Computer Lab Aide Elaine Bishop (standing) offers assistance to student Rachel Szczepanski. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Computer access is improving for Mendocino College students at the Lake Center thanks to a donation to the Mendocino College Foundation.

College and foundation staff recently announced that a $1,000 gift is enabling the college to employ aides for additional hours and keep the Lake Center’s computer lab open on Fridays.

“As funding for some of our student support services has declined in recent years, the donation has helped us to provide access to the computer technology that has become so essential for student success,” said Mark Rawitsch, dean of the college centers in Lakeport and Willits.

As a result of budget cuts, the center’s computer lab was closed on Fridays during the fall semester.

Students requested that the lab be open to them on Fridays, said Lake Center Operations Supervisor Arlene Peters.

College students may use the computers in the lab between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and now from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.

Although the computer lab is not open on Thursdays (closed due to classes scheduled in the lab), the Learning Lab at the Lake Center offers eight to 10 additional computers for student use.

The Learning Lab is open Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., and Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Rawitsch suggested the allocation as the best way to utilize the recent gift from Mary Lou and Wade Koeninger.

The funding allows the college to employ two computer lab aides and keep the lab open extra hours this semester, the dean said.

Elaine Bishop, a 16-year employee of the college, and her husband Trett are the individuals offering assistance to computer users in the lab.

“Since many of our local students do not have easy access to computers at home, we’re pleased to be able to increase our Lakeport computer lab hours for students this semester,” said Rawitsch.

Mendocino College Foundation Executive Director Katie Wojcieszak has assisted the Koeningers in their continuing efforts to help Mendocino College students, both present and future.

For more information about making donations to the foundation or about foundation scholarships and programs, call the foundation office at 707-467-1018 or visit the Web site at http://foundation.mendocino.edu.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Winter weather was back in full force on Wednesday, as rain and snow was reported around the county.

On Wednesday the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook for interior Northern California, including Lake County.

The agency said a strong winter storm was continuing to bring snow to the mountains and foothills with showers and thunderstorms possible in the Central Valley.

Another winter storm is expected to affect Northern California on Thursday and Friday, with the National Weather Service predicting more snow in the mountains, with snow levels falling to about 1,600 feet.

There were reports from county residents on Wednesday afternoon of snow falling in areas from Cobb to Lakeport to areas of the Northshore extending down to Clearlake Oaks. Hail was reported near Middletown.

The California Highway Patrol reported snow on the Glasgow Grade on Highway 29 near Lower Lake Wednesday evening, with Caltrans sanding the area to keep it safe for motorists.

Earlier in the day the county Public Works Department issued an advisory regarding area road closures.

County Road Superintendent Steve Stangland said road crews had dealt for a good part of the day with a closure on Scotts Valley Road near English Ditch at mile post marker 3.5. The closure resulted from flooding, with cars detoured onto Hendricks Road.

Crews had opened and closed the road three or four times Wednesday as they responded to water levels going up and down, Stangland said. But by day's end the road was once again open.

Low water crossings, usually closed due to seasonal water flows, also were in place in Kelseyville, where Stangland said Adobe Creek crossing at Merritt Road, Dry Creek Cutoff and Dorn Crossing on Kelsey Creek were closed.

Stangland said the Adobe Creek crossing will reopen as soon as the water levels go down.

Elk Mountain Road was open Wednesday, “But that could change at any time” due to snow levels, Stangland said.

Bartlett Springs Road also remained open but drivers were urged to take chains or four-wheel drive if going into the area due to snow in the higher elevations. Stangland said road crews would work on plowing Bartlett Springs on Thursday.

Crews were working on repairing a landslide that had happened awhile ago on Twin Valley Road, which is about 15 miles out on Bartlett Springs, but Stangland said the weather had halted that work.

Even when the weather eases up, Stangland said the road division still has to stay vigilant.

“We're on watch all the time just because even after the storms are over with, as the ground starts to dry, the rocks start to pop loose,” he said.

In areas like Bartlett Springs, those weather-related road issues are part of a “neverending battle,” he added.

Weather-related issues also were keeping firefighters busier than normal on Wednesday.

Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief said on Wednesday afternoon he'd experienced an extremely busy between responding to public assists and a structure fire.

In one public assist case an elderly woman's back door blew open and rain came pouring in, with firefighters having to respond to help get the door closed, he said.

“It has been crazy,” he said, calling it the “quickest 48 hours ever.”

Stangland, monitoring the weather reports, said six-tenths of an inch of rain is predicted in the county on Thursday, with no significant rain until next Monday.

“When it clears up it's going to freeze over again,” Stangland said, with freezing levels expected to drop next Tuesday to about 2,500 feet before going back to between 3,000 and 3,500 feet.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

SACRAMENTO – In the latest in a series of measures taken to address the state's fiscal crisis, on Tuesday Gov. Jerry Brown today issued a hiring freeze across state government.

“We have a $25 billion deficit, and we must do everything possible to save money and make government leaner and more efficient,” Brown said.

The hiring freeze is comprehensive, applying to vacant, seasonal and full and part-time positions.

It prohibits hiring outside contractors to compensate for the hiring freeze, converting part-time positions into full-time positions and transferring employees between agencies and departments.

This action is part of Brown’s efforts to save money this fiscal year and to cut $363 million in operational costs next fiscal year.

“The hiring freeze will be in effect until agencies and departments prove that they can achieve these savings,” Brown said.

The order allows for limited exemptions, subject to the approval of the Governor’s Office.

It permits agencies to fill positions that are critical to public safety, revenue collection and other core functions, in cases where these essential duties cannot be carried out at current staffing levels.

Examples include positions that provide hands-on patient support in 24-hour care facilities and those that respond to emergencies, disasters or other life-threatening situations.

The order will not prevent Brown from making senior-level appointments as he forms his new administration.

Earlier this year, Brown issued executive orders to cut state cell phones and the passenger vehicle fleet by 50 percent.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Two education centers will be held Tuesday, Feb. 22, one in Lucerne from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 3985 Country Club Drive, and another in Clearlake from noon to 5 p.m. at the Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, two more educational centers will be held at the Middletown Senior Center, 15299 Central Park Road, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and at the Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Customers with questions about PG&E’s SmartMeter program can come to any of the educational centers.

PG&E will have a SmartMeter expert available for customers to speak with individually. Customers can drop in anytime during the educational center hours to ask questions one-on-one.

The company said its SmartMeter program provides customers with more information about their energy usage and more rate options to help them reduce their energy use and bills.

SmartMeter technology will also help the state meet its renewable energy goals and provide the foundation for a future smart grid which will make the power grid more reliable, efficient and sustainable, according to a PG&E statement.

For more information about PG&E’s SmartMeter program, visit www.pge.com/smartmeter or call PG&E’s 24-hour SmartMeter Hotline at 1-866-743-0263. Information is also available at www.pge.com/smartmeter or call PG&E’s SmartMeter Hotline, 1-866-743-0263.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A home was destroyed in an early morning fire on Wednesday.

The structure, an older cabin, was located at 4397 Old Highway 53 in Clearlake, according to Lake County Fire Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta.

Sapeta said firefighters were dispatched at 7:44 a.m., and he arrived on scene three minutes later.

Radio reports indicated the structure was fully involved when firefighters arrived.

Lake County Fire sent two medic units, an engine, a rescue unit, a battalion chief – Sapeta – and the fire chief, Sapeta said.

Sapeta said firefighters had the fire under control by 7:57 a.m., but overhaul and salvage took much longer, with units clearing the scene shortly after 11 a.m.

“The interior was a complete loss,” said Sapeta, who estimated damages totaled about $70,000.

The fire's cause is still under investigation, Sapeta said.

He said the older cabin – probably built in the 1950s or 1960s – was about 600 square feet in size and had some small remodels done to it. It was one of a few remaining residences in an area now zoned commercial.

Sapeta said no one was in the home at the time of the fire, with the residents in the process of moving out of it.

“Nobody got hurt,” he said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Adams, 24, was killed in a head-on collision near Piercy, Calif., on Tuesday, February 15, 2011. Photo courtesy of the CHP.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A California Highway Patrol officer died Tuesday in Mendocino County following a head-on collision.

Officer Thomas Adams, 24, sustained fatal injuries following a head-on collision shortly before 2:30 p.m. on US-101, just south of Piercy, the CHP reported.

Adams is the sixth CHP officer to die in the line of duty since last May, according to CHP records.

On Tuesday, Gov. Jerry Brown honored the young officer.

“Anne and I join all Californians in offering our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Officer Thomas Adams,” Brown said.

“Thomas spent the last two years as a Highway Patrol officer keeping Californians safe from the Bay Area to the Northern Coast,” Brown said. “His courage, service and sacrifice will not be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with those grieving this tragic loss.”

Adams is survived by his parents, Bruce and Karen.

In honor of Officer Adams, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff, the governor's office reported.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Snow blanketed Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, Calif., on Thursday, February 17, 2011. Photo by Brad Hagen.

UPDATED AT 1:40 P.M. WITH INFORMATION FROM PG&E ON OUTAGES.

UPDATED AT 2:40 P.M. WITH INFORMATION REGARDING KELSEYVILLE UNIFIED.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Trees on houses, downed utility lines and power outages, vehicles stuck on roads, and heavy snow and rain dominated Thursday morning in Lake County.

Firefighters, law enforcement, and state and county road crews spent the day's first half responding to the fallout from a more fierce than expected winter storm that pounded the region, dropping snow on half of the county and rain on the rest of it.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning that remains in effect until midnight, warning of more snow.

The agency had predicted snow at the 1,500 foot level and above, noting the possibility that it could stretch down to Clear Lake, about 200 feet lower. Area residents reported that the snow did, in fact, hit lake level.

Due to downed power lines, there were numerous reports of power outages around the county.

In a statement issued just before 1:30 p.m. Pacific Gas & Electric reported that approximately 16,000 customers were out of power due to weather conditions, with a number of outages not yet assessed due to inaccessibility.

The company reported they are deploying more trucks from the south, but with the closure of Highway 29 they weren't expecting them to arrive until 3 p.m.

PG&E said its crews are focusing on highly impacted areas and sensitive customers, including area hospitals, the jail, and city and county buildings.

The California Highway Patrol reported hazardous conditions on area roadways due to loose boulders, closed lanes, downed power lines and trees, and snow.

The early morning snow saw a Lake Transit bus caught stuck in the middle of Highway 29 just south of Diener Drive near Lower Lake, with several other vehicles, including a big rig, also trapped, the CHP reported. The roadway was closed for a time as the vehicles were helped to get out of the snow.

Clearlake and Lower Lake were hit by heavy snow, with county Road Superintendent Steve Stangland reporting up to 6 inches of snow on the stretch of Highway 53 that passes through the Clearlake area.

Late Thursday morning Stangland said snow closed Butts Canyon Road at Highway 29, with all of Bottle Rock Road closed as well.

Lower Lake, Calif., was another area of Lake County that also saw significant snowfall on Thursday, February 17, 2011. Photo by Tom Quinn.

He said snow had closed all Cobb-area roads, and in Anderson Springs there were multiple trees across the road.

Point Lakeview and adjoining roads near Lower Lake were being closed both because of snow and downed trees, with the latter taking down phone and utility lines, he said.

Also closed due to snow were Elk Mountain Road at the Middle Creek Campground and Bartlett Springs Road at mile post marker 6, Stangland said.

Stangland's road crews were reporting 3 or more inches of snow in the Clear Lake Riviera, Buckingham, Riviera West and Riviera Heights, with residents later reporting about 6 inches in those areas.

There was also about 3 inches of snow in Lower Lake and between 4 and 6 inches in Middletown late Thursday morning, Stangland said.

He said a priority was keeping 18^th Avenue open leading to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake.

He said road crews were trying Thursday morning to get to Middletown, but were having difficulties due to accidents and stopped traffic.

County road crews were simultaneously plowing snow on 18^th Avenue in Clearlake, Butts Canyon Road, Soda Bay Road and Highway 281, Siegler Canyon, the Loch Lomond area, Bottle Rock Road, Point Lakeview Road and the Clear Lake Riviera, Stangland said.

As of 1 p.m., Caltrans was reporting chains or snow tires are required on Highway 175 from 5.5 miles east of the junction with US 101 in Mendocino County to 1.8 miles west of the Lake/Mendocino County line on the Hopland Grade.

Also on Highway 175, Caltrans said chains or snow tires were required from seven miles west to four miles west of Middletown.

Highway 175 was closed from the south junction of Highway 29 to Middletown due to downed power lines, with a detour available, Caltrans said.

Highway 20 was closed at the junction with Highway 53 due to a crash, but the rest of the highway remained open but with chain requirements on all vehicles except four-wheel drive with snow tires from the Lake/Colusa County line to E Street in Williams.

Caltrans reported that Highway 29 was closed from 5.5 miles south of the Napa/Lake County line to the junction of Highway 175 in Middletown due to snow. Motorists were advised to use an alternate route.

The agency also issued a chain or snow tires requirement for vehicles traveling along Highway 29 from 7.6 miles north of Middletown to five miles south of the junction with Highway 53.

Radio reports indicated numerous downed power and utility lines crisscrossing the Clearlake area, with the city's Avenues area form 18^th through 40^th mostly accessible by one roadway, Davis Avenue, as firefighters tried to get to emergency calls.

In the Clear Lake Riviera, a blown transformer early in the afternoon reportedly set materials in the backyard of a residence, according to radio reports.

Snow in parts of the county resulted in school closures.

Middletown Unified closed Cobb Elementary first thing in the morning and put all other schools on a minimum day schedule, with the district reporting just after 11 a.m. that most of the students had gone home already due to the snow.

Phone calls to Konocti Unified went unanswered, but parents reported children in that district were home because schools there were closed.

Kelseyville Unified Superintendent Dave McQueen said all district schools were closed because of the weather, which also had knocked out power to the district offices from about 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. He said he sent everyone home as a result.

Lakeport Unified reported that schools remained open and in session on Thursday.

Lake County News is continuing to follow developments, and is posting updates to its Facebook and Twitter accounts, which are linked to a feed located on the upper lefthand side of the Lake County News homepage.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Vector Control District said it's planning aerial spraying later this month in an effort to reduce the number of biting adult mosquitoes that will emerge this spring.

The district reported Wednesday that it will be making an aerial treatment of the marshlands adjacent to Clear Lake between the Clear Lake State Park and Lakeport some time in the next two weeks.

Vector control's winter mosquito surveillance program has detected a large number of mosquito larvae in the areas near the lake that become flooded as the lake rises in winter.

These mosquito larvae are an early-season floodwater species (Aedes increpitus) that hatch from eggs laid in the mud last year as the lake receded. When winter rains flooded the eggs, the larvae hatched and began developing in the still, shallow water.

As temperatures and day length increase in early spring, the Ae. increpitus mosquito larvae will pupate and then emerge as biting adults. These mosquitoes are the aggressive biters experienced every spring by people living and recreating near this area.

The application will be made by a yellow, biwinged crop duster flying at a low altitude over these marshy areas, the district said. Some of the marshy areas are near homes and people may experience a brief noise nuisance from the plane.

The district said the product applied will be Aquabac 200G, a biological larvicide used to control mosquito larvae in aquatic habitats.

Aquabac is manufactured by Becker Microbial Products Inc. Aquabac is based on the naturally occurring soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti).

The district said Aquabac is a “highly effective and economical microbial insecticide” that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for the control of larval mosquitoes in nearly all aquatic habitats.

Bti is highly selective for the control of mosquito larvae in water and does not affect plants, animals or beneficial insects that live in or drink the water, the district reported.

Aquabac is a formulation is a biodegradable solid corncob granule, similar to large sand particles, which are coated with the Bti, which breaks down rapidly in nature so there is no persistence of the active ingredient. The district said the use of a solid formulation reduces the drift onto adjacent property.

The weather conditions will determine when the district is able to make the application, so a definite date is not available at this time. However, the district will post that information on its Web site (www.lcvcd.org) as soon as a planned application date is set. If the application is canceled or rescheduled, that information will also be posted on the district’s Web site.

The Lake County Vector Control District said it makes every effort to use the safest product available to minimize any health concerns the public may have.

The larvicide label and the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) are available from the district’s Web site, www.lcvcd.org/, or may be requested by calling 707-263-4770.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Four people went to the hospital Sunday evening following a crash at a busy Clearlake intersection.

The collision occurred at approximately 8:17 p.m. at Highway 53 at Dam Road, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Rodd Joseph.

Grace LeBlanc, 54, of Clearlake was driving a 1994 red Dodge Caravan and, according to the report, appears to have gone through a red light.

The Caravan hit a gray 2002 Dodge Durango driven by 31-year-old Leslie Bellah of Kelseyville, Joseph said.

Joseph said Bellah and her two passengers – one adult and one child – were transported by Lake County Fire Protection District to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake for treatment. Also transported was LeBlanc, who was traveling alone.

He said both vehicles were towed.

“The investigation's ongoing,” Joseph said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Community Action Agency Board of Directors met Wednesday, hoping to get a better grasp on the nonprofit's finances in order to put it back on track after recent service closures and employee furloughs.

Last week the nonprofit put its more than two dozen employees on furlough and closed its Transitional Living Center (TLC) House in Lower Lake after its board became aware of a number of financial challenges, according to Board President Tom Jordan.

LCCAA is being audited by the Internal Revenue Service in connection with about $100,000 in unpaid federal payroll tax, is reportedly behind in rent for its offices and facilities – including the TLC House – and is behind in payments to vendors, as Lake County News has reported.

Jordan said that the board met for three hours on Wednesday morning. “We're really trying to pull things together and understand.”

He said the group was identifying small actions that need to be taken so it can get a clearer understanding of the organization's future direction.

In the short-term, there are the issues of paying payroll and bills, which Jordan said board members are taking on because all agency employees – including Executive Director Georgina Lehne – remain on furlough.

“Everyone is taking on some activity or task to do,” he said.

The agency board has normally met on a monthly basis – with the occasional dark month – but Jordan said he expects them to meet more often as they work on putting things back together.

At the Wednesday meeting, “We got rushed at the end and weren't even able to set when our next meeting will be,” he said.

He told Lake County News in an interview earlier this week that it was during a meeting last Thursday that the board realized there were “some very weak internal governance systems” in the organization. The next day, the board convened an emergency meeting, at which time it carried out the furlough and TLC House closure.

LCCAA provides a number of critical services – food pantries, commodities distribution, youth drop-in centers, a youth safe house and transitional homeless shelter – throughout the community.

IRS reporting documents indicate the organization has been running into the red consistently over the last several years. The most recent report available was for calendar year 2008, when both revenues and expenses totaled more than $1 million.

As to the root cause of LCCAA's financial problems, Jordan said the directors are still trying to figure it out, noting, “It's complicated.”

But he went on to add that “the heart of the issue is funding.”

He said LCCAA has sustained reductions in funding sources – both government and private – which has put “a tremendous strain on the organization.”

In the process of looking more closely at LCCAA's operations, “We're discovering that this has existed for awhile and there are bills that haven't been paid,” he said.

They're looking at other expenses and assessing funding amounts, Jordan said.

“The board has been advised that there were budget reductions in the TLC House in terms of the rate that the county was able to pay,” said Jordan. “We're trying to track that back as to when that happened.”

He said, “You just add all that together and it caused the challenge that we're facing.”

Laura Solis, Alcohol and Other Drug Services program administrator for the Lake County Mental Health Department, said the reduction in reimbursements for the TLC House occurred about a year ago.

Solis, who was at LCCAA's Wednesday board meeting, said the county was paying $75 a day per client for the TLC House, which is a sober living environment with treatment offsite at the New Beginnings clinic. It is not a residential treatment facility, which combines all services and also would cost $75 a day.

Following a survey of California clean and sober living environments, Solis said she realized the county was paying nearly twice what other areas paid for the same services.

Because the county itself is facing steep funding cuts – totaling about $625,000 for two different funding sources – the rate for TLC House was cut from $75 a day to $40 a day, Solis said.

The federal government stepped in with a $240,000 grant for 18 months to help cover some costs for AODS services, but that categorical funding – which is “wicked to work with” – runs out March 31, Solis explained.

Solis said the LCCAA Board expressed a high regard for the New Beginnings/TLC House program at its Wednesday meeting, although the group hasn't spoken with Solis about reopening the program. Jordan said earlier this week the board hoped to restore the services.

Losing the contract for the valuable services TLC House has provided is “a very painful, emotional thing for me,” Solis said.

“This is a great loss to this community,” Solis said. “I'm heartsick over it.”

She said all of the women in the TLC House have been admitted into county outpatient services and they're trying to get them counseling and assistance as frequently as possible.

Solis said she was having a finance staffer in her office compile information about the contracts AODS has with LCCAA. She said a spreadsheet was to be delivered to Jordan and Supervisor Jeff Smith, also an LCCAA Board member, by the end of Wednesday, with a view toward helping fill out the nonprofit's financial picture.

As for the rest of the services LCCAA has offered, most remain on hold, Jordan said. The exceptions are a food commodity program and the teen safe house.

Jordan said LCCAA has made an arrangement with the Santa Rosa-based Redwood Empire Food Bank to carry out the twice-a-month food distribution for seniors and for mothers with children who are 6 years of age who are transferring out of the WIC Program.

The teen safe house, also under LCCAA's auspices, has three teens residing there and a volunteer supervisor, Jordan said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The board of directors of the Lake County Wine Alliance invites nonprofit organizations, agencies and programs in Lake County to apply for a share of the proceeds from the 2011 Lake County Wine Auction.

The 12th annual benefit will be held on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Ceago Vinegarden, on Clear Lake’s Northshore.

Applications must be postmarked or submitted online by March 1.

Seventeen nonprofit organizations, including agencies, programs and high schools, received $60,100 from the proceeds of the 2010 wine auction held last September at Ceago.

Awards are made in the fields of the arts, health services and the community.

The Wine Alliance has contributed $831,765 in proceeds to Lake County groups since the inception of the annual charity event in 2000.

Proceeds include ticket sales, donations from sponsorships, live and silent auction income, and sales of special edition, fine art posters by Lake County artist John R. Clarke.

Local wineries, winegrape growers, restaurants, and other businesses are generous supporters through their donations to the live and silent auctions and to the food and beverages served at the gala affair.

Other Lake County and regional businesses provide support through sponsorships.

The charter of the Wine Alliance directs its efforts to foster the arts, benefit health services and support the community, while promoting Lake County as a premier grape growing and fine wine region.

The Wine Alliance is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization of Lake County wineries, winegrape growers, and business and community supporters that annually presents the wine auction as a fundraising charity benefit.

Applications for funding may be obtained from the Wine Alliance Web site, www.winealliance.org, or by contacting Judy Luchsinger, chair of the Beneficiaries committee, at 707-263-3280, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Lake County Wine Alliance may be contacted by phone, 866-279-9463, or by mail to P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.

Members of the Wine Alliance board are Margaret Walker-Stimmel, president; Marie Beery, vice president; Rob Roumiguiere, treasurer; and Kaj Ahlmann, Judy Luchsinger, Wilda Shock, and Janet Thompson, directors. Honorary chairman of the 2011 event is businessman Bill Brunetti of Lakeport.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

This spring, though an exact date is not yet set, TRICARE coverage will be made available to young adult military dependents out to the age 26, and that extra coverage will be available retroactively to Jan. 1 this year.

But for this expansion in TRICARE coverage, by as much as three to five years, these young adult dependents will have to pay a premium set high enough to cover the entire cost of the program.

The exact charge is not yet known but unofficial estimates have ranged from $1,400 to $2,400 a year or about $116 to $200 a month.

The bottom line is that Congress didn’t achieve for military families what was gained for other American families, at least on adult dependent coverage, through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The armed services committees rejected adding young adult coverage as just another subsidized feature of the TRICARE benefit. Doing so would have added $300 million a year to the burgeoning cost of military healthcare.

In debating national health reform in 2009, opponents had argued that a superior TRICARE program should not be impacted in any way. Only later was it noted that military families were left behind on the coverage of dependent children out to age 26. Dependent TRICARE coverage still ended when a child turned 21 or, if attending college full-time, at age 23.

With passage of the Affordable Care Act, some health insurance plans began last summer to offer children coverage out to 26. Others had to do so by mid-September or by this January, the next open season for beneficiaries, like federal civilian employers, to choose from among health insurance plans.

The cost of children coverage out to age 26 has been transparent to beneficiaries under most civilian insurance plans though it’s a safe bet they have begun to pay for it. But the cost will be very visible to the military.

Premiums under the TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) option are “in the process of being approved by DoD leadership,” said Austin Camacho, a spokesman for the TRICARE Management Activity headquartered in Falls Church, Va. “In general, the full-cost premiums will be based on the historical cost of TRICARE claims for a similarly aged cohort.”

TRICARE projects a modest “take rate” the first year of six percent – about 14,000 youth – out of an eligible population of 233,000 dependents.

By contrast, the Department of Health and Human Services estimates that expanded dependent coverage to age 26 under national health reform will make health insurance available to 1.2 million more young adults.

Most of these families are under large group plans. HHS estimates that adding these children has bumped premium costs by an average of 0.7 percent, assuming the costs are spread across all plan participants. That means an increase in premiums only of roughly $62 to $149 a year.

Congress didn’t have that same option of spreading the cost of dependent coverage to age 26 across the entire military community, in part because parents who are active duty members now pay nothing for their health care and no one wanted to see that changed.

Even HHS officials concede that expanding dependent coverage out to age 26 does carry significant costs for some civilian families, a relatively small number who are under “non-group” health insurance policies.

HHS said enrolling these children – “about 75,000 in 2011 in non-group market of insurance plans” – will raise their annual premiums an average of $2,360 in 2011 and by $2,400 in 2012.

“To a large extent, premiums in the non-group market are individually underwritten, and … most of the premium cost will be borne by the parents who are purchasing the policy to which their child is added,” HHS officials explained. That situation echoes what military families will face.

Some military associations have blasted the premiums expected under the TYA program. Proponents on Capitol Hill argue TYA still will be more affordable than many commercial health insurance plans for young adults and TRICARE will provide more comprehensive coverage.

TYA coverage, at least initially, will be limited to TRICARE Standard or Extra.

Standard is the military’s fee-for-service option. It has no enrollment fee but families pay a deductible and face cost shares on treatment costs. But they can choose their doctor from an authorized list. TRICARE Extra offers discounts for narrowing doctor choices to the TRICARE network.

TRICARE Prime is the managed care option. It will be available under TYA at some later time, officials said.

To quality for TYA, young adults can’t be married or have access to employer-sponsored health coverage.

Applications will be submitted to their regional TRICARE contractor. They must agree to pay monthly premiums by credit card or electronic fund transfer from a checking or savings account.

When final regulations are published, dependents who want coverage back to Jan. 1 merely will have to pay back premiums and file retroactive claims. In the interim, they should use only TRICARE-authorized providers and save their medical receipts.

RAISING TRICARE FEES – Defense Secretary Robert Gates will ask Congress one more time to approve a “modest” raise in TRICARE fees for working-age military retirees, which would be the first increase in 15 years.

Gates only briefly outlined of his plan for TRICARE while announcing a lengthy series of department cost-savings initiatives, organization reforms and program cancellations to impose tighter controls on defense spending.

But Gates wants fees raised for retirees under age 65 and their families. He also wants their TRICARE fees raised automatically in future years to keep pace with medical inflation.

He noted that these retirees drawing “full pensions” while working in second careers and many are turning down employer-provided health insurance to use TRICARE. Meanwhile, federal civilian and private sector employees have seen health insurance costs “rise dramatically.”

Gates said his plan for health care, to be unveiled this month, would save the department nearly $7 billion over the next five years.

To comment, send e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or write to Military Update, P.O. Box 231111, Centreville, VA, 20120-1111.

Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .