“Cozette” is a female domestic longhair with a brown tabby coat.
She is estimated to be 6 years old.
She is in cat room kennel No. 6, ID No. LCAC-A-969.
Female Siamese mix
This female Siamese mix has a short coat and blue eyes.
She is 2 years old.
She is in cat room kennel No. 68, ID No. LCAC-A-963.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male yellow tabby kitten has a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 70b, ID No. LCAC-A-987.
Male domestic shorthair kitten
This male yellow tabby kitten has a short coat.
He is in cat room kennel No. 70d, ID No. LCAC-A-989.
Male domestic shorthair
This male domestic shorthair has a gray and white coat.
He is 1-year-old and weighs nearly 6 pounds.
He is in cat room kennel No. 120, ID No. LCAC-A-874.
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. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many dogs this week ready for new homes for the summer.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of American bulldog, Chihuahua, German shepherd, hound, husky, Labrador retriever, McNab, pit bull, Rottweiler and shepherd.
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.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control website not listed are still “on hold”).
This 8-year-old male American bulldog has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-958.
Female Rottweiler-shepherd
This 2-year-old female Rottweiler-shepherd mix has a medium-length black and red coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-791.
‘Ren’
“Ren” is a 2-year-old male McNab-sheepdog mix with a short brindle and white coat.
He has been neutered.
He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-785.
Male pit bull
This young male American pit bull has a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-1028.
‘Boo’
“Boo” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua-dachshund mix.
He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-1039.
Female German shepherd
This 1-year-old female German shepherd has a medium-length black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-975.
‘Koko’
“Koko” is a 10-year-old male Chihuahua mix with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-897.
Rottweiler-pit bull mix
This 1-year-old female Rottweiler-pit bull mix has a short black coat.
She has been spayed.
She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-731.
‘Brutus’
“Brutus” is a 5-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short gray and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-670.
‘Seager’
“Seager” is a young male pit bull-hound mix.
He is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-1011.
‘Apollo’
“Apollo” is a 2-year-old male husky mix with a medium-length red and white coat and blue eyes.
He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-783.
Male husky
This 2-year-old male husky has a medium-length red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-1024.
Female pit bull terrier puppy
This female pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 33b, ID No. LCAC-A-853.
Male pit bull terrier puppy
This male pit bull terrier puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 33d, ID No. LCAC-A-855.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has a big new group of dogs waiting for homes.
The following dogs are ready for adoption or foster. The newest dog is listed at the beginning of the list.
‘Bear’
“Bear” is a male American Staffordshire terrier mix with a short brown coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 3476.
‘Cleo’
“Cleo” is a female Doberman pinscher mix with a short gray coat who is new to the shelter.
She has been spayed.
She is dog No. 4865.
‘Dusty’
“Dusty” is a male American Pit Bull Terrier with a tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4750.
‘Frankie’
“Frankie” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.
He is dog No. 4911.
‘Gizmo’
“Gizmo” is a senior male Chihuahua mix with a short tan and white coat.
He is dog No. 4902.
‘Lucky’
“Lucky” is a male Labrador Retriever mix with a short yellow coat.
He is dog No. 4908.
‘Mitzy’
“Mitzy” is a female shepherd mix with a medium-length black and white coat.
She is dog No. 4648.
‘Mojo’
“Mojo” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short black and tan coat.
He has been neutered.
He is dog No. 4881.
‘Patches’
“Patches” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short tricolor coat.
He is dog No. 4903.
‘Princess’
“Princess” is a female American pit bull terrier mix with a short fawn and white coat.
She is dog No. 4840.
‘Sassy’
“Sassy” is a female Labrador retriever and pit bull mix with a short black with white markings.
She is house-trained.
She is dog No. 4602.
‘Tanisha’
“Tanisha” is a female shepherd mix with a short orange and white coat.
She is dog No. 4647.
‘Terry’
“Terry” is a male Dutch shepherd mix with a smooth brindle coat.
He is dog No. 4880.
‘Toby’
“Toby” is a friendly senior male boxer mix.
He has a short tan and white coat.
Toby is house trained and neutered.
He is dog No. 4389.
Call the Clearlake Animal Control shelter at 707-273-9440, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to inquire about adoptions and schedule a visit to the shelter.
Visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Who would’ve thought that chili — that blessed concoction that warms the tummy and the heart — would be controversial? But it is.
To bean or not to bean? Are tomatoes acceptable or anathema? Just when and how did it originate? These questions cause consternation and disagreement among many chili aficionados.
But why in the world am I even talking about chili in the middle of a heat wave? Well, because — dads!
Since today is Father’s Day, let’s dig into a figurative bowl of what is, at least to me, one of the most quintessential dad foods on the planet.
I also happen to be one of those people who thinks a good bowl of chili is comforting, soulful and delicious whatever the season.
Some people are chili purists, while others like to experiment. Purists believe chili shouldn’t include much beyond meat, hot chili peppers and spices. (Certainly not beans!)
Those who experiment add all kinds of things to their chili, including some that don’t sound too unusual (molasses, beer or coffee, for example), and some that I find truly unexpected (like peanuts, artichoke hearts or bamboo shoots).
A sharp divide exists in the chili world related to beans, specifically whether or not adding them prevents it from being true chili.
Texas journalist and chili cook Wick Fowler said (rather strongly), “If you know beans about chili, you know that chili has no beans!”
This isn’t surprising coming from a Texan, where in 1977 the legislature voted to make beanless chili, known there as a “bowl of red,” its official state dish. The proclamation states that “the only real ‘bowl of red’ is that prepared by Texans.”
The International Chili Society, which oversees roughly 150 chili cook-offs each year, allows the use of beans and other nontraditional ingredients in one of the four categories of chili in its contests. Hopefully, that settles it: chili can be called chili even with beans.
Personally, I like beans in my chili. In fact, if not for beans, I couldn’t make chili at all since I favor vegetarian versions over meat-laden ones.
Kassie Koontz, who along with husband Reuben own and operate the Koontz Mercantile in Middletown, agrees that beans belong in chili, at least in her version.
Koontz is the current champion of the annual Middletown Senior Center chili cook-off. She also won second- and third-place ribbons in the two contests before that.
She favors a mixture of three types of beans: black, red and white. The white beans cook down and dissolve like a thickening agent, while the other two, both heartier, remain intact, adding texture.
Koontz recommends using the freshest meat possible as it makes a big difference in flavor. She grinds her own from the steer they buy each year through the high school’s FFA chapter.
Koontz shared another secret: a surprise ingredient in her chili is brown sugar. Its sweetness balances the heat that comes from chili peppers and it also serves to thicken the chili. Between the white beans and brown sugar, there’s no need to use a thickener like masa flour.
Though they grow chili peppers in their home garden, they’re not ready by the time the cook-off rolls around in May, so she uses a combination of whatever chili peppers look good at the local market, Hardester’s.
The pandemic prevented the senior center from holding its annual contest this year and in 2020. We all hope it will be back in 2022.
Beef is the meat of choice for most chilis, but as you might expect, chili has been made with almost everything — venison, buffalo, pork, chicken, spicy sausage, goat, and even skunk, jack rabbit and rattlesnake.
Outback chili in Australia is made with kangaroo, in Norway chili is made with reindeer and in Alaska, moose is a favorite.
As to the history of chili, no one is entirely sure exactly how and in what form it originated. There are almost a dozen theories that attempt to answer that question. I’ll throw out a few just for fun and you can determine what you think is most plausible.
Some say the dish hails from Mexico. In a 1568 publication, “The True History of the Conquest of New Spain,” author Bernal Diaz del Castillo describes an Aztec stew made from the remains of sacrificed conquistadors, hot peppers, wild tomatoes and oregano.
Personally, I really hope chili didn’t originate that way.
Another tale tells of a 17th century Spanish nun, Sister Mary of Agreda, whose spirit, the story goes, was transported from Spain to Texas by angels while her body was in a trance. While there, she preached to the Jumano Indians and in exchange was given a recipe for a chili-like stew made from venison or antelope, onions, tomatoes and chili peppers. The recipe, which Sister Mary recorded, was the first written version of chili con carne.
Others cite the lavenderas, or washerwomen, who served the Mexican Army in the 1830s and 40s, as the first chili makers.
Chuckwagon cooks on the cattle trails of the American West are also credited. These “cooks on the go” pounded dried beef, fat and chili peppers into easily transportable bricks which were reconstituted in boiling water over campfires for hardworking cowboys.
Or, as another story goes, was chili brought to Texas in the early 18th century by transplants from the Canary Islands?
In this scenario, King Philip V of Spain hoped to thwart French settlers from expanding westward from Louisiana by sending Canary Islanders to settle in San Antonio. Apparently, Canarians added copious amounts of cumin, a key ingredient in today’s chilis, to their slow-simmered stews which also included meat, chili peppers, garlic and wild onions.
It’s possible that the spicy stews of the Canary Islanders influenced the 19th century “Chili Queens,” who famously sold chili in San Antonio’s Military Square to passersby for decades, eventually leading to the wide popularity of the dish.
To complicate the question of chili’s origin even more, Rudy Valdez, a member of Colorado’s Ute Indian tribe, won the world chili championship in 1976 with a native recipe he claimed dated back 2,000 years.
Perhaps versions of chili developed in a variety of places at different times.
However it happened, one thing’s for certain — chili continues to evolve and grow thanks to cooks who experiment with techniques and ingredients. At the same time, purists ensure that their time-honored version of chili remains the same.
I’m pleased to offer a recipe today from the Six Sigma Ranch and Winery of Lower Lake, which, in addition to wine, sells ranch-raised meats at their tasting room.
Ranch manager Christian Ahlmann tells me they currently have grass-fed ground beef available for making this chili.
The recipe was developed by their tasting room manager, Mr. T, who also happens to be a great chef.
Six Sigma Chili from Mr. T’s Kitchen
Ingredients
1 pound Six Sigma ground beef 1 pound Six Sigma bacon ends 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large onion, diced, and divided in half 2 ounces tomato paste 1 can crushed tomatoes 2 cans red kidney beans 2 cans cannellini beans Salt and pepper to taste Cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and paprika to taste Optional toppings: cheese, jalapeño and sour cream
Directions
Brown chopped bacon ends in a large pot. Remove when crispy.
Remove half of the bacon fat and cook ground beef in the remaining fat.
Move the browned beef to one side of the pan and add garlic and half of the onion to the other side. (Reserve the other half of the onion for topping.) Cook until the onion is translucent.
Add browned bacon, tomato paste and crushed tomatoes to the pot. Stir until incorporated.
Drain beans and add to pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Season to taste. (Don’t be shy with spices — remember, salt is your best friend until it’s your worst enemy.)
Cook for one hour.
Spoon into bowls, add toppings and enjoy!
Recipe by Tameron Detrinidad (Mr. T).
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. She lives in Middletown, California.
As the last snow melts, NASA’s SnowEx teams are packing up the snowshoes, skis, and scientific instruments they’ve used all winter to study snow in mountains and prairies.
Now, they’re turning their attention to a different kind of mountain — all of the data they collected.
This year, SnowEx teams took snow measurements at six sites across the Western United States, on the ground and with drones and airplanes flying overhead.
This information will help scientists determine how much water the winter snowpack holds, which is crucial for managing water resources for drinking, agriculture, hydropower, flood forecasting, drought and wildfire management and more.
In addition to studying snow, SnowEx researchers are also evaluating how accurately various techniques can measure snow in different environments.
In the future, NASA hopes to launch a satellite dedicated to studying snow — and the water it stores — from space, in order to understand how changes in the snowpack affect droughts, wildfires, and more.
One of the main goals of the multiyear SnowEx campaign is figuring out which instruments may be best suited for the job.
“We’re not going to solve the snow monitoring problem from space with one technology,” said HP Marshall, an associate professor at Boise State University and SnowEx 2021’s co-project scientist. “A big part of SnowEx is figuring out the best way to combine field work, remote sensing, and modeling into one framework.”
In 2020, the SnowEx campaign was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the team couldn’t finish their airborne experiments.
For 2021, the science team had three major goals: conduct a time series of L-band Interferometric Synthetic Aperture radar (InSAR) observations in diverse snow conditions, measure the reflectivity of the snow surface, and study snow distribution in a prairie landscape.
A Gulf Stream 3 aircraft, carrying the Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture radar (UAVSAR) instrument from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, flew over seven sites in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Montana from mid-January until the end of March. UAVSAR is an L-band InSAR, a special kind of radar, that SnowEx is using to measure changes in the mass of the snowpack.
The snowpack’s mass can change drastically from one UAVSAR flight to the next. For example, a large snowstorm may dump massive amounts of snow in one area over a short period of time. Some of the snow may melt or sublimate — skipping the liquid phase and going straight from solid to gas. It may also get redistributed by high winds.
The SnowEx team is testing how well the UAVSAR sensor can detect these different changes in the snow’s mass. Summing up the changes in snow mass over the winter season will help the team calculate how much water is stored in the seasonal snowpack, or snow-water equivalent, or SWE.
“With UAVSAR, what we’re looking at is change in SWE from one flight to the next,” said Carrie Vuyovich, lead snow scientist for NASA’s Terrestrial Hydrology Program, at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Scheduled for 2022, NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plan to launch the NISAR satellite to study changes in Earth’s surface from space. NISAR will carry an L-band radar instrument similar to UAVSAR, and the SnowEx team is testing how they may use NISAR observations to study snow.
As the planes flew overhead, scientists collected data on the ground below. They measured snow characteristics such as snow depth and density, the size of individual snow grains, temperature, how reflective the snow surface is, and how much of the snowpack is ice, snow or liquid water.
The team collected these measurements from snow pits — car-sized holes dug in the snow. From inside the pits, scientists took samples at different depths to see how the characteristics of the snowpack varied from layer to layer.
The SnowEx observers also measured the snowpack using ground-based remote sensing tools similar to those used from the air and space.
The data collected during SnowEx is publicly available from the National Snow and Ice Data Center; more data sets are published every month as scientists from across the country complete processing each of the raw data sets and carefully checking them for errors.
Scientists on snowshoes or skis also used handheld spectrometers to measure albedo, or how bright and reflective the snow surface is. Albedo plays a huge role in how fast the snow melts. It depends on a range of factors, such as the size and shape of individual snow crystals, how much of the snow has melted already, and impurities like dust on top of the snow.
From the air, researchers measured albedo using the Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer Next Generation instrument from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Comparing the airborne and ground measurements will help the scientists identify how different factors contribute to the snow albedo.
This year, SnowEx added a site in a prairie, which is an important but understudied landscape when it comes to snow science.
While the amount of snow in prairies is much less than what falls in the mountains, “a large percentage of the snow-covered Earth is considered prairie. Snow in those areas is important for agriculture and contributes to flooding,” said Vuyovich.
These exposed landscapes often have high winds that move snow from one area to another, forming deep snow drifts in some areas and leaving only a light dusting of snow in others. Because of these variations, the SnowEx team wanted to see how well remote sensing can detect these large changes in snow cover over short distances.
All of the experiments went smoothly despite the pandemic, said Marshall. “There are always challenges,” he said, citing risks of hypothermia, avalanches and dangerous roadway conditions. “But COVID was a big additional challenge that we weren’t used to dealing with.” To ensure that everyone was safe, the team implemented routine COVID-19 testing, masks, social distancing protocols, and limited passengers in vehicles.
SnowEx teams also recruited local snow scientists to help collect data in the field. “These teams were completely instrumental in making this campaign a success,” said Vuyovich. “That was the only way we were able to continue SnowEx this winter.”
After a successful winter in the field, the SnowEx team is changing their focus from snowshoes and spectrometers to laptops and high performance computers.
In mid-July, 90 members of the community will participate in a weeklong hackathon, which will provide tutorials for working with SnowEx data and group projects to build software for analysis of the large data sets.
Next winter, the SnowEx team plans to conduct experiments in the Alaskan tundra and boreal forest. Full data analysis involving broader community participation will continue into the future.
Sofie Bates is a member of NASA’s Earth Science News Team at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday formally launched new regional Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Teams, or HT/SPAT, within the California Department of Justice and is encouraging law enforcement partners in the state to reach out to the new program.
Progressively stepping up their efforts since last year, the teams — one covering Northern California and another covering Southern California — are now nearly fully staffed and have already taken action across the state to support law enforcement partners in disrupting and dismantling human trafficking and the criminal exploitation of children.
Attorney General Bonta on Friday also issued an information bulletin to local authorities to provide guidance on key techniques meant to help reduce harm in law enforcement interactions with sexually exploited youth.
In addition, the attorney general highlighted new funds included in the proposed state budget aimed at combatting the effects of the pandemic on human trafficking and directly supporting survivors across California through $30 million in new grants over the next three years.
The new proposed funds are in addition to $10 million per year in grants already included in the budget.
“Plain and simple: Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Whether it’s forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation of children, there is no place for these kinds of crimes in California or anywhere,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Unfortunately, the pandemic has only served to exacerbate many of the underlying risks that lead to human trafficking in our state. We all have to work together across every level of government and society to help bring human trafficking to an end.”
Bonta said he was proud to formally launch our human trafficking teams at the California Department of Justice.
“I urge our partners across the state to reach out whenever they are in need of assistance. No one agency can do it all alone — and we need more than arrests to have a real, lasting impact on survivors, particularly children,” he said. “That's what makes these new grants in the proposed budget and our law enforcement bulletin so important. It will take hard work, patience, and understanding to secure justice and, ultimately, to bring healing. I’m confident that with the tools being shared today, together we can help make a difference for our people and for our state.”
“It has been more than 150 years since slavery was abolished and yet modern-day slavery still exists in our backyard,” said Assemblymember Miguel Santiago. “It’s our responsibility to do everything in our power to abolish this horrid crime and help survivors recover. A historic state investment of $60 million over the next three years coupled with the Attorney General’s statewide efforts will provide survivors much needed services such as housing, food, legal representation, and emergency response that could prove life-saving. This is only the start and it will take a village to eradicate one of the biggest human rights challenges of our time.”
Fighting a modern-day form of slavery
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery where perpetrators profit from the control and exploitation of men, women, and children for sex or labor through force, fraud or coercion.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were more than 1,500 human trafficking cases reported in California in 2019 — more than any other state in the nation.
In California, human trafficking has been most prevalent in urban areas and, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, three of the top child prostitution regions nationwide are in the Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco metropolitan areas.
Among other industries, victims of human trafficking can also be found among migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, providers of residential care, and in California’s garment sector.
Despite these ongoing concerns, California has historically lacked a statewide, collaborative approach to human trafficking enforcement.
However, as a result of a new infusion of funds to the California Department of Justice starting in fiscal year 2019-20, HT/SPAT has begun to directly step up engagement with federal, state and local law enforcement partners in efforts to help address the epidemic of human trafficking in California through a more comprehensive and collaborative statewide response.
The new regional teams are in addition to the California Department of Justice’s existing work as a lead agency in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force.
The HT/SPAT program is committed to using a victim-centered approach to aggressively investigate and identify forced labor and sexual exploitation for profit or gain by human traffickers and sexual predators.
The program also works to monitor and ensure compliance with California’s laws among registered sex offenders, largely focusing on those who have been identified as “Well Above Average Risk Offenders” in the California Sex Offender Registry. These individuals generally have a higher predicted rate of recidivism within the first five years of release from custody.
Overall, there are 13 special agents and two crime analysts in the HT/SPAT program, all are new positions dedicated to directly tackling and assisting in efforts to eradicate human trafficking in the state.
Law enforcement agencies urged to contact teams
The attorney general encourages law enforcement partners across the state to reach out to the new HT/SPAT program for assistance on human trafficking matters, particularly those that may be complex or impact multiple jurisdictions.
To date, many agencies have already done so and HT/SPAT has taken action in nearly all phases of enforcement efforts, including through:
— Nearly 300 on-the-ground address checks of potential suspects and high-risk sex offenders; – The development of dozens of investigative leads, conducting suspect and survivor interviews in conjunction with law enforcement partners; – The execution of nearly two dozen search warrants; – Outreach to nonprofit organizations that provide services to survivors; and – Assisting in and directly securing arrests related to human trafficking and other violations of California’s laws.
Protecting exploited children from harm
In addition to the California Department of Justice’s ongoing efforts to directly combat human trafficking in the state, Attorney General Bonta issued guidance to help law enforcement protect commercially sexually exploited children from further harm.
Commercial sexual exploitation of youth is defined as a commercial sex act where anything of value is given, including the provision of food, shelter, or payment, in exchange for the performance of a sexual act. Both girls and boys can be impacted and are subject to many of the same risk factors.
Over the past decade, there has been a growing awareness and shift in understanding regarding sexually exploited youth in California and around the country.
As a result, the California Legislature has enacted a number of state laws that aim to ensure youth are not criminalized as a result of being commercially sexually exploited.
For instance, Senate Bill 1322 of 2016 made laws that criminalize soliciting or engaging in prostitution inapplicable to anyone under 18 years of age, fundamentally changing aspects of the relationship between youth and law enforcement.
However, legislation alone does not ensure youth in such circumstances are able to meaningfully engage with law enforcement to extricate themselves from abusive situations or assist in the investigation and prosecution of exploiters.
Ultimately, more restorative-focused actions often depend on building trust and long-term relationships, Bonta’s office said.
While a number of law enforcement agencies may have significant experience and expertise in working with commercially sexually exploited youth in such a manner, this is not always the case for law enforcement agencies across the state and a harm reduction approach ultimately requires patience, consistency, and a recognition that lasting change will take time.
In Friday’s bulletin, drawing on the expertise of the Department's Bureau of Children's Justice, the attorney general urges law enforcement agencies to use a harm reduction framework and offers a wide-range of specific key strategies and approaches to help protect sexually exploited youth, including, among other things, to:
— Remember that trauma impacts the ability of youth to recall information, creating the potential for there to be gaps in their stories or have details presented in a non-linear fashion; — Allow time for youth engaging with law enforcement to decompress, giving them space to clear their heads or use the restroom; — Clearly establish the purpose of the interaction, reminding youth that they are not in trouble or under arrest; — Review and update as needed a safety plan for youth regarding what to do should they feel in danger or receive threats; — Take steps to remain engaged and stay in contact with youth if possible, even if they go missing from foster care or other placements; — Maintain communication with the youth’s support systems, including social workers or caregivers; — Determine the best and safest way to maintain contact, particularly if texts or phone calls make the youth feel unsafe; and — Take steps to protect youth from being required to publicly provide testimony due to the sensitive nature of their cases and their juvenile status.
New grants proposed
Lastly, pending approval by the governor, the proposed budget contains a major new investment in direct services for survivors of human trafficking in the form of grants to be administered by the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
These new grants are sorely needed as a result of the pandemic's impacts on many of the underlying risk factors that lead to human trafficking in California, including job loss among vulnerable populations, reported increases in online grooming, and limitations on the ability of victims to seek assistance in person.
During COVID-19, service organizations across California have reported significant upticks in calls to their hotlines and in demand for assistance.
Bonta’s office said he is a fierce champion for making these kinds of grants available and supported calls by advocates to ratchet up investments into direct services for survivors.
The grants included in the current proposed budget will help local entities support survivors through $30 million in new funding over the next three years. If approved, these funds will be part of the state's multi-tiered strategy to help protect and support Californians impacted by human trafficking.
Separately, the California Department of Justice also provides and maintains on its website human trafficking notices that certain businesses are required to post by law in order to inform the public and help ensure potential victims of trafficking are aware of resources available to them in California.
These notices are available for use to all members of the public. Up-to-date digital copies of the notices are available for free in two dozen languages on the Attorney General’s website here: https://oag.ca.gov/human-trafficking/model-notice.
General information about the HT/SPAT program is available on the Attorney General’s website here: https://oag.ca.gov/bi/htspat .
When my oldest son, now nearly 13, was born in July of 2008, I thought I could easily balance my career and my desire to be far more engaged at home than my father and his generation were. I was wrong.
Almost immediately, I noticed how social policies, schools and health care systems all make it difficult for dads to be highly involved and engaged at home. Contradictory expectations about work and family life abound.
As a fatherhood researcher with four kids of my own, I am convinced that fathers are transformative figures for children, families and communities.
But a man’s mere presence, paycheck and willingness to punish misbehaving children is not nearly enough. Many of the benefits of fathering for children come from dads being nurturing, loving and engaged in all aspects of parenting.
When fathers are caregivers – when they provide emotional support and act affectionately toward their kids – the effects go well beyond growth, development, good health and solid grades. My research shows the benefits also include having children who value emotional intelligence, gender equality and healthy competition.
Nurturing versus stoic dads
Thinking about the broad impact fathers have, I analyzed how fathering affects different social values – such as a belief in gender equality – in May 2021.
Surveying more than 2,500 American fathers 18 and older, I found that involved fathering has a long-lasting impact on the personal principles and cultural perspectives of children.
In my survey, the differences between the least nurturing and the most nurturing fathers are stark.
Surveyed fathers who reported that their own fathers were highly withdrawn tended to be hypercompetitive, emotionally stoic and unappreciative of women’s contributions outside the home.
In contrast, surveyed fathers who said they had highly nurturing dads were much more likely to achieve their goals in a healthy manner, be more emotionally open and believe in equitable partnership.
How dads instill values
Several decades ago, many fathers were unwilling or unable to provide their children with emotional support or physical care. Instead, they focused on bread-winning, children’s discipline and simply being present in the home.
These traditional norms left many contemporary fathers ill-equipped for modern parenthood. Contemporary social norms set broad expectations for fathers: rule enforcement and economically supporting the family while also providing for children’s physical and emotional needs.
Boys, for better and worse, often mirror the habits, interests and values of their own fathers.
My colleague Scott Easton and I found that how one’s father behaves is especially powerful given that cultural, social and institutional norms about fatherhood are much weaker than they are for motherhood.
For example, mothers have traditionally been known for showing children affection and providing emotional support. Social expectations for these behaviors are not well defined among fathers. As a result, dads have a much larger impact on their sons’ fathering behaviors than moms have on their daughters’ mothering behaviors.
Positively, this means that a sizable portion of men replicate the best attributes of their own fathers – such as being loving and affectionate. Negatively, this means bad behaviors – such as extremely harsh discipline – are sometimes repeated across generations.
However, some men compensate for their own fathers’ poor or nonexistent parenting by forming their own ideas and values about parenting.
Mothers and other parenting partners are healthier and happier when fathers are highly engaged with their kids. Men who care for and support their kids benefit too – with improved self-image, life purpose and relationships. And communities gain increased trust and safety from the relationships built when fathers positively participate in their kids’ activities, schooling and social networks.
Valuing supportive fathers
How can American society ensure that healthy competition, emotional openness and respect for women are widespread among future generations of men and fathers? Part of the answer is by valuing loving, supportive fathering.
Many fathers increased their share of child care tasks during the COVID-19 pandemic. These shifts may become permanent, ultimately changing cultural values around parenting and gender roles.
Society also needs to provide clearer messaging to fathers about what does and does not work in parenting. For example, my colleagues and I have shown that men who believe they should be nurturing parents are more involved in their children’s lives. Fathers who demonstrate healthy masculine traits like assertiveness and strong goal orientation also tend to be sensitive, engaged parents.
Thus, there are many routes to transformative fathering. And this is not simply behavior for biological fathers. Fatherhood is broadly defined, and people often look to nonbiological father figures like relatives, stepfathers, foster fathers and unrelated mentors.
All men who support and care for children have a critical role to play in instilling positive social values in future generations.
[Over 106,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.Sign up today.]
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — This year’s Middletown Days Queen and Princess contest had a big turnout, with 13 talented girls coming out to participate in the two-day competition after months of practice.
This year’s Royal Court includes Queen Emalee Pickens and Princess Rylie Slaight, and Kaitlyn Counter, Jadyn Owens, Emmy Hayes, Ciara Francis, Gracie Schnabl, Kailey Snell, Lynzi Snell, Payton Schuster, Faith Crawford, Emilia Lord and Stella Brand.
They will be participating in this year’s Middletown Days Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 19.
The parade will be followed by food, Kids Playday, vendors, and more at the Middletown Central Park stage and arena. Visit the Middletown Days website for a complete schedule of events.
Organizers said the group of 13 did not disappoint during the competition.
Day one took place at the Central Park Arena on Saturday, June 12, where they had to show off their skill with their horses.
The following day they had to switch gears and clothes for the final three events.
In addition to mastering each skill, the girls are responsible for selling 500 beef raffle tickets each. But, it’s all for a good cause. Middletown Days is the single largest fundraiser for the Middletown Central Park Association and the money from each ticket sold goes toward maintaining the arena.
This year the beef is donated by Benjamin Ranch & Mobile Slaughter. First place is half a beef and a second and third ticket will be pulled for a quarter beef each. Tickets are a dollar and you need not be present to win. So, if you see one of the girls this weekend at the park, buy a ticket.
Greg Evans, real estate agent and horseman, has been working with the girls to prepare them for the first day’s six events. They worked on horse mastership which includes haltering, grooming and explaining what’s in their caddy; showmanship and halter which involves walking and maneuvering the horse through patterns and inspection; Western pleasure which measures skills while walking, jogging or loping; and the reigning pattern, controlling and guiding the horse.
They also practiced barrel racing, basically maneuvering in a clover leaf pattern on their horse (their time serves as the tiebreaker).
Lastly, they worked on the queen’s waive, which several of the younger contestants said was their favorite event. It involved riding one and a quarter laps, while waving, in a safe and controlled manner.
There were 11 girls vying for princess, and the competition was stiff with several strong contestants.
In fact, no one girl swept the competition on Saturday: Stella Brand, 7, won showmanship and halter and also the reigning pattern; Jadyn Owens, 11, won the horse mastership category; Rylie Slaight, 8, took Western pleasure; Payton Schuster, 9, won the barrels; and Kailey Snell, 9, won the queen’s waive.
For the queen competition there were two contestants. Kaitlyn Counter, 15, made a strong showing on her quarter horse, Levi. But, Emalee Pickens, 18, had an excellent day showing her horse, OG (Original Gangsta) and won all six events.
Day two started out with the girls actually taking a written test to measure their horse knowledge and Schuster got the highest score. After that, it was all about poise as each girl presented a speech for the judges and modeled western wear.
Owens won for western wear and Emilia Lord, 6, won with her “All About Me” speech where she revealed the age of her mother and stated that her two younger brothers’ job is “being trouble.”
Queen contestant Counter gave a beautiful speech about the history of Middletown Days, Middletown Central Park and Hope City. She began by asking members of the audience a series of questions and to stand if they had ever run for queen or princess, helped out at the park, or been grand marshal. She won for speech in her division.
In keeping with Counter’s theme of community, all of the girls bonded and helped each other throughout the competition. A former queen even stepped in to help.
Alisha Mackey, the 2014 queen, lent Schuster her horse, Chicken, a few days before the event because Schuster’s wasn’t cooperating. She also lent her saddle to Counter.
Alisha Mackey’s mom, teacher Michelle Mackey, came down on Sunday to help the younger princess contestants read their tests. This year there were six contestants who were aged 6 to 8.
At the end of the hard-fought competition, Rylie Slaight was crowned princess. She is a third grader at Middletown Christian School. Her favorite rodeo event is steer daubing. She enjoys showing goats and chickens for Middletown 4-H, playing soccer and spending time with her friends.
Emalee Pickens was crowned queen. Pickens just graduated from Middletown High and enjoys pole bending and goat tying, but her favorite event is barrels because “it's fast and it’s just you and your horse.”
Neither girl had ever competed in the Middletown Days competition before.
Evans was proud of all the girls for sticking with the long process and improving so much.
The girls have already stated that they will be returning for next year’s competition and several new girls have expressed interest, as well.
At night, 7-year-old Miguel likes talking to his father Cesar Rubio about planets and stars.
“I try to nurture that,” said Cesar Rubio, a machinist in Pomona, California, who makes parts for mining and power generation equipment.
Now, the boy can claim his father helped discover planets, too. Cesar Rubio is one of thousands of volunteers participating in Planet Hunters TESS, a NASA-funded citizen science project that looks for evidence of planets beyond our solar system, or exoplanets.
Citizen science is a way for members of the public to collaborate with scientists. More than 29,000 people worldwide have joined the Planet Hunters TESS effort to help scientists find exoplanets.
Planet Hunters TESS has now announced the discovery of two exoplanets in a study published online in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, listing Rubio and more than a dozen other citizen scientists as co-authors.
These exotic worlds orbit a star called HD 152843, located about 352 light-years away. This star is about the same mass as the Sun, but almost 1.5 times bigger and slightly brighter.
Planet b, about the size of Neptune, is about 3.4 times bigger than Earth, and completes an orbit around its star in about 12 days.
Planet c, the outer planet, is about 5.8 times bigger than Earth, making it a “sub-Saturn,” and its orbital period is somewhere between 19 and 35 days. In our own solar system, both of these planets would be well within the orbit of Mercury, which is about 88 days.
“Studying them together, both of them at the same time, is really interesting to constrain theories of how planets both form and evolve over time,” said Nora Eisner, a doctoral student in astrophysics at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and lead author of the study.
TESS stands for Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, a NASA spacecraft that launched in April 2018. The TESS team has used data from the observatory to identify more than 100 exoplanets and over 2,600 candidates that await confirmation.
Planet Hunters TESS, operated through the Zooniverse website, began in December 2018, shortly after the first TESS data became publicly available. Volunteers look at graphs showing the brightness of different stars over time.
They note which of those plots show a brief dip in the star’s brightness and then an upward swing to the original level. This can happen when a planet crosses the face of its star, blocking out a tiny bit of light — an event called a “transit.”
The Planet Hunters project shares each brightness plot, called a “light curve,” with 15 volunteers. In the background of the website, an algorithm collects all of the volunteers’ submissions and picks out light curves that multiple volunteers have flagged.
Eisner and colleagues then look at the highest-ranked light curves and determine which ones would be good for scientific follow-up.
Even in an era of sophisticated computing techniques like machine learning, having a large group of volunteers looking through telescope data is a big help to researchers.
Since researchers can’t perfectly train computers to identify the signatures of potential planets, the human eye is still valuable.
“That’s why a lot of exoplanet candidates are missed, and why citizen science is great,” Eisner said.
In the case of HD 152843, citizen scientists looked at a plot showing its brightness during one month of TESS observations. The light curve showed three distinct dips, meaning at least one planet could be orbiting the star.
All 15 citizen scientists who looked at this light curve flagged at least two transits, and some flagged the light curve on the Planet Hunters TESS online discussion forum.
Then, scientists took a closer look. By comparing the data to their models, they estimated that two transits came from the inner planet and the other came from a second, outer planet.
To make sure the transit signals came from planets and not some other source, such as stars that eclipse each other, passing asteroids, or the movements of TESS itself, scientists needed to look at the star with a different method.
They used an instrument called the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere, or HARPS-N, at the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in La Palma, Spain, as well as the Extreme Precision Spectrometer, or EXPRES, an instrument at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Both HARPS and EXPRES look for the presence of planets by examining whether starlight is “wobbling” due to planets orbiting their star. This technique, called the radial velocity method, allows scientists to estimate the mass of a distant planet, too.
While scientists could not get a signal clear enough to pinpoint the planets’ masses, they got enough radial velocity data to make mass estimates — about 12 times the mass of Earth for planet b and about 28 times the mass of Earth for planet c.
Their measurements validate that signals that indicate the presence of planets; more data is needed for confirmation of their masses. Scientists continue to observe the planetary system with HARPS-N and hope to have more information about the planets soon.
Researchers may soon have high-tech tools to see if these planets have atmospheres and what gases are present in them. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, launching later this year, will be able to look at what kinds of molecules make up the atmospheres of planets like those in this system, especially the larger outer planet.
The HD 152843 planets are far too hot and gaseous to support life as we know it, but they are valuable to study as scientists learn about the range of possible planets in our galaxy.
“We're taking baby steps towards the direction of finding an Earthlike planet and studying its atmosphere, and continue to push the boundaries of what we can see,” Eisner said.
The citizen scientists who classified the HD 152843 light curve as a possible source of transiting planets, in addition to three Planet Hunters discussion forum moderators, were invited to have their names listed as co-authors on the study announcing the discovery of these planets.
One of these citizen scientists is Alexander Hubert, a college student concentrating in mathematics and Latin in Würzburg, Germany, with plans to become a secondary school teacher. So far, he has classified more than 10,000 light curves through Planet Hunters TESS.
“I regret sometimes that in our times, we have to constrain ourselves to one, maybe two subjects, like for me, Latin and mathematics,” Hubert said. “I’m really grateful that I have the opportunity on Zooniverse to participate in something different.”
Elisabeth Baeten of Leuven, Belgium, another co-author, works in the administration of reinsurance, and says classifying light curves on Planet Hunters TESS is “relaxing.”
Interested in astronomy since childhood, she was one of the original volunteers of Galaxy Zoo, an astronomy citizen science project that started in 2007. Galaxy Zoo invited participants to classify the shapes of distant galaxies.
While Baeten has been part of more than a dozen published studies through Zooniverse projects, the new study is Rubio’s first scientific publication. Astronomy has been a lifelong interest, and something he can now share with his son. The two sometimes look at the Planet Hunters TESS website together.
“I feel that I’m contributing, even if it’s only like a small part,” Rubio said. “Especially scientific research, it’s satisfying for me.”
NASA has a wide variety of citizen science collaborations across topics ranging from Earth science to the Sun to the wider universe. Anyone in the world can participate. Check out the latest opportunities at www.science.nasa.gov/citizenscience.
As the nation celebrates Father’s Day, data released in the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Current Population Survey, or CPS, shows that the number of children living without a father in the home has dropped to a nearly 30-year low.
The Census information shows that children living without fathers is down to 18.3 million. Or 25.1% of U.S. children, the lowest number of children in father-absent homes since 1993.
National Fatherhood Initiative, or NFI, a nonprofit organization working to end father absence, credits this significant reduction to the tireless work of individuals and organizations at the local, state, and federal level to proactively engage fathers in their children’s lives.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, when children are raised with a father or father-figure in the home, they are:
— Four times less likely to live in poverty; — Two times less likely to drop out of high school; — Seven times less likely to become pregnant before the age of 18; — Less likely to commit crime and be sentenced to prison.
Based on the data reported in the 2020 CPS, there are 2.3 million fewer children in father-absent homes since that figure peaked at 20.6 million in 2012.
The proportion of U.S. children living without a father in the home has also reached its lowest point since 1990.
This positive data comes as fathers across the U.S. have seen improvements in their relationships with their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a study conducted by the Making Caring Common Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 68% of dads report that the pandemic has brought them closer to their children — with large numbers of fathers reporting having more meaningful conversations with their children, getting to know their children better and sharing more with their children about their own lives.
Involved dads have a positive impact on their children’s overall emotional and social well-being. Over the past 27 years, NFI has worked to equip human services agencies to serve fathers through the delivery of nearly 10 million skill-building resources and the development of responsible fatherhood programs used by thousands of human services agencies across the country.
These agencies have pivoted dramatically during the pandemic to offer services and peer-to-peer engagement on virtual platforms, reaching fathers they wouldn’t have been able to with in-person facilitation and helping them be the best dads they can be.
“Our nation’s children depend on us to give them the best environment in which to grow into healthy adults,” said Christopher Brown, president, National Fatherhood Initiative. “The latest data from CPS, coupled with new trends toward stronger father-child relationships during the pandemic, are cause for celebration. Despite these shifts, the number of children living in father-absent homes is still unacceptably high. We will continue to build capacity in communities to address father absence through evidence-based programming, training, and resources.”
The annual CPS gathers data from a sample of U.S. households to identify estimates of America’s families and their living arrangements.
Data are categorized by how many children under the age of 18 live in different households: two-parent (married and not married), mother-only, father-only, or neither-parent (i.e. other relatives or no relatives).
NFI uses this data to track father absence in the intervening years between the decennial census.
The 2020 U.S. Census, with data to be released throughout 2021, will reveal greater trends related to father absence through data gathered from all U.S. households.
In 2019, NFI released the eighth edition of Father Facts. This publication is the most comprehensive source of data on father absence at the national and state levels and on the consequences of father absence and benefits of father involvement for children.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association has announced the winners of its spring photo contest and is launching its next contest for summer.
The group thanked everyone who participated in the spring, noting they had excellent submissions which captured the beautiful park in spring.
The winners are:
Adult division: Laurie Scheibner, female wood duck taken in a nest cavity on April 14 in Kelsey Creek Campground.
Senior division: Herman Strik, bald eagle taken May 11, 8:46 a.m. in a gray pine in Lower Bayview Campground.
Most Facebook likes: Herman Strik, Bullock’s Oriole in flight taken April 9 at 10:46 a.m.
The association is continuing its seasonal photo contests, and invites all park visitors to participate in the summer photo contest, which begins July 1 and continues until Sept. 1.
The contest is for all ages and all photographic submissions must be digital and posted on the CLSPIA Facebook Page. All rules for the contest can be found on this Facebook page.
You must be an amateur photographer and may use any type of digital camera.
Photographs must be taken inside Clear Lake State Park during the period of the contest. You may only post five photos during the period of the contest, but you may delete a photo and replace it with another. If you choose to substitute in a new photo, you will lose the likes on the deleted photo.
Judging will be in two stages: the five photos in each age group with the most Facebook likes will be honored and will move up to the panel judging.
The panel of judges will be selected by the CLSPIA Board and will judge the top five most liked photos and award a top winner in each age group.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — At its June meeting on Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission along with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Lake County Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff as the commission’s 2020 Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year.
“We are immensely grateful for Richard Hinchcliff’s years of dedicated service to Lake County’s fish and wildlife, and its citizens,” said Commission President Pete Silva. “This award acknowledges our appreciation of his many years of extraordinary work and we hope that other prosecutors in the state recognize and follow his example.”
Hinchcliff told Lake County News that he is very honored to receive the award from the California Fish and Game Commission.
“I am especially honored to have the local wardens who personally know me and work with me nominate me for the award. I have spent a lot of time in the last 20 years working on fish and wildlife poaching cases, much of it in the evenings and weekends, trying to protect our local fish and wildlife resources,” he said.
Having been an angler and hunter since the age of 6, Hinchcliff has always considered the illegal take of fish and wildlife to be a form of theft from the public and a violation of ethical and responsible behavior.
Throughout his lifetime spent in the field, his time with the District Attorney’s Office and his participation in the Lake County Environmental Crimes Task Force, Hinchcliff is doing his part to counteract the damaging effects of poaching and pollution on the ecosystem.
Since September 2000, Hinchcliff has prosecuted approximately 550 wildlife and environmental cases in Lake County. He has a conviction rate exceeding 95% for all fish and wildlife cases referred to the Lake County District Attorney’s Office in the last 21 years.
During that time, Hinchcliff has successfully obtained orders from the court to have poachers pay fines in the amount of $429,742, he has had 65 firearms ordered forfeited, and had 116 hunting licenses and 57 fishing licenses revoked from convicted poachers for one to three years.
Hinchcliff was the very first prosecutor to use the “trophy enhancement” for a deer poaching conviction, which increased penalties associated with poaching trophy class game mammals and wild turkey.
He said all of the hard working game wardens investigating and putting fish and wildlife poaching cases together in Lake County have made his work — and, ultimately, this award — possible.
“I have probably worked with a couple dozen wardens in this county over the last 20 years, and they have all been dedicated hard working people. The award belongs to all of those wardens as much as it does me,” Hinchcliff said.
There was another group Hinchcliff also credited with making his work possible.
“Fortunately, over the last 20 years, we have had some good judges in Lake County that realize the importance of protecting fish and wildlife from illegal hunting and fishing activities, that have generally supported the dispositions and sentences recommended by the District Attorney’s Office,” he said.
Hinchcliff has mentored many Lake County wildlife officers, rookie and veteran alike, even during the pandemic.
He is always available to answer questions about environmental violations, case law updates, search warrant evaluations or to provide sound advice whenever officers are seeking guidance.
His assistance and availability have led to solid convictions in cases which involve serious wildlife or environmental offenses.
“California wildlife officers and the residents of California are indebted to Richard Hinchcliff’s relentless pursuit of justice and his tireless prosecution of those who would bring harm to the wildlife we care so much about,” said David Bess, CDFW deputy director and chief of the Law Enforcement Division.
Hinchcliff is also a sitting board member on the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee, having served continuously since 1986.
He is active in many local and statewide charitable groups, including the Mendocino Blacktail Deer Association, California Deer Association, A-Z Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, California Waterfowl Association and the Lake County Peace Officers Association.
The Fish and Game Commission annually honors a courtroom champion of California’s fish, wildlife and natural resources, a person who tirelessly prosecutes fish, wildlife, natural resource and environmental crimes in California courts.
The Wildlife Prosecutor of the Year Award goes to a prosecuting attorney who exhibits:
— Exceptional skill and an outstanding commitment to protecting California’s fish, wildlife and natural resources;
— Superior performance in prosecuting wildlife, natural resource and environmental crimes;
— Relentless pursuit of justice for the most egregious violators and keen ability to prosecute complex, controversial or landmark cases, and/or;
— Exemplary work promoting and maintaining a collaborative working relationship with wildlife officers in pursuit of conserving our natural resources.