LAKEPORT, Calif. – Protect yourself from identity theft by safely and securely destroying documents in the “Shred-It” truck sponsored by Umpqua Bank and Strong Financial Network.

Invite friends and family to take advantage of this free shredding service.

You may bring up to three boxes/bags of documents for destruction.

The service will be provided from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday May 3, at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., Lakeport.

Please be sure documents are free of binders, although staples and paper clips are acceptable.

Workers will assist in unloading your delivery and you are welcome to watch the actual shredding of your documents.

Immediately following, there will be an identity theft workshop from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Umpqua Bank by reservation only.

To RSVP, please call 707-262-1880. Seating is limited.

If you are unable to participate on May 3, Umpqua Bank at the Lakeport and its location at 4280 Main St. in Kelseyville will have shred bins available in the month of May until they are filled.

Please limit your deposit to three boxes/bags per drop off.

SAN FRANCISCO – On May 12, local communities across America will be asked to join the U.S. Postal Service and its letter carriers to combat one of this nation’s growing problems – hunger.

About 50 million Americans – including 17 million children – now live in families that lack sufficient food.

The Postal Service, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), Campbell Soup Co., Feeding America and other partner organizations are working together to collect food donations on May 12.

It is the nation’s largest single-day food drive in local communities across America – including Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Now in its 20th year, the Stamp Out Hunger food drive benefits Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

“The Postal Service is pleased to continue supporting the National Association of Letter Carriers as we enter our 20th year together to help Stamp Out Hunger in America,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe. “I am confident the 2012 campaign will be our best ever because the need continues to grow.”

In 2011, letter carriers collected 70.2 million pounds of food donated by customers on their delivery routes, which marked the eighth consecutive year the total food collection was at least 70 million pounds.

This year, Nick Cannon, multi-talented entertainer and member of the Feeding America Entertainment Council, is the national spokesperson for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive for the second consecutive year.

The drive particularly hits home for Cannon, who experienced hunger and visited food pantries as a child.

Cannon will promote the drive on television and radio, as well as in print and social media to encourage even greater participation and donations.

To participate in the 20th Stamp Out Hunger food drive, residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 12.

Letter carriers will collect these food donations as they deliver the mail and take them to their local food bank or pantry.

Post cards and shopping bags promoting the food drive will be delivered by letter carriers to more than 90 million homes across the country as a reminder to participate in the drive.

Other partner organizations supporting the Stamp Out Hunger food drive are the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, Valpak, United Way, AFL-CIO, Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage and AARP.

The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive began at the local level in the late 1980s and went nationwide in 1992.

For more information about the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger and follow the drive at www.twitter.com/StampOutHunger .

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On April 11 Lake County Republican Women Federated hosted Lt. Col. Rick Tubbs, a candidate for Congress in the newly created Third Congressional District of California.

The primary election is Tuesday, June 5.
 
Tubbs is a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserves, serving in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. He was the commander of his C-17 squadron and again at Pacific Command Headquarters. He is one of the 51 Combat Veterans for Congress of record who have been endorsed by the Combat Veterans for Congress over the last three years.
 
Born on July 4, 1967, Tubbs was raised in the rural town of North Lake, Wisconsin. Son of a single mother, he began working at the age of 11.

Graduating with honors from Arrowhead High School, he continued  his studies at California State University in Fresno, earning a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Tubbs received his commission as a second lieutenant in the U. S. Air Force as a distinguished graduate of the Air Force ROTC program.

He graduated from flight training and was assigned to Sheppard Air Force Base, TX, where he spent five years as a T-38 instructor pilot working with NATO allies until transferred to Travis AFB in 1995.  

Capt. Tubbs flew around the globe as an Aircraft Commander of the free world's Strategic airlift asset. He was activated for Operation Iraqi Freedom in Feb. 2003. Two years later, his reserve unit was converted to the world's most modern Strategic Airlift Aircraft, the C-17. Tubbs was promoted to lieutenant colonel in October 2008.  

Today he is the Squadron Commander of the 301AS Squadron at Travis AFB, CA and is still flying C-17s.  Lt. Col Tubbs was awarded two Air Medals and one Aerial Achievement Medal for Combat and Combat Support missions flown in war zones and was awarded numerous service and campaign medals.
 
Tubbs has balanced multimillion dollar military budgets, small business budgets, as well as coordinating with his wife to formulate their family budget. He is highly motivated to balance our national budget.

He pledged to work to grow the economy with jobs, cut unnecessary spending by eliminating fraud and waste, reduce the cost of health care to make it as cost effective as possible. Tubbs also is a strong supporter of increasing the supply of water for California, our Delta, and the agriculture industry.
 
Tubbs was hired as a pilot with United Airlines in 1991, and started a property development and management company in 2001. He and his wife Kristy have been married for over 22 years and are the proud parents of three children.

For more information visit www.ricktubbsforcongress.com or www.combatveteransforcongress.org .

WOODLAND, Calif. – The Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival – the third oldest in the U.S. – are coming to the Yolo County Fairgrounds in Woodland on Saturday, April 28, and Sunday, April 29.

“There’s a little bit of something for everyone at the Games,” says Caledonian Club Chief Chuck Jamison. “Everyone can be Scottish for a day.”

The games will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The fairgrounds are located at 1125 East St.

Tickets at the gate cost $15 for adults (ages 18 to 59) for one day or $20 for both days; seniors (age 60-plus), $10 for one day or $14 for both days; youth (ages 8 to 17), $6 for one day or $8 for both days; and children under age 8 and members of the military with ID may attend for free.

In an experience unlike any other in this area, visitors can enjoy Celtic athletic competitions, music, dance, history, art, foods and animals presented by the Caledonian Club of Sacramento.

Musical entertainment will be provided throughout the weekend by the Wicked Tinkers, Stout
Rebellion, Molly’s Revenge, Sligo Rags, local Scottish fiddlers and – of course – hundreds of kilted bagpipers.

Visitors can enjoy an authentic taste of Scotland with a bit of shortbread and a cup of tea; or, for the more adventurous, opportunities abound – try on a kilt, attempt to lift one of the heavyweight
hammers thrown by the burly athletes or sample a wee bit o’ savory Scottish fare (and, of course, a nip of whisky!).

Those with a genealogical or historical interest in Scottish culture can visit the clan tents to research and learn more about their own Celtic roots at no charge, or walk through the reenactment area to see how people dressed, lived, worked and played in centuries past.

Also in Scottish tradition, Saturday night will feature a Ceilidh, or traditional evening party, featuring a catered dinner provided by Ludy’s Main St. BBQ and Catering, as well as live entertainment.

Tickets for the Ceilidh and dinner can be purchased separately for $17 per adult or $12 per child.

For more information, please visit the Caledonian Club’s Web site, www.saccallie.org or call 916-486-4954.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The NAACP candidate forum, moderated by Aqeela El Amin Bakheit, which was held on Saturday, April 14, at Clearlake City Hall, will be aired on Mediacom Cable's PEG TV Channel 8.

Scheduled broadcast days are Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and  every day at 5 a.m.

Candidates for the Lake County Board of Supervisors participated in the forum, including District 1 candidates Victoria Brandon and Jim Comstock; District 4 candidate Fred Langston; and District 5 candidates Rob Brown and Joan Moss.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Democratic Party has open seats in each of the five supervisoral districts.

Do you want to be more active in our local Democratic Party? Do you want to participate in party activities locally? Do you want to help shape policy and positions and have a voice in party endorsements at the local level of our party? Do you want to help elect Democrats and help get Lake County Democrats to turn out for elections?

Each supervisor district in Lake County is represented on the County Committee by a number of elected or appointed members of the Democratic Party who live in each district.

The number of Democratic County Central Committee Members from each supervisorial district is:

• Supervisorial District  1 – Five members.
• Supervisorial District  2 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  3 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  4 – Four members.
• Supervisorial District  5 – Five members.

In order to be appointed to one of the vacant seats, interested candidates are invited to attend the next Central Committee Meeting on Thursday, May 3, at 7 p.m. at the Clearlake Oaks United Methodist Church community room, 12487 The Plaza, Clearlake Oaks.

The qualifications to apply for a seat on the committee are registered Democrat, and an interest in registering, supporting and electing Democrats in local, state and national races.

If you've always wanted to get more involved in local and State Democratic Party activities now is your chance. They will open a United Democratic Headquarters in Lakeport in August and will need volunteers to help staff and register voters and provide President Obama materials.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is your voice as a Democrat in Lake County. The committee is the local governing body of the Democratic Party  in Lake County and an of the California Democratic Party.

The committee is in charge of the Democratic Party activities for 13,723 registered Democrats in Lake County, under the general direction of the State Democratic Party.

Together, with its two chartered Democratic Clubs, the committee is the direct link between these Democratic voters and the California Democratic Party, which is directly linked to the Democratic National Committee.      

If you are interested in the steps to take to be appointed to a seat, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885.