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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Horse Council is asking community members to take part in a survey to determine the local economic impacts of the horse industry.
The survey can be found at the council’s Web site, www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com .
Horses are a significant industry in Lake County affecting the economy of the area.
The council said an accurate knowledge of the economic impact of the horse industry in Lake County is vital for making decisions that will affect the entire county.
There are 9.2 million horses in the United States, with the industries around the sales and servicing of horses and their owners resulting in a total value of $39 billion.
The 2009 gross domestic product contribution from horse production and entertainment services was $25.3 billion – more than the motion picture industry.
Additionally, the horse industry employed 339,000 people, more than is employed by the radio and television broadcasting industries and by the petroleum industry.
In California alone there are almost 700,000 horses, making it the second-largest horse population in the U.S.
More than 311,000 people in California participate in horse events annually, and California hosts more than 170 major regional or national horse shows each year.
Neighboring Sonoma County is home to 22,000 horses and 30,000 equestrians.
Revenues produced by the equine industry amounts to 75 percent of that produced by Sonoma County grapes, and grapes are viewed as the most significant industry in Sonoma County. The horse industry in Sonoma County is second only to grapes.
Horse industry economic impact studies have led to initiatives to open trail access, pass feed assessments, provide for educational grants and to laws limiting liability lawsuits related to equestrian activities.
Visit the Lake County Horse Council’s Web site at www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com . There you can view their Lake County horse industry video and take the anonymous survey.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is in a position on Mars where scientists and engineers can begin preparing the rover to take its first scoop of soil for analysis.
Curiosity is the centerpiece of the two-year Mars Science Laboratory mission.
The rover’s ability to put soil samples into analytical instruments is central to assessing whether its present location on Mars, called Gale Crater, ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.
Mineral analysis can reveal past environmental conditions. Chemical analysis can check for ingredients necessary for life.
“We now have reached an important phase that will get the first solid samples into the analytical instruments in about two weeks,” said Mission Manager Michael Watkins of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “Curiosity has been so well-behaved that we have made great progress during the first two months of the mission.”
The rover’s preparatory operations will involve testing its robotic scooping capabilities to collect and process soil samples.
Later, it also will use a hammering drill to collect powdered samples from rocks. To begin preparations for a first scoop, the rover used one of its wheels Wednesday to scuff the soil to expose fresh material.
Next, the rover twice will scoop up some soil, shake it thoroughly inside the sample-processing chambers to scrub the internal surfaces, then discard the sample.
Curiosity will scoop and shake a third measure of soil and place it in an observation tray for inspection by cameras mounted on the rover’s mast.
A portion of the third sample will be delivered to the mineral-identifying chemistry and mineralogy (CheMin) instrument inside the rover.
From a fourth scoopful, samples will be delivered to both CheMin and to the sample analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument, which identifies chemical ingredients.
“We’re going to take a close look at the particle size distribution in the soil here to be sure it’s what we want,” said Daniel Limonadi of JPL, lead systems engineer for Curiosity’s surface sampling and science system. “We are being very careful with this first time using the scoop on Mars.”
The rinse-and-discard cycles serve a quality-assurance purpose similar to a common practice in geochemical laboratory analysis on Earth.
“It is standard to run a split of your sample through first and dump it out, to clean out any residue from a previous sample,” said JPL’s Joel Hurowitz, a sampling system scientist on the Curiosity team. “We want to be sure the first sample we analyze is unambiguously Martian, so we take these steps to remove any residual material from Earth that might be on the walls of our sample handling system.”
Rocknest is the name of the area of soil Curiosity will test and analyze. The rover pulled up to the windblown, sandy and dusty location Oct. 2.
The Rocknest patch is about 8 feet by 16 feet (2.5 meters by 5 meters). The area provides plenty of area for scooping several times.
Diverse rocks nearby provide targets for investigation with the instruments on Curiosity’s mast during the weeks the rover is stationed at Rocknest for this first scooping campaign.
Curiosity’s motorized, clamshell-shaped scoop is 1.8 inches wide, 2.8 inches long, and can sample to a depth of about 1.4 inches. It is part of the collection and handling Martian rock analysis (CHIMRA) device on a turret of tools at the end of the rover’s arm.
CHIMRA also includes a series of chambers and labyrinths for sorting, sieving and portioning samples collected by the scoop or by the arm’s percussive drill.
Following the work at Rocknest, the rover team plans to drive Curiosity about 100 yards eastward into the Glenelg area and select a rock as the first target for use of its drill.
JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and built Curiosity.
For more about Curiosity, visit www.nasa.gov/msl or http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl .
You can follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .
A living trust is meant to provide a comprehensive solution to the needs of the settlor, or settlors, and subsequent beneficiaries.
During the settlors’ lifetimes, assets are held in the “settlor’s trust” for the benefit of the settlors and their dependents.
When the settlors die, different beneficiaries, purposes and priorities come into play. Not surprisingly, additional trusts may for various reasons then become necessary.
Assets in the original settlor’s trust are then transferred into these subsequent trusts.
Let us examine how the same trust instrument used to establish the original settlors trust can create further trusts.
Multiple trusts are more commonly found in a married couple’s joint trust instrument, but can also be created in a sole settlor’s trust.
At the death of the first spouse, the couple’s joint trust estate may be divided according to California’s Community Property laws. That is, the settlor’s trust is divided according to each spouse’s own one half shares of the community property assets and all of his or her own separate property assets.
Each share may then be transferred into different trusts, typically for the lifetime benefit of the surviving spouse.
Sometimes, however, the joint trust provides that it does not terminate at the death of the first spouse but continues for the surviving spouse’s lifetime.
Often when the settlors trust terminates, the assets of each spouse, minus any gifts by the deceased spouse, are transferred into a so-called “survivor’s trust,” which is another revocable trust but under the sole control of the surviving spouse.
With blended families and large estates, however, the deceased spouse’s share of the settlor’s trust may be transferred into one or more irrevocable trusts, such as the “bypass trust” and the “marital trust” (if necessary for estate tax purposes), for the lifetime benefit of the surviving spouse and perhaps also for their descendants.
When the sole settlor, or surviving spouse, dies, any existing trusts that had been established for the benefit of the settlors terminate. Distributions are then made to the remainder beneficiaries (often to the settlor(s)’s family). Some, or all, of these distributions may be held in further trusts within the original trust document.
Such trusts, for example, might include a minor’s trust for dependent minors; a special needs trusts for beneficiaries with special needs; and discretionary trusts for beneficiaries with creditors, marital problems or an inability to manage funds.
Having all these trusts within the same document reduces the legal costs associated with drafting the instrument. Nonetheless, when assets are transferred from one trust to another administration expenses are incurred. Appraisals and legal documents are involved in the process of transferring assets.
Sometimes having multiple trusts contained within one trust is not appropriate.
If, for example, a married settlor wants to keep his or her substantial separate property assets discrete from those of his or her spouse, particularly in a second marriage, then a sole settlor trust contain that spouse’s separate property.
Also, if several family members plan to contribute to a special needs trust for a person with disabilities, then a standalone special needs trust may be preferable.
Moreover, a standalone special needs trust will be better suited to the trust’s particular purpose. Provisions that are either not relevant or not suitable to its sole purpose will be omitted.
Thus, the living trust, like an onion, can have multiple layers, each layer dealing with a separate phase within the settlors’ estate plan.
Consult a qualified estate planning attorney to see what works best for your family’s circumstances.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A vehicle stop conducted by the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force last week resulted in the seizure of $43,120 pending asset forfeiture.
On Thursday, Sept. 27, at about 11:20 a.m., narcotics detectives conducted a vehicle stop on Jerusalem Grade Road in Lower Lake, according to Sgt. Steve Brooks.
The vehicle had an obstructed license plate and the registration had been expired since May, Brooks said.
When narcotics detectives contacted the driver, 37-year-old Caleb Murphy of Lower Lake, they could smell the strong odor of marijuana emitting from inside the vehicle. Brooks said Murphy denied having anything illegal in the vehicle.
Brooks said detectives also contacted 27-year-old Bridget Marie King of Lower Lake and 35-year-old Jamaal Ariel Knight of Santa Cruz, who were passengers in the vehicle.
The narcotics detective, who is also a K-9 handler, informed Murphy that he was going to deploy his narcotics detection K-9 to conduct a search of the vehicle, Brooks said.
Brooks said Murphy told the detective, “Go ahead and search the vehicle all you want, you are wasting your time, there is nothing in there.”
The detectives had all three subjects exit the vehicle. Brooks said a search of the vehicle revealed a large Food Saver bag containing US currency inside the glove box.
The narcotics detection K-9 conducted a search of the vehicle and immediately alerted to the glove box containing the money, Brooks said. When detectives opened the Food Saver bag, a strong odor of marijuana immediately started emitting from it.
Narcotic detectives questioned Murphy, King and Knight as to who the money belonged to, Brooks said.
All three told detectives that the money was not theirs and denied knowing who it belonged to or where it came from, Brooks said. When detectives attempted to provide a property receipt to Murphy for the money they seized, he refused to accept the receipt and said the money was not his.
The money was sorted into $1,000 bundles in $100 bills and each bundle was wrapped with a one hundred dollar bill. Brooks said no additional narcotics or paraphernalia were located in the vehicle.
The Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force can be contacted through its anonymous tip line at 707-263-3663.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This year’s Konocti Challenge is expected to be the largest ever, with hundreds of bicyclists set to circle Clear Lake in a day of fun, incredible views and fundraising for worthy causes.
More than 700 riders are anticipated for the Saturday ride, according to ride Director Jennifer Strong.
Strong reminded motorists to use caution as the hundreds of cyclists traverse county roads.
The ride, which will coincide with Oktoberfest – which takes place in downtown Lakeport on Saturday – is put on by the Lakeport Rotary Club, which uses proceeds to benefit its projects in the community.
In its 22nd year, the Konocti Challenge’s popularity has grown to the degree that organizers have begun to consider imposing a limit of 1,000 riders, said Melissa Fulton, this year’s Lakeport Rotary Club president and the Lake County Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer.
Fulton said the volume of riders on roads could grow beyond enjoyable levels without a cap. Feedback from riders indicates one of the reasons they like the ride is because it “isn’t like a cattle call” like some large rides, she said.
With a cap, the intimate, well done, well received Challenge will be preserved because organizers don’t want to lose the small town feel of the ride as it passes through all but one zip code in the county.
“We want riders to go away saying this is the best ride they’ve been on, that’s our goal,” said Fulton.
The Challenge set a record for attendance last year with 550 riders. This year more than 677 riders had registered before noon on Thursday, and more are expected, Strong said.
More than 55 percent of this year’s riders have never done the ride before and 80 percent of the riders are from out of county, according to Strong.
“It’s a great event for all ages,” Strong said.
Of the 677 riders registered so far, the youngest is 10 years old, while the most senior rider is 85. Strong said the average rider age is 51 years old.
Genders are near equally represented in this year’s field of riders, 44 percent of which are female and 56 percent men, Strong reported.
She said riders from as far as East Renfrewshire, England, and at least eight US states are taking part this year.
The Challenge features four different courses designed for riders of every skill level. Each ride begins and ends at the Lakeport Yacht Club beginning at 7 a.m.
The courses include a 20-mile “Family Fun Ride that passes through Lakeport, Finley and Kelseyville.
A 40-mile ride follows that 20-mile course and then visits Scotts Valley and North Lakeport.
Both the 65-mile ride and the more grueling 100-mile course encompass the lake. The century ride reaches as far south as Middletown before returning to Lakeport via Cobb.
Maps of the course routes can be found at http://www.konoctichallenge.com/courses--start-times.html .
Strong credits the seven rest stops around the lake for some of the ride’s growing popularity. The “memorable and crazy as possible” rest stops are set up by nonprofits competing for a grand prize of $2,000 from a $5,000 pool.
Anderson Marsh won the competition last year with their gypsy oasis-themed rest stop, Strong said. The Anderson Marsh theme this year is a pirate’s cove.
The rest stops, said Strong, are “really popular and the riders have no idea what’s waiting at the next stop. Nonprofits go all out to compete for the prize.”
“We get big kudos on the rest stops,” Fulton added.
Strong and Fulton agreed that the ride’s economic boon to the county is impressive, bringing an influx of riders and their companions who attend other events during the ride.
In downtown Lakeport, Oktoberfest is timed to coincide with the Konocti Challenge and provides alternate entertainment.
Hotels around the county are booked with cyclists and their guests.
The Skylark Motel in Lakeport, close to the ride start and finish, has been booked for nearly a year, said Skylark manager Audrey Gonzales.
“Lots of cyclists re-up and come every year,” she said.
Gonzales said the cyclists are a great group and she loves having them there.
For more information about the Konocti Challenge, visit the event Web site at www.konoctichallenge.com .
Email John Jensen at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Ukiah Valley Medical Center is contacting patients who received injections of a medication that was recalled after it was connected to a fungal meningitis outbreak in six eastern states.
Nick Bejarano, UVMC’s spokesman, said the hospital is one of several in California that used the injectable steroid medication.
The Centers for Disease Control reported that the steroid has been recalled as a precautionary measure by its manufacturer, the New England Compound Center.
No cases have been reported in California thus far.
As of Thursday, the CDC said there were 35 cases of people who had come down with fungal meningitis that had been linked to epidural steroid injections. One case each has been reported in Indiana and North Carolina, two each in Maryland and Florida, four in Virginia and 25 in Tennessee.
Of those 35 cases, there have been six deaths so far, the CDC said.
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, the protective coverings of the brain and spinal cord. The CDC said fungal meningitis occurs when the meninges are infected by a fungus which has been spread through the bloodstream, introduced directly into the central nervous system or that has extended from an infected site next to the central nervous system.
Basic meningitis symptoms include headache, fever, nausea and stiffness of the neck, while those suffering from fungal meningitis may also experience confusion, dizziness, and discomfort from bright lights. The CDC said affected individuals might have just one or two of those symptoms.
While the CDC’s investigation has linked the fungal meningitis outbreak to the injectable steroids, it reported that there is not enough evidence to determine the outbreak’s original source.
California is among 23 states that received the recalled injectable steroid, according to the CDC.
Bejarano said UVMC sent letters both to patients who received the recalled medication but are not believed to be in danger, as well as patients who recently received the injections.
The letters, which went out on Thursday from patient care executive Heather Van Housen, informed UVMC’s patients that a group of patients at an ambulatory center in Tennessee received an epidural injection similar to the ones that UVMC patients received at the Pavilion Surgical Services in Ukiah.
Van Housen’s letter to patients who were not believed to be in danger explained, “you would most likely have already developed meningitis-type symptoms or experienced a different type of pain than your original symptoms.”
To patients who recently received the injections, Van Housen urged them to be aware of symptoms including stiffening of the neck or a different kind of headache than they have previously experienced, as well as fever, stiffness, sensitivity to light or stroke-like symptoms, including localized weakness, numbness or slurred speech.
Van Housen said anyone who experiences those symptoms within one to four weeks following their treatment should seek medical care.
Email Elizabeth Larson at