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LAKEPORT, Calif. – One mosquito sample collected in Lake County has tested positive for West Nile virus this week, health officials reported Friday.
The mosquitoes, Culex tarsalis, or Western encephalitis mosquito, were collected in Lower Lake on July 26, according to the Lake County Vector Control District.
The district reported that this is the first detection of WNV in Lake County in 2018.
The Lake County Vector Control District traps and tests mosquitoes throughout the county to identify the areas that have the highest risk, and targets those areas for source reduction and treatment using an integrated vector management program.
“The hot weather we’ve had this summer is perfect for both West Nile virus and mosquitoes to multiply quickly,” said Jamesina Scott, Ph.D., district manager and research director of the Lake County Vector Control District. “This is the first West Nile virus we’ve found in Lake County this year, and in most years, we continue to find West Nile virus into September.”
No other West Nile virus activity has been detected in Lake County yet this year. Statewide, 24 California counties have detected WNV this year, mainly in mosquitoes. Twelve human cases of West Nile virus illness have been reported in California residents this year.
While less than 1 percent of individuals – about 1 in 150 people – infected with West Nile virus will develop severe illness from West Nile virus infection, the disease can cause symptoms that can last for several weeks, and neurologic effects can be permanent. In some individuals, the infection can be fatal. People over age 50 and diabetics are at risk for the more severe forms of the disease.
The most recent confirmed case of WNV infection in Lake County was in 2016.
“Since there is no West Nile Virus vaccine for humans, the best protection is to prevent mosquito bites,” says Lake County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson. “All residents of Lake County should get in the habit of taking precautions against mosquito bites while mosquitoes are active. We are fortunate to have had only a few cases of human illness, but finding the virus in mosquitoes is a reminder that we must take precautions throughout the WNV season.”
“You can reduce your risk of catching the infection by staying indoors during early morning and evening hours, keeping window screens in good repair, wearing protective clothing and use of insect repellents according to package instructions,” according to Dr. Gustafson.
“Other steps you can take to protect your family from West Nile virus are dumping or draining containers of water, using mosquito repellent, and contacting the District to get mosquitofish if you have a pool or spa that isn’t being maintained,” Dr. Scott recommended.
Mosquitoes that transmit WNV develop in the water in out-of-service swimming pools and spas, animal watering troughs, ornamental ponds, rain barrels, and other sources of standing water. The district has free mosquito-eating fish to control mosquitoes in these sources.
Residents with questions or who would like help with a mosquito problem, including reporting a neglected pool or spa, should contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or visit www.lcvcd.org.
For more information about West Nile virus, visit http://www.westnile.ca.gov/. Information about mosquito repellents can be found on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/repellent.html.
The mosquitoes, Culex tarsalis, or Western encephalitis mosquito, were collected in Lower Lake on July 26, according to the Lake County Vector Control District.
The district reported that this is the first detection of WNV in Lake County in 2018.
The Lake County Vector Control District traps and tests mosquitoes throughout the county to identify the areas that have the highest risk, and targets those areas for source reduction and treatment using an integrated vector management program.
“The hot weather we’ve had this summer is perfect for both West Nile virus and mosquitoes to multiply quickly,” said Jamesina Scott, Ph.D., district manager and research director of the Lake County Vector Control District. “This is the first West Nile virus we’ve found in Lake County this year, and in most years, we continue to find West Nile virus into September.”
No other West Nile virus activity has been detected in Lake County yet this year. Statewide, 24 California counties have detected WNV this year, mainly in mosquitoes. Twelve human cases of West Nile virus illness have been reported in California residents this year.
While less than 1 percent of individuals – about 1 in 150 people – infected with West Nile virus will develop severe illness from West Nile virus infection, the disease can cause symptoms that can last for several weeks, and neurologic effects can be permanent. In some individuals, the infection can be fatal. People over age 50 and diabetics are at risk for the more severe forms of the disease.
The most recent confirmed case of WNV infection in Lake County was in 2016.
“Since there is no West Nile Virus vaccine for humans, the best protection is to prevent mosquito bites,” says Lake County Deputy Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson. “All residents of Lake County should get in the habit of taking precautions against mosquito bites while mosquitoes are active. We are fortunate to have had only a few cases of human illness, but finding the virus in mosquitoes is a reminder that we must take precautions throughout the WNV season.”
“You can reduce your risk of catching the infection by staying indoors during early morning and evening hours, keeping window screens in good repair, wearing protective clothing and use of insect repellents according to package instructions,” according to Dr. Gustafson.
“Other steps you can take to protect your family from West Nile virus are dumping or draining containers of water, using mosquito repellent, and contacting the District to get mosquitofish if you have a pool or spa that isn’t being maintained,” Dr. Scott recommended.
Mosquitoes that transmit WNV develop in the water in out-of-service swimming pools and spas, animal watering troughs, ornamental ponds, rain barrels, and other sources of standing water. The district has free mosquito-eating fish to control mosquitoes in these sources.
Residents with questions or who would like help with a mosquito problem, including reporting a neglected pool or spa, should contact the Lake County Vector Control District at 707-263-4770 or visit www.lcvcd.org.
For more information about West Nile virus, visit http://www.westnile.ca.gov/. Information about mosquito repellents can be found on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/faq/repellent.html.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake and neighboring counties are under a heat advisory through Sunday night due to a forecast that calls for temperatures expected to top the century mark.
The National Weather Service issued the heat advisory, in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday.
The agency said a heat advisory means that a prolonged period of hot temperatures is expected and will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.
Forecasters are predicting daytime highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s around the region.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for daytime temperatures as high as 104 degrees on Saturday and 105 degrees on Sunday, with nighttime temperatures in the 60s.
Much of Mendocino County is under the same heat advisory, according to the National Weather Service.
The high temperatures are a concern for firefighters, who are battling the Mendocino Complex of fires – consisting of the Ranch and River fires – that began Friday.
Email Elizabeth Larson atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
The National Weather Service issued the heat advisory, in effect until 8 p.m. Sunday.
The agency said a heat advisory means that a prolonged period of hot temperatures is expected and will create a situation in which heat illnesses are possible.
Forecasters are predicting daytime highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s around the region.
The specific Lake County forecast calls for daytime temperatures as high as 104 degrees on Saturday and 105 degrees on Sunday, with nighttime temperatures in the 60s.
Much of Mendocino County is under the same heat advisory, according to the National Weather Service.
The high temperatures are a concern for firefighters, who are battling the Mendocino Complex of fires – consisting of the Ranch and River fires – that began Friday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Some people think that what they need is a “simple will.” Actually what they need is the “right will.”
What the “right will” is depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the estate, the simplicity or the complexity of the gifting scheme, contingency planning if beneficiaries die, whether a probate will be required, whether a living trust is involved, the type of assets to pass under the will, the capacity of the testator (i.e., person signing the will) both to understand and to sign the will, and whether the will is likely to be disputed.
When no probate is required a “simple will” is more likely to be sufficient. Also, if the testator has diminished capacity to understand what their will says then a simple will may also be more appropriate.
A California statutory will, a short formal will, or a handwritten holographic will can all be simple wills.
A California statutory will is a free form available online. The testator has a series of choices and decisions to make. He or she fills in the appropriate blanks in the form, initials each page and signs and dates the will before two disinterested witnesses who also sign. It allows no deviations or elaborations from the form.
A short formal will is one prepared by an attorney. It is signed and dated by the testator and witnessed by two impartial witnesses.
A short formal will can address issues beyond the limited scope of a California statutory will and is the only choice if the testator is physically unable to sign the will.
A testator who wants some contingency planning or who wants any conditions placed on gifts would not use a statutory will.
A holographic will requires that the major substantive terms be handwritten by the testator who must declare his testamentary intention to make a will. No witnesses are required.
Someone without time to see an attorney who is travelling or going into surgery might use a holographic will as a temporary measure.
When is a probate required? Probate estates appraised at or above $150,000 gross value require a court supervised probate. An important exception applies to assets going to the decedent’s surviving spouse. Assets passing to a surviving spouse do not require a probate, no matter the value, and can be transferred using a spousal property petition.
A probate may still be required to transfer other assets of the decedent’s estate going to other beneficiaries. Transferring assets in a small estate with a gross value under $150,000 to non-spousal beneficiaries usually involves either affidavits or a court petition to confirm title to real and personal property.
A formal will is far better equipped for probate administration. Wills are more than just statements of testamentary wishes. They contain important provisions relevant to probate administration that are often missing in simple wills.
Such provisions include whether a family homestead and family allowance should be allowed, the personal representative’s powers and authorities, definitions, and whether a bond is required. Otherwise the probate administration may run into difficulties.
If the will is likely to be contested by an heir or beneficiary then a formal will that includes disinheritance and no contest provisions is needed.
If the decedent uses a living trust to avoid probate then a supporting “pour over will” still accompanies the living trust. It gives any assets remaining outside the living trust to the trustee for unified administration as part of the trust estate.
Having a will is usually necessary. When a California resident dies “Intestate,” i.e., without a will, the estate (other than any assets passing to designated death beneficiaries or held in a living trust) go to the decedent’s heirs under the probate code. The intestate distribution is not always what the decedent would have wanted.
Therefore, having a will or a trust to carry out your wishes only makes sense.
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 atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com.
What the “right will” is depends on a variety of factors, including the size of the estate, the simplicity or the complexity of the gifting scheme, contingency planning if beneficiaries die, whether a probate will be required, whether a living trust is involved, the type of assets to pass under the will, the capacity of the testator (i.e., person signing the will) both to understand and to sign the will, and whether the will is likely to be disputed.
When no probate is required a “simple will” is more likely to be sufficient. Also, if the testator has diminished capacity to understand what their will says then a simple will may also be more appropriate.
A California statutory will, a short formal will, or a handwritten holographic will can all be simple wills.
A California statutory will is a free form available online. The testator has a series of choices and decisions to make. He or she fills in the appropriate blanks in the form, initials each page and signs and dates the will before two disinterested witnesses who also sign. It allows no deviations or elaborations from the form.
A short formal will is one prepared by an attorney. It is signed and dated by the testator and witnessed by two impartial witnesses.
A short formal will can address issues beyond the limited scope of a California statutory will and is the only choice if the testator is physically unable to sign the will.
A testator who wants some contingency planning or who wants any conditions placed on gifts would not use a statutory will.
A holographic will requires that the major substantive terms be handwritten by the testator who must declare his testamentary intention to make a will. No witnesses are required.
Someone without time to see an attorney who is travelling or going into surgery might use a holographic will as a temporary measure.
When is a probate required? Probate estates appraised at or above $150,000 gross value require a court supervised probate. An important exception applies to assets going to the decedent’s surviving spouse. Assets passing to a surviving spouse do not require a probate, no matter the value, and can be transferred using a spousal property petition.
A probate may still be required to transfer other assets of the decedent’s estate going to other beneficiaries. Transferring assets in a small estate with a gross value under $150,000 to non-spousal beneficiaries usually involves either affidavits or a court petition to confirm title to real and personal property.
A formal will is far better equipped for probate administration. Wills are more than just statements of testamentary wishes. They contain important provisions relevant to probate administration that are often missing in simple wills.
Such provisions include whether a family homestead and family allowance should be allowed, the personal representative’s powers and authorities, definitions, and whether a bond is required. Otherwise the probate administration may run into difficulties.
If the will is likely to be contested by an heir or beneficiary then a formal will that includes disinheritance and no contest provisions is needed.
If the decedent uses a living trust to avoid probate then a supporting “pour over will” still accompanies the living trust. It gives any assets remaining outside the living trust to the trustee for unified administration as part of the trust estate.
Having a will is usually necessary. When a California resident dies “Intestate,” i.e., without a will, the estate (other than any assets passing to designated death beneficiaries or held in a living trust) go to the decedent’s heirs under the probate code. The intestate distribution is not always what the decedent would have wanted.
Therefore, having a will or a trust to carry out your wishes only makes sense.
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
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, has started its search for planets around nearby stars, officially beginning science operations on July 25.
TESS is expected to transmit its first series of science data back to Earth in August, and thereafter periodically every 13.5 days, once per orbit, as the spacecraft makes it closest approach to Earth.
The TESS Science Team will begin searching the data for new planets immediately after the first series arrives.
"I'm thrilled that our new planet hunter mission is ready to start scouring our solar system's neighborhood for new worlds," said Paul Hertz, NASA Astrophysics division director at Headquarters, Washington. "Now that we know there are more planets than stars in our universe, I look forward to the strange, fantastic worlds we're bound to discover."
TESS is NASA's latest satellite to search for planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets.
The mission will spend the next two years monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for periodic dips in their light.
These events, called transits, suggest that a planet may be passing in front of its star. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets using this method, some of which could potentially support life.
TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Dr. George Ricker of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission.
Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.
More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Two fires that began burning in Mendocino County on Friday have burned thousands of acres, with one of them resulting in advisory evacuations for a portion of Lake County west of Upper Lake.
The Ranch fire and the River fire continued to grow on Friday evening, burning 1,000 acres and 4,000 acres, respectively, according to Cal Fire.
Ground and air resources – both in limited supply due to the need on other major fires around the region – have been working on both fires, although at one point during the afternoon aircraft were diverted to the River fire due to increased need, based on radio reports.
Cal Fire said the firefighting efforts on both incidents have been challenged by high temperatures, rugged terrain and aggressive fire behavior.
The Ranch fire was first reported at about noon on Highway 20 near old Lake County Highway, eight miles northeast of Ukiah, Cal Fire said. It’s burning in a mix of grass, brush and oak woodland.
By 7:30 p.m. Friday, it was reported to have burned 1,000 acres, with zero containment and multiple structures threatened, though so far none destroyed, according to Cal Fire.
Cal Fire said two firefighters have suffered injuries on the incident.
The Mendocino Sheriff Office issued an evacuation advisory warning for the Burris Lane area in Potter Valley, Old Lake County Highway and Blues Lakes.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office also issued an evacuation advisory for Witter Springs, Blue Lakes, Bachelor Valley and north Scotts Valley Road from the 7000 block to Highway 20, as Lake County News has reported.
Highway 20 remains open, authorities said, but drivers are asked to use caution and watch for emergency vehicles entering and exiting the roadway.
Assigned resources include 13 engines, two water tenders, two helicopters, four hand crews, seven dozers and 129 personnel, according to Cal fire.
The River incident was first reported at about 1 p.m. Friday on Old River Road six miles north of Hopland.
By evening it had scorched 4,000 acres with zero containment. Cal Fire said it also is threatening multiple structures and has destroyed two – one residence and one outbuilding.
Officials said the fire is threatening the UC Berkeley Hopland Research and Extension Center.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation warning for Old River Road, from the 6800 block north toward Talmage Road, later following up with mandatory evacuations south of University Road to Highway 175 and east to the Lake County line.
Cal Fire said assigned resources include 12 engines, six water tenders, two helicopters, two hand crews, eight dozers and 121 personnel.
On Friday the Bureau of Land Management said it is temporarily closing the North Cow Mountain Recreation Area, Rifle Range and South Cow Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area for public safety due to the proximity of both the River and Ranch fires.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
This story has been updated regarding the Ranch fire’s size.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The approach of a fire in Mendocino County has resulted in an evacuation advisory for portions of Lake County close to the incident.The Ranch fire began at around noon along Highway 20 near Potter Valley, northwest of Blue Lakes and eight miles northeast of Ukiah, as Lake County News has reported.
The growth of the fire resulted in a Friday evening advisory evacuation notice from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Cal Fire said just before 7:30 p.m. that the Ranch fire had grown to 1,000 acres, with zero containment and multiple structures threatened.
So far, another Mendocino County fire, the River fire near Hopland, has not resulted in any Lake County evacuation advisory, although some residents of Mendocino County near the fire have been ordered to leave. That fire is reported to be about 1,200 acres, based on radio traffic.
Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin said the evacuation advisory for the Ranch fire covers Witter Springs, Blue Lakes, Bachelor Valley and north Scotts Valley Road from the 7000 block to Highway 20.
Martin said his agency was working to identify shelter locations for evacuations.
The sheriff’s advisory evacuation notice, which came out just before 7 p.m. Friday, encouraged those who are able to evacuate to consider doing so now.
“We are inviting everyone to take preparations in the likely event a mandatory evacuation order is issued,” the notice said.
“Preparations should include gathering all medications, important documents, making plans for pets, and notifying family members where you may be going. During a mandatory evacuation, it will be extremely hectic and traffic conditions will be very congested. By evacuating early, you do your part in keeping yourself, your neighbors, and our first responders safe,” the sheriff’s office reported.
Authorities said that, in the event of a mandatory evacuation, emergency shelters will be designated and identified.
Lake County Animal Care and Control’s Lake Evacuation and Animal Protection volunteer group is on standby to assist if needed in evacuation animals of all sizes.
Email Elizabeth Larson at