LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service is predicting chances of thunderstorms over the weekend and on Monday.
Lake County and other parts of northwest California remain under a hazardous weather watch through next week.
Forecasters said there are chances of rain during the day on Saturday, with a 100-percent chance on Saturday night.
Rainfall totals on Saturday night are estimated at between a quarter and a half an inch, and between a tenth and quarter of an inch on Sunday, according to the forecast.
Thunderstorms are possible on Sunday and Sunday night, as well as on Monday morning, with more rain expected on Monday night and into Tuesday. Conditions are then forecast to clear until Friday.
Winds of up to 14 miles per hour are forecast on Saturday and Sunday, with gusts of above 20 miles per hour on Monday.
Daytime temperatures will range from the high 50s to high 60s through Wednesday, rising into the low 70s on Thursday and Friday. Nighttime temperatures will range from the low 40 to low 50s.
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. – New COVID-19 testing is now available in Lake County.
The county of Lake reported that Verily’s Project Baseline arrived in Lake County on Wednesday and began work to operate a mobile drive-thru testing site, in collaboration with Team Rubicon USA and Lake County Health Services staff.
Lake County’s Health Services Department’s Public Health Division has been working to increase COVID-19 testing opportunities within Lake County in order to protect communities and meet the governor’s required mandates for moving through the process of reopening the local economy.
Officials reported that surveillance testing is a must in Lake County, where a quarter of the population is at risk of severe complications.
Residents can now screen their symptoms and, if eligible, make an appointment for testing at various sites around the county, using Project Baseline’s COVID-19 Testing Program online screening tool and appointment scheduling system, found at www.projectbaseline.com/COVID19 .
This program will focus first on high-risk populations. Screening and testing criteria are based on public health guidelines, which may be updated to reflect the latest guidance from public health authorities.
Project Baseline’s COVID-19 Program provides a connected solution to support individuals from screening through testing and receipt of their test results.
Verily developed the Baseline COVID-19 Program working closely with state and local government health authorities and other private health organizations, with the goal of expanding access to COVID-19 screening and testing.
Based on the COVID-19 screener and testing appointment availability, individuals will learn whether they are eligible for testing through this program, and be provided a testing location and appointment.
Eligible persons must be 18 years or older and live in Lake County.
Project Baseline can take appointments up to 48 hours in advance. Testing sites will be rotated throughout the county.
Appointments will be scheduled Monday through Friday. Results are usually returned within two to five days. Times, dates and sites will be adjusted based on community need.
If you still have questions, please send an email request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-263-8174 during business hours.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county’s planned tax-defaulted land sale set for later this month has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, Lake County Treasurer-Tax Collector Barbara Ringen updated the Board of Supervisors on the sale, reporting its cancellation and plans to reschedule.
Ringen’s written report to the board said that in a March 30 letter the State Controller’s Office had “strongly recommended” to county tax collectors that such tax sales be canceled or postponed until the governor provided further guidance.
While such land sales take place under statutory requirements, Ringen’s report said the governor can suspend statutory provisions as necessary. At the same time, Gov. Gavin Newsom “has moved to protect citizens from being displaced due to their financial situation related to the COVID-19 crisis.”
“Tax Defaulted Land Sale 157 is cancelled due to the Governor's executive order,” Ringen said in her written report.
That also was her message to the board during its meeting on Tuesday.
Ringen said she is planning to reschedule the sale for October. Once she has a date set, she said she will come back to the board for approval.
Ringen’s previous reports to the board stated that 240 properties were to be auctioned off.
In addition to a new date in October, Ringen said she is looking at conducting another tax sale in March 2021.
The county has thousands of properties in tax default, totaling millions of dollars in uncollected revenue.
The city of Clearlake and the county have been at loggerheads over the tax sales, which have not happened as frequently under Ringen’s tenure, a fact she has attributed to issues including staffing.
Earlier this year, the city threatened the county with legal action if Ringen’s office didn’t make additional efforts to hold more sales.
Those issues didn’t arise directly during Tuesday’s board meeting, although Ringen told the board that her office is working to reduce the number of parcels that are in tax default. She said she doesn’t know if they will be able to catch up any time soon.
Supervisor Tina Scott asked Ringen how many properties have been redeemed ahead of the tax sale.
Ringen estimated 25 to 30 properties had been redeemed, noting the majority of redemptions happen in the 30 days before a sale. She said that the county has so far collected $350,000 in delinquent taxes in relation to parcels listed in the recent sale.
She also reported that her department will be closely tracking properties impacted by COVID-19.
Last month, the board approved a process for waiving late fees and penalties for property owners who cannot pay on time due to impacts of the pandemic, as Lake County News has reported.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest will provide additional developed recreational opportunities to the public on Saturday, May 16.
“We continue to recommend that you follow local shelter in place orders and recreate close to home,” Mendocino National Forest Supervisor Ann Carlson said. “All visitors should practice self-sufficiency during their visit to the Mendocino National Forest. Recreating responsibly will help ensure that expanded access to recreational facilities, services, and opportunities continues. All services may not be available, so please plan accordingly.”
Responsible recreation practices include:
• Maintaining at least 6 feet distancing from others. • Not gathering in groups and following the latest guidance from officials. • Communicating with others as you pass, alerting users of your presence and stepping aside to let others pass. • Packing out your trash and leaving with everything you bring in and use. • Bringing your own water, soap, sanitizer and toilet paper.
Please check the forest website and social media pages for the most up-to-date information on what is open so that you can plan your visit. You can call the Supervisor’s Office at 530-934-3316 during regular business hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The following sites will open on the Mendocino National Forest beginning Saturday, May 16:
Grindstone – open:
OHV trails
Boating sites
Sacramento River Boat Launch and Day Use Area
Campgrounds
Davis Flat – OHV Fouts – OHV Kingsley Glade Little Stony – OHV Mill Creek – OHV Mill Valley – OHV North Fork – OHV Old Mill – OHV Rocky Cabin South Fork – OHV Sugarfoot Sugar spring Three Prong Toomes Camp Whitlock
Group campgrounds
Grey Pine – OHV
Info site/fee station
Wolf Creek Vis – OHV
Interpretive site
Firefighter memorial Nye cabin site
Upper Lake OPEN
Pine Point Picnic Area
Covelo OPEN
Hammerhorn Lake Day Use Area and Campground Eel River Campground Howard Meadow CG Howard Lake CG Little Doe Atchison Campground
Closed recreation sites:
Grindstone Ranger District Camp Discovery Group Camp Masterson Group Camp Plaskett Meadows Campground and Day Use Area Sycamore Grove Campground Wells Cabin Campground West Crockett Campground
Upper Lake Ranger District
Bear Creek Campground Deer Valley Campground Fuller Grove Campground Middle Creek Campground Navy Campground Oak Flat Campground Penny Pines Campground Pine Mountain Lookout Rental Cabin Pogie Point Campground Sunset Campground
Cedar Camp Dixie Glade Main Letts Lake Saddle Camp Loop Spillway Stirrup Big Springs Summit Springs Th Various OHV trails on Upper Lake Ranger District
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic which has triggered a global financial crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday submitted his 2020-21 May Revision budget proposal to the Legislature, which he said is a balanced plan to close a budget gap of more than $54 billion brought on swiftly by the COVID-19 recession.
“COVID-19 has caused California and economies across the country to confront a steep and unprecedented economic crisis – facing massive job losses and revenue shortfalls,” said Gov. Newsom. “Our budget today reflects that emergency. We are proposing a budget to fund our most essential priorities – public health, public safety and public education – and to support workers and small businesses as we restart our economy. But difficult decisions lie ahead. With shared sacrifice and the resilient spirit that makes California great, I am confident we will emerge stronger from this crisis in the years ahead.”
The May Revision proposes to cancel new initiatives proposed in the governor’s budget, cancel and reduce spending included in the 2019 Budget Act, draw down reserves, borrow from special funds, temporarily increase revenues and make government more efficient.
Due to the size of the challenge, there is no responsible way to avoid reductions, Newsom said.
The budget will show that the most painful cuts will only be triggered if the federal government does not pass an aid package that helps states and local governments.
The proposal responds to the dramatic economic and revenue changes since January, when prudent fiscal management was reflected in a multi-year balanced budget plan with a $5.6 billion surplus and record reserve levels.
The rapid onset of the COVID-19 recession in California has resulted in more than 4 million unemployment claims being filed since mid-March, the unemployment rate is now projected to be 18 percent for the year, and there is a $41 billion drop in revenues compared to January’s forecast.
With a higher demand for social safety net services increasing state costs, the $54.3 billion deficit is more than three times the size of the record $16 billion set aside in the state’s Rainy Day Fund.
This recession-induced swing of nearly $60 billion in just four months underscores the necessity of additional federal funds to protect public health and safety, public education and other core government functions, as well as to support a safe and swift economic recovery.
If additional federal funds are not forthcoming, the May Revision spells out spending cuts necessary to meet the constitutional requirement for a balanced state budget.
While difficult decisions are required to close this sudden deficit as the state navigates to recovery, the May Revision is guided by principles of prudent fiscal management to protect public health, public safety, and public education; provide assistance to Californians who have been hurt the most by the pandemic; and invest in a safe and quick economic recovery.
“We are in unprecedented times. Just two months ago, we had record low unemployment numbers and a growing economy. Gov. Newsom’s revised budget reflects the difficult situation we are in – but we planned for this day. For a decade, California has been making strategic moves to put billions in our rainy day fund – and that rainy day is here,” said State Sen. Mike McGuire, whose district includes Lake County.
"This Legislature will continue to move critical legislation to protect Californians during this pandemic, as well as continue our important work on wildfire prevention and preparation, holding Pacific Gas and Electric accountable during PSPS power shutdowns, and enhancing fire services personnel. We are grateful Governor Newsom is continuing to prioritize these wildfire preparedness and prevention strategies and look forward to working with him in the months to come.
As a member of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, Sen. McGuire continued, “I look forward to working over the next month to pass a balanced budget that works for the people of California and tackles some of our toughest challenges.”
Key priorities are summarized below.
Protecting public health, public safety, and public education
The May Revision proposes $44.9 billion in General Fund support for schools and community colleges and $6 billion in additional federal funds to supplement state funding.
To address the decline in the constitutionally-required funding for schools and community colleges resulting from the COVID-19 recession, the May Revision proposes to reallocate $2.3 billion in funds previously dedicated to paying down schools’ unfunded liability to CalSTRS and CalPERS to instead pay the school employers' retirement contributions.
It also proposes a new obligation of 1.5 percent of state appropriation limit revenues starting in 2020-21 to avoid a permanent decline in school funding that grows to $4.6 billion in additional funding for schools and community colleges by 2023-24.
The May Revision prioritizes $4.4 billion in federal funding to address learning loss and equity issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 school closures this spring.
These funds will be used by districts to run summer programs and other programs that address equity gaps that were widened during the school closures. The funds also will be used to make necessary modifications so that schools are prepared to reopen in the fall and help support parents' ability to work. The May Revision also preserves the number of state-funded child care slots and expands access to child care for first responders.
The May Revision preserves community college free tuition waivers and maintains Cal Grants for college students, including the grants for students with dependent children established last year. Many workers return to higher education and job training after losing a job; continuing this initiative will prioritize affordability and access to these programs.
Supporting Californians facing the greatest hardships
With the COVID-19 recession hitting harder on families living paycheck to paycheck, the May Revision prioritizes funding for direct payments to families, children, seniors and persons with disabilities.
It maintains the newly expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, which targets $1 billion in financial relief to working families whose annual incomes are below $30,000 – and including a $1,000 credit for those families with children under the age of 6.
It maintains grant levels for families and individuals supported by the CalWORKs and SSI/SSP programs. It prioritizes funding to maintain current eligibility for critical health care services in both Medi-Cal and the expanded subsidies offered through the Covered California marketplace for Californians with incomes between 400 percent and 600 percent of the federal poverty level.
The revision also estimates unemployment insurance benefits in 2020-21 will be $43.8 billion – 650 percent higher than the $5.8 billion estimated in the governor's budget.
The May Revision targets $3.8 billion in federal funds to protect public health and safety. It also proposes $1.3 billion to counties for public health, behavioral health, and other health and human services programs, and also proposes $450 million to cities to support homeless individuals.
State government savings and efficiency
In addition to baseline reductions in state programs, savings in employee compensation are also necessary in the absence of federal funds.
Negotiations will commence or continue with the state’s collective bargaining units to achieve reduced pay of approximately 10 percent.
The May Revision includes a provision to impose reductions if the state cannot reach an agreement.
In addition, nearly all state operations will be reduced over the next two years, and nonessential contracts, purchases and travel have already been suspended.
The COVID-19 pandemic has required an unprecedented shift to telework for state government that has allowed state managers, led by the Government Operations Agency, to rethink their business processes. This transformation will result in expanded long-term telework strategies, reconfigured office space, reduced leased space, and flexible work schedules for employees when possible.
The administration also continues working with state departments in delivering more government services online – including expansion of the Department of Motor Vehicles’ virtual office visits pilot to other departments and agencies with more face-to-face interactions with Californians.
Supporting job creation, economic recovery, and opportunity
Given the critical role of small business in California’s economy, the May Revision proposes an augmentation of $50 million for a total increase of $100 million to the small business loan guarantee program to fill gaps in available federal assistance. This increase will be leveraged to access existing private lending capacity and philanthropy to provide necessary capital to restart California small businesses.
To support innovation and the creation of new businesses, the May Revision retains January proposals to support new business creation by exempting first-year businesses from the $800 minimum franchise tax.
During this time of unprecedented unemployment, the administration will work in partnership with the Legislature to help get people back to work and support the creation of good-paying jobs. It will develop proposals and actions to support a robust and equitable recovery both in the near term and the long term.
To this end, the administration is considering options to support job creation including: assistance to help spur the recovery of small businesses and the jobs they create, support for increased housing affordability and availability, and investments in human and physical infrastructure. Any investments and actions will focus on equity, shared prosperity and long-term growth.
The governor has convened a Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery – a diverse group of leaders from business, labor, and the non-profit sector – to develop actionable recommendations and advise the state on how the state’s economic recovery can be expedited.
Newsom said his administration is committed to additional actions, informed by the task force and other stakeholders, to support a safe, swift, equitable and environmentally-sound economic recovery.
The administration is also committed to working with colleges and universities to build on their experience with distance learning and develop a statewide educational program that will allow more students to access training and education through distance learning.
More details on the May Revision are available online at www.ebudget.ca.gov .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Over the past year, California has seen a growth in its number of residents while Lake County’s population has shown a minor decline that puts it at a 13-year low.
The California Department of Finance’s latest population report, released this month, contains preliminary year over year January 2020 and revised January 2019 population data for California cities, counties and the state.
The agency said the estimates are based on information through Jan. 1 and do not include adjustments for potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report said California added 87,494 residents to bring the state’s estimated total population to 39,782,870 people as of Jan. 1.
California’s population grew by only 0.2 percent, continuing a historically slow growth trend since the Great Recession, the report said.
Lake County’s population dropped by 0.4 percent over the past year, going from 64,268 residents in January 2019 to the January 2020 estimate of 64,040.
The 64,040 residents reported in January is the lowest population estimate recorded for Lake County since 2007. The county’s highest population in that time was 65,131 in 2014.
The city of Clearlake had the largest overall reduction in the past year, -0.5 percent, from 14,363 to 14,297, followed by the city of Lakeport, -0.4, 4,698 to 4,677. For the balance of the county, the reduction was -0.3, dropping from 45,207 to 45,066.
Lake is among the rural counties impacted by wildfires that experienced population loss, according to the report.
Neighboring counties showed the following numbers:
– Colusa: -0.4, year-over change, 21,990 to 21,902. – Glenn: 2.5, year-over change, 28,695 to 29,400. – Mendocino: -0.5, year-over change, 88,388 to 87,946. – Napa: -0.6, year-over change, 139,970 to 139,088. – Sonoma: -0.8, year-over change, 496,947 to 492,980. – Yolo: 0.4, year-over change, 220,896 to 221,705.
Over the past year, 256 cities gained population, 225 lost population and one had no change, the report said.
The report shows that growth has remained strong over the past year in the Central Valley’s interior counties and the Inland Empire. At the same time, growth has continued but remained modest in the Bay Area, and slowing to near zero and even negative in most of the coastal counties.
The report showed that seven counties had growth rates over 1.0 percent: Glenn, 2.5 percent; Yuba, 2 percent; Placer, 2 percent; El Dorado, 1.7 percent; San Benito, 1.4 percent, which was the notable Bay Area exception gaining over 1 percent due to increased housing construction; San Joaquin, 1.1 percent; and Kern, 1 percent.
California's statewide housing growth, as measured by net unit growth in completed housing units for 2019, was 94,662 units making 2019 the first time the state has added more housing units than people. Total housing in California reached 14,329,863 units, a 0.7 -percent increase, according to the report.
Of the 14,329,863 housing units in California, the report said 9,228,303 are single-family and 4,540,850 are multi-family with 560,817 mobile homes. Multi-family housing growth outpaced single-family housing by almost 8,695 net units – meaning, new construction minus demolition – continuing an eight-year trend.
The California Department of Finance produces the population estimates annually as part of calculating its annual appropriations limit.
The State Controller’s Office uses the Department of Finance's estimates to update its population figures for distribution of state subventions to cities and counties, and to comply with various state codes.
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 above images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot were made using data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory on April 1, 2018. By combining observations captured at almost the same time from the two different observatories, astronomers were able to determine that dark features on the Great Red Spot are holes in the clouds rather than masses of dark material. Upper left (wide view) and lower left (detail): The Hubble image of sunlight (visible wavelengths) reflecting off clouds in Jupiter’s atmosphere shows dark features within the Great Red Spot. Upper right: A thermal infrared image of the same area from Gemini shows heat emitted as infrared energy. Cool overlying clouds appear as dark regions, but clearings in the clouds allow bright infrared emission to escape from warmer layers below. Lower middle: An ultraviolet image from Hubble shows sunlight scattered back from the hazes over the Great Red Spot. The Great Red Spot appears red in visible light because these hazes absorb blue wavelengths. The Hubble data show that the hazes continue to absorb even at shorter ultraviolet wavelengths. Lower right: A multiwavelength composite of Hubble and Gemini data shows visible light in blue and thermal infrared in red. The combined observations show that areas that are bright in infrared are clearings or places where there is less cloud cover blocking heat from the interior. The Hubble and Gemini observations were made to provide a wide-view context for Juno’s 12th pass (Perijove 12). Credits: NASA, ESA, and M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley) and team. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the ground-based Gemini Observatory in Hawaii have teamed up with the Juno spacecraft to probe the mightiest storms in the solar system, taking place more than 500 million miles away on the giant planet Jupiter.
A team of researchers led by Michael Wong at the University of California, Berkeley, and including Amy Simon of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Imke de Pater also of UC Berkeley, are combining multiwavelength observations from Hubble and Gemini with close-up views from Juno's orbit about the monster planet, gaining new insights into turbulent weather on this distant world.
"We want to know how Jupiter's atmosphere works," said Wong. This is where the teamwork of Juno, Hubble and Gemini comes into play.
Radio 'light show'
Jupiter's constant storms are gigantic compared to those on Earth, with thunderheads reaching 40 miles from base to top — five times taller than typical thunderheads on Earth — and powerful lightning flashes up to three times more energetic than Earth's largest "superbolts."
Like lightning on Earth, Jupiter's lightning bolts act like radio transmitters, sending out radio waves as well as visible light when they flash across the sky.
Every 53 days, Juno races low over the storm systems detecting radio signals known as "sferics" and "whistlers," which can then be used to map lightning even on the day side of the planet or from deep clouds where flashes are not otherwise visible.
Coinciding with each pass, Hubble and Gemini watch from afar, capturing high-resolution global views of the planet that are key to interpreting Juno's close-up observations.
"Juno's microwave radiometer probes deep into the planet's atmosphere by detecting high-frequency radio waves that can penetrate through the thick cloud layers. The data from Hubble and Gemini can tell us how thick the clouds are and how deep we are seeing into the clouds," Simon explained.
By mapping lightning flashes detected by Juno onto optical images captured of the planet by Hubble and thermal infrared images captured at the same time by Gemini, the research team has been able to show that lightning outbreaks are associated with a three-way combination of cloud structures: deep clouds made of water, large convective towers caused by upwelling of moist air — essentially Jovian thunderheads — and clear regions presumably caused by downwelling of drier air outside the convective towers.
The Hubble data show the height of the thick clouds in the convective towers, as well as the depth of deep water clouds. The Gemini data clearly reveal the clearings in the high-level clouds where it is possible to get a glimpse down to the deep water clouds.
Wong thinks that lightning is common in a type of turbulent area known as folded filamentary regions, which suggests that moist convection is occurring in them. "These cyclonic vortices could be internal energy smokestacks, helping release internal energy through convection," he said. "It doesn't happen everywhere, but something about these cyclones seems to facilitate convection."
The ability to correlate lightning with deep water clouds also gives researchers another tool for estimating the amount of water in Jupiter's atmosphere, which is important for understanding how Jupiter and the other gas and ice giants formed, and therefore how the solar system as a whole formed.
While much has been gleaned about Jupiter from previous space missions, many of the details — including how much water is in the deep atmosphere, exactly how heat flows from the interior and what causes certain colors and patterns in the clouds — remain a mystery. The combined result provides insight into the dynamics and three-dimensional structure of the atmosphere.
Seeing a 'jack-o-lantern' red spot
With Hubble and Gemini observing Jupiter more frequently during the Juno mission, scientists are also able to study short-term changes and short-lived features like those in the Great Red Spot.
Images from Juno as well as previous missions to Jupiter revealed dark features within the Great Red Spot that appear, disappear and change shape over time. It was not clear from individual images whether these are caused by some mysterious dark-colored material within the high cloud layer, or if they are instead holes in the high clouds — windows into a deeper, darker layer below.
Now, with the ability to compare visible-light images from Hubble with thermal infrared images from Gemini captured within hours of each other, it is possible to answer the question.
Regions that are dark in visible light are very bright in infrared, indicating that they are, in fact, holes in the cloud layer.
In cloud-free regions, heat from Jupiter's interior that is emitted in the form of infrared light — otherwise blocked by high-level clouds — is free to escape into space and therefore appears bright in Gemini images.
"It's kind of like a jack-o-lantern," said Wong. "You see bright infrared light coming from cloud-free areas, but where there are clouds, it's really dark in the infrared."
Hubble and Gemini as Jovian weather trackers
The regular imaging of Jupiter by Hubble and Gemini in support of the Juno mission is proving valuable in studies of many other weather phenomena as well, including changes in wind patterns, characteristics of atmospheric waves and the circulation of various gases in the atmosphere.
Hubble and Gemini can monitor the planet as a whole, providing real-time base maps in multiple wavelengths for reference for Juno's measurements in the same way that Earth-observing weather satellites provide context for NOAA's high-flying Hurricane Hunters.
"Because we now routinely have these high-resolution views from a couple of different observatories and wavelengths, we are learning so much more about Jupiter's weather," explained Simon. "This is our equivalent of a weather satellite. We can finally start looking at weather cycles."
Because the Hubble and Gemini observations are so important for interpreting Juno data, Wong and his colleagues Simon and de Pater are making all of the processed data easily accessible to other researchers through the Mikulski Archives for Space Telescopes, or MAST, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
"What's important is that we've managed to collect this huge data set that supports the Juno mission. There are so many applications of the data set that we may not even anticipate. So, we're going to enable other people to do science without that barrier of having to figure out on their own how to process the data," Wong said.
The results were published in April 2020 in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series.
This graphic shows observations and interpretations of cloud structures and atmospheric circulation on Jupiter from the Juno spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Gemini Observatory. By combining the Juno, Hubble and Gemini data, researchers are able to see that lightning flashes are clustered in turbulent regions where there are deep water clouds and where moist air is rising to form tall convective towers similar to cumulonimbus clouds (thunderheads) on Earth. The bottom illustration of lightning, convective towers, deep water clouds and clearings in Jupiter's atmosphere is based on data from Juno, Hubble and Gemini, and corresponds to the transect (angled white line) indicated on the Hubble and Gemini map details. The combination of observations can be used to map the cloud structure in three dimensions and infer details of atmospheric circulation. Thick, towering clouds form where moist air is rising (upwelling and active convection). Clearings form where drier air sinks (downwelling). The clouds shown rise five times higher than similar convective towers in the relatively shallow atmosphere of Earth. The region illustrated covers a horizontal span one-third greater than that of the continental United States. Credits: NASA, ESA, M.H. Wong (UC Berkeley), A. James and M.W. Carruthers (STScI), and S. Brown (JPL).
Arif R. Sarwari, West Virginia University and Christopher Goode, West Virginia University
“Where have all the patients gone?” That’s what doctors in our West Virginia University hospitals began asking as the coronavirus pandemic spread.
We were prepared for a rise in COVID-19 patients, but we didn’t expect the sharp decline we saw in everyday cases. Our emergency department visits fell by half in early April, a time when we would normally see growth as flu season overlaps with an increase in trauma as the weather improves. Inpatient stays fell by nearly two-thirds during the same time period.
Did the population of a state that ranks in the bottom of most health indicators suddenly get better? Did their lung disease, heart disease and vascular disease improve?
In the emergency room, we heard the real reason: “I thought I could wait this out,” patients told us.
In hospitals across the U.S. and Europe, people fearing contracting COVID-19 have been choosing not to seek the emergency treatment they need. One survey conducted in April found that nearly a third of U.S. adults had delayed medical care or avoided seeking care because they were concerned about getting COVID-19.
A study in Spain found a 40% drop in the number of patients undergoing emergency cardiac catherization for a dangerous type of heart attack known as STEMI between the late February and mid-March. A similar study in the U.S. found a 38% drop in heart catherization for STEMI cases from January to March. Children’s vaccinations also dropped off significantly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, raising new concerns after last year’s measles outbreak.
This has certainly been our experience as physicians and faculty at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. The patients we saw in the emergency room in April were a lot sicker, and the proportion of emergency room patients who needed hospitalization increased.
The costs of delaying emergency care
Delaying treatment for acute and chronic conditions comes at a cost, both human and financial.
A patient with appendicitis who gets treatment early will usually undergo laparoscopic surgery, using small incisions and a camera, and can go home two days later. If the same patient waits too long, however, and a pocket of infection known as an abscess forms, that means more complex surgery. We will have to insert a tube for several days to drain the abscess, and the patient will be hospitalized longer, in addition to going on antibiotics. In the worst case, the appendix could burst and lead to diffuse peritonitis and sepsis, a medical emergency with severe abdominal pain and low blood pressure.
Similarly, if a diabetic with a foot infection that is early in the stages of cellulitis, a painful localized skin infection, waits a week to two longer than usual, there’s a greater chance the infection has reached the bone, becoming an osteomyelitis that could require amputation.
The ultimate cost for delaying treatment can be loss of life. Data from the CDC shows the U.S. had 66,000 more deaths than expected from January through the end of April, with only about half of those linked to COVID-19.
In some cases, clinics are trying to balance the risks. For example, many clinics have delayed preventative care such as cancer screenings because of the risk of COVID-19. One U.S. study found an abrupt drop in preventative cancer screenings of between 86% and 94% through April. Treatments for cancer patients are continuing, with hospitals taking extra precautions to protect patients while their immune systems are compromised.
The hospital experience is changing
COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, nor will heart attacks, strokes or appendicitis.
If you feel you need to see your doctor, go. If you feel you need to go to the emergency department, call 911. It’s better than the pain and costs that can come with delay.
Your experiences during hospital visits going forward will definitely be different for a while. People arriving for hospital care that doesn’t require staying overnight should expect some kind of screening process to make sure that they are not ill with COVID-19. The health care system will encourage social distancing at check-ins, as well as in the waiting rooms, and everyone will be wearing face masks.
As a patient, you might not be allowed to have visitors, but you will receive the health care that you need.
While these certainly unprecedented times have upended our care processes, they also offer patients and health care systems new opportunities.
When we talk to our patients, many of them appreciate the opportunity for virtual visits, especially those at highest risk for complications from COVID-19 infection. The ability to establish virtual urgent care as well as offer many clinical services through virtual visits is here to stay.
The past few weeks have seen very significant changes at all points of patient entry into a hospital or clinic. However, clinical medicine’s fundamental principle of primum non nocere, “first do no harm,” prevails, and we remain committed to making sure that patients that need care get it on time and do not have to delay their visits or ignore their symptoms.
National Guard members assisting with packing food boxes. Redwood Empire Food Bank. NORTH COAST, Calif. – As the largest hunger-relief organization serving north coastal California, the Redwood Empire Food Bank is in dire need of food, funds, and volunteers.
The organization said the daily increase in the number of unemployed in the community is skyrocketing, and with fire season looming, the need for food will continue to increase at an exceptional rate.
“Over the past couple of months, our community has endured unprecedented challenges. The threat of COVID-19, and the shelter in place orders that blanket our state, have changed our lives in unimaginable ways. Yet the crisis we are facing is not just a public health one – it is a food crisis. And much like the disease itself, this food crisis knows no boundaries,” said Redwood Empire Food Bank CEO David Goodman.
Even in the best of times, food banks and food pantries are a bright spot in this community for neighbors struggling to make ends meet. Now more than ever, the food being provided by the Redwood Empire Food Bank is a lifeline.
In recent weeks, many of the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s partners have been forced to close their doors or limit their services, driving even more people to their doorstep.
“Since the start of this crisis, participation at our distribution sites has increased by up to 200 percent. Over the coming weeks and months, the number of people we serve in an average year will double, from 82,000 to 164,000,” said Goodman.
As an essential service provider, the Redwood Empire Food Bank has been on the frontlines of this crisis from the very beginning.
In the face of an extremely fluid situation, the organization has adapted and revamped operations to meet the drastically increased need.
Activating its emergency response program, Station 3990, has allowed more flexibility in the assistance provided, establishing temporary distributions whenever and wherever needed in addition to the food bank’s regular services.
Despite school closures, the Redwood Empire Food Bank continues to provide food to children and their families at more than 20 school sites. Thousands of new, more robust food boxes (each with enough food for 16 meals) are being safely packed every day with the help of the National Guard and a host of dedicated community volunteers.
Volunteers prepare for food distribution. Redwood Empire Food Bank. “Each day, we are providing the equivalent of more than 80,000 meals to our neighbors in need – nearly 50 percent more than at this same time last year,” said Redwood Empire Food Bank’s marketing and PR manager, Rachelle Mesheau.
“As we always have, the Redwood Empire Food Bank stands ready to see our neighbors through the end of this crisis. But we need the help of our community. Every dollar, every minute, and every food donation makes a difference,” Mesheau said.
What can you do to help?
– Donate money. When you donate to the Redwood Empire Food Bank, your money helps purchase food, pay staff, fuel trucks and keep the lights on – distributing food to those in need.
– Donate food. Food donations help keep warehouse shelves stocked with non-perishable staple groceries for distribution through Redwood Empire Food Bank programs and partner organizations.
– The most needed items include Tuna and Canned Meat, Peanut Butter, Canned Soups, Stews, and Chili, Rice and Dry Beans, Cereal, Canned Fruits and Vegetables, High Protein Granola Bars, Trail Mix or Nut.
– Donate time. Throughout the year, the Redwood Empire Food Bank relies on 8,500 volunteers. With the shelter in place order, many volunteers are having to stay home and they're working hard to keep up with demand.
Most distribution sites have been turned into drive-thrus to accommodate safe social distancing practices. Volunteers are packing food boxes for participants to grab and go.
Dedicated community volunteers, Team Rubicon, and the National Guard are packing food boxes at the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s Sonoma County Day School outpost. Together, they are kitting approximately 5,000 food boxes a day.
“The sheer number of people falling into our safety net requires that it be broadened, fortified and maintained,” said Goodman. “With our community’s generous support, we can ensure that nobody experiences hunger.”
Donations can be made through the Redwood Empire Food Bank’s website at www.refb.org .
Anyone seeking food assistance can call the Redwood Empire Food Bank Food Connections Office at 707-523-7903 or visit http://getfood.refb.org .
Since 1987, the Redwood Empire Food Bank has provided food and nourishment to those facing hunger – currently serving 82,000 children, families and seniors in Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte and Lake County.
The Redwood Empire Food Bank collaborates with local and regional partners to obtain and distribute the equivalent of more than 40,000 meals every day. Through more than 200 direct service distributions and partnerships with 170 other hunger-relief organizations, the food bank forms a network of more than 450 weekly and monthly distribution sites serving all residents facing food insecurity.
Volunteers working at a donor farm. Photo courtesy of Redwood Empire Food Bank.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Woodland Community College is preparing to celebrate its 12th commencement ceremony to honor the class of 2020 on Friday, May 15.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is going online.
“Normally, our campus and our students would be in the midst of a multitude of celebrations as we near the end of the academic year and though we may not be able to celebrate as we normally would due to the pandemic, I want to congratulate our 2020 graduating class for their unwavering commitment to their education and tenacity to finish,” said College President Dr. Art Pimentel.
The WCC Commencement Planning Committee has been hard at work during the last month to transition the college’s most important celebration to a virtual modality due to the ongoing COVID-19 and properly honor this year’s 344 WCC graduates.
YCCD Chancellor Douglas Houston, YCCD Trustee Susan Alves, Academic Senate President Christopher Howerton, ASWCC President Katrina Toups, and our Valedictorian Grace Matayoshi have recorded messages to the class of 2020 which will be streamed on Friday, May 15, at 6 p.m.
Community members who wish to view the ceremony can access the video on the college’s website at http://wcc.yccd.edu .
The Lake County Campus is taking the same approach and will be streaming its ceremony at the same time.
This year’s keynote address will be given by Dr. Cesar Cruz from Empowerment Homies.
Graduates were asked to submit a picture and short message that will be displayed along with their name, degree/certificate earned, transfer institution (if applicable) and honors.
“On behalf of all the Woodland Community College professional staff, faculty, and leadership, I would like to congratulate the class of 2020 and wish them the best of luck as they embark on the next phase of their education and life,” Pimentel said.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Nearly 20 California counties have been cleared to move into an accelerated process for reopening from the closures forced under the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Friday California officially moved into Stage 2 of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s roadmap to modify the statewide stay-at-home order.
State officials are allowing counties to apply for variances to move more quickly through the process as long as they can attest to a number of requirements, including having no new cases and deaths to testing and hospital capacity, being able to protect essential workers, and the ability to shelter a portion of the homeless population.
On Tuesday, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said he intended to bring his plans for a variance to the Board of Supervisors at its meeting next week in order to submit the plan to the state, as Lake County News has reported.
The California Department of Public Health reported on Tuesday that variances for Butte and El Dorado counties were approved.
By Wednesday night, CDPH said 16 more counties had their variances approved.
Those counties are Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Tehama, Tuolumne and Yuba-Sutter.
CDPH said the counties have attested that they meet the criteria necessary to move further into Stage 2.
That allows them to reopen various parts of the economy with modifications implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
State officials said the goal is to reopen California in a way that minimizes the risk for transmitting COVID-19 to the extent possible.
That goal includes limiting nonessential movement and mixing of populations, especially within jurisdictions with higher confirmed cases, and delaying the opening of environments in which there is prolonged and close contact as part of the way business must operate.
Statewide guidance for these sectors is available here.
CDPH said its website will continue to be updated in real-time when attestation forms for additional counties are approved.
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’s Public Health officer and Health Services Department staff are working on a plan to submit to state officials in order to allow an accelerated reopening of businesses and facilities that have been temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Gary Pace spoke with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning about the next steps as Lake County moves into Stage 2 of the governor’s reopening guidelines. Stage 2 began on Friday.
The county has been under Pace’s shelter in place order since March 19. Pace changed the shelter in place order last week to be in alignment with the state shelter in place order, which remains in effect until further notice.
Pace told the board, “There’s caution and optimism at the same time,” as he speaks to schools and businesses about reopening while balancing a return to routines with efforts to keep the community safe.
As of Tuesday, Lake County’s confirmed COVID-19 cases remained at eight, all of them recovered, Pace said.
He said none of those eight individuals are contagious any longer, explaining that scientists have not been able to confirm the virus can grow in people after they come out of isolation.
Lake County has now tested more than 1,000 people, starting additional testing last week at two sites in Lakeport. Testing also is taking place this week in Clearlake, Pace said.
He said it’s important to reopen slowly, carefully and thoughtfully so there isn’t a need to shut down again.
As the county seeks an accelerated opening under the state’s rules, Pace said he wants to make masking mandatory in county businesses, with both workers and patrons to be required to use facial coverings.
He said he’s not interested in making masking mandatory when people are out walking, but he said that as people are mixing in the community, they need protections.
During the meeting Supervisor Rob Brown said he didn’t think mandatory masking was the way to go and that he opposed a “mandatory feel good requirement” that would be selectively enforced. He suggested it could be a good marketing tool and would be enforced by the market.
Pace said masking is about courtesy and taking care of your neighbor. He said that masking, social distancing and handwashing work to fight the virus.
As for enforcement, Pace said the county will ask businesses to follow a plan. Public Health won’t be approving or disapproving businesses’ plans, but businesses that are allowed to open in Stage 2 will need to follow state requirements and document that they have plans to follow health guidelines. They will need to post those requirements by their doors.
If Public Health starts to get complaints, Pace said its Environmental Health Division will go out and visit businesses and educate them about the requirements. He said there is no interest in issuing fines.
“We’re not going to be able to keep the public safe if people don’t comply,” Pace said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s reopening plan allows counties to move at an accelerated pace through the stages if they can attest to certain requirements.
Pace said Public Health intends to apply for a variance to follow that accelerated process.
On Tuesday afternoon, after the board meeting, the Governor’s Office announced that the state’s first two counties, Butte and El Dorado, attested that they have met certain criteria necessary to move further into Stage 2.
Butte has 20 confirmed cases and El Dorado has 60, with neither reporting any deaths to date, according to reports from their respective health departments on Tuesday.
Butte County has 210,291 residents and El Dorado 193,227, according to population estimates released this month by the California Department of Finance.
The California Department of Public Health reported that Butte and El Dorado can begin reopening dine-in restaurants and shopping malls, with modifications.
The state reported that several other counties also have applied for the accelerated process: Amador, Lassen, Nevada, Placer and Shasta.
Steps to seeking a variance
Health Services Director Denise Pomeroy told the board that her department has notified the California Department of Public Health of the county’s intent to seek a variance, meeting with the agency on Monday.
She said the county must be certified through a written attestation by the Public Health officer and supported by letters from the Board of Supervisors and local hospitals.
The state’s requirements for adjusting modifications include the epidemiological stability of COVID-19 cases, which Pomeroy explained means that there are no more than one case per 10,000 residents and no more deaths in the 14 days prior to the county’s attestation submission to the state.
Other requirements include providing copies of guidance to protect essential workers and availability of personal protective gear and cleaning supplies; a testing capacity of 1.5 tests per 1,000 residents, which Pomeroy said totals 700 per week in Lake County, and testing availability for 75 percent of county residents within a 60-minute drive; containment capacity; capacity of local hospitals to be able to handle a minimum 35-percent surge in COVID-19 patients in addition to handling normal care levels for non-COVID-19 patients; and the ability to shelter at least 15 percent of county residents experiencing homelessness, which totals about 86 people.
Pomeroy said the county must also be able to detail the county’s plan on which sectors and spaces will be opened, in what sequence, on what timeline, and indicate where its plan differs from the state’s timeline.
Additionally, the county must inform the state of emerging concerns and how it will implement early containment measures.
Pace said he wanted to have the plan ready for the board to review at its meeting next Tuesday, with plans to submit it to the state by the end of next week so the county could enter into an accelerated reopening the following week. He said mandatory masking in the stores and an enforcement framework would be included in the plan.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he hoped the board on Tuesday would be able to give the plan final approval so it could be submitted as soon as possible to the state. “Let us know how we can help.”
Pomeroy said the goal is to have the plan read ahead of the Tuesday meeting, as early as Saturday or Monday, at the latest.
This article has been corrected to show that Pace’s most recent health order aligns with the state order and therefore doesn’t have a stated end date.
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.
