In the digital, virtual, online world we live in, account passwords both protect and frustrate our access to valuable intangible assets.

As more of our valuables consist of intangible digital assets and accounts stored online, the troublesome issue of access to these intangible assets is one of ever growing importance.

Let us consider what we can do to safeguard future access to our digital assets and online accounts by enabling persons we trust to access them should we become incapacitated and when we die.

First, what is a digital asset?

“A digital asset is any item of text or media that has been formatted into a binary source that includes the right to use it. … .” (van Niekerk, A.J. 2006)

Common examples of digital assets are online bank accounts, e-mail accounts, electronic media, online blogs, online shopping accounts (e.g., Pay-Pal and E-bay), and online social media (e.g., Facebook).

Nowadays, with many people spending so much of their time and efforts online, they are creating important digital assets and accounts; assets that their families will want to access after their death.

We have all heard about the families of deceased veterans who wanted to access a deceased soldier’s private e-mail accounts for sentimental and family reasons.

These families were forced to sue Internet giants like Facebook, Google and Yahoo! in order to overcome obstacles regarding access by others when an account owner dies.

So why are such companies unwilling to allow families and even executors access to a decedent’s account?

The reason is the 1986 federal Stored Communications Act (18 USC section 2702). It protects an account owner’s privacy (above all else) and makes it a crime for third parties, such as Facebook or Google, to give access to anyone else, without authorization from the account holder, to a portal through which electronic communication is provided.

So what can we do?

First, we can inventory all of our online accounts, passwords, and encryption protocols so that our agents, and whoever administers our estate, have password access.

Nowadays there are even companies that provided “digital password vaults” where all of one’s account information can be stored in one place.

Much grief and trouble can be avoided simply by having inventoried our accounts and their passwords and making that inventory available to necessary parties.

Naturally, there are some digital assets that are highly personal, perhaps including one’s Facebook account or an online blog that one may not wish to have accessed by anyone else after death.

With respect to these assets, one may decide not to share the account password and inquire with the online company regarding destruction of the contents after death.

Second, subject to limitations imposed by end user license agreements of the online company that has custody of the digital asset, we can assign ownership to some of our digital assets to the trustee of our living trust and/or include special provisions within our powers of attorney and our wills that give the agent and executor power to access these digital assets.

Third, we can be selective as to which online companies we use. Read each company’s End User License Agreement (“EULA”) and Terms of Use. The agreements of Google, Facebook and Yahoo! vary significantly from each other.

These license agreements control the terms of release of the contents of an account, access to an account, and transfer of an account through probate.

Our digital assets and accounts comprise our digital estate. As discussed, the intangible digital estate is subject to very different rules than those that control our traditional tangible assets. Different problems and different safeguards are required to protect our interests and loved ones.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, California. Fordham can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235. Visit his Web site at www.dennisfordhamlaw.com .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Sudden oak death has been confirmed in Trinity County, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Trinity County is now the 15th California county known to have sudden oak death, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, reported.

The other counties are Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.

Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen known to cause sudden oak death, was first found by UC Cooperative Extension, Humboldt and Del Norte County personnel less than 600 yards over the Humboldt County line into Trinity County on an 80-acre Bureau of Land Management parcel adjacent to the Six Rivers National Forest.

The nearest known infestation is 0.4 miles west in Humboldt County.

Infected California bay laurel and tanoak trees, spanning approximately a five-acre area, were identified; however, ground surveys to delineate the actual extent of the infestation will not be conducted until spring 2014, when symptoms will be most advantageous for surveying.

Symptoms found include dead and symptomatic tanoaks as well as heavily symptomatic bay trees. In California, California bay laurel as well as tanoak leaves support pathogen spore production and spread. Tanoak can also die from the infection once it spreads to the tree trunk.

“CDFA has submitted and finalized an emergency regulation change adding Trinity County to California Code of Regulations 3700, Oak Mortality Disease Control,” said Jeff Dolf, Humboldt and Trinity County agricultural commissioner.

As a regulated county, Trinity will be required to follow state and federal quarantine guidelines for the disease.

Sudden oak death is a serious invasive, quarantine disease that is killing tanoak, coast live oak, California black oak, Shreve’s oak and canyon live oak trees in California.

Since its discovery in 2000, more than three million trees have died, making it the number one cause of tree mortality in California coastal forests.

In the last two years alone, more than 500,000 trees have died.

For general information on sudden oak death or the COMTF, go to the task force Web site at www.suddenoakdeath.org .

The Andromeda Galaxy is surrounded by a swarm of small satellite galaxies. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, have detected a stream of stars in one of the Andromeda Galaxy's outer satellite galaxies, a dwarf galaxy called Andromeda II.

The movement of the stars tells us that what we are observing is the remnant of a merger between two dwarf galaxies. Mergers between galaxies of such low mass has not been observed before.

The results are published in the scientific journal, Nature.

The galaxies in the early universe started off small and the theory of the astronomers is that the baby galaxies gradually grew larger and more massive by constantly colliding with neighbouring galaxies to form new, larger galaxies.

Large, massive galaxies constantly attract smaller galaxies due to gravity and they eventually merge together and grow even larger.

But not all of the small galaxies are being 'eaten' by the large galaxies. Some of them remain in an orbit around the large galaxy.

The largest galaxy in our cosmic neighborhood is the Andromeda Galaxy, which is about 2.3 million light years away. Like our own galaxy, the Milky Way, Andromeda is a large spiral galaxy.

Swarm of small galaxies

Andromeda is surrounded by a swarm of small galaxies – astronomers have counted more than 20. They have names like Andromeda I, II, III, IV...etc.

Researchers from the Dark Cosmology Centre at the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, have analyzed measurements of the stars in the dwarf galaxy Andromeda II and made a surprising discovery.

“Stars in a dwarf galaxy often move around at random, but this is not exactly the case for Andromeda II. In particular we could see that a stream of stars is moving around differently than the rest in a very coherent way. These stars are situated in an almost complete ring and are rotating around the centre of the galaxy,” explained astrophysicist Nicola C. Amorisco, Dark Cosmology Centre, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Cosmic collisions

The dwarf galaxy Andromeda II is very small – less than one percent of the Milky Way. The rotating stream of stars in the galaxy is entirely made up of old stars and from their properties, researchers can draw conclusions about this dramatic cosmic event.

“What we are seeing is the remains of a collision between two dwarf galaxies, which had a dramatic effect on the dynamics of the remnant,” said Amorisco.

He explains that mergers between such small galaxies are expected during the galaxy formation process, but are rare at present times and had hitherto not been seen. Andromeda II is the least massive known example of merging of galaxies so far and illustrates the scale-free character og the formation og galaxies down to the lowest galactic mass scales.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Northshore Fire Protection District is planning smoke drills and live fire training over the coming two weekends.

Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said smoke drills will take place in the Upper Lake area all day Saturday, March 8.

On Saturday, March 15, the district will do a live fire training that involves burning down an old house on Pitney Lane in Upper Lake, Beristianos said.

Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer, announced Friday that the number of confirmed influenza-related deaths in persons under 65 years of age reported in the state has increased by 16, to a total of 318 confirmed deaths for the 2013-14 season.

Six of the 318 are pediatric deaths, Chapman said.

There are an additional 26 deaths under investigation, not yet confirmed, he added.

The 318 confirmed influenza-associated deaths this season have been reported by the following local jurisdictions: Alameda (7), Butte (1), Calaveras (2), Contra Costa (7), El Dorado (2), Fresno (21), Glenn (1), Humboldt (1), Imperial (1), Kern (10), Kings (6), Lake (1), Lassen (1), Long Beach (7), Los Angeles (52), Madera (3), Marin (2), Mendocino (4), Merced (5), Monterey (5), Nevada (1), Orange (13), Riverside (15), Sacramento (26), San Bernardino (23), San Diego (27), San Francisco (3), San Joaquin (7), San Luis Obispo (1), San Mateo (6), Santa Barbara (3), Santa Clara (16), Santa Cruz (3), Shasta (3), Siskiyou (2), Solano (3), Sonoma (6), Stanislaus (13), Sutter (1), Tulare (3), Tuolumne (1) and Ventura (3).

By this time last year, CDPH had received reports of 43 influenza-related fatalities in persons under 65 years of age.

In all of the 2012-13 season, a total of 106 deaths were reported, the California Department of Public Health said.

The majority of reported influenza deaths in persons under 65 years of age have occurred in people with underlying medical conditions, according to Chapman's report.

Outpatient visits continue to decrease, and both outpatient visits and hospitalizations are within expected levels for this time of year. Health officials said the flu-season activity status was decreased from regional to local.

Those at highest risk – the elderly, pregnant women, infants or those with other health conditions – who show flu symptoms should contact their physician immediately in order to get the most effective treatment. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Influenza vaccine remains available and there is no widespread shortage of antivirals for treatment. CDPH continues to closely monitor influenza activity.

For information on local vaccinations, call Lake County Public Health, 707-263-1090 or 800-794-9291.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A Lakeport man was arrested this week while at a probation-related meeting for drugs and a probation violation.

Vince Edward Mussat, 34, was arrested on Thursday, according to Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said Lakeport Police officers have been investigating Mussat, who is on probation in Lake County due to a prior drug violation.

Officers developed information that Mussat was involved in illegal drug activity at his residence, located in the 100 block of N. Polk Street.

At 7:10 p.m. Thursday Lakeport Police officers were monitoring Mussat’s residence to conduct a search, Rasmussen said.

At the same time a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, who was aware of the Lakeport Police Department’s pending action, located Mussat and his vehicle at the Hill Road Alternative Work Program building, where it was believed that Mussat was present for a probation-related supervision program.

Rasmussen said the deputy notified Lakeport Police officers, who responded to the location along with the assistance of a California State Parks officer.

A probation search of Mussat’s vehicle was conducted and controlled substance paraphernalia was located, Rasmussen said.

Lakeport Police arrested Mussat for possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and violation of probation and booked him into the Lake County Correctional Facility, according to Rasmussen.

At approximately 8:25 p.m. Thursday, Lakeport Police officers and California State Parks officers conducted a probation search of Mussat’s residence, Rasmussen said.

Rasmussen said that during the search officers located .45 grams of methamphetamine, 7.6 grams of concentrated cannabis and 264.75 grams of marijuana.

Mussat was additionally charged with felony possession of concentrated cannabis, felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of over 28.5 grams of marijuana, Rasmussen said.

Mussat has numerous prior arrests for controlled substance violations, Rasmussen added.

He remained in custody without bail on Friday, with a March 10 court date, according to jail records.

Recent rains across California are not enough to end the drought, but they are enough to eliminate the need to water landscaping for several weeks.  

Experts with the California Department of Water Resources, University of California Cooperative Extension and University of California, Davis, together urge all residents, business owners, and government agencies to shut off sprinkler and irrigation systems until soils dry again.
 
Depending upon local conditions and near-term weather, irrigation may not be needed for a month or more.
 
“We can reap twice as much from the latest storms if people take full advantage of the natural precipitation and shut off sprinklers,” said Department of Water Resources Director Mark Cowin. “Three dry years in a row have left our major reservoirs low, and we need to conserve those supplies in case drought conditions persist into the next rainy season. There's no need to water lawns, parks, median strips, or any landscaping already soaked by these recent storms.”
 
On Jan. 17, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a drought emergency in California and called on all residents to conserve water by 20 percent in their homes and businesses.

Typically more than half of the water used by homeowners is used outdoors. Californians can go a long way toward meeting the governor's goal by shutting down sprinklers until soil several inches deep appears dry or plants appear stressed.

People who resume landscape irrigation should do so only according to the water schedules set by their local water districts.

More than 100 such districts around the state have imposed voluntary or mandatory conservation measures that restrict the days and times when residents can run sprinklers.
 
At a press event in the residential Curtis Park neighborhood of Sacramento Thursday, Director Cowin, local water leaders, and UC Cooperative Extension landscape experts demonstrated how to shut off a typical homeowner's sprinkler system.
 
Tom Gohring, executive director of the Water Forum, a diverse group of Sacramento regional interests working to resolve water issues, hosted the event at his home and switched off the sprinkler system controller in his garage to encourage others to do the same.
 
“Many people think they use more water in their house than they do in their yard,” said Gohring. “The opposite is typically true. In the Sacramento region, about 65 percent of water used by homeowners goes to irrigate landscaping. We always want people to adjust their sprinklers based on the season and weather, but now, after a record dry year, there's real urgency.”
 
While recent storms have boosted the Sierra Nevada snowpack and runoff into reservoirs, it would take half an inch of rain every day of March from Redding to Bakersfield to bring the state to average precipitation for the year in the watersheds that supply much of California's drinking and irrigation water.

Even average precipitation would not be enough to avert water shortages, because major reservoir storage is now so far below typical storage for this time of year.
 
“Storms in the last couple of weeks have delivered a couple of inches or more of precipitation to most parts of California,” said Chuck Ingels, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sacramento County. “Trees, shrubs, flowers, and lawns naturally use less water in winter's cool temperatures, and so an inch of rain provides enough moisture to forego the need for sprinklers for up to several weeks depending on temperatures.”
 
Sprinkler systems are controlled by a device, called an irrigation controller, that triggers the irrigation system when to turn on and off.

People who do not know how to program their controllers can get links to manuals published by major manufacturers at the Save Our Water Webite, www.saveourH20.org . Look under the "Sprinklers 101" section of the Web site, http://www.saveourH20.org/sprinklers101 .
 
Sacramento residents can find their water provider, information on the latest water restrictions, and water-saving tips at the Regional Water Authority’s “Be Water Smart” Web site at http://www.bewatersmart.info/residential-customers/ .
 
University of California master gardeners offer tips for gardening during a drought at http://cagardenweb.ucanr.edu .

The California Center for Urban Horticulture, UC Davis, also has information for conserving water in the landscape,  http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu , as does the UC Davis Arboretum http://publicgarden.ucdavis.edu/public-garden/drought-resources .

Other smart watering tips detailed at the Save Our Water Web site:

• Water only in the early morning or late evening. Cooler temperatures reduce evaporation.
• Check your sprinkler system frequently and adjust so that you are not watering the hose, sidewalk, or street.
• Put mulch around trees and plants to cool soil and reduce evaporation.
• Consider installing a drip irrigation system, which applies water precisely, with less waste.
• Choose plants based on their adaptability to your climate. Check the Sunset Plant Finder to learn about water-wise plants that thrive in your region:  plantfinder.sunset.com/plant-home.jsp.
• If you find yourself walking on your lawn only to mow it, consider replacing it with water-wise landscaping that reduces the need for water and maintenance.
• Check with your local water district for a free visit from a water conservation specialist, rebates on water-wise appliances, or "cash for grass" incentives to replace lawn with water-wise landscaping.

With Daylight Saving Time beginning on Sunday, March 9, Cal Fire officials are reminding all Californians to ensure they have working smoke alarms in their homes.

Studies have shown that most homes have smoke alarms, however nearly two-thirds of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no working smoke alarms.

“The time change is a great opportunity to spend a few minutes making sure our home’s smoke alarms are in good working conditions and installed in the proper locations,” said California State Fire Marshal Tonya Hoover. “Most people know how critical smoke alarms are, but forget to maintain them.”

Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in home fires by half. With multiple types of smoke alarms, consumers must read the manufactures recommendations and properly place the alarms correctly.

Smoke alarms should be placed inside and outside of every bedroom and on every level of the home.

With two different types of smoke alarm technologies on the market, Cal Fire recommends that every residence be equipped with both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms.

Many brands also offer dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.

For years fire officials have asked homeowners to replace the batteries in their smoke alarms annually, but a recent law in California requires new smoke alarms to be equipped with a 10-year long-life lithium battery that doesn’t need to be replaced until the entire device is replaced after 10 years.

It is still critical for residents to test their older alarms and replace old alkaline batteries annually.

Smoke alarm safety tips:

• Smoke alarms should be tested monthly using the test button to ensure they are operating correctly.
• Properly install and maintain smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
• Replace older alarm’s alkaline batteries every year, or when the alarm signals (“chirps”) the end of the battery life. If you don’t know the battery type – check and replace.
• Inspect, test and clean smoke alarms at least once every year
• Replace the smoke alarm itself at least every 10 years.
• Interconnected smoke alarms are best, because if one sounds, they all sound.
• Use both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms or dual sensor smoke alarms.
• Never paint over a smoke alarm.
• Practice exit drills so everyone understands what to do when they hear a smoke alarm.

For more information on smoke alarms, visit www.fire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_smokealarms.php .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are continuing to look for a Cobb man alleged to have assaulted another man with a hatchet last month.

Sheriff's officials said Nicholas James Thomas, 29, hit a man in the head with a hatchet on Feb. 22 during a confrontation in the area of Forest Lake Drive in Cobb, as Lake County News has reported.

The male assault victim had attempted to intervene when he saw Thomas arguing with a woman, and chasing after her, yelling obscenities and becoming aggressive toward her, according to the sheriff's office report.

Thomas told the victim to stay out of his business before hitting him in the head with the hatchet. The sheriff's office said Thomas then walked off.

Since he walked away from the scene, Thomas has managed to elude law enforcement, according to Lt. Steve Brooks.

Brooks said Thomas currently has two arrest warrants in the system. The first warrant is for a battery which happened prior to the hatchet incident; the bail on that warrant is $10,000.

The second warrant is for the Feb. 22 assault with a deadly weapon – specifically, the hatchet – with bail on that warrant set at $250,000, Brooks said.

“When he is caught he will have to bail on both of the warrants,” Brooks added.

The sheriff's office said Thomas is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Anyone with information as to Thomas’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 707-263-2690.

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Lakeport woman led law enforcement on a lengthy vehicle pursuit early Thursday morning, hitting two spike strips before finally stopping her car near Clearlake Oaks.

The 50-year-old woman attempted to evade police for close to 40 minutes before pulling her car over and being taken into custody shortly before 2 a.m., according to radio traffic.

The pursuit began shortly after 1:20 a.m. in the area of north Lakeport, based on scanner reports.

Sheriff's deputies indicated that they believed the woman was drunk, and was weaving in and out of both lanes of traffic.

The pursuit crossed the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, went through the roundabout and Nice, and between Nice and Lucerne reached speeds of about 90 miles per hour, according to radio reports.

Sheriff's deputies placed a spike strip just west of Glenhaven Drive that the car hit, but it continued on, with the driver traveling all over the road, causing deputies to request that the California Highway Patrol close the highway near Clearlake Oaks to protect other drivers.

The woman continued driving at about 20 to 30 miles per hour, with all of her tires – except for her left rear tire – flat, reports indicated.

The CHP set up another spike strip near Keys Boulevard in Clearlake Oaks. After the car continued eastbound, deputies asked over the air if CHP would use the “pursuit intervention technique” or “PIT maneuver” to bump the vehicle and spin it out of control, but CHP declined.

Authorities reported that the car, now only on rims, slowed to between 5 and 10 miles per hour as it traveled uphill outside of Clearlake Oaks.

The chase finally ended at approximately 1:56 a.m. at the “Y” intersection of Highway 20 and Highway 53, scanner traffic indicated.

The deputies took the woman into custody, with a Clearlake Police Department K9 that had been requested on hand to assist. The roadway was reopened a short time later, based on radio reports.

Medics were requested to come to the scene shortly after 2 a.m., but it was not clear why they were summoned.

Additional details – including confirmation of the suspect's name – will be posted as they become available.

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.