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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A number of young dogs are available for adoption this week around Lake County.
Shepherd mixes, spaniel and Shar Pei mixes, boxers and more are waiting to join your home.
This week adoptable dogs from Lake County Animal Care and Control and the SPCA of Clear Lake are featured. A number of breed mixes are available.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
SPCA OF CLEAR LAKE
'Sweet Pea'
Sweet Pea is a gorgeous and affectionate boxer.
She has been at the SPCA for several months and is looking for a loving forever home.
She is spayed, current on all vaccinations, microchipped and is on heartworm preventative.
'Martin'
Martin is a sweet, gorgeous spaniel mix.
He has been a long term resident at SPCA and would love to find a home.
He is neutered, current on all vaccinations, microchipped and is on heartworm preventative.
For more information, contact the SPCA of Clear Lake, 707-279-1400.
LAKE COUNTY ANIMAL CARE AND CONTROL
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”).
Female Shar Pei mix
This female Shar Pei mix is 9 months old.
She has a short tan coat, weighs almost 30 pounds and has been spayed.
You can find her in kennel No. 5, ID No. 36465.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier mix is 11 weeks old.
He has a short blue coat, weighs 11 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 19b, ID No. 36683.
Female shepherd mix pup
This female shepherd mix is 13 weeks old.
She has a short tan and black coat, weighs nearly 17 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 20a, ID No. ID: 36612.
Female shepherd mix pup
This female shepherd mix is 13 weeks old.
She has a short tan and black coat, weighs 17 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 20b, ID No. ID: 36613.
Female shepherd mix pup
This female shepherd mix is 13 weeks old.
She has a short tan and black coat, weighs 17 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 20c, ID No. ID: 36614.
'Bella'
“Bella” is a 2-year-old Pomeranian-dachshund mix.
She has a long black and white coat, weighs 11 pounds and has not yet been altered.
Shelter staff said Bella is great with women and children but needs a home with no men.
Find her in kennel No. 23, ID No. ID: 36294.
Please note: Dogs listed at the county shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
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
On July 19, 2013, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will photograph Saturn and its entire ring system during a total eclipse of the sun.
Cassini has done this twice before during its previous 9 years in orbit, but this time will be different.
“This time, the images to be collected will capture, in natural color, a glimpse of our own planet next to Saturn and its rings on a day that will be the first time Earthlings know in advance their picture will be taken from a billion miles away,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.
Earth will appear as a small, pale blue dot between the rings of Saturn. The entire system is too big for Cassini to capture in a single snapshot, so the spacecraft will create a mosaic, or multi-image portrait.
Cassini will start obtaining the Earth part of the mosaic at 2:27 p.m. PDT and end about 15 minutes later, all while Saturn is eclipsing the sun from Cassini's point of view.
The spacecraft's unique vantage point in Saturn's shadow will provide a special scientific opportunity to look at the planet's rings. At the time of the photo, North America and part of the Atlantic Ocean will be in sunlight.
“While Earth will be only about a pixel in size from Cassini's vantage point 1.44 billion kilometers away, the team is looking forward to giving the world a chance to see what their home looks like from Saturn,” said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “We hope you'll join us in waving at Saturn from Earth, so we can commemorate this special opportunity.”
Unlike two previous Cassini eclipse mosaics of the Saturn system in 2006, which captured Earth, and another in 2012, the July 19 image will be the first to capture the Saturn system with Earth in natural color, as human eyes would see it.
It also will be the first to capture Earth and its moon with Cassini's highest-resolution camera. The probe's position will allow it to turn its cameras in the direction of the sun, where Earth will be, without damaging the spacecraft's sensitive detectors.
“Ever since we caught sight of the Earth among the rings of Saturn in September 2006 in a mosaic that has become one of Cassini's most beloved images, I have wanted to do it all over again, only better,” said Porco. “This time, I wanted to turn the entire event into an opportunity for everyone around the globe to savor the uniqueness of our planet and the preciousness of the life on it.”
Porco and her imaging team associates examined Cassini's planned flight path for the remainder of its Saturn mission in search of a time when Earth would not be obstructed by Saturn or its rings.
Working with other Cassini team members, they found the July 19 opportunity would permit the spacecraft to spend time in Saturn's shadow to duplicate the views from earlier in the mission to collect both visible and infrared imagery of the planet and its ring system.
This latest image will continue a NASA legacy of space-based images of our fragile home, including the 1968 “Earthrise” image taken by the Apollo 8 moon mission from about 240,000 miles (380,000 kilometers) away and the 1990 “Pale Blue Dot” image taken by Voyager 1 from about 4 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) away.
July 19, concluded Porco, “will be a day for people all over the globe to celebrate together the extraordinary achievements that have made such interplanetary photo sessions possible. And it will be a day to celebrate life on the Pale Blue Dot.”
To learn more about the public outreach activities associated with the taking of the image, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/waveatsaturn .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
After a firestorm of criticism that caused state lawmakers to withdraw plans that would have made the California Public Records Act unenforceable, on Friday state Senate leaders moved ahead with introducing a constitutional amendment that would put responsibility for paying for fulfilling records requests on local jurisdictions.
Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) introduced SCA 3, which specifies that all local government agencies are required to comply with the California Public Records Act and the Ralph M. Brown Act.
It also would remove the mandate that the state reimburse local entities for the costs of following these laws.
In the midst of a $96 billion budget, Gov. Jerry Brown and lawmakers singled out the California Public Records Act for changes because of the mandate that SCA 3 is meant to change.
Brown and leaders in the Assembly and Senate had claimed that the state would save millions of dollars – although provided no specific number – if it no longer had to reimburse local jurisdictions for fulfilling the records requests.
Last week, riders were added to the state budget bill that would have taken the teeth out of local agencies’ and governments’ compliance with the 45-year-old California Public Records Act, as Lake County News has reported.
Under those budget riders, agencies would – among other changes– no longer have been required to provide a response within 10 days of a request, assist requesters with effectively framing their records searches or provide electronic records in the requester’s preferred format, and could have turned down fulfilling requests without providing a reason for the denial.
The furious response over the past week from journalists and open government groups and activists across California caused the Assembly to go back and strip out the measures, with the Senate pledging to do the same after Steinberg initially refused to reconsider “unless there is evidence that locally-elected officials aren’t complying with the statutes that they were elected and expected to uphold.”
In pitching the new constitutional amendment on Friday, Leno and Steinberg said it would strengthen the California Public Records Act.
Rather than state taxpayers having to pay for records request fulfillment, the responsibility would shift to local taxpayers, according to the plan.
“All of the provisions of the Public Records Act are critically important to preserving open government, and that is why they belong in the California Constitution,” said Leno said. “SCA 3 permanently upholds and protects a person’s right to inspect public records and attend public meetings, which are principles we all respect and treasure. The state should not have to provide a fiscal incentive to local governments so that they comply with these important transparency laws.”
“As established in state law decades ago, Californians expect and deserve transparency and access to public records,” said Steinberg. “We strongly support the California Public Records Act, and this important principle demands permanent protection through our Constitution. This constitutional amendment will give voters the opportunity to strengthen the act, and to ensure that state taxpayers don’t have to pay for what local governments should be doing on their own.”
If the Legislature approves SCA 3 with the required two-thirds vote, it would go before voters on the June 2014 ballot.
Brown issued a statement on Wednesday indicating his support for a constitutional amendment and “enshrining” Californians’ right to know in the state constitution.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 40th quilt block to be installed on the Lake County Quilt Trail is located at Polestar Computers, 3930 Main St. in Kelseyville.
Owners of the quilt block are Trena and Armand Pauly.
The quilt block “Pole Star” was chosen especially for their computer sales and service business of the similar name – Polestar Computers.
Trena and Armand are active in the Kelseyville Business Association and are very supportive of local schools.
Celestially speaking, a pole star is a prominent visible star which appears to be a navigational tool when searching for other celestial bodies.
In this sense, Polestar’s business serves as a guide and helping tool to patrons and businesses alike in Lake County.
The Polestar Computers building housed other businesses beginning in the 1970s when it was built and then used as a doctor’s office.
Rumor has it that the doctor abandoned the practice, and Calvin Watson purchased it in 1980 and used the site for Watson’s Thrift Shop.
Later in the 1990s and 2000s Marilyn Holdenried’s upscale gift shop used this space. The building is owned by Norm Watson.
The LCQT is an agricultural and tourism project designed to promote community pride.
The 4-foot by 4-foot quilt block was drawn and painted by the LC Quilt Trail team, a group of dedicated quilters, graphic artists, painters, writers, carpenters and a videographer.
For more information about the Lake County Quilt Trail visit www.lakecountyquilttrail.com or go to the Lake County Quilt Trail’s Facebook page.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A fire that burned on the side of Mount Konocti this week has fully contained as of Friday afternoon.
The Mount Fire, first dispatched just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday, was held to 25 acres by the time it was fully contained, according to Cal Fire.
The fire was located off Konocti Road and Oak Hills Lane east of Kelseyville, Cal Fire reported.
Agencies including Cal Fire, Kelseyville Fire, Lakeport Fire, Northshore Fire, Lake County Fire and US Forest Service worked on the Mount Fire, hitting it fast from the ground and the air.
Their quick action saved a home and kept the fire from growing as large as the 100 acres officials arriving at the scene originally estimated it could grow.
There was no word on Friday as to the fire’s cause.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Summer is road trip time, and California has a number of great destinations to explore by motor vehicle.
To help motorists enjoy safe summer travels on the road, the California Highway Patrol is reminding the public to take care of themselves and their vehicles during the upcoming hot weather months.
“Throughout the busy summer travel season, safety should never take a backseat; buckle up, designate a non-drinking driver, adhere to the speed limit, and avoid becoming distracted behind the wheel,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Taking a few simple precautions before your road trip is the first step to ensuring everyone has a safe and memorable summer.”
Before traveling this summer, have your vehicle thoroughly checked, with special attention given to these items:
- To prevent your vehicle from overheating, make sure your radiator is working properly and is filled with fluid. Check fluid levels regularly.
- Ensure your tires are properly inflated.
- Keep yourself and your passengers in mind by checking that your air conditioner is in good working order before hitting the road.
- NEVER leave children or pets unattended for any length of time in a car. A closed car can heat up to well over 100 degrees in a very short period of time.
- If you plan to travel long distances, consider getting an early morning or late afternoon start as the weather tends to be less severe at these times.
Some additional safety tips to follow before heading out:
- Be sure to set your destination on your navigation device prior to departing and never drive distracted while behind the wheel.
- Always use an appropriate child passenger safety seat when transporting children under the age of eight, or until they are 4 feet 9 inches in height. Be a good example and always wear your seat belt.
- Carry a survival kit with extra water, concentrated food, cellular telephone and charger, sunscreen, matches, collapsible shovel, blankets, good jack, tools and basic extra parts for your car (e.g., hoses, fan belts, extra gas) and maps of your area.
- Always designate a sober driver when you head out for your summer fun. Remember to arrive alive and get home safe this summer.
According to data from the CHP’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, nearly 1,000 people were killed in collisions during the summer months (June-September) of 2010 in California.
The data also shows nearly 78,000 others were injured in collisions during that same time period.
“The public should take comfort knowing the CHP will be out on the road with them this travel season,” added Commissioner Farrow. “Always remember, a little bit of safety can go a long way on the road for you and your travel companions.”