LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors and the Clearlake City Council last week presented proclamations recognizing February as Black History Month.
Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier this month also issued a proclamation declaring February 2022 as Black History Month.
Last Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors presented its proclamation — which also celebrates the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — to Rick Mayo, president of the Lake County Branch of the NAACP, which he founded in 1982.
The proclamation, given to Mayo by Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, recognized the NAACP for its diligent efforts on social programs that aim to eliminate racial hatred, bigotry and poverty.
Mayo noted how far the organization has come in the 25 years the county has offered the proclamations.
“Our nation is at a crossroads,” he said, questioning whether the country is going to continue as a democracy or fall into some kind of autocracy.
“It’s up to us to maintain this democracy that we have,” said Mayo, who called for the protection of voting and other rights.
He added that the Lake County government reflects the diversity of the community.
His cousin, St. Elmo Mosby, was with him to receive the presentation.
Mosby, who has lived in Lake County since 2004, said they both grew up in the South. He said he looks forward to the annual proclamations.
On Thursday, the Clearlake City Council followed up by offering its own proclamation to Mayo and the NAACP.
Mayo and his board members were on hand to receive the proclamation.
Mayo said the Clearlake community stands out in the state for recognizing diversity.
“Black history is American history,” said board member Kenneth Bagsby, adding they can look forward to a better day.
Board member Bessie Bell said she was proud of the police department under Chief Andrew White, noting the changes he’s brought. “I like what I see.”
She added, “Keep the good work up,” and said she is here to help.
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.
Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, has introduced a resolution designating the week of Feb. 21 as Eating Disorder Awareness Week, bringing attention to a serious problem affecting 30 million Americans while underscoring the need for prevention.
“Eating disorders are serious conditions that are potentially life-threatening and have a great impact on our physical and emotional health,” Sen. Dodd said. “We must improve the public’s understanding of the causes, encourage early intervention and lay to rest the stigma of this pervasive affliction. As someone who’s had a loved one suffer from an eating disorder, I know how difficult it can be, but with support recovery is possible.”
Sen. Dodd’s resolution raises awareness of a range of disorders affecting men and women across all backgrounds. Conditions include anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorders.
This year’s theme, “Come as You Are: Hindsight is 20/20,” will focus on alerting the public to environmental and biological causes as well as empowering people to reduce personal risk factors for developing eating disorders.
California Treasurer Fiona Ma is a co-sponsor. Supporters include the National Eating Disorders Association, American Nurses Association-California, Cielo House and the Eating Disorders Resource Center.
“For too long the media has focused on women needing to be thin to be beautiful,” said Treasurer Fiona Ma. “I remember struggling in college and being forced to look inward to correct unhealthy eating habits. Eating disorders are the third most common chronic illness among adolescent women in the U.S., and 10 million men in the U.S. will suffer from one in their lifetime. De-stigmatizing this conversation and talking openly is the best way to take our power back, and I’m proud to work once again along with my longtime friend and colleague, Sen. Dodd, to make sure we do not let these disorders define us.”
Dodd, who formerly represented Lake County in the California Assembly, now represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Tuesday, Feb. 22, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-05) and Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry will hold a Zoom town hall.
The event will take place from 6 to 7 p.m.
All constituents of California’s Fifth Congressional District and California’s Fourth Assembly District are invited to attend.
To RSVP, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a Zoom link or watch live on Rep. Thompson’s Facebook page.
Aguiar-Curry represents the 4th Assembly District, which includes all of Lake and Napa Counties, parts of Colusa, Solano and Sonoma Counties, and all of Yolo County except West Sacramento.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A nonprofit group is undertaking a fundraising effort to rebuild trails in the Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest, which was devastated in the 2015 Valley fire.
Redwood Trails Alliance is launching its “Bring Back Boggs” fundraising campaign.
In partnership with Trail House of Santa Rosa and various stakeholders, Redwood Trails Alliance is raising funds to rebuild Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest trails and give away an awesome trail bike to one lucky winner.
Redwood Trails Alliance, a 501(c)(3) trail stewardship organization, is launching the “Bring Back Boggs'' bike giveaway. Trail House of Santa Rosa donated a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert mountain bike worth $5,900 to raise funds to rebuild the trails at Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest.
The forest has been a popular mountain bike destination for years, and home of the Bike Monkey Boggs 8 hour race and the NorCal Interscholastic Cycling League’s state championship race.
After nearly 90% of the 3,100 acres of forest was burned, rebuilding is underway, but the Redwood Trails Alliance said it needs community support to get the job done.
This forest is so important to the local community, Lake County District 5 Supervisor Jessica Pyska announced actions to make healthier living more accessible in District 5.
Pyska is dedicating $25,000 in cannabis tax funds to the Friends of Boggs and Redwood Trails Alliance, kicking off a $100,000 “Bring Back Boggs” fundraising campaign to rebuild trails in Boggs forest.
You too can donate towards Boggs recovery. Each $5 donation goes toward one chance to win the giveaway prizes. The campaign closes on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. Pacific Time.
Interested parties can enter to win here at www.trailsalliance.org or https://trailsalliance.givingfuel.com/bringbackboggs.
Further support of the Bring Back Boggs campaign comes from Calpine Corp. Calpine donated $15,000 towards the $100,000 goal to rebuild trails in the forest.
“Calpine Corp. and Supervisor Pyska’s donations give us a $40,000 boost to our Bring Back Boggs campaign. We are optimistic for a successful campaign and grateful to work in partnership with Friends of Boggs Mountain,” said Debbie St. Cyr, executive director of Redwood Trails Alliance.
“None of the work we do would be possible without support from our members, loyal sponsors, partners and the many visitors from around the Bay Area who cherish our trails,” said St. Cyr. “Trail House of Santa Rosa has supported Redwood Trails Alliance from the very beginning, and together, we’ve brought world-class trails to the community. With the Specialized Bicycles Stumpjumper Expert, they've bottled up that ‘new bike day’ feeling and put it into a radical new trail bike so agile, so lively, so in-tune with the trail, that it feels like an extension of your body. Levitate up the climbs. Decimate the descents. It’s the perfect NorCal trail bike!”
St. Cyr said they also have runner-up prizes for more chances to win, including a set of Reserve 30 29 inch carbon mountain bike wheels donated by Reserve Wheels and a Wahoo Roam bike computer donated by RIDE Napa Valley. Click here to enter to win one today.
For more information, click here or email Tom Boss at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The evolution of job growth and employment in the U.S. economy over the past four decades has been characterized by two important but seemingly contradictory facts: Young startup businesses have been a key driver of economic growth, yet more and more of the American workforce has become concentrated at older, more mature firms.
This window into the nation’s economic trends comes from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Dynamics Statistics, or BDS, which provide annual measures of establishment openings and closings, firm startups and shutdowns, and job creation and loss.
The BDS paints a portrait of the constantly evolving and dynamic U.S. economy over time and provides information on the contributions to employment changes across and within industries.
These measures are available for the entire economy and by industry (sector and 3-digit and 4-digit North American Industry Classification System or NAICS) and geography (state, county and metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas).
They’re also published by firm and establishment size and age. Statistics are available from 1978 to 2019.
In this story, we summarize recent findings using the publicly available statistics to describe the dynamics of the U.S. economy over the past 40 years. We specifically focus on the role firms of different ages and sizes played in the creation of jobs across various industries.
Age and size of firms
As prior research has shown, the age and size of a business are important characteristics that may reflect its potential to create jobs and economic growth.
The BDS allows us to distinguish between the age and size of an establishment (a physical place of work) and the age and size of the firm (the larger enterprise that owns and operates the establishment).
Firm age is defined as the age of the oldest establishment in the first year in which a firm has employees. We define a startup as any firm that employed its first worker in the current year.
New establishments created by new firms will have job creation patterns that resemble other startups. But new establishments created by long-existing firms will grow in ways that reflect the trends of mature firms.
In addition, an establishment that belongs to a larger parent company may act differently than an independent establishment.
For the purposes of this article, we focus on two age categories: young and old. Young firms are those with positive employment for five years or less, and old firms are those with positive employment for more than five years.
A firm’s size is based on the first quarter employment of a given year and includes all establishments associated with the firm at that time. We consider firms with 100 or more employees “large,” and those with fewer than 100 employees “small.”
Increasing share of employment in older firms
One of the major trends over the past three decades is that employment has become increasingly concentrated at older firms.
After falling in the 1980s, the share of employment at more mature firms rose steadily, representing approximately 90% of all employees by 2019 (Figure 1).
The patterns in a few notable industries mirror this national trend. By the mid-2000s, for example, the Manufacturing, Retail, and Health Care sectors all had over 90% of their employment at mature firms.
There were exceptions: Accommodation and Food Services and Information sectors.
Restaurants and hotels had a lower share of employment in older firms relative to other industries over the entire time series. This share dipped even lower in the late 1990s, then rose until the early 2010’s, and has been flat or slightly declining since.
The Information sector trended somewhat away from older firms through the tech crash in the early 2000’s but has risen since and is now nearly 95% concentrated in mature firms.
The large and increasing presence of employment at old firms appears to contradict the notion that young startups are the engine of economic growth. However, it is true that young firms are more dynamic and have much greater rates of net job creation.
The Net Job Creation Rate, or NJCR, indicates how many more jobs were created than were destroyed relative to overall employment in an industry.
The job creation rate is notably higher for young firms than for old ones — the NJCR has hovered around 15% to 20% for younger firms throughout the time series but was roughly 0% and often negative for more established firms.
The NJCR time series is more volatile for young firms than old ones, showing larger drops during business contractions and larger gains in expansions (Retail and Manufacturing during and after the Great Recession, for example). Despite these fluctuations, the rate is almost always higher for young firms.
The single exception is the Information sector in 2001, when the job creation rate for young firms fell to the same level as for old firms.
Therefore, it is simultaneously true that startups grow at faster rates but old firms account for an increasing share of employment.
Reconciling these facts requires noting that there are fewer startups over time and in turn fewer young firms over time (Figure 3). That is, the net growth rate differential between young and old has not changed much but there are fewer and fewer young firms over time.
Employment concentrated in larger firms
Mirroring the growing share of employment at older firms, the share of employment located at large firms with at least 100 employees also increased.
The national share of employment at these large firms has grown from 41% at the beginning of the time series in 1978 to 48% at the end of the series in 2019.
However, this steady rise in the national share masks considerable industry variation.
Manufacturing has notably defied this trend, becoming more concentrated in smaller firms, despite a slight reversal of this pattern in the last few years.
The Information and Accommodation and Food Services sectors have also moved away from larger firms since the mid-2000’s, despite moving towards them during other time periods.
Retail ‘Megafirms’
The increasing concentration of employment at large firms is most obvious in the Retail sector, which grew steadily from a 36% share in 1978 to 62% in 2019.
Retail’s status as an industry dominated by large players is well-known, with the familiar rise of so-called “megafirms” that have crowded out smaller firms during the last two decades.
Recent research using Census data suggests that the increasing presence of such firms helps explain the decline in the share of national income going to labor, as these firms tend to be capital intensive and highly efficient.
Does age or size influence job creation more?
The increased concentration of large firms in the economy appears to have a smaller impact on job creation than does the increase in older firms. This is because small firms have higher rates of job growth than large ones but not by nearly the same margin as between young and old firms.
During economic expansions, the net job creation rate of small firms exceeds that of large firms by a few percentage points. However, during contractions, the rates fall to nearly the same negative level as large firms.
This is especially apparent in the Information sector during the 2001 recession, where small firms destroyed jobs at a higher rate than large ones.
The NJCR in this sector remains lower today than in the 1990s but aside from the Great Recession, small firms have created more jobs on net than large ones since the mid-2000’s. The exception to this trend of stagnant job growth at large firms is Retail, where large firms have mostly out-performed small firms in net jobs created.
BDS data tables are available for further analysis. BDS data can also be accessed via the BDS Explorer application and guidance on how to use it is available in this webinar.
Christopher Goetz is an economist in the Center for Economic Studies, or CES, at the U.S. Census Bureau. Martha Stinson is a senior economist in CES.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has more new dogs this week needing new homes.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Anatolian shepherd, Australian cattle dog, border collie, Chihuahua, fox terrier, German shepherd, Great Pyrenees, husky, Labrador retriever, Rhodesian ridgeback, Shar-Pei, shepherd, pit bull, wirehaired terrier and Weimaraner.
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.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
Male Weimaraner
This 2-year-old male Weimaraner has a short gray coat.
He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-2701.
Female German shepherd
This female German shepherd has a short black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. LCAC-A-2598.
Female fox terrier
This 2-year-old female fox terrier has a short brown and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-2628.
Male fox terrier
This 5-year-old male fox terrier has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-2637.
Female husky-shepherd puppy
This female husky-shepherd puppy has a white coat.
She is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-2763.
‘Panda’
“Panda” is a 3-year-old male pit bull mix with a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-361.
‘Ruby’
“Ruby” is a 2-year-old female Shar-Pei-Rhodesian ridgeback mix with a short tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-2560.
Male pit bull
This 2-year-old male pit bull has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-2473.
Female Labrador retriever
This 4-year-old female Labrador retriever has a short black coat.
She is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-2694.
Male Labrador retriever
This 3-year-old male Labrador retriever has a short black coat.
He is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-2745.
Anatolian shepherd mix
This 2-year-old female Anatolian shepherd mix has a short tan coat with black markings.
She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-2535.
Female border collie mix
This 3-year-old female border collie mix has a tricolor coat and blue eyes.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-2641.
‘Turbo’
“Turbo” is a 2-year-old male wirehaired terrier with a cream-colored coat.
He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-2587.
‘Ginger’
“Ginger” is a 1-year-old female shepherd-Australian cattle dog mix with a cream and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-2534.
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. — U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson announced that he has filed to run for reelection in the newly numbered Fourth Congressional District.
The district includes all of Lake and Napa counties and portions of Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties.
“I’m excited to run for reelection in the newly drawn Fourth Congressional District,” said Rep. Mike Thompson. “I was born, grew up and have lived my entire life in our district and I consider it the honor of my life to represent our beautiful region in Congress.
“Families here want a fair shake: well-paying jobs, affordable health care, a clean environment, quality education, and dignity in retirement. They want to know that if they work hard and play by the rules, they can leave more for their children than they themselves had — that the American Dream is alive and well. Folks here want to put food on the table and gas in the car, cover their mortgage payment, and provide an education for their kids without going broke.
“From my first day in Congress, I’ve made these shared priorities the focus of my work. I will continue pushing for sensible, responsible policy solutions that bolster the middle class, create jobs, lower the cost of housing and health care, and strengthen Medicare and Social Security for future generations. I will continue working to empower young people by advancing bold policies that protect our environment and invest in education. And, as Chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I will not stop until H.R. 8, my Bipartisan Background Check Act, is enacted into law to help prevent senseless gun violence and save lives.
“In the current Congress, I also authored the most sweeping climate policy ever to pass the House of Representatives. It is the flagship climate policy of President Biden’s agenda. As chairman of the Select Revenues Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over tax policy, I advanced the Child Tax Credit, a tax cut for working families with children that has already significantly reduced child poverty in the months since it was first enacted.
“The past two years have been challenging for all of us. The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented test, one that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, has repeatedly pushed our health care system to the brink, and has disrupted our economy in every conceivable way. Know that as we continue to battle the virus, I will always place our community at the forefront.
“For all of these reasons, I have earned the endorsement of mayors, supervisors, sheriffs and district attorneys from every county in our district as well as hundreds of business owners, farmers, educators, community leaders and countless other hardworking men and women in our district.
“We have a shared commitment to our great country: because we share the responsibility of building and maintaining a great nation, we share in its challenges and we share in its successes. We are in this together and I will continue to fight for our district in Congress,” he said.
A list of those signing Rep. Thompson’s nomination papers includes:
Kelly Cox, retired Lake County administrative officer Lake County Supervisor Eddie Crandell, Madelene Lyon, former trustee, Lake County Board of Education Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin, Stacy Mattina, Lakeport mayor and Realtor Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen Denise Rushing, retired Lake County supervisor and entrepreneur Lake County Supervisor Bruno Sabatier Dirk Slooten, mayor of Clearlake Karen Slooten, retired David Weiss, vineyard management firm owner, Kelseyville Peter Windrem, retired attorney at Law, Kelseyville
Elizabeth Alessio, Napa councilwoman Christopher Canning, mayor of Calistoga Amelia Ceja, winery owner and business woman Leon Garcia, mayor of American Canyon Rolando Herrera, business owner Ricardo “Ricky” Hurtado, community advocate and leader Hope Lugo, community leader John Robertson, retired Napa County sheriff Scott Sedgley, mayor of Napa Janet Thompson, nurse Jon Thompson, lieutenant, Napa County Sheriff’s Department Robert “Bob” Torres, owner, Trinchero Family Estates
Steven C. Bird, mayor of Dixon Thomas Ferrara, Solano County sheriff/coroner Caitlin O’Halloran, Dixon School Board member Marjorie Olson, community advocate and leader Annette L. Porini, retired public servant Ron Rowlett, mayor of Vacaville John Vasquez, Solano County supervisor Jeanie White, community advocate and leader Jeanette Wylie, Vacaville City councilmember CC Yin, Solano County business owner
Madolyn Agrimonti, Sonoma City Council member Connie Codding, business owner Karen Collins, former Alcaldessa Cheryl Ann Diehm, retired Jackie Elward, mayor of Rohnert Park Margaret Fishman, Santa Rosa Junior College Board trustee Gerard Giudice, business owner and Rohnert Park Council member Susan Harvey, vice mayor of Cotati Herman G. Hernandez, Sonoma County Board of Education trustee Maddy Hirschfield, community leader and labor advocate Mark Landman, Cotati mayor Frankie Lemus, business owner Willy Linares, vice mayor, Rohnert Park John C. Moore, Cotati City Council member Steve Page, retired business leader Chris Rogers, Santa Rosa Mayor Steve Sangiacomo, Sonoma grape grower John Sawyer, Santa Rosa Councilmember Tim Smith, former Sonoma County Supervisor
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, California Assembly member Angel Barajas, Yolo County supervisor Jody Bogle, business owner Linda Deos, community advocate and leader Mike Hall, Yolo County farmer Stephen F. Heringer, Clarksburg farmer, business owner Garth Lewis, Yolo County Superintendent of Schools Gloria Partida, mayor of Davis Bruce J. Rominger, Yolo County farmer Chris Turkovich, Winters farmer, business owner Mayra Vega, mayor of Woodland Lois Wolk, former State senator
For information about the newly drawn and numbered Fourth Congressional District visit here.
That’s almost 1 in 4 Americans, with 76.7 million insured through Medicaid and 6.9 million through CHIP. Both public health insurance programs are funded jointly by the federal and state governments. Medicaid provides health insurance for low-income people, most of whom are 64 or younger.
CHIP provides health coverage to kids and pregnant women whose families have low incomes but make too much to qualify for Medicaid.
Prior to the ACA, most states were more restrictive about who could enroll in Medicaid, a program launched following the enactment of landmark legislation President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1965. After the ACA, the federal government began to shoulder more of the program’s costs, footing at least 90% of the bill for new enrollees covered through the program’s expansion.
Today, all adults in Medicaid expansion states who are under 65 with annual incomes less than 138% of the federal poverty line are eligible for Medicaid. In 2022, that means someone who is single without dependents and has an income of $18,754 or less qualifies, as does a family of four earning up to $38,295.
Even when children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, they may not be enrolled in the program due to their parents’ lack of awareness or their state’s lack of outreach.
Of the 28.6 million Americans who have enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP since the ACA was rolled out, about 60% obtained coverage prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In March 2020, the federal government responded to what it correctly anticipated as the sharp growth of Medicaid and CHIP coverage.
At the time, an unemployment surge was stripping millions of workers of their economic stability, including health insurance coverage. Medicaid enrollments tend to rise during bad economic times, as people become eligible due to lower incomes. The pandemic was no different, particularly in 2020.
What’s different this time is that states, which administer Medicaid and CHIP, haven’t been allowed to kick anyone out of the program during this period – even if they would have lost eligibility due to higher earnings.
This restriction will continue as long as the federal government public health emergency declaration remains in effect. To help states with that increased financial burden, the federal government increased its share of Medicaid payments to states.
In January 2022, the Biden administration renewed the public health emergency for another three months. The emergency declaration is scheduled to expire on April 16.
Soon after this measure expires, millions who have been covered by Medicaid but now make too much money to qualify could lose their eligibility, particularly if they live in states that have not yet expanded Medicaid.
But it’s not clear whether the number of Americans enrolled in these programs will decline sharply. In part, that’s because more people are getting access to Medicaid for the first time due to their states’ participation in its expansion.
NASA has selected two science missions — the Multi-slit Solar Explorer, or MUSE, and HelioSwarm — to help improve our understanding of the dynamics of the Sun, the Sun-Earth connection, and the constantly changing space environment.
These missions will provide deeper insights into our universe and offer critical information to help protect astronauts, satellites, and communications signals such as GPS.
“MUSE and HelioSwarm will provide new and deeper insight into the solar atmosphere and space weather,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These missions not only extend the science of our other heliophysics missions — they also provide a unique perspective and a novel approach to understanding the mysteries of our star.”
MUSE
The MUSE mission will help scientists understand the forces driving the heating of the Sun’s corona and the eruptions in that outermost region that are at the foundation of space weather.
The mission will offer deeper insight into the physics of the solar atmosphere by using a powerful instrument known as a multi-slit spectrometer to observe the Sun’s extreme ultraviolet radiation and obtain the highest resolution images ever captured of the solar transition region and the corona.
The mission will also provide complementary observations from heliophysics research such as the Extreme UltraViolet Spectroscopic Telescope and ground-based observatories.
“MUSE will help us fill crucial gaps in knowledge pertaining to the Sun-Earth connection,” said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “It will provide more insight into space weather and complements a host of other missions within the heliophysics mission fleet.”
The primary goal of the MUSE mission is to investigate the causes of coronal heating and instability, such as flares and coronal mass ejections, and gain insight into the basic plasma properties of the corona. MUSE will obtain high-resolution images of the evolution of solar flare ribbons in a field of view focused on a large, active region on the Sun.
The principal investigator for the MUSE mission is Bart DePontieu of the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, or LMATC, of Palo Alto, California. This mission has a budget of $192 million. LMATC will provide project management.
HelioSwarm
The HelioSwarm mission is a constellation or “swarm” of nine spacecraft that will capture the first multiscale in-space measurements of fluctuations in the magnetic field and motions of the solar wind known as solar wind turbulence.
The Sun’s outermost atmospheric layer, the heliosphere, encompasses an enormous region of the solar system. Solar winds spread through the heliosphere, and their interactions with planetary magnetospheres and disruptions such as coronal mass ejections affect their turbulence.
Studying solar wind turbulence across large areas requires plasma measurements taken simultaneously from different points in space. HelioSwarm consists of one hub spacecraft and eight co-orbiting small satellites that range in distance from each other and the hub spacecraft. The hub spacecraft will maintain radio contact with each small satellite.
All radio contact between the swarm and Earth will be conducted through the hub spacecraft and the NASA Deep Space Network of spacecraft communication antennas.
“The technical innovation of HelioSwarm’s small satellites operating together as a constellation provides the unique ability to investigate turbulence and its evolution in the solar wind,” said Peg Luce, deputy director of the Heliophysics Division.
The HelioSwarm mission’s principal investigator is Harlan Spence from the University of New Hampshire. The mission’s budget is $250 million. NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California, will provide project management.
Funding and management oversight for these missions is provided by the Heliophysics Explorers Program, managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — February so far has been unseasonably dry, but the National Weather Service said that could change this week.
Forecasters said clouds are expected to begin gathering during the day on Monday, Presidents Day, leading to slight chances of rain in the evening. Winds of nearly 25 miles per hour in parts of Lake County also are forecast.
Beginning at 10 p.m. Monday, the forecast calls for a six-hour period during which there are chances of rain and snow showers, then a chance of snow showers after 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Chances of rain and snow showers also are in the Tuesday forecast, with conditions expected to clear later in the day and the evening.
The National Weather Service reported that, based on its latest weather models, an inch or so of snow “now seems possible” above the 2,000 foot elevation mark in Mendocino and Lake counties, “though impacts to populated areas will be minimal.”
The weather is supposed to be mostly clear and sunny for the rest of the week, with chances of showers against forecast for Saturday and Sunday.
Daytime temperatures this week will range from the high 40s on Monday to the low 60s on Saturday. Nighttime temperatures will be in the 30s for much of the week, dropping into the high 20s on Tuesday, reaching the low 40s by Saturday.
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. — Two teams of talented high school students took to the courtroom this month to argue a hypothetical murder case as part of the annual Mock Trial competition.
The event took place on Friday, Feb. 11, on the fourth floor of the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
Now in its 10th year, the competition is run in partnership with the Constitutional Rights Foundation, the Lake County Superior Court and Lake County Office of Education.
Competing again this year were teams from Middletown and Upper Lake high schools, with Middletown coming away with the win.
Last year, due to COVID-19, the event was virtual and hosted by the Napa County courthouse.
This year, however, it was back to the courtroom in the Lake County Superior Court.
However, Dana Adams, the Mock Trial coordinator for the Lake County Office of Education, said COVID resulted in this year’s scrimmage being canceled, meaning the teams had a limited amount of practice, “but the teams did a stellar job,” Adams said.
Adams said the students — with the help of volunteer attorney coaches and teachers — prepared arguments, evidence and more for the county competition through Mock Trial classes at their schools.
The Middletown team was assisted by teacher coach Dawnmarie Schneider, and attorney coaches Jon Hopkins and Janina Hoskins.
For Upper Lake, teacher coaches Alex Stabiner and Anna Sabalone, along with attorney coach Judy Conard, worked with the students.
Over the years, all of the court’s judges have taken turns volunteering their time to judge the competition.
This time around, judges J. David Markham and Shanda Harry presided over the competition in the morning and afternoon sessions, respectively.
Middletown and Upper Lake argued the fictional case of People v. Cobey.
The case revolves around Jamie Cobey, a horticulturist living in the community of Burnsley, California, a semi rural town in the high desert.
Cobey is charged with killing landlord and next-door neighbor, Erik Smith, in the most unusual of ways — by placing a rattlesnake in Smith’s mailbox.
Based on the arguments and evidence presented, both Markham and Harry ruled that Cobey was not guilty on all counts.
“Reasonable doubt is a difficult standard to make,” Harry said.
Harry, who wrapped up the day with the students, congratulated them for their passion. “I was very impressed by everyone.”
One of the team members, in turn, thanked Harry and the other adults who helped make the competition possible.
“I had a great time,” Harry said. “This is a great experience for everyone.”
Individual recognition for outstanding students was given to the following students:
• Outstanding prosecuting attorney: Zoey Petrie, Upper Lake High School. • Outstanding defense attorney: Ellary Isherwood, Middletown High School. • Outstanding pretrial attorney: Olivia Gallagher, Middletown High School. • Outstanding defense witness: Brandon Blecman, Middletown High School. • Outstanding defense witness: Isabella Neylon, Middletown High School. • Outstanding prosecution witness: Gabriela Neylon, Middletown High School. • Outstanding prosecution witness: Kenneth Carter, Middletown High School. • Outstanding clerk/bailiff: Jacob Colecleaser, Upper Lake High School.
Middletown High School will now advance to the 41st annual state competition, which will be held virtually in March.
Two community groups are generously supporting the teams in the state competition, the Lake County Bar Association and Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, Adams said.
Adams said this year’s competition would not have been possible without the support of volunteer court organizers Melissa Perry and Luanne Hayes, Markham and Harry, and volunteer attorney scorers Nicholas Rotow, Megan Lankford, Mary Amodio and Edward Savin.
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. — Work is underway to increase recreation opportunities and, in so doing, to improve the health of Lake County residents.
During the midyear budget presentation at the Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8, Supervisor Jessica Pyska, announced actions to make healthier living more accessible in District 5.
Pyska is dedicating $25,000 in cannabis tax funds to the Friends of Boggs and Redwood Trail Alliance, kicking off a $100,000 “Bring Back Boggs” fundraising campaign to rebuild trails in Boggs forest.
“Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest has long been a premier mountain biking destination,” said Pyska. “Two big races in May will bring several thousand people, for the first time since before the Valley fire. Bringing Back Boggs means a healthier, more economically vibrant Lake County. My family and I are in Boggs every week hiking, biking and exploring.”
Debbie St. Cyr, executive director of Redwood Trails Alliance, appreciates Pyska’s work to motivate support that goes beyond financial contributions: “She has shown up with her family to get dirty and dig trails in our beloved forest.”
“Please join me in thanking Debbie, Redwood Trails Alliance and the Friends of Boggs Mountain for their commitment to the recovery of the trails,” said Pyska. “We wouldn’t be here without their hard work and dedication.”
“Greater access to trails is one facet of promoting this philosophy in all of Lake County,” said Pyska.
“People are more likely to get in the habit of exercising when activities and amenities are accessible in their own areas,” said Jamey Gill, executive director of the Blue Zones Project Lake County. “Positive social connections also build our capacity to make healthy choices, boosting our sense of well-being, and even lowering rates of chronic disease. Getting involved with initiatives like ‘Bring Back Boggs,’ and regularly staying active and engaged with others not only brings economic benefits and workplace productivity to communities, it can help you live longer, and enjoy greater quality of life.”
Promoting well-being by limiting wildfire risk
“In California,” said Pyska, “doing all we can to limit the risk of large-scale wildfire events is critical to our well-being. That is why I also plan to dedicate cannabis funding this fiscal year to support the Northshore Fire Fund. Chief Mike Ciancio and his team use proven vegetation and wildfire fuel management techniques to protect the communities they serve. We are currently in talks to partner to bring those fuels crews and practices to District 5, and hope to announce an agreement soon.”
With Lake County currently in the midst of another dry winter, being proactive to mitigate wildfire risk can mean fewer days of smoke-driven air quality concerns this summer and fall.
“My fellow board members and I want to see every Lake County resident have the opportunity to maximize their potential,” said Pyska. “Doing what we can to foster a healthy environment and access to amenities that promote more active lifestyle choices in every community is essential, and I am thrilled to be able to support these steps to realize that vision.”