Support for a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer with bone marrow cancer has led to a statewide drive, March 12-19, to register potential donors who could also help save the life of a stranger.

In 2014, Officer Keith Meter of the CHP Santa Ana Area office was identified as a potential donor for a young girl. 

During the screening process to donate his marrow to save her life, however, he was found to be suffering from a form of cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome. 

Officer Meter, an 18-year veteran of the CHP, is currently being treated by City of Hope in Duarte, which is seeking a marrow match for him.

Following Officer Meter’s diagnosis, the CHP Santa Ana Area office began working with several donor registry partners to lead a statewide drive for “Stand Up for Keith – Team Meter Marrow Drive.”

The partners include City of Hope, a cancer research hospital; Be the Match, the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world; Officers Give Hope, a public safety effort to host marrow drives; and BloodSource, a blood center in Northern and Central California.

A donor registration drive will take place at more than 36 locations throughout the state.  The “Stand Up for Keith – Team Meter Marrow Drive” is seeking participation from CHP employees, other state agencies, and the public to support Officer Meter and thousands of others by joining the marrow registry. 

Potential donors should be between the ages of 18 and 44, and must meet health eligibility guidelines and must make a good faith commitment to donate to anyone in need if they are a match. 

During the drive, volunteers will provide participants with registry information and then take a cheek swab to determine if they are a match for Officer Meter or any other person in need of this lifesaving procedure.

A list of locations can be found at https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-services/programs/bone-marrow-drive .

Additional marrow registry information can be found online at www.bethematch.org and www.officersgivehope.org .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College will be hosting “Music, Math and Dental Hygiene” on Wednesday, March 16, in room 603 starting at noon.

Hear how a trip to the dentist uncovered some of the whimsical ways that math and music can intersect in our daily lives.

Music professor and guitarist Dr. Robert Mathews will perform as he presents a different look at math through the looking glass of music.

What does a fraction sound like? What is Led Zeppelin’s musical math? Do we like to dance because of the music, or the math? Or, how does 3/8 + 3/8 + 2/8 equal a Coldplay song?

Professor Mathews will provide answers to these questions and more. He will tease your brain and make you smile while discovering the secret life of the music that is all around us.

“Math is fun, especially when viewed through the right lens. Too often people find math to be a laborious chore. This music event is exactly what people need to hear to enjoy math and recognize that math is what makes our world work,” said Counselor Pamela Bordisso.

This music event will be free to the public.

The campus is located at 15880 Dam Road Extension in the city of Clearlake.

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/ .

SACRAMENTO – On Thursday, Sen. Mike McGuire led the effort to pass legislation to continue to fight the devastating impacts of tobacco use on public health.

The legislation, ABX2 10 is part of a historic package of bills approved today in the Senate to fight tobacco use and increase the overall health of California.

“California has one of the lowest tobacco taxes in the nation, currently ranking 35th with a tax of 87 cents – even Texas has higher tobacco taxes than California,” McGuire said. “Nearly 40,000 Californians die every year from smoking and tobacco related diseases. Tobacco use continues to be a public health crisis and we know that the most effective way to reduce smoking, especially among young people, is the price point for a pack of cigarettes.”

ABX2 10 would empower local voters to place locally generated tobacco taxes onto the county ballot, giving voters a choice to invest in robust health, wellness and anti-smoking programs at the neighborhood level.

In California, 40,000 people lose their lives to tobacco-related illness each year and tens of thousands of Californians struggle every day because of tobacco-related illness.

While disease caused by tobacco has tremendous impacts on the lives of families and communities across the state, it also has significant financial implications for state and local budgets.

Smoking related diseases cost California roughly $13.29 billion in medical expenses each year – and counties bear the brunt of those costs.

ABX2 10 will allow California counties to join the over 600 local jurisdictions nationwide that have their own cigarette tax rates or fees.

These jurisdictions bring in more than $430 million in annual revenue and work effectively to reduce smoking rates, especially among youth, and they decrease smoking-caused death, disease, and costs.

“Giving local voters a choice to pass a tobacco tax is a critical tool in allowing communities to set public health priorities that can better meet the needs of their residents. They know what works best because they are on the ground doing the hard work day in and day out. That said, this bill doesn’t increase taxes, it simply allows counties to put a tobacco tax on the ballot in their area. It’s all about choice,” McGuire said.

It has been 16 years since California last raised its tobacco tax, and in that time, health care costs have increased significantly. This bill allows counties in California to place tobacco taxes independent of the state. It would give counties more local control in reducing the public health effects of tobacco use.

“If our goal is to reduce smoking and disease, we know that tobacco taxes work,” McGuire said. “For every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes, there is a 4 percent reduction in overall cigarette consumption and a 6.5 percent reduction in youth consumption. This is one of the reasons why this bill is critical – young people.”

McGuire has a long history of strengthening local regulations in the fight against tobacco-related illnesses.

As a Healdsburg City Council member, McGuire was instrumental in ushering local ordinances banning smoking in public parks – a fight he brought to a larger stage when he was a Sonoma County Supervisor.

As a supervisor, McGuire co-chaired the effort that brought sweeping changes and strengthened the county’s tobacco-related laws.

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. – 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.