LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – During the cold winter months, fire agencies across the nation see an increase in home fires due to dangerous heating equipment or unsafe practices.

This time of year also sees fires caused due to holiday decorations.

Improper use or poorly maintained heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires and home fire deaths across the country, according to Cal Fire.

“Half of all home heating fires are reported during the months of December, January and February,” said State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, Cal Fire – Office of the State Fire Marshal. “Improper use or poorly maintained heating equipment often leads to fires, injuries and deaths that could have been easily prevented. These fires remind us once again how important having working smoke alarms can be.”

Over the last few winters, a number of chimney fires have occurred in Lake County, with local fire officials reminding homeowners to make sure their chimneys are cleaned regularly.
 
With a few simple safety tips and precautions, you can prevent most home heating fires from happening.

Cal Fire offers the following fire safety tips:

• Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment such as a furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.
• Have a 3-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Always turn portable heaters off when leaving a room or going to bed.
• Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from escaping.
• Allow fireplace ashes to completely cool before disposing them. Place in a tightly covered metal container at least 10 feet away from your home and any other nearby buildings. Never empty fireplace or wood stove ashes directly into a trash can.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• If using fossil fuel heating, install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms to avoid the risk of CO poisoning. Make sure your home has working smoke alarms as well.

With regard to general fire safety, the National Fire Protection Association reminds people to test smoke alarms and have fire escape plans, keep children and pets away from lit candles, keep matches and lighters up high in a locked cabinet, and stay in the kitchen when cooking on the stovetop.

The association also urges people to use extra caution during the holiday season, taking particular care with Christmas trees.

Forty percent of homes fires that began with Christmas trees occurred in January, according to the association.

“The longer they are in the home, the more dangerous they become. The continued use of seasonal lighting and dried-out trees can pose significant fire hazards in and outside the home,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy for NFPA. “Proper disposal of the tree from your home will minimize the risk and will keep the holiday a joyful one.”

Although these tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be fatal. On average, one of every 40 reported home structure Christmas tree fires resulted in a death compared to an average of one death per 142 total reported home structure fires, the association reported.

For unplugging the electric decorations, use the gripping area provided on the plugs. Never pull the cord to unplug a device from electrical outlets. Doing so can harm the cord’s wire and insulation, which can lead to an electrical fire or shock.

To reduce the risk of holiday tree and light fires and to keep decorations in good condition for next year, the association offers these suggestions:

• As you’re putting away electrical light strings, take time to inspect each for damage. Throw out light sets if they have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.
• Do not place a damaged set of lights back into the storage box for next year’s use.
• Wrap each set of lights and put them in individual plastic bags, or wrap the lights around a piece of cardboard.
• Store electrical decorations in a dry place where they cannot be damaged by water or dampness. Also, keep them away from children and pets.

For more information on fire safety visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov or the National Fire Prevention Association Web site at www.nfpa.org/winter .

NASA scientists have revealed the inner workings of the ozone hole that forms annually over Antarctica and found that declining chlorine in the stratosphere has not yet caused a recovery of the ozone hole.

More than 20 years after the Montreal Protocol agreement limited human emissions of ozone-depleting substances, satellites have monitored the area of the annual ozone hole and watched it essentially stabilize, ceasing to grow substantially larger.

However, two new studies show that signs of recovery are not yet present, and that temperature and winds are still driving any annual changes in ozone hole size.

“Ozone holes with smaller areas and a larger total amount of ozone are not necessarily evidence of recovery attributable to the expected chlorine decline,” said Susan Strahan of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “That assumption is like trying to understand what's wrong with your car's engine without lifting the hood.”

To find out what's been happening under the ozone hole's hood, Strahan and Natalya Kramarova, also of NASA Goddard, used satellite data to peer inside the hole.

The research was presented this month at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.

Kramarova tackled the 2012 ozone hole, the second-smallest hole since the mid 1980s.

To find out what caused the hole's diminutive area, she turned to data from the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, and gained the first look inside the hole with the satellite's Ozone Mapper and Profiler Suite's Limb Profiler.

Next, data were converted into a map that shows how the amount of ozone differed with altitude throughout the stratosphere in the center of the hole during the 2012 season, from September through November.

The map revealed that the 2012 ozone hole was more complex than previously thought. Increases of ozone at upper altitudes in early October, carried there by winds, occurred above the ozone destruction in the lower stratosphere.

“Our work shows that the classic metrics based on the total ozone values have limitations – they don't tell us the whole story,” Kramarova said.

The classic metrics create the impression that the ozone hole has improved as a result of the Montreal protocol.

In reality, meteorology was responsible for the increased ozone and resulting smaller hole, as ozone-depleting substances that year were still elevated.

The study has been submitted to the journal of Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Separate research led by Strahan tackled the holes of 2006 and 2011 – two of the largest and deepest holes in the past decade.

Despite their similar area, however, Strahan shows that they became that way for very different reasons.

Strahan used data from the NASA Aura satellite's Microwave Limb Sounder to track the amount of nitrous oxide, a tracer gas inversely related to the amount of ozone depleting chlorine.

The researchers were surprised to find that the holes of 2006 and 2011 contained different amounts of ozone-depleting chlorine.

Given that fact, how could the two holes be equally severe?

The researchers next used a model to simulate the chemistry and winds of the atmosphere. Then they re-ran the simulation with the ozone-destroying reactions turned off to understand the role that the winds played in bringing ozone to the Antarctic.

Results showed that in 2011, there was less ozone destruction than in 2006 because the winds transported less ozone to the Antarctic – so there was less ozone to lose. This was a meteorological, not chemical effect.

In contrast, wind blew more ozone to the Antarctic in 2006 and thus there was more ozone destruction. The research has been submitted to the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

This work shows that the severity of the ozone hole as measured by the classic total column measurements does not reveal the significant year-to-year variations in the two factors that control ozone: the winds that bring ozone to the Antarctic and the chemical loss due to chlorine.

Until chlorine levels in the lower stratosphere decline below the early 1990s level – expected sometime after 2015 but likely by 2030 – temperature and winds will continue to dictate the variable area of the hole in any given year.

Not until after the mid 2030s will the decline stratospheric chlorine be the primary factor in the decline of ozone hole area.

“We are still in the period where small changes in chlorine do not affect the area of the ozone hole, which is why it's too soon to say the ozone hole is recovering,” Strahan said. “We're going into a period of large variability and there will be bumps in the road before we can identify a clear recovery.”

A 12-year study of massive stars has reaffirmed that our galaxy has four spiral arms, following years of debate sparked by images taken by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope that only showed two arms.

The new research, which is published online in the Dec. 17 issue of Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, is part of the RMS Survey, which was launched by academics at the University of Leeds.

Astronomers cannot see what our galaxy, which is called the Milky Way, looks like because we are on the inside looking out. But they can deduce its shape by careful observation of its stars and their distances from us.

“The Milky Way is our galactic home and studying its structure gives us a unique opportunity to understand how a very typical spiral galaxy works in terms of where stars are born and why,” said Professor Melvin Hoare, a member of the RMS Survey Team in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Leeds and a co-author of the research paper.

In the 1950s astronomers used radio telescopes to map our galaxy. Their observations focused on clouds of gas in the Milky Way in which new stars are born, revealing four major arms.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, on the other hand, scoured the galaxy for infrared light emitted by stars.

It was announced in 2008 that Spitzer had found about 110 million stars, but only evidence of two spiral arms.

The astronomers behind the new study used several radio telescopes in Australia, USA and China to individually observe about 1,650 massive stars that had been identified by the RMS Survey.

From their observations, the distances and luminosities of the massive stars were calculated, revealing a distribution across four spiral arms.

“It isn't a case of our results being right and those from Spitzer's data being wrong – both surveys were looking for different things,” said Professor Hoare. “Spitzer only sees much cooler, lower mass stars – stars like our Sun – which are much more numerous than the massive stars that we were targeting.”

Massive stars are much less common than their lower mass counterparts because they only live for a short time – about 10 million years.

The shorter lifetimes of massive stars means that they are only found in the arms in which they formed, which could explain the discrepancy in the number of galactic arms that different research teams have claimed.

“Lower mass stars live much longer than massive stars and rotate around our Galaxy many times, spreading out in the disc. The gravitational pull in the two stellar arms that Spitzer revealed is enough to pile up the majority of stars in those arms, but not in the other two,” explained Professor Hoare. “However, the gas is compressed enough in all four arms to lead to massive star formation.”

Dr. James Urquhart from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany, and lead author of the paper, said: “It's exciting that we are able to use the distribution of young massive stars to probe the structure of the Milky Way and match the most intense region of star formation with a model with four spiral arms.”

Professor Hoare concluded, “Star formation researchers, like me, grew up with the idea that our Galaxy has four spiral arms. It's great that we have been able to reaffirm that picture.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sharp-eyed bird enthusiasts were out once again this year to help tally bird species in the annual Christmas Bird Count.

Forty-eight individuals participated in the Redbud Audubon 2013 Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, Dec. 14, in weather that was considerably better than last year’s cold, wind and snow, according to Darlene Hecomovich, the local count's coordinator.

The local count – now in its 39th year – was part of the 114th national event, which began Dec. 14 and is continuing through Jan. 5 in other parts of the country.

The results from Lake County's Dec. 14 count indicate that 135 different species were found, up from the 126 sighted last year but down from the preceding 10-year average of 140 birds, according to Hecomovich.

The figure for the total number of individual birds is 34,249, which is down considerably from the preceding 10-year average of 48,530 birds but up from last year’s 24,114, she said.

When assessing this 10-year average figure, Hecomovich said it is important to recognize that it encompasses a low of 23,313 individual birds in 2008 to a high of a whopping 135,312 in 2004. That year, there was an abundance of fish-eating birds on Clear Lake because of the generous food supply of threadfin shad and silversides.

For the third year in a row, the ruddy duck won the prize for the most individuals seen, with an historical high of 16,151 individuals, Hecomovich said. Its previous 10-year average is 5,102, with a previous high of 14,838 in 2011.

The highlight of the count was a greater roadrunner seen by one field party. The roadrunner has had only four winter sightings in Lake County and appeared on the Christmas Bird Count only once before, in 1983, when one individual was seen, Hecomovich said.

Some other rare species Hecomovich said were tallied in the count were two cackling geese, two cinnamon teal, one Barrow’s Goldeneye, one red-necked grebe, one green heron, both prairie and peregrine falcons, five soras, one Pacific Wren, three blue-gray gnatcatchers, three Bell’s Sparrow (formerly known as sage sparrow) and one white-throated sparrow.

Birds they would like to have seen but missed were ring-necked pheasant, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Hutton’s Vireo, red-breasted nuthatch and the Pine Siskin, which Hecomovich said was represented by only one individual, whereas 57 were counted last year.

Hecomovich thanked all the birders who joined in to create a successful Christmas Bird Count.

She said participating in the Christmas Bird Count is great fun and is rewarding. It's also the largest, oldest, and possibly the most important, census of North American birds that takes place every year.

For those who missed it this year, Hecomovich encouraged them to take part in the 2014 event.

For more information about Redbud Audubon, visit http://redbudaudubon.org/ .

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Two young local men were arrested after a single-vehicle rollover early Saturday morning near Hidden Valley Lake.

Craig Samual Clark, 20, of Cobb, who was driving the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee involved in the crash, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Clark's passenger, 18-year-old Hidden Valley Lake resident Donald Wayne Leos, was arrested for public intoxication and having a concealed dirk or dagger, the CHP said.

The CHP said the crash occurred at 4:15 a.m. on Highway 29 south of Hofacker Lane.

Clark was driving the Jeep southbound on Highway 29 at an unknown speed when, for reasons that still haven't been determined, he allowed the vehicle to veer toward the highway's right shoulder, according to the CHP report.

Clark then overcorrected and veered back to the left across the two northbound lanes, with the Jeep's front end hitting a dirt embankment, the CHP said.

The CHP said the crash with the embankment caused the Jeep to overturn. It came to rest blocking Highway 29's northbound lanes.

Clark suffered minor injuries and Leos had moderate injuries, with the CHP reporting that both declined medical treatment. Both were wearing their seat belts.

The CHP said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Lake County Jail records showed that Clark was booked for two felony counts of DUI causing injury, with bail set at $30,000. Leos was booked on felony possession of a dirk or dagger and misdemeanor public intoxication, with bail set at $15,000.

Both remained in custody Saturday evening, according to jail records.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – While sheriff's investigators continue to try to determine what led to a fatal Christmas morning shooting at an Upper Lake home, the homeowners in the case have been placed under arrest for drugs and weapons charges.

James Michael Jean, 50, and his wife, Nora Katherine Jean, 49, were booked on Thursday night for several charges related to marijuana sales and weapons possession, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.

The man identified as the shooting victim in the case is Maurice Oliver Watts III, 30, Brooks said.

The investigation into the events surrounding Watts' shooting is ongoing, with Brooks reporting that no arrests or charges have been made related to his death.

Brooks said that at 9:50 a.m. Wednesday the Lake County Sheriff’s Dispatch Center received a 911 call from a male subject reporting an intruder attempted to break in at his residence located at 1475 Hunter Point Road in Upper Lake.

The caller further reported the intruder had some type of firearm. The intruder had been shot and was lying outside, Brooks said.

When deputies arrived, they were directed to a male subject lying outside on the ground on the property in what appeared to have been a previous marijuana grow site, according to Brooks.

Deputies found the male to be deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. Brooks said deputies also found a replica handgun near the deceased male.

The Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit responded and took over the investigation and a search warrant was secured and served at the Hunter Point Road property, Brooks said.

During the service of that search warrant, hundreds of pounds of semiprocessed marijuana were located in a hidden room in a garage on the property. Brooks said the Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit responded to conduct a marijuana sales investigation.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit secured and served two additional search warrants related to their investigation on Thursday. Brooks said those warrants were served at the Jeans' business, Lake County Car Audio and Security at 325 W. Highway 20 in Upper Lake, and at a residence in the 6800 block of Broadway Avenue in Nice.

During the service of those warrants, the Sheriff's Narcotics Unit seized 433.6 pounds of marijuana from the 1475 Hunter Point Road residence, 173.3 pounds of marijuana from Lake County Car Audio and 374 pounds of marijuana from the Broadway Avenue residence, Brooks said.

A total of 980.9 pounds of marijuana, three handguns, 13 rifles – including several high-powered, assault-style weapons – and restricted armor piercing and tracer ammunition were seized, according to Brooks.

He said the marijuana located at the Broadway Avenue address was located in a hidden room similar to the one found at the Hunter Point Road address.

The Sheriff's Narcotics Unit arrested the property owners for marijuana- and firearm-related charges, Brooks said.

James Jean was booked into custody at the Hill Road Correctional Facility Thursday evening for possession of marijuana for sale, convicted felon in possession of a firearm, convicted felon in possession of ammunition and possession of bullets with explosive agent, Brooks said.

Nora Jean was booked several hours after her husband Thursday night, with charges including  possession of marijuana for sale, committing a felony while armed and possession of bullets with explosive agent, according to Brooks.

Both remained in custody on Friday, Brooks said, with bail for each is set at $500,000

Brooks said their first court appearance is currently scheduled for Monday, Dec. 30.

An autopsy of Watts currently also is scheduled for Monday, Brooks said.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Korean War veteran Robert “Scotty” Veitch has much to be grateful for this Christmas thanks to Habitat for Humanity's assistance in making much-needed improvements to his home.
 
Having served as an ordinance officer, Veitch saw his share of the horrors of war.

He and a fellow soldier were selected to live briefly with Korean families in order to learn the language, a strategic necessity for American soldiers abroad.

Afterwards, he traveled a lot during his tour, witnessing starvation and death as he delivered munitions to the soldiers at the front.

His time in the service contributed to the declining use of his legs, until it reached the point where he can stand for only brief periods of time and must use a walker if he is to walk. Most often he is confined to a wheelchair.
 
When he and his caregiver contacted Habitat for Humanity Lake County, it was with the desperate hope to make Veitch’s life easier.

The hallway to his bathroom and bedroom were barely accessible for his chair, and he was unable to get in and out of his bathtub to bathe.

Equally unable to maneuver stairs, he had become confined to his home, only getting out occasionally for medical treatment with the assistance of his caregiver.

It was no easy task, for them or for him, and they knew something needed to be done to give Veitch back his freedom.

Habitat for Humanity Lake County worked with Veitch to provide the assistance he needed.
 
“We are honored to give back to those who served our nation during times of war,” said Habitat for Humanity Lake County President Richard Birk.

The hallway and bathroom door were widened to provide easier access for his wheelchair. The inaccessible tub was replaced with a handicap friendly shower.

Outside the home, a ramp was installed to allow Veitch to be able to leave his house on his own for the first time in years.
 
“It means a lot. I have to go slow, but now I can go outside without fear of falling. It makes Sharon’s job easier, too,” Veitch said.
 
Caregiver Sharon echoed his sentiments. “It had gotten so difficult, for me and for Robert, to get him out for appointments. Something needed to be done, and we’re so grateful to Habitat for Humanity for the help they’ve given Robert.”
 
“I’m not a prisoner anymore,” Veitch said, smiling.
 
To learn more about Habitat for Humanity Lake County’s home repair program, call 707-994-1100 or stop by their office at 16285 A Main St. in Lower Lake.

With 2013 quickly coming to a close, it's shaping up to be one of the driest calendar years on record for many places in California, according to forecasters.

Almost all of the Golden State is under either a severe or extreme drought with no end in sight heading into 2014.

This prolonged drought has contributed to the heightened risk of wildfires over the past several months and is raising major concerns in the agriculture industry.

Looking at the forecast through the remainder of 2013 and into the beginning of 2014, it appears as though very little rain – if any at all – will fall across the state.

“With the huge agricultural community already burdened by high prices of water and big restrictions on the amount of water allocated, this bleak outlook could be quite significant,” said Ken Clark, AccuWeather.com Western U.S. expert.

“This much lack of rain over such a long period of time could prove to be catastrophic for farmers,” Clark added.

Looking at the six most populated cities in California, San Diego is the only city that has received more than 50 percent of its normal yearly rainfall. That being said, San Diego is still well below their normal yearly rainfall total.

Although there are still a few days for these numbers to change, it is unlikely that they will do so with no rain in the forecast for any of these cities through the rest of 2013.

California is currently in the middle of its “rainy season,” which is considered to last from October to March.

This time frame is known as the rainy season due to the fact that during these months, there is typically a greater chance for rain than the other months of the year.

With only three months left in the current rainy season, many Californians are hoping that things will pick up to help battle the extreme drought.

Brian Lada is a meteorologist for www.AccuWeather.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With little rain this fall and early winter, Clear Lake earlier this month hit the lowest level in four years.

On Dec. 21, 25 and 26, Clear Lake’s level was recorded as 0.62 feet Rumsey, the lowest depth for the lake recorded since Dec. 12, 2009, based on records available online from Lake County Water Resources and the US Geological Survey.

Rumsey is the special measure used for recording the depth of Clear Lake. Zero Rumsey is equivalent to 1318.256 feet.

According to the Lake County Water Resources Web site, “The natural level of Clear Lake has been maintained by the Grigsby Riffle, which is a rock sill located at the confluence of Cache and Seigler Creeks near Lower Lake. The natural low water level of Clear Lake was established as 'Zero Rumsey' and all subsequent lake measurements are based on this elevation.”

November and December of 2009 saw slightly lower lake levels than this month, registering numbers not matched in available online records going back to 2001.

The lake's deepest measurement for this year was 6.23 feet Rumsey, recorded April 5-6.

The deepest measurement for the lake since 2001 was 9.37 feet Rumsey, recorded on March 28, 2011, when the county was hit by rains and flooding.

The lake level on Dec. 26 was the lowest recorded for that exact date over the last 12 years.

Usually by late December the lake already has started to fill up thanks to fall and winter rains. But that has not been the case this year.

On that same date last year the lake was measured at its highest level for that same date since 2001; on Dec. 26, 2012, the lake was at 5.84 feet Rumsey.

Clear Lake's levels on Dec. 26 going back to 2001 are as follows, according to Lake County Water Resources:

• 2013 – 0.62;
• 2012 – 5.84;
• 2011 – 2.89;
• 2010 – 4.22;
• 2009 – 0.70;
• 2008 – 1.15;
• 2007 – 1.20;
• 2006 – 3.17;
• 2005 – 4.84;
• 2004 – 1.89;
• 2003 – 4.26;
• 2002 – 4.63;
• 2001 – 3.78.

Based on Lake County Water Resources records, the extremes for Clear Lake since consistent monitoring began in 1913 include a high of 11.44 feet Rumsey on Feb. 24, 1998, a year that saw major flooding in the county.

On the other end of the spectrum, the lowest lake level since 1913 was -3.50 feet Rumsey, which was recorded Sept. 24-27, 1920.

As for the chances for a wet winter, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's US Seasonal Drought Outlook, released Dec. 19, expects drought conditions to persist or intensify over most of California, including Lake County.

Correction: The story previously had said a reading of 0.01 feet Rumsey reported on Dec. 6 was the lowest since 2001. That US Geological Survey reading was an error, according to Lake County Water Resources, with the actual reading for that day being 0.69 feet Rumsey. While records show that at various times over this month the depth has dipped below 0.60 feet Rumsey, averages were slightly higher than the December 2009 levels.

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 an eclectic new group of dogs available for adoption this week.

You can find small or large dogs, from Chihuahuas to terriers, and mastiff, pit bull, heeler and shepherd mixes.

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.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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”).

Female shepherd mix

This female shepherd mix is 7 years old.

She has a medium-length brown coat, weighs 53 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in kennel No. 7, ID No. 38783.

'Carter'

“Carter” is a 1-year-old male kelpie-terrier mix.

He has a short brown and white coat, and has been neutered.

Carter gets along with other dogs. Shelter staff said he is a dominant male so he would have to be tested with any other dogs in the home.

Carter also gets along well with cats, loves to be around people and is a great on a leash.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 38631.

Male shepherd mix

This male shepherd mix is 3 years old.

He weighs 101 pounds, and has a short black and tan coat. He has been neutered.

Shelter staff said he needs tender love and care because he is a little shy, and also needs someone to work on socializing him. He is good with other dogs, male or female.

Find him in kennel No. 9, ID No. 38666.

Blue heeler mix

This female blue heeler mix is 4 years old.

She has a short blue merle coat, weighs 36 pounds and has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 10a, ID No. 38765.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.

He has a short tan coat, weighs 12 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 10b, ID No. 38766.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is 1 year old.

He has a short white coat, weighs 8 pounds and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 12b, ID No. 38743.

'Happy Feet'

“Happy Feet” is a 1-year-old female pit bull terrier mix.

She has a short black and white coat, weighs 42 pounds and has not yet been spayed.

Shelter staff said she is a very sweet girl and is good with other dogs.

Find her in kennel No. 14, ID No. 38693.

'Joey'

“Joey” is a 3-year-old male mastiff-American Bulldog mix.

He has a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs almost 70 pounds and has been neutered.

Shelter staff said Joey is available for a low adoption fee.

He's very friendly and housebroken, gets along with female dogs but would need to be tested with other males.

Find Joey in kennel No. 29, ID No. 38803.

Pit bull terrier-boxer mix

This male pit bull terrier-boxer mix is 1 year old.

He has a short brown and white coat, weighs 52 pounds and has not yet been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 31a, ID No. ID: 38686.

Boston Terrier-pug mix

This male Boston Terrier-pug is 6 months old.

He weighs 29 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 33, ID No. 38782.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

Having one’s affairs in order is like having good health. All related parts have to work together as a whole.

That is, each separate estate planning instrument – be it the living trust, the power of attorney, or the designation of death beneficiary form – needs to function, where relevant, harmoniously with one another.

Let us consider some common scenarios where estate planning documents may interrelate.

The living trust and the power of attorney both pertain to incapacity planning. Typically the agent under the power of attorney will use the day to day checking account funds to pay necessary expenses while the principal is incapacitated.

Meanwhile the trustee will manage the investment and savings accounts and will also typically be required to pay upkeep and personal expenses.

The agent, if he or she is not also the trustee, should be authorized in the trust to obtain further money from the trustee if the checking account outside the trust (which is available to the agent) is ever insufficient to meet the principal’s living and health care expenses.

Typically the trust requires the trustee to provide the agent with extra funds as needed. Usually this is a moot point as the same person(s) often act as agent and as trustee.

Moreover, sometimes it can be very helpful for the agent under a power of attorney to amend an incapacitated person’s living trust.

Consider someone who tells her agent under a power of attorney that she wants to amend her trust to disinherit her estranged step-son. Then she becomes incapacitated before dying. The power of attorney authorizes the agent to make changes to the trust.

The trust, however, restricts the right to amend the trust to the settlor or his conservator. Accordingly, the trust’s own restrictions on who can amend the trust prevent the settlor’s agent exercising the full scope of authority granted within the power of attorney. The documents are not in harmony.

Next, the will, power of attorney, and designation of death beneficiary forms also can interrelate. That is, an agent under the power of attorney may be authorized to change designation of death beneficiary forms – which control who inherits death proceeds from life insurance, annuities, and retirement accounts.

And the will can authorize a decedent’s surviving spouse to make changes to death beneficiary forms that affect the decedent’s community property interests.

Without such authorization the surviving spouse cannot exercise full control over who later inherits any life insurance, annuities and retirement accounts – even though owned by the surviving spouse – which previously were community property assets while the deceased spouse was still alive.

A person’s advance health care directive, power of attorney for personal care, power of attorney for property and financial assets, and living trust can also overlap.

The agents under the health care directive and power of attorney for personal care have the authority to make health care and living arrangements (such as placement in a residential nursing home). Such arrangements will create expenses that need to be paid.

Paying for these health care and living arrangements requires the cooperation of the agent under the power of attorney and the trustee, each of whom may have access to assets.

Accordingly, the power of attorney and trust instruments should either require that the agent pay such expenses or else the same person(s) should act in all roles.

A person’s ownership (title) documents need to be consistent with the person’s estate plan. That is, if the person with a living trust intends for real property assets to pass under a trust, those real properties should all be titled in the name of the trustee. Having them titled outside the trust may trigger an unintended probate.

The foregoing are just some illustrations of how estate planning instruments must be considered in connection with other related estate planning instruments so everything works harmoniously.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Konocti Lioness Club has donated $1,000 to support the work of Hospice Services of Lake County.

The donation was made at a recent meeting, when club members heard a presentation by Hospice Service Executive Director Anja Koot and Linda Laing, the organization's director of bereavement services.

The Hospice Services Youth Counseling Bereavement Program was the focus of the talk by Koot and Laing.

Konocti Lioness President Anna Jones presented them with a $1,000 check to support the program.

The Konocti Lioness Club holds fundraiser and events to support a variety of local causes.

The club welcomes new members.

For more information about the group contact the Konocti Lioness Club's publicity officer, Bunny De Lope, at 707-279-2414.