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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Saturday, May 13, the Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers, or NALC, will once again do their part to help feed the hungry, just as they’ve done for the past 24 years.

Literally, “The Postman Rings Twice” that day, once to deliver the mail, and once to deliver food to the hungry.

The USPS and the NALC ask that customers who want to donate non-perishable food items, such as peanut butter, pasta, rice, and canned food like vegetables, soups and meat, leave their donations in a bag next to their mailbox on Saturday, May 13. Your postal letter carrier will take care of the rest.

The “Stamp out Hunger” food drive is the largest one-day food collection effort in the nation.

Since the campaign began in 1993, the NALC has collected a total of 1.5 billion pounds of food that has kept the shelves of many food banks across the country from becoming bare.

Last year, USPS employees set a new record and collected more than 80 million pounds of food during the Stamp Out Hunger food drive.

However, nearly one in six Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and our children and seniors are the most vulnerable.

Summer becomes critical for all food banks because many pantries are at their lowest levels that directly affect children and families who may not have access to school breakfast and lunch programs.

According to the California Association of Food Banks, one in four children in California, more than two million, go to bed hungry every day.

Food collected by letter carriers goes directly to local food banks and organizations.

Faith groups, grocery outlets and other businesses help process these donations and volunteer groups assist in organizing and distributing the food to hundreds of agencies that help your local community.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A Clearlake man who led law enforcement on a lengthy high-speed vehicle chase from Calistoga to Clearlake late Sunday night was apprehended by a police K9 after the man abandoned his vehicle and was found hiding in a trailer.

Mario Tito Mirabella, 26, was taken into custody by “Bear,” a Clearlake Police K9, according to Clearlake Police Sgt. Tim Hobbs.

Hobbs said that Sunday night just before 10:30 p.m. a Calistoga Police officer attempted to pull a Chevy Malibu over in the city of Calistoga.

The driver, identified as Mirabella, failed to yield to the officer and fled in the vehicle northbound on Highway 29, Hobb said.

Once the pursuit moved into Lake County, officers with the California Highway Patrol and a deputy with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office joined the vehicle pursuit to assist, according to Hobbs.

Hobbs said the vehicle pursuit continued northbound on Highway 29, reaching speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour.

The pursuit continued into the city of Clearlake, traveling on numerous city streets in the area of the commonly referred to as the Village, Hobbs said.

Clearlake Police Sgt. Travis Lenz, who Hobbs said had responded to the area to assist, had parked his patrol vehicle off the north roadway edge of Lakeview Way.

As Mirabella turned onto Lakeview Way, he drove eastbound in the direction of Sgt. Lenz, Hobbs said. As Mirabella came closer, Hobbs said he intentionally swerved his vehicle at Lenz, nearly hitting him head-on.

Just before he hit Lenz, Mirabella swerved back into his lane of traffic and continued eastbound, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said that, a short time later, the pursuing officers from the outside agencies lost sight of Mirabella on Golf Avenue where it intersects with Palmer Avenue.

The Clearlake Police Department began checking the area where the vehicle was headed, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Officer Jared Nixon located the vehicle near the 3400 block Peony Street, unoccupied and blocking the roadway.

Clearlake Police K9 Officer Travis Parson arrived at the vehicle and conducted a scent track of Mirabella using his canine partner, Bear. Hobbs said Bear led officers from Peony Street to Oregon Street and finally onto Toyon Street, at times going through vacant residential lots that had thick brush and trees.

After an approximately 1,100-foot canine track, officers reached three travel trailers which were concealed in the brush, Hobbs said. Officers made contact with one of the trailer owners, who said a subject who he did not know had run into his trailer five minutes prior to officers’ arrival.

After obtaining consent from the owner to enter the trailer, Officer Parson gave two separate canine announcements at the door of the trailer, telling Mirabella to exit the trailer or the police canine would be sent in and he would be bitten, Hobbs said.

Hobbs said Mirabella did not exit the trailer as he was told to do by Officer Parson, so Bear was deployed. The dog located Mirabella partially concealed under a blanket in the corner of the trailer.

After Bear apprehended Mirabella by his arm, Clearlake Police officers made entry and placed Mirabella into handcuffs after a brief struggle, according to Hobbs.

Mirabella was transported to Adventist Health Hospital Clear Lake to be treated for injuries he sustained as a result of the canine bite, Hobbs said.

After being medically cleared, Mirabella was transported to the Lake County Jail and booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and resisting arrest. Hobbs said charges related to the vehicle pursuit will be filed by Calistoga Police Department through the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.

Hobbs said this was not Mirabella’s first vehicle pursuit in the city of Clearlake.

In July of 2015, Mirabella fled from Clearlake Police officers in a reported stolen vehicle for 27 miles prior to crashing into a tree and being arrested, Hobbs said.

This week in history celebrates mothers the world over and takes a quick look into the unique history of Mother’s Day.

May 9, 1914

Sometimes it goes without saying too often, so let me be clear: Mothers are amazing. More than that, they have long been recognized as an integral – perhaps even the most integral – part of a healthy society.

So fundamental are mothers to our species that some of the earliest civilizations around the globe worshiped them as goddesses. Or, rather, they worshiped an idealized image of a mother.

Characteristics of fertility, protection, love and care were embodied in these early deities. Small figurines made of clay, stone and metal found throughout the world show different cultures’ surprisingly similar idea of a mother goddess. Invariably these early idols show a figure of wide hips and large breasts, an exaggerated representation of fertility.

Once we developed writing systems, we gave names to these goddesses. Ancient Mesopotamia, the very cradle of Western Civilization, had no fewer than three different motherly goddesses: Nintur, Ninmah and Belet-ili.

The ancient Egyptians had Mut and Isis, both goddesses playing the part of “divine mother” in different periods.

The ancient Greeks had Rhea in their pantheon and the Romans had Rhea too, as well as Cybele.

In Hinduism the figure of Durga, from whose forehead the goddess Kali sprang, serves this role of fertility and motherly care.

Before you scoff and think mother goddesses only existed in ancient (or “exotic”) religions, remember that even Christianity has a mother figure in its belief system: the Virgin Mary.

Each of these societies celebrated their goddesses during festivals and other designated days of worship.

The Roman festival celebrating the goddess Cybele started on the ides of March (March 15), and included masquerades, picnics, copious drinking and countless other frivolities. Celebrants of this goddess were quite rowdy and the festival lasted until the end of the month. Talk about a crazy Mother’s Day!

Although it might be said that the deep roots of mother goddess devotion paved the way for our own devotion to our mothers, Mother’s Day as we know it actually had nothing to do with them. In fact, it had nothing to do with mothers at all.

The Mother’s Day that we are all familiar with has its roots in 16th century England when English parishioners took off from work the fourth Sunday of lent to attend their “mother,” or local church for a special service.

This Sunday marked the midway point in lent and was a time to take stock of the season and, increasingly, to spend time with family. These celebrants were said to be going “a-mothering.” This phraseology eventually inspired people to call this Sunday, Mothering Sunday.

Somewhere along the way, this purely Christian devotional day got tangled up with our love of mothers and family more generally.

Some have looked back and assumed that Mothering Sunday was always originally intended to celebrate mothers, but chances are it simply grew into that. After all, a return to one’s hometown for any sort of celebration inevitably means a visit to one’s mother (or at least it should!).

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Mothering Sunday was only practiced in England and parts of Ireland and, spottily, in Europe. At home in America, no such holiday was observed.

This all changed in 1872 when Julia Ward Howe, an activist and writer of the famous “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” suggested that the nation celebrate Mother’s Day on June 2.

Originally intended to be a celebration of peace and disarmament rather than motherhood (or anything related to the original Mothering Sunday), Howe’s fiery call to (peaceful) arms went unnoticed.

The torch was picked up decades later by Anna Jarvis, a nurse during the American Civil War and by the early 20th century an advocate for public health.

When her mother died in 1905, Anna began advocating for the nation to celebrate all mothers. In 1908, she led the first ever celebration of Mother’s Day when she held a memorial to her own mother at Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia.

Within a few years most states in the nation were observing some sort of Mother’s Day. Finally, on this day in 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation declaring that the second Sunday in May be America’s Mother’s Day.

Within a depressingly short period of time, Mother’s Day became extensively commercialized, with cards and other mementos available for purchase and gifting to one’s mother.

Anna Jarvis was supposedly deeply grieved by this materialistic hijacking of what she intended to be an introspective day of thanks to the important role mothers play in all of our lives.

Inspired by Anna’s work in America, advocates in England began pushing to rejuvenate their Mothering Sunday celebration. It took American soldiers stationed in England during WWII to really invigorate the British into seeing the merits of the holiday.

By the middle of the century, what was once a Christian day of celebrating the season of lent had been neatly transformed into a day to honor mothers.

From ancient idols and weeks-long festivals to Christian celebrations of lent, the way to our own modern-day Mother’s Day certainly took a circuitous route.

In the end, however you choose to celebrate your mother, remember that they were once revered as goddesses. Think about that before you choose a gift for her. After all, I’m sure you can do better than a cheap bouquet of flowers and a Hallmark card!

Antone Pierucci is the former curator of the Lake County Museum in Lake County, Calif., and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Preparations are now under way for the city of Lakeport’s popular annual Memorial Day weekend parade.

The parade will take place on Saturday, May 27.

The 2017 theme is “Honor Our Veterans.”

It will begin promptly at 11 a.m. and travel from the Lake County Fairgrounds at 401 Martin St. to Main Street, then progressing north on Main to 11th Street, returning to the fairgrounds.

Bert Hutt will be this year’s announcer.

There will be cash prizes awarded for best of division; judges’ favorite, theme and grand sweepstakes. Ribbons will be awarded to first, second and third place winners.

The annual parade is presented once again this year by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce.

Entry forms are available on the chamber website at www.lakecochamber.com , at its office at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point or by calling the office at 707-263-5092.

There is no entry fee except a $10 fee for equestrians as this is a sanctioned California State Horsemen’s Association parade.

Please contact the Lake County Chamber office with any questions at 707-263-5092.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Republican Women, Federated, or LCRWF, will hear Peter MacRae, researcher on national and international terrorism and terrorist organizations, at the membership drive luncheon meeting on Wednesday, May 10.

Arrive early for the luncheon meeting at Howard's Grotto, 14732 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake. Call to order is at 11:30 a.m., followed by specific agenda, lunch and featured speaker.

MacRae holds a master's degree in international relations from San Diego State University. His area of special interest is in international relations with an emphasis on the control of violent conflict.

MacRae is the author of “A Measured Response: The United Global Security Partnership” and fact-based novel “The Poppies of Mohammed.”

He has written numerous essays including: “Do We Have Cause to Fear Islam,” “Foreign Policy is an Inexact Science” and “Why They Didn’t Support Us,” among others.

His master’s thesis, “Twenty-First Century Violent Conflict: The Insufficiency of International Law,” was published by Montezuma Press in 2005. He is the author of “Do The Muslims Have An Argument?”

MacRae's essay, "ISIS and the Lone Wolf," Oct. 31, 2014, can be found on the Web site of The Hill, a publication in Washington, DC. Interested parties may visit Peter MacRae’s Web site at www.prmacrae.com .

He and his wife of more than 30 years, Patricia “Pat,” reside in the Wine Country of Northern California.

All Republicans, men and women, are welcome at LCRWF meetings whether to hear a specific speaker or become a member to join with us for a Better America. Men are welcome to join as associate members.

Please make your luncheon reservation at 707-994-3543.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Rock enthusiasts are invited to join the Lake County Rockhounds group for its monthly meetings.

The group meets from 5 to 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake.

They also schedule field trips each month to different places around the county and the state.

For more information contact Betty Atwood, 707-277-9700; Ligia Sequeira, 707-987-0166; or Joyce Anderson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .