner, from Thursday through Monday.

Their chef, Daniel, trained by Zino, has been with them since the beginning and will continue to make such specialties as bruschetta with Brie, roasted garlic and heirloom tomatoes; all manner of pasta; fresh fish in season; peppercorn steak with mushrooms and Zinfandel; and, of course, eggplant parmigiana.

Esther Oertel, the "Veggie Girl," is a personal chef and culinary coach and is passionate about local produce. Oertel owns The SageCoach Personal Chef Service and teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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The view of Soda Bay from Zino's Ristorante in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo by Esther Oertel.

A 2010 Orionid meteor, seen over Western Ontario, Canada. A waxing gibbous moon shines brightly at the left side of the image. Courtesy of Meteor Physics Group, University of Western Ontario.

The most famous of all comets, Comet Halley is noted for producing spectacular displays when it passes near Earth on its 76-year trip around the sun.

However, you don't have to wait until 2061 to see a piece of the comet – you can do it this very week.

Halley's Comet leaves bits of itself behind – in the form of small conglomerates of dust and ice called meteoroids – as it moves in its orbit, which the Earth approaches in early May and mid-October.

When it does, it collides with these bits of ice and dust, producing a meteor shower as the particles ablate – or burn up – many miles above our heads.

The May shower is called the Eta Aquarids, as the meteors appear to come from the constellation Aquarius. The October shower has meteors that appear to come from the well-known constellation of Orion the Hunter, hence the name: Orionids.

Orionids move very fast, at a speed of 147,300 miles per hour. At such an enormous speed, the meteors don't last long, burning up very high in the atmosphere.

Last year, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration's allsky cameras at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., and in Chickamauga, Ga., recorded 43 definite Orionid meteors.

Most of these appeared at an altitude of 68 miles and completely burned up by the time they were 60 miles above the ground, seen in the graph below.

The peak isn't until Thursday, Oct. 21, but the shower is going on now. The NASA camera systems saw their first Orionid on Oct. 15. Unfortunately, the light from the nearly full moon will wash out the fainter meteors, so expect to see fewer than the 30-per-hour rate you might see under completely dark skies.

The good news is that watching Orionids is easy.

Go out into a clear, dark sky after 11 p.m. at night – your local time – and lie on a sleeping bag or lawn chair. Look straight up. After a few minutes, your eyes will become dark-adapted, you'll start to see meteors.

Any of these that appear to come from Orion will be an Orionid, and therefore represent a piece of Halley's Comet doing its death dive into our atmosphere.

Most folks would consider seeing one or two of these a fair exchange for an hour or so of time.

To see a video of an Orionid meteor streaking over western Ontario on Oct. 17, click here: www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/orionids2010.html.

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Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said her office will begin processing vote by mail ballots for the Nov. 2 General Election, on Monday, Oct. 18, at 8 a.m.

The processing of the vote by mail voter ballots will continue through Election Day as well as during the official canvass, she said.

The counting of the official ballots will commence on Tuesday, Nov. 2, in the Registrar of Voters Office, Room 209 in the Lake County Courthouse at 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport. However, Fridley said results will not be announced until after the close of the polls at 8 p.m.

The official canvass will commence on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 9 a.m. and will continue daily – excluding weekends and holidays – until completed, Fridley reported.

Observers are invited to view the processing and counting of the ballots, but Fridley said they shall not interfere with the election process.

The test of the tabulation computer and software equipment to be used in the Nov. 2 general election will take place at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, Fridley said.

Fridley said the logic and accuracy test is required by regulations set forth by the California State Commission on Voting Machines and Vote Tabulating Devices.

Fridley said all interested persons are invited to observe the test.

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