News

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest officials have issued a new Forest Order for the Ranch fire that reduces the size of the closed area to reopen Lake Pillsbury and the Middle Creek Campground on the Upper Lake Ranger District.

Forest Order No. 08-18-16 goes into effect immediately.

The new order allows forest visitors to access Middle Creek Campground via County Road 301 (M1) from Upper Lake.

The main OHV trail system and the novice riding area at Middle Creek remain closed and County Road 301 (M1) is closed on the north side of the campground.

There currently remains no OHV opportunities from Middle Creek campground or within the closure area.

Order No. 08-18-16 also allows visitors to access Lake Pillsbury from Potter Valley. Lake Pillsbury is not accessible from the south via County Road 301 from Upper Lake.

The new order also allows access to the Hull Mountain area via M1 and M6 north of Lake Pillsbury.

The Blood Rock trail remains closed due to numerous hazards.

“We are doing everything possible to reasonably reduce risks to the public and reopen areas. After areas are open, please be aware that fire hazards may remain such as snags, burned out stump holes, unstable terrain, and rolling logs or rocks. We appreciate your patience while we continue the recovery and restoration process,” said District Ranger Frank Aebly.

This closure will remain in place until further notice.

Forest Order No. 08-18-16 supersedes Order No. 08-18-15 dated Sept. 2, 2018. The order and maps are posted here.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management Ukiah Field Office has lifted fire use restrictions for Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties, due to cooler temperatures and measurable rain.

Lifting fire restrictions allow the public to resume some outdoor recreational activities, including target shooting.

Shooters are encouraged to check weather conditions and red flag warnings to avoid shooting in hot, dry and windy conditions.

The BLM said shooters should use appropriate ammunition and non-metal targets placed against a high, soft dirt hillside cleared of rocks and vegetation, and they are asked to remove spent shells, targets and any trigger trash to help keep America’s public lands beautiful and enjoyable for all.

Check with the Ukiah Field Office for public lands that are legal for target shooting.

Lifting of fire restrictions also allows campfires with a valid California campfire permit, available free at all BLM, Cal Fire and Forest Service offices and at www.preventwildfireca.org/Permits .

The BLM is committed to keeping public landscapes healthy and productive.

For information on preventing wildfires, visit http://www.readyforwildfire.org/ or call the Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.

Using NASA’s Hubble and Kepler space telescopes, astronomers have uncovered tantalizing evidence of what could be the first discovery of a moon orbiting a planet outside our solar system.

This moon candidate, which is 8,000 light-years from Earth in the Cygnus constellation, orbits a gas-giant planet that, in turn, orbits a star called Kepler-1625. Researchers caution that the moon hypothesis is tentative and must be confirmed by follow-up Hubble observations.

“This intriguing finding shows how NASA’s missions work together to uncover incredible mysteries in our cosmos,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at Headquarters, Washington. “If confirmed, this finding could completely shake up our understanding of how moons are formed and what they can be made of.”

Since moons outside our solar system – known as exomoons – cannot be imaged directly, their presence is inferred when they pass in front of a star, momentarily dimming its light. Such an event is called a transit, and has been used to detect many of the exoplanets cataloged to date.

However, exomoons are harder to detect than exoplanets because they are smaller than their companion planet, and so their transit signal is weaker when plotted on a light curve that measures the duration of the planet crossing and the amount of momentary dimming. Exomoons also shift position with each transit because the moon is orbiting the planet.

In search of exomoons, Alex Teachey and David Kipping, astronomers at Columbia University in New York, analyzed data from 284 Kepler-discovered planets that were in comparatively wide orbits, longer than 30 days, around their host star. The researchers found one instance in planet Kepler-1625b, of a transit signature with intriguing anomalies, suggesting the presence of a moon.

“We saw little deviations and wobbles in the light curve that caught our attention,” Kipping said.

NASA’s Hubble and Kepler space telescopes have uncovered what could be the first exomoon.
Based upon their findings, the team spent 40 hours making observations with Hubble to study the planet intensively – also using the transit method – obtaining more precise data on the dips of light.

Scientists monitored the planet before and during its 19-hour transit across the face of the star. After the transit ended, Hubble detected a second, and much smaller, decrease in the star’s brightness approximately 3.5 hours later.

This small decrease is consistent with a gravitationally-bound moon trailing the planet, much like a dog following after its owner.

Unfortunately, the scheduled Hubble observations ended before the complete transit of the candidate moon could be measured and its existence confirmed.

In addition to this dip in light, Hubble provided supporting evidence for the moon hypothesis by finding the planet transit occurring more than an hour earlier than predicted. This is consistent with a planet and moon orbiting a common center of gravity that would cause the planet to wobble from its predicted location, much the way Earth wobbles as our Moon orbits it.

The researchers note the planetary wobble could be caused by the gravitational pull of a hypothetical second planet in the system, rather than a moon.

While Kepler has not detected a second planet in the system, it could be that the planet is there, but not detectable using Kepler’s techniques.

“A companion moon is the simplest and most natural explanation for the second dip in the light curve and the orbit-timing deviation,” Kipping explained. “It was definitely a shocking moment to see that Hubble light curve, my heart started beating a little faster as I kept looking at that signature. But we knew our job was to keep a level head and essentially assume it was bogus, testing every conceivable way in which the data could be tricking us.”

In a paper published in the journal Science Advances, the scientists report the candidate moon is unusually large – potentially comparable to Neptune. Such large moons do not exist in our own solar system. The researchers say this may yield new insights into the development of planetary systems and may cause experts to revisit theories of how moons form around planets.

The moon candidate is estimated to be only 1.5 percent the mass of its companion planet, and the planet is estimated to be several times the mass of Jupiter. This mass-ratio is similar to the one between Earth and the Moon.

In the case of the Earth-Moon system and the Pluto-Charon system, the moons are thought to be created through dust leftover after rocky planetary collisions. However, Kepler-1625b and its possible satellite are gaseous and not rocky, so the moon may have formed through a different process.

Researchers note that if this is indeed a moon, both it and its host planet lie within their star’s habitable zone, where moderate temperatures allow for the existence of liquid water on any solid planetary surface. However, both bodies are considered to be gaseous and, therefore, unsuitable for life as we know it.

Future searches for exomoons, in general, will target Jupiter-size planets that are farther from their star than Earth is from the Sun. The ideal candidate planets hosting moons are in wide orbits, with long and infrequent transit times. In this search, a moon would have been among the easiest to detect because of its large size.

Currently, there are just a handful of such planets in the Kepler database. Whether future observations confirm the existence of the Kepler-1625b moon, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will be used to find candidate moons around other planets, with much greater detail than Kepler.

“We can expect to see really tiny moons with Webb,” Teachey said.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 28th running of the Konocti Challenge cycling event is set to take place this Saturday, Oct. 6.

This annual event, produced by the Rotary Club of Lakeport, brings in hundreds of cyclists and their guests to participate in this unique and fun and fitness-oriented event.

After the summer of fires that our community has endured, the beloved Konocti Challenge will bring a refreshing start to a fun-filled fall in Lake County.

The ride is staged from the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport.

The ride takes off from the Skylark Resort on Saturday at 7 a.m. with cyclists travelling around the lake with four different routes to choose from.

The 20-mile and 40-mile routes travel through Scotts Valley and to Kelseyville. The 65- and 100-mile routes circle Clear Lake with the 100 mile route travelling to Middletown an up and over Cobb Mountain.

The ride route maps can be found at www.konoctichallenge.com.

The ride significantly impacts our local economy, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Lake County community with hotels booked to capacity, restaurants filled and the shops and wineries seeing many visitors.

“This is an amazing event for our community and we are excited to bring all of these folks to our beautiful area,” said Konocti Challenge Ride Director and Lakeport Rotarian Jennifer Strong. “This is a great opportunity for us to show off the incredible assets we have and to encourage these cyclists to come back other times during the year.”

The ride is highly regarded as one of the best in the state as was apparent with their recent Cycle CA! Magazine Awards for the Best Metric Century of 2014 and the 2015 Excellence in Service Award.

If you would like to register for the event, please do so online at www.konoctichallenge.com or you can register at the event on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.

There are also still volunteer opportunities available – contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in helping and please share the road.

The Rotary Club of Lakeport meets every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. at O’Meara’s Brewing. Follow the group on Facebook at Lakeport Rotary to keep up to date on all Rotary activities and events.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – At the end of a two-hour closed session Thursday night which had followed two open session meetings dominated by comments from parents, students and district staffers supporting Terrace Middle School Principal Rachel Paarsch, the Lakeport Unified School District Board voted to remove Paarsch from her post and return her to a teaching position.

“This was a very difficult matter,” said Board President Dennis Darling before an audience of several dozen community members who had waited two hours for the report. “We gave it our absolute best.”

However, Darling said that the board voted to release Paarsch from her position and return her to teaching as of Friday, Oct. 5.

The closed session vote was 4-0, with Board member Phil Kirby – who also is Paarsch’s father – recusing himself from the vote.

The board had held a special meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday in the district office, at which time they took about an hour of public comment from incensed parents in support of Paarsch.

The regular meeting, set for 6 p.m., was moved from the small meeting room at the district office to the MAC building across campus in order to accommodate the close to 200 people who attended.

Paarsch, who has been Terrace Middle School’s principal since August 2016, attended the Thursday evening meeting.

She declined to comment to Lake County News about the specifics of the situation. However, she did say that the outpouring of support from parents, students, site and district staff has been “encouraging.”

Because it’s a personnel matter, the district has not released details of the issues that led to the decision, which are contained in report left on Paarsch’s doorstep on Wednesday.

When told by Darling at the end of the meeting that she could take her questions about the decision to district Superintendent April Leiferman, Paarsch said her attorney would handle it, and that since she remained on administrative leave, she would not be at school on Friday.

Paarsch was placed on administrative leave on Sept. 24, a sudden development that left parents with more questions than answers. Her supporters have since alleged that the district violated California Education Code in how it treated Paarsch in the matter.

On Sept. 26, district Superintendent April Leiferman sent out an automated phone call to parents, with an email also sent out with a copy of a message about Paarsch’s leave.

The call, which ran just under 50 seconds, did not use Paarsch’s name but referred to her by her title.

The message stated, “Hello Terrace Middle School families, although personnel matters are confidential, I can tell you that while the principal is on leave there are plans in place to make sure that the school is running effectively and students are safe. The Assistant Principal Jen Montgomery, counselor Michelle Himenes and secretaries Renee Teverbaugh and Rachael Harmon are an amazing team. The district administrators and directors are pulling together to provide support. Teachers are continuing to provide a caring learning environment. We are also bringing in help to cover any gaps we may have in duties during this time. Legally, for everyone’s benefit, there is only limited information that we can share. Please be mindful that rumors and gossip are not helpful to anyone and certainly not to our schools or students. April Leiferman.”

The call, far from cutting back on the concerns, seemed only to inflame them, as recordings of the call and discussions about it began to circulate on social media, with concerned community members contacting Lake County News about the matter.

Following Thursday night’s meeting and the announcement of Paarsch’s removal, Lake County News asked Darling whose idea it was to issue the call. Darling said it was the school district’s attorney.

When asked why that decision was made, Darling declined to discuss the matter further.

The decision regarding Paarsch comes in the midst of a campaign for school board seats that has been marked by escalating emotion and rhetoric.

Three seats on the board – those held by Darling, Tom Powers and Lynn Andre – are up for election this November. Andre is not seeking reelection, but Darling and Powers are being challenged in their reelection bids by a slate of candidates that includes Carly Alvard, Dan Buffalo and Jen Hanson, all three of whom were at the meeting and waited for the report out of closed session.

Supporters of Paarsch pointed out that she has been vocal in her support of the three challengers, who have criticized the board and administration for numerous issues, from handling of Measure T bond proceeds to what they say has been an exodus of 50 percent of the district’s teachers.

“I hope that they listen to the community, and listen to the teachers and staff and really make the right decision,” Hanson told Lake County News while the closed session was taking place.

Board, superintendent heavily criticized

After hearing extensive public input at the Thursday afternoon meeting, the board, after convening again at 6 p.m., took another 45 minutes of comments dominated by support for Paarsch.

Parents, teachers and students who spoke praised Paarsch for her dedication to her students, the pride she takes in her work, her kindness, inclusiveness and outreach to local tribes, her tireless work and interaction with students, and her willingness to try new things.

There also was significant criticism leveled at Leiferman, the district superintendent since July 2017 who some suggested has led the board down this path due to politics and personal grievances against Paarsch.

Lura Anderson, a sixth grade teacher who retired last year but came back to work with Paarsch at Terrace Middle School, had presented a letter signed by her and several other teachers and parents to the board at its afternoon meeting. She said the board kept it and would not release it, but she shared a picture of it with Lake County News and also read the text of it at the evening meeting.

The letter, which had 21 signatures, praised Paarsch for her strong leadership and organizational skills, her consistent support for staff, her work to build staff and student spirit and morale, her support for the long-held Terrace mantra of “Is it good for the children?” It also called her a “gifted, intuitive administrator.”

“I’ve worked with a lot of administrators and she's the real deal,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she’s shocked by what has happened to Paarsch, with the actions taken by the district “putting a shadow over her and her character.” She added that Paarsch is the heart of the Terrace Middle School family.

Richard Hinchcliff, parent of an eighth grader, said he wanted to make sure the board understood that Paarsch is loved by a lot of the parents in the community. “She's had a big impact on a lot of kids in the school.”

When he recently asked his daughter what she thought of Paarsch, she replied, “I love Rachel, she’s awesome.” Hinchcliff added that there was no doubt in his mind that his daughter wouldn’t be doing as well or enjoying school as much if it weren’t for Paarsch, and he believed there are a lot of other children like her.

Nicole Elsa, a mother of four, three of them students in the district, said Paarsch is a great administrator and teacher.

She told the board, “It is clear that there is a political agenda set forth,” and called for the board and Leiferman to be replaced.

Carol Kenner, who had worked in the Terrace Middle School office at least 20 years before she retired, said Paarsch – unlike some previous principals, who mostly stayed in their offices – was out in the classrooms, talking to students, and spent time engaging with students and parents.

“She's a keeper. You need to keep her,” Kenner said, adding that she couldn’t imagine what Paarsch had done that couldn’t be fixed.

She said she’d also been in the district long enough to see many superintendents come and go, some good, some not. “I don’t think our current superintendent is a keeper,” a comment which was met by applause and stomping on the bleachers from the audience.

Erich Paarsch, Rachel Paarsch’s husband who begins speaking at about the 24:20 minute mark in the video above, said he had been surprised when, on Sept. 24, his wife was given a letter informing her that she was being placed on administrative leave. He said the letter was very general, and stated that there were multiple complaints against her.

When she asked for those complaints, she was told she couldn’t see them and that they would be shown to her during the investigation, he said.

At about noon on Wednesday, they received a package containing a document, more than 30 pages in length, which he called a report, not an investigation.

He said the document told them to be before the board to answer the allegations in person or in writing on Nov. 4. However, that was a mistake, as the correct date was Oct. 4, Thursday.

That meant, they had only 24 hours to respond to four pages of findings and complaints. “To me, that's ludicrous to begin with.”

He said there are a lot of complaints in the report, some of them very serious, which need to be explained. If there were issues, they could have been talked about earlier. “So now, here we are.”

Their young daughters also have been devastated by damaging rumors about their mother repeated to them by other students at school, he said, and that’s what he’s had to deal with because issues weren’t discussed at a lower level.

“This board should be more than aware of the fractured relationship between the superintendent and my wife, which has been going on since last year, because I know you received a letter,” he said.

He added that in the two years his wife had been at the school, there were “zero complaints on file” against her. He said she went from zero complaints to being put on paid administrative leave and treated like a criminal.

He questioned why the board couldn’t wait a week or a month to hear the response to the allegations against his wife contained in the report.

“This board doesn’t want to wait,” he said, predicting they would go into closed session and make the decision. His comments received a standing ovation.

Parent Cherie Eastham, who spoke at the afternoon meeting as well, told the board that the community understands that there may well be a legitimate issue to be addressed, that the board isn’t required to fire Rachel Paarsch, but can enlist all available options.

“You are going to further widen the gap of the ‘us versus them’ mentality that is prevalent here,” she said.

Eastham said the district had treated Paarsch like a criminal. “The only thing lacking that day were handcuffs. You made a mistake.”

She also asked them how they were serving the school and students by having them observe such behavior.

When public input concluded, Darling thanked the audience. “We are listening,” he said.

The board then went through the rest of its agenda, adjourning into closed session about a half hour later at 7:30 p.m.

It was two hours later that Leiferman and the board returned to the auditorium. Kirby, who had joined them in closed session, did not return with the rest of the board to sit at the table for the announcement of the decision.

From closed session, the board announced decisions on three items, including another employee matter and two issues relating to students. Darling then announced the decision to remove Paarsch as principal.

“Start packing your bags,” one person shouted from the audience to the board.

At least a dozen people continued to have a heated exchange with the board, sharply criticizing them and Leiferman for the actions against Paarsch before the board left the building.

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.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Redwood Credit Union has plans for a new location in Lake County, and recently held a groundbreaking to launch the project.

RCU broke ground at 16105 Main St. in Lower Lake – at the corner of Highway 53 and Highway 29 – on Friday, Sept. 28, to mark the beginning of site preparation and construction of its new Lake County branch.

Brett Martinez, RCU’s President and CEO, attended the groundbreaking, along with several other members of the credit union’s leadership team, and representatives from Western Builders, the contractors that will oversee the project.

“We’re excited to add a branch to serve residents, businesses and visitors in Lake County,” said Martinez. “We look forward to bringing exceptional service and convenience to our many members already in Lake County, as well as to the greater community.”

Redwood Credit Union currently has an ATM in Lakeport at Bruno’s Shop Smart Center, 335 Lakeport Blvd., as well as 19 other locations throughout the North Bay.