MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown Senior Center was recently honored with a community champion award by Assemblymember Bill Dodd for the organization's passion and dedication to helping senior citizens and serving the community.

Lori Tourville, the executive director of the Middletown Senior Center, accepted the award on behalf of the organization.

"I’d like to thank Assemblymember Dodd for taking the time to recognize our organization,” said Tourville. “Our work at the senior center is a labor of love, and we look forward to continuing our work to provide a better quality of life for local seniors.”

The Middletown Senior Center is a private, nonprofit agency committed to providing quality services to the seniors of the Middletown, Cobb and Hidden Valley areas. They respond to the needs and interests of older adults and provide activities and services to help them maintain independence.

In the aftermath of the 2015 Valley fire, the Middletown Senior Center served as a disaster recovery center, connecting impacted residents with important services from the Department of Motor Vehicles, county records, Red Cross, Employment Development Department, Federal Emergency Management Agency and others.

“The Middletown Senior Center is a great resource for the community and represents the caring spirit of Lake County,” said Dodd. “Particularly in the wake of the devastating wildfires over the past couple of years, the Middletown Senior Center has gone above and beyond in caring for the community. They are the definition of a community champion.”

The Middletown Senior Center also offers a wide variety of programs and services to seniors, everything from congregate and home delivered meals, to adult day care and senior legal assistance. If you would like more information on the Middletown Senior Center, you can contact them at 707-987-3113.

Dodd represents the Fourth Assembly District, which includes all or portions of Lake, Napa, Sonoma, Yolo, Colusa and Solano counties. Learn more about the district at www.asm.ca.gov/dodd .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Halloween is the celebration of all things scary. For children, this means dressing up as their favorite characters and enjoying tricks and treats. For adults, the celebration often involves alcohol.

Unfortunately, Halloween is also known for having the highest number of child-pedestrian deaths all year and ranks among the worst for holiday-related DUI crashes and deaths.

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and California Highway Patrol (CHP) are providing tips to trick-or-treaters, parents, and partygoers to keep everyone safe this Halloween.

“Halloween should be a time of fun for kids and adults alike,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “Some planning ahead, plus extra caution that night, can keep everyone safe on our streets this year.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, on Halloween night between 2009 and 2013, 119 people were killed by drunk driving, and 43 percent of all motor vehicle deaths involved drunk driving.

The number of deaths among pedestrians ages 5 to 14 is four times higher between 4 and 10 p.m. on Halloween than on any other evening of the year. In 2013, 26 percent of all pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night involved a drunk driver.

“With an increase in the number of children and adults out on Halloween, motorists play a critical role in helping to keep them safe,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “As a driver, it is important to abide by the rules of the road and remain alert, sober, and free from distraction.”

Trick-or-treaters are often too excited and forget about safety, so motorists and parents must be even more aware.

Keep these helpful tips in mind when out and about:

• Plan your route ahead of time on well-lit streets. Avoid busy streets.
• Choose a costume that makes it easy to walk, see and be seen. Light color costumes are best.
• Select costumes, masks, wigs, or beards made of flame-retardant materials (check the labels). Avoid flimsy, lightweight fabrics and costumes with billowing skirts or loose baggy sleeves.
• A mask may keep kids from seeing well, so make sure they take it off before crossing the street. Consider using makeup instead of a mask for added safety.
• It is best to trick-or-treat when it is still light outside, but carry a flashlight so trick-or-treaters can see and drivers can see them.
• Use retro-reflective tape on costumes. Be creative in applying it to make it fun to be seen.

Adults often party on Halloween night, which can lead to drunk and drugged driving, and even dangers fueled by costumes and the excitement of the night.

Motorists, partygoers and hosts should keep these tips in mind:

• Avoid driving through residential areas where trick-or-treaters are likely to be present.
• This is a night to slow down, be extra cautious, and obey all traffic signs and signals. The risk of killing a pedestrian increases with just small increases in speed. A pedestrian is nearly twice as likely to be killed if hit by a car going 30 mph compared to 25 mph.
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs, and in dark costumes; they will be harder to see at night. Also, be aware that trick-or-treaters may not be paying attention to traffic and may run out mid-block or between parked cars. Motorists should scan far ahead when driving in residential areas, watch for children and cautiously monitor their actions. Turn on your headlights to make yourself more visible, even in daylight.
• Plan ahead if you will be drinking. Designate a sober driver. If you are already out and have had too much to drink, call a taxi, friend, or family member to drive you home.
• Party hosts should have plenty of food on hand for everyone throughout the evening and several non-alcoholic drink choices for the designated drivers. Do not allow anyone to leave if you have any doubts about their ability to drive.
• If you are going out on the town, be sure to download the DDVIP mobile app to locate bars, clubs, and restaurants near you that offer free non-alcoholic beverages and additional perks for designated drivers. The free app is available in both iTunes and Google Play stores.

The California Office of Traffic Safety and the California Highway Patrol want you to have a fun and safe Halloween. To keep up with the latest traffic safety information, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @OTS_CA and @CHP_HQ or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CaliforniaOTS or www.facebook.com/chp . For more information on all OTS efforts, visit www.OTS.ca.gov .

New results from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission are providing insights into the huge impacts that dominated the early history of Earth's moon and other solid worlds, like Earth, Mars, and the satellites of the outer solar system.

In two papers published in the journal Science, researchers examine the origins of the moon's giant Orientale impact basin. The research helps clarify how the formation of Orientale, approximately 3.8 billion years ago, affected the moon's geology.

Located along the moon's southwestern limb – the left-hand edge as seen from Earth – Orientale is the largest and best-preserved example of what's known as a “multi-ring basin.” Impact craters larger than about 180 miles in diameter are referred to as basins.

With increasing size, craters tend to have increasingly complex structures, often with multiple concentric, raised rings. Orientale is about 580 miles wide and has three distinct rings, which form a bullseye-like pattern.

Multi-ring basins are observed on many of the rocky and icy worlds in our solar system, but until now scientists had not been able to agree on how their rings form. What they needed was more information about the crater's structure beneath the surface, which is precisely the sort of information contained in gravity science data collected during the GRAIL mission.

The powerful impacts that created basins like Orientale played an important role in the early geologic history of our moon. They were extremely disruptive, world-altering events that caused substantial fracturing, melting and shaking of the young moon's crust. They also blasted out material that fell back to the surface, coating older features that were already there; scientists use this layering of ejected material to help determine the age of lunar features as they work to unravel the moon's complex history.

The importance of Orientale

Because scientists realized that Orientale could be quite useful in understanding giant impacts, they gave special importance to observing its structure near the end of the GRAIL mission. The orbit of the mission's two probes was lowered so they passed less than 1.2 miles above the crater's mountainous rings.

“No other planetary exploration mission has made gravity science observations this close to the moon. You could have waved to the twin spacecraft as they flew overhead if you stood at the ring's edge,” said Sami Asmar, GRAIL project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

Of particular interest to researchers has been the size of the initial crater that formed during the Orientale impact. With smaller impacts, the initial crater is left behind, and many characteristics of the event can be inferred from the crater's size. Various past studies have suggested each of Orientale's three rings might be the remnant of the initial crater.

In the first of the two new studies, scientists teased out the size of the transient crater from GRAIL's gravity field data. Their analysis shows that the initial crater was somewhere between the size of the basin's two innermost rings.

“We've been able to show that none of the rings in Orientale basin represent the initial, transient crater,” said GRAIL Principal Investigator Maria Zuber of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, lead author of the first paper. “Instead, it appears that, in large impacts like the one that formed Orientale, the surface violently rebounds, obliterating signs of the initial impact.”

The analysis also shows that the impact excavated at least 816,000 cubic miles (3.4 million cubic kilometers) of material – 153 times the combined volume of the Great Lakes.

“Orientale has been an enigma since the first gravity observations of the moon, decades ago,” said Greg Neumann, a co-author of the paper at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “We are now able to resolve the individual crustal components of the bullseye gravity signature and correlate them with computer simulations of the formation of Orientale.”

Reproducing the rings

The second study describes how scientists successfully simulated the formation of Orientale to reproduce the crater's structure as observed by GRAIL. These simulations show, for the first time, how the rings of Orientale formed, which is likely similar for multi-ring basins in general.

“Because our models show how the subsurface structure is formed, matching what GRAIL has observed, we're confident we've gained understanding of the formation of the basin close to 4 billion years ago,” said Brandon Johnson of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, lead author of the second paper.

The results also shed light on another moon mystery: Giant impacts like Orientale should have dredged up deep material from the moon's mantle, but instead, the composition of the crater's surface is the same as that of the lunar crust. So, scientists have wondered, where did the mantle material go?

The simulation shows that the deep, initial crater quickly collapses, causing material around the outside to flow inward, and covering up the exposed mantle rock.

The new GRAIL insights about Orientale suggest that other ringed basins, invisible in images, could be discovered by their gravity signature. This may include ringed basins hidden beneath lunar maria – the large, dark areas of solidified lava that include the Sea of Tranquility and the Sea of Serenity.

“The data set we obtained with GRAIL is incredibly rich,” said Zuber. “There are many hidden wonders on the moon that we'll be uncovering for years to come.”

The twin GRAIL probes were launched in 2011. The mission concluded in 2012.

“Autumn leaves a fringe of frost when pumpkins turn to gold.” – from poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston

“When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.” – James Whitcomb Riley, 1881

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – People have been carving their fall harvest veggies for display for over 10,000 years.

Gourds were frequently carved by the Maori as far back as 7,000 years.

Our current autumn pastime of visiting a pumpkin patch and selecting the perfect pumpkin for carving began in Ireland during the 19th century, not with pumpkins, but with hollowed turnips.

It was customary in Scotland and Ireland to celebrate the festival called Samhain. The Samhain festival, for those who believed, was when souls rambled about, therefore, the turnip carvings were designed to frighten the spirits.

Jack-o-lanterns as a concept, are derived from English folklore when “will-o-the-wisp,” a sort of glow which can occur over bogs or swamps, was simulated with carved lanterns.

Will-o-the-wisp was also known as “foolish fire,” when sticks or other combustible material was gathered, then lit as a light, or torch. There are numerous stories in folklore to describe will-o-the wisp, or jack-o-lanterns.

In some European countries the story of “Stingy Jack” is told, in which demons and villagers chase Jack.

The folktale gets quite involved, culminating with Jack cutting his trusty turnip into a lantern to roam the lands in search of respite.

Literature is peppered with pumpkins and Jack-o-lanterns.

For example, in Washington Irving's story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” a pumpkin plays a part when one is found by Ichabod Cranes' cap.

Numerous poems portray pumpkins in their stanzas, such as John Greenleaf Whittier's “The Pumpkin” and “Totem” by Eamon Grennan.

You may choose to view a spinoff of cartoonist Charles Schulz' “Peanuts” comic in the animated television show called, “It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” It's hard to believe that the Great Pumpkin is now 50 years old!

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – One of the great things about living in Lake County is the closeness to nature and fascinating wild creatures.

This week, Cassie Hulbert of Clearlake had a visit from a Cooper's hawk in her backyard.

The hawk stopped in for a meal, Hulbert said.

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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a mix of big and little dogs waiting for new homes this week.

Available dogs include mixes Anatolian Shepherd, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, Papillon spaniel, pit bull, Rottweiler and wirehaired 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.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix has a short sable coat.

She's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 6245.

'Tank'

“Tank” is a male pit bull terrier mix with a short brindle and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 6253.

'Calle'

“Calle” is a young female border collie mix with a medium-length black and white coat.

She already has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 6369.

'Perchuan'

“Perchuan” is a male Rottweiler mix with a short black and tan coat.

He's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 3557.

German Shepherd mix

This male German Shepherd mix has a short black and tan coat.

He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 6328.

'Dutchess'

“Dutchess” is a female terrier mix with a short brown coat.

She already has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 14, ID No. 6341.

'Paco'

“Paco” is a male terrier and Chihuahua mix.

He has a short reddish-brown coat.

He's in kennel No. 15, ID No. 6298.

'Beau'

“Beau” is a young male Anatolian Shepherd mix.

He has a short brown and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 19, ID No. 6399.

Pit bull terrier mix

This male pit pull terrier mix has a short blue and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 20, ID No. 6380.

Labrador Retriever mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.

She already has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 21, ID No. 6308.

Rottweiler mix

This female Rottweiler mix has a black coat with some brindle markings.

Shelter staff said she need some training and is manageable on a leash. They said she is a very nice dog and knows not to jump when excited. After proper introductions, she has gotten along with other dogs she has met, including off-leash play. She would do best in a home with no cats.

She's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 5947.

'King'

“King” is a wirehaired terrier mix.

He has a coarse brown coat.

King is in kennel No. 29a, ID No. 6332.

'Shadow'

“Shadow” is a male Papillon spaniel mix.

He has a long black coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 30b, ID No. 6334.

Pit bull puppy

This female pit bull puppy has a short black coat with white markings.

She's in kennel No. 30a, ID No. 6333.

'Calie'

“Calie” is a female shepherd mix with a short black and tan coat.

She already has been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 5065.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

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