NASA is celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope’s 33rd birthday with an ethereal image of a nearby star-forming region, NGC 1333. Located approximately 960 light-years away in the Perseus interstellar cloud, Hubble’s colorful view unveils glowing gasses and pitch-black dust stirred up, colliding, and blown around by several hundred forming stars within the dark cloud. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and STScI; Image Processing: Varun Bajaj (STScI), Joseph DePasquale (STScI), Jennifer Mack (STScI). Astronomers are celebrating NASA's Hubble Space Telescope's 33rd launch anniversary with an ethereal photo of a nearby star-forming region, NGC 1333.
The nebula is in the Perseus molecular cloud, and located approximately 960 light-years away.
Hubble's colorful view, showcased through its unique capability to obtain images from ultraviolet to near-infrared light, unveils an effervescent cauldron of glowing gasses and pitch-black dust stirred up and blown around by several hundred newly forming stars embedded within the dark cloud.
Hubble just scratches the surface because most of the star birthing firestorm is hidden behind clouds of fine dust – essentially soot – that are thicker toward the bottom of the image. The blackness in the image is not empty space, but filled with obscuring dust.
To capture this image, Hubble peered through a veil of dust on the edge of a giant cloud of cold molecular hydrogen – the raw material for fabricating new stars and planets under the relentless pull of gravity. The image underscores the fact that star formation is a messy process in our rambunctious universe.
Ferocious stellar winds, likely from the bright blue star at the top of the image, are blowing through a curtain of dust. The fine dust scatters the starlight at blue wavelengths.
Farther down, another bright, super-hot star shines through filaments of obscuring dust, looking like the Sun shining through scattered clouds. A diagonal string of fainter accompanying stars looks reddish because dust is filtering starlight, allowing more of the red light to get through.
The bottom of the picture presents a keyhole peek deep into the dark nebula. Hubble captures the reddish glow of ionized hydrogen. It looks like a fireworks finale, with several overlapping events. This is caused by pencil-thin jets shooting out from newly forming stars outside the frame of view.
These stars are surrounded by circumstellar disks, which may eventually produce planetary systems, and powerful magnetic fields that direct two parallel beams of hot gas deep into space, like a double light saber from science fiction films. They sculpt patterns on the hydrogen cocoon, like laser-light-show tracings. The jets are a star's birth announcement.
This view offers an example of the time when our Sun and planets formed inside such a dusty molecular cloud, 4.6 billion years ago. Our Sun didn't form in isolation but was instead embedded inside a mosh pit of frantic stellar birth, perhaps even more energetic and massive than NGC 1333.
Hubble was deployed into orbit around Earth on April 25, 1990, by NASA astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. To date, the legendary telescope has taken approximately 1.6 million observations of nearly 52,000 celestial targets. This treasure trove of knowledge about the universe is stored for public access in the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble and Webb science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Water Resources on Thursday announced another increase in the forecasted State Water Project deliveries this year.
With reservoirs nearing capacity and snowmelt runoff starting to occur, DWR now expects to deliver 100% of requested water supplies, up from 75% announced in March.
This water will be delivered throughout the year to the State Water Project’s 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.
The last time the project, or SWP, allocated 100% was in 2006.
San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, which holds water supply for both the SWP and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project, or CVP, is now full.
Additionally, Lake Oroville, the SWP’s largest reservoir, and SWP reservoirs in Southern California are expected to be full by the end of May.
Statewide, reservoir storage is at 105% of average for this date.
“Water supply conditions and careful management of reservoir operations during this extreme winter allows DWR to maximize water deliveries while enhancing protections for the environment,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “DWR is moving and storing as much water as possible to the benefit of communities, agriculture, and the environment.”
This wet winter and strong runoff conditions has allowed the SWP to make additional water available to any contractor that has the ability to store the water in its own system, including through groundwater recharge.
“We are thankful to DWR for maintaining California’s water infrastructure to accommodate all of the water that we have seen through the heavy storm events earlier in the year, allowing for this much-needed increase in water supplies,” said Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors.
“California’s climate whiplash shows how critical it is to build and maintain the water infrastructure that makes the system work. Whether we are talking about storing water above ground in reservoirs, below ground in aquifers, or the way we move and pump water through 700 miles of canals, pipelines and hydro-electric facilities to get that water to your tap – it is the infrastructure that allows DWR to divert and release water for the benefit of both people and the environment,” Pierre said.
She added, “With California’s changing climate, storage projects such as Sites Reservoir and groundwater recharge, combined with the Delta Conveyance Project and improved San Joaquin Valley conveyance by repairing subsidence damage, are necessary for us to reliably manage our water moving forward. With all the water in the system right now, it can be easy to forget that it’s not a matter of if another drought will come, but when. Investing in the water infrastructure California will always need remains crucial to building California’s resilience to the impacts of our changing climate and hydrology.”
DWR is maximizing the capture and storage of this abundance of snowpack across the state.
Formally known as Article 21 water, this additional water does not count toward SWP allocation amounts. Since March 22, the SWP has delivered 228,000 acre-feet of Article 21 water to local water agencies with 37,000 acre-feet planned for next week.
The SWP typically evaluates the allocation forecasts monthly using the latest snow survey data, reservoir storage and spring runoff forecasts.
The 100% forecasted allocation announced today takes into account that data from April. Runoff analysis will continue, and an additional snow survey will be conducted in May.
While California’s surface water conditions have greatly improved this year following three years of historic drought, several water supply challenges remain in the northern part of the state and in overdrafted groundwater basins that are slow to recover.
Millions of Californians rely on groundwater supplies as a sole source of water.
The Colorado River Basin, which is a critical water supply source for Southern California, is still in the midst of a 23-year drought. Californians should continue to use water wisely to help the state adapt to a hotter, drier future.
Community members crowded into the Lakeport City Council chambers on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, for the section ring presentation to the Clear Lake High School Cardinals varsity football squad. Zoom photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council on Tuesday joined with community members in honoring Clear Lake High School’s varsity football team for an incredible season that led them all the way to the state finals.
The Cardinals squad members were the 2022-23 Coastal Mountain League champions — the last time they won a league title was in 2008 — as well as the 2022-23 North Coast Section champions. This was the second section title for the team, the first being in 1998.
The team’s overall record was 12-2, with a 7-1 league record.
They also made school history by playing a record 14 games and winning 12 of them.
The team made it all the way to the state championship against the Orland Trojans, played on the Trojans’ home turf in December. Ultimately, the Trojans defeated the Cardinals, giving them one of only two losses for the year.
In honor of the Cardinal varsity football team’s brilliant season, the school, parents and other community members pitched in to raise the nearly $9,000 to give each of the team members a section championship ring, said Head Coach Mark Cory.
The city also presented the team with a certificate of achievement.
The council chambers and the lobby were filled with people who came to support the team.
Mayor Stacey Mattina read the names of the players as Cory presented them with their big square section rings.
Cory’s coaching staff includes defensive coordinator Shady Cerezo and assistant coaches Billy Roberson, Augie Perez, Adrian Perez and Garrett Harwood, and filmer Hannah Garrity. They honor the late Rob “Rummy” Rumfelt as their “forever” coach.
Cory thanked the city for putting together the presentation to the players. “I appreciate it,” he said, adding that the players will remember it.
He also thanked the parents and community members who helped pay for the rings. “Luckily, we have a very supportive community.”
Cory presented a ring to Brian Sumpter, the Record-Bee’s longtime sports editor, for his coverage of this season.
The team is hoping to have another great season later this year, and Cory said they have a pretty good chance. “Let’s go back to back.”
Team member Michael Frease thanked all the coaches, who helped them when they were struggling.
“We had a lot of ups and downs, but Cardinals — we never break, we just keep pushing,” Frease said.
He also thanked the offensive line for their work in the trenches, and offered a big thanks to the parents for showing up and supporting the team.
“Congratulations. We’re really proud of you,” said Mattina.
The council then rose to join the audience in giving the team a standing ovation.
It also was reported this week that three of the seniors on the team, including Frease, will be playing football at the college level.
Frease has signed to play at College of the Redwoods, where he will major in business.
His teammates Anthony Gersalia and Pedro Sloan have signed to play with the Yuba College 49ers next season.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
To get a sense of the enormous amount of water atmospheric rivers dumped on the Western U.S. this year and the magnitude of the flood risk ahead, take a look at California’s Central Valley, where about a quarter of the nation’s food is grown.
This region was once home to the largest freshwater lake west of the Rockies. But the rivers that fed Tulare Lake were dammed and diverted long ago, leaving it nearly dry by 1920. Farmers have been growing food on the fertile lake bed for decades.
This year, however, Tulare Lake is remerging. Runoff and snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada have overwhelmed waterways and flooded farms and orchards. After similar storms in 1983, the lake covered more than 100 square miles, and scientists say this year’s precipitation is looking a lot like 1983. Communities there and across the West are preparing for flooding and mudslide disasters as record snow begins to melt.
Tulare Lake, long dry, begins to reemerge in March 2023 as flood water spreads across farm fields.NASA Earth Observatory
We asked Chad Hecht, a meteorologist with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, how 2023’s storms compare to past extremes and what to expect in the future.
How extreme were this year’s atmospheric rivers?
California averages about 44 atmospheric rivers a year, but typically, only about six of them are strong storms that contribute most of the annual precipitation total and cause the kind of flooding we’ve seen this year.
This year, in a three-week window from about Dec. 27, 2022, to Jan. 17, 2023, we saw nine atmospheric rivers make landfall, five of them categorized as strong or greater magnitude. That’s how active it’s been, and that was only the beginning.
In all, the state experienced 31 atmospheric rivers through the end of March: one extreme, six strong, 13 moderate and 11 weak. And other storms in between gave the Southern Sierra one of its wettest Marches on record.
These storms don’t just affect California. Their precipitation has pushed the snow-water equivalent levels well above average across much of the West, including in Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho and the mountains of western Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
Snow water equivalent is a measure of the water in snowpack. Many basins across the West were well over 200% of average in 2023.NRCS/USDA
In terms of records, the big numbers this year were in California’s Southern Sierra Nevada. The region has had 11 moderate atmospheric rivers – double the average of 5.5 – and an additional four strong ones.
Overall, California has about double its normal snowpack, and some locations have experienced more than double the number of strong atmospheric rivers it typically sees. The result is that Northern Sierra snow water content is 197% of normal. The central region is 238% of normal, and the Southern Sierra is 296% of normal.
What risks does all that snow in the mountains create?
There is a lot of snow in the Sierra Nevada, and it is going to come off the mountains at some point. It’s possible we are going to be looking at snowmelt into late June or July in California, and that’s far into summer for here.
Flooding is certainly a possibility. The closest year for comparison in terms of the amount of snow would be 1983, when the average statewide snow water content was 60.3 inches in May. That was a rough year, with flooding and mudslides in several parts of the West and extensive crop damage.
This year, portions of the Southern Sierra Nevada have passed 1983’s levels, and Tulare Lake is filling up again for the first time in decades. Tulare Lake is an indication of just how extreme this year has been, and the risk is rising as the snow melts.
The transition from extreme drought in 2022 to record snow was fast. Is that normal?
California and some other parts of the West are known for weather whiplash. We frequently go from too dry to too wet.
2019 was another above-average year in terms of precipitation in California, but after that we saw three straight years of drought. We went from 13 strong or greater magnitude atmospheric rivers in 2017 to just three in 2020 and 2021, combined.
California relies on these storms for about half its water supply, but if the West gets too many atmospheric rivers back to back, that starts to have harmful impacts, like the heavy snowpack that collapsed roofs in the mountains this year, and flash flooding and landslides. These successive storms are typically referred to as atmospheric river families and can result in exacerbated hydrologic impacts by quickly saturating soils and not allowing rivers and streams to recede back to base flow between storms.
Are atmospheric rivers becoming more intense with a warming climate?
There’s been a lot of research on the impact of temperature because of how reliant California is on these storms for its water supply.
Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow corridors of water vapor in the sky that typically start in the tropics as water evaporates and is pulled poleward by atmospheric circulations. They carry a lot of moisture – on average, their water vapor transport is more than twice the flow of the Amazon River. When they reach land, mountains force the air to rise, which wrings out some of that moisture.
In a warming climate, the warmer air can hold more moisture. That can increase the capacity of atmospheric rivers, with more water vapor resulting in stronger storms.
Research by some of my colleagues at Scripps Institution of Oceanography also suggests that California will see fewer storms that aren’t atmospheric rivers. But the state will likely see more intense atmospheric rivers as temperatures rise. California will be even more reliant on these atmospheric rivers for its snow, which will result in drier dries and wetter wets.
So, we’re likely to see this whiplash continue, but to a more extreme level, with longer periods of dry weather when we’re not getting these storms. But when we do get these storms, they have the potential to be more extreme and then result in more flooding.
In the more immediate future, we’re likely headed into an El Niño this year, with warm tropical Pacific waters that shift weather patterns around the world. Typically, El Niño conditions are associated with more atmospheric river activity, especially in Central and Southern California.
So, we may see another wet year like this again in 2024.
While school discipline rates have long been reviewed at the end of the year, new research highlights the importance of monitoring daily discipline rate fluctuations throughout the school year. Flickr photo by Alisha Newton. BERKELEY, Calif. — Rates of school discipline fluctuate widely and predictably throughout a school year and increase significantly faster for Black students than for their white counterparts, University of California, Berkeley, researchers have found.
A new study published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences documents for the first time the “dynamic” nature of student discipline during an academic year.
Daily rates of punishment across all schools in the study ratchet up in the weeks before Thanksgiving break, decline immediately before major vacations and increase rapidly again when classes resume.
Schools with a high degree of racial disparity regarding discipline referrals or suspensions early in the year see discipline rates for Black students increase even faster as the semester continues, researchers found. By November, the Black student discipline rate is 10 times higher than at the beginning of the year. Compared to white students, it’s 50 times higher.
“This work is a game-changer,” said Jason Okonofua, assistant professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, and the study’s principal investigator. “We can predict year-long suspension rates in just the first 21 days of school. That's information that we needed to know. And now we do.”
Okonofua and his colleagues used improved daily discipline-tracking technology to study the snapshots of middle school punishments. Going forward, the granular information they gleaned can help educators keep tabs on escalating school tension. It can even help teachers and school officials ward off potential discipline-causing incidents, much like they modify a lesson plan to overcome a learning gap in the classroom.
“The more information you have, the better decisions you can make,” Okonofua said. “If principals or teachers know by Halloween in any given year these students are facing this very heightened risk of being kicked out of school, or in which schools these students face the highest risk, we can get in there and do something about it, as opposed to letting it fester.
“Because the data shows, it would.”
Long the focus of federal inquiries, policy debate and scholarly interest, school discipline disparities have been well-documented nationwide. Recent research has shown that high school students who are suspended are more than twice as likely to be charged or convicted of a crime and incarcerated as young adults. Brief online coursework for teachers can even increase empathy and reduce suspensions. Yet, the debate is increasing about whether school officials should be quicker to kick students out of class.
While cycles of school tension might seem intuitive, the focus historically has not been on measuring punishment rates in real-time or introducing interventions before incidents occur.
Instead, districts collect data on student discipline and produce year-end reports for state and federal regulators to examine how discipline varies among schools, which ones are more punitive and where to target interventions. While that “static” data provides a summary of what’s gone on throughout the year, it fails to capture the day-to-day realities at school.
To understand this more “dynamic nature” of student discipline, Okonofua and his colleagues assembled four years of data about the daily disciplinary experiences of 46,964 students across 61 middle schools in one of the 10 largest school districts in the country. The district was located in a southern U.S. state and, like an increasing number of organizations, it had implemented a more sophisticated discipline data tracking system.
The results — especially the disparities — were immediately startling.
“It is incredibly important, useful and valuable to know we should do a specific type of intervention at a specific point in the year based on the real-time data. That's where we're going to get the biggest bang for our buck,” Okonofua said. “If we can be more cost-efficient, everybody wins.”
Okonofua’s co-authors — Sean Darling-Hammond of UCLA, Michael Ruiz of UC Berkeley and Jennifer L. Eberhardt of Stanford University — also published a short video that uses beeping tones to illustrate discipline disparities between Black and white students. The anxiety-inducing tones are meant to simulate how stressful school can be when students are witnessing increasing discipline.
Okonofua likened school discipline tracking tools to an athlete’s heart rate monitor at the gym. Rather than simply estimating how hard a workout was, real-time data can be more useful.
“The more data we have, the more we know,” Okonofua said. “And the more we know, the more we can do.”
The study shows how important it is for districts to create systems for teachers to regularly monitor school discipline, he said. Policy leaders should likewise take note as they write policies and dedicate funding meant to curb discipline, alleviate disparities and minimize disruption.
“It's important to think about each data point. That's a whole story,” said Okonofua, reflecting on discipline's lasting effects on both the student in trouble and classmates witnessing the punishment. “I hope we can do as much as possible going forward to just keep in mind that each one of these data points is a whole life.”
Jason Pohl writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The county of Lake reported that Ben Rickelman has been appointed deputy county administrative officer, with a focus on economic development.
Rickelman will manage the creation of a countywide Economic Development Strategic Plan, support Lake County businesses, and work with partners throughout Lake County and the region to grow, diversify and bring greater resiliency to the local economy.
He has a decade of economic development experience, including work with the city of San Antonio, Montgomery County, Maryland, and the NoMa Business Improvement District in Washington DC.
In San Antonio, Rickelman focused on several targeted industries, which encompassed recruitment, retention/expansion and workforce development.
He managed prospects and incentives for the city of San Antonio with successful projects including the Navistar manufacturing plant and technology center, Scorpion Biological Services’ manufacturing and research facility, and the DeLorean headquarters.
He collaborated frequently with local universities, research institutes, the military and local public-private partnerships on capital attraction, business development, entrepreneurial support systems, federal funding opportunities, strategic planning initiatives and place-based economic development.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, Rickelman supported the assistant chief administrative officer, who was head of economic development for the county. He managed county relationships with industry and workforce development public-private partnerships, Opportunity Zones advocacy, and approval of an enterprise zone designed to drive private sector investment and entrepreneurship at a college campus.
At the NoMa Business Improvement District, he supported neighborhood based strategic planning, marketing, infrastructure projects and placemaking initiatives in an area transitioning rapidly from post-industrial to a mixed-use, 18 hour neighborhood.
Rickelman holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University and is a Certified Economic Developer.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council held a discussion on Tuesday about safe and sane fireworks in the city, taking public comments that overwhelmingly supported continuing to allow the seasonal sales of the fireworks.
City Manager Kevin Ingram presented the discussion, explaining that last fall the council had requested a future discussion be planned on safe and sane fireworks sales within the city of Lakeport, the only place where such fireworks are allowed to be sold in all of Lake County, and only for several days before the Independence Day holiday.
Safe and sane fireworks are allowed to be sold in the city under the auspices of Measure C, a voter initiative passed in 2009 in response to an effort by the city to stop the sales.
The measure, which passed with a 60.6% yes vote, allows fireworks sales to be conducted by four local nonprofit groups each year.
Nonprofits in Lakeport have been allowed to sell safe and sane fireworks as an annual fundraiser for 53 years, raising a reported $2 million in that time, according to a representative of the Lake County Channel Cats, one of the nonprofits allowed to sell them.
“Over the years, residents have lodged complaints about the sale and use of fireworks, including County residents outside of the incorporated area of Lakeport. With the devastating wildland fires occurring in Lake County, the number of protests has continued to rise,” Ingram explained in his written report.
The Public Works and Lakeport Police Departments have placed signs at city limits warning that taking the fireworks out of the city is illegal, required sellers to give written notice that use of fireworks is limited to the incorporated boundaries of the city, and had “aggressive communications” across various city media platforms about fireworks related rules.
Ingram said the items’s purpose was to provide background and a platform for discussion.
“The council does not have the ability to make changes to Measure C as it is,” Ingram said, adding that changes would have to go through the initiative process.
During the discussion, Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said that illegal fireworks are an out of control problem not just locally but statewide.
Councilman Brandon Disney said he went to the Lakeport Fire Protection District and spoke to two different fire captains on separate shifts. Both told him that they’ve had no issues with safe and sane fireworks causing fires.
Nearly a dozen community members spoke on the issue; of those, only one, Supervisor Michael Green — who while still a council member last year had wanted the fireworks discussion to be held — spoke against continuing the sales.
The majority said the fireworks sales benefit nonprofits — including scholarship and swimming programs — and that they honor the country’s history and veterans.
Green said he’s witnessed safe and sane fireworks causing fires in the downtown, including in a trash can one year.
Illegal fireworks are a problem, Green said. “We give them effective cover with everyone blowing off their safe and sane fireworks,” he said, adding they’re an attractive nuisance.
He said it’s not good enough to keep allowing them because they haven’t started a major fire yet. “Because that’s the operative word — yet.”
Green suggested they look at the county’s stringent ordinance about fireworks, last updated in 2016, for guidance.
In response, Dennis Revell, speaking on behalf of his client, TNT Fireworks, pointed out that through Measure C, Lakeport’s voters put in place a much tougher ordinance than the county’s, with higher fines and other requirements. “That does not exist in the county regrettably.”
He said cities across California are having serious issues with illegal fireworks. Revell referenced a 45-minute illegal firework display on March 26 in the city of Los Angeles that authorities couldn’t stop.
“It has reached epidemic proportions,” he said.
Revell said that’s why Cal Fire, companies like TNT Fireworks and other stakeholders are working to get AB 1403 adopted and find a solution to stop the supply chain of illegal fireworks.
He emailed the City Council on Monday to offer several suggestions, including hiring private security firms to help patrol the city during the July 4 holiday.
Revell also proposed that a surcharge on the fireworks that the nonprofits charge be increased and that, along with support from TNT Fireworks, could help underwrite the costs of those enhanced security measures in the first year.
Lakeport Fire Chief Patrick Reitz said it was important not to confuse safe and sane fireworks and illegal fireworks, adding that responsible use is really where the problem lies.
Reitz recognized the benefits of the fireworks sales for Lakeport, from tourism to money for nonprofits.
Fire officials would like to see all of it go away. “The reality is, it’s not going to,” Reitz said, suggesting that people need to rely on each other to keep the community safe. At the same time, the fire department stands ready to do its part.
Councilman Kenny Parlet said after public comment, “You can’t always live in total fear,” adding that’s what has gone on for the past two and a half years, a reference to the pandemic.
Councilwoman Kim Costa said she disagreed with some of Parlet’s sentiments.
“Thinking about what may occur is what planning is about, and that’s why we’re here,” she said.
Costa said she aligns with Green, and thinks it’s crazy to have fireworks in a wildfire-prone area, when fire conditions are high in July.
However, she said she heard what people want, suggesting that maybe the best of all worlds is that the responsible citizens help educate others.
Disney said most of the issues the city experiences on July 4 is due to the amount of people, but he didn’t think the city wanted to limit the people who visit because of the benefits.
Regarding the threat of fireworks, “We have done a good job to keep it to a minimum and I want to continue that streak,” Disney said.
Referring to Revell’s suggestion about the additional regulatory fee and financial support for enforcement, Ingram said he’s spoken with City Attorney David Ruderman and increasing the financial surcharge would not require a voter-initiated change. He said staff could bring back more information on that proposal.
“I think that’s a great idea,” said Costa.
The council agreed by consensus to direct staff to bring back more information about the proposal.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Nova Maye Deperno. Lake County Jail photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The sentencing of an Occidental man for a 2021 murder took an unusual turn on Tuesday after the defendant objected to a portion of his plea agreement that related to a lesser charge.
Nova Maye Deperno, 27, appeared before Judge J. David Markham on Tuesday afternoon for his scheduled sentencing.
He’s charged with the killing of 63-year-old Ronald Meluso of Lucerne, a man with whom he had been staying while working for him.
Meluso was reported missing in August 2021. His remains were found near Bartlett Springs in northern Lake County on Jan. 14, 2022, a day after authorities arrested Deperno in Occidental on several felony charges.
Deperno’s attorney, Kevin Davenport, had reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney’s Office which gives Deperno 25 years to life for Meluso’s death, with another 10 years for an enhancement for use of a gun.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff said during the hearing that the plea agreement was reached three months ago.
In addition to the murder case, the plea agreement covered an assault with a deadly weapon case in which authorities said Deperno pointed a gun at a young woman’s head. That aspect of the plea was for three years in prison to be served concurrently with the murder case, meaning he won’t have any additional time.
Not included in the plea are other felony cases filed against Deperno involving several victims from July 2020 to February 2021. They include vandalism, assault with a firearm, threats, felony evading and negligent discharge of a firearm. In that latter case, Hinchcliff said it involved Deperno — who had told some of the victims he was with the Mexican mafia — shooting into a home.
As the sentencing hearing began, Deperno raised objections to the plea agreement — not to the portion relating to the murder but to the case involving the threat against the young woman.
“I feel I took this deal under false pretenses, actually,” said Deperno, who maintained that it’s a “completely fabricated incident.”
When Markham said to Davenport that it sounded like his client wanted to withdraw his plea, a surprised Davenport said it was for “reasons I don’t understand.”
Deperno insisted he didn’t do the crime. Davenport said he had advised Deperno thoroughly about the plea agreement, spending several hours with him in going over it during the course of one day.
When Deperno continued to try to interrupt Davenport, Davenport turned to him and said, “I have to make a record here.” Markham also told Deperno to stop interrupting.
“This is about justice. This is supposed to be about upholding the law,” said Deperno, who claimed the woman accusing him of the crime is known for lying.
He said he’s not willing to accept that plea and have it on his conscience.
Regarding the homicide, Deperno said mistakes were made leading to loss of life. “I feel very deeply for that and I’m sorry.”
He added regarding the murder case, “I’m trying to move forward and make peace in my soul and my person with this,” but he wasn’t willing to accept the charges for the other case.
Hinchcliff said that was the first time he had heard of there being an issue. He said Meluso’s family had come, some from a distance, for the sentencing.
He said he and Davenport had worked for four to five hours on the agreement and that it was clear that Deperno had pleaded voluntarily to it.
Markham called in Tom Feimer, one of the administrators of Lake Indigent Defense, the county’s indigent defense contractor, to ask for another attorney to appoint to discuss with Deperno his concerns about the assault with a deadly weapon plea.
Attorney Ed Savin declined, telling the court that he’s “drowning in cases” and that, politically, there are so many problems with the system that he’s been told by legal counsel that he can decline assignments under the contract if he doesn’t have the time and energy. His reference to the political situation appeared to be a reference to the county’s current issues with the indigent defense contract and plans to end it in favor of a public defender’s office.
Markham then appointed attorney Angelina Potter, another defense attorney, and set a new hearing for 3 p.m. May 2.
At that time, there will either be a hearing to withdraw Deperno’s plea or to reschedule the sentencing.
“I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Hinchcliff, who has spent decades as a prosecutor, said after the derailed sentencing hearing.
Depending on the outcome of the May 2 hearing, Hinchcliff said Deperno’s sentencing could be pushed out for months.
“We’ll see what happens,” and try to do what’s in the best interests of everyone, he said.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
“Mikey.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. CLEARLAKE, Calif. — More dogs are being adopted at Clearlake Animal Control, according to a report at the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday evening.
Clearlake Police Lt. Ryan Peterson, who oversees the shelter, reported that from Jan. 1 to April 20, 107 dogs have come in.
Of those, 30 were transferred to rescues, 33 returned to owners, 15 were adopted and none were euthanized, for a 100% live release rate, Peterson said.
Peterson said that, currently, there are 62 dogs at the shelter, down from 80 when he had last reported to the council in March. “So they are making progress on lowering the numbers.”
In response to issues with conditions at the shelter, run by North Bay Animal Services in contract with the city, City Manager Alan Flora made several directives about actions that needed to be taken.
“Josie.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. In addition, Peterson was assigned the task of conducting an investigation into the matter.
This week, there are 26 dogs listed as available for adoption on the shelter website.
They include “Mikey,” a pit bull terrier mix, and “Josie,” a 3-year-old Labrador retriever mix.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, or LNU, is announcing changes to its current firefighting staffing levels while also supplying information on residential burning and our storm-related emergency response over the winter.
On Monday, April 17, LNU elevated to a staffing level II. This means the hiring of 79 firefighters that will be participating in the rehire academy at the Napa County Fire Training Center all week.
After successful completion of the academy, these firefighters will be moved to their assigned stations.
Peak staffing levels are not expected until the summer, dependent on resource needs to match fire conditions.
The oncoming firefighters allow the unit to staff 11 state engines. Of the 79 seasonal firefighters just hired, 37 of those will go to staff these engines.
The remaining 38 firefighters in this week’s rehire academy will be assigned to the hand crews out of the Hood Mountain Fire Center in Sonoma County.
This is the second year in a row LNU will staff a fully equipped firefighter hand crew, which is comprised of one battalion chief, four fire captains, three fire apparatus engineers and the firefighters.
Assignments for the hand crew will include day-to-day availability for emergency response and fuel reduction projects.
The 11 state engines in operation for staffing level II are out of the following stations:
• West Division: Santa Rosa, Hilton, Petaluma and Healdsburg. • South Division: Spanish Flat, Napa, St. Helena and Gordon Valley. • North Division: Middletown and Clearlake Oaks. • East Division: Wilbur Springs.
Winter recap
LNU responded to 6,343 total incidents between Jan. 1 through March 31, an increase of 28% for incident response compared to the previous five-year average for the first three months of a year (LNU averaged 4,957 incidents from January-March between 2018-22).
LNU crews responded to increased storm-related emergencies and provided critical services, demonstrating their commitment to public service and community support.
Residential landscape burning status
Currently, in the State Responsibility Area, or SRA, where Cal Fire has jurisdictional authority, burning is allowed across the unit. Burn permits will begin being issued on or after May 1.
Applications can be submitted online at https://burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/ .
That same website contains important information on the requirements and safety precautions you need to know before burning.
It is the responsibility of residents to verify that it is a permissive burn day in your area by contacting your local air quality management agency and complying with any permitting process they may have.
Local air district contacts include:
• Spare the Air (Bay Area Air Quality Management District for southern Sonoma County & Napa County): 1-877-466-2876. • Lake County Air Quality Management District: 707-263-7000. • Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District: 707-433-5911. • Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District: 530-757-3660 or 530-757-3787. • Colusa County Air Pollution Control District: 530-458-0590.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clearlake City Council this week will host presentations from the police department and get an update from the city’s recreation division.
The council will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
Comments and questions can be submitted in writing for City Council consideration by sending them to City Clerk Melissa Swanson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To give the council adequate time to review your questions and comments, please submit your written comments before 4 p.m. Thursday, April 20.
Each public comment emailed to the city clerk will be read aloud by the mayor or a member of staff for up to three minutes or will be displayed on a screen. Public comment emails and town hall public comment submissions that are received after the beginning of the meeting will not be included in the record.
At the start of the meeting, the council will host a swearing-in of Chelsea Banks as Clearlake Police’s new records and communications supervisor.
Police Chief Tim Hobbs will give a presentation on the Clearlake Police Department Safety Education Loan Forgiveness Program.
There also will be a presentation of April's adoptable dogs and the quarterly update on the Recreation and Events Division.
On the meeting's consent agenda — items that are considered routine in nature and usually adopted on a single vote — are warrants; approval of Resolution Number 2023-18, approving a temporary road closure for the Soap Box Derby race; minutes of the March 15 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; adoption of the second amendment to the Adams Ashby consultant contract; adoption of Resolution 2023-20 committing to maintain new gateway monuments at each entryway into the city of Clearlake; and consideration of Resolution 2023-19 adopting the fourth amendment to fiscal year 2022-23 Budget (Resolution 2022-44) adjusting appropriations and revenues.
Following the open portion of the meeting, the council will hold a closed session to discuss negotiations with the Clearlake Middle Management Association and a case of anticipated litigation.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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