LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Monday afternoon vegetation fire in the city of Clearlake has prompted evacuations of nearby homes and the Cache Creek Apartments.

The fire, reported as beginning in a structure before spreading to nearby vegetation, was first dispatched in the area of Seventh and Boyles avenues just before 3:45 p.m., based on radio reports.

Lake County Fire Protection District Chief Willie Sapeta arrived on scene within minutes and began ordering evacuations of the Cache Creek Apartments and nearby structures over the radio.

He also asked for additional air tankers and helicopters.

Engines were able to reach the fire by ground, finding it threatening power lines, radio reports indicated.

Meanwhile, law enforcement was on scene assisting with evacuations.

The Clearlake Police Department issued a Nixle alert just after 4 p.m. ordering evacuations from Boyles and Seventh avenues and continuing northeast of Dam Road and Lake Street due to the fire.

Just after 4 p.m., Radio reports later indicated there were downed power lines in the area.

Air attack reported shortly after 4 p.m. that the fire was about two to three acres, with moderate fuels, threatening high tension power lines.

The wind was reported to be hitting the fire and causing it to spot up to a quarter-mile away, with nearby roads holding the fire from advancing, based the radio reports.

More aircraft were reported to be arriving at the scene at around 4:30 p.m.

At about the same time, two tankers were released, with two others and two helicopters remaining committed, air attack reported.

Just after 4:30 p.m., incident command reported over the radio that the fire was holding at three acres, with dozer line and hose lay around the majority of the blaze. At that point, the west wind had died down.

Incident command reported that power had been deenergized in the area.

Pacific Gas and Electric’s online outage map showed that the outage area includes 2,575 customers, stretching from Anderson Marsh south to Hidden Valley Lakes and east along Morgan Valley Road. Estimated time of power restoration is 7:15 p.m.

Incident command said at about 4:30 p.m. that resources are expected to be assigned for four hours.

Additional information will be published as it becomes 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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors will continue meeting online this week as it honors the county’s retiring undersheriff and gets the Public Health officer’s latest report on COVID-19.

The board will meet virtually beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 9, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8, online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx and on the county’s Facebook page. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

Because the meeting will be held virtually, members of the public are asked to submit comments on items to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please note the agenda item number addressed.

At 9:02 a.m., the board will get Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace’s weekly COVID-19 update.

At 9:45 a.m., the board will present a proclamation honoring Undersheriff Christopher Macedo on his pending retirement.

Macedo has spent more than 30 years in law enforcement and has spent nearly a decade in the undersheriff’s job.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt resolution authorizing the agreement between the county of Lake and Adventist Health Clear Lake for the period of Oct. 11, 2019, through March 31, 2023, and authorizing the Behavioral Health director to sign the agreement.

5.2: Approve minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting on June 2, 2020.

5.3: Adopt resolution amending Resolution 2020-42 to replace EMC Planning Group Inc. with County Administrative Officer Carol J. Huchingson in Section 1 and Section 2 of Resolution 2020-42.

5.4: Approve to waive 900-hour limit for Extra Help Facilities Maintenance Worker II Lawrence Platz.

5.5: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, approve proposed project and purchase of septage receiving station for Southeast Regional Treatment Plant.

5.6: Approve budget transfer in Budget Unit 1671 from Object Code 18.00 Maintenance to Object Code 61.60, Buildings & Improvements for $92,310.

5.7: Adopt Resolution authorizing the acceptance of the 2020/21 Boating Safety and Enforcement financial aid funding from the State of California, Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways in the amount of $315,312.

5.8: Adopt proclamation commending Undersheriff Christopher J. Macedo on his 30-plus years of service and on his pending retirement.

5.9: Adopt resolution authorizing Special Districts Administrator Janet Coppinger to sign and submit all documents, certifications, and assurances required for a funding agreement with Economic Development Administration in the amount of $5,211,608.

5.10: Sitting as the Lake County Sanitation District Board of Directors, (a) waive the normal bidding requirements per Ordinance #2406, Purchasing Code 38.4 Cooperative Purchases; and (b) authorize the Special Districts administrator/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order not to exceed $240,000 to Multiquip INC. for the Purchase of a 400KVA 3PH generator and trailer for the Northwest Treatment Plant Lift Station #1. (c) Approve budget transfer allocating money from object code 61-60 and 62-72 to 62.74.

TIMED ITEMS

6.1, 9:01 a.m.: Public input.

6.2, 9:02 a.m.: Consideration of update on COVID-19.

6.3, 9:45 a.m.: Presentation of proclamation commending Undersheriff Christopher J. Macedo on his 30-plus years of service and on his pending retirement.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: Consideration of (a) purchase of seven 2020 Ford Explorer police pursuit vehicles from Redwood Ford in the amount of $254,197.44 from the Sheriff/Pursuit Replacement Budget Unit 2217, Object Code 62.72 and (b) authorize the sheriff/coroner or his designee to sign the purchase order.

7.3: Consideration of proposed agreement for the Soda Bay CSA-20 Redwood Water Tanks Replacement Project Bid No. 19-18.

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): EEOC Charge of C. McCormick.

8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing Litigation Pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1)- John, et al. v. County of Lake, et al.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Planning Commission this week will discuss the city’s housing element update.

The commission will meet via webinar beginning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 10.

To speak on an agenda item, access the meeting remotely here or join by phone by calling 951-384-3421 or toll-free, 866-901-6475. The access code is 204-399-705; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.

Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . To give the City Clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments prior to 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10.

Please indicate in the email subject line "for public comment" and list the item number of the agenda item that is the topic of the comment. Comments that read to the council will be subject to the three minute time limitation (approximately 350 words). Written comments that are only to be provided to the council and not read at the meeting will be distributed to the council prior to the meeting.

The commission’s main item of business is discussion and recommendation to the Lakeport City Council that it adopt the draft sixth cycle housing element.

The document includes an assessment of housing needs, an inventory of resources and constraints relevant to meeting those needs, and an inventory of available lands suitable for residential development and specific goals, policies and implementation measures aimed at improving housing in Lakeport through the year 2027, according to city documents.

Commissioners also will review the city’s pending projects list.

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 four cats and kittens ready for new homes this week.

The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Because the shelter in place order remains in effect, call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

Male domestic short hair

This adult male domestic short hair cat has lynx point coloring and blue eyes.

He has been neutered.

He is in cat room kennel No. 74, ID No. 13719.

Domestic medium hair kitten

This male domestic medium hair kitten has a white coat and blue eyes.

He has been neutered.

He is in cat room kennel No. 129a, ID No. 13688.

Male domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has a white coat with black markings and blue eyes.

He has been neutered.

He is in cat room kennel No. 129c, ID No. 13690.

Domestic short hair cat

This male domestic short hair cat has a brown tabby coat.

He has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 138, ID No. 13701.

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.

 

The primary strategy to slow the spread of the coronavirus has been social distancing, which reduces contact between individuals.

While the federal government can recommend social distancing, the decision to issue formal measures ultimately resides with state and local governments. Though almost every state in the nation eventually implemented some policy to combat COVID-19, there was a lot of variation in what was done and how quickly each state acted.

In recent research with the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies, we examined the strongest of such measures, the shelter-in-place order. We focused on the order in California, which was the first to be implemented.

Why California?

California provides an important case study for several reasons. This is a state which not only implemented its social distancing measures early in terms of the date, but also early relative to the growth rate of the statewide outbreak.

The average daily growth in confirmed coronavirus cases in the four days before enactment in California was 19.1%. As a comparison, New York, which was the hardest-hit state, had an average daily coronavirus case growth rate of 39.5% in the four days before enacting the New York state shelter-in-place order.

While both states acted quickly in terms of the calendar, California was faster relative to the progression of its outbreak.

Second, California has several dense population centers, meaning that, like New York, it was a location where the disease had the potential to spread in an incredibly rapid fashion.

Additional research has shown that social distancing measures tend to be more effective in more urbanized locations. California continues to serve as a bellwether case allowing other states and researchers to obtain valuable early data.

Do state orders matter?

The difficulty with looking at a single state is that it is difficult to tell what would have happened in the absence of the shelter-in-place order.

This is where California moving early helps from a research perspective. At the same time California put its policy in place, many states which share attributes with California, such as Massachusetts and Colorado, did not.

We constructed a counterfactual California using a method called synthetic control. To create a “fake California,” we averaged other states together to match California’s characteristics as closely as possible. We did this based on California’s rate of COVID-19 spread, as well as based on more general characteristics such as population density.

The first question that we sought to answer was whether California’s shelter-in-place order actually got individuals to stay at home since some – but not all – people were already avoiding social contact when it went into effect. We wanted to see if California’s new rules increased social distancing, keeping in mind that violation of the new order counts as a misdemeanor offense and can carry jail time.

To do this, we used anonymous cellphone data from SafeGraph, which has made its resources available to researchers for free to study the pandemic. These data track what percent of cellphones leave their owner’s home in given day. From this, we gathered that due to the order, individuals stayed home for the entire day about 2% to 3% more than they would have otherwise.

Next, we looked at daily case and death rates using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the New York Times. We estimated that California’s shelter-in-place order reduced the number of confirmed cases by roughly 50,000 in the month following the policy.

We found smaller – but still substantial – reductions in COVID-19 fatalities, approximately 1,600 COVID-19 avoided fatalities in the same month.

Potential downsides

At the same time, nothing is free. During the month after California’s shelter-in-place order was enacted, California saw an increase in its unemployment insurance claims of 2.83 million.

If we conservatively attribute all of these lost jobs to the new policies, then our estimates imply a trade-off of around 400 jobs lost per COVID-19 death averted. Reality is likely more nuanced. Some of these jobs would have been lost anyway due to individuals social distancing on their own and spending less, practices that reduced the the need for workers.

This leads to two important types of questions.

First, is the trade-off worth it? This question is going to be debated for some time to come. We hope our numbers can help individuals understand the trade-off when forming their opinions.

The second type of questions are even more difficult. For example: How much of the COVID-19 spread was prevented, and how much was simply pushed off until later in the pandemic? In a similar vein, how many jobs were lost permanently, and how many will be recovered quickly once the pandemic is under control?

These are the big questions that will shape the trajectory of the pandemic, the economic recovery to follow and policy surrounding the two. It is what we and other economists will be watching carefully in the months to come.

[Insight, in your inbox each day. You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter.]

Andrew Friedson, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Colorado Denver; Dhaval Dave, Stanton Research Professor in Economics, Bentley University; Drew McNichols, Postdoctoral research fellow, University of California San Diego, and Joseph J. Sabia, Professor and Director of Center for Health Economics & Policy Studies, San Diego State University

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

Not only can we scream for Ice cream, we can shout for sherbet, gelato, sorbet, shave ice, soft serve, ice pops, frozen yogurt, snow cones and frozen plant-based treats!

All these tasty concoctions are a welcome treat any time of year, but when temperatures rise, they become an absolute necessity.

In the heat of a summer day, my inner child comes out and I long to hear the musical tones of “Mr. Softee,” the ice cream truck that roamed the streets of my grandmother’s neighborhood decades ago.

Of all the blissful options, the one I crave most is ice cream, and it’s no wonder. Ice cream stimulates the release of serotonin and dopamine, two brain chemicals that boost one’s mood.

While I adore the rich lusciousness of a bowl of ice cream (and the resulting elation), I’m thankful for the lighter and more nutritious options available to us, like sorbets made simply with fruit, sugar and water or the many varieties of chilly treats made with dairy alternatives, such as coconut milk.

It’s hard to pin down the exact origins of what we now know as ice cream. According to historical records, an affinity for frozen drinks and desserts spans history and the globe.

As early as 4,000 B. C. nobles in Mesopotamia built ice houses along the Euphrates River so they could remain cool in the summer heat. Snow was sold in the streets of Athens in the fifth century B. C., most likely for mixing with wine to cool it.

Alexander the Great liked to indulge in snow and ice flavored with honey or nectar. Centuries later, Emperor Nero of Rome sent runners up mountainsides to bring him snow for fruit beverages.

During the Tang dynasty in China, flour, camphor and buffalo milk was mixed with ice to create a slushy beverage.

in the ancient Islamic world, sweetened drinks were cooled with snow from storehouses (in fact, the English word sherbet comes from a Turkish word for these drinks), and kulfi, a quasi-ice cream made from condensed milk frozen in molds, was served to Mughal emperors in India.

The first verified records of frozen ice creams and sherbets in Europe coincide with the earliest evidence for kulfi in India.

Both were possible due to the discovery that ice mixed with salt creates a lower freezing point than typical water. When liquid is immersed in a salt and ice slurry, an exothermic chemical reaction occurs which pulls heat away and causes quicker freezing. If stirred regularly, the formation of large ice crystals is prevented, resulting in a cold, scoop-able, foamy treat.

Some of us may have had the strenuous pleasure of cranking an old-fashioned ice cream machine. If so, the result of this chemical reaction was experienced.

Europe’s likely ice cream birthplace was Italy in the 1600s. Descriptions of water ices (also known as sherbet or sorbet) date to the 1620s, and by the middle of that century, they were featured in banquets across Europe.

Ice cream was brought to our side of the Atlantic by European colonists, with George Washington and Thomas Jefferson among its early aficionados.

Jefferson served ice cream in the executive mansion and among the small handful of recipes he wrote out, one was for French-style vanilla ice cream.

In the summer of 1790, a time when only the wealthy could afford ice cream, Washington spent roughly $200 on the frozen treat, the equivalent of over $5,500 today. In addition, he bought a mechanical ice cream maker for his estate at Mount Vernon and developed ice cream recipes.

Between the late 1800s and the mid-1900s, a plethora of ice cream innovations were made in the United States, including its mass production at factories, being sold at grocery stores, ice cream cones and soda fountains, from which came ice cream sodas, sundaes and milkshakes.

The dessert was further popularized during World War II when copious quantities were served in the military to boost morale. At that time, the U. S. military was the biggest producer of ice cream.

The Italian version of ice cream is known as gelato, which contains less air, making it denser. It’s lower in fat and is kept at a higher temperature than ice cream.

Sorbet is made with fruit or fruit juice, sometimes with alcohol, and has no dairy. Similarly, sherbet’s base is fruit juice, but it sometimes contains milk.

Shave ice, a frozen treat made with ice shaved from a large block and flavored with fruit syrup, is associated with Hawaii, though its early origins are in seventh century East Asia.

A snow cone is similar to shave ice; however, the ice is crushed, not shaved, which makes a difference in how the syrup is absorbed. Syrup will not drain to the bottom in a properly made shave ice.

These days there are dozens of versions of plant-based frozen desserts, made with soy, almond, or coconut milk in place of dairy products. Like traditional ice cream, they come in all forms: tubs, sandwiches and treats on a stick.

Speaking of treats on a stick, the invention of ice pops (now known as the brand name Popsicle) is a sweet story.

In 1905, an 11-year-old San Francisco boy named Frank Epperson left his powdered soda water drink on his porch after playing outside. The temperature doesn’t typically fall below freezing there, but it did that night, and when he found his drink in the morning, it was frozen solid, complete with its stir stick.

Years later, in 1922, Frank served his frozen “drink” to guests at a party, where it was a hit. He applied for and received a patent for it, initially calling it Ice on a Stick.

These days, over 1.6 billion gallons of ice cream and related frozen products are sold annually in the United States, with an average of four gallons per person being consumed each year! With those stats, it’s a good thing that our bodies burn more calories when eating something cold.

Today’s recipe is a basic template for sorbet. Using its techniques, any fruit can be turned into sorbet, whether a celebration of one or a favorite combination (like strawberry-nectarine).

A little liquor or wine can be stirred into its base for a grown-up sorbet (peach-bourbon or raspberry-rose’, for example), and herbs or spices can be infused into the simple syrup for unique flavor (think blackberry-thyme or watermelon-mint).

Sorbet can be turned into sherbet with a splash of coconut milk or cream.

Template for fruit sorbet

Use two pounds of fruit for a quart of sorbet. (This ends up being about five cups when cut up.) A little more or less is fine; this is a basic formula, not an exact recipe.

Puree the fruit with some sugar to create a sorbet base. The easiest way to add sugar is to create a simple syrup by simmering equal parts water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved and let it cool.

Start with 1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup water and add in stages until desired sweetness is reached. If infusing with herbs or spices, add them to the simple syrup while it’s heating and strain it after it cools.

When adding sugar, remember that most fruit is sweet on its own and may not need much. Balance this with the knowledge that freezing dulls sweetness, so the mixture should taste slightly sweeter than desired.

After pureeing with sugar, strain the sorbet base.

In addition to sweetening it, sugar plays a role in the sorbet’s texture. Too little makes the sorbet icy, and too much will make it slushy.

Here’s a tip: an egg can be floated in the sorbet base to determine if the level is right. Wash and dry a large egg and place in the strained sorbet base. If a nickel-sized round of egg is showing above the base, it’s perfect. If the circle is smaller or if the egg sinks, more sugar is needed. If the circle is larger, water or fruit juice will need to be added to balance the sugar.

At this point a couple tablespoons of alcohol may be stirred in, if using.

Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and freeze until firm (2 to 3 hours), stirring with a fork every half hour.

Transfer to a covered container to store in the freezer.

Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In an effort to add to the services provided to Lake County's homeless and those without shelter, Hope Harbor has teamed up with Orphan Dog and Elle Vet Services to provide two days of free veterinary clinics.

The clinics will also be available to low- or no-income seniors in the area.

Pets owned by these two vulnerable populations sometimes have no access to veterinary care.

Participants can expect wellness check-ups, parasite protection (for fleas and ticks), worming, microchipping and pain relief.

The services will be available Monday, June 8, and Tuesday, June 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Anyone who is experiencing homelessness and has a pet or is a low- or no-income senior with a pet is encouraged to call Karen at 707-349-2624 to set up an appointment.

Orphan Dog has been in operation in Lake County since 2004 and has rescued, spayed and neutered thousands of dogs since their founding.

Elle Vet Services is providing medication, vaccines and veterinary staff for the event.

Hope Harbor is Lake County's emergency homeless shelter and is run by the Lake Ministerial Association.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control this week has several dogs of various sizes and breeds ready to go to new homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of cattle dog Chihuahua, German Shepherd, husky, Lhasa Apso and pit bull.

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.

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”).

Because the shelter in place order remains in effect, call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

Female Chihuahua

This female Chihuahua has a short tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. Q1, ID No. 13659.

Male Lhasa Apso

This male Lhasa Apso has a shaved white coat with black markings.

He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13696.

‘Lady’

“Lady” is a female pit bull mix with a short tan coat.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13703.

Cattle dog

This male cattle dog has a short blue and brown coat.

He has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13705.

Female Chihuahua

This female Chihuahua has a short black coat with white markings.

She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13686.

Female husky

This young female husky has a medium-length black and cream coat and blue eyes.

She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13707.

Male German Shepherd

This young male German Shepherd has a fully brown and black coat.

He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. 13706.

‘Leo’

“Leo” is a young male German Shepherd with a medium-length black and tan coat.

Shelter staff said the ideal home for him will have no cats or livestock.

He is a high energy, sweet boy, staff reported.

He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13708.

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.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic shutdowns have severely disrupted and spotlighted weaknesses in the U.S. food system. Farmers, food distributors and government agencies are working to reconfigure supply chains so that food can get to where it’s needed. But there is a hidden, long-neglected dimension that should also be addressed as the nation rebuilds from the current crisis.

As scholars who study different aspects of soil, nutrition and food systems, we’re concerned about a key vulnerability at the very foundation of the food system: soil. On farms and ranches across the U.S., the health of soil is seriously compromised today. Conventional farming practices have degraded it, and erosion has shorn away much of it.

Iowa has lost about half the topsoil it had in 1850. Since they were first plowed, America’s farmland soils have lost about half of their organic matter – the dark, spongy decomposed plant and animal tissue that helps make them fertile.

The soil that produces our nation’s food supply is a weakened link slowly failing under ongoing strain. This breakdown isn’t as dramatic as what happened in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl, but it is just as worrying. Human history holds many examples of once-thriving agricultural regions around the world where failure to maintain soil health degraded entire regions far below their potential agricultural productivity, impoverishing the descendants of those who wrecked their land.

We believe there is an urgent need to rebuild soil health across the U.S. This can help maintain harvests over the long run and lay a solid foundation for a more resilient food system. Investing in soil health will benefit environmental and human health in ways that are becoming increasingly apparent and important.

Food production starts with soil

Soil is the foundation of the U.S. food system. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and oils come directly from plants grown in soil. Meat, poultry, dairy products and many farmed fish come from animals that feed on plants. Wild-caught fish and shellfish, which provide a tiny fraction of the typical American diet, are virtually the only exception.

As populations around the globe ballooned over recent centuries, so did pressure to force more productivity out of every available acre. In many parts of the world, this led to farming practices that degraded soil far beyond its natural fertility.

In the Southeastern U.S., for example, agricultural erosion stripped soil from hillsides a hundred times faster than the natural rate of soil formation. Today farmers in the Piedmont, from Virginia to Alabama between the Atlantic coast and the Appalachian mountains, coax crops from poor subsoil rather than the rich topsoil that early European settlers praised.

Researchers, government agencies and nonprofit groups recognize soil degradation as a national problem and have started to focus on rebuilding soil health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service helps farmers improve the health and function of their soils. Nongovernment organizations are recognizing the need to restore soil health on agricultural lands. And the 2018 farm bill directed new attention and funding to soil health programs.

Public health

Beyond growing food, soils support human, public and planetary health. Well before the current pandemic, experts in public health and nutrition recognized that modern agriculture was failing to sustain consumers, the land and rural communities. This insight helped spur the emergence of a new multidisciplinary field, known as food systems, that analyzes how food is produced and distributed.

But work in this field tends to focus on the environmental impacts of food production, with less attention to economic and social implications, or to links between farming practices, soil health and the nutritional quality of food. Many studies narrowly focus on greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture when addressing soils and sustainability, without including the many ecological benefits that healthy soils provide.

To be sure, man-made climate change is a major long-term threat to human and planetary health. But soil health is just as critical in its own right. Human actions have already harmed agricultural productivity in areas around the world. And when soil is degraded, food production systems are less able to weather future challenges that we can expect in a changing climate.

The study of soil health can also have its own blind spots. Often agricultural research focuses solely on crop yields or the impact of individual conservation practices, such as adopting no-till planting or planting cover crops to protect soil from erosion. Such analyses rarely consider linkages driven by dietary demand for specific foods and crops, or the effects of farming practices on the nutrient content of forage and crops that sustain livestock and humans.

Food systems experts have called for transforming food production to improve human health and make agriculture more sustainable. Some researchers have proposed specific diets that they argue would accomplish both goals. But fully understanding connections between soil health and public health will require greater collaboration between those studying food systems, nutrition and how we treat the soil.

Growing our values

Now that COVID-19 has deconstructed much of the national food supply network, it would be a mistake to pour efforts into simply rebuilding a flawed system. Instead, we believe it is time to redesign the U.S. food system from the ground up, so that it can deliver both soil health and human health and be more resilient to future challenges.

What would it take to do this? The foundation of a revised system would be adopting regenerative farming methods that integrate multiple soil-building practices, such as no-till, cover crops and diverse crop rotations to restore health to land. It would also take creating and expanding markets for more diverse crops, as well as expanding regenerative grazing and promoting reintegration of animal husbandry and crop production. And it would require investing in research into the linkages between farming practices, soil health and the nutritional quality of foods — and what that all could mean for human health.

In sum, we think it’s time to rethink the food system, based on a recognition that providing healthy diets based on healthy soils is critical to achieving a healthier, more just, resilient and truly sustainable world.

Laura Lewis, Associate Professor of Community and Economic Development at Washington State University, and Dave Gustafson, project director at the Agriculture & Food Systems Institute, contributed to this article.

David R. Montgomery, Professor of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington; Jennifer J. Otten, Associate Professor, Center for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, and Sarah M. Collier, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington

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

You have likely seen lightning flash from a storm cloud to strike the ground. Such bolts represent only a small part of the overall phenomenon of lightning, though. The most powerful activity occurs high above the surface, in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

Up there, lightning creates brief bursts of gamma rays that are the most high-energy naturally produced phenomena on the planet. Researchers recently measured these high-energy terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, or TGFs, using instruments on the International Space Station. The work helps reveal the mechanism behind the creation of the bright flashes we call lightning.

The instruments are part of the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, or ASIM, a European Space Agency Earth observation facility on the outside of the space station used to study severe thunderstorms and their role in Earth’s atmosphere and climate.

ASIM recorded other types of upper-atmospheric lightning known as transient luminous events, or TLEs, in addition to TGFs.

ASIM’s high-speed instruments helped researchers to determine the sequence of events that produces TGFs, as reported in a paper recently published in the journal Science.

“With ASIM, we see how the atmosphere and clouds bubble like a pot of stew on the stove,” said Torsten Neubert of the National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark and lead author on the paper. “Convection brings humidity, dust and other particles into the upper atmosphere where they affect Earth’s radiation balance. Lightning is a measure of convection and can be relatively simple to put into weather and climate models.”

Lightning is a rapid discharge of electricity that temporarily equalizes opposite charges within a cloud or between a cloud and the ground. Charging of the cloud is powered by convection, with lighter ice particles carried aloft and heavier particles falling under the pull of gravity.

When these particles collide, they exchange charge, and the lighter particles carry positive charge up while heavier particles take negative charge down.

The atmosphere acts as an insulator between these electrical fields until the strength of the charge overpowers the insulating properties of the atmosphere.

Then the lightning leader – actually a long spark – forms between regions of the cloud or between the cloud and the ground, occurring so rapidly that it is hard for humans to see. When the leader connects to the ground, we see a bright flash of high current: the lightning stroke.

Neubert and his team observed a TGF occurring at the onset of a lightning current pulse, which then generated an elve.

Elves are expanding waves of ultraviolet emission in the ionosphere above a thunderstorm, like cosmic ripples from a pebble dropped into water. Measurements suggested that the onset of the current happens quickly at high amplitude and that the gamma-ray flash is generated by electric fields associated with the lightning leader. These observations provide evidence of a connection between TLEs and TGFs.

When a thunderstorm generates very high energy electrons that burst out into the upper atmosphere, they last only milliseconds but emit X- and gamma-rays that ASIM can measure. The experiment helped pinpoint what happens as these electrons are released.

“As lightning winds its way through a cloud, the atmosphere ahead may break down into a very fast pulse of very high current,” Neurbert said. “In the process, it flings out electrons, which create the bright flashes. Understanding this process opens up the inner life of lightning.”

Because lightning is dangerous, scientists tend to study it in the lab, but that cannot get to its true nature, Neubert added. “We can use this new information on how high energy radiation is generated to learn more about the processes inside lightning.”

TGFs occur at altitudes well above normal lightning and storm clouds, so measuring them is challenging. As the lowest platform in space, much lower than satellites, the space station places ASIM closer to what it measures. ASIM’s instruments also point directly downward from the space station, making it possible to catch as many of the photons in a lightning flash as possible.

Another space station instrument, NASA’s Lightning Imaging Sensor, or LIS, measured characteristics of lightning for 17 years beginning in 1997, but the satellite’s orbit covered only between 35 degrees north and south latitudes, primarily the tropics.

An identical LIS mounted on the space station in 2017 expanded that coverage to between 56 degrees north and south latitudes. LIS data helped scientists examine the relationship between lightning and severe weather.

Comparing ASIM data with that from LIS and other instruments helps make it more useful for weather predictions, Neubert says.

Ultimately, ASIM helps scientists better understand how thunderstorms affect Earth’s atmosphere.

“We soon will have continuous and almost full global monitoring of lightning from U.S., European and Chinese instruments in geostationary orbit. This coverage will improve weather and climate forecasts, provided you know how to use the data. That is where we hope ASIM helps,” Neubert said. “It’s an incredibly exciting time.”

For daily updates, follow @ISS_Research, Space Station Research and Technology News or our Facebook. Follow the ISS National Lab or information on its sponsored investigations. For opportunities to see the space station pass over your town, check out Spot the Station.

Melissa Gaskill works for the International Space Station Program Research Office at the Johnson Space Center.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said COVID-19 testing is now more available and affordable than ever in Lake County, thanks to the county’s recent partnership with Verily’s Project Baseline.

Pace said COVID-19 testing through private clinics can cost around $130, inadvertently discouraging some from getting tested.

Verily and Lake County Health Services offer free drive-thru testing at different locations around the county, open daily during the week.

Appointments are available up to 48 hours in advance, so it may look like there are no appointments available if you try to schedule further ahead.

Go to the Verily website to get screened and register.

Testing locations are in Clearlake on Mondays and Tuesdays and in Lakeport on Thursdays and Fridays.

Wednesday testing alternates between Clearlake and Middletown.

The next Middletown testing dates are Wednesday, June 10, and Wednesday, June 24.

Misconceptions about registration

There are some common misconceptions surrounding the Verily registration process:

– Google tracks your information. According to Project Baseline, their testing program will never be joined with your data stored in Google products without your explicit permission.

– You must have insurance. While the registration process asks for insurance information if you have it, insurance is not required for testing.

Pace said some have expressed frustrations surrounding the online registration process, and the county doesn’t want that to be a barrier for those who think they may have been exposed.

“We need adequate testing to ensure the health of our residents as well as to meet the governor’s mandate for reopening our beautiful county,” Pace said.

If the registration process is a barrier to testing for you, please call the Health Department at 707-263-8174 for assistance.

Isn’t COVID-19 testing pretty uncomfortable?

Pace said testing isn’t uncomfortable anymore. Initially, tests used a 6-inch nasopharyngeal swab, and some experienced discomfort or involuntary coughing.

Starting next week, far less invasive mid-turbinate swabs will be used. See “Option 2,” 1:14 into the video above.

Are there groups that should particularly consider regular testing?

People exposed to high traffic areas (workers in public buildings, grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants, residents and staff in nursing homes or congregate living situations, etc.) are at higher risk of getting COVID-19, Pace said.

Forty percent infected people never show symptoms, and people that do get sick are often contagious for a few days before symptoms appear, so testing people without symptoms is important.

“We really encourage the business community to allow your workers to get tested, and Verily is a great option,” Pace said.

Frequently asked questions on drive-thru testing are available here.

Total unemployment benefits paid to California workers struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic now tops $22.2 billion, including payments issued for the first few days of the new 13-week federal extension known as Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC.

According to the latest data from the state Employment Development Department, or EDD, more than 5.6 million unemployment claims were processed since the pandemic began, and a total of $3.4 billion in benefits were paid last week alone.

In just the last three months, the EDD has paid just shy of the total unemployment benefits issued during the entire year at the peak of the Great Recession in 2010, which totaled $22.9 billion.

The EDD said that, to date, 5,174,833 Unemployment Insurance claims have been submitted by workers online for the period of March 14 to May 30.

The claims processed is a higher number, accounting for more than just those online but also those that came in by phone. That number for the same time period is 5,658,219 claims, EDD said.

Individuals claiming benefits so far total 4,015,504, according to the EDD’s latest report.

EDD introduces new help tools to assist workers

In recent weeks, EDD introduced a chat bot on Facebook (“Send Message”) as well as on the website (“EDD Help”) to answer claimants’ questions in English and Spanish, the EDD has also launched a new text message service.

The EDD has also launched a new revised page of frequently asked questions featuring the most common questions we are hearing about each week from our customers.

Here is a sampling of some of the most recent developments in serving California workers impacted by the pandemic.

What can I do if I have a question or want to know the status of my claim and I can’t get through on the call center lines?

In addition to a chat bot feature the EDD implemented on Facebook (“Send Message”) as well as website (“EDD Help”) to answer claimants’ questions in English and Spanish, the EDD has also launched a new text message service.

These texts notify individuals about updates on their UI claim including when the claim is processed in our systems and when the first benefit payment is issued on the claim.

The EDD is also now expanding this service to notify individuals when a federal extension is filed on their behalf, when we need further documents from individuals to verify their identity, and when we have received those documents verifying the identity. This will help keep individuals posted on developments with their claim and reduce the need to call for assistance, freeing up access to agents for those who have more complex issues and need to talk to a representative.

Text alerts are sent from 51074 to the phone number the claimant indicates on their UI application. There is no cost to use this service, but standard carrier fees for text messaging may apply and the service can only send a message, not reply to messages from a claimant.

Is EDD getting more staff to help keep up with the demand for benefits?

Yes, when unemployment was at a record low in February, the EDD had low federal funding and low staff. But as the workload has spiked, the EDD has received more federal funding to support a mass expedited hiring effort.

So far, the EDD has hired at least half of an initial 1,800 staff we are seeking to help process an unprecedented volume of unemployment claims, assist customers in our call centers, and review documents from claimants and employers to determine benefits.

The EDD is now also hiring an additional 1,200 for a total of 3,000 new staff over the next few weeks to bolster the delivery of critical unemployment services to Californians in need.

For more information about the positions being filled, visit the EDD Careers webpage.

If I’ve run out of my regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, how quickly can I get 13 weeks of extension benefits?

As of May 27, the EDD is regularly sweeping our system to identify claims that started on or after June 2, 2019 and all associated benefits are exhausted. If you do not have enough subsequent wages to make you eligible for a new regular UI claim, the EDD will automatically file a Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation extension on your last UI claim. You will receive a notice through the mail about 5-7 days later with more information.

But for a faster process, check the Inbox of your UI Online account for an email about potential extension eligibility, and then a follow-up email within a few days about weeks available to certify for payment.

If my benefit year started before June 2, 2019, can I get extension benefits?

PEUC extension benefits are available on claims that started as early as July 2018 if you are fully or partially unemployed. Starting next month, the EDD will start mailing notices to those who used all their UI benefits sometime after July 2018 and before June 2, 2019, who were not included in Phase 1.

If you are in this group, you should not delay in applying for a new UI claim if you haven’t already done so since your benefit year has expired. If you are not eligible for a new regular UI claim, the EDD will automatically file a PEUC extension on your last UI
Claim.

Do I have to wait for an EDD Customer Account Number before I can certify my eligibility for payment?

The EDD will automatically complete your registration in UI Online for those who file their claim through UI Online and don’t have any issues requiring identity or wage verification. That means you can move more quickly to certifying your eligibility for payment rather than waiting on a notice through the mail with your EDD Customer Account Number, or EDDCAN. Look for an email that says “New Online Account Created.”

For all other claimants, look for the notice with the EDDCAN mailed to your address which you can use to finish your registration in UI Online and move to certifying for benefit payments. If you have received an Award Notice but have not received your EDDCAN email or notice, call 1-833-978-2511 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week.

What can I do if my claim status shows 'pending'?

A “pending” status means a potential eligibility issue is identified on either your initial application for benefits or your certification for your benefit payment and staff will have to follow up if it can’t be automatically processed through our system.

This can occur for a number of reasons including EDD needing to first verify your identity or your wages which don’t match with our records.

In some cases a payment can be made after such a review. In other cases, the EDD is required to schedule a determination interview. You will receive a notice in the mail with the date and time of your appointment to speak with an EDD staff who will ask you questions about the eligibility issue. The staff person may also have to follow up with your employer.

Reasons that necessitate further fact-finding include your ability and availability to work, reasons for separation from your employer, and other eligibility requirements defined by law. The EDD will send you a notice in the mail if you are found ineligible for benefits, or the pending weeks will be processed and you will receive an update in the Inbox of your UI Online account.

The EDD recommends you continue to certify for any weeks that become available while your claim shows pending, in order to quicken the issuing of benefits if and when you are determined
Eligible.

I’m a full-time student who usually works part-time, but I am unemployed or have reduced hours due to COVID-19. Am I eligible for PUA benefits?

Yes, PUA benefits are available to people who work part-time, and who are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work because of one of the COVID-19 related reasons provided under the PUA program.

In addition, based on your work history, you may qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. The EDD will first determine whether you have sufficient work history to qualify for UI, and if you do not, you may qualify for PUA.

If you qualify for either UI or PUA benefits, you will receive an additional $600 in federal stimulus funds on top of your weekly benefit amount between March 29 and July 25, 2020.

I’m a full-time student who usually works during the summer months when school is not in session but I was not able to get a summer job this year due to COVID-19. Am I eligible for PUA benefits?

If you were scheduled to start or return to a summer job but the job offer fell through due to COVID-19, you may be eligible for PUA.

However, PUA does not provide benefits to people who have been unable to search for or obtain a job due to COVID-19 unless they are unemployed due to another COVID-19 related
reason provided under the PUA program.