LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The first atmospheric river event of the season is expected to bring some rain to Lake County and other parts of the North Coast on Monday.
The National Weather Service’s Eureka office said the early season atmospheric river storm will bring strong and gusty southerly winds through Monday, with moderate to heavy rain will increase on Monday as a frontal boundary crosses the area.
Forecasters said rain may not occur in Mendocino and Lake counties until late afternoon or early evening on Monday. Portions of southern Lake County may not even get any precipitation until mid or late evening.
Lake County is not expected to receive more than a third of an inch during the storm.
There is the potential for additional showers and cooler air to follow through mid week, with drier weather conditions expected toward the end of the week and the weekend, the forecast said.
With the southern portion of the Eureka office’s forecast area — which includes Lake County — expected to receive the least amount of rain from the atmospheric river storm, “fire weather concerns will once again crop up over the weekend,” the National Weather Service reported.
The forecast also noted that the “dry offshore wind flow will also promote drying for the interior valleys and the concerns for frost and freezing temperatures will increase.”
Winds in Lake County are forecast to be up to 20 miles per hour on Tuesday night and slightly higher on Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported.
Temperatures this week are anticipated to be in the low 70s during the day and the high 40s at night, the forecast said.
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.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday announced that he has signed legislation strengthening protections and supports for LGBTQ+ Californians, including measures to better support vulnerable youth.
The measures include AB 5 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles), which sets implementation timelines for required LGBTQ+ cultural competency training by public school teachers and staff.
The governor also signed SB 857 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), which will establish an advisory task force to identify LGBTQ+ pupil needs statewide and assist in implementing supportive initiatives, and AB 223 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego), which requires any petition for a change of gender and sex identifier by a minor to be kept confidential by the court.
“California is proud to have some of the most robust laws in the nation when it comes to protecting and supporting our LGBTQ+ community, and we’re committed to the ongoing work to create safer, more inclusive spaces for all Californians,” said Gov. Newsom. “These measures will help protect vulnerable youth, promote acceptance, and create more supportive environments in our schools and communities. I thank Sen. Eggman and the LGBTQ Caucus for their dedicated leadership and partnership in advancing our state’s values of equality, freedom and acceptance.”
"This year the LGBTQ Caucus took up the important work of protecting our communities in the face of vile anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, discriminatory laws across the country, and hatred. I appreciate the Governor's partnership in signing some of our priority and endorsed legislation today, and hope we can continue to educate about the harm LGBTQ+ people will continue to face if we fail to act,” said Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.
“While states across the nation are passing legislation that puts LGBTQ+ people and especially youth at risk, California is sending a clear message today — hate-filled attacks will not be tolerated and we will continue protecting and ensuring the safety of all members of the LGBTQ+ community,” said Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang. “We are thankful to our legislative partners for championing these important bills and to Governor Newsom for continuing to be such a strong ally in improving and protecting the well-being of the LGBTQ+ community as we face growing attacks from far-right extremists.”
The full list of bills signed by the governor can be found below:
AB 5 by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur (D-Los Angeles) — The Safe and Supportive Schools Act.
AB 223 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) — Change of gender and sex identifier.
AB 760 by Assemblymember Lori Wilson (D-Fairfield) — Public postsecondary education: affirmed name and gender identification.
AB 783 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) — Business licenses: single-user restrooms.
AB 994 by Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley) — Law enforcement: social media.
SB 372 by Senator Caroline Menjivar (D-San Fernando Valley/Burbank) — Department of Consumer Affairs: licensee and registrant records: name and gender changes.
SB 407 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) — Foster care: resource families.
SB 760 by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) — School facilities: all-gender restrooms.
SB 857 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) — Advisory task force: LGBTQ+ pupil needs.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — A town hall next week will feature a discussion between local officials and community members focusing on the growing crisis of homelessness and mental illness in Lake County.
The event will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Soper Reese Theatre, 275 S. Main Street, Lakeport.
The Lakeport Police Department, city of Lakeport, Lake County Behavioral Health and Lake Family Resource Center are partnering to host the town hall.
Speakers will include Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen, Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram, Behavioral Health Director Elise Jones and Lake Family Resource Center Executive Director Lisa Morrow.
Congressman Mike Thompson’s office also plans to be in attendance, Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen told Lake County News that he estimates that the Lakeport Police Department’s officers spend 40% of their time addressing homelessness and mental illness.
The town hall’s agenda will include an overview of legislative and voter changes to criminal justice laws over the past decade that impact treatment of individuals, response to mental illness locally, and the constraints faced by agencies in rural areas.
They also will discuss the status of the crisis responder program operated cooperatively by Lakeport Police and the Lake Family Resource Center and funded by a grant.
Organizers hope to hear questions from community members and address their concerns, and to get feedback through a public survey.
Rasmussen said Friday that the Public, Education and Government, or PEG channel 8, will run a livestream of the town hall on the Lakeport Police Department’s YouTube page, with a recording to be replayed on PEG.
Rasmussen said they won’t be able to interact with livestream viewers due to insufficient staffing to manage it.
Because the Soper Reese did not have sufficient internet to run a livestream, Mediacom partnered with Lakeport Police to give them a temporary high speed drop for the event.
Rasmussen offered his thanks to Mediacom for offering the assistance to make the livestream possible.
Contact Chief Rasmussen at 707-263-5491 for more information.
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.
Real median household income after taxes fell 8.8% to $64,240 from 2021 to 2022 and the poverty rate after taxes as measured by the Supplemental Poverty Measure, or SPM, increased 59% to 12.4%.
These significant changes in after-tax income and poverty rates of U.S. households were much larger than the annual changes in before-tax income and poverty, according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau reports, Income in the United States: 2022 and Poverty in the United States: 2022, show that before taxes, median household income declined 2.3% to $74,580 and the poverty rate (11.5%), as measured by the official poverty measure, was not statistically different from 2021.
This dramatic difference can be attributed to key changes in federal tax policy.
In 2022, several policies enacted by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expired, including an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for filers without children and full refundability of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC). ARPA also increased the maximum amount of CTC.
In 2020 and 2021, most households also received Economic Impact Payments (EIP) that were no longer issued in 2022.
The rollback of these tax policies had the largest effect on post-tax income among the nation’s lowest-income households.
In 2021, for example, post-tax income at the 10th percentile, meaning at the bottom of the income distribution, was 17.1% higher than the corresponding pretax income estimate, reflecting the substantial boost that lower-income households received that year from the EIP and expanded CTC.
In contrast, the 2022 estimates of pretax and post-tax income at the 10th percentile were not significantly different (Figure 1).
Lower post-tax income, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution, also resulted in an increase in income inequality.
The Gini index, a common measure of how spread out or unequal incomes are, for pretax income was 1.2% lower in 2022 than in 2021, reflecting real income declines at the top of the income distribution. However, the post-tax Gini index was 3.2% higher due to substantial declines in post-tax income among lower-income households.
Lower income, higher poverty
The decline in post-tax income also corresponds to an increase in the SPM, which incorporates noncash government assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, and taxes, through income and payroll taxes and refundable tax credits like the CTC and EITC.
The 4.6 percentage point increase in the SPM poverty rate was driven almost entirely by the change in tax policy (Figure 2). When a version of the SPM excluding taxes is examined, the poverty rate did not change: 12.6% in 2022, not statistically different from 2021.
The expiration of expansions to refundable tax credits had a particularly important impact on SPM poverty (Figure 3).
In 2021, 9.6 million people were kept out of poverty due to refundable tax credits. This number declined to 6.4 million in 2022 as the pandemic era expansions expired. The effect declined for each of the major age groups, with 3.5 million children lifted out of poverty in 2022 compared to 4.9 million in 2021.
More information on Income and Poverty is available in the reports Income in the United States: 2022 and Poverty in the United States: 2022.
The technical documentation page includes information on confidentiality protection, methodology, sampling and nonsampling error, and definitions.
All comparative statements in this report have undergone statistical testing, and, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons are statistically significant at the 90 percent significance level.
John Creamer is the SPM team lead in the Census Bureau’s Poverty Statistics Branch. Matt Unrath is chief of the Census Bureau’s Income Statistics Branch.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has more puppies and adult dogs waiting to be adopted into new families this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Belgian malinois, boxer, Cardigan Welsh corgi, German shepherd, hound, pit bull, Siberian husky, schnauzer, shepherd and Yorkshire terrier.
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.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
“Halo” is a nearly 3-year-old female pit bull terrier mix in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-345. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Halo’
“Halo” is a nearly 3-year-old female pit bull terrier mix.
She has a white coat with brown markings.
Halo is in kennel No. 8, ID No. LCAC-A-345.
“Teddy” is a 12-year-old male Yorkshire terrier-schnauzer mix in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-1896. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Teddy’
“Teddy” is a 12-year-old male Yorkshire terrier-schnauzer mix with a tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 2, ID No. LCAC-A-1896.
“Sunny” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-5942. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Sunny’
“Sunny” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier with a gold coat.
He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-5942.
This 2-year-old female shepherd is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-5955. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female shepherd
This 2-year-old female shepherd has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-5955.
“Sammy” is a 1-year-old male Labrador retriever-shepherd mix in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-5826. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Sammy’
“Sammy” is a 1-year-old male Labrador retriever-shepherd.
He has a black coat with white markings.
Sammy is in kennel No. 11, ID No. LCAC-A-5826.
“Max” is a 6-month-old male hound-pit bull terrier puppy in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-5834. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Max’
“Max” is a 6-month-old male pit bull terrier-hound puppy with a black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-5834.
This 2-year-old female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-5940. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier
This 2-year-old female pit bull terrier has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-5940.
This 1-year-old male Cardigan Welsh corgi is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-5882. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Cardigan Welsh corgi
This 1-year-old male Cardigan Welsh corgi has a brown and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. LCAC-A-5882.
This 6-month-old male hound-pit bull terrier puppy is in kennel No. 15a, ID No. LCAC-A-5831. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Hound-pit bull terrier
This 6-month-old male hound-pit bull terrier puppy has a black coat with white and tan markings.
He is in kennel No. 15a, ID No. LCAC-A-5831.
This 6-month-old male hound-pit bull terrier puppy is in kennel No. 15b, ID No. LCAC-A-5832. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Hound-pit bull terrier
This 6-month-old male hound-pit bull terrier puppy has a white coat with gray markings.
He is in kennel No. 15b, ID No. LCAC-A-5832.
This 2-month-old male boxer-pit bull puppy is in kennel No. 17a, ID No. LCAC-A-5806. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Boxer-pit bull puppy
This 2-month-old male boxer-pit bull puppy has a short tan coat with black and white markings.
He is in kennel No. 17a, ID No. LCAC-A-5806.
This 2-month-old male boxer-pit bull puppy is in kennel No. 17b, ID No. LCAC-A-5807. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Boxer-pit bull puppy
This 2-month-old male boxer-pit bull puppy has a short tan coat with black and white markings.
He is in kennel No. 17b, ID No. LCAC-A-5807.
This 3-year-old male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-5835. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull terrier
This 3-year-old male pit bull terrier has a short brown coat.
He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-5835.
This 4-year-old male hound is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-5968. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male hound
This 4-year-old male hound has a red coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-5968.
This 1-year-old male pit bull is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-5616. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male pit bull
This 1-year-old male pit bull has a short brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-5616.
This 2-year-old male shepherd is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-5423. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male shepherd
This 2-year-old male shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-5423.
This 4-year-old male Siberian husky is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-5891. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male Siberian husky
This 4-year-old male Siberian husky has a brown and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-5891.
This 1 and a half year old male shepherd is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5424. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male shepherd
This 1 and a half year old male shepherd has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5424.
This 2-month-old female pit bull terrier puppy is in kennel No. 27a, ID No. LCAC-A-5951. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier puppy
This 2-month-old female pit bull terrier puppy has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 27a, ID No. LCAC-A-5951.
This 2-month-old female pit bull terrier puppy is in kennel No. 27b, ID No. LCAC-A-5952. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier puppy
This 2-month-old female pit bull terrier puppy has a black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 27b, ID No. LCAC-A-5952.
This 2-year-old female Labrador retriever mix is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-5838. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female Labrador retriever mix
This 2-year-old female Labrador retriever mix has a black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-5838.
This 1-year-old female pit bull terrier mix is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-5829. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female pit bull terrier mix
This 1-year-old female pit bull terrier mix has a black coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-5829.
This 7-year-old female German shepherd is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-5629. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female German shepherd
This 7-year-old female German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-5629.
“Chikis” is a 5-year-old female boxer in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-3672. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Chikis’
“Chikis” is a 5-year-old female boxer with a short brown coat.
She is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-3672.
“Xina” is a 3-year-old female Belgian malinois in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-462. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Xina’
“Xina” is a 3-year-old female Belgian malinois with a brown and black coat.
She is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-462.
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.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Adventist Health Clear Lake will be hosting a Benefit Show fundraiser, Every Beat Counts, bringing together community members for a lively evening of family-style dining and an interactive dueling piano performance by the Kelly Twins.
This special event will take place at the beautiful Boatique Winery in Kelseyville on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 5 p.m.
All proceeds raised at the event will help support Adventist Health Clear Lake’s efforts to bring the latest cardiac technology to Lake County.
Enjoy a fabulous dinner, music and live auction, while supporting a great cause. Individual tickets are available for $125 each, which includes dinner. Sponsorship opportunities start at $2,500 and go up from there.
Sponsorship packages all include reserved tables, recognition in event marketing and materials and much more.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has several kitten and an adult cat ready for their new homes.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.
“Sammy” is a 2-month-old male tuxedo kitten in kennel No. 26b, ID No. LCAC-A-5579. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Sammy’
“Sammy” is a 2-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten with a tuxedo coat.
He is in kennel No. 26b, ID No. LCAC-A-5579.
“Fin” is a 5-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5395. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. ‘Fin’
“Fin” is a 5-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten with an orange tabby coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5395.
This cute 2-year-old female brown tabby is in kennel No. A4, ID No. LCAC-A-5491. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female brown tabby
This cute 2-year-old female brown tabby has green eyes and a short coat.
She is in kennel No. A4, ID No. LCAC-A-5491.
This female domestic shorthair kitten is in kennel No. 55, ID No. LCAC-A-5950. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female domestic shorthair kitten
This female domestic shorthair kitten has a brown tabby coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 55, ID No. LCAC-A-5950.
This 3-month-old female domestic shorthair cat is in kennel No. A96c, ID No. LCAC-A-5641. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Female shorthair kitten
This 3-month-old female domestic shorthair cat has a gray coat.
She is in kennel No. A96c, ID No. LCAC-A-5641.
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten is in kennel No. A3c, ID No. LCAC-A-5472. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male orange tabby kitten
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in kennel No. A3c, ID No. LCAC-A-5472.
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten is in kennel No. A3c, ID No. LCAC-A-5473. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male orange tabby kitten
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in kennel No. A3d, ID No. LCAC-A-5473.
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten is in kennel No. A3e, ID No. LCAC-A-5476. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control. Male orange tabby kitten
This 3-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten has an orange tabby coat.
He is in kennel No. A3e, ID No. LCAC-A-5476.
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.
Jacob S. Suissa, University of Tennessee and Ben Goulet-Scott, Harvard University
You may be surprised by what’s growing on a familiar trail. Benjamin Goulet-Scott, CC BY-ND
When you hear about the abundance of life on Earth, what do you picture? For many people, it’s animals – but awareness of plant diversity is growing rapidly.
We are plant scientists and co-founders of Let’s Botanize, an educational nonprofit that uses plant life to teach about ecology, evolution and biodiversity. In the past several years we have witnessed a botanical boom, with participation in plant-based hobbies surging. From cultivating houseplants to foraging for wild foods and outdoor gardening, plant appreciation is on the rise.
Botanizing is spending time alongside plants in order to observe and appreciate them as living organisms – like birding, but with subjects that stay in place. When you botanize, a simple walk in the woods becomes an immersive experience shared with many species. Getting to know your nonhuman neighbors is a way to engage with a changing planet.
Plant collecting and colonialism
Botanizing has a deep and checkered history. Humans have been analyzing and classifying plants for thousands of years, often to figure out what they can safely eat or cultivate.
When Europeans began exploring and colonizing other parts of the world, they were interested in finding plants that were useful as food, medicine or for other purposes. For example, in the early 17th century, the Dutch East India Company forcibly colonized the Banda Islands in what is now Indonesia in order to monopolize the cultivation and lucrative trade of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans).
In 19th-century England, Victorians became obsessed with plants, especially ferns. This craze came to be known as pteridomania, or fern fever. It coincided with the height of European imperialism across the globe, which included widespread collection of valuable plants from faraway places.
Today, however, many botanic gardens and arboreta – gardens that focus on trees and shrubs – have shifted their mission to public education, scientific research and biodiversity conservation. They can be good resources for learning to botanize.
An estimated 40% of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction, including many that haven’t yet been identified.
Why botanize?
Plants provide raw materials for the homes we live in, the food we eat and the oxygen we breathe. Without them, life as humans know it could not exist.
Nonetheless, many people think of plants more as a backdrop to life, rather than as a central part of it. Scientists and educators call this phenomenon plant awareness disparity – a widespread cognitive bias that leads people to underestimate the diversity and importance of plants.
Staghorn sumac (rhus typhina) absorbing the last bits of nutrients from its dying leaves on a brisk fall morning as it prepares for winter dormancy.Let's Botanize, Inc., CC BY-ND
Research has shown the value of being outside in natural green areas or around plants indoors. Even traditional western doctors are starting to prescribe nature walks to reduce stress and improve physical well-being. Botanizing can provide a reason to get outdoors, and spending time closely observing plants’ minute structures is a great mindfulness practice.
We also see botanizing as a valuable alternative to spending time on social media. As many experts have observed, online platforms have become so individually tailored by algorithms that each user participates in their own version of reality, a trend that has enabled increasingly combative and antisocial behavior. Botanizing is an opportunity to take a break from these tailored worlds and deeply engage with local human and nonhuman communities.
Finally, since plants form the foundation of life on Earth, caring for plants is a way of caring for our planet. Botanizing is one simple way to inspire change in other aspects of our lives that prioritizes sustainability.
Ferns don’t produce flowers or fruits. Instead they reproduce by freely dispersing spores. Spores are produced in small structures called sporangia, which line the edges of the leaflets in this interrupted fern (claytosmunda claytoniana).Let's Botanize, Inc., CC BY-ND
Tools of the trade
There are many ways to botanize. Typically it involves trying to identify a plant species, observing its form and structure or assessing how it survives in the landscape. Plants are everywhere and don’t move, so this can be done in virtually any setting, including your windowsill or sidewalk.
So, how do you start? You can focus on plant structure, ecology, interactions, colors, textures or scents – or tastes, if you’re bold. You don’t need to travel far or spend a lot of money. There’s much to learn from your houseplants, the food you cook, the wood grain of your furniture, the plants growing in your sidewalks, gardens or local green spaces.
Here are a few essential tools:
– A hand lens is a window into the minutia of the botanical world. It’s as essential for a botanist as binoculars are for a birder. We recommend one with 10x magnification – that is, one that magnifies what you’re looking at by a factor of 10.
– A local field guide is your reference textbook. A good field guide to your local plants will have images and detailed text that you can use to cross-reference your identifications.
– A plant identification app can help confirm your identifications. Machine learning algorithms are getting increasingly good at matching plant images with species. One popular choice is the Seek app, which is powered by iNaturalist, an online social network where people share information about living species and get help with identifications.
– Almost every region of the U.S. has local botanical clubs that typically hold regular meetings and organize workshops, online groups, botanizing days and more. Joining one is a great way to meet and learn from people with similar interests.
Flowers like this magnolia (magnolia sieboldii) have evolved to entice insects and other pollinators visually. The magnolia’s blood-red stamens produce pollen, and its cream-colored column of fused carpels produces seeds.Let's Botanize, Inc., CC BY-ND
To germinate your initial interest, we recommend searching for a spark plant – one that excites, engages or is meaningful to you. It can be a plant that you are familiar with but haven’t seen growing in real life, one that is totally new to you, or one that you associate with a special moment.
If botanizing is to reclaim its place as a nature-based hobby, we believe it is important to reimagine it as a critically evolved 21st century pastime. That means looking at plants with appreciation – not simply as products for human use but as foundational and interconnected members of life on Earth.
In my view, making schools safe requires school leaders not to get caught up in this either/or debate. Instead, I believe it requires recognizing a shared goal of safe schools and the need for a comprehensive approach to achieving it.
Behavior and the pandemic
Recent reports suggest these high-profile incidents of violence in schools are part of a general increase in student misconduct over the past couple of years. This contrasts with a decline over the prior decades.
What’s more, teachers who experience threats or physical violence from students are more likely to leave their positions, according to a study I co-authored in 2017.
Students in New York City attend a rally to end school discipline practices that they say disproportionately affect students of color.Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Restorative justice experiences backlash
Over the past couple of decades, states and school districts nationwide have adopted school discipline reforms that prioritize relationships between peers and with teachers, positive incentives for good behavior and prevention of misconduct.
These policies, often implemented as part of restorative justice initiatives, focus on building community and a positive school climate instead of removing kids from school.
But as school violence persists, these restorative justice reforms are being called into question.
In Nevada, teachers union representatives from the Clark County Education Association sought to revise laws to immediately remove students for violence against school staff. The state legislature there passed legislation scaling back restorative justice and making it easier to suspend students. In San Diego, the superintendent promised to revisit restorative discipline policies after parent complaints about student safety. Policy advocates have claimed discipline reform has contributed to school shootings.
The limitations of restorative practices have resulted in calls for a return to greater use of suspensions and other punitive discipline. In one of the most high-profile displays, a Florida sheriff announced in front of a jail plans for a return to more punitive discipline, suggesting a need for more use of detentions and suspensions. He lamented that students were no longer afraid of suspensions or having “the cheeks of their a– torn off for not doing right in class.”
Ultimately, there is little evidence that suspensions and expulsions improve behavior. In fact, a recent national survey found that only 13% of principals agreed that suspensions reduce future misbehavior.
A path forward
Proponents of progressive discipline reform and those advocating for “get-tough,” exclusionary policies share a desire for safe schools. The sheriff speaking in front of the jail as well as his critics both want to prevent kids from ending up incarcerated.
How do policymakers and educators see past these divides to achieve safer schools?
First, it may help to acknowledge that effective school discipline policies can include both restorative and exclusionary practices. It is true that there is a need to reduce the disproportionate use of suspension for minor offenses. But it is also true that students who pose an immediate danger to others may need to be temporarily removed to settings where they can receive additional support.
Finally, policymakers can recognize that school safety is affected by the experiences of students outside of school. Addressing the trauma, violence and social disruptions experienced in homes and neighborhoods through broader public policy holds potential to improve safety inside schools.
All of this takes resources and support for schools, educators and students. I believe these are resources well spent, though, to achieve the shared goal of school safety.
Participants in the 2022 Hike for Hospice. Photo courtesy of Hospice Services of Lake County. LAKEPORT, Calif. — Lace up your hiking boots and join Hospice Services of Lake County for the Mike Riley Memorial Hike for Hospice on Sunday, Oct. 8, at the picturesque Highland Springs Recreation Area.
Registration starts and 8 a.m. and the hikes begin at 9 a.m.
This meaningful event aims to raise funds for Wings of Hope, a vital grief counseling program for youth and families, provided by Hospice.
The Mike Riley Memorial Hike for Hospice is a heartwarming and free community event open to all. Whether you prefer to hike solo, with friends, or as part of a team, everyone is welcome to participate.
For those who donate $25 or more, a special commemorative T-shirt will be given as a token of appreciation for their generous support.
Participants are encouraged to go the extra mile by seeking donations from friends, family, and colleagues in support of their hike. It's not just about completing the trail; it's about making a significant impact on the lives of those who rely on the invaluable services provided by Wings of Hope.
In the spirit of fun and camaraderie, there will be a friendly competition among teams and individuals for the best costumes and the most money raised. So, don't be shy to don your most creative and inspiring hiking attire.
Wings of Hope, a program deeply committed to providing support during times of loss, offers a lifeline for Lake County residents and their children who have lost a loved one.
Their flagship initiative, the Wings of Hope Family Bereavement Camps, provides a safe and healing environment for families to come together, share their experiences, and find solace in their grief journey.
“We offer Wings of Hope Family Bereavement Camps each year to ensure that those in need receive the support and guidance they require during challenging times,” said Janine Smith Citron, director of development for Hospice.
Join Hospice on Oct. 8 for the Mike Riley Memorial Hike for Hospice, a day filled with compassion, community, and a shared commitment to providing essential grief counseling and support for youth and families through Wings of Hope.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.
For more information or to register for the event, please visit www.lakecountyhospice.org/ or call 707-263-6222.
Jeffrey Gillis-Davis, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
Sulfur in soils near the Moon’s poles might help astronauts live off the land one day, making these measurements an example of science that enables exploration.
The dark regions of the Moon have dark volcanic soil, while the brighter regions have highland soil.Avrand6/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA
Scientists measuring lunar rock and soil compositions in labs on Earth have found that materials from the dark volcanic plains tend to have more sulfur than the brighter highlands material.
Sulfur mainly comes from volcanic activity. Rocks deep in the Moon contain sulfur, and when these rocks melt, the sulfur becomes part of the magma. When the melted rock nears the surface, most of the sulfur in the magma becomes a gas that is released along with water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Some of the sulfur does stay in the magma and is retained within the rock after it cools. This process explains why sulfur is primarily associated with the Moon’s dark volcanic rocks.
Chandrayaan-3’s measurements of sulfur in soils are the first to occur on the Moon. The exact amount of sulfur cannot be determined until the data calibration is completed.
The uncalibrated data collected by the LIBS instrument on Pragyan suggests that the Moon’s highland soils near the poles might have a higher sulfur concentration than highland soils from the equator and possibly even higher than the dark volcanic soils.
These initial results give planetary scientists like me who study the Moon new insights into how it works as a geologic system. But we’ll still have to wait and see if the fully calibrated data from the Chandrayaan-3 team confirms an elevated sulfur concentration.
Atmospheric sulfur formation
The measurement of sulfur is interesting to scientists for at least two reasons. First, these findings indicate that the highland soils at the lunar poles could have fundamentally different compositions, compared with highland soils at the lunar equatorial regions. This compositional difference likely comes from the different environmental conditions between the two regions – the poles get less direct sunlight.
Second, these results suggest that there’s somehow more sulfur in the polar regions. Sulfur concentrated here could have formed from the exceedingly thin lunar atmosphere.
The polar regions of the Moon receive less direct sunlight and, as a result, experience extremely low temperatures compared with the rest of the Moon. If the surface temperature falls, below -73 degrees C (-99 degrees F), then sulfur from the lunar atmosphere could collect on the surface in solid form – like frost on a window.
Sulfur at the poles could also have originated from ancient volcanic eruptions occurring on the lunar surface, or from meteorites containing sulfur that struck the surface and vaporized on impact.
Lunar sulfur as a resource
For long-lasting space missions, many agencies have thought about building some sort of base on the Moon. Astronauts and robots could travel from the south pole base to collect, process, store and use naturally occurring materials like sulfur on the Moon – a concept called in-situ resource utilization.
In-situ resource utilization means fewer trips back to Earth to get supplies and more time and energy spent exploring. Using sulfur as a resource, astronauts could build solar cells and batteries that use sulfur, mix up sulfur-based fertilizer and make sulfur-based concrete for construction.
For one, sulfur-based concrete hardens and becomes strong within hours rather than weeks, and it’s more resistant to wear. It also doesn’t require water in the mixture, so astronauts could save their valuable water for drinking, crafting breathable oxygen and making rocket fuel.
The Chandrayaan-3 lander, pictured as a bright white spot in the center of the box. The box is 1,108 feet (338 meters) wide.NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
While seven missions are currently operating on or around the Moon, the lunar south pole region hasn’t been studied from the surface before, so Pragyan’s new measurements will help planetary scientists understand the geologic history of the Moon. It’ll also allow lunar scientists like me to ask new questions about how the Moon formed and evolved.
For now, the scientists at Indian Space Research Organization are busy processing and calibrating the data. On the lunar surface, Chandrayaan-3 is hibernating through the two-week-long lunar night, where temperatures will drop to -184 degrees F (-120 degrees C). The night will last until September 22.
There’s no guarantee that the lander component of Chandrayaan-3, called Vikram, or Pragyan will survive the extremely low temperatures, but should Pragyan awaken, scientists can expect more valuable measurements.
Dennis Fordham. Courtesy photo. When a decedent’s assets are administered in a probate or trust administration, the personal representative administering the probate or the trustee administering the trust estate have legal responsibilities to creditors of the decedent’s estate.
In probate, the personal representative has a duty to send a notice of probate administration and a creditor claim form to all known and reasonably ascertainable creditors during the first four months of the probate (Probate Code sections 9050-9054).
Paying creditors precedes distributions to beneficiaries; with the important exceptions such as the family allowance and probate homestead protecting the decedent’s surviving spouse and minor children (Probate Code sections 6500-6600).
Creditors must first file a creditor’s claim both with the probate court and with the personal representative not later than one year from the deceased debtor’s date of death (California Code Civil Procedure 366.2).
When necessary, a creditor may commence probate to file their timely creditor’s claim. Creditor claims that are received after one year of the decedent’s death are generally speaking time barred.
In California, a decedent’s revocable living trust is liable for the claims of the deceased settlor’s creditors and expenses of administration in a probate estate to the extent that the assets inside the probate estate are insufficient to pay such claims and expenses (Probate Code section 19001).
Thus, if a creditor claim is approved but there are insufficient assets in the decedent’s probate estate (e.g., a “dry probate’ opened to file a timely creditor’s claim) then the creditor may pursue satisfaction from the trust estate.
Unlike a probate proceeding, a trust administration requires the trustee to administer the deceased settlor’s trust estate, according to the trust’s own terms, for the benefit of the beneficiaries (Probate Code section 16000). Thus, the trustee must follow what the trust says about paying debts.
Does it say that the trustee “may” pay all just debts”, in which case the trustee has discretion to pay just debts, or does the trust say that the trustee “shall” (i.e., must) pay all just debts of the deceased settlor, in which case the trustee has no discretion but to pay debts.
Nonetheless, unless the trust requires that the deceased settlor’s debts be paid, a trustee of a decedent’s revocable living trust has no affirmative duty in California state law to administer the trust estate for the benefit of the deceased settlor’s own creditors (Arluk Med. Ctr. Indus. Group, Inc. v Dobler (2004) 116 CA4th 1324).
Unless otherwise provided in the trust, the trustee does not have to withhold distributions to beneficiaries pending resolution of a creditor’s claim. However, a trustee may still be sued by a known creditor if the trustee distributes assets that leaves the trust unable to pay the decedent’s creditors’ approved claims in the probate action.
Accordingly, where no probate is opened, a trustee may choose either to open a probate or to use the optional trust creditor claims procedure, akin to opening a probate (Probate Code sections 19000-19400). A trustee should always proceed cautiously with the specific advice of counsel.
A creditor whose timely filed creditor claim is approved in a probate proceedings still has a legal right to pursue satisfaction of the claim from trust beneficiaries who received a distribution, but only to the extent of that beneficiary’s share of the total trust distributions (Probate Code sections 19400-19402). Whether a creditor would actually do so depends on whether the effort is likely to be worth the costs.
Other assets of a decedent may pass outside of any probate or trust administration such as assets that go to surviving joint tenants, to surviving death beneficiaries on transfer on death or pay on death accounts, or by way of a small estate affidavit procedure that does not require any notice to creditors.
However, the beneficiaries who receive assets subject to a small estate affidavit do take subject to the possibility that the creditors may open a probate and seek to recover such assets from the beneficiaries to include in the probate estate and become subject to creditor claims.
Handling creditor claims can be fraught with peril. The foregoing overview is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for fact specific legal guidance.
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.