Wednesday, 09 October 2024

News

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Fresh fennel sometimes gets confused for other vegetables. Photo by Esther Oertel.


 


 




I’ve been a bit obsessed with fennel lately.


A few weeks back I noticed a white bulbous vegetable with feathery green fronds in a local supermarket and thought, “Ah, they have fennel!” Much to my surprise, it was labeled anise.


Doubting my own produce identification skills, I promptly went home and did a bit of research. According to the Internet and my reference books, what I saw was, in fact, fennel. The mislabeling of this somewhat unusual flora set off a flurry of investigation on my part to see what other markets called it.


Of the five or more markets I visited (both here and in Napa and Sonoma counties), only one correctly identified fennel as fennel. The other markets called it either anise or, in one case, sweet anise.


Fennel and anise do have some similarities, perhaps spawning the misnomer.


While they’re members of a different genus, they’re both from the same plant family, apiaceae. Along with licorice, they share the aromatic compound anethole, so have similar, licorice-like tones in their flavor profiles.


As well, both have lacey flower heads made up of many smaller blossoms, and both have edible seeds.


The difference is that with anise, only the seeds are used in cuisine, while all parts of the fennel plant are eaten: root, stalk, leaves and seeds.


Anise seeds are used to flavor many traditional European cookies, such as Italian pizzelle or British aniseed balls, and a variety of liquors throughout the world, including Greek ouzo and French absinthe.


To further complicate matters, anise can sometimes be confused with a Chinese spice, star anise, which, though unrelated, contains the same aromatic compound and strongly resembles it in flavor. Star anise is the beautiful star-shaped seed pod of an evergreen tree.


And don’t confuse Chinese star anise with Japanese star anise, which looks similar, but is poisonous.


In short, since anise roots are not sold as food, feel confident that any bulbous roots so labeled in your local market are fennel in disguise.

 

 

 

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Dried fennel seeds. Photo by Esther Oertel.
 

 

 


Fennel grows wild in most parts of temperate Europe, but is generally considered indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean region, where it spreads eastward to India. A hardy perennial, it’s closely related to parsley, carrots, dill and coriander.


The dried seeds of the fennel plant (or, more correctly, its fruits) are used in Italian cuisine (it’s a favorite for flavoring sausages), and function as a key ingredient in a variety of spice blends, such as Indian curry, Herbs de Provence and Chinese five spice.


They’re used to flavor savory breads such as rye, as well as sweet baked treats, in much the same way anise seeds are.


The Puritans dubbed fennel the “meeting seed” and chewed it during their long church services to ensure fresh breath. It’s often chewed after a meal in India and Pakistan to ward off indigestion.


Fennel pollen has become popular in recent years as a sweeter, intensified alternative to infusing fennel flavor into dishes. Since it takes many blossoms to make a small amount of pollen, this spice is almost as costly as saffron. Thankfully, only a minuscule amount is needed because its flavor is strong.


Fennel leaves strongly resemble those of dill weed; however, unlike dill, their flavor is quite mild, with the barest hint of anise-like flavor. They can be sniped into a salad or used as a garnish to add bright color to soup.


The Greeks and Romans enjoyed chewing on the fennel stalks, considering them a sweet treat. Along with the foliage, the stalks make a wonderful bed for baking fish, which is one of fennel’s favorite flavor pairings.

 

 

 

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Fennel bulbs quartered and ready for roasting. Photo by Esther Oertel.
 

 

 


Fennel bulbs are mild and crunchy, with an almost sweet flavor and celery-like texture. Adding them raw to salads is my favorite way of using the bulb, and with the abundance of fennel in my home in recent weeks, I’ve enjoyed many a salad topped with thinly sliced pieces of this mild root. I’ve discovered that my favorite combination is mixed organic greens, red onion and fennel topped with sprouts and a simple balsamic vinegar-olive oil dressing.


Roasting or grilling the bulb is another way to use it, and is a particularly popular accompaniment to pork dishes. Pork loin is often prepared by roasting it atop a bed of fennel bulbs. The texture of roasted fennel reminds me of roasted onions, though with a milder flavor.


To roast fennel, trim the bulb and cut it into quarters or slices. Coat it lightly with olive oil (and balsamic vinegar, if you wish), add a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper, and place in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet. (I like to line mine with parchment paper to aid in the cleanup.)


Roast in a 400 degree oven until tender and beginning to caramelize, usually between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the fennel. In my slow oven it takes a bit longer.


Fennel is considered an effective carminative, that is, an herb or preparation that aids in the prevention (or, otherwise, expulsion) of gas in the digestive system. Fennel tea may be made for this purpose by pouring a cup of boiling water over a teaspoon of bruised fennel seeds.


The Roman naturalist Pliny ascribed 22 remedies to fennel, including strengthening of eyesight. Through the years herbalists continued this belief; even Longfellow alludes to this virtue in one of his poems:


“Above the lower plants it towers,

The Fennel with its yellow flowers;

And in an earlier age than ours

Was gifted with the wondrous powers

Lost vision to restore.”


Anethole, the primary component of fennel’s volatile oil that gives it its distinctive flavor, is a phytonutrient that has repeatedly shown to reduce inflammation and prevent the occurrence of cancer.


The fennel bulb is a good source of vitamin C, which is important for immune support and antioxidant protection. It also contains healthy stores of fiber, folate, and potassium, which aid in cardiovascular and colon health.


Below is a recipe for a roasted fennel and cauliflower soup I created last night for dinner. Though the process is amazingly simple, I found the soup to be rich and satisfying. I hope you enjoy it!


Roasted fennel and cauliflower soup


1 head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

2 large fennel bulbs, trimmed and quartered or sliced

4 medium shallots, peeled and roughly chopped

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 quart vegetable or chicken stock

½ cup milk of your choosing


First roast the vegetables. Toss them with olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven until tender and caramelized, about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of the vegetables. (Allow them to thoroughly roast to ensure good flavor.)


Simmer the roasted vegetables with a quart of stock until extremely tender and falling apart. Once they reach this stage, puree the soup using an immersion blender. (A food processor or blender may also be used. If using a blender, be sure to hold the lid tightly closed with a towel or the vacuum created by the heat may cause the lid to explode off!)


Off heat, stir in the milk. I used a product I just discovered: a coconut milk beverage made by “So Delicious” and stored in a carton in the refrigerated section of the store. This product is very different than canned coconut milk and doesn’t have a coconut taste. Any milk or milk substitute may be used.


Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. (I added a bit more salt, but used enough pepper when roasting the vegetables that adding more was unnecessary.


Thin with a bit more milk if soup is too thick.


The vegetables may be roasted ahead of time and stored in the fridge until soup is made.


Recipe by Esther Oertel. Makes six – eight servings.


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


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LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Sonoma County man alleged to have taken part in the torture and attempted murder of a Lakeport man will soon be free after the prosecutor in the case said Friday he planned to drop the charges.


Joshua Isaac Wandrey Sr., 36, of Rohnert Park is expected to be released next week after the motion to dismiss the charges is heard Jan. 21.


Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe filed a motion Friday which stated, in part, “it is my professional opinion that there is currently insufficient evidence to proceed with this matter” against Wandrey.


He announced his intention to dismiss the case at Wandrey's trial readiness conference Friday in Lakeport.


After court Grothe said he had no further comment on the case in advance of next week's hearing.


Grothe's decision was “the correct thing to do,” said Wandrey's attorney, Stephen Carter.


Carter credited District Attorney Don Anderson and Grothe for recognizing and realizing that the dismissal should take place.


Wandrey was arrested in November 2009 following the attack the previous month on 49-year-old Ronald Greiner of Lakeport, who was shot, beaten, hogtied with barbed wire and robbed of 10 pounds of marijuana at his home, as Lake County News has reported.


Wandrey and co-defendant Thomas Loyd Dudney, 60, of Fulton, were charged with attempted murder, mayhem, torture, home invasion robbery, burglary, assault with a firearm, assault likely to cause great bodily injury, a special allegation for alleged gang activity and another special allegation for use of a firearm.


The case had been handled since its inception by former District Attorney Jon Hopkins, who left office last month after losing his reelection bid last year.


Grothe's motion explained that on or around Dec. 7 he received Wandrey's case file “as part of a reassignment of cases” that resulted from Hopkins' departure.


“Following that reassignment I reviewed all reports, evidence, and prior hearings conducted in this case,” Grothe stated.


Based on that review, as well as discussions with witnesses, investigators and other District Attorney's Office personnel, Grothe said he concluded that he didn't have the evidence needed to move forward.


Carter said Wandrey will have no further risk of any prison time associated with this case after the dismissal takes place.


“Of course he is pleased with that outcome and glad to put it behind him and move on,” Carter said.


However, Grothe's motion indicated the case could be taken up again in the future, as the investigation regarding Wandrey is continuing.


Grothe's motion goes on to note, “if further evidence is secured, then the case will be reevaluated upon its merits at that time.”


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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California joins other states nationwide in recognizing Jan. 13 as National AMBER Alert Awareness Day, a day to acknowledge the collaborative efforts and successes of the AMBER Alert program to assist in the recovery of abducted children.


This year marks the 15th anniversary of the abduction of Amber Hagerman and the program that was named in her memory.


In 1996, 9-year-old Hagerman of Arlington, Texas was abducted and later found murdered. At the time, there was no system in place to inform and alert the public of the abduction.


Residents contacted area radio stations in the wake of this tragedy and suggested that a special alert

be in place for child abductions.


Working with local law enforcement agencies, radio and television stations in Texas developed a plan using emergency broadcast systems across media outlets to alert the public of child abductions; these alerts became known as AMBER Alerts.


Today, there are AMBER Alert programs in all 50 states.


California’s AMBER Alert program, the California Child Safety AMBER Network, which is coordinated by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), was implemented in August 2002.


To date, there have been 213 children safely recovered following 174 AMBER Alert activations in California.


“The overwhelming success of this program is the direct result of a partnership between government, law enforcement, broadcast media and the public,” said California Highway Patrol Commissioner Joe Farrow.


The goal of an AMBER Alert is to provide immediate information to the public about the most serious child abduction cases via widespread media broadcasts and other means to solicit help in the safe and swift return of an abducted child.


The program continues to grow, taking advantage of new technology and other means to expand the way the public is alerted to a child abduction.


For example, this year, the CHP and the California State Lottery Commission have teamed up to display AMBER Alerts anywhere lottery tickets are sold.


Additionally, AMBER Alerts will be available on Facebook. According to the National Center for

Missing and Exploited Children, users of the social media platform will be able to sign up for AMBER Alerts in their state/region.


“It is important that we use every communications tool at our disposal to get the word out in a timely manner in a child abduction case,” added Commissioner Farrow. “Every second counts.”


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An artist's concept of antimatter spraying above a thunderhead. Courtesy of NASA.
 

 

 

 

 

Scientists using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have detected beams of antimatter produced above thunderstorms on Earth, a phenomenon never seen before.


Scientists think the antimatter particles were formed inside thunderstorms in a terrestrial gamma-ray flash (TGF) associated with lightning. It is estimated that about 500 TGFs occur daily worldwide, but most go undetected.


“These signals are the first direct evidence that thunderstorms make antimatter particle beams,” said Michael Briggs, a member of Fermi's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) team at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).


He presented the findings Jan. 10 during a news briefing at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle.


Fermi is designed to monitor gamma rays, the highest energy form of light. When antimatter striking Fermi collides with a particle of normal matter, both particles immediately are annihilated and transformed into gamma rays.

 

 

 

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The GBM has detected gamma rays with energies of 511,000 electron volts, a signal indicating an electron has met its antimatter counterpart, a positron.


Although Fermi's GBM is designed to observe high-energy events in the universe, it's also providing valuable insights into this strange phenomenon.


The GBM constantly monitors the entire celestial sky above and the Earth below. The GBM team has identified 130 TGFs since Fermi's launch in 2008.


“In orbit for less than three years, the Fermi mission has proven to be an amazing tool to probe the universe. Now we learn that it can discover mysteries much, much closer to home,” said Ilana Harrus, Fermi program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.


The spacecraft was located immediately above a thunderstorm for most of the observed TGFs, but in four cases, storms were far from Fermi.


In addition, lightning-generated radio signals detected by a global monitoring network indicated the only lightning at the time was hundreds or more miles away.


During one TGF, which occurred on Dec. 14, 2009, Fermi was located over Egypt. But the active storm was in Zambia, some 2,800 miles to the south. The distant storm was below Fermi's horizon, so any gamma rays it produced could not have been detected.


“Even though Fermi couldn't see the storm, the spacecraft nevertheless was magnetically connected to it,” said Joseph Dwyer at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Fla. “The TGF produced high-speed electrons and positrons, which then rode up Earth's magnetic field to strike the spacecraft.”


The beam continued past Fermi, reached a location, known as a mirror point, where its motion was reversed, and then hit the spacecraft a second time just 23 milliseconds later. Each time, positrons in the beam collided with electrons in the spacecraft. The particles annihilated each other, emitting gamma rays detected by Fermi's GBM.

 

 

 

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Fermi was above Egypt on Dec. 14, 2009, when a burst of positrons emerged from an African thunderstorm. Courtesy of NASA.
 

 

 


Scientists long have suspected TGFs arise from the strong electric fields near the tops of thunderstorms.


Under the right conditions, they say, the field becomes strong enough that it drives an upward avalanche of electrons. Reaching speeds nearly as fast as light, the high-energy electrons give off gamma rays when they're deflected by air molecules. Normally, these gamma rays are detected as a TGF.


But the cascading electrons produce so many gamma rays that they blast electrons and positrons clear out of the atmosphere. This happens when the gamma-ray energy transforms into a pair of particles: an electron and a positron. It's these particles that reach Fermi's orbit.


The detection of positrons shows many high-energy particles are being ejected from the atmosphere. In fact, scientists now think that all TGFs emit electron/positron beams. A paper on the findings has been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters.


“The Fermi results put us a step closer to understanding how TGFs work,” said Steven Cummer at Duke University. “We still have to figure out what is special about these storms and the precise role lightning plays in the process.”


NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is an astrophysics and particle physics partnership. It is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. It was developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, with important contributions from academic institutions and partners in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden and the United States.


The GBM Instrument Operations Center is located at the National Space Science Technology Center in Huntsville, Ala. The team includes a collaboration of scientists from UAH, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany and other institutions.


Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


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SACRAMENTO – This week California Assembly member Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced Assembly Bill 88, which aims to protect California consumers' right-to-know by requiring all genetically engineered (GE) salmon sold in California to be clearly labeled.


The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently considering approval of a type of genetically engineered (GE) farmed Atlantic salmon which would be the first ever GE animal approved for human consumption.


The FDA is also considering whether or not to require labeling should it be approved for sale domestically.


The California State Grange, which is supporting the bill, believes that not enough is currently known about the potential impacts of GE salmon to conclude that it is safe for the environment in general or wild fish populations specifically.


“Assembly member Huffman's bill is important for all Californians, not just seafood consumers,” explained Dr. George Leonard, director of Ocean Conservancy's aquaculture program. “While the FDA has yet to make a final decision on GE salmon, California and Assembly member Huffman are making it clear that mandatory labeling is needed to provide families with the information they want and need when buying food. Once again, California is leading the nation in assisting consumers make informed decisions in the marketplace.”


California Grangers agreed with this assessment when they resolved to oppose marketing GE salmon without sufficient testing and labeling last October.


“Consumers have the right to determine the suitability of the food they feed their families,” commented Bob McFarland, president of the California State Grange. “I would be suspicious of any food producer that would want to prevent us from knowing the nature and origin of their products.”


In addition, the Grange also has policy on scientific studies and testing on all GE/GMO food products. “Consumer safety should never be a hit-or-miss proposition,” said McFarland.


The proposal currently pending before the FDA has generated significant concern and opposition. Since FDA held pubic hearings on the issue in September, 29 members of the House of Representatives and 12 Senators have written urging a rejection of the proposal. This came on top of more than 368,300 public comments in opposition as well as a strong public rebuke from 14 elected officials in California, led by Huffman.


“At the end of the day, this issue is larger than salmon - it is about the future of fish. If and how to proceed with GE salmon should be part of a broader national debate about sustainable seafood and how to proactively plan for the future we desire,” said Leonard. “Approval of GE salmon would set a dangerous precedent. It could open the floodgates to approval of other GE fish and fundamentally alter the nature of our seafood supply.”


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Shawn David Gulseth, 40, of Kent, Wash., was arrested in Willits, Calif., on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, on a warrant out of Washington state, where he is being charged with the murder of his girlfriend on December 20, 2010. Photo courtesy of Kent Police Department.

 






WILLITS, Calif. – A Washington man on the run from the law and charged with his ex-girlfriend's December murder was found under a bridge Tuesday and arrested by Mendocino County officials.


Shawn David Gulseth, 40, of Kent, Wash., was arrested after he was located under Willit's Broaddus Creek Bridge Tuesday afternoon, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.


Smallcomb said the sheriff's office received information Tuesday from the Kent Police Department in Washington that Gulseth was wanted for murder, was an escapee from the Washington State Department of Corrections and was possibly staying in the Willits area.


The Kent Police Department reported that the victim was 45-year-old Bonnie Peterson, found murdered in her East Kent apartment on Dec. 20 after police received a call from her friends who were concerned about her.


“This is a crime of violence committed by a very dangerous person,” Kent Police Lt. Pat Lowery said in a written statement released Dec. 21 that asked for the community's help in finding Gulseth, who police already had identified as the suspect.


The department had warned community members not to try to approach Gulseth, who was considered to be armed and dangerous.


Smallcomb said officials received information that Gulseth had last been seen at a local business establishment located in the Willits area on Monday.


He said reports from community members led law enforcement to believe Gulseth was possibly still in the area.


Personnel from the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, Willits Police Department and the California Highway Patrol responded to the area of the Broaddus Creek Bridge, located in downtown Willits, and searched the area, finding Gulseth and arresting him without incident, Smallcomb said.


Smallcomb said Gulseth was transported to the Mendocino County jail where he is currently being held pending an extradition hearing.


The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that Gulseth has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.


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The carcass of a red-winged blackbird from Beebe, AR is being examined by USGS National Wildlife Health Center wildlife pathologist Dr. David E. Green. Courtesy of USGS.

 


Large wildlife die-off events are fairly common, though they should never be ignored, according to the U.S. Geological Survey scientists whose preliminary tests showed that the bird deaths in Arkansas on New Year’s Eve and those in Louisiana were caused by impact trauma.


Preliminary findings from the USGS National Wildlife Health Center's Arkansas bird analyses suggest that the birds died from impact trauma, and these findings are consistent with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's statement.


The state concluded that such trauma was probably a result of the birds being startled by loud noises on the night of Dec. 31, arousing them and causing them to fly into objects such as houses or trees.


Scientists at the USGS NWHC performed necropsies – the animal version of an autopsy – on the birds and found internal hemorrhaging, while the pesticide tests they conducted were negative. Results from further laboratory tests are expected to be completed in two to three weeks.


“Although wildlife die-offs always pose a concern, they are not all that unusual,” said Jonathan Sleeman, director of the USGS NWHC in Madison, Wis., which is completing its analyses of the Arkansas and Louisiana birds. “It's important to study and understand what happened in order to determine if we can prevent mortality events from happening again.”


In 2010, the USGS NWHC documented eight die-off events of 1,000 or more birds. The causes: starvation, avian cholera, Newcastle disease and parasites, according to Sleeman.


Such records show that, while the causes of death may vary, events like the red-winged blackbird die-off in Beebe, Ark., and the smaller one near Baton Rouge, La., are more common than people may realize.


And Sleeman should know – he directs a staff of scientists whose primary purpose is to investigate the nation's wildlife diseases from avian influenza to plague and white-nose syndrome in bats.


“The USGS NWHC provides information, technical assistance, research, education, and leadership on national and international wildlife health issues,” Sleeman added.


According to USGS NWHC records, there have been 188 mortality events across the country involving 1,000 birds or more during the past 10 years (2000-2010).


In 2009, individual events included one in which 50,000 birds died from avian botulism in Utah; 20,000 from the same disease in Idaho; and 10,000 bird deaths in Washington from a harmful algal bloom.


Mass mortality events occur in other animal populations as well, according to the USGS NWHC. For example, prairie dog colonies in the West can be destroyed by sylvatic plague, which can then kill off the highly endangered black-footed ferret that preys on prairie dogs exclusively.


The USGS NWHC is involved with developing vaccines, delivered through bait, which can immunize prairie dogs against plague.


In the 1970s and 1980s, most USGS NWHC die-off investigations involved large numbers of waterfowl deaths from avian cholera, avian botulism, and lead poisoning; in the 1990s, the USGS NWHC was highly involved in investigating the emergence of West Nile virus in North America.


In 2008, the USGS NWHC discovered the cause of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has devastated cave hibernating bat species in the Northeastern U.S.


Public reporting of wildlife mortality events is important, and in 2010, the USGS Wildlife Disease Information Node initiated an experimental reporting system to facilitate this. Visit http://www.whmn.org/wher/ for more information.


More information on the USGS NWHC and its involvement in the recent bird die-off events can be found on the NWHC Web site, www.nwhc.usgs.gov/ .


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LAKEPORT, Calif. – In the wake of the shooting of an Arizona congresswoman and more than a dozen of her constituents – six of whom died – the security for elected officials has become a heightened concern, but the North Coast's congressman said he doesn't plan on interacting with his district any differently.


The Jan. 8 shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson – allegedly by a mentally disturbed 22-year-old, Jared Loughner – has given rise to numerous debates about the shooter's possible motivations, and also has raised questions about the safety of the other 434 House members and 100 senators.


North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) said security is normally a topic of consideration for Congress, but he told Lake County News in an interview this week that he, personally, doesn't plan on changing how he approaches his district.


“I think that the same security issues are in place now that have been,” said Thompson, who is in the district this week and set to return to Washington next Tuesday.


The United States Capitol Police, which is taking part in the investigation into the Giffords shooting, said in a Jan. 8 statement that while it doesn't discuss specifically discuss the security of members of Congress, it communicated with lawmakers, “advising them to take reasonable and prudent precautions regarding their personal safety and security.”


The basic common practice, said Thompson, is to alert law enforcement to any possible threats or other safety concerns, noting that the district contains “outstanding” law enforcement agencies, both police and sheriff's departments.


Otherwise, he said, “I'm not doing anything different that when I always do.”


Thompson normally travels through the district, including Lake County, on his own, with wife, Jan, or with a small group of staffers, including his well-known district representative, Brad Onorato, who is based in Thompson's Napa office.


The small entourage travels at a fast pace, with daylong itineraries that would exhaust most people.


This reporter spent a day traveling around Lake County with Thompson, Onorato and a staffer last spring, on a day when he visited the Bottle Rock Power Plant on Cobb, the groundbreaking of the new Veterans Affairs clinic in Clearlake, took part in a Habitat for Humanity groundbreaking in Clearlake and headed up a meeting in Kelseyville for business and community leaders regarding the new health care bill.


He said this week that he's never felt unsafe or threatened in his district, even during these times of heightened passion and political rhetoric. Thompson added that it's impossible to completely prevent any tragedy from happening in an open society like that of the United States.


He said he wants his district staff to stay aware of potentially threatening situations. “Sometimes we take things for granted.”


For example, following the Arizona shooting, what Thompson called “an alarming e-mail” was sent to his office that, at first, his district staff discounted before he directed they turn it over to the authorities just to be cautious.


Thompson also has a special perspective on the shooting: He said he knows Giffords well and considers her a friend.


“She's a great person. She's a great member of Congress. She's a great leader. She's a great American,” he said.


Both Thompson and Giffords are members of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, made up of members of Congress who consider themselves moderates, and who also champion a fiscally conservative approach to governing.


“I helped her in all of her campaigns,” he said, explaining that she's visited his North Coast district and he and his wife visited Giffords' district in Arizona last year. At that time, he did a parachute jump along with astronaut Scott Kelly, the twin brother of Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, also an astronaut.


Speculation as to the root causes of Loughner's attack have centered on political rhetoric, the man's reported mental illness and anti-government sentiment, and even his ability to purchase the Glock pistol he used, which he is reported to have done legally.


Thompson said there may be a little truth in “all of the above,” noting, “We still haven't found out everything” about Loughner's reasoning, which appears to have included clear plans for Giffords' assassination.


He said laws to help the mentally ill need to be improved, and if there are additional gun laws that make sense and would keep Americans safe, they should be considered, noting he wants to balance that with support for the Second Amendment.


As to political rhetoric, Thompson suggested a person would have had to have lived under a rock for the last few years to think that the tone of how the country's political sides are talking to each other hasn't contributed somehow.


“We've got some huge challenges and we've got to come together to figure out how we're going to address those,” he said.


If the political volume is so high and facts are thrown to the wind, with lies replacing honest debate, “we'll never even get to the table let alone sit down at the table” and discuss problems, he said.


He pointed to particularly heated comments in a regional publication that named one of his colleagues in Congress in an article published before the shooting. Blog commenters said the woman should have a bulletproof vest and a car because of an action she had taken.


Thompson said if you “scare the hell” out of people over legislation – he used the example of the health care legislation and the “death panels” rhetoric – a frightening response can be expected.


The country also just emerged from what Thompson estimated was the worst, dirtiest and most unproductive campaign cycle that the nation has seen in a long time. As such, he said people need to take responsibility for being honest and trying to work together on solving the issues that are so important not only to the North Coast district but to the country.


Thompson said of the Tuscon incident, “This is an attack on our country, this is an attack on our democracy,” as well as the people of the United States. “We can't allow that to happen.”


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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

WASHINGTON – Congressman Mike Thompson (D-North Coast) has reintroduced legislation that would permanently prohibit oil and gas drilling off the coasts of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties.


The Northern California Ocean and Coastal Protection Act – which Thompson introduced on Tuesday – is meant to protect the unique and dynamic marine environment along the Northern Coast of California’s outer continental shelf (OCS) from off shore drilling.


“It is critical that we permanently protect our coast and its vital marine life from the environmental hazards of off-shore drilling,” Thompson said in a statement. “In past Congresses, this important issue has become a political dispute rather than a debate on legitimate policy. This legislation will steer the debate back to sensible, science based policy, and ensure the wellbeing of our oceans for future generations.”


During the 110th Congress the ban on OCS drilling expired, which leaves the North Coast susceptible to drilling. The moratorium on OCS drilling had been a bipartisan agreement in Congress since 1982, but came under regular attack, and was not renewed in 2008.


Thompson also introduced this legislation in the 111th Congress.


“One of the four most crucial upwellings in the world's oceans is located off of California’s North Coast and sustains 20 percent of the ocean’s fish,” said Thompson. “Regardless of who is in charge in Washington in the future, we need to ensure now that our coast is permanently protected from needless and harmful offshore drilling.”


The coastal areas that support extremely abundant and productive marine life are known as upwelling regions. This is because an upwelling brings cold, nutrient-rich waters from the ocean depths that, when combined with sunlight, enhance seaweed and phytoplankton growth.


The seaweed and phytoplankton supply energy for some of the most productive ecosystems in the world, including the North Coast fisheries and many of the world’s most important fisheries.


Thompson said drilling for oil off of California’s North Coast could cause serious harm to the unique and productive ecosystem and abundant marine life found off the coast, including the fish many local North Coast economies depend on.


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LAKEPORT, Calif. – As analysis continues on the proposed budget Gov. Jerry Brown introduced this week, it's become clear that among the areas where cuts could be felt the most are the state's fairs – including the Lake County Fair.


Richard Persons, chief executive officer of the Lake County Fair since 1996, said the fair is potentially facing “draconian” funding cuts that could both hurt operations and improvement projects at the fairgrounds.


The 78 fairs that have been supported by the state since 1933 are targeted to lose 100 percent of the $32 million budgeted for operational support and capital improvements on fairgrounds in Brown's proposed budget, said Persons, who explained that the $32 million is used at seed money.


He cited a state economic impact study completed last year that found fairs generate more than $2.55 billion in economic impact to California's economy each year, creating 28,000 jobs, and generating more than $135 million in state and local government tax revenues.


The Lake County Fair has an annual budget of $650,000, and operates with four full-time employees – including Persons – and two half-time employees on a year-round basis, he said.


During the annual Lake County Fair – visited by more than 38,000 people annually – more than 750 people are employed on the fairgrounds, about 100 of them by the fair itself. Persons said hundreds more can be found volunteering in a variety of jobs.


The fair also has an eight-member board of directors, appointed by the governor.


In a nod to Brown's executive order this week to have state employees turn in 48,000 cell phones – at an anticipated savings of $20 million – Persons said that no fair staffers have ever been provided cell phones.


The Lake County Fair is a state agency that operates state-owned property, in this case the 34-acre fairgrounds property, located at 401 Martin St. in Lakeport, which has 30 buildings, most of which are available for public use, he said.


The fairgrounds' activities directly or indirectly created the equivalent of 75 full-time jobs and more than $10.9 million in local economic impact, including approximately $2.4 million in salaries and wages, Persons said.


In addition, he explained that the fairgrounds generates more than $102,000 in tax revenues like sales tax, local possessory interest tax for use of government property, and a variety of other licenses, fees and permits.


Persons said the fair's mission is to be Lake County’s local event center.


He said the fairgrounds hosts local activities nearly every day of the year – sometimes with several events in a single day.


Of those activities, 96 percent are produced by Lake County individuals or organizations, and 64 percent are produced by nonprofit organizations, mostly for fundraising, he said.


During the county fair event at the end of summer, more than 85 percent of the commercial spaces are filled by organizations from Lake and Mendocino counties, Persons said. More than 90 percent of the thousands of competitive exhibits that fill the buildings and barns during the Lake County Fair come from Lake County residents.


The state's fairs run on a calendar year budget, rather than the July through June fiscal year budget observed by the state, Persons said.


The fair has received three-quarters of its 2011 funding, and Persons said he expects to receive the entire budgeted amount by year's end. “The Department of Food and Agriculture says they have it,” he said.


However, the outlook ahead is far more uncertain for 2012 and beyond.


In the 2011-12 state budget cycle, which would cut into the second half of the fair's 2011 budget, Persons said the Lake County Fair was set to receive $172,000 in operational funding, or approximately 25 percent of the annual operating costs, with the rest being derived locally from the annual county fair event and rentals of the fairgrounds during the year.


The fair also would lose 85 percent of its capital expense funds, which Persons said range between $30,000 and $150,000 annually, depending on projects.


He said the fairs compete with one another for state capital improvement infrastructure grants, with fairs getting additional points if they put up some of their own money.


Such money has helped improve the Lakeport fairgrounds, said Persons. “We had a series of projects that we started this year.”


In the first of three proposed phases, he said they tore out 60-year-old horse barns, installed new water lines to feed the Baldwin Pavilion area at the back of the property, then put in a street so there is a circle around the racetrack, at a total cost of $122,000, he said. The second, $75,000 phase included a new horse barn.


The third phase, estimated to cost $125,000, would include asphalt repairs and seal coasting that would help the fairground's asphalt surfaces to last another decade. But Persons said that project is now in limbo due to the proposed budget.


“In some way's we're fortunate, because decades ago the state provided more than 80 percent of operating funds, so the slow shift away from state funding over the years may allow us to keep the doors open,” he said.


“But if the governor's proposal passes the legislature, it's going to be painful for the local community. And of course, the loss of capital funding means no construction work, no asphalt, no new roofs, no paint. Virtually all of those jobs are done by local companies,” he added.

 

Persons said he and the fair's board of directors will watch the state budget process closely over the coming months, and examine the entire fair operation for both expenditure cuts and increases to revenue.


He said possible changes could include reductions in staffing, reduced operating hours and increases in rental rates.


“We have to start planning now,” he said.


This year's Lake County Fair, scheduled for Sept. 1-4, has “Make Some Magic!” as its theme.


Visit the fair online at www.lakecountyfair.com .


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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Respect For All Task Force will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 19.

 

The meeting will start at 3 p.m. in the board room at the Lakeport Unified School District office, 2508 Howard Ave.

 

The main focus will be on the work of the group’s subcommittees.

 

The meeting is in a different location and at a different time than prior meetings, organizers say, to attempt to boost attendance and participation. Task force members have discussed holding meetings in various locations of the county and at different times of the day to accommodate interested individuals’ locale and schedules.

 

The meeting is open to the public, and the task force welcomes participation by new members.

 

The Lake County Respect For All Task Force, a group of local individuals, is striving to increase awareness about safe and inclusive learning environments.

 

The group is working to identify possible actions to help the Lake County community. Task force members are focusing on reducing bullying in schools and providing students with information on resources.

 

Subcommittees are working on outreach projects, gathering information for a list of community resources, providing training and awareness for school personnel and administrators, strengthening policies and procedures for use in the schools, and helping campuses with their efforts for student activities.

 

The Respect For All Project is a program of GroundSpark. More information about the project is available on the GroundSpark website, www.groundspark.org.

 

GroundSpark, The Respect for All Project “is a non-profit organization that seeks to create safe, hate-free schools and communities by providing youth and the adults who guide their development the tools they need to talk openly about diversity in all of its forms.”

 

As part of its work toward safe and inclusive learning environments, task force members identified a list of goals and split up responsibilities. The goals include identifying community resources, networking and expanding the task force, pursuing support for gay/straight alliances, developing and fundraising for Challenge Day events at schools, and reviewing policies and implementation strategies.

 

The Lake County Respect For All Task Force is a diverse group of volunteers including educators, school counselors, students, media representatives, and organization and business people.

 

Individuals interested in helping the task force in its efforts to assist youth and their families in assuring safe and inclusive learning environments are invited to attend the meetings. The group has been meeting every other month.

 

In Lake County, the Respect For All Project was started approximately two years ago as a pilot project through GroundSpark and in cooperation with Lake County Healthy Start and Lake County Family Resource Center.

 

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

 

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Jim Harris of Lucerne, Calif., survived Pearl Harbor, D-Day and being blown off a ship in the Pacific. He died Saturday, January 8, 2011, at age 86. Photo by Ginny Craven.

 

LUCERNE, Calif. – In his 86 years, Jim Harris' eyes had settled on scenes that, for most, are confined to history books.

He had survived Pearl Harbor, had been blown off his ship in the Pacific and lived to tell the story and had gone on to serve at the invasion of Normandy, all before he turned 20 years old.

So when his eyes closed for the last time on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 8, he took with him memories that could fill volumes.

Harris' friend, Ronnie Bogner, said he often joked with Harris that he should either buy a lottery ticket or not bother, because he was either the luckiest or unluckiest man he'd ever met.

“He was around for a lot of interesting stuff,” said Bogner, who acts as the master of ceremonies of the annual Pearl Harbor commemoration at Library Park and is an honorary member of the local Pearl Harbor Survivors Association group.

Harris' rich life will be celebrated at a memorial service planned for 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 13, at the Lucerne Community Church, 5870 E. Highway 20, not far from where Harris and his wife, Helen, lived on the shore of Clear Lake.

A reception will be held afterwards at Kapitan's Kafe, 6150 E. Highway 20, also in Lucerne.

Harris had been diagnosed with terminal cancer last fall, but his robust demeanor hardly betrayed the fact in his more recent appearances.

Given between three months and a year to live, he continued attending meetings of local veterans groups, and took his place of honor at the Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor commemorations held late in the year, wearing his usual Pearl Harbor survivor uniform of white pants, a Hawaiian shirt, his service hat and a necklace of large, black Hawaiian kukui nuts.

At the county Veterans Day commemoration on Nov. 11, Supervisor Rob Brown presented to Harris a proclamation honoring his service in World War II, with Brown calling Harris “one of the finest men I've ever met.”

Harris, who received a standing ovation from the crowd, only spoke briefly, telling the hundreds in attendance, “I want to thank you all for being my friends.”

The following month, several of his fellow Pearl Harbor survivors traveled from Lake County to Hawaii to take part in the last gathering of survivors. Harris didn't go because he was a caregiver for his wife, Helen. But he had attended the 50thanniversary commemoration in Hawaii in 1991.

He and fellow Pearl Harbor survivors Henry Anderson of Lakeport, Clarence “Bud” Boner of Glenhaven and “sweetheart” – or widow – Vanya Leighton were on hand for the local commemorations on Dec. 7, where they received commemorative ship pennants flown over the US Capitol from Brad Onorato, district aide for Congressman Mike Thompson.

 

 

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Pearl Harbor survivors Bud Boner (left) and Jim Harris raise the American flag at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association's memorial mast in Library Park in Lakeport on the morning of Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Photo by Ginny Craven.
 

A young man's trip through the war

Harris was the youngest of the local Pearl Harbor survivors.

Born in 1924 in Los Angeles, his family would later move to New Orleans when he was a teenager. He worked there in a fishing fleet and, at the age of 15, lied about his age – he said he was 19 – so he could join the Navy in 1940, which took him to San Diego for a year for sonar school.

He was next assigned to the destroyer USS Ellet, which took him to Pearl Harbor, where he was given yet another assignment – serving as part of the admiral’s flag allowance aboard the destroyer tender USS Dobbin, a repair and mother ship for destroyers, he said in a 2007 interview.

On what might otherwise have been a quiet Sunday morning on Dec. 7, 1941, Harris had just come up from breakfast and was standing on the Dobbin's quarterdeck when he saw airplanes sweep in over the Aiea Hills and head for Pearl Harbor.

At first, he and his fellow sailors thought the planes were from the USS Enterprise, which that same day had launched scout planes en route back to the harbor, according to a Navy chronology.

But as the planes banked, Harris said they could see “the read meatball” – the red sun and imperial seal of the Empire of Japan.

“After a few cuss words we identified them,” he said.

The officer of the deck hit the alarm for general quarters and called all boats away, trying to get the smaller boats moored to the battleships clear so the larger boats could move.

 

 

Pearl Harbor survivors and sweethearts share a smile. From left, Clarence “Bud” Boner, Walter Urmann, Bill Slater, Alice Darrow, Vanya Leighton, Henry Anderson and Jim Harris. Photo by Janeane Bogner.
Pearl Harbor survivors and sweethearts share a smile. From left, Clarence “Bud” Boner, Walter Urmann, Bill Slater, Alice Darrow, Vanya Leighton, Henry Anderson and Jim Harris. Photo by Janeane Bogner.


Harris moved onto the admiral's barge, which went around the hospital ship USS Solace which had anchored off the Dobbin.

He watched as, just after 8 a.m., the USS Vestal and the USS Arizona – which had been moored together – were hit, and the Vestal's captain was blown off the ship's bridge. The captain survived, and as the admiral's barge started for him, Harris said the captain waved them toward the Arizona.

“We started toward the Arizona to pick up survivors, and that's when she exploded,” said Harris.

He said that by the time they got to the Arizona, “There were no survivors to pick up as far as we could find.”

Harris and his fellow sailors would hurry to try to pull fellow sailors from the oil-coated waters. In one case, he recounted trying to pull a man up and having the man's skin come off in his hands.

Later, he would be assigned to a work team sent to the USS Arizona to identify bodies, he said in a recorded interview late last year with Kelseyville resident Steve Davis, the county's retired California Highway Patrol commander.

In one place on the Arizona, Harris recounted that the work team found a human humerus bone – the long bone of the upper arm – driven through eight-inch armor in the ship.

They also gained entry to a boiler room where they found 21 bodies of reservists who had assembled on Dec. 7 for training, he said.

“They were trapped,” Harris said.

The men, who didn't know how to get out, kept a log for 17 days, before they starved to death, in what Harris said was one of the attack's untold stories.

Surviving Pearl Harbor would be only one of the horrifying chapters of the war Harris would live through.

After Pearl Harbor Harris found himself traveling farther into the Pacific Theater, where he was assigned to the destroyer USS Stewart.

During the February 1942 Battle of Badung Strait he was blown off the Stewart's bridge, but rescued by a Dutch PBY seaplane, which transported him to a hospital in nearby Surabaya, Indonesia.

Harris said in a 2009 interview that he and other patients were warned to leave the hospital because of the Japanese, invading from the north. Harris and his fellow patients secured a launch and traveled by night along the shore until they happened upon an American destroyer, the USS John D Ford, sitting camouflaged in a river.

He said he later found out that those who stayed behind at the hospital – patients too ill to travel and staff who stayed to care for them – were slaughtered, some beheaded by the Japanese.

Moving into the European Theater

Within a few years, Harris found himself on the other side of the world, in the European Theater.

By age 19, he was assigned to the destroyer USS McCook, which saw duty in the Mediterranean before heading off to England to prepare for the Normandy invasion.

In April 1944 the then-second class petty officer and sonar man was aboard the USS McCook as part of Operation Tiger, a preparation exercise for D-Day held at Slapton Sands, off the coast of Devon, England.

“This rehearsal was what you might call chaos,” Harris said at the county's June 2009 D-Day commemoration.

Hundreds of men died after German submarines showed up and sank three troop ships. Harris said the incident was kept so quiet that the men who died there were counted as casualties at D-Day.

Two months later, on June 6, 1944, the McCook and Harris would be at Omaha Beach as the Allies sought to invade France and break Germany's stranglehold on the continent.

Harris said the McCook's captain saw Germans firing from the cliffs above onto the Allied forces on the beaches, and the admiral gave the command to go after them.

He said the 345-foot McCook was steered into the breakers, trying to avoid mines while attempting to get close enough to shoot at the cliffs above. With each wave, the ship had to be thrust into reverse to avoid the mines or running aground.

The McCook shot an estimated 1,000 rounds into the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, hitting “Tiger” tanks and German soldiers who were firing down on the landing Allied Forces, according to historical accounts.

Harris said of D-Day, “That was the longest day I ever lived.”

As a member of the McCook crew, Harris would take part in invading southern France as part of Operation Anvil.

By the end of 1944, Harris was sent home to the US because of an injury suffered earlier in the war in the South Pacific.

 

 

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Pearl Harbor and D-Day survivor Jim Harris receives the French Liberation Medal from Michelle Price on Monday, August 24, 2009, in High Valley. Photo by Ginny Craven.
 

 

 

 

 

After the war

 

After the Navy, Harris went to work in the Bay Area as an agent for American National Life Insurance Co. On April 6, 1950, he and the love of his life, Helen, were married.

 

The Harrises raised a daughter, Diane, and eventually they made their way to Lake County in 1967.

 

Their daughter died in 2001, but they moved forward, Jim Harris staying acting in veterans groups and keeping the memory alive of what he and other men like him had survived in the war.

 

That included helping inspire the Pearl Harbor Survivors’ Memorial Mast at Library Park in Lakeport, which his brother, Leon Harris, designed, and which was taken on as a project by the Lakeport Rotary.

 

At a Pearl Harbor Survivors Association breakfast in August 2009, Bogner arranged for Harris to receive a surprise in the form of a long-desired token of his service – the French Liberation Medal, which the French government issued to commemorate its liberation from the Nazis in World War II.

 

Harris called the medal “the most wonderful surprise I've had in many, many years.”

 

Recently, Brown took a contingent of Kelseyville High School wrestlers, who he coaches, to meet Harris, because he said he wanted them to meet a real American hero.

 

 

 

 

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Jim and Helen Harris of Lucerne, Calif., celebrated 60 years as husband and wife at an anniversary party in Lucerne on April 6, 2010. Photo by Ginny Craven.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Bogner had seen Harris about a week before he died, taking him an old postcard of the USS Dobbin that he had purchased for Harris on eBay.

 

Janeane Bogner spoke with Harris on the phone the day before his death. Harris seemed to be doing well, Ronnie Bogner said, noting that no one expected Harris would go so soon.

 

Harris' death follows by two months that of Clearlake Oaks resident Chuck Bower, who was at the US Sub Base at Pearl Harbor. Bower died Nov. 12.

 

With the passing of Bower and Harris, there are now five Pearl Harbor survivors remaining in Lake County – Clarence “Bud” Boner, Floyd Eddy, Bill Slater, Walter Urmann and Henry Anderson, and “sweethearts” – or widows – Alice Darrow, Vanya Leighton, Lynn Poehler and Charlotte Bower, and now Helen Harris.

 

Bogner said Pearl Harbor survivors from Lake County and beyond are planning to attend the Thursday memorial.

 

In a December 2007 interview Harris said of his experiences at Pearl Harbor, “Everybody came away from there with a different attitude. Only time has made a difference to us.”

 

For additional stories on Jim Harris, please see the following:

 

Recalling the 'Day of Days': Vets gather for D-Day ceremony

Veterans remember attack on Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor survivors talk of life after the attack

Solemn ceremony honors Pearl Harbor's living and lost

Solemn commemoration marks 65th D-Day anniversary

Pearl Harbor and D-Day veteran receives special token of service

Survivors, community members gather to remember Pearl Harbor attack

Harrises celebrate 60 years together

County's annual Veterans Day ceremony honors service of the past, present and future

Solemn Dec. 7 commemoration acknowledges debt of gratitude

 

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 Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

 

 

 

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Members of the Kelseyville High School wrestling team visited with Jim Harris in Lucerne, Calif., in late November 2010. Photo by Rob Brown.





 
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