KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Local mindfulness teacher, consultant and author JoAnn Saccato will present “Mindfulness for Stress Reduction,” a free 90-minute workshop, on March 29.

The workshop will begin at 6 p.m. at A Positive Light Meditation Center, located at 6470 Kelsey Creek Drive, Kelseyville.

The event is free and open to the public.

The experientially-based workshop will include the history of mindfulness, scientific findings, with emphasis on stress reduction, and guided mindfulness exercises including breath awareness, gentle movement and loving kindness.

The workshop is based on Ms. Saccato's courses and forthcoming book, “Mindful and Intentional Living: A Path to Peace, Clarity and Freedom.”

Mindfulness is a body-based practice that invites one to pay kind, non-judgmental attention to direct experience.

Studies indicate that mindfulness can help reduce stress and stress-related illnesses, increase focus and attention, decrease incidences of and relapses with depression, help reduce anxiety, and aid in sleep and digestive disorders.

Joanie Lane, guiding spiritual teacher of A Positive Light Meditation Center, a nonprofit whose vision is to spread compassion and loving kindness throughout the world, was excited to host Ms. Saccato as part of her recent efforts to offer more events through the Center.

"We continue to look for opportunities to bring health and wellness to Lake County residents," Lane said. "Mindfulness and loving kindness practices are proven ways to bring health and wellness to those who practice."

For more information on A Positive Light, visit http://www.apositivelight.com or call Lane at 707-279-6031.

For more information on Saccato's Compassion-based Mindfulness for Stress Reduction, visit www.Compassion-basedMindfulness.com or call 707-350-1719.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge 2284 has wimpy burgers and music every Wednesday.

Join them for the best burgers in Lake County from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

From 5 to 8 p.m. there will be music. Featured bans are the High Notes on March 15, Root Rot on March 22 and Ear Relevant on March 29.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Vet Connect will holds its first outreach event of the year on Wednesday, March 15.

It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Clearlake, 14770 Austin Ave.

This event is free and open to all veterans regardless of when and where they served. Family members also are encouraged to attend.

Veterans have an opportunity to meet with representatives from various county and federal programs, learn about community organizations that may be able to benefit the veterans household and socialize with other veterans.

Lunch will be provided.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Public Works Department plans to do road repair work along a portion of Lakeshore Boulevard this week.

Lakeshore Boulevard between Giselman and Lange streets will be closed to all traffic next Monday, March 13, through Friday, March 17, from 8:30 a.m. to as late as 4:30 p.m. due to roadway repair activities.

The repair work is in response to the roadway damage caused by the recent flooding.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Seventh-day Adventist church will be presenting a four-week free vegetarian cooking school.

Due to the church being used as an evacuation center the school will be presented at the Westlake SDA School, 6585 Westlake Road in Lakeport (the Rocket school off the Nice-Lucerne cutoff).

The class will teach you healthy vegetarian lifestyle habits and recipes on a budget in just four weeks.

The class will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. beginning on Sunday, March 19, through April 9, and will be taught by three dietitian interns.

For further information please contact Danyelle at 360-442-3426.

It’s tax season, and you’ve probably been subjected to a barrage of tax-related messaging. Some of it may be from the IRS and legitimate tax preparers, but some of it certainly isn’t. It can be hard to sort out what to believe and who to trust.

Maybe you’ve been called by the IRS, and they claim you owe money and need to pay promptly to avoid arrest. Or perhaps you’ve been promised a huge tax refund or considerable tax relief by a tax preparer.

If it sounds too good to be true or deceiving, it probably is. Tax scams were the Better Business Bureau’s No. 1 scam of both 2015 and 2016, and they typically peak during tax season.

During tax season, fraudsters are out to get your personal and financial information. Follow these tips from your BBB to avoid tax scams

The IRS won’t call you demanding immediate payment

· In 2016, consumers nationwide reported nearly 8,000 tax scams to BBB Scam Tracker.

· Sophisticated scammers call taxpayers claiming to be from the IRS. Often, they’ll spoof the caller ID to seem more convincing. They’ll demand payment, usually through a prepaid debit card or wire transfer, or claim you have a refund waiting and need your personal information.

· The IRS won’t ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone, and there’s no such thing as a “Federal Student Tax”. If you receive one of these calls, just hang up!

The IRS also won’t initiate taxpayer communications through email

· Another popular tax scam involves email phishing – the IRS saw a 400-percent increase in these incidents in the 2016 season. Additionally, consumers reported more than 1,200 phishing scams to BBB Scam Tracker in 2016.

· Scammers may try to access your personal and financial information by sending you emails from the “IRS.” The emails may contain attachments that carry malware or spyware, so be careful. They may also encourage you to click on links taking you to bogus Web sites imitating www.IRS.gov that ask for personal information, Social Security Numbers, and financial information.

· If you receive one of these emails, just delete it! Don’t open any attachments or click on any links, and report it to the IRS by forwarding it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Be wary of tax ID theft

· Tax ID theft usually occurs when your identity has already been compromised and is used to file false tax returns. This could happen if your workplace’s payroll or Human Resources department falls victim to a W-2 email phishing scam.

· You could find out when trying to file tax returns – the IRS rejects your return because another return using your SSN has been filed. You may also receive an IRS notice stating that you’ve received wages from somewhere you never worked, or receive other notices that don’t actually apply to you.

· If you’re a victim of tax ID theft, continue to pay your taxes and file your return, even if you must do so by paper. Visit www.identitytheft.gov to file a complaint and learn what to do next.

Don’t believe ‘too-good-to-be-true’ propositions

· Watch out for official-looking communications claiming to be able to greatly reduce your tax liability or get you a larger-than-life refund. Not all "tax preparers” are created equal, and some are outright fraudsters.

· Be wary of any tax preparer who claims they can get you a larger return than other preparers, who bases their fees on a percentage of your refund, who asks you to sign a blank tax form or who refuses to provide you a copy of your completed return. Always do your research when finding a tax preparer and be cautious of who you deal with, who’s receiving your personal or financial information and what’s being done on your behalf.

· Your tax preparer should be a certified public accountant, a tax attorney, an enrolled agent or a certified E-file provider, and they should have a Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN). You can find a list of trustworthy Accredited Businesses that can prepare your taxes on bbb.org.

Practice smart cybersecurity

· Ensure that any Web site you’re using is legitimate and secure. Look for the “https:”, other trust marks and a privacy policy. Make sure your computer’s anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software is up-to-date and running. If you’re filing online, only file from secure computers. Never use public Wi-Fi to file your return.

· Additionally, look up every tax Web site you use at www.bbb.org to see its BBB Business Profile, which includes a rating, complaint history and reviews from past customers.

If you’ve been affected by a tax scam, make sure to report it to BBB Scam Tracker at www.bbb.org/scamtracker to help warn others. For more tax resources, check out www.IRS.gov .

Rebecca Harpster is public relations specialist for the Better Business Bureau serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern Coastal California

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Imagination is powerful, and reading is its fuel.

That’s why every baby born at Sutter Lakeside Hospital is signed up to receive one free book a month for five years from the Imagination Library.

So far, more than 24,308 books have been distributed to families throughout Lake County.

The Family Birth Center, which averages more than 300 births a year, gives every family a chance to sign up for the Imagination Library, a nonprofit organization that encourages literacy at home by sending age-appropriate books to the child once a month.

The program is funded by the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Auxiliary and the Lake County Office of Education, at no cost to the families who receive the books.

Childhood literacy develops within the first five years of life, according to research on early childhood development.

Access to age-appropriate books is essential to literacy, yet low-income areas have access to only one book per 300 children, according to literacy research.

Reading at home not only improves academic performance later on, it also strengthens family bonds.

“Healthy living is about more than just medicine,” said Dan Peterson, chief administrative officer, Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Families spending time together, encouraging literacy, supports emotional health. We’re proud to partner with the Auxiliary and the Lake County Office of Education to bring this service to Lake County.”

The Imagination Library, founded by Dolly Parton in 1995, has provided more than 80 million books to children internationally.

Lake County is one of 1,600 communities to participate in the Imagination Library, which reaches more than one million children in a month.

Other benefits of the Family Birth Center include four private suites for labor and delivery, in-room sleeping accommodations for family members, private bathrooms with showers or shower-tubs, and in-room dining service.

For more information or to schedule a tour of the Family Birth Center, please call 707-262-5087. To schedule a prenatal appointment with a care provider, please call 707-263-6885.

Morgen Wells is community relations and fund development coordinator for Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake is reminding property owners of the need to get permits for repair work on damaged docks and piers.

Any repair, replacement of improvements of existing piers or dock facilities on Clear Lake damaged as a consequence of the high water and winds will require a permit from the Lake County Water Resources Department.

New construction will likewise require a permit as well.

For more information contact the Water Resources Department at 707-263-2344.

 

Nearly all of us have a story about once brushing up against somebody famous.

On their honeymoon my father and mother went to New York City where they rode up in a hotel elevator with the famous striptease artist Gypsy Rose Lee. My father talked about those heady few moments for the rest of his life.

Here's Carol V. Davis of Los Angeles, pitching horseshoes with an admiral.

This poem is from her most recent book, “Because I Cannot Leave This Body,” from Truman State University Press.

Admiral Nimitz

Every day in summer I'd cross the border;
he'd nod, pick up the horseshoes,
hand me one, triple the size
of my palm, and say, You first. We'd play
away the afternoon. Few words
punctuated the clank of horseshoe
against stake, until the fog rolled in
and I'd retrace my steps home.
I was five or six; he, white haired,
however old that meant.

One evening my father sat me down,
spoke in the exaggerated tone
adults adapt for children, asked
if I knew who he was.
Admiral Nimitz, of course, though
I knew nothing of his command
of the Pacific Fleet and was less impressed
than if he'd landed a horseshoe.

He was a calm man, a useful attribute
for sending young men to their deaths.
The only time I saw him upset,
raccoons had invaded from their hideouts
in the hills, attacked the goldfish in his pond,
leaving muddy footprints as they escaped.
As far as I knew, this was his only defeat.

American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited submissions. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2016 by Carol V. Davis, “Admiral Nimitz,” from Because I Cannot Leave This Body, (Truman State University Press, 2017). Poem reprinted by permission of Carol V. Davis and the publisher. Poem first appeared in Atlanta Review, (Vol. XXII, no.2, Spring/Summer 2016). Introduction copyright © 2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.