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 .

A cluster of stars forming in the Orion nebula. According to Hal Levison's research, these stars could be swapping comets. Image courtesy of NASA.

The next time you thrill at the sight of a comet blazing across the night sky, consider this: It's a stolen pleasure. You're enjoying the spectacle at the expense of a distant star.

Sophisticated computer simulations run by researchers at the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) have exposed the crime.

“If the results are right, our Sun snatched comets from neighboring stars' back yards,” said SWRI scientist Hal Levison. And he believes this kind of thievery accounts for most of the comets in the Oort Cloud at the edge of our solar system.

“We know that stars form in clusters,” Levison said. “The Sun was born within a huge community of other stars that formed in the same gas cloud. In that birth cluster, the stars were close enough together to pull comets away from each other via gravity. It's like neighborhood children playing in each others' back yards. It's hard to imagine it not happening.”

According to this “thief” model, comets accompanied the nearest star when the birth cluster blew apart.

The Sun made off with quite a treasure – the Oort Cloud, which was swarming with comets from all over the “neighborhood.”

The Oort cloud is an immense cloud of comets orbiting the Sun far beyond Pluto. It is named after mid-20th century Dutch astronomer Jan Oort, who first proposed such a cloud to explain the origin of comets sometimes seen falling into the inner solar system.

Although no confirmed direct observations of the Oort cloud have been made, most astronomers believe that it is the source of all long-period and Halley-type comets.

The standard model of comet production asserts that our Sun came by these comets honestly.

An artist's concept of the Oort cloud. Note that the distance scale is logarithmic. Compared to the size of planetary orbits, the Oort cloud is very far away. Indeed, the estimated size of the Oort cloud, 10^5 AU, is approximately 1 light year. If the Sun passed within 2 light years of another sun-like star, the stars' Oort clouds would overlap and their comets would intermingle. Image credit: ESO.

“That model says the comets are dregs of our own solar system's planetary formation and that our planets gravitationally booted them to huge distances, populating the cloud,” said Levison. “But we believe this kind of scenario happened in all the solar systems before the birth cluster dispersed.”

Otherwise, said Levison, the numbers just don't add up.

“The standard model can't produce anywhere near the number of comets we see [falling in from the Oort Cloud]. The Sun's sibling stars had to have contributed some comets to the mix,” Levison said.

Comets in the Oort Cloud are typically one or two miles across, and they're so far away that estimating their numbers is no easy task. But Levison and his team said that, based on observations, that there should be something like 400 billion comets there. The “domestic” model of comet formation can account for a population of only about 6 billion.

“That's a pretty anemic Oort Cloud, and a huge discrepancy – too huge to be explained by mistakes in the estimates. There's no way we could be that far off, so there has to be something wrong with the model itself,” Levison said.

He pointed to the cometary orbits as evidence.

“These comets are in very odd orbits – highly eccentric long-period orbits that take them far from our Sun, into remote regions of space,” he said. “So they couldn't have been born in orbit around the Sun. They had to have formed close to other stars and then been hijacked here.”

This means comets can tell us not only about the early history of the Sun – but also about the history of other stars.

“We can study the orbits of comets and put their chemistry into the context of where and around which star they formed,” Levison said. “It's intriguing to think we got some of our 'stuff' from distant stars. We're kin.”

Dauna Coulter works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

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 .

Could this comet rock-star have been stolen from another stellar system? No one knows. Image courtesy of NASA.

So far this week there have been several situations where people have become stranded or suffered exposure from the winter weather in the forest, as Lake County News has reported.

In one case, 12 people became stranded in the snow on the Mendocino County side of the forest on Sunday, with some of them not being reached by Search and Rescue until Monday, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Three people on the Lake County side of the forest above Upper Lake had to be assisted by a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer on Sunday, according to Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt.

Then on Tuesday morning, there was a report of travelers on Forest Highway 7 getting stuck, Schmidt said.

“Road conditions are pretty dicey,” Schmidt said.

She said that the Mendocino National Forest's off-highway vehicle trail system currently is closed because of the weather, which has included snow in the higher elevations over the past week.

Schmidt said the forest is seeing an increase in activity due to people going up to pick out Christmas trees, the permits for which went on sale last week.

The Christmas tree permits will be available through Dec. 17, and are good through Dec. 24. The cost is $10 per tree, with a limit of one tree per household.

Schmidt said the Mendocino National Forest sells about 3,000 tree permits annually, with the money going back into the general fund.

“It ends up going back to the treasury, so it's not really staying here in the forest,” she said.

To find out more about the Christmas tree permits and where to purchase them, see Mendocino National Forest Christmas tree permits available .

For those planning to visit the forest this weekend for outdoors activities and Christmas tree hunts, Schmidt urged them to be cautious.

If road conditions are deteriorating, turn back, she said.

Anyone driving into the forest should be prepared for cold and changing conditions, Schmidt said.

She suggested that visitors take common sense precautions, including telling people where they are going and when they are coming back, and leaving for the trip with a full tank of gas.

All Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed on Thanksgiving.

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 .

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 .

The popular rebate program administered by the California Energy Commission will close in

phases, beginning with the home appliances, which ends Dec. 6, 2010.

Applications for water heaters and heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2010.

Since April, more than 160,000 applications have been received with approximately $4.5 million still available. Consumers can choose from a variety of eligible models, which can be viewed at

www.cash4appliances.org/products/ .

New and corrected applications must be postmarked by Dec. 6, 2010, for consumers who purchase home appliances including, refrigerators, clothes washers, room air conditions, freezers, and dishwashers. Rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis for complete applications with the required supporting documents.

With less than $4.5 million remaining in the program, this gives consumer's additional time to take advantage of the sales offered by retailers during one of the biggest shopping weekends of the year.

The California Energy Commission has partnered with more than 80 Platinum Retail Partners and more than 50 Official Partners to assist consumers with appliance purchases, recycling their old appliances and completing their application.

A list of partners is available at www.cash4appliances.org/partners/list.html .

Consumers will need to work with a licensed California contractor for the installations of water heaters and heating and cooling units.

Consumers should check with PG&E and the State of California Contractor's State License Board (CSLB) for lists of contractors in their area and How to Hire a Contractor:

www.cslb.ca.gov/Consumers/HireAContractor/ .

Consumers are eligible for a rebate when they purchase a qualified high energy efficient appliance, water heater, or heating and cooling units, properly recycle their old appliance or system, and submit a complete application package. Instructions on how to complete an application for the California Cash for Appliances rebate is available at www.cash4appliances.org/consumers/Rebate-Form.pdf .

A consumer will need to enter their unique tracking number or their last name, phone number, and type of appliance that was purchased. Consumers who need to correct their rebate application can contact their retailer or contractor, call the toll-free number at 1-888-390-4034, or e-mail the Energy Commission at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Eligible energy efficient home appliances and rebate amounts available are: refrigerators $200, clothes washers $100, dishwashers $100, freezers $50, and room air conditioners up to $50. Rebates for eligible water heaters are $300-$750, and eligible HVAC systems qualify for $500 to $1000.

Consumer tips to speed rebate processing:

1. Read the steps. Read the steps on rebate application and include all of the required supporting documentation.

2. Fill out form completely and correctly. Do not leave any items blank on the application. Check the appropriate boxes and sign the application. For HVAC and Water Heaters a California licensed contractor will assist the consumer with the application.

3. Be consistent. Make sure that the applicant's first and last name matches the name on the certificate of recycling and the name on the utility bill. Only one first and last name is required on the application. The Certificate of Recycling and Utility Bill are only required for Clothes Washers, Refrigerators, Room Air Conditioners, Freezers, and Dishwashers. HVAC and Water Heater applications must list

the Certified Appliance Recyclers (CAR) name and CAR number.

4. Recycle. Consumers must recycle their old appliance to receive a rebate. The Certificate of Recycling document must be included with the application. If a consumer is participating in their utility rebate program, the utility will provide the consumer with the required Cash for Appliances Certificate of Recycling. Lake County residents must recycle their old appliances at South Lake Refuse and Recycling, who will issue a Recycling Form. Recycling Forms can only be issued at South Lake Refuse and Recycling to be eligible for the Cash for Appliances Rebate program. For more information on how to properly recycle an old appliance, visit: www.cash4appliances.org/consumers/recycle.html .

5. Correct postage. Affix proper postage before mailing your rebate application.

Lake County residents who wish to participate in the Cash for Appliances must bring their old appliances to the only certified recycler in Lake County, South Lake Refuse and Recycling, who will issue a Recycling Form. South Lake Refuse and Recycling is located at the entrance of the Eastlake Landfill, 16015 Davis Street, Clearlake, and open 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Residents in the unincorporated areas who wish to recycle appliances any time without participating in the Cash for Appliances program may call their hauler to schedule a “Bulky Item Pick-Up” for a $10 fee.

All county residents may drop-off appliances at Lake County Waste Solutions, 230 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport in addition to South Lake Refuse and Recycling also for a $10 fee.

Additional information also is available through retailer locations throughout the county and consumers can call the toll-free number for questions at 888-390-4034.

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 .

The end of the year for most Americans means preparing for feasts, festivities and fun throughout the holiday season. But each year that joy is marred by tragedy when accidents and fires cause injuries and even death.

Thanksgiving remains the leading day for home cooking fires with three times as many cooking fires as an average day, according to statistics by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

In fact, on Thanksgiving Day 2009, Cal Fire crews responded to more than 600 emergency incidents and sadly one person died in a home fire.

“Every holiday the number of emergencies Cal Fire responds to increases,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting Cal Fire director. “While that’s our job, we certainly don’t want to respond to your house this Thanksgiving because there was a fire or someone was burned. We want everyone to have a safe holiday season.”

To help reduce the chance of fire and injuries associated with holiday cooking, Cal Fire offers the following tips:

• Never leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food.

• If you leave the kitchen for even a short period time, turn off the stove.

• Cooking food should always be supervised by an adult.

• Turkey fryers should always be used outdoors a safe distance from buildings and other material that can burn. Never use on wooden decks or in garages.

• Children should not be permitted near a turkey fryer since hot oil can cause serious burn injuries.

• Provide a level surface that is free of ignitable materials when using turkey fryers.

• Make sure a fire extinguisher is handy at all times. Never use water to put out a grease fire.

• Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles.

For more information on fire safety, visit www.fire.ca.gov.

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 .

California Highway Patrol and Lakeport Fire Protection District firefighters responded to a single-vehicle crash just after 4 p.m. Wednesday, November 24, 2010, along Highway 29 outside of Lakeport, Calif. Despite the fact that his vehicle flipped over, the male driver was uninjured. Photo by Elizabeth Larson.

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 .

The body of 56-year-old Donnie Kelly Foster was discovered Wednesday morning, according to Lt. Rusty Noe of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Noe said deputies were dispatched shortly before 9 a.m. Wednesday to Brewery Gulch on the report of body found on the beach.

When they arrived, they identified Foster, whose body had appeared to have been washed up on the beach by the tide, Noe said.

Foster had been reported overdue Tuesday evening after last being seen at 3 p.m. in the area of Mendocino Bay in his 7-foot blue whitewater kayak, according to Capt. Kurt Smallcomb.

Smallcomb said the U.S. Coast Guard had begun an ocean search Wednesday using their helicopter and motor life boat in the area where Foster had last been seen

Foster was visiting the Mendocino Coast with his wife for the Thanksgiving holiday, Smallcomb said.

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 .

California Highway Patrol officers review the scene of a semi truck crash near Upper Lake, Calif., on Monday, November 22, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Monday morning crash involving a semi truck resulted in minor injuries for the driver and blocked a portion of Highway 20 for several hours.

The crash occurred at Mid Lake Road near Blue Lakes just before 8:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Pat Brown said the semi truck driver tried to dodge an animal on the highway and went into the embankment.

The CHP reported that the crash blocked the eastbound lane, with the westbound lane later reported to be blocked as well.

Brown said about 70 gallons of diesel was spilled as a result of the crash.

“We captured some of it but not all of it,” he said.

None of the diesel went into Blue Lakes; Brown said it stayed in a culvert area.

Brown said he and Northshore Fire Chief Jim Robbins responded to the scene, along with two medics and an engine.

Also responding were CHP and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and Lake County Environmental Health, the CHP said.

Brown said Environmental Health actually took control of the scene along with CHP.

CHP said the roadway was fully reopened at 12:20 p.m.

Later in the day, at about 2 p.m., a FedEx truck carrying two people reportedly overturned on New Long Valley Road near Clearlake Oaks.

Brown said there were no injuries in that incident.

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 .

The driver of the truck reportedly tried to dodge an animal on Highway 20 near Upper Lake, Calif., when he went into the embankment on the morning of Monday, November 22, 2010. Photo by Gary McAuley.

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 .

The fire was reported at Kingfisher Mobile Home Park, located at 5845 Old Highway 53, early Tuesday afternoon.

Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta said firefighters were dispatched to the fire at approximately 12:16 p.m. and arrived exactly six minutes later.

Two engines, one water tender, a rescue unit, two battalion chiefs and two medics were dispatched to the incident, Sapeta said.

When firefighters arrived on scene, they found the older singlewide mobile home fully involved, according to Sapeta.

The older male resident suffered smoke inhalation and was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, Sapeta said.

Because of the man's injuries, Sapeta said medical personnel were discussing flying him out of the county for treatment.

As the firefighters were dealing with the call, a medical aid for a stroke victim was dispatched at a nearby home, Sapeta said.

Sapeta said it took about two and a half hours to contain and mop up the fire.

“It was an older mobile home. We had to tear everything apart and get into it,” to make sure a fire didn't reoccur, he said.

Sapeta said the home was a complete loss.

The cause is still under investigation, he 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 .

Twenty-two-year-old Luis Antonio Calvillo was arrested on felony counts of kidnapping, rape and other sexual assault charges. Lake County Jail photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – An Oakland man has been arrested in connection with an alleged kidnap and rape of a 22-year-old Clearlake woman.

Luis Antonio Calvillo, 22, faces felony charges of kidnapping, rape and other sexual assault charges, according to Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Bauman said the sheriff's office responded to the alleged victim’s home in Clearlake late Saturday night, where she told deputies she had just been returned from a labor camp in Kelseyville where she had been held against her will and sexually assaulted.

The alleged victim reported that on Nov. 19 at about 4:30 p.m., a friend of hers – 32-year-old Julio Cesar Lopez of Clearlake – asked her to accompany him to Kelseyville to pick up a car he had bought so she could drive the car back to Clearlake for him, Bauman said.

Bauman said the woman said she agreed to go and left with Lopez to get the car at what was referred to as a “labor camp” on Sylar Lane in Kelseyville.

After arriving at the labor camp, Lopez told the woman he had to drive to Lakeport and he left her there with several other unidentified men, Bauman said.

The woman said she voluntarily went into a dwelling on the property to smoke some marijuana with the three men while waiting for Lopez to return, according to Bauman's report.

Bauman said that at least one of the men in the dwelling began asking the victim for sexual favors and when she attempted to leave the room, the men stood in the only doorway out and blocked her from exiting.

The alleged victim was reportedly held at the camp against her will throughout the night and into the next day, Bauman said.

During her alleged captivity, she was allegedly molested by one or more of the men and raped by at least one of them, according to Bauman.

Bauman said one of the men drove her to a Kelseyville gas station the following day and from there, she managed to get a ride to her home in Clearlake, where she then notified the sheriff’s department.

Deputies worked the case throughout Saturday night and into Sunday morning, when detectives were called in to assist with the investigation and secure a search warrant for the labor camp, Bauman said.

During the search warrant service, Calvillo was found at the camp and identified as one of the suspects, Bauman said. Calvillo was booked at the Lake County Jail with a $250,000 bail and an immigration hold.

Bauman said the identities and anticipated arrests of other suspects in the case are pending further investigation.

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 .