LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe donated $1,500 to the Lake County Office of Education to be awarded to the three Lake County schools with the best attendance during the LCOE Inaugural Attendance Challenge.

“The leadership of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Tribe is proud to support the efforts of Lake County Office of Education to spotlight the importance of and promote school attendance,” said Sherry Treppa, chairperson of the tribe’s executive council.

During the week of March 19 to 23, each Lake County school will try to reach 100-percent attendance.

The Lake County Office of Education will be collecting attendance data throughout that week to determine the winning schools, divided into the following categories:

– Highest attendance percentage for elementary school;
– Highest attendance percentage for middle school;
– Highest attendance percentage for high school.

“With chronic absenteeism being a true concern for Lake County students, LCOE staff brainstormed solutions to help educate the students, parents and community on the importance of attendance. And thus, the Attendance Challenge was born,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.

The definition of “chronic absenteeism” is missing 10 percent of the school year—or about 18 days – for any reason, excused or unexcused. This equals missing two days of school a month.

Rob Young, Emergency Services/Special Projects Coordinator at LCOE, who is responsible for organizing the Attendance Challenge, explained that the winning school in each category will receive $500 to be used to celebrate and support good attendance.

Treppa added, “When leadership and parents make school attendance a priority, our children get better grades, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behavior and have a better chance of graduating from high school, attending/graduating from college and generally being a successful contributing member of their family, their tribe and society.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has five dogs ready to go to new homes this week.

The dogs offered adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd, greyhound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull and shepherd.

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.

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”).

‘Rowdy’

“Rowdy” is a female greyhound-Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short black coat with white markings, and already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 9523.

Australian Shepherd mix

This female Australian Shepherd mix has a long tan and black coat.

She is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 9539.

Pit bull-Labrador Retriever mix

This male pit bull-Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 9591.

Labrador Retriever-shepherd mix

This female Labrador Retriever-shepherd mix has a short black coat with white markings.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 9586.

‘Onyx’

“Onyx” is a female shepherd mix.

She has a medium-length black coat with white markings, and already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 4174.

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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.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.

Notanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal.

Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of his home on July 25, 2016, around midnight with his two younger children to show them a beautiful moving light display in the sky – an aurora borealis.

He often sky gazes until the early hours of the morning to photograph the aurora with his Nikon camera, but this was his first expedition with his children.

When a thin purple ribbon of light appeared and starting glowing, Bourassa immediately snapped pictures until the light particles disappeared 20 minutes later.

Having watched the northern lights for almost 30 years since he was a teenager, he knew this wasn’t an aurora. It was something else.

From 2015 to 2016, citizen scientists – people like Bourassa who are excited about a science field but don't necessarily have a formal educational background – shared 30 reports of these mysterious lights in online forums and with a team of scientists that run a project called Aurorasaurus.

The citizen science project, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, tracks the aurora borealis through user-submitted reports and tweets.

The Aurorasaurus team, led by Liz MacDonald, a space scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, conferred to determine the identity of this mysterious phenomenon. MacDonald and her colleague Eric Donovan at the University of Calgary in Canada talked with the main contributors of these images, amateur photographers in a Facebook group called Alberta Aurora Chasers, which included Bourassa and lead administrator Chris Ratzlaff. Ratzlaff gave the phenomenon a fun, new name, Steve, and it stuck.

But people still didn't know what it was.

Scientists' understanding of Steve changed that night Bourassa snapped his pictures. Bourassa wasn't the only one observing Steve. Ground-based cameras called all-sky cameras, run by the University of Calgary and University of California, Berkeley, took pictures of large areas of the sky and captured Steve and the auroral display far to the north.

From space, the European Space Agency Swarm satellite just happened to be passing over the exact area at the same time and documented Steve.

For the first time, scientists had ground and satellite views of Steve. Scientists have now learned, despite its ordinary name, that Steve may be an extraordinary puzzle piece in painting a better picture of how Earth's magnetic fields function and interact with charged particles in space. The findings are published in a study released today in Science Advances.

"This is a light display that we can observe over thousands of kilometers from the ground,” said MacDonald. “It corresponds to something happening way out in space. Gathering more data points on STEVE will help us understand more about its behavior and its influence on space weather.”

The study highlights one key quality of Steve: Steve is not a normal aurora. Auroras occur globally in an oval shape, last hours and appear primarily in greens, blues and reds. Citizen science reports showed Steve is purple with a green picket fence structure that waves. It is a line with a beginning and end. People have observed Steve for 20 minutes to 1 hour before it disappears.

If anything, auroras and Steve are different flavors of an ice cream, said MacDonald. They are both created in generally the same way: Charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field lines.

The uniqueness of Steve is in the details. While Steve goes through the same large-scale creation process as an aurora, it travels along different magnetic field lines than the aurora. All-sky cameras showed that Steve appears at much lower latitudes. That means the charged particles that create Steve connect to magnetic field lines that are closer to Earth's equator, hence why Steve is often seen in southern Canada.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Steve appeared in the satellite data. The data showed that Steve comprises a fast moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub auroral ion drift, or SAID. Scientists have studied SAIDs since the 1970s but never knew there was an accompanying visual effect. The Swarm satellite recorded information on the charged particles' speeds and temperatures, but does not have an imager aboard.

"People have studied a lot of SAIDs, but we never knew it had a visible light. Now our cameras are sensitive enough to pick it up and people's eyes and intellect were critical in noticing its importance," said Donovan, a co-author of the study. Donovan led the all-sky camera network and his Calgary colleagues lead the electric field instruments on the Swarm satellite.

Steve is an important discovery because of its location in the sub auroral zone, an area of lower latitude than where most auroras appear that is not well researched. For one, with this discovery, scientists now know there are unknown chemical processes taking place in the sub auroral zone that can lead to this light emission.

Second, Steve consistently appears in the presence of auroras, which usually occur at a higher latitude area called the auroral zone. That means there is something happening in near-Earth space that leads to both an aurora and Steve. Steve might be the only visual clue that exists to show a chemical or physical connection between the higher latitude auroral zone and lower latitude sub auroral zone, said MacDonald.

"Steve can help us understand how the chemical and physical processes in Earth's upper atmosphere can sometimes have local noticeable effects in lower parts of Earth's atmosphere,” said MacDonald. “This provides good insight on how Earth's system works as a whole."

The team can learn a lot about Steve with additional ground and satellite reports, but recording Steve from the ground and space simultaneously is a rare occurrence. Each Swarm satellite orbits Earth every 90 minutes and Steve only lasts up to an hour in a specific area. If the satellite misses Steve as it circles Earth, Steve will probably be gone by the time that same satellite crosses the spot again.

In the end, capturing Steve becomes a game of perseverance and probability.

"It is my hope that with our timely reporting of sightings, researchers can study the data so we can together unravel the mystery of Steve's origin, creation, physics and sporadic nature," said Bourassa. "This is exciting because the more I learn about it, the more questions I have."

As for the name "Steve" given by the citizen scientists? The team is keeping it as an homage to its initial name and discoverers. But now it is STEVE, short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.

Other collaborators on this work are: the University of Calgary, New Mexico Consortium, Boston University, Lancaster University, Athabasca University, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group.

If you live in an area where you may see STEVE or an aurora, submit your pictures and reports to Aurorasaurus through www.aurorasaurus.org or the free iOS and Android mobile apps. To learn how to spot STEVE, click here.

Kasha Patel works for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection will hold its annual training later this month, and community members interested in joining the effort are invited to take part.

The meeting and volunteer recruitment event will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in the Little Theater at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St., Lakeport. Participants are asked to enter at the Martin Street main gate, turn right into large field in front of the Little Theater.

Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection, or LEAP as it’s known, was created in 2011 under the aegis of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

It has filled a critical role in the years since, with Animal Care and Control staff and the LEAP volunteers saving and helping animals in the county’s wildland fires over several summers.

The group’s efforts won it the 2015 Governor’s Volunteering and Service Award for Governmental Agency of the Year, as Lake County News has reported.

Animal Care and Control Director Bill Davidson said they are planning to change the training up a bit this year.

“Instead of just lecture, we are hoping to break everyone into four groups and rotate them through the four main areas of operation that LEAP provides: Field services, staging area, disaster response trailer and office work,” he said.

Davidson added that they hope to let everyone get a little hands-on experience during the training sessions.

Snacks will be provided.

For more information about LEAP 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Saturday many Lake County residents will join people across the nation in celebrating Irish heritage and culture as part of St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, now coincides with Irish-American Heritage Month, thanks to a 1991 proclamation by the US Congress and an annual proclamation by the president.

The day began as a holiday to honor St. Patrick, who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the fifth century.

However, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade didn’t take place in Ireland but in New York City on March 17, 1762, and featured Irish soldiers serving in the English military, according to a US Census Bureau fact sheet. This parade became an annual event, with President Truman attending in 1948.

The Census Bureau reported that 32.3 million Americans – or 10 percent of the United States’ population – claimed Irish ancestry in 2016, making it the No. 2 ancestry group in size, behind German with 44.7 million, according to the American Community Survey.

There are estimated to be 20,590 Irish speakers in the United States, the agency said.

In Lake County, the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for 2012 to 2016 found that there were 6,882 residents who reported Irish ancestry. In keeping with the nationwide pattern, that group ranked No. 2 in size compared to those reporting German ancestry, who totaled 7,744.

Those interested in finding out more about their ancestry can find information at the following sites:

– Famine Irish passenger record data, offered by the National Archives: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/fielded-search.jsp?dt=180&;cat=SB302&tf=F&bc=sb,sl.

– National Archives immigration records: www.archives.gov/research/immigration/.

– Irish Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht: Dedicated to assisting visitors with searching for family history records, www.irishgenealogy.ie.

– Information on travel and events in Ireland: www.ireland.com.

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.




[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Imagine a humpbacked insect with opposable “thumbs” on its front legs, “meat hooks” on its hind legs, limbs that can regrow after being removed, and crushing mouth parts that can inflict a bite so painful you’d think you’d been poisoned by it.

No, it’s not an alien or something from a nightmare, it’s a very real insect: the Jerusalem Cricket (Stenopelmatus sp.).

Native to Mexico and the western United States, the Jerusalem Cricket looks something like a giant mutant ant, with a vaguely human head and dark multifaceted eyes.

Although they appear like something out of a horror movie, these insects – which are not crickets and don’t hail from Jerusalem – are actually fairly benign.

It’s thought that their name stems from the early 1900’s when the exclamation “Oh, Jerusalem!” was commonly used to express feelings of astonishment or disgust. They’re also referred to as “red-skulls,” “children of the earth” and more commonly as “potato bugs.”

Although the name “potato bug” was derived from the notion that these insect eat tubers, like potatoes, that’s only partially true.

Jerusalem crickets do eat roots and tubers, but usually only those of plants that are either already dead or dying. They’re one of nature’s recyclers. They’ll even eat their own shed skin between each molt. Other insects – living or dead -- are also added to their diet to provide them with more nourishment.

The Jerusalem crickets have no wings, so they are earthbound, and on the surface of the earth they are actually rather slow and clumsy in their movements.

It’s underground where the Jerusalem cricket is most comfortable and most adept. Its specialized feet are used mostly for burrowing through the soft earth and under rocks and the roots of trees.

It actually spends the majority of its time underground, but is often found on the surface after a hard rain when its burrows get flooded. Once above ground, these insects are easy-pickings for predators.

As we mentioned, the Jerusalem cricket packs a hard bite, but it’s not venomous. When a bite won’t stave off an attack, the Jerusalem cricket will “skunk” an aggressor with a foul-smelling odor.

They don’t vocalize much, although they can hiss by expelling air through the spiracles on their bodies. Without wings, the “crickets” cannot produce sound as some other insects can, nor can they hear, so they communicate with one another by drumming their abdomen against the ground.

It’s believed that different species of Jerusalem cricket create different drumming songs to attract their mates. The drumming that one Jerusalem cricket produces is picked up by other Jerusalem crickets through special sensors on their legs called “subgenual” (Latin for “below the knee”) organs. Other insects, like cockroaches, have similar organs, but the organs’ shape and sensitivity varies by insect.

Males Jerusalem crickets can be distinguished from the females by the black “hooks” that appear between the cerci at the end of the abdomen. The cerci are those short fingerling-looking things that protrude from the last segment of the abdomen. In lieu of the black hooks, female Jerusalem Crickets will have a long ovipositor below the cerci.

During the mating season, the Jerusalem Crickets are vulnerable to predation since their drumming requires that they be above ground. Another danger to the males during this time is the fact that the females will often attack and eat their suitors immediately after mating.

Once they have been fertilized, the female will lay her eggs in the ground, usually a few inches from the surface, and abandon them there.

After the eggs hatch, it takes about two years for the young “crickets” to reach their full size and sexual maturity.

During those two years, they go through about 12 molts, growing larger after each one until they’re about 2 inches long.

A growing Jerusalem Cricket can regrow a lost limb during the next successive molt after it’s injured, in much the same way some crabs can regrow a lost claw.

Although these weird-looking insects may seem like the stuff of science fiction, they’re actually an integral part of the environment.

Their burrowing helps to aerate the soil, they’re eating helps to process organic matter, and their bodies add nutrition to the diet of birds, bats, coyotes, foxes and other animals.

So, they may be creepy-looking, but they do their jobs well.

Mary K. Hanson is a Certified California Naturalist, author and nature photographer. Tuleyome is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland. For more information, visit www.tuleyome.org.

On Friday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced that he and a record 182 members of Congress from both parties are requesting $75 million in federal funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check Systems, or NICS.

“A strong background checks system helps keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. That’s why I am proud to announce a record number of supporters for my appropriations request for the NICS background checks system,” said Thompson, who chairs the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “This is strong progress, but our work to prevent gun violence continues. Congress should also immediately take up my bipartisan background checks bill, H.R.4240, which will expand the system and close loopholes to help keep our schools, our communities, and our nation safe.”

A copy of the letter is below.

March 18, 2018

The Honorable John Culberson The Honorable José E. Serrano
Chairman Ranking Member
House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, House Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice,
Science and Related Agencies Science and Related Agencies
H-310, The Capitol 1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

“Dear Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Serrano:

“As the Committee begins writing the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request funding for implementation of the National Instant Background Check Systems (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (Pub. L. No. 110-180) at a $75 million level. The Act provides for grants to states to upgrade their electronic databases, incentives for states to transmit electronic records to NICS, penalties for states that do not comply, and requirements for keeping NICS up-to-date, including the removal of obsolete or erroneous records. The Act also provides financial incentives for states to develop “relief from disabilities” procedures for persons who have lost the right to possess a firearm due to a mental health adjudication or commitment but are later determined not to pose a danger to public safety.

“As you are aware, the Gun Control Act of 1968 (Pub. L. No. 90-618) precludes certain persons, including felons, those adjudicated mentally ill, illegal aliens, drug abusers, and those under a restraining order, from purchasing or possessing firearms. The only way to enforce these requirements effectively is to ensure that NICS has up-to-date records from state and federal sources. At present, millions of records are currently missing from the various databases that make up NICS. Many states do not have the resources necessary to implement the technology to automate criminal history and mental health records, which has allowed persons otherwise prohibited from purchasing or owning firearms to do so in violation of federal law. This remains a serious problem because many states still do not submit adequate numbers of mental health and criminal records to make NICS work as intended.

“The intent of NICS Improvement Amendments Act is to ensure there are sufficient resources to provide accurate and timely data about persons prohibited from possessing firearms. This cannot be achieved absent adequate funding for NICS. In fact, demand for this funding is increasing every year and we must provide adequate funding to meet this growing need. While the Act authorized a combined total of $1.125 billion from FY 2009 through FY 2013, a total of only $63.567 million was appropriated during that time.

“We fully understand the current constraints on the federal budget and appropriations process. Keeping citizens safe, however, must be Congress’s top priority. The NICS Improvement Amendments Act has been severely underfunded in years past, and the-all-too-frequent tragedies across our Nation unfortunately show that gun violence is still a very serious issue that plagues our country. Ensuring NICS has complete and timely information to keep firearms out of the hands of persons who cannot safely and legally possess them while at the same time protecting Americans’ Second Amendment rights will save lives. Consequently, we respectfully urge the Committee to fund the NICS Improvement Amendments Act at a level that at minimum of $75 million.”

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

For a beautiful sky show, go for a sunset walk on March 18.

You’ll need an unobstructed view of the western horizon for the evening’s treat so climb a hill, see if you can catch a glimpse from the top of a parking garage or perch on a balcony.

Gaze westward toward the faint remaining glow. About a half hour after sunset, just to the left of ever-resplendent Venus, an eyelash sliver of moon will appear.

The moon will be hovering less than 8 degrees, about the width of your fist at arm’s length, above the twilight horizon. Look closely, and you can also pick out Mercury about 4 degrees, less than the width of three fingers at arm’s length, to the right of Venus.

(A word to the wise: Don’t wait too long after sunset, or you’ll miss the show, as this trio will set a little more than an hour after sunset.)

You might need binoculars to view this lovely lineup of three. But if you have very clear skies, especially if you’re in the northern latitudes, you might be able to see the threesome with the naked eye as twilight falls.

“The crescent moon will look like a bowl or a smile nearly parallel with the horizon,” said Gordon Johnston, a Planetary Science Program Executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. “In traditional Hawaiian mythology, this is called a Wet moon, with the bowl of the wet moon holding water and spilling it out later when the crescent moon tips and the summer rains start. It is also called a Cheshire Moon, named after the smile of the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

The Cheshire Cat can “disappear,” leaving only its smile behind. Don’t forget to look up on the evening of March 18 before this sky show of subtle beauty vanishes from view.

For more on viewing celestial objects both near and far, visit http://science.nasa.gov.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – More than 1,000 local school children enjoyed a morning of agriculture-based learning filled with animals, games and activities during the second annual Lake County Ag and Natural Resource Day, held Thursday at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

The Lake County Fair Foundation debuted the event last year with about 750 students in attendance, according to Janeane Bogner, a member of the boards of the Lake County Fair and the foundation.

This year, that number nearly doubled, with fair officials estimating that between 1,250 and 1,400 students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade from around Lake County participated in the three-hour event.

To put those numbers in context, Bogner said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg gave an estimate of 5,000 schoolchildren in Lake County.

While Thursday was rainy, the students didn’t seem to mind. And a good rain doesn’t keep ag down; quite the opposite, actually. Children and adults alike just bundled up – jumped in a few puddles – and learned about the hardy, hardworking agricultural way of life.

Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Courtny Conkle said the rain didn’t slow anyone down.

The event is a natural fit for Lake County, a place of rich natural resources where agriculture remains a key industry.

Even so, it’s not a given that local children will know much about agriculture. Conkle said she heard about children who attended who were raised in Lakeport yet had ever had a pear before.

Conkle said the event offered children a broad overview of agriculture and a hands-on opportunity to learn more about it.

“We work all year for these three hours, but it’s very rewarding,” Conkle said.

Bogner said work to organize this year’s event began not long after the inaugural event took place last March, with the group looking for ways to improve and expand it.

She said the foundation met monthly with a number of partner organizations, including the Lake County Farm Bureau, Umpqua Bank, the Lake County Office of Education and the University of Cooperative Extension office, which oversees 4-H.

Then, on Monday, the final work began. Bogner said volunteers gathered to put together 1,500 goodie bags for the school children they anticipated would attend.

The bright-green reusable shopping bags were donated by Lake County Waste Solutions, and included a pencil, information booklets, educational materials, and snacks such as a fruit cup and a mini pack of almonds.

Bogner said all schools with kindergarten through sixth grades were invited, and she believed that every school district was represented.

She said there were numerous exhibitors with all manner of animals – from tiny baby goats to big draft horses pulling carriages, potbellied pigs, ducks and childrens, sheep brought by Jamie and Robert Irwin of Clearlake Oaks, and Nancy Todd from Potter Valley, who brought her sheepdog.

There were even Master Gardener exhibits where children could see lizards and newts up close, and could build toad houses to keep toads cool during summertime. Plus there was walnut shaking equipment and other things that children wouldn’t normally see in a class, according to Erica Illg, a student representative on the foundation board.

One of the only things the rain did impact was a planned sheep-shearing exhibition, which was canceled.

Mr. Lake County 2017 Gary Deas also was on hand, sharing fliers for, appropriately enough, the Lake County Theatre Co.’s ongoing production of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which is taking place at the fairgrounds this month.

“It was like a wave of children as far as I could see,” said Deas, who donned overalls, red flannel and a cowboy hat. He said the event was great and it’s only going to keep growing.

The sponsors provided ice cream for the children and coffee for the adults, and Bogner said Scully Packing was on hand to cut up fresh Lake County pears for everyone to sample.

Paradise Skate Roller Rink and Arcade, which is located at the fairgrounds, donated free admission passes to the children.

There also were essay and poster contests, with awards presented at noon not just to students but to teachers to use for their classrooms.

“I believe that people had a good time,” Bogner said, and that was confirmed by youngsters at the event.

As the foundation looks toward next year’s event, Bogner said, “We’re always looking for suggestions,” adding it would be good to have more people involved.

For more information on the event or getting involved, call the Lake County Fair at 707-263-6181.

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.

LUCERNE, Calif. – An early Friday morning vehicle crash destroyed a utility pole and knocked down lines across Highway 20, resulting in traffic control.

The hit-and-run crash was first reported at 3 a.m. on Highway 20 at Ogden Road, according to radio reports.

Northshore Fire units arriving at the scene minutes later reported that that the crash had sheared off the pole, resulting in lines hanging low over the highway.

At that point, Pacific Gas and Electric’s online outage center did not report a power outage in the area.

While the California Highway Patrol was still responding to the scene, firefighters instituted one-lane traffic control at the site, allowing passenger vehicles and pickups through but no big rigs due to the concerns about the low-hanging lines.

Officials at the scene reported shortly after 4 a.m. at most of the lines appeared to be phone lines.

Just before 4:30 a.m., reports from the scene indicated one lane of traffic was open to all vehicles.

A short time later, Caltrans was dispatched to assist with an extended closure.

Updates will be reported as they become available.

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. – Following a rainy Thursday, the National Weather Service said rain is forecast to continue through the weekend before there is a break in the weather.

The National Weather Service’s observation stations in Lake County recorded the following rainfall totals, in inches, for the 24-hour period ending at 1 a.m. Friday

– Boggs Mountain: 0.49.
– Cache Creek near Lower Lake: 0.34.
– Clearlake city alert: 0.41.
– County line (at Colusa side): 0.47.
– High Valley Road alert station: 0.72.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.46.
– Kelseyville: 0.62.
– Knoxville Creek: 0.33.
– Lakeport: 0.41.
– Mira Vista Road alert station in Sulphur fire area: 0.52.
– Soda Creek: 0.98.
– Upper Lake: 0.55.
– Whispering Pines: 1.0.

The forecast calls for rain and possible thunderstorms, along with light winds on Friday, with chances of rain continuing throughout Saturday night.

The weather pattern is expected to bring clear skies beginning on Sunday and continuing through Tuesday, based on the forecast.

Chances of rain again are in the forecast from Tuesday night through Thursday, the National Weather Service reported.

Nighttime temperatures will dip into the high 20s on Saturday night before rising into the high 30s early next week. Daytime temperatures will range from the high 40s on Saturday into the high 50s by the start of the new week.

The rain this week has helped Clear Lake’s level rise from just under 3.25 feet Rumsey, the special measure used for the lake, to just below 3.45 feet Rumsey late Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

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. – March 11 to 17 is National Patient Safety Awareness Week.

In honor of this week, SafeRx Lake County, a local opioid safety coalition, offers some best practices on keeping children safe when it comes to prescribed medications, how to store them and the safest way to travel with your prescribed medications.

Approximately 60,000 young children are brought to the emergency department each year because they got into medicines that were left within their reach.

SafeRx Lake County urges all families to ask themselves if all of the medicines in their home are stored safely.

Medications and vitamins can help families to feel and stay well. However, if taken incorrectly they can be very harmful. It is important to keep medicines safely out of the reach and sight of curious children.

Below are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to safely store all medications:

• Store medicines in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see.
• Never leave medicines or vitamins out on the kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you have to give them the medicine again in a few hours.
• Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If it has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you hear the “click” or until you can’t twist anymore.
• Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them.
• Never tell children medicine is candy so they’ll take it, even if your child doesn’t like to take his/her medicine.
• Remind babysitters, houseguests and visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicines in them up and away and out of sight when they’re in your home.

Learn more about SafeRx Lake County at www.saferxlakecounty.org.