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LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Konocti Unified School District successfully refinanced a portion of its outstanding Measure “G” General Obligation bonds last month to take advantage of historically low interest rates in the bond market.
District officials said the bond refinancing will save taxpayers in the district approximately $625,000 over the remaining term of the bonds.
These savings will be passed along directly to local taxpayers in the form of reduced property tax bills, the district reported.
“For some time now, the district has been monitoring interest rate trends, waiting for a good opportunity to refinance the debt. After due consideration, the district determined that the timing was now appropriate to lock in a new, low interest rate and to capture significant taxpayer savings,” said district Business Manager Laurie Desimone.
Refinancing local school bonds is similar to refinancing a home mortgage – replacing existing high interest rate debt with low interest rate debt.
The bonds were originally issued in December 2004 following the successful passage of Measure “G” by local voters.
The proceeds from the 2004 issuance were used to improve classrooms and school facilities, increase student access to computers and modern technology, and to make the district eligible to receive additional state grants.
“The board of trustees and district staff greatly value the strong support we receive from our community, and we are very pleased to complete this refinancing and to pass along these substantial savings to our local taxpayers” said Superintendent Donna Becnel.
Officials said the district will continue to monitor opportunities to refinance bond debt in the future, and will pursue opportunities that will result in a benefit to local taxpayers.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The coroner’s office has released the name of a Middletown man who died in a single vehicle crash last week near Clearlake Oaks.
Robert Allen Harris, 59, died at the scene of the wreck, which occurred last Thursday, Jan. 31, on Highway 20 near Beryl Way west of Clearlake Oaks, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Harris was driving his 1992 Ford van eastbound on Highway 20 shortly before 6 p.m. that day when witnesses reported that he passed another vehicle on a blind curve, the CHP reported.
The CHP said Harris lost control of his van and slid sideways into a tree, receiving fatal injuries in the wreck.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The family and friends of a Clearlake teen are seeking information about his whereabouts after he went missing early Sunday morning.
Jesse Meldrum, 18, was last seen at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday when he left his mother Tina Meldrum's Clearlake home, according to information provided by his friends.
Meldrum, who according to his Facebook page attended Lower Lake High School, was last seen walking alone and did not tell anyone where he was going.
He left his car at his mother's home. Family and friends have not heard from him, and he's not responded to numerous posts left on his Facebook page or to calls placed to his cell phone.
At the time he was last seen, he was wearing a long sleeved black short and blue jeans. He is described as being about 6 feet tall.
Anyone with information about him is asked to call Kirsten Contreras at 707-889-6796.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a full house of adult cats waiting for adoption this week.
Many of them are Siamese, brought in after the death of their owner.
The cats range in age from 7 months to 7 years old. All have been altered and are ready to go to new homes.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped 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 there, hoping you'll choose them.
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
Female Siamese mix
This female Siamese is 7 months old.
She has lynx point markings, weighs 3.5 pounds, has been spayed and is very friendly.
She's in cat room kennel No. 2a, ID No. 35367.
Siamese mix
This male Siamese mix is 2 years old.
He weighs 9 pounds, has blue eyes and flame point coloring, and has been altered.
He also has blue eyes and a docked tail.
Visit with him in cat room kennel No. 4, ID No. 35361.
Gray tabby
This male gray tabby is 4 years old.
He has a short striped coat and green eyes, weighs 11 pounds and has been neutered.
Find him in cat room kennel No. 10, ID No. 35371.
'Arrow'
“Arrow” is a 10 month old male Siamese mix.
He has unique markings and blue eyes, and has been altered.
Arrow is in cat room kennel No. 22, ID No. 35395.
Brown male tabby
This brown male tabby is 7 years old.
He has a short brown striped coat, and he’s been neutered.
He’s in cat room kennel No. 35, ID No. 35292.
Dilute tortie
This female calico is 2 years old.
She has dilute tortie coloring, weighs 7 pounds, has a short coat and has been spayed.
Find her in cat room kennel No. 45a, ID No. 35362.
Female Siamese mix
This female Siamese mix is 2 years old.
She has seal point coloring and a short coat, weighs 7 pounds and has been spayed.
Visit with her in cat room kennel No. 45b, ID No. 35360.
Siamese mix
This male Siamese mix is 3 years old.
He weighs 10 pounds, has lynx point coloring and a short coat, and has been altered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 48, ID No. 35372.
Male Siamese mix
This male Siamese mix is 2 years old.
He weighs 9 pounds, has a short coat and has been altered.
He's in cat room kennel No. 95, ID No. 35359.
Siamese mix
This female Siamese mix is 5 years old.
She has a long luxurious coat, is large in size and has been spayed. In addition, she has beautiful, jewel-blue eyes.
She’s in cat room kennel No. 100, ID No. 35293.
Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
Please note: Cats listed at the 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
Most astronomers suspect that a massive black hole lurks at the center of most if not all galaxies, but only a few dozen examples are known out of billions of galaxies in the cosmos.
Now astronomers have developed a quick technique that could potentially uncover and weigh 10 times more massive black holes than are now known.
Using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) in California’s Owens Valley, UC Berkeley and European astronomers tracked carbon monoxide gas swirling around the center of a galaxy 53 million light years from Earth.
Based on the gas’s motion, they concluded that the galaxy, NGC4526, harbored a massive black hole about 450 million times the mass of the sun – 100 times larger than the black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy.
“Because almost all spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and about one-quarter of large galaxies of the type we observed have molecular gas, this interferometry technique applies broadly, and raises the real probability of getting a large sample of black holes from all sorts of galaxies at much greater distances,” said Leo Blitz, UC Berkeley professor of astronomy and coauthor of a paper describing the procedure that appeared in the Jan. 31 issue of Nature.
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) now nearing completion in Chile could potentially measure black hole masses at the centers of hundreds of galaxies in as little as 10 minutes each, “shedding light on the mysterious co-evolution of black holes and galaxies,” added team leader Timothy A. Davis of the European Southern Observatory, which is based in Germany.
On his Web site Davis explained the technique remains “tricky,” adding, “It took over a hundred hours of observing time to measure the black hole mass in this object.”
He said the array will be able to repeat the NGC 4526 measurement in about 10 minutes, or make the same observation in a galaxy seven times farther away in just five hours.
“The technique therefore holds the promise of being able to determine black hole masses across a range of galaxy types and masses using a single instrument,” he said.
Robert Sanders writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – This week the county's animal shelter has several dogs from the working breeds available for adoption.
Labrador Retrievers, hounds and border collies, as well as boxers and pit bulls are ready to go to new homes.
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”).
Hound mix
This male hound mix is 4 years old.
He has a short tricolor coat and is not yet neutered.
He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 35381.
Boxer mix
This male boxer mix is 8 months old.
He has a short brown and white coat, and is neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 6, ID No. 35380.
'Sasha'
“Sasha” is a 10-year-old border collie mix.
She has a short black and tan coat, weighs 81 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 12, ID No. 35388.
'Brave Heart'
“Brave Heart,” as he's been dubbed by shelter staff, is a 5-month-old male pit bull terrier mix.
He weighs 30 pounds, has a short blue and white coat, and he's been neutered.
Visit with him in kennel No. 18, ID No. 35164.
Labrador Retriever mix
This female Labrador Retriever mix is 9 months old.
She has a short chocolate-colored coat and has not yet been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 21, ID No. 35408.
Labrador Retriever mix
This male Labrador Retriever mix is 9 months old.
He has a short buff-colored coat and has not yet been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 22, ID No. 35407.
Boxer mix
This male boxer mix is 1 year old.
He's got a short brown and white coat, a docked tail and weighs nearly 70 pounds. He has not yet been altered.
He's in kennel No. 26, ID No. 35415.
Please note: Dogs listed at the 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