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- Written by: NASA Hubble Mission Team, Goddard Space Flight Center
A team using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a new type of astronomical object — a starless, gas-rich, dark-matter cloud considered a “relic” or remnant of early galaxy formation.
Nicknamed “Cloud-9,” this is the first confirmed detection of such an object in the universe — a finding that furthers the understanding of galaxy formation, the early universe, and the nature of dark matter itself.
“This is a tale of a failed galaxy,” said the program’s principal investigator, Alejandro Benitez-Llambay of the Milano-Bicocca University in Milan, Italy. “In science, we usually learn more from the failures than from the successes. In this case, seeing no stars is what proves the theory right. It tells us that we have found in the local universe a primordial building block of a galaxy that hasn't formed.”
The results, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, were presented at a press conference Monday at the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Phoenix.
“This cloud is a window into the dark universe,” said team member Andrew Fox of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy/Space Telescope Science Institute (AURA/STScI) for the European Space Agency. “We know from theory that most of the mass in the universe is expected to be dark matter, but it’s difficult to detect this dark material because it doesn’t emit light. Cloud-9 gives us a rare look at a dark-matter-dominated cloud.”
A region of space mostly filled with background galaxies, with one prominent star at upper left. A large blob of purple haze occupies much of the field. Within the purple region, an unremarkable area is outlined with a dashed white circle.
The object is called a Reionization-Limited H I Cloud, or "RELHIC.” The term “H I” refers to neutral hydrogen, and “RELHIC” describes a natal hydrogen cloud from the universe’s early days, a fossil leftover that has not formed stars. For years, scientists have looked for evidence of such a theoretical phantom object. It wasn’t until they turned Hubble toward the cloud, confirming that it is indeed starless, that they found support for the theory.
“Before we used Hubble, you could argue that this is a faint dwarf galaxy that we could not see with ground-based telescopes. They just didn't go deep enough in sensitivity to uncover stars,” said lead author Gagandeep Anand of STScI. “But with Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys, we're able to nail down that there's nothing there.”
The discovery of this relic cloud was a surprise. “Among our galactic neighbors, there might be a few abandoned houses out there,” said STScI’s Rachael Beaton, who is also on the research team.
Astronomers think RELHICs are dark matter clouds that couldn’t accumulate enough gas to form stars. They represent a window into the early stages of galaxy formation.
Cloud-9 suggests the existence of many other small, dark matter-dominated structures in the universe — other failed galaxies. This discovery provides new insights into the dark components of the universe that are difficult to study through traditional observations, which focus on bright objects like stars and galaxies.
Scientists have studied hydrogen clouds near the Milky Way for many years, but these clouds tend to be much bigger and more irregular than Cloud-9. Compared with other observed hydrogen clouds, Cloud-9 is smaller, more compact, and highly spherical, making it look very different from the others.
The core of this object is composed of neutral hydrogen and is about 4,900 light-years in diameter. Researchers measured the hydrogen gas in Cloud-9 by the radio waves it emits, measuring it to be approximately one million times the mass of the Sun.
Assuming that the gas pressure is balancing the dark matter cloud’s gravity, which appears to be the case, researchers calculated Cloud-9’s dark matter must be about five billion solar masses.
Cloud-9 is an example of structures and mysteries that don't involve stars. Just looking at stars doesn’t give the full picture. Studying the gas and dark matter helps provide a more complete understanding of what's going on in these systems that would otherwise be unknown.
Observationally, identifying these failed galaxies is challenging because nearby objects outshine them. Such systems are also vulnerable to environmental effects like ram-pressure stripping, which can remove gas as the cloud moves through intergalactic space. These factors further reduce their expected numbers.
The starless relic was discovered three years ago as part of a radio survey by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Guizhou, China, a finding later confirmed by the Green Bank Telescope and the Very Large Array facilities in the United States. But only with Hubble could researchers definitively determine that the failed galaxy contains no stars.
Cloud-9 was simply named sequentially, having been the ninth gas cloud identified on the outskirts of a nearby spiral galaxy, Messier 94 (M94). The cloud is close to M94 and appears to have a physical association with the galaxy. High-resolution radio data shows slight gas distortions, possibly indicating interaction between the cloud and galaxy.
The cloud may eventually form a galaxy in the future, provided it grows more massive — although how that would occur is under speculation. If it were much bigger, say, more than 5 billion times the mass of our Sun, it would have collapsed, formed stars, and become a galaxy that would be no different than any other galaxy we see. If it were much smaller than that, the gas could have been dispersed and ionized and there wouldn't be much left. But it’s in a sweet spot where it could remain as a RELHIC.
The lack of stars in this object provides a unique window into the intrinsic properties of dark matter clouds. The rarity of such objects and the potential for future surveys is expected to enhance the discovery of more of these “failed galaxies” or “relics,” resulting in insights into the early universe and the physics of dark matter.
The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for more than three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.
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- Written by: Lingzi Chen
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — More than $10 billion in federal funding for social services programs serving children and families has been frozen this week in five Democratic-led states, including California.
Lake County’s Social Services Director Rachael Dillman Parsons on Thursday joined the County Welfare Directors Association of California, or CWDA — which represents the human services directors of all 58 California counties — in urging the immediate restoration of the funding.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, announced on Tuesday that it had frozen billions of federal child care and family assistance funds for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, citing “fraud concerns.”
Across the five states, the freeze includes nearly $2.4 billion from the Child Care and Development Fund, $7.35 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families — known in California as CalWORKs — and $869 million from the Social Services Block Grant, according to the HHS announcement.
HHS said it has identified funds being "improperly provided to individuals who are not eligible under federal law.” It also said that funds will remain frozen until the HHS “completes a review and determines that states are in compliance with federal requirements.”
However, it did not provide any specifics or timeline in the announcement, nor did it address the impact on the millions of American families and children who could lose coverage.
“If unresolved, we could see impacts as soon as February 2026,” Dillman Parsons said in a press release posted on the department’s Facebook page Thursday afternoon.
The county did not provide an immediate response to Lake County News’ request for details on how local recipients of the affected benefits may be impacted by the federal fund freeze.
CWDA criticized the freeze in a Wednesday press release, calling it “baseless” and saying the federal government had provided “zero evidence” for its actions.
The release said California is being subjected to “punitive paperwork and bureaucratic barriers” including requests for sensitive personal information that local providers such as child care centers are prohibited from collecting.
The association warned that the freeze will have immediate consequences for millions of families: parents may lose child care, struggle to stay in school or at work, and children could face hunger or homelessness.
“The consequences of this action will be immediate and dire for the millions of California families who rely on these programs to survive,” the CWDA said, noting that more than three quarters of all of California’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients are children.“Children will suffer most.”
The funding freeze is the latest in a series of federal actions affecting social welfare programs.
A nationwide funding freeze in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, during the government shutdown in the fall was later reversed after multiple federal lawsuits, and cuts to homeless housing programs prompted a joint lawsuit by 20 states, including California.
The earlier SNAP freeze, which a quarter of Lake County residents rely on, worsened the local food crisis. The Board of Supervisors urgently allocated a total of $140,000 to support local food distribution for five weeks, and food banks reported “never-before-seen lengths” of food distribution lines.
The CWDA said the HHS action “continues this administration’s attack on programs proven to lift children and families out of poverty.”
“We call on HHS to immediately rescind this action and restore stability to these vital programs that help families meet their basic needs and create pathways out of poverty,” the association said.
Email staff writer Lingzi Chen at
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- Written by: Craig Nelson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Despite a biting cold front and shivering temperatures, the leaderboard at the inaugural Won Bass Winter Open is heating up.
As 74 boats churned the waters of the Konocti Vista Casino bay on Thursday, several local favorites and regional heavyweights secured dominant positions on the day one leaderboard.
The inaugural event faced a true winter test as a cold front gripped the region. Anglers faced morning temperatures dipped to 36 degrees with a biting wind chill. Water temperatures hovered between 49 and 50 degrees in the early hours.
As water temperatures rise gradually throughout the day, anglers with later weigh-in times may find a distinct advantage as the bite improves in the sun.
The action continues Friday as anglers try to maintain their momentum, and will the rising afternoon temperatures flip the leaderboard?
The competition was fierce on day one, with the top four teams all cracking the prestigious 30-pound barrier.
• First Place: Mark Cobey (Woodland) and Jake Etcheverry (Hughson) set the pace with a massive 34.40-pound bag.
• Second Place: Garrett Ellenson (Nine Mile Falls, Washington) and Cody Bandini (Stockton) remain within striking distance with 32.08 pounds.
• Third Place: Phillip Makin (Novato) and Troy Diatte (Salinas) secured their spot with 31.67 pounds.
• Fourth Place: Vince Hayes (Chico) and Dennis Saiki (Torrance) rounded out the top tier with 30.97 pounds.
Local anglers are making a significant showing on their home turf. Nathan Phillips of Cobb Mountain currently sits in fifth place with 29.65 pounds.
Right on his heels is Upper Lake professional John Pearl, who holds sixth place with 29.39 pounds.
Pearl also claimed the "Big Fish" spotlight for the pro division on day one, landing a spectacular 9.63-pound kicker.
In the amateur division, Damon Motley from Orange County leads the big fish category with an impressive 8.79-pounder.
The day two weigh-in begins on Friday afternoon, starting at 3:20 p.m. in the Konocti Vista Casino Parking lot.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story reported Dylan Yaquinto is from Rocklin. He is, in fact, from Lake County, California.
Craig Nelson is a former professional golfer who fell in love with tournament bass fishing 20 years ago. He found Lake County after fishing an FLW Stren Series event and never left. He’s the back-to-back winner of the Konocti Classic and runner up in the inaugural WON Bass Clear Lake Open.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a time to spot the signs, spread awareness and take action.
Human trafficking could be happening right next door, according to the Northern California Coalition To Safeguard Communities.
The organization said human trafficking includes forced labor and recognizing the signs early can make all the difference.
Community members are encouraged to learn the signs of human trafficking.
People who may be victims of labor trafficking often show fear, malnourishment or restricted freedom.
Additional warning signs include appearing controlled by another person either physically, such as having ID, money, or phone held by someone else, or psychologically, such as avoiding eye contact or needing approval for basic decisions.
Other indicators include disorientation or unawareness of surroundings, untreated injuries or illnesses, clothing inappropriate for the weather or age, being transported to and from work by someone else, living where they work, working unusually long or irregular hours, or working in a place with excessive security measures.
It’s also critical to take action: Even small steps, such as checking in on neighbors, listening, and sharing information can help protect someone from exploitation.
Show support: Participate in Wear Blue Day on Jan. 11 to honor survivors and signal your commitment to ending trafficking.
If you see signs of potential trafficking, do not intervene directly. Instead, report your concerns to the Norcal Coalition at 707-441-3031.
Every action counts. Awareness, vigilance, and community connection are key to preventing exploitation and creating safer, stronger communities in Northern California.
For more information on spotting trafficking and ways to take action, visit norcalcoalition.org.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and Cal Fire have renewed the California Fire Master Agreement — extending a long-standing framework for mutual wildfire response and cooperative risk-reduction work across California for the next five years.
The agreement was signed Dec. 12 by Pacific Southwest interim Regional Forester Jacque Buchanan and Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler.
It continues a multi-agency approach that allows firefighters to respond across jurisdictional boundaries and share personnel, equipment and resources during wildfire emergencies.
“This complex operating environment within California and the challenges we face year-round require this collaborative approach, and we’re committed to partnering and working together both to prepare for and respond to wildfires,” said Jaime Gamboa, fire director for the Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region.
Under the agreement, Forest Service and Cal Fire firefighters operate side by side on wildfires and work together on hazardous fuels reduction projects designed to lower future wildfire risk.
The agreement also streamlines training, dispatching and the sharing of firefighting staff, facilities and equipment, including aerial resources such as air tankers and helicopters.
The agreement prioritizes sending the closest available firefighting resources to a wildfire — regardless of jurisdiction — to better protect lives, property and natural resources.
While focused on wildland fire response, the agreement can also be used during declared disasters to support broader emergency operations.
Forest Service firefighters responded to more than 8,000 wildfires in the Pacific Southwest Region this year, with more than 96% of fires contained during the first operational period.
Officials credit the mutual aid system established through agreements like this one as a key factor in rapid initial attack and successful suppression.
The Forest Service manages 18 national forests in the Pacific Southwest Region, encompassing over 20 million acres across California, and assists landowners in California, Hawaii and U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. National forests supply 60% of the water in California and form the watershed of most major aqueducts and more than 2,400 reservoirs throughout the state.
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- Written by: Lingzi Chen
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — At its first meeting of the new year, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday resumed energy talks left over from last year’s stalled attempt to explore alternative power options.
The board discussed plans to explore alternative energy solutions for Lake County and voted to form an ad hoc committee focused on energy policy development.
While the discussion did not outline concrete paths, it marked the start of a new round of exploration following the county’s unsuccessful negotiations for more than six months last year with Sonoma Clean Power, a service provider of the community-based electricity procurement program called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA.
Sonoma Clean Power, or SCP, was the only option local jurisdictions seriously considered in 2025. The proposal became mired in uncertainty and controversy leading up to October, when the county and cities ultimately declined to sign the agreement.
In the meantime, the board directed staff to explore other options and providers.
In late October, Supervisor Bruno Sabatier reflected on the lack of an earlier search for additional options. “I should have asked for that to happen when we agreed to reach out to Sonoma Clean Power,” he said in a phone call with Lake County News.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Deputy County Administrative Officer Benjamin Rickelman told the board that staff have “some engagement with other CCAs.”
Rickelman reported that staff have scheduled meetings with Marin Clean Energy, which operates in several counties including Napa; Valley Clean Energy, which operates in Yolo County; and that they are awaiting a response from Pioneer Energy, which Glenn County plans to join in 2027.
Sabatier said Supervisor Helen Owen and he also have met multiple times with some developers and interested parties.
“I think this is a beginning — phase one — because yes, we need to get our feet on the ground and we need to get some guidance created. ” Sabatier said. “But in the long run, we have to involve the tribes and the cities. We are not going to win the energy game or market here in Lake County if we think just the county should do it for everyone else.”
The lack of tribal engagement was also a major point of controversy over the SCP proposal last year. The three local governments — the Board of Supervisors, along with the Lakeport and Clearlake City Councils — also only jointly met for the first time at the end of September, just two days before the Clearlake City Council voted on the matter, which ended in a 3-2 vote against joining SCP.
Sabatier suggested that joint discussions should happen earlier.
“We need to do that way ahead of time with the cities and the tribes for whatever we're moving towards,” he said. “I really believe we need to start internally and grow from there, but not move into a project and share that project at the last moment like I feel like we were doing with the choice aggregate that was provided earlier or later last year.”
Rickelman said staff are also “looking through questions from the community regarding geothermal and just broader energy policy with the county.”
“There's a lot of technical questions, but there's also a difficult developmental pathway for energy projects with California's rather — I would say — opaque but demanding entitlement process,” he said.
One of the major controversies surrounding the SCP proposal involved Lake County’s mandatory participation in the company’s geothermal zone efforts, which seek to develop geothermal projects in the future.
Critics raised concerns over the company’s support for Assembly Bill 531, which would allow the state to bypass local authority in geothermal development.
The energy development landscape extends beyond geothermal. Rickelman said the geological hydrogen company Koloma will begin reaching out to landowners in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties on Wednesday regarding “subsurface imaging,” a process that maps deep underground structures to identify potential hydrogen reservoirs.
All supervisors agreed on forming an ad hoc committee to lead energy policy development for the county. Supervisors Jessica Pyska, Owen and Sabatier expressed interest in serving on it.
The Brown Act does not explicitly limit the participation to only two supervisors. But for the committee to remain “ad hoc” and not be subject to public meeting requirements, it must include less than a quorum — meaning no more than two supervisors may serve on it.
Sabatier, while agreeing to withdraw, raised a concern regarding the collaboration that had already taken place.
"I'm okay with backing down, but I just think that there's been some collaboration already between myself and Supervisor Owen with some of the things that were discussed here already,” he said. “Again, willing to jump off. But there are some conversations that have gone pretty deep."
His remarks appeared to caution that swapping members may trigger a “serial meeting” violation by effectively involving three supervisors in the process.
“I think there's ways to remedy that, so we don't have Brown Act violations going forward,” Pyska said.
Supervisor Brad Rasmussen agreed. There was no further discussion on this matter. With Sabatier withdrawing, Pyska and Owen were voted to participate in the committee.
“It’s bigger than geothermal, although I do have a new plant coming back online in my district,” said District 5 Supervisor Pyska, referencing Mayacama Geothermal LLC’s project to bring the former Bottle Rock geothermal plant on High Valley Road back into operation. “This includes biomass, this includes microgriding, this includes hydrogen. This includes, you know, all of our energy policy.”
“We have resources, and I wanted our community, our people here in Lake County, to be able to benefit from those resources,” said Owen.
Editor’s note: Clarifications have been made in this article regarding the number of supervisors on the ad hoc committee and Brown Act requirements.
Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at
Kelseyville Middle School hosts 36th annual John Berry’s Road to Crescent City Basketball Tournament
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Kelseyville is proud to welcome teams, families and fans for the 36th Annual John Berry’s Road to Crescent City Junior High Basketball Tournament taking place Friday, Jan. 9, and Saturday, Jan. 10.
This cherished tradition brings together eighth grade boys A team basketball programs from across Northern California for a weekend filled with competition, sportsmanship and community pride.
More than just a tournament, the John Berry Road to Crescent City event has become a hallmark of the Kelseyville basketball program and a meaningful gathering for the community.
Each year it brings visitors to the area while helping raise vital funds that support the entire local basketball program.
The tournament also serves as a qualifying event for the Crescent City Jaycees Basketball Tournament, with the Kelseyville champion earning an automatic berth into the March 6 to 7 championship.
Members of the Crescent City Jaycees Selection Committee are expected to attend and last year, seven of the eight participating teams advanced to the Jaycees tournament.
Games will tip off Friday evening at the Kelseyville Elementary MUR Building and continue Saturday at Kelseyville High School.
Awards will be presented immediately following the seventh-place consolation third place and championship games, celebrating the hard work, dedication, and teamwork of student athletes.
One of the most anticipated moments of the tournament, the Hoop Shoot Contest, will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at Kelseyville High School, showcasing one selected player from each team.
Fans can enjoy the full tournament experience with Pogo’s Pizza and a fully stocked snack shack available throughout the weekend.
Community members, families and basketball supporters are encouraged to come out, cheer loudly, and help make this year’s tournament another memorable chapter in Kelseyville’s proud basketball tradition.
Organizers said the 36th annual John Berry’s Road to Crescent City Tournament promises great basketball, great food and an even greater sense of community.
