LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council will get an update on COVID-19 in the county, hold public hearings on a new safety assessment placard ordinance and the delinquent utility billing list, and consider approving a contract for off-site improvements for an apartment complex when it meets virtually this week.
The meeting will take place via webinar beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4
To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling toll-free 877-309-2074 or 213-929-4221. The access code is 887-783-896; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.
Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To give the City Clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments prior to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.
On Tuesday, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace will update the council on the progress to contain the COVID-19 outbreak in the county.
Also on the agenda is a public hearing for safety assessment placard ordinance.
City Manager Kevin Ingram’s report to the council explains that the ordinance establishes “a standardized system to inform the public of the condition of an inspected building and the conditions under which inspected buildings and structures may be entered and occupied after a natural or manmade disaster has occurred.”
A second public hearing is scheduled for the council to confirm and approve the utility billing delinquency list and the associated resolution. Council also is expected to direct staff to submit the list to the County Auditor-Controller’s Office for inclusion on the property tax roll.
In other business, Ingram will ask the city to authorize him to enter into a construction contract with Pacific West Builders in the amount of $650,000 for the completion of the Martin Street Apartments Off-site Improvement Project.
Also on Tuesday, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen will present his department’s after action report on the Independence Day fireworks operations.
On the consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on July 21; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the Mendocino Complex fire; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the February 2019 storms; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the October 2019 public safety power shutoff; confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 public health emergency; receipt and filing of the draft minutes of the July 15 Measure Z Advisory Committee meeting; and approval of the proposed addendum to the professional services agreement between the city of Lakeport and Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC, for the services of the city attorney.
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.
Edenberry Farm in Lakeport, California, has three varieties of blackberries and two types of raspberries available for public harvest. Photo by Esther Oertel.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Nestled in the green and beautiful Big Valley between Kelseyville and Lakeport lies a hidden treasure of a farm called Edenberry.
It’s possible you’ve spotted their white and red farm stand on the corner of Stone Drive and Soda Bay Road. Perhaps you’ve stopped in and discovered homemade jams and vinegar or farm-fresh eggs.
If not, it’s worth a trip.
Husband and wife team Mike Edenholm and Pauline Biron, who hail from upstate New York and western Maine, respectively, have a 10-acre holding, all flat, of which nearly half (4.5 acres) is planted with blackberries and raspberries available for public picking.
The couple made their way to Lake County via the Cayman Islands. They wanted their daughter, now 9, to grow up in a rural environment as they did.
Interestingly, they found their destiny here by getting lost.
During a visit to Lake County in 2008, they lost their way and ended up meandering around the countryside in the area where they now live. That experience left them feeling that they had found the spot where they wanted to settle.
They bought their place in 2009 and after building a family farmhouse, they began living here permanently in 2016.
Their defining passion is to make healthy, delicious food available to children and families and to provide an experience of this through visits to their farm.
Pauline Biron displays one of the varieties of blackberries available for picking by the public at Edenberry Farm in Lakeport, California. Photo by Esther Oertel. Five varieties of thornless berries – two types of blackberry and three raspberry – thrive in the ample berry patch in alternating rows arranged for easy picking.
Late season berries are currently in different stages of ripening, and as I walked through the fruit garden on a recent day, I became mesmerized by the jewel-like knobs of purples, reds, pinks and greens. I was lucky enough to be able to pluck some especially ripe berries off the canes for tasting.
The canes, which produce fairly quickly, were planted in 2017.
In addition to the berries, the couple planted an orchard with a variety of still young stone fruit trees, a full 300 of them, which may be ready for public harvesting as soon as next year; if not then, shortly thereafter.
Currently their modest crop of these fruits from not-yet-mature trees – peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries and pluots – is made into jams and fruit-infused vinegars. These are sold at their farm stand and at local farmers’ markets.
Their market garden produces melons, tomatoes, peppers and the like, which can also be found at the farm stand or at farmers’ markets when in season. Everything’s certified organic, from the berries to the fruit trees to their vegetable garden.
When they purchased the property, it contained an old walnut orchard. The trees, planted in 1902, were dying and therefore unsalvageable and had to be pulled out. Some walnut trees in a different location survived, however, and these lush green giants stand along a fence line, visible in the distance from the rows of berries. A cluster of beehives shaded under their ample branches belongs to a friend who houses them there.
Through my visit to the farm, I learned of grants and assistance available to small farmers.
The couple recently discovered that the National Resources Conservation Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture with an office in Lakeport, will pay for a hedgerow along their property line to serve as a natural border between their organic holding and the conventionally farmed vineyard next door. They’re currently deciding what to plant, with native plants such as elderberry and California wild grapes among the contenders.
A grant from the Good Farm Fund paid for 100 of the fruit trees in their orchard. The Good Farm Fund is a local organization that seeks to improve access to fresh, locally produced food by assisting small farmers in Lake and Mendocino counties.
As pleasing as the berries were, what especially fascinated me during my visit was learning of Birons’ fruit-infused vinegars.
She brews vinegar at the farm using the fruits that they grow. In addition to the stone fruits noted previously, they use their farm-grown pears and apples.
Their vinegar mother was made on the farm two years ago from apple cider vinegar. “Mother” in this case simply means a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops during fermentation. This is added to cider or other liquids, such as wine, to produce vinegar.
Each vinegar is brewed in small batches, no more than five gallons at a time. Fruit is added throughout the aging process. This typically takes three months, though in the case of some fruits (pear, for example), more aging produces better flavor.
Their vinegars are sold raw with the mother, which makes them healthy as well as tasty. Each new batch of vinegar has some of the original mother in it.
Pauline Biron and Michael Edenholm are at Edenberry Farm in Lakeport, California, near the farm stand that Edenholm built. Inside the enclosed building are jams, vinegars, eggs and produce, all from the farm, as well as a variety of other items. Photo by Esther Oertel.
In addition to brewing their own vinegar, traditional and white balsamic vinegar is imported from Modena, Italy for infusing with their farm grown fruit.
According to Biron, the balsamic vinegars are good on salads, roasted vegetables or even as a base for a cocktail shrub, an old-fashioned drink using sweet vinegar, soda water and citrus peel. Any form of distilled spirit can be added – gin, vodka, rum or another favorite.
The traditional (dark) balsamic vinegar is sweeter, while the white has a crisp, clean taste.
Their vinegars are sold at local and Sonoma County farmers’ markets, as well as at their farm stand.
If you’d like to visit Edenberry Farm, they’re open for berry picking and fruit stand visits from Memorial Day through Labor Day from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Their products can also be found at the Lake County Farmers’ Finest markets in Kelseyville near Steele Winery on Saturdays and at Lakeport Library Park on Tuesdays, as well as at Two Sisters Antiques on Main Street in Kelseyville.
For more information about Lake County Farmers’ Finest and its markets, visit their website here.
And finally, if you’ve got a hankering for fresh peaches (and who doesn’t?), the couple recommends the Fuzzy Peach Pit Stop, a nearby farm located on Davis Drive in Lakeport.
I reached out to owners John and Jennifer Crosswhite and learned that they have 107 peach trees of the August lady variety. These are a late season peach and the crop should be ripe for the picking by mid to late August.
While the public typically picks their own fruit at the Fuzzy Peach Pit Stop, the Crosswhites are undecided as to whether that will be offered this year due to concerns about COVID-19. If not, they’ll have their peaches packed and ready for sale.
I’d suggest calling the farm at 707-845-0187 for details or checking out their Facebook page, where they post current information.
Today’s recipe is for a peach-raspberry cobbler, courtesy of Pauline Biron. If you visit Edenberry Farm for raspberries and the Fuzzy Peach Pit Stop for peaches, the cobbler can be made the same day with freshly picked fruit. Now doesn’t that sound delicious?
Raspberry-Peach Cobbler
3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter-flavored or regular shortening 1/3 to ½ cup ice water 1 ½ cups sugar ¼ cup cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 cups peeled and sliced peaches 3 cups fresh red raspberries (blackberries can be substituted) 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 egg yolk 1 tablespoon milk 1 teaspoon sugar Light cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
For cobbler crust, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually pour in water and blend to form a dough. Divide into two portions of one-third and two-thirds.
On waxed paper pat or roll two-thirds of the dough to form a 12-inch square. Fit into the bottom and up the sides of an 8x8x2-inch baking dish. Trim pastry even with top of dish.
In a large bowl stir together the 1 ½ cups sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in peaches and berries. Transfer to pastry-lined baking dish. Dot with butter or margarine.
Roll remaining pastry into a 9x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 1-inch-wide strips. Arrange over fruit in a lattice. Trim to fit dish or tuck ends under bottom pastry.
Mix the egg yolk and the milk. Brush the mixture over pastry. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar.
Place on a baking sheet for about 1 hour or until crust browns and filling is bubbly. Serve warm and top with cream or ice cream if you like.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.
Vinegars are infused with farm-grown fruit, such as peach, at Edenberry Farm in Lakeport, California. Raw vinegar is on the left and white balsamic vinegar is on the right. The balsamic vinegar is pasteurized and filtered and therefore has more clarity. Photo by Pauline Biron.
Policemen in Seattle, Washington, wearing masks made by the Red Cross, during the influenza pandemic, December 1918. National Archives
We have all seen the alarming headlines: Coronavirus cases are surging in 40 states, with new cases and hospitalization rates climbing at an alarming rate. Health officials have warned that the U.S. must act quickly to halt the spread – or we risk losing control over the pandemic.
I’ve researched the history of the 1918 pandemic extensively. At that time, with no effective vaccine or drug therapies, communities across the country instituted a host of public health measures to slow the spread of a deadly influenza epidemic: They closed schools and businesses, banned public gatherings and isolated and quarantined those who were infected. Many communities recommended or required that citizens wear face masks in public – and this, not the onerous lockdowns, drew the most ire.
Officials wearing gauze masks inspect Chicago street cleaners for the flu, 1918.Bettman/Getty Images
In mid-October of 1918, amidst a raging epidemic in the Northeast and rapidly growing outbreaks nationwide, the United States Public Health Service circulated leaflets recommending that all citizens wear a mask. The Red Cross took out newspaper ads encouraging their use and offered instructions on how to construct masks at home using gauze and cotton string. Some state health departments launched their own initiatives, most notably California, Utah and Washington.
Nationwide, posters presented mask-wearing as a civic duty – social responsibility had been embedded into the social fabric by a massive wartime federal propaganda campaign launched in early 1917 when the U.S. entered the Great War. San Francisco Mayor James Rolph announced that “conscience, patriotism and self-protection demand immediate and rigid compliance” with mask wearing. In nearby Oakland, Mayor John Davie stated that “it is sensible and patriotic, no matter what our personal beliefs may be, to safeguard our fellow citizens by joining in this practice” of wearing a mask.
Health officials understood that radically changing public behavior was a difficult undertaking, especially since many found masks uncomfortable to wear. Appeals to patriotism could go only so far. As one Sacramento official noted, people “must be forced to do the things that are for their best interests.” The Red Cross bluntly stated that “the man or woman or child who will not wear a mask now is a dangerous slacker.” Numerous communities, particularly across the West, imposed mandatory ordinances. Some sentenced scofflaws to short jail terms, and fines ranged from US$5 to $200.
Collage of newspaper headlines related to the previous year’s influenza pandemic, Chicago, Illinois, 1919. Headlines include ‘Police Raid Saloons in War on Influenza,’ ‘Flu Curfew to Sound for City Saturday Night’ and ‘Open-Face Sneezers to Be Arrested.’Chicago History Museum/Getty Images
Passing these ordinances was frequently a contentious affair. For example, it took several attempts for Sacramento’s health officer to convince city officials to enact the order. In Los Angeles, it was scuttled. A draft resolution in Portland, Oregon led to heated city council debate, with one official declaring the measure “autocratic and unconstitutional,” adding that “under no circumstances will I be muzzled like a hydrophobic dog.” It was voted down.
Utah’s board of health considered issuing a mandatory statewide mask order but decided against it, arguing that citizens would take false security in the effectiveness of masks and relax their vigilance. As the epidemic resurged, Oakland tabled its debate over a second mask order after the mayor angrily recounted his arrest in Sacramento for not wearing a mask. A prominent physician in attendance commented that “if a cave man should appear…he would think the masked citizens all lunatics.”
In places where mask orders were successfully implemented, noncompliance and outright defiance quickly became a problem. Many businesses, unwilling to turn away shoppers, wouldn’t bar unmasked customers from their stores. Workers complained that masks were too uncomfortable to wear all day. One Denver salesperson refused because she said her “nose went to sleep” every time she put one on. Another said she believed that “an authority higher than the Denver Department of Health was looking after her well-being.” As one local newspaper put it, the order to wear masks “was almost totally ignored by the people; in fact, the order was cause of mirth.” The rule was amended to apply only to streetcar conductors – who then threatened to strike. A walkout was averted when the city watered down the order yet again. Denver endured the remainder of the epidemic without any measures protecting public health.
Precautions taken during the 1918 flu pandemic would not allow anyone to ride street cars without a mask. Here, a conductor bars an unmasked passenger from boarding.Universal History Archive/Getty Images
In Seattle, streetcar conductors refused to turn away unmasked passengers. Noncompliance was so widespread in Oakland that officials deputized 300 War Service civilian volunteers to secure the names and addresses of violators so they could be charged. When a mask order went into effect in Sacramento, the police chief instructed officers to “Go out on the streets, and whenever you see a man without a mask, bring him in or send for the wagon.” Within 20 minutes, police stations were flooded with offenders. In San Francisco, there were so many arrests that the police chief warned city officials he was running out of jail cells. Judges and officers were forced to work late nights and weekends to clear the backlog of cases.
Many who were caught without masks thought they might get away with running an errand or commuting to work without being nabbed. In San Francisco, however, initial noncompliance turned to large-scale defiance when the city enacted a second mask ordinance in January 1919 as the epidemic spiked anew. Many decried what they viewed as an unconstitutional infringement of their civil liberties. On January 25, 1919, approximately 2,000 members of the “Anti-Mask League” packed the city’s old Dreamland Rink for a rally denouncing the mask ordinance and proposing ways to defeat it. Attendees included several prominent physicians and a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Poster of a Red Cross nurse wearing a gauze mask over her nose and mouth – with tips to prevent the influenza pandemic.The National Library of Medicine/NIH
It is difficult to ascertain the effectiveness of the masks used in 1918. Today, we have a growing body of evidence that well-constructed cloth face coverings are an effective tool in slowing the spread of COVID-19. It remains to be seen, however, whether Americans will maintain the widespread use of face masks as our current pandemic continues to unfold. Deeply entrenched ideals of individual freedom, the lack of cohesive messaging and leadership on mask wearing, and pervasive misinformation have proven to be major hindrances thus far, precisely when the crisis demands consensus and widespread compliance. This was certainly the case in many communities during the fall of 1918. That pandemic ultimately killed about 675,000 people in the U.S. Hopefully, history is not in the process of repeating itself today.
This article was updated to correct the location of sheriffs mentioned.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has an adult cat and several kittens set for adoption this week.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.
“Shadow” is a male domestic short hair cat in kennel No. 66, ID No. 6237. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Shadow’
“Shadow” is a male domestic short hair cat with an all-black coat and gold eyes.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 66, ID No. 6237.
This male gray tabby kitten is in cat room kennel No. 108A, ID no. 13810. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Gray tabby kitten
This male gray tabby kitten has a short coat and green eyes.
He is in cat room kennel No. 108A, ID no. 13810.
This female gray tabby kitten is in cat room kennel No. 108B, ID No. 13811. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Gray tabby kitten
This female gray tabby kitten has a short coat and green eyes.
She is in cat room kennel No. 108B, ID No. 13811.
This male brown tabby kitten is in kennel No. 147A, ID No. 13779. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Brown tabby kitten
This male brown tabby kitten has a medium-length coat and gold eyes.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 147A, ID No. 13779.
This female kitten is in kennel No. 147B, ID No. 13780. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Tortie kitten
This female kitten has a medium-length tortie coat and gold eyes.
She has been spayed. She is in kennel No. 147B, ID No. 13780.
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 has a brand new, big group of adoption-ready dogs.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Belgian Malinois, border collie, chow chow, dachshund, Great Pyrenees, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, shepherd and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
This young male border collie is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 13838. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male border collie
This young male border collie has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 5, ID No. 13838.
“Solito” is a male pit bull terrier in kennel No. 6, ID No. 13839. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Solito’
“Solito” is a male pit bull terrier with a black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. 13839.
“Oso Panda” is a male border collie in kennel No. 7, ID No. 13840. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Oso Panda’
“Oso Panda” is a male border collie with a long black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. 13840.
“Manotas” is a male German Shepherd-pit bull mix in kennel No. 8, ID No. 13841. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Manotas’
“Manotas” is a male German Shepherd-pit bull mix with a long black and brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 8, ID No. 13841.
“Pina” is a young female pit bull terrier in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13842. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Pina’
“Pina” is a young female pit bull terrier with a short tan and brindle coat.
She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 13842.
“Luna” is a female German Shepherd in kennel No. 10, ID No. 13843. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Luna’
“Luna” is a female German Shepherd with a medium-length black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 13843.
“Maraposa” is a female German Shepherd in kennel No. 12, ID No. 13844. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Maraposa’
“Maraposa” is a female German Shepherd with a medium-length black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 13844.
This young male pit bull is in kennel No. 14, ID No. 13831. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull terrier
This young male pit bull has a short brindle and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. 13831.
This young female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 13832. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier
This young female pit bull terrier has a short brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 13832.
This young male pit bull terrier in kennel No. 16, ID No. 13833. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull terrier
This young male pit bull terrier has a short tan and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 16, ID No. 13833.
This young male Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 13821. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix
This young male Labrador Retriever-Great Pyrenees mix has a medium-length tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 13821.
“Junior” is a male terrier-dachshund mix in kennel No. 20a, ID No. 13829. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Junior’
“Junior” is a male terrier-dachshund mix with a short red coat.
He is in kennel No. 20a, ID No. 13829.
“Lucy” is a female terrier in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13830. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Lucy’
“Lucy” is a female terrier with a short black coat.
She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13830.
“Mugsy” is a male pit bull terrier in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13797. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Mugsy’
“Mugsy” is a male pit bull terrier with a short tan and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13797.
This female Belgian Malinois Shepherd is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 13793. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female Belgian Malinois
This female Belgian Malinois Shepherd has a short black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 13793.
This male chow chow is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13795. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male chow chow
This male chow chow has a medium-length black coat.
He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13795.
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 – Congressman Mike Thompson will another of his virtual online meetings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this time featuring a virtual petting zoo and a discussion about efforts to address food insecurity for children.
The virtual event will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, on Thompson’s Facebook page.
The event will feature animals from Forget Me Not Farm Children’s Services.
Thompson will have a short discussion with animal handlers about each animal that will be streamed live on his Facebook page and discuss the work done at the farm to address food insecurity for children.
All constituents and particularly children of California’s Fifth Congressional District are invited to participate.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Saturday night two-vehicle crash on Highway 20 claimed the life of a man and child from Marysville and seriously injured a Stockton woman.
The crash, which involved a motorcycle and a car, occurred at 10:10 p.m. Saturday on Highway 20 five miles west of Walker Ridge Road and eight miles from the Lake-Colusa County line, according to the Sunday report from the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
The CHP said a 42-year-old man and a 7-year-old boy riding as his passenger on a 2018 Harley Davidson motorcycle died following the crash. Their names were not released on Sunday pending notification of next of kin.
The report said the motorcyclist was driving westbound on Highway 20 at an unknown speed, approaching a slight right-hand curve in the roadway, with the child seated behind him.
Andrea Bales, 43, was driving a 2016 Mazda CX5 eastbound at approximately 55 miles per hour, approaching a slight left-hand curve in the roadway and the location of the motorcycle, the CHP said.
The CHP said the motorcyclist lost control as he approached the curve, with the Harley Davidson veering across the solid double yellow lines and crossing into the oncoming lane.
Bales began to negotiate the curve as she saw the motorcycle completely in the eastbound lane, directly in her vehicle's path of travel, the CHP said.
Bales tried to avoid a crash by sharply turning her vehicle to the left and heavily applying the brakes but was unable to, and the CHP said she collided head-on with the motorcycle.
Following the collision, the Marysville man succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene, the CHP said.
The child was transported by ambulance to Adventist Health Clear Lake, where the CHP said he died of his injuries.
The CHP said Bales also was transported to Adventist Health Clear Lake and was treated for major injuries as a result of the collision.
The report said all three individuals were using their safety equipment.
At the time of the Sunday report, the CHP said alcohol was not suspected to be a factor in the collision.
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.
Briony Horgan, Purdue University and Melissa Rice, Western Washington University
In a clean room at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., engineers observed the first driving test for the Mars rover, Perseverance. Perseverance will search for signs of past microbial life, characterize Mars’ climate and geology, and collect samples for a future return to Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA just took the next giant leap in the search for signs of life beyond Earth.
On July 30, NASA launched its most sophisticated and ambitious spacecraft to Mars: the aptly named Perseverance rover. This will be the third launch to Mars this month, following the UAE’s Hope and China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft. Perseverance will look for signatures of ancient life preserved in Mars rocks. And, for the first time, this rover will collect rock samples that will be brought back to Earth, where they can be scrutinized in laboratories for decades to come.
Mars is one the few destinations in the Solar System that has had conditions suitable for life as we know it. There is a chance that Perseverance will collect the sample from Mars that answers the question: “Are we alone in the universe?” This question is especially relevant right now. During the coronavirus pandemic, the mission has remarkably stayed on track for launch in spite of disruptions and delays, and we have been reminded that life on Earth is vulnerable and precious.
As twoexperts in planetary science and members of the Perseverance science team, we expect that this mission will be the best chance – within our own lifetimes at least – to create a scientific revolution in astrobiology.
NASA’s Mars 2020 will land in Jezero Crater, pictured here. On ancient Mars, water carved channels and transported sediments to form fans and deltas within lake basins. Green colors indicate detections of carbonate minerals that may have formed in the ancient lake.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Searching for life in Jezero crater
On Feb. 18, 2021, if all goes according to plan, Perseverance will enter the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph, and seven nerve-racking minutes later, will be lowered gently onto the surface by a jetpack. The rover will land in Jezero crater, a site that NASA hopes will provide a window to a time when rain fell and rivers flowed on ancient Mars.
Over the past 30 years, a fleet of rovers and orbiters have built a picture of an Earth-like ancient Mars. Between 3 and 4 billion years ago, Mars hosted vast river networks as long as the Mississippi, deep lakes that contained the building blocks of life, and hot springs that bubbled with potential for life. These watery environments were able to exist because ancient Mars had a thick atmosphere. However, that atmosphere has been leaking away, leaving the surface today cold, dry and inhospitable.
After five years of debate, Jezero crater was selected as the site on Mars that is most likely to preserve signs of life that might have inhabited Mars billions of years ago, when microbial life was first starting on Earth. Satellite images of Jezero show a river leading into the crater and ending in a large delta, which must have formed in a long-lived ancient lake. A bathtub ring of carbonate minerals around the edge of the crater might have formed along ancient beaches, and may preserve rocks with microbial textures known as stromatolites. Stromatolites record some of the earliest signs of life on Earth, and Perseverance will search for similar signs of life on Mars.
Advanced exploration technology
Perseverance will have many new capabilities that will transform how we explore Mars. The rover carries Ingenuity, a small helicopter that will be the first aircraft to fly on another planet. Because Mars’ atmosphere today is so thin – only 1% of the Earth’s – Ingenuity has to be extremely lightweight (4 lbs) with very large blades (4 feet tip-to-tip) to get off the ground. Ingenuity will take images of the distant landscape and help us scout the rover’s traverse; future Mars missions could adopt this model of rovers and aircraft working in tandem.
Looking even further ahead, Perseverance will help prepare for future human missions to Mars. One of many challenges for astronauts will be the packing list for a two-year roundtrip journey, which includes air, water and rocket fuel to get home. If these resources could be harvested on Mars, human missions would be much more feasible. Perseverance will test a process for creating oxygen from Mars’ carbon dioxide atmosphere. In the future, similar instruments could be sent ahead of astronauts, so that breathable air and liquid oxygen rocket propellant are waiting when they arrive.
In this illustration, NASA’s Mars 2020 rover uses its drill to core a rock sample on Mars. The rover will collect and store rock and soil samples on the planet’s surface that future missions will retrieve and return to Earth.NASA/JPL-Caltech
Getting the samples back to Earth
The most immediate goal of the mission is to search for evidence of past life, and Perseverance’s science payload will allow the rover to search for organic materials and microbial textures at the scale of a grain of salt. However, finding definitive evidence of microbial life is extremely difficult. Ultimately, we will need to look at samples from Jezero with advanced instruments on Earth. This is why Perseverance will also collect pencil-sized rock cores that will be returned to Earth by a series of missions in the late 2020s.
By laying the groundwork for sample return with Perseverance, NASA is taking the next giant leap in its exploration of Mars. The rocks collected by Perseverance may be our only shot in the foreseeable future to search for signs of life with samples from another planet. This mission, therefore, is not just “go big or go home” – it is “go big and go home.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has five dogs waiting for their new families this week.
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster.
“Bella.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Bella’
“Bella” is a female American Bully mix.
She has a short beige and tan coat.
She is dog No. 3537.
“Diesel.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Diesel’
“Diesel” is a male border collie mix with a black and white coat.
He is dog No. 4023.
“Isis.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Isis’
“Isis” is a female American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a brindle and white coat.
She is dog No. 3732.
“Lady.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Lady’
“Lady” is a female German Shepherd mix.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 3683.
“Wilbur.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. ‘Wilbur’
“Wilbur” is a male American Bully mix with a short gray and white coat.
He is dog No. 3999.
Clearlake Animal Control’s shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53, off Airport Road.
Hours of operation are noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The shelter is closed Sundays, Mondays and major holidays; the shelter offers appointments on the days it’s closed to accommodate people.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or at the city’s website.
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.
Visitors at the 2019 EcoArts Sculpture Walk at the Middletown Trailside Park in Middletown, California, admire “Ravens Wood,” a work by Layna Joy. Photo by Gemini Garcia and courtesy of the Middletown Art Center.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES Act, the Middletown Art Center will be able to support and expand its operations to better serve the Lake County community through the arts during the pandemic and beyond.
MAC is one of 855 grant recipients of 3,100 eligible organizations that applied to the NEA for CARES funding. Fifteen percent of the awards were given to rural organizations with budgets under $250,000, of which MAC is one.
The grant comes in the wake of the five-year anniversary of the MAC, an event which was overshadowed by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic and the resulting shutdown of MAC’s in-person programs.
Since then, MAC Programs Director Lisa Kaplan has scrambled to transfer scheduled classes and events to an online and/or socially distanced format and seek funding in an effort to keep the organization afloat.
The CARES grant, which provides funding from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, not only offers financial breathing room at a difficult time, it is a life saver for the art center, both now and for the future.
“This money is a bridge to help us get through the next six to 12 months. It was crucial to get a stimulus at a time when we might have had to close our doors,” Kaplan said.
While it is rare for grants to be awarded to nonprofits for operational costs, this one provides funds to pay for two current jobs and one new one and will help defray rent and utilities expenses.
The grant also serves to bolster the organization, enabling it to adapt its programs in response to social distancing requirements. Thanks to the grant, MAC will be able to provide a series of subsidized art making workshops.
According to Kaplan, the grant is a game changer. These funds are particularly critical now because there is no income from site-based events or space rentals at this time.
Even with the grant, community support is crucial to the MAC’s survival.
As Kaplan explained, “In order to sustain the MAC this year and beyond, we need community support in the form of attendance at our adapted programming, participation in classes (whether online or in person where distancing can be maintained), memberships, donations, and purchases of artwork.”
Artwork is now offered at a reduced cost to support artists, the MAC and art lovers. “There is an extra special feeling that one gets from being at home in a room where there is beautiful, original artwork,” Kaplan said.
To realize a larger vision of MAC, in January Kaplan began talking with Nicola Chipps, an interior designer and art curator from the Napa Valley, with the intent of expanding MAC’s outreach to artists outside Lake County, as well as helping local artists become known beyond our area.
Chipps, who owns the wine country design firm Chipps Interiors and served most recently as curator for the CAMi Gallery in Calistoga, has extensive contacts in the art world which can be leveraged to benefit the MAC and artists both inside and outside Lake County.
The grant will enable Chipps to join Kaplan in program development and serve as MAC’s curatorial advisor. Her role will be to put MAC artists on the map outside of Lake County by utilizing a variety of tools. Of these, digital strategies are of particular importance during this time of pandemic.
Chipps considers her involvement at MAC a passion project. She believes that Lake County is an underserved arts community and that getting the CARES grant is a wonderful step forward.
“I’m moved by the dedication, talent and ongoing efforts of those involved with the center,” Chipps said. “There is an extremely rich art community here and the grant will enable MAC to sustain its efforts through a highly uncertain year. It enables MAC to continue to be innovative, and, most of all, to be accessible.”
Chipps, Kaplan and Michael Chandler of Third Eye Visuals collaborated to create an annotated virtual tour of MAC's current exhibit, “DREAMS.” Virtual exhibits are one of the tools the MAC will continue to utilize to provide a viewing experience and extend MAC's reach. The virtual tour can be accessed here.
Also made possible by the grant is support for an outreach and development director to engage with tasks previously accomplished by volunteers or consultants and funding to bolster the operations coordinator's position. MAC will soon issue a call for applicants.
In its five-year history, MAC has been awarded grants for a variety of community projects, thanks to the California Arts Council, the NEA, and Kaplan and her grant writing team’s efforts. These include “Resilience,” “RESTORE,” “LOCUS” and “Being Leonardo,” all of which are featured on the MAC website.
“DREAMS,” on view from Feb through Aug 2 at MAC, was made available virtually in response to COVID-19 at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California. To visit the exhibit, use this link: https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=pMxYvxv5tAZ . Image by Third Eye Visuals and courtesy of the Middletown Art Center.
It is important to note that the MAC opened its doors in March 2015, just six months before the Valley fire tore through southern Lake County and devastated much of Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Valley Lake.
Fully half of the artists involved in MAC at that time, about 30 people, lost their homes and/or studios in the fire, including nine out of 10 of the EcoArts/MAC board members.
Trailside Park in Middletown, the site of the yearly EcoArts Sculpture Walk, an outdoor exhibit, was forever changed by the fire. All pieces installed in 2015 were damaged or destroyed. The Sculpture Walk reopened in 2019, but this year's exhibit and festive opening were stymied by COVID-19.
These impacts, coupled with tremendous loss throughout our community, were the motivation for most of MAC’s activities, including the bulk of projects funded by grants, which have been focused on community recovery through art.
In the spirit of local resilience, several new sculptures are being installed at the park and a new collaborative sculpture, spearheaded by Marcus Maria Jung, was recently installed on Rabbit Hill in Middletown as part of the “LOCUS” project.
When asked what stands out most to her over the past five years, Kaplan shared that the “Being Leonardo” project was a personal favorite.
A partnership between MAC and the Middletown Unified School District, “Being Leonardo” integrated art and science inside and outside the classroom through a collaboration between artists and teachers. The goal was to deepen student understanding of the natural world, art appreciation and real-world applications of form and function. The project was unfortunately cut short by school closures during the shelter-in-place.
As an artist who is passionate about education, Kaplan enjoyed infusing art into the community through student participation in the “Being Leonardo” project. Kaplan believes that children can pass on an appreciation of art and the natural world to their parents, extending the education experience beyond their own.
“Art is a way to non-verbally express our experience and interpretation of the world around us. It’s another way to connect with and understand our children and a way for children to find their voice and world view,” Kaplan explained.
In the words of MAC Board President Amanda Martin, “The ‘Being Leonardo’ project reached 350 students in grades third through 12 and was on track to reach 450 until disrupted by the pandemic. It is so important, especially for the youth, that we draw them into what it means to build and sustain community, and especially community through sharing the arts.”
As to what’s on tap for the future, Kaplan envisions projects that synthesize the past, present and future of this place – Lake County – as well as more projects with schools.
She hopes that MAC can provide multi-racial educational components (in her words, “multi-chromatic education”), perhaps to include working with local tribal members to incorporate traditional native arts and designs into art projects and working more with local artists of color.
Kaplan noted that MAC artists (like many local residents) share a deep connection with nature. Many choose to work with natural materials or create work about nature.
Starting with the EcoArts Sculpture Walk established in 2003 by Karen Turcotte Williams and John Williams, the organization has presented projects and exhibits that foster a connection between art and nature. These include sculptures that dialog with nature or encourage ecosystem recovery, indoor exhibits, and programs that help the local community get outside to enjoy nature and to deepen their connection with it.
Kaplan likes to say that the overarching goal of the MAC is to weave the arts into the fabric of Lake County communities. The CARES grant will enable them to continue to do this at a time when so many nonprofit organizations have had to close.
To learn more about the MAC or to donate or become a member, you may visit them at www.middletownartcenter.org .
Esther Oertel is a writer and food columnist for Lake County News. She lives in Middletown, Calif.
Children’s work from the “Art for Art’s Sake” summer camp in July 2020 is on display at the Middletown Art Center in Middletown, California. Photo courtesy of Middletown Art Center.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Due to rising COVID-19 cases across the state and in some counties in particular, the state has added more counties to its watch list, but so far Lake County’s lower case rate has kept it off that list and the Public Health officer is offering guidance for how to keep it that way.
On Friday state officials reported that 38 of California’s 58 counties were on the list, representing 93 percent of the state’s residents.
Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace confirmed on Friday that Lake wasn’t yet on the list, but that all of its neighboring counties – Colusa, Glenn, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma and Yolo – are.
All of Lake’s neighboring counties have seen rapid case growth in recent weeks, including Colusa and Glenn in the Sacramento Valley, which have smaller populations but higher caseloads.
As of Friday night, Colusa was reporting 323 cases and four deaths; Glenn, 325 cases, one death; Mendocino, 312 cases, nine deaths; Napa, 888 cases, eight deaths; Sonoma County, 2,842 cases, 32 deaths; and Yolo, 1,510 cases, 41 deaths. Lake County has so far reported 195 cases and one death.
Pace pointed to issues in Mendocino and Sonoma counties where they have recently seen outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities that resulted in deaths.
Statewide, Public Health departments reported nearly 500,000 cases and more than 9,200 deaths on Friday night.
Pace told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that while there are new cases being reported daily in the county, and there was a “close call” with an outbreak, there haven’t been explosive rises in the caseload and the hospitals aren’t getting overloaded.
He said the caseload is manageable and the county is meeting the requirements of its reopening variance.
“The state did check in with us and we did have to confirm that we are still meeting all our variance metrics,” he said.
At that point, Lake County’s positivity rate was at 4.4 percent. By Friday, it had dropped to 3.4 percent. Pace told the board that a positivity rate of 8 percent or higher “is a problem.”
Pace said Friday that, despite Lake County’s relative success, it sits one significant outbreak or spike in infection rate that applies pressure to the local hospital capacity away from joining the 38 counties on the state’s county monitoring list.
In his comments to the board on Tuesday, Pace said once a county gets on the watch list, it doesn’t get off of it until the state changes the requirements.
Being added to the list means a loss of local control, he said.
The counties on the monitoring list for three or more consecutive days must close indoor operations for certain sectors, Pace explained.
If Lake County were to cross the threshold and be added to the monitoring list, Pace said gyms and fitness centers, places of worship, hair salons and barbershops, and personal care services (including nail salons, massage parlors, and tattoo parlors) would be required to close or shift to entirely outdoor services and activities. In counties on the monitoring list, schools cannot open, he added.
“Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee Lake County will maintain local control throughout the remainder of the pandemic. Work in critical sectors must go on at all times, and there will continue to be significant risks until a vaccine is developed and readily available,” Pace said.
However, he encouraged the community to do several simple things that make a significant difference.
Pace said those measures include washing hands, wearing a facial covering when outside of one’s home, observing social distancing, canceling and avoiding gatherings with individuals outside of your immediate household, particularly indoor activities, and complying with health orders, which are designed to limit overall risk.
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.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover onboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, July 30, 2020, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Perseverance rover is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky. NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is on its way to the Red Planet to search for signs of ancient life and collect samples to send back to Earth.
Humanity's most sophisticated rover launched with the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at 4:50 a.m. PDT on Thursday on a United Launch Alliance, or ULA, Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
"With the launch of Perseverance, we begin another historic mission of exploration," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "This amazing explorer's journey has already required the very best from all of us to get it to launch through these challenging times. Now we can look forward to its incredible science and to bringing samples of Mars home even as we advance human missions to the Red Planet. As a mission, as an agency, and as a country, we will persevere."
The ULA Atlas V's Centaur upper stage initially placed the Mars 2020 spacecraft into a parking orbit around Earth. The engine fired for a second time and the spacecraft separated from the Centaur as expected. Navigation data indicate the spacecraft is perfectly on course to Mars.
Mars 2020 sent its first signal to ground controllers via NASA's Deep Space Network at 6:15 a.m. PDT. However, telemetry (more detailed spacecraft data) had not yet been acquired at that point.
Around 8:30 a.m. PDT, a signal with telemetry was received from Mars 2020 by NASA ground stations. Data indicate the spacecraft had entered a state known as safe mode, likely because a part of the spacecraft was a little colder than expected while Mars 2020 was in Earth's shadow. All temperatures are now nominal and the spacecraft is out of Earth's shadow.
When a spacecraft enters safe mode, all but essential systems are turned off until it receives new commands from mission control. An interplanetary launch is fast-paced and dynamic, so a spacecraft is designed to put itself in safe mode if its onboard computer perceives conditions are not within its preset parameters. Right now, the Mars 2020 mission is completing a full health assessment on the spacecraft and is working to return the spacecraft to a nominal configuration for its journey to Mars.
The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission is to seek out signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the diverse geology of its landing site, Jezero Crater, and demonstrate key technologies that will help us prepare for future robotic and human exploration.
"Jezero Crater is the perfect place to search for signs of ancient life,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Perseverance is going to make discoveries that cause us to rethink our questions about what Mars was like and how we understand it today. As our instruments investigate rocks along an ancient lake bottom and select samples to return to Earth, we may very well be reaching back in time to get the information scientists need to say that life has existed elsewhere in the universe."
The Martian rock and dust Perseverance’s Sample Caching System collects could answer fundamental questions about the potential for life to exist beyond Earth.
Two future missions currently under consideration by NASA, in collaboration with the European Space Agency, will work together to get the samples to an orbiter for return to Earth.
When they arrive on Earth, the Mars samples will undergo in-depth analysis by scientists around the world using equipment far too large to send to the Red Planet.
An eye to a Martian tomorrow
While most of Perseverance's seven instruments are geared toward learning more about the planet's geology and astrobiology, the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, instrument's job is focused on missions yet to come.
Designed to demonstrate that converting Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen is possible, it could lead to future versions of MOXIE technology that become staples on Mars missions, providing oxygen for rocket fuel and breathable air.
Also future-leaning is the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will remain attached to the belly of Perseverance for the flight to Mars and the first 60 or so days on the surface. A technology demonstrator, Ingenuity's goal is a pure flight test – it carries no science instruments.
Over 30 sols (31 Earth days), the helicopter will attempt up to five powered, controlled flights. The data acquired during these flight tests will help the next generation of Mars helicopters provide an aerial dimension to Mars explorations – potentially scouting for rovers and human crews, transporting small payloads, or investigating difficult-to-reach destinations.
The rover's technologies for entry, descent, and landing also will provide information to advance future human missions to Mars.
"Perseverance is the most capable rover in history because it is standing on the shoulders of our pioneers Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, and Curiosity," said Michael Watkins, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "In the same way, the descendants of Ingenuity and MOXIE will become valuable tools for future explorers to the Red Planet and beyond."
About seven cold, dark, unforgiving months of interplanetary space travel lay ahead for the mission – a fact never far from the mind of Mars 2020 project team.
"There is still a lot of road between us and Mars," said John McNamee, Mars 2020 project manager at JPL. "About 290 million miles of them. But if there was ever a team that could make it happen, it is this one. We are going to Jezero Crater. We will see you there Feb. 18, 2021."
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of America's larger Moon to Mars exploration approach that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with sending the first woman and next man to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA's Artemis program.
JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and will manage operations of the Mars Perseverance rover. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is responsible for launch management, and ULA provided the Atlas V rocket.
