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Video from the navigation camera aboard NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter shows its record-breaking 25th flight on April 8, 2022. Covering 2,310 feet (704 meters) at a maximum speed of 12 mph (5.5 meters per second), it was the rotorcraft’s longest and fastest flight to date. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.


Imagery has come down from Mars capturing a recent flight in which the rotorcraft flew farther and faster than ever before.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s black-and-white navigation camera has provided dramatic video of its record-breaking 25th flight, which took place on April 8.

Covering a distance of 2,310 feet at a speed of 12 miles per hour, it was the Red Planet rotorcraft’s longest and fastest flight to date. (Ingenuity is currently preparing for its 29th flight.)

“For our record-breaking flight, Ingenuity’s downward-looking navigation camera provided us with a breathtaking sense of what it would feel like gliding 33 feet above the surface of Mars at 12 miles per hour,” said Ingenuity team lead Teddy Tzanetos of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

The first frame of the video clip begins about one second into the flight. After reaching an altitude of 33 feet, the helicopter heads southwest, accelerating to its maximum speed in less than three seconds.

The rotorcraft first flies over a group of sand ripples then, about halfway through the video, several rock fields. Finally, relatively flat and featureless terrain appears below, providing a good landing spot. The video of the 161.3-second flight was speeded up approximately five times, reducing it to less than 35 seconds.

The navigation camera has been programmed to deactivate whenever the rotorcraft is within 3 feet of the surface. This helps ensure any dust kicked up during takeoff and landing won’t interfere with the navigation system as it tracks features on the ground.

Ingenuity’s flights are autonomous. “Pilots” at JPL plan them and send commands to the Perseverance Mars rover, which then relays those commands to the helicopter.

During a flight, onboard sensors — the navigation camera, an inertial measurement unit, and a laser range finder — provide real-time data to Ingenuity’s navigation processor and main flight computer, which guide the helicopter in flight. This enables Ingenuity to react to the landscape while carrying out its commands.

Mission controllers recently lost communication with Ingenuity after the helicopter entered a low-power state. Now that the rotorcraft is back in contact and getting adequate energy from its solar array to charge its six lithium-ion batteries, the team is looking forward to its next flight on Mars.

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — A Memorial Day ceremony will take place at the Middletown Cemetery on Monday.

The event will take place from 9 to 10 a.m. at the cemetery, located at 16357 Butts Canyon Road. Parking will be provided and refreshments will be served.

The floral design class from the Middletown High School will present colorful flowered wreaths in honor of the veterans who have given so much for our country.

Sergeant of the Guard Bob Perez from the Lake County Military Honors Team will begin the ceremonies.

Veteran Chaplin Charles Schrieber will do the Invocation along with Taps.

The Lake County Military Honors Team will perform the three-volley salute. They will be ushered in by Rick Rice of the Patriot Guard Riders.

Students with 4-H are in charge of the flag ceremony. Girl Scout Troop #10403, led by Rebecca Crawford, will help with wreath placement and programs and will place a flag on each of the 224 veterans’ graves with the assistance of Daisy Troop #10917.

District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon, tribal chair of the Middletown Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, will be the guest speaker and he will read the names of the veterans buried at Middletown Rancheria.

Jim Comstock, former District 1 supervisor, will read the names of the veterans buried in the Middletown Cemetery.

Linda Diehl-Darms, chairwoman of the Middletown Cemetery District, will act as mistress of ceremonies.

The benediction will be given by Voris Brumfield, Pastor of the Middletown Methodist Church.

David Neft will provide the sound and keyboard accompaniment for vocalist Paula Negrete.

The Middletown Lions Club faithfully provides the chairs and helps with many set up items on this special day.

Organizers invite the community to join them for this important event to honor our veterans.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Caltrans held its Litter Cleanup Day on Thursday with crews and volunteers removing trash and debris along highways throughout the state.

In Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino counties, Thursday’s event included District 1 crews removing litter from area highways and a call out to our communities to join in by picking up litter in their neighborhoods and nearby parks.

Litter Cleanup Day is part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.1 billion, multiyear effort led by Caltrans to keep roads and waterways free of litter, create thousands of jobs, and transform state and local public spaces through beautification efforts.

“Litter on our roadways pollutes waterways, threatens wildlife and increases the risk of fire,” said Caltrans Acting Director Steven Keck. “Californians can be part of the solution by disposing of garbage responsibly, securing cargo properly and volunteering to collect litter through the Adopt-A-Highway program.”

Motorists can help prevent highway litter by following a few basic travel behaviors:

• Keep a trash bag in your vehicle and always dispose of garbage appropriately.
• Properly extinguish cigarettes and cigars, and never throw any item, particularly one that is lit, from a vehicle.
• Always cover and properly secure cargo or materials hauled in truck beds to prevent items from falling off the vehicle.
• Volunteer to adopt a California highway and remove litter.

In January, Caltrans announced a Clean California incentive program that offers up to $250 per month to Adopt-A-Highway volunteers who pick up litter along state highways.

Since its inception in 1989, more than 120,000 Californians have cleaned more than 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside.

The incentives augment the overall goals of the Clean California program to maintain and beautify the state's roadways.

Since launching Clean California in July, Caltrans has removed more than 630,000 cubic yards of litter from state highways — the equivalent of 10,600 tons or enough to fill 193 Olympic-size swimming pools — and hired 700 new team members as part of Clean California, including 482 maintenance workers who collect litter and remove graffiti.

For more information, visit www.CleanCA.com.

In the wake of the recent, horrific shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, and the nation’s long history of devastating firearm-related massacres, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) announced on Thursday her support for a package of legislation adopted by the State Assembly to stem the scourge of mass shootings.

“We are the only country in the world where the regulation of guns and gun-ownership is treated with such callous disregard, where no place is safe, including places of worship, grocery stores and elementary schools,” said Aguiar-Curry, whose Fourth Assembly District includes Lake County.

“I want to make very clear that these bills do nothing to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” she said. “They are meant to increase attention to violence prevention, increase transparency, and promote registration of and accountability for gun manufacturers. These measures will help. But, until the US Congress takes up such common sense measures as Congressman Mike Thompson’s HR 8, The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and renews the ban on assault weapons and other implements of war, Californians will be at continued risk.

The bill package includes:

• AB 2571 (Bauer-Kahan) Prohibits firearm industry members from marketing or advertising firearm-related products to minors and authorizes public attorneys and injured plaintiffs to bring a civil action to enforce the prohibition, obtain injunctive relief, and seek either civil penalties, or, in some cases, damages for harms caused by a violation.

• AB 1621 (Gipson) Changes the definition of a firearm and firearm precursor part and prohibits a person from possessing or manufacturing a firearm precursor part without authorization, seeking to address the rising problem of ghost guns..

• AB 2156 (Wicks) Reduces, from 50 to three, the number of firearms a person, firm or corporation may manufacture in a calendar year without having a state license to manufacture firearms. Also prohibits a person, firm or corporation from using a 3D printer to manufacture any firearm, including a frame or receiver, or any firearm precursor part, without having a state license to manufacture firearms.

• AB 2552 (McCarthy) Mandates additional notices related to the storage, handling, purchase and theft of a firearm be posted at each public entrance of any gun show, event or exposition and requires the California Dept. of Justice to inspect half of all gun shows and events every year.

• AB 1929 (Gabriel) Requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to establish a community violence prevention and recovery program, under which violence-preventive services are required to be provided by qualified violence prevention professionals as a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program. Defines the eligibility of Medi-Cal beneficiaries for violence prevention services, and training and certification program and continuing education requirements for violence preventive professionals.

• AB 2239 (Maeinschein) Creates a 10-year firearm prohibition for individuals convicted of child abuse and elder and dependent adult abuse involving violence.

“Before I am an Assemblywoman, I am a mother and grandmother,” Aguiar-Curry said. “Too many mothers and grandmothers have buried their loved ones in the wake of violence like what we saw yesterday in Texas. I was proud to support these measures, which are supported by the vast majority of Americans and a majority of gun owners.”

More Americans died of gun-related injuries in 2020 than in any other year on record, according to recently published statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That included a record number of gun murders, as well as a near-record number of gun suicides.

Nearly eight in 10 (79%) U.S. murders in 2020 — 19,384 out of 24,576 — involved a firearm. That marked the highest percentage since at least 1968, the earliest year for which the CDC has online records.

“Too many Californians have faced what families in Uvalde faced last night — empty beds and broken hearts,” Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry said. “These bills will take real steps toward keeping guns out of the hands of those who would do harm.”

The Employment Development Department on Thursday announced it has blocked a recent unemployment insurance fraud attempt involving crooks trying to steal hundreds of millions in benefits using paper and fax applications.

EDD is now mailing notices to claimants to separate the fraud attempts from any legitimate claims.

This latest scheme involved fraudsters flooding EDD with unemployment insurance claims filed by paper and fax — including as many as 47,000 potentially fraudulent claims earlier this month. EDD would normally expect to receive roughly 7,000 such applications in that time frame.

EDD did not pay the potentially fraudulent claims and its action prevented up to $560 million in potential unemployment insurance fraud.

“EDD’s tough new fraud filters thwart a constant stream of new fraud attempts, schemes and criminal tactics” said EDD Fraud Special Counsel McGregor Scott. “These criminals again tried to pierce the Department’s defenses but we stopped them dead in their tracks.”

The work of fraudsters in this case will likely slow claims for some paper-filing claimants as EDD separates the fraud attempts from legitimate claims.

EDD is mailing notices to all paper and fax benefit applicants to quickly identify any legitimate claimant and disqualify all fraudulent ones.

The mailed notices explain that an issue must be resolved before any benefits are paid, and include information about fraud reporting.

Any legitimate claimant who receives an EDD notice should respond with the requested verification right away and EDD will review and process the legitimate claim.

Some Californians may receive multiple notices from EDD if a scammer tried to file multiple claims in their name. EDD’s mailed notices are part of its fraud fighting system and help warn potential identity theft victims that fraudsters are attempting to use their personal information.

Californians who suspect fraudulent activity, including those receiving mailed EDD notices and did not apply for benefits, should report the fraud as indicated on the mailed notice and call 1-866-401-2849 for assistance. Californians can also report benefits fraud by visiting Report Fraud in Ask EDD. EDD has additional resources to help identity theft victims on the Help Fight Fraud webpage.

EDD encourages Californians to stay vigilant against scam attacks. Scammers attempt to get personal information in many sophisticated and creative ways.

Scammers may “phish” for victims by pretending to be banks, stores, or even government agencies. They do this over the phone, in emails, by text message, in the regular mail, and by other communications forms. Once scammers have stolen this information they may attempt to file false benefit claims.

EDD runs one of the nation’s largest public benefit systems. Over 20 million people filed over 60 million unemployment, disability insurance, and paid family leave claims over the past decade. EDD prepared, printed and mailed 45 million documents to customers through the most recent fiscal quarters. EDD was mailing nearly 600,000 a day during the height of the pandemic.

In response to the unprecedented increase in fraudulent unemployment claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic, EDD implemented new safeguards in 2020 to detect and prevent identity theft and other organized criminal activities, including identity verification through ID.me and cross-checking applications against law enforcement databases from Thomson Reuters.

EDD’s new anti-fraud measures blocked an estimated $125 billion in unemployment fraud attempts during the pandemic. Still, fraudsters continue trying new tactics. Last year, EDD detected and halted a complex scheme involving stolen medical or health provider credentials.

Fraudsters flooded EDD with over 30,000 fake medical provider accounts, forcing EDD to review hundreds of thousands of claims associated with those accounts and block billions of dollars in fraud attempts.

As part of its effort to better serve Californians, EDD invested in cutting-edge document production and distribution systems to deliver millions of documents to Californians and keep them informed about the status of claims during the pandemic.

“Criminals will probe for weakness every day of the year and EDD will keep blocking them,” said Scott. “EDD will continue to strengthen its fraud fighting capability and remind Californians to guard against identity theft.”

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has seven dogs this week tat are waiting for their new families.

The City of Clearlake Animal Association also is seeking fosters for the animals waiting to be adopted.

Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.

Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.

The following dogs are available for adoption.

‘Bear’

“Bear” is a male Labrador retriever-American pit bull mix with a short charcoal and fawn coat.

He has been neutered.

‘Andy’

“Andy” is a male American pit bull mix with a short gray and white coat.

He is dog No. 48995415.

‘Big Phil’

“Big Phil” is a 13-year-old male American pit bull terrier mix with a blue coat.

He is dog No. 49951647.

‘Chai’

“Chai” is a female Alaskan husky mix with a gray and white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is dog No. 49279552.

‘Colt’

“Colt” is a male Rhodesian Ridgeback mix with a short rust and black coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 49812106.

‘Snowball’

“Snowball” is a male American Staffordshire mix terrier with a white coat.

He has been neutered.

He is dog No. 49159168.

‘Terry’

“Terry” is a handsome male shepherd mix with a short brindle coat.

He gets along with other dogs, including small ones, and is discovering that he enjoys toys. He also likes water, playing fetch and keep away.

Staff said he is now getting some training to help him build confidence.

He is dog No. 48443693.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.