Green cabbage, the most common variety, and its cousin, red cabbage, nestle side-by-side in this photo. Photo by Esther Oertel.

“The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.”

Not to disappoint author Lewis Carroll, who wrote this poem in 1871 as part of “Through the Looking Glass,” but today our topic will cover merely one of the talkative walrus’ proposed subjects: cabbage. (Who knows? Perhaps we’ll cover shoes or sealing wax in another column.)

Cabbage is a member of the Brassica oleracea species, along with such vegetables as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and the like. The name brassica means cabbage in Latin.

Cruciferous is an alternative name for this produce group because of the four petals on their blooms, resembling a cross. Cruciferous is derived from cruciferae, Latin for cross-bearing.

Cultivated cabbage is descended from the wild mustard plant, also called sea cabbage or wild cabbage, which is native to the Mediterranean. This cabbage ancestor looked more like collard greens or kale than the cabbage we know today.

Cabbages have been cultivated for more than 4,000 years. Early varieties were loose-leafed, not like the dense headed cabbage with which we're familiar. The head variety was developed by northern European farmers in the middle ages.

Since cabbage grows well in cool climates, yields large harvests, and stores well, it quickly became a major crop throughout Europe once it was widely distributed there by the Celts about 600 B.C.

Green cabbage is the most common variety, with a dense head of compact leaves. It forms the base for coleslaw, is added to salads, soups, and stews, and its ample leaves are used in the stuffed cabbage dishes of many countries. It’s the cabbage of the quintessential Irish-American corned beef and cabbage. Look for heads that feel heavy for their size with tightly packed, moist looking leaves.

Red cabbage is similar to green cabbage other than the color, which is a cross between red and purple (a deep magenta), and its slightly smaller size.

Red cabbage adds color and texture to salads and is present in a variety of delicious cooked dishes, such as caraway red cabbage or red cabbage with apples.

Red cabbage turns blue when cooked, but this may be prevented by adding acid such as vinegar or lemon juice when cooking.

The same characteristics that indicate a healthy head of green cabbage apply to red.

Savoy cabbage, also known as curly cabbage, has ruffled, lacy, deeply ridged leaves, which are more loosely packed than the leaves of red or green cabbage, though it retains a round shape.

Because of its interesting leaves, some refer to it as the prettiest cabbage variety. Its uses are similar to green cabbage, though its flavor is more delicate. It’s especially yummy when braised in butter.

Napa cabbage, one of my personal favorites, is also called Chinese cabbage or celery cabbage. It has light green ruffled leaves that flower off thick, white stalks, and is long, rather than round. The leaves are more loosely packed than those of round headed cabbage. It’s used in Asian stir-fried dishes and made into kimchi, spicy Korean fermented cabbage.

Chinese chicken salad is typically made with Napa cabbage. Look for heads that are fresh-looking and not wilted, with no brown at the tips of the leaves.

Bok choy, a type of cabbage, is most commonly known for its use in Asian dishes. It has loosely bundled deep green leaves that grow from pale stalks, and, like Napa cabbage, has an elongated shape.

Its flavor is brighter than other cabbage varieties. Braising brings out its sweet flavor. It may be cooked whole (especially if baby bok choy) or with its leaves separated. Like Napa cabbage, the leaves should look fresh and not wilted.

Cabbage has long been stigmatized because of the unpleasant smell emitted when cooked. Recent studies reveal that cooking cabbage for four minutes or less greatly reduces the odor, which doubles when cooking time hits five to seven minutes.

The ancient Greeks and Romans prized cabbage for its perceived curative properties, believing cabbage could heal great numbers of ills. Egyptian pharaohs ingested copious amounts of it the evening before planned bouts of drinking, thinking it would allow them to drink more with fewer negative effects of alcohol.

In 1769, Captain Cook’s ship’s doctor used sauerkraut on soldiers who were wounded during a severe storm, saving them from gangrene.

The truth is that cabbage is a very healthy vegetable, as are all in the brassica family. It’s recommended that these cruciferous vegetables be consumed at least two to three times weekly in serving sizes of 1-1/2 cups. More frequent consumption of greater amounts (four to five times weekly in quantities of two cups) will reap greater benefits.

Because different types of cabbages offer unique benefits to the body, alternating the type consumed is a good idea.

Cabbage’s outer leaves are rich in vitamin E, and the entire head contains large stores of vitamin C. Raw cabbage contains as much of it as lemon juice, in fact.

Studies show it has cancer preventative properties, particularly colon cancer, and in some cases, cabbage is even curative. Raw cabbage cleans waste from the stomach and upper bowels, which improves digestion and reduces constipation.

It also stimulates the immune system, kills harmful bacteria, soothes ulcers, and improves circulation. The fiber in cabbage aids in the body ridding itself of excess cholesterol.

It’s interesting to note that allowing cabbage to sit for five to ten minutes after cutting it prior to cooking increases beneficial enzyme activity. Unused cut cabbage that’s stored in the fridge should be used as soon as possible, however, as its vitamin C deteriorates fairly quickly.

I was inspired to write about cabbage because of a sauerkraut recipe I saw recently in the newly-released cookbook by the University of California Master Gardeners of Lake County, “Cooking with the Seasons.”

Years ago a friend gave me a jar of wonderfully tasty homemade sauerkraut, which had none of the overly acidic, vinegary tones that commercial sauerkraut normally contains. I’ve been searching for such a recipe ever since and am happy to have found it in a local cookbook.

The inspirational sauerkraut recipe is by Master Gardener Gabriele O’Neill, who has generously agreed to share it with us.

Her version of sauerkraut contains juniper berries, which are berry-like seed cones from various species of juniper trees.

They’re popular in European cuisine, particularly in Scandinavia, to impart a sharp, clear flavor to meat and cabbage dishes. Juniper berries are what give gin its unique flavor, and they pair especially well with strongly-flavored game meats, such as venison.

Many supermarkets carry them in their spice department (my local market does), but if they prove difficult to locate, they may be ordered online.

If you wish to purchase a copy of “Cooking with the Seasons,” you may call the Master Gardeners of Lake County at 263-6838 or visit their Lakeport office at 883 Lakeport Boulevard. The cookbooks cost $13 and support the educational efforts of the local Master Gardeners. (My recipes for lavender cream scones and lemon curd are on page 48 in the summer section.)

For those who live in the south county and can’t get to Lakeport, leave a message at the above number for O’Neill and she’ll make sure the cookbooks are available at a south county location.

For more information about the Master Gardeners of Lake County, take a peek at their website at http://celake.ucdavis.edu/Master_Gardener/.

German-style sauerkraut

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 teaspoon juniper berries

½ teaspoon caraway seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup non-chlorinated water (such as distilled or spring water)

2 tablespoons liquid whey (see note below)

Mix cabbage, spices, and half the salt in a big bowl. Pound the mix with a wooden mallet, heavy cup, or your fist for several minutes until cabbage starts to release juice. Pack the cabbage tightly into a quart-sized wide-mouth Mason jar.

Mix the water with the rest of the salt and the whey and pour into jar. (Do not use powdered whey.) If necessary, add more water to completely cover cabbage and bring the water level up to within ¾ inches from the top of the jar.

Screw lid on firmly and keep jar at room temperature for three days. After that, store on the top shelf of your refrigerator or in a cold cellar, if you have one.

It will keep fermenting at a very slow rate in cold storage, getting more flavorful for several more weeks, even though it can technically be eaten after the first three days. It will keep in cold storage for over a year.

Since lacto-fermentation is an anaerobic process, the cabbage needs to stay completely submerged. Introduction of oxygen once the process has started will spoil the product.

Check your sauerkraut periodically during the first few weeks, and if you find a white film covering the liquid, remove it. This natural process is caused by a harmless yeast, but can affect the taste negatively if not removed.

The sauerkraut is best when aged for at least one month.

Note: To make your own whey, pour some unflavored yogurt into a cheesecloth-lined sieve over a bowl. Refrigerate for several hours, until the watery part drains into the bowl. The watery part is whey, and what’s left is nicely firm, Greek-style yogurt.

Recipe by Master Gardener Gabriele O’Neill and courtesy of “Cooking with the Seasons,” a cookbook produced by the University of California Master Gardeners of Lake County.

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

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Glenn Neasham, 51, of Hidden Valley Lake was charged and tried for a a 2008 case in which he was alleged to have sold an annuity to an elderly woman who the prosecution alleged wasn't mentally competent.

Neasham's attorney, Mitchell Hauptman, did not return a call seeking comment.

Neasham was arrested last December following a California Department of Insurance investigation that was handed over to the Lake County District Attorney's Office and prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Rachel Abelson, as Lake County News has reported.

While the jury on Friday found Neasham guilty of the principal charge of theft from an elder, jurors did not convict him of two special allegations – one that more than $65,000 had been taken from the elderly victim, and the second that more than $100,000 had been taken, Abelson said.

The trial, presided over by Judge Richard Martin, began on Sept. 21, lasted 10 days and saw 10 witnesses take the stand, Abelson said.

Deliberations started Thursday afternoon, and the verdict was handed in shortly after 1 p.m. Friday, she said.

Abelson said Neasham is due to return to court for sentencing on Dec. 20.

Based on state sentencing guidelines, Neasham could receive probation with up to a year in jail, or as much as four years in prison, which he would serve locally due to the state's prison realignment plan, Abelson explained.

She added that, in her experience prosecuting such elder theft cases, there usually is some jail time for those convicted.

According to the California Department of Insurance's December report on the investigation, it was the Savings Bank of Mendocino that originally alerted investigators to the annuity sale.

Neasham was charged with selling a $175,000 annuity to the then-83-year-old victim, who the prosecution alleged didn't have the mental capacity to enter into the contract. Neasham received a commission on the sale.

Abelson said the victim took money from a CD and put it into the annuity, which would have taken 15 years to fully mature.

“The theory was that she was deprived of a major enjoyment of her property,” Abelson said.

She added, “Dealing with elder abuse, it's easy for me to see that as theft.”

Abelson wasn't sure the jury would see it the same way, “but obviously they did.”

The case wasn't an easy one and had multiple complicated issues, Abelson said.

The female victim did not take the stand, as she wasn't mentally competent to do so, said Abelson. The woman was placed under conservatorship within the last few weeks.

Abelson said insurance expert Neil Granger gave important testimony in the case, and volunteered to testify. She said Granger is an advocate for seniors. His online resume says he specializes in the area of elder financial abuse.

She also credited the work of Department of Insurance investigators in bringing the case together.

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 .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Drugs are illegal, dangerous, and addicting for youth and adults alike. The California Highway Patrol invites the community to take a stand against drugs during National Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 22-30.

The intent of Red Ribbon Week is to raise awareness of illegal drug use and the problems related to drugs facing our community.

The CHP encourages parents, educators, business owners, and other community organizations to promote drug-free lifestyles.

“We encourage Californians to build healthy, drug-free communities and lifestyles. During Red Ribbon Week, we can take this opportunity to be vocal and visible in our efforts to achieve a drug-free community,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow.

The red ribbon symbolizes a commitment to reduce illicit drugs in our communities. In 1985, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Enrique S. “Kiki” Camarena was killed by drug traffickers.

Shortly after Camarena's death, citizens from his hometown of Calexico, Calif., began wearing red ribbons to remember him and commemorate his sacrifice.

The U.S. Congress established Red Ribbon Week in 1988.

Red Ribbon Week is observed in cities across the country the last week of October every year. During Red Ribbon Week, millions of Americans pledge to live a drug-free lifestyle by wearing red ribbons and participating in community-wide, anti-drug events.

“Taking part in Red Ribbon Week is a unified way for communities to take a stand against drugs and show intolerance for illegal drug use and its consequences,” added Commissioner Farrow.

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In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Lake County this year, Lake County News is publishing a series of historical stories about the county, its people and places. This week's story by Jan Cook – the second of two parts – explores the work of Lake County's suffragists.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Following the 1896 loss for suffrage, California’s woman suffrage fervor diminished for a few years, but by 1911, the tide had turned and pro-suffrage energy revitalized the movement. The women’s suffrage amendment was on the ballot again.

In the weeks preceding the Oct. 10 election, Lake County voters took time from another hot local issue, the Clear Lake Railroad, to consider women’s suffrage.

The Lake County Bee of Oct. 5, 1911, published articles by Nancy Kastner, wife of the Rev. W.F. Kastner, supporting the suffrage amendment and the Rev. James L. Woods, firmly against the amendment.

Woods opened his article with these words: “While I am opposed to the woman suffrage amendment to the constitution, in the elective franchise what man accepts as a privilege the suffragette woman demands as an absolute right. It is claimed to be equal and exact justice, as human beings under common civic institutions and laws. But no sooner will the fundamental law be changed than woman, while grasping its honors and emoluments will evade its duties and responsibility by demanding immunities and privileges made necessary by the limitations of her sex and nature. At once the equilibrium is destroyed and man becomes the weaker sex. I do not believe this to be nature religion law or fact. The religion discussion belongs to another forum.”

Woods commented that “fifteen years ago the Lakeport lecture of the celebrated Anna Shaw was a strong weapon for the defeat of the suffrage amendment.” Woods did not elaborate on his objections to Shaw’s lecture.

In the same issue of the Bee, Kastner asked, “Why should voting be any more degrading than standing in a line with neighbors and strangers at the Post Office, paying taxes, purchasing railroad tickets, or the many other things which women do, and to which no men seem to object? How can she sacrifice her dignity by putting on her bonnet and walking down to the polling booth? The woman who thinks she is making herself unwomanly by voting is a silly creature.”

Kastner expressed some of the cultural and racial attitudes of her day in her suffrage arguments. “Women as well as men are human beings and the right to self government is one which is demanding the attention of the whole world. Women will add a distinct moral element to the present vote. They loathe to have their mothers, wives and sweethearts rated with chinamen, idiots and insane persons at the ballot box.”

Arthur Dewdney, another Lakeport minister, spoke at Winter’s Opera House about his 18 years’ experience with women’s suffrage in New Zealand.

The Clear Lake Press published his comments on Sept. 23, 1911: “The arguments opposing the suffrage of women, the speaker said, were mutually destructive, citing some of [Bay Area journalist] John P. Irish’s contradictory declarations. “All the arguments met in this [California] campaign, said Mr. Dewdney, had been urged in New Zealand, and eighteen years experience under equal suffrage law had dissipated every one of them. Not a man of note there will oppose it now, in fact, the test of years has dissipated all the fears.”

On Oct. 10, 1911, California men voted on the suffrage amendment and made history. Early returns indicated that suffrage was headed for defeat, but slowly, county by county, the returns came in and the picture changed.

When all statewide returns were finally received and the official totals were announced two days later, they showed a majority of only 3,587 votes in favor. Once the suspense of the election was finished, women were ready to exercise their hard-won rights.

Within a few days of the election, women began to register in Lake County.

The Clear Lake Press for Oct. 21 named early registrants Virginia Mathews, wife of county clerk Shafter Mathews, Mary Tripp, Nancy Jane Dinsmore, Margaret Dinsmore Lane, Sydney Maude Milberry and Sylvia Hazell.

Lake County’s newly-enfranchised women placed their first votes in a “local option” election in November 1911, a vote on local prohibition. The First Supervisorial District voted “wet” 125 to 87.

The new suffrage law required a new registration form, effective Jan. 1, 1912.

The Clear Lake Press on Jan. 27, 1912, related the story of a remarkable woman who registered in January.

“Mrs. Iley Lawson Hill, Lake County’s centenarian, who will be 104 years old on the 5th of May, was the first woman and the first person to register on the new blanks this year. County Clerk Mathews personally went to the home of her daughter, Mrs. Mary Arnold, and registered the venerable lady. Mrs. Hill is possessed of most of her faculties and can write her name, but does not see very well. When asked with what party she intended to affiliate, this daughter of the American Revolution replied 'I am a Whig.'” The daughter of a Revolutionary patriot, she remembered the days of the Whigs.

Women wasted no time in making their presence known in the voting booth.

The Clear Lake Press on April 6, 1912, reported that the “school election was of unheard of excitement in Lakeport, and apparently in most other districts of the county, yesterday. Think of a school election polling 358 votes in Lakeport when in former years fifteen was about the average vote cast, and consider whether or not women will vote when they have the opportunity. The women not only voted yesterday, but it is evident they stimulated, or shamed, the male sex into exercising their right and duty of electing school trustees.”

With the franchise came other civic privileges and responsibilities, and women soon expanded their political horizons.

Judge Morton Sayre named 10 women to the 1914 grand jury, an “innovation in Lake County.”

Now eligible for all elective offices, not just school offices, women began to throw their hats into the ring.

Luemma Kemp, widow of murdered sheriff George Kemp, was elected Lake County tax collector in 1914, the first woman to hold a countywide, non-school office.

When the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, Lake County seemed to take little note of it. By 1920 California women had already voted in two presidential elections and were anticipating their third. Voting had become routine.

Editor G. E. Nichols of the Lake County Bee urged women to remember that “feminine suffrage was not achieved in a day, nor in a month, nor a year. It has required many years of ceaseless effort and countless disappointment to place her on a political equality with man.

“The laudable ambition of womanhood is a better government and a more enlightened citizenry. This can be accomplished gradually, but it can not be done with a stampede.” (Lake County Bee, Sept. 2, 1920).

* * * * *

Suggested reading: Robert P.J. Cooney, Jr. Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. Eleanor Flexner, Century of Struggle. Gayle Ann Gullet, Becoming Citizens: the Emergence and Development of the California Women’s Movement, 1880-1911. Rebecca J. Mead, How the Vote was Won: Woman Suffrage in the western United States. Anna Howard Shaw, The Story of a Pioneer. Will A. Linkugel and Martha Solomon, Anna Howard Shaw: Suffrage Orator and Social Reformer.

Juvenile titles: Anna Bausum, With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for Woman’s Right to Vote. Marlene Targ Brill, Let Women Vote! Don Brown, A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw. Deborah Kops, The Women Suffrage Movement. Carol Rust Nash, The Fight for Women’s Right to Vote. Dana Meachen Rau, Great Women of the Suffrage Movement.

Lake County newspapers, microfilmed and filed at the Lake County Library, hold the foundations of Lake County history stories that will be published during the Lake County Sesquicentennial celebration.

Research in books, in other local history sources like the “Mauldin Notes,” and on the internet, fleshes out these stories and allows glimpses of Lake County’s past. Through these articles, the library will introduce modern Lake Countians to little-known stories of “the good old days” in Lake County. Each article includes suggestions for further reading.

The microfilmed newspapers are housed at the Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St, 707-262-8817, and at Redbud Library in Clearlake, 14785 Burns Valley Rd, 797-994-5115. Each library has a microfilm reader-printer machine. The library’s website is http://library.co.lake.us. A list of the newspapers in the library’s collection is on the Web site under “Local Genealogy and History.”

Thank you to the Lake County Office of Education and California State Archives for their contributions to this article

Early 20th century newspapers referred to married women as wives of their husbands, not by their own names. Ada Clendenin was “Mrs. W.P. Clendenin.” Census searches on www.familysearch.org revealed the first names of women mentioned in these old articles.

*****

Author's note: In researching this article, the writer was not able to find photographs of any Lake County suffrage events in the collection of the Lake County Museum. If any reader knows of photos of any suffrage events, please contact Jan Cook at Lakeport Library, 707-263-8817.

Visit the Lake County Sesquicentennial Web site at www.lc150.org or the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-Sesquicentennial/171845856177015.

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Paul Anthony Neuman, 33, was sentenced on Monday to aggregate 25 year sentences for the crimes of rape and robbery committed in Meridian, Idaho, at the Herb Tree Store on Dec. 10, 2010.

Judge Thomas Neville ordered that Neuman serve a minimum of 15 years before any parole consideration, according to a report from the prosecutor's office of Ada County, Idaho.

Neuman had been arrested by Lake County Sheriff's deputies in March on a $2 million Idaho warrant, as Lake County News has reported.

He pleaded guilty to the rape and robbery charges on Aug. 18, the Ada County Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutors said Neuman – who had worn a ski mask during the commission of the crimes – was unknown to the victim.

A sexual assault kit was immediately obtained after the crime was reported and a DNA profile was placed into the national CODIS data bank, the prosecutor's office reported.

In January, a cold hit was generated out of California identifying Neuman as a possible match. Officials said Neuman's DNA was on file in California for the crime of burglary.

Idaho State forensic scientists were able to confirm the DNA to Neuman, who then was extradited to Ada County.

In addition to serving his prison sentence, Neuman will have to register as a sex offender for life, officials reported.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A south county man died when his work truck went off an embankment at The Geysers geothermal steamfield just inside the Sonoma County line on Thursday.

Eugene “Corky” Bracisco, 57, an operating specialist with Calpine, was confirmed as the crash victim, according to Norma Dunn, Calpine's vice president of corporate communications.

“The cause of death is not known at this time, and we are working closely with local authorities to investigate the incident,” Dunn said in an e-mail message to Lake County News. “We do not comment further on matters under investigation.”

California Highway Patrol incident reports said the single-vehicle collision occurred in Sonoma County, in the area of Burned Mountain at Big Sulpher Creek, while Bracisco was driving a work truck. An exact time of the crash was not given, but reports indicate it happened sometime on Thursday.

When contacted for additional information, the Santa Rosa CHP office referred questions to Cal OSHA, which the agency said is handling the investigation because it happened on private property.

Cal OSHA spokesperson Patricia Ortiz told Lake County News late Friday afternoon that the report on the crash came into the agency's Santa Rosa district office at approximately 8:47 a.m. Friday. The report was submitted by the human resources director at The Geysers.

“Our inspectors are out and Cal OHSA has opened an investigation,” Ortiz said.

The CHP reported that conditions in the area were foggy on Friday morning. Two tow trucks were needed to pull Bracisco's truck up the embankment where it left the roadway. The CHP report said the vehicle was 200 feet down an embankment.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that deputies were dispatched to Calpine on Socrates Mine Road in Middletown at 1:45 a.m. Friday after Bracisco's wife reported him missing.

Bracisco's wife said he had left for work at 5:30 a.m. Thursday and when he hadn't returned by 11 p.m. she called Calpine, according to the sheriff's office's Friday afternoon report.

Calpine officials told the woman that Bracisco had missed a 3 p.m. meeting on Thursday, the sheriff's office said.

The sheriff's office said that when deputies arrived at Calpine, they met with the lead operator, who confirmed that Bracisco's personal vehicle was still at the site, but his work truck was missing.

The lead operator said Calpine had notified the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office as the Calpine property straddled the Lake and Sonoma County lines, and that he had 10 Calpine employees already out searching, the sheriff's report noted.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office informed a Lake County Sheriff’s deputy involved in the investigation that they believed the Calpine employee was somewhere in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff's office said another of its deputies immediately was dispatched to the area to assist in the search.

Sonoma County was waiting for the fog to lift, so they could commence a helicopter fly over to aid in the search, the Lake County Sheriff's Office reported.

The search eventually located Bracisco's work truck, which had slipped down into a ravine on Calpine property just over the Sonoma County line. The Lake County Sheriff's report said Bracisco had died by the time he was found.

The Sonoma County Sheriff’s office is handling the coroner’s investigation. A message left for Sonoma County Sheriff's officials was not immediately returned.

Ortiz said Cal OSHA investigations can take up to six months, but typically last three to four months, she said.

Cal OSHA was involved because the fatal collision occurred on Calpine's private property. “Had it been a public road we wouldn't be involved,” Ortiz said.

Dunn said Calpine was offering its sincere sympathies and condolences to Bracisco’s family. “We are working to assist the family through this very difficult time.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews, on 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 .

An all-sky map of gamma-ray emissions made by the Fermi Space Telescope. Hundreds of the sources in the map are complete mysteries.

Of the 1,873 sources found, nearly 600 are complete mysteries. No one knows what they are.

“Fermi sees gamma rays coming from directions in the sky where there are no obvious objects likely to produce gamma rays,” said David Thompson, Fermi deputy project scientist from Goddard Space Flight Center.

Gamma rays are by their very nature heralds of great energy and violence. They are a super-energetic form of light produced by sources such as black holes and massive exploding stars.

Gamma-rays are so energetic that ordinary lenses and mirrors do not work. As a result, gamma-ray telescopes can't always get a sharp enough focus to determine exactly where the sources are.

For two thirds of the new catalog's sources the Fermi scientists can, with at least reasonable certainty, locate a known gamma ray-producing object, such as a pulsar or blazar, in the vicinity the gamma-rays are coming from.

But the remaining third – the “mystery sources” – have the researchers stumped, at least for now. And they are the most tantalizing.

“Some of the mystery sources could be clouds of dark matter – something that's never been seen before,” said Thompson.

About 85 percent of the gravitational mass of the universe is dark matter. The stuff we see makes up the rest. Dark matter is something that pulls on things with the force of its gravity but can't be detected in any other way. It doesn't shine – doesn't emit or scatter light – hence the adjective “dark.”

Astronomers cannot detect dark matter directly using optical or radio telescopes. But dark matter just might shine in gamma rays.

“We've been using Fermi to search for dark matter for a long time,” said the principal investigator for the Large Area Telescope, Peter Michelson of Stanford University.

Some researchers believe that when two dark matter antiparticles bump into each other, they will annihilate, producing gamma rays. Concentrated clouds of dark matter could form a gamma ray source at specific wavelengths detectable by Fermi.

“If we see a bump in the gamma-ray spectrum – a narrow spectral line at high energies corresponding to the energy of the annihilating particles – we could be the first to 'apprehend' dark matter,” said Michelson.

The team plans to continue observing the mystery sources. Fermi scans the entire sky ever three hours, and this ongoing sequence of observations “piles up” gamma rays for the researchers to analyze.

So far, too few gamma rays have been collected from the mystery sources to form definite conclusions.

Another, less-dark possibility for some of the mystery sources is colliding galaxy clusters.

According to Michelson and Thompson, clashes of such magnitude would generate super large scale shock waves that would accelerate particles.

Others of the sources, they say, might be some brand new phenomenon, perhaps something involving galactic black holes.

When all is said and done, many of the mystery sources could prove to be familiar. “[They] will probably turn out to be members of known source classes – things we know but haven't recognized yet, like undiscovered pulsars, binary systems, and supernova remnants,” said Michelson.

“Of course we're hoping for something really exotic like dark matter, but we have to look first at all the other options,” said Thompson. “Fermi is an ongoing mission. We'll continue to search for answers to these puzzles and perhaps turn up even more surprises.”

Will notorious dark matter finally be nabbed? Stay tuned.

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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After announcing last year that the United States' combat mission in Iraq was ending, with the removal of 100,000 troops, on Friday Obama said that – with Iraqis taking full responsibility for their country’s security – the rest of the troops are coming home by year's end, in time for the holidays.

“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over,” Obama said.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), who represents Lake County in the US House of Representatives, applauded the news.

“Today’s announcement that all United States troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year is overdue, but welcome news,” said Thompson.

Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran who opposed the Iraq war from the start, is a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and has spent several years working as part of the group on intelligence and security related issues.

“Our country has sacrificed enormously in this conflict, suffering the loss of more than 4,400 brave American soldiers and spending more than $1 trillion,” he said. “More than 32,000 servicemen and women have been wounded.”

He added, “As a combat veteran, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the brave men and women who have served in Iraq, each with great distinction, and to their families. Our troops have done an outstanding job. They have done all that we asked of them and more. Now it is time to bring them home to their families and for the Iraqis to take full control of their country’s defenses.”

Obama said that as US troops prepare to come home over the next two months, they can hold their heads high and be proud of their success. “That is how America’s military efforts in Iraq will end.”

The president said that as of Jan. 1, in keeping with the United States' Strategic Framework Agreement with Iraq, the two countries will have “a normal relationship between sovereign nations, an equal partnership based on mutual interests and mutual respect.”

Obama said the drawdown in Iraq allowed the United States to refocus its fight against al Qaeda.

“Now, even as we remove our last troops from Iraq, we’re beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan, where we’ve begun a transition to Afghan security and leadership,” the president said. “When I took office, roughly 180,000 troops were deployed in both these wars. And by the end of this year that number will be cut in half, and make no mistake: It will continue to go down.”

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Mike Adams, director of facilities planning for Mendocino College (center), buries a tomato for good luck at the site of the college's new Lake Center in Lakeport, Calif., during a groundbreaking on Thursday, October 20, 2011. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The next chapter in Lake County's story of higher education got started on Thursday afternoon with hard hats, ceremonial shovels and a tomato.

The hard hats and shovels were the more traditional parts of the groundbreaking for the new Mendocino College Lake Center, to be built on 31 acres at 2565 Parallel Drive in Lakeport.

The tomato was, according to Kelseyville businessman Gary Olson, a tradition from his Spanish ancestors, who buried a tomato at the start of a project for good luck.

Olson gave the bright yellow tomato to Mike Adams, another Kelseyville resident and Mendocino College's director of facilities planning, who has been with the college for nearly 30 years and helped draft its master plan, which included the new college for Lake County.

After several people in the large crowd of several dozen community members and local officials began to chant, “Tomato, tomato,” Adams dutifully turned some earth over the tomato to get the project rolling.

Mendocino College President and Superintendent Kathy Lehner explained that Measure W, passed in November 2006 had made the new campus possible in this time of difficult financial pictures.

College officials have stated that the new facility will be ready for students in January 2013.

“I've been waiting for 23 years for this to happen,” Mark Rawitsch, dean of the Lake Center as well as Mendocino College's center in Willits, told the group.

He said when he was hired 23 years ago, he was told that construction on a new Lake Center was set to start within 18 months.

Rawitsch thanked voters, community members, the private sector, the city of Lakeport, public servants and students for making it possible.

“For those of us who may think our best days are behind us, look at the Lake Center and think again,” he said.

Adams said he and his wife came to Lake County 30 years ago and began farming. He said he never dreamed he actually would be growing an institution.

He said he felt he was helping to plant the last seed of the college's master plan for Lake County.

Wilda Shock, a member of the new Lake County Friends of Mendocino College Governing Council, said the project was “all about teamwork.”

She said the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College was composed of “your friends and neighbors,” and she guaranteed the community would be hearing more from the group as it worked to support the college's work in Lake County.

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The architectural rendering of the new buildings planned for the Mendocino College Lake Center campus in Lakeport, Calif., is shown at the college site. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

Warden Brian Boyd and K-9 Phebe. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A California Department of Fish and Game K-9 and her handler have proven to be a great asset in the war against drugs in Northern California.

Belgian Malinois Phebe and her handler, Warden Brian Boyd, have been responsible for the apprehension of 40 fleeing marijuana cultivation suspects on grow sites hidden deep in forestland.

“Apprehension of marijuana cultivation suspects is some of the most dangerous work wardens do,” said Lt. Lynette Shimek, the Lake County-based coordinator of DFG’s K-9 program.

“Marijuana cultivation suspects are actively engaged in the commission of a felony, usually armed, extremely physically fit, and know the area better than their pursuers,” said Shimek. “Although most initial contacts with suspects result in foot pursuits, they can’t outrun Phebe.”

DFG has eight K-9s that are trained to detect illegal substances and objects, protect their handlers and apprehend fleeing suspects.

Phebe and Warden Boyd, who have been partnered for three and a half years, have fine-tuned their apprehension strategy with great success.

Phebe apprehended 13 of the 40 suspects with a bite, while the rest gave up under the threat of being bitten.

Phebe’s recent successes include a July 25 police raid on a known grow site in Mendocino County resulted in a foot pursuit after two suspects fled.

One suspect was quickly apprehended by Phebe and detained by the law enforcement team. Warden Boyd immediately put Phebe on the trail of the second suspect, who called out “Don’t let that dog bite me!” before surrendering to officers.

Phebe was commanded to hold the suspect without biting him, which she did.

Then, during a July 28 a police raid of a site in Tehama County, the team contacted five suspects who subsequently ignored the officers’ commands and fled.

One officer apprehended a suspect with his Tazer and two additional suspects were captured immediately.

Warden Boyd, Phebe and partner Warden Aaron Galwey set off after the other two. After pushing through extremely dense foliage for 400 yards upstream, Phebe located a suspect and apprehended him.

Over an hour later, when Phebe was searching the area for evidence, she sniffed out the fifth suspect hiding in thick cover. Warden Boyd was able to detain the suspect without injury. Phebe then went on to locate the suspects’ ammunition stores hidden in a plastic bag in heavy brush.

Two of Phebe’s apprehensions have been filmed for “Wild Justice,” National Geographic’s reality television series highlighting the work of California game wardens.

Videographers from Original Productions, the producers of the series, attached a camera to Phebe’s collar to give viewers a never-before-seen view point of an apprehension.

One of the apprehensions was aired during the first season of “Wild Justice,” which began in November 2010. The other apprehension will be shown on the upcoming second season. The air date of the season premiere has not yet been announced.

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K-9 Phebe and her partners, Warden Brian Boyd, during a search in the field. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

The 4,036-acre easement, located east of and adjacent to the Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, allows for sustainable commercial timber harvesting, grazing and hunting, but restricts future development, subdivision and conversion to other uses such as vineyards.

Additionally, the Baxter family wished to protect 38 acres known as the “Otis Grove” from commercial harvest. The grove includes redwoods over 600 years old and over 11 feet in diameter.

Permanent conservation measures will be taken to the portions of the Wheatfield fork of the Gualala River, Strawberry Creek and Rancheria Creek within the easement.

“We are pleased that our goal of permanently protecting our ranch has finally been accomplished,” said Barbara Baxter, who has lived on this ranch since 1947. “The outcome is certainly worth the time and effort the process took.”

Jeff Calvert, Forest Legacy Program (FLP) coordinator for Cal Fire, said, “The Baxter family should be extremely proud of this accomplishment. The family can to continue manage their ranch in the manner they desire while providing tremendous, permanent resource protection values to the public.”

Federal USDA Forest Service FLP funding, Proposition 12 grant funding through the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and a substantial landowner donation made purchase of the easement possible.

Also important was the considerable effort by attorney Ellen Fred of the law firm of Conservation Partners who partnered with the San Francisco law firm of Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass in representing the Baxter family.

CAL FIRE will hold the conservation easement and monitor compliance with it over time.

For more information on CAL FIRE’s Forest Legacy Program visit http://www.fire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/resource_mgt_forestryassistance_legacy.php.

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On Oct. 6, detectives secured a search warrant for a large scale outdoor marijuana cultivation operation on Daly Place in Jerusalem Valley after several large marijuana gardens had been observed during an aerial overflight, according to Capt. James Bauman.

On Oct. 11, the Marijuana Suppression Unit executed the warrant with the assistance of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force and the Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail, Bauman said.

When detectives entered the property, they immediately detained 47-year-old Odalys Angeles Lopez of Middletown and 55-year-old Alfredo Eugenio Fernandez of Castro Valley. Bauman said both subjects were located near a dwelling on the property and Fernandez was found actively processing marijuana at the time.

Detectives located a locked barn on the property, which appeared to be occupied. Upon forcing entry into the barn, detectives located and detained 23-year-old Osvaldo Gamalier Negronaponte, a transient; 27-year-old Pablo Andres Garcia Hernandez of Lower Lake; 19-year-old Rafael Ortiz Chavez of Middletown; and a 17-year-old juvenile transient from Pomona, Bauman said.

He said the barn contained large quantities of processed marijuana and the four men were actively processing more marijuana when detectives entered the structure.

As a search of the property continued, detectives located two large grow sites and a large outdoor marijuana processing “station.” Bauman said the partially harvested grow sites appeared to have been the source of all the processed marijuana found inside of the barn and at the outdoor processing station.

During the search of the Daly Place property, detectives identified another active marijuana cultivation operation on an adjacent property on Jerusalem Grade Road, Bauman said. Upon further investigation of the second cultivation operation, detectives located a garage that also appeared to be occupied.

After announcing their presence, detectives entered the garage and discovered it contained several more subjects actively manicuring large amounts of processed marijuana, he said.

Those detained were 33-year-old Toribio Raygoza Andrade of Kelseyville, 26-year-old Alfonso Hernandez Guzman of Kelseyville, 25-year-old Juan Manuel Raygoza of Kelseyville and 53-year-old Efren Medina Andrade of Kelseyville.

While checking the property for additional suspects, detectives located another structure near the garage that also contained another large quantity of processed marijuana. Bauman said detectives held the Jerusalem Grade property for several hours while a second search warrant was secured for further investigation.

During a search of the dwelling on Daly Place, detectives located a semi-automatic SKS assault rifle with a high-capacity detachable magazine concealed beneath a bed, Bauman said. In that same bedroom, detectives located a briefcase containing $6,967 in US currency and several documents belonging to Odalys Lopez and Alfredo Fernandez.

Bauman said the assault rifle was seized as a banned weapon in California and the currency was seized as the suspected profits of drug trafficking.

When detectives returned with the second search warrant for the property on Jerusalem Grade Road, they located and seized more than 200 marijuana plants and large quantities of processed marijuana from two indoor cultivation operations and another outdoor grow, Bauman said.

Some medical marijuana recommendations were found posted among the grow sites on both properties. However, Bauman said the recommendations were found to be either insufficient for the amount of marijuana located or were not issued to any of the subjects detained on either property.

A total of 10 felony arrests resulted from the 11-hour warrant execution and eradication operation, Bauman said.

He said Lopez was arrested for cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sales, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of an assault weapon. Andrade, Hernandez Guzman, Raygoza, Garcia Hernandez, Fernandez, Negronaponte, Chavez, Medina Andrade, and the 17-year old juvenile were all arrested for cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sales.

All adult arrestees were booked at the Hill Road Correctional Facility and the juvenile was booked at the Lake County Juvenile Hall, Bauman said. Immigration holds were additionally placed on Andrade, Garcia Hernandez, and Chavez.

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