LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week’s three lovely cats are hoping you’ll add them to your home.

The three cats are all females and 2 years or under in age.

Cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed and microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake .

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

Black female short hair

This black domestic short hair mix is 1 year old.

She weighs 8 pounds and has been spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 13, ID No. 32378.

‘Tilly’

Tilly is a 10-month-old female domestic short hair mix.

She is a brown tabby, and has not yet been spayed.

She is in cat room kennel No. 126, ID No. 32385.

Gray female tabby

This gray female tabby is 2 years old.

She has a short coat, weighs 7 pounds and has been spayed.

She is in cat room kennel No. 16, ID No. 32431.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The county’s animal shelter this week has several small dogs available for adoption.

Chihuahua, Pomeranian and Yorkshire Terrier mixes – all of which fit comfortably on one’s lap – are the featured small breeds. To make sure the big dogs are represented, a Shar Pei-Laborador Retriever mix also is available.

Thanks to Lake County Animal Care and Control’s new veterinary clinic, many of the animals offered for adoption already are spayed or neutered and ready to go home with their new families.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Female Chihuahua mix

This tiny female Chihuahua mix is 5 months old.

She has a short, black and brown coat, weighs 4 pounds and is spayed.

She is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 32365.

Yorkshire Terrier mix

The male Yorkshire Terrier mix is 10 months old.

He has tan coloring and weighs nearly 8 pounds.

Find him in kennel No. 18, ID No. 32493.

Shar Pei-Labrador Retriever mix

This male Shar Pei-Labrador Retriever mix is 1 year old.

He has a short black coat, weighs near 66 pounds and has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 32476.

Male Pomeranian mix

This male Pomeranian mix is 6 years old.

He has tan coloring and a long coat, weighs 11 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 34, ID No. 32380.

‘Beau’

Beau is a 5-month-old male Chihuahua mix.

He weighs 6 pounds, has a short, tri-colored coat and is neutered.

Beau is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 32335.

‘Delilah’

Delilah is a 7-month-old female Chihuahua mix.

She weighs 6 pounds and has a short, tan and white coat. She is spayed.

Delilah is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 32336.

Adoptable dogs also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dogs_and_Puppies.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Dogs listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Last month, when the sun unleashed the most intense radiation storm since 2003, peppering satellites with charged particles and igniting strong auroras around both poles, a group of high school students in Bishop, California, knew just what to do.

They launched a rubber chicken.

The students inflated a helium balloon and used it to send the fowl, named "Camilla," to an altitude of 120,000 ft where she was exposed to high-energy solar protons at point blank range.

"We equipped Camilla with sensors to measure the radiation," said Sam Johnson (age 16) of Bishop Union High School's Earth to Sky student group1. "At the apex of our flight, the payload was above 99 percent of Earth's atmosphere."

Launching a rubber chicken into a solar storm might sound strange, but the students had good reason: They're doing an astrobiology project.

"Later this year, we plan to launch a species of microbes to find out if they can live at the edge of space," explains team member Rachel Molina (age 17). "This was a reconnaissance flight."

Many space enthusiasts are already familiar with Camilla. She's the mascot of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.

With help from her keeper, Romeo Durscher of Stanford University, Camilla corresponds with more than 20,000 followers on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, filling them in on the latest results from NASA's heliophysics missions.

"Camilla's trip to the stratosphere2 gave us a chance to talk to thousands of people about the radiation storm," said Durscher.

On the outside of her space suit – knitted by Cynthia Coer Butcher from Blue Springs, Missouri) – Camilla wore a pair of radiation badges, the same kind medical technicians and nuclear workers wear to assess their dosages.

Camilla actually flew twice – once on March 3 before the radiation storm and again on March 10 while the storm was in full swing. This would give the students a basis for comparison.

On March 3, during the calm before the storm, the Earth to Sky team assisted by a local class of fifth graders attached Camilla to the payload, inflated the balloon, and released the "stack" (balloon, parachute and payload) into a cloudless blue sky just before local noon.

"It was a beautiful lift-off," said Amelia Koske-Phillips (age 15), the team's payload manager and "launch boss."

During the two and a half hour flight, Camilla spent approximately 90 minutes in the stratosphere where temperatures (-40 to -60 C) and air pressures (1% sea level) are akin to those on the planet Mars. The balloon popped, as planned, at an altitude of about 40 km and Camilla parachuted safely back to Earth. The entire payload was recovered intact from a landing site in the Inyo Mountains.

The payload, a modified department store lunchbox, carried four cameras, a cryogenic thermometer, and two GPS trackers. Seven insects and two dozen sunflower seeds also rode along to test their response to near-space travel. The seeds were a variety known to gardeners as "Sunspot" (Helianthus annuus).

One week later, on March 10, the storm was underway, and the students repeated the experiment.

Camilla flew into one of the strongest proton storms in years. The source of the radiation was sunspot AR1429, which unleashed more than 50 solar flares during the first two weeks of March. At the peak of the storm, March 7-10, charged particles hitting Earth's upper atmosphere deposited enough heat in only three days to power every residence in New York City for two years.

At the moment of Camilla's launch on March 10, Earth-orbiting satellites reported proton counts ~30,000 times normal.

"The profile of the second flight was almost identical to the first--perfect for our experiment," adds Johnson. "We recovered the payload from a landing site near Deep Springs, Calif."

The fifth grade assistants are now planting the sun flower seeds to see if radiated seeds produce flowers any different from seeds that stayed behind on Earth.

They're also pinning the corpses of the insects – none survived – to a black "Foamboard of Death," a rare collection of bugs that have been to the edge of space.

Meanwhile, Camilla's radiation badges have been sent to a commercial laboratory for analysis.

The students say they are looking forward to the data and maybe – just maybe – sending Camilla back for more.

Educators are encouraged to follow Camilla on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Gathering to celebrate and acknowledge the growing success of wines from Lake County, the board of the Lake County Winery Association recently hosted a gathering for their members at Moore Family Winery to thank the many winery owners and supporters.

“The industry here is growing, the economy is slowly improving, and we're good to go,” said Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) board chair Clay Shannon, who operates two tasting rooms in Lake County – Shannon Ridge Vineyards and Vigilance Winery & Vineyards.

“We're seeing more new faces in our tasting room,” said LCWA vice-chair Gregory Graham, owner and winemaker of Gregory Graham Wines, “and they're making the trip to be here,” noting that many new visitors are from the surrounding regions – but also from out of state.

After welcoming everyone, Shannon introduced Monica Rosenthal, executive director for the LCWA, who gave an overview of the ongoing efforts by LCWA to promote the wine industry in Lake County.

Through a partnership with the county of Lake Marketing and Economic Development Program and numerous property owners throughout the county, LCWA has installed directional signs around the county to orient visitors to the many tasting rooms located in Lake County.

New signs ready for installation for several new Lake County wine tasting rooms were on display at the event.

Rosenthal highlighted the new marketing tools including the roll-up maps, LCWA umbrella and bistro set, and the attractive winery brochures and wine maps.  

She also reported that LCWA is active in the recently approved Lake County Marketing Tourism Plan, which will leverage the marketing work the LCWA is pursuing.

“All of us can put funds together for a bigger splash,” Rosenthal explained, “instead of each of us going it alone.”

She then spoke about the upcoming ad in Touring & Tasting magazine that will feature Lake County and LCWA members and is the direct result of partnering with the County’s Tourism committee and the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

Shannon Gunier, president of the Lake County Winegrape Commission (LCWC), gave an update on the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant they received to market Lake county fruit around the country and in California.

After participation in successful wine events in Texas, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the next series of events the LCWC will participate in are consumer shows like the “Wines with Altitude” event schedule for Sept. 8 on Treasure Island at The Winery SF.

“We're doing more, such as last years successful event on Treasure Island,” said Nick Buttitta, “which was a big step, in addition to the Wine Adventure weekend always held on the last weekend of July and People’s Choice the first Saturday in November. We are going to continue to do more to promote Lake County.”

LCWA Chair Clay Shannon introduced the other board members of LCWA including vice-chair Gregory Graham, owner/winemaker of Gregory Graham wines; treasurer and secretary Adawn Wood, co-owner of Shed Horn Cellars; Steve Tylicki, general manager and viticulturist for Steele Wines; and Nick Buttitta, owner and winemaker of Rosa d'Oro Vineyards.

Shannon then encouraged all members in attendance to participate on LCWA committees as the marketing and events sponsored by LCWA continue to increase.

Membership in the Lake County Winery Association is open to all – wineries, tasting rooms, restaurants, hotels, motels, bed and breakfast inns, resorts, art galleries, gift shops, olive oil producers, individuals, associations and more – with many membership levels.

The LCWA Celebrate Five event was hosted by Moore Family Winery, catered by Ciao Thyme Catering, and wines were provided by Lake County Wineries.  

LCWA thanked the guests in attendance, especially the LCWA partners and sponsors.  

For more information on becoming a member of LCWA or other events, visit www.lakecountywineries.org .

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Business Association is sponsoring the 29th Annual Catfish Derby, from noon Friday, May 18, through noon Sunday, May 20.

Known by many as “the biggest catfish tournament west of the Mississippi,” the event features an Adult Derby and a Kids Derby for those under 16 years old.

The grand prize winner of the Adult Derby will receive a cash prize of $4,000 – based on minimum of 350 adult entries – and the winner of the Kids Derby will receive a Nintendo Wii System. In addition, each child entrant will receive a commemorative t-shirt.

Derby headquarters will be located at the Clearlake Oaks Fire Station, 12655 East Highway 20, and will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Derby headquarters also will be open for preregistration from noon to 11 p.m. on Thursday, May 17. No registrations will be accepted after 11 p.m. on Friday.

Registration for the Adult Derby is $45 – $40 for those who preregister by Thursday. Registration for the Kids Derby is $10.

Proceeds from the event benefit community projects.

For applications, call 888-CL-DERBY, 707-998-1006; for information, 707-998-3795, www.clearlakeoaks.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Unemployment in California and in Lake County increased slightly in March as employment figures for the rest of the country appeared to show improvement.

The California Employment Development Department’s latest report, released Friday, showed that the state’s unemployment increased slightly to 11 percent in March, rising from 10.9 percent in February. The state’s March 2011 unemployment rate was 11.9 percent.

Lake County’s unemployment rate last month was 16.8 percent, up from the revised February rate of 16.5 percent but down from 18.1 percent in March 2011, according to Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department’s North Coast Region Labor Market Information Division in Eureka.

California derives its unemployment rate from a federal survey of 5,500 California households, and uses a survey of 42,000 California businesses to measure job growth in  the economy.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the nation’s March unemployment rate was 8.2 percent, down from 8.3 percent in February.

The bureau also issued a Friday report that said unemployment was down in 30 states, with the West continuing to show the highest regional unemployment rate in March. At the same time, some Southern and Midwestern states were showing improvements in employment.

Based on the state’s newest unemployment figures, Lake County was ranked 43 out of California’s 58 counties for its March jobless rate.

Lake’s surrounding counties' employment figures were as follows: Colusa, 26.2 percent, No. 57; Glenn, 17.7 percent, No. 48; Mendocino, 11.5 percent, No. 20; Napa, 9 percent, No. 7; Sonoma County, 9.5 percent, No. 9; and Yolo, 14.2 percent, No. 32.

Marin, with 7 percent unemployment, continued to have the lowest unemployment in the state, while Colusa tied with Imperial County for No. 57, both reporting 26.2 percent jobless rates.

Mullins said Lake County wage and salary employment increased 20 jobs between February and March and remained up 540 jobs over the year.

He said there was year-over job growth in the following categories: farm, 420; trade, transportation and utilities, 90; professional and business services, 40; leisure and hospitality, 10; other services, 40; and government, 10.

The financial activities sector had no change over the year, Mullins reported.

Industry sectors that showed year-over declines included mining, logging and construction, 20; manufacturing, 10; information, 10; private educational and health services, 50, Mullins reported.

Statewide, there were 570,089 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the March survey week, compared with 565,418 last month and 630,829 last year, according to the report.

New claims for unemployment insurance were 55,393 in March 2012, compared with 55,287 in February and 61,076 in March of last year, the report showed.

A separate state report on county residents claiming unemployment – which only had numbers through February – showed that 2,634 Lake County residents claimed unemployment benefits in January and 2,553 in February.

Jobs increase but unemployment rate still rises

Despite California’s slight upward unemployment rate increase, the Friday report showed that nonfarm payroll jobs totaled 14,237,300 in March, an increase of 18,200 during the month for a total gain of 385,900 jobs since the recovery began in September 2009. February had seen a job increase of 38,600.

The year-over-year change – March 2011 to March 2012 – shows an increase of 181,000 jobs, up 1.3 percent, the state reported.

The federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, showed an increase in the number of employed people, and estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in March was 16,457,000, an increase of 2,000 from February, and up 278,000 from the employment total in March 2011.

The number of people unemployed in California was 2,031,000 – up by 19,000 over the month, but down by 148,000 compared with March of last year, the report showed.   

In March, seven categories – mining and logging; trade, transportation and utilities; financial  activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure  and hospitality; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 37,800 jobs, the state reported. Leisure and hospitality posted the largest increase over the month, adding 13,800 jobs.   

The state said four job categories – construction; manufacturing; information; and other services – reported job declines over the month, down 19,600 jobs. Information posted the largest decrease over the month, down 13,400 jobs.  

Eight categories – mining and logging; construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 235,200 jobs, the report showed.

Professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, adding 66,300 jobs, a 3.1-percent increase, while information posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up 3.8 percent, adding 16,300 jobs, the report showed.

Three categories – manufacturing, other services and government – posted job declines over the year, down 54,200 jobs. The monthly report said government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, losing 46,000 jobs, or experiencing a decrease of 1.9 percent.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – April 22-28 marks National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to honor crime victims and the nation’s progress in advancing their rights.

This year’s theme – “Extending the Vision: Reaching Every Victim” – celebrates the vision behind that progress and the ideal of serving all victims of crime.

Lake County Victim-Witness will observe National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with several special events and programs.

Over the weekend, McGruff the crime dog took part in the Children’s Festival at Library Park in Lakeport; on Tuesday, April 24, Victim-Witness will host an annual noon barbecue for law enforcement and service providers; and on Wednesday, April 25, Middletown Rancheria and Sunrise Special Services will host a training for the District Attorney’s Office, Victim-Witness Division on “From Report Through Court” and the impact of AB 109 on victims of crime at Twin Pine Casino in Middletown.

The vision that launched the victims’ rights movement emerged more than 30 years ago. Then, as now, crime victims endured physical and emotional wounds, costly financial burdens, an often hostile criminal justice system and an alarming public tendency to blame them for the crimes against them.

Victims often were excluded from courtrooms, disrespected by officials and afforded few rights.

They began organizing to confront these challenges and to promote fair, compassionate and respectful responses to victims of crime.

Since the 1980s, the nation has made dramatic progress in securing rights, protections and services for victims of crime.

Every state has enacted victims’ rights laws and 32 states have constitutional victims’ rights amendments.

All states have victim compensation funds, and more than 10,000 victim service agencies have been established throughout the country.

The Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice, supports a range of programs for crime victims, and seeks to extend those services to those who are underserved.

Yet there is still so much to do, according to advocates.

Victims’ rights are not universal and are often not enforced. Only a fraction of victims receive crime victim compensation, which is usually limited to victims of violent crime.

More than 50 percent of crimes are not reported and fewer than 20 percent of victims receive needed services.

The victim services system is fragmented and uncoordinated, and agencies are struggling to keep their doors open in the face of budget cuts.

Yet victim advocates have not lost their resolve.

“Our commitment to ‘extend the vision’ and ‘reach every victim’ will overcome every challenge that confronts us now,” said Joye E. Frost, acting director, Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice. “The vision, determination, and passion for justice that inspired our history will help us transform the future for every victim of crime.”

Each community can encourage its members to participate in the week’s events and find ways to help victims of crime.

For additional information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week and how to help victims in your community, please contact Lake County Victim-Witness at 707-262-4282, or visit their Facebook page at Victim/Witness Division of the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

For more ideas on how to volunteer, visit the Office for Victims of Crime Web site, www.crimevictims.gov .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In the next several weeks a team of scientists from the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) will be sampling the sediments under Clear Lake to help answer a wide range of questions about prehistoric Lake conditions, ancient plant and insect life and the possible effects of global warming on Clear Lake and its surrounding environment.

The UCB scientists will use a floating sediment core drill rig out in the center of the Upper Arm of the Lake to extract two 3-inch diameter cores about 400 foot long.

These cores should contain sediments as old as 130,000 years, about one-quarter the estimated age of Clear Lake.

This type of sediment sampling has been done in the past and has yielded evidence ranging from the types of prehistoric plant communities to recent human impacts on the Lake.

These new cores will be done in the same locations as previous work but will focus on the older profile of the Lake’s history.

The sediment coring equipment will be assembled in Lakeport on April 25 and coring operations will start April 27. The floating coring rig will be located from one to three miles west southwest of Lucerne and will operate around the clock for seven to 10 days.

Due to safety issues, boaters need to keep clear of the operations and not disturb the work crews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The trial of two young local men for a June 2011 shooting that killed a child and wounded five others let out early on Friday after a broken elevator prevented them from getting to court on time.

Paul William Braden, 22, and Orlando Joseph Lopez, 24, are each facing 15 counts for the shooting on June 18, 2011, that killed 4-year-old Skyler Rapp and wounded five others, including the child’s mother, Desiree Kirby, and her boyfriend, Ross Sparks.

During the week Josh Gamble, a cousin of Sparks, continued testimony he began last week, with Sparks also taking the stand, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

On Friday, Curtis Eeds, who lived next door to Sparks and Kirby, was called to take the stand, Anderson said.

Eeds was on the stand in the morning before testimony stopped so Anderson and the defense attorneys – Doug Rhoades representing Braden and Stephen Carter representing Lopez – could work out issues with the case out of the presence of the jurors, Anderson said.

Court was to reconvene at 1:30 p.m., with those issues from the morning still not worked out, but proceedings couldn’t continue because the defendants didn’t show up, Anderson said.

“The elevator broke down and they were stuck in it,” he said.

As a result, visiting Yolo County Superior Court Judge Doris Shockley let jurors go early for the day, Anderson said.

Testimony will resume next week.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

My heart always skips a beat when I see mounds of rosy golden mangoes piled high at the market. If they’re ripe enough to emit a sweet, tropical smell, my knees get weak.
 
They were on sale the other day, no doubt because they were ready for immediate consumption and not likely to last much longer on the shelves.
 
This, of course, is a perfect scenario for an avid mango fan like me, and I was happy to relieve the market of a hefty armload of the perfectly ripe fruit.
 
Inside the smooth skin that covers each weighty oval, bright orangey gold flesh drips with succulent flavor: part juicy peach, part tropical sunset.
 
Can you tell I love them?
 
Mangoes are native to India, but have spread to grow in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Mexico is currently one of the biggest exporters of mangoes.
 
They’ve been cultivated for about 4,000 years and are said to be one of the world’s most popular fruits.
 
Mangoes are the national fruit of India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, and Bangladesh has chosen the tree on which they grow as its national tree.
 
Mangoes are distant relatives of pistachios and cashews, and they contain the same rash-inducing chemical found in poison sumac and poison ivy.
 
While not as common as reactions from the aforementioned plants, susceptible people may get contact dermatitis from the skin, sap, leaves or stems of mangoes.

In fact, during their primary ripening season, mangoes are the most common source of plant dermatitis in Hawaii.
 
Mangoes are beloved in cuisines around the world, particularly in India and Southeast Asia.
 
Mangoes are made into pickles, curries and chutneys. Green mangoes are often used in salads, sometimes with fish sauce, vinegar or hot sauce.
 
Dried mango is used in granola, trail mix and fruit bars, and sweet spears of it are sold in bulk at many markets.
 
Juices, smoothies, and ice creams are made with mango, and mangoes mixed with condensed milk are a favorite topping for shaved ice in the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia.
 
Perhaps you’ve tried coconut sticky rice with mango at a Thai restaurant at the end of a meal? In my opinion, the fresh mango in this dessert is a perfect vibrant foil to the gooey sweetness of the rice.
 
Mangoes may be used in recipes in place of peaches, such as in cold summer soups or warm cobblers.
 
A ripe mango should give a bit when touched, similar to a peach. While many mangoes turn from green to shades of gold, orange, or rosy red as they ripen, some types can be ripe while green.
 
If mangoes are not ripe when purchased, they should ripen at home if left at room temperature. This may take up to a week, but if you’re in a hurry, placing them in a paper bag hastens the process.
 
When mangoes are ripe, store them in the fridge to avoid their becoming overly ripened.
 
Once your mango is perfectly ripe and ready to eat, there’s the problem of how to best remove the flesh.
 
I recommend using a sharp knife to cut lengthwise as close to the middle as possible, avoiding the hard, white, flat pit within.
 
Do this on both sides, and then cut around the pit to get that last circle of flesh off.
 
At this point, you can scrape the flesh from the skin with a spoon if using for a smoothie or eating out of hand.
 
Otherwise, score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern. Flip the skin inside out to expose cubes of mango ready for cutting from the skin.
 
If you’re a “show me” person and learn best by seeing, there are scores of step-by-step instructions using photos or videos on the Internet. I’ve listed one such link at the end of the column.
 
As to nutrition, mangoes are full of it.
 
They’re rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds.
 
A one-cup serving provides 100 percent of our vitamin C requirement and 35 percent of vitamin A, both important antioxidants. They’re full of more than 20 other nutrients, including potassium, vitamin E and vitamin B-6.
 
Scientific studies have shown them to be beneficial in a number of areas, including protection against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers.
 
Today’s recipe is a tropical quinoa salad inspired by a friend’s sweet concoction of avocado, mango and sweetened condensed milk.
 
Mine is not intended to be a tropical dessert, as hers was; rather, it’s a healthy and nutritious side dish.
 
Its grain-like base, quinoa, is high in protein – a full 18 percent – and the protein it offers is complete, unlike many plant foods.
 
Lime, cilantro, peanut oil and mint combine to give the salad a tropical taste and island feel.
 
While I use two types of quinoa in the salad for color contrast, feel free to use the type, or combination of types, you like best.
 
Two other recipes are offered in addition to my salad: a mango chutney that’s fabulous with fish or chicken, and a healthy, tasty mango smoothie, perfect for breakfast on a warm spring morning.
 
And before I go, did you know that Indian paisley patterns were originally inspired by the shape of mangoes? I sure hope that doesn’t make you salivate the next time you spy vintage clothing from the 1960s. I can’t guarantee that I won’t.
 
Tropical quinoa salad with mango

¼ cup red quinoa
¼ cup traditional quinoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup water (for cooking quinoa)
Juice and zest of one lime
Juice and zest of ½ orange
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 small clove garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cumin
2 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens
About 2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh cilantro and mint
½ mango, diced
½ cup diced pineapple (optional)
½ avocado, diced
¼ cup toasted almonds, chopped (or toasted slivered almonds)
 
Combine quinoa, salt, and water in pot and bring water to a boil. Cover pot and simmer until all water is absorbed into quinoa and grain becomes tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer quinoa to a large serving bowl to cool.
 
Combine juices, zest, oil, garlic, and cumin in small bowl. Mix well and pour over quinoa while it is still a bit warm.
 
Add scallions, mint, cilantro, mango, pineapple and avocado to salad. Toss to mix well.
 
Just before serving, add almonds to salad. (This helps them stay crunchy.)
 
If making ahead of time, salad will keep well in fridge several hours. If making the night before, dress quinoa, but add fruit and herbs the next day.
 
This recipe makes enough for at least four.
 
Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Mango salsa

1 cup diced fresh mango
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
 
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with grilled fish or chicken.

This recipe is courtesy of about.com and makes 1 ½ cups of salsa.
 
Mango, orange and ginger smoothie

1 cup orange juice
½ large mango
1 ¼ teaspoons ginger juice (see note below)
4 ice cubes
Optional: ½ ripe banana (about 2 ounces peeled banana)
Combine the orange juice, mango, ginger juice and ice cubes in a blender.
 
Blend until frothy and smooth. If you want a thicker drink, add the banana. Serve right away for the best flavor.
 
Note: To make the ginger juice, grate about 2 teaspoons ginger. Place on a piece of cheesecloth. Gather together the edges of the cheesecloth, hold over a bowl and twist to squeeze out the juice. Ginger combines very well with mango and contributes a host of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals. (Esther’s note: You can add a smaller quantity of grated ginger directly to the blender in lieu of its juice.)
 
This recipe makes one large or two small servings and is courtesy of the New York Times at www.nytimes.com .
 
Check out this site for instructions on how to cut a mango: http://www.mango.org/how-cut-mango .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The likely culprit in sharp worldwide declines in honeybee colonies since 2006 is imidacloprid, one of the most widely used pesticides, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH).

The authors, led by Alex Lu, associate professor of environmental exposure biology in the Department of Environmental Health, write that the new research provides "convincing evidence" of the link between imidacloprid and the phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), in which adult bees abandon their hives.

The study, “In Situ Replication of Honey Bee Colony Collapse Disorder,” will appear in the June issue of the Bulletin of Insectology.

"The significance of bees to agriculture cannot be underestimated," said Lu. "And it apparently doesn't take much of the pesticide to affect the bees. Our experiment included pesticide amounts below what is normally present in the environment."

Pinpointing the cause of the problem is crucial because bees – beyond producing honey – are prime pollinators of roughly one-third of the crop species in the U.S., including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and livestock feed such as alfalfa and clover.

Massive loss of honeybees could result in billions of dollars in agricultural losses, experts estimate.

Lu and his co-authors hypothesized that the uptick in CCD resulted from the presence of imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid introduced in the early 1990s.

Bees can be exposed in two ways: through nectar from plants or through high-fructose corn syrup beekeepers use to feed their bees. Since most U.S.-grown corn has been treated with imidacloprid, it's also found in corn syrup.

In the summer of 2010, the researchers conducted an in situ study in Worcester County, Mass. aimed at replicating how imidacloprid may have caused the CCD outbreak.

Over a 23-week period, they monitored bees in four different bee yards; each yard had four hives treated with different levels of imidacloprid and one control hive. After 12 weeks of imidacloprid dosing, all the bees were alive.

But after 23 weeks, 15 out of 16 of the imidacloprid-treated hives – 94 percent – had died. Those exposed to the highest levels of the pesticide died first.

The characteristics of the dead hives were consistent with CCD, said Lu; the hives were empty except for food stores, some pollen, and young bees, with few dead bees nearby.

When other conditions cause hive collapse – such as disease or pests – many dead bees are typically found inside and outside the affected hives.

Strikingly, said Lu, it took only low levels of imidacloprid to cause hive collapse – less than what is typically used in crops or in areas where bees forage.

Scientists, policymakers, farmers and beekeepers, alarmed at the sudden losses of between 30 percent and 90 percent of honeybee colonies since 2006, have posed numerous theories as to the cause of the collapse, such as pests, disease, pesticides, migratory beekeeping or some combination of these factors.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The final list of Stars of Lake County Award nominees has been announced.

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce released the list on Friday.

The final tally on nominations for 2012 is 74 in all, with almost every community in Lake County represented. Each nominee has received a letter notifying them of their nomination.

The entire list of nominees can be seen below.

All nominees will be honored on Sunday, May 6, at PSI Seminars in High Valley above Clearlake Oaks. The reception begins at 4 p.m. with the very popular David Neft providing music during the reception and dinner hours.

PSI Seminars is a state-of-the-art conference learning center and will accommodate seating for up to 400 guests for Stars this year. The chamber said it was only able to accommodate 300 guests the past two years and had to turn away people.

The chamber thanked everyone who made time to forward a nomination for the 2012 Stars Community Awards and to everyone who responded with the additional information requests.  

The Stars Selection Committee will be meeting Thursday, April 26, after reviewing all 74 nominations. Their decisions on the recipients will be revealed at the Awards Program on May 6.

Tickets are on sale for Stars through the Lake County Chamber office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point in Lakeport.

Thanks to a generous sponsorship from St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for Angel Tickets, the chamber will be able to furnish some nominees with tickets who have limited incomes.

The Stars of Lake County Dinner Sponsor this year is Calpine Corp. Category Sponsors are: Cliff & Nancy Ruzicka, WestAmerica Bank, Marymount College, Mendo Mill Lumber & Home Center, Umpqua Bank, Calpine Corp., Savings Bank of Mendocino, Strong Financial Network, Lake County Land Trust, Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, Foods Etc., Bruno’s Shop Smart, Kathy Fowler Auto Dealerships, U. S. Representative Mike Thompson, John Tomkins Tax Consultants, North Lake Medical Pharmacy and the Lake County Record-Bee.  

There are still 3 categories available for sponsorships; anyone interested in those should contact the Lake County Chamber at 707-263-5092.

2012 STARS OF LAKE COUNTY NOMINEES LIST

Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian of the Year
Sponsored by Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka
1. Dr. Paula Dhanda, Kelseyville
2. Levi Palmer, DDS, Lakeport
3. Taira St. John, Lakeport

Senior of the Year
Sponsored by Westamerica Bank    
1. Janet Taylor, Lakeport
2. Christine Hansom, Cobb

Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored by Marymount College
1. Edward McDonald, Lakeport
2. Bruce Maxwell, Lakeport
3. Don Stewart, Findley
4. Phyllis Kelsey, Middletown
5. Gregory Scott, Lakeport
6. Don and Peg McCown, Lakeport
7. Richard Birk, Hidden Valley Lake

Student of the Year-Female
1. Alice Crocket, Lakeport
2. Brittany Elkington, Lakeport
3. Cheyanne Horvath, Cobb
4. Krystina Riccio, Hidden Valley Lake

Student of the Year-Male
1. Eli Wade, Clearlake        

Youth Advocate of the Year-Professional
1. Patty Chandler, Lakeport  
2. Antoinette Goetz and Sheila LaVine of Antoinette School of Dance, Lakeport
3. Tami Cramer, Lakeport
4. Tanya Biasotti, Clearlake
5. Barbara Clark, Lakeport
6. Bill MacDougall, Kelseyville
7. Alan Mathews, Lakeport

Youth Advocate of the Year-Volunteer
1. A&B Collision, Clearlake
2. Kristi Weiss, Lakeport

Agriculture Award
Sponsored by Calpine Corp.
1. Farm to Table Program, Kelseyville
2. Lake County Quilt Trail, All Around Lake County

Organization of the Year-Nonprofit (has paid staff)
Sponsored by Savings Bank of Mendocino
1. Hospice Services of Lake County, Lakeport
2. KPFZ/Lake County Community Radio,Lakeport
3. Healthy Start, Lakeport

Organization of the Year-Volunteer (all volunteer staff)
Sponsored by Strong Financial
1. Any Positive Change, Lower Lake
2. Animal Coalition of Lake County, Clearlake
3. Lake County Rodeo Association, Lakeport

Environmental Award of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Land Trust
1. Gae Henry and Henry Borenstein, Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association, Lower Lake
2. Victoria Brandon, Sierra Club Lake Group, Lower Lake

New Business of the Year
1. A Touch of Tranquility Day Spa, Lakeport
2. Jolly Kone, Middletown
3. One Stop Print Shop & More, Lucerne
4. 2 Women Traders, Middletown

Small Business of the Year
Sponsored by Foods Etc.
1. Tatonka Land Miniature Golf & Zippies, Clearlake
2. Here for the Holidays/Accents on the Lake, Kelseyville
3. Innovative Physical Therapy, Kelseyville

Large Business of the Year  
Sponsored by Bruno’s Shop Smart  
1. Mendo Mill Home Center & Lumber Co., Lakeport, Clearlake
2. Calpine Corp., Middletown
3. Hardester’s Markets, Middletown, Hidden Valley, Cobb

Best Idea of the Year
1. Window Treatments for Vacant Storefronts, All Around Lake County
2. Funtown at Lakeside Family Fun Center, Lakeport
3. “Lake County Live!”, Lakeport
4. District Attorney’s Office Charitable Contribution Program, Lakeport
5. “Penny’s For Education,” Lakeport

Local Hero of the Year
Sponsored by U. S. Representative Mike Thompson
1. Amy Zingone, Clearlake Oaks
2. Gabriel Lopez, Hidden Valley Lake
3. Lee Buckmaster and Rhonda Straub, Lower Lake

The Arts Award of the Year-Professional    
1. Verna Wicks-De Martino, Lakeport
2. McKenzie Paine, Kelseyville
3. Lyle and Deanna Madeson, Kelseyville

Woman of the Year
Sponsored by North Lake Medical Pharmacy
1. Susan Cannon, DVM, Lakeport
2. Linda Burton, Clearlake
3. Pat Grabham, Clearlake Oaks
4. Joyce Overton, Clearlake
5. Antoinette Funderburg, Lakeport
6. Voris Brumfield, Middletown
7. Lannette Huffman, Lakeport
    
Man of the Year
Sponsored by Lake County Record-Bee
1. Charles Davis, Clearlake
2. Gary Dickson, Lakeport
3. Joey Luiz, Clearlake
4. Tom Lincoln, Lakeport
5. John Hodgkin, MD, Clearlake
6. Sheriff Frank Rivero, Lakeport
7. John Fulton, Lakeport

Lifetime Achievement
1. Griffie Ratterree, Clearlake
2. Lynn Brookes, Lucerne
3. Cliff Ruzicka, Lakeport
4. Don Johnson, DDS, Lakeport
4. Stephen R. Elias, Esq. (posthumously)
5. Gardiner (Buster) Jones, Lucerne