NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on Sunday, July 17, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 9,500 miles (15,000 kilometers) away from the protoplanet Vesta. Each pixel in the image corresponds to roughly 0.88 miles (1.4 kilometers).

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has returned the first closeup image after beginning its orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta.

On Friday, July 15, Dawn became the first probe to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

The image taken for navigation purposes shows Vesta in greater detail than ever before.

When Vesta captured Dawn into its orbit, there were approximately 9,900 miles (16,000 kilometers) between the spacecraft and asteroid. Engineers estimate the orbit capture took place at 10 p.m. PDT Friday, July 15 (1 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 16).

Vesta is 330 miles (530 kilometers) in diameter and the second most massive object in the asteroid belt. Ground- and space-based telescopes have obtained images of Vesta for about two centuries, but they have not been able to see much detail on its surface.

“We are beginning the study of arguably the oldest extant primordial surface in the solar system,” said Dawn principal investigator Christopher Russell from the University of California, Los Angeles. “This region of space has been ignored for far too long. So far, the images received to date reveal a complex surface that seems to have preserved some of the earliest events in Vesta's history, as well as logging the onslaught that Vesta has suffered in the intervening eons.”

Vesta is thought to be the source of a large number of meteorites that fall to Earth. Vesta and its new NASA neighbor, Dawn, are currently approximately 117 million miles (188 million kilometers) away from Earth.

The Dawn team will begin gathering science data in August. Observations will provide unprecedented data to help scientists understand the earliest chapter of our solar system. The data also will help pave the way for future human space missions.

After traveling nearly four years and 1.7 billion miles (2.8 billion kilometers), Dawn also accomplished the largest propulsive acceleration of any spacecraft, with a change in velocity of more than 4.2 miles per second (6.7 kilometers per second), due to its ion engines.

The engines expel ions to create thrust and provide higher spacecraft speeds than any other technology currently available.

“Dawn slipped gently into orbit with the same grace it has displayed during its years of ion thrusting through interplanetary space,” said Marc Rayman, Dawn chief engineer and mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. “It is fantastically exciting that we will begin providing humankind its first detailed views of one of the last unexplored worlds in the inner solar system.”

Although orbit capture is complete, the approach phase will continue for about three weeks. During approach, the Dawn team will continue a search for possible moons around the asteroid; obtain more images for navigation; observe Vesta's physical properties; and obtain calibration data.

In addition, navigators will measure the strength of Vesta's gravitational tug on the spacecraft to compute the asteroid's mass with much greater accuracy than has been previously available. That will allow them to refine the time of orbit insertion.

Dawn will spend one year orbiting Vesta, then travel to a second destination, the dwarf planet Ceres, arriving in February 2015.

The mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

UCLA is responsible for Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are part of the mission's team.

For more information about Dawn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/dawn and http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov. You can also follow Dawn on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/NASA_Dawn.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The two-day passport style event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, and Sunday, July 31.

Participating wineries will offer food, wine, music, art displays and agritourism events.

Presented by the Lake County Winery Association, the Wine Adventure will welcome more than 1,200 people from Lake County and neighboring regions.

Wine Adventure brochures are available at Lake County wineries. The event brochure contains all the event information, an adventure map, and a list of all participating wineries.

Tickets will be available for purchase at each participating winery on both days of the Wine Adventure, July 30 and 31. The ticket price the day of the event is $40 each for two days of wine country fun.

Each ticket entitles the holder to a logo glass and recyclable bag, tasting booklet and map, and a raffle ticket.

Every Wine Adventure ticket holder has a chance to win the raffle’s grand prize, a cellar collection of Lake County wines, as well as many other outstanding prizes, says Bonnie Sears, chair of this year’s Wine Adventure.

“The 2011 Wine Adventure raffle drawing has never been better thanks to the Lake County wineries and businesses,” said Sears. Raffle prize winners will be announced shortly following the Wine Adventure event.

A complete list of the local businesses that have contributed raffle prizes this year will be posted at each Wine Adventure winery.

Additional winery donations have been offered by several of the participating wineries. Grand raffle prize is the Lake County Cellar Collection of wines.

Local businesses also played a major part in this year's Wine Adventure, both with the generous donation of great raffle prizes and in the promotion of the event, said Sears.

All printed and promotional materials were designed and printed by Lake County talent.

“We are extremely pleased with the quality of the Wine Adventure support materials,” she said. “The tri-fold brochure is classy and useful. Just wait until you see the tasting booklet on July 30 – people will want to keep it.”

Sears encourages individuals wishing to enjoy this year’s event to buy their tickets early. “Don't miss out on the 2011 Wine Adventure; you’ll have to wait a whole year for the next one.”

The Lake County Winery Association promotes responsible hospitality and encourages all participants to designate drivers.

Designated drivers are invited to enjoy nonalcoholic drinks, food and entertainment free of charge at each site, compliments of the association.

Special Wine Adventure “designated driver” badges will be provided. These badges are sponsored in part by the Lake County AODS and the Clearlake Police Department.

For more information, visit www.lakecountywineries.org or call 707-355-2762.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The fire was reported at 6:44 p.m. Friday, July 15, according to a Saturday report from Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli.

South Lake County Fire Protection District and Cal Fire responded to the fire, which was located on Cobb Boulevard, according to Bertelli.

Bertelli said Cal Fire also dispatched a full wildland response due to the threat of the surrounding homes and vegetation.

The fire was contained to the garage area. Bertelli said the estimated dollar loss is $20,000, while the estimated amount saved by firefighting efforts – including the structure and the contents – is $75,000.

Bertelli said there were no injuries.

The fire cause is under investigation, Bertelli said.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

This red Dodge sedan was involved in head-on collision with a Ford F-150 pickup at around 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 18, 2011, on Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, Calif. Three people were reportedly transported to area hospitals. Photo by Elizabeth Hoskins.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A late afternoon crash on Monday sent three people to hospitals around the region.

The crash occurred at around 4:30 p.m., causing the roadway to be shut down, according to reports from the scene.

Two vehicles – a red Dodge sedan and a white Ford F-150 pickup with a camper shell – hit head-on, according to Clearlake resident Elizabeth Hoskins, who witnessed the crash scene afterward.

Radio reports indicated there were three crash victims, with one – a female driver – not breathing.

One of the vehicles also had reportedly been on fire but Clearlake Police officers arriving on scene put it out.

Air ambulances were summoned with the pilots directed to set down at a landing zone set up at Redbud Park.

A REACH air ambulance was reported to be on the way to Children's Hospital & Research Center of Oakland just before 5 p.m., according to radio reports.

Radio traffic indicated that a Cal Star air ambulance landed just minutes afterward to transport another patient to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Another patient was said to be on the way to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake via ground ambulance.

Lake County Fire Protection District had transported the victims out and terminated its incident command at the scene by 5:15 p.m., according to a radio statement.

Five Clearlake Police units were on the scene, along with two tow trucks, investigating the collision, Hoskins said.

She said the red vehicle was mangled, with the white pickup not sustaining as much damage.

Information on the crash victims – including their names and conditions – was not immediately available, as police were continuing their investigation.

Updates will be posted as new information becomes available.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Police and fire officials were investigating the crash scene late Monday afternoon. Photo courtesy of Samantha Taylor.

A Cal Fire helicopter heads toward the Jerusalem Valley fire on Saturday, July 16, 2011. Photo courtesy of Jeri Shaw and Dan Driver.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A fire near Middletown that broke out Saturday afternoon destroyed an outbuilding but was contained by firefighters before it could damage nearby homes.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said firefighters responded to the incident at approximately 1 p.m. Saturday in the area of Burnt Ranch Road in Jerusalem Valley.

Firefighters from Cal Fire, South Lake County Fire Protection District and Lake County Fire Protection District responded to a vegetation fire, Bertelli said.

Bertelli said Cal Fire dispatched a full wildland response due to the threat of the surrounding homes and vegetation.

Cal Fire resources sent to the scene included one helicopter, two air tankers, an air attack, one bulldozer, four engines and a battalion chief, Bertelli said.

At one point the fire threatened 10 nearby homes, which Bertelli said were saved due to firefighters' aggressive efforts.

The fire destroyed one outbuilding but the blaze was contained within an hour at four acres, Bertelli said.

He said no injuries resulted from the fire, the cause of which is under investigation.

The estimated dollar loss caused by the fire is $5,000, Bertelli said.

Cal Fire's resources were seriously tapped Saturday afternoon, as the fire broke out while paramedics and firefighters were responding to a fatal crash on Highway 29 just inside the Lake County line, as well as another crash on Butts Canyon Road a short time later.

Mop up on the Jerusalem Valley fire continued for about five hours, Bertelli said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

Jeri Shaw and Dan Driver lost a barn in the Jerusalem Valley fire on Saturday, July 16, 2011, and had their above-ground pool burned and other damages to their property, but were otherwise OK. Photo courtesy of Jeri Shaw and Dan Driver.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week's topic, the county's Old Toll Road, is covered in an excerpt from the files of Lake County historian Henry K. Mauldin, edited by Linda Lake, curator of the Lake County Museum.

In the early 1860s the old and tortuous Soldier Road – in close proximity to what is now Butts Canyon Road – was the only route from the southern part of Lake County to the Napa Valley.

It was popular opinion that a better route was needed, no doubt encouraged by the fact that the northern Clear Lake area was now being served by the new Lakeport-Cloverdale Toll Road.

By Legislative Act on March 17, 1866, John Lawley and Associates were granted the right to build a toll road from the foot of Mt. St. Helena, near Calistoga, up over the pass and into Seigler Valley in Lake County.

Before being completed however, this route was shortened to extend only to the mouth of St. Helena Creek at Mirabel Mine south of Middletown.

John Lawley, Henry Boggs and a Mr. Patterson built the toll road for $14,000. It was completed in early 1868.

The route from the Middletown end was about the same as Highway 29 until the Mt. Mill House was reached just inside the Napa County line. It then followed up the east side of St. Helena Creek, crossed where Highway 29 now is, and then went west up to the toll house which was 100 yards to the west of the Highway and several feet higher in elevation.

John Lawley owned the toll road until his death on May 26, 1906, at the age of 91. It then went to his heirs, sons Charles and Harry, and his daughter Mollie Patten.

Mollie was the gatekeeper for the last years of the road and according to Milt Kugelman, she was a tough old gal who could cuss like a man, and no one dared slip past her gate without paying the toll.

At the Toll House, a long Douglas Fir pole was swung across the roadway about 30 inches above ground level. It was removed on payment of the toll, which varied from time and time, but was once $1.50 for an eight horse team and wagon, $.50 for a horse and rig, $.10 for a horse and $.30 for a sheep.

This route was frequently used for livestock being driven by foot to the Bay Area markets. Hogs were the slowest, taking one full day to go from the Mirabel Mine to the Toll House.

It took three hours for a fast horse stage to go from Calistoga to Middletown. During this time, any stage robberies that took place on the Toll Road were the jurisdiction of Napa County.

About two-tenths of a mile down the road toward Calistoga was the Martz place. Old steam stages would stop there when going up and take on water, or if coming down the mountain, drivers would get out and throw water on the brakes to cool them off.

Auto Stages took over from horses in 1907 and Bill Spiers began a very profitable business with the help of contracts for carrying the U.S. Mail.

In 1922 with the prospect of Highway 29 being built, the counties of Lake and Napa bought the Old Toll Road from the Lawley family for $30,000. They collected fees until it was paid for.

It is believed this road was the last of the toll roads into Lake County.

For more information about the Lake County Sesquicentennial, visit www.lc150.org, join the celebration at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Lake-County-Sesquicentennial/171845856177015 and follow it on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCo150 .

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

A semi truck rolled over on Highway 20 on the morning of Monday, July 18, 2011, east of Clearlake Oaks, Calif. Photo by Gary McAuley.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Several local and state agencies were called to the scene of an early morning truck crash Monday, where quick action was needed to prevent spilled fuel from going into the nearby watershed.

A Tony's Fine Foods semi truck traveling through the S-curves on Highway 20 one mile east of Highway 53 overturned and blocked both lanes of traffic shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol and Northshore Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Pat Brown.

A Monday afternoon report from CHP Officer Kory Reynolds identified the semi driver as 42-year-old John Harris of Elk Grove.

Reynolds said Harris was driving a 1996 Utility truck towing a 30-foot trailer westbound on Highway 20 at approximately 50 miles per hour while attempting to negotiate a right curve, Reynolds said.

Due to the speed of the vehicle Harris was unable to negotiate the curve, which caused the truck and trailer to roll onto its left side, blocking both lanes of traffic, Reynolds said. Harris was able to get out of the truck on his own.

The semi initially was reported to be on fire, but Brown said it turned out that the freon from the truck's refrigeration unit was venting.

Brown said a Cal Fire engine happened to come upon the scene and reported the crash.

Northshore Fire, CHP and Cal Fire set up a unified command to deal with the crash, Brown said.

The truck had fueled up in Sacramento and is believed to have had about 80 gallons of diesel in its tanks when the crash occurred, according to Brown.

“It was a few minutes of pretty intense flying around, trying to get the fuel to stop,” Brown said.

Brown estimated that about 30 gallons of fuel was spilled, but that firefighters contained it before it got into the storm drains and into the Cache Creek watershed.

Reynolds said Highway 20 was closed for more than an hour and one-way traffic control was in effect for several hours.

Caltrans sent a supervisor and a hazmat team, Brown said, and handled traffic control at the scene. The agency also put up alerts on nearby signs warning of the crash.

Brown said Caltrans was able to route traffic around the crash by using a turnout but only after the diesel was contained, due to concerns that vehicles might go through it and track it into the dirt on the roadside.

Lake County Environmental Health and the California Department of Fish and Game were on scene to observe because of the fuel spill, said Brown.

Other resources sent to the scene included two Cal Fire engines and a battalion chief, a water tender that Lake County Fire Protection District sent under mutual aid, and a Northshore Fire engine, a rescue and a medic unit, Brown said.

The CHP said two wreckers were called to respond to the scene, and arrangements were made to bring out containers to offload the remaining diesel.

Brown said a Northshore Fire ambulance transported Harris to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, where he was treated for minor injuries.

The collision is under investigation by CHP Officer Brian Engle, Reynolds said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

One a spill of about 30 gallons of diesel was contained, fire crews take a break while the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans discuss the next phase of the incident. Photo by Gary McAuley.

This purslane was sold by Full Moon Farms at the Lake County Farmers' Finest market at Steele Winery in Kelseyville, Calif. As the sign indicates, purslane is a highly nutritious plant. Photo by Esther Oertel.

I’d say it’s a miracle crop; however, many call it a weed. Today’s highlighted veggie, purslane, is a victim of such unfortunate mistaken identity.

Purslane, a succulent, is native to India and Persia (modern-day Iraq), though some opine that South Africa is its original home. It enjoys favor as an edible plant throughout much of the world, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Mexico.

While it’s primarily considered a weed in the United States, this attitude is slowly changing, particularly because of its health benefits. Many have turned their attention to this garden creeper come desirable food source, from the U. S. Department of Agriculture to upscale restaurant chefs.

I first made purslane’s acquaintance two weeks ago at a local farmers’ market. It was piled high at the stall of Full Moon Farm of Kelseyville and, curious, I stopped to take a look.

Farmer Sean Mooney filled me in on its benefits and offered me a taste. I was immediately taken by its fresh, lemony flavor, reminiscent of the sidewalk sour grass my friends and I ate as kids, albeit far milder.

The bunch I took home was lovely in our salad at dinner that evening, along with other, milder greens, a bit of olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Though purslane is delightful as a green in salads, sandwiches, tacos and the like, its weight and mouth feel are more substantial than lettuce. I find the extra heft and crunch satisfying.

I checked in with Mooney about its current availability, and he reported that the small window for harvesting the crop is over; however, readers may have it as a volunteer in home gardens, so I thought information on the plant would be useful.

Perhaps this article will inspire some to seek it out at local nurseries for home plantings.

Purslane trails and creeps along the ground as it grows, making it a popular landscaping plant. Its thick, reddish stems are crowded with clusters of oval leaves that look like those of the jade plant, though not as thick and spongy.

In the wild the blooms of common purslane are small and yellow; however, other varieties have larger flowers in a wide swath of other shades, including white, pink, red and magenta.

These are sometimes called the “Dolly Parton flower” because of their tendency to bloom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., a reference to her 1980 song and comedic movie.

Because purslane grows readily in the wild, it is often foraged. If so, one should be cautious of spurge, a somewhat similar-looking but toxic plant that is sometimes found growing near it, even intertwining. Unlike purslane, spurge has wiry, not thick, stems and gives off a white, milky sap when broken.

As already mentioned, purslane has tremendous stores of Omega-3 fatty acids, containing more than any other green plant. These are beneficial to the heart, as well as help in prevention of certain cancers.

In addition, purslane has antifungal, antimicrobial and antibiotic properties and is a rich source of vitamins A, B, C and E. It contains the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and folate, as well as high amounts of beta carotene.

Purslane has a long history of medicinal use, going back some 2,000 years, including by ancient cultures in China, Greece, and Rome, by African Zulus and Australian aboriginal peoples.

In Mexico, purslane is called “verdolaga” and is a favorite comfort food. There it’s added to omelets, soups and stews, cooked as a side dish and rolled into tortillas.

The leaves of the purslane plant are pleasantly crisp and crunchy, with a mild lemon flavor. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Purslane can be substituted for spinach or other greens in lasagnas, filled pastas and Greek-style savory tarts, such as spanakopita.

My mother’s ancient, original “Joy of Cooking” suggests purslane be used in place of sorrel in a cream soup or blanched for a side dish. Interestingly, the authors refer to it as Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite vegetable, not unlikely due to its popularity in India.

Purslane may be paired with potatoes in a creamy soup or as part of a vinaigrette-dressed potato salad. Other recipes include pairing it in a stew with pork, lamb or lentils, using it in pasta salad or adding it to gazpacho.

One of the more creative uses for purslane I’ve seen is its addition to a tzatziki-like Greek salad made with cucumbers, yogurt, and mint.

Purslane is best used when freshly picked; however, it should keep for a few days when wrapped in a moist paper towel and stored in a plastic bag in the vegetable crisper section of the fridge.

There seem to be differing opinions regarding the use of purslane’s stems. While edible, they lack the tenderness of its leaves and only the most delicate of stems should be used.

The following recipe for purslane salsa is courtesy of www.prodigalgardens.info, a Web site on medicinal herbs and wild foods. Made with tomatillos, this is a green-colored salsa.

You can also use your favorite existing salsa recipe and throw in some fresh purslane leaves for added taste. They also serve as a thickener. Either way, salsa’s bound to be delicious with herbaceous purslane!

This salsa (or the salsa of your choice with added purslane) may be added as part of the cooking liquid for rice for an interesting take on Spanish rice. When finished, some fresh purslane leaves may also be added.

Purslane salsa

4 cups fresh tomatillos

2 cups fresh purslane leaves

4 to 5 green chiles, roasted and peeled with seeds removed

3 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ fresh minced cilantro

Salt to taste (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon)

Puree tomatillos in a food processor or blender, then simmer on stove top for about 15 minutes. Chill.

Coarsely chop purslane leaves.

Mix all ingredients and add salt to taste.

Recipe courtesy of www.prodigalgardens.info.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif., and The Kitchen Gallery in Lakeport, Calif., and gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft, illustrated in the artist's concept above, is propelled by ion engines. Courtesy of NASA.

NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Saturday became the first probe ever to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn will study the asteroid, named Vesta, for a year before departing for a second destination, a dwarf planet named Ceres, in July 2012.

Observations will provide unprecedented data to help scientists understand the earliest chapter of our solar system. The data also will help pave the way for future human space missions.

“Today, we celebrate an incredible exploration milestone as a spacecraft enters orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt for the first time,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “Dawn's study of the asteroid Vesta marks a major scientific accomplishment and also points the way to the future destinations where people will travel in the coming years. President Obama has directed NASA to send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, and Dawn is gathering crucial data that will inform that mission.”

The spacecraft relayed information to confirm it entered Vesta's orbit, but the precise time this milestone occurred is unknown at this time.

The time of Dawn's capture depended on Vesta's mass and gravity, which only has been estimated until now.

The asteroid's mass determines the strength of its gravitational pull. If Vesta is more massive, its gravity is stronger, meaning it pulled Dawn into orbit sooner. If the asteroid is less massive, its gravity is weaker and it would have taken the spacecraft longer to achieve orbit.

With Dawn now in orbit, the science team can take more accurate measurements of Vesta's gravity and gather more accurate time line information.

Dawn, which launched in September 2007, is on track to become the first spacecraft to orbit two solar system destinations beyond Earth.

The mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

The University of California, Los Angeles, is responsible for the overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Astrophysical Institute are part of the mission's team.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

The organization will hold a meeting on Monday, July 18, to officially release the draft document for public comment.

The meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Lake County Tribal Health's conference room B, 925 Bevins Court, Lakeport.

The document can be downloaded and viewed at www.lcthc.org or read and downloaded below.

“It's never been done before,” Daphne Colacion, human services program coordinator for Lake County Tribal Health, said of the needs assessment, which will be finalized by the end of this month.

The assessment is a critical first step in implementing the grant-funded Partnership with Parents-All People Coming Together Program, Colacion explained.

It will help guide the formation of a home visiting program for children ages birth to 5 years old, as well as programs to address alcohol- and drug-free pregnancies, relapse counseling and parenting, she said.

In addition, Colacion said the needs assessment will be an important resource for local tribes seeking grants for their own specific programs.

“It will do a lot of good for the community as well as our organization, too,” she said.

The Lake County Tribal Health Consortium was one of 18 tribal organizations that received federal funding through the Administration for Children and Families to develop the program, she said.

The funding includes $196,000 for the first of the five years of the grant, with Colacion estimating that it would be double that amount over the remaining four years, which will support program development and implementation.

Colacion said the needs assessment was conducted between February and March of this year, with the organization hosting a series of community dinners and talking circles to gather information on what local Indian peoples believed were their communities' top priorities.

“We got so much support in doing this, I think that was kind of surprising,” Colacion said.

Colacion said the top 10 priorities that emerged, from No. 1 through 10, were alcohol- and drug-free pregnancies, substance abuse prevention, relapse prevention, cultural and community events, prenatal care, infant and baby care, learning and understanding their cultures, counseling for families, anger management classes and learning tribal languages.

To Colacion, another surprising aspect of the effort was that the assessment outreach team – made up of members of tribes around the lake – reached 23 percent of the local native community, a higher-than-expected result.

Report reveals growing tribal communities

The new 116-page report contains a number of interesting facts about Indian population statistics in Lake County, where there are seven federally recognized tribes and an estimated 4,000 individuals of Indian or native Alaskan heritage, Colacion said.

Altogether, tribal people account for 5.7 percent of the county's population, while they are 1 percent of California's population and 1.7 percent of the United States population.

The Indian population of Lake County rose by 30 percent between 2000 and 2010, with the three largest local tribal communities being located in the Lakeport, Clearlake and Upper Lake zip codes.

Of the local Indian communities, 32.3 percent of the total population is under age 18, according to the report.

With the emphasis on prenatal care and healthy pregnancies, as well as health care for mothers and babies, the report showed that between 2008 and 2009 the rate of tribal women receiving prenatal care in their first trimester rose from 37 to 48.5 percent.

Also in 2009, the report said that the tribal rate of prenatal care exceeded the overall rate for Lake County, which is ranked 47^th statewide for its prenatal care rates. That year Lake County's tribal prenatal care rates were nearly double the statewide tribal community rate, the report said.

From 2007 to 2008, tribal communities in Lake County also saw a reduction in low birthweight babies (weighing under 5 pounds, 8 ounces), giving tribes a 3.8 percent rate, better than the county (5.5 percent) or the nation (8.2 percent) enjoy.

Lake's tribe's have higher teen birth rates than the rest of the county, but less than half are in the younger teen age group, 15 to 17.

Tribal children are at an enhanced risk for obesity, with socioeconomic disparities contributing to that challenge, the report noted.

The assessment states, “Alcohol and drug free pregnancies were the Lake County tribal community's top priority,” noting the county's chronic problem with severe substance abuse, which affects all races, ethnicities and socioeconomic groups.

Other challenges include the finding that women in tribal communities have higher rates of maternal depression as compared to other groups, and the high numbers of tribal people suffering from “Adverse Childhood Experience,” which results from factors including alcoholism, abuse, drug use, domestic violence and health issues, among others.

Native children have higher dropout rates and lower educational achievement, with dropout rates for ninth through 12^th graders higher than the rates reported for the county and state's general and native populations.

One of the most important, and probably most hopeful, lessons learned in the study is that it stated “the community is ready for healing.”

For more information call Lake County Tribal Health, 707-263-8382, Extension 137.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

2011 Lake County Tribal Health Needs Assessment

Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters take care of a crash victim on Highway 20 near Upper Lake, Calif., on Saturday, July 16, 2011. Photo by Gary McAuley.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A two-vehicle collision near Upper Lake on Saturday evening injured several people and resulted in a fight.

The crash, involving a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Lexus, occurred at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Highway 20 and Main Street, according to the California Highway Patrol, which responded along with Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters and paramedics.

Reports from the scene indicated that the Tahoe was headed westbound and the Lexus pulled out from the area of Main Street into the westbound lane and was hit broadside.

There were reported to be a total of six crash victims, including three minors transported by Northshore Fire ambulances to Sutter Lakeside Hospital. Minor to moderate injuries were reported.

The names and ages of the crash victims, and the extent of their injuries, were not released Saturday evening by CHP.

The CHP reports indicated a subject in another vehicle that was not involved in the crash punched one of the crash victims, but the reasons why weren't immediately clear.

The roadway was closed for a short time as a result of the crash, but reopened just before 7 p.m., according to the CHP.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.

A total of six people were reported to have been involved in the crash, with several of them injured. Photo by Gary McAuley.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A Santa Rosa man was killed and five others injured in a head-on crash on Highway 29 near Middletown Saturday early afternoon.

Albert Koran Jr., 60, of Santa Rosa, died after his Toyota Tundra was hit head-on by a Chevy pickup driven by 70-year-old Keith Cronin of Anderson Springs, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Josh Dye, the collision's investigating officer.

The crash was reported shortly after noon just inside the Lake County line, Dye said.

For unknown reasons, Cronin, driving northbound on Highway 29, crossed the double-yellow lines and hit Koran's pickup, which was traveling southbound, according to Dye.

Koran attempted to take evasive action but was unable to avoid the collision, according to Dye's investigation.

Dye said Koran suffered major injuries and was trapped in the vehicle.

Koran's wife, Kathleen – whose age was not immediately available – and their 25-year-old son, Jason, were with him in the pickup and both suffered minor injuries, Dye said.

Both Kathleen and Jason Koran, as well as passersby, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Albert Koran until firefighters arrived. However, Dye said Albert Koran died at the scene.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said Cal Fire and South Lake County Fire Protection District also responded to the incident, and he was at the scene just minutes before being dispatched to a crash on Butts Canyon Road involving a vehicle versus a motorcycle, which CHP indicated later was a noninjury incident.

Before he left the scene, Bertelli said he tried to clear a large crowd that was forming at the fatal crash site.

The CHP incident logs indicated that county road crews were called to the scene to clear the debris from a large tree that resulted from the crash.

Dye said Kathleen and Jason Koran, along with Cronin's passengers – his son, Robert Cronin, 41, of Santa Rosa and Rebecca McGough of Sunnyvale, whose age was not available – were transported by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for treatment.

Robert Cronin and McGough also suffered minor injuries, Dye said.

Cronin was transported via air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with major injuries, including a collapsed lung and broken pelvis, according to Dye.

The roadway was closed for nearly an hour and a half while the victims were transported and the damaged vehicles were cleared. Dye said the northbound lanes were reopened just after 1:30 p.m.

CHP incident logs reported that a Santa Rosa CHP unit was requested to respond to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for a blood draw on Cronin.

Dye said he was at the crash scene for some time investigating it before heading off to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake to speak with the passengers of the two vehicles.

On the way, CHP officers had to stop to make an arrest for driving under the influence, he said.

“It was pretty busy,” said Dye, who had just gotten back to the CHP's office in Kelseyville shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews.