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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – For the fourth year in a row, local child care programs and elementary school classrooms are participating in the Paper Doll Project in honor of April as the nationally recognized Child Abuse Prevention Month and Month of the Young Child.
Nearly 3,000 paper dolls are distributed throughout the county for teachers to use in guided art projects with children.
Throughout the month of April, beautifully decorated paper dolls from Lake County children will be displayed in participating businesses along with an advocacy statement about the importance of child abuse prevention and the quality early childhood education.
Last year, more than 2,500 paper dolls were decorated and distributed, and over 100 businesses and agencies participated.
There are several ways to participate:
– For educators/children’s groups/faith communities: Request supplies for your program or classroom, and give your children the opportunity to participate.
– For business owners/agency representatives: Sign up to have your business participate by displaying the beautiful works of art – paper dolls linking hands – in your office or storefront, along with an advocacy statement. To participate, email
– The popular Advocacy Walk and Children's Festival will be held April 13 in Lakeport's Library Park. Watch for more information, or contact 707-262-4161 for more information.
For more information on either of these events, please contact the Lake County Child Care Planning Council, 707-262-4162 or www.lakecountychildcareplanning.com , or the Lake County Children’s Council at 707-262-4146.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week finds another variety of canines needing homes at the county’s animal shelter.
Labs, dachshunds, Chihuahuas, shepherds, terriers and hounds are among the mixes of breeds available.
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.
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”).
'Milo'
“Milo” is a 1 year old male Chihuahua mix.
He has a short tan coat and has been altered.
He's in kennel No. 3b, ID No. 35533.
Dachshund-terrier mix
This male dachshund-terrier mix is 10 years old.
He has a short red coat, weighs nearly 12 pounds and has been neutered.
Visit with him in kennel No. 8, ID No. 35644.
Hound retriever mix
This female hound-retriever mix is 3 years old.
She’s of medium size, weighs 66 pounds and has a short brown brindle coat. She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 10, ID No. 35679.
Labrador Retriever mix
This male Labrador Retriever mix is 2 years old.
He has a short yellow coat, weighs nearly 64 pounds and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 29, ID No. 35691.
Shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix is 1 year old.
He has a short tan and white coat, weighs 70 pounds and has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 33a, ID No. 35702.
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
Earth’s radiation belts were one of the first discoveries of the Space Age. A new finding published in today’s issue of Science shows that we still have much to learn about them.
NASA’s twin Van Allen Probes, launched just last August, have revealed a previously unknown third radiation belt around Earth.
“Even 55 years after their discovery, Earth’s radiation belts still are capable of surprising us,” said Nicky Fox, Van Allen Probes deputy project scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. “We thought we knew the radiation belts, but we don’t.”
Previous observations of the Van Allen belts dating back to the late 1950s have documented two distinct regions of trapped radiation surrounding our planet, known as the inner and outer radiation belts.
Particle sensors aboard the twin Van Allen Probes quickly revealed to scientists the existence of a transient, third radiation belt.
Scientists observed the third belt for four weeks before a powerful interplanetary shock wave from the sun annihilated it.
Each of the two Van Allen Probes carries an identical set of five instrument suites that allow scientists to gather data on the belts in unprecedented detail.
Key data for this discovery came from the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) instrument, part of the probes’ Energetic Particle, Composition, and Thermal Plasma Suite (ECT).
“This is the first time we have had such high-resolution instruments look at time, space and energy together in the outer belt,” said Daniel Baker, lead author of the study and REPT instrument lead at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado in Boulder. “Previous observations of the outer radiation belt resolved it as a single blurry element. When we turned REPT on just two days after launch, we clearly saw the new belt and a [gap] between it and the outer belt.”
Back in the 1950s when the radiation belts were discovered, they had little effect on ordinary people. Today the radiation belts are crucial to our high-tech society.
Hundreds of satellites used for everything from weather prediction to GPS to television routinely skim the belts, subjecting themselves to energetic particles that can damage solar panels and short-circuit sensitive electronics.
During geomagnetic storms when the belts are swollen by solar activity, whole fleets of satellites can be engulfed, imperiling the technological underpinnings of daily life on the planet below. The Van Allen Probes directly address these down-to-Earth problems
“The fantastic new capabilities and advances in technology in the Van Allen Probes allow scientists to see in unprecedented detail how the radiation belts are populated with charged particles, what causes them to change, and how they affect the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere,” said John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for science in Washington DC.
For more information about the Van Allen Probes, visit www.nasa.gov/vanallenprobes .
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
NICE, Calif. – Two Nice residents were injured early Saturday morning when the vehicle in which they were riding went off the highway and overturned.
Daniel Poe, 28, and Nicole Ventura, 31, both sustained serious injuries in the crash, which occurred at about 2:10 a.m. Saturday on Highway 20 east of Reclamation Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Poe was driving a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix eastbound on Highway 20 with Ventura riding as his passenger in the rear passenger seat, the CHP report said.
For reasons that the CHP said are still under investigation, Poe drove the vehicle off the highway's south shoulder, where the car overturned.
The CHP said Poe sustained moderate injuries in the crash, with Ventura suffering major injuries.
Both were transported from the scene by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, as Lake County News previously reported.
Poe and Ventura both were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, and alcohol does not appear to be a factor, the CHP said.
The CHP said the crash remains under investigation by Officer Matt Norton.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
NICE, Calif. – Two people injured in an early Saturday morning crash near Nice were flown to an out-of-county trauma center.
The single-vehicle rollover on Highway 20 west of Robinson Rancheria was reported by a passerby at about 2:15 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol and radio reports.
Two people were reported to have been ejected from the vehicle, which was off the roadway when Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters arrived on scene, radio reports indicated.
Firefighters reported that both crash victims had moderate injuries, with two air ambulances requested.
CalStar 4 and REACH 6 responded to the scene, landing in nearby fields, according to reports from the scene.
Radio reports indicated CalStar 4 lifted off just before 3:15 a.m. with REACH 6 leaving the scene just after 3:31 a.m.
Both air ambulances were bound for Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, the pilots reported.
Additional details on the individuals involved and the cause of the crash were not immediately available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It’s time once again to put the clocks forward one hour.
Daylight saving time begins early on the morning of Sunday, March 10.
As the time change arrives, Cal Fire said it’s a good time to remember to change the batteries in smoke alarms.
While a 2010 study by the National Fire Protection Association found that 96 percent of all homes have at least one smoke alarm, nearly two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
To help reduce the number of home fire fatalities, Cal Fire is reminding all Californians to make sure they have working smoke alarms in their homes.
“Smoke alarms give you and your family an early warning when there is a fire so you can quickly get outside,” said State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover, Cal Fire-Office of the State Fire Marshal. “Smoke alarms save lives, but they must be in good working order and must be tested.”
Smoke alarms should be installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.
While most smoke alarms come with 10-year batteries, Cal Fire recommends that you test your smoke alarm monthly to ensure it’s in good working order. Replace all smoke alarms after 10 years.
Families should also practice with their children what to do when there is a fire. Every family should set down and create an escape plan with an outside meeting place.
If the alarm goes off crawl low to the ground under the smoke and exit the home quickly. A neighbor’s yard or a sidewalk mailbox are common meeting places to ensure that everyone gets out safely. Families should practice home fire drills regularly.
Working smoke alarms increase the chance of surviving a home fire by 50 percent. A smoke alarm is a small price to help keep you and your family safe.
For more information on smoke alarms, please visit Cal Fire’s Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .