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Recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation, or SIPP, shows that in 2019, prior to the pandemic, roughly 33.2 million children received school meals, including about 21.3 million who received free school lunches.

However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States a year later, it disrupted many facets of life, including closing schools for many and jeopardizing access to school meals.

According to the Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS), roughly 20% of at-risk households with children reported being food insecure — defined as sometimes or often not having enough to eat — in the early weeks of the pandemic, when many schools were closed.

But as new policies were enacted in response to COVID-19, such as expanded eligibility for school lunch programs, food insecurity in households with children declined.

New school meal policies during COVID

There were many policy changes designed to compensate for the loss of school meals due to pandemic-related school closures. Among them:

• Many school districts offered meals that could be picked up or delivered via school bus transportation during this period.
• The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program (P-EBT) provided emergency funds for nutritional benefits that were directly loaded on EBT cards for households with children that would normally receive free or reduced cost lunch if their schools were not partially or fully closed.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived the eligibility requirements for free lunch to allow school meal programs to provide safe, free healthy meals to all children and these flexibilities were extended through June of this year.

As these policies were implemented throughout the pandemic, food insecurity in households with children declined.

The decline is likely due in part to improving economic circumstances over the course of the pandemic (as well as the Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments). But our research shows that the change in food security still holds true when we control for economic variables.

Among households with children facing economic insecurity — defined here as those in which an adult indicated concern about their ability to pay the next month’s rent or mortgage — food insecurity fell by about 7 percentage points between the start of the pandemic (21.3% in April/May of 2020) and summer 2021 (14.2% in July/August 2021) when the most recent USDA policy changes were implemented.

Between summer 2021 and the back-to-school period in the fall, food insecurity levels among these at-risk households were not significantly different.

Free meals for all changed who receives meals

When most kids returned to school last fall, school meal receipt looked more like it did pre-pandemic. HPS data collected December 1-13, 2021, show that 18.3 million school-enrolled children were reported to be receiving free meals at school.

However, expanded eligibility and availability changed who received school meals in the fall of 2021, which included some higher income households.

For example, roughly 58% of HPS households that received free school meals owned their homes in December, 2021, compared to 47% of SIPP householders in homes receiving free or reduced-price meals in 2019.

School meals still part of safety net

These same HPS data show that although more households had access to free school meals during the pandemic, receipt was still higher in households that demonstrated financial need.

For example, roughly 39% of all households with children in school reported their child was receiving free school meals in December. However, 54% of households with kids that received funds from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, a means-tested food assistance program, reported receiving school meals.

Roughly half of adults in households with kids that reported difficulty meeting expenses reported receiving free school meals. The same was true of households with kids in which adults reported borrowing from friends and family to make ends meet.

Note that the estimates for SNAP households and households that borrowed to make ends meet was not significantly different.

Families benefit from program expansions

HPS data also show the extent to which families continued to rely on pandemic-related expanded national school meals programs. In December 2021:

• Roughly 15 million children ate meals on-site, at school or other locations.
• Over 5 million children picked up meals at school or other locations.
• Roughly 12 million school-enrolled children ages 5-18 received assistance through the expanded SNAP/P-EBT program.

About the data

The HPS is designed to provide near real-time data on how the pandemic is affecting people’s lives.

Information on the methodology and reliability of these estimates can be found in the source and accuracy statements for each data release.

Part of the Census Bureau’s Experimental Data Product series, the HPS was designed to have low respondent burden, provide quick turnaround on product releases and produce estimates that meet urgent public needs.

Most HPS data used in this analysis come from HPS Week 40, which was collected between December 1-13, 2021. However, HPS data used to make comparisons over time come from pooled collection periods that are reweighted to account for the pooling.

Data used here to describe the "early weeks of the pandemic" come from HPS Weeks 1-4. Data used to describe the summer of 2021 come from HPS Weeks 33-36, and data covering fall of 2021 come from HPS Weeks 37-40. (Note that collection periods after Week 12 are generally two weeks in length, but the HPS continues to refer to collection periods as "week" for continuity with earlier collections.)

The dates, sample sizes and response rates for all these collections are as follows:



The SIPP is a nationally representative survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population. More information about the SIPP, including data on receipt of food assistance programs, is available on the SIPP website. Source and accuracy statements are available on the technical documentation page.

SIPP data about school meal receipt in 2019 were collected for the calendar year and therefore include more than one school year. In contrast, the HPS asks about school meal receipt in the prior seven days.

Lestina Dongo and Lindsay Monte are researchers in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.
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MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Area Town Hall is returning to in-person meetings this week.

The group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the community meeting room located in between the Middletown Senior Center and the Library, 21256 Washington St.

The meeting is open to the public and also will be available via Zoom; the meeting ID is 659 964 1209. Call in at 669-900-6833.

Beginning at 7:05 p.m., the group will hear from several speakers: Lake County Public Services staff will discuss the Clean California grant, Battalion Chief Mike Wink of South Lake County Fire will give a seasonal fire prevention update and they will get the latest from the Tree Mortality Committee.

Under business, which is scheduled for 7:45 p.m., they will get updates on area cannabis projects including WeGrow and BarX.

They also will discuss the grievance committee update and review the January minutes and alternate election process.

At 8:20 p.m., Supervisor Moke Simon will give an update and take questions.

The MATH Board includes Chair Monica Rosenthal, Vice Chair Ken Gonzales, Secretary Todd Fiora, Rosemary Córdova and Bill Waite, and alternates Lisa Kaplan and Marlene Elder.

MATH — established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 — is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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.
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Avian flu spreads quickly through domestic poultry flocks. Lance Cheung, USDA/Flickr

An outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in chicken and turkey flocks has spread across 24 U.S. states since it was first detected in Indiana on Feb. 8, 2022. Better known as bird flu, avian influenza is a family of highly contagious viruses that are not harmful to wild birds that transmit it, but are deadly to domesticated birds. As of early April, the outbreak had caused the culling of some 23 million birds from Maine to Wyoming. Yuko Sato, an associate professor of veterinary medicine who works with poultry producers, explains why so many birds are getting sick and whether the outbreak threatens human health.

Why is avian influenza so deadly for domesticated birds but not for wild birds that carry it?

Avian influenza (AI) is a contagious virus that affects all birds. There are two groups of AI viruses that cause disease in chickens: highly pathogenic AI and low pathogenic AI.

HPAI viruses cause high mortality in poultry, and occasionally in some wild birds. LPAI can cause mild to moderate disease in poultry, and usually little to no clinical signs of illness in wild birds.

The primary natural hosts and reservoir of AI viruses are wild waterfowl, such as ducks and geese. This means that the virus is well adapted to them, and these birds do not typically get sick when they are infected with it. But when domesticated poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, come in direct or indirect contact with feces of infected wild birds, they become infected and start to show symptoms, such as depression, coughing and sneezing and sudden death.

Wire cages hold chicken figurines
Live birds are banned at agricultural fairs during bird flu outbreaks to avoid spreading infections. These fake chickens were on display at the Cabarrus County, N.C. fair in 2015, a previous H5N1 outbreak year. Elizabeth W. Kearley via Getty Images


There are multiple strains of avian influenza. What type is this outbreak, and is it dangerous to humans?

The virus of concern in this outbreak is a Eurasian H5N1 HPAI virus that causes high mortality and severe clinical signs in domesticated poultry. Scientists who monitor wild bird flocks have also detected a reassortant virus that contains genes from both the Eurasian H5 and low pathogenic North American viruses. This happens when multiple strains of the virus circulating in the bird population exchange genes to create a new strain of the virus, much as new strains of COVID-19 like omicron and delta have emerged during the ongoing pandemic.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to public health from this outbreak is low. No human illnesses have been associated with this virus in North America. That was also true of the last H5N1 outbreak in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015.

Should people avoid poultry products until this outbreak ends?

No, that’s not necessary. Infected poultry or eggs do not enter the food supply chain.

To detect AI, the U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees routine testing of flocks done by farmers and carries out federal inspection programs to ensure that eggs and birds are safe and free of virus. When H5N1 is diagnosed on a farm or in a backyard flock, state and federal officials will quarantine the site and cull and dispose of all the birds in the infected flock. Then the site is decontaminated.

After several weeks without new virus detections, the area is required to test negative in order to be deemed free of infection. We call this process the four D’s of outbreak control: diagnosis, depopulation, disposal and decontamination.

Avian influenza is not transmissible by eating properly prepared and cooked poultry, so eggs and poultry are safe to eat. The USDA recommends cooking eggs and poultry to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 Celsius).

 

Are avian influenza outbreaks happening more frequently around the world, or do we just hear more about them than we did 20 or 30 years ago?

The dynamics of the spread of avian influenza viruses are very complex. HPAI is a transboundary disease, which means it is highly contagious and spreads rapidly across national borders.

Some research indicates that detection of HPAI viruses in wild birds has become more common. Reports are seasonal, with a peak in February and a low point in September. There are ongoing outbreaks of HPAI in wild birds in Asia, Europe and Africa. Many migratory bird species travel thousands of miles between continents, posing a continuing risk of AI virus transmission.

In addition, we have better diagnostic tests for much more rapid and improved detection of avian influenza compared to 20 to 30 years ago, using molecular diagnostics such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests – the same method labs use to detect COVID-19 infections.

Farmers can take steps to make their flock more biosecure, such as preventing birds and their feed from being exposed to wild birds.


What’s the prospect of developing a vaccine for poultry that could reduce the economic harm from outbreaks?

Many factors would have to be weighed before adopting vaccination as a strategy for controlling HPAI. At this time, the Department of Agriculture has not approved the use of vaccination in the U.S. for protecting birds from avian influenza.

One reason for this is that using vaccines would potentially affect international trade and poultry exports. Importers would not be able to distinguish vaccinated birds from infected birds based on the routine testing, so they might ban all U.S. poultry exports.

Vaccination also could delay outbreak detection, since it can potentially hide non-apparent infections in infected birds. And if infections go unnoticed, they could spread to other farms before farmers can put control measures in place.

Avian influenza vaccines can reduce clinical signs, sickness and death rates in domestic poultry, but they would not prevent birds from becoming infected with the virus. Ultimately, the USDA’s goal is to eradicate HPAI quickly after it is detected. However, vaccines could be used to help control an outbreak, and this is an option that the agency is investigating now.

[You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors. You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter.]The Conversation

Yuko Sato, Associate Professor of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected a proposal from one of its members to enact an interim urgency ordinance that would have placed a 45-day moratorium on new agricultural and cannabis cultivation projects.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier presented the item to his colleagues, asking for them to pass the 45-day temporary moratorium in order to come up with solutions about how to protect the county water supply amid deepening drought conditions.

“This is climate change. Whether you want to agree that this is manmade or not is not the discussion,” he said.

However, with the urgency ordinance requiring a four-fifths vote of the board, it became clear early in the discussion that it would not have enough votes to pass after three board members voiced their opposition.

Sabatier said he believed he had brought traditional agriculture and cannabis growers together with his request. During public comment, both groups would voice opposition.

He presented data showing that Clear Lake is on track to drop to levels not seen since the drought of 1976 and 1977.

Sabatier said his goal was not to prohibit growth but to make sure the county has the vetting tools needed to protect the environment while making sure things are done correctly.

He said no ag projects currently were in the queue. The only cannabis projects that would be able to go through during the moratorium period would be about 14 that have already submitted plans to the state clearinghouse.

Sabatier said he’d spoken to the agricultural commissioners and the Lake County Cannabis Alliance about the matter. He said he’d received mostly positive input from the general public.

With the current drought reported to be the harshest in more than 1,200 years, Sabatier said it felt like the county was waiting for something to happen before taking any action. He said he wanted to make sure Lake County continues to be a farming community.

“It’s a tough topic. It gets very personal for those who are in the industries,” he said.

Despite Sabatier’s belief that the county could have a plan within 90 days to move forward, the majority of the board refused to support it.

Supervisor Tina Scott said she didn’t agree with the moratorium proposal, and that they needed to let Community Development Director Mary Darby complete work on updating county rules.

She said it is going to punish the good actors, but the bad actors will continue to waste water. “It’s just not going to solve the issues.”

Scott said she wanted to see enhanced hydrology standards, but added that the county cannot have knee jerk reactions.

The harshest criticism came from Supervisor Jessica Pyska, who said county staff was weeks away from coming back with proposals for how to rework the planning process to address issues like water.

She said Sabatier’s temporary moratorium would derail that, and that staff only had so much time available to work on these matters.

Citing staff issues and turnover, Pyska said, “To say that nothing’s been happening is wholly untrue.” She added that if Sabatier hadn’t seen any action it was because he wasn’t on the committee working with Community Development.

Pyska said the end goal is to get to a place of sustainability in our county and staff is now researching the watershed.

“This drought didn’t come out of nowhere,” said Psyka, adding that they have to work collaboratively and can’t just pile things on staff all the time.

Supervisor Moke Simon said he completely agreed with Scott and Pyska. “We’re doing the work.”

Simon said people need to think about how they’re living on the earth, bringing up issues with lawn grass, water storage and the local tribes’ lack of say on Clear Lake’s water rights.

“That’s our water,” he said. “Our tribal communities were not at the table when it was taken.”

Board Chair EJ Crandell was the only board member to offer any support for Sabatier,

Noting that in his Northshore district and its town halls there has been a lot of discussion of water in general, Crandell agreed that the county is working on addressing the situation and that the tribes were not considered when water rights were being determined.

He said he thought a 45-day moratorium would allow county staff to catch up on its works.

“I would have no problem considering a moratorium for 45 days despite the fact that it would affect some of you here, many of you here,” he said to the community members in the room.

The comments offered by community members were almost entirely against even a temporary pause.

Farmer and cannabis consultant Richard Derum noted, “Legalization has brought us new challenges.”

He said changes are needed in the industry itself, explaining that mixed light greenhouses are more sustainable than traditional outdoor grows.

Derum said those waiting in the approval queue likely can’t grow a crop this year anyway, so he didn’t see the need for an urgency ordinance.

As a consultant, Serum said he saw a “flip” in the industry last year, with the push going to fresh cannabis that’s more easily obtained through greenhouses.

Sarah Bodnar, a policy adviser for the Lake County Cannabis Alliance, said everyone acknowledges that the drought is a problem and that they are ready to work on solutions. “A moratorium isn’t one of them.”

She said they are farmers. “Without water we cannot farm.”

Ultimately, the board took no action on the proposal.

Sabatier said he appreciated everyone’s feedback and wished the county could come back sooner rather than later with solutions.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Authorities have identified the two Lake County residents who died in separate traffic crashes on Friday and Saturday.

Alisa Anne Pettey-Torres, 59, of Hidden Valley Lake, died in a head-on crash on Highway 29 just south of Grange Road on Friday, said Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said Walter William Toupal, 53, of Clearlake died in a solo-motorcycle crash on Highway 20 just west of Bruner Drive between Lucerne and Glenhaven on Saturday afternoon.

The California Highway Patrol’s on Pettey-Torres’ wreck said that on Friday at 5:18 p.m., she was driving a 2005 Toyota Corolla southbound on Highway 29, north of the Bar X entrance Road.

David Thurber, 49, of Hidden Valley Lake was driving a 2012 BMW X5 northbound on Highway 29, approaching Pettey-Torres’ Toyota sedan, the CHP said.

For reasons still under investigation, the CHP said Pettey-Torres’ Toyota crossed over the highway’s solid double yellow lines and she collided head-on with the BMW. Both vehicles became disabled on the northbound shoulder.

The CHP said Pettey-Torres was extricated from the vehicle and after life saving measures, she succumbed to her injuries on scene.

Neither drugs nor alcohol are suspected to be factors in this collision, the CHP said. Both drivers were using their safety equipment.

In the case of Toupal’s crash, the CHP said he was riding his 2001 Harley Davidson eastbound on Highway 20, west of Bruner Drive at 2:16 p.m. Saturday when, for reasons still under investigation, he allowed his motorcycle to veer off the south side of the roadway.

Toupal’s motorcycle struck several boulders, impacted the shoreline and went into the lake, the CHP said.

A nearby fishing boat came across the motorcycle and the rider in the lake, pulled the rider to the shore and called 911, authorities said.

Medics who arrived on scene shortly afternoon pronounced Toupal deceased at the scene, the CHP said.

The CHP said alcohol appears to be a factor in this crash.

These two crashes were among four that have resulted in fatalities in less than a week. The other fatal wrecks occurred on Wednesday near Blue Lakes and on Sunday on the Mendocino National Forest near Upper Lake.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A San Rafael man died Sunday as the result of a motorcycle crash on the Mendocino National Forest near Upper Lake.

Rex B. Powell, 68, died in the crash, which the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said occurred on an off-highway vehicle trail on the Mendocino National Forest’s Upper Lake Ranger District Sunday morning.

The CHP said Powell was riding his 2022 Husqvarna motorcycle on the trail at 9:50 a.m. Sunday when he came upon debris blocking the trail and applied the brakes to his motorcycle.

The braking caused Powell to be thrown from the bike and into the brush, the CHP said.

Despite Powell being in full protective gear, the CHP said he was impaled by a broken branch.

Medical aid was attempted at the crash scene before Powell was moved to the Middle Creek Campground staging area, where an individual who wasn’t involved called 911, the CHP said.

The CHP said emergency crews arrived and attempted to render medical aid, however, Powell was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Neither alcohol nor drugs are factors in this crash, the CHP said.

This was the fourth fatal crash in Lake County in less than a week. The other wrecks occurred near Upper Lake on Wednesday, Middletown on Friday and Lucerne on Saturday.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — As Lake County’s administrative officer prepares to step down at the end of this month, one of her staffers has been chosen to succeed her in an interim capacity.

The Board of Supervisors emerged from a closed session just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon to announce that they had voted unanimously to appoint Assistant County Administrative Officer Susan Parker as interim county administrative officer.

The appointment is effective April 30, the day after County Administrator Carol Huchingson departs.

The board held closed-door interviews for the interim position on Tuesday.

Deputy County Administrative Officer Matthew Rothstein told Lake County News that there were three candidates for the interim position. “Two were determined qualified, and one withdrew.”

Lake County News asked Parker if there was a restriction preventing her from applying for the job on a permanent basis and if she was planning to seek the job long term.

She said she was unaware of any restrictions. “And yes, I do plan to apply for the permanent position,” she said in an email response.

At its March 22 meeting, the week following Huchingson’s sudden announcement that she was leaving, the supervisors approved a plan to recruit a new county administrative officer that included an in-house interim appointment, an open recruitment to fill the job overseen by the Human Resources Department and preparation of a request for proposals for a headhunting firm, if needed.

Human Resources Director Pam Samac said the goal was to have the interim county administrative officer in place to work with Huchingson for a “thorough download” and some basic training for several weeks.

For several years, Human Resources has been overseen by the County Administrator’s Office, which has in turn raised questions about how much influence Huchingson will bring to bear on choosing her successor.

And with Parker’s appointment as the interim, and her intention to seek the job permanently, the county has not addressed how it intends to address the potential conflict of interest for her to oversee the recruitment for a position she is pursuing.

Parker joined the county as assistant county administrative officer on March 28, 2019, Rothstein said.

She has a Master’s in Public Affairs and Public Administration from the Robert M. Lafollette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, according to a statement from the County Administrative Office.

That same statement said she’s held previous executive jobs in the states of Wisconsin, Nevada, Colorado and North Carolina before coming to Lake County following what the county of Lake described as “a rigorous nationwide search.”

In the county’s statement, Board Chair E.J. Crandell was quoted as saying that Parker comes to the position with 20 years of experience as a high level government executive and administrator, “and she understands the unique needs and challenges facing Lake County’s communities.”

The statement attributed to Crandell continued, “During her time here, Susan has repeatedly proven herself to be an insightful leader and effective collaborator. She knows what needs to be done to continue to move Lake County forward, and we truly look forward to seeing Susan positively influence conditions for every Lake County resident with this interim appointment.”

Parker, quoted in the county’s statement, said she came to Lake County because she believed its future was bright.

“In getting to know many community leaders and making this my home,” Parker was quoted as saying. “I have grown increasingly confident we can make tremendous progress. Lake County is a very special place.”

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With a new program coordinator in place, the Lake County Library’s Adult Literacy Program is working to expand by bringing in new tutors and learners from all around the lake.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the challenges in our community to address low literacy skills.

To increase participation, the program is offering both in-person and virtual options for tutoring and is looking to the community for support to grow the program.

The Adult Literacy Program recruits and trains volunteers from the community to work one-on-one with individuals who need help to improve basic reading, writing, and comprehension skills, offering study sessions that are geared to what the student wants to learn.

The program also offers assistance for GED or High School Equivalency preparation, written driving tests, citizenship applications and more.

In addition, the program aims to increase digital literacy for those wanting to improve their skills with computers, cell phones, office computer programs, and more. A grant application is currently in progress to implement an English as a Second Language Program as well.

No experience is necessary to become a literacy tutor. Tutor training, where volunteers learn useful techniques for teaching adults to read, is provided free of cost, and ongoing support and meetings are offered including a monthly meeting with all active tutors and an annual tutor recognition event sponsored by the Lake County Literacy Coalition.

Upon completion of tutor training, tutors will be matched with adult learners in a variety of settings around the county.

Volunteering is flexible for both the tutor and learner, with sessions typically held once per week for one hour. Sessions can take place at library branches, in local park settings, or online via Zoom.

A Family Literacy Program is also available to families of adult learners with young children to help their children become readers and encourage family activities.

As part of the family program, children receive free books from any of our library branch locations and our free monthly newsletter that includes reading recommendations, family activities, and more.

Both programs are available to the public to promote literacy and lifelong learning for all ages.

Becoming a tutor can help someone to a better future. Many adults want to improve their reading and writing skills so they can access better jobs, further their own education, advocate for their children, and overall improve their way of life. Through hard work and perseverance, adult learners can change their own, and their family’s lives, for the better.

The program is supported in part by the California Library Literacy Services and by the Lake County Literacy Coalition.

Since 1986, the Coalition, with the help of literacy volunteers, has conducted the annual fundraising Walk/Run for Literacy and has used funds raised for books, training materials, and tutor support including recognition events.

Survey data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies from the first survey cycle (2012/2014/2017), determined that Lake County had a 26% literacy proficiency level of at or below level 1.

According to ProLiteracy, an organization whose mission is to change lives and communities through the power of adult literacy, more than 43 million adults in the United States cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level.

Workers who have less education than a high school diploma have the lowest median weekly earnings ($592), three times less than the highest level of education.

After the retirement of Virginia “Ginny” DeVries, the program’s dedicated coordinator for over 30 years, the Lake County Library hired local resident and Lake County Poet Laureate Georgina Marie Guardado to fill the position.

She has prioritized recruiting new learners and tutors for this program and revitalizing the program after the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted overall retention.

If you are interested in becoming a literacy tutor or know someone who could benefit from our services, please call 707-263-7633 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Your volunteerism could help change a life.

Visit the Adult Literacy Program’s page on the Lake County Library website at http://library.lakecountyca.gov.

Visit the Lake County Literacy Coalition’s website at https://lclcoalition.wixsite.com/lclc and like their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyCALiteracyCoalition/.
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MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — Officials said Monday that a small wildland fire on the Mendocino National Forest has been fully contained.

The Slide fire started on Friday, Aug. 8, at around 5:30 p.m., forest officials reported.

It was located approximately 2.3 miles west of Soda Creek Station and south of Elk Mountain Road on the Upper Lake Ranger District.

Investigators say the fire was human-caused and not related to the nearby Westshore prescribed burn.

Shortly after forest law enforcement identified a column of smoke, resources that were managing the Westshore prescribed burn shifted over to respond to the Slide fire, officials said.

The forest reported that engines from Mendocino National Forest, Lake Pillsbury, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit and Konocti Crew 2 helped contain the fire.

On Friday at 10 p.m., firefighters reported the Slide fire size was being held at 1.5 acres.

Separately, on Friday at 10:50 a.m., firefighters patrolling the Westshore prescribed fire reported a tree had fallen across the containment line for the prescribed fire.

The Slide fire was contained at 100% as of Monday morning, the forest reported.

A steady, wetting rain fell early Monday morning, and officials said fire behavior was minimal at that time.

Officials said crews will continue to mop up and patrol the fire this week.

Additional updates will be provided when there are significant changes in fire activity or conditions, the forest headquarters said in its Monday report.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Planning Commission will meet this week to consider a resort and two cannabis projects.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday, April 14, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The agenda is here.

To participate in real-time, join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.

The webinar ID is 933 4337 3108, the pass code is 307141.

Access the meeting via one tap mobile at +16699006833,,93343373108#,,,,*307141# or dial in at 669-900-6833.

The meeting also can be viewed on the county’s website or Facebook page.

On the agenda at 9:05 a.m. is a public hearing to consider a resort project held over from the March 24 meeting.

Nikki Island is seeking a design review and a mitigated negative declaration for a small resort at 5835 and 5825 Highway 20 in Lucerne.

The project would include nine overnight lodging units; conversion of the existing dwelling to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room; an outdoor kitchen; in-ground pool and hot tub; removal of asphalt and an existing driveway; and new landscaping, parking and pedestrian paths.

Also on Thursday, the commission will hold a public hearing for a major use permit and a mitigated negative declaration for Joyce Kirstein/Spring Valley Organics. The project, which would include a small amount of outdoor cultivation and a self-transport distributor license, is located at 2593 New Long Valley Road, Clearlake Oaks.

The commission also will consider a major use permit and a mitigated negative declaration sought by Igor Stolper/Jerusalem Grade Farms/RMI Ventures. The project would include outdoor cultivation and a self-transport distributor license.

Another project on the agenda for Auto Canna LLC is being rescheduled for May.

The full agenda follows.

AGENDA

Approval of the Minutes from the March 10, 2022, and the March 24, 2022, Planning Commission hearing.

9:05 a.m.: Continued from March 24, public hearing on consideration of a design review (DR 21-01) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 22-06).The applicant, Nikki Island, is proposing, a small resort, containing nine overnight lodging units; conversion of the existing dwelling to a social gathering room, lobby, kitchen and dining room; outdoor kitchen; in-ground pool and hot tub; site improvements including removal of 1,100+ sq. ft. of asphalt and the western driveway leading to Highway 20; landscaping, parking and interior access aisles and pedestrian pathways. The project location is 5835 and 5825 Highway 20, Lucerne, and further described as APN’s 034-421-20 and 034-421-21.

9:10 a.m.: Public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 19-21) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 19-37). The applicant, Joyce Kirstein/Spring Valley Organics is proposing one A-Type 3: “Outdoor” license: Outdoor cultivation for adult use cannabis without the use of light deprivation and/or artificial lighting in the canopy area at any point in time from 10,001 square feet to one acre, inclusive, of total canopy size per license on one premise; and a Type 13 “Distributor Transport Only, Self-Transport Distribution” license: The transport of cannabis goods between entities licensed pursuant to California Code. The project is located at 2593 New Long Valley Rd., Clearlake Oaks; Assessor Parcel Numbers: 620-071-04.

9:15 a.m.: Continued to the May 12 Planning Commission meeting at 9:05 a.m., public hearing on consideration of a major use permit (UP 19-44) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 19-63). The applicant, Auto Canna LLC (Auto Canna) is proposing Four (4) A-Type 3: “Outdoor” license: Outdoor cultivation for adult use cannabis without the use of light deprivation and/or artificial lighting in the canopy area at any point in time from 10,001 square feet to one acre, inclusive, of total canopy size per license on one premise; and a Type 13 “Distributor Transport Only, Self-Transport Distribution” license: The transport of cannabis goods between entities licensed pursuant to California Code. The project is located at 21258 Morgan Valley Road, Lower Lake; Assessor Parcel Numbers: 012-069-57.

9:20 a.m.: Continued from Dec. 16, 2021, public hearing on consideration of major use permit (UP 20-13) and a mitigated negative declaration (IS 20-15). The applicant, Igor Stolper/Jerusalem Grade Farms/RMI Ventures is proposing one A-Type 3: “Outdoor” license: Outdoor cultivation for adult use cannabis without the use of light deprivation and/or artificial lighting in the canopy area at any point in time from 10,001 square feet to one acre, inclusive, of total canopy size per license on one premise; and a Type 13 “Distributor Transport Only, Self-Transport Distribution” license: The transport of cannabis goods between entities licensed pursuant to California Code. The project is located at 22644 Jerusalem Grade Road, Middletown; Assessor Parcel Numbers: 136-051-04.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport Planning Commission is scheduled to consider several applications this week, including more for short-term rentals, and will get an update on the city’s housing element.

The commission will meet at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.

The agenda is available here.

To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here; the meeting ID is 986 6166 5155. To join by phone, dial 1-669-900-9128.

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 before 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13.

Please 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 are 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 before the meeting.

On the agenda is an application from Metro Investment Inc. for a use permit and a categorical exemption to allow for a short-term rental located at 366 Third St.

The commission also will consider an application from Vicki and William Lane for a use permit and a categorical exemption to allow for a short-term rental located at 785 Sixth St.

In other business, the commission will consider Sandra Kacharos’ application for a lot line adjustment to reconfigure lands between two existing lots of record located at 2365 and 2375 Parallel Drive.

Also on Wednesday, the commission will review its goals and those of the city’s planning department and work program for the 2022 calendar year.

The commissioners also will get a report on the housing production and implementation of housing related programs and policies contained in the sixth cycle housing element.

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.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for Lake County and other parts of the North Coast due to chances of rain throughout this week as the result of a winterlike storm system.

The agency said Lake County could see rainfall totaling about an inch, with cool and unsettled weather expected to continue through the week as another storm system passes through late Wednesday into Thursday.

The forecast also predicts widespread northwest winds early this week with gusts of up to 45 miles per hour over the county’s ridgetops.

The specific Lake County forecast anticipates rain on Monday, coupled with winds with gusts of nearly 25 miles per hour.

There also are chances of rain from Tuesday through Saturday. Wednesday night and into Thursday morning could see up to half an inch of rainfall.

Conditions are expected to clear by Saturday night, continuing into Sunday.

Daytime temperatures this week will range from the high 40s on Monday to the low 60s by Sunday. Nighttime conditions will drop into the mid 30s early in the week, topping out in the high 40s.

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.

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