LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Special Olympics will hold its annual Polar Plunge and Costume Party on Saturday, March 2, at the Buckingham Homeowners’ Club House in Kelseyville.

The event so far has 12 athletes and four teams registered, diligently working to make this fundraiser and event a success.

They include athlete Halena who has received a generous donation of $2,000 from the Lakeshore Lions Club to kick off the fundraising.

They hope to see their usual schools, law enforcement and community clubs and supporters again join athletes for this fun event.

The Kelseyville Lions Club will once again provide lunch for all registered participants, including guests who would like to make a $10 donation to Lake County Special Olympics.

They also are looking for a sponsor for coffee and donuts prior to the start of the event.

This event and fundraiser provides funding for equipment, uniforms and transportation so that athletes in our community have the opportunity to train and compete in year-round sports — basketball, track and field, bocce, softball, golf and soccer.

Please visit 2024 Lake County Polar Plunge to register as an individual or to start a team. Listed on the website are the incentives for fundraising milestones and there will once again be awards for teams and individuals raising the most funds, as well as multiple awards for best costume.

Event check in begins at 10 a.m., pictures and costume contest at 11 a.m., plunge at 11:45 a.m. with lunch to follow in the clubhouse.

Come out and join them as a participant or spectator; it is going to be a great time.

For more information you may call Mary Lahti at 530-448 4720 or Cathy Saderlund at 707-245-6116.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. — The Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College invites the community to join them in their celebration in honor of Black History Month, entitled “Hands on History.”

This event will be held Thursday, Feb. 22, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in rooms 209 to 211.

Author, motivational speaker and substance abuse counselor Randall Cole will host and moderate the celebration.

Jazz music will be provided by Lake County’s own Victor Hall and friends.

Aqeela Markowski, host of KPFZ’s “Women's Voices,” and District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier are featured speakers for the event.

A panel of students will also share their thoughts about Black History Month.

A soul food buffet will be available for purchase at Aromas Café from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information contact Mary Wilson at 707-995-7913 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control’s kennels are filled with dogs needing homes this week.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian shepherd, border collie, boxer, Catahoula leopard dog, Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, hound, Labrador retriever, pit bull, Queensland heeler, shepherd and 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.

Those dogs and the others shown on this page 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.

The shelter is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport.

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.

Our planet just added to its streak of record-warmth months, starting the new year with the warmest January on record.

Last month was the eighth-consecutive month where monthly global temperatures hit a record high.

The month was also the world’s second-wettest January on record, according to experts and data from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Below are more highlights from NOAA’s January global climate report:

Climate by the numbers

January 2024

The average global land and ocean surface temperature was 2.29 degrees F (1.27 degrees C) above the 20th-century average of 54.0 degrees F (12.2 degrees C), ranking as the warmest January in the 175-year global climate record. This was 0.07 of a degree F (0.04 of a degree C) above the previous record from January 2016.

Temperatures were above average throughout the Arctic, most of northeastern North America, central Russia, southern and western Asia, Africa, South America, eastern and southeastern Asia and Australia. Africa and South America saw their warmest Januarys on record.

January was the second-wettest January for the globe, following on the heels of a record-wet December. Large portions of North America, Asia and Australia were wetter than average, whereas much of southern Africa and South America were drier than normal.

January also saw a record-high monthly global ocean surface temperature for the 10th-consecutive month. El Nino conditions that emerged in June 2023 continued into January, and according to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center it is likely that El Nino will transition to ENSO-neutral by April–June 2024 with increasing odds of La Nina developing in June–August 2024.

According to NCEI’s Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is a 22% chance that 2024 will rank as the warmest year on record, and a 99% chance that it will rank in the top five warmest years on record.

Other notable climate events

The world’s sea-ice coverage was below average: Global sea ice extent (coverage) was the seventh smallest in the 46-year record at 6.90 million square miles (440,000 square miles below the 1991–2020 average). Arctic sea ice extent was slightly below average, while Antarctic sea ice extent was significantly below average, ranking fifth smallest on record.

Global tropical cyclones were about average: Six named storms occurred across the globe in January, which was close to the 1991–2020 average of seven named storms. The only major tropical cyclone was Intense Tropical Cyclone Anggrek, which remained in the central part of the South Indian Ocean and did not approach any major land masses. Severe Tropical Storm Alvaro made landfall in Madagascar at the beginning of the month, resulting in significant impacts and numerous fatalities. Tropical Cyclone Belal caused extensive flooding in Mauritius and also impacted La Reunion. Tropical Cyclone Kirrily brought heavy rains and wind to northeastern Australia.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. — Last week, the Konocti Unified School District and Blue Zones LLC celebrated the launch of the school district’s commitment to a transformative well-being journey to improve the health and happiness of their employees.

Over the next three years, Konocti Unified will implement a comprehensive well-being strategy designed to achieve Blue Zones Worksite Certification. This makes Konocti Unified the first school district to embark on this journey.

In the Worksite Certification model, Blue Zones works with employers to optimize working environments and sharpen policies so healthier choices are easier for their employees.

Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato expressed her desire to empower her employees. “I’m so excited to leverage this innovative opportunity to enhance our workplace so that every employee feels a change in their own life — whether it’s caring for their mental health, taking time to move more, or finding new ways to nurture work-life balance. This transformation will not only impact our teams but will also positively impact our students, our families, and ripple throughout our entire community.”

Konocti Unified is receiving support from national Blue Zones worksite experts to implement a comprehensive, evidence-based plan for improving employee well-being.

Blue Zones is the nationally recognized leader in well-being transformation, and its Worksite Certification model draws upon 20 years of experience in community and longevity science to empower organizations to cultivate thriving work environments.

The rigorous, multiyear commitment integrates the Blue Zones approach into the organization’s culture, aligning people, spaces, and policies to foster lasting change.

The Blue Zones Approach

Blue Zones focuses on creating surroundings and systems that default to healthier behaviors. The model is rooted in lessons learned from the world's healthiest, longest-lived cultures in the original blue zones regions, where residents make healthy choices because those choices are easy — even unavoidable — in their surroundings.

To celebrate the launch of their workplace transformation, Konocti Unified and Blue Zones celebrated with an all-employee interactive kickoff event — called Explore the Power 9 — on Thursday, Feb. 8.

Held in the Lower Lake High School gym, the event highlighted opportunities available to all KUSD employees to boost their well-being at home and at school through the various Power 9 principles — lifestyle habits from the world’s blue zones regions.

In the “Move Naturally” station, colleagues were inspired to incorporate movement throughout their workday and embrace their inner children with hopscotch.

A “Connect” area reminded colleagues of the energizing effects of joy and laughter with fun activities including a photo booth.

Blue Zones-inspired food dishes, provided by the local Blue Zones-inspired restaurant, Rosey Cooks, demonstrated how employees can incorporate more plant-based options into their meals.

During the presentation, guest speaker Margaret Brown, Blue Zones’ vice president of business development, spoke about the three-phased approach that will guide KUSD’s journey.

This approach focuses on people, places, and policy to tailor a blueprint for sustainable change. She emphasized KUSD’s recent diligent work with the Blue Zones worksite team and some of the best practices KUSD will implement to meet certification standards, including:

• Transform campus environments: Creating and mapping outdoor walking paths for each campus to encourage moving naturally, implementing breakroom initiatives to enhance private spaces for employees to downshift during the day, and other place-based optimizations.

• Improve employee policies: Developing a core work hours policy so employees can disconnect from work and connect with their families, friends, and purpose when they are not at work.

• Strengthen Social Connections: Building community through moais (social support groups), employee recognition, and volunteer opportunities.

• Enhanced well-being programming: Implementing purpose workshops; mental health, self-care, mindfulness training, and substance use prevention training.

• Improved food environment: Providing affordable and nutritious options throughout the workday so it’s easy for employees to eat wisely.

• Leadership development: Equipping leaders with skills to cultivate a thriving work environment.

Surrounded by board members and leaders, Salato signed the Blue Zones Worksite Certification Pledge, which signifies Konocti Unified’s commitment to implement the strategies outlined in the blueprint.

Driven by a vision to create a healthier and more vibrant workplace, Konocti Unified secured a grant specifically dedicated to employee well-being.

The district will pursue Blue Zones Worksite Certification in addition to the student-focused work that they and other area school districts will participate in to become Blue Zones Project Approved Schools as part of Blue Zones Project — Lake County.

“KUSD’s commitment to employee well-being through Blue Zones Worksite Certification beautifully complements the ongoing efforts of Blue Zones Project — Lake County. This synergy will demonstrate the power of collective action and further strengthen the positive ripple effect of Blue Zones principles throughout the County to create a healthier, happier community for us all,” said Shelly Trumbo, Blue Zones national chief transformations officer and Lake County resident. “We’re grateful for the tremendous leadership and excitement of KUSD and look forward to celebrating improved well-being for KUSD and the entire community.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Clearlake man has been arrested for felony hit and run after severely injuring a pedestrian on Wednesday.

Oscar Rosas, 45, turned himself in a day after the crash, which occurred Wednesday night on Highway 20 east of Bridge Arbor Drive near Upper Lake.

The pedestrian who was injured was identified as 27-year-old Omar Romero of Lakeport, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.

The agency said its officers responded to a report of a hit and run collision between a vehicle and pedestrian shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday, during rainy and dark conditions.

The CHP said its preliminary investigation indicated a blue SUV struck Romero, who was walking south and was within the eastbound lanes of Highway 20.

After hitting Romero, the vehicle fled the scene on eastbound Highway 20, the CHP said.

Romero was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital in Lakeport with major injuries, which the CHP said included various blunt force trauma and a broken neck.

The CHP’s initial investigation efforts led officers to an address associated with the blue SUV, but no vehicle was located at that time.

At 5:25 p.m. Thursday, the CHP’s Ukiah Communications Center received a phone call from Rosas, who wanted to turn himself in to law enforcement, stating that his blue 2007 Ford Escape was involved in the collision.

The CHP said its officers responded to Rosas’ address in Clearlake where the Ford Escape was located with damage consistent with the hit and run traffic collision.

Rosas subsequently was arrested for felony hit and run just after 6:30 p.m. and transported and booked into Lake County Jail, the CHP 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.

In California, people who own real property generally establish a revocable living trust, as settlors, and transfer title to their assets to themselves as trustees to avoid probate when they die.

While alive, a settlor retains the separate powers to revoke and amend their living trust, so long as they have the mental capacity to do so.

Trust amendments range from minor modifications to complete restatements of the entire trust itself.

Typically trust amendments may involve changes to who acts as successor trustee and/or who inherits what assets and/or share of the trust at the settlor’s death. To be valid, the trust amendment must be properly executed.

Sections 15401 and 15402 of the Probate Code say how a trust can be revoked or amended. Section 15402 provides that, “unless the trust instrument provides otherwise, if a trust is revocable by the settlor, the settlor may modify [amend] the trust by the procedure for revocation [in section 15401]." Trusts typically say how the settlor can validly revoke or amend the trust and typically require that the amendment be acknowledged by a notary public.

Until now, there was a longstanding disagreement amongst California’s appellate courts regarding whether a settlor had to follow the procedure stated in the trust itself to amend the trust or, alternatively, could follow the statutory procedure in section 15401 to revoke a trust that also applies to amending trusts.

Section 15401 provides that, “(a) A trust that is revocable by the settlor or any other person may be revoked in whole or in part by any of the following methods: (1) By compliance with any method of revocation provided in the trust instrument. (2) By a writing, other than a will, signed by the settlor or any other person holding the power of revocation and delivered to the trustee during the lifetime of the settlor or the person holding the power of revocation. If the trust instrument explicitly makes the method of revocation provided in the trust instrument the exclusive method of revocation, the trust may not be revoked pursuant to this paragraph.” Again, the rule in section 15401 applies to amending a trust and, importantly, does not require that the amendment be acknowledged by a notary public.

In Brianna Mckee Haggerty, v. Nancy F. Thornton S271483 (Cal. Feb 08, 2024) the California Supreme Court resolved the aforementioned legal disagreement — whether the amendment procedure in the trust must be followed to the exclusion of the statutory procedure in section 15401 — on a statewide basis.

The Supreme Court held that, “… under section 15402, a trust may be modified via the section 15401 procedures for revocation, including the statutory method, unless the trust instrument provides a method of modification and explicitly makes it exclusive, or otherwise expressly precludes the use of revocation procedures for modification.”

Typically speaking the statutory method in section 15401 is more easily fulfilled as the methods typically found in trusts all require an acknowledgement (as was the true in the Haggerty case) to be valid.

Of course, a trust may be drafted to require that its stated procedure for amending the trust is the only procedure that can be used and exclude the section 15401 statutory procedure which does not require a notarization of the amendment.

The foregoing brief discussion is not legal advice. Consult a qualified attorney for 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.

As part of its evaluation of the Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is posting outstanding wolf depredation reports dating back to August 2023.

The depredation reports confirm 16 wolf depredations totaling a loss of 18 livestock. With this posting, CDFW can now finalize review of existing program applications and eligibility of livestock producers to receive payments for direct losses.

The Wolf-Livestock Compensation Pilot Program is the first of its kind in California and has thus far provided support to livestock producers in compensating for direct loss of livestock due to confirmed wolf depredation; supported non-lethal deterrence techniques such as the use of range riders, electrified fencing and flags (turbo fladry), camera surveillance, motion lights and guardian dogs; and compensated livestock producers for the impact of wolf presence on livestock.

CDFW received $3 million in funding from the Budget Act of 2021 and began receiving applications in February 2022. As of January 12, 2024, CDFW had received a total of 102 applications. At that time, CDFW notified the public that the applications received were projected to exhaust the current fund.

The efforts to implement the pilot program have been important to wolf conservation and supporting livestock producers in the state. Once the program is complete and evaluated, CDFW will make a summary public on its Gray Wolf webpage.

A glowing cosmic cloud has revealed a cataclysmic collision.

Even within our own solar system, scientists have seen evidence of giant, planetary collisions from long ago.

Remaining clues like Uranus’ tilt and the existence of Earth’s moon point to times in our distant history when the planets in our stellar neighborhood slammed together, forever changing their shape and place in orbit. Scientists looking outside our solar system to far off exoplanets can spot similar evidence that, across the universe, planets sometimes crash.

In this new study, the evidence of such an impact comes from a cloud of dust and gas with a strange, fluctuating luminosity.

Scientists were observing a young (300-million-year-old) sun-like star when they noticed something odd: the star suddenly and significantly dipped in brightness.

A team of researchers looked a little closer and they found that, just before this dip, the star displayed a sudden spike in infrared luminosity.

In studying the star, the team found that this luminosity lasted for 1,000 days. But 2.5 years into this bright event, the star was unexpectedly eclipsed by something, causing the sudden dip in brightness. This eclipse endured for 500 days.

The team investigated further and found that the culprit behind both the spike in luminosity and the eclipse was a giant, glowing cloud of gas and dust. And the most likely reason for the sudden, eclipse-causing cloud? A cosmic collision between two exoplanets, one of which likely contained ice, the researchers think.

In a new study detailing these events, scientists suggest that two giant exoplanets anywhere from several to tens of Earth masses crashed into one another, creating both the infrared spike and the cloud. A crash like this would completely liquify the two planets, leaving behind a single molten core surrounded by a cloud of gas, hot rock, and dust.

After the crash, this cloud, still holding the hot, glowing remnant of the collision, continued to orbit the star, eventually moving in front of and eclipsing the star.

Fun facts:

This study was conducted using archival data from NASA’s now-retired WISE mission – the spacecraft continues to operate under the name NEOWISE.

This star was first detected in 2021 by the ground-based robotic survey All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae, or ASAS-SN.

While this data revealed remnants of this planetary collision, the glow of this crash should still be visible to telescopes like NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. In fact, the research team behind this study is already putting together proposals to observe the system with Webb.

The study, “A planetary collision afterglow and transit of the resultant debris cloud,” was published Oct. 11, 2023, in Nature by lead author Matthew Kenworthy alongside 21 co-authors.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — With Lake County’s roadways experiencing one of the deadliest Februarys in memory, county authorities are looking for ways to cut down on traffic-related crashes and deaths.

This month so far, there have been seven traffic fatalities — three of them involving pedestrians.

Lt. Dan Fansler, commander of the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office, said that some of the recent fatal crashes have been anomalies.

However, when it comes to the two recent pedestrian fatalities along Highway 20, there is a commonality — little to no street lighting and inclement weather during the hours of darkness, Fansler said.

Fansler said he’s in the process of meeting with Caltrans and other traffic safety partners to try and come up with realistic strategies to help combat these types of events.

The Highway 20 corridor “has an off and on history with these types of tragic incidents, partially due to the large amount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic” and the fact that it’s a major thoroughfare from Interstate 5 to U.S. Highway 101, he explained.

“We are routinely discussing options and possible solutions to these problems,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fansler reported that the CHP Clear Lake Area will be conducting increased enforcement this Presidents Day weekend on the Highway 20 corridor with a focus on pedestrian safety and searching for impaired and aggressive driving.

“Please be mindful that motorists and pedestrians share the responsibility to ensure the safety of one another within our small unincorporated townships and our scenic Lake County highways,” the agency said.

The CHP offered the following safety guidance.

Safety tips for pedestrians:

• Before stepping in front of a car, make eye contact with the driver. Make sure they see you, they plan on stopping, and they have time to stop.

• Most fatal crashes involving pedestrians occur during hours of darkness. Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing light-colored or reflective clothing.

• It is safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if you must walk in the street, walk facing traffic.

• Pay attention. Always be aware of your surroundings and watch for vehicles when crossing a street or stepping off a curb.

Safety tips for motorists:

• Watch for people walking and people bicycling, obey all speed limits, avoid distraction, and know the laws regarding pedestrian right of way.

• Be prepared to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks (marked or unmarked).

• Never pass a vehicle that is stopped for pedestrians.

• Slow down in areas where you are likely to find people walking, and during stormy weather when your visibility is reduced by rain or fog.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — High winds and heavy precipitation throughout January and mid-February — coupled with past wildfires — have brought heavy damage to two areas in the Mendocino National Forest.

Out of concern for public safety, forest officials are closing National Forest System trails designated for off-highway vehicle use on the Upper Lake Ranger District and the Deer Valley Campground.

The closure is in effect from Feb. 15 through June 30, per Forest Order 08-24-07.

“The Upper Lake District has experienced severe wildfire, including the 2018 Ranch Fire, back-to-back winters where annual average rainfall is exceeded in just a few weeks, and hurricane-force winds recorded at weather stations,” said Forest Supervisor Wade McMaster.

Winter storms and the forest’s post-fire conditions resulted in extensive damage and downed trees.

Trails are unsafe for public use, with additional concerns of possible resource damage from riding around obstacles on trails. Downed trees and stump holes are making travel impossible and unsafe.

“Right now, we wouldn’t be able to get emergency vehicles into the area in the event of an accident or search and rescue,” McMaster said.

More fire-damaged and live trees are expected to fall as saturated soils may no longer be able to support the weight of the trees. Future storms and snowmelt may also cause additional damage to roads and trails.

“The post-fire conditions of the forest combined with these strong winter storms are challenging. I want to commend our OHV recreation program and volunteers who are actively working to assess damage and restore safe, sustainable access to our campground and trail system,” said McMaster. “Protecting trails now gives us time to repair and recover from the storm damage sustained during this wet winter.”

Last year volunteers mobilized to help the Forest Service reopen trails after a storm damage closure. Several volunteer work days are planned for this spring, weather permitting. Those interested in volunteering can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Forest orders and updates can be found at www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/mendocino/alerts-notices.

Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, has introduced legislation that would help safeguard Californians from wildfires and protect the environment by streamlining the process for clearing combustible brush and trees from alongside roads.

“Many fires are caused by sparks and burning debris from cars that ignite dry brush near our roads,” Sen. Dodd said. “We must make it easier for firefighters to clear this vulnerable land and remove these flammable materials. It will help keep the public safe and defend our exposed forests.”

Under current state law, brush clearing for fire-prevention purposes is exempt from provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act if it is conducted within 30 feet of a structure.

That distance can be extended to 100 feet of a structure if extra-hazardous fire conditions exist.

Sen. Dodd’s new proposal, Senate Bill 1159, would require the Natural Resources Agency to consider granting a CEQA exemption to roadside vegetation management projects undertaken solely for wildfire risk reduction.

Expediting these projects would reduce the possibility of roadside fires and improve evacuation routes, among other benefits.

Also, eliminating red tape would decrease costs to treat roadside areas that currently present a financial burden to small agencies and under-resourced communities.

SB 1159 is expected to be supported by fire agencies statewide.

“Wildfire is a peril that threatens both lives and homes throughout,” said Dave Winnacker, chief of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District and member of the California Fire Chiefs Association. “Few areas are more critical than roadsides near populated areas. Commonsense legislation that streamlines the approval process to maintain these areas will allow more of our limited wildfire risk-reduction resources to be used for fuel mitigation work while reducing the time required for planning and approvals. We appreciate Sen. Dodd’s continued leadership in this area and look forward to this legislation being enacted.”

Dodd represents the Third Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.