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News

Pablo Moyano Fernández, Washington University in St. Louis
24 June 2025
24 June 2025

To spur the construction of affordable, resilient homes, the future is concrete

A modular, precast system of concrete ‘rings’ can be connected in different ways to build a range of models of energy-efficient homes. Pablo Moyano Fernández, CC BY-SA

Wood is, by far, the most common material used in the U.S. for single-family home construction.

But wood construction isn’t engineered for long-term durability, and it often underperforms, particularly in the face of increasingly common extreme weather events.

In response to these challenges, I believe mass-produced concrete homes can offer affordable, resilient housing in the U.S. By leveraging the latest innovations of the precast concrete industry, this type of homebuilding can meet the needs of a changing world.

Wood’s rise to power

Over 90% of the new homes built in the U.S. rely on wood framing.

Wood has deep historical roots as a building material in the U.S., dating back to the earliest European settlers who constructed shelters using the abundant native timber. One of the most recognizable typologies was the log cabin, built from large tree trunks notched at the corners for structural stability.

A mother holds her child in the front doorway of their log cabin home.
Log cabins were popular in the U.S. during the 18th and 19th centuries. Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images

In the 1830s, wood construction underwent a significant shift with the introduction of balloon framing. This system used standardized, sawed lumber and mass-produced nails, allowing much smaller wood components to replace the earlier heavy timber frames. It could be assembled by unskilled labor using simple tools, making it both accessible and economical.

In the early 20th century, balloon framing evolved into platform framing, which became the dominant method. By using shorter lumber lengths, platform framing allowed each floor to be built as a separate working platform, simplifying construction and improving its efficiency.

The proliferation and evolution of wood construction helped shape the architectural and cultural identity of the nation. For centuries, wood-framed houses have defined the American idea of home – so much so that, even today, when Americans imagine a house, they typically envision one built of wood.

A row of half-constructed homes surrounded by piles of dirt.
A suburban housing development from the 1950s being built with platform framing. H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock via Getty Images

Today, light-frame wood construction dominates the U.S. residential market.

Wood is relatively affordable and readily available, offering a cost-effective solution for homebuilding. Contractors are familiar with wood construction techniques. In addition, building codes and regulations have long been tailored to wood-frame systems, further reinforcing their prevalence in the housing industry.

Despite its advantages, wood light-frame construction presents several important limitations. Wood is vulnerable to fire. And in hurricane- and tornado-prone regions, wood-framed homes can be damaged or destroyed.

Wood is also highly susceptible to water-related issues, such as swelling, warping and structural deterioration caused by leaks or flooding. Vulnerability to termites, mold, rot and mildew further compromise the longevity and safety of wood-framed structures, especially in humid or poorly ventilated environments.

The case for concrete

Meanwhile, concrete has revolutionized architecture and engineering over the past century. In my academic work, I’ve studied, written and taught about the material’s many advantages.

The material offers unmatched strength and durability, while also allowing design flexibility and versatility. It’s low-cost and low-maintenance, and it has high thermal mass properties, which refers to the material’s ability to absorb and store heat during the day, and slowly release it during the cooler nights. This can lower heating and cooling costs.

Properly designed concrete enclosures offer exceptional performance against a wide range of hazards. Concrete can withstand fire, flooding, mold, insect infestation, earthquakes, hail, hurricanes and tornadoes.

It’s commonly used for home construction in many parts of the world, such as Europe, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina, as well as India and other parts of Southeast Asia.

However, despite their multiple benefits, concrete single-family homes are rare in the U.S.

That’s because most concrete structures are built using a process called cast-in-place. In this technique, the concrete is formed and poured directly at the construction site. The method relies on built-in-place molds. After the concrete is cast and cured over several days, the formwork is removed.

This process is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and it often produces considerable waste. This is particularly an issue in the U.S., where labor is more expensive than in other parts of the world. The material and labor cost can be as high as 35% to 60% of the total construction cost.

Portland cement, the binding agent in concrete, requires significant energy to produce, resulting in considerable carbon dioxide emissions. However, this environmental cost is often offset by concrete’s durability and long service life.

Concrete’s design flexibility and structural integrity make it particularly effective for large-scale structures. So in the U.S., you’ll see it used for large commercial buildings, skyscrapers and most highways, bridges, dams and other critical infrastructure projects.

But when it comes to single-family homes, cast-in-place concrete poses challenges to contractors. There are the higher initial construction costs, along with a lack of subcontractor expertise. For these reasons, most builders and contractors stick with what they know: the wood frame.

A new model for home construction

Precast concrete, however, offers a promising alternative.

Unlike cast-in-place concrete, precast systems allow for off-site manufacturing under controlled conditions. This improves the quality of the structure, while also reducing waste and labor.

The CRETE House, a prototype I worked on in 2017 alongside a team at Washington University in St. Louis, showed the advantages of a precast home construction.

To build the precast concrete home, we used ultra-high-performance concrete, one of the latest advances in the concrete industry. Compared with conventional concrete, it’s about six times stronger, virtually impermeable and more resistant to freeze-thaw cycles. Ultra-high-performance concrete can last several hundred years.

The strength of the CRETE House was tested by shooting a piece of wood at 120 mph (193 kph) to simulate flying debris from an F5 tornado. It was unable to breach the wall, which was only 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) thick.

The wall of the CRETE House was able to withstand a piece of wood fired at 120 mph (193 kph).

Building on the success of the CRETE House, I designed the Compact House as a solution for affordable, resilient housing. The house consists of a modular, precast concrete system of “rings” that can be connected to form the entire structure – floors, walls and roofs – creating airtight, energy-efficient homes. A series of different rings can be chosen from a catalog to deliver different models that can range in size from 270 to 990 square feet (25 to 84 square meters).

The precast rings can be transported on flatbed trailers and assembled into a unit in a single day, drastically reducing on-site labor, time and cost.

Since they’re built using durable concrete forms, the house can be easily mass-produced. When precast concrete homes are mass-produced, the cost can be competitive with traditional wood-framed homes. Furthermore, the homes are designed to last far beyond 100 years – much longer than typical wood structures – while significantly lowering utility bills, maintenance expenses and insurance premiums.

The project is also envisioned as an open-source design. This means that the molds – which are expensive – are available for any precast producer to use and modify.

A computer graphic showing a prototype of a small, concrete home.
The Compact House is made using ultra-high-performance concrete. Pablo Moyano Fernández, CC BY-SA

Leveraging a network that’s already in place

Two key limitations of precast concrete construction are the size and weight of the components and the distance to the project site.

Precast elements must comply with standard transportation regulations, which impose restrictions on both size and weight in order to pass under bridges and prevent road damage. As a result, components are typically limited to dimensions that can be safely and legally transported by truck. Each of the Compact House’s pieces are small enough to be transported in standard trailers.

Additionally, transportation costs become a major factor beyond a certain range. In general, the practical delivery radius from a precast plant to a construction site is 500 miles (805 kilometers). Anything beyond that becomes economically unfeasible.

However, the infrastructure to build precast concrete homes is already largely in place. Since precast concrete is often used for office buildings, schools, parking complexes and large apartments buildings, there’s already an extensive national network of manufacturing plants capable of producing and delivering components within that 500-mile radius.

There are other approaches to build homes with concrete: Homes can use concrete masonry units, which are similar to cinder blocks. This is a common technique around the world. Insulated concrete forms involve rigid foam blocks that are stacked like Lego bricks and are then filled with poured concrete, creating a structure with built-in insulation. And there’s even 3D-printed concrete, a rapidly evolving technology that is in its early stages of development.

However, none of these use precast concrete modules – the rings in my prototypes – and therefore require substantially longer on-site time and labor.

To me, precast concrete homes offer a compelling vision for the future of affordable housing. They signal a generational shift away from short-term construction and toward long-term value – redefining what it means to build for resilience, efficiency and equity in housing.

A bird's-eye view of a computer-generated neighborhood featuring plots of land with multiple concrete homes located on them.
An image of North St. Louis, taken from Google Earth, showing how vacant land can be repurposed using precast concrete homes. Pablo Moyano Fernández, CC BY-SA

This article is part of a series centered on envisioning ways to deal with the housing crisis.The Conversation

Pablo Moyano Fernández, Assistant Professor of Architecture, Washington University in St. Louis

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

LINGZI CHEN
23 June 2025
23 June 2025

Supervisors to discuss how to spend over $400 million in annual budget hearings

Chart by Lingzi Chen/Lake County News.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors this week will hold two days of budget hearings to discuss where and how to allocate more than $400 million in county funds.

The‌ ‌board will meet beginning ‌at‌ ‌9‌ a.m. on both Tuesday, June 24 and Wednesday, June 25, 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. ‌ ‌

To‌ ‌participate‌ ‌in‌ ‌real-time, ‌join‌ ‌the‌ ‌Zoom‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌by‌ ‌clicking‌ ‌this‌ ‌link‌. ‌ ‌

The‌ ‌meeting‌ ‌ID‌ ‌is‌ 865 3354 4962, ‌pass code 726865.‌ ‌The meeting also can be accessed via one tap mobile at +16694449171,,86533544962#,,,,*726865#. The meeting can also be accessed via phone at 669 900 6833.

Over the two days, the board will consider the recommended budget for fiscal year 2025-26. 

According to the staff memo, the final budget must be approved by June 30 and adopted by Oct. 2. Final adoption will take place following public hearings currently scheduled for Sept. 23. 

For the upcoming fiscal year, recommended appropriations for all funds total $418,634,111 — an increase of $21,458,724 from the previous year, according to the staff memo. 

The increase, the staff memo said, is attributable to additional appropriations to a range of special revenue funds such as $19.5 million to Behavioral Health Services, $2 million to roads, $3.4 million to Spring Valley,  $2.7 million to Northwest Regional Wastewater System, and $9 million to public safety facilities.

Out of the total amount, the county’s General Fund appropriations take up about 24% — just under $100 million at $99,735,475 — showing a decrease of $1.54 million from the previous year's adopted budget.

According to the data presented in the memo, General Fund appropriations have increased in dollar amount over the past seven years. 

However, the proposed allocation for fiscal year 2025-26, if approved, would mark the first decrease in eight years.

The staff memo attributes the $1.5 million decrease to economic uncertainty, accommodating increases in Memorandum of Understanding, or MOUs, and projects that may be allocated one-time funding at final budget. 

Last week, the Board of Supervisors approved at least $5 million in raises for county employees as part of the MOUs. 

The staff memo identifies the primary sources of discretionary revenue for the General Fund, with property tax as the largest single source “by a great margin."

“General Fund appropriations ebb and flow, in direct relationship to General Fund discretionary revenues available,” the staff memo said. “Property tax revenues have steadily increased over time.”

Anticipated property tax revenue for FY 2024 - 25 is shown as $33.2 million, with budgeted revenue for FY 2025 - 26 projected at $34.5 million.

Other revenues include sales tax received through May 2025 total $8.1 million, transient occupancy tax revenues $0.8 million and cannabis tax $2.7 million. 

Email staff writer Lingzi Chen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Elizabeth Larson
23 June 2025
23 June 2025

Helping Paws: New dogs this week

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control’s kennels are once again filled with animals needing homes.

The dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Chihuahua, German shepherd, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull terrier, terrier 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.

Those dogs and the others shown on this page at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.

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

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    Travis Shoemaker
    23 June 2025
    23 June 2025

    Telling the story of the nation’s smallest businesses

    The nation’s 29.8 million nonemployer businesses — those with no paid employees and are subject to federal income tax — made up $1.7 trillion or about 6.8% of the 2022 U.S. economy, according to the 2022 Nonemployer Statistics, or NES, recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

    Most nonemployers are self-employed individuals operating small unincorporated businesses, which may be the owner’s principal source of income.

    NES can be used to uncover facts about U.S. nonemployers, like how California had the largest number of nonemployer establishments (3,502,950) but ranked 16th per capita, that Texas had the most nonemployer construction establishments (376,379) or that Delaware nonemployers had the highest average receipts ($85,950) in the country.

    In contrast, there were 8.3 million U.S. employer businesses (those with paid employees) in 2022, according to the Census Bureau’s 2022 County Business Patterns.

    State nonemployer rates

    The prevalence of nonemployer establishments varied widely across the country in 2022. A comparison of NES data and population estimates found that:

    • Florida had the greatest per capita rate of nonemployer establishments, boasting 13.3 such establishments for every 100 people. Wyoming and Georgia tied for a distant second (with 10.8 each), followed by Texas, Vermont, and Colorado (10.0 each).
    • West Virginia was the state with the lowest per capita rate, with 5.3 nonemployer establishments per 100 people.
    • California, which had the most nonemployer establishments, was home to nearly 500,000 more such entities than second place Texas (3,023,525), with Florida (2,968,201) rounding out the top three.
    • North Dakota had the lowest total number (59,106) of nonemployer establishments, followed close behind by Alaska (60,471). While low population states Wyoming and Vermont also had small numbers of nonemployer establishments (62,751 and 64,930, respectively), each boasted a relatively high per capita rate — 10.8 and 10.0 per 100 people, respectively — compared to the national average of 8.9.

    Industry leaders

    Nonemployer Statistics covers 18 economic sectors as defined by the 2022 North American Industry Classification System or NAICS (Table 1). The three largest sectors in 2022 by number of establishments were Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (4,013,209); Transportation and Warehousing (3,854,720); and Real Estate, Rental and Leasing (3,145,367).

    The Real Estate, Rental and Leasing sector had the largest receipts among nonemployers in 2022, bringing in 20.0% of total nonemployer receipts ($344.7 billion) despite making up just 10.6% of the nation’s nonemployer establishments.

    The Construction sector made up 9.6% of 2022 nonemployer establishments with 2,875,590 businesses. These firms shoveled up 13.8% of the U.S. total nonemployer receipts with $238.0 billion in Construction nonemployer receipts.

    The third-place sector was Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, representing a 13.5% share of U.S. nonemployers with 4,013,209 nonemployer establishments and a commensurate 13.3% share ($229.4 billion) of total U.S. nonemployer receipts in 2022.

    Small business, big receipts

    The Census Bureau’s NES also sorts nonemployers into 11 receipt-size categories ranging from less than $5,000 to more than $5 million.

    The Finance and Insurance sector had 542 nonemployer establishments with receipt values exceeding $5 million, constituting more than half the total nonemployers with receipts that large. In second place: Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation which had 322 nonemployer establishments with $5 million or more in receipts.

    Four other sectors that had nonemployer establishments with receipts exceeding $5 million in 2022 were Transportation and Warehousing (40); Wholesale Trade (29); Retail Trade (25); and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (5).

    Travis Shoemaker is a writer/editor for America Counts in the Census Bureau’s Communications Directorate.

    Jennifer D. Oliva, Indiana University
    23 June 2025
    23 June 2025

    How artificial intelligence controls your health insurance coverage

    Evidence suggests that insurance companies use AI to delay or limit health care that patients need. FatCameraE+ via Getty Images

    Over the past decade, health insurance companies have increasingly embraced the use of artificial intelligence algorithms. Unlike doctors and hospitals, which use AI to help diagnose and treat patients, health insurers use these algorithms to decide whether to pay for health care treatments and services that are recommended by a given patient’s physicians.

    One of the most common examples is prior authorization, which is when your doctor needs to receive payment approval from your insurance company before providing you care. Many insurers use an algorithm to decide whether the requested care is “medically necessary” and should be covered.

    These AI systems also help insurers decide how much care a patient is entitled to — for example, how many days of hospital care a patient can receive after surgery.

    If an insurer declines to pay for a treatment your doctor recommends, you usually have three options. You can try to appeal the decision, but that process can take a lot of time, money and expert help. Only 1 in 500 claim denials are appealed. You can agree to a different treatment that your insurer will cover. Or you can pay for the recommended treatment yourself, which is often not realistic because of high health care costs.

    As a legal scholar who studies health law and policy, I’m concerned about how insurance algorithms affect people’s health. Like with AI algorithms used by doctors and hospitals, these tools can potentially improve care and reduce costs. Insurers say that AI helps them make quick, safe decisions about what care is necessary and avoids wasteful or harmful treatments.

    But there’s strong evidence that the opposite can be true. These systems are sometimes used to delay or deny care that should be covered, all in the name of saving money.

    A pattern of withholding care

    Presumably, companies feed a patient’s health care records and other relevant information into health care coverage algorithms and compare that information with current medical standards of care to decide whether to cover the patient’s claim. However, insurers have refused to disclose how these algorithms work in making such decisions, so it is impossible to say exactly how they operate in practice.

    Using AI to review coverage saves insurers time and resources, especially because it means fewer medical professionals are needed to review each case. But the financial benefit to insurers doesn’t stop there. If an AI system quickly denies a valid claim, and the patient appeals, that appeal process can take years. If the patient is seriously ill and expected to die soon, the insurance company might save money simply by dragging out the process in the hope that the patient dies before the case is resolved.

    Insurers say that if they decline to cover a medical intervention, patients can pay for it out of pocket.

    This creates the disturbing possibility that insurers might use algorithms to withhold care for expensive, long-term or terminal health problems , such as chronic or other debilitating disabilities. One reporter put it bluntly: “Many older adults who spent their lives paying into Medicare now face amputation or cancer and are forced to either pay for care themselves or go without.”

    Research supports this concern – patients with chronic illnesses are more likely to be denied coverage and suffer as a result. In addition, Black and Hispanic people and those of other nonwhite ethnicities, as well as people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, are more likely to experience claims denials. Some evidence also suggests that prior authorization may increase rather than decrease health care system costs.

    Insurers argue that patients can always pay for any treatment themselves, so they’re not really being denied care. But this argument ignores reality. These decisions have serious health consequences, especially when people can’t afford the care they need.

    Moving toward regulation

    Unlike medical algorithms, insurance AI tools are largely unregulated. They don’t have to go through Food and Drug Administration review, and insurance companies often say their algorithms are trade secrets.

    That means there’s no public information about how these tools make decisions, and there’s no outside testing to see whether they’re safe, fair or effective. No peer-reviewed studies exist to show how well they actually work in the real world.

    There does seem to be some momentum for change. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, which is the federal agency in charge of Medicare and Medicaid, recently announced that insurers in Medicare Advantage plans must base decisions on the needs of individual patients – not just on generic criteria. But these rules still let insurers create their own decision-making standards, and they still don’t require any outside testing to prove their systems work before using them. Plus, federal rules can only regulate federal public health programs like Medicare. They do not apply to private insurers who do not provide federal health program coverage.

    Some states, including Colorado, Georgia, Florida, Maine and Texas, have proposed laws to rein in insurance AI. A few have passed new laws, including a 2024 California statute that requires a licensed physician to supervise the use of insurance coverage algorithms.

    But most state laws suffer from the same weaknesses as the new CMS rule. They leave too much control in the hands of insurers to decide how to define “medical necessity” and in what contexts to use algorithms for coverage decisions. They also don’t require those algorithms to be reviewed by neutral experts before use. And even strong state laws wouldn’t be enough, because states generally can’t regulate Medicare or insurers that operate outside their borders.

    A role for the FDA

    In the view of many health law experts, the gap between insurers’ actions and patient needs has become so wide that regulating health care coverage algorithms is now imperative. As I argue in an essay to be published in the Indiana Law Journal, the FDA is well positioned to do so.

    The FDA is staffed with medical experts who have the capability to evaluate insurance algorithms before they are used to make coverage decisions. The agency already reviews many medical AI tools for safety and effectiveness. FDA oversight would also provide a uniform, national regulatory scheme instead of a patchwork of rules across the country.

    Some people argue that the FDA’s power here is limited. For the purposes of FDA regulation, a medical device is defined as an instrument “intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions, or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease.” Because health insurance algorithms are not used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, Congress may need to amend the definition of a medical device before the FDA can regulate those algorithms.

    If the FDA’s current authority isn’t enough to cover insurance algorithms, Congress could change the law to give it that power. Meanwhile, CMS and state governments could require independent testing of these algorithms for safety, accuracy and fairness. That might also push insurers to support a single national standard – like FDA regulation – instead of facing a patchwork of rules across the country.

    The move toward regulating how health insurers use AI in determining coverage has clearly begun, but it is still awaiting a robust push. Patients’ lives are literally on the line.The Conversation

    Jennifer D. Oliva, Professor of Law, Indiana University

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

    LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
    22 June 2025
    22 June 2025

    Rotary Club of Lakeport to celebrate centennial with Aug. 9 gala

    Lakeport Rotary Club members at the curfew bell dedication in 2024. Courtesy photo.

    LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Rotary Club of Lakeport is celebrating its centennial this year, marking a century of dedicated service to the community. 

    The commemorative event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main Street, Lakeport.   

    Founded on May 3, 1925, the Rotary Club of Lakeport has been a cornerstone of community service, embodying the Rotary International motto of "Service Above Self." 

    Over the past century, the club has initiated numerous projects aimed at improving education, health, and overall quality of life in Lakeport and beyond.

    The centennial celebration promises an evening filled with history, camaraderie, and entertainment.

    Attendees will enjoy heavy appetizers, a special Centennial Program highlighting the club's achievements, and live music by the LC Diamonds. Tickets for the event are $75 per person.

    "This milestone is not just a celebration of our club's longevity, but a testament to the enduring spirit of service that defines our members," said Pam Harpster, president of the Rotary Club of Lakeport. "We invite all community members to join us in honoring our past and looking forward to a future of continued service."

    The Rotary Club of Lakeport has been a pillar of community service for nearly a century. Over the decades, the club has initiated numerous programs and projects that have left a lasting impact on Lakeport and beyond.

    Local impact:

    • Easter Egg Hunt: Since 1926, the club has organized the annual Easter Egg Hunt, a cherished tradition that has delighted generations of Lakeport families. 
    • Educational support: The club has distributed dictionaries and National Geographic books to third-grade students, fostering literacy and a love for learning among young minds. 
    • Scholarships: Providing scholarships to graduating seniors, the club supports higher education and empowers youth to pursue their academic goals. 
    • Community projects: From hosting crab feeds, to funding local infrastructure improvements, the club has been actively involved in various community enhancement projects. 

    Global impact:

    As part of Rotary International, the Lakeport club contributes to worldwide initiatives, including efforts to eradicate polio. 

    Through the PolioPlus program, Rotary has helped immunize over 2.5 billion children in 122 countries, reducing polio cases by 99.9% globally. 

    The club's commitment to service, both locally and internationally, exemplifies the Rotary motto: "Service Above Self."

    For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the Rotary Club of Lakeport's website at www.lakeportrotary.org. 

    The Lakeport Rotary Club was founded in 1925. Courtesy photo.
    LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
    22 June 2025
    22 June 2025

    First-of-its-kind partnership will support older adults in higher education and workforce development

    The California Community Colleges, the California Department of Aging, and the Labor and Workforce Development Agency have launched a new statewide effort to support adult learners. 

    This collaboration ensures older adults have access to higher education, job training and opportunities to build new skills.

    The agencies have signed a memorandum of understanding that provides guidelines on how to work together with regional partners to establish career pathways for older adults. 

    Whether going back to work or starting a new career, learners will have access to education and hands-on job training that opens new doors and builds a stronger workforce. 

    Through this partnership, agencies are also expanding opportunities for caregivers by connecting them to health care career pathways and creating more job opportunities for older adults and people with disabilities, a key priority within the California Community College’s strategic plan, Vision 2030.

    “This partnership marks an important step in Vision 2030 to expand access to career-ready education for learners at every stage of life,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian. “By recognizing the value of lived experience and building on existing skills, we’re creating new opportunities for adult learners to succeed academically and thrive in today’s workforce. Together, we’re opening pathways to advancement while supporting a stronger, more resilient economy for our entire state."

    Many older adults are looking for ways to stay engaged or find meaningful work. Because of this new collaboration, community colleges across the state will connect adult students with career technical education, job training, and support services, helping them stay competitive. 

    Guided by California’s Master Plan for Aging, today’s initiative supports the development of inclusive communities where older adults are valued, engaged, and have access to opportunities to work, volunteer, and thrive.

    “California’s older adults are a powerful, untapped resource, bringing wisdom, resilience and a lifetime of experience to today’s dynamic economy. At the California Department of Aging, we’re reimagining what it means to age in this state by championing bold, inclusive pathways that empower older adults to keep learning, earning, working and shaping the future of their communities,” said Susan DeMarois, director of the California Department of Aging.

    California community colleges focus on career education and entrepreneurial development programs. With the support of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, these programs will be elevated, allowing both agencies to work together to better serve adult learners across the state.

    “We are proud to be part of this effort, and by working together, we will ensure older adults develop new skills, while keeping California’s workforce strong and inclusive,” said Secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency Stewart Knox.

    This collaboration between state agencies is a key step in ensuring that California’s aging population has access to academic opportunities and resources to thrive in a rapidly changing world. It also supports expanding the caregiving workforce, which is a critical need as it’s estimated that California will experience a shortage of up to 3.2 million caregivers by 2030.

    The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 73 districts and 116 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. 

    LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
    22 June 2025
    22 June 2025

    Thompson responds to bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, continues call for Congress to convene

    In the wake of bombing strikes conducted on three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday, Lake County’s member of the House of Representatives continued his call for Congress to return to Session. 

    “It is Congress’ Constitutional responsibility to debate and approve any use of military force,” Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) said following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States had executed the strikes in the midst of the Israel-Iran conflict.

    “This is why I called on Speaker Johnson last week to reconvene the U.S. House of Representatives, and I am calling on him once again to call us back into session now,” Thompson said.

    He added, “Members must be briefed immediately on the evolving situation in the Middle East so we can fulfill our Constitutional responsibilities.” 

    Last week, Thompson led a formal letter to Johnson urging him to reconvene the House of Representatives so Congress can be thoroughly briefed on the evolving situation in the Middle East and fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities related to any potential authorization of military force.

    The letter said, in part: “Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article 1 of our Constitution. It is of the highest importance that no military action take place without Congressional authorization. The stakes are too high. As representatives of the American people, it is the duty of every Member to ensure that we fulfill our Constitutional role.”

    Thompson, a Vietnam veteran, represents California’s Fourth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.

    Ivis García, Texas A&M University
    22 June 2025
    22 June 2025

    Low-income homeowners hit by disasters may get less help from the government, as Trump administration nixes rules on fairness, community input and resilience

    Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to homes in North Carolina in 2024. AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek

    Imagine that a hurricane has destroyed your home.

    The roof is gone. The floors are flooded. Your family’s belongings are ruined.

    When this happens, you can apply for federal disaster aid, hoping for a lifeline. For many low-income families and other people of modest means, funding for that aid is often channeled to the states through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program.

    Known as CDBG-DR, this program mainly provides funding to repair and rebuild homes belonging to people of low-to-moderate income who either have no insurance at all or whose coverage falls short of what is needed to making housing safe again.

    When homes are damaged beyond repair or located in areas where it’s too dangerous to rebuild because of the likelihood of future bouts of flooding in the same place, the CDBG-DR program can help pay for residents to move somewhere else that is less prone to disasters. In both cases, it covers costs that the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not pay for.

    But in 2025, with hurricane season underway, the rules for who gets help and how it’s distributed have changed significantly.

    As an urban planner who has researched disaster recovery efforts, I’m alarmed by Memorandum 2025-02, which HUD .

    The memo changes the rules for nearly US$12 billion in disaster recovery funding approved by Congress for disasters occurring in 2023 and 2024. And HUD is implementing these changes early in the process, before any of this money has been distributed.

    A house that's been destroyed is covered by tarps.
    This home in Puerto Rico was destroyed when Hurricane Fiona struck the island in September 2022. Ivis Garcia

    What has changed

    The memo does away with the civil rights certifications, fair housing assessments, environmental standards and citizen advisory groups that have long been mandatory for the recipients of disaster recovery funds.

    Civil rights certification means that CDBG-DR grantees must verify that disaster aid will be distributed without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, age, disability status, or other characteristics known as “protected classes.” Without this certification, there’s no formal process to ensure disaster aid is distributed fairly.

    Fair housing obligations are assessments of whether middle- and lower-income families, people of color or people with disabilities can find safe, affordable housing without facing any discrimination.

    In addition, HUD no longer requires detailed demographic reporting on who is applying for or receiving aid. This includes information such as gender, race, age, disability status and the language someone speaks.

    Another change is that HUD’s updated disaster recovery guidelines no longer require economic development funds to emphasize people of modest incomes or their communities. Under the new rules, any business hit by a disaster can get recovery funds. It doesn’t matter how much money the owners make, as long as they can show that the disaster affected them.

    And several important environmental protections have been rolled back. HUD previously mandated that disaster recovery projects comply with federal building standards.

    Those codes are tougher than the local housing codes. These included rules for building homes higher off the ground to avoid future flooding and using stronger construction methods to withstand extreme weather events. Without them, new construction may be less durable and less safe – especially in areas hit hard by hurricanes or other natural disasters.

    Strong energy efficiency standards help keep long-term utility costs low and reduce pressure on power grids during extreme weather events. They also make rebuilt homes more sustainable by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

    A woman and a child sift through the detritus where a business once stood.
    Tina Brotherton, 88, right, gets help from 9-year-old neighbor Lainey Hamelink as she surveys the wreckage of her business, Tina’s Dockside Inn. It was completely destroyed in Hurricane Idalia, as was Brotherton’s nearby home, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., in 2023. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

    Less coordination and communication

    HUD has also removed a requirement for the nonprofits, local governments and other recipients of CDBG-DR grants to create and convene citizen advisory groups. That change took effect on March 24, 2025.

    These groups, which have long made it easier for local communities to have a say regarding federally funded disaster recovery efforts, have played an important role in making sure those efforts reflect the needs and priorities of local residents – especially those most affected.

    While eliminating this step may make it easier and faster for local governments to spend the recovery funds allocated for their communities, it also means there’s less opportunity for their own communities to influence how those funds are spent. Without that input, recovery efforts fail to resolve the real challenges people are facing.

    Staffing and funding cuts

    The White House’s 2026 budget proposal retains the HUD program that distributes disaster recovery grants while eliminating the related Community Development Block Grant program, which helps people experiencing homelessness and also funds everything from child care to services for older people.

    I’m concerned about how CDBG-DR grants will be distributed, apart from the program’s changes. HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development, which administers the CDBG-DR program, is slated to lose 84% of its staff, according to widespread media reports published earlier this year.

    The Trump administration is also calling for cutting HUD’s staff, and President Donald Trump’s proposed 2026 budget would cut the agency’s entire budget in half.

    In its March 25 HUD memo, the Trump administration framed these policy changes as a way to streamline recovery efforts and provide greater flexibility in the use of federal disaster funds. The memo also asserted that the changes were needed for compliance with executive orders that banned the use of diversity, equity and inclusion criteria and hiring practices that the administration considers to be discrimintory.

    But critics of the policy rollbacks, including the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which advocates affordable housing, worry that removing long-standing safeguards could weaken the CDBG-DR program’s core mission of equitably distributing aid and building resilient communities. The standards and community input systems HUD has abandoned, the coalition says, have historically helped ensure that disaster recovery funds reach the people who need them most.The Conversation

    Ivis García, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University

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

    NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
    22 June 2025
    22 June 2025

    Space News: NASA engineers simulate lunar lighting for Artemis III moon landing


    NASA engineers inside the Flat Floor Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, mimic lander inspection and assessment tasks future Artemis astronauts may do during Artemis III. Lights are positioned at a low angle to replicate the strong shadows that are cast across the lunar South Pole. Photo: NASA/Charles Beason.


    Better understanding the lunar lighting environment will help NASA prepare astronauts for the harsh environment Artemis III Moonwalkers will experience on their mission. 

    NASA’s Artemis III mission will build on earlier test flights and add new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first astronauts to explore the lunar South Pole and prepare humanity to go to Mars.

    Using high-intensity lighting and low-fidelity mock-ups of a lunar lander, lunar surface, and lunar rocks, NASA engineers are simulating the Moon’s environment at the Flat Floor Facility to study and experience the extreme lighting conditions. The facility is located at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

    “The goal is really to understand how shadows will affect lander visual inspection and assessment efforts throughout a future crewed mission,” said Emma Jaynes, test engineer at the facility. “Because the Flat Floor Facility is similar to an inverted air hockey table, NASA and our industry partners can rearrange large, heavy structures with ease — and inspect the shadows’ effects from multiple angles, helping to ensure mission success and astronaut safety for Artemis III.”

    Data and analysis from testing at NASA are improving models Artemis astronauts will use in preparation for lander and surface operations on the Moon during Artemis III. The testing also is helping cross-agency teams evaluate various tools astronauts may use.

    The 86-foot-long by 44-foot-wide facility at NASA is one of the largest, flattest, and most stable air-bearing floors in the world, allowing objects to move across the floor without friction on a cushion of air.

    Test teams use large, 12-kilowatt and 6-kilowatt lights to replicate the low-angle, high contrast conditions of the lunar South Pole. Large swaths of fabric are placed on top of the epoxy floor to imitate the reflective properties of lunar regolith. All the mock-ups are placed on air bearings, allowing engineers to easily move and situate structures on the floor.

    “The Sun is at a permanent low angle at the South Pole of the Moon, meaning astronauts will experience high contrasts between the lit and shadowed regions,” Jaynes said. “The color white can become blinding in direct sunlight, while the shadows behind a rock could stretch for feet and ones behind a lander could extend for miles.”

    The laboratory is large enough for people to walk around and experience this phenomenon with the naked eye, adding insight to what NASA calls ‘human in-the-loop testing.

    NASA is working with SpaceX to develop the company’s Starship Human Landing System to safely send Artemis astronauts to the Moon’s surface and back to lunar orbit for Artemis III.

    Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars – for the benefit of all. 

    For more information about Artemis missions, visit https://www.nasa.gov/artemis. 

    The Flat Floor Facility is an air-bearing floor, providing full-scale simulation capabilities for lunar surface systems by simulating zero gravity in two dimensions. Wearing low-fidelity materials, test engineers can understand how the extreme lighting of the Moon’s South Pole could affect surface operations during Artemis III. Photo: NASA/Charles Beason.
    LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
    21 June 2025
    21 June 2025

    UC Cooperative Extension Tribal Extension Office opens at Middletown Rancheria


    Middletown Rancheria leaders, UC ANR and UC Cooperative Extension teams, and county officials gather to celebrate the signing of the historic agreement. Image by Ethan Ireland.

    MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — A historic agreement between the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources has created the first-ever UC Cooperative Extension Tribal Extension Office.

    Located on tribal land at the Middletown Rancheria headquarters, the office opened on June 2. 

    It will facilitate culturally informed research and education projects on a variety of challenges facing local agriculture and natural resources. 

    UC ANR and Middletown Rancheria signed a strategic memorandum of understanding, or MOU, on May 23, formalizing a partnership deeply rooted in mutual respect, traditional ecological knowledge and community-driven scientific research — establishing a model for future tribal-academic collaborations nationwide.

    “When we talk about collaboration, a lot of times it is just talking — you sit in a room, you go away from a meeting,” said Middletown Rancheria Tribal Chairman Moke Simon. “That won't happen here at Middletown; all of our folks are genuinely dedicated to making things happen and improving our communities.”

    Simon specifically mentioned their collaboration with Mike Jones, UCCE forestry advisor. Jones already has developed a work plan for managing a devastating pest, Mediterranean oak borer, on tribal lands.

    “Our Cooperative Extension offices in the counties — and the people that are sitting here  — they're a conduit; they’re a door to so many resources above and beyond just themselves,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources, during the signing ceremony. “And we've got some amazing people that have joined us to serve in these county offices.”

    Humiston also noted that the agreement represents a “very comprehensive MOU” that will facilitate collaborations on a wide array of issues and opportunities. 

    The signing ceremony provided an overview of planned activities, reflecting both parties' dedication to environmental stewardship, cultural heritage, sustainable agriculture and resilience.

    The historic signing event was attended by prominent community leaders, including Humiston; Brent Hales, UC ANR associate vice president for research and Cooperative Extension; Middletown Tribal Council members; Lake County Supervisor Jessica Pyska and Board of Supervisors Chair EJ Crandell, along with representatives from the offices of U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson and state Sen. Mike McGuire.

    “We have been working toward co-managing this region together as partners,” Pyska said. “When you talk about local government, it is all the local governments in this region sitting down together and working through a lot of the issues facing our people … and working towards more climate adaptation for all of our communities, when we've got all of these threats that we are facing year-round now.”

    Collaborations are already underway on a range of critical environmental issues. Clebson Gonçalves, UCCE diversified agriculture advisor and Chris Chen, integrated vineyard systems advisor have initiated farm assessments, supporting sustainable agriculture and vineyard management practices. 

    Additional collaborations with Louise Pagone of the UC Master Gardeners of Lake County integrate local horticultural expertise and community gardening initiatives.

    Looking to the future, an Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals student intern – guided by Laura Garza-Diaz, UCCE water resources management advisor – will lead a community-driven drought resilience assessment.

    In addition, UC ANR hired Ally Sung-Jereczek in 2024 as the beneficial burning and land stewardship advisor. Sung-Jereczek has been actively engaging with tribes in Lake and Mendocino counties, and this new formalized partnership with Middletown Rancheria will provide a robust foundation for her continued work and broader initiatives.

    UC ANR leaders anticipate this MOU to set a precedent, leading to expanded educational opportunities, research partnerships and dedicated tribal academic advisor positions within tribal communities across the nation.

    "Beyond tangible projects, this partnership is fundamentally about building lasting relationships rooted in respect and shared vision,” said Matthew Barnes, UCCE director for Lake and Mendocino counties. “It's a commitment to a brighter, resilient future.”

    UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, economic and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu.

    LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
    21 June 2025
    21 June 2025

    Thompson leads letter demanding Congress reconvene to address evolving situation in the Middle East

    Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) has led a formal letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson urging him to reconvene the House of Representatives so Congress can be thoroughly briefed on the evolving situation in the Middle East and fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities related to any potential authorization of military force. 

    This letter comes following statements from President Trump indicating the United States is seriously considering military action in Iran.

    “We call on you to immediately reconvene the U.S. House of Representatives so that Members can be properly briefed on the situation, debate the security situation, and fulfill our Constitutional responsibilities related to any potential authorization of military force,” wrote the lawmakers.

    “Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article 1 of our Constitution. It is of the highest importance that no military action take place without Congressional authorization. The stakes are too high. As representatives of the American people, it is the duty of every Member to ensure that we fulfill our Constitutional role,” they continued.

    The full text of the letter is available here and below.

    Dear Speaker Johnson,

    We write to you following statements from President Trump indicating the United States is seriously considering military action in Iran. Media reports indicate the President has reviewed attack plans with senior aides.

    We call on you to immediately reconvene the U.S. House of Representatives so that Members can be properly briefed on the situation, debate the security situation, and fulfill our Constitutional responsibilities related to any potential authorization of military force.

    Congress has the sole power to declare war under Article 1 of our Constitution. It is of the highest importance that no military action take place without Congressional authorization. The stakes are too high. As representatives of the American people, it is the duty of every Member to ensure that we fulfill our Constitutional role.

    Sending our men and women in uniform into conflict is always a matter of the highest

    seriousness and should not be undertaken lightly. Proper Congressional consideration of the issues will help our country step away from the emotion of the moment to weigh the complexities of engaging in armed conflict.

    We strongly urge you to immediately bring the U.S. House of Representatives back into session. This matter is urgent and cannot be postponed. For the good of our country, we must fulfill our duty to our Constitution and our constituents.

    Thank you for your immediate attention to this urgent matter.

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