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CLEARLAKE, Calif. – It's a kitty cat takeover at Clearlake Animal Control this week.
The shelter has a growing offering of cats and kittens, plus several dogs.
This week's featured dogs include mixes of Chihuahua and American Staffordshire Terrier. The available cats come in a variety of ages, sizes and coat types.
To meet the animals, contact Marcia Taylor, the animal control outreach technician, at 707-994-8201, Extension 103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or contact Animal Control Officer Jenna Tuller at Extension 115 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. those same days or leave a message on Fridays or weekends.
Also follow Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook for the latest updates.
Below are this week's available pets.
Litters of kittens
These litters of kittens feature all different colors, with both males and females to choose from. Shelter staff said they are very tame and lovable, plus playful and entertaining.
They are feline leukemia negative.
'Flannel'
“Flannel” is a young male domestic short hair mix with a gray coat.
Shelter staff anticipate that he would make an excellent mouser.
'Kikie'
“Kikie” is a female domestic short hair mix with a gray coat.
Shelter staff said Kikie was rescued from a very bad situation.
Despite that, she loves everyone, and would make a great addition to any family, staff said.
She also is house trained.
'Little Man'
“Little Man” is a male domestic short hair mix with a tabby coat.
“Little Man has a truly sad story. He deserves to know what it's like to have a real home with food and water available at all times,” according to shelter staff.
He is house trained and ready for a new family.
'Monkey'
“Monkey” is a domestic short hair mix kitten with a gray tabby and white coat.
“Monkey truly lives up to his name while 'hanging' out in his crate. He is starving for attention but doesn't cry about it,” shelter staff said.
He's also reported to be very fun and entertaining. He wants to play with all the big dogs at the shelter and gets covered in dog drool.
He's good with anyone and all other animals, staff said.
'Nala'
“Nala” is a young American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a short white coat and brown markings.
Shelter staff describe Nala as a sweet little girl who needs someone to love her.
She already is spayed and microchipped, and ready to join her new family.
'Nina'
“Nina” is a little female Chihuahua mix with a short black and white coat.
She is spayed, microchipped, house trained and up-to-date on her shots.
Shelter staff said she is shy and not child-friendly.
'Nutmeg'
“Nutmeg” is a 5-month-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix with a brown brindle coat and white markings.
She is reported to get along with other dogs and with cats.
“She is a sweet baby looking for her forever home,” said shelter staff.
'Toca'
“Toca” is a neutered male senior looking for his forever lap.
Toca is a Chihuahua mix with a tan and white coat.
He is good with other dogs, cats and loves everybody. He's neutered and house trained.
The staff said there isn't a mean bone in his body.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
With water conservation falling to 21.5 percent savings in June – down from 27.5 percent a year ago – the State Water Resources Control Board on Tuesday announced that it is closely monitoring conservation levels, will scrutinize actions by water suppliers where use has risen dramatically and is carefully reviewing the "stress tests" to ensure that water supply reliability claims are complete and accurate.
"Californians have continued to conserve without top down mandates, but the question is whether we can save enough and keep it up for the long haul,” said State Water Board Chair Felicia Marcus. “While last winter’s rains allowed us to ease state mandated conservation, that didn’t mean the drought was over or that local conservation efforts should stop – and we’re looking carefully at the data to see what’s happening where, and why."
Cumulatively, local water suppliers have saved 1.75 million acre feet in the 13 months since mandatory conservation goals began – enough water to supply 8.8 million people for a year. The cumulative average savings June 2015-June 2016 is 24.2 percent.
Although new regulations that took effect in June give local water suppliers more autonomy to set their own conservation goals based on local supply conditions, the State Water Board has maintained since mid-2014 that it expects suppliers to continue emphasizing water conservation to their customers as a top priority as California enters the summer months, when the opportunity for water savings is greatest.
While local water suppliers may have relaxed water use restrictions that were in place last summer – the statewide prohibitions, from operation of fountains without recirculating pumps, to irrigation of turf in street medians, remain in place.
“Conservation should be the California way of life," said Marcus. "Some relaxation of conservation in light of the relief we got last winter and other supply conditions is appropriate and expected; abandonment of conservation is not. Saving water now extends local water supplies into an uncertain future, and saves money in the long term on the need to develop additional supplies. In particular, the summer months are the time it’s easiest to save by reducing outdoor irrigation to the minimum needed to water trees and shrubs while letting our lawns go the color of the surrounding hillsides.”
June conservation data
· Statewide water savings for June 2016 was 21.5 percent (143,130 acre feet or 46.6 billion gallons), a decrease from May 2016’s 28.1 percent savings, and also a decrease from June 2015’s 27.5 percent statewide savings (60.6 billion gallons).
· Cumulative statewide percent reduction for June 2015 – June 2016 (13 months) is 24.2 percent, which equates to 1,752,918 acre-feet (571.2 billion gallons).
· Statewide average R-GPCD for June 2016 was 104.9 gallons; (an 18 percent increase) up from 86.7 R-GPCD in May 2016 and also above 98.1 R-GPCD reported for June 2015. All June data can be found on this page.
Revised emergency regulations
Starting in June, the State Water Board’s recently updated emergency water conservation regulations give urban water agencies the ability to set their own conservation standards based on a “stress test” of supply reliability.
Water suppliers must demonstrate that they have sufficient supplies to withstand three years of continuous drought or take additional measures that include mandatory conservation targets. The regulation is in effect through January 2017.
The deadline to submit the “stress test” results and three-year resiliency plans was June 22. While most urban water suppliers and wholesale water providers have submitted materials, the State Water Board staff is following up with a number of suppliers whose submissions appear inaccurate, incomplete, or unclear.
Once all of the submissions have been received and are complete, the State Water Board will make them publicly available.
While water suppliers may calculate lower conservation targets for purposes of state enforcement, the State Water Board expects that they will continue to promote and achieve water conservation at the local level and enforce prohibitions on wasting water first enacted in July 2014.
The board expectation is that all water suppliers will continue encouraging their customers to conserve, even if they pass their “stress test” and demonstrate that they will have sufficient water after three additional dry years.
Moreover, the board is prepared to come back in early 2017 to reimpose new mandatory water restrictions if needed.
Permanent ban on wasting water
The recently adopted regulation is part of a wider effort to build on short-term, emergency water restrictions to establish permanent conservation measures that improve long-term drought preparedness and eliminate the worst water-wasting practices.
Officials said these actions will help achieve a top priority of the state’s Water Action Plan: to “Make Conservation a California Way of Life.”
In May, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. issued an executive order calling for new permanent water use efficiency targets for each urban water supplier and for strengthening local Water Shortage Contingency Plans.
The local “stress test” data and three-year resiliency plans collected by the State Water Board will serve as a bridge to these actions and inform the development of new water use efficiency targets.
The State Water Board regulation also continues the statewide ban on specific wasteful uses, such as hosing off sidewalks, driveways and other hardscapes; washing cars with hoses not equipped with a shut-off nozzle; and watering lawns in a manner that causes runoff.
Prohibitions also remain against homeowners associations or local governments taking action against homeowners who reduce or stop watering lawns. As directed by the executive order, the State Water Board will be making these prohibitions permanent.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The August meeting of the Lake County History Roundtable takes on the little-known but fascinating topic of World War I in Africa.
The discussion will take place beginning at 6:15 p.m. Monday, Aug. 8, at the Tallman Hotel, 9550 Main St., Upper Lake.
Few Americans realize that the first and last British actions of World War I took place in Africa.
The African campaigns actually lasted longer than the Western Front and produced the finest guerrilla commander of the war, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, an old school Prussian.
Lettow-Vorbeck was so renowned in Germany that he was later able to tell Hitler to perform anatomical impossibilities with himself and survive.
His exploits in the campaign have been described by military historian Edwin Palmer Hoyt “as the greatest single guerrilla operation in history, and the most successful.” Yet Lettow-Vorbeck remains mostly unknown outside Germany.
Five African countries saw military action which was marked by immense difficulties of logistics, communications and disease.
There also were moments of downright Marx Brothers farce such as German officers needing to communicate with their troops in English as it was the only non-African language they understood.
Bill Eaton, a student of British and African imperial history, will present an illustrated introduction of the war whose repercussions are still being felt in Africa today.
The Lake County History Roundtable (formerly the Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable) is open to the public and all ages and all levels of interest in history are welcome.
For more information, contact Phil Smoley at
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program, or MVP, has reached an important milestone when an Army Veteran from Montgomery, Ala., became the 500,000th to voluntarily enroll in the research database program – making MVP the largest genomic database in the world.
Launched in 2011, and part of the White House Precision Medicine Initiative, participants donate blood from which DNA is extracted.
A baseline and periodic follow-up surveys track veterans’ military experiences, health and lifestyles. Researchers believe the information contained in the database could hold the key to preventing and treating diseases.
“Our veterans continue to demonstrate their selfless sacrifice, and the nation has yet another reason to owe them a debt of gratitude,” said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. “Many of our veterans have saved lives on the battlefield and because of their participation in MVP, their participation has the potential to save countless lives – now and for generations to come.”
As part of the program, participating veterans grant researchers secure access to their electronic health records and agree to be contacted about participating in future research. Samples and data used are coded to protect participants’ identification and privacy.
Research using MVP data is already underway, studying a range of medical issues like mental illness and heart and kidney diseases.
The program also has rich data on various health conditions that are common in veterans.
Approximately 62 percent of MVP enrollees report a current or past diagnosis of high blood pressure and about a third report tinnitus.
Also, nearly a third or 32 percent of veterans present with a history or current diagnosis of cancer.
“We believe MVP will accelerate our understanding of disease detection, progression, prevention and treatment by combining this rich clinical, environmental and genomic data,” said Dr. David J. Shulkin, VA Under Secretary for Health. “VA has a deep history of innovation and research. MVP will allow the nation’s top researchers to perform the most cutting-edge science to treat some of the nation’s most troubling diseases.”
For more information about MVP, including how to participate, visit www.research.va.gov/MVP/ .
For information about the 52 VA sites currently enrolled in the program, visit www.research.va.gov/MVP/all-clinics.cfm .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Parents know how important school is for their children's growth during the K-12 years, but children's growing and learning needs don't end when the bell rings.
“Studies indicate that attending after school programs improves students' academic performance and overall wellness,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
This is one of the reasons the Lake County Office of Education offers after school programs on school campuses during the time school ends and the children return home.
The programs are a great way to enhance children's development by providing vital interactions in a positive and supervised environment while the children learn skills they can use as they grow.
After school programs offer help with homework if a child needs it. Some children feel more comfortable working on school assignments in a less formal environment where they can ask questions at any time.
Other programs introduce children to new subjects, getting them excited to learn more. This may lead to better efforts in school and decreases the likelihood of skipping school.
Children in after school programs may also benefit both emotionally and behaviorally if they feel positive connections with other people. The relationships that are nurtured between staff and children help by focusing on good character traits, like open-mindedness and how to be respectful of others.
In addition to character building experiences, children get the opportunity to burn extra energy through physical activity and other recreational pursuits. They receive healthy snacks and a hot and healthy meal which helps them learn about proper nutrition and eating habits. Good eating habits can help children make healthy eating choices for the rest of their lives.
The Lake County Office of Education operates extensive after school programs on eight elementary school campuses on school days.
Programs serve transitional kindergarten through fifth or sixth grade students at Burns Valley, Kelseyville, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Middletown, Pomo, Riviera and Upper Lake elementary schools.
There is an additional program called Zap! After School program for fifth through seventh grades at the Pomo Elementary School campus.
Based on current enrollment, the after school programs of the LCOE collectively will serve more than 450 students daily.
All after school programs are open during days that school is in session until 6 p.m. All programs offer educational content, homework assistance and recreational activities and a healthy meal in a safe and nurturing environment supervised by trained staff.
The Zap! Program offers additional team building and enrichment activities that focus on career and college readiness.
The Lake County Office of Education is proud to provide safe and positive learning environments for students after regular school hours. Education and support for education is our business.
To learn more about our after school programs call Child Development Specialist Emily Wold at 707-263-4563, Extension 213, or email
Annie Mills is communications specialist for the Lake County Office of Education and Hero Project.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Born on Nov. 14, 1943, in Monterey, Calif., Sheryl Ann Whipple went to be with family, friends and the Lord on July 30, 2016.
Sheryl was the daughter of Hal and Ann Stuart, who preceded her in death. They were longtime residents of Finley and Lakeport. Sheryl went to Lakeport Elementary School, Clear Lake High School and graduated from Sacramento State with her teaching credential in 1965.
On June 19, 1965, Sheryl married Bill Whipple Jr. and began teaching first grade in Clovis, Calif. Later, Sheryl and Bill moved to Antioch where she taught several more years and gave birth to son Rob and daughter Melody. They moved back to Lakeport in 1971 where she spent the rest of her life.
She taught at Lakeport Elementary School, became the school nurse and then became the school's secretary for 20 more years. She retired in 2006.
Sheryl loved being around her grandchildren Ashley and Ryan Whipple as they grew into adults. The last 12 years she has loved spending time with her younger grandchildren Jenna and Josh Cecil. She has special memories with her son-in-law Justin Cecil and his mom Patty Cecil.
Sheryl loved the family trips to Nebraska to spend time with her mother-in-law Shirley Jurgens and father-in-law Chris Jurgens.
She was able to spend a lot of time with her brother Ken Stuart and his wife Barb. She loved them very much and was fortunate to be able to spend time with her nephew Brian Stuart and his wife Summer and their children.
Sheryl was able to enjoy many trips and fun times spent with father-in-law Bill Whipple Sr., Stevie and recently Alice. She has really missed brother-in-law Byron Whipple since losing him and appreciated brother-in-law Casey Whipple and his wife Lena for all their help over the years. She will miss seeing her nieces Holly and Taylor Whipple. They always made her smile.
Sheryl loved to spend time at Fort Bragg and spending time with close friends from Jackson and Sutter Creek, Calif.
A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 13. Please dress casual.
Donations in her memory can be made to the Early Lake Lions Community Service Projects, P.O. Box 1306, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Sherry wanted to thank all of the following people for helping her in so many ways over the past months: John Whitehead, Bev Davidson, Judy Goodrich, Terra Wilson, Cindy Turner, Cynthia Houge, Bev Hamner, Bonnie EveningRed, Micki and Don Davidson, Pam and Martin Klier, Liz Calahan, Joan and Ray Cox, Elva Hohn, Cheryl Smart, Fred and Michelle Figg, Bob and Patty Kalis, Nancy and Mike Svehla, Erma Lankford, Hank and Barbara Porter, mother-in-law Shirley Jurgens, Hospice Services of Lake County, Dr. Stanley and Dr. Turrill, and the many more who held her in their prayers. If we forgot anyone, we are truly sorry, and appreciate everything everyone did to help us out.
Thank you all and love you all for everything you did. – The Whipple Family
