How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
News
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NORTH COAST, Calif. — A large quake offshore of Humboldt County that was felt by thousands of people across several states and set off a series of aftershocks on Thursday morning.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.0-magnitude quake occurred at 10:44 a.m. offshore of Cape Mendocino.
It triggered phone ShakeAlerts and was reported to be felt by people not just on the North Coast but around California as well as in Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon.
As of 12:30 p.m., more than 12,500 people in 673 zip codes had reported to the USGS that they had felt the quake.
At 11:47 a.m., the USGS initially reported there was a 5.8-magnitude quake in northern Sonoma County, just west of Cobb. However, that quake was later downgraded to a 4.1-magnitude temblor.
That quake was followed at 10:48 a.m. by a 2.5-magnitude quake near Cobb, inside the Lake County border.
Lake County News readers throughout the county, Northern California and Southern California reported feeling the quake.
At 10:49 a.m., the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for the area stretching from 10 miles southwest of Florence, Oregon, to 10 miles northwest of Santa Cruz, California. That warning said the earthquake was 7.3 in magnitude and 8 miles deep, significantly deeper than USGS’ report had indicated.
That warning was later ended.
The Cape Mendocino quake was followed by a continuing series of aftershocks — nearly 20 of them within an hour and a half — ranging in magnitude from 2.7 to 4.3.
Within an hour of the major quake, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reported that a tsunami was expected to hit Sonoma County beginning at 11:45 a.m. People were told to stay out of coastal waters and rivers, off the beaches, harbor docks and piers, as strong currents and dangerous waves are expected.
That Sonoma County warning was canceled shortly after noon.
The Mendocino College Coast Center said it closed due “to an abundance of caution” in response to the tsunami warning, but planned to reopen at 1 p.m.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A team of Middletown High School students will compete Thursday evening in a West Coast playoff game in an esport competition.
Esports are multiplayer, organized video game competitions that can be viewed by spectators.
Jennifer Pyzer, Middletown High’s business and computer instructor, said the team competes in the High School Esport League and will play the game “APEX Legends.”
The competition includes East, Central and West regions. Middletown High will compete in the West Region, which consists of the Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii time zone schools.
Middletown is small but proving mighty in the competition.
Pyzer said there were 36 schools competing in the APEX competition for the Fall Tournament.
“Middletown made it to the playoffs, and we are now in the semi-finals,” Pyzer said.
Pyzer said the top four teams are left.
Middletown’s record is 6-1; that’s the same record for Benjamin Franklin High School in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Pyzer said.
“We are ranked No. 2 and LAUSD Franklin is ranked No. 3,” Pyzer said.
Pyzer said the team will play in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.
“There is a chance if they make it to the top rounds that they will be able to compete against the other regions — Central and East at a larger tournament in Texas,” Pyzer said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The task force is dedicated to addressing the broadband and communications infrastructure needs of tribal communities across the United States, with a focus on bridging the digital divide and enhancing connectivity for native nations.
“I am deeply honored to join the Native Nations Communications Task Force. This appointment ensures that Tribal voices, including ours, will be heard at the decision-making table. It is an opportunity to advocate for digital sovereignty and to ensure that Tribal Nations remain a key part of the conversation as we work to bridge the digital divide,” Treppa said.
Treppa, who served as chairperson of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake for 16 years, brings extensive experience advocating for tribal sovereignty, economic self-reliance, and cultural preservation.
First elected in 2008, her leadership has been instrumental in fostering economic growth through innovative ventures.
Currently, she serves as ambassador for the tribe and as president of Habemco, the tribe’s fintech enterprise, which is a cornerstone of the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake’s economic development strategy.
In her role with the FCC, Treppa will help guide the agency’s efforts to address critical connectivity challenges facing tribal nations, ensuring that infrastructure investments and policy decisions reflect the unique needs of native communities.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The bill includes Rep. Thompson’s legislation that will exempt thousands of qualified wildfire victims in California from having to pay federal income tax on their settlement money or pay tax on attorney fees included in the settlement. This relief will also apply retroactively to qualified victims.
“Fire survivors have been through enough in the wake of losing their homes and livelihoods to wildfires — it’s wrong to tax them on the settlement money meant to help them rebuild their lives,” said Rep. Thompson on Wednesday. “The Senate’s unanimous vote to pass tax relief for fire survivors is an important step towards recovery for victims in my district and across California. Today’s overwhelming and bipartisan vote to deliver relief to victims was made possible by Senator Padilla and I thank him for his dedication and partnership in getting this passed.”
“Disaster settlement funds are not income, they’re compensation for what wildfire survivors have lost,” said Sen. Padilla. “When a wildfire survivor is combing through the ashes of their former home, the last thing they should have to worry about is how they’re going to pay taxes on any settlement they receive. Our bipartisan, bicameral bill will ensure the tens of thousands of Californians impacted by the Butte, North Bay, and Camp wildfires receive full and proper compensation to rebuild their lives after heartbreaking disaster.”
H.R. 5863 passed the Senate on Wednesday by unanimous consent. The bill will now go to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Rep. Thompson serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Tax for the Ways and Means Committee. He introduced the original legislation with Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) in the House of Representatives to provide tax relief to PG&E fire victims in the 117th Congress and has worked with Senator Padilla and Rep. LaMalfa to advance the legislation.
Earlier this year, Rep. Thompson and Rep. Greg Steube (FL-17) led a bipartisan group of 218 Members of Congress to successfully advance a discharge petition which forced House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act to the House floor for a vote. The historic advancement of Rep. Thompson and Rep. Steube’s petition marked only the third time a House discharge petition had succeeded in the 21st Century.
The Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act excludes from taxpayer gross income, for income tax purposes, any amount received by an individual taxpayer as compensation for expenses or losses incurred due to a qualified wildfire disaster (a disaster declared after 2014 as a result of a forest or range fire).
It also excludes relief payments for losses resulting from the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment on Feb. 3, 2023 and designates Hurricane Ian, among other federally declared disasters, as a qualified disaster for the purposes of determining the tax treatment of certain disaster-related personal casualty losses.