FINLEY, Calif. — Plans are underway to get the long-awaited project to restore the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse off the ground early next year.
The 151-year-old schoolhouse is located on Finley Road East in Finley.
The Lucerne Area Revitalization Association, or LARA, is a 501c(3) nonprofit formed in 2018 by John Jensen and Elizabeth Larson, owners of Lake County News, in order to work on important projects around the community.
Despite its name, LARA isn’t limited to work just in Lucerne, but was created to pursue a countywide mission and was conceived while the founders were hiking the hills picking up trash.
In 2021, the Kelseyville Unified School District granted LARA the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse at the end of a process that began before the pandemic with a request for proposals.
LARA and the school district also have entered into a 50-year lease for the property where the schoolhouse sits in Finley.
The organization is now launching a fundraising campaign as part of #GivingTuesday in order to begin the renovation and restoration in 2023.
Priority work will include the expensive process of removing the decades of lead paint that coat the interior and exterior of the building, which is important in order to make the building safe and available for use to the community, especially for children and into the future.
Other aspects of the restoration will include fixing the windows, making critical repairs to the interior and exterior, including repairing water damage to the floor; conducting well and septic tank testing; rewiring; and stabilizing the building.
Tax-deductible donations can be made through LARA’s online donation platform or mailed to LARA, P.O. Box 1792, Lucerne, CA 95458-1792.
In addition to funding, LARA also is looking for people with expertise about historical buildings willing to share their knowledge and time volunteering during the restoration project.
For more information, contact LARA at 707-200-4709, or email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or John Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — National nonprofit Wreaths Across America announced that the Kelseyville Cemetery has once again joined in the mission to “Remember, Honor, Teach” as an official location for 2022.
Wreaths Across America started as a simple gesture of thanks that has grown into a national movement of dedicated volunteers and communities coming together to not only remember the nation’s fallen and honor their service, but to teach the next generation about the sacrifices made for us to live freely.
This year, there will be more than 3,100 participating locations placing veterans’ wreaths on National Wreaths Across America Day — at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 — with more than two million volunteers coming together.
The goal for The Kelseyville Cemetery is to raise enough funds to place 519 sponsored veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of all the local heroes laid to rest there, to ensure that the individuals who served to protect the freedoms of our country never be forgotten and to bring the community together in patriotic commemoration.
Girl Scout Troop 10145 and 10490 have been working diligently all year long to raise sponsorships for the wreaths.
Both Girl Scout Troops 10145 and 10490 along with Blue Heron and Big Valley 4-H will be facilitating the brief ceremony and placing wreaths on veterans graves.
Organizers invite the community to join them from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, to remember and honor our local heroes.
The ceremony is free and open to the public.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to support the Wreaths Across America initiative at Kelseyville Cemetery where we take pride in honoring our Veterans and teaching our youth the value and cost of our freedom,” said event coordinator Allison Panella.
Those interested in volunteering for Wreaths Across America or sponsoring a wreath for the Kelseyville Cemetery are invited to visit this site for more information.
If you live on or near Clear Lake, get your drinking water from the lake, use the lake for recreation or business, or just care about water quality and quantity issues, then you will want to know about the Blue Ribbon Committee and the projects the committee is funding, so you understand the future of water resources in Lake County. If you are just a concerned community member, or have an interest in natural resources, this committee — and the upcoming open house — will be of interest to you too.
As a lake lover, and with my day job working on water resource programs and projects, I am thankful for the Blue Ribbon Committee. The Blue Ribbon Committee has been essential in bringing much needed research, planning, and financial resources to the local lake community. Additionally, the monthly subcommittee and quarterly meetings have been a gathering place for much needed information, technology, and education, to those working on lake projects and in water resource research and management.
Lake County News has several articles covering the Blue Ribbon Committee, see the Search results for all Blue Ribbon Committee Lake County News Articles.
As Lady of the Lake, I first covered the Blue Ribbon Committee in a previous two-part columns, you can find them here:
Previous Lady of the Lake columns cover the formation, purpose, and the 2018-2021 lake and watershed projects that were approved and awarded for funding (~ $5.4 Million). Funding for proposed projects comes from two places; Prop 68 Implementation fund and the Governors General Fund Allocation. Previously approved 2021 projects were funded with about $3M of Prop 68 funds and the rest from General Funds. All project funds are administered by the California Natural Resources Agency or CNRA.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is charged with allocating funding to support projects that will lead to improvements to Clear Lake ecology and economy. These projects start as proposals, brought to the Technical or Socio Economic Sub Committees (of the Blue Ribbon Committee) by any organization that is capable of executing the project.
Proposals can include activities that improve water quality, create or restore habitat, provide or enhance natural resource community education, or anything of a similar nature that can demonstrate that it will lead to an improvement for Clear Lake or the plant, animal, or human communities that depend on the lake.
There is no restriction on the type of organizations that can bring forth a proposal, however the more local and collaborative the organization, and the proposed project itself, the more likely it will receive approval for advancement to the Blue Ribbon Committee at large from the individual sub-committees. The organization of course needs to also be able to enter into and execute a contract agreement with the CNRA.
Upcoming events
You have a chance to learn about the Blue Ribbon Committee at an open house showcasing some of the Committee’s exciting projects to increase the health of Clear Lake and its communities on Dec. 13 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. at the Clearlake Senior Center, located at 3245 Bowers Ave in the City of Clearlake. Seating is limited, so please reserve your space by registering online here: https://bit.ly/BRC_Events. Additional information is provided in the flier below. Questions? Contact Sam Magill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. On site registration will be open at 3 p.m.
If you are unable to attend in person, but would like to join us for the opening presentation, please click on this link to register for the webinar.
The Open House on Dec. 13 will feature some of the in-progress 2020 / 2021 funded projects and organizations:
County of Lake Water Resources Department and Watershed Protection District • Clear Lake Dilapidated Structure Abatement Project • Stormwater, Trash Remediation, and Illicit Discharge Project • Clear Lake Ambient Monthly Monitoring Program • Clear Lake Community Outreach Survey: Perspectives and Attitudes
Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Environmental Department • Kelsey Creek Fish Ladder Restoration • Tule Restoration & Primrose removal Project
U.S. Geological Survey • Mercury Modeling and Clear Lake Tributary modeling & monitoring
UC Davis • Piloting Environmental Education Resources (UCD Center for Regional Change) • Citizen and Community Science (UCD Center for Regional Change) • In-Lake Modeling and Monitoring (UCD Tahoe Environmental Research Center)
Seigler Springs Community Redevelopment Association • Cobb Mountain Watershed Education Project
Upcoming projects and how to be involved
Below is a list of the 2022 approved projects, and their organization sponsor, approved for funding in 2023. These projects collectively equal about $6.3M, but source of funding for each project (Prop 68 or General Fund) is still being finalized. These projects were proposed, refined, and approved by the Blue Ribbon Committee in 2022.
In-Lake Mercury Modeling — USGS Airborne Electromagnetic Survey of Lake County Groundwater Basins — County of Lake Water Resources Department Scotts Valley Aquifer Evaluation — Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California Environmental Education Pathways Program — Mendocino Community College EcoCultural Prescribed Fire & Tule Restoration — Tribal EcoRestortion Alliance Hypolimnetic Oxygenation Pilot Project- Oaks Arm -UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center Adobe Creek Hydrology and Groundwater Monitoring — Big Valley Rancheria EPA Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems and Wetland Restoration Analysis and Implementation — Big Valley EPA Big Valley HAB and Bank Erosion Pilot Project — Big Valley Rancheria EPA Web-Based Clearinghouse for Data / Citizen Science App — Big Valley Rancheria EPA
If you want to know more about these projects, and past projects, or meet some of the individuals from the organizations conducting this breadth of work to improve the lake,you can attend the monthly sub-committee meetings, as well as the Dec. 13 Open House. Regular meetings for the Blue Ribbon Committee are still being held remotely via zoom, and facilitated by the Sacramento State Consensus and Collaboration Program.
You can sign up for notices and updates from the Blue Ribbon Committee from their Listserv here.
At any time you wish to know more about the committee, or inquire about submitting a proposal, contact the committee facilitator, Sam Magill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Consensus and Collaboration Program, College of Continuing Education — Sacramento State, 304 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811.
In addition, should you have specific questions about a project or proposal that is a product of the Blue Ribbon Committee, you can write to me, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I can provide you with the correct contact information or I can spotlight a project in my column. I do serve on the technical subcommittee and have attended all but one of the quarterly Blue Ribbon Committee meetings since they started being held in 2018.
Sincerely,
Lady of the Lake
You can now hear from the Lady on the Lake on local radio, KPFZ 88.1, the last Sunday of every month, during the “Lake County Fire Recovery” and “What’s Next” weekly shows between 2 to 4 p.m.
Angela De Palma-Dow is a limnologist (limnology = study of fresh inland waters) who lives and works in Lake County. Born in Northern California, she has a Master of Science from Michigan State University. She is a Certified Lake Manager from the North American Lake Management Society, or NALMS, and she is the current president/chair of the California chapter of the Society for Freshwater Science. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week is set to consider a proposal to expand the city’s sphere of influence and pursue the first annexation since incorporation 42 years ago.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, for a closed session to discuss the police chief appointment before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
On Thursday, the council will present a proclamation in remembrance of retired Judge Richard Freeborn, who died in September; recognize city employees and volunteers for their services; and hear a presentation on Public Works maintenance projects.
Under business, council members will consider beginning the process to annex 302 acres at 2050 and 2122 Ogulin Canyon Road.
The council will look at adopting a resolution of intent to amend the city’s sphere of influence and general plan, adopt prezoning designations, prepare an environmental analysis and initiate proceedings with the Lake Local Agency Formation Commission for those parcels.
Earlier this year, the owners of that property, Lake Vista Farms, approached the city to ask about being annexed to the city.
At the council’s July 21 meeting, they heard a presentation on the proposal and agreed to direct staff to explore the proposal further.
The council on Thursday also is being asked to provide direction to staff allowing the Community Development director to review projects within the Sulphur Fire area for legal nonconforming status and approve permits consistent with previous development if they do not hinder the general health and welfare of the community.
Also on Thursday, the council will hold a public hearing to confirm assessments totaling $29,383.90 for city funded abatements and also will discuss a resolution to extend the term of the existing commercial cannabis development agreements and temporarily reduces the production fee.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; the first reading for the adoption of the 2022 California Building Standard Codes, the 2021 Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa/Hot Tub Codes, the 2021 Uniform Solar, Hydronics & Geothermal Codes, the 2021 International Building Codes, the 2021 International Residential Codes and the 2021 International Fire Codes, with the second reading to be held Jan. 5; approval of the reorganization of a Maintenance Worker II position to a Maintenance Worker III; consideration of renaming communications officer job to communications and records supervisor and adopting changes to the job description; purchase of K-rails for the Public Works yard from Eiffel Trading in the amount of $33,930; award of the $59,715 contract for electrical services related to the Public Works Yard Project to DC Electric; adoption of the second amendment to the FY 2022-23 Budget (Resolution 2022-43) adjusting appropriations and transfers; consideration of acceptance of the property located at 3332 Sixth St.; authorization of an amendment of the contract with the Koi Nation for tribal monitoring contract on the Austin Park Splash Pad Project in the amount of $5,000; approval of an amendment to the Government Services Authority consultant contract; minutes of the November City Council meeting; minutes of the Oct. 12 Lake County Vector Control District Board Meeting; warrants; appointment of the city manager as acting city treasurer through November 2026; adoption of the 2022 Conflict of Interest Code; approval of the annual calendar of meetings for 2023; continuation of authorization to implement and utilize teleconference accessibility to conduct public meetings pursuant to Assembly Bill 361; and a memo regarding the holiday closure of the City Hall administration offices.
The council will hold a second closed session after the main meeting to discuss property negotiations for 6885 Old Highway 53.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service said a weather system moving across Northern California is expected to bring rain, colder temperatures and frost, and some low-elevation snow this week.
The forecast calls for light rain across low elevation areas and light snow across high mountainous terrain through Monday, with cold temperatures developing on Tuesday morning, when widespread frost is expected.
The National Weather Service said a multi-inch rainfall event is forecast to occur across northwest California Wednesday evening through Thursday evening.
Conditions on Thursday could lead to snow levels falling below the 2,000-foot elevation level for a time.
Rain is forecast to decrease Thursday night through Friday afternoon.
The Lake County forecast calls for frost early on Monday and Tuesday mornings, and chances of rain from Wednesday through Sunday. Up to three quarters of an inch of rain could fall on Wednesday.
There also is the chance for both rain and snow in higher elevations on Friday night.
Temperatures this week are forecast to be in the low 40s to high 40s during the days and into the low 30s at night.
Winds of up to 13 miles per hour also are in the forecast for Monday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control is offering several dogs at a discounted adoption rate this week.
“We have quite a few dogs that have been here for 20+ days. These dogs have had little interest for adoption,” the agency reported on its Facebook page.
“In order to help find these dogs new homes for the holidays, we are reducing the adoptions fees down to $30 total to take them home,” Animal Care and Control said in its post.
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.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278, visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting, or go to the shelter at 4949 Helbush Drive in Lakeport to fill out an application.
The following dogs are available for the $30 fee.
Female pit bull terrier
This 9-month-old female pit bull terrier has a short gray coat.
She is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-4213.
‘Arlo’
“Arlo” is a 3-year-old male basset hound-Labrador retriever mix with a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-4164.
Female Labrador retriever
This 3-month-old female Labrador retriever has a short black coat.
She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-4162.
Male Labrador retriever
This 2-year-old male Labrador retriever has a short black coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-4112.
Male pit bull terrier puppy
This 3-month-old pit bull terrier puppy has a short white coat with gray markings.
He is in kennel No. 23c, ID No. LCAC-A-4120.
Female pit bull
This 1 and a half year old female pit bull has a short brown coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-4217.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
There were about 1.2 million same-sex couple households in the United States in 2021, according to recently released Census Bureau data.
Roughly 710,000 of the same-sex couple households were married and about 500,000 were unmarried.
These and many other estimates can be found in the Census Bureau’s recently released package of tables and graphics about the characteristics of same-sex couple households, which are based on American Community Survey (ACS) data.
The package, which shows estimates from 2005 through 2021, was not released in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19 on ACS data collection.
Other highlights from the release:
• The average age of householders in same-sex married couples (48.9 years) was lower than in opposite-sex married couples (52.8 years). But the average age of householders in same-sex unmarried couples (42.0 years) was higher than in opposite-sex unmarried couples (39.9 years). • The share of female-female and male-male couples with both partners employed did not differ significantly, though median household income in female same-sex couple households ($92,470) was lower than in male same-sex couple households ($116,800). • Both partners had at least a bachelor’s degree in a larger share of same-sex (29.6%) than opposite-sex (18.1%) unmarried couples. • A larger share of same-sex (31.6%) than opposite-sex (18.4%) married couples were interracial. • The District of Columbia (2.5%) had the highest percentage of same-sex couple households of any state or state equivalent.
This is the second time the Census Bureau has released ACS estimates of same-sex couple households since revising the survey’s relationship to householder question to more accurately capture same-sex relationships.
The ACS does not identify all couples living together since it only collects information about each household member’s relationship to the householder, rather than about the relationships among all household members.
Further information regarding ways the Census Bureau has changed how it collects information about same-sex couples over time is available.
Zachary Scherer is a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division.
Eric Hittinger, Rochester Institute of Technology; Eric Williams, Rochester Institute of Technology; Qing Miao, Rochester Institute of Technology, and Tiruwork B. Tibebu, Rochester Institute of Technology
The planet is heating up as greenhouse gas emissions rise, contributing to extreme heat waves and once-unimaginableflooding. Yet despite the risks, countries’ policies are not ontrack to keep global warming in check.
The problem isn’t a lack of technology. The International Energy Agency recently released a detailed analysis of the clean energy technology needed to lower greenhouse gas emissions to net zero globally by 2050. What’s needed, the IEA says, is significant government support to boost solar and wind power, electric vehicles, heat pumps and a variety of other technologies for a rapid energy transition.
One politically popular tool for providing that government support is the subsidy. The U.S. government’s new Inflation Reduction Act is a multibillion-dollar example, packed with financial incentives to encourage people to buy electric vehicles, solar panels and more.
But just how big do governments’ clean energy subsidies need to be to meet their goals, and how long are they needed?
Our research points to three important answers for any government considering clean energy subsidies – and for citizens keeping an eye on their progress.
Why subsidize at all?
An obvious first question is: Why should governments subsidize clean energy at all?
Reducing emissions helps to lower both public health costs and damage from climate change, which justifies government spending. Reports have estimated that the U.S. spends US$820 billion a year just on health costs associated with air pollution and climate change. Globally, the World Health Organization estimated that the costs reached $5.1 trillion in 2018. Taxing and regulating polluting industries can also cut emissions, but carrots are often more politically popular than sticks.
A less obvious reason for subsidies is that government support can help a new and initially expensive technology become competitive in the market.
Governments have been central to the development of many technologies that are pervasive today, including microchips, the internet, solar panels and GPS. Microchips were fantastically expensive when first developed in the 1950s. Demand from the U.S. military and NASA, which could pay the high price, fueled the growth of the industry, and costs eventually dropped enough that they’re now found in everything from cars to toasters.
Government support has also helped to bring down the cost of solar power. Rooftop solar system costs fell 64% from 2010 to 2020 in the U.S. because cells became more efficient and higher volumes drove prices down.
How much money?
So, subsidies can work, but what’s the right amount?
Too low, and a subsidy has no effect. Giving everyone a coupon for $1 off an electric car won’t change anyone’s buying plans. But subsidies can also be set too high.
The government doesn’t need to spend money persuading consumers who already plan to buy an electric car and can afford one, yet studies show clean energy subsidies disproportionately go to richer people. When people who would have purchased the item anyway receive subsidies, they’re known as “free riders.”
The ideal subsidy attracts new buyers while avoiding free riders and overspending on people who are already convinced. The subsidy can only work when it convinces a previously uninterested consumer to buy a product.
How long should subsidies last?
Timing is also important when thinking about the size of subsidies. When a promising technology is new and expensive, free riders are less of an issue. A large subsidy may be needed to attract even a few buyers, build out the emerging market and support the industry’s growth.
Solar power is a good example: In 2005, solar was several times more expensive than traditional electricity sources. Subsidies, like the 30% Investment Tax Credit established that year, helped lower the cost, and today’s solar is about one-tenth the price and cost-competitive with other electricity sources.
Once a clean technology is competitive, subsidies can still play an important role in speeding up the energy transition, but at a lower level than in the past.
In our research on residential solar panels, we estimate that the ideal subsidy for rooftop solar should have been initially higher than the actual federal tax credit but fall more quickly, declining to zero after 14 years from its start date.
By starting the subsidy about 20% higher, our models found that it would have boosted production faster, which would cut costs faster and reduce the need for high future subsidies.
Should subsidies eventually disappear?
It makes sense for subsidies to disappear altogether once a technology is sufficiently cost-competitive. However, even if a technology is competitive, it might be worth further subsidy if the speed of adoption is important.
The argument for continuing a subsidy depends on whether the additional adoption it stimulates is cost-effective in reducing emissions. Wind power is cheaper than fossil fuel power in many parts of the country. Even so, we found that continuing subsidies for wind power would lead to valuable emission benefits.
That said, sometimes subsidies stick around when they shouldn’t.
Fossil fuels have been heavily subsidized for decades, despite their harm to human health, the environment and the climate, all of which raise public costs. Governments globally spent almost $700 billion on fossil fuel subsidies in 2021. The U.S. government, in recent years, has spent more on renewable energy tax credits than fossil fuels, which is a promising transition of government support.
Global impact
While the U.S. was the focus of our solar subsidy research, this way of thinking – balancing the costs and benefits of subsidies – can be applied in other nations to design better subsidies for clean energy technologies.
The subsidy is just one policy tool, but it is an important one for both stimulating early-stage technologies and accelerating deployment of more competitive options. As the world attempts the fastest energy transition in history, today’s energy subsidy decisions will affect its ability to succeed.
As the holiday season approaches, the Office of Traffic Safety and Caltrans want to make sure you are prepared to travel safely. Between holiday shopping, festive outings, and gathering with loved ones — there are several opportunities to Go Safely this season.
Even as the days get cooler and shorter, it seems our calendars are busier than ever.
To make sure you make it to all your holiday gatherings safely, it is important to plan ahead before you get behind the wheel.
Drowsy, impaired, and distracted driving are deadly — but they are also preventable.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, estimates that in 2020, 633 people lost their lives to drowsy driving.
Studies have shown that drowsy driving can impair your ability to drive in the same way that drinking and driving does.
The best way to prevent drowsy driving is to recognize the signs. Yawning, daydreaming, missing an exit, and drifting from a lane are all signs that you need to pull over safely and rest up. Even a quick 30-minute nap can do wonders to refresh you before the next leg of your trip.
It is important to get enough sleep, take a break every two hours or 100 miles, and avoid alcohol or medications that can make you sleepy.
While you prepare for your celebrations this season, remember to prepare your holiday safety plan as well.
Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a deadly choice, so plan accordingly. Designate a sober driver or schedule a ride-share to get you home safe and sound.
If you are hosting a party, don’t let your friends or family drive impaired. Ensure that all guests have a designated sober driver or alternative, sober transportation to get them safely to their destinations.
If you are driving and suspect that another driver may be driving impaired, call 911. You could save a life.
It can be easy to get caught up in our busy holiday schedules, but make sure you also take the time to limit your distractions while driving. Silence your cellphone and concentrate on the road as driving conditions tend to worsen in the winter months.
When texting behind the wheel, the amount of time your eyes are off the road averages five seconds. When driving at an approximate speed of 55 miles per hour, you could essentially cover the length of a football field, blindfolded.
The text can wait until you safely arrive at your destination — silence your phone and focus on the road.
Though it seems we are constantly on the go during the holidays, take some time to remember your safety plan:
• Rest up. Don’t drive drowsy and take breaks from driving every two hours or 100 miles. • If your celebrations include drinking, designate a sober driver, and never let your friends or family drive under the influence. If you see a drunken driver on the road, call 911. • Limit your distractions, silence your phone, and focus on getting to and from your destination safely.
Drowsy, impaired, and distracted driving are all preventable. Make sure you’re prepared so we can all Go Safely this holiday season.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County real estate market is continuing to slow down but remains a sellers market, according to the latest report from the Lake County Association of Realtors.
Over the month of October, the total homes sold through the multiple listing service last month totaled 81, compared to 104 during the same time last year.
These include traditionally built “stick-built” houses as well as manufactured homes on land.
There were six sales of mobile homes in parks compared to seven for the same time last year, and 24 bare land (lots and acreage) sales, compared with 26 for the same time in 2021.
There are 412 homes on the market now. If the rate of sales stays the same at 63 homes sold per month, there are currently five months of inventory on the market at the moment compared to 4.4 months of inventory a month ago.
That means that if no new homes are brought to the market for sale, in five months all of these homes would be sold and there would be none available.
Less than six months of inventory is generally considered to be a “sellers’ market” while more than six months of inventory is often called a “buyers’ market.
The inventory has been growing steadily over the past several months, with more homes being brought to market with fewer buyers.
The total percentage of homes bought for all cash in October was 26%, the same amount as in October 2021.
Of those, 43% were financed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac (“conventional loans”) compared to 45% for the same time last year; 22% were financed by FHA compared to 15% for this time last year); and 0% were financed by the VA or CalVet (compared to 6% for this time last year) 9% had other financing such as private loans or seller financed notes (compared to 8% last year at this time).
Most homes were selling very close to the asking price, at an average of 97% of the asking price. This is in contrast to other areas, where homes still sell for more than the asking price.
The median time on the market last month was 32 days, compared to 27 days for this time last year.
The median sale price of a single family home in Lake County over the last 30 days was $282,500, lower than $312,250 during this time period last year.
In the past 30 days, 48% of homes sold had seller concessions for an average of $9,035; a year ago 38% of homes sold had an average seller concession of $7,817.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Male domestic shorthair
This 3-year-old male domestic shorthair cat has an orange tabby coat.
“This guy can be shy at first, but once he knows that you are all about the pets, he will roll right over and start his purr machine. He has a unique curly tail which he flicks around when curious,” shelter staff said.
He is in cat room kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-4021.
Male domestic shorthair
This 8-year-old male domestic shorthair cat has an orange tabby coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 47, ID No. LCAC-A-4319.
‘Sampson’
“Sampson” is a male domestic shorthair with a black coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 77, ID No. LCAC-A-4317.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Just as NASA’s Mars rovers rely on robust wheels to roam the Red Planet and conduct science, some orbiters rely on wheels, too — in this case, reaction wheels — to stay pointed in the right direction.
Engineers and technicians at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California recently installed four reaction wheels on Europa Clipper, which will rely on them during its journey at Jupiter’s icy moon Europa.
When NASA’s spacecraft heads through deep space, slips into orbit around Jupiter, and collects science observations while flying dozens of times by Europa, the wheels rotate the orbiter so that its antennas can communicate with Earth and its science instruments, including cameras, can stay oriented.
Two feet wide and made of steel, aluminum, and titanium, the wheels spin rapidly to create torque that causes the orbiter to rotate in the opposite direction. Isaac Newton’s third law of motion also applies in deep space and explains the underlying phenomenon: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The reaction wheels cause the spacecraft to react to the spinning action of the wheels.
Here’s one way to visualize how reaction wheels work: Imagine you are sitting in a swivel chair and lift your feet off the floor so that you are free to rotate. If you jerk your torso in one direction, the chair and your legs will rotate the opposite direction.
The reaction wheels work the same way: As the reaction wheel’s motor accelerates the metal wheel in one direction, the spacecraft experiences an acceleration in the opposite direction.
Without those reaction wheels, Europa Clipper wouldn’t be able to do its science investigations when it arrives at the Jupiter system in 2030 after its 2024 launch. Scientists believe Europa harbors a vast internal ocean that may have conditions suitable for supporting life.
The spacecraft will gather data on the moon’s atmosphere, surface, and interior — information that will help scientists learn more about the ocean, the ice crust, and potential plumes that may be venting subsurface water into space.
During its orbits around Jupiter, Europa Clipper will rely on reaction wheels to help it perform thousands of turns, or “slews.” Although the spacecraft could perform some of those maneuvers with thrusters, its thrusters need fuel — a finite resource aboard the orbiter. The reaction wheels will run on electricity provided by the spacecraft’s vast solar arrays.
The trade-off is that the reaction wheels work slowly. Europa Clipper’s reaction wheels will take about 90 minutes to rotate the craft 180 degrees — a movement so gradual that, from a distance, it would be imperceptible to the human eye. The rotation of the spacecraft will be three times slower than the minute hand on a clock.
Also, they can wear out over time. It happened on NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, requiring engineers to figure out how to rotate using thrusters with the available fuel.
To address this, engineers have installed four wheels on Europa Clipper even though only three are needed to maneuver. They alternate which three wheels are in operation to even the wear. That leaves them with a “spare” wheel if one of the others fails.
Installing the wheels was one of the most recent steps of the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations. Science instruments continue to arrive at JPL to be added to the spacecraft.
Next, a variety of tests will be conducted, as the spacecraft moves toward its October 2024 launch period. After traveling over 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers), Europa Clipper will be set to begin unlocking the secrets of this icy world.
Missions such as Europa Clipper contribute to the field of astrobiology, the interdisciplinary research field that studies the conditions of distant worlds that could harbor life as we know it.
While Europa Clipper is not a life-detection mission, it will conduct a detailed exploration of Europa and investigate whether the icy moon, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life.
Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.