MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Christmas in Middletown is an annual, free community event occurring on Saturday, Dec. 10, from 4 to 8 p.m. 

The streets of Middletown are filled with neighbors and friends who greet you as you pass. Families turn out in multiple generations, rain or shine.

Organizations set up booths on the streets and indoors at the high school cafeteria to sell goodies and crafts or offer to gift wrap your purchases in order to support their good works. 

Decorated merchant storefronts and business-sponsored, cut Christmas trees with ornaments created by area schoolchildren bring a festive feel to the town. The trees are later donated to local families in need through Spirit of the Season.

Santa Claus arrives on an old-fashioned fire truck to the Middletown Park where he helps with the tree lighting and carol singing at 5:15 p.m.

Afterwards, he meets children from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Mrs. Claus gives each a stuffed animal, courtesy of Hospice Services.

Nearby is a free hot chocolate bar and craft table for kids donated and run by the Middletown Seventh-day Adventist School.

The free Passport for Fun program encourages participants to visit member businesses to collect stamps in their passports for a chance to win a prize. This year, two firepits donated by Hardester’s Markets and gift certificates to area businesses will be awarded.

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 www.christmasinmiddletown.com or visit the Middletown Area Merchant Association Web site at www.middletownareamerchants.com .

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County's unemployment rate went up in October while the state's remained flat and nationwide joblessness had a slight decline.

The California Employment Development Department's latest report said Lake County was ranked No. 38 out of 58 counties for its October unemployment rate, which was 6.4 percent, up from a revised 6 percent rate in September, but still improved over the year-ago estimate of 7.3 percent.

California had an unemployment rate of 5.5 percent for October, the fourth month in a row it has registered that rate, according to the report. The state's unemployment rate in October 2015 was 5.9 percent.

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nationwide unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in October, down from 5 percent in September and 5 percent in October 2015.

Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,586,800 in October, an increase of 389,500 jobs, or a 2.4-percent increase, since October 2015, based on a survey of 58,000 California businesses.

The Employment Development Department said California employers added 31,200 nonfarm payroll jobs in October, bringing the state's job gains since the economic expansion began in February 2010 to a total of 2,400,300.

A federal survey of 5,500 California households showed an increase in the number of employed Californians over both the month and year.

It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in October was 18,369,000, an increase of 91,000 from September, and up 518,000 from the employment total in October of last year, based on the state report.

The number of unemployed Californian’s was 1,069,000 in October – down by 2,000 over the month, and down by 59,000 compared with October of last year, the Employment Development Department said.

In Lake County, the “total farm” category of jobs dropped by 500 positions, or 34.5 percent, from September to October, according to the report.

The “total nonfarm” category grew by 0.1 percent. Subcategories that showed growth included goods producing, 7 percent; total private, 0.7 percent; and private service providing, 0.2 percent. The subcategory of service providing showed a 0.3 percent decline.

Statewide, in October, eight industries gained jobs: leisure and hospitality; educational and health services; jobs, and trade, transportation and utilities; construction; information; financial activities; professional and business services; and other services. Posting losses were mining and logging, manufacturing and government.

Nine of California’s 11 industry sectors added a total of 409,200 jobs since October 2015: educational and health services; professional and business services; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government.

The two remaining sectors that showed job declines were mining and logging, and manufacturing, the state reported.

San Mateo County continued to hold onto the No. 1 spot for lowest unemployment statewide, 3.1 percent, while Imperial County had the highest joblessness statewide with 22 percent.

The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 323,124 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the October survey week, compared with 362,253 in September and 334,244 in October of last year.

In October, new claims for Unemployment Insurance were 44,808, compared with 38,277 in September and 46,203 in October of 2015.

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.

California election administrators continue the detailed and tedious process of vote counting and election canvassing as the federal government prepares for a transfer of power and voter attention shifts from the Nov. 8 General Election to the holidays and new year.

In the state of California, election results are not final and certified until early December, which can come as a surprise to some election observers who frequently have a keen interest in contests where the margin of victory is extremely close and remain vigilant in their observation and anticipation of the final count.

According to Dean Logan, registrar-recorder/county clerk for Los Angeles County and President of the California Association of Clerks and Election Officials, California has one of the lengthiest post-election canvass periods in the nation.

Counties in the state have up to 28 days to complete the count for President and up to 30 days for all other contests and measures.

“Historically, up to one third of the total ballots cast in an election are processed and counted during this post-election canvassing period,” Logan added.

The extended period is responsive to the state’s open voting model that includes multiple options for voting and failsafe provisions to ensure voters who are unable to get to their assigned polling place on Election Day or those whose registration status is in question are able to cast ballots and, once verified, have their votes included in the final, certified returns.

“It is often surprising to the public and media – and agonizing for the candidates and political parties – to have to wait out the final count, but California election law places completeness and accuracy over speed,” said Logan. “And, in the end, our electorate is best served by ensuring every vote counts.”

There are three categories of ballots that make up those that remain to be processed after Election Day:

· Vote-by-Mail – or absentee – ballots cast and returned by mail in the final days leading up to and on the day of the election as well as mail ballots turned in at polling places on Election Day. State law allows ballots postmarked on or before and received within three business days of the election to be counted. Records must be checked to ensure the same voters did not also appear to vote in person at a polling place on Election Day.

Additionally, state law requires comparison and verification of voter signatures on all mail ballot return envelopes to the signature on voter registration records prior to counting. Another new state law allows voters who forgot to sign their vote by mail ballot envelope up to eight days after the election to provide a signature.

· Provisional ballots cast by voters who were not listed on the precinct rosters where they appeared to vote or who were listed as having been issued a mail ballot that they misplaced, didn’t receive and/or weren’t able to surrender at the time of voting. These ballots also must be manually reviewed to confirm voter eligibility and undergo signature verification. Once verified, they must be checked to ensure contests and measures counted match up to where the voter is registered.

· Ballots with write-in votes are set aside in the initial vote counting process to allow for a check to ensure no votes were cast in the same contest for a candidate already listed on the ballot. Write-in votes must also be checked against the list of declared write-in candidates and then manually tallied for reporting on the final returns.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley reported last week that she and her staff have nearly 12,000 ballots to finish processing during the official canvass period. That tally includes 1,497 provisional ballots and 10,494 absentees.

The Secretary of State's Office said Tuesday that approximately 2,078,794 ballots remain to be processed statewide.

In addition to processing and counting the remaining ballots in the election, county officials must also conduct a series of legally required audit and record keeping processes prior to certifying the results to the Secretary of State's Office.

“All of these activities contribute to the transparency and accountability of the state’s election process,” Logan said.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thanksgiving week promises to be rainy and cool, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

The agency said there are chances of showers throughout this week, with breaks anticipated on Monday and Wednesday nights, and Tuesday morning and early afternoon.

The only day with specific rainfall amount predictions so far is Tuesday, when less than a tenth of an inch is expected during the daytime.

On Thanksgiving, rain is forecast both during the day and at night, to be followed by chances of rain through the weekend and into next week.

Cool temperatures also are in the forecast, with daytime highs in the upper 50s and nighttime lows in the mid 30s, based on the county forecast.

Light winds are forecast on Monday and Tuesday, the National Weather Service said.

Lake County got a dose of rain late Saturday and early Sunday, with rainfall amounts ranging between 0.19 of an inch near Lakeport up to 0.56 of an inch in the Cobb area, based on National Weather Service observations.

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.

In response to the massive tree die off across California – which the U.S. Forest Service today estimated has killed over 102 million trees since 2010 – Cal Fire is continuing its work with federal, local, and utility partners to remove dead and dying trees that pose the greatest risk to public safety.
 
“Although the epidemic tree mortality we are facing is devastating, it has galvanized partnerships at all levels, and focused renewed interests on forest health,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director and California’s state forester. “With disaster comes opportunity, and we will continue our work to remove the dead and dying trees that pose the greatest risk to public safety and private property.”
 
To date, Cal Fire and its partners have removed more than 423,000 trees in 10 counties, inspected and cleared of dead trees nearly 52,000 miles of roads and powerlines, treated more than 26,000 acres and created roughly 1,300 acres of fuel breaks.
 
“The number of dead trees in our state is truly saddening and another widespread impact of this historic drought we are managing in our state,” said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “Through the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force, we’re actively leveraging all of our resources around California to ensure protection of lives, critical infrastructure and the environment in our wooded communities and wildlands.”
 
Stakeholders working through the Governor’s Tree Mortality Task Force committed to redouble their efforts in the face of an expanding epidemic of trees killed by drought and bark beetles.

On Nov. 18, the U.S. Forest Service increased its estimate of the number of dead trees in California’s forestlands from 66 million to 102 million, greatly widening the estimated scope of a die-off unprecedented in modern history.

The estimated 36 million dead trees identified by the U.S. Forest Service in its latest aerial surveys will heighten the danger of falling trees and wildfire for years to come.
 
California has endured five years of drought – 2012 to 15 are the four driest consecutive years on record, based on statewide precipitation – and drought continues despite improved precipitation in Northern California last winter.

Drought is a frequent and natural feature of California’s Mediterranean climate, and the state’s highest economic losses due to drought typically involve loss of timberland and wildfire damage.

Healthy trees typically produce enough resinous pitch to repel bark beetles, but beetle populations can flourish among stands of trees stressed by lack of precipitation.

The beetles and their larvae feed on the tree’s living tissue. Beetle-damaged trees can take down powerlines, damage homes and fuel wildfire.
 
Over $10 million in state funds have been earmarked in grants for local projects to help combat tree mortality, focusing on the removal of dead and dying trees around homes.

Another $6 million of state funds have been used to buy equipment for removing dead and dying trees in high-hazard zones.

Ten counties stretching from Placer to Kern have been identified as the highest-hazard region for tree mortality.
 
“Work to address this massive bark beetle epidemic began quickly a year ago, and the joint undertaking continues,” said Mariposa County Supervisor Kevin Cann. “The sheer number of dead trees is hard to imagine, but it’s real and we must continue our efforts to address the fact that this will be an ongoing issue for years to come. We have come a long way since Governor Brown first declared this emergency. It is important that we recognize the substantial progress as we redouble our efforts to deal with this ecosystem impacting event.”

In October 2015, Gov. Brown signed an executive order addressing tree mortality, including the creation of a Tree Mortality Task Force. More than 80 local, state and federal agencies, as well as utilities and other stakeholders, focus on a coordinated response through the task force.
 
Additional information on the work of the task force to date can be found here.
 
For more information on how to be ready for wildfire and to learn how to make your trees healthy and prepared for bark beetles, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a mix of cats and kittens ready to go to new homes this week.

The available cats include torties, a tuxedo and various tabbies.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

For those looking for a barn cat to keep the rodents at bay, be sure to ask about the barn cat adoption program. Feral barn cats are adopted out for $1 each, which includes altering, ear notching and vaccines. 

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Shelter_Animal_Search.htm .

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

Domestic short hair kitten

This domestic short hair kitten has an all-white coat and blue eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 15, ID No. 6473.

'Cleo'

“Cleo” is a female domestic short hair cat has a white coat with dilute calico markings and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 49, ID No. 6501.

Tuxedo cat

This male tuxedo cat has a medium-length coat and gold eyes.

He is in cat room kennel No. 60a, ID No. 6440.

Domestic medium hair cat

This female domestic medium hair cat has a dilute tortie coat and green eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 111, ID No. 6459.

Domestic short hair

This female domestic short hair has a gray tabby coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 120, ID No. 6416.

Orange tabby kitten

This male orange tabby kitten has a short coat and gold eyes.

He already has been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 122a, ID No. 6483.

Domestic short hair kitten

This male domestic short hair kitten has an all-black coat.

He already has been neutered.

He's in cat room kennel No. 122b, ID No. 6484.

'Dusty'

“Dusty” is a male domestic medium hair kitten.

He has an all-gray coat and green eyes.

He's in foster care, ID No. 6439.

Clayton fire cat

This male domestic medium hair cat was injured during the Clayton fire. He was taken into care on Aug. 18 in Lower Lake.

He has a medium-length gray and white coat and gold eyes, and is recovering from injuries suffered during the Clayton fire. He has been neutered.

He's in the Animal Care and Control clinic, ID No. 5856.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

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.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

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.

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