Wednesday, 09 October 2024

News

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An artist's concept of Spitzer passing through Earth's dusty tail. Courtesy of NASA.


 



 


Did you know that the Earth has a dust tail? The Spitzer Space Telescope sailed right through it a few months ago, giving researchers a clear idea of what it looks like. That could be a big help to planet hunters trying to track down alien worlds.


“Planets in distant solar systems probably have similar dust tails,” said Spitzer project scientist Mike Werner. “And in some circumstances these dust features may be easier to see than the planets themselves. So we need to know how to recognize them.”


It's extremely challenging – and usually impossible – to directly image exoplanets. They're relatively small and faint, hiding in the glare of the stars they orbit.


“A dust tail like Earth's could produce a bigger signal than a planet does. And it could alert researchers to a planet too small to see otherwise,” Werner said.


Earth has a dust tail not because the planet itself is particularly dusty, but rather because the whole solar system is.


Interplanetary space is littered with dusty fragments of comets and colliding asteroids. When Earth orbits through this dusty environment, a tail forms in the rear, akin to swaths of fallen leaves swirling up behind a streetsweeper.


“As Earth orbits the sun, it creates a sort of shell or depression that dust particles fall into, creating a thickening of dust – the tail – that Earth pulls along via gravity,” explained Werner. “In fact, the tail trails our planet all the way around the sun, forming a large dusty ring.”


Spitzer's recent observations have helped astronomers map the structure of Earth's dust tail and figure out what similar “tell-tale tails” attached to alien planets might look like.

 

 

 

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A computer simulation of Earth's dust tail/ring seen from a vantage point outside our solar system. Colors indicate density; purple is lowest, red is highest. Credit: Christopher Stark, GSFC.
 

 

 


Like our own solar system, other planetary systems are infused with dust that forms a dusty disk encircling the central star. And like Earth, exoplanets interact with their dust disk gravitationally, channeling and drawing strange features into it.


“In some stars' dust disks there are bumps, warps, rings, and offsets telling us that planets are interacting with the dust,” said Mark Clampin of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. “So we can 'follow the dust' to the planets. So far, we've seen about 20 dust disks in other solar systems. And in some of those cases, following the dust has already paid off.”


Clampin, Paul Kalas and colleagues were looking for a planet around the bright southern star Fomalhaut when they unexpectedly found a dust ring. The shape of that ring led them to their goal.


“We suspected that the ring's sharp inner edge was formed by a planet gravitationally clearing out the surrounding debris,” said Clampin. “We tracked the planet by this 'footprint' in the dust.”


Another Hubble image shows a dusty disk around Beta Pictoris, a star in the constellation Pictor, or “Painter's Easel.”


“Note the smaller dust ring that's tilted with respect to the larger dust disk,” said Clampin. “Like Earth, this planet is shepherding the dust into its orbital plane.”


Clampin explained why it's hard to see the Earth's dust tail from within our solar system: “Imagine looking at fog on the Golden gate from above where you can clearly see the structure. If, on the other hand, you are standing on the bridge, it's a lot harder to discern the shape of the cloud.”


Clampin and Werner said Spitzer's observation of Earth's dust tail and these initial observations of dust structures in distant solar systems set the stage for the planet hunting debut of the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope, targeted to launch in 2014, is a large, infrared-optimized space telescope. For more information, see www.jwst.nasa.gov/ .


They fully expect the huge and powerful new telescope to spot many tell-tale tails ... of the alien variety.


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A Hubble image of dusty material circling the star Beta Pictoris. Courtesy of NASA.
 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Layoffs, pay cuts, financial instability. Nearly every American has been impacted by the shaky economy and can relate to the out of control feeling that comes with being hit by unforeseen circumstances.


For many families Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's recent veto of funding for CalWORKs Stage 3 child care was that unforeseen circumstance.


The Stage 3 program was developed to assist with child care service payments for low-income families that are transitioning off or are former recipients of cash aid.


Temporary relief was felt on Nov. 5 as Alameda Superior Court Judge Wynne Carvill delayed the implementation of the cuts until at least the end of November when a hearing on the case can be held, but families relying on the funding to get back on their feet still have reason to worry.


Kim Beall has run Sunshine Family ChildCare out of her home in Lakeport since 1994. Her child care service is one of many registered through North Coast Opportunities (NCO), a local nonprofit that uses the Stage 3 funding to subsidize quality childcare for transitional families.


Over the clinking of toys and children’s laughter she said that the hardest part for her to grasp about the cuts is the lack of compassion, noting that she doubts “anybody involved in these cuts went home and had somebody sitting at their table that had been affected by it.”


Nearly half of the children Beall provides care for will be affected by the cuts.


This would create a financial loss for Beall, but it’s the moral aspect of the situation that bothers her, not the money. Pulling in just over $18,000 a year monetary gain is not her focus; she’s in it for the kids.


Unchanged dirty diapers, children being left unsupervised in homes and stifling hot cars, secondhand smoke exposure – these are just a handful of the horror stories Beall tells about inexpensive child care services.


Christal and Jimmy White were once the victims of inadequate child care and have since found Sunshine Family ChildCare and Beall who also informed the couple about NCO.


“It’s hard to trust somebody with your kid,” said Christal White. “I don’t want to lose Kim”


“She is so good with the kids, I don’t know how she gets my daughter to listen,” her husband chimed in with a smile. “Whatever she is doing, it’s working.”


Jimmy White was laid off from his job with a cabinet shop a little over a year ago. With help from NCO he has gone back to school to receive his GED.


He has been steadily job searching and says that the child care funding is exactly what his family needs to gain the financial stability to be self-sufficient.


They have been trying to find new services but say the anxiety of reliving their bad experience tends to affect their daily productivity. They’ve also noticed a difference in their daughter.


“She’s all mixed up,” Christal White said. “It’s not good for a kid to just be bounced around all the time.”


The Whites have made a temporary arrangement to cover child care, but both agree that their journey to stability without Stage 3 help scares them.


Valerie Stark of Lakeport knows that fearful feeling.


“I was shocked to hear the news,” said Stark. “We go through this every year with the budget, but I never thought they’d really cut the funding.”


Dolls, trophies and photographs of her children decorate the modest two-bedroom apartment where she lives. Her driveway is unoccupied because she couldn’t afford to pay her car registration and is falling behind on rent and electricity.


Separated from her husband and having recently lost her job, Stark struggles to provide for her three children – ages 1, 4 and 6 – alone.


Her $315 a week unemployment check makes her ineligible for child care coverage. She currently works part-time and says she is afraid to find a steady job because she may have to quit for lack of reliable child care.


Stark also takes her children to Sunshine Family ChildCare and credits Beall with the fact that her son entered kindergarten at the top of his class. Laughing, she thought about how Beall has him sit down to “do his letters” at the beginning of every day.


Anger and frustration are common emotions for Stark. She acknowledged that her own choices got her to the position she is in, but stresses that she is trying to be self-sustaining. The decision seems backwards to her because she feels like she has “no choice but to be back on welfare.”


“I don’t want to be back on the system,” she explained, tears welling up in her dark blue eyes. “I want to work … this affects the people that are trying.”


The Whites also feel frustrated wondering why the decision was made to take funding away from families working to be good examples for their children. They feel like the child care cuts are encouraging people to “jump on welfare and collect the benefits.”


“I know the program works, I’ve seen it work,” said Beall. “All the people that think these families are just leeching off the system don’t realize that sometimes they are just one paycheck away from being right there … they just don’t see it.”


Although families can rely on funding for now, those affected hope that the delay will provide time for people to realize the severity of the Stage 3 cuts.


They hope that communities can put aside differences to unite over the unforeseen circumstances that people have experienced and not give handouts to the undeserving, but provide a helping hand for those truly in need.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LUCERNE, Calif. – A helicopter was called in to rescue a young man stranded atop a rock on the Northshore Wednesday evening.


Nineteen-year-old Jeremy Michael King climbed up the 60-foot face of Castle Rock – located on the west side of Lucerne near Roland Drive – Wednesday afternoon, according to a report from Sgt. Dave Thompson of the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office, which assisted with the rescue.


King was on the rock about two hours and when evening arrived and it got dark he panicked, Thompson said.


Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Steve Hart said the district received the call at around 6 p.m.


Hart said he, Chief Jim Robbins and Battalion Chief Pat Brown responded, along with medic and heavy rescue units, an attack vehicle, a light unit and a utility vehicle.


Reports from the scene indicated fire officials were concerned about endangering personnel and equipment in trying to get to King. They noted that the ground was wet due to recent rains.


So Hart said the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office's Henry-1 helicopter was called in to conduct a long line rescue.


Firefighters at the scene reportedly helped light up the rock where the climber was located in an effort to help guide the helicopter in.


Once the helicopter arrived, Hart said it took about five minutes to rescue King.


Thompson said a trained Henry-1 crew member rescued the teen using a “horse-collar” rescue “strop.” King was then flown with the rescuer via the 100-foot long-line to awaiting fire crew members. He was uninjured.


Thompson said the Henry-1 is equipped with state-of-the-art night vision goggles and a 50-million candle-power Night Sun spotlight.


That equipment, plus ample nocturnal rescue training, enables the Henry-1 crew to be available to perform these nighttime long-line rescues, which are generally not conducted elsewhere throughout the nation, Thompson said.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

TALMAGE, Calif. – A 3.3-magnitude earthquake was reported near Talmage early Saturday morning.


The quake, reported at 12:34 a.m., occurred at a depth of 1.4 miles eight miles southeast of Talmage, nine miles west of Lakeport and 10 miles southeast of Ukiah, according to the US Geological Survey.


The survey received 27 shake reports from seven zip codes, including Lakeport, Hopland, Ukiah, Santa Rosa, Vacaville and San Jose, an estimated 219 miles away.


A 3.0-magnitude quake was reported near Talmage in August, as Lake County News has reported.


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – This week St. Helena Hospital Clearlake officially kicked off its emergency department renovations with a ceremonial “wall breaking” on Wednesday.


The hospital plans a $12.1 million renovation and expansion of its emergency department.


The festivities began with a reception followed by a variation of the traditional groundbreaking, in which hospital executives and physicians wielding golden sledge hammers broke through a symbolic emergency department wall, signaling commencement of the long-awaited renovation project.


Participants in the ceremony included Jennifer Swenson, vice president of operations; members of the hospital’s governing board and medical staff; and St. Helena Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Newmyer.


“This is an exciting event for us, and we want to share it with everyone,” said Newmyer. “A modernized and expanded emergency department is a critical milestone in our commitment to delivering excellence here in our community.”


The renovation will create 12 state-of-the-art patient monitoring rooms, two of which will be for trauma patients.


The project also will improve the configuration of the emergency department, providing a private ambulance entrance, a welcoming entrance for walk-in patients and visitors, and a pleasant, comfortable environment in the larger remodeled waiting area.


The triage area will be redesigned so that patients can go directly from the emergency department lobby to a private bed, if necessary.


St. Helena Hospital Clearlake is a 25-bed acute care Critical Access Hospital serving South Lake County.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has issued a warning to the public that an ATM “skimming” scam has been discovered in the county.


Capt. James Bauman reported that on Nov. 7 a Lake County man stopped at a gas station in a south Lake County community to get gas. The man used his ATM card at the gas pumps, and upon using his card, he saw that the ATM screen on the pump was blank.


The man assumed that there must have been a problem with the computer equipment, so he chose another gas pump to get his fuel. The man thought little of what initially appeared to be nothing more than a case of faulty equipment but what he man didn’t know, is that he had just been the victim of a type of theft that is becoming more frequent, referred to as “bank card skimming,” Bauman said.


The practice of bank card skimming occurs when would-be thieves purchase a credit card or ATM card scanner called a “skimmer,” Bauman said.


An Internet search using the phrase “ATM card skimmer” will provide a long list of stories and information on this emerging practice of fraud and theft. The device is placed at locations where unsuspecting people use their ATM card, he said.


Such locations can include gas pumps, phony ATM machines, legitimate ATM machines, restaurants, stores, or anywhere else where debit and credit cards are accepted. Bauman said the device captures information from the magnetic strip on the card and reveals the information to the person who placed the device. This allows access to a person’s financial accounts until the crime is detected.


In the case of the Lake County man at the gas station, thieves were able to make five withdrawals in a matter of one minute. Each of those withdrawals was in the amount of $90. The man had $450 stolen from his account before he knew what happened, Bauman said.


Luckily for the man, his bank detected the unusual activity and immediately notified him so that action could be taken to prevent any further loss. Bauman said it is easy to imagine a situation where the man wouldn’t have been available to be contacted by his bank and further losses could have occurred. By the time the man figured out that he had been victimized, the device had already been removed from the machine.


ATM and credit card fraud has evolved with technological advances over the years. Bauman said there was once a time, when carbon copies of credit card receipts were susceptible to theft by people who would make counterfeit cards.


Somewhere along the way, magnetic strips were added and PIN numbers were issued. Would-be thieves took to peering over the shoulders of people to retrieve their PIN numbers, or simply robbing people at ATM machines, according to Bauman.


There have been numerous other methods of theft and fraud implemented by criminals over the years. We are now at a point in time where technology has made the art of stealing information, data, and money a relatively easy, inexpensive and easily concealable crime to commit, he said.


Bauman said that, while ATM skimming is not a new crime, it is becoming more common and the effects are beginning to be felt here in Lake County.


According to the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Investigation and Intelligence report to the Legislature on Organized Crime in California: “Two of the most common … financial frauds are credit card/identity thefts and automated teller machine (ATM) or point-of-sale (POS) credit card skimming. According to law enforcement sources, it is very difficult to stop this type of activity once account information has been compromised. Suspects are able to create and use new cards with existing account information before the victim notices the unauthorized credit account activity” (source: http://ag.ca.gov/publications/org_crime2007_08.pdf).


Certain precautionary measures can be taken to protect yourself from having credit or bank accounts accessed, Bauman said.


Be aware of your surroundings when using ATM machines, he said. Look for suspicious people and vehicles. If the bushes around the ATM machine are overgrown, ask the business to trim them back. Choose well-lit and public ATM locations.


Consider bringing a trusted friend with you to the ATM machine, Bauman said. When you use your credit/debit card and something unusual occurs, like the scenario outlined above, notify someone at the business. The people who work around the equipment day in and day out are more likely to be able to identify any equipment that doesn’t belong there.


When dining out and paying with a credit or debit card, consider bringing your card to the cashier instead of handing it over to your server. Bauman said the overwhelming majority of workers are honest, hardworking people making a living, but it only takes one unscrupulous person to cause you some long-lasting headaches and financial woes.


Check with your bank or financial institution to see what their policies and practices are with regards to unauthorized transactions, Bauman suggested. These practices can vary from institution to institution and you may find through a little research, what your rights as a consumer and a victim are.


The Lake County Sheriff’s Department is currently investigating the theft at the gas station, Bauman said.


Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff’s Department at 707-262-4200.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

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Jennifer Kelly, center, at the Lake County Teacher of the Year Award Dinner earlier this year. On Friday, November 12, 2010, Kelly was named one of the five California Teachers of the Year. She is pictured with, top row, husband, Ron; childhood friend, Susie; and, front row, parents Herring and Lisa. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Office of Education.
 

 



MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A local star teacher has been honored as one of the state's top educators.


On Friday State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell announced the five teachers recognized as California Teachers of the Year for 2011.


Among them was Jennifer Kelly, an eighth grade science teacher at Middletown Middle School.


Also honored were Shannan Brown, fifth grade teacher, Thomas Edison Elementary School, San Juan Unified School District, Sacramento; Darin Curtis, eighth grade physical education, Tierra del Sol Middle School, Lakeside Union School District, Lakeside (San Diego County); Beverly Gonzalez, fourth grade mathematics and writing, Santa Fe School, Baldwin Park Unified School District, Baldwin Park (Los Angeles County); and Khadir Rajagopal, ninth through 11th grade mathematics, Grant Union High School, Twin Rivers Unified School District, Sacramento.


“Our California Teachers of the Year are amazing instructional leaders who have a great passion for helping students reach their full potential,” O'Connell said. “They each have unique ways of teaching and thinking that inspire their students to love learning. The Teachers of the Year inspire me, and I hope they inspire veteran teachers and encourage future teachers to follow their footsteps into the classroom.”


In 1972, California began recognizing outstanding teachers to honor the profession chosen by 300,000 persons in the state and to heighten interest in teaching as a career.


The process results in the annual selection of five teachers statewide who successfully employ strategies to increase academic success and narrow the achievement gap with a range of diverse students.


The five teachers serve as California Teachers of the Year for a one-year term. Their responsibilities include effectively representing the state’s teachers; motivating and inspiring other educators; and championing the positive contributions of the teaching profession.


In May Kelly was recognized as Middletown Unified District Teacher of the Year and soon after she completed the countywide selection process and was nominated Lake County Teacher of the Year.


After submitting a 21-page application in August, she was notified that the state had chosen her as a finalist.


An on-site visit was conducted to observe her teaching, and then she was invited to Sacramento for an intensive panel interview.


During the process, Kelly said this of her profession: “As the world around us becomes more complex, the value of teaching grows even more in importance.”


Only one other Lake County teacher has received such recognition in the California Teacher of the Year's 37-year history – Alan Siegel from Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake was selected as 2005 California Teacher of the Year. Additionally, Marc Morita, a seventh grade English teacher from Middletown Middle School, was selected as a finalist in 2008.


“When you walk around campus and ask students about their favorite classes, they continuously rank Mrs. Kelly’s science class as a favorite,” said Middletown Middle School Principal Dan Morgan.


“Her energy and enthusiasm is inspiring,” Morgan said. “She has a huge variety of hands-on projects and tons of activities. Year after year, her students score proficient and advanced on the California STAR Tests, regardless of their demographics, socio-economic status, or ability level in other subjects.”


Kelly grew up in Mill Valley and earned a bachelor's degree in zoology from the University of California, Davis, and three credentials from San Francisco State – a single subject credential in life science, a supplementary credential in chemistry and a multiple subject teaching credential.


A teacher for more than 20 years, Kelly came to Middletown Middle School in 1999. She and her husband, Ron, have three sons – Tanner, Scott and Jacob.


Kelly said she feels fortunate to be teaching in Middletown. “Middletown Unified School District supports teachers; they give you the freedom to teach to your strengths while covering the curriculum.”


Showing students she cares and developing exciting lessons are ways Kelly is able to encourage students to learn the skills necessary for success. She is adamant that educators can have students be successful on state tests without sacrificing creativity in presenting the curriculum.


“I love teaching; I enjoy the challenge of taking concepts and turning them into ideas the students are inspired to question, learn and understand,” she said.


Kelly is enthusiastic about fulfilling her role as an ambassador of the teaching profession. “I am excited about promoting education in Lake County, and helping to educate the public on the challenges and successes of the teaching profession.”


When asked what new endeavors might be in her future, Jennifer is clear. “I am ready and eager to help and support other teachers, but I have no desire to move into any other career focus. I want to keep teaching.”


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

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Shane Hutchins died after being shot by a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Photo courtesy of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.



 


MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – The search for a wanted parolee ended on Wednesday after the man was shot by a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy.


Thirty-two-year-old Shane Hutchins, a transient that officials said had been on the run for several months, died following the shooting on Wednesday night, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.


Smallcomb said Hutchins was wanted on numerous felony charges and had been reported or observed to be in possession of both firearms and knives.


On Wednesday deputies, Ukiah Police officers, Major Crimes Task Force agents and California State Parole officers were continuing their search for Hutchins when they received information from several sources that he was in a residence in the 18900 block of Lahmon Lane, located just east of Fort Bragg and off of Highway 20, Smallcomb said.


Deputies and Major Crimes Task Force agents proceeded to the residence and established a perimeter, and just before 9 p.m. Wednesday they entered the residence in an attempt to apprehend Hutchins, according to Smallcomb.


Smallcomb said Hutchins fled the residence and went into the brush, where the deputies and officers pursued him.


One of the deputies confronted Hutchins and shot him, Smallcomb said.


Emergency medical aid was summoned, but by the time they arrived Hutchins had died, Smallcomb said.


Smallcomb said the deputy who shot Hutchins has been placed on administrative leave.


The California State Department of Justice is investigating the incident, said Smallcomb.


He said an autopsy of Hutchins is pending.


Smallcomb said additional information directly about the shooting will be released from the California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigations Unit.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – At the end of a months-long process to explore ways to save money and prepare for continued drops in enrollment and state funds, the Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees made it clear at a special Tuesday night meeting that closing schools wasn't on the agenda.


Beginning in August, the district assembled a committee tasked with preparing for the 2011-12 school year by looking at potential school reconfigurations, as Lake County News has reported.


At that time, the school district had wanted to have a decision made by the end of the year because, as Board President Rick Winer explained Tuesday night, if schools or campuses were to be closed, portables moved or other reconfigurations taken, the district needed the approval of state officials.


But after district Director of Services Kyle Reams laid out five scenarios before the board and about 50 community members, Winer and his colleagues on the board – John DeChaine, Peter Quartarolo, Gary Olson and Chris Irwin – were unanimous in their opposition to closing any schools.


At the beginning of the meeting – at which no formal action was agendized, only discussion – district Chief Financial Officer Tiffany Kemp went over the district's declining enrollment, as well as its declining state revenue sources, noting the districts is “in some economic distress.”


Kemp explained that the state's recently approved budget has “some major dangerous assumptions” built into it, including a growth in expected revenues and several billion in cuts.


“Bottom line, it's going to continue to impact education, as we're one of the top three line items in the budget,” she said.


Beginning in the 2008-09 fiscal year, the district began to sustain a round of deep state budget cuts that, coupled with declining enrollment, has put the district into a deficit spending position, with only about $1.5 million expected to remain in the bank at the end of the 2010-11 year, Kemp said.


Enrollment for the district, Kemp said, is going to continue, with the district already down 20 students from the 2009-10 school year.


It was that kind of outlook that led to the reconfiguration discussion, and Reams, acting as the spokesman for the district configuration committee, explained the five scenarios.


In forming those five options, the committee – which Reams said met at least twice a month – explored ongoing financial savings and maximum program potential, as well as the impact on students, the community and businesses.


The scenarios


The first scenario would have created two K-6 schools – one at Kelseyville Elementary, one at Riviera Elementary – and Kelseyville High would have taken seventh through 12th grades. Mountain Vista Middle School would be closed as part of that option.


Total estimated savings with changes in staffing, utilities and maintenance totaled $178,727, said Reams.


Scenario two proposed combining Kelseyville Elementary and Mountain Vista Middle School to create a K-8 “super campus,” with Riviera Elementary closing.


Potential savings for the option was the greatest, at $412,284, Reams said.


However, it also brought with it a number of considerations that didn't have a price tag, from the roomful of concerned parents to committee findings that included a mixing of grade and maturity levels that Reams said “could be a dangerous thing for some kids.”


Riviera Elementary also is the only school in the district scoring above 800 in the state's Academic Performance Index. “The committee felt very strongly about that,” Reams said.


Reams said scenario three would create two K-8 sites, one at Kelseyville Elementary, one at Riviera Elementary, and close Mountain Vista Middle School, for a total estimated savings of $127,009.


In scenario four, there would be no campus configuration changes, said Reams. However, the district could consider leasing or selling other facilities, such as Gard Street, the historic Hells Bend School or the Main Street property across from the Two Jacks market, where the district already has a longterm lease with Lake Family Resource Center.


If Gard Street was sold, Reams said the educational programs located there would have to be move, as would the transportation bus yard and sports facilities. Overall, it offered the community and students the least upheaval.


However, Reams said just how much financial benefit is unclear without good appraisals, and estimates for how much lease income could result at Gard Street range between $10,000 and $200,000 annually, depending on how much of the property is leased out and for what.


The final and fifth scenario has no change whatsoever to any of the sites, with no sales or leasing of properties, although it could consider alternative uses for unused facilities, he said.


“The committee realizes the difficult decision facing the board,” said Reams, who thanked everyone for their efforts.


Winer said it was evident that a “tremendous amount of work” went into the report, and he commended the committee, leading the group in a round of applause.


The board responds


Winer first asked fellow board members if they had comments or questions.


Quartarolo also thanked the committee for doing “a heck of a job.”


He went on to say, “Unfortunately, this process, I think, generated a lot of unneeded concern amongst a lot of people in the public.”


Quartarolo said he had no interest in closing down Riviera Elementary, which drew a round of applause.


After being approached by many people concerned that the school might be closed, Quartarolo said, “I just want to let everybody know, that is the last thing I plan on approving.”


DeChaine said that without full projections for the state's situation, “We're not playing with a full set of facts.”


He echoed Quartarolo's sentiments about the concern and rumors generated about a proposal to close Riviera Elementary, which he said have been circulating in one form or another for some time.


DeChaine said it was important that the district had done a lot of work. “We have gathered the facts, we have put the details in place. It's something that we've been able to responsibly explore.”


Closing schools means disrupting families, businesses and the lives of children, who DeChaine said are supposed to feel as safe as possible. He said he doesn't support closing sites at this time.


Winer, an educator who has always worked in small districts, said they have before them a number of facts, but what can't be measured is the impact of taking away a community's schools. Looking at how student populations would balloon at some of the district's campuses, Winer said he can't support school closures.


“I don't see an urgency in closing any schools and disrupting both the students and the community, but I do see it was important that we went through this process,” he said.


Olson said he didn't want to formulate strong opinions before hearing from the community, but he believed that exploring the options was an important exercise because of the district's serious budget consequences.


“I obviously think we hit a nerve out in the Riviera community,” he said, noting he was there the day ground broke on the school.


Irwin said it was good to have the information and see the figures.


“This is just the beginning of a conversation,” said Irwin.


He said the community needs to address the budget challenge sooner or later if its schools are going to continue providing good product.


District Superintendent Dave McQueen said he appreciated the candor. “I think it's a really positive meeting tonight.”


No one has every really taken a look at the numbers that would accompany reconfiguration efforts, he said. “We are challenged, we are facing some pretty big deficits.”


McQueen said he believed that the board and community can come together to come up with conclusions that will be good for everyone.


Community greets board stance with relief


During public comment, Don Solomon, Riviera Elementary's teacher in charge, told the board, “I was very, very concerned about what was possibly going to occur tonight.”


He said closing schools would have bad effects, and he came prepared with a notepad filled with concerns and a willingness to rant and rave.


“Now I don't have to do it,” he said, acknowledging, “There was a lot of emotional turmoil out in that Riviera.”


Parent Rebecca Dierssen echoed Irwin's sentiments that sooner or later the board will have to look at some kind of cuts. “When is that sooner or later going to be?” she asked, inquiring if the scenarios were to be tabled.


Winer said they weren't going to be tabled, but that the board would take action on them at its regular board meeting Nov. 16.


“And then we're done,” until such a time as the district needs to revisit the options, Winer said.


Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook told the board, “The thing that is always common is that this community comes together around its students.”


He said the budget situation that districts are in won't be solved this fiscal year, and he urged them to keep option four open – selling or leasing properties – as he believed it could offer potential revenue if the timing is right.


Holbrook urged the district to look at sharing services with other districts – such as food service, maintenance and grounds – because he saw savings potential.


He also suggested that all districts look at health benefits and costs. “That's not an easy thing to do.”


Danielle Aragon, whose children attend both Riviera Elementary and Mountain Vista Middle School, said she felt compelled to get up and thank the board, pointing out that she doesn't hold back when pointing out negatives.


Aragon's voice broke as she thanked the district for the amount of work that went into exploring the options, saying she had no idea about the costs until seeing some of the figures.


She's left meetings previously feeling worried about Riviera Elementary, and said the Tuesday night meeting would have been a lot different if more people didn't feel positive.


She said of Riviera. “It's a place that we cherish.”


Irwin urged everyone to keep coming up with ideas to help the district address the “giant fiscal train” coming at it.


“We still have some real challenges ahead of us, so please stay involved,” he said.


Solomon said after the meeting that parents have been approaching him throughout the last month with their concerns that Riviera Elementary might close.


“I think these guys really cleared it up,” he said of the board, adding that he believes it will be a relief to the community.


The configuration reports can be found online at http://www.kusd.lake.k12.ca.us/#!/District/130233-Untitled.html .


E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – A Hidden Valley Lake man has been arrested on charges that he raped a south Lake County woman.


Matthew Shane Merrill, 21, was arrested Tuesday morning, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.


Bauman said Merrill was booked at the Lake County Jail on felony charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, rape, destroying a communications device and misdemeanor spousal battery.


On Tuesday at about 11 a.m. deputies responded to a residence on Marine View Road in Hidden Valley Lake on a report of a kidnapping and rape, Bauman said.


He said a 22-year-old Hidden Valley Lake woman reported she had just fled from the suspect and that he was still driving around in the area in a blue Mazda sedan.


When the first deputy arrived in the area, he immediately spotted Merrill's vehicle in the area

of Marine View Drive and Deer Hill Road, according to Bauman.


After failing to yield to the deputy’s attempt to stop him for several blocks, Merrill was eventually stopped and detained. Bauman said Merrill had a moderate injury to his head that indicated he had been in some kind of altercation.


Deputies contacted the victim at her home a short distance away. Bauman said the woman also had some minor injuries indicating she had been in an altercation.


Bauman said the woman reported that she and Merrill had a previous dating relationship and he had invited her the night before, to go to the Twin Pine Casino bar. She accepted but when they got there she asked him to take her home and he refused.


After having a drink or two together at the bar, they left the casino at about 10 p.m. but instead of taking her home as she again had asked, he took her to his home on Greenridge Road, after driving her around Hidden Valley Lake for several hours, Bauman said.


The two reportedly argued while in Merrill’s bedroom and at one point, Merrill reportedly broke a cell phone the woman was going to use to call 911 and threw her shoes out of a window to prevent her from leaving the house, Bauman reported.


The arguing apparently continued throughout the night, Bauman said, until Merrill allegedly assaulted the woman and then held the victim down on his bed and forced her to have sex with him.


When Merrill fell asleep after the alleged rape, the victim sneaked out of the house and walked to her own home on Marine View Drive, arriving at about 4 a.m. Bauman said Merrill showed up at her house later that morning and the arguing resumed, with both parties hitting each other.


At one point, Merrill took the woman's car keys in another apparent attempt to keep her from leaving. Bauman said the woman was able to get her keys back and she struck Merrill on the head with them, causing a laceration.


He said the victim was eventually able to leave and go to her mother’s house a short distance away and call the sheriff’s office.


Merrill remains in the Lake County Jail with bail set at $250,000. Bauman said the Lake County Superior Court issued an emergency protection order keeping Merrill away from the victim.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

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Officials investigate the scene of a single-vehicle collision on Highway 20 near Lucerne, Calif., on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

 

 

 

LUCERNE, Calif. – A woman whose vehicle rolled over on Highway 20 Wednesday was arrested on charges of driving under the influence.


The crash occurred at about 6:45 p.m. on Highway 20 just west of Foothill Drive in Lucerne, according to initial reports from the California Highway Patrol.


The woman, whose name was not immediately available, was driving a newer model pickup when she was involved in a single-vehicle crash that rolled the pickup over, according to Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Steve Hart, who was pulled from a rescue on the hills above Lucerne to respond to the crash.


Hart said the woman was uninjured.


She was accompanied by three dogs, who also appeared uninjured and were removed from the scene by Lake County Animal Care and Control, Hart said.


Hart said the roadway was blocked for about 10 minutes. CHP and Lake County Sheriff's officials responded to the scene along with Northshore Fire, which sent a total of four units.


The woman was determined to have been driving under the influence of prescription drugs, according to reports from the scene. The CHP arrested her after she failed a sobriety test.


CHP reported the roadway was cleared just before 8 p.m.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

 

 

 

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The single-vehicle rollover crash on Highway 20 near Lucerne, Calif., on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, closed the roadway for a brief time. Photo by Gary McAuley.
 

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED.


LUCERNE, Calif. – Two Lucerne residents were arrested last week on felony drug charges.


Stephen Michael Poppe, 26, and Joshua Timothy Colcleaser, 24, were arrested Nov. 5 by the Lake County Sheriff's Narcotics Task Force following the service of a search warrant, according to Capt. James Bauman.


Bauman said that Lake County Superior Court Judge Arthur Mann signed a search warrant for the Country Club Drive home of 25-year-old William Mueller on Oct. 29, following a two-month investigation into the suspected sales of controlled substances.


As detectives approached Mueller's residence at about 12:20 p.m. Nov. 5, Colcleaser started to exit the house from a kitchen door but then ran back in and slammed the door when he saw the detectives, Bauman said.


Detectives forced entry into the kitchen and pursued him into the house where he was arrested without further incident, according to Bauman.


Detectives also located Poppe sitting in an adjacent living room and he was detained in handcuffs without incident, Bauman said.


Poppe had been arrested in Clearlake Oaks on Oct. 20 by the Narcotics Task Force after he was found in possession of methamphetamine, narcotics paraphernalia and cash during a traffic stop, as Lake County News has reported.


Bauman said Mueller was not found in the Lucerne home. However, a search of the home led to the seizure of various small amounts of suspected methamphetamine, marijuana, items of narcotics paraphernalia and other evidence of narcotics sales.


He said detectives recovered just under 2 grams of suspected methamphetamine and more than 4 pounds of processed marijuana, which was found in various stages of packaging. Scales, smoking pipes, and other paraphernalia were recovered as well.


Both men were booked at the Lake County Jail on felony charges of possessing controlled substances and marijuana for sales and misdemeanor possession of narcotics paraphernalia, Bauman said.


Colcleaser was charged with resisting arrest as well. Both men posted $10,000 bail each and were released later that night.


While William Mueller was the subject of the initial investigation, he is not actively wanted by the sheriff’s office but he is expected to face narcotics charges as they are filed with the District Attorney’s Office, Bauman said.


Joshua Colcleaser is not to be confused with his cousin Johnny Colcleaser, the man who was the subject of a daylong manhunt in Lucerne on Sept. 24.


Johnny Colcleaser threatened Joshua Colcleaser, which kicked off the search that ended with Johnny Colcleaser's arrest on the night of Sept. 24.


Johnny Colcleaser remains in the Lake County Jail on felony charge of vehicle theft, being a felon in possession of a weapon and a parole violation, as well as a misdemeanor charge of resisting or obstructing an officer.


Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

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