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Middletown Unified board members unanimously approve new teachers contract

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — During its Wednesday evening meeting, the Middletown Unified School District’s Board of Trustees took united action to ratify a final agreement with the district’s teachers union.

The unanimous vote to approve the agreement with the Middletown Teachers Association, or MTA, came near the end of the board’s hour and a half long meeting.

“This is the agreement we’ve been working toward,” District Superintendent Jeff Crane told the board.

In April, it had looked like negotiations had broken down after the union voted to authorize a potential strike, as Lake County News has reported.

However, a few weeks later, a bargaining session that took place May 2 between the district and union resulted in a tentative agreement that the union ratified on Tuesday.

That left it up to the Middletown Unified board to give final approval on Wednesday evening.

Crane said he was really glad the two sides were able to reach the agreement in a manner that allows them to do things including approving new stipends for the current 2024-25 school year.

He said the agreement calls for increasing the stipends for peer induction and mentor support for new teachers, as well as providing stipends for leadership teachers and soccer coaches. For some staff who have gone “above and beyond,” it’s a chance to recognize their efforts.

The agreement also includes contingency language about a potential 1% salary increase which will be dependent on “unaudited actuals,” which make up the district’s financial statement at the end of the fiscal year. That financial information will be available in September, Crane said.

That increase would start in the 2025-26 school year and be retroactive to July 1. It would only take place if the district’s unaudited actuals for the 2024-25 school year reflect an increase in the end balance for unrestricted funds that equals more than $6.1 million.

“If our unrestricted general fund balance grows, then we’ll be able to share some of that growth with our employees,” Crane explained.

What he’s most excited about is what may sound weird to those outside the negotiation process, Crane said.

“I’m happy about the relationships that we’re able to build between MUSD administration and MTA leadership,” Crane said.

“I don’t think it comes as a surprise to anybody that there has been some unsettled leadership at the district level in MUSD for the last several years and, as I said before, my plan is to be here for awhile,” he added.

Offering a metaphor, Crane said, “Relationships are like a tree. The wind is what causes the tree to grow roots, and so it’s going through difficult times together that is what causes your relationship to grow roots and grow strength. And so I’m very optimistic about where we are moving forward.”

He added, “That’s not all included in the resolution.”

Board member Chris Ochs moved to approve the agreement, which was seconded by Board member Patricia Pachie.

During the brief discussion that followed the motion, Board President Zoi Bracisco asked for clarification about the proposed pay raise, which would be made in retroactive payments of $850 to staff.

Crane said retroactive checks cause a lot of logistical challenges for district business staff, in that they have to go back and undo what has been done. By the time they get the financial information in the fall, they would be looking at having to redo numbers for nearly a year.

Instead, the district is proposing an average payment of $850, which is a 1% raise based on 2024-25 numbers. Crane said that, rather than trying to calculate that 1% for everybody, they used an average to simplify the process.

The district’s current employees will get that payment, while employees who start work with the district in the new school year won’t, Crane explained.

In order to get that salary increase, the district’s financial statements must show an end balance for the 2024-25 fiscal year of $6,064,021 plus $150,000. Crane said that $150,000 is the district’s calculation — based on the recommendation of the mediator in the negotiations with MTA — of what it would cost to give a 1% raise to all employees.

That also could impact the district’s agreement with its classified employees, who are represented by the California School Employees Union, or CSEA.

Crane said part of the district’s agreement with CSEA is that anything that goes to MTA for a salary increase also would go to CSEA.

It would then be up to the board of trustees to decide if the district administration also is included, Crane said.

Following the brief discussion, Bracisco called for the board’s vote, which was unanimous in favor of approving the agreement.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.
Written by: Elizabeth Larson

Tribes, legislators gather to commemorate Missing and Murdered people in day’s activities at Capitol

Tribal leaders from around the state, Assembly members and senators from both parties, and activists gathered Wednesday morning and throughout the day, including a hearing of the Select Committee on Native American Affairs to express their commitment to ending violence on California’s tribal lands.

The day will culminate in an evening vigil at the State Capitol with hundreds in attendance, remarks from victims and their families and a video message from First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino), chair of the California Legislative Native American Caucus, said California ranks among the highest in the nation in unresolved and uninvestigated cases involving Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, or MMIP.

The National Congress of American Indians and the National Institute of Justice report that more than four in five — 84.3% — of Native American women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

“This level of violence and trauma is unacceptable,” Ramos said.

In recent years two tribes have declared states of emergency because of the numbers of missing persons on their reservations: the Yurok Tribe and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.

The Yurok Tribe took action in December 2021, and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians issued their declaration on April 25, 2024.

The National Institute of Justice reports that 56% of Native American women have experienced sexual violence.

In 2016, the National Crime Information Center reported 5,712 missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls in the United States, but only 116 of the cases were logged by the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Following a news briefing, Ramos led a hearing of the Select Committee on Native American Affairs to hear about the issues tribes are facing while working to keep their reservations safe.

Ramos and others stated that a significant factor contributing to the disproportionate violence was passage of a 1953 federal law — Public Law 280 — that turned most criminal justice responsibility and funding for that responsibility over to six states, including California.

“That law resulted in fewer resources for tribal safety and great jurisdictional confusion among federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement. It also undermined public safety in communities neighboring reservations because cities and counties have fewer partners to rely upon when mutual assistance is needed,” Ramos said.

He added that the six states also had among the highest numbers of unresolved MMIP cases.

Scheduled to join Ramos at the hearing were California Valley of Miwok Indians Chairperson Antoinette Del Rio, Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley Chairperson Cheyenne Stone, Morongo Band of Mission Indians Chairperson Charles Martin and Yurok Chairman Joe James, and Carole Goldberg, UCLA Distinguished Research Professor and Jonathan D. Varat Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita.

Also participating were Acting Director Isaac Borjorquez, Kakoon Ta Ruk Band of Ohlone-Costanoan Indians of Big Sur Rancheria; Office of Attorney General Rob Bonta; Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal; Sheriff Shannon Dicus, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department; Program Director Cahuilla Councilwoman Samantha Thornsberry of the Cahuilla Consortium; and April McGill of the American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco.

Hundreds were expected at an evening candlelight vigil featuring victims and their families, with the Capitol Dome illuminated in red and cultural songs.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified April McGill as being director of California Consortium for Urban Indian Health.
Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Golden mussels discovered during boat inspection at Folsom Lake

Infestation of the invasive golden mussels discovered on a boat during an inspection check at Beals Point at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Courtesy photos.

An invasive mussel species has been found in another Northern California water body.

The new vessel inspection program at Folsom Lake State Recreation Area uncovered an infestation of invasive golden mussels on a boat Tuesday at Beals Point. During an inspection, California State Parks staff identified several live golden mussels attached to a vessel.

The vessel, which had recently been in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, was stored for further inspection.

State Parks is working with the owner and other agencies to safely decontaminate and quarantine the vessel.

“Thanks to this new program and the diligent work of our inspection team, we prevented this vessel from ever touching the water, which could have had catastrophic consequences,” said Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Superintendent Mike Howard. “The inspection and quarantine program we have implemented is in place to protect billions of dollars of water and hydroelectric infrastructure in addition to recreation and the fishery. The discovery of live golden mussels yesterday validates the importance of this effort.”

State Parks staff and partner shops have inspected nearly 5,000 vessels since implementing the new vessel inspection/quarantine program on April 14 at the request of the Bureau of Reclamation.

Following inspection, vessels receive a quarantine seal (watercraft band) applied for 30 days and cannot enter the water during that time.

Vessels completing the 30-day quarantine may return to the lake, have the seal removed by authorized staff, and be allowed to launch.

All trailered or motorized vessels are subject to the inspection, quarantine and seal program.

Golden mussels were identified in the Delta in October, the first known occurrence of this highly invasive aquatic species in North America.

Golden mussels pose a significant threat to the ecological health of all waters of the state, its water conveyance systems, infrastructure, and water quality.

These invasive mussels can also cause significant damage to boats by attaching to hulls and clogging engines, which will lead to increased costs for boat owners.

Additional information on the golden mussel prevention program, including inspection site locations, frequently asked questions and hours, can be found at parks.ca.gov/FolsomLakeGoldenMussels.
Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS

Worsening allergies aren’t your imagination − windy days create the perfect pollen storm

 

Windy days can mean more pollen and more sneezing. mladenbalinovac/E+ via Getty Images

Evolution has fostered many reproductive strategies across the spectrum of life. From dandelions to giraffes, nature finds a way.

One of those ways creates quite a bit of suffering for humans: pollen, the infamous male gametophyte of the plant kingdom.

In the Southeastern U.S., where I live, you know it’s spring when your car has turned yellow and pollen blankets your patio furniture and anything else left outside. Suddenly there are long lines at every car wash in town.

A car covered in yellow. Someone drew a smiley face with the words 'LOLLEN,' with LOL underlined.
On heavy pollen days, cars can end up covered in yellow grains. Scott Akerman/Flickr, CC BY

Even people who aren’t allergic to pollen – clearly an advantage for a pollination ecologist like me – can experience sneezing and watery eyes during the release of tree pollen each spring. Enough particulate matter in the air will irritate just about anyone, even if your immune system does not launch an all-out attack.

So, why is there so much pollen? And why does it seem to be getting worse?

2 ways trees spread their pollen

Trees don’t have an easy time in the reproductive game. As a tree, you have two options to disperse your pollen.

Option 1: Employ an agent, such as a butterfly or bee, that can carry your pollen to another plant of the same species.

The downside of this option is that you must invest in a showy flower display and a sweet scent to advertise yourself, and sugary nectar to pay your agent for its services.

A bee noses into a white flower.
A bee enjoys pollen from a cherry blossom. Pollen is a primary source of protein for bees. Ivan Radic/Flickr, CC BY

Option 2, the budget option, is much less precise: Get a free ride on the wind.

Wind was the original pollinator, evolving long before animal-mediated pollination. Wind doesn’t require a showy flower nor a nectar reward. What it does require for pollination to succeed is ample amounts of lightweight, small-diameter pollen.

Why wind-blown pollen makes allergies worse

Wind is not an efficient pollinator, however. The probability of one pollen grain landing in the right location – the stigma or ovule of another plant of the same species – is infinitesimally small.

Therefore, wind-pollinated trees must compensate for this inefficiency by producing copious amounts of pollen, and it must be light enough to be carried.

For allergy sufferers, that can mean air filled with microscopic pollen grains that can get into your eyes, throat and lungs, sneak in through window screens and convince your immune system that you’ve inhaled a dangerous intruder.

Tiny flowers on a live oak tree.
When wind blows the tiny pollen grains of live oaks, allergy sufferers feel it. Charles Willgren/Flickr, CC BY

Plants relying on animal-mediated pollination, by contrast, can produce heavier and stickier pollen to adhere to the body of an insect. So don’t blame the bees for your allergies – it’s really the wind.

Climate change has a role here, too

Plants initiate pollen release based on a few factors, including temperature and light cues. Many of our temperate tree species respond to cues that signal the beginning of spring, including warmer temperatures.

Studies have found that pollen seasons have intensified in the past three decades as the climate has warmed. One study that examined 60 location across North America found pollen seasons expanded by an average of 20 days from 1990 to 2018 and pollen concentrations increased by 21%.

That’s not all. Increasing carbon dioxide levels may also be driving increases in the quantity of tree pollen produced.

Why the Southeast gets socked

What could make this pollen boost even worse?

For the Southeastern U.S. in particular, strong windstorms are becoming more common and more intense − and not just hurricanes.

Anyone who has lived in the Southeast for the past couple of decades has likely noticed this. The region has more tornado warnings, more severe thunderstorms, more power outages. This is especially true in the mid-South, from Mississippi to Alabama.

A map showing windiest events in the Southeast are over Alabama and Mississippi.
Severity of wind and storm events mapped from NOAA data, 2012-2019, shows high activity over Mississippi and Alabama. Red areas have the most severe events. Christine Cairns Fortuin

Since wind is the vector of airborne pollen, windier conditions can also make allergies worse. Pollen remains airborne for longer on windy days, and it travels farther.

To make matters worse, increasing storm activity may be doing more than just transporting pollen. Storms can also break apart pollen grains, creating smaller particles that can penetrate deeper into the lungs.

Many allergy sufferers may notice worsening allergies during storms.

The peak of spring wind and storm season tends to correspond to the timing of the release of tree pollen that blankets our world in yellow. The effects of climate change, including longer pollen seasons and more pollen released, and corresponding shifts in windy days and storm severity are helping to create the perfect pollen storm.The Conversation

Christine Cairns Fortuin, Assistant Professor of Forestry, Mississippi State University

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

Written by: Christine Cairns Fortuin, Mississippi State University

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