CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control has many great dogs waiting for homes this week.
The shelter has 38 adoptable dogs listed on its website.
This week’s dogs include “Grace,” a female Maremma sheepdog mix with a white coat.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
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.
On Thursday, California unveiled newly updated, first-of-their-kind dashboards that will help Californians track the state’s wildfire prevention work.
Along with these new tools, state officials announced that 700,000 acres of land were treated for wildfire resilience in 2023, and that prescribed fire more than doubled between 2021 and 2023.
For the first time, all fuels management projects are being tracked in one place, on one map, delivering valuable information for project planning and wildfire response.
“Everything we do to protect California from wildfires is connected, and nowhere else has as many tools to show the full picture while improving land management and supporting firefighters. We’re embracing the technology and best practices that will help us fight wildfires, and making sure Californians see the tireless work in their communities,” said Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“Thousands of wildfire resilience projects have been completed across California to protect our communities and landscapes from catastrophic wildfire in recent years, and more are underway,” said Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency and co-chair of the Task Force. “Thanks to historic investments from our state and federal leaders, dozens of local agencies and hundreds of organizations are delivering these projects. Now for the first time, we have a dashboard that tracks all these diverse projects in one place and on one map. This enables us to measure our overall progress toward building wildfire resilience across the state and provides regional leaders valuable information to plan future projects.”
Interagency Treatment Dashboard
The updated version of the Interagency Treatment Dashboard shows wildfire resilience work (or “treatments”) for three calendar years (2021, 2022 and 2023).
The data, which was sourced from federal, state, local, tribal, and private entities, is now available in a single hub that allows Californians to easily see where treatments (such as prescribed fire, mechanical thinning, and tree planting) have been completed. This information is used to inform firefighting efforts, ensure transparency to the public, and track progress toward statewide goals.
The Task Force released a Beta version of the dashboard last year with 2022 data. This updated version now includes data for 2021, revised data for 2022, and new data for 2023.
Over 1 million acres worth of treatment work on 700,000 acres of land
The dashboard shows significant progress on multiple fronts to bolster wildfire resilience in California. In 2023, more than one million acres of treatments were conducted on about 700,000 acres, with many acres receiving multiple treatments such as thinning, prescribed fire, or other practices to improve forest health and community resilience.
The Task Force is tracking both “activity acres,” which reflect the level of effort conducted through various state, federal, and private programs — and “footprint acres” — which show the total geographic area treated in a calendar year.
The 2023 data shows a significant increase in acres treated since 2021. The increase is largely due to a significant expansion of prescribed fire treatments, which more than doubled since 2021.
These efforts have put the state on a solid path toward meeting its joint commitment with the U.S. Forest Service to complete treatments on more than a million acres by the end of 2025.
The Task Force is committed to increasing the pace and scale of statewide actions to address California’s wildfire crisis.
The dashboard is part of a larger strategy to connect the various statewide entities committed to this monumental task.
Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Dashboard
Cal Fire also launched a Fuel Treatment Effectiveness Dashboard, which shows how wildfire prevention projects are helping protect communities and landscapes when wildfire strikes.
“Utilizing technology, we can now track in real time when wildfires hit areas where fuel treatments have been conducted. We can then go into an area and see how those treatments affected fire behavior, evacuation routes, firefighting efforts and more,” said Cal Fire Chief/Director Joe Tyler. “This new dashboard is a tool for the public to see how fuels treatments had a positive impact on the firefight and how this work is making a difference.”
“No other state in the country is tackling wildfire resilience at this scale or with this level of innovation,” added U.S. Forest Service Deputy Regional Forester Kara Chadwick. “From groundbreaking prescribed fire projects to comprehensive data tracking systems, we’re setting the standard for what it means to protect our landscapes and communities.”
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A report this week of a dog fight led to the arrest of a Clearlake man for possession of illegal guns and explosives, and animal cruelty.
Jesse Adams, 26, was taken into custody during the course of the investigation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office reported.
On Tuesday at approximately 9:30 p.m., deputies responded to the area of Chippewa Trail and Fairway Drive in the Kelseyville Riviera due to reports of a possible dog fight, a subject yelling for help and the report of a gunshot.
When they arrived, deputies contacted a neighbor who said that they could hear what sounded like a dog fight in the adjacent backyard and someone screaming for help. They then heard what sounded like a gunshot.
Deputies contacted the resident of the neighbor, Adams, and were told that there was a dog fight between his girlfriend’s dogs, but he did not have a gun or fire a shot.
While investigating the report of the gunshot, deputies located a large amount of blood near the sliding door leading to the backyard. This discovery prompted further investigation into the residence to ensure no injured people or animals needed assistance.
Deputies located a handgun in plain view inside the residence, which was registered to Adams, as well as a dog that appeared to be actively bleeding, with blood surrounding the left side of its face and head. The injuries appeared to be related to the dog fight that occurred earlier in the evening.
These discoveries prompted deputies to request a search warrant. The search warrant was authored and signed, the sheriff’s office said.
While searching the residence, deputies found an AR-15 style rifle with several illegal modifications, three Glock-style magazines, a 90 round AR-15 style magazine, three 30 round AR-15 style magazines, a large quantity of 12 gauge, 9 millimeter and .22LR cartridges.
Deputies also found a large quantity of “Dragons Breath” 12 gauge cartridges which “produce a stream of 5000 degree burning metal particles over 400+ feet” when fired.
Multiple explosives were also located within the residence, including eight “half stick” firecrackers and a large quantity of Tannerite.
During the initial investigation, the dog's owner returned to the residence and told deputies they would seek immediate medical attention for the injured animals.
Deputies arrested Adams on charges of possession of illegal firearms, illegal firearm storage, possession of illegal explosives and cruelty to animals. Adams was transported and booked into the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Authorities said this is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information related to this case is asked to call the Major Crime Unit tip line at 707-262-4088.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Federal Reserve, the central bank for the United States, was worrying that annual inflation would surpass 9% in the middle of 2022. The U.S. economy hadn’t seen prices rise that fast since the 1980s, and most everyone feared that a series of interest rate hikes would plunge the economy into a recession.
What a difference two years can make.
Inflation cooled to 2.4% in September 2024, according to consumer price index data released by the Labor Department on Oct. 10. That’s down from 2.5% the previous month and in line with market expectations of 2.3% to 2.4%. The inflation rate peaked at 8.9% in June 2022 – a 41-year high.
The news brings the Fed – and its chair, Jerome Powell – much closer to reaching its 2% inflation target. It also marks the fourth straight month that year-over-year price changes have been below 3% and the third consecutive month of declining inflation rates.
Speaking as an economist and finance professor, I think this could be a big deal for the Federal Reserve, which next meets – and could again cut interest rates – in November.
Fodder for another rate cut?
The Fed has what’s called a dual mandate: It pursues both low inflation and stable employment, two goals that can sometimes be at odds. Cutting interest rates can help employment but worsen inflation, while hiking them can do the opposite.
Since inflation started to take off during the COVID-19 pandemic, Fed officials have emphasized that their job isn’t done until price increases are back down to the 2% target.
But in light of recent labor market news, Powell and his colleagues have changed their messaging a bit. This indicates that the upside risks of inflation are lower than the risks associated with a weakening labor market.
And in September, the Fed slashed the federal funds rate by 0.5 percentage point, or 50 basis points – the first cut since it began hiking rates in March 2022. The move came as unemployment had ticked up to 4.3% in July, job openings plummeted and broader labor markets weakened.
Increasingly optimistic markets
Equity markets rallied on the news of the September rate cut. Investors believe reductions in the federal funds rate, which is a prime rate that helps to dictate mortgage rates, auto loans, credit card rates and home equity lines of credit, will spur increases in investment and consumption, guiding the economy to a so-called soft landing instead of a recession.
Between today’s inflation news and the unexpectedly sunny jobs report on Oct. 4, investors and markets have a lot of news to digest as they consider what path interest rates will take in the months ahead. Many continue to believe that we may well see two 25-basis-point cuts by the end of 2024 – and so do I.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Governor’s Office has reappointed a Lakeport resident to an important state post.
Mark Toney has been reappointed to the State Bar of California Board of Trustees, where he has served since 2020.
Toney has been executive director of The Utility Reform Network since 2008.
He was executive director of the Center for Third World Organizing from 2000 to 2004 and executive director of Direct Action for Rights and Equality from 1986 to 1994.
Toney was lead organizer at Workers’ Association for Guaranteed Employment from 1982 to 1985, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Whistleblower Center.
He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Brown University.
This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $50 per diem.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Wednesday, five days after it began, firefighters fully contained the Glenhaven fire.
The fire began shortly after 11:30 a.m. Friday in the area of Hillcrest and Henderson drives in Glenhaven before burning east and threatening a large swath of residences in Clearlake Oaks.
Officials said the Glenhaven fire destroyed two structures and damaged a third.
On Tuesday, the last of the evacuation warnings were lifted and the Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration issued by Sheriff Rob Howe on Friday.
With the fire now 100% contained, fire suppression repair work has begun. Officials said crews will patrol the area for hot spots over the next few days.
Resources that remain assigned to the incident include 52 personnel, two engines and two crews, Cal Fire 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.
NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this timelapse photo of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) International Space Station as it orbited 272 miles above the South Pacific Ocean southeast of New Zealand just before sunrise on Sept. 28, 2024.
At the time, the comet was about 44 million miles away from Earth.
Though the comet is very old, it was just discovered in 2023, when it approached the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history.
Beginning in mid-October 2024, Comet C/2023 A3 will become visible low in the west following sunset.
If the comet’s tail is well-illuminated by sunlight, it could be visible to the unaided eye. Oct. 14-24 is the best time to observe, using binoculars or a small telescope.
The comet hails from the Oort Cloud, which scientists think is a giant spherical shell surrounding our solar system. It is like a big, thick-walled bubble made of icy pieces of space debris the sizes of mountains and sometimes larger.
The Oort Cloud lies far beyond Pluto and the most distant edges of the Kuiper Belt and may contain billions, or even trillions, of objects.
Julie Sullivan, Emory University and Wilbur Lam, Georgia Institute of Technology
A scratchy, sore throat, a relentless fever, a pounding head and a nasty cough – these symptoms all scream upper respiratory illness. But which one?
Many of the viruses that cause upper respiratory infections such as influenza A or B and the virus that causes COVID-19 all employ similar tactics. They target the same areas in your body – primarily the upper and lower airways – and this shared battleground triggers a similar response from your immune system. Overlapping symptoms – fever, cough, fatigue, aches and pains – make it difficult to determine what may be the underlying cause.
Now, at-home rapid tests can simultaneously determine whether someone has COVID-19 or the flu. Thanks in part to the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics, or RADx, program, the Food and Drug Administration has provided emergency use authorization for seven at-home rapid tests that can distinguish between COVID-19, influenza A and influenza B.
Our team in Atlanta – composed of biomedical engineers, clinicians and researchers at Emory University, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Institute of Technology – is part of the RADx Test Verification Core. We closely collaborate with other institutions and agencies to determine whether and how well COVID-19 and influenza diagnostics work, effectively testing the tests. Our center has worked with almost every COVID and flu diagnostic on the market, and our data helped inform the instructions you might see in many of the home test kits on the market.
While no test is perfect, to now be able to test for certain viruses at home when symptoms begin can help patients and their doctors come up with appropriate care plans sooner.
A new era of at-home tests
Traditionally, identifying the virus causing upper respiratory illness symptoms required going to a clinic or hospital for a trained medical professional to collect a nasopharyngeal sample. This involves inserting a long, fiber-tipped swab that looks like a skinny Q-tip into one of your nostrils and all the way to the back of your nose and throat to collect virus-containing secretions. The sample is then typically sent to a lab for analysis, which could take hours to days for results.
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of using over-the-counter tests to diagnose respiratory illnesses at home became a reality. These tests used a much gentler and less invasive nasal swab and could also be done by anyone, anytime and in their own home. However, these tests were designed to diagnose only COVID-19 and could not distinguish between other types of illnesses.
Since then, researchers have developed over-the-counter multiplex tests that can screen for more than one respiratory infection at once. In 2023, Pfizer’s Lucira test became the first at-home diagnostic test for both COVID-19 and influenza to gain emergency use authorization.
What are multiplex rapid tests?
There are two primary forms of at-home COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu combination tests: molecular tests such as PCR that detect genetic material from the virus, and antigen tests – commonly referred to as rapid tests – that detect proteins called antigens from the virus.
The majority of over-the-counter COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu tests on the market are antigen tests. They detect the presence of antigens in your nasal secretions that act as a biological signature for a specific virus. If viral antigens are present, that means you’re likely infected.
To detect these antigens, rapid tests have paper-like strips coated with specially engineered antibodies that function like a molecular Velcro, sticking only to a specific antigen. Scientists design and manufacture specialized strips to recognize specific viral antigens, like those belonging to influenza A, influenza B or the virus that causes COVID-19.
The antibodies for these viral targets are placed on the strip, and when someone’s nasal sample has viral proteins that are applied to the test strip, a line will appear for that virus in particular.
Advancing rapid antigen tests
Like all technologies, rapid antigen tests have limitations.
Compared with lab-based PCR tests that can detect the presence of small amounts of pathogen by amplifying them, antigen tests are typically less sensitive than PCR and could miss an infection in some cases.
All at-home COVID-19 and COVID-19/flu antigen tests are authorized for repeat use. This means if someone is experiencing symptoms – or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 but is not experiencing symptoms – and has a negative result for their first test, they should retest 48 hours later.
Another limitation to rapid antigen tests is that currently they are designed to test only for COVID-19, influenza A and influenza B. Currently available over-the-counter tests aren’t able to detect illnesses from pathogens that look like these viruses and cause similar symptoms, such as adenovirus or strep.
Because multiplex texts can detect several different viruses, they can also produce findings that are more complex to interpret than tests for single viruses. This may increase the risk of a patient incorrectly interpreting their results, misreading one infection for another.
Researchers are actively developing even more sophisticated tests that are more sensitive and can simultaneously screen for a wider range of viruses or even bacterial infections. Scientists are also examining the potential of using saliva samples in tests for bacterial or viral infections.
Additionally, scientists are exploring integrating multiplex tests with smartphones for rapid at-home diagnosis and reporting to health care providers. This may increase the accessibility of these tests for people with vision impairment, low dexterity or other challenges with conducting and interpreting at-home tests.
Faster and more accurate diagnoses lead to more targeted and effective treatment plans, potentially reducing unnecessary antibiotic use and improving patient outcomes. The ability to rapidly identify and track outbreaks can also empower public health officials to better mitigate the spread of infectious diseases.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — On Sept. 3, the Lakeport City Council held a public hearing and approved adjustments to the monthly solid waste utility service rates.
The rates took effect on Oct. 1, and will be included in the November bill.
Why are new rates needed?
In 2023, a financial review of Lakeport Disposal Co., the city’s service provider, revealed that the current rates are insufficient to meet operational costs.
With no rate adjustments in 2022 or 2023, the city is now updating rates to reflect the increase in the Consumer Price Index, or CPI, from 2021 to 2024.
New monthly rates for residential solid waste services (effective Oct. 1, 2024):
For a full list of the current and proposed rates, visit the city’s website.
Future adjustments in 2025 and 2026 will be based on the change in the CPI for the San Francisco Bay Area, with rates adjusted annually starting July 1.
For more information, contact Assistant City Manager/Finance Director Nicholas Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-263-5615, Extension 301.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council has approved the creation of a working group to consider the uses of the many properties owned by the city government.
At the council’s Sept. 17 meeting, the council unanimously voted for forming the group, which will make recommendations to the council on the city’s many properties and “provide a more strategic approach to maximizing the community benefits of city-owned lands,” City Manager Kevin Ingram said in his written report.
Ingram’s report also said the working group “will focus on reviewing proposed uses and leases and provide recommendations that align with the City’s broader goals for economic development, community well-being, and public space optimization.”
Ingram said that in recent months the city had received multiple requests from community partners regarding the potential use and enhancement of some of these sites. In one day about two to three months before the meeting, the city fielded three different calls about three or four different city-owned properties.
At that point, Ingram said it forced him to go back and look at a listing of all of the different agreements the city has for use of those properties, adding it’s a daunting list. That was the driver for moving forward with the working group proposal.
As examples of some of the city’s property agreements, Ingram pointed to what he considers the three most pressing projects that would benefit from the working group’s creation and its resulting input.
Those top projects include the Carnegie Library lease agreement between the city and the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center for use of the Carnegie Library. Ingram reported that the city is in the process of revising that lease for the establishment of an educational resource center. In his written report, Ingram acknowledged, “This project requires careful consideration to ensure that the use of the historic library meets the needs of both the community and our partner organization.”
There also is the city’s collaboration with the Westside Community Park Committee and local equestrian enthusiasts on a potential lease agreement for the use of portions of the 500-acre City of Lakeport Municipal Sewer District property along Highway 175 for an equestrian center and trails use.
The city also is actively seeking a developer to build a waterfront hotel on the city-owned Dutch Harbor property at 910 N. Main St. Ingram said it’s anticipated that the city will need to enter into a development agreement or similar lease arrangement as part of any future development at the site.
Ingram said a lot of staff hours go into the leases for these properties.
He said the idea behind the work group is that it would be a “first look group,” with the full lease agreements still going to the council for a final decision.
The city has an old lease agreement for the Green Ranch property, where its wells are located, that has been active for decades, with cattle grazing the land for weed control. Ingram said that property also can be added for consideration, as it’s probably time to modernize it and put it out for a request for proposals.
A year or so ago, the city overhauled its lease for the Yacht Club property at Library Park, Ingram said.
Ingram said the council could adopt the resolution that night and Mayor Michael Froio could move forward with appointing two members to it. Appointments to the working group would then be included with the other commitments up for appointment at the end of each year.
Aaron Hiatt, a general building contractor and local rancher, was one of those community members who has reached out to the city about leasing property. In particular, he’s interested in leasing the Green Ranch property.
“Local is very important in keeping businesses here,” said Hiatt, who has raised his children in Lake County.
He said he inquired many years ago about grazing his cattle at the city’s sewer ponds property but was told it was rented and unavailable. Based on his research, Hiatt said a Humboldt County resident has held the lease for 21 years. In that time, it has been up for auto renewal for 13 years, with no competition.
Hiatt suggested the city is getting little revenue and he hoped the agreement would be reviewed.
Ingram said he thinks Hiatt’s concern about the property would be right in line with the purpose of the working group.
Councilman Kenny Parlet apologized to Hiatt for the situation. He said city staff does so much but acknowledged that it’s “a big deal” for Hiatt.
Councilman Brandon Disney agreed that staffers have a lot on their plate. The list of agreements and properties is extensive and it’s easy to roll over agreements from year to year.
Councilwoman Stacey Mattina moved to approve the resolution establishing the advisory group, which Disney seconded and the council approved 4-0. Councilwoman Kim Costa was absent.
The group’s meetings are now reported to be underway.
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. — Firefighters on Wednesday afternoon quickly stopped a wildland fire near Kelseyville.
The fire in the 7200 block of Wight Way was first reported at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Firefighters responded quickly on the ground and from the air to stop the blaze, which was threatening structures.
Forward progress was reported to be stopped just after 4:30 p.m.
The fire was reported to be about four acres at the time firefighters stopped its forward.
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.
With Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday announced the deployment of an additional 70 California-based firefighters to assist with search and rescue efforts.
This additional aid follows the deployment of 144 California Urban Search and Rescue personnel earlier this week who are currently prepositioned in Florida.
The governor previously deployed California Urban Search and Rescue resources to support the response to Hurricane Helene, including 140 firefighters and support personnel.
In total, California has now deployed 354 personnel to support hurricane response efforts.
Together, the teams can provide support for search and rescue operations around the clock when conditions permit.
“In times of crisis, Americans unite to lend a helping hand. California is sending hundreds of emergency personnel to aid Florida as the state endures devastating hurricanes. Floridians, please stay safe and follow all emergency guidance,” said Gov. Newsom.
In close coordination with FEMA, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, has deployed the additional 70 Task Force members from Orange County and Menlo Park.
These highly specialized personnel are trained in structural collapse and swift water/flood environments.
This deployment has no impact on California’s emergency response and firefighting capabilities.
“California is dedicated to helping those in the path of this major storm,” said Cal OES Director Nancy Ward. “With the deployment of these additional resources, we can help bolster ongoing response and recovery efforts as Hurricane Milton impacts communities across Florida.”
Last month, Gov. Newsom deployed California support to Florida to bolster the response to Hurricane Helene.
California also sent aid to Texas in July and Georgia in August in response to tropical storms. In the past two years, California has also deployed firefighters to New Mexico, Hawaii, Oregon and Montana.