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- Written by: Dr. Tony Phillips
On the nights of Saturday, Aug. 11 through Monday, Aug. 13, the best meteor shower of the year will fill predawn skies with hundreds of shooting stars.
And that’s just for starters. The brightest planets in the solar system are lining up right in the middle of the display.
The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the nights around Sunday, Aug. 12, as Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle.
“We expect to see meteor rates as high as a hundred per hour,” said Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. “The Perseids always put on a good show.”
Perseids can be seen any time after 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The best time to look, however, is during the dark hours immediately before dawn.
Also, advises Cooke, avoid city lights if possible. Faint meteors are easily lost in the urban glare. A visit to the countryside will typically triple the number of meteors you see.
This year’s display is extra-special because of the planets. Jupiter, Venus and the crescent Moon are gathering together just as the Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak.
The alignment occurs in the eastern sky before sunrise on the three mornings of highest meteor activity.
On Aug. 11, a 33 percent crescent Moon will glide by Jupiter, temporarily forming a bright pair directly above brilliant Venus.
Red-giant star Aldebaran will be there, too, adding a splash of color to the gathering.
On Aug. 12, the narrowing 24 percent crescent Moon will drop down between Jupiter and Venus. Together they make a bright three-point line in the sky, frequently bisected by shooting stars.
On Aug. 13, with the shower just beginning to wane, the planets put on their best show yet: The 17 percent crescent moon will pass less than 3 degrees from Venus as Jupiter hovers overhead.
Sky watchers say there’s nothing prettier than a close encounter between the slender crescent Moon and Venus – nothing, that is, except for the crescent Moon, Venus and a flurry of Perseids.
It’s only natural, while you’re watching a meteor shower like the Perseids, to count the number of shooting stars you see.
It turns out those numbers in your head are valuable. NASA wants them.
Meteor tallies gathered by amateur sky watchers can be used by NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office to study and model the Perseid debris stream.
“We’ve developed an app for Android and iPhones to help amateur sky watchers count meteors in a scientific way and report the results to us,” says Cooke. “It’s called the ‘Meteor Counter’ and it’s available for free in the Android Marketplace and Apple’s App Store.”
For more news about the night sky and citizen science, please visit www.science.nasa.gov .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Officials on Thursday confirmed Lake County's first West Nile Virus detection of the year.
Public health and vector control officials said the virus was found in a sample of 50 Culex tarsalis – Western encephalitis mosquitoes – collected Wednesday near Upper Lake.
Thirteen human cases of West Nile Virus infection have been reported in five California counties this summer, serving as a reminder that taking precautions is important to preventing this sometimes serious and even deadly infection. No cases have been reported in Lake County thus far.
The best way to stay healthy during West Nile Virus season is to prevent exposure to mosquito bites. West Nile Virus appears throughout most of California, so if you plan to be outside, use a mosquito repellent.
“When properly used, mosquito repellents that have been registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are safe and effective,” said Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait. “People should not rely on products that have not been scientifically tested.”
“Statewide there has been nearly five times the West Nile Virus activity that we had in 2011 at this time,” said Dr. Jamesina Scott, district manager and research director for the Lake County Vector Control District. “Both mosquitoes and West Nile Virus multiply faster when it’s hot, and the recent high temperatures have increased both mosquito and virus activity.”
Scott said the district is working hard to reduce the risk of mosquito bites and West Nile Virus to Lake County residents and visitors, but there is one area where they still need the public’s help – finding backyard sources like neglected swimming pools or ornamental ponds.
“Just one neglected swimming pool can produce thousands of mosquitoes per day, and cause problems for an entire neighborhood,” Scott said. “Fortunately, mosquitoes are easy to control in these habitats once we know where they are.”
Residents can request service, get mosquitofish, or report neglected swimming pools to the district at 707-263-4770 or www.lcvcd.org .
Officials emphasized that people need to drain standing water sources around their homes that may breed mosquitoes and they need to protect themselves with long sleeves or an effective repellent during dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes to a variety of animals and to humans. Mosquito and Vector Control agencies usually detect the virus in mosquitoes, birds and sometimes tree squirrels before human cases appear.
To report a dead bird or squirrel, call 1-877-WNV-BIRD (1-877-968-2473) or visit the California Department of Public Health’s West Nile Virus website at www.westnile.ca.gov .
So far in 2012, the majority of West Nile Virus activity detected through testing of dead birds, mosquito pools, and “sentinel” chickens has occurred in the southern portion of the state, but has appeared as close to Lake County as Contra Costa, Sutter, Glenn and Sacramento counties.
Most people who become infected with West Nile Virus do not show symptoms and will recover uneventfully. Health officials said up to 20 percent of people will develop fever, headache, and other nonspecific symptoms that may last several weeks.
Approximately one in 150 people will develop severe illness known as neuroinvasive disease, health officials reported. People over age 50 and diabetics appear to be at most risk for the more severe forms of disease. There is no vaccine for humans.
A vaccine is available for horses and is strongly recommended because West Nile Virus also can cause serious infections in horses.
For additional information on West Nile Virus, visit http://www.westnile.ca.gov , http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/wnv_factsheet.htm and http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm .
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday a Clearlake Oaks man received a 312-year sentence for a fatal 2011 shooting, just days after his codefendant in the case received a sentence of just one year less.
Yolo County Judge Doris Shockley sentenced 22-year-old Paul William Braden to what may be the longest sentence to emerge from a local court.
Braden and his codefendant Orlando Joseph Lopez Jr. were convicted of the June 18, 2011, shooting in Clearlake that killed four-year-old Skyler Rapp; wounded his mother, Desiree Kirby; her boyfriend, Ross Sparks; his brother, Andrew Sparks; Ian Griffith; and Joey Armijo.
The men – who were tried together but with different juries – were handed guilty verdicts about a week apart in June for first-degree murder, five charges of attempted murder, two counts of mayhem, six counts of assault with a firearm, a count of discharge of a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, and the findings that numerous special allegations about use of a firearm and other charges were true.
They had allegedly shot into a crowd of friends and family at Kirby’s and Sparks’ home late that night, with the issues between the groups reportedly arising from a fight earlier in the month.
Braden appeared in court alongside his defense attorney, Doug Rhoades. For his sentencing he was dressed in a white and red Lake County Jail jumpsuit, his head shaved close.
Judge Shockley went over the charges and proposed sentences for each based on the Probation Department report.
She then asked Braden if he had anything to say.
“Yeah, I do,” he said.
“I'd like to state that I am innocent, regardless of what anyone in the courtroom thinks,” he began.
He blamed his conviction on a jailhouse informant that he said had zero facts.
Braden also pointed blame at Kevin Stone, originally charged in the murder case along with Braden and Lopez but who reached a plea agreement to lesser charges and testified against both men at their trial.
He called Stone a “self-proclaimed conspirator,” who “testified to save his own ass.” Braden accused District Attorney Don Anderson of letting a murderer get away.
He also criticized Rhoades. “I'd like to think my attorney did the best job he could,” but he said his attorney essentially said he was responsible for the crime.
Braden said many things should have been done better in the case. He said he had wanted to make a statement during the trial but was advised not to do so.
“I was simply convicted off of f***ing hearsay,” he said, then quickly asked that his language be excused.
“Sir,” said Shockley, “you’re going to conduct yourself in this courtroom with respect.”
Braden replied that she had not been respectful, and that “justice is crazy” in this county.
The court received three victim impact statements, from Desiree Kirby's uncle, her grandmother and from Kirby herself.
Kirby asked how Braden could shoot at her home, where her children were present.
The young mother recalled her young son through tears. “He was such a happy little boy, with so much potential, and you took that away.”
Last November, when Skyler would have turned 5 years old, Kirby said she took cupcakes to the cemetery.
She said she had worked hard to give her children a happy life.
“The fact that you sit there with a grin on your face kills me inside,” she said.
Kirby called Braden evil. “You took my son's life, you ruined my life.”
Shockley sentenced Braden to a determinate sentence of 27 years in prison and an indeterminate sentence of 285 years to life, for a total of 312 years in prison. He received one year longer than Lopez due to the court having found him guilty of having a previous state prison term.
He also was ordered to pay $66,550 in restitution to the victims and received 417 days credit for time already served in jail.
Finally, Shockley took off her glasses and spoke directly to Braden.
“I’ve put a lot of thought into what to say to you, Mr. Braden,” she said.
She said his demeanor had been exactly as the victims in the case had described. “You were cold and calculating and didn’t appear to care.”
Shockley said she believed Braden still had a conscience left, but that she didn’t believe he could yet comprehend the magnitude of what he had done. She said she hoped he eventually could grasp it and make amends for it.
He was looking at “a tough road” in state prison, she added.
It was indicated in court that Braden will appeal his conviction and sentence. Lopez's attorney, Stephen Carter, filed his appeal in court on Tuesday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Fall semester classes at Yuba College begin next week, but there’s still time for students to enroll.
Classes at the Clear Lake Campus and other campuses throughout the district begin on Monday, Aug. 13. Across the lake, Mendocino College classes begin the following week, on Monday, Aug. 20.
Yuba College College spokesperson Miriam Root said there are still classes available for students to enroll in but it’s important that they get in as soon as possible so that they can meet with a counselor and take the placement exam.
She said the best place for students to start is at http://clc.yccd.edu/ and click on “apply now,” which will get students started. They also can call 707-995-7900.
The enrollment fee that is set by the state is $46 a unit, Root said.
Three new buildings are under construction on the Clear Lake Campus – located at 15880 Dam Road Extension – and will be ready in time for the fall semester, Root said.
The Measure J-funded projects include the 16,000-square-foot “A” building, which will house the library and students services center.
The 5,000-square-foot “B” building will be home to the campus’ well-respected culinary arts program, complete with dining and instructional areas, a state-of-the-art kitchen and a multipurpose room.
Biology and chemistry lecture rooms and classrooms will be found in the “C” building, also 5,000 square feet, which will be located at the campus’ academic core.
College officials reported that other campus improvements include a new campus entry road that includes a sidewalk to Dam Road Extension; new student and faculty parking areas; a new service road connection to Dam Road Extension; a new courtyard/plaza connecting the “A” and “B” buildings; a new ADA accessible “path of travel” from lower campus to upper campus; a new roof on the welding building; and HVAC improvements to existing buildings.
Email Elizabeth Larson at