CLEARLAKE OAK, Calif. – 4-Hers of all ages gathered at East Lake Elementary School on Saturday,  Feb. 25, for the annual 4-H Presentation Day.

This event is all about public speaking, a big fear of many and a big part of 4-H. The day’s purpose is to help children become comfortable speaking in front of an audience.   

Every member has to come up with their own topic and how they plan to present it. There are the categories of demonstrations (showing how to do something with use of visual aids), illustrated talks (educational speeches with use of visual aids), prepared speeches (educational talk with no visual aids) and many others.

Each of these different talks can be entered as competitive or noncompetitive, but don’t be fooled, competitive is against only yourself, and gold (first place, based on a rubric) winners get the option to participate in Sectional Presentation Day and potentially state level.

This year there were over 30 interesting presentations on varying subjects. Some were demonstrations, like how to make zucchini bread and showing a rabbit.

Others were illustrated talks, like the endangerment of great white sharks and Chinese culture.

Each and every one was great, and the ones that showed strong audience appeal later went on stage as scores were being tabulated.

These included a skit on how to make a motion (in a meeting, not how to move), how to survive the Lake County Fair, creating a rope halter and making your own cheese.

The youngest to go up onto the stage in front of about 60 people was a 7-year-old Cobb Mountain 4-H member who did an amazing job.

After the scores were tabulated, red, blue, silver, and gold awards were given out to each of the presenters based on their individual rubrics.

Lastly, those with the highest scores in the categories of agriculture, home economics and other were awarded plaques.

Plaque winners included Morgan Lucus and Tiffany Sullivan for home economics, Vanessa and Samantha Hughes for agriculture and Joy Nowak for the “other” category.

All and all it was another successful Presentation Day, helping youth become comfortable speaking in front of people.

Thank you to Anderson Marsh 4-H Club for hosting this year’s event and all of the judges who volunteered. You all made this day what it is.

As the state marks California Arbor Day on this week, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) reminds customers that even trees that are small when planted may grow to heights that can interfere with overhead power lines.

That is why it is important to plant the “right tree, in the right place.”

There are many benefits to planting trees; along with their beauty, they keep homes cool by providing shade, enhance property values and clean the air.

But if the right tree is not planted in the right place, it can cause power outages, fires and, if energized, electrocution.

In fact, more than 90 percent of tree-caused power outages come from healthy trees and branches that fall or grow into power lines.

During this traditional tree planter’s holiday, PG&E offers the following tips for planting the right tree in the right place.

Plant trees safely

If you are planting trees near high-voltage power lines remember:

•     Only plant a tree under power lines if it will grow to less than 25 feet at maturity. (This information is available at your local nursery.)
•     When planting near transmission power lines, only use low-growing plants.
•     Call 811 at least two days before planting trees or landscaping, to have underground power lines and other utilities marked.
•     Keep all trees, equipment and people at least 10 feet away from high-voltage electric power lines. PG&E should be notified if a tree grows closer than 10 feet to a power line. Call 1-800-PGE-5000.

For a free copy of PG&E’s “A Selection and Planting Guide to Small Trees Near Distribution Lines,” email a request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

There is one for each of the three climate zones within PG&E's service area; Northern California, Central California and Bay Area/Inland.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Community members are invited to join the newly formed Lake County 29ers Cribbage Club.

The group meets every Monday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. – or later if there is a tournament – in the meeting room at the Lakeport McDonald's, 1400 Todd Road.

The Lake County 29ers Cribbage Club is affiliated with national and international clubs, including the American Cribbage Congress, and plans to develop a team to play in tournaments around the state.

Members also are starting a group to teach cribbage in local grade schools, as the game can help children develop math skills.

For more information call Bob Burrows, 707-274-1519.

This week's magnitude-4.0 earthquake on the Hayward fault serves as a reminder that all Californians need to prepare their homes and workplaces for earthquakes and other emergencies.

California is known for its seismically active landscape, and rather than become complacent with this all too common phenomenon, individuals must remember that a major earthquake on any of California's faults can cause a significant number of deaths, injuries and property damage, according to the California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA).

The agency said it is imperative that Californian's regularly update their emergency plans, stockpile emergency supplies and work to reduce hazards in their homes and businesses.

According to Cal EMA's 2008 study on individual and family preparedness, a mere 40 percent of Californians had developed family disaster plans.

Those who have not yet developed a family emergency plan or built an emergency kit can find numerous resources on the Cal EMA Web site, http://www.calema.ca.gov/Pages/default.aspx , which features  emergency kit shopping lists, family emergency plan templates, and how tips on how to improve home and office safety.

Cal EMA, in partnership with local, state and federal partners, has developed comprehensive plans based on real-world scenarios to respond and recover from such events; however, individual preparedness is essential to surviving a catastrophic event.

For more information on personal preparedness, Californian's can watch short, entertaining videos complimented with easy preparedness steps featured in the "Totally Unprepared" campaign, visit the "How You Should Prepare" page on the Cal EMA Web page and the Bay Area Chapter of the American Red Cross's "Ready Neighborhoods" campaign.

Trees are an essential part of California’s climate and are vital to improving the state’s air quality and conserving water.

To help educate Californians on the value that trees provide to building successful, healthy cities and neighborhoods, California is celebrating March 7-14 as California Arbor Week.
 
Cal Fire is partnering with California ReLeaf to encourage cities, nature groups, schools, and youth organizations to celebrate California Arbor Week by planting trees in their communities.

California ReLeaf is an alliance of community-based groups, individuals, businesses, and government agencies working to protect the environment by planting and caring for trees and the state’s urban and community forests.
 
“Trees offer so many more benefits than what we see,” said Cal Fire Deputy Director Bill Snyder. “Their importance to the environment, climate, economy and the overall well-being of California is critical.”
 
Research shows that trees clear pollution from the air, catch significant amounts of rainwater, add to property values, cut energy use, increase commercial activity, reduce stress, improve neighborhood safety and enhance recreation opportunities.
 
“Trees make California’s cities and towns better. It’s that simple,” said Joe Liszewski, executive director for California ReLeaf. “Everyone can do their part to plant and care for trees, ensuring that they are a resource long into the future.”
 
The goals of Arbor Week include educating Californians about trees, encouraging tree planting, teaching elementary school children the environmental, social, and economic benefits of trees, and protecting the state’s valuable natural resources.
 
As part of the department’s mission, Cal Fire is charged with protecting California’s forests by maintaining the sustainability of the state’s natural resources including both urban and wildland forests. Cal Fire is encouraging everyone to be a part of California Arbor Week by planting a tree.

It’s important that you carefully plan before you plant a tree to ensure that your tree is properly placed to avoid growing into power lines and buildings.

Get more planting tips on the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .
 
For a full listing of events scheduled to celebrate California Arbor Week across the state visit www.arborweek.org/events .

SAN FRANCISCO – On Tuesday, as part of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris warned California homeowners to beware of phone solicitations from scam artists claiming to provide assistance related to the recent national mortgage settlement.

Under California law, it is illegal to charge an up-front fee for loan modification services. Third parties that claim to offer homeowners access to funds under the national mortgage settlement are likely running a scam. Homeowners receiving such solicitations should not provide any personal or financial information and should report the solicitation to the California Department of Justice (http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=CL ).

Californians seeking relief under the state's recent $18 billion mortgage settlement are advised to heed the following tips to avoid falling prey to scams that often arise around high profile settlements:

• Be skeptical of third party phone solicitations. Only your bank/loan servicer can assist you with regard to the recent national mortgage settlement.
• Do not give your personal financial information to a solicitor such as your bank account number, social security number or even the name of your loan servicer. Your bank will already have this information.
• Never pay an up-front fee for mortgage-related services. It is against California law and should be reported to the California Department of Justice.
• Call your bank to see if you qualify for relief under the settlement.

For free, trustworthy advice:

• Call a HUD approved counselor: 888-995-4673
• Call Keep Your Home CA: 888-954-5337

If you think you may be eligible for relief under the national mortgage settlement, call your bank directly:

• Bank of America/Countrywide: 877-488-7814
• JPMorgan Chase/Washington Mutual: 866-372-6901
• GMAC Mortgage/Ally Financial: 800-766-4622
• Citibank/CitiMortgage: 866-272-4749
• Wells Fargo/Wachovia: 800-288-3212

For additional information regarding the mortgage settlement, please visit: http://oag.ca.gov/nationalmortgagesettlement and http://oag.ca.gov/nationalmortgagesettlement/faqs .