Joyce Paiva, Lake County's Teacher of the Year, will be honored along with other educators this fall. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – The county's best teachers recently were honored with special recognition for their achievements.

Each year the county's school districts select one outstanding teacher as their District Teacher of the Year. A Blue Ribbon Committee of community leaders then interviews these candidates.

The criteria for selection of the County Teacher of the Year is based upon the state and national requirements. These include professional development activities, commitment to the improvement of the educational system, personal attributes, creativity and ability to communicate ideas effectively as well as professional skills in delivering curriculum and instruction to students.

This year's committee members were Wally Holbrook, Madelene Lyon, Kate Lyons and Marc Morita. The committee chair was Chris Thomas, county deputy superintendent of schools.

Mountain Vista Middle School teacher Joyce Paiva was named 2008-09 Lake County Teacher of the Year.

Paiva was born in Illinois, but grew up in what she says used to be small town Morgan Hill where she commuted to Norte Dame High School. She moved to the city of San Jose after high school graduation to attend San Jose State University, where she majored in English.

She says she “knew she had a talent for writing and really enjoyed the literary aspect of the major” so it was a natural choice to choose this area of study.

While in college, Paiva worked at a large bank part-time and was offered a full-time position before she received her bachelor's degree. She felt she needed a greater challenge and while she was trying to figure out what her next step would be, she received a flier in the mail from San Jose State University that described a program called Project 70.

The college was taking applications for a special education program and would accept 70 students. She decided to give it a go, was accepted, and thus Paiva’s teaching career was born.

Paiva has taught in Lake County since 1971 with her first job student teaching kindergarten and third grade. She has taught various grade levels, with the past 12 years of her career spent teaching sixth through eighth grades at Mountain Vista Middle School.

Currently, Paiva teaches seventh and eighth grade math, which she finds very challenging and rewarding. Her goal is “to have each student reach their highest level and establish a strong mathematical foundation.”

“It is a day-to-day challenge, making sure they understand each and every step,” she said.

Mountain Vista Middle School Principal John Berry gave Paiva high marks.

"Joyce Paiva is an outstanding instructor who is well liked and highly respected,” he said. “She is totally dedicated to her students and continues to grow as an educator. Her commitment to academic excellence has not only benefited her many students over the years, but has also been an inspiration to the faculty at Mountain Vista Middle School."

In addition to this honor, Paiva has received recognition for her outstanding teaching by the California State Senate and Assembly, the United States Congress, the California League of Middle Schools and was named the 2002 Kelseyville District Teacher of the Year.

Other teachers honored as outstanding District Teachers of the Year for 2008-09 are Cindy Beasley, Lakeport Unified School District; Robann Hill, Konocti Unified District; Kathy Hughes, Lucerne Elementary District; Janice Klier, Upper Lake Elementary District; Christina Moore, Upper Lake High District; and Bob Norris, Middletown Unified District.

Paiva, along with the District Teachers of the Year, will be honored for their exceptional achievement at a dinner this fall.

For more information on the upcoming award dinner, please contact Janice Bailey at the Lake County Office of Education, 262-4102.

E-mail Caitlin Andrus at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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It's another twist in the most unusual case of Renato Hughes Jr., who turned 24 on Friday and was acquitted earlier this month in a homicide trial for which he was tried for the deaths of friends Christian Foster and Rashad Williams.

The two men were shot by Clearlake Park homeowner Shannon Edmonds, into whose home Foster, Williams and Hughes had allegedly broken in search of marijuana on Dec. 7, 2005. That resulted in Hughes' trial under the provocative act doctrine, because he was taking part in a crime that could result in a lethal response.

The trial was moved to Martinez in Contra Costa County after a judge granted a change of venue late last year.

On Aug. 8 the 12-woman jury found Hughes not guilty of the two homicide counts, robbery and attempted murder, with the jury hanging on assault causing great bodily injury three days later, as Lake County News has reported.

Hughes was convicted of burglary and assault with a firearm.

On Friday morning, Judge Barbara Zuniga summoned back to her Martinez courtroom District Attorney Jon Hopkins and defense attorney Stuart Hanlon.

Hopkins said there is a new judicial rule, passed in 2007, that sends a trial granted a change of venue back to the transferring court for sentencing. It's the first time he's run across it.

"No one has heard of it," Hanlon added Friday.

Hopkins said Zuniga remembered it and called them back to discuss it.

The rule is so new that there's not much legal history on it, said Hopkins.

But Zuniga felt her choice was clear – that the case will return to Lake County, where hearings will be held about where the sentencing should take place, Hopkins said.

"The idea behind it is the community in which the crime occurred is the court with the most interest in the post-conviction proceedings," Hopkins explained.

A hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, in Judge Arthur Mann's courtroom, to decide if the sentencing will stay in Lake County or return to Martinez, he said.

Hopkins said the discussion will involve balancing Hughes' interest between having his sentencing conducted by the judge who heard the case and the community's interest in arriving at a decision.

Hanlon, who had filed three change of venue motions before succeeding in having the trial moved, said Friday he's happy to see it come back to Lake County for sentencing.

"I think we're probably better off with sentencing before Judge Mann," said Hanlon.

That's because he believes Zuniga – though she was very fair – probably thinks Hughes is guilty.

Sentencing had been scheduled for Sept. 9 in Martinez. Hopkins said that hearing was vacated, although Hanlon added that Hughes hadn't waived his time. That means sentencing could take place in Lake County on that date.

Hopkins, however, said the Lake County Probation Department will be hard-pressed to finish its sentencing recommendations by Sept. 9, especially if they're currently unsure of where the sentencing might be held.

Hanlon said he's hoping for a sentence where Hughes can get out of jail soon. He's been held in jail since December of 2005.

The burglary and assault with a firearm charge could bring an upper term of eight years in prison, with the burglary counted as a strike, according to Hopkins.

With credit for time served plus 50 percent, Hughes should have credit for four years and may spend very little time, if any in prison, due to sentencing guidelines that require the judge to sentence to the middle term unless there are extraordinary circumstances, as Lake County News has reported.

Even with those convictions, and with the uncertainty of the possible sentence, Hanlon said, "I think we've already won the case."

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

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The 21-17 vote on the Senate floor late Wednesday morning puts the bill, AB 2747 by Assemblywoman Patty Berg, D-Eureka, just one step away from the governor’s desk.

If signed into law, the bill would require health care providers to tell their dying patients all of the decisions they’re likely to face in their final days.

All too often, physicians and other health care providers avoid frank conversations with their dying patients, according to a recent nationwide survey conducted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

In fact, the cancer doctors who conducted the survey found that hardly one in three patients receives an honest assessment of what to expect when facing a terminal illness.

“Better information is better for everyone,” said Berg. “Patients have a right to know what happens next.”

The measure, supported by physicians and considered a step forward in patients’ rights, has drawn opposition that seems disproportionate to its requirements. The reason is simple: in the past three years, Berg and others have pushed for an Oregon-style death-with-dignity law in California.

“People who didn’t like that idea told us California patients already have plenty of options when they are dying,” she said. “But options are only good if you know you have them. This bill makes sure you that you do know.”

AB 2747 adds no new options for the terminally ill.

“It’s about information,” she said. “Nothing more and nothing less.”

The bill now returns for a vote of the full Assembly, which has previously approved the measure. It then goes to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The measure is supported by the California Medical Association, the California Nurses Association, the Older Women’s League, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Congress of California Seniors and many other professional and civic groups.

The bill also has faced serious opposition from groups who say it is an attempt to legalize euthanasia.

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On Friday, the unit completed a productive week closing out several narcotic investigations which took the unit to the areas of Cobb and Hidden Valley Lake, according to a report from Detective Sergeant Chris Bertoli.

The operations were part of a separate investigation conducted by Sonoma County, Bertoli told Lake County News on Saturday. “We developed information over here and the case carried us over there,” Bertoli said.

On Monday, the unit served two search warrants finishing a two-month investigation involving a large-scale indoor marijuana growing operation in Kelseyville, according to Bertoli. Upon serving the first search warrant, detectives seized 622 marijuana plants.

He said the operation included a cloning room, a vegetation room, a flowering room, and processing room. In addition to the plants, detectives seized approximately 30 pounds of manicured “bud” marijuana.

While at the residence, it was determined the operation was capable of producing 15 pounds of marijuana each month, Bertoli reported. The marijuana was being sold for $3,200 a pound, making a monthly income of $48,000. The estimated street value of the manicured marijuana that was seized is $96,000.

Released at the scene was Warren Bullock, 30, of Cobb. Bertoli said a criminal complaint will be requested from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. Bullock will be charged with cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale, and manufacturing controlled substance (hashish).

A second search warrant was served in Hidden Valley Lake. Based on documents located at the first search warrant, detectives obtained a search warrant on Meadow Court in Hidden Valley Lake, said Bertoli.

The residence on Meadow Court was unoccupied at the time of the service, he said. Evidence located at the first residence connects the occupants, Travis and Stephanie Arnovick, to the indoor grow operation. A criminal complaint in this case also will be sought from the District Attorney’s Office.

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Efren Herrera, 57, of Pomona was arrested for the warrant during a routine traffic stop just after 1 p.m. on Soda Bay Road near the Jack in the Box, Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported Friday.

Bauman said Herrera was the driver during the stop; when his driver's license status was checked the misdemeanor warrant was discovered.

The $25,000 bench warrant, said Bauman, was issued by Orange County for misdemeanor contempt of court violations.

Bauman said Herrera was booked into the Lake County Jail, with jail records indicating bail was set at $25,000. He was bailed out a little over an hour after he was booked, Bauman added.

Herrera is in Lake County this weekend for the annual Pepsi Celebrity Golf Shootout at Buckingham Golf and Country Club.

He was a place kicker in the National Football League from 1974 to 1982, during which time he played for three years with the Dallas Cowboys and was a member of one of their Super Bowl-winning teams. Herrera also kicked for the Seattle Seahawks.

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Clearlake Cinder Chip Co., the owner of a volcanic cinder mine near Clearlake Oaks, and the mine's operator, BCJ Sand and Rock of Santa Rosa, agreed to settle the dispute with the Air Quality Management District, which new Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart has been ongoing for more than six months.

The air district's hearing board – chaired by Cameron Reeves, retired county counsel, and including members Nancy Perrin, Lowell Grant and Roger Bakke – voted to accept the stipulated order ending the matter at a Wednesday morning meeting, Gearhart said.

Gearhart said the settlement includes a $100,000 settlement and an agreement to retrofit the operation's diesel engines.

The issue, explained Gearhart, was the failure by the owner and operator to comply with the State Air Toxic Control Measure applying to the mine and requiring stringent diesel engine particulate emissions control.

Clearlake Cinder Chip Co. had received an extension for a variance relating to those standards because they wanted to convert their diesel engines to electric, said Gearhart.

However, at the end of the extension, the line power installation wasn't complete and the mine continued using the diesel equipment. Gearhart said the mine came into violation on Jan. 1.

Curt Abbott, controller for BCJ Sand and Rock, said the settlement also requires that Clearlake Cinder Chip Co.'s owner, Tiburon-based Robin Thomas Corp., must now put operations in BCJ's name.

BCJ Sand and Rock has been operating at the mine since October 2006, said Abbott. They'd been operating under variances in place before they arrived, and said their extraction equipment had been operating to standards since then.

He said Lake County is requiring the equipment have filters added to them to run at the same emission levels as if they were electric engines.

Abbott also stated that Lake County's air standards are more stringent than other counties – such as Sonoma and Butte – where BCJ also operates.

Gearhart, however, said that statement isn't accurate from the air district's perspective. The equipment in question is compliant for portable use but not when stationary, at which point it must meet different standards.

The order's $100,000 settlement amount was calculated based on number of violations, days in violation, and severity of violation, Gearhart said.

Abbott said Robin Thomas Corp. and BCJ have agreed to jointly pay the settlement. "We want to do that because we want to be back in business."

The hearing board previously had adopted an abatement order that Gearhart said effectively closed the business, an action taken after several prior attempts to reach a resolution ended in June. The air district also had initiated a civil process to collect the contested fines.

The abatement order against the mine prevented operation of processing equipment, said Abbott, although BCJ has been able to harvest the red lava rock and take it elsewhere for processing.

He said the red rock is turned into small rock or gravel and sand for uses ranging from highway projects to landscaping.

Abbott said the district made the fine significant enough to make sure the equipment upgrades were done.

The order also requires the mine operation to replace a gross-emitting Caterpillar D8 with a 2006 or newer excavator, complete a toxic risk assessment and maintain stringent dust control, according to Gearhart.

Gearhart said $40,000 of the amount will be used by the mine's owner and operator to purchase and install new diesel particulate filters on mining equipment. Before mining operations can start again, the filters must be on order and the first $20,000 penalty payment must be made.

The remaining $60,000 will go to the air district, which will share the funds with the County Counsel's Office for its assistance with the case. Gearhart said the money will help the air district recoup costs for its time.

In a typical year, fines and penalties only make up about 4 percent of the air district's $600,000 budget, said Gearhart. The settlement will push that percentage higher in the coming fiscal year.

"As far as I know this is the largest fine the district has ever had," said Gearhart.

Most of the air district's fines are for residential burn violations, which he said range between $50 and $100.

"Most people stay in compliance and most industry stays in compliance," he said.

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

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OK, so you probably aren’t going to believe me on this one, but give me a chance. We’ve recently tried using soy milk for the first time and ... and ... it’s good! I know, I’m as stunned as you are!

Over the past year, my husband and I decided it was time to start eating healthier. We cut way back on saturated fats and red meat, eat fewer calories, watch the sodium levels, get more fiber, and wherever possible cut out convenience items and make things from scratch. My husband has actually been the catalyst for this change, as I have very little willpower at all. Since he does the grocery shopping and the bulk of the cooking, it’s pretty easy for me to just sail along with it. But when he brought home soy milk, I thought, “Well, this experiment is doomed to fail.”

I tried soy milk a few years ago when it was only available at the health food stores, and I could barely swallow it. It tasted watery and still had a hint of vegetable flavor. Pour this over my cocoa nuggets? Put this in my coffee? Not a chance. But the soy milk my husband brought home recently has evolved from the earlier offerings and has gone mainstream. There’s no longer any hint of vegetable taste, and it’s richer than what I previously experienced. It even comes in fancy flavors like vanilla and chocolate.

The first soy milk we tried was the vanilla flavored. It tastes good all on its own, kind of like a melted milkshake, and when used on cereal it actually makes things taste better. If you have a cereal you normally add sugar to, you won’t need to if you use the vanilla soy milk.

One of the biggest tests it faced with me was, how’s this going to taste in my coffee? I’m one of those folks that don’t function well until I’ve had my morning coffee, and I like mine with all the trimmings. Once a week I allow myself real whipped cream in my coffee, so I was doubtful about how something that’s made up of ground beans would compare (and yes, I get the irony that coffee is ground up beans).

The soy milk works surprisingly well. The purpose of putting milk or any other dairy in coffee is to eliminate the bitterness, and it does this job just great. So we (I mean, my husband) started cooking with it. He put some of it in some mashed potatoes – it didn’t work. The vanilla flavor made it taste like a quadruple-thick, but warm, milkshake. Yecch!

So the vanilla soy milk got its foot in our door, but only for applications where a little sweetness is desired. So on the next grocery run the plain unsweetened variety made its first appearance. It also passed my coffee test (the plain is similar to regular milk, but I prefer the vanilla flavor), does well on cereal and works better than I expected in recipes.

For example, we substituted the soy milk for regular milk in some mac ‘n cheese, and it was barely noticeable that there had been a switch. There was a slight difference in texture, but not enough to be an issue. So far, we haven’t found an application where the soy milk hasn’t performed as well as regular cow’s milk, except one: my cats looked at me like I was trying to pull a fast one on them when I offered them the soy milk. It’s heartbreaking to see the disappointment on their little kitty faces ...

Soy milk is a beverage made from soy beans. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water and protein, and is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water. Soy milk is nutritionally close to cow's milk, though most soy milk available today is enriched with vitamins such as B12. It naturally has about the same amount of protein as cow’s milk.

Unlike cow's milk it has little saturated fat and no cholesterol, which many consider to be a benefit to the cardiovascular system. Since soy doesn't contain galactose, a product of lactose breakdown, it can safely replace breast milk for children with a lactose intolerance. In many countries, this product may not be sold under the name milk since it is not a dairy product, hence the name soy drink.

Soybean milk is reputed to have been discovered and developed by Liu An of the Han Dynasty in China about 164 BC. Liu An is also credited with the development of "Doufu" (soybean curd) in China, which 900 years later spread to Japan where it is known as "tofu". Tofu is made by coagulating the protein from soy milk, just as cheese is made from milk.

I’m sure that my husband will now try to make his own homemade tofu out of soy milk, “just to try it.” He’s always doing things like that, experimenting and concocting, “just to try it.” It may sound good to some of you women out there – you’re thinking how nice it is to have a husband who does the majority of the cooking, and for the most part I am grateful not to have that daily chore. But many evenings I’m served a plateful of food that I can’t recognize, and I think to myself (sometimes I think out loud), “I just wish he’d make me a plain ol’ potato.”

Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. His wife, Lacy, who wrote this column, edits his weekly columns for Lake County News.

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Board President Helen Locke and Vice President Mike Anisman both submitted resignation letters to General Manager Darin McCosker on Thursday, which Locke and Anisman confirmed to Lake County News.

Both resignations will become effective on Sept. 5, the outgoing board members said.

Locke said the delay until Sept. 5 is in order to give the district two weeks to establish a new signature authority for specific documents and contracts the board president is required to sign.

Anisman did not detail his reasons for leaving, although he had been considering his options in light of last Saturday's heated rate hike meeting. He had left that meeting in the wake of what he considered to be verbal abuse by ratepayers.

Later in that meeting, community member Mike Benjamin began circulating a petition for a notice of intent to file a recall action against Anisman and another board member, Pat Shaver.

Shaver tendered her resignation on Monday, as Lake County News has reported.

At Wednesday's regular board meeting, Benjamin served Anisman with his intent to pursue the recall which, had Anisman not resigned, could have cost the district several thousand dollars for a special election.

Locke, who had indicated earlier this week that she wanted to keep working with the board, said it was not "any one thing" that led to her decision to step down.

She did some soul searching and came to the decision, which has left her with mixed feelings of guilt and relief.

Anisman, Locke and board member Frank Toney were elected to the board last November. Earlier this year, the board appointed McCosker as general manager to succeed Ellen Pearson, who stepped down to the auditor/secretary role. In March the board terminated Pearson.

It was in March or April that the board discovered its financial problems, said Locke.

Those issues included thousands of dollars in bills that hadn't been paid or had been paid late, resulting in late fees; Internal Revenue Service penalties; next to nothing left of the district's reserves, which 10 years ago had totaled $1.3 million, as Lake County News has reported.

"I have lain awake at night, every night, worrying about how we were going to pay our bills," said Locke.

The district this spring suggested a 39.4-percent hike of both sewer and water rates, which has garnered 427 protest letters and resulted in the board's once-empty meetings now drawing standing-room-only attendance.

Since the original rate hike proposal, McCosker has suggested two new options for raising rates – one amount to 25 percent, the other 10 percent.

The board on Wednesday voted to hire an auditing firm and moved meeting times to the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. to allow for more public participation.

But just when the board will next be able to meet is so far unclear.

The only remaining board members are Toney and Harry Chase. In order to make an appointment to replace the other board members, the district has to publish the seats' availability, take applications and meet to make a selection, which it can't do without a quorum. McCosker said Wednesday an empty seat must be filled in 60 days.

Locke said how the board moves forward will be a complicated matter.

"I don't think it's going to get much better for a while," she said.

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

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Longtime board member Pat Shaver submitted her resignation on Monday, as Lake County News has reported.

On Saturday, during a meeting to discuss the district's proposed rate hikes for water and sewer services, numerous community members had called for Shaver's recall, along with that of board Vice President Mike Anisman.

Community member Mike Benjamin circulated a petition for a recall notice of intent effort against both Anisman and Shaver. During Wednesday's meeting, he served the paperwork on Anisman.

The board will advertise Shaver's open position and seek applicants to fill it, with district General Manager Darin McCosker reporting that the position must be filled in 60 days.

Several actions were taken at the meeting to address transparency and the district's fiscal situation.

The board voted to hire Larry Bain to do audits for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, which are mandated by the state. The cost will be $23,700, the lowest of three bids submitted.

In addition to fulfilling state requirements, it's hoped by the board and ratepayers in attendance at the meeting that the audits will clear up the district's financial picture.

Bookkeeper Jana Saccato said the district owes nearly $189,000, not counting new bills that have just come in. She assured ratepayers that there is enough money to cover all checks being written, which wasn't the case in previous years, when thousands of dollars in late fees and overdraft charges accumulated on the district's checking account.

Documents Saccato provided to the board show that the board's checking account went from more than $56,000 at the end of July to just over $7,000 on Aug. 18, as the district continues to try to pay off outstanding debt.

Income and expense comparisons for January through July of 2007 and 2008, prepared by Saccato – which board members said weren't prepared under the previous general manager – showed the district's income is starting to more regularly outpace its bills this year, largely the opposite of 2007.

Board member Frank Toney's proposal to form a standing finance committee also was approved. The committee will include Toney and McCosker, board member Harry Chase and Mike Benjamin.

Town resident Judy Heeszel indicated interest in participating, and McCosker suggested adding Bob Summerrill, a former board member who submitted a detailed set of suggestions for goals the committee should pursue.

Because it's a standing committee, it will be subject to the Brown Act, which requires agendas being posted 72 hours in advance of meetings.

In response to requests from ratepayers, the board decided to move meeting times to allow for more public participation.

The board usually meets in the afternoon on the third Wednesday of the month. However, at the Saturday rate hike meeting community members asked the board to move the meetings to a time when more people could attend. The meetings will now be held on the third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m.

McCosker said Wednesday that his staff has been overwhelmed by requests for documents by community members in light of the rate hike proposal and the growing concern over the district's fiscal health.

Saccato also reported that the district received 427 letters opposing the 39.4-percent rate increases for sewer and water. The district is now proposing other rate hike options, including 25 percent and 10 percent.

For information about the open board position, visit the district's Web site at www.clocwd.com.

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

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A mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, on skin not treated with DEET. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey, UC Davis Department of Entomology.

Summer is mosquito season, and a new study gives insight into why repellents work on mosquitoes.

Spray yourself with DEET, and you’ll repel mosquitoes, but why? It’s not because DEET jams their sense of smell; it’s because they dislike the smell of the chemical repellent intensely, researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered in groundbreaking research published Monday.

“We found that mosquitoes can smell DEET and they stay away from it,” said noted chemical ecologist Walter Leal, professor of entomology at UC Davis. “DEET doesn’t mask the smell of the host or jam the insect’s senses. Mosquitoes don’t like it because it smells bad to them.”

The study's conclusions about how the repellent works is especially important in a time when West Nile Virus has reached California. The disease has so far affected 92 people in 13 California counties this summer, according to the state's West Nile Virus Web site.

DEET’s mode of action or how it works has puzzled scientists for more than 50 years.

The chemical insect repellent, developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and patented by the U.S. Army in 1946, is considered the “gold standard” of insect repellents worldwide. Worldwide, more than 200 million use DEET to ward off vectorborne diseases.

Scientists long surmised that DEET masks the smell of the host, or jams or corrupts the insect’s senses, interfering with its ability to locate a host. Mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects find their hosts by body heat, skin odors, carbon dioxide (breath) or visual stimuli. Females need a blood meal to develop their eggs.

Entomologist James “Jim” Miller of Michigan State University praised the work as correcting “long-standing erroneous dogma.”

"For decades we were told that DEET warded off mosquito bites because it blocked insect response to lactic acid from the host – the key stimulus for blood-feeding,” said Miller. “Dr. Leal and co-workers escaped the key stimulus over-simplification to show that mosquito responses – like our own – result from a balancing of various positive and negative factors, all impinging on a tiny brain more capable than most people think of sophisticated decision-making.”

He said the work also shows that a recent study on DEET published in the flagship journal, Science, “apparently was flat-out wrong,” Miller said.

“One of the great attributes of science is that, over time, it is self-correcting,” he added.

Leal said previous findings of other scientists showed a “false positive” resulting from the experimental design.

The UC Davis work, “Mosquitoes Smell and Avoid the Insect repellent DEET,” is published in the Aug. 18 edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mosquitoes detect DEET and other smells with their antennae. Leal and researcher Zain Syed discovered the exact neurons on the antennae that detect DEET, which are located beside other neurons that sense a chemical, 1-octen-3-ol, known to attract mosquitoes.

“I was so delighted when I first encountered the neuron that detects DEET, a synthetic compound,” said Syed. “I couldn’t believe my eyes because it goes against conventional wisdom so I repeated the experiment over and over until we discussed the findings in the lab.”

The UC Davis investigators set up odorless sugar-feeding stations, some containing DEET, and found that DEET actively repelled them. The mosquitoes they used were Culex quinquefasciatus, also known as the Southern house mosquito. The mosquito transmits West Nile virus, St. Louis encephalitis, and lymphatic filariasis, a disease caused by threadlike parasitic worms.

“Despite the fact DEET is the industry standard mosquito repellent, relatively little is known about how it actually works,” said UC Davis research entomologist William Reisen. “Previous studies have suggested a 'masking' or 'binding' with host emanations. Understanding the mode of action is especially important because DEET is used as the standard against which all other tentative replacement repellents are compared.”

UC Davis researcher Zain Syed (right) sprays DEET on chemical ecologist Walter Leal. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey, UC Davis Department of Entomology.

What the study means to consumers

Dr. Jamesina Scott, district manager and research director for Lake County Vector Control, said there are several effective mosquito repellents on the market now – DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, and IR-3535 – and understanding how DEET works to repel mosquitoes will help researchers to identify other compounds that work similarly to repel mosquitoes.

The Centers for Disease Control Web site (www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/RepellentUpdates.htm) has information for consumers about those four repellents, Scott said.

“For consumers, the critical point is that DEET is an effective mosquito repellent,” Scott said. “How DEET works is not as important to the consumer as the fact that it works well and that using a repellent reduces the risk of mosquito bites and mosquito-borne illness.”

The important things that consumers should know, according to Scott, are that:

• They should use a mosquito repellent when they are outside, especially at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active;

• They should look for mosquito repellents containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535

• They should always follow the label directions when using a mosquito repellent.

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"Overlooking Detert Lake," a view at Langtry Estate and Vineyards, is an original oil painting by artist Gail Salituri that will be offered in an upcoming silent auction to benefi the Barbara LaForge Memorial Fund.

LAKEPORT – The latest in a series of fundraisers to benefit the Lake Family Resource Center's domestic violence shelter effort is getting under way this week.

Local artist Gail Salituri is holding silent auctions and raffles for the Barbara LaForge Memorial Fund, which benefits the domestic violence shelter, to be built near Kelseyville.

LaForge, an artist in her own right, was a friend of Salituri's who was murdered in October of 2002.

The latest round of offerings for the fund will be awarded after the silent auction closes and the raffle is held in October, Salituri said.

For those who missed out on the first auction and a chance to purchase Salituri's original oil, “Lake County in Bloom,” she has painted another original oil especially for the benefit, titled “Overlooking Detert Lake, ” which will be featured in the silent auction.

The painting, which features a scene from Langtry Estate and Vineyards, measures 18 by 24 inches. It's valued at $1,850; the opening bid is $300.

Items to be raffled include local artist John Clark's watercolor of a San Francisco cable car. The signed and numbered lithograph is custom framed, with a retail value of $350. Thomas Kinkade's “Pride of America” also will be available in the raffle. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20.

Some of the raffle items are on display at Salituri's Inspirations Gallery, including another print of Clarke's Golden Gate Bridge – signed, numbered and custom framed, and valued at $350. A custom framed beveled mirror, valued at $600, and a 16 inch by 20 inch Lyle Madeson photo titled "Sail Boat on the Lake” are on display.

Last month's winners were Dawn and Charles Tanti of Lakeport, Karen D'Bernardi of Kelseyville, and Kathlene Colllins of Danville.

She said she has raised just under $2,000 and hopes to have reached $5,000 by the end of the year.

“I won't put down my paint brushes until we reach our goal,” Salituri said.

Tickets for the raffles will be available at Inspirations Gallery, 165 N. Main St., Lakeport; Lake Family Resource Center, 896 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport; and the Lakeport Chamber of Commerce, 875 Lakeport Blvd.

For more information call Salituri at Inspirations Gallery, 263-4366, or visit her Web page, www.gailsalituri.com/Memorial.html.

John Clarke's "Cable Car" will be offered in the raffle.

"America's Pride" by Thomas Kinkade also will be offered in the raffle.

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The California Highway Patrol arrested Raju Thakorbhai Patel, 36, said CHP Officer Adam Garcia.

Patel was driving a 2007 Honda Civic eastbound on Highway 20 east of Verna Way close to Paradise Cove when the crash happened at about 3:05 a.m., according to Garcia.

Garcia said Haraoki Saito, 40, of Sacramento was driving westbound in a 2009 Volvo tractor trailer pulling a two-axle trailer when Patel reportedly sideswiped the semi.

Patel suffered minor injuries in the collision, said Garcia, while Saito was not reported to be injured.

Along with CHP, Lake County Sheriff's deputies, Caltrans, Cal Fire and Northshore Fire Protection District responded to the scene early Wednesday due to a diesel spill on the roadway.

Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown, who was incident commander for the spill, said the collision caused a puncture in the semi's fuel tank, which released between 20 and 25 gallon of diesel.

He said the fuel covered about 200 feet of roadway across both lanes, which made it necessary to shut down the highway while the spill was cleaned up.

Brown said six Northshore Fire personnel with one engine, four Cal Fire firefighters and a Cal Fire engine, and Caltrans took care of the spilled fuel.

The firefighters grabbed their shovels and quickly went to work to contain the fuel. “It did not get into any of the creeks or off the road,” said Brown, which prevented him from having to call in Environmental Health.

Brown said the highway was reopened around 5:30 a.m.

CHP Officer Steven Tanguay arrested Patel at about 7:40 a.m., according to jail records.

Patel was booked on a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, with bail set at $5,000, his booking sheet noted. He was released later Wednesday morning.

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

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