CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake Family Resource Center held a domestic violence vigil on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 10th in Austin Park in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  

Th event was opened by the Lake Family Resource Center Executive Director Gloria Flaherty.

Flaherty introduced Pastor Voris Brumfield, who led the opening prayer.

Keynote addresses were made by Ilene Dumont, the chair of the Lake Family Resource Center Board of Directors; Clearlake Police Chief Craig Clausen; and Gina Fortino Dickson, city of Clearlake planning commissioner.   

The general theme for the evening was the far-reaching effects of domestic violence on families and children.

The underlying message encompassed the need for everyone to take personal responsibility for putting an end to domestic violence.  

Sherri Young, director of the Freedom House domestic violence shelter, led the candle lighting ceremony and the event was closed with a final prayer.  

Another candlelight vigil will take place beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in Library Park on Park Street in Lakeport.

Lake Family Resource center runs a 24-hour community crisis line at 1-888-485-7733.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A preconstruction open house for the Willits Bypass project on Route 101 will take place Tuesday, Oct. 23.

The public is invited to attend the drop in style open house from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Willits City Hall, 111 East Commercial St.

The project was awarded to the partnership of DeSilva Gates Construction and Flatiron West Inc.

Staff from Desilva Gates, Flatiron West and Caltrans will be on hand to answer questions about the project, which will relieve congestion, reduce delays, and improve safety for traffic and pedestrians along U.S. Route 101 through Willits in Mendocino County.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Land Trust is presenting two educational lectures at its Rodman Preserve Nature Center, 6350 Westlake Road near Upper Lake.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. a lecture will be presented by Steve Zalusky, president, Coast Range Wetlands, Inc. on “Wetlands Restoration – Help for an Endangered Ecosystem.”

Zalusky will talk about the importance of preserving ecological diversity, both from a species as well as an ecosystem-function standpoint and how restoration of wetlands is a necessary step to remediate threats to local water quality and restore a healthy water cycle in areas where wetlands are damaged or obliterated.

In Lake County, Steve and Danielle Zalusky of Coast Range Wetlands Inc. are working towards maintaining and restoring wetlands locally, and the Lake county Land Trust is looking to partner with them to protect these ecologically important and rare ecosystems.

Then, on Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Dr. Paul Aigner, resident co-director of the University of California – McLaughlin Reserve will present a lecture on “Discovering California’s Lost Ecosystem: the ecology and management of native grasslands.”

Aigner will talk about the wholesale transformation of species composition and ecology of California grasslands.

“The native wildflowers and perennial bunchgrasses that dominated grasslands before European settlement have been almost completely replaced by annual grasses that were introduced from Europe and Asia starting in the early 1800s,” Aigner explained.

This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the ecology of pre-European California grasslands and the role of Native Americans in managing them, how grasslands are affected by grazing and fire, why it is important to preserve serpentine and other native-dominated grasslands, and how land managers protect native-dominated grasslands and restore degraded grasslands to a semblance of their pre-European state.

Space is limited to 40 attendees. Reservations will be made in the order received.

Please make reservations by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 707-262-0707. Please provide the name of each person for whom you would like to make a reservation.

The Lake County Land Trust is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of valuable natural habitats and open space in Lake County.

For more information, go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Community United Methodist Church, located at 15155 Armstrong Street in Middletown, needs help to serve the hungry in our community.  

The church participates in the Rural Food Program and distributes food the third Wednesday of the month. They also provide an emergency food distribution the fourth Wednesday of the month.  

Throughout the month, they distribute food on an as-needed basis.

The church also provides free community dinners every Wednesday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. as well as a free community breakfast on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and a free community lunch after the service at 12:30 p.m.

They serve 80-plus families throughout the month and the number is increasing.

The church’s food pantry can always use staples and canned goods, but they would love to be able to provide for distribution fresh produce from the area.  

If you have extra garden produce, would like to donate canned goods and/or staples or have questions, then please call the church office at 707-987-3379 or call Melanie at 707-295-7797.

With motor vehicle crashes ranking as the leading cause of death for teens, AAA Northern California is urging parents to be more involved with their teen drivers and calling for stronger graduated driver’s licensing programs.

According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, risky driving behavior among 16 and 17-year-old teens involved in fatal crashes increased when teen passengers were present.

The new research, released as part of Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 14-20), shows that the prevalence of risky behavior generally grew for 16 and 17-year-old drivers as the number of teen passengers increased.

Among 16 and 17-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes:

• The prevalence of speeding increased from 30 percent to 44 percent and 48 percent with zero, two and three or more teen passengers, respectively.
• The prevalence of late-night driving (11 p.m. to 5 a.m.) increased from 17 percent to 22 percent and 28 percent with zero, two and three or more teen passengers, respectively.
• The prevalence of alcohol use increased from 13 percent to 17 percent and 18 percent with zero, two and three or more teen passengers, respectively.

“Mixing young drivers with teen passengers can have dangerous consequences,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Cynthia Harris. “AAA urges parents to set and consistently enforce family rules that limit newly licensed teens from driving with young passengers.”

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, data analysis on fatal crashes that occurred nationwide from 2005 and 2010 shows that 9,578 drivers age 16 and 17 were involved in fatal crashes, and that 3,994 of these crashes included at least one teen passenger.

This study also shows how risk of death in a traffic crash for 16 and 17-year-old drivers increases by 44 percent when carrying one passenger younger than 21, doubles with two, and quadruples with three or more younger passengers, compared to driving alone.

Teen drivers face a number of safety challenges including:

• Teenage drivers are involved in more crashes per mile than drivers of any other age group.
• Drivers aged 16 and 17 are involved in about seven times as many crashes per mile driven compared to drivers in their forties, fifties, or sixties.
• Teenage drivers are overrepresented in crashes that result in the death of other people, such as passengers, pedestrians, or occupants of other vehicles.

AAA recommends that all states adopt and enforce a comprehensive three-stage graduated licensing system for beginning drivers – learner’s permit, intermediate/probationary license, full/unrestricted license.

These programs should limit driving at night, and driving with young passengers, among other provisions designed to help novice drivers gain skills and experience associated with responsible driving.   

AAA has a wide range of tools available at www.TeenDriving.AAA.com to help parents simplify the learning-to-drive process including parent-teen driving agreements, online webinars, licensing information and free online information developed from a National Institutes of Health program.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Oct. 13 Lake County Land Trusts annual dinner, held at the beautiful Rancho de la Fuente facility on Soda Bay Road, brought together 135 land trust supporters to enjoy music by Tom Nixon and Doug Kauffman, a fantastic silent auction, interesting speakers, and delicious food.

The Lake County Land Trust presents the dinner every year on the second Saturday of October to provide an opportunity for supporters to enjoy each other’s company, hear an update on Land Trust projects, and learn about conservation-related topics from a key note speaker.

This year, retiring Lake County Winegrape Commission President Shannon Gunier spoke about the connection between the Land Trust and local winegrape growers as well as Lake County growers’ commitment to sustainable agriculture.

Gunier imparted interesting facts about the success of marketing Lake County grapes and talked about how local farming families have worked with the Land Trust in the past to protect and preserve important open space in the county, including the Land Trust’s Rodman Preserve near Upper Lake.

Lake County Land Trust board member and secretary, Jon Ambrose, brought everyone up to date on Land Trust projects, like the Big Valley Wetlands proposal to preserve important remaining wetlands on Clear Lake, and the status of the Boggs Lake Preserve cooperative management agreement with The Nature Conservancy.

Every year the Land Trust honors “Supporters of the Year,” with a recognition plaque and Congressional Certificate from Congressman Mike Thompson’s office.

This year the honorees were Bonnie Piccolo, for her work in planning and executing the annual dinners, and Katherine Lindsley as a volunteer hike leader at the Rodman Preserve.

Rancho de la Fuente provided a beautiful and comfortable setting for the event with a delicious dinner provided by Ciao Thyme catering.

Wines were donated by Steele Wines, Wildhurst, Six Sigma, Shannon Ridge, and Ceago. Generous dinner sponsors included The Law Office of Dennis Fordham, Hanchett Publishing, Brad and Kathy Barnwell, The Lake County Winegrape Commission, and Peter and Nancy Gruchawka.

The Lake County Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of important natural habitats and open space in Lake County.

The Land Trust, incorporated in 1994, owns and operates the Rodman Preserve near Upper Lake and the Rabbit Hill Park in Middletown. All proceeds from the dinner and silent auction go to the Lake County Land Trust to help continue its conservation work in Lake County.

For more information, go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org or become a fan of the Land Trust on Facebook.