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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The role of assistance dogs in communities around the world has been the focus of a celebration this week.
International Assistance Dog Week began Sunday, Aug. 5, and ends Saturday, Aug. 11.
Marcie Davis, a paraplegic and author of “Working Like Dogs: The Service Dog Guidebook,” is credited with establishing the annual celebration, created to recognize of all the devoted, hardworking assistance dogs helping individuals mitigate their disability-related limitations.
“Assistance dogs transform the lives of their human partners with debilitating physical and mental disabilities by serving as their companion, helper, aide, best friend and close member of their family,” according to the event’s Web site, www.assistancedogweek.org .
International Assistance Dog Week not only honors the hardworking canines but is meant to increase public awareness about the dogs and those who raise and train them.
Canine Companions for Independence, based in Santa Rosa, is the largest assistance dog organization in the world, and has produced several assistance dogs that came to Lake County, including Nasa and Patch, who have made their homes with John and Katie Eels.
CCI’s most recent graduate to arrive in Lake County is Eddie. He and his handler, Mike Curran, celebrated their graduation from the program on May 18, as Lake County News has reported.
Since graduation, Curran and Eddie have been busy meeting community members and groups, taking part in followup training at CCI, attending training for pet therapy certification in local convalescent facilities, Sutter Lakeside and Hospice Services of Lake County, and participating in a hospice grief camp.
In June they participated in a California District Attorney's Association Training, with the Courthouse Dogs Program a topic of training and several CCI other dogs were in attendance.
“Eddie and I also helped with a presentation on Courthouse Dogs to the Napa County District Attorney's Office as they are pursuing a Facility Use Dog for interviewing kids and the elderly,” Curran said.
Curran, who retires Aug. 18 after 33 years with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, will begin as a volunteer Lake County District Attorney’s Office reserve investigator on Sept. 4. He said Eddie will assist him in interviews being done with children and the elderly at the Children's Interviewing Center. They will work 20 hours a week will be spent at the District Attorney’s Office.
At the end of September, “Reading with Rover” – a special literacy program that encourages children to read to specially trained dogs – will be coming to Lakeport Elementary and starting Oct. 1 it will start at Kelseyville Elementary.
Eddie and Curran will spend 20 hours a week working in local schools in the Reading With Rover program as well as visiting special education and kindergarten classes. Curran said the children will get to help with Eddie's grooming by brushing his coat and his teeth.
Curran and his new partner also will work as ambassadors for CCI, and will do presentations or appearances for any organization that requests them.
For more information about CCI, visit http://www.cci.org . For more about Reading With Rover, www.readingwithrover.org/default.asp .
Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), is warning Californians to protect themselves against heat-related illness as parts of the state are expected to experience some of the hottest weather since the extreme heat of 2006.
The National Weather Service predicts that California’s excessive heat wave will continue for the next several days.
Lake County’s daytime temperatures are predicted to be over 100 degrees through Monday, and rolling back slightly into the 90s the rest of the week.
“Illnesses due to prolonged exposure to extreme heat can be very serious, especially in the elderly and young,” Chapman said. “It's important to drink lots of water, keep cool and take other precautions when temperatures rise.”
Warning signs of heat exhaustion vary, but may include heavy sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, headache, nausea or vomiting, paleness, tiredness or dizziness.
Chapman said people can prevent heat-related illnesses by following these helpful tips to stay cool this summer.
- Reduce exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keep physical activities to a minimum during that time. When working outside, drink plenty of water or juice even if you are not thirsty, and take rest breaks in the shade.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat to cover the face and neck, and wear loose-fitting clothing to keep cool and to protect your skin from the sun and mosquitoes.
- Wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. Chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to blindness.
- Liberally apply sunscreen (at least SPF 15) 15 minutes before venturing outdoors and re-apply at least every two hours – sunscreen prevents skin cancer, the number one cancer affecting Californians. Sunscreen also prevents premature aging.
- Never leave infants, children or frail elderly unattended in a parked car – it can take as little as 10 minutes for the temperature inside a car to rise to levels that can kill.
- To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths. Get medical attention if you experience a rapid, strong pulse, feel delirious, or have a body temperature above 102.
For more information, go to CDPH’s Preventing Summer Heat Injuries page at www.cdph.ca.gov .
Anyone who has ever seen a noctilucent cloud or “NLC” would agree: They look alien. The electric-blue ripples and pale tendrils of NLCs reaching across the night sky resemble something from another world.
Researchers say that’s not far off. A key ingredient for the mysterious clouds comes from outer space.
“We’ve detected bits of ‘meteor smoke’ embedded in noctilucent clouds,” said James Russell of Hampton University, principal investigator of NASA’s AIM mission to study the phenomenon. “This discovery supports the theory that meteor dust is the nucleating agent around which NLCs form.”
Noctilucent clouds are a mystery dating back to the late 19th century. Northern sky watchers first noticed them in 1885 about two years after the eruption of Krakatoa.
Ash from the Indonesian volcano caused such splendid sunsets that evening sky watching became a worldwide pastime.
One observer in particular, a German named T.W. Backhouse who is often credited with the discovery of NLCs, noticed something odd.
He stayed outside longer than most people, long enough for the twilight to fully darken, and on some nights he saw wispy filaments glowing electric blue against the black sky. Scientists of the day figured they were some manifestation of volcanic dust.
Eventually Krakatoa’s ash settled and the sunsets faded, but strangely the noctilucent clouds didn’t go away. They’re still present today, stronger than ever.
Researchers aren’t sure what role Krakatoa’s ash played in those early sightings. One thing is clear, however: The dust behind the clouds we see now is space dust.
Mark Hervig of the company GATS, Inc, led the team that found the extraterrestrial connection.
“Using AIM’s Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE), we found that about 3 percent of each ice crystal in a noctilucent cloud is meteoritic,” said Hervig.
The inner solar system is littered with meteoroids of all shapes and sizes – from asteroid-sized chunks of rock to microscopic specks of dust. Every day Earth scoops up tons of the material, mostly the small stuff. When meteoroids hit our atmosphere and burn up, they leave behind a haze of tiny particles suspended 70 kilometers to 100 kilometers above Earth’s surface.
It’s no coincidence that NLCs form 83 km high, squarely inside the meteor smoke zone.
Specks of meteor smoke act as gathering points where water molecules can assemble themselves into ice crystals. The process is called “nucleation.”
Nucleation happens all the time in the lower atmosphere. In ordinary clouds, airborne specks of dust and even living microbes can serve as nucleation sites. Tiny ice crystals, drops of water, and snowflakes grow around these particles, falling to Earth if and when they become heavy enough.
Nucleating agents are especially important in the ethereal realm of NLCs. The clouds form at the edge of space where the air pressure is little more than vacuum. The odds of two water molecules meeting is slim, and of sticking together slimmer still.
Meteor smoke helps beat the odds. According AIM data, ice crystals can grow around meteoritic dust to sizes ranging from 20 to 70 nanometers.
For comparison, cirrus clouds in the lower atmosphere where water is abundant contain crystals 10 to 100 times larger.
The small size of the ice crystals explains the clouds’ blue color. Small particles tend to scatter short wavelengths of light (blue) more strongly than long wavelengths (red). So when a beam of sunlight hits an NLC, blue is the color that gets scattered down to Earth.
Meteor smoke explains much about NLCs, but a key mystery remains: Why are the clouds brightening and spreading?
In the 19th century, NLCs were confined to high latitudes – places like Canada and Scandinavia. In recent times, however, they have been spotted as far south as Colorado, Utah and Nebraska.
The reason, Russell believes, is climate change. One of the greenhouse gases that has become more abundant in Earth’s atmosphere since the 19th century is methane. It comes from landfills, natural gas and petroleum systems, agricultural activities and coal mining.
“When methane makes its way into the upper atmosphere, it is oxidized by a complex series of reactions to form water vapor,” Russell explained. “This extra water vapor is then available to grow ice crystals for NLCs.”
If this idea is correct, noctilucent clouds are a sort of “canary in a coal mine” for one of the most important greenhouse gases.
And that, said Russell, is a great reason to study them. “Noctilucent clouds might look alien, but they’re telling us something very important about our own planet.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Spouses and their children who receive SSI and/or MediCal needs based benefits, and are part of a divorce, may encounter complications involving the receipt and/or payment of either spousal or child support and their continued eligibility to receive needs based government benefits.
The receipt or payment of such support payments create special issues where Special Needs Trusts (”SNT”) are involved.
Often a SNT is established during the divorce proceedings to receive the support payments. Otherwise the receipt of either spousal or child support would negatively affect continued eligibility for such benefits.
A first party SNT can be established either by an authorized person – a parent, grandparent, or conservator – or by way of a court order, although no specific authority exists for a family court to issue such an order.
Any child support payments awarded to a disabled child receiving needs based government benefits will have to be irrevocably assigned to a first party SNT.
Otherwise payments will count as income to the child and negatively affect needs based government benefits.
The assignment implicates conflicting federal and state laws. These are best harmonized when both spouses consent to awarding child support payments to a first party SNT for the child’s benefit. Payments only, and not the underlying right to such support, can be assigned.
Now consider a beneficiary of an SNT who also pays spousal and/or child support.
Do the SNT distributions by the trustee count as income when the court sets the amount of support that the SNT beneficiary must pay? Furthermore, may the SNT trustee pay such support payments, on behalf of the beneficiary, to his or her spouse and or child?
A spouse's income is considered by the court when computing the amount of the support obligation that they must pay How then does being a beneficiary of an SNT impact the calculation of that obligation? This is an unsettled legal issue.
That said, given that trust distributions are fully discretionary with the SNT trustee it is unlikely that income generated inside the SNT will count unless and until actual distributions made on behalf of the beneficiary.
Next, under California law, the Trustee of an SNT can be forced to pay such obligations owed by a beneficiary to his or her ex-spouse or child because the right of an ex-spouse or child to receive support payments is safeguarded.
That said, however, in the case of a first party SNT (I.e., one created on behalf of a disabled person to receive payments or assets belonging to the beneficiary) this safeguard may conflict with the federal requirement that a first party SNT be solely for the benefit of the beneficiary and no one else.
Distributions by the trustee to pay support obligations owed to the beneficiary's spouse or child might arguabley violate this requirement and so jeopardize the SNT's validity under the very federal law that authorizes the creation of first party SNT's.
Accordingly, whenever possible, such support obligations should be paid using other income, including the SSI income, received by the beneficiary.
The trustee of the SNT can then make offsetting distributions on behalf of the beneficiary to cover unmet expenses.
The foregoing discussion shows the complications in a divorce where either spouse and/or any disabled children receive needs based government benefits. It is crucial that either the receipt or payment by a beneficiary of a SNT of any spousal or child support be implemented in a manner that preserves SSI and Medi-Cal benefits.
In such divorces, therefore, the concerned parties may wish to involve a trust law attorney knowledgeable in special needs trusts before the family law court issues an order.
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
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A local highway rehabilitation project is about to get rolling again thanks to the selection of a new contractor.
Caltrans said Thursday that the Highway 53 rehabilitation project will resume on Monday, Aug. 13.
The project includes installing a traffic signal at Olympic Drive, widening shoulders, adding and lengthening turn pockets at intersections, and repaving more than four miles of Highway 53 from just north of 40th Avenue to Highway 20, Caltrans reported.
The project has been hold for almost eight months, Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie told Lake County News.
Frisbie said the original contractor was Sierra Equipment Rental of Glenn.
The company began to experience problems last fall and then defaulted, Frisbie said.
He said when the company defaulted on its contract, its bonding company took over and worked with Caltrans to rebid the project.
The contract was recently awarded to Teichert Construction of Davis, according to Frisbie.
Frisbie said the late start this summer will push the project’s completion out to next fall.
“We are, however, working with the contractor to try to finish the new turn lanes at Olympic Drive as soon as possible so we can activate the new traffic signal,” Frisbie said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Clear Lake High School Sports Foundation captured first place honors Saturday at the third annual Grillin’ on the Green fundraiser for Westside Community Park.
Nearly 200 people enjoyed a dinner of barbecue samples, desserts, music by EarReverence and by Andy Rossoff, a car show provided by the No Name Car Club and the National Antique Auto Club, children’s activities, and the Lakeport Kiwanis Club’s Washer Tournament.
The event took place on the existing soccer fields at Westside Community Park.
The CLHS Sports Foundation team, led by Casey Dye, was victorious in the barbecue cookoff when the team’s pulled pork and slaw was selected as the favorite in the People’s Choice voting.
The ballot tallies revealed that second place went to the Early Lake Lions Club for its marinated flank steak, and third place to the Lakeport Lions Club for its beef kabobs.
A variety of offerings included sausage and slaw by the Grillin’ for Fun team, vegetable kabobs by the combined Lakeport and Kelseyville Rotary Clubs, chicken by the city of Lakeport team and ribs by the Lakeport Kiwanis.
The Lakeport Lions captured bragging rights for its decorated booth as attendees were asked to vote for their favorites. Second place in the decorated booth category went to the city of Lakeport.
“We had cooperation from the weather and enjoyed terrific food and fun at this year’s Grillin' on the Green,” said Park Committee Chair Dennis Rollins. “Thanks to all who helped by selling tickets, setting up and assisting at the event. It took a lot of people to pull this off. We are especially grateful to our volunteers and our sponsors.”
A rough head count at the event check-in showed about 170 people in attendance, plus grillers, car club members and youth volunteers.
Initial numbers indicate more than $4,000 was realized from ticket sales and beverage sales and donations made at the event, according to committee members.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the next phase of development of Westside Community Park, which will include soccer fields, a regulation baseball field, and a combination Little League baseball/softball field. Work on these fields is continuing this summer.
Event sponsors included the Keeling-Barnes Family Foundation, which is pledging matching funds up to $5,000; KNTI Radio; Lake County News; Lake County Publishing; Dr. Alexander McGeoch, DDS; Strohmeier’s Auto Center; Margaret Silveira; and the Ustrud-Rollins Family.
Several businesses, organizations and individuals contributed in-kind services and donations. Kenny Parlet/Lakeview Market supplied baked beans as one of the side dishes, while Nancy Ruzicka/Ruzicka Associates and Karan Mackey/Lakeport English Inn provided desserts. Snow cones were available for purchase from Marta and Domingo Villa.
Westside Community Park, located at 1401 Westside Park Road, is a city of Lakeport recreational facility that was established 14 years ago.
The nonprofit Park Committee is developing the park in conjunction with the city of Lakeport, volunteers, and numerous contributions by individuals and businesses dedicated to constructing a recreational facility for the youth and adults of Lake County.
The park currently is four acres consisting of two soccer fields, a parking lot, a picnic area overlooking the soccer fields and an ADA compliant walking path.
Future plans for development of the park’s full 60 acres include baseball/softball fields, a BMX track, a skateboard facility, football fields, a children’s play structure, a dog park, walking paths and a horse arena.
More information about park development and the Westside Community Park Committee is available from Rollins, 707-263-7091, and from the Web site, www.westsidecommunitypark.org .
