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.

Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Wednesday, Nov. 23, through Sunday, Nov. 27, in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary for Caltrans Maintenance forces to respond to emergency situations.

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 five-minute delays.

Highway 29
 
– Pavement marker replacement from .3 miles north of the Siegler Canyon Bridge to just north of Cruikshank Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1
 
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Iverson Road beginning Thursday, Dec. 1. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. LC#P1AA

– 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.
 
– AT&T has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs from Maple Avenue to Oak Street beginning Tuesday, Nov. 29. A shoulder closure will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

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 6 p.m. to 6:30 a.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.

– Bridge deck repairs at the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in both directions from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

– Bridge rail upgrades at the South Willits Overhead will continue. Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

– Emergency culvert repairs just north of the north Willits railroad crossing will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-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.

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).

Wilma Jane Weaver
Feb. 1, 1921 – Nov. 5, 2016

Wilma Jane Weaver, longtime resident of Lake County, Calif., passed away peacefully on Nov. 5, 2016, in Castro Valley, Calif., at the age of 95. Her daughters were with her at the time of her passing.

Jane was born in Connellsville, Penn., and raised in Gary, Ind. She moved to Southern California after high school and there she met the love of her life, John Weaver, on a blind date arranged by friends. They married in 1940 and had two beautiful daughters, Janet and Carol.

In 1970 Jane and John moved to Lake County. Their first creative community endeavor was to build the Creekside Mobile Home Park on Dam Road in Clearlake. Decades later, Jane moved there and enjoyed the last years of her life living in the park she created.

Jane was very involved in her community, becoming a member of many civic organizations including the Park Study Club, Lake County Repertory Theater and the Lower Lake Community Action Group. She was also a member of the Lower Lake Methodist Church for 45 years.

While most people in their 70s were taking it easy, Jane had a vision. The old schoolhouse, built in 1877, needed to be saved, so she became a founding member of the Lower Lake Historic School Preservation Committee. Jane, her husband John, and 2 friends repaired and restored the building, and she designed the museum, becoming its first curator. Jane retired as curator at age 80.

Jane is survived by her daughters, two granddaughters, two grandsons and four great-grandchildren. She was dearly loved by friends and family.

A celebration of Jane’s life will take place on Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. in the Weaver Auditorium at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, 16435 Main St., Lower Lake. The public is invited.

Contributions can be made to the Lower Lake Methodist Church rebuilding fund, P.O. Box 516, Lower Lake, CA 95457.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The holiday wish trees have returned to Umpqua Bank in Lakeport and Kelseyville.

In partnership with Lake County Child Welfare Services, or CWS, Umpqua Bank associates have committed to making holiday wishes come true for children under the supervision of CWS of Lake County.

Experience the joy of giving and brighten the holiday of a child in need. It's a great way to teach your children the joy of giving.

The public is invited to stop by either of the two Umpqua Bank locations, choose a child’s card and sign the register.

Items should be returned by Dec. 14 and placed in a gift bag or use one of the gift bags provided by Umpqua Bank. The dedicated staff of CWS will see that the gifts are delivered to the children.

People who are unable to purchase a gift but would like to sponsor one can notify bank staff who will do the shopping for them.

The Lakeport Store of Umpqua Bank is located at 805 11th St and the Kelseyville Store is located at 4280 Main St.

For information, call 707-262-3342 or 707-262-3389.

Thanksgiving is upon us and Cal Fire is reminding Californians about the dangers that can happen this holiday season.

“At Thanksgiving we tend to have multiple items cooking on the stove,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director. “While we are with our family and friends, it is so important to not get distracted and to always stand next to the oven or stove when you are cooking. Thanksgiving Day is one of our busier days responding to home cooking fires, and we would like to reduce that number by practicing fire safety. Hopefully, we can prevent less cooking fires and you can enjoy your Thanksgiving with family and friends.”

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day and Christmas Eve.

In 2014, nearly four times as many home cooking fires occur on Thanksgiving as on a typical day.

“Unattended cooking is the leading cause of home cooking fires,” said Lynne Tolmachoff, chief of Public Education. “That is why it is important to always watch what you are cooking and never leave it unattended. One critical safety measure is to ensure you have working smoke alarms installed throughout your home. It’s an added measure to protect you and your family from fires in your home. ”

To help reduce the chance of fire and injuries associated with holiday cooking fires, Cal Fire offers the following tips:

· Remain in the kitchen while you’re cooking, and keep a close eye on what you are cooking! Always stay in the kitchen while frying, grilling or broiling food. If you have to leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. Regularly check on food that is simmering, baking or roasting, and use a timer to remind you that you’re cooking.

· Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Someone walking by is less likely to bump them or pull them over.

· Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.

· Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.

· When using a turkey fryer, be sure to follow instructions closely. Don’t exceed the recommended oil level and only use the device outdoors!

· Make sure a fire extinguisher is handy at all times. Never use water to put out a grease fire.

· Ensure you have working smoke alarms installed in your home.

For the cooking fire safety fact sheet, visit www.fire.ca.gov .

NORTH POLE – Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and the U.S. Postal Service can help you prove it when Santa replies to your child’s letter – complete with a North Pole postmark.

Here are the steps for your child to get a letter back from Santa:

• Have your child write a letter to Santa and place it in an envelope addressed to: Santa Claus, North Pole.

• Later, when alone, open the envelope and write a personalized response.

• Insert the response letter into an envelope and address it to the child.

• Add the return address: SANTA, NORTH POLE, to the envelope.

• Affix a First-Class Mail stamp, such as a new Holiday Windows stamp, to the envelope.

• Place the complete envelope into a larger envelope – preferably a Priority Mail Flat Rate envelope – with appropriate postage and address it to: North Pole Postmark, Postmaster, 4141 Postmark Drive, Anchorage, AK 99530-9998.

“Letters from Santa” must be received by the Anchorage, AK, postmaster no later than Dec. 15. Santa’s helpers at the Postal Service will take care of the rest.

Be sure to share the experience on social media using #LettersFromSanta.

Tips

• To save paper, write Santa’s response on the back of your child’s letter. If you keep them together, your child will also be able to recall what he or she wrote.

• When responding as Santa, make the response as personal as possible by highlighting your child’s accomplishments over the past year, for example, helping around the house, receiving good grades in a particular subject at school or participating in community service activities.

• This is a great activity to do at Thanksgiving that the whole family can enjoy, including parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and other caregivers.

The Letters from Santa program adds to the excitement of Christmas and is ideal for interesting youngsters in letter writing, stamps and penmanship.

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

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 24, in observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday.

Regular business hours will resume at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25.

Please check the forest Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino/ for information about recreation, permits, roads and more.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Time Bank is preparing its relaunch.

Join them on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 5:30 p.m. at Round Table Pizza on 11th Street in Lakeport where you'll learn about some upcoming projects the time bank is considering. Cost is only the price of your pizza.

You'll also hear about a new, mission-based fundraising program for nonprofits designed to make the time bank self-supporting. Plan to attend and bring your friends.

Time bankers exchange time rather than cash for services. Time Bank of Thrive Lake County membership is open to any Lake County resident, worker, business or organization.

For more information about Time Bank of Thrive Lake County, visit http://timebanklakeco.org , email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 707-413-0220.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – The Hidden Valley Lake Ladies 40-9ers Golf Club played nine holes on Nov. 17.

The results are as follows:

– Flight one: first place, Bonnie Eagleton, net 32; second place, Barbara Harris, 35; third place, Mariana Bendinelli, 37.

– Flight two: first place, Adele Curtin, 34; second place, tie, Sharon Compartore and Kit Hoss, 37.

– Flight three: first place, tie, Elaine Fauser, Roberta Villnow and Gwen DeRosa, 37.

– Flight four: first place, Denyse McCracken, 39; second place, Diana Schneider    , 40.

MERCED, Calif. — The University of California, Merced, has announced the recipients of its Giving Tuesday scholarships.

Giving Tuesday, a global day of philanthropy, takes place annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving.

UC Merced’s campaign is devoted to scholarship donations, which are quadrupled thanks to matching funds provided by Wells Fargo and Foster Poultry Farms.

Senior Lacey O’dell of Lower Lake High School was awarded the Guardian Scholars Scholarship. She is a biological sciences major.

Last year’s Giving Tuesday campaign raised more than $310,000 for undergraduate scholarships, with matching funds included, and led to 116 scholarships being awarded to students for the current academic year.

This year, the drive goes from midnight EST to 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 29. Donors can direct their gifts to any of 14 eligible funds.

For information on how to participate in the campaign, visit http://givetue.ucmerced.edu .