LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County had a drop in unemployment in February and has shown particularly strong job growth in certain categories over the past month and year, according to the state’s latest report on employment.

The California Employment Development Department’s report showed that Lake County’s unemployment rate for February was 6.6, down from 7.3 percent in January and the 7.6 percent reported in February 2016.

Based on historical data provided by the Employment Development Department, February’s 6.6 percent unemployment rate appears to be the lowest for the month of February in more than 27 years.

California’s February unemployment rate was 5 percent, down from 5.2 percent in January and 5.6 percent in February 2016, according to the report. The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the nation’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent for February, down from the 4.8 percent in January and 4.9 percent the previous February.

The Employment Development Department said nonfarm jobs in California totaled 16,676,100 in February, a net gain of 22,900 jobs, up from the 15,300 new jobs reported in January, according to a survey of 58,000 businesses that measures jobs in the economy. The year-over change, February 2016 to February 2017, showed an increase of 315,800 jobs, up 1.9 percent.

The federal household survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in February was 18,190,000, an increase of 14,000 from January, and up 254,000 from the employment total in February of last year.

The number of unemployed Californians was 966,000 in February – down by 22,000 over the month, and down by 102,000 compared with February of last year, according to the report.

With February’s job gains, the Employment Development Department said California has gained a total of 2,489,500 jobs since the economic expansion began in February 2010.

Lake County’s civilian workforce in February totaled 29,660, with the number of unemployed totaling 1,960. That’s compared to 29,560 workers and 2,150 unemployed in January, and 29,220 individuals and 2,210 unemployed the previous February.

Lake County’s total farm jobs increased by 16.5 percent in February, followed by durable goods with 15.4 percent; wholesale trade and information, both at 8.3 percent; and state government, 5.6 percent, the state reported.

The report showed decreases in jobs in industries including nondurable goods, 13 percent; mining, logging and construction, 9.4 percent; and goods producing, 6 percent.

In year-over comparisons, the subcategory of durable goods showed a jump in new jobs of 66.7 percent, or a growth in the number of jobs from 90 in February 2016 to 150 last month. Other notable job growth for the year was seen in total farm, 12.5 percent; financial activities, 8.3 percent; and educational and health services, 6.6 percent.

The Employment Development Department said seven of California’s 11 industry sectors – trade, transportation and utilities; leisure and hospitality; construction; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and other services – added a total of 30,800 jobs in February.

Four industry sectors – mining and logging; manufacturing; financial activities; and government – reported job declines over the month, down a total of 7,900 jobs. Manufacturing posted the largest decrease over the month, down by 4,000 jobs, followed by financial activities, which fell by 2,200 jobs.

In a year-over-year comparison, from February 2016 to February 2017, nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 315,800 jobs, a 1.9 percent increase, the state said.

Nine of California’s eleven industry sectors added a total of 328,300 jobs year-over. The Employment Development Department said the largest job gains were in educational and health services, up 89,100 jobs, a 3.6-percent increase, and leisure and hospitality, up 48,900 jobs, a 2.6 percent increase.

Other sectors where the report said California added jobs over the year were construction; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; other services; and government.

Two industry sectors – mining and logging, and manufacturing – posted job declines over the year, down a total of 12,500 jobs. Manufacturing employment fell by 9,600 jobs, down 0.7 percent, while mining and logging was down by 2,900 jobs, an 11.2-percent decrease.

The report said San Mateo County held onto the lowest unemployment rate statewide, 2.8 percent, while Colusa County finished last, with a rate of 22.8 percent. Lake County’s 6.6-percent rate earned it the No. 31 ranking.

The Employment Development Department also reported that there were 405,196 people receiving regular Unemployment Insurance benefits during the February survey week, compared with 386,875 in January and 388,417 in February of last year.

New claims for Unemployment Insurance were 43,499 in February, compared with 62,201 in January and 42,281 in February of last year, the state reported.

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.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson will host a community town hall to discuss the latest from Washington, DC this week.

The town hall will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at Kelseyville High School’s Tom Aiken Student Center, 5480 Main St.

Community members who have questions about what's happening in Washington are invited to come, get more information and offer input.

With Congress considering a number of crucial matters – including health care, national security and tax reform – Thompson will offer his perspective and hear from constituents. All who attend will have the opportunity to ask a question or share their thoughts.

On the topic of health care, Thompson was an outspoken opponent of the recently pulled American Health Care Act. He also recently co-authored a new bill to make health insurance more affordable for families in high cost areas.

The Saturday town hall is part of a busy visit for Thompson to Lake County. Later that day, he’s scheduled to host his 26th annual ravioli dinner at Boatique Winery.

Community members planning to attend the afternoon town hall are asked to RSVP to 707-226-9898 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Unified School District Board of Trustees is asking parents and community members to attend meetings this week or take an online survey to weigh in on the search for a new district superintendent.

The meetings are planned for 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in the lobby of the MAC at the Lakeport Unified School District Campus, 350 Lange St.; and from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in the board room at the district office, located at 2508 Howard Ave.

An online survey also is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LakeportParentSurvey .

The Lakeport Unified School Board is specifically asking for thoughts on what qualifications and personal characteristics community members would like to see in a new superintendent.

At a special meeting on March 16, the Lakeport Unified School Board voted unanimously to hire consultant Dr. Scott Mahoney to begin the process to recruit a new superintendent, as longtime Superintendent Erin Smith-Hagberg had a tentative employment offer from the Calistoga Joint Unified School District, as Lake County News has reported.

The following day, Calistoga Joint Unified School District officials offered their own formal announcement of Smith-Hagberg’s hiring as their new superintendent.

Smith-Hagberg’s contract ends on June 30, the last day of the school year. As such, Lakeport Unified is following an abbreviated superintendent recruitment timeline that seeks to have a new candidate ready for the board’s final approval by May 11 and ready to begin work on July 1.

The board also has opted for a confidential process in order to draw more qualified candidates in a short period of time.

The position is to be published beginning this week in state and national educator job boards.

At the March 16 meeting, the board identified the public meetings as a key part of the process to find Smith-Hagberg’s successor.

In a letter to the community, Lakeport Unified Board President Dennis Darling said applications for the new superintendent will be accepted between March 27 and April 21, with the board to interview the top candidates on April 27 and 28.

Community members are invited to submit specific input to Mahoney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Darling said updates also will be posted on the district’s Web site, and he invited community members to reach out to board members on an individual basis.

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.

The earliest satellites of the Space Age were small. Sputnik, for instance, weighed just 184.3 pounds. America’s first satellite, Explorer 1, was even smaller at only about 30 pounds.

Over time, satellites grew to accommodate more sensors with greater capabilities, but thanks to miniaturization and new technology capabilities, small is back in vogue.

NASA is one of many government agencies, universities, and commercial organizations embracing small satellite designs, from tiny CubeSats to micro-satellites. A basic CubeSat has 4 inch sides and weighs just a few pounds!

A CubeSat can be put into place a number of different ways. It can be a hitchhiker, flying to space onboard a rocket whose main purpose is to launch a full-sized satellite.

Or it can be put into orbit from the International Space Station. Astronauts recently used this technique when they deployed the Miniature X-Ray Solar Spectrometer, or MinXSS, a CubeSat that studies solar flares.

In 2018, NASA plans to launch the CubeSat to study Solar Particles, or CuSP. It will hitch a ride out of Earth orbit during an uncrewed test flight of NASA's Space Launch System.

CuSP could serve as a small “space weather buoy.”

"Right now, with our current fleet of large satellites, it's like we're trying to understand weather for the entire Pacific Ocean with just a handful of weather stations,” said Eric Christian, CuSP’s lead scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We need to collect data from more locations."

For certain areas of science, having a larger number of less expensive missions will provide a powerful opportunity to really understand a given environment.

“If you had, say, 20 CubeSats in different orbits, you could really start to understand the space environment in three dimensions,” Christian said.

NASA scientists are taking this approach of using a constellation of sensors to probe the details of a large area with a number of recently launched and upcoming missions.

The Cyclone Global Navigation Satallite System, or CYGNSS, launched in December 2016.

CYGNSS uses eight micro-satellites to measure ocean surface winds in and near the eyes of tropical cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes to learn about their rapid intensification.

These micro-satellites each weigh about 65 pounds, larger than a CubeSat but still very small compared to traditional satellite designs.

Additionally, the first four selections from the In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies, or InVEST, program recently began launching. The goal of the InVEST program is to validate new technologies in space prior to use in a science mission.

RAVAN, the first of the InVEST CubeSats, was launched in November 2016 to demonstrate a new way to measure radiation reflected by Earth.

The next three InVEST missions to launch, HARP, IceCube, and MiRaTA, will demonstrate technologies that may pave the way for future satellites to measure clouds and aerosols suspended in Earth’s atmosphere, probe the role of icy clouds in climate change, and collect atmospheric temperature, water vapor, and cloud ice data through remote sensing, respectively.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is looking to develop scientific CubeSats that cut across all NASA Science through the SMD CubeSat Initiative Program.

Andrea Martin, communications specialist for NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office, believes this is just the beginning.

“CubeSats could be flown in formation, known as constellations, with quick revisit times to better capture the dynamic processes of Earth,” Martin said. “Multiple CubeSats can also take complementary measurements unachievable by a single larger mission.”

Martin envisions big things ahead for these little satellites.

For more news about CubeSats and other cutting edge technologies both big and small, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Redbud Audubon is once again planning to host its Heron Days event, with registration now open to participate in the popular boat tours.

The boat tours are a rare opportunity to see nature up close on beautiful Clear Lake. Each day consists of six 90-minute tours leaving on the half hour between 8 and 11 a.m.

Tours from Lakeside County Park will take place on Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30. Tours from Shady Acres Campground are Saturday, May 6, and Sunday, May 7.

Each boat will have an experienced Audubon guide to point out the birds being seen on the tours and explain their behaviors.

Besides several species of nesting herons and egrets, tour guests are likely to see nesting osprey and cormorants, yellow-headed blackbirds, and Western and Clark’s grebes in courtship displays where they “dance” in pairs across the lake surface.

Audubon leaders believe that through firsthand experience with nature people will come to understand the need to conserve and protect Lake County’s natural resources and habitats.

From Lakeside County Park you will be taken into Shirley Slough and west along the Clear Lake shoreline. Don’t confuse this park with Lake County Park in Lakeport. Lakeside County Park is on Park Drive off of Soda Bay Road.

From Shady Acres Campground, you will explore Anderson Marsh and the upper end of Cache Creek. There may be two-hour tours down Cache Creek to the dam if the lake level allows.

Shady Acres Campground in Clearlake is located right on Cache Creek north of Anderson Marsh. From Highway 53 turn west onto Old Highway 53 (Walmart is to the east), and make an immediate left onto Cache Creek Way. Follow it all the way down to the creek and campground.

The number of tours are limited. You’re encouraged to make your reservation as soon as possible as the available tickets for some of the most popular tour times may sell out quickly. Children 8 years of age and older are invited to attend.

Visit the Redbud Audubon Web site at www.redbudaudubon.org to register. For any questions regarding registration, call Evelyn Wachtel at 510-501-5375.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a selection of dogs from working and hunting breeds this week.

The dogs available this week include mixes of border collie, Catahoula Leopard Dog, Chihuahua, German Shorthaired Pointer, hound, Labrador Retriever and pit bull.

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.

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

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

Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has a short brown and tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 2, ID No. 7169.

'Miles'

“Miles” is a young male pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle coat and gold eyes, and he’s a shelter favorite.

Shelter staff said he has lived with multiple other dogs and has done great with those he’s encountered at the shelter. He has also lived with cats and small children. He needs a family to teach him confidence in himself and he will make a great friend.

He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 6875.

‘Love’

“Love” is a male German Shorthaired Pointer mix with a short black and white coat.

Shelter staff said he is a big, young, happy, bouncy boy would will be a lot of fun for an active family that is willing to include him in their activities. He would benefit from training classes for basic manners. He does well with other dogs that tolerate his level of play, but would do best in a home with no small dogs or cats due to his size and energy level.

He’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 7057.

Catahoula Leopard Dog

This female Catahoula Leopard Dog has a short red merle/brindle coat.

Shelter staff said she is a very sweet girl, and is very submissive with people and other dogs. She will be a great dog with a little work and someone to build her confidence. She needs an experienced dog owner or someone willing to go to training with her.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 7058.

Female pit bull mix

This female pit bull mix has a short blue and white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 7184.

Female pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix has a short white coat with black markings.

She’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 7156.

Border collie-pit bull mix

This female border collie-pit bull mix has a black and white coat.

She already has been altered.

Shelter staff said she loves to play and is great with other dogs. She has a higher energy level and needs a family that will exercise her regularly. She appears to be afraid of cats.

She’s in kennel No. 16, ID No. 7164.

‘Trixie’

“Trixie” is a female boxer-Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short tan coat with white markings, and has already been spayed.

Shelter staff said she is very bouncy and playful needs an energetic family that will give her lots of exercise and guidance. Trixie does well with other dogs her size that will tolerate her playfulness. She would do best in a home with no small dogs, cats or livestock,and has great manners.

She’s in kennel No. 17, ID No. 7036.

Male border collie

This male border collie has a medium-length black coat with white markings.

He’s in kennel No. 18, ID No. 7179.

‘Archi’

“Archi” is a young male hound mix with a short tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 21, ID No. 7183.

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

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.