COBB, Calif. – The deadline for the Kindness and Generosity Scholarship Fund applications for the January Compassion-based Mindfulness for Stress Reduction, Personal Clarity and Emotional Freedom courses is Jan. 8.

"Some full and partial scholarships are still available," noted JoAnn Saccato, the mindfulness teacher who developed and presents the courses.

The course runs eight weeks with one series beginning Tuesday, Jan. 13, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Unity Clearlake Center in Lower Lake.

A concurrent course begins Thursday, Jan. 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Main Street Gallery in Lakeport. 

For more information on the course contents and links to the scholarship application, visit  http://www.companioningthesacredjourney.com/courses.html or call JoAnn Saccato at 707-350-1719.  

LAKEPORT, Calif. – An online fundraiser has begun to help the family of a Lakeport girl diagnosed with leukemia.

The fundraiser for little Scarlett Michelle Reordan can be found at www.gofundme.com/scarlettmichelle1 .

Scarlett, who turns 2 years old on March 22, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Dec. 29.

She is undergoing treatment at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland.

The costs associated with providing Scarlett with the appropriate care that she needs will be great, according to her family.

The fundraiser, which was set up on Sunday, has a $10,000 goal. As of Monday night, about $1,200 had been donated.

In addition to the online fundraiser, a trust account for Scarlett has been set up at West America bank, account No. 2352178897.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Association of Realtors (LCAOR) Scholarship Committee is excited to announce the start of a series of three “Stress and Worry-Free Dinners For Four,” a delicious way to support Lake County seniors.

There will be one dinner per month for three months, beginning in January.

The first dinner will be available for pick up on Friday, Jan. 16, and will feature delicious pork posole, taco salad, red rice, refried beans, and chips and salsa and is priced at just $30 for a meal to feed a family of four.

According to Scholarship Committee member Heidi Johnson, “These dinners are delicious and the quantities are large!”

Simply order by Friday, Jan. 9, prepay with checks made payable to LCAOR and then swing by Kelseyville High School Student Center on Friday, Jan. 16, between 3:30 and 6:30 p.m. to pick up your meal.

Tickets can be purchased at the LCAOR Office in Lakeport, Noble Realty, Sterling Mortgage or ReMax Lake County.

Proceeds go to the LCAOR Scholarship Fund for Lake County high school seniors.

“In the past two years, we have been able to double our scholarship fund, presenting a total of nearly $10,000 annually in multiple scholarships to seniors at all of the five Lake County high schools,” said Johnson. “So something as simple as buying your family dinner can make a big impact for the youth of our community.”

For more information on this fundraiser, please call Heidi Johnson at 707-349-2258.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Friday, Jan. 2, and Saturday, Jan. 3, the Clear Lake Cardinal wrestlers started the new year off at the two-day Dennis Jensen Invitational Tournament in Middletown.

Mariela Soto (6-0) was the girls 100-pound champion, while Emily Psalmonds (2-1) took home the silver medal at 111 pounds.

Julian Lewis (2-0) was the gold medalist at 220 pounds.

Tyler Buchholz (2-2) placed fifth in the 160-pound class.

Jacob Pyorre went 3-0 the first day, but was injured and was not able to continue wrestling; one of his wins was against the eventual 113-pound champion.

Next up the Cardinals will host their third annual Michael Kroppmann Invitational Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 10, at Clear Lake High School in Lakeport.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Feb. 2 is World Wetlands Day – better mark your calendars.

But wait, you don’t have to – the State Water Resources Control Board’s Clean Water Team has done it for you.

The Clean Water Team’s free, online calendar will also let you know when Creek Week happens, when California’s free fishing days come around, and even the date of National Squirrel Appreciation Day.

If all this sounds a little wonky, well, Embrace Your Geekness Day is July 13, according to the calendar.

The calendar is an eclectic mix of fun and useful information, with active links to many of the events and commemorations listed. So you not only know when World Wetlands Day is scheduled, but why wetlands are important, and what you can do to help preserve them.

Photographs of Clean Water Team members are featured on each calendar month, doing what they do: volunteering to help monitor the health of the streams and rivers of California.

The calendar can be accessed at www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/docs/cwt/volunteer/cal_2015.pdf .

The Clean Water Team is the citizen monitoring program of the State Water Board.

The team’s citizen monitoring coordinators work statewide to provide technical assistance and guidance, training, and loans of equipment to volunteers in citizen monitoring programs and watershed stewardship organizations.

Citizen volunteers work through a variety of organizations to monitor water quality in streams and rivers throughout the state.

Activities include collecting water quality data, evaluating fish habitat, counting birds, or making visual observations of stream health.

Community and resource managers use monitoring information to better protect California's waters.

For more information or to volunteer for a community-based monitoring program, visit the Clean Water Team’s Web page at http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/cwt_volunteer.shtml .

SACRAMENTO – As part of its ongoing reform efforts – including increased statewide accountability and transparency – Caltrans has published new manager and employee handbooks and launched a 24-hour ethics hotline for all staff.

“Caltrans is taking bold action to increase our performance and accountability across the board as we responsibly manage California's transportation assets,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “Consistent, statewide policies help strengthen our organization and support the tremendous work of our employees who serve the public.”

The department policies cover issues such as health and safety, ethics, information technology, and overtime.

Caltrans also released an updated hiring guide including mandatory procedures for checking references and personnel documents during the vetting process.

The purpose of all these policies is to set consistent and predictable policies that help improve department performance statewide.

Starting last year, Caltrans has ramped up its ongoing effort to improve department performance, accountability and communications.

Caltrans recently announced a new department-wide mission, vision and goals as part of its effort to modernize operations and improve performance and accountability.

Caltrans also created a new Office of Enterprise Risk Management, which spearheaded a new 24-hour ethics helpline and a website for employees to report possible fraud, waste or abuse.

In addition to these management improvements, Caltrans is also modernizing its transportation policies. Caltrans recently funded $360 million to encourage walking, biking and other forms of active transportation.

It also endorsed the National Association of City Transportation Officials guidelines to help support walking and biking in California.

In March, Caltrans signed a $225 million contract with Siemens to manufacture 32 high-performance diesel-electric locomotives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent.

Caltrans recently held five public workshops and a Webinar to solicit input and feedback on how to draft a modern transportation plan for interregional corridors.

These reforms, and many others, are published periodically in the Mile Marker: A Caltrans Performance Report, which provides performance-based information to measure how the department is progressing.

The new Caltrans Employee Handbook is located at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/paffairs/news/pressrel/docs/Caltrans_Employee_Handbook.pdf .

For information on the Caltrans Improvement Project visit www.dot.ca.gov/CIP .