News

For a beautiful sky show, go for a sunset walk on March 18.

You’ll need an unobstructed view of the western horizon for the evening’s treat so climb a hill, see if you can catch a glimpse from the top of a parking garage or perch on a balcony.

Gaze westward toward the faint remaining glow. About a half hour after sunset, just to the left of ever-resplendent Venus, an eyelash sliver of moon will appear.

The moon will be hovering less than 8 degrees, about the width of your fist at arm’s length, above the twilight horizon. Look closely, and you can also pick out Mercury about 4 degrees, less than the width of three fingers at arm’s length, to the right of Venus.

(A word to the wise: Don’t wait too long after sunset, or you’ll miss the show, as this trio will set a little more than an hour after sunset.)

You might need binoculars to view this lovely lineup of three. But if you have very clear skies, especially if you’re in the northern latitudes, you might be able to see the threesome with the naked eye as twilight falls.

“The crescent moon will look like a bowl or a smile nearly parallel with the horizon,” said Gordon Johnston, a Planetary Science Program Executive at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. “In traditional Hawaiian mythology, this is called a Wet moon, with the bowl of the wet moon holding water and spilling it out later when the crescent moon tips and the summer rains start. It is also called a Cheshire Moon, named after the smile of the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.”

The Cheshire Cat can “disappear,” leaving only its smile behind. Don’t forget to look up on the evening of March 18 before this sky show of subtle beauty vanishes from view.

For more on viewing celestial objects both near and far, visit http://science.nasa.gov.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – More than 1,000 local school children enjoyed a morning of agriculture-based learning filled with animals, games and activities during the second annual Lake County Ag and Natural Resource Day, held Thursday at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

The Lake County Fair Foundation debuted the event last year with about 750 students in attendance, according to Janeane Bogner, a member of the boards of the Lake County Fair and the foundation.

This year, that number nearly doubled, with fair officials estimating that between 1,250 and 1,400 students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade from around Lake County participated in the three-hour event.

To put those numbers in context, Bogner said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg gave an estimate of 5,000 schoolchildren in Lake County.

While Thursday was rainy, the students didn’t seem to mind. And a good rain doesn’t keep ag down; quite the opposite, actually. Children and adults alike just bundled up – jumped in a few puddles – and learned about the hardy, hardworking agricultural way of life.

Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Courtny Conkle said the rain didn’t slow anyone down.

The event is a natural fit for Lake County, a place of rich natural resources where agriculture remains a key industry.

Even so, it’s not a given that local children will know much about agriculture. Conkle said she heard about children who attended who were raised in Lakeport yet had ever had a pear before.

Conkle said the event offered children a broad overview of agriculture and a hands-on opportunity to learn more about it.

“We work all year for these three hours, but it’s very rewarding,” Conkle said.

Bogner said work to organize this year’s event began not long after the inaugural event took place last March, with the group looking for ways to improve and expand it.

She said the foundation met monthly with a number of partner organizations, including the Lake County Farm Bureau, Umpqua Bank, the Lake County Office of Education and the University of Cooperative Extension office, which oversees 4-H.

Then, on Monday, the final work began. Bogner said volunteers gathered to put together 1,500 goodie bags for the school children they anticipated would attend.

The bright-green reusable shopping bags were donated by Lake County Waste Solutions, and included a pencil, information booklets, educational materials, and snacks such as a fruit cup and a mini pack of almonds.

Bogner said all schools with kindergarten through sixth grades were invited, and she believed that every school district was represented.

She said there were numerous exhibitors with all manner of animals – from tiny baby goats to big draft horses pulling carriages, potbellied pigs, ducks and childrens, sheep brought by Jamie and Robert Irwin of Clearlake Oaks, and Nancy Todd from Potter Valley, who brought her sheepdog.

There were even Master Gardener exhibits where children could see lizards and newts up close, and could build toad houses to keep toads cool during summertime. Plus there was walnut shaking equipment and other things that children wouldn’t normally see in a class, according to Erica Illg, a student representative on the foundation board.

One of the only things the rain did impact was a planned sheep-shearing exhibition, which was canceled.

Mr. Lake County 2017 Gary Deas also was on hand, sharing fliers for, appropriately enough, the Lake County Theatre Co.’s ongoing production of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” which is taking place at the fairgrounds this month.

“It was like a wave of children as far as I could see,” said Deas, who donned overalls, red flannel and a cowboy hat. He said the event was great and it’s only going to keep growing.

The sponsors provided ice cream for the children and coffee for the adults, and Bogner said Scully Packing was on hand to cut up fresh Lake County pears for everyone to sample.

Paradise Skate Roller Rink and Arcade, which is located at the fairgrounds, donated free admission passes to the children.

There also were essay and poster contests, with awards presented at noon not just to students but to teachers to use for their classrooms.

“I believe that people had a good time,” Bogner said, and that was confirmed by youngsters at the event.

As the foundation looks toward next year’s event, Bogner said, “We’re always looking for suggestions,” adding it would be good to have more people involved.

For more information on the event or getting involved, call the Lake County Fair at 707-263-6181.

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.

LUCERNE, Calif. – An early Friday morning vehicle crash destroyed a utility pole and knocked down lines across Highway 20, resulting in traffic control.

The hit-and-run crash was first reported at 3 a.m. on Highway 20 at Ogden Road, according to radio reports.

Northshore Fire units arriving at the scene minutes later reported that that the crash had sheared off the pole, resulting in lines hanging low over the highway.

At that point, Pacific Gas and Electric’s online outage center did not report a power outage in the area.

While the California Highway Patrol was still responding to the scene, firefighters instituted one-lane traffic control at the site, allowing passenger vehicles and pickups through but no big rigs due to the concerns about the low-hanging lines.

Officials at the scene reported shortly after 4 a.m. at most of the lines appeared to be phone lines.

Just before 4:30 a.m., reports from the scene indicated one lane of traffic was open to all vehicles.

A short time later, Caltrans was dispatched to assist with an extended closure.

Updates will be reported as they become available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following a rainy Thursday, the National Weather Service said rain is forecast to continue through the weekend before there is a break in the weather.

The National Weather Service’s observation stations in Lake County recorded the following rainfall totals, in inches, for the 24-hour period ending at 1 a.m. Friday

– Boggs Mountain: 0.49.
– Cache Creek near Lower Lake: 0.34.
– Clearlake city alert: 0.41.
– County line (at Colusa side): 0.47.
– High Valley Road alert station: 0.72.
– Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.46.
– Kelseyville: 0.62.
– Knoxville Creek: 0.33.
– Lakeport: 0.41.
– Mira Vista Road alert station in Sulphur fire area: 0.52.
– Soda Creek: 0.98.
– Upper Lake: 0.55.
– Whispering Pines: 1.0.

The forecast calls for rain and possible thunderstorms, along with light winds on Friday, with chances of rain continuing throughout Saturday night.

The weather pattern is expected to bring clear skies beginning on Sunday and continuing through Tuesday, based on the forecast.

Chances of rain again are in the forecast from Tuesday night through Thursday, the National Weather Service reported.

Nighttime temperatures will dip into the high 20s on Saturday night before rising into the high 30s early next week. Daytime temperatures will range from the high 40s on Saturday into the high 50s by the start of the new week.

The rain this week has helped Clear Lake’s level rise from just under 3.25 feet Rumsey, the special measure used for the lake, to just below 3.45 feet Rumsey late Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – March 11 to 17 is National Patient Safety Awareness Week.

In honor of this week, SafeRx Lake County, a local opioid safety coalition, offers some best practices on keeping children safe when it comes to prescribed medications, how to store them and the safest way to travel with your prescribed medications.

Approximately 60,000 young children are brought to the emergency department each year because they got into medicines that were left within their reach.

SafeRx Lake County urges all families to ask themselves if all of the medicines in their home are stored safely.

Medications and vitamins can help families to feel and stay well. However, if taken incorrectly they can be very harmful. It is important to keep medicines safely out of the reach and sight of curious children.

Below are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how to safely store all medications:

• Store medicines in a safe location that is too high for young children to reach or see.
• Never leave medicines or vitamins out on the kitchen counter or at a sick child’s bedside, even if you have to give them the medicine again in a few hours.
• Always relock the safety cap on a medicine bottle. If it has a locking cap that turns, twist it until you hear the “click” or until you can’t twist anymore.
• Tell children what medicine is and why you must be the one to give it to them.
• Never tell children medicine is candy so they’ll take it, even if your child doesn’t like to take his/her medicine.
• Remind babysitters, houseguests and visitors to keep purses, bags, or coats that have medicines in them up and away and out of sight when they’re in your home.

Learn more about SafeRx Lake County at www.saferxlakecounty.org.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – While the public makes plans to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, the California Highway Patrol is preparing to keep the roadways free of impaired drivers so that everyone can safely enjoy the festivities.

Last year on St. Patrick’s Day, the CHP made 148 arrests statewide for driving under the influence.

Tragically, that same day, three people were killed and 66 people were injured statewide as a result of DUI collisions, the CHP said.

“Don’t let a day of celebration turn into a day of tragedy. If you drive impaired, you risk your life and the lives of others on the road,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Plan ahead before the party begins by designating a sober driver or making arrangements for a taxi or ride-hailing service.”

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, reports 29 people in the United States died in alcohol-related vehicle collisions every day in 2016 – or one person every 50 minutes. In 2016 alone, 60 people were killed in drunk-driving collisions during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period.

The CHP joins with the NHTSA in reminding motorists that “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving.”

The CHP recommends these steps to avoid impaired driving:

– Plan ahead. Designate a sober driver or have an alternate transportation plan before you go out to drink.
– If you are hosting a party, serve plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages. Stop serving alcohol a few hours before the end of the party.
– If you see a friend who is too drunk to drive, take their keys and call them a cab or ride-share, or give them a ride home.
– If you see a suspected impaired driver, call 9-1-1. Your phone call may save someone’s life.

The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of safety, service and security.