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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity is continuing to offer a variety of services to make homes safer and more comfortable for Lake County residents who need the help.
Referred to Habitat for Humanity by a friend, Margaret and Margie Bartlemus were in desperate need of a ramp for their home.
It has been difficult for Margaret Bartlemus to get her daughter in and out of their home by herself and Margie Bartlemus was unable to easily use a manual wheelchair.
When they reached out to Habitat to request assistance with a ramp, they were fortunate to discover that Habitat also had a motorized scooter available for their use.
Habitat’s repair team discovered the family was also in need of a new stove, a working heating and cooling system, and repairs to a plumbing leak under their sink, all of which they addressed as part of the Brush of Kindness Critical Home Repair Program.
“Everything they have done has been wondrous,” Margie Bartlemus said. “This ramp was a miracle for me because I only had four steps to climb but they were so difficult. I want to thank them for all of the things that they did. If they can help someone else, I say trust them. They are good people.
To date, Habitat for Humanity Lake County has assisted approximately 300 homeowners with repairs to their homes. They expect to complete as many additional families as possible for 2021 and are accepting applications now.
Brush of Kindness recipients are typically seniors and military veterans who may be disabled and unable to effect repairs on their own.
In addition to Habitat’s homeownership program, critical health and safety-related repair work has become one of Habitat Lake County’s primary goals.
Donations to the Critical Home Repair Fund, especially for wheelchair ramps and lifts are critical to the program’s success.
To donate, or if you or someone you know are low-income homeowners who could benefit from critical health and safety-related repairs, please contact Habitat for Humanity Lake County at 707-994-1100 for an application or visit the office at 15312 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.
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- Written by: Pamela M. Aaltonen, Purdue University
As Americans prepare for the first Thanksgiving in the time of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a stark warning a week before the big day: Don’t travel.
No over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s condo. No flying to a beach gathering with the family you choose.
And if it sounds like the CDC is trying to be like the Grinch who stole Thanksgiving, it is important to remember the grim statistic of more than a quarter of a million people dead from COVID-19. There is no mistaking: The coronavirus is out of control.
Ultimately, lowering the staggering numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths lies squarely with us. Yes, governments can mandate actions; but we’re the ones responsible for adhering to them. Our failure is clear when you look at the latest numbers: Deaths from the virus are projected to soon approach 2,000 Americans a day, and cases continue to climb in the vast majority of states.
If national numbers don’t spur action, will it help to localize the problem? You can find out what’s happening closer to home here at the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Drill down to see the data in your state and county, then take a moment to pause and consider the catastrophic consequences. It’s still within our power to reverse course and lower these numbers. But as a public health scholar and researcher, I can tell you that as infections increase, the more difficult that becomes.
Even the rural states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wyoming are experiencing tremendous surges. Exhausted hospitals and health care workers across the U.S. are becoming overwhelmed, if not already there. Overwhelmed systems place care at risk. Those with other health conditions need medical intervention and hospitalization. And those with a lax attitude about COVID-19 put themselves at increased risk for negative health outcomes.
Changing behavior is a must
Modifying our behavior minimizes the chances to spread infection. But this is a big task. Government actions are most effective when based on local data and the option to loosen or tighten restrictions based on solid information. We should not view these actions as an attempt to take away our civil liberties. Instead, we should think of them as liberating, a way to keep us away from the virus.
It is not too late to modify your behavior if you’ve been reluctant to accept the realities of the virus. With promising vaccines on the horizon, our challenge as individuals is to reduce current infection numbers. And to do that, everyone must commit to established public health strategies.
A dozen things you can do
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Always mask up when indoors and around people who don’t live in your household.
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Always mask up when outdoors and unable to maintain physical distancing.
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Use either disposable masks or a multi-layer tightly woven cotton mask. Single-layer kerchiefs are insufficient.
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When you mask up, make sure it fits your face and covers both nose and mouth. Wash or sanitize your hands after touching or removing the mask.
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Remember that masks are not a substitute for physical distancing.
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Maintain at least six feet of distance between you and others outside of your household.
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Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for 20 seconds, or use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
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Avoid motions that transfer organisms from your hands to your face. Your mouth, nose and eyes have mucous membranes that are potentially receptive to these organisms.
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Clean frequently touched surfaces.
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Do as much as possible outside and keep interactions with others short.
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Fortify ventilation systems for more frequent air exchanges.
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Curtail in-person holiday celebrations with those not in your household.
Celebrations are particularly challenging because it’s difficult for everyone to self-quarantine for the 14 days prior to the event. Also, events are typically inside rather than out; spacing of six feet may not be an option; ventilation systems in our energy-efficient homes are likely COVID-19-insufficient; and one cannot be masked while eating.
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So for Thanksgiving, do a virtual gathering instead. Cook the same menu in different houses to promote a sense of sharing. Send e-cards to each other with a personal note and wish for a good holiday. Or do a Zoom call where all can speak and express thankfulness for the ability to still be able to connect this year.
It is not unusual for COVID-19 patients to rage when they discover that those around them dismissed or downplayed the wisdom and experience of scientists and doctors about the realities of the pandemic. But there is no need to give up, even in the face of increasingly frightening statistics. Instead, now is the time we need to commit not just to ourselves, but to one another. What’s standing in the way of curtailing the numbers of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths is us.
Pamela M. Aaltonen, Professor Emerita; Immediate Past President, APHA, Purdue University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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- Written by: DENNIS FORDHAM
California’s Proposition 19 (passed in 2020) amends existing local property tax reassessment rules (i.e., California’s Proposition 13 and 58) in its Constitution.
Proposition 19 affects two categories of residents: first, seniors, severely disabled and victims of wildfire or natural disaster who relocate within California; second, families who transfer real properties between generations.
Effective April 1, 2021, “an owner of a primary residence who is over 55 years of age, severely disabled, or a victim of a wildfire or natural disaster may transfer the taxable value of their primary residence to a replacement primary residence located anywhere in this state, regardless of the location or value of the replacement primary residence, that is purchased or newly constructed as that person’s principal residence within two years of the sale of the original primary residence.” (https://vig.cdn.sos.ca.gov/2020/general/pdf/topl-prop19.pdf )
This is welcome news for seniors, disabled persons, and wildfire/disaster victims who are no longer restricted to relocating within their existing county.
“For any transfer of taxable value to a replacement primary residence of equal or lesser value than the original primary residence, the taxable value of the replacement primary residence shall be deemed to be the taxable value of the original primary residence.”
“For any transfer of taxable value to a replacement primary residence of greater value than the original primary residence, the taxable value of the replacement primary residence shall be calculated by adding the difference between the full cash value of the original primary residence and the full cash value of the replacement primary residence to the taxable value of the original primary residence.” Thus, the new residence’s additional value is added to the prior residence’s old tax base.
A person seeking to transfer their residence’s tax assessed value must file an application with the assessor in the county of the new residence. Seniors and severely disable property owners may transfer their old residence’s property tax basis up to three times in their lifetime. No such restriction applies to fire and disaster victims.
Next, under existing law (Proposition 58) a parent can transfer their family residence, family farm and up to $1 million in assessed value of other real properties to their children (either during the parent’s life or at death) without changing the property’s assessed value. Similarly a grandparent to grandchild exclusion applies when the grandchild’s parent (who is the child of the grandparent) is deceased.
Effective February 16, 2021, the parent-child and grandparent-grandchild exclusions from property tax reassessment only apply to transfers of a family home and only if the child or grandchild, as relevant, moves into the family home within 1 year of the transfer. Furthermore, for family homes where the current value at time of transfer exceeds its existing tax assessment (in the hands of the transferor) by more than $1 million (to be adjusted annually), then the excess value is added to the existing assessed value to compute the current assessed value.
Some residents may make wish to transfer real properties to their children (or grandchildren) prior to Feb. 16, 2021, in order to take advantage of existing law.
However, the children and grandchildren will not get a step-up in basis at the death of the transferor parent or grandparent. Rather, they will get the transferor’s adjusted basis in the property at time of transfer. When the children sell the property, they will pay capital gains tax on the difference between their basis and the sales price.
It is expected that the tax revenue lost by giving seniors, disabled persons and fire/disaster victims tax relief is more than made up with tax revenue gains on transfers to children and certain transfers to grandchildren. The revenue funds California’s fire-fighting and local schools.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at
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- Written by: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Think of the International Space Station, and most likely you imagine an orbiting laboratory, where scientists observe how plants, materials, and humans react to microgravity conditions.
But during the past decade, the station has also served a very different role - that of being a business incubator. And this is one of its star products – the CubeSat.
The CubeSat is one of many types of satellites now found in space. It is one of the smallest; one “unit” is a compact 10 by 10 by 10cm cube and is commonly referred to as 1U. And it can be deployed for a fraction of what its larger cousins cost.
Early small satellites launched from the station were literally thrown into space by Russian cosmonauts! In 2012, crewmembers began utilizing the airlock in the Japanese Kibo module to deploy up to 6U of CubeSats per airlock cycle.
And not long after, the American company Nanoracks built and began operating an even more robust deployer on the station, capable of launching up to 48U per cycle. That changed everything.
Mike Read is the manager of space station business and economic development at Johnson Space Center. He notes how one of Nanoracks’ first customers, Planet, leveraged the new launch capabilities aboard the space station:
“Planet wanted to take high resolution photos of Earth. While you can take pictures from the space station, your coverage is limited by the station’s orbit. With multiple CubeSats however, you can position them to cover almost any point on Earth.”
In a relatively short time, Planet deployed several generations of CubeSats from the space station, proving the viability of their technology approach and their business model.
With these successes, Planet quickly expanded to an operational fleet of over 150 satellites deployed using commercial launch providers. This fleet gives them the ability to image the entire Earth’s landmass every day.
Planet’s imagery is now in high demand by companies and governments who use this big data in the fields of agriculture, forestry and land use, mapping, and disaster response. Within a decade the company has grown from a true start-up to employing nearly 500 people.
Multiple companies are now building small launch vehicles specifically to deploy CubeSats and other small satellites into low-Earth orbit, for use in a variety of ways for companies as well as students and non-profit organizations.
CubeSats are being used to provide internet services to even the most remote regions of the planet. They’re helping build better weather and climate models to improve weather forecasting. They’re enabling text messaging for your phone, around the globe, even without a cell signal.
CubeSats also are leaving the planet. The first and second interplanetary CubeSats accompanied NASA’s Insight Lander on its recent mission to Mars, relaying data about the spacecraft as it entered the planet’s atmosphere.
Some CubeSat missions will serve as pathfinders to help map the way for the Artemis missions to the Moon, and 13 CubeSats will launch on the first mission, Artemis I.
Read concludes with this observation: “Today, more and more, a single large and expensive satellite is being replaced by one of the newest members of the satellite portfolio – a flock of small, less expensive, yet very powerful CubeSats. Affordable access to space has broadened the station’s capabilities in a way that, frankly, was never envisioned. However, that access has enabled CubeSats to become a sustained commercial success, contributing significantly to the growing space marketplace.”
For more science and research from the International Space Station, go to www.nasa.gov/iss-science.
To discover more about the space on, around, and beyond our planet visit http://science.nasa.gov.