LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Wednesday a longtime Lakeport Unified School District education support professional was among those honored at the White House as “Champions of Change” for their extraordinary work in pre-K-12 and higher education.

Doreen McGuire-Grigg, a special education paraeducator with Terrace Middle School, was among the 12 education support professionals honored at the Wednesday ceremony.

Education support professionals make up one-third of the nation’s education workforce, according to the National Education Association. Approximately, 2.8 million school support staff work in the nation’s public school systems, with more than 75 percent working at the K-12 level.

The White House issued a statement the ceremony that read, “Educators, including school support professionals, often go above and beyond to meet all of the needs of students so they can achieve success both inside and outside of the classroom. The White House is excited to honor and celebrate the incredible work of school support professionals.”

 Of the 12 honored, five are members of the National Education Association.

“Congratulations to these individuals on this incredible honor,” said NEA President Lily Eskelsen García. “NEA applauds their commitment to helping students succeed in school. ESP are our public schools’ unsung heroes. They are dedicated professionals who serve their students; willing and generous role models who makes a difference in students’ lives inside and outside of school; and advocates for public education.”

In March McGuire-Grigg was named 2016 Education Support Professional of the Year by the National Education Association, and was named the California Teachers Association Education Support Professional of the Year for 2015.

McGuire-Grigg has worked in the Lakeport Unified School District for 28 years.

In a 2015 interview she told Lake County News that she started as a room mother when her son was in kindergarten. She was hired by the district a few years later when her son was in the fourth grade.

She said she loves her work with children. “Witnessing my students experience breakthroughs is one of the many rewards of my work,” she said. “Having the opportunity to see those 'aha moments' is huge.”

She is a member of the NEA Board of Directors and represents the Education Support Professional chapters of CTA in 16 counties. She helped to organize the Lakeport Unified Classified Employees union in 1993.

She's credited for her advocacy for paraeducators and support staff. When the husband of one of her education support professional colleagues suddenly died, McGuire-Grigg helped raise funds to pay for the burial. She also used her community connections to help get supplies to the victims of last year's wildland fires.

In addition to honoring education support professionals, the White House has honored Champions of Change for climate equity, living wage, the Affordable Act Care and expanding fair chance opportunities, among others.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Fifteen branches of federal, state, and local government have agreed to work together on planning and projects in the Yolo Bypass and Cache Slough region in order to restore wildlife habitat, better manage floods, preserve farmland, improve water supply and quality, and provide economic development and recreation.

This partnership, formalized in a memorandum of understanding signed this month, will provide strategic input on the implementation of projects that include strengthening and setting back levees, removing barriers to fish passage, sustaining agricultural operations, and making it easier for salmon to rear on the Sacramento River floodplain.

The MOU helps coordinate and synchronize efforts of 15 separate federal, state and local agencies in the Yolo Bypass, a 92-square-mile swath of farmland and wetlands that serves as a flood safety valve to protect the cities of Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, and Sacramento, as well as important agricultural lands and several small communities.

Designed in the early 1900s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in collaboration with the State of California, the 41-mile-long Yolo Bypass can carry four times the flow of the Sacramento River.

Water from Clear Lake flows through Cache Creek and into the Yolo Bypass.

The Sacramento River once seasonally spilled across much of the Sacramento Valley, creating rich wildlife habitat, recharging groundwater, and providing abundant food for young fish.

Today the river is bound by levees, but the Yolo Bypass still operates most winters as a floodplain, carrying floodwaters from the river in a wide channel that stretches from Knights Landing to Rio Vista.

The bypass safely deposits as much as half a million cubic feet per second of flow into the mouth of the Sacramento River in the western Delta.

Besides helping to protect cities and rural communities from dangerously high flood flows, the Yolo Bypass supports abundant waterfowl and fish and offers good opportunities for habitat restoration.

Most of the bypass is privately owned and farmed, and the state holds easements that allow for regular flooding of the land. The state-owned Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area between Davis and Sacramento is popular with birdwatchers, hunters and educational groups.

Efforts are underway in the bypass to better mimic the river’s natural floodplains by allowing more water on the bypass for longer periods of time.

Studies show that the shallow flooding of the bypass boosts production of food for salmon and other native fish. Other potential efforts include enhancing seasonal floodplain habitat, improving levees for regional flood management, and removing barriers to help adult and juvenile fish return from the floodplain to the river.

“The Yolo Bypass was built generations ago primarily to provide public safety protection to the greater Sacramento area,” said California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird. “Over time, there has been a greater appreciation for its role in meeting other needs as well. Working together with everyone’s interests in mind, this agreement can move the role of the bypass to the next level – for flood protection, wildlife habitat and the agricultural economy."

“The intent of this MOU truly echoes the US Army Corps of Engineers’ focus on Integrated Water Resource Management,” said Sacramento District Command Col. Michael Farrell. “We can only achieve success by considering the plans and viewpoints of all other stakeholders in the watershed, and look forward to further collaboration on a long-term vision for the Yolo Bypass.”

“We are very pleased to take part in the signing of this agreement. It affirms a commitment to collaboration and aligns efforts across agencies to achieve outcomes that will help us improve flood conveyance, economic development, habitat, water quality and more in the Yolo Bypass and Cache Slough region,” said Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Regional Director David G. Murillo.

“Local agencies have been working hard to coordinate our efforts in the Yolo Bypass and Cache Slough region for a long time,” said Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza. “We welcome this opportunity to grow the conversation by working more closely with our state and federal agency partners.”

“This is exactly the kind of interagency partnership that is necessary to move forward in achieving flood protection, local economic sustainability, and the State’s coequal goals of habitat restoration and water supply reliability,” said Randy Fiorini, chair of the Delta Stewardship Council.

The parties to the non-binding, 10-year MOU recognize one another’s missions and authorizations and commit to greater collaboration and communication regarding federal, state and local actions – two critical ingredients for success in a landscape that provides so many benefits.

The signatories are the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Water Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Valley Flood Protection Board, State Water Resources Control Board, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Yolo County, Solano County, Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency, Solano County Water Agency and Reclamation District No. 2068.

A copy of the MOU is available at http://resources.ca.gov/docs/160510-Memorandum_of_Understanding.pdf .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Local students going on to the next big step in their educational careers were honored this week.

The Lake County Office of Education Career and College Readiness Department held the 11th annual Lake County University Admittance Reception on Monday in Kelseyville. 

Each year, administrators, board members, counselors and college representatives all gather to honor the graduating seniors and their families who have been accepted to a four-year college.

This year, the schools invited 93 students, down from 104 last year.

Colleges included California State Universities Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Chico, East Bay, Fresno, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Maritime Academy, Monterey Bay, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and Sonoma.

Universities of California schools where local students are set to attend include Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz.

County students also will be attending out-of-state and private colleges including Arizona State University, Brigham Young University, Kansas Wesleyan, Montana State University, Full Sail University, Gonzaga University, Oregon State University, Southern Oregon University, University of Nevada Reno, University of Portland, University of San Francisco, University of South Dakota, Washington State University and Western Washington University.

Guests were welcomed by Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg and Assistant Superintendent April Leiferman.

Lower Lake High math teacher and class of 2012 alumna, Rachel Boyd, shared her words of wisdom and perseverance to graduate CSU Monterey Bay and become the youngest alumni to teach at her high school.

Middletown High 2015 alumna Victoria Roderick sent a video from her UCLA campus and encouraged students to jump feet first into college and embrace the experience.

Guest speakers concluded with Helen Ryan of Kelseyville High’s class of 2013 as she shared her story of how college is different from high school. 

Thanks to the generous donations and loan of plants by Kelseyville Lumber, students were called onto the beautifully decorated stage to receive a small congratulatory gift.

Welcome gifts were requested from each of college with some receiving t-shirts, pennants and other spirit items.

Representing the UC system was longtime supporter Jacquelyn Ross of UC Davis. CSU bags were distributed by retiring Clear Lake High counselor Paul Larrea. The honor of awarding the bags for out-of-state and private colleges was given to Jeff Dixon, retiring principal of the Konocti Education Center.

Michelle Borghesani and her staff at Kelseyville High School prepared a buffet dinner that was offered free of charge to the attending students and guests.

During dinner service, guests were able to view a slideshow presentation featuring students’ career goals and special thanks to those that assisted them in achieving their college admission.

Students also were treated to a free drawing of prizes that included dorm survival bags, snack boxes and a special parent gift of chairs and mugs from Running Creek Casino. Photographer Tara Hall of Hall of Frame Photography donated her services to capture pictures from throughout the evening.

The University Admittance Reception was created 11 years ago to honor the hard work and dedication of local students and families who achieved a challenging academic goal.

In addition, the purpose of the event is to introduce students to other students throughout the county who may be attending the same or nearby colleges in the hopes that they can form a support system for each other.

The Career and College Readiness Department is proud of all of Lake County's graduating seniors and wishes special congratulations to this group of college-bound students as they embark on their higher education endeavors.

If you would like more information about the University Admittance Reception or would like to make a donation to support next year’s event, contact Education Specialist Tammy Serpa at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Coordinator Norma Cromwell at 263-8918, Extension 284.

COBB, Calif. – A 3.8-magnitude earthquake that hit near The Geysers geothermal steamfield shook various parts of Lake County as well as neighboring counties.

The US Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 10:29 p.m. Wednesday.

The quake's epicenter was 4.3 miles northwest of The Geysers, 5 miles west of Cobb and 7.5 miles west northwest of Anderson Springs, at a depth of 1.3 miles.

Early Thursday, shake reports had been filed with the US Geological Survey from Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lower Lake and Middletown in Lake County, as well as from Angwin and Calistoga in Napa County, and Cloverdale, Healdsburg and Geyserville in Sonoma County.

Additionally, on Lake County News' Facebook page, readers reported feeling the quake in areas including Kelseyville and Cobb, and even as far away as Redwood Valley. A Healdsburg resident also reported that she heard it rather than felt it, as the quake caused her entire home to creak.

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.