CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Habitat for Humanity has received a contribution from AT&T to help the organization with its new office space and with the rebuilding homes destroyed in the fires during the past two years.

Preston Dickinson, representative for AT&T, presented the $5,000 contribution to the Lake County Habitat for Humanity on Nov. 3 at the organization's new office in Clearlake.

Lake County Habitat for Humanity suffered the loss of its Lower Lake office during the Clayton fire in August.

Despite the loss, Lake County Habitat for Humanity continues to aid the community by assisting fire victims and helping those in need of repairs to their homes.

“Our mission has always been to help those in need and we are grateful to AT&T for helping us rebuild after this devastating fire,” said Richard Birk, president of Habitat for Humanity Lake County. “Our residents rely on our support and having an office to conduct our community efforts is vital to the rebuilding process for us and our Lower Lake residents.”

“AT&T is proud to support Habitat for Humanity in Lake County,” said Dickinson. “Lower Lake has suffered two devastating fires in the last two years and organizations like Habitat for Humanity need support to continue their great work in helping residents and those affected by the fires.”

Lake County Habitat for Humanity will continue efforts to aid the Lake County community, to assist fire victims and help those in need of repairs.

AT&T is working with school districts and community-based organizations to spread the word about a new program, called Access from AT&T, designed to help bridge the digital divide by making wireline home Internet service more affordable for low-income households.

Access from AT&T is available to qualifying households in California with at least one resident participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

Qualifying households will be assigned the fastest of five speed tiers – 10Mbps, 5Mbps, 3Mbps, 1.5Mbps, and 768kbs – available at their address.

Internet speeds provided at over 3Mbps will cost $10 a month, and Internet speeds at 3Mbps and below will cost $5 a month.

The company also will waive installation and Internet equipment fees for participating households.

To learn more, please visit www.att.com/access .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event featuring wines from Gregory Graham, and artist reception with designer wall quilts made by Laraine Wade.

The event will be held on Friday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. 
 
The $15 ($12/per person for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers by Fresh and Bangin’ Eatery will showcase the 2013 Chardonnay with a pork meatball garnished with mild curry and mango, 2012 Grenache with roasted root vegetables with a teriyaki glaze, black sesame and green onion, 2011 Cindercone with chicken egg roll, and the 2014 Moscato del Fresco with ginger ice cream and spiced cake topped with Mandarin orange.

In college, Wade majored in art and ceramics was her passion. She received her bachelor's degree and master's degree in art and then went to work teaching and raising two boys. She began quilting in her spare time.

After living in Lake County for 15 years, her family moved to Olympia, Wash., where she taught high school art. Since retiring from teaching, she quilts almost every day after working in her studio on paintings in a variety of mediums.

Wade’s first quilt was very traditional, but not interesting to her. She found that having to repeat a design was boring. She began to draw out her designs and never looked back. Asian fabrics caught her attention early on. She loved the elegance of the designs and the heavy gold accents, and mixes them with contemporary fabrics, sometimes adding Lamé and beads for glitz.

Wade’s creative process starts with sketches on copy paper and once she feels the design is right, she enlarges it on 1 inch graph paper drawing it to scale. Then, she uses tissue paper over the graph paper to make her patterns. Working on her family pool table she keeps the sizes manageable.

While considering color, texture and pattern, she pulls from two tables of fabrics and pieces the work together much like a puzzle. Then the shapes are cut out and the pattern pieces are replaced with fabric.

Wade enjoys the challenge of creating the design using many different patterns, colors and textures. She machine pieces and then quilts by hand.  The surfaces are richly covered with quilting, following the fabric's pattern or creating her own. This finishing stage is when the quilts come to life for her.

While working as head winemaker at Rombauer Vineyard in Napa, Greg Graham envisioned producing wines under his own label. He began to do so in 1992 using fruit purchased in Napa, Carneros and Knights Valley.

In the year 2000, Graham seized the opportunity to grow his own wine grapes when he and his wife Marianne purchased a 13 acre Zinfandel vineyard in the Red Hills Appellation of Lake County.

In 2004, purchase of an adjacent property planted to Cabernet Sauvignon expanded the Graham's operations to 27 acres, and their winery was built at the base of the vineyard hills. The vineyard soils are red, rocky, well drained and ideally suited for the grape varietals that Graham grows.

Graham harvests his grapes at the peak of fruit flavor development. In the winery, he uses boutique wine making techniques to control the quality, to bring out superior characteristics from the fruit and early bottling to preserve the flavors. The result is wines with bright, fresh fruit aromas and flavors with intensity and softness.

Lake County Wine Studio is a gallery for display and sale of art and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artists’ shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
 
The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. The hours of business September through May are Thursday through Monday from 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.

The Wade art exhibit will be on display for the full month of September.

For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or 707-293-8752.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans celebrated the completion of the Willits Bypass Project on U. S. Highway 101 on Thursday in Mendocino County.

The celebration included the dedication of the 1.1-mile-long viaduct as the Jesse D. Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge, in honor of a fallen local hero.
 
On Aug. 6, 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL and Willits local Jesse Pittman was aboard a military helicopter participating in a night raid over Afghanistan to root out Taliban fighters.

The helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed, claiming the lives of those aboard.

Pittman also served his community as a Cal Fire firefighter in Mendocino County shortly before enlisting in the Navy.
 
Crews constructed approximately six miles of roadway and 14 bridges on U.S. Highway 101 in Mendocino County for the $300 million two-lane bypass project to improve safety for traffic and pedestrians traveling through the city of Willits.

The project also eliminated the only stoplights on U.S. 101 between San Francisco and Eureka, relieving congestion and reducing delays for motorists.
 
“It’s a great day for motorists traveling both north and south on U.S. 101,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “I’d like to thank the Willits residents for their patience and support throughout the life of this project. Driving, riding a bike, or walking through downtown Willits will finally be safer and easier, with significantly less traffic through the center of town.”
 
Local classic cars were among the first to cross the viaduct and carried honored guests including Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, Assemblyman Jim Wood, Willits Mayor Bruce Burton, and the family of and those who served with Pittman. 

Cal Fire provided a color guard for the bridge dedication ceremony, and Caltrans Honor Guard members were present to honor the fallen Navy SEAL.
 
This highway improvement project is partially funded by $136 million in Proposition 1B funds from the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. To date, more than $19 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.

The recreational Dungeness crab season is scheduled to open statewide on Saturday, Nov. 5 – with a health warning in place for crabs caught north of Point Reyes (Marin County).
 
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued a warning to recreational anglers not to consume the viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught in coastal waters north of Point Reyes due to the sporadic detection of elevated levels of domoic acid in the viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the Northern California coast.
 
The health warning is effective for recreationally caught Dungeness crabs taken from state waters north of Latitude 38° 00' N. (near Point Reyes). CDPH believes that Dungeness crab meat is safe to consume, however, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (also known as "butter" or "guts") of crabs.

CDPH further recommends recreational anglers follow best preparation practices to ensure that they avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in some crab's viscera.
 
Domoic acid is a naturally occurring toxin related to a "bloom" of certain single-celled algae. Fish and shellfish are capable of accumulating elevated levels of domoic acid in their tissue, which can sicken people who eat them.

Last fall and winter, domoic acid along the West Coast interrupted Dungeness and rock crab fisheries from Santa Barbara to the Oregon state line.

This year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will continue to work with CDPH and the fishing community to collect crab samples from the northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated.
 
Consult the CDPH biotoxin information line at 800-553-4133 or CDPH's Domoic Acid Health Information webpage for more information.
 
CDFW reminds crabbers of new regulations that became effective on Aug. 1, 2016. For a complete description of the regulations, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov and click on "New Recreational Dungeness Crab Fishery Regulations" in the Announcements box.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The next free household hazardous waste dropoff event will be held Friday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Nov. 19, at Quackenbush Mountain Recovery & Compost Facility, 16520 Davis Street adjacent to the Landfill, Clearlake.

From Highway 53 turn on to 40th Avenue, take a left on Moss Avene, follow the signs to the landfill on Davis Avenue.
 
Hours will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Households can bring up to 15 gallons of toxic items free of charge. Fees will be charged for amounts over 15 gallons.

Items that are accepted include paint, solvents, fuels, five-gallon propane tanks (empty), pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, batteries, fluorescent light tubes (up to 60 linear feet) and other toxic materials that cannot be put in the trash.

Items that cannot be accepted include televisions, computer monitors, ammunition, explosives, radioactive materials or infectious wastes.

To learn how and where to properly dispose these items, please visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us or contact the recycling hotline at 707-263-1980.

Household hazardous waste dropoff services are provided to Lake County residential households by the Integrated Waste Management Division of the Lake County Public Services Department and the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

Businesses also are welcome to use this convenient service to properly dispose of hazardous waste and protect our environment, however, businesses must pay for this county-funded service and first make an appointment. Business appointments can be made by calling Lake County Waste Solutions at 707-234-6400.

Beginning in June, ask about receiving a free puncture-proof sharps container at one of these events to use for free sharps disposal.

Free recycling options for residents and businesses:

· Recycled paint is available to both residents and businesses at Lake County Waste Solutions and South Lake Refuse and Recycling Center first-come, first-served basis in five gallon containers. Colors include tan, brown, gray and pink.

· Used motor oil and cooking oil can be dropped off by businesses and residents, at Lake County Waste Solutions, South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center, and the North Shore Fire Protection District station at 6257 Seventh Ave. in Lucerne. Visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us for more locations.

· Electronics (e-waste) can be dropped off at Lake County Waste Solutions and at South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center.

Lake County Waste Solutions
230 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport
888-718-4888 or 707-234-6400
Monday-Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
www.candswaste.com

South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center
16015 Davis St., Clearlake
Open daily, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m.
707-994-8614
www.southlakerefuse.com

The free Household Hazardous Waste drop off program is subsidized by the Lake County Public Services Department, Integrated Waste Management Division and CalRecycle as a public service to Lake County households.

For more information about recycling, reusing and reducing, visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us , call the recycling hotline at 707-263-1980 or like Lake County Public Services on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LCPublicServices?fref=ts .

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning recreational anglers not to consume the viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught in coastal waters north of Point Reyes.

This warning is due to the sporadic detection of elevated levels of domoic acid in the viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the Northern California coast.
 
This warning is effective for recreationally caught Dungeness crabs taken from state waters north of Latitude 38° 00' N. (near Point Reyes).
 
CDPH believes that Dungeness crab meat is safe to consume, however, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs.
 
Consumers should follow these preparation practices to ensure that they avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in some crab’s viscera.

When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid can leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips. 

The best ways to reduce risk are:

· Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, or
· Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or broiling, and discard cooking liquids.

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.

In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.

Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. CDPH routinely monitors phytoplankton levels in coastal waters and bi-valve shellfish, and will increase sampling of other species when monitoring indicates that an event may be occurring.

CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the fishing community to collect Dungeness crab samples from the northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated. Please consult CDFW for information about the recreational Dungeness crab season, which is scheduled to open November 5th.

To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page or CDPH’s Domoic Acid Web page, which includes additional information and domoic acid testing results.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The 70th annual Cowbell Enduro will start and end at the Middle Creek Campground staging area on the Upper Lake Ranger District Saturday, Nov. 5.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. and end around 7 p.m.

The Enduro is a time and distance off-road motorcycle event that will utilize 95 miles of designated OHV routes and roads.

This is an amateur motorcycle event where speed is not the determining factor. This is not a closed course which means that all roads and trails used during the Enduro are open to the public and are subject to two-way traffic.

For this reason forest officials encourage riders that are not part of the event use extreme caution when riding the routes that are being utilized by the event participants. These events are authorized under special use permits.

If you have questions, please contact Mike Burmann, OHV manager, Upper Lake Ranger District, at 707-275-1421.

I knew Monica Rosenthal before she started campaigning for District 1 supervisor so I wasn’t surprised when she was chosen as our 2015 Woman of the Year.

Monica has served our community in numerous ways including volunteering to assist those affected by the fires. She was our District 1 planning commissioner, and is a member of several community service groups. She has experience working within our local government.

Monica’s endorsements include a diverse mix of supporters. If you look at her campaign funding disclosure documents, you will see that her contributions come from a variety of friends, neighbors and people who know of her 20-plus years of service and commitment to our communities.

On the other hand, her opponent, Mr. Simon, has received campaign contributions totaling $27,500 from three sources – Robert Rosette, Attorney at Law, Ariz; Middletown Indian Rancheria, Twin Pines Pomo Indian Tribe, Middletown; and the CA Nations Indian Gaming Association, Sacramento.

Mr. Simon has stated he will not step down as the Middletown Rancheria tribal chair should he win this election. I see that as a conflict. I want our next supervisor to commit 100-percent to the duties he or she is elected to do.

Monica is ready to serve 100-percent as our District 1 Lake County supervisor. She has the experience and dedication to our district and our county. Her focus is fire recovery, economy, and the health and well being of our communities and our environment.

Please join me in voting for Monica Rosenthal.

Sandy Bayles lives in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.

SACRAMENTO – Caltrans is calling on state freight operators to participate in the Caltrans Truck Survey in an effort to collect data on physical and operational characteristics of commercial vehicles operating in the state.

The data collected will help Caltrans plan and develop projects to improve freight movement in California.

“This data is vital for identifying projects, strategies, and initiatives that can improve the flow of trucks across the state,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Freight movement is critical in terms of jobs and the economy, and I encourage fleet managers to participate in this important opportunity.”

The survey results are expected to yield key insights on the types of trucks operating on California roadways, the types of commodities they are carrying, and their travel patterns.

The data will provide critical information to both the California Statewide Freight Forecasting and the California Statewide Travel Demand models.

These models are used to help Caltrans evaluate plans and projects that are most beneficial to the environment, economy, and transportation network, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The survey is looking to collect data from approximately 14,000 drivers and will be primarily conducted online and over the phone.

Approximately 5 percent of surveys for trucks will use on-board global positioning system devices to collect data on trip distance, speed, duration, and fuel usage.

The devices are sent to participants and returned after one week of data collection.

For more information on the Caltrans Truck Survey, visit http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/offices/omsp/statewide_modeling/cal_vehicle_survey.html .