LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thanks to recent rains, the annual Lake County burn ban is being lifted.
The Lake County Air Quality Management District said the ban will be lifted as of 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 21.
The ban is being lifted with Cal Fire’s determination that wildfire risk has been significantly reduced by the recent rains.
Burn permits are required for all outdoor burning in the Lake County Air Basin.
Burn permits are available at your local fire protection district. A smoke management plan is required for all multi-day burns, standing vegetation burns, whole tree or vine removals over one acre, burns over 20 acres in size, and any other burns where significant smoke impacts may occur or sensitive receptors may be impacted.
Smoke management plans can be obtained at the Lake County Air Quality Management District office most weekdays, call first to make an appointment at 707-263-7000.
Bring a map showing the burn locations, acres to be burned, and details of materials to be burned. A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued. Smoke management plans, agricultural burn permits and residential burn permits are $28, while land development/lot clearing burn permits are $84, cash or check only (exact change is appreciated).
Only clean dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot of record, a burn location that is located at least 100 feet from all neighbors and at least 30 feet from any structure.
Lot clearing/land development burns require special permits available at your local fire protection district. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during burn hours. Read your burn permit carefully and follow all the conditions.
Consider using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services or composting as an alternative to burning leaves. Please be considerate of your neighbors.
A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others. You can be liable for health care costs, fines, and other costs resulting from your burning.
Lake County’s joint fire agencies and Air Quality Management District’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987.
Editor’s note: Dr. William Teets is the director of Vanderbilt University’s Dyer Observatory. In this interview, he explains what does and doesn’t happen during the winter solstice on Dec. 21. Another cosmic phenomenon is also going to occur on the same day called “the great conjunction,” where Saturn and Jupiter, both of which can be seen with the naked eye, will appear extremely close to one another.
What happens on the winter solstice?
The winter solstice this year happens on Dec. 21. This is when the Sun appears the lowest in the Northern Hemisphere sky and is at its farthest southern point over Earth – directly over the Tropic of Capricorn. For folks living at 23.5 degrees south latitude, not only does this day mark their summer solstice, but they also see the Sun directly over them at local noon. After that, the Sun will start to creep back north again.
The sequence of images below shows the path of the Sun through the sky at different times of the year. You can see how the Sun is highest in the Northern Hemisphere sky in June, lowest in December, and halfway in between these positions in March and September during the equinoxes.
The winter solstice is the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere but not the day with the latest sunrise and earliest sunset. How is that possible?
The winter solstice doesn’t coincide with the latest sunrise or the earliest sunset. Those actually occur about two weeks before and two weeks after the winter solstice. This is because we are changing our distance from the sun due to our elliptical, not circular, orbit, which changes the speed at which we orbit.
If you were to look at where the Sun is at exactly the same time of day over different days of the year, you would see that it’s not always in the same spot. Yes, the Sun is higher in the summer and lower in the winter, but it also moves from side to side of the average noontime position, which also plays a role in when the Sun rises and sets.
One should also keep in mind that the seasons are due to the Earth’s axial tilt, not our distance from the Sun. Believe it or not, we are closest to the Sun in January.
What is ‘the great conjunction’?
Saturn and Jupiter have appeared fairly close together in our sky throughout the year. But on Dec. 21, Saturn and Jupiter will appear so close together that some folks may have a difficult time seeing them as two objects.
If you have a pair of binoculars, you’ll easily be able to spot both planets. In even a small telescope, you’d see both planets at the same time in the same field of view, which is really unheard of. That’s what makes this conjunction so rare. Jupiter and Saturn appear to meet up about every 20 years. Most of the time, however, they’re not nearly as close together as we’re going to see them on Monday, Dec. 21.
For a comparison, there was a great conjunction back in 2000, but the two planets were separated by about two full-Moon widths. This year, the orbits will bring them to where they appear to be about one-fifth of a full-Moon diameter.
We have been encouraging folks to go out and look at these planets using just their eyes between now and Dec. 21. You’ll actually be able to see how much they appear to move over the course of a single day.
The next time they will get this close together in our sky won’t be for another 60 years, so this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for many people. In fact, the last time they got this close together was in the year 1623, but it was really difficult, if not impossible, to see them then because they appeared much closer to the Sun and set soon after it. Go back another 400 years to 1226 and this would have been the last time that we would have had a good view of this type of conjunction.
What advice would you give to people who want to see the great conjunction?
If weather permits at Dyer Observatory, we’ll be streaming a live view of the conjunction from one of the observatory’s telescopes, and I’ll be available to answer questions. Even if you don’t have a telescope or a pair of binoculars, definitely go out and check out this very rare alignment with your own eyes. Remember that they set soon after sunset, so be ready to view right at dusk!
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Clearlake man died on Thursday evening when his vehicle collided with a flatbed trailer being towed by a semi.
Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the man who died as 41-year-old Michael Brandon Jaco.
The California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office said the crash that claimed Jaco’s life occurred at 5:52 p.m. Thursday on Highway 29 at C Street in Lower Lake.
The CHP said Jaco was driving a 1999 Toyota Corolla northbound on Highway 29, approaching the intersection of C Street.
Brian Case, 48, of Clearlake was driving a 2001 Peterbilt 300 series truck, towing a Trailermax flatbed trailer northbound on Highway 29, preparing to make a left turn onto C Street, in front of Jaco, the CHP said.
For reasons still under investigation, Jaco’s Toyota Corolla collided with the rear of Case's Trailermax flatbed trailer, according to the report.
The CHP said Jaco succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neither Case nor an 11-year-old boy from Clearlake riding with him in his truck were injured, the CHP said.
The CHP said that neither alcohol nor drugs are believed to be factors in the collision.
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.
Editor’s Note: With a coronavirus vaccination effort now underway, you might have questions about what this means for you and your family. If you do, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will find a physician or researcher to answer them. Here, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, a public health pediatrician whose research exposed the Flint, Michigan, water crisis, answers questions about the vaccine and allergies, and when kids might be able to get the vaccine.
If I have allergies, should I still get the vaccine?
If you have a history of allergies to food, pets, insects or other things, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you proceed with vaccination, with an observation period. If you have a history of severe allergic reaction, or what is called anaphylaxis, to another vaccine or injectable therapy, your doctor can do a risk assessment, defer your vaccination, or proceed and then observe you after vaccination. The only reason to avoid vaccination is a severe allergic reaction to any component of the COVID-19 vaccine. The CDC has specific recommendations for post-vaccine observation.
As the vaccine goes out to a broader population, how will adverse events be tracked?
The CDC and Food and Drug Administration encourage the public to report possible adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS. This national system collects these data to look for adverse events that are unexpected, appear to happen more often than expected or have unusual patterns of occurrence. Anyone who has experienced an adverse event should report it to the system.
Reporting an adverse event is a crucial step to ensuring safety and to help the CDC monitor the vaccines. Safety is a top priority, and scientists and public health officials need to know about adverse reactions.
An adverse event is different in most cases from a typical vaccine side effect. Vaccines may cause a side effect, such as soreness at the injection site or redness. Adverse events are more serious and can sometimes be life-threatening. If you are unsure whether you have experienced a side effect or adverse event, you can still report the event.
Participants are given a fact sheet when they are vaccinated. Health care providers who vaccinate people will be required to report to VAERS certain adverse events following vaccination. In addition, under the terms of the emergency use authorization, health care providers also must follow any revised safety reporting requirements that may arise.
The CDC is also implementing a new smartphone-based tool called v-safe to check in on people’s health after they receive a COVID-19 vaccine. When you receive your vaccine, you should also receive an information sheet telling you how to enroll in v-safe. If you enroll, you will receive regular text messages directing you to surveys where you can report any problems or adverse reactions you have after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.
When might kids younger than 16 be vaccinated?
It is likely to be several months. The currently authorized Pfizer and soon-to-be-authorized Moderna vaccine are not applicable for children. More research and clinical trials need to be done to include younger children in COVID-19 vaccine trials.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pfizer has enrolled children down to age 12 and submitted a request for emergency use authorization for vaccination down to age 16. Moderna, whose vaccine is expected to receive emergency use authorization from the FDA any day, is about to start a similar study.
In the United Kingdom, AstraZeneca has approval to enroll children ages 5 to 12 in clinical trials, but the pharmaceutical company has not yet enrolled any children in trials in the U.S.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has several dogs waiting to meet their new families this Christmas week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Cattle Dog, heeler, husky, Labrador Retriever, mastiff 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.
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”).
This male pit bull has a short brindle and brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 14218.
Male husky
This male husky has a medium-length black and white blue eyes.
He has been spayed.
He’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 14194.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier has a short gray and white coat.
He’s in kennel No. 23, ID No. 14196.
Pit bull terrier-Australian Cattle Dog mix
This male pit bull terrier-Australian Cattle Dog mix has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 14197.
Male shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix has a medium-length tricolor coat.
He has been altered.
He’s in kennel No. 28, ID No. 14241.
Male heeler-Labrador Retriever
This male heeler-Labrador Retriever mix has a short black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. 14178.
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. – The Northern California Region continues to be the only one in California not under a regional stay home order due to COVID-19, but health officials are urging community members to continue to use caution to protect against the virus’ winter surge.
The Northern California Region includes Lake and Mendocino counties and others going North to the Oregon border, an area with unique needs and resources.
In a joint statement from the Rural Association of Northern California Health Officers, or RANCHO, about the current situation, the group called COVID-19 “a North State wildfire by another name.”
The RANCHO statement explained, “The North State is in a state of emergency. COVID-19 cases are rising, hospitalizations are reaching record highs and new deaths are reported daily. We need to respond quickly to protect our community from this growing, devastating threat.
“Our beautiful region is no stranger to emergency situations. In years past, the resilient people of Northern California have worked together to survive disasters as a strong, united community.
“When wildfires plagued us, we became all too familiar with prevention and response practices, including defensible space, sheltering safely, mitigating poor air quality and using resources wisely.
RANCHO said the following terms, familiar during times of wildland fire, apply during the COVID-19 emergency:
· Defensible space: Remaining 6 feet away from others and limiting mixing with crowds.
· Air quality: Wearing a face covering when outside the home, for ourselves and for others, and maximizing ventilation.
· Sheltering safely: Sticking close to home and limiting contact to household members only. Coupled with the above two strategies, this could result in an 80 percent decrease in COVID-19 cases in three weeks.
· Using resources wisely: The Northern California region still has adequate ICU capacity, but projections show this could change by Christmas.
“Unlike what we experienced with the wildfires, our entire nation is on fire at the same time, so accessing mutual aid is increasingly challenging. Social gatherings, travel, not masking and going out when you’re sick are like fuel for this fire. Risk is higher than its been at any point in the pandemic.
“Even as a region, we only have about 120 ICU beds, and 15 percent capacity leaves fewer than 20 beds – that’s for people with heart attacks, strokes, trauma, and COVID-19. We, the Rural Association of Northern California Health Officers, are gravely concerned that this cushion of beds could be easily overwhelmed, and many facilities in our region are already stretched to staff hospital beds for patients requiring a higher level of health care,” the group said.
The association reported that the critical care capacity in the RANCHO region has declined from 30 percent on Dec. 14 to 21 percent on Dec. 17.
Critical care capacity also is declining in the Bay Area and Greater Sacramento regions to 13 percent and 14 percent, respectively.
“This is worrisome because in Lake County we rely on hospitals in both the greater Sacramento region and the Bay Area,” RANCHO said.
“As your Public Health Officers, we are asking our communities to do what they’ve done during times of disaster so many times before, which is to band together and do everything we can to stop this firestorm.
“Please adhere to the guidelines that we know slows this disease down and will keep us out of the Regional Stay at Home Order. Availability of an effective and safe vaccine is hope on the horizon, like a caravan of CAL FIRE trucks. But we will need to equip ourselves with all these tools until we have manageable spot fires.
“Like a fire hose, a vaccine has minimal impact during a firestorm, but is effective at putting out a smoldering fire. Eventually, we will be in a ‘fire recovery state’ when enough people have been vaccinated, likely in late summer or early fall. Until then, we implore you to do your part to slow the spread.
“As local and regional communities, we have survived many disasters. Together, we can extinguish the COVID-19 wildfire,” the RANCHO statement concluded.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With pillowy soft dough surrounding a succulent filling, some consider tamales the perfect comfort food. And while we love them all year long, there’s no time when they’re more ubiquitous than during the Christmas season.
December means it’s time for families with roots in Mexico or Central America (as well as people of all backgrounds throughout the American Southwest) to gather together and make tamales for Christmas.
There’s even a name for this time-honored tradition – such gatherings are called tamaladas in Spanish.
And remember – for most Mexican families, the holiday season extends from Dec. 12, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to Jan. 6, the Feast of Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day, making tamales a necessity for more than just one celebration.
Tamale-making is notoriously time-consuming and, depending on ingredients and method, can also be quite complex. (An Oaxacan-inspired tamale recipe, for example, contains more than 120 distinct steps.)
While most tamale recipes aren’t as elaborate, the process is still labor-intensive, with simmering meats and sauces that can take up to a day to bring to perfection. And then there’s the assembling – the rhythm of spreading masa dough on softened corn husks, adding just the right amount of filling, and the folding, wrapping, and tying that, while fairly simple to execute, takes patience and a lot of time.
It’s for this reason that when families gather, many dozens of tamales are created, not only to have handy for celebrations but to share with family and friends.
In one instance, a two-day tamalada involved 22 family members from multiple states, where a full 225 dozen tamales were made! That massive feat couldn’t have been accomplished without the cooperation and camaraderie of many working together to make the task lighter.
Tamales have been eaten in the Americas for an inordinately long time, with the first ones consumed as far back as 9,000 years ago, before corn was fully domesticated. Researchers believe they predate even the tortilla, another ancient food.
Tamales originated in Mesoamerica, a historical region and cultural area covering a swath of land that stretches from modern-day central Mexico southward through what is now Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica.
With wrappings of corn husks or plantain leaves, tamales were a highly portable food and were eaten by Olmec and Toltec hunters. Both of these civilizations predate the Aztecs, who later ate them, as did the Mayans.
In those days, tamales were filled with such things as quail meat, squash and varieties of fungus. When Spanish colonizers arrived, the ingredients shifted to pork, beef and chicken, with lard used as a binder for the dough.
Corn was considered sacred in Mesoamerican – it was literally the substance of life for the people there – and Mesoamerican civilizations had common creation myths identifying humans with corn.
For this reason, preciously wrapped, corn-based tamales were used as ritual offerings for the various gods of the Aztec and Mayan civilizations.
Masa (the Spanish word for dough) is the foundation of a tamale – it’s the delightfully cushiony base that surrounds the filling - and is made by grinding sun- or fire-dried corn which has been cooked and soaked in limewater (that is, water with dissolved limestone). The process is called nixtamalization and was invented by ancient Mexicans after corn was domesticated.
We may be used to seeing pork, beef or chicken in tamales (these are the most popular fillings in Mexico), but there are literally hundreds (perhaps thousands!) of ways to fill a tamale. The variations could be endless.
For example, in the southwestern Mexican state of Oaxaca, tamales are wrapped in plantain leaves and filled with chicken and onions and flavored with mole negro, a sauce made of poblano peppers and chocolate.
In Tabasco, on the Gulf Coast, they’re filled with garfish.
My El Salvadorian friends made them with white masa and filled them with potatoes, carrots and green olives.
They can be filled with beans, cheese, squash or sweet corn.
Sweet tamales, traditional at Christmas, can include such ingredients as pineapple or raisins.
The truth is that each region has its own version, depending on what’s available in their ecosystem. Tamales offer a culture in and of themselves, providing a direct connection to the most ancient traditions of Mexico and Central America.
If you’ve spent time in a fragrant kitchen elbow to elbow with friends or family, laughing and sharing stories while assembling tamales, you’ve been lucky indeed!
I hope you enjoy your holiday season, whether filled with tamales or not.
Today’s recipe is a twist on traditional tamales. Most masa dough is made with lard or shortening, neither of which is easy on the heart. Instead, this version uses pumpkin as the binder for the dough.
These are vegetarian tamales (vegan, actually), but you can feel free to add shredded chicken or cheese.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Tamales with Black Bean ‘Mole’
Ingredients:
1 bag corn husks (24 needed for this recipe)
For the filling:
1 whole dried Chipotle chile, split open and most seeds removed 1 large garlic clove ½-inch slice small yellow onion 1 jalapeno chile, halved and seeds removed 1 Roma tomato, halved and seeds removed 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano 2 cups cooked black beans (from a can, only slightly drained, or cooked from dry beans)
For the dough:
3 cups masa for tamales 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree 1 1/2 tablespoons jarred salsa 1 teaspoon salt
To garnish:
1/2 cup sour cream (vegan or otherwise) Lime wedges Cilantro sprigs
Instructions:
1. Place corn husks into a deep container and cover with warm water; weigh down the husks and let stand at least 30 minutes until all are softened.
2. In a dry non-stick skillet or medium-high heat, lay the chile pepper flat and toast until it darkens and you just begin to see wisps of smoke, holding it flat with a spatula if necessary. Remove the chile and place in a small bowl with water to cover for 10-15 minutes to soften.
3. Add the garlic, onion, fresh chile and tomatoes to the pan. Continue roasting until vegetables are charred, turning to brown all sides and removing any that begin to burn.
4. Add the cumin seeds and continue to toast for 1 more minute until browned.
5. Place all into a blender or small food processor and pulse to small chunks. Add the dry spices and continue to blend 1 more minute.
6. Add the black beans and blend until the mixture is fairly smooth. Taste for salt and adjust to your taste, adding more heat (i.e., with additional paprika or cayenne pepper) if you like. Set aside.
7. In a stand mixer, combine the masa and baking powder and stir. Add the pumpkin, salsa, and salt. Mix well – it should have the texture of Play-Doh. Keep the dough covered with a slightly moist towel as you proceed so it does not dry out.
8. Using any softened husks that are too small or damaged, tear about 20 thin strips which will be the ties for the tamales.
9. One by one, pat corn husks dry with towels and lay flat on the work surface with the thin end nearest you. Dip out 1/4 cup dough and spread, using an offset spatula or your fingers, into a scant 1/4” thickness, into a square shape about 4-inch by 4-inch, leaving at least 1 inch of husk free on the sides.
10. Spoon one tablespoon of the “mole” down the center. Carefully pull the long sides together which will roll the dough over the filling and enclose it. Smooth and squeeze slightly into an even tube shape, then fold up about 2 inches of the narrow end. Tie securely but not too tightly with one of the torn husk strips.
11. Reserve any remaining filling to serve with the tamales
12. Assemble a steamer set up with at least 1 inch of water at the bottom, a steam basket at least 6” deep above and a tight lid. Position the tamales, open end up and packed closely together, into the steam basket, close the lid and bring water to a boil. Steam at a consistent low boil for 1 hour, checking after 40 minutes or so to be sure the water has not all evaporated. (see note, below)
13. Once finished steaming, turn off heat and allow to sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes to firm up.
14. Serve tamales immediately, with some of the extra filling, and drizzled with sour cream.
15. Add lime wedges to be squeezed over the tamales and cilantro to garnish.
16. Tip: Drop a quarter coin into the bottom of the steamer where it will rattle as the water boils; if you notice there is no noise coming from the steamer it is a warning that the water has evaporated and you need to add more.
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.
Scientists are finding new mysteries since the geophysics mission landed two years ago.
NASA's InSight spacecraft touched down Nov. 26, 2018, on Mars to study the planet's deep interior.
A little more than one Martian year later, the stationary lander has detected more than 480 quakes and collected the most comprehensive weather data of any surface mission sent to Mars.
InSight's probe, which has struggled to dig underground to take the planet's temperature, has made progress, too.
There was a time when the surfaces of Mars and Earth were very similar. Both were warm, wet, and shrouded in thick atmospheres. But 3 or 4 billion years ago, these two worlds took different paths.
The mission of InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) has been to help scientists to compare Earth to its rusty sibling. Studying what the depths of Mars is made of, how that material is layered, and how quickly heat seeps out of it could help scientists better understand how a planet's starting materials make it more or less likely to support life.
While there's more science to come from InSight, here are three findings about our red neighbor in the sky.
NASA's InSight used its Instrument Context Camera (ICC) beneath the lander's deck to image these drifting clouds at sunset.
Faint rumblings are the norm
InSight's seismometer, which was provided by the French space agency, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, or CNES, is sensitive enough to detect slight rumblings from great distances. But it wasn't until April 2019 that seismologists with the Marsquake Service, coordinated by ETH Zurich, detected their first marsquake. Since then, Mars has more than made up for lost time by shaking frequently, albeit gently, with no quakes larger than magnitude 3.7.
The lack of quakes larger than magnitude 4 poses something of a mystery, considering how frequently the Red Planet shakes due to smaller quakes.
"It's a little surprising we haven't seen a bigger event," said seismologist Mark Panning of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the InSight mission. "That may be telling us something about Mars, or it may be telling us something about luck."
Put another way: It could be that Mars is just more static than anticipated – or that InSight landed in an especially quiet period.
Seismologists will have to keep waiting patiently for those larger quakes in order to study layers deep below the crust. "Sometimes you get big flashes of amazing information, but most of the time you're teasing out what nature has to tell you," said InSight Principal Investigator Bruce Banerdt of JPL. "It's more like trying to follow a trail of tricky clues than having the answers presented to us in a nicely wrapped-up package."
The wind may hide quakes
Once InSight started detecting quakes, they became so regular that, at one point, they were happening every day. Then, in late June of this year, the detections essentially stopped. Only five quakes have been detected since then, all of them since September.
Scientists believe Mars' wind is responsible for these seismically blank periods: The planet entered the windiest season of the Martian year around June. The mission knew that winds could affect InSight's sensitive seismometer, which is equipped with a domed wind and heat shield.
But the wind still shakes the ground itself and creates literal noise that covers up quakes. This could also have contributed to what seems like the long seismic silence before InSight's first quake, since the spacecraft landed while a regional dust storm was settling down.
"Before landing, we had to guess at how the wind would affect surface vibrations," Banerdt said. "Since we're working with events that are much smaller than what we'd pay attention to on Earth, we find that we have to pay much closer attention to the wind."
Surface waves are missing
All quakes have two sets of body waves, which are waves that travel through the planet's interior: primary waves (P-waves) and secondary waves (S-waves). They also ripple along the top of the crust as part of a third category, called surface waves.
On Earth, seismologists use surface waves to learn more about the planet's internal structure. Before getting to Mars, InSight's seismologists expected these waves to offer glimpses as deep as 250 miles (about 400 kilometers) below the surface, into a sub-crustal layer called the mantle. But Mars continues to offer mysteries: Despite hundreds of quakes, none has included surface waves.
"It's not totally unheard of to have quakes without surface waves, but it has been a surprise," Panning said. "For instance, you can't see surface waves on the Moon. But that's because the Moon has far more scattering than Mars."
The dry lunar crust is more fractured than Earth and Mars, causing seismic waves to bounce around in a more diffuse pattern that can last for over an hour. The lack of surface waves on Mars may be linked to extensive fracturing in the top 6 miles (10 kilometers) below InSight. It could also mean that the quakes InSight detected are coming from deep within the planet, since those wouldn't produce strong surface waves.
Of course, untangling such mysteries is what science is all about, and there's more to come with InSight.
More about the mission
JPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.
A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales, or CNES, and the German Aerospace Center, are supporting the InSight mission.
CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, or SEIS, instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, or IPGP. Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL.
DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología supplied the temperature and wind sensors.
California is a community property state. Ownership interests of married persons are categorized as either the couple’s joint community property or as either spouse’s own separate property.
Assets acquired while married and living together in California are presumed to be community property assets and assets acquired prior to marriage and as gifts during marriage are separate property, unless commingled or transmuted.
Let us discuss the liability of a married person for their spouse’s debts while both are alive and then after when one spouse dies.
While both spouses are living, community property assets are generally liable for the debts of either spouse incurred before or during marriage (Family Code sections 900 et. seq.).
This is true even if only one spouse is a party to the debt or to the judgment (Family Code section 910(a)).
Two important exceptions exist: First, if a married person puts his or her earnings earned during marriage (i.e., community property) into a separate bank account that their spouse cannot access then these deposited earnings are not liable for the spouse’s debts incurred prior to marriage; and second, the debts of a deceased spouse’s last illness and funeral are chargeable against the deceased spouse’s own estate, i.e., the deceased spouse’s separate property and one-half of the community property estate.
Conversely, a married person’s separate property is not answerable for their spouse’s own premarital debts or for any marital debts allocated by court order, either at divorce or at death, to their spouse.
Thus, a married person who does not commingle their own separate property can protect it from their spouse’s own creditors.
Next, when one spouse dies the surviving spouse is generally liable for the deceased spouse’s debts.
The surviving spouse’s liability, however, is limited to the total fair market value, at date of death, of the couple’s community property assets (less any encumbrances – i.e., secured debts) plus any of decedent’s separate property assets (less encumbrances) that are received by the surviving spouse outside of probate.
The fair market value of any joint tenancy assets received by the surviving spouse are also included.
However, a surviving spouse may avoid such liability for their deceased spouse’s debts by placing both halves of the couple’s community property and all of the decedent’s separate property into probate for the decedent’s creditors to file their claims.
Whether the surviving spouse does so depends on circumstances. That is, consider a surviving spouse who is the sole surviving owner on the couple’s valuable joint tenancy home.
Nonetheless, the surviving spouse may not be the sole beneficiary of the decedent’s probate estate and may have to share the probate assets with the decedent’s children. Accordingly, probating the joint tenancy assets may not work so well for the surviving spouse.
Nonetheless, a surviving spouse is more likely to probate all community property assets and the decedent’s separate property if the decedent’s debts exceed the current value of all such assets.
In a probate court proceeding, as in divorce court proceedings, debts can be allocated between the surviving spouse and the estate of the deceased spouse. That means categorizing debts as community property debts or as separate property debts of either spouse.
Debt acquired in pursuit of community goals (such as employment) are community property debts chargeable first against the couple’s community property assets and secondarily, if necessary, against the couple’s separate properties.
Debts of either spouse from before marriage or in pursuit of either spouse’s separate goals (e.g., gambling debts) are separate property debts. Separate debts are chargeable first against that spouse’s own separate property assets and secondarily, if necessary, against the community property assets.
In sum, planning opportunities and pitfalls exist when entering into a marriage, when inheriting property (either before or while married) and at the death of a spouse. Anyone needing legal guidance on any issues discussed above should consult an attorney.
Dennis A. Fordham, attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235.
On Saturday, one of Lake County’s members of Congress said he has received the first of two injections for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) received the vaccine at the advice of the house attending physician for continuity of government purposes and he will receive the second dose in three weeks.
“At the strong recommendation of the Office of the House Attending Physician, I received the first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine. I plan to get my second and final dose in three weeks. These doses were made available to members of Congress for continuity of government purposes, consistent with direction from the National Security Council. I have no reservations about the science and research behind this vaccine and I’m grateful to all the scientists who made this possible. I encourage everyone to get it after consulting with their physician and following local guidance on distribution timetables,” Thompson said.
Thompson’s wife, Jan, is a nurse at St. Helena Hospital and she is to receive her vaccination on Sunday.
“We feel very lucky to get these early doses and I’m going to do everything I can to deliver Federal funding to help speed up the rollout of this vaccine. We both want to remind everyone that we still need to continue safety protocols to keep every safe and crush the virus. Please continue washing your hands frequently, watching your social distance and wearing your masks. Let’s get through this together,” Thompson said.
You can click here to read the guidance from the House Attending Physician regarding COVID-19 vaccines for Members of Congress pursuant to continuity of government purposes.
Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – A week after the Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, the first doses were administered to health care workers in Lake County.
The first local vaccinations on Friday also coincided with the FDA’s approval of a second vaccine, this one produced by Moderna Inc., doses of which already have been ordered by the Lake County Public Health Department.
On Friday, nurses, doctors, respiratory therapists and other health care workers at Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport received the first, small batches of the Pfizer vaccine, which officials said marked a critical moment in the fight against the pandemic and offered a “shot of hope.”
Nurse Diane Derenia became the first person in Lake County to be immunized against the coronavirus, receiving the first of two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
In 21 days, Derenia will receive the second dose, at which point she will have 95 percent protection against developing COVID infection and symptoms, should she be exposed to the virus, Sutter Health reported.
“As more people receive the vaccine we’ll see a decrease in the number of new infections, which in turn will lower the number of hospitalizations and deaths,” said Tammy Carter, LVN, Sutter Lakeside’s infection control and employee health coordinator.
Sutter Lakeside’s staff celebrated the arrival of the vaccine, calling it a glimmer of hope in what has been a difficult year.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am to be the first person in our community to receive this lifesaving vaccine,” said Derenia. “Today wouldn’t have been possible for a rural hospital like ours without the support of Sutter Health, we are stronger together and the speed and organization with which we’ve received the vaccine are a testament to that.”
"These heroes have poured everything they have into this fight," said Scott Knight, chief administrative officer for Sutter Lakeside. "To all of our health care workers, we say thank you. Thank you for your courage. Thank you for your commitment in serving your community over the past ten months."
Lake County received its first shipment of 975 vaccine doses on Thursday, as Lake County News has reported.
Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace told Lake County News that Public Health will be placing weekly orders for new doses, with 100 doses of the newly approved Moderna vaccine already ordered earlier this week.
He said the county doesn’t yet have enough vaccine to cover all hospital staff, “but it depends on how many decide to take it.”
Pace added, “This is very much a moving target.”
Based on state and federal guidelines, the first tier of vaccinations is limited to frontline health care workers, first responders and nursing home residents and staffers can receive a dose of the vaccine.
The California Department of Public Health’s allocation guidelines categorizes those groups as Phase 1a.
Once those groups are vaccinated, those next in line to receive the vaccine are essential workers and members of the general public with underlying health conditions that make them more likely to have severe illness and die from COVID-19 if they contract the virus.
As for when teachers might have access to the vaccine, “We began preliminary conversations two weeks ago,” Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg said.
Falkenberg said the focus right now is really on Phase 1a of the vaccination plan.
“School staff are Phase 1b, so we anticipate February before we get to that phase. Once Phase 1a starts rolling smoothly, I think there will be ample time to build out preliminary plans for phase 1b,” Falkenberg said.
Pace said it’s “reasonable to assume” that teachers and seniors will be able to receive the vaccine within the next few months. “They are both a priority.”
Vaccines for the general public may be available by early summer, officials said.
“Widespread vaccination is the final piece of the puzzle,” said Pace. “The distribution of rigorously tested, effective vaccines just one year after this virus first emerged is a testament to science, our guide throughout this pandemic.”
While Pace told local leaders in updates earlier this week that the vaccine is the path to eventually being able to return to some level of normalcy, he also has warned that the winter could be particularly tough as COVID-19 cases continue to surge nationwide and statewide.
He and other health officials both locally and across the state remind the public to continue wearing face coverings, avoid gathering, stay home whenever possible, avoid travel for the holidays and participate in contact tracing and quarantining as needed.
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.
What has become known popularly as the “Christmas Star” is an especially vibrant planetary conjunction easily visible in the evening sky over the next two weeks as the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn come together, culminating on the night of Monday, Dec. 21.
In 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the night sky, discovering the four moons of Jupiter – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. In that same year, Galileo also discovered a strange oval surrounding Saturn, which later observations determined to be its rings. These discoveries changed how people understood the far reaches of our solar system.
Thirteen years later, in 1623, the solar system’s two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, traveled together across the sky. Jupiter caught up to and passed Saturn, in an astronomical event known as a “Great Conjunction.”
“You can imagine the solar system to be a racetrack, with each of the planets as a runner in their own lane and the Earth toward the center of the stadium,” said Henry Throop, astronomer in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “From our vantage point, we’ll be able to be to see Jupiter on the inside lane, approaching Saturn all month and finally overtaking it on Dec. 21.”
The planets regularly appear to pass each other in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn being aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.
What makes this year’s spectacle so rare, then? It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, as it will for 2020, allowing nearly everyone around the world to witness this “great conjunction.”
The closest alignment will appear just a tenth of a degree apart and last for a few days. On the 21st, they will appear so close that a pinkie finger at arm’s length will easily cover both planets in the sky. The planets will be easy to see with the unaided eye by looking toward the southwest just after sunset.
From our vantage point on Earth the huge gas giants will appear very close together, but they will remain hundreds of millions of miles apart in space. And while the conjunction is happening on the same day as the winter solstice, the timing is merely a coincidence, based on the orbits of the planets and the tilt of the Earth.
“Conjunctions like this could happen on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits,” said Throop. “The date of the conjunction is determined by the positions of Jupiter, Saturn and the Earth in their paths around the Sun, while the date of the solstice is determined by the tilt of Earth’s axis. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system.”
For those who would like to see this phenomenon for themselves, here’s what to do:
– Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities. – An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until Dec. 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky. – The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.