LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Rotary Club's 91st annual Easter egg hunt will take place on Easter Sunday, March 27.

The hunt will be held at the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St.

It is free and open to the public, and will be held rain or shine.

The gates open at 1:15 p.m., with the hunt beginning promptly at 1:30 p.m.

There will be hunts for three different age groups: 0 to 3, 4 to 8 and 9 to 12.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Ever dreamed of more community in your life -- of knowing your neighbors, and growing relationships with people who care and share key values with you?

Join Valley Fire Phoenix Rising members and cohousing coaches Raines Cohen and Betsy Morris in discussing how to rebuild Lake County using principles from resilient, cooperative, thriving intentional communities around the world.

They will speak at the Valley Fire Phoenix Rising assembly at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 14, at the Middletown Art Center, 21456 Highway 175 (at the junction of Highway 29).

Resilience is the ability to recover and thrive in the face of natural disasters, financial disasters, ongoing climate change, unequal economies and uncertain futures.

Ordinary people are creating cohousing, ecovillages and tiny home villages. Local officials and businesses are starting to see the need and importance of:

– housing affordable to the current and next generation;
– earth-sharing and environmental commons;
– participatory design and governance of our human habitats;
– balancing privacy and sociability;
– building smaller homes with more common facilities;
– supporting locally owned and worker owned businesses;
– alternative finance and community currencies.

In addition to serving individual clients and groups around the state and beyond, Cohen and Morris serve on national boards, frequently advise and give talks at conferences.

They are founders and community organizers of Cohousing California, a Web site that supports five regional networks of established and forming communities (and several out of state), producing weekly events with and for more than 4,000 members. Learn more at http://calcoho.org/ and http://www.cohousingcoaches.com/ .

Phoenix Rising meets every Monday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Middletown Art Center. The community action group is rapidly growing and is seeking new members who share the mission to provide housing solutions for people in the aftermath of the Valley fire that are available, viable, doable and affordable.

The goal is to strive for a community rebuild in a manner that is environmentally conscious, resilient, and creates economic opportunities for a better future. 

The group’s Facebook site is at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1502848316699710/ .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Spring was in the air in February when Tanya Striedieck of Star Gardens Nursery agreed to speak at the March 16 Middletown Luncheon Club.

It's certainly cooler and wetter now, but it's still time to start thinking about springtime planting.

Striedieck will share the steps that need to be taken now and also what plants might be good choices as the community recover from the fire. Striedieck is a font of wisdom "on all things garden." Bring your questions.

Lunch will be served on Wednesday, March 16, by the United Methodist Women at noon at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St. The program will end promptly at 1 p.m.

For only $5 per person, enjoy roasted pork loin, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli salad.

Reservations are highly recommended. Please call 707-987-3113 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information or to make a reservation before 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13.

As we approach this biannual shift in time, AAA urges drivers to take extra precautions while on the road.

According to the National Safety Council data, a significant increase of up to 6 percent in crashes occurs the Monday immediately following the spring shift.

“It is important to try to set your ‘internal clock’ and get the proper amount of sleep the night before as you turn your clocks forward one hour,” says Cynthia Harris, AAA Northern California spokesperson. “That one hour of sleep deprivation can leave you feeling groggy and have a dangerous impact on your driving skills.”

AAA tips for motorists when driving on early morning dark roads:

– Prep your car for nighttime driving.  Check and clean your headlights, taillights, brake lights, and signal lights. You want to see and be seen by other drivers on the road.

– Know when to use your low beams and high beams. Use your low beams when you need to see about 250 feet in front of you and high beams when your visibility range is 350 to 500 feet. Dim your high beams when following another driver or approaching an oncoming car.

– Get rest.  Avoid the temptation to stay up extra late on Saturday and Sunday night. Wake up 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday morning to help re-set your internal clock.

– Avoid drowsy driving: If you are feeling drowsy, pull safely off the road and continue to drive only when you are sufficiently rested.

– Use your headlights: Drive with your headlights on to increase your visibility to other drivers.

Just after sunrise and before sunset the sun can shine directly into drivers’ eyes, leaving many motorists driving with a glare.

This glare can make it much harder to see the road ahead. When sun glare is an issue slow down and use extra caution, especially while driving through school zones.

AAA tips for motorists when driving into the sun:

– Invest in polarized sunglasses: They can help reduce glare.

– Utilize your sun visor: It can help to block out the sun.

– Keep safe distance behind: Sun in your eyes reduces your view of the car ahead.

– As a last resort, temporarily use lane markings as a guide: Bright sun makes road hard to see.

For more information about AAA Safety Tips, visit www.Exchange.AAA.com .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around the North Coast during the coming week.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20
 
– Pavement repairs from Rosemont Drive to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.
 
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work 0.2 mile east of Hillside Lane on Wednesday, March 16. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Rocky fire repairs from Gravel Plant Road to the Lake/Colusa County line will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 29

– Valley fire cleanup from the Lake/Napa County line to Hidden Valley will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

Highway 175
 
– Fire recovery work from the junction of Routes 29/175 in Middletown to Loch Lomond will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days per week. Motorists should anticipate 30-minute delays.

– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work near Loch Lomond Road on Tuesday, March 15. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Bridge painting at the Navarro River Bridge 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 repairs just north of Ocean Meadows Circle will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 20

– Caltrans will perform pavement grinding from just west of Road A to the East Fork Russian River Bridge through Friday, March 11. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Emergency pavement repairs from the North Calpella Overcrossing to County Road 260 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.

Highway 101
 
– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Utility work just north of Upp Creek will occur on Tuesday, March 15. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. 

– Pavement repairs from County Road 307 to Rattlesnake Creek 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.

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).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Delta Iota Tau will hold its special Easter See's Candies sale at Bruno’s Shop Smart from Monday, March 21, through Saturday, March 26.

The sales will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

Delta Iota Tau, a Lake County Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, sells See's Candies all year through North Lake Medical Pharmacy, located in the Bruno’s Shop Smart Center on Lakeport Boulevard.  

Due to the huge volume of customers for Easter, the sorority sets up this special table in Bruno’s to relieve the pharmacy staff during this time.

The money raised through these sales enables Delta Iota Tau to make a variety of community donations all year long.

All monies raised are donated to Lake County residents and organizations only.

Donations each year have included Clear Lake High School scholarships, Operation Tango Mike, Wreaths Across America, Sponsoring Survivorship, Miss Lake County Pageant, Lakeport Senior Center Meals on Wheels and Clear Lake High School Sober Grad Night, to name a few.

Delta Iota Tau also has been putting on monthly birthday parties for families staying at the Lake Family Resource Center with its fundraising dollars.

When the public purchases See's Candies from Delta Iota Tau please remember that the purchases provide far more joy than to the person who receives the candy.

“Many deserving people benefit from your purchase of See’s Candies, far more than you may imagine,” said Chapter President Dana Kearney. “Thank you for supporting our community giving.”