LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Organizers of the Lake County Wreaths Across America memorial effort for veterans invite the community to take part in ceremonies across the county that will be held on Saturday, Dec. 14.
The ceremonies, which seek to “remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families, teach our children the value of freedom,” will take place beginning promptly at 8:50 a.m. at Hartley, Kelseyville, Upper Lake, Lower Lake, Middletown and St. Mary’s cemeteries.
This year the theme is "Everyone plays a part."
The ceremonies honor veterans during the holiday season as part of the annual Wreaths Across America Day. On this brisk December morning help to show the veterans and families that they will not be forgotten.
Youth organizations and veteran organizations have volunteered to conduct the Wreaths Across America ceremonies this year.
Seven ceremonial wreaths will be placed to remember all soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who served, honor their sacrifices and teach our younger generations about the high cost of our freedoms.
Wreaths Across America pursues its mission with nationwide wreath-laying events during the holiday season, and year-round educational outreach inviting all Americans to appreciate our freedoms and the cost at which they are delivered.
Specially designated wreaths for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and POW/MIA will be placed on memorials during a ceremony that will be coordinated simultaneously at over participating locations all across the country and overseas.
In 2018, more than 1.8 million veteran wreaths were placed on headstones at 1,640 participating cemeteries around the country in honor of the service and sacrifices made for our freedoms, with each name said out loud.
More than 400 truckloads of wreaths were delivered across the country by hundreds of volunteer professional truck drivers.
Wreaths Across America expanded the mission overseas with the placement of 9,387 veterans’ wreaths at Normandy-American Cemetery in France.
This year ceremonies will have youth participation from Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, 4-H, Girl Scouts, FFA, Lake County Sheriff’s Explorers, Mariners, Clear Lake High School Band, North Shore Fire Dept. Explorers, Lake County Funeral Honors Team and the Patriot Guard Riders.
Take an hour amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and bring your families to attend one of these heartfelt ceremonies.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will continue considering how the Registrar of Voters Office should be structured and managed, and hear the latest on the crop report and homeless numbers.
The board will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.
The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.
In an untimed item, the board will continue its discussion and consideration of options for the leadership and structuring of the Registrar of Voters Office in the wake of Registrar Catherine McMullen’s departure last week after just five months on the job.
The board is considering options including keeping the elections office as a standalone department or consolidating it with another department.
At its Nov. 26 meeting, the board appointed Auditor-Controller/County Clerk Cathy Saderlund as registrar on an interim basis, from Dec. 3 to 10, as Lake County News has reported.
The board is also scheduled to hold closed session interviews for registrar of voters candidates, including candidates who would hold the job on an interim basis.
Also on Tuesday, at 9:30 a.m. the board will hear a presentation on the 2018 crop report and at 10 a.m. will hear about the Point in Time count.
The full agenda follows.
CONSENT AGENDA
5.1: Approve the amended county vehicle policy following meet and confer.
5.2: Approve long distance travel from May 16 to May 21, 2020, for Auditor-Controller Cathy Saderlund and Deputy County Administrative Officer III Stephen Carter to attend the Government Finance Officers Association annual conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.
5.3: Adopt resolution approving Agreement No. 19-0774-000-SG with California Department of Food and Agriculture for compliance with the Bee Safe Program for the period July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2020.
5.4: Approve Animal Care and Control to be closed Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019, to observe the county winter holiday.
5.5: Approve request to close Behavioral Health Services offices from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday Dec. 13, for holiday all-staff training meeting.
5.6: (a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2 as it is not in the public interest due to the unique nature of goods or services; and (b) approve the agreement between the county of Lake and Ford Street Project for substance use disorder residential and detoxification services for FY 2019-20, for a contract maximum of $75,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the agreement.
5.7: Approve the minutes of the Board of Supervisors meeting held Oct. 1, 2019. ‘
5.8: Adopt a resolution approving a request from Health Services Department to submit an application for the Medical Reserve Corps Operational Readiness Award Funds through the National Association of County and City Health Officials and authorize the director of Health Services to sign said application.
5.9: a) Waive the formal bidding process, pursuant to Lake County Code Section 38.2, as it is not in the public interest because doing so would produce no economic benefit to the county. b) approve the purchase of e-mail security services from Mimecast in the amount of $13,900 and authorize the IT director to issue a purchase order.
5.10: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution authorizing the Lake County Watershed Protection District to file a grant application for a Prop 68 Watershed Restoration Planning Grant with a focus on establishing a streams and shorelines monitoring and assessment program.
5.11: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution authorizing the Lake County Watershed Protection District to file a grant application for a Pre-Disaster and Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Program for FY 2019/2020 titled Lake County Flood Prevention through Creek Vegetation Management.
5.12: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, approve the joint funding agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Dept. of the Interior for annual maintenance of the Kelsey Creek flow gauge station in the amount of $15,800 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.13: Approve the library to be closed to the public from Tuesday, Dec. 24, through Saturday, Dec. 28, to observe the county winter holiday.
5.14: Authorize the Public Services director to appoint Dave Hendrick as interim facilities maintenance superintendent at step three, retroactive to Oct. 03, 2019.
5.15: (a) Adopt resolution approving the Lake County Sheriff's Office to apply for state of California, Department of Parks and Recreation Off-Highway Vehicle Grant funds and (b) authorize the sheriff/coroner or his designee to sign the project agreement.
5.16: Approve sealed bid #19-17 to Adamson Police Products in the amount of $67,708.44 for the purchase of active shooter kits.
5.17: Approve the acceptance of the local Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program application for FY 2019/20 in the amount of $14,054 and authorize the chair to sign.
5.18: Approve the Department of Boating and Waterways 2020/21 application for financial aid in the amount of $373,119.82 and authorize the sheriff to sign.
5.19: Approve the Sun Ridge Systems software support services agreement for the FY 2019/20 in the amount of $36,698 for the support of its Law Enforcement Software Suite, and authorize the chair to sign.
5.20: Approve late travel claim for Analyst Hatti Mayer for the total amount of $78 and authorize the auditor to process payment.
5.21: Approve Amendment 1 to CivicSpark agreement reducing amount from $51,000 to $26,000 to account for change from Two Fellows to One Fellow and authorize Special Districts administrator to sign.
5.22: Approve Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to issue a purchase order through the statewide bid contract in the amount of $29,388.61 to Wondries Fleet Group and authorize Public Works director/assistant purchasing agent to sign.
TIMED ITEMS
6.2, 9:30 a.m.: Presentation of 2018 Annual Crop Report.
6.3, 9:35 a.m.: Presentation of Crop Report Plus – Economic Contributions of Lake County Agriculture.
6.4, 10 a.m.: Presentation on the Point In Time Count.
UNTIMED ITEMS
7.2: Consideration of the early release of two members of the Lower Lake County Waterworks District No. 1 Board of Directors and the appointment of new candidates to fill the remainder of the unexpired term and a new term beginning Jan. 1, 2020.
7.3: Continued discussion and consideration of options for the elections function, including keeping it as a standalone department or consolidating it with another department.
7.4: Consideration of appointments to the Cobb Municipal Advisory Council.
7.5: Consideration of an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the Lake County Code and Adopting by reference the 2019 California Building Standards Code.
7.6: Consideration of Change Order No. Two for Three SB1 Rehabilitation Improvement Projects, Bid No. 19-10, for a decrease of $7,218.08 and a revised contract amount of $553,500.15 and authorize the chair to sign.
CLOSED SESSION
8.1: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1): Flesch v Lake County District Attorney’s Office, et al.
8.2: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9 (d)(1): Global Industries v. Barbara Ringen.
8.3: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9 (d)(1): FERC Project No. 77, Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.
8.4: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of registrar of voters/ interim registrar of voters (b) appointment of registrar of voters/ interim registrar of voters.
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.
KELSEYVILLE, Calf. – The Board of Supervisors and the city councils of Clearlake and Lakeport, along with their staffs, will meet for a special meeting on Monday, Dec. 9.
The workshop will be held beginning at 9 a.m. in the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 5340 Third St.
In 2018, the county and cities adopted a Lake County Economic Development Strategy.
The Monday workshop will provide an update on the Lake County Economic Development Strategy and cross-jurisdictional efforts to develop a Lake County Broadband Master Plan and a dig once ordinance.
The public is invited to attend.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – During its last meeting of the year, the Middletown Area Town Hall will discuss some area projects and accept board nominations.
MATH will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.
Meetings are open to the community, and offer the opportunity for additional public input on items not included on the agenda.
On the agenda are discussions on the Guenoc Valley development, the homeless in community park and a proposal to become a Firewise community.
Action items include a sign board for public display of MATH agendas and accepting nominations for two MATH board seats.
There also will be an update from District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon.
The MATH Board includes Chair Sally Peterson, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Paul Baker, and at-large members Tom Darms and Marlene Elder.
MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.
Meetings are subject to videotaping.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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. – Nearly 250 guests joined Adventist Health Clear Lake’s Development Council in celebration of the second annual Benefit Gala at Boatique Winery on Nov. 9.
The Benefit Gala is the single largest fundraising event the hospital holds.
This year, the generosity of paddle-raise donors, event sponsors and silent auction bidders helped Adventist Health raised a grand total of $167,750.
These funds will support two selected programs, Adventist Clear Lake Healthy Kids and the Live Well Institute, which will touch the lives of thousands of Lake County women and children and transform the health of many.
Guests, including Gold Sponsors Laurie and Doug Dohring, Dr. Edward Gabriel, Madi Mount, David and Denise Santos and the Redbud Health Care District, were welcomed on the red carpet to an evening of exquisite dining, passionate presentations and delightful entertainment.
At the start of the evening’s program there was a moment of silence in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the Camp fire. Lake County first responders represented by Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Charlie Diener were honored with a standing ovation followed by a poignant vocal performance of “God Bless America” by Keith Cordis of Barron Cordia Management.
Following this, David Santos, president of Adventist Health Clear Lake painted a picture of his vision to strengthen collaboration with community organizations and create a healthier future for Lake County.
He encouraged attendees to partner with the Adventist Health in raising community awareness and philanthropic support to advance women’s and children’s health initiatives.
Auctioneer Ellen Toscano spurred the crowd to donate from $100 to $25,000 to achieve the night’s grand total in support of two projects; Adventist Health and Clear Lake Healthy Kids and expansion of the hospital’s Live Initiative. The evening was capped off with “after-glow” dancing to the music of the Funky Dozen.
Adventist Health and Clear Lake Healthy Kids will be a new touring education and outreach program for kids in Lake County.
Based on a model created by Rideout Healthy Kids, an Adventist Health-sponsored touring performance group in Yuba-Sutter, the program will use music, dance and comedy to teach important life building skills including healthy diet, exercise, positive image and treatment of oneself and others.
The Live Well Institute is home to Live Well, a one-of-a-kind program grounded in proven methods to help patients achieve optimal health.
Expansion of the program is planned to include specific services for women’s heart health, the No. 1 killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year.
Through this expansion, the program will focus on deepening our education around prevention and early diagnosis for cardiac disease for women.
“Women are the heart of our families and communities” said David Santos, president of Adventist Health Clear Lake. “Heart disease is rampant in Lake County. We want to address and educate the women in our communities because they are often misdiagnosed.”
“The Development Council of Adventist Health Clear Lake will continue to provide philanthropic support of new and innovative lifestyle medicine programs” said Ben Hill, manager, Development Council. “These new programs will help to transform the health of Lake County residents. Adventist Health Healthy Kids and the Live Well Institute will benefit thousands of Lake County women and children and will be adopted by households and families countywide.”
Adventist Health Clear Lake’s Development Council continues to work for the growth of programs that improve the health of Lake County residents.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a selection this week of mostly big dogs ready to be in new homes for the holidays.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd, border collie, bluetick coonhound, cattle dog, Chihuahua, corgi, Doberman Pinscher, McNab, pit bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback and treeing walker coonhound.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).
Male Doberman Pinscher
This male Doberman Pinscher has a short black and brown coat.
He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13284.
‘Patsy’
“Patsy” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.
She is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13290.
‘Max’
“Max” is a male pit bull terrier with a short tan and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He’s in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13173.
‘Freckles’
“Freckles” is a male McNab-border collie mix with a medium-length black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13299.
‘Max’
“Max” is a male treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 13289.
Chihuahua-corgi mix
This male Chihuahua-corgi mix has a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13274.
‘Hazel’
“Hazel” is a female cattle dog with a medium-length tricolor coat.
She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13255.
Male Australian Shepherd
This male Australian Shepherd has a long black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13250.
‘Daisey’
“Daisey” is a female treeing walker coonhound/bluetick coonhound mix with a short tricolor coat.
She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13291.
‘Lucy’
“Lucy” is a female pit bull terrier with a short brindle coat and cropped ears.
She has been spayed.
She’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 13263.
‘Goofy’
“Goofy” is a male Rhodesian Ridgeback with a short tan and black coat.
He’s in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13210.
‘Tatum’
“Tatum” is a male pit bull terrier with a short gray and white coat.
He’s in kennel No. 34, ID No. 13172.
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
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 Lake County Air Quality Management District reported that the annual Lake County Burn Ban for 2019 has been lifted as of 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 9.
Burn permits are required for all outdoor burning in the Lake County Air Basin.
Burn permits are available at your local fire protection district. A smoke management plan is required for all multi-day burns, standing vegetation burns, whole tree or vine removals over one acre, burns over 20 acres in size, and any other burns where significant smoke impacts may occur or sensitive receptors may be impacted.
Smoke management plans can be obtained at the Lake County Air Quality Management District office Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; appointments are recommended. A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued.
Smoke management plans, agricultural burn permits and residential burn permits are $28, while land development/lot clearing burn permits are $84, cash or check only.
Only clean dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot of record, a burn location that is located at least 100 feet from all neighbors and at least 30 feet from any structure.
Lot clearing/land development burns require special permits available at your local fire protection district. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during burn hours. Read your burn permit carefully and follow all the conditions.
Consider using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services or composting as an alternative to burning leaves. Please be considerate of your neighbors. A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others. You can be liable for health care costs, fines, and other costs resulting from your burning.
Lake County’s joint fire agencies and air quality management district’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987.
The California Department of Public Health, in collaboration with local health departments, is reminding the public and health care providers that Valley fever cases typically peak in the fall.
Since 2014, there has been a steady increase in the number of Valley fever cases in California. In 2018, more than 7,500 Valley fever cases were confirmed, and early case counts for 2019 indicate that Valley fever activity remains high.
As of Nov. 19, more than 7,000 likely cases have been reported. Incidence is particularly high in the Central Valley and Central Coast regions of California, including Kern, San Luis Obispo, Kings, Fresno, Tulare, Monterey and Merced counties.
“People who live, work, or travel in areas where Valley fever is common are at higher risk of getting infected, especially if they work outdoors or participate in activities where soil is disturbed,” said Dr. Sonia Angell, state public health officer and CDPH director. “If you have symptoms that include cough, fever, or difficulty breathing for more than a week, we encourage you to talk to a health care provider.”
A person can help reduce the risk of infection by avoiding breathing in dirt or dust in areas where Valley fever is common.
In these areas, when it is windy outside and the air is dusty, stay inside and keep windows and doors closed. While driving, keep car windows closed and use recirculating air conditioning, if available.
If individuals must be outdoors, they should consider wearing a properly fitted mask (such as an N95 respirator mask) when the air is dusty, and avoid disturbing the soil whenever possible.
Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, or “cocci”, is caused by breathing in the spores of a fungus that grows in the soil and dirt in certain areas of California.
The fungal spores, which are too small to see, can be present in dust that gets into the air when it is windy or when soil is disturbed, such as through digging during construction.
This fungus usually infects the lungs and can cause respiratory symptoms including cough, fever, chest pain and tiredness.
In most people, the infection will go away on its own, but anyone who has these symptoms for more than a week should see a doctor or health care provider.
While anyone can get Valley fever, those most at-risk for severe disease include people 60 years or older, people who are African American or Filipino, pregnant women, and people with diabetes or conditions that weaken the immune system.
Employers with employees working outdoors should train workers about Valley fever symptoms and take steps to limit workers' exposure to dust, such as watering down soil before digging.
The state of California is taking action to raise awareness about Valley fever by allocating $2 million in the 2018-2019 budget to plan, develop, launch and evaluate a Valley Fever Awareness campaign that CDPH will launch in the coming months.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has also approved a bill to require construction employers engaging in specific work activities in counties where Valley fever is endemic to provide awareness training about Valley fever to their employees.
For additional information on Valley fever, please visit CDPH’s Valley fever website.
These large sums make it evident that Americans put great value on the lives of their pets. Yet how much value? We set out to find an answer for the pet Americans are particularly fond of: their dogs.
We did so by using an experimental survey design that has been used to establish the value of human lives and many other “priceless” things. Ultimately, we concluded that the value is of the average dog is about $10,000. While some may chuckle at our research, we believe it holds important implications for human medicine, health and well-being.
The path to monetizing Bowser
Starting in the 1920s, the federal government initiated efforts to rationalize its decision-making processes by more systematically accounting for potential costs and benefits of public interventions. While the Flood Control Act of 1936 codified these developments, the Roosevelt administrations sought to expand the range of impacts accounted for in these cost-benefit analyses to shape public policy.
Analysts quickly ran into a daunting problem: How should they incorporate the value of goods and services that are not readily traded in the marketplace into their estimates? The valuation of human life serves as perhaps the most controversial such estimate.
But how do you value the invaluable?
What will people pay?
Initially, analysts solved this conundrum by relying on a human capital focus – that is, estimating individuals’ future productivity and income. Naturally this introduced large discrepancies into analyses based on individuals and populations affected. It also posited one particularly vexing challenge with regard to one group who did not “earn” a paycheck: housewives.
To account for these limitations, researchers began to rely on contingent valuation, that is their willingness to pay for certain goods. This consumer-based approach assigns monetary values to small changes in risk that are then aggregated across populations. Values developed in this way are commonly referred to as “shadow prices.”
Based on willingness-to-pay approaches, researchers have developed a wide variety of these shadow prices.
Yet conspicuously missing from the list has been Americans’ best friend.
From priceless … to $10,000?
So how much is a dog’s life worth? To most dog lovers, including ourselves, the answer is obvious: They are priceless. As true as this answer may be, it provides little guidance on how to value the effect of private and public decisions on our four-legged companions.
To provide an answer, we designed and fielded a large, nationally representative survey of dog owners. We used stated preferences of individuals to assess how much they are willing to pay to obtain small reductions in mortality risk for their dogs.
Of course, our findings also provide a starting point for compensation in tort cases resulting from injuries and deaths of dogs. As currently adjudicated, compensation is solely based on the market value of the dog. Naturally, this severely limits compensation for many dog owners, particularly those whose dogs are not purebred. Our findings illustrate that compensation for owners should be much higher to account for the loss of companionship and associated emotional distress.
Finally, like the baby presented to King Solomon, dogs cannot be split in half. Today, most states still treat dogs merely as property. Particularly, in messy divorces, custody battles over dogs can quickly escalate and turn nasty. Our estimates offer a reasonable reference point to make divorce settlements less contentious, at least when it comes to four-legged companions.
Of course, neither the method of cost-benefit analysis nor the underlying developments of shadow prices are without their limitations. Yet, what are the alternatives?
We argue that cost-benefit and policy analyses, when done and utilized appropriately, provide needed insights into complex policy issues. This particularly holds in times marred by excessive partisan wrangling and misinformation.
Moreover, shadow prices allow analysts to incorporate costs and benefits into their analyses for societal groups that often remain unrepresented in the political discourse.
Perhaps most importantly, with governments at all levels facing resource limitations, every policy choice made always entails forgone alternatives. Accounting for costs and benefits, to the best of our abilities, thus offers our best chance to use our limited public resources wisely.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The annual “Christmas in Middletown” event will take place this year on Saturday, Dec. 14, from 4 to 8 p.m. throughout downtown Middletown.
Sponsored by the Middletown Area Merchants Association, this free event lets friends and families celebrate the season together with local businesses, clubs, and organizations, filling the streets of Middletown with cheer, rain or shine.
Start your evening by picking up a Passport to Fun with its schedule of events at one of three locations:
– The Middletown High School cafeteria at the north end of town; – The MAMA booth at the corner of highways 175 and 29 in the middle of town; or – The Hospice Thrift Store at the south end of town.
Children, teens, and adults alike enjoy collecting stamps in the Passport to Fun from businesses throughout town for the chance to win prizes, including two firepits donated by Hardester’s Markets.
The passport will also have information about where to go, what to see and do, and when scheduled events are happening.
The Middletown High School cafeteria is the place to be for dance recital performances by the students at Kim’s Dance Factory at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. and for craft shopping and for dinner benefitting the Middletown Unified School District drama and choral programs all evening long.
Besides local restaurants that will be open for business, street food will be available throughout town including tri-tip sandwiches served in front of Noble’s by the MUSD Ag Boosters.
The combined Middletown Middle and High School bands will give a performance starting at 5 p.m. on the steps of the Library in conjunction with a “Celebrate a Life” service conducted by Hospice Services of Lake County (rain cancels the band performance).
Santa Claus arrives at 5:30 p.m. at the Middletown Square Park on a fire truck. Afterward, he meets children from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Mrs. Claus gives each a stuffed animal, courtesy of Hospice Services of Lake County.
Inside the Middletown Community Room nearby, everyone can warm up with a free hot chocolate and kids can stay busy with a free craft table, donated and run by the Middletown Seventh-day Adventist School with support from Clearlake Grocery Outlet.
Free pony rides will be offered by Helen Owen of Owen Ranch at the Middletown Car Wash. The Community Methodist Church welcomes guests with music, cookies and cocoa. Plus, at the top of the hour, from 4 to 8 p.m., visitors can ring the 122-year-old bell in the oldest church in Middletown, built in 1893.
Nonprofit organizations set up booths with goodies and crafts on the streets throughout town, to raise funds for their good works.
The town looks festive with decorated merchant storefronts and business-sponsored Christmas trees that are decorated by area schoolchildren. The trees are later donated to local families in need through our local charity, Spirit of the Season. Thanks to Star Gardens Nursery for running the tree program.
Individual businesses compete for “best decorated” storefront, and they pass out their own refreshments to passersby.
It’s a perfect small-town event. Find out more at the Middletown Area Merchants Association website at www.middletownareamerchants.com.
The moment the summer heat subsides, my thoughts turn to soup. The big stockpot comes off the shelf and onto the stove at the first hint of cool weather. Fall’s shorter days and winter’s dampness lead me to seek such therapeutic liquid succor.
This is especially true today, with the drumbeat of rain on our metal roof and a blanket of gray turning noon to dusk.
Soup is one of my favorite meals; nothing comforts more than a steaming bowl, especially when paired with a hunk of warm, crusty bread.
I even long for soup during hot Lake County summers, when cool soups such as gazpacho or those made with fruit or cucumber are whipped up in a food processor.
There’s just something wonderful about marrying flavors and ingredients together in one pot, whether cool or hot.
My husband once told me that Walmart sales records reveal an uptick in the purchase of strawberry Pop Tarts when hurricanes threaten landfall. As a consequence, the chain stocks plenty of them in the paths of such storms.
Fruity pastry must be considered comforting when rainy danger threatens, at least in those areas.
As much as I love sweets, when a storm lurks on the horizon, I long to have a big batch of homemade soup at hand.
Soup transcends time, culture and location, with nearly every civilization having a form of it. Evidence for the existence of soup extends as far back as 6,000 B.C. The invention of early waterproof containers, most likely in the form of clay vessels or pouches made of animal skins, made it possible to heat water, spawning primitive soups.
It was the sale of soup for medicinal purposes by street vendors in Paris that led to today’s restaurant industry. A highly concentrated, warm liquid was sold as an antidote to physical exhaustion. A Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop in 1765 to sell the restorative liquid, which prompted the use of the word “restaurant,” meaning “something restoring,” to describe the business.
The word soup has origins in the practice of soaking bread in broth, “suppa” in Latin. From this root comes the French word “soupe,” as well as the English word “sop,” a piece of bread used to soak up soup or stew.
A rich stock, made from simmering meat, bones, or vegetables in water, is the secret to a good soup. Fish stock should only be boiled 30 to 45 minutes, but most other stocks take much longer to make, from three to eight hours, depending on the base.
Mirepoix, a combination of onions, carrots, and celery, contributes flavor to stock, along with various herbs and other aromatics.
Fund blanc, or white stock, is made with raw bones, most commonly chicken, and fund brun, or brown stock, is made using bones that have been roasted to add flavor and color.
Vegetable stock may be made using all manner of vegetables. Cooking water from vegetables made throughout the week may be saved in the fridge and used as the stock base.
If you’re not interested in making your own stock, don’t despair, as quality premade stocks are available at most supermarkets.
Soups are traditionally divided into two categories, clear and thick. Clear soups include broth (known as bouillon in French) and consommé, a complex soup that has gone through a clarifying process. Consommé tends to gel somewhat when cool.
Thick soups are classified based on the thickener, such as starch, cream, eggs, grains or butter. Types of thick soups include purees, bisques and cream soups.
After a long season of dry heat, soup weather has arrived in earnest. In anticipation of the months of happy soup-making ahead of us, below are five favorite soups from recipes that I’ve developed over the years.
A Spanish proverb says, “Of soup and love, the first is best.” While I disagree that food trumps love, a good bowl of soup can certainly inspire it.
Be warmed and comforted, sip with pleasure, and most of all, enjoy.
Smokey roasted carrot soup
White beans thicken the soup without compromising the warm flavor of smoked paprika.
Ingredients
2 pounds carrots (about 5-1/2 cups raw, which becomes 4 cups roasted) 2 large shallots Tablespoon olive or grape seed oil Teaspoon kosher or sea salt Freshly ground black pepper to taste 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika Quart vegetable or chicken stock About ½ of a 15-ounce can of white beans
Procedure
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Peel and cut carrots into uniform pieces, about 1 inch in length.
Roughly chop the shallots
In a two-quart bowl, toss carrots in the oil until all are glossy.
Add salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, tossing to combine evenly.
Turn carrots onto a baking sheet and mix in shallots.
Roast mixture in oven until tender and somewhat browned, about 25 minutes or more. (Stir halfway through for even cooking.)
Heat stock on stove in a four-quart saucepan; add carrot mixture.
Simmer for 10 minutes or so, and then add beans.
Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (recommended), a food processor, or a blender.
If desired, add more beans until desired thickness is achieved.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired with fresh herbs such as parsley or dill.
Makes about 8 servings.
French onion soup
I cry copiously when chopping onions! I’ve tried many methods of avoiding burning tears but the time I wore my son’s snorkeling mask while I processed them was the only thing that truly worked.
Ingredients
10 onions (any combination of types) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 cups white wine Quart vegetable or beef stock 1 and ¼ cups apple cider Bouquet garni (thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley tied with kitchen string) Kosher salt Ground black pepper Splash of Cognac or brandy (optional) 1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated Croutons (recipe follows)
Procedure
Finely slice onions into half-moon shapes. (For quicker processing, a food processor with the slicing attachment may be used.)
Heat olive oil in a large wide-bottomed pot.
Add a layer of onions to pot and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat until all onions and salt are in the pot.
Allow onions to sweat down for 15 to 20 minutes before stirring. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany in color and reduced to approximately two cups. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour.
Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrupy consistency.
Add broth, apple cider, bouquet garni, and brandy, if using. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with a crouton, and then top with grated cheese.
Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil in oven until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Brush bread slices with olive oil (or toss with oil in a bowl until pieces are coated) and toast in oven until golden brown.
If desired, rub with a garlic clove after toasting.
‘Be kind to your heart’ vichyssoise
Classic vichyssoise includes butter and heavy cream; this is a lighter version. For a less rustic soup, you may peel the potatoes. Vichyssoise can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients
6 leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced into thin rounds and thoroughly cleaned 6 cups red potatoes (about 8 medium), with some skin left on (optional), diced 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Quart vegetable broth 1 teaspoon sea salt ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup Russian-style plain yogurt (and additional for garnish if serving cold, optional) Fresh herbs of your choice for garnish (such as parsley, dill, tarragon or thyme)
Procedure
Sauté leeks in olive oil in large soup pot until tender, about five minutes.
Add vegetable broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and allow soup to cool for a few minutes before pureeing with an immersion blender (preferred) or a food processor. (If using a food processor, you may have to process it in batches.)
Add yogurt and blend.
Serve soup warm or chill for several hours or overnight and serve cold. If serving cold, garnish with a dollop of yogurt.
Garnish warm or cold soup with chopped fresh herbs of your choice.
Makes about eight servings.
Spicy Mexican bean soup with chili-garlic crostini
This soup is easy to make and is warm and hearty on a cold winter’s day!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 purple onion, diced ½ red pepper, diced * ½ green pepper, diced * 3 – 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped Quart vegetable stock (homemade or otherwise) 2 – 15-ounce cans black beans ** 1 – 15-ounce can light kidney beans ** 1 – 15-ounce can corn kernels 1 – 6-ounce can tomato paste 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro (plus more for garnish, if desired) Salt to taste, if desired Toasted pumpkin seeds or diced avocado for garnish, if desired
*Use any combination of colored bell peppers; the more colors, the merrier!
**Any combination of similar beans may be used, even 3 cans of one type. (If one type is used, black beans are recommended.)
Procedure
Sauté onion and peppers in olive oil in large soup pot over medium-high heat until just tender.
Add garlic and sauté about a minute more.
Add vegetable broth, beans and corn. Once the broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to low to simmer.
Mix in tomato paste; add vinegar, cumin and pepper flakes.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.
Allow to simmer for at least 10 and up to 30 minutes until flavors blend and soup has thickened.
Add cilantro and simmer a few minutes more.
Ladle into bowls and add desired garnishes.
Serve with chili-garlic crostini. (Recipe follows.)
Makes six to eight servings.
Chili-garlic crostini
About 1 cup olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 – 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes 1 French bread baguette, sliced
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Press garlic cloves with flat of knife so they are crushed.
Warm olive oil on stove; add garlic and pepper flakes and cook a minute or so more (not long).
Remove oil from heat and allow it to rest for a bit. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor.
Strain oil into a squeeze bottle or bowl and drizzle or brush oil on each baguette slice.
Arrange slices on a baking sheet and bake in oven until golden brown. Watch carefully; it takes only a few minutes.
Mushroom bisque with sherry
I am a huge mushroom fan and love the way their flavor is complimented by the addition of sherry. Olive oil may be subbed for butter and cream may be eliminated for a lighter (and vegan) version.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (or olive oil) ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¾ cup minced shallots or onions 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1 – ½ pounds fresh mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ¼ inch thick 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock (or 4 cups, plus 2 cups water) 2 – ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¾ cup dry sherry (not “cooking sherry”) 1/3 cup cream (optional)
For garnish:
½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts (procedure follows)
Procedure
Melt butter (or oil, if using instead) in a large stock pot over medium-low heat. When melted, stir in flour and cook for a minute or so.
Add onions and sauté, stirring, for one or two minutes, then stir in garlic, thyme, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
Add sliced mushrooms, stir to blend, and increase heat to medium. Add stock, sherry, and salt.
Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered, until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes.
When mushrooms are tender, puree soup using a hand-held immersion blender, a food processor, or a standing blender. (If using either of the latter two, puree the soup in batches. If using a standing blender, be sure to hold the lid tight with a towel to keep contents inside.)
If desired, soup may be strained through a medium-mesh strainer, using a ladle to help push it through. (This is an optional step.)
Once soup is pureed (and strained, if taking that step), add cream (if using) and stir to blend. If needed, gently heat soup to desired temperature.
Serve with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts.
Makes six generous or eight small servings
Note: When using a blender to puree hot soups, remove liquid from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender and fill it no more than halfway. Release one corner of the lid, which prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
Original recipes are by Esther Oertel.
Esther Oertel is a writer and passionate home cook from a family of chefs. She grew up in a restaurant, where she began creating recipes from a young age. She’s taught culinary classes in a variety of venues in Lake County and previously wrote “The Veggie Girl” column for Lake County News. Most recently she’s taught culinary classes at Sur La Table in Santa Rosa, Calif. She lives in Middletown, Calif.
In August 2018, NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched to space, soon becoming the closest-ever spacecraft to the sun.
With cutting-edge scientific instruments to measure the environment around the spacecraft, Parker Solar Probe has completed three of 24 planned passes through never-before-explored parts of the sun's atmosphere, the corona.
On Dec. 4, 2019, four new papers in the journal Nature describe what scientists have learned from this unprecedented exploration of our star — and what they look forward to learning next.
These findings reveal new information about the behavior of the material and particles that speed away from the sun, bringing scientists closer to answering fundamental questions about the physics of our star.
In the quest to protect astronauts and technology in space, the information Parker has uncovered about how the sun constantly ejects material and energy will help scientists re-write the models we use to understand and predict the space weather around our planet and understand the process by which stars are created and evolve.
“This first data from Parker reveals our star, the sun, in new and surprising ways,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Observing the sun up close rather than from a much greater distance is giving us an unprecedented view into important solar phenomena and how they affect us on Earth, and gives us new insights relevant to the understanding of active stars across galaxies. It’s just the beginning of an incredibly exciting time for heliophysics with Parker at the vanguard of new discoveries.”
Though it may seem placid to us here on Earth, the sun is anything but quiet. Our star is magnetically active, unleashing powerful bursts of light, deluges of particles moving near the speed of light and billion-ton clouds of magnetized material.
All this activity affects our planet, injecting damaging particles into the space where our satellites and astronauts fly, disrupting communications and navigation signals, and even – when intense – triggering power outages. It’s been happening for the sun's entire 5-billion-year lifetime, and will continue to shape the destinies of Earth and the other planets in our solar system into the future.
“The sun has fascinated humanity for our entire existence,” said Nour E. Raouafi, project scientist for Parker Solar Probe at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, which built and manages the mission for NASA. “We’ve learned a great deal about our star in the past several decades, but we really needed a mission like Parker Solar Probe to go into the sun’s atmosphere. It’s only there that we can really learn the details of these complex solar processes. And what we’ve learned in just these three solar orbits alone has changed a lot of what we know about the sun.”
What happens on the sun is critical to understanding how it shapes the space around us. Most of the material that escapes the sun is part of the solar wind, a continual outflow of solar material that bathes the entire solar system. This ionized gas, called plasma, carries with it the sun's magnetic field, stretching it out through the solar system in a giant bubble that spans more than 10 billion miles.
The dynamic solar wind
Observed near Earth, the solar wind is a relatively uniform flow of plasma, with occasional turbulent tumbles. But by that point it’s traveled over ninety million miles – and the signatures of the sun's exact mechanisms for heating and accelerating the solar wind are wiped out.
Closer to the solar wind's source, Parker Solar Probe saw a much different picture: a complicated, active system.
“The complexity was mind-blowing when we first started looking at the data,” said Stuart Bale, the University of California, Berkeley, lead for Parker Solar Probe’s FIELDS instrument suite, which studies the scale and shape of electric and magnetic fields. “Now, I’ve gotten used to it. But when I show colleagues for the first time, they’re just blown away.”
From Parker’s vantage point 15 million miles from the sun, Bale explained, the solar wind is much more impulsive and unstable than what we see near Earth.
Like the sun itself, the solar wind is made up of plasma, where negatively charged electrons have separated from positively charged ions, creating a sea of free-floating particles with individual electric charge.
These free-floating particles mean plasma carries electric and magnetic fields, and changes in the plasma often make marks on those fields.
The FIELDS instruments surveyed the state of the solar wind by measuring and carefully analyzing how the electric and magnetic fields around the spacecraft changed over time, along with measuring waves in the nearby plasma.
These measurements showed quick reversals in the magnetic field and sudden, faster-moving jets of material – all characteristics that make the solar wind more turbulent. These details are key to understanding how the wind disperses energy as it flows away from the sun and throughout the solar system.
One type of event in particular drew the eye of the science teams: flips in the direction of the magnetic field, which flows out from the sun, embedded in the solar wind.
These reversals – dubbed "switchbacks" – last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes as they flow over Parker Solar Probe.
During a switchback, the magnetic field whips back on itself until it is pointed almost directly back at the sun. Together, FIELDS and SWEAP, the solar wind instrument suite led by the University of Michigan and managed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, measured clusters of switchbacks throughout Parker Solar Probe's first two flybys.
“Waves have been seen in the solar wind from the start of the space age, and we assumed that closer to the sun the waves would get stronger, but we were not expecting to see them organize into these coherent structured velocity spikes," said Justin Kasper, principal investigator for SWEAP – short for Solar Wind Electrons Alphas and Protons – at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "We are detecting remnants of structures from the sun being hurled into space and violently changing the organization of the flows and magnetic field. This will dramatically change our theories for how the corona and solar wind are being heated.”
The exact source of the switchbacks isn't yet understood, but Parker Solar Probe's measurements have allowed scientists to narrow down the possibilities.
Among the many particles that perpetually stream from the sun are a constant beam of fast-moving electrons, which ride along the sun’s magnetic field lines out into the solar system.
These electrons always flow strictly along the shape of the field lines moving out from the sun, regardless of whether the north pole of the magnetic field in that particular region is pointing towards or away from the sun.
But Parker Solar Probe measured this flow of electrons going in the opposite direction, flipping back towards the sun – showing that the magnetic field itself must be bending back towards the sun, rather than Parker Solar Probe merely encountering a different magnetic field line from the sun that points in the opposite direction.
This suggests that the switchbacks are kinks in the magnetic field — localized disturbances traveling away from the sun, rather than a change in the magnetic field as it emerges from the sun.
Parker Solar Probe's observations of the switchbacks suggest that these events will grow even more common as the spacecraft gets closer to the sun.
The mission's next solar encounter on Jan. 29, 2020, will carry the spacecraft nearer to the sun than ever before, and may shed new light on this process. Not only does such information help change our understanding of what causes the solar wind and space weather around us, it also helps us understand a fundamental process of how stars work and how they release energy into their environment.
The rotating solar wind
Some of Parker Solar Probe's measurements are bringing scientists closer to answers to decades-old questions. One such question is about how, exactly, the solar wind flows out from the sun.
Near Earth, we see the solar wind flowing almost radially – meaning it's streaming directly from the sun, straight out in all directions. But the sun rotates as it releases the solar wind; before it breaks free, the solar wind was spinning along with it.
This is a bit like children riding on a playground park carousel – the atmosphere rotates with the sun much like the outer part of the carousel rotates, but the farther you go from the center, the faster you are moving in space. A child on the edge might jump off and would, at that point, move in a straight line outward, rather than continue rotating.
In a similar way, there's some point between the sun and Earth, the solar wind transitions from rotating along with the sun to flowing directly outwards, or radially, like we see from Earth.
Exactly where the solar wind transitions from a rotational flow to a perfectly radial flow has implications for how the sun sheds energy. Finding that point may help us better understand the lifecycle of other stars or the formation of protoplanetary disks, the dense disks of gas and dust around young stars that eventually coalesce into planets.
Now, for the first time – rather than just seeing that straight flow that we see near Earth – Parker Solar Probe was able to observe the solar wind while it was still rotating. It's as if Parker Solar Probe got a view of the whirling carousel directly for the first time, not just the children jumping off it.
Parker Solar Probe's solar wind instrument detected rotation starting more than 20 million miles from the sun, and as Parker approached its perihelion point, the speed of the rotation increased. The strength of the circulation was stronger than many scientists had predicted, but it also transitioned more quickly than predicted to an outward flow, which is what helps mask these effects from where we usually sit, about 93 million miles from the sun.
“The large rotational flow of the solar wind seen during the first encounters has been a real surprise," said Kasper. "While we hoped to eventually see rotational motion closer to the sun, the high speeds we are seeing in these first encounters is nearly ten times larger than predicted by the standard models."
Dust near the sun
Another question approaching an answer is the elusive dust-free zone. Our solar system is awash in dust – the cosmic crumbs of collisions that formed planets, asteroids, comets and other celestial bodies billions of years ago.
Scientists have long suspected that, close to the sun, this dust would be heated to high temperatures by powerful sunlight, turning it into a gas and creating a dust-free region around the sun. But no one had ever observed it.
For the first time, Parker Solar Probe's imagers saw the cosmic dust begin to thin out. Because WISPR – Parker Solar Probe's imaging instrument, led by the Naval Research Lab – looks out the side of the spacecraft, it can see wide swaths of the corona and solar wind, including regions closer to the sun.
These images show dust starting to thin a little over 7 million miles from the sun, and this decrease in dust continues steadily to the current limits of WISPR's measurements at a little over 4 million miles from the sun.
"This dust-free zone was predicted decades ago, but has never been seen before," said Russ Howard, principal investigator for the WISPR suite — short for Wide-field Imager for Solar Probe — at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. "We are now seeing what's happening to the dust near the sun."
At the rate of thinning, scientists expect to see a truly dust-free zone starting a little more than 2-3 million miles from the sun – meaning Parker Solar Probe could observe the dust-free zone as early as 2020, when its sixth flyby of the sun will carry it closer to our star than ever before.
Putting space weather under a microscope
Parker Solar Probe's measurements have given us a new perspective on two types of space weather events: energetic particle storms and coronal mass ejections.
Tiny particles – both electrons and ions – are accelerated by solar activity, creating storms of energetic particles. Events on the sun can send these particles rocketing out into the solar system at nearly the speed of light, meaning they reach Earth in under half an hour and can impact other worlds on similarly short time scales.
These particles carry a lot of energy, so they can damage spacecraft electronics and even endanger astronauts, especially those in deep space, outside the protection of Earth's magnetic field – and the short warning time for such particles makes them difficult to avoid.
Understanding exactly how these particles are accelerated to such high speeds is crucial. But even though they zip to Earth in as little as a few minutes, that's still enough time for the particles to lose the signatures of the processes that accelerated them in the first place.
By whipping around the sun at just a few million miles away, Parker Solar Probe can measure these particles just after they've left the sun, shedding new light on how they are released.
Already, Parker Solar Probe's ISʘIS instruments, led by Princeton University, have measured several never-before-seen energetic particle events – events so small that all trace of them is lost before they reach Earth or any of our near-Earth satellites.
These instruments have also measured a rare type of particle burst with a particularly high number of heavier elements – suggesting that both types of events may be more common than scientists previously thought.
"It’s amazing – even at solar minimum conditions, the sun produces many more tiny energetic particle events than we ever thought," said David McComas, principal investigator for the Integrated Science Investigation of the sun suite, or ISʘIS, at Princeton University in New Jersey. "These measurements will help us unravel the sources, acceleration, and transport of solar energetic particles and ultimately better protect satellites and astronauts in the future."
Data from the WISPR instruments also provided unprecedented detail on structures in the corona and solar wind – including coronal mass ejections, billion-ton clouds of solar material that the sun sends hurtling out into the solar system.
CMEs can trigger a range of effects on Earth and other worlds, from sparking auroras to inducing electric currents that can damage power grids and pipelines. WISPR's unique perspective, looking alongside such events as they travel away from the sun, has already shed new light on the range of events our star can unleash.
"Since Parker Solar Probe was matching the sun's rotation, we could watch the outflow of material for days and see the evolution of structures," said Howard. "Observations near Earth have made us think that fine structures in the corona segue into a smooth flow, and we're finding out that's not true. This will help us do better modeling of how events travel between the sun and Earth."
As Parker Solar Probe continues on its journey, it will make 21 more close approaches to the sun at progressively closer distances, culminating in three orbits a mere 3.83 million miles from the solar surface.
“The sun is the only star we can examine this closely,” said Nicola Fox, director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters. “Getting data at the source is already revolutionizing our understanding of our own star and stars across the universe. Our little spacecraft is soldiering through brutal conditions to send home startling and exciting revelations.”
Sarah Frazier works for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.