The two-car crash was reported at around 11 p.m. in front of 7640 Highway 29, south of Bottle Rock Road, according to the California Highway Patrol and radio reports.

Debris was spread all over the roadway, which blocked by the vehicles involved as well as arriving emergency vehicles, the CHP said. Kelseyville Fire, Lakeport Fire, CHP and sheriff’s deputies responded.

When firefighters arrived they found one of the vehicles on fire and one of the crash victims out of their vehicle.

The only vehicle description given initially was that of a black car that was involved, with no information given on the second vehicle.

Shortly after arrival a battalion chief reported that one person had died at the scene, with another person suffering from major injuries.

Incident command requested an air ambulance to transport a patient, with clear skies reported overhead. However, Central Dispatch indicated that REACH and CalStar declined to transport out of the county due to concerns about the weather.

A Kelseyville Fire ambulance transported a patient to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, arriving shortly before midnight, according to reports from the scene.

The roadway was reopened to one-way traffic at approximately 12:13 a.m., with the roadway completely cleared and open exactly one hour later, the CHP reported.

Firefighters were released from the scene at about 12:50 a.m., according to radio reports.

Names of the crash victims were not available early Monday morning.

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NASA's Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft, sealed inside its payload fairing atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, clears the tower at Space Launch Complex 41 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.The mission lifted off at 10:02 a.m. EST (7:02 a.m. PST) Saturday, November 26, 2011, beginning an eight-month interplanetary cruise to Mars. Image credit: NASA/Bill White.

Liftoff from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas V rocket occurred at 7:02 a.m. PST.

"We are very excited about sending the world's most advanced scientific laboratory to Mars," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "MSL will tell us critical things we need to know about Mars, and while it advances science, we'll be working on the capabilities for a human mission to the Red Planet and to other destinations where we've never been."

The mission will pioneer precision landing technology and a sky-crane touchdown to place Curiosity near the foot of a mountain inside Gale Crater on Aug. 6, 2012.

During a nearly two-year prime mission after landing, the rover will investigate whether the region has ever offered conditions favorable for microbial life, including the chemical ingredients for life.

"The launch vehicle has given us a great injection into our trajectory, and we're on our way to Mars," said Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager Peter Theisinger of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "The spacecraft is in communication, thermally stable and power positive."

The Atlas V initially lofted the spacecraft into Earth orbit and then, with a second burst from the vehicle's upper stage, pushed it out of Earth orbit into a 352-million-mile (567-million-kilometer) journey to Mars.

"Our first trajectory correction maneuver will be in about two weeks," Theisinger said. "We'll do instrument checkouts in the next several weeks and continue with thorough preparations for the landing on Mars and operations on the surface."

Curiosity's ambitious science goals are among the mission's many differences from earlier Mars rovers.

It will use a drill and scoop at the end of its robotic arm to gather soil and powdered samples of rock interiors, then sieve and parcel out these samples into analytical laboratory instruments inside the rover.

Curiosity carries 10 science instruments with a total mass 15 times as large as the science-instrument payloads on the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

Some of the tools are the first of their kind on Mars, such as a laser-firing instrument for checking the elemental composition of rocks from a distance, and an X-ray diffraction instrument for definitive identification of minerals in powdered samples.

To haul and wield its science payload, Curiosity is twice as long and five times as heavy as Spirit or Opportunity.

Because of its one-ton mass, Curiosity is too heavy to employ airbags to cushion its landing as previous Mars rovers could.

An artist's concept of NASA's biggest-ever Mars rover Curiosity examining a rock on the Red Planet. Image courtesy of NASA.

Part of the Mars Science Laboratory spacecraft is a rocket-powered descent stage that will lower the rover on tethers as the rocket engines control the speed of descent.

The mission's landing site offers Curiosity access for driving to layers of the mountain inside Gale Crater.

Observations from orbit have identified clay and sulfate minerals in the lower layers, indicating a wet history.

Precision landing maneuvers as the spacecraft flies through the Martian atmosphere before opening its parachute make Gale a safe target for the first time.

This innovation shrinks the target area to less than one-fourth the size of earlier Mars landing targets. Without it, rough terrain at the edges of Curiosity's target would make the site unacceptably hazardous.

The innovations for landing a heavier spacecraft with greater precision are steps in technology development for human Mars missions.

In addition, Curiosity carries an instrument for monitoring the natural radiation environment on Mars, important information for designing human Mars missions that protect astronauts' health.

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In a potentially significant finding in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists studying data from NASA's Galileo probe have discovered what appears to be a body of liquid water the volume of the North American Great Lakes locked inside the icy shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

The water could represent a potential habitat for life, and many more such lakes might exist throughout the shallow regions of Europa’s shell, say researchers writing in the journal Nature.

“The data opens up some compelling possibilities,” said Mary Voytek, director of NASA's Astrobiology Program at agency headquarters in Washington. “However, scientists worldwide will want to take a close look at this analysis and review the data before we can fully appreciate the implication of these results.”

The Galileo spacecraft, launched by the space shuttle Atlantis in 1989, provided scientists decades of data to analyze before the probe plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere in 2003.

One of the most significant discoveries was the inference of a global salt water ocean below the surface of Europa.

This ocean is deep enough to cover the whole surface of Europa and contains more liquid water than all of Earth's oceans combined.

However, being far from the sun, the ocean surface is completely frozen. Most scientists think this ice crust is tens of miles thick.

“One opinion in the scientific community has been if the ice shell is thick, that's bad for biology. That might mean the surface isn't communicating with the underlying ocean,” said Britney Schmidt, lead author of the Nature paper and postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin. “Now, we see evidence that it's a thick ice shell that can mix vigorously and new evidence for giant shallow lakes. That could make Europa and its ocean more habitable.”

Schmidt and her team focused on Galileo images of two roughly circular, bumpy features on Europa's surface called chaos terrains.

Based on similar processes seen on Earth – on ice shelves and under glaciers overlaying volcanoes – they developed a four-step model to explain how the features form (diagram). The model resolves several conflicting observations. Some seemed to suggest the ice shell is thick. Others suggest it is thin.

The recent analysis suggests chaos features on Europa's surface are formed by mechanisms that involve significant exchange between the icy shell and the underlying lake.

This kind of “chaos” may provide a pathway for transferring nutrients and energy between the surface and the vast global ocean already thought to exist below the thick ice shell. Researchers believe this would increase the potential for life there.

"This new understanding of processes on Europa would not have been possible without the foundation of the last 20 years of observations over Earth's ice sheets and floating ice shelves,” said Don Blankenship, a co-author and senior research scientist at the Institute for Geophysics, where he leads airborne radar studies of Earth’s ice sheets.

The authors have good reason to believe their model is correct. Still, because the inferred lakes are several miles below the surface, the only true confirmation of their presence would come from a future spacecraft mission designed to probe the ice shell.

Such a mission was rated as the second highest priority flagship mission by the National Research Council's recent Planetary Science Decadal Survey and is being studied by NASA.

Galileo was the first spacecraft to directly measure Jupiter's atmosphere with a probe and conduct long-term observations of the Jovian system. The probe was the first to fly by an asteroid and discover the moon of an asteroid.

NASA extended the mission three times to take advantage of Galileo's unique science capabilities, and it was put on a collision course into Jupiter's atmosphere in September 2003 to eliminate any chance of impacting Europa.

The Galileo mission was managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the agency's Science Mission Directorate.

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HR 3261, the “Stop Online Piracy Act” – or SOPA – is considered by its opponents to be an effort to give corporations the power to get Web sites shut down based on copyright infringement claims.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced SOPA on Oct. 26. It’s similar to the Senate’s Protect IP Act, which has been placed on hold.

Google, Mozilla, Facebook, AOL, eBay, LinkedIn, Twitter, Zynga Game Network and Yahoo are among many SOPA opponents, who cite myriad potential issues, from censorship to security.

Bill supporters, who want an end put to “rogue sites” that infringe on copyright law include the AFL-CIO, the Recording Industry Association of America, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, Independent Film & Television Alliance, National Association of Theatre Owners, Motion Picture Association of America, National Criminal Justice Association, National District Attorneys Association, Council of State Governments and National Sheriffs Association, among many more.

SOPA was praised on the day of its introduction by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said it would provide law enforcement with refined legal tools to act against rogue sites that attract an estimated 53 billion visits per year.

Such sites, the chamber said, jeopardize the more than $7.7 trillion of U.S. GDP and 60 percent of exports that the industries they steal from produce for our economy.

According to a bill summary, it would authorize the attorney general to seek a court order to stop foreign Internet sites suspected of committing or facilitating online piracy from publishing pirated materials.

The bill sets up an additional two-step process in which intellectual property rights holders can provide written notification to U.S.-directed sites alleged to contain pirated materials. Those notifications would direct that a site’s services be suspended unless the site’s owner or operator provides a counter notification that it is not involved in violations.

In that process, intellectual property rights holders would be allowed to pursue injunctive relief against sites accused of violations, according to the bill’s language.

Service providers – including Internet service providers, payment network providers and online advertising services – would be required to withhold services from sites accused of violations.

SOPA also makes service providers, payment network providers, Internet advertising services, advertisers, Internet search engines, domain name registries or domain name registrars that take action to block sites legally immune.

The bill would expose owners of blacklisted Web sites to potential criminal prosecutions by expanding criminal copyright infringement to include digital transmission of copyrighted work and work intended for commercial dissemination that’s made available on a computer network.

Intellectual property offenses would be added to criminal offenses of trafficking in inherently dangerous goods or services.

Opponents are concerned that the bill would give corporations too much power – including the authority to shut down Web sites that are only accused of wrongdoing and which have not actually been proved to have published copyrighted material.

Another issue is that it’s possible SOPA could lead to Web site shutdowns and prosecutions over something as seemingly minor as an amateur cover of a copyrighted song, such as one might see on YouTube.

On Nov. 10, several members of Congress, including North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), sent a letter to Smith and Congressman John Conyers expressing misgivings over the bill.

“You've previously stated that this legislation is intended to target 'rogue' foreign websites engaging in copyright infringement,” the letter stated. “While this is a laudable goal and one we support, the SOPA's overly broad language, in its current form, would target legitimate domestic websites, creating significant uncertainty for those in the technology and venture capital industries.”

The members of Congress who signed the letter warned that the legislation could in fact harm business and industry, causing investment in the Internet to dry up.

The House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on SOPA were held on Nov. 16.

In preparation for the hearing, Smith – who chairs the committee – and Conyers, the committee’s ranking member, wrote to their colleagues to urge them to support the legislation, which they said “will modernize our criminal and civil statutes to meet new IP enforcement challenges and protect American investment and jobs.”

They added, “Rogue sites do not pay taxes, they do not adhere to manufacturing standards, they do not innovate, and they do not respect U.S. laws. They do steal American jobs, harm consumers, thwart the incentives that promote innovation and creativity, and undermine those engaged in legitimate Internet commerce.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), who in the Senate placed the hold on the Protect IP Act, read a statement into the record for the Nov. 16 meeting in which he warned that SOPA poses dangers to a free and open Internet, and vowed that he will fight such efforts.

No vote was reported as being taken in that hearing, and SOPA also is set for a hearing before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet.

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

Rep. Eshoo Letter Against SOPA

The report said that arctic sea ice extent was the second smallest extent on record for October at 23.5 percent below average.

Additionally, La Niña conditions strengthened during October 2011. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, La Niña is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter.

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for October 2011 was the eighth warmest on record at 58.14 F (14.58 C), which is 1.04 F (0.58 C) above the 20th century average of 57.1 F (14.0 C), NOAA reported.

The global land surface temperature was 1.98 F (1.10 C) above the 20th century average of 48.7 F (9.3 C), making this the second warmest October on record.

Warmer-than-average conditions occurred across Alaska, Canada, most of Europe and Russia, and Mongolia. Cooler-than-average regions included the southeastern United States, most of southern and western South America, parts of Algeria and Libya, part of Eastern Europe, and far southeast Asia.

The global ocean surface temperature was 0.70 F (0.39 C) above the 20th century average of 60.6 F (15.9 C), making it the 11th warmest October on record. The report said the warmth was most pronounced across the north central and northwest Pacific, the northeast Atlantic, and portions of the mid-latitude Southern oceans.

The United Kingdom marked its warmest October since 2006 and eighth warmest in the last 100 years, at 3.6 F (2.0 C) above the 1971–2000 average. Several locations in Argentina experienced their coolest October in five decades.

The combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for the January – October period was 0.95 F (0.53 C) above the 20th century average of 57.4 F (14.0 C), making it the 10th warmest such period on record, NOAA reported.

The January to October worldwide land surface temperature was 1.53 F (0.85 C) above the 20th century average, the sixth warmest such period on record. NOAA said the global ocean surface temperature for the year to date was 0.74 F (0.41 C) above the 20th century average and was the 12th warmest such period on record.

La Niña conditions strengthened during October 2011. According to NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, La Niña is expected to continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter 2011-12.

The average Arctic sea ice extent during October was 23.5 percent below average, ranking as the second smallest October extent since satellite records began in 1979. The extent was 846,000 square miles (2.19 million square kilometers) below average and 127,000 square miles (330,000 square kilometers) larger than the record low October extent set in 2007.

On the opposite pole, the October Antarctic monthly average ice extent was 1.2 percent above the 1979 to 2000 average, the 12th largest on record.

Despite a record-breaking snowstorm in the US Northeast, Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent during October was below average, and ranked as the 15th smallest October snow cover extent in the 44-year period of record. NOAA said the North America and Eurasian land areas both had below-average snow cover during the month.

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Let us examine the rules, first, and then consider a scenario.

Retirement plans are “income tax shelters.” Except for Roth IRAs, retirement plans are funded with pre-tax earned income by way of an income tax deduction for the contributions. Income earned inside the retirement plan accumulates tax free until distributed out either to the participant or to his death beneficiary.

Distributions are then taxed as ordinary income in the year received.

Tax deferral may not continue indefinitely. The plan must be distributed gradually once a participant reaches 70 ½ through annual “required minimum distributions” (RMDs) over the participant's life expectancy, or, with a married couple, over their joint life expectancy.

A beneficiary who inherits a deceased participant's retirement plan may also use his own life expectancy to compute his or her RMDs, but must commence RMDs the year after the death; unless the beneficiary is married to the decedent, in which case he or she can wait till age 70 ½.

A participant's own retirement plans do not count against the resource (asset) limitation for Medi-Cal eligibility provided that the plan makes sufficient annual distributions, similar to RMDs.

But the income does count towards the Medi-Cal share of cost. After the participant dies, the plan is also exempt from subsequent Medi-Cal estate recovery. This is remarkable; assets that are exempt for Medi-Cal eligibility purposes are normally subject to estate recovery.

But for SSI eligibility purposes an IRA is not an exempt asset. It counts both towards SSI resource and income limitations, and is subject to estate recovery.

So how can someone on SSI who inherits a retirement plan maintain SSI eligibility, and SSI-linked Medi-Cal eligibility, and the favorable income tax deferral discussed above?

I recently assisted a client with this problem. He received SSI/Medi-Cal and was named as a beneficiary on his deceased mother's IRA.

If he received his IRA directly as beneficiary he would lose these benefits. He would have to withdraw all of his inherited IRA at once and spend it down in order to regain his SSI and Medi-Cal eligibility. That would have triggered immediate income taxation of all IRA distributions in the year received.

Instead, we helped the beneficiary's father to establish a “special needs trust” ("SNT") and the beneficiary to assign his inherited IRA to the SNT, with court approval. The order was necessary to confirm the assignment and satisfy the IRA plan administrator.

An inherited IRA account was then established in the name of the trustee of the SNT and the problem was solved.

Now, the SNT receives the beneficiary's RMDs and the beneficiary retains his SSI and Medi-Cal eligibility.

The SNT pays income tax each year on the RMDs which are reported by and taxed to the beneficiary.

The trustee uses the IRA to supplement the government benefits by purchasing the comforts of life that are otherwise not met by his government benefits.

The foregoing approach worked because the beneficiary's father was able and willing to participate and because the beneficiary had the capacity to assign his retirement plan.

Not every person who receives SSI and/or Medi-Cal is in that same situation. Different approaches may, therefore, be required depending on the circumstances.

It may, for example, be necessary to utilize a conservatorship in order to establish the special needs trust and to assign the inherited IRA over to the trust. That would be a more involved affair and whether it is worthwhile proceeding would also require consideration of the various costs and benefits.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com.

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Pictured here is a fresh rhizome of ginger, along with ginger in its powdered form. Photo by Esther Oertel.

Ginger transports us from the flavor of Thanksgiving pumpkin pie to the scent of Christmas, when warm gingerbread loaves are pulled from the oven, gingerbread men decorate trees and children build gingerbread houses.

When we’re not well, it tames our throats with soothing tea and our tummies with bubbling soda.

While it tempts and tantalizes in cuisines throughout Asia, it isn’t confined to use in dishes inspired by that region. Ginger pairs well with many things, some of them unexpected, and can be used in a variety of forms in the kitchen.

This pungent, warm, peppery flavor seems to pop up almost everywhere, whether in fresh, powdered or pickled form.

Ginger is essential in Asian-inspired stir-fries and dipping sauces, but also works well with everyday ingredients, like maple syrup. Combined with ginger, maple syrup makes a nice glaze for meats and vegetables.

It can be infused into milk or cream to make custard or ice cream, and adds tangy spice to salad dressings. Try adding orange juice as the acid when making a dressing with ginger, or put in a splash of tamari sauce.

Ginger can be sliced into rounds, planks or matchsticks, chopped, grated or pureed, depending on its use.

Grating is a good method when just the essence of ginger is required, such as in a sauce for salmon. My preferred grater for ginger is a Microplane zester, as the most fibrous piece of fresh ginger is made into a juicy pulp with this tool. An added bonus is that ginger doesn’t get stuck in the grater’s holes.

When a textural component is desired, minced, chopped or thin matchsticks of ginger are what’s needed. Matchsticks of ginger become beautifully crisp and chewy when roasted, and are wonderful for adding flavor to roasted root vegetables. Small bits of chopped ginger add bursts of warm spice when cooked into a couscous pilaf. (Try one with almonds, cilantro and orange zest along with the ginger.)

When sliced into rounds or planks, ginger infuses flavor into broth or warm drinks. Pureed ginger works well in salad dressings, such as in the recipe offered below.

Fresh ginger should be peeled prior to use. This can be done with a paring knife, although my preferred method is with a spoon, which leaves more of the flesh intact. The spoon is also good for traversing ginger’s bumps and knobs.

Ginger settles the stomach, which makes it a recommended remedy for motion sickness. A convenient (and delicious) form for this purpose is candied ginger, which in addition to soothing nausea, is wonderful in baked goods and fruit salads.

In Japanese cuisine, ginger is pickled, including a palate cleansing pink-tinted ginger called gari that’s served with sushi.

While fresh ginger is often referred to as a root, the gnarled knobs are actually rhizomes, a portion of stem that resides underground and sends roots out from its nodes.

Fresh ginger has a distinctly pungent flavor and aroma, which differs a bit from its dried counterpart.

The ratio for exchanging fresh and powdered ginger in a recipe is six parts fresh ginger to one part dry.

When rummaging through a basket of fresh ginger at the supermarket, I’m reminded of finding shapes in cloud formations as a child.

Ginger’s bulbous protuberances form all manner of likenesses, including that of a scorpion, which the last rhizome I purchased resembled.

Ginger is native to India and China, and its name is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “body like a horn,” which refers to its antler-like appendages. Its flesh can be white, yellow or pink, depending on the variety.

Ginger is mentioned in the ancient writings of its countries of origin, as well as in the Middle East, where it has a place in cuisine. It’s long been prized for its medicinal properties, as well as its aromatic and culinary uses.

The ancient Romans imported ginger from China nearly 2,000 and its popularity spread from the Mediterranean region to other parts of Europe in the middle ages.

Spanish explorers introduced ginger to the West Indies, Mexico and South America, where it thrived in those warm climates. In the 16th century, ginger was imported from the New World back to Europe. Not surprisingly, ginger is a popular spice in the cuisines of the Caribbean.

In Thailand, a relative of ginger is used in cuisine known as galangal, which is sometimes referred to as Thai ginger. It has a similar flavor profile, though gentler and without peppery heat.

Ginger is also related to turmeric and cardamom.

When choosing fresh ginger, pick knobs with smoother skin that are heavy for their size. Lightness in weight indicates moisture loss and deeply ribbed skin can indicate aging. Thankfully, most markets don’t mind if you break off an appendage from a large piece of ginger if smaller ones are needed and can’t be found.

Ginger has a calming effect on the digestive system and has long been known as a remedy for gastrointestinal distress.

As well, it contains powerful anti-inflammatory compounds, which is why people with osteo- or rheumatoid arthritis often experience reductions in their pain levels and increased mobility when ginger is consumed regularly. It also helps prevent and diminish certain cancers.

Ginger has been shown to boost the immune system, and I highly recommend ginger tea (or a soup made with ginger) at the onset of a cold.

Because ginger is so concentrated with active substances, it doesn’t take much to be effective.

To make ginger tea, peel a two-inch length of fresh ginger and thinly slice it. Add this to 4 cups of boiling water in a saucepan and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the tea and add honey and/or lemon to taste, if desired.

Today I offer two recipes, one hot, a mulled cider with ginger and other spices, and one cold, a bright, healthy salad dressing that includes a generous amount of ginger.

The dressing is one my mother created for the restaurant of my childhood, The Gibson House in Bolinas, Calif. It was published in an out-of-print cookbook, “101 Secrets of Northern California Chefs.”

In the ensuing decades, the recipe for this well-loved house dressing was forgotten, so I’ve approximated the proportions after some enjoyable experimentation.

Gibson House Dressing

¾ cup mildly flavored oil, such as corn, canola or safflower

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

Leaves from 1 and 1/2 bunches flat-leaf parsley

2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 scallions, white and green parts

1 and 1/2 inch length fresh ginger, peeled and minced

½ apple, cored and peeled, any variety except tart

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Put all ingredients in a blender and pulse until liquefied into a thick dressing.

Adjust seasonings to taste. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste, but this is not necessary.

This dressing is especially good with salad (try it with butter lettuce, avocado, red onions and oranges), but may also be used over lightly steamed veggies or fish. It’s wonderful mixed with rice and peas, either warm or cold, and over grains or steamed or baked potatoes.

Original recipe by Danielle Post with proportions by Esther Oertel.

Esther’s Mulled Cranberry-Apple Cider

4 cups apple cider

2 cups cranberry juice (use the 100 percent juice variety, with no added sugar)

2 slices orange, with rind

1 slice lemon, with rind

2 slices fresh ginger, about ¼ inch each

2 cinnamon sticks

6-8 cloves, studded in the orange rind

Simmer on the stove until hot and flavors are infused into the cider.

It may be kept warm in a crock pot, but to prevent bitterness, remove lemon and ginger after about an hour.

This makes six one cup servings and will make your house smell warm, spicy and homey for the holidays.

Recipe by Esther Oertel.

Esther Oertel, the “Veggie Girl,” is a culinary coach and educator and is passionate about local produce. Oertel gives private cooking lessons. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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The fire occurred shortly before 1:30 a.m. in connection with a report of a vehicle collision on Point Lakeview Road in the Jago Bay area between Lower Lake and Kelseyville, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Radio reports indicated the vehicle – identified as a Subaru – was fully involved when officials arrived on scene.

Firefighters and CHP responded to the scene. It was not immediately clear how much area the fire burned.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The latest report on poverty from the US Census shows the toll the recession has had on residents around the nation, with new approaches to Census data showing millions more people are finding their income has fallen below the poverty line.

The US Census Bureau released its official poverty measure report in September, but followed up earlier this month with a supplemental report drawing on additional research, assistance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and findings from other agencies and experts taking part in an interagency technical working group.

The new research is meant to complement, not replace, the official measure – in use since 1969 – and “is intended to better reflect contemporary social and economic realities and government policy effects and thus provide a further understanding of economic conditions and trends,” the US Census Bureau reported.

The September report put the 2010 official poverty rate for the United States at 15.1 percent, or 46.2 million people in poverty, up from 14.3 percent in 2009. That increase of 0.8 percent amounted to 2.6 million additional people in poverty in 2010.

The November supplemental report, however, put the 2010 poverty rate higher, at 16 percent, or 49.1 million people.

The official report showed that black Americans were the group with the highest overall poverty rate, 27.5 percent, followed by Hispanics, 26.7 percent; Asians, 12.1 percent; and whites who are not Hispanic, 10.1 percent.

However, the supplemental measure had Hispanics as the group with the greatest number in poverty, 28.2 percent, followed by blacks, 25.4 percent; Asians, 16.7 percent; and white, 11.1 percent.

The supplemental Census poverty report did not break out specific numbers for states or communities.

However, a Lake County News review of Lake County's poverty numbers for 1997 through 2009 showed a growth rate in the number of those people of all ages living in poverty.

For 2009, the peak year, 22.1 percent or 14,185 Lake County residents were listed as living in poverty, above the national average of 14.3 percent for that same year, according to Census data. Numbers for 2010 were not yet available.

Gloria Flaherty, executive director of Lake Family Resource Center, called local poverty rates “horrific.”

Even so, she believes that the actual numbers may be higher. “There's a lot of people who aren't counted,” she said, just as many people aren't reflected in unemployment numbers.

“The need is so great and these communities have been hit so hard by the economic downturn,” said Patty Bruder, director of community action for North Coast Opportunities, which is taking over community action agency responsibilities in Lake County.

More people are falling into poverty as a result of the struggling economy, said Bruder.

Wes Winter, North Coast Opportunities' executive director, added, “We’re seeing that everywhere that we’re working.”

Flaherty said Lake Family Resource Center has waiting lists to help families in need.

While younger families struggle to make ends meet and cover child care expenses, seniors are challenged by the growing cost of health care and living expenses, Flaherty said. Many people are moving in together in order to pool their resources and make it through the tough times.

Flaherty said Lake Family Resource Center has seen “dramatically” increased need as a result of the economic downturn.

While some programs can only serve a limited number of people and so they don't have waiting lists, “In other programs we're paddling as fast as we can” because funding is decreasing, she said.

“Because of state budget cuts we lost quite a bit of funding,” she said, noting the organization is trying to serve more families with less.

Flaherty said families also are seeking services that Lake Family Resource Center hasn't provided historically, including food pantries and help during times of homelessness.

Such services, Flaherty added, are sparse in Lake County, although she credited Lake County Hunger Task Force for its efforts to meet the need.

Flaherty said they are seeing families that are in desperate need of food and pantry staples – “just the basics of life that we're missing.”

As part of its increased presence in Lake County, North Coast Opportunities said it will offer a food pantry and is working as part of an area food hub in order to meet the need, Bruder said.

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The collision occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Highway 29 just south of Clayton Creek Road, south of Lower Lake, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Witnesses reported that a late model Buick collided with another vehicle. The Buick reportedly sustained massive front end damage.

Traffic was blocked and there was an estimated delay of nearly a half hour as South Lake County Fire, sheriff’s and CHP units worked to help the victims and clear the roadway, according to witnesses.

Four people suffered minor injuries, reports from the scene indicated.

The CHP reported there were some additional noninjury crashes in the area at around the same time, including one that involved a vehicle that was hit by another vehicle after hitting a deer.

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The fire was reported at 9790 Highway 175 at approximately 8:18 p.m., according to radio reports.

The home’s occupants were able to safely get out, and reported to a dispatcher that they could see flames, radio traffic indicated.

Reports from the scene indicated an electrical issue may have been the cause.

South Lake County firefighters responded to the home, where the fire was reported to be out about 20 minute after the initial report. Two fire units remained on scene to handle the mop up.

Additional details were not available Friday evening.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A planning meeting for the county’s new Mt. Konocti Park has been postponed until early next year, along with work on the park as winter weather arrives.

Lake County Public Services Director Caroline Chavez said this week that the public meeting on the park’s planning status, originally scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 30, has been postponed for the winter.

Chavez said the next meeting is tentatively scheduled for February 2012.

The last planning meeting was held Tuesday, Nov. 2, and meeting participants were brought up to date on the current status of the Mt. Konocti Park development, according to Chavez.

Additional park improvements are on hold through the winter months, said Chavez, and so there are no new developments to report.

Chavez reported that participants also were asked to submit their preferences for priorities and questions on the planned development which will be reviewed by county staff and the newly-formed Konocti Regional Trails Team.

The Konocti Regional Trails Team has had some initial meetings to begin reviewing the community input and developing priorities for Mt, Konocti and other regional trail systems including a communications plan to keep people informed of plans and progress, according to Chavez.

Mt. Konocti is currently open only to hikers while plans are developed and the special order vault restrooms are built, delivered and installed, officials said.

For more information, visit the Konocti Regional Trails Web site at www.konoctitrails.com.

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