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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Approximately 120 educators and community members from Lake County recently attended an all-day training entitled “Breaking the Iron Cage of Poverty.”
The presenter was Dr. Donna Beegle, who was born into a migrant labor family and married at 15.
She is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated. By age 25, Dr. Beegle earned her GED and then, within 10 years, received her doctorate in educational ;leadership.
“This training is important for Lake County because some in our community have become stuck in that cycle of poverty,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
Over 75% of Lake County students qualify for free and reduced lunches. Household income must be at or less than 130% (free) and 185% (reduced) of the federal poverty guidelines. Because of the high percentage of qualifying students, Lake County is considered a high poverty area.
“I contend that education and schools are the key to breaking this cycle. Education is the key to a fulfilled and productive life,” said Falkenberg. “This is why I am in education.”
This training was impactful to the attendees. One educator wrote on Facebook, “One of the best trainings I have attended in my 24-year career in education!”
The Lake County Office of Education’s Educational Services department will be providing several more trainings for local educators in the next few months, with a focus on social and emotional learning. Dr. Beegle will return in July to work with Lake County teachers.
Visit lakecoe.org/calendar for the most current information on upcoming trainings.
For more information on Dr. Donna Beegle, please visit https://www.combarriers.com/.
The presenter was Dr. Donna Beegle, who was born into a migrant labor family and married at 15.
She is the only member of her family who has not been incarcerated. By age 25, Dr. Beegle earned her GED and then, within 10 years, received her doctorate in educational ;leadership.
“This training is important for Lake County because some in our community have become stuck in that cycle of poverty,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
Over 75% of Lake County students qualify for free and reduced lunches. Household income must be at or less than 130% (free) and 185% (reduced) of the federal poverty guidelines. Because of the high percentage of qualifying students, Lake County is considered a high poverty area.
“I contend that education and schools are the key to breaking this cycle. Education is the key to a fulfilled and productive life,” said Falkenberg. “This is why I am in education.”
This training was impactful to the attendees. One educator wrote on Facebook, “One of the best trainings I have attended in my 24-year career in education!”
The Lake County Office of Education’s Educational Services department will be providing several more trainings for local educators in the next few months, with a focus on social and emotional learning. Dr. Beegle will return in July to work with Lake County teachers.
Visit lakecoe.org/calendar for the most current information on upcoming trainings.
For more information on Dr. Donna Beegle, please visit https://www.combarriers.com/.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The annual burn ban in Lake County starts on Saturday, May 1.
It’s meant to address concerns over both fire hazard and air quality.
All burn permits expire on April 30.
The burn restriction applies to all areas in Lake County. The burn ban includes all open waste burning, though exemptions are possible for agricultural operations, essential control burns for fire hazard reduction projects, public safety burns and others.
The annual burn ban was first implemented in 1986 in response to weather conditions that often create extreme fire danger and poor air quality.
Air quality officials said a managed approach incorporating fire and air agency concerns has been implemented and improved upon for many years.
The ban allows a quick fire agency response to all fires observed from May 1 on, as they are all assumed to be uncontrolled fires unless specifically authorized by an exemption permit.
This program is credited with being one of the primary reasons Lake County has superior and healthful air quality.
To obtain an exemption permit to burn after May 1, first contact Air Quality at 707-263-7000 to determine need, then contact your local fire agency so that your burn site can be inspected for fire safety.
After the fire agency notifies the air district that the proposed burn site is fire-safe then an exemption permit may be obtained from the air district.
Anyone responsible for open burning during the ban without an exemption permit may be subject to citation, fines and fire agency response costs to extinguish the fire.
Burn restrictions will remain in effect until Cal Fire declares an end to fire season.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District asks the community to help reduce the danger and losses caused by uncontrolled fires and protect the county’s clean air.
“Public cooperation is greatly appreciated and results in a safer and more healthful environment for us all,” the district said.
It’s meant to address concerns over both fire hazard and air quality.
All burn permits expire on April 30.
The burn restriction applies to all areas in Lake County. The burn ban includes all open waste burning, though exemptions are possible for agricultural operations, essential control burns for fire hazard reduction projects, public safety burns and others.
The annual burn ban was first implemented in 1986 in response to weather conditions that often create extreme fire danger and poor air quality.
Air quality officials said a managed approach incorporating fire and air agency concerns has been implemented and improved upon for many years.
The ban allows a quick fire agency response to all fires observed from May 1 on, as they are all assumed to be uncontrolled fires unless specifically authorized by an exemption permit.
This program is credited with being one of the primary reasons Lake County has superior and healthful air quality.
To obtain an exemption permit to burn after May 1, first contact Air Quality at 707-263-7000 to determine need, then contact your local fire agency so that your burn site can be inspected for fire safety.
After the fire agency notifies the air district that the proposed burn site is fire-safe then an exemption permit may be obtained from the air district.
Anyone responsible for open burning during the ban without an exemption permit may be subject to citation, fines and fire agency response costs to extinguish the fire.
Burn restrictions will remain in effect until Cal Fire declares an end to fire season.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District asks the community to help reduce the danger and losses caused by uncontrolled fires and protect the county’s clean air.
“Public cooperation is greatly appreciated and results in a safer and more healthful environment for us all,” the district said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Fair is set to return this summer after missing a year due to COVID-19.
After canceling the fair in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday night the Lake County Fair Board voted to bring it back for this year.
It’s one of the largest events in the county, drawing an estimated 40,000 visitors each year.
The Monday vote was 4-1, with Director Kim Hansen voting no due to her concerns about the fair’s finances, Fair Chief Executive Officer Sheli Wright told Lake County News on Tuesday.
Voting to support the return of the fair were Board President Tom Turner, longtime directors Janeane Bogner and Marcia Chauvin, and newest member Kirk Andrus.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Andrus, a well-known and respected local physician, to the fair board in March.
The fair dates this year are Thursday, Sept. 2, through Sunday, Sept. 5, Wright said.
She said they will start planning in early May.
Wright said this year’s fair is expected to be a smaller event than in the past and more volunteer-driven. She said she plans to rely heavily on volunteer support and hire fewer staffers due to the fair’s financial constraints.
She expects concessions and activities will be spread out more throughout the grounds, with signage and possible capacity monitoring.
One of the changes this year is moving the horse show back to Thursday during the fair. Many years ago it was moved to the day before the fair, which Wright said has been a complaint.
She said Jon Hopkins is volunteering to get the entertainment and music lineup put together. The goal is to ensure that as many local musicians as possible are included.
They’re also planning to have grandstand events including a destruction derby and mud bogs, Wright said.
Wright said the Lake County Fair also will have a secondary plan in case there is an upswing in COVID-19 cases that impacts the event.
Many of the details – such as whether there will be indoor exhibits – are still being worked out, Wright explained. With the state anticipating fully reopening by June 15, a lot of the rules that have prevented events like the fair are expected to end.
On April 2 the California Department of Public Health Industry Guidance for Amusement Parks and Theme Parks was updated to add fairgrounds. That led other regional fairs – like that in neighboring Glenn County – to announce plans to move forward with their events. The Glenn County Fair takes place at the end of May.
On Tuesday Wright was headed to the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff to see how organizers there are handling the event safety.
In another neighboring county, the Colusa County Fair Board voted earlier this year to cancel its traditional June fair and instead hold a week of events around a restructured Junior Livestock Market Evaluation and Auction.
Facing fiscal challenges
This will be the first Lake County Fair for Wright in the CEO’s job. She came on the job last year in mid-March, just as the county, the state and the nation were starting to shut down due to COVID-19.
In June, the fair board took action to cancel the fair. The year 2020 was the first since World War II in which the fair didn’t take place.
Wright did, however, manage to hold the Junior Livestock Auction online in September. The plan is to hold the auction in person once more this year, she said.
Over the past year, Wright and the fair board have had to make tough decisions to cut costs to meet the fair’s financial challenges, which were amplified by the loss of revenue from the pandemic.
They’ve cut back on staff, so that it’s now Wright and groundskeeper extraordinaire Larry Richardson who are the fair’s two employees. Wright credited Richardson for keeping the fairgrounds in great condition and doing the work of six men in the process, noting the pride he takes in his work.
Wright said the fair also has rented the Phil Lewis Hall to the Lake County Superior Court for jury selection and trials. However, that arrangement is soon to end.
Gov. Newsom gave fairs their full allocation in his budget and they are expecting a little more funding to be placed in the revised May budget, which Wright said will keep the Lake County Fair going for much of the rest of this year.
Wright said the fair is looking at other potential revenue streams, including establishing a year-round RV park on the grounds.
The fairgrounds belong to the community and so need community support, Wright said.
She noted that community members are in fact jumping in to help with beautification projects on the grounds, and Wright said they also have interest from FFA and 4-H members who want to be involved.
The fair has a cleanup day event planned on Sunday, May 16. The Lake County Fair Foundation is asking for community volunteers. Those wishing to participate should RSVP by May 3 by emailing
Wright said it’s important to remain flexible as they move forward and wait to see what happens over the next four months.
To find out more about how to help the fair this year, call the fairgrounds at 707-263-6181.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A longtime employee in Lake County’s government and the former county administrative officer has died.
Heber Matthew “Matt” Perry died April 24 of complications of pancreatic cancer. He was 60 years old.
Perry and his wife, Julie, were living in Cache Valley, Utah, where they had moved in 2016 after he retired from the county.
Born in Montana and raised on a Minnesota dairy farm, Perry was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, for which he did a two-year mission on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona.
Perry held a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master’s of Public Administration from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.
After graduate school, he and his wife came to Lakeport, where he began his job with the county of Lake.
Retired County Administrative Officer Kelly Cox said Perry was fresh out of college when he hired him to work as an administrative analyst in the County Administrative Office.
“He quickly impressed me with his knowledge, competency and work ethic,” said Cox. “He earned several promotions and eventually served as my chief deputy CAO before being selected by the Board of Supervisors for appointment to the position of county administrative officer after I retired in 2012. He served the board and the citizens of Lake County with distinction and dedication.”
When the Board of Supervisors appointed Perry interim county administrative officer in June 2012, then-Supervisor Rob Brown said Perry asked the board to make the initial appointment on an interim basis to make sure he was a good fit.
In December of that year, the board gave him the job on a permanent basis. His budget acumen and experience with the county’s government were key among the reasons for giving him the job.
Perry would oversee renovations of the Lucerne Hotel, manage the dissolution of the county’s redevelopment agency and work to meet new federal health care law requirements.
But looming over those projects during his tenure was a series of devastating wildland fires that hit Lake County, beginning with the Rocky and Jerusalem fires in the summer of 2015, to be followed in September of that year by the Valley fire, which tore a swath of destruction through southern Lake County.
He had worked for the county for 28 years when he retired in 2016. Shortly afterward, he and wife Julie moved to Utah where he worked in human resources for Utah State University.
His family said he held many roles in the church, and particularly cherished opportunities to work with young people in capacities that included young men’s leader and scoutmaster.
“He was definitely one of the most decent men I’ve ever known,” said Cox. “I’m fortunate that we remained in regular contact even after we both retired and after he and his family relocated to Utah. I am very saddened by the passing of our good friend and my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
In addition to Julie, his wife of 36 years, Perry is survived by his mother, his three children, his four sisters and four granddaughters.
Perry’s full obituary is here. Information about how to attend his May 1 funeral in Utah via Zoom can be found at http://bit.ly/MattPerryFuneral.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Wreaths Across America announced that it will make a Lake County stop for the WAA Mobile Education Exhibit, or MEE, national tour.
The MEE started its tour at the WAA Headquarters in Maine and will be in Lakeport on Friday, May 7, for a scheduled event that is both free and open to the public.
The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the end of Fifth Street near the Yacht Club.
“The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring the community together and teach patriotism while remembering the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes,” said Karen Worcester, executive director, Wreaths Across America. “However, over the last year, in light of the current health crisis, we feel this exhibit has taken on even more meaning by providing the opportunity for people to safely participate in something that is both educational and inspiring, while supporting and giving back to the communities it visits.”
The MEE achieves this goal by bringing the local community, veterans, active-duty military and their families together through interactive exhibits, short films and shared stories.
The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official “welcome home” station for our nation’s Vietnam veterans.
All veterans, active-duty military, their families, and the local community members are invited and encouraged to visit, take a tour and speak with WAA representatives and volunteers.
They can also share more about the national nonprofit, and the work its volunteers do to support our heroes and their communities year-round.
The public tours for the MEE are free and open to the public with social distancing, sanitation and COVID-19 safety procedures in place to protect the health of all visitors in accordance with the CDCs recommendation for large gatherings stemming from concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wreaths Across America is the nonprofit organization best known for placing wreaths on veteran’s headstones at Arlington National Cemetery.
However, in 2020 alone, the organization placed more than 1.7 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths at 2,557 participating locations nationwide.
Throughout the calendar year you can tune in to Wreaths Across America Radio, 24/7, to learn more about the mission and those who support it across the country, as well as the hundreds of local charitable efforts nationwide that are funded through wreath sponsorships.
You can sponsor a veteran’s wreath anytime for $15 at www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. Each sponsorship goes toward a live, balsam wreath that will be placed on the headstone of an American hero as we endeavor to honor all veterans laid to rest at noon on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2021, as part of National Wreaths across America Day.
In another important milestone in helping Californians rebuild and recover, the state announced on Tuesday that it has cleared eligible wildfire debris from more than 82 percent of eligible properties in Bay Area counties whose owners are participating in the state's Consolidated Debris Removal Program.
Under the program, administered by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, in conjunction with participating counties, property owners incur no direct costs for participation.
To date, state contractors have cleared burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from 540, or 82.6 percent, of the 654 participating properties in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Mendocino, Lake and San Mateo counties. Statewide, contractors have finished removing debris from 2,704 or 72.2 percent, of 3,745 participating parcels.
Although removal of debris from the properties moves property owners one step closer to rebuilding, debris officials remind property owners that the process is not over and that state contractors must complete additional work before they can begin reconstruction.
Once a state crew has cleared a property of eligible debris, the surveying contractor will return to the site and collect soil samples for testing at a state certified laboratory to verify that the samples taken from an owner's property meet state environmental health and safety criteria.
If the soil samples meet state environmental and safety criteria, contractors then install fiber rolls and apply a virgin-based, biodegradable mulch to every cleared property whose owners have opted to have contractors implement the two types of erosion control measures.
Following these erosion control measures, state officials and staff conduct a walkthrough of the property to ensure that all work done by state crews meets the state's standard. If work meets the state's standards, debris officials submit a final inspection report to local officials, clearing the way for the property owner to begin reconstruction.
In Napa County, crews have cleared eligible debris from 284, or 88.5 percent of the 320 properties whose owners are participating in the state program. Debris officials have returned 52 of the cleared properties to county officials as ready for reconstruction.
Additional work by state crews in Napa County includes the completion of 319 site assessments and 318 asbestos assessments, as well as the abatement of 71 properties where contractors identified bulk quantities of asbestos containing materials, or ACMs.
In Sonoma County, state crews have cleared debris from 142, or 67.3 percent, of the 211 properties in the county whose owners are participating in the program. State debris officials have returned 25 of the cleared properties to county officials as ready for reconstruction.
Contractors in Sonoma County also have completed 211 site assessments, 207 asbestos assessments and 54 asbestos abatements.
Contractors have removed eligible debris from 68, or 95.8 percent, of the 71 participating properties in Santa Clara County. Debris officials have returned 13 properties back to county officials. Earlier, crews completed site and asbestos assessments on each participating property in the county, as well as 40 abatements.
Contractors working in Mendocino County have removed eligible debris from all 31 participating properties after site and asbestos assessments of each parcel and asbestos abatements on four properties.
In Lake County, crews have removed debris from all nine participating properties after site and asbestos assessments of each site and asbestos abatements on three parcels.
Crews in San Mateo County have cleared eligible debris from half of 12 properties in the county whose owners are participating in the program following site and asbestos assessments of each site and abatement of bulk quantities of ACMs on five sites.
State officials coordinating the removal of debris caused by last year's wildfires are reminding property owners participating in the state's Consolidated Debris Removal Program that performing any debris removal work themselves once state contractors have begun will result in their disqualification from the state program.
Under the program, administered by the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, or CalRecycle, and the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, in conjunction with participating counties, property owners incur no direct costs for participation.
To date, state contractors have cleared burned metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from 540, or 82.6 percent, of the 654 participating properties in Napa, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Mendocino, Lake and San Mateo counties. Statewide, contractors have finished removing debris from 2,704 or 72.2 percent, of 3,745 participating parcels.
Although removal of debris from the properties moves property owners one step closer to rebuilding, debris officials remind property owners that the process is not over and that state contractors must complete additional work before they can begin reconstruction.
Once a state crew has cleared a property of eligible debris, the surveying contractor will return to the site and collect soil samples for testing at a state certified laboratory to verify that the samples taken from an owner's property meet state environmental health and safety criteria.
If the soil samples meet state environmental and safety criteria, contractors then install fiber rolls and apply a virgin-based, biodegradable mulch to every cleared property whose owners have opted to have contractors implement the two types of erosion control measures.
Following these erosion control measures, state officials and staff conduct a walkthrough of the property to ensure that all work done by state crews meets the state's standard. If work meets the state's standards, debris officials submit a final inspection report to local officials, clearing the way for the property owner to begin reconstruction.
In Napa County, crews have cleared eligible debris from 284, or 88.5 percent of the 320 properties whose owners are participating in the state program. Debris officials have returned 52 of the cleared properties to county officials as ready for reconstruction.
Additional work by state crews in Napa County includes the completion of 319 site assessments and 318 asbestos assessments, as well as the abatement of 71 properties where contractors identified bulk quantities of asbestos containing materials, or ACMs.
In Sonoma County, state crews have cleared debris from 142, or 67.3 percent, of the 211 properties in the county whose owners are participating in the program. State debris officials have returned 25 of the cleared properties to county officials as ready for reconstruction.
Contractors in Sonoma County also have completed 211 site assessments, 207 asbestos assessments and 54 asbestos abatements.
Contractors have removed eligible debris from 68, or 95.8 percent, of the 71 participating properties in Santa Clara County. Debris officials have returned 13 properties back to county officials. Earlier, crews completed site and asbestos assessments on each participating property in the county, as well as 40 abatements.
Contractors working in Mendocino County have removed eligible debris from all 31 participating properties after site and asbestos assessments of each parcel and asbestos abatements on four properties.
In Lake County, crews have removed debris from all nine participating properties after site and asbestos assessments of each site and asbestos abatements on three parcels.
Crews in San Mateo County have cleared eligible debris from half of 12 properties in the county whose owners are participating in the program following site and asbestos assessments of each site and abatement of bulk quantities of ACMs on five sites.
State officials coordinating the removal of debris caused by last year's wildfires are reminding property owners participating in the state's Consolidated Debris Removal Program that performing any debris removal work themselves once state contractors have begun will result in their disqualification from the state program.