MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Off highway vehicle, or OHV, wet weather closures went into effect on the Mendocino National Forest’s Upper Lake and Grindstone Ranger Districts at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Forest spokeswoman Punky Moore said the closures went into effect at 9 a.m. Saturday after 2 inches of rain fell across forest lands within 24 hours.
The closures will be rescinded when no measurable precipitation is recorded within 48 consecutive hours, Moore said.
Moore said these periodic orders restrict the use of OHV trails when conditions are too wet to sustain use without causing soil loss, impacts to water quality, damage to trail tread and threats to public safety.
She said the orders also allow for drying time following precipitation events to further ensure the integrity of the resource and the safety of the user.
The orders prohibit the use of motor vehicles on National Forest System trails within the Upper Lake and Grindstone ranger districts on the Mendocino National Forest pursuant to 36 CFR 261.55(b).
When closures go into effect, notices also are posted on the Forest Web site, Facebook and Twitter. Trail users are advised to check these information sources before traveling to the forest.
Science-fiction would probably not be a genre if the future held promise for a world in which everything is beautiful, people are friendly, freedom reigns, and cats and dog live together in peaceful co-existence.
The Syfy cable channel’s “Incorporated” sticks to the formula of a dystopian future in the year 2074 where the land has been ravaged, coastal cities have vanished and multinational corporations have replaced the government.
What might attract an audience for this show is the highly publicized involvement of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as the producers. And maybe you will fall for the thriller elements, even though we’ve seen many of them before.
Seemingly taking a page from “Blade Runner,” the future is bleak in an America where the remaining population is located in heart of the Midwest and is divided between haves and have-nots.
If you are not working for the big corporate power Spiga in the safe, secure Green Zone, you would be relegated to a harsh and brutal life in the lawless Red Zone, where junior executives go slumming on a Friday night to score drugs and watch brutal cage fights.
All nations are under the control of large corporations, and there is a nicely humorous TV news bulletin about Canada building a wall to keep out more Americans from joining the 12 million already illegally residing in the Great White North.
The central character is Ben Larson (Sean Teale), an ambitious young man moving up the corporate ladder by devious means. He’s also married to Laura (Allison Miller), the daughter of the cagey, controlling Spiga CEO (Julia Ormond).
Competing with other junior executives all dressed in dark suits without ties, Ben’s true background is unknown not only to his superiors, but also to his wife. His primary mission, other than climbing the ladder at work, is to find a long-lost love left behind in the Red Zone.
To be sure, Ben won’t want to get on the wrong side of Spiga, because those who fail the company are sent to the “Quiet Room,” a chamber of horrors where Spiga enforcer Julian (Dennis Haysbert) proves to be sadistically frightening.
Spiga’s control even extends to family planning. Ben’s wife Laura may harbor her own secrets, but she surprises her husband with the news that the couple has been granted a “permit” to have a child.
When one of the executives is caught trying to leave for home with contraband electronic files, he’s dealt with harshly. Operating like the Stasi or KGB, Spiga tolerates no deviation from the corporate culture.
In a chilling talk with employees, the CEO intones that “Spiga is a generous mother” and that it “only asks for hard work and loyalty.” The alternative is for a fate that should be evident.
“Incorporated” has some interesting elements about the fate of humanity. When the CEO says that promotions require a vetting process, it’s clear that Ben may have something to fear because he has plenty to hide.
The question now is whether the Orwellian science-fiction thriller of “Incorporated” will deliver the promise of providing satisfying answers.
TV Corner: 'Hairspray Live!' on NBC network
The NBC network had such great success with a live theatrical performance for the Broadway musical “The Wiz” that the decision to do the same for the long-running musical “Hairspray” seemed like a wise programming move.
Since the film “Hairspray Live!” will be delivered as the title implies in a live telecast, there’s not much to go on for a review in advance other than a few clips made available and knowledge of the Broadway show.
To be more accurate, “Hairspray Live!” is also advertised as being based on the theatrical version, though I am not sure if it would be the 1988 film written and directed by John Waters or the 2007 edition that starred John Travolta as the iconic Edna Turnblad.
In all likelihood, “Hairspray Live!,” given the constraints of staging a live performance, should be much more similar to the Broadway production that starred Harvey Fierstein as Edna Turnblad, mother to a dance show hopeful.
NBC made the smart choice of bringing Fierstein into the program to reprise his Broadway role. He’s the perfect fit to encourage his chubby, sweet-natured daughter Tracy (Maddie Baillio) as the dance-loving teen who auditions for and wins a spot on “The Corny Collins Show.”
The setting is 1962 Baltimore where racial integration has yet to penetrate all segments of society. On the all-white TV show, Tracy becomes an overnight sensation and her newfound status as a celebrity brings societal changes in the vanguard of the civil rights era.
In the midst of charming the public with her winning persona, Tracy’s dream to dance results in her meeting a colorful array of characters including the resident dreamboat Link Larkin (Garrett Clayton) and the requisite mean girl Amber Von Tussle (Dove Cameron).
Another key character is Motormouth Maybelle, a role portrayed by Jennifer Hudson, the Grammy Award-winning recording artist who may be best known for her part as a member of a trio of soul singers in “Dreamgirls.”
If by chance you miss the telecast of “Hairspray Live!,” there is an unconfirmed report that the TV film will be released on DVD in time for the holidays.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LUCERNE, Calif. – California Water Service has made a $2,000 donation to benefit the Northshore Community Center.
Darin McCosker, local area manager for Cal Water's Redwood Valley District, presented the check to Nathan Maxman, the center's executive director, on Friday afternoon.
The funds will be used for the center's general operations, Maxman said.
The center is located at 10th and Country Club in Lucerne.
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. – The United Methodist Youth Choir will present two performances of “Shepherds, Sheep and a Savior” on Sunday, Dec. 11.
The first will be at Clearlake Community United Methodist Church at 9:30 a.m., with the second performance at Middletown Community United Methodist Church at 11:30 a.m.
On a hill just outside of Bethlehem, lowly shepherds were tending their sheep at night.
They didn't get much company out there. People had been passing through for several days as the census was underway, but they hardly spoke at all as they walked by on their way to Bethlehem.
Nobody really wanted to talk to the shepherds. But that all changed when an angel spoke to them.
They may have been at the bottom of the social ladder in Bethlehem, but when an angel speaks you listen, and when you get amazing news, you go and tell.
This is their story – what they heard and what they saw that marvelous night when a baby was born who would change the world.
“Shepherds, Sheep and a Savior” is a Christmas musical that will help you celebrate the reason for the season. It is fun for the whole family and there is no charge. All are welcome.
Clearlake Community United Methodist Church is located at 14521 Pearl St. Middletown Community United Methodist Church is located at 15833 Armstrong St.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A monthly community social will be presented on Monday, Dec. 19, from 5 to 7 p.m. by the Lake Family Resource Center at the Middletown Methodist Church in Middletown.
Located at 15833 Armstrong St., this free family activity is sponsored by the Lake Area Rotary Club and Lake County Rising.
Dinner and fun activities for children is planned. All are welcome.
Middletown High student Elijah Canchola will provide instrumental guitar music for the evening. It is hoped some pianists also may contribute their talents.
These socials have continued monthly since April of this year in Middletown, Cobb and Lower Lake.
Their purpose is to give community members a chance to relax together during the long term recovery effort to restore their neighborhoods after this last year’s Lake County fires.
The quagga mussel is a small, non-native freshwater mollusk that the Department of Water Resources had successfully prevented from infesting the State Water Project since the species was first discovered in California in 2007.
However, on Dec. 8, six adult quagga mussels were found in the Angeles Tunnel, which serves as a connector between Pyramid Lake and Elderberry Forebay, two State Water Project components north of Los Angeles.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, has concluded that Pyramid Lake must be considered infested with the invasive species, and Elderberry Forebay and Castaic Lake, both downstream from Pyramid Lake, are presumed infested with the mussels.
The Department of Water Resources, or DWR, discovered the mussels during a scheduled inspection of Angeles Tunnel. Six adult quagga mussels were found in the tunnel.
DWR said there is no evidence of mussel reproduction, and no larval or “veliger” stage mussels have been found in Pyramid Lake during DWR’s routine monthly veliger detection monitoring.
No young sub-adult mussels were found in the tunnel, and no mussels have been found in Castaic Lake. Both lakes are actively monitored each month.
The “infested” determination for Pyramid Lake means boats must be inspected and thoroughly washed upon leaving the lake.
It also means those boats will not be granted a “clean boat” tag that normally is given to boats when they leave water bodies that do not contain quagga mussels. The tag is a visual sign that the boat does not require inspection prior to entering other bodies of water.
DWR currently is implementing the steps outlined in its rapid response plan. Notifications have been sent to CDFW, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Los Angeles County Parks Department, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and SWP contractors affected by this discovery.
DWR’s response team is preparing to mobilize and delineate the extent of the mussel population. These efforts are being coordinated with CDFW, the State’s lead agency in invasive mussel management.
Quagga mussels can clog water systems, alter food webs in ecosystems and damage boat engines.
Concerns about the spread of the mussels across California has led to a Lake County Mussel Program, which requires screenings and stickers to help prevent the mussels' arrival, which can devastate a local ecosystem.
The president-elect recently announced his nomination of General James Mattis as secretary of defense in violation of federal law.
The law prohibits retired military personnel from severing as the civilian head of the Defense Department for seven years following separation from the military. The general retired from duty in May of 2013.
The response from the Republican-controlled Congress was not to advise the president-elect to follow the law but rather to insert a change to that law in an appropriations bill.
This change is a special exemption that applies only to General Mattis – not to any other potential nominee that might be proposed for this position in the future.
The original prohibition was passed for a solid reason. The military of the United States of America, unlike many non-democratic countries, is under the control of our civilian government. That prohibition was intended to help protect that principle.
Is this the type of governance we can expect from the president-elect and the Republican Party?
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent to Earth its first views of Saturn’s atmosphere since beginning the latest phase of its mission.
The new images show scenes from high above Saturn's northern hemisphere, including the planet's intriguing hexagon-shaped jet stream.
Cassini began its new mission phase, called its Ring-Grazing Orbits, on Nov. 30. Each of these weeklong orbits – 20 in all – carries the spacecraft high above Saturn's northern hemisphere before sending it skimming past the outer edges of the planet's main rings.
Cassini’s imaging cameras acquired these latest views on Dec. 2 and 3, about two days before the first ring-grazing approach to the planet. Future passes will include images from near closest approach, including some of the closest-ever views of the outer rings and small moons that orbit there.
“This is it, the beginning of the end of our historic exploration of Saturn. Let these images – and those to come – remind you that we’ve lived a bold and daring adventure around the solar system’s most magnificent planet,” said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead at Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado.
The next pass by the rings' outer edges is planned for Dec. 11. The ring-grazing orbits will continue until April 22, when the last close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan will once again reshape Cassini's flight path. With that encounter, Cassini will begin its Grand Finale, leaping over the rings and making the first of 22 plunges through the 1,500-mile-wide gap between Saturn and its innermost ring on April 26.
On Sept. 15, the mission's planned conclusion will be a final dive into Saturn's atmosphere. During its plunge, Cassini will transmit data about the atmosphere's composition until its signal is lost.
Launched in 1997, Cassini has been touring the Saturn system since arriving in 2004 for an up-close study of the planet, its rings and moons.
Cassini has made numerous dramatic discoveries, including a global ocean with indications of hydrothermal activity within the moon Enceladus, and liquid methane seas on another moon, Titan.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Innovation, together with the Corporation for National and Community Service’s Social Innovation Fund, awarded the Veterans Employment Pay for Success (VEPFS) Program grant to the social investment firm, Social Finance Inc.
As awarded, the $3 million employment, labor and training grant will support the employment rehabilitation of approximately 500 veterans over a five-year period.
By using the Pay for Success model, VA will be better able to ensure the measurable successes of veterans seeking vocational rehabilitation and employment based on their skills and abilities, particularly those living with service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder.
PTSD can be a significant barrier to veterans’ chances of finding and maintaining meaningful employment. This program will specifically address this challenge facing many of our nation’s Veterans.
“The Veterans Employment Pay for Success Program is a unique opportunity for VA to harness private sector capital and initiative in advancing our ability to improve the employment status of veterans who are faced with the challenges of PTSD. This fusion of public and private efforts create a truly transformative model for public good,” said Patrick Littlefield, director of the VA Center for Innovation.
The VEPFS program was developed over a 14-month period and began accepting applications in August.
Grant applicants were required to submit a project plan outlining key milestones for assessing Veterans’ progress toward sustained employment.
Overall improved employment outcomes will also be evaluated on successful employment that aligns with the interests, skills, goals, and abilities of individual veterans.
Importantly, this project will ensure consistent and tailored mental health support for participating veterans to foster not only great employment outcomes but also positive wellness outcomes.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around Lake County and the North Coast during the coming week.
Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.
LAKE COUNTY
Highway 20
– Pavement repairs from Sayre Avenue to Glenhaven Drive will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. LC#C20CA
Highway 29
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance 1.6 miles south of Konocti Forestry Camp on Monday, Dec. 12. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
MENDOCINO COUNTY
Highway 1
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Fish Rock Road beginning Thursday, Dec. 15. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Bridge deck repairs at the Brush Creek will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 20
– Pavement repairs from the North Calpella Overcrossing to Cold Creek Bridge #3 will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect overnight from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays.
Highway 101
– Routine maintenance near Frog Woman Rock will continue. Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 25 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Reeves Canyon Road to Black Bart Drive beginning Monday, Dec. 12. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Steele Lane on Tuesday, Dec. 13. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– Emergency slide repairs just south of Standish-Hickey State Park will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near the Elizabeth Jane Rosewarne Memorial Bridge on Monday, Dec. 12. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to noon. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
Highway 162
– Geotechnical studies near the Middle Fork Eel River Bridge will begin Tuesday, Dec. 13. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.
For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).
Jonathan W. R. Davies May 29, 1963 – Nov. 20, 2016
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Dr. Jonathan W. R. Davies of Lakeport, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, at age 53.
He was the fourth child born to Clifford and Beryl Davies on May 29, 1963, on the island of Guernsey in the British Isles.
Jonathan came to Lake County in 2001 and opened his private practice in obstetrics and gynecology.
He joined the staff at Sutter Lakeside Hospital where he currently served as director of Women's Care as well as serving on the Medical Executive Committee.
He also served in the past as chief of staff, as a member of the board of directors and was chosen as Physician of the Year.
Jonathan had a passion for medicine, for women's health and for bringing new life into this world. He loved nature and enjoyed many outdoor activities.
Jonathan is survived by his wife of 16 years, Lisa Davies; his older brothers, Stephan and Phillip Davies; older sister, Elisabeth Tegeler; children, Caitlin, Christopher, Jennifer, Alexis and Alyssa; step-children, Cameron, Shelby and Brooklyn; and step-grandson, Cabe. He is predeceased by his parents.
At Jonathan's request, there will be no services. A memorial fund has been established at Umpqua bank for his children.
Jonathan was an asset to our medical community and will be missed greatly by many.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .