The burglaries happened sometime late on Saturday, July 9, or early Sunday, July 10, according to business owners Lake County News spoke with on Tuesday.

“I was lucky that it wasn't worse,” said Susan Conley, who owns the Bunk House gift shop and said that the area has been hit by other break-ins this year.

Along with Bunk House, several other businesses were reported to have been affected by this weekend's burglaries, including the Olive Tree Spa & Salon, B. Lavish day spa, Beulah's Kitchen, Cowpoke Café and Magic Wok Shangri La, all of which are located along Calistoga Street.

Lake County News asked the Lake County Sheriff's Office for information on the burglaries, but did not receive the requested details on the agency's investigation by Tuesday night.

Based on their discussions with the sheriff's office, the Middletown business owners who spoke with Lake County News said five arrests resulted – two adults and three juveniles.

Conley lauded the work of Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Andy Davidson and Deputy Dennis Keithly.

“They caught all these guys the next day,” she said.

The two adult suspects business owners identified as being connected to the case were recent Middletown High School graduates Dorian Jay Decker, 18, of Middletown and Wyatt Joseph O'Brien, 18, of Hidden Valley Lake, according to jail records.

The two were booked into the Lake County Jail on Monday evening. Decker was booked on felony charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, two counts of first-degree burglary and a count of receiving stolen property, with bail set at $10,000. O'Brien was booked on felony counts of second-degree burglary and receiving stolen property, with his bail also set at $10,000, jail records showed.

Decker remained in custody early Wednesday, while jail records showed O'Brien was no longer in custody.

Conley said she received a phone call from a customer on Sunday morning reporting that one of her window screens was on the ground and that it looked like her door had been kicked in.

When Conley came into Middletown and checked out her store, she said she knew something had happened.

“I knew not to go in and not to touch anything,” she said.

The break-in is believed to have happened before 4 a.m. July 10, said Conley, because it was about that time that an employee at the Cowpoke Café noticed the window screen on the ground.

Conley called the sheriff's office, and Davidson responded on Sunday, with Keithly assisting with the investigation.

“They were really great,” said Conley, explaining that the deputies took fingerprints and photographs of footprints left in the store on Sunday.

Conley said the burglars took two necklaces, two wallets, a purse and manicure sets from her store.

“They didn't take the change out of my cash register,” she said. “They were almost careful. I thought that was kind of odd.”

Cheryl Trapani, a stylist at Olive Tree Spa & Salon, said the business didn't suffer serious losses or damages, other than a door the suspects appeared to have kicked in or forced open.

Among the items taken from the salon in the weekend burglary were black and brown hair color products, she said.

“How weird is that?” she asked.

That's different than the break-in the salon suffered on March 12, when suspects – who Trapani believes were the same individuals as those taken into custody this week – broke into the salon through a window.

In that incident, she said the burglars took just under $2,000 in merchandise, including hair care products – particularly styling aids for men – shears and clippers, and some other items.

The sheriff's office was able to recover a small number of those items, including some half-used bottles of hairspray, Trapani said.

Trapani said Sheriff Frank Rivero contacted her on Monday night to ask if all of the salon's missing property had been recovered.

Brittney Fiske, owner of B. Lavish, Bunk House's next door neighbor, said the burglars also broke into her business.

“Nothing was taken from me, but they did come into my store,” said Fiske, who noted this was her first break-in since she opened the business in March.

Fiske said that since she carries mostly skin care products. “Boys walking in here were a little bit lost.”

Conley said a deputy called her on Monday to say they had arrested the suspects in the case.

In addition, almost all of her stolen merchandise has been returned.

While she's going to have to replace her kicked-in door, her store is otherwise intact, with Conley noting that the burglars could have made a mess.

“I'm just so proud of our local deputies that they put it all together,” she said.

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

On Tuesday Gov. Jerry Brown announced that California has dispatched a team of experts to assist in the Yellowstone River oil spill response.

The deployment of California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) staff was approved after the state of California received a request from the state of Montana for mutual aid assistance following a pipeline break on July 1.

“California is well prepared to deal with oil spills. Our training and experience allowed us to help the Gulf Coast states during last year’s massive spill, and it lets us help Montana now,” said Brown.

DFG's Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR) is deploying an incident manager, pipeline technical specialist, response operations manager, environmental specialist and a shoreline assessment expert to the site for 14 days.

On July 1, a break occurred in a 12-inch pipeline owned by ExxonMobil which resulted in release of crude oil into the Yellowstone River approximately 20 miles upstream of Billings, Mont.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported an estimated 1,000 barrels of oil entered the river, which was in flood stage, before the pipeline was cut off.

California will be reimbursed for all costs associated with its assisting in the response, the Governor's Office reported.

“We have worked hard to develop our oil spill response staff in California,” said Scott D. Schaefer, OSPR acting administrator. “We deployed 70 Fish and Game personnel last year to the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Requests for our assistance from other states serve as a testament to our team’s knowledge and skills.”

CalEMA and DFG have been coordinating the mutual aid assistance with Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer’s office, the Montana State Emergency Coordination Center and the Montana Department of Military Affairs.

OSPR was formed by legislation in 1991 in response to two significant oil spills: the 11-million-gallon Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989 and the 416,000 gallon American Trader oil spill in Huntington Beach in 1990.

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

The map of the proposed Big Valley American Viticultural Area. Courtesy of Rick Gunier.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Growers and wineries in the Big Valley and Kelsey Bench areas of Lake County are working together to submit two separate American Viticultural Area (AVA) applications to the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau in Washington, D.C.

The proposed Big Valley AVA will include all of Big Valley.

The boundaries are Highland Springs Road and Manning Creek on the west, the shores of Clear Lake on the north, Cole Creek along the base of Mount Konocti to Konocti Road on the East, and Bell Hill Road to the south.

The proposed Kelsey Bench area starts at Konocti Road in Kelseyville and extends southeast to Bottle Rock Road and Cole Creek Road along the Red Hills AVA’s eastern boundary.

It follows the eastern shore of Kelsey Creek south to the bottom of Kelsey Creek Drive. The western boundary follows Adobe Creek Road to pick up the boundary line for the proposed Big Valley AVA at Bell Hill Road to the point of beginning at Konocti Road in Kelseyville.

The U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau, a component of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, defines an American Viticultural Area as a designated winegrape growing region in the United States distinguishable by geographic features, with specific and clearly-defined boundaries.

The AVA system has been in place since the 1980s, and had recognized more than 200 regions as of January 2011.

The purpose behind AVAs is to identify the unique growing characteristics in a certain area, including weather, soil, history and microclimates. AVAs are listed on premium wines and are used by wineries to help market unique flavor profiles of the various winegrape varieties grown in that region.

An AVA specifies a geographical location from which at least 85 percent of the grapes are grown used to make that wine.

Rick Gunier, whose firm was hired to do the research and submit the applications for the Big Valley and Kelsey Bench American Viticultural Areas, and Project Manager Terry Dereniuk. Courtesy photo.

“In my opinion, the project is long overdue,” said David Weiss, Big Valley grower and chairman of the Big Valley, Kelsey Bench AVA Steering Committee.

“We have all seen the success of the Red Hills and High Valley appellations in helping build the Lake County brand and our reputation as a premium winegrape region. Big Valley and Kelsey Bench represent our original grape-growing acreage where local growers including the Dorns, Holdenrieds, Lyons and Euteniers first planted winegrapes,” Weiss added.

Funding for the project was provided by growers, wineries and the Lake County Winegrape Commission, all of whom have supported previous Lake County AVA projects.

Growers in both areas have donated their time and resources, helping to supply the information needed to put the two projects together.

“The most challenging part to these AVA projects is setting the boundaries, and that involves more than growers working together. History, unique soils and weather; all must be identified as the same in each AVA,” said Rick Gunier, whose firm was hired to do the research and submit the two applications.

Gunier and others held several meetings over the last three years, collecting and incorporating all of the information needed to define the two regions.

“These boundaries are a major part of what defines a region and the process took months of research as well as many grower meetings and interviews,” said Gunier.

Soil and weather experts were used to accumulate the information as well as verify that all of the data was correct.

“The Big Valley and Kelsey Bench are Lake County’s oldest winegrape growing regions,” said Gunier. “There are already excellent wines coming from both. Now what we need to do is get the word out so that people know.”

A more detailed definition of the boundaries, along with other supplemental information can be obtained by contacting Project Manager Terry Dereniuk at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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

Lakeport Police Sgt. Dale Stoebe said Tuesday that the two juvenile suspects – whose names were not released due to their minor status – were arrested for allegedly burglarizing the Terrace Middle School computer lab.

The burglary was reported to police just after 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, Stoebe said.

Stoebe reported that janitorial staff, who were still on scene at the school, were alerted by the security alarm company to the burglary to the computer lab room.

He said they found the computer lab's door open and witnessed the two male juveniles fleeing the area.

Further investigation into the matter revealed two Apple Mac book laptop computers, valued at over $1,300, had been stolen by the suspects, Stoebe said.

Stoebe credited Officer Gary Basor's “timely and persistent” followup investigations in the case with the subsequent identification of the two boys.

Basor's followup contact with the suspects led to the Monday arrest of both juvenile suspects, and the recovery of both stolen laptop computers, Stoebe said.

Both of the boys provided statements implicating themselves in the crime, and were released to parents on citations, according to Stoebe's report.

Stoebe said police are forwarding the criminal complaint to the Lake County Probation Department and seeking prosecution of both suspects.

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

On June 7, Earth-orbiting satellites detected a flash of X-rays coming from the western edge of the solar disk.

Registering only “M” (for medium) on the Richter scale of solar flares, the blast at first appeared to be a run-of-the-mill eruption – that is, until researchers looked at the movies.

“We'd never seen anything like it,” said Alex Young, a solar physicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center. “Half of the sun appeared to be blowing itself to bits.”

NASA has just released new high-resolution videos of the event recorded by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The videos are large, typically 50 MB to 100 MB, but worth the wait to download.

“In terms of raw power, this really was just a medium-sized eruption,” said Young, “but it had a uniquely dramatic appearance caused by all the inky-dark material. We don't usually see that.”

Solar physicist Angelos Vourlidas of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC calls it a case of “dark fireworks.”

“The blast was triggered by an unstable magnetic filament near the sun's surface,” he explained. “That filament was loaded down with cool1 plasma, which exploded in a spray of dark blobs and streamers.”

The plasma blobs were as big as planets, many larger than Earth. They rose and fell ballistically, moving under the influence of the sun's gravity like balls tossed in the air, exploding “like bombs” when they hit the stellar surface.

Some blobs, however, were more like guided missiles.

“In the movies we can see material 'grabbed' by magnetic fields and funneled toward sunspot groups hundreds of thousands of kilometers away,” noted Young.

SDO also detected a shadowy shock wave issuing from the blast site. The “solar tsunami” propagated more than halfway across the sun, visibly shaking filaments and loops of magnetism en route.

Long-range action has become a key theme of solar physics since SDO was launched in 2010. The observatory frequently sees explosions in one part of the sun affecting other parts. Sometimes one explosion will trigger another ... and another ... with a domino sequence of flares going off all around the star.

“The June 7th blast didn't seem to trigger any big secondary explosions, but it was certainly felt far and wide,” said Young.

It's tempting to look at the movies and conclude that most of the exploded material fell back--but that wouldn't be true, according to Vourlidas. “The blast also propelled a significant coronal mass ejection (CME) out of the sun's atmosphere.”

He estimated that the cloud massed about 4.5 by 1015 grams, placing it in the top 5 percent of all CMEs recorded in the Space Age.

For comparison, the most massive CME ever recorded was 1016 grams, only a factor of ~2 greater than the June 7th cloud.

The amount of material that fell back to the sun on June 7 was approximately equal to the amount that flew away, Vourlidas said.

As remarkable as the June 7 eruption seems to be, Young said it might not be so rare.

“In fact,” he said, “it might be downright common.”

Before SDO, space-based observatories observed the sun with relatively slow cadences and/or limited fields of view. They could have easily missed the majesty of such an explosion, catching only a single off-center snapshot at the beginning or end of the blast to hint at what actually happened.

If Young is right, more dark fireworks could be in the offing. Stay tuned.

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

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

These Saskatoon berries, considered a "super fruit" because of their high antioxidant level, were purchased from Federica Davis of F & G Farms during the Lake County Farmers Finest Saturday morning market at Steele Winery in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo by Esther Oertel.

I was delighted to have my level of fruit and veggie awareness raised through two unexpected finds at last week’s farmers’ market.

One of them, a powerfully nutritious but largely unknown veggie, will be the subject of next week’s column. This week is devoted to the other, the bright, sassy Saskatoon berry.

When I happened upon these little berries, their size, shape and jewel-like red-purple-blue coloration reminded me of a cross between huckleberries and cranberries. Nibbling on a few revealed a sweet-tart flavor, furthering this thought.

Research upon my return from the market showed that they’re related instead to an entirely different fruit, the apple. We call them a berry, but botanically, like the apple, they’re a pome.

Saskatoon berries, more commonly called saskatoons, are native throughout much of Canada, Alaska and the north central United States.

They’re considered “super fruits” because of their high level of health-promoting antioxidants, which have anti-cancer and anti-aging effects.

Antioxidants also contribute against cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases and act as a protective guard to our immune systems.

Since it’s to our benefit to consume antioxidant-rich foods, we should keep our eye on the Saskatoon berry, which has the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value of any fruit, a method used to determine antioxidant activity.

In addition to its powerful stores of antioxidants, saskatoons are an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, iron, potassium and copper, as well as being rich in vitamins A and C. As to iron, they contain three times the amount as in the same weight of raisins.

They were an important food to indigenous peoples in North America, who – not surprisingly – also used other parts of the plant for medicinal purposes. The wood of the saskatoon bush is weighty and flexible, so was used in the production of arrows, tools, basket frames and cross pieces of canoes.

Early pioneers that settled throughout its native range relied on the saskatoon as a food staple.

Until recently, saskatoon berries grew only in the wild and were foraged, rather than harvested; however, commercially viable methods of farming them now exist.

It was less than 20 years ago that the first orchards were planted, and most of these exist in Canada, where demand far exceeds supply.

In the U.S., these berries are more commonly called serviceberries, June berries, or shadberries. “Saskatoon” derives from their longer but similar-sounding name in the Cree language. The city of Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Canada is named for the berry.

They taste a bit like blueberries, but with a meatier texture. They’re described as having a nutty, almond-like flavor, and using almond extract in recipes that include them enhances this.

Saskatoons may be frozen or dried, as well as used fresh.

The culinary uses for saskatoons are similar to those of berries; they’re made into jams (quite possibly their most popular use), baked into pies, tarts and clafoutis, added to muffins, breads and scones, and sauces and relishes are made with them.

I saw a creative recipe at www.PlanetGreen.com utilizing saskatoons in a red wine sauce for roast pork.

I decided to make a fragrant sauce with them for serving over yogurt, which I’ve shared below. The berries held their shape well, making a nice contrasting texture to the smoothness of the yogurt, and the sweetness of the sauce was a perfect compliment to the yogurt’s tartness.

If you plan to use the sauce over a sweet dessert such as ice cream or cheesecake, I’d recommend reducing the sugar in the recipe by about half.

I’m glad to have made the acquaintance of these happy berries. I feel I have a new culinary friend. I hope you’ll enjoy them, too.

Saskatoon berry sauce

2 cups fresh saskatoon berries

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

1 cinnamon stick

½ vanilla bean

2 slices lemon

4 wide swaths of orange zest

Simmer all ingredients together in a saucepan until berries are flavored through and sauce is warmed, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Note that the sauce will be runny. If a thicker sauce is wanted, thicken with a little cornstarch or arrowroot powder. A thicker (less sweet) sauce would be a marvelous topping for cheesecake.

Store sauce well-covered in fridge.

Recipe by Esther Oertel.

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..

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

Sheriff Frank Rivero's public information officer, Capt. James Bauman, issued the statement after 5 p.m. Tuesday.

The statement was in response to stories posted earlier in the day in Lake County News and other local media regarding the lawsuit filed against Rivero and the county of Lake by Sgt. Corey Paulich, a 16-year veteran of the sheriff's office.

Paulich is alleging that Rivero repeatedly violated his peace officer due process rights in a March investigation into a high speed chase involving two deputies under his supervision, as Lake County News has reported.

In the suit Paulich is seeking $150,000 in civil penalties – $25,000 for each of the six alleged violations under the 34-year-old Peace Officer Bill of Rights (POBR) – along with attorney fees, court costs and writs seeking to have the disciplinary investigation put aside.

Rivero had not responded on Monday to Lake County News' request for comment on the case.

In the Tuesday evening statement issued by his office, Rivero said neither he nor the county had been served with the suit.

“We honor and respect the procedural rights of any deputy under investigation. However, we are equally obligated to hold our law enforcement personnel strictly accountable for their actions,” Rivero said in the statement.

The statement went on to say, “Internal Affairs investigations, personnel issues and disciplinary actions involving law enforcement personnel are held in strict confidence. Irrespective of the union lawyers’ attempt to taint public perception in the media, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Professional Standards Unit will adjudicate this case in its proper venue.”

Christopher Miller, who is general counsel for the Lake County Deputy Sheriff's Association and is representing Paulich in the case, could be reached after business hours on Tuesday to respond to Rivero's statement.

However, on Monday Miller had accused Rivero of showing a “blatant disregard for the due process rights of his employees.”

“He appears to be unwilling to follow the law, so this court action was necessary to protect and enforce Sgt. Paulich’s rights and indeed the rights of all of the county’s peace officers,” Miller said.

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

The message, “Slow or Move Over for Workers, It’s the Law,” will stay posted through July 22.

Caltrans also will begin a new billboard campaign and issue a public service announcement to television stations statewide reinforcing the “Move Over” message.

In May and June, three Caltrans highway workers died on the job within 48 days – the most in such a short period of time.

Since 1924, 178 Caltrans workers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

“Our goal is to do everything we can to keep our highways safe,” said Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Motorists must slow down, watch out for highway workers, and safely move over a lane when they see flashing amber lights on Caltrans or other emergency vehicles.”

The joint safety effort by Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and the California Office of Traffic Safety will educate the public on the importance of moving over a lane to protect highway workers and CHP officers.

The CHP will provide the Move Over safety message during their morning traffic updates on broadcast stations statewide, and officers will be on the lookout for motorists not following the law.

“This traffic safety campaign isn’t about writing citations, it’s about providing a safer work environment for everyone who does business along the side of a highway,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “The only way to prevent tragedies from occurring on the side of the road is by giving

emergency personnel, highway workers, and the public adequate space.”

The DMV will display the Move Over safety message on electronic signs in 135 field offices, and highlight the law in its handbook and written driver’s test, where it will appear along with Slow for the Cone Zone information.

“Our collective goal is that motorists will become more attentive as they drive,” said DMV Director George Valverde. “With continued cooperative efforts such as the Move Over campaign, we can further improve highway safety."

The departments will update their web sites and social media pages, such as Facebook and Twitter, to reinforce the Move Over message.

“When we see Caltrans, law enforcement, emergency medical services, tow trucks, and other emergency or construction vehicles next to the roadway, they are there for one purpose - our safety,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director for the California Office of Traffic Safety. “Let's keep them and

ourselves safe by giving them plenty of room to operate.”

The Move Over law, which took effect in 2007, was amended in 2009 to add Caltrans vehicles displaying flashing amber warning lights to the list of vehicles for which motorists must move over if safe to do so or slow down.

To date, 45 other states have enacted similar laws requiring motorists to move over or slow down.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on Tumblr at www.lakeconews.tumblr.com, 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 15^th annual food and wine event, A Taste of Lakeport, will once again pair Lake County wines with food from local purveyors at various locations along seven blocks of Main Street in downtown Lakeport on Friday, Aug. 19.

The event, which takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., encourages a leisurely stroll along Main Street with stops at shops for wine tasting, while enjoying live entertainment and the company of friends, neighbors, and visitors.

Tasting will take place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., followed by the street dance and no host bar from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Eventgoers can sip premium Lake County wines from more than 20 participating wineries and sample tasty bites of local food.

To keep the fun going, live music will play throughout the evening featuring Blue Collar and The Blind Monkeys during the tasting portion of the event and the LC Diamonds during the street dance.

Tickets for the event are $30 in advance and may be purchased at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce. Tickets also may be purchased the day of the event for $35.

Ticket purchase includes a wine glass and a map showing all participating wineries and restaurants. The map may be stamped at each location and guests who visit each stop throughout the course of the evening qualify to enter a drawing for prizes.

Presented by the Lakeport Main Street Association (LMSA), A Taste of Lakeport is a benefit for the revitalization of downtown Lakeport. LMSA maintains large flower-filled baskets that hang from the lampposts along Main Street and hangs seasonal and holiday banners from the proceeds of this fundraising event.

For visitor information, contact the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743 or www.lakecounty.com.

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

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Caltrans is planning a community meeting next week to discuss a paving project along two local highways as well as safety measures at a south county intersection that has been the scene of two fatal crashes in just over a year.

Caltrans is partnering with the Middletown Area Town Hall – or MATH – to host the meeting, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 19, at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, located at 15500 Central Park Road.

Caltrans Area Construction Engineer Alan Escarda and other Caltrans representatives, along with paving contractor Granite Construction, will meet with the group, according to announcements from MATH Director Mike Tabacchi and Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie.

The meeting will focus on a multimillion dollar paving project on Highway 29 and Highway 175 as well as safety concerns at the intersection of Highway 29 and Hartmann Road.

Regarding the intersection, a Caltrans safety improvement project is under way there now.

The agency is installing flashing beacons to alert drivers traveling along Highway 29 of cross traffic.

A Clearlake woman died there last month after she was broadsided by a semi truck while attempting to turn onto Highway 29. In May of 2010 an elderly Rodeo woman died after the vehicle she was riding in was hit, also while pulling onto Highway 29, as Lake County News has reported.

Also a topic of concern for south county residents is the paving project.

Last year Caltrans paid International Surfacing Systems $2.1 million to complete chip sealing on 12 miles of Highway 29 from the Lake/Napa County lines to the Coyote Creek Bridge and 8.5 miles on Highway 175 from Cobb to Middletown.

A larger aggregate was used, with the result being that area residents questioned the roadway's safety and the wear and tear on their vehicles, sentiments they expressed at a special town hall with Caltrans last October.

Caltrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder pledged at the time to have the area resurfaced, and in March the California Transportation Commission approved $13.3 million to repave that area as well as to improve portions of Highways 175 from 4.9 miles east of the Lake/Mendocino County line to the junction of Highways 175 and 29 near Lakeport, and near Kelseyville from the junction of Highways 175 and 29 to Middletown.

The repaving project is scheduled to start in August, Caltrans said.

In his announcement on the meeting Tabacchi said MATH wanted to acknowledge how responsive Caltrans has been to the community's concerns over the past year.

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

Arrested were Ira Blue Bowes, 19, and Gabriel Azbill Bowes, 27, according to Sgt. Scott Poma of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, July 9, Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies and Round Valley Tribal Police officers responded to a reported shooting at the intersection of Concow and Yuki boulevards, Poma said.

Tribal Officers arrived to find Kenneth Hanover Sr., 44, of Covelo, lying in the street. Poma said Hanover had been shot in the mouth and the shoulder.

Hanover was transported by air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where his condition is listed as stable, Poma said.

Poma said the investigation at the scene revealed that a physical fight between two family groups of American Indian men had escalated until Ira Bowes allegedly shot Hanover Sr. in the mouth and shoulder with a handgun.

Bowes fled the scene on foot and was later located at a Hopper Lane address and arrested without incident, Poma said.

Gabriel Bowes is alleged to have assisted in the planning and execution of the assault, transporting the weapon to the scene and hindering the investigation, Poma said. Gabriel Bowes was arrested at a Little Lake Way address.

Gabriel and Ira Bowes were booked into the Mendocino County. Jail booking records showed that Ira Bowes was arrested for attempted murder, with bail set at $750,000, while Gabriel Bowes was booked for assault with a firearm, drawing or exhibiting a firearm, felon/addict in possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit a crime, with bail set at $40,000.

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

NASA's Dawn spacecraft obtained this image with its framing camera on June 24, 2011. It was taken from a distance of about 95,000 miles (152,000 kilometers) away from the protoplanet Vesta. Each pixel in the image corresponds to roughly 8.9 miles (14.3 kilometers).

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is closing in on Vesta, and from now until the ion-powered spacecraft goes into orbit in mid-July, every picture of the giant asteroid will be the best one ever taken. What will researchers do with this unprecedented clarity?

“For starters,” said Dawn chief engineer Marc Rayman, “we're going to look for an asteroid moon.”

You might think of asteroids as isolated bodies tumbling alone through space, but it's entirely possible for these old “loners” to have companions.

Indeed, 19-mile-wide Ida, 90-mile-wide Pulcova, 103-mile-wide Kalliope and 135-mile-wide Eugenia each have a moon. And 175-mile-wide Sylvia has two moons.

Measuring 330 miles across, Vesta is much larger than these other examples, so a “Vesta moon” is entirely possible.

Where do such moons come from?

Rayman suggested one source: “When another large body collides with an asteroid, the resulting debris is sprayed into orbit around the asteroid and can gradually collapse to form a moon.”

Another possibility is “gravitational pinball”: A moon formed elsewhere in the asteroid belt might, through complicated gravitational interactions with various bodies, end up captured by the gravity of one of them.

Hubble and ground based telescopes have looked for Vesta moons before, and seen nothing. Dawn is about to be in position for a closer look. On Saturday, July 9, just one week before Dawn is set to go into orbit around Vesta, the moon hunt began. The cameras will begin taking images of the space surrounding the asteroid, looking for suspicious specks.

“If a moon is there, it will appear as a dot that moves around Vesta in successive images as opposed to remaining fixed, like background stars,” said Dawn Co-investigator Mark Sykes, who is also director of the Planetary Science Institute. “We'll be able to use short exposures to detect moons as small as 27 meters in diameter. If our longer exposures aren't washed out by the glare of nearby Vesta, we'll be able to detect moons only a few meters in diameter.”

While you won't see “find a moon” among the mission's science goals, a moon-sighting would be a nice feather in Dawn's cap. Not that it will need more feathers. The probe is already primed to build global maps and take detailed images of the asteroid's surface, reveal the fine points of its topography, and catalog the minerals and elements present there.

Besides, Dawn will become a moon itself when it enters orbit around Vesta. And the probe's motions as it circles will provide a lot of information about the rocky relic.

Sykes explains: “We'll use the spacecraft's radio signal to measure its motion around Vesta. This will give us a lot of detailed information about the asteroid's gravitational field. We'll learn about Vesta's mass and interior structure, including its core and potential mascons (lumpy concentrations of mass).”

As you read this, the spacecraft is gently thrusting closer to its target. And with the navigation images alone we're already watching a never-before-seen world grow ever larger and clearer.

“The pictures are beginning to reveal the surface of this battered, alien world,” said Rayman. “They're more than enough to tantalize us. We've been in flight for four years, we've been planning the mission for a decade, and people have been looking at Vesta in the night sky for two centuries. Now, finally, we're coming close up to it, and we'll be getting an intimate view of this place.”

NASA's Galileo spacecraft took this image of asteroid Ida and its moon Dactyl in 1994. The image was the first conclusive evidence that natural satellites of asteroids exist. Photo courtesy of NASA.

This is not only the first time a spacecraft has visited this alien world, it's also the first time a spacecraft has visited a massive body we haven't approached previously. In the past, rocket ships have orbited Earth, the moon, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury.

“In each case, flyby missions occurred first, providing a good estimate of the target's gravity along with information on other aspects of its physical environment, including whether any moons are present. This time we're much less certain what we'll find,” said Rayman.

At a recent press conference, NASA Planetary Science Deputy Director Jim Adams told reporters that Dawn will “paint a face on a world seen only as a 'fuzzy blob' up to now.”

What does Rayman think Vesta's face will look like?

“Wrinkled, ancient, wizened, with a tremendous amount of character that bears witness to some fascinating episodes in the solar system's history,” he said.

If a new moon is among the episodes, Rayman has a name in mind.

“How about 'Dawn'?”

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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