MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A special town hall meeting will be held in Middletown on Wednesday, March 9, to discuss community choice energy.

The gathering, hosted by Valley Fire Phoenix Rising's Eco Zone Action Team, will take place beginning at 7 p.m. at Middletown United Methodist Church, 15851 Armstrong St.

Paul Fenn, the creator of community choice aggregation, will be speaking and fielding questions about community choice, the workings, and how Lake County can derive the maximum local benefit from its program.

The Lake County Supervisors voted to pursue launching a community choice energy program. This program will effectively allow the county to take over its energy supply – instead of buying only from the PG&E monopoly – and provide residents with choice about their energy bills.

This means that soon residents of Lake County will have a choice of where their electricity comes from. They can buy cheaper, local, truly renewable energy from the county's new program or they can continue buying coal/gas/nuclear electricity from PG&E.

Community choice programs have been very successful in Sonoma County, Marin County and Lancaster. Many cities and counties in California are currently in the process of launching programs.

This community choice energy program (also called community choice aggregation, or CCA) has the potential of providing:

- New local green jobs;
- Lower energy bills;
- New, local energy generation sources (wind/solar);
- Incentives for rooftop solar;
- A resilient and sustainable energy future in Lake County.

Additional information is available at the event's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/events/1119707664742877/ .

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Northshore Community Center is planning a board meeting and retreat in March.

The board of directors will meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 14. The meeting is usually the first Tuesday of the month for future attendance.

The board is hosting a two-hour retreat from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, for the purpose of guiding future planning. Both meetings are open to the public.

The center's board is recruiting members to help with the guidance of the center.

Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided at the meetings but feel free to bring other snacks to share.

The not-for-profit center serves Northshore senior populations with on-site lunches, Meals on Wheels, social events and advocacy.

It also has many other activities for seniors and families. Stop on by and get a calendar for what is happening.

The Northshore Community Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive, Lucerne.

For more information call 707-274-8779.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Congressman Mike Thompson will host his 25th annual Lake County Ravioli Dinner on Saturday, March 19.

The dinner will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at a new location this year, Boatique Winery, 8255 Red Hills Road in Kelseyville.

All are invited to attend and enjoy an evening of good food, fine Lake County wines, great raffle and live music by David Neft.

Tickets are $25 for adults, and children under 12 years may attend for free.

Tickets can be purchased in advance, at the door the day of the event or at www.mikethompsonforcongress.com .

For more information, please call Mary Jane Bowker at 707-226-8989.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Saw Shop Gallery and Bistro in Kelseyville has become the first local business to sign on as a sponsor for the 2016 Lake County Wine Auction, with a $2,000 purchase at the Cab Franc level.

Every year, the auction offers three sponsorship opportunities at $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000.

Saw Shop owner and Wine Auction Board member Marie Beery said, “The sponsorship money pays for all the costs of the auction so that so that all the proceeds from ticket sales and the auction can go to the beneficiaries.”

This year is expected to be very challenging for the Wine Auction.

“There are lots of groups that are finding it hard to raise money after the big influx of giving after the Valley fire, so it's important to start early; hopefully we will grow big,” said Beery.

Last year, the Lake County Wine Alliance was forced to cancel its annual auction because of the Valley fire.

Even so, they were still able to donate $88,700 to a broad group of local charities and organizations.

This was made possible, in large part, because of sponsors and ticket-holders who left their money with the Wine Alliance despite cancellation of the auction.

In 2016, sponsors contributed $51,000 towards the total disbursement.

The sponsors include, Cal Pine, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Six Sigma Winery, St. Helena Hospital, Sysco Foods, John Clarke, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, Cache Creek Vineyard & Winery, Boatique Vineyard & Winery, Kelseyville Pharmacy, Brassfield Estate Winery, Shannon Ridge Vineyard & Winery, C-Line Trucking, Savings Bank of Mendocino and P.G. & E.

The balance the 2016 distribution was made up with a generous grant from the Lake County Rising Fire Relief Fund, in support of beneficiaries who were on the front lines of fire relief.

This year's Lake County Wine Auction will take place on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Cache Creek Vineyard and Winery on New Long Valley Road in Clearlake Oaks, with owners Don and Margie VanPelt serving as honorary chairs.

It promises to be a fun-filled event under the stars in support of some of Lake County's most worthwhile organizations.

It also will be a celebration of the efforts Lake County is making to recover from last year's devastating fires.

The Lake County Wine Auction is now accepting applications from prospective beneficiaries for the proceeds from this year's auction.

Copies of the application may be obtained at the group's Web site www.winealliance.org and need to submitted by May 1.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking public comment on a proposal to list the tricolored blackbird as a threatened or endangered species.
 
The tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) is native to California, occurring mainly in the lowlands of California west of the Sierra Nevada.

Small populations can also be found to the south into Baja California and to the north in southernmost Oregon and the Modoc Plateau of northeastern California.

Most tricolored blackbirds breed in California's Central Valley, and nest in a variety of habitats including wetlands, blackberries and nettles.

In recent years, some of the largest colonies have occurred in grain fields in the San Joaquin Valley, often associated with dairies or feedlots.
 
Loss of habitat, destruction of breeding colonies and predation have been identified as factors negatively impacting the tricolored blackbird; however, climate change, contaminants, shooting mortality, extreme weather events and other factors may also negatively affect its populations.
 
In August 2015, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the California Fish and Game Commission to formally list the tricolored blackbird as a threatened or endangered species.

The commission published findings of its decision to advance the species to candidacy on Dec. 29, 2015, triggering a 12-month period during which CDFW will conduct a status review to inform the commission's decision on whether to list the species.
 
As part of the status review process, CDFW is soliciting public comment regarding the species' ecology, biology, life history, distribution, abundance, threats and habitat that may be essential for the species, as well as recommendations for management of the species.

Comments, data and other information can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

If submitting comments by email, please include "Tricolored Blackbird" in the subject heading.
 
Comments may also be submitted by regular mail to:
 
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Nongame Wildlife Program
Attn: Neil Clipperton
1812 Ninth St.
Sacramento, CA 95811
 
All comments received by June 1, 2016, will be evaluated prior to submission of the CDFW report to the commission.

Receipt of the report will be placed on the agenda for the next available meeting of the commission after delivery and the report will be made available to the public at that time.

Following the receipt of the CDFW report, the commission will allow a 30-day public comment period prior to taking any action on the petition.
 
CDFW's petition evaluation report for tricolored blackbird can be found at www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/nongame/publications/ .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clear Lake High School Latino Club is holding its annual taco feed on Wednesday, April 13.

The feed will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Terrace Middle School cafeteria, 250 Lange St. in Lakeport.

For $7, you get two tacos, beans, rice and a drink. There will also be dessert items for sale.

After the meal, stay for the Clear Lake High School Spring concert, next door at the MAC activity center.

Funds from the taco feed are used to fund club activities and provide scholarships for Latino Club members.