KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) will hold a town hall meeting for servicemembers, veterans and their families on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The town hall will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kelseyville High School, 5480 Main St.

At the town hall, there will be an open discussion on the issues facing veterans and military families today, and attendees will have the opportunity to ask a panel of experts questions on any veteran-related issue.

Thompson is himself a veteran, having served during the Vietnam War.

To RSVP, or if you have any additional questions, please call Thompson’s district office at 707-226-9898 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The effort to fully contain a wildland fire burning in The Geysers area of Sonoma County close to the border with Lake County progressed on Monday, as the fire's size didn't grow and containment increased significantly.

The firefighting force on the Sawmill fire more than doubled on Monday, as did the containment on the fire, which began late Sunday morning on Big Geysers Road and Geysers Resort Road, 10 miles east of Cloverdale.

By Monday night, the fire remained at 1,500 acres, with containment at 45 percent, up from 20 percent that morning, according to Cal Fire.

Fire officials said no structures had been damaged or threatened.

There were, however, two minor injuries, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said that on Monday the firefighting force grew to include 1,033 personnel, 84 fire engines, 32 hand crews, 15 water tenders, 10 dozers and four helicopters.

Firefighters not only increased the containment line around the fire, but also begun working on pockets of unburned fuel within the fire perimeter, Cal Fire said.

Despite the progress, Cal Fire remained concerned about the area's warm temperatures and possible gusty southwest winds into the night.

The progress made on the fire led to officials lifting all of the mandatory evacuation orders and road closures as of 6 p.m. Monday, Cal Fire said.

The fire had early on threatened Calpine-owned facilities at the Geysers geothermal steamfield, according to reports from the scene.

The Geysers is the world's largest geothermal steamfield. Calpine operates 14 plants there, 10 in Sonoma County, four in Lake County. The Northern California Power Agency also operates plants at the steamfield.

Both Calpine and Northern California Power Agency facilities had been damaged in last year's Valley fire, according to reports from both organizations. This time around, however, no damage was reported.

Danielle Matthews Seperas, Calpine's manager of government and community affairs, said Calpine's first priority is always to keep its employees safe, and so on Sunday it ordered the evacuation of its Aidlin plant.

Aidlin is located in the area of Cloverdale Geysers Road and West Squaw Creek Road, one of the areas radio reports had indicated was being evacuated on Sunday afternoon.

On Monday, Calpine allowed its staff to return to the Aidlin plant, which returned to operational status, Matthews Seperas said.

“Our remaining plants at The Geysers continue to operate normally and our team is constantly assessing the situation and will take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of employees and the preservation of our facilities. We can also confirm that all of our employees remain safe and accounted for,” Matthews Seperas said.

Cal Fire said the Sawmill fire's cause remains under investigation.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Firefighters made more significant progress on the Sawmill fire in Sonoma County on Tuesday.

The 1,500-acre fire, burning since Sunday morning 10 miles east of Cloverdale, reached the 75-percent containment mark as of Tuesday evening, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire said firefighters on Tuesday continued to mop up and patrol the fire perimeter.

At the same time, Cal Fire began to demobilize and reassign resources, reducing the ranks of firefighters by about 300 personnel.

Total resources assigned on Tuesday night included 717 firefighting personnel, 55 fire engines, 22 fire crews, eight water tenders, four helicopters and four dozers.

There is still no word of the fire's cause, which Cal Fire said remains under investigation.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The third annual Heroes of Health and Safety Fair set for Saturday, Oct. 15, promises to be full of opportunities to celebrate the people and organizations who work to create flourishing families in Lake County.

The day will feature interactive demonstrations for the entire family, free services and a host of giveaways.

The free, family-friendly event will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.

More than 80 local health and safety organizations will be on hand to share lifesaving information and services.

Interactive demonstrations will teach safety through experience and show off the resources of local agencies.

Featured will be a “Jaws of Life” demonstration, medical helicopter liftoffs and tours of rescue vehicles.

Experts will teach CPR chest compression and boating safety, and car seat safety inspections will be available.

Children and teens are invited to bring their bikes for the kid’s bike course. Free bike tune-ups will also be available. Bikes for children of all ages will be raffled to lucky winners.

Free flu shots, health and dental screenings, EKG screenings and A1C blood glucose testing will be offered by local health care providers for the third year in a row.

Additional education and awareness opportunities will give attendees information about disaster preparedness, electrical safety, healthy lifestyle choices and more.

Prevention will be another focus of the yearly Heroes of Health and Safety event, with giveaways of smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, bike helmets and life jackets.

“This is an incredible venue to showcase Lake County’s numerous health and safety resources,” said Siri Nelson, chief administrative officer of Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “I hope everyone will come to learn about these resources and other ways to keep their families safe and healthy.”

The 2015 Heroes of Health and Safety year brought health and safety education and services to over 2,000 attendees.

Sponsors include the Lake County Fire Chiefs Association, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, California Highway Patrol, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, Lake County Tribal Health, Lakeside Health Center, American Red Cross, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lake County Office of Education, The Hero Project and Lake County Behavioral Health Services.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Friends of Marymount California University Lakeside present the fall Distinguished Speaker Series, “Grape to Glass: The Past, Present and Future of Agriculture in Lake County” at Marymount California University Lakeside Campus in Lucerne.

The first of these programs is on Thursday, Oct. 6, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and will feature historian Tony Pierucci, curator of the Lake County Museums.

A $5 donation will benefit a scholarship fund for students attending the Lakeside campus.

Pierucci will provide a glimpse into Lake County’s intriguing agricultural past. From the first cattle brought into the Clear Lake basin by Mexican caballeros in the 1840s to the industrialized canning of pears and other products through the 1940s, Lake County has been at the forefront of the agriculture industry in California for many decades.

Using written records, oral histories and historic photographs, Pierucci will shed light on some of the lesser-known stories of local farmers, dairymen and ranchers.

But the stories of the different crops and the farmers do not alone make up the fascinating history of agriculture in Lake County.

Lake County experienced many of the same farm labor concerns as did the rest of the state. Racial tensions concerning Native American labor in the 1860s, Chinese labor in the 1870s, and Filipino labor in the 1920s ultimately culminated in the labor strikes of the 1930s.

By interweaving the records of crop yields and acreage with the far more conflicting history of the men, women and children used to tend the land, Pierucci will reveal an insightful look into Lake County’s past.

Pierucci arrived in Lake County in 2014 to start work as the Assistant Curator of the Historic Courthouse Museum and the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum, becoming Curator of the Lake County Museums in 2015.

He received his master’s degree in art history, archaeology and museum studies at the University of Missouri, and for the past eight years has worked in museums, archives and archaeological excavations throughout the United States and around the world.

Researching materials from the museums and local sources, Pierucci is the author of “Lake County Schoolhouses,” a pictorial guide to early schools and their role in the communities. Copies of Pierucci's book will be available for sale at the event.

This first program is cosponsored with The Friends of the Lake County Museum. Wines for tasting are provided courtesy of R Vineyards and Shannon Ridge.

The second program on Nov. 3, sponsored by Community Development Services, will be a panel discussion about sustainable practices in viticulture and vineyard management.

Speakers are Christian Ahlmann, vice president of Six Sigma Ranch and Winery; Tracey Hawkins, owner and winemaker for Hawk and Horse Vineyards; and Paul Zellman, director of educational programs for the Lake County Winegrape Commission.

The final program on Dec. 1, sponsored by the Lake County Winegrape Commission, will be a presentation by Robert Bath, MS, CHE, professor of Wine and Beverage Studies at the Culinary Institute of America, Napa Valley, and member of the Court of Master Sommeliers, who will feature local sources of food products paired with Lake County wines.

Additional sponsors for the series include Lake County Farm Bureau, Lake County News, Lake County Resource Conservation District, Lake County Winery Association and Sierra Club Lake Group.

Each program will begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude at 8 p.m.

MCU Lakeside Campus is located at 3700 Country Club Drive Lucerne. For more information and directions to the campus, call 888-991-5253 and leave a message.

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