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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Hidden Valley Lake teenager was injured this past Tuesday when her vehicle went off of Highway 29 just inside the Napa County line.
Emily Reed, 18, sustained minor injuries in the wreck, which occurred at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday on Highway 20, just south of the Lake County line, according to Officer Anna Paulson of the California Highway Patrol's Napa office.
Paulson said Reed was driving just north of the passing lanes when she lost control of her 1994 Honda Accord and went off the east edge of the roadway.
Reed's vehicle overturned and was wedged into trees when emergency vehicles arrived, Paulson said.
Firefighters had to extricate Reed from her vehicle, Paulson said.
Paulson said Reed was flown to Queen of the Valley Hospital by CHP helicopter H32.
One-way traffic was in effect for an hour and a half after the crash, Paulson said.
Anyone who remembers dial up Internet can sympathize with the plight of NASA mission controllers.
Waiting for images to arrive from deep space, slowly downloading line by line, can be a little like the World Wide Web of the 1990s. Patience is required.
A laser on the International Space Station (ISS) could change all that.
On June 5 the ISS passed over the Table Mountain Observatory in Wrightwood, Calif., and beamed an HD video to researchers waiting below.
Unlike normal data transmissions, which are encoded in radio waves, this one came to Earth on a beam of light.
“It was incredible to see this magnificent beam of light arriving from our tiny payload on the space station,” says Matt Abrahamson, who manages the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Better known as “OPALS,” the experimental laser device was launched to the space station onboard a Space-X Dragon spacecraft in the spring of 2014.
Its goal is to explore the possibility of high-bandwidth space communications using light instead of radio waves.
If successful, researchers say OPALS would be like an upgrade from dial-up to DSL, achieving data rates 10 to 1,000 times higher than current space communications.
So far so good.
The entire transmission on June 5 lasted 148 seconds and achieved a maximum data rate of 50 megabits per second.
It took OPALS 3.5 seconds to transmit a single copy of the video message, which would have taken more than 10 minutes using traditional downlink methods. The message was sent multiple times during the transmission.
Abrahamson said, “The video is an homage to the first output of any standard computer program: 'Hello, World.'”
Because the space station whips around Earth at 17,500 mph, “laser-tagging” a telescope on the fast-moving ground below can be tricky.
To accomplish the precision tag-up, a laser at the ground station illuminated the station. OPALS responded by sending its own 2.5 watt encoded laser signal right back in the same direction, carrying the HD video.
During the 148-second transmission, OPALS maintained pointing to the ground station within 0.01 degrees while tracking at speeds up to 1 degree per second.
“NASA missions collect an enormous amount of data out in space,” said Abrahamson. “Laser communications is a faster alternative for getting those data to the ground.”
“With this demonstration, we're paving the way for the future of communications to and from space.”
For the full ScienceCast, click here: http://youtu.be/S8uL8ox-SlQ .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Summer time brings with it lots of chances for outdoor fun, and there are a number of dogs waiting for adoption this week that would make great companions on your travels.
This week's dogs include mixes of Labrador Retriever, border collie, beagle, pit bull, terrier, and shepherd, and range in age from 13 weeks to 6 years.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Male pit bull terrier mix
This male pit bull terrier mix is 16 weeks old.
He has a short blue and white coat, and has not yet been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 39849.
'Dugan'
“Dugan” is a 2-year-old pit bull terrier-Labrador Retriever mix.
He has a short brown coat, weighs 66 pounds and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 14, ID No. 40080.
'Sasha'
“Sasha” is a 2-year-old female pit bull terrier mix.
She has a short black and brown coat, weighs 43 pounds and has not been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 39914.
Male terrier mix
This male terrier mix is 2 years old.
He weighs 11 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has not been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 25, ID No. 39953.
'Kody'
“Kody” is an 8-month-old male border collie mix.
He weighs 57 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 40041.
'Blue'
“Blue” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier mix.
He has a medium-length blue coat, weighs 73 pounds and has not been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 28, ID No. 39852.
Female beagle mix
This female beagle mix is 6 years old.
She has a short white and brown coat, weighs 32 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 39493.
Male pit bull mix
This male pit bull terrier mix is 5 years old.
He has a short black and white coat and weighs 59 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if he has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 40073.
Pit bull terrier mix puppy
This male pit bull terrier mix puppy is 13 weeks old.
He has a short brown brindle and white coat, weighs 10 pounds and has not been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 32a, ID No. 39792.
Pit bull terrier mix puppy
This male pit bull terrier mix puppy is 13 weeks old.
He has a short tan and white coat, weighs 12 pounds and has not been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 32b, ID No. 39793.
Female shepherd mix
This female shepherd mix is 2 years old.
She has a short black and tan coat and weighs 59 pounds. Shelter staff did not report if she has been altered.
She's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 40081.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Superior Court is seeking at least 30 applicants willing to serve as jurors and alternates on the 2014-2015 Lake County Grand Jury panel.
The 19-person grand jury is selected from the different supervisorial districts in proportion to the population of each district.
The Grand Jury serves as the public’s “watchdog” by investigating and reporting upon the affairs of local government.
The term of service runs from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015, and may entail from 10 to 20 hours of work per week attending committee and general meetings, responding to citizens’ complaints, performing research, and investigating the operations of governmental agencies and allegations of wrongdoing by public officials or employees.
The court is looking for applicants in good health who are interested in community affairs, are objective, and are able to work cooperatively with others.
Experience in researching, interviewing, writing and editing, and/or auditing is desirable and having a general knowledge of the responsibilities and functions of governmental and other public entities is helpful.
A grand juror must be a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older, speak English, be a resident of California and Lake County for at least one year prior to selection, and not hold an elected office or have any felony convictions.
Applications may be obtained at www.lake.courts.ca.gov or by mailing a letter with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the Grand Jury Coordinator, 255 N. Forbes, Fourth Floor, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Applications also are available at each Superior Court Clerk’s Office, located at 255 N. Forbes, Fourth Floor, in Lakeport, or at 7000 A South Center Drive in Clearlake.
Further information may be obtained by calling the Grand Jury coordinator at 707-263-2374, Extension 2282.
Applications must be received by July 1, 2014.
Personal interviews will be scheduled prior to final selection.
The court asks those who are interested to apply or to share information about the opportunity with others who may want to participate.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A fast multiagency response on Saturday afternoon to several small wildland fires prevented them from spreading and reaching nearby homes.
The fires, at the junction of Highway 20 and Highway 53 just east of Clearlake Oaks, were first reported just before 3 p.m. Saturday.
Lake County Fire, Northshore Fire, Mendocino National Forest and Cal Fire were among the fire agencies dispatched to the incident, according to radio reports.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said firefighters found three different fires burning on the uphill side to the north of Highway 20.
He said the fires were burning in the footprint of the 2012 Wye Fire.
Some structures were in the way, and at one point early on firefighters had been concerned that evacuations might be necessary, according to reports from the scene.
Bertelli called in Cal Fire air resources to assist with the incident.
Altogether, approximately 2.6 acres burned, according to Bertelli, who said the fires was contained in about a half hour once firefighters got on scene.
Getting a lot of fire resources to the scene quickly was key in stopping the incident from getting much larger, he said.
The fires could quickly have grown, as the wind was hitting a peak of about 10 to 15 miles per hour at that point, Bertelli said.
“That was our main concern to contend with,” he said.
Just before 5 p.m., Bertelli reported that fire units would remain on scene for a few more hours for overhaul.
He said fire investigators were on the way to try to assess the cause.
Highway 20 in the area is open, he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The body of a boater who went missing off the Fifth Street boat ramp Saturday afternoon has been found.
Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison confirmed that the Northshore Fire Dive Team located the man's body in Clear Lake after a short search.
The dive team had been dispatched to the Lakeport Yacht Club, located next to the Fifth Street boat ramp, shortly before 3:30 p.m., as Lake County News has reported.
Witnesses had told fire personnel that the man had been loading his boat, went to retrieve an item and then disappeared into the water, according to Hutchison.
The man's body was found about 45 feet offshore, said Hutchison, which was a little farther out from where he had last been seen.
Hutchison said law enforcement officials from Lakeport Police and the Lake County Sheriff's Office had been on scene during the search.
Lakeport Police officials were not immediately available for comment on the investigation into the man's death.
Email Elizabeth Larson at