Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, was among those who voted for the bill, which made it through the house following weeks of haggling over the debt ceiling.

“I voted for the compromise legislation to avoid defaulting on our nation’s debt,” Thompson said in a statement issued in his office Monday evening.

He added, “Given that our nation was hours away from defaulting on its obligations, I felt a responsibility to vote yes.”

Thompson, who had criticized previous proposals – including a bill put forward by House Speaker John Boehner – didn't offer further comment on the bill.

As the House of Representatives was voting on the bill, Thompson's friend and colleague Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), shot seven months ago while holding a meeting with constituents, returned to the House for the first time to cast her vote for the legislation.

Thompson's Facebook page later featured the message, “Welcome back Gabby!”

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While federal legislators and President Barack Obama said late Sunday they had reached an agreement to deal with the nation's debt ceiling crisis, a weekend report showed the potential crisis on the local and state level if an agreement didn't take place.

US Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) released a county-by-county report detailing the impact on California of a default on the nation’s debt.

According to the report, California received $345 billion in retirement, disability, Medicare and other federal payments in 2009, with more than $608 million of that coming to Lake County alone.

If the debt ceiling is not raised – as it has been 89 times since 1939 – the revenue coming into the U.S. government will not be enough to cover its obligations, which could put Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans’ benefits, military payments, student loan payments and many other government services at risk of being disrupted, Boxer's office reported.

“The consequences of a default would be devastating for every American and could lead to lost jobs, higher interest rates and disruptions in military pay, veterans’ benefits and Social Security checks,” Boxer said.

Residents of each of California’s 58 counties as well as state and local governments could be hurt if the federal government is unable to fund these priorities, according to Boxer.

Nationally, the consequences for seniors who rely on Medicare and Social Security, for veterans who receive benefits, for active-duty military and their families, and for state and local governments could be deep and painful in the case of a default, Boxer warned.

Among the potential consequences concerns that more than 54 million Americans’ Social Security benefits are in danger of being disrupted, the benefits of more than 45 million Americans who rely on Medicare would be put in jeopardy, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner warning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a Jan. 6 letter that Medicare benefits payments “would be discontinued, limited, or adversely affected” if Congress failed to raise the debt ceiling.

If the deal isn't finalized, there also could be ramifications for 22.5 million veterans whose benefits could be disrupted, stoppage of payments to more than 204,000 active duty military personnel, an estimated $8.8 billion in unpaid Pell Grants to students and cuts to local and state services, Boxer's office said.

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Jupiter's swirling clouds can be seen through any department store telescope.

With no more effort than it takes to bend over an eyepiece, you can witness storm systems bigger than Earth navigating ruddy belts that stretch hundreds of thousands of kilometers around Jupiter's vast equator. It's fascinating.

It's also vexing. According to many researchers, the really interesting things – from the roots of monster storms to stores of exotic matter – are located at depth. The clouds themselves hide the greatest mysteries from view.

NASA's Juno probe, scheduled to launch on Aug. 5, could change all that. The goal of the mission is to answer the question: What lies inside Jupiter?

“Our knowledge of Jupiter is truly skin deep,” said Juno's principal investigator, Scott Bolton of the SouthWest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX. “Even the Galileo probe, which dived into the clouds in 1995, penetrated no more than about 0.2 percent of Jupiter’s radius.”

There are many basic things researchers would like to know – like how far down does the Great Red Spot go? How much water does Jupiter hold? And what is the exotic material near the planet's core?

Juno will lift the veil without actually diving through the clouds. Bolton explains how: “Swooping as low as 5000 km above the cloudtops, Juno will spend a full year orbiting nearer to Jupiter than any previous spacecraft. The probe's flight path will cover all latitudes and longitudes, allowing us to fully map Jupiter's gravitational field and thus figure out how the interior is layered.”

Jupiter is made primarily of hydrogen, but only the outer layers may be in gaseous form.

Deep inside Jupiter, researchers believe, high temperatures and crushing pressures transform the gas into an exotic form of matter known as liquid metallic hydrogen – a liquid form of hydrogen akin to the slippery mercury in an old-fashioned thermometer.

Jupiter's powerful magnetic field almost certainly springs from dynamo action inside this vast realm of electrically conducting fluid.

“Juno's magnetometers will precisely map Jupiter's magnetic field,” said Bolton. “This will tell us a great deal about the planet's inner magnetic dynamo [and the role liquid metallic hydrogen plays in it].”

Juno will also probe Jupiter's atmosphere using a set of microwave radiometers.

“Our sensors can measure the temperature and water content at depths where the pressure is 50 times greater than what the Galileo probe experienced,” said Bolton.

Jupiter's water content is of particular interest. There are two leading theories of Jupiter's origin: One holds that Jupiter formed more or less where it is today, while the other suggests Jupiter formed at greater distances from the sun, later migrating to its current location. (Imagine the havoc a giant planet migrating through the solar system could cause.)

The two theories predict different amounts of water in Jupiter's interior, so Juno should be able to distinguish between them – or rule out both.

Finally, Juno will get a grand view of the most powerful Northern Lights in the Solar System.

“Juno's polar orbit is ideal for studying Jupiter's auroras,” explains Bolton. “They are really strong, and we don't fully understand how they are created.”

Unlike Earth, which lights up in response to solar activity, Jupiter makes its own auroras. The power source is the giant planet's own rotation.

Although Jupiter is 10 times wider than Earth, it manages to spin around 2.5 times as fast as our little planet.

As any freshman engineering student knows, if you spin a magnet – and Jupiter is a very big magnet – you've got an electric generator.

Induced electric fields accelerate particles toward Jupiter's poles where the aurora action takes place. Remarkably, many of the particles that rain down on Jupiter's poles appear to be ejecta from volcanoes on Io. How this complicated system actually works is a puzzle.

It's a puzzle that members of the public will witness at close range thanks to JunoCam – a public outreach instrument modeled on the descent camera for Mars rover Curiosity.

When Juno swoops low over the cloudtops, JunoCam will go to work, snapping pictures better than the best Hubble images of Jupiter.

“JunoCam will show us what you would see if you were an astronaut orbiting Jupiter,” said Bolton. “I am looking forward to that.”

Juno is slated to reach Jupiter in 2016.

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

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Avocados come in a variety of sizes. These were purchased at Lola's Market and the Rosales Market, Mexican markets in Lower Lake and Middletown, Calif., respectively. Photo by Esther Oertel.

On busy days that leave me little time for lunch, a half avocado and a spoon are all I need to feel refreshed, nourished and ready to work again.

Slices of avocado layered on whole-wheat toast make for a quick and healthful breakfast that’s immensely satisfying, and bits of diced avocado give a salad richness and body.

My favorite quick and easy salad with avocado includes greens, thinly sliced red onions and fresh orange slices drizzled with some strong extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

A topping of diced avocado provides balance for a plethora of favorite dishes. Its freshness lightens up hearty black bean soup, while it provides pleasant “heaviness” to a light and refreshing bowl of gazpacho.

Of course, avocado is perfect for accompanying anything with a Mexico or South American spin, no surprise since they’re a time-honored part of their culinary tradition.

Fish tacos cry out for avocado, and magic is made when avocados are mashed in a bowl with lime, cilantro, cumin and the like for guacamole.

Oval, egg or pear-shaped, these fruits have a luscious, creamy green interior and the dark, pebbly exterior of some cultivars has earned them the nickname “alligator pear” for its resemblance to the skin of that beast.

Native to central Mexico, they grow on a flowering tree related to those that produce bay leaves, cinnamon and camphor. They’ve been cultivated for more than 10,000 years in a wide swath that extends southward from the Rio Grande to Peru.

Mexico dominates the world market for avocado exports, but California is king when it comes to avocados here in the states, growing 95 percent of the crop produced in the nation, the bulk of it in San Diego County.

They’re also widely cultivated in Asia, where they’ve become part of its varied cuisine over the centuries, as well as in South America. This subtropical species needs a climate without frost and little wind, which dehydrates the flowers and affects pollination.

They’re a climacteric fruit, meaning, like the banana, they reach maturity on the tree, but only ripen off of it. They must be picked at the mature stage to ripen properly, and will usually reach optimum ripeness within a few days at room temperature.

In years past, avocados were used in place of butter for seamen who made the long voyage between Europe and the Caribbean, giving rise to one of its more ancient monikers, midshipman’s butter. When compared to butter, however, there’s a vast difference in nutrition.

Two tablespoons of avocado has 50 calories, while the same amount of butter has 204. In addition, that amount of butter has 23 grams total fat (with 14.6 grams of it saturated) while avocado has 4.5 total grams, 0.5 grams of it saturated. The butter has 61 milligrams of cholesterol and 176 milligrams of sodium (assuming it’s the salted variety); the avocado has none of either.

Does that make you want to put avocado in your butter dish? It does me.

Avocados provide nearly 20 essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium (more than potassium-rich bananas), vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid.

They also act as a nutrient booster because they help the body absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, like alpha and beta-carotene and lutein, in foods that are eaten with the fruit.

While avocados are high in fat (about 85 percent of its calories comes from it), the fat in avocado is unusual and provides research-based health benefits. One fat found in avocados exists mainly in sea plants, being rarely found in those that grow on land.

Similar to olives and olive oil, avocados contain high amounts of oleic acid, a mono-saturated fatty acid that has been shown to be beneficial in preventing heart disease.

While the flesh of these avocados looks similar, the smaller Hass avocado has a higher fat content, giving it a richer taste. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Fats found in avocados also have wide-ranging anti-inflammatory benefits, as well as assisting in regulating blood sugar.

There are many varieties of avocados, ranging in size from the one-ounce “avocadito” (also known as the cocktail avocado) to one that weighs nearly four pounds.

In addition to near-black, thick, pebbly skin, avocados can have smooth bright green or black skin that’s thin, making it difficult to peel. There’s a tiny Mexican avocado that can be eaten like a plum, skin and all.

The world favorite is the Hass avocado, with its high fat content and pleasant-tasting, dense flesh. Fully 85 percent of the avocado crop worldwide is devoted to its cultivation.

Avocados may be stored in the fridge if they’re the desired ripeness (yielding to gentle pressure for typical use or very soft for guacamole); otherwise, leave them at room temperature to ripen up. (The ripening process can be sped up if avocados are stored in a paper bag with a banana, which emits a gas that hastens ripening.)

Since avocados turn brown when exposed to air for more than a few minutes, sprinkle them with a bit of fresh lemon juice if they won’t be used right away.

In various parts of the world, including the Philippines, Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and India, avocados are frequently used for milkshakes and in desserts.

Today’s recipe, a fruity tropical salad with a grain base, was inspired by a dish prepared by a friend’s Filipino wife, a sweet dessert made with avocado, mango and condensed milk that she remembers from her native country. While my salad has a bit of natural sweetness from the fruit, it’s not overly sweet and works well as a side dish.

The recipe utilizes quinoa (pronounced keen-WAH), a gluten-free, high-protein grain. Unlike many grains, quinoa is a complete protein, meaning it provides all the essential amino acids. I’ve used two colors of the grain for presentation, but any type of quinoa may be used. Enjoy!

Tropical quinoa salad with avocado and mango

¼ cup red quinoa

¼ cup traditional quinoa

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup water (for cooking quinoa)

Juice and zest of one lime

Juice and zest of ½ orange

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 small clove garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt

¼ teaspoon cumin

2 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens

About 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh cilantro and mint

½ mango, diced

½ cup diced pineapple

½ avocado, diced

¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped (or toasted slivered almonds)

Combine quinoa, salt, and water in pot and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and simmer until all water is absorbed into quinoa and grain becomes tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer quinoa to a large serving bowl to cool.

Combine juices, zest, oil, garlic, and cumin in small bowl. Mix well and pour over quinoa while it is still a bit warm.

Add scallions, mint, cilantro, mango, pineapple, and avocado to salad. Toss to mix well.

Just before serving, add almonds to salad. (This helps them stay crunchy.)

If making ahead of time, salad will keep well in fridge several hours. If making the night before, dress quinoa, but add fruit and herbs the next day.

This recipe makes enough for at least four.

Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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A Cal Fire tanker drops retardant on a fire in Spring Valley near Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Friday, July 29, 2011. Photo by James Hershey.

SPRING VALLEY, Calif. – An aggressive effort by local and state firefighters Friday evening stopped a fire that ran up a hill and at one point endangered homes in Spring Valley.

The fire, reported after 5 p.m., started at the base of Wolf Creek, according to Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown.

“It ran up a very steep incline,” and crested a ridge, Brown said.

He said the fire originally threatened some homes as it ran the northern ridge out of Spring Valley.

Northshore Fire sent three engines, two water tenders and a battalion chief, and Cal Fire sent five engines, three dozers, six hand crews, two helicopters and four fixed air wing aircraft, Brown said.

The fire was contained at an estimated 25 acres, but Brown said aircraft will reevaluate the acreage on Saturday.

The cause is under investigation, Brown said.

Brown said mop up and monitoring would continue throughout the night, with firefighters remaining on scene.

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The fire in Spring Valley near Clearlake Oaks, Calif., burned an estimated 25 acres on Friday, July 29, 2011. Photo by James Hershey.

The Spring Valley fire on Friday, July 29, 2011, began at the base of Wolf Creek and made a run up a incline. Photo by James Hershey.

Lisa Kauppinen sent in this picture of a Cal Fire helicopter used to drop water on the fire in Spring Valley near Clearlake Oaks, Calif., on Friday, July 29, 2011.

Firefighters make their way up to the Spring Valley fire as flames leap into the sky on Friday, July 29, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

Sixteen-year-old Haasan Ford was abducted from Antioch at 3:50 p.m. Monday, Aug. 1, according to the alert.

Ford is described as a black male, with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 110 pounds. He was last seen wearing black jeans, a red coat and red Cincinnati Reds baseball hat.

The suspect in the kidnapping is a black male with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 25 years old and weighing 180 pounds. He was reportedly wearing oversized black jeans, blue jean jacket and a blue knit cap with a white stripe.

Officials said the suspect was armed with a sawed-off shotgun and was last seen driving a stolen black two-door GMC Yukon with shiny rims, a “Harley Davidson” sticker on the rear window and “GT” in orange on the side of the vehicle, with a California license plate of 4WAY944.

If they're seen call 911.

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The store belonging to Godwin Scudamore and Dr. R. G. Reynolds in Upper Lake appears in this undated prefire photograph. No one in the picture has been identified. Scudamore and Reynolds also owned stores in Lakeport and Bartlett Springs. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Museum.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week the fires that ravaged Upper Lake in the early 20^th century is the focus, thanks to the staff at the Lake County Museum.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – In the early 20th century major fires destroyed large sections of several Lake County towns. Lakeport, Middletown, Kelseyville and Upper Lake all suffered disastrous fires at one time or another.

Today Upper Lake’s business district looks very different than it did a century ago, thanks to fires in 1915 and 1924.

The wooden buildings that constituted much of the town were no match for the flames. The Second Street business section lost several buildings in September 1915 and a major fire in 1924 destroyed most of downtown Main Street. Property owners learned from the disaster and rebuilt with fire-resistant buildings.

On the night of Sept. 22, 1915, a fire burned one house, one store, a garage and a combined machine and blacksmith shop near the intersection of Main and Second Streets.

Early in the evening, the fire began in the machine shop/blacksmithing business that belonged to Messrs. Jackson and Polk and spread quickly to the other buildings.

Main Street in Upper Lake following the 1924 fire. Riffe

Endowment funds ensure that your donations will be used by the charitable organization for certain specific purposes.

Consider, for example, St. Helena Hospital Clearlake which seeks funds specifically to build a new emergency room in Clearlake.

Endowments can stabilize the long term future of the charity and can create a lasting legacy for the donors. Let’s examine how endowments work.

Endowments are created by written agreement between one or more donors and a charitable organization to use for specific charitable purposes.

The agreement expressly states the purposes for which the donation may be used; how the donations may be invested; how much may be spent each year; and sometimes how long the fund is intended to last.

The agreement restricts the charity to accepting the gift according to the express terms of the agreement.

To the extent that the agreement is silent on any of these issues, California’s “Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act” (“UPMIA”) controls.

Because the endowment is a restricted fund it is not part of the charity’s general fund and cannot be used to pay general overhead.

Once established with an initial contribution, an endowment fund can receive further contributions from other like minded donors.

Such additional contributions also become subject to the same fund restrictions.

For example, a donor may give money to a high school to establish a high school endowment for the sole purpose of awarding an annual college scholarship to a worthy graduating senior.

The endowment may specify the selection procedures. The endowment may also specify that the high school may spend only the interest to pay the scholarship.

If the endowment fund agreement is silent, then California’s UPMIA law controls issues related to the fund’s investment strategy, spending strategy, and duration.

Regarding investments, California law says that the institution managing the fund, “shall manage and invest the fund in good faith and with the care an ordinarily prudent person in like position would exercise under similar circumstances.”

Meeting that standard entails consideration of numerous investment requirements, including that the fund investor has diversified investment portfolio; that the fund investor balance the competing needs to distribute for present charitable expenses and for future use; and that the fund investor consider the general economic conditions in making investment decisions.

Next, regarding payments, California law provides that spending over seven percent (7%) of the funds average value during the last three years is considered to be imprudent and in violation of the prudent investor rule.

The 7 percent rule is only a rule of thumb, however, and can be overcome by showing that it was reasonably prudent under the circumstances to pay more. Naturally, the fund agreement can provide otherwise.

Endowment funds can last indefinitely or can last for a term of years. The endowment agreement can specify whether the fund is a permanent endowment or term of years endowment.

If the agreement provides that the fund use “income” only (or a similar concept) then California law treats this as a permanent endowment.

A permanent endowment should invest for growth and use only the investment income for charitable purposes.

Anyone wishing to further a particular charitable purpose may wish to contact those charities whose mission encompasses the specific purpose.

If a charity already has an existing endowment fund that is directly relevant then contributions can be made to the existing fund.

If not, then perhaps the charity may be willing to establish an endowment agreement for such purpose.

Lastly, gifts to an endowment fund can be made while one is alive, or later through bequest after one dies.

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On Saturday the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake received the go ahead for construction of the new Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake, according to Tribal Chair Sherry Treppa of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Executive Council.

The Department of Interior’s authorization is the final action the tribe needed to move forward with the compact, which was first signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in March, as Lake County News has reported.

“This is truly a significant achievement and a major victory for the people of Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake,” said Treppa. “The compact and the DOI’s determination are long, long overdue.”

She added the the approval “is the critical component we needed to open our small casino and ensure the tribe’s ability to become self sufficient, provide job opportunities and improve the overall quality of life for our people and our future generations.”

Treppa said the casino will provide badly needed jobs for the local community and mitigation funds directly to county agencies through various memoranda of understanding.

She estimated that work should be able to resume on the project in September, with the new facility opening next spring.

“The tribe has gone well beyond the county of Lake’s expectations in its extraordinary efforts to include county officials and the community at-large in the preparation and planning of its gaming project, over a period of several years,” Lake County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said in a written statement.

The Habematolel tribe also had faced opposition from some larger California tribes, according to Treppa.

“While we were disheartened that a minority of very large California gaming tribes opposed the Upper Lake Compact it was merely another impediment that was not insurmountable,” she said. “One would hope those wealthy tribes would recognize that their economic ambitions to expand their lush gaming resorts is far different than our tribe’s attempt to build a small casino that will enhance the lives of our entire Indian and non-Indian community.”

Running Creek Casino will be built on an 11-acre site next to the county park on Highway 20 outside of Upper Lake.

In a previous interview Treppa said the casino will include a gaming floor complete with 349 machines, six game tables, sitdown and fast food restaurants, a cocktail lounge, retail shops, a players club and administrative offices. The phased project eventually would include a hotel and total more than 76,000 square feet, according to a tribal fact sheet.

Previous estimates have put the cost to build the facility at $25 million, with the estimated number of jobs to be created at 145.

The compact was ratified by the state in the form of AB 1020, which was signed into law by Gov. Brown on June 13. Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro and state Sen. Noreen Evans sponsored the bill, which passed the Assembly with a unanimous vote of 69-0 on May 23 and passed through the Senate on June 9 with a vote of 40-0.

It was the second compact for the Habematolel that had been approved by the state.

A previous compact negotiated between the tribe and former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 was turned down in August 2010 after the Department of Interior ruled it violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act with revenue sharing requirements that were too onerous, as Lake County News has reported.

That denial nearly ended the tribe’s bid for a casino due to mounting debt, according to the tribe's Sunday statement.

However, compact negotiations began with Brown, with the resulting compact to run through Dec. 31, 2031, and allow a maximum of 750 slot machines at one gaming facility.

Under the terms of the compact, the tribe will share up to 15 percent of annual net win revenues with the state by making tiered payments to the legislatively controlled Special Distribution Fund (SDF) based on the number of devices the tribe actually operates under the compact.

The SDF provides grant funds to local communities for mitigation of local impacts of gaming, funding for the California Gambling Control Commission and Bureau of Gambling Control, as well as providing funding for problem-gambling prevention.

The tribe entered into a local intergovernmental agreement with the county of Lake in 2006 and Treppa said the tribe looks forward to fulfilling its obligations under that agreement in order to mitigate any impact the gaming facility may have in the local community.

Additionally, the tribe has entered into a fire and emergency service agreement with the Northshore Fire Protection District, which provides an annual payment of $80,000 from the tribe to the fire district to offset the cost of potential service calls the district may make to the tribe’s proposed gaming facility.

Other agencies involved in the tribe’s proposed project include the California Department of Transportation and the Lake County Special Districts Administration.

In 2009, the tribe and Caltrans completed a safety corridor improvement project along Highway 20 just east of Upper Lake which provided over $500,000 in highway safety improvements including safety lighting, lane widening, bike lanes and sidewalks.

In 2008, the tribe invested $378,000 with the Lake County Special Districts for wastewater system improvements and service to the proposed facility.

“This tribe has done everything possible to ensure that its gaming project will benefit our community and that there will be a long-standing positive working relationship between the tribe and the county of Lake,” said Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger.

In addition to the numerous intergovernmental agreements, the tribe also has cooperatively worked with the county of Lake to ensure the Middle Creek Flood Protection Project adjacent to the Tribe’s proposed gaming site will not be impeded in any manner with the construction of the Tribe’s gaming facility.

Through this cooperative effort, the tribe has set aside over 45 acres that eventually will be turned over to the county of Lake as part of the joint flood protection project.

Treppa said the tribe “has worked tirelessly from the inception of the project to be a good neighbor, to be forthright and honorable with its dealings with county, state, legislature, federal government and other tribes while exercising its sovereign right and duty to provide for and to protect its people and tribal lands.”

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Starting at 5:30 p.m. each evening, great bands will perform on the veranda of the restored Tallman Hotel with the audience gathered in the intimate garden between the hotel and saloon.

It’s a great time of day and a great spot to enjoy world-class music with a tasty barbecue dinner included in the price of admission.

Advance tickets are $50 and are available for purchase by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244. Tickets may also be purchased the day of the event for $55.

The lineup is as follows:

• Friday, Aug. 5 – David Landon to open followed by Alvon Johnson and band.

• Saturday, Aug. 6 – Pat Wider to open followed by Delta Wires.

• Sunday, Aug. 7 – Blues Kitchen opens for John Lee Hooker Jr.

In addition, on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5, the Blue Wing Labor Day Blues Festival welcomes Starlight, who opens for Rick Estrin and The Nightcats.

For more information on the Blues Festival or other musical events at the Blue Wing Saloon & Café, call 707-275-2244 or visit www.tallmanhotel.com or www.bluewingsaloon.com.

For visitor information, contact the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743 or www.lakecounty.com.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While there have been improvements in the unemployment picture around the nation and here in Lake County over the last several months, those gains rolled back slightly in June.

The latest report from the California Employment Development Department showed that California's unemployment was at 11.8 percent in June, up slightly from May's 11.7 percent but down from 12.4 percent in June 2010.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nationwide unemployment was 9.2 percent in June, compared to 9.1 percent for May and 9.5 percent in June of last year.

Lake County's unemployment rate in June was 17.3 percent, up from 16.8 percent in May, which had been the lowest rate for the county since June of 2010, when it was 16.7 percent, according to state records. This June's unemployment rate ranked Lake 51^st amongst the state's 58 counties.

The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,068,600 in June, an increase of 28,800 jobs over the month, according to a survey of 42,000 businesses that measures jobs in the economy.

The state's year-over-year change – June 2010 to June 2011 – shows an increase of 156,800 jobs, up 1.1 percent, the report noted.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,134,000 – up by 18,000 over the month, but down by 116,000 compared with June of last year.

At the same time, a federal survey of households, which uses a smaller sample than the survey of

employers, shows a decrease in the number of employed people, estimating the number of Californians holding jobs in June was 15,910,000, a decrease of 37,000 from May, and down 13,000 from the employment total in June of last year.

The Employment Development Department reported that there were 528,919 people receiving regular

unemployment insurance benefits during the June survey week, compared to 553,041 in May and 643,428 in June of 2010.

The agency said new claims for unemployment insurance in June were up, totaling 74,944, compared with 65,115 in May and 75,866 in June of last year.

Marin continued to have the lowest unemployment in March, at 8 percent, while Imperial topped the state with 28.5 percent, the state said.

Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division said Lake County industry employment increased by 680 in June, ending the month-over period with 13,690 jobs.

Eight industry sectors gained jobs or were unchanged over the month and three declined, Mullins said. Government is down 50 jobs over the month and remained down 200 over the year.

Mullins said month-over job growth occurred in farm, which gained 600 jobs; Mining, logging and construction, 20; manufacturing, 20; trade, transportation and utilities; leisure and hospitality, 80; and other services, 20.

Industries with no change over the month were information and professional and business services, while Mullins said industries that declined locally over the month included financial activities and private educational and health services, which each lost 10 jobs, and government, with 50 jobs lost.

Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 19.1 percent, No. 55; Glenn, 16.2 percent, No. 45; Yolo, 12.1 percent, No. 23; Mendocino, 10.9 percent, No. 13; Napa, 9.2 percent, No. 5; and Sonoma, 10.1 percent, No. 8.

Among Lake County's communities, Clearlake Oaks had the highest unemployment, 25.5 percent, followed by Nice, 25 percent; the city of Clearlake, 24.6 percent; Lucerne, 18.2 percent; Kelseyville, 17.6 percent; Middletown, 17.5 percent; city of Lakeport, 16.7 percent; Cobb, 15.5 percent; Lower Lake, 14.5 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 14.3 percent; north Lakeport, 13.7 percent; and Upper Lake, 9 percent.

Lake County's labor force in June was composed of 25,630 people, a 3.3-percent increase over May but a 2.8 percent loss since June 2010, when there were 26,360 local workers.

State details job growth, losses

Based on the Employment Development Department's report, seven categories – manufacturing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 40,900 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 16,400 jobs.

Two categories – construction and trade, transportation and utilities – reported job declines over the month, down 12,100 jobs. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest decrease over the month, down 11,000 jobs. Two categories, mining and logging and government, recorded no change over the month.

Eight categories (mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality) posted job gains over the year, adding 222,400 jobs, according to the report.

Of those groups, the state said professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 66,300 jobs, up 3.2 percent. Information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 6.5 percent, an increase of 27,900 jobs.

Three categories – financial activities; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 65,600 jobs. Government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 61,600 jobs, a decrease of 2.5 percent, the Employment Development Department reported.

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