MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Local mindfulness teacher, consultant and author JoAnn Saccato will present “Mindfulness for Stress Reduction,” a free 90-minute workshop, on Saturday, April 15.

The workshop will take place beginning at 2 p.m. at Lake County Jazzercise, located at 15642 Armstrong St. in Middletown.

The event is free and open to the public.

The workshop includes a brief history of mindfulness, recent scientific findings with emphasis on stress reduction, and simple 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 popular practice that invites one to pay kind, nonjudgmental attention to their experience.

The scientifically supported approach helps reduce stress and stress-related illnesses, increase focus and attention, decrease incidences of and relapses with depression, reduce anxiety, and aid in sleep and digestive disorders.

Beth Rudiger of Lake County Jazzercise is hosting the event. "I took this workshop with JoAnn last year and realized that being mindful is just being present and acknowledging what my body is telling me. We actually encourage our clients to practice mindfulness at every Jazzercise class when we tell them to engage their muscles and pay attention to how hard they’re working."

Lake County Jazzercise is dedicated to helping women and men of all fitness levels reduce stress, feel good, and maintain strength and balance. One 60-minute dance exercise class includes all three exercise types needed for a complete workout: cardio, strength and stretching. They offer 23 classes a week, have childcare services, and offer personal training sessions.

In honor of National Fitness Month, Lake County Jazzercise will be offering free classes the whole month of May.

"After taking this workshop, I knew I wanted to share this with my Jazzercise family. I know it can help improve life on so many levels: diet, sleep, health, relationships, and energy," Rudiger said. "And, I can tell JoAnn only wants to help people be more happy and healthy through mindfulness, just as I do with Jazzercise."

For more information on Lake County Jazzercise, visit www.lcjazz.com or call Rudiger at 707-502-3389.

For more information on the workshop, Saccato or compassion-based mindfulness, visit www.Compassion-basedMindfulness.com or call 707-350-1719.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – For the Upper Lake Community United Methodist Church, 604 Clover Valley Road in the town of Upper Lake, the week preceding Easter is known as Holy week.

It begins on Palm Sunday, April 9, and is traditionally a week of somber reflection on the events that lead up to Jesus’ death.

On Palm Sunday at 11 a.m. they celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, where the people laid palm branches on the road to welcome Him as He rode a donkey into the city. Palm branches will be prevalent in the sanctuary on this day.

On April 13 at 6 p.m. they celebrate the next event of Holy week, Maundy Thursday (also called Holy Thursday) when we commemorate the Last Supper – a Passover meal that Jesus shared with his disciples the night before his death.

At the meal, Jesus broke the bread and offered his followers wine, saying, “This is my body, given for you. During the Last Super Jesus predicted the events that would follow, including his betrayal, the denial of Peter, and his death and resurrection. Communion will be served at this service which will be held in the church fellowship hall.”

Friday April 14, Good Friday, is a day of mourning for the church. During this brief but moving evening service (7 p.m.) they meditate on Jesus’ suffering and death.

This service is based on the seven last words of Jesus on the cross which begins with “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” and ends with “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

On Easter Sunday, April 16, they will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The SONrise service is scheduled to start at 6 a.m. Breakfast will be served after the service. They return again at 11 a.m. for the regular Easter Day service and the flowering of the cross.

Learn to love the Bible and Jesus through Pastor Bob’s inspirational sermons whose thoughts, actions and messages to the congregation always come from the heart.

All are welcome to attend any of the Holy week services or the regular Sunday worship service at 11 a.m.

The United Methodist Church motto is “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors,” and “Passion for Christ, Compassion for all.”

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Savings Bank and Integrity Shred have teamed up to help prevent identity theft by offering the public an opportunity to shred outdated confidential documents.

The Lakeport shred event will take place on Thursday, April 27, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Savings Bank, 290 S. Main St.

Bring up to three 35-pound boxes of documents for safe, secure on-site shredding. Hours and number of customers accommodated may be limited to truck capacity.

Other dates and locations include:

– Ukiah on April 21, 9 to 11 a.m. at the Pear Tree Center on East Perkins Street;
– Fort Bragg on May 5, 9 to 11 a.m., across the street from the Bank at Sport Chrysler Jeep Dodge;
– Willits on May 5, 1 to 3 p.m. in the Humboldt Street parking lot behind the Bank.

Details are available at www.savingsbank.com .

Shredding confidential financial documents and paperwork is one way to deter criminals from stealing personal information. Identity theft is a serious crime that can wreak havoc with your finances, credit history, reputation, and can take time, money and patience to resolve.

“Savings Bank also encourages customers to protect their identity by switching from paper account statements to eStatements,” said Katie Kight, Savings Bank marketing officer. “With eStatements, customers reduce the risk of confidential account information getting into the wrong hands through tampering of mail and paper records that are stored at home.”

Savings Bank representatives will be available at the shred events to supply information about preventing identity theft and what to do if your identity is stolen.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The senior centers in Lakeport and Kelseyville have released their menus for the week of April 9 through 14.

The centers serve lunch from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with Lakeport also serving breakfast on the second Sunday of the month from 8 to 11 a.m.

This week's menu – which is subject to changes or substitutions – is as follows:

• Sunday: Breakfast in Lakeport, 8 to 11 a.m.
• Monday: Barbecue chicken with roasted potatoes.
• Tuesday: Jambalaya with sausage, red rice and shrimp with Cajun seasonings.
• Wednesday: Beef tips and sautéed onions with mushrooms in a brown sauce over mashed potatoes.
• Thursday: Smothered chicken burrito with rice and beans topped with red sauce and sour cream.
• Friday: Beef soft taco with Spanish rice.

The weekday luncheons include soup of the day, salad bar, entrée, dessert and beverage. Non-seniors pay $6 and seniors 60 and older pay a suggested donation of $5.

Soup of the day and salad bar – which includes two to three types of salads plus toppings and fruit – is $4.

The Kelseyville Senior Center is located at 5245 Third St., telephone 707-279-2175.

The Lakeport Senior Activity Center is located at 527 Konocti Ave., 707-263-4218.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Sons of Norway Vikings of Lake Lodge will hold its monthly Heritage & Culture Day on Saturday, April 8.

The event will take place beginning at 1 p.m. at Galilee Lutheran Church Community Center, 8860 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville.

There will be a welcome ceremony for new members for 2016-17.

A pork roast dinner with a potluck of sides and desserts also will be served. The cost is $6 each.

Kris Andre-Stocker will offer a presentation on the Norwegian Mystery Tour.

Question: A buddy of mine got two lobsters in San Diego Bay right before the season closed.

While he was cleaning them, he noticed green algae on their shells and then found the meat to be white, looking like it was already cooked. Both lobsters were still alive when detailing them.

Have you heard any other stories like this? Would they have still been okay to cook and eat? (Ray C., San Diego)

Answer: When you find a lobster with algae on its shell (exoskeleton) it usually means it hasn’t molted in quite a while. This should be nothing to worry about, though.

An animal getting ready to molt pulls salts out of its existing shell and creates a soft exoskeleton underneath that will expand with water and salts once the animal molts.

Our best guess is that the old exoskeleton may have been overgrown and what your friend encountered (white, cooked-looking meat) could have been the new exoskeleton just under the old.

As long as the animal was acting normally and was still alive before it was cooked, there was likely no problem with the meat.

One test seafood businesses use when cooking whole lobsters is whether they curl. The shell should turn to a darker red color and the tail tends to curl (not tightly, but it’s difficult to lay the animal flat). If there’s no curl, discard the animal.

Trapping opossums?

Question: My city neighbor is now renting a home and has taken it upon himself to trap local opossums and release them elsewhere. He says he is taking them to a county road (Dry Creek) but there is no way to verify this.

We have lived in our home for 15 years and so we, along with our neighbors, are concerned. We have lived with the possums and raccoons for a lot of years without issues. This tenant intends to exterminate them. Is there anything we can do? (Tyler)

Answer: “All furbearing and nongame mammals that are legal to trap must be immediately euthanized or released” (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 465.5(g)(1)). So it is not legal to transport opossums elsewhere for release.

Possums should not be “relocated” from where they were trapped for many reasons, the most important being to prevent the spread of disease, and immediately releasing the opossums would not take care of the “pest” problem that your neighbor probably wants to solve.

There are other options that you could inform your neighbor about though. “Keep Me Wild” is a campaign that strives to limit conflicts between wild animals and humans. More information about how your neighbor can avoid problems with opossums may be found at the Keep Me Wild Web site.

Python skins to make leather goods?

Question: I’m a fashion designer located in New Jersey and I am looking to move my business to California.

I’ve heard and read things about Python skin being illegal in California. I was looking for more information on this and whether this is 100 percent true?

I currently make leather goods, but with exotic skins. (Michael S.)

Answer: Pythons are on the list of animals, or parts or products thereof, that are illegal to import into this state for commercial purposes, to possess with intent to sell, or to sell within the state (see California Penal Code, section 653o).

Prohibited species include: polar bears, leopards, ocelots, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, sable antelope, wolves (Canis lupus), zebras, whales, cobras, pythons, sea turtles, colobus monkeys, kangaroos, vicunas, sea otters, free-roaming feral horses, dolphins or porpoises (Delphinidae), Spanish lynxes or elephants.

Fishing with kids and friends

Question: I am taking my daughter and a couple of friends and their dads on our boat this weekend. The girls are all under 16. I have a license but do all of the dads need them, too? Or, can I be the only adult angler? (Eric N.)

Answer: As long as the non-licensed adults on the boat do not assist in any way with fishing, they do not need to have a sport fishing license to ride along with you on your fishing trip.

“Every person 16 years of age or older who takes any fish, reptile or amphibian for any purpose other than profit shall first obtain a valid license for that purpose and shall have that license on his or her person or in his or her immediate possession or where otherwise specifically required by law or regulation to be kept when engaged in carrying out any activity authorized by the license” (Fish and Game Code, section 7145).

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– Emergency highway repairs at various locations from Bachelor Creek Bridge to Bruner Drive will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

– Curb and sidewalk repairs from Sayre Avenue to Country Club Drive will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

Highway 29
 
– Emergency culvert repairs from Spruce Grove Road to Hofacker Lane 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 175
 
– Emergency highway repairs from Grouss Springs Road to Emerford Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Emergency highway repairs from east of Arroyo Vista Road will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate seven-minute delays.
 
– Utility surveys will be performed from the Putah Creek Bridge to the Dry Creek Bridge beginning Wednesday, April 12. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1
 
– Emergency slide removal near Leggett will continue. A full road closure is in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should seek an alternate route.
 
Highway 20

– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs about 0.7 mile east of Wildwood Campground. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Bridge deck repairs at the East Fork Russian River Bridge will begin Monday, April 10. One-way traffic control will be in effect overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.
 
Highway 101

– Routine maintenance near Frog Woman Rock 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 slide repairs on the westbound Route 20 to southbound Route 101 connector ramp will continue. Intermittent ramp closures will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.
 
– Emergency slide removal near Hermitage Vista Point will continue. Northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

– Emergency slide removal near the Dora Creek Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 20-minute delays.
 
– Emergency slide removal near Piercy will continue. Traffic will be reduced to one lane in both directions 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 128
 
– Roadway repairs from Fish Rock Road to Yorkville will continue through Friday, April 7. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 162
 
– Emergency storm damage repairs near The Middle Way will continue. One-way traffic control with temporary stop signs will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 253
 
– Emergency roadway repairs from Booneville to Ukiah will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 10-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).

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Russ passed away on April 1, 2017, at the age of 77.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Susan McKee; seven children; 17 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary in Lakeport on Friday, April 21, at 1 p.m.

For further information, please contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

The Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration announced its cemeteries will host wreath-laying ceremonies the week of April 6 to commemorate the 353,082 World War I Veterans interred in VA sites across the country.

“These wreath-laying ceremonies recommit our promise to memorialize the service and sacrifice of World War I Veterans enshrined in our national cemeteries,” said Ronald E. Walters, interim under secretary for Memorial Affairs. “We encourage the community to honor this generation of brave Veterans.”

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to declare war on the German Empire after attacks on American ships and commercial ships transporting American passengers.

On April 6, 1917, Congress voted to declare war on the German Empire. When the war ended Nov. 11, 1918, more than 2 million Americans had served.

NCA will arrange wreath-laying ceremonies with assistance from local cemetery support committees and other veterans service organizations.

For a full listing of World War I Centennial events, please visit http://www.cem.va.gov/ .

VA operates 135 national cemeteries and 33 soldiers' lots and monument sites in 40 states and Puerto Rico.

More than four million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in VA's national cemeteries.