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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Retired Teachers Association (CalRTA) continues to show support for California’s youth and current teachers by sponsoring teacher mini-grants.
This year CalRTA Division 35 of Lake County awarded four mini-grants of $200 each.
Chapter President Joyce Anderson recently announced the following recipients of the 2016/2017 grants.
They are:
– Katie Daitoku, Kelseyville High School, for the purchase of primary source compilations and test review materials for her World History Classes;
– Kerry Smith, Mountain Vista Middle School, Kelseyville Unified, for the purchase of 15 quality headphone sets with built in microphones;
– Jeff Herman, Coyote Valley School, Middletown Unified, for a microscope that connects to a computer which will send images to a Smart Board;
– and Hollie Lucchesi, Lower Lake High School, Konocti Unified, for a class set of headphones which she will share with other teachers to be used with Chrome Books.
The Grant Committee chaired by Elva Hohn met on Dec. 21 to review and evaluate applications for the grants.
“It was a difficult decision to finally select four,” said Hohn.
“We would like to thank all the teachers who submitted their applications. We wish we could have supported more,” Anderson said.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The city of Lakeport said drivers should be aware of roadwork on Tuesday, Feb. 14, and Wednesday, Feb. 15.
Steve Taylor Excavation will be working in the roadway with traffic control on Third Street between N. Forbes and N. High streets between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. both days.
There will be no lane closures, however, city officials ask people to drive safely in the area.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – “Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown” will pit Rolling Stones tribute band Satisfaction against rival Brit boys Abbey Road in an all-out musical showdown for rock dominance on Monday, Feb. 20, at the Soper Reese Theatre.
From Mick Jagger’s (Sir Chris Legrand) infamous gyrations to Keith Richards’ (Trey Garitty) sweet Tele licks, Brian Jones Vox Teardrop, and the band’s original wardrobe, Satisfaction brings all the authenticity of an old Stones show smack into 2017.
“Some of the ‘Keith-isms’ that fans love are the blacked-out-tooth, electrical tape around the snakeskin boots, and the disjointed walk he was famous for,” said Garitty.
“We’ve done everything to present the music just like the original album versions, because that’s what fans have been singing along to for the last 50 years and that’s the way they want to hear it."
Show producers Tom Maher and Andy Nagle auditioned over 200 Beatles hopefuls at a casting call in 2008, many of whom played in their own Beatles tribute bands.
“Most of them came in Beatles costumes and wigs – they were all in character,” Nagle said.
For their part, the members of touring Beatles tribute band Abbey Road bring the mop top haircuts, harmonies, and boyish charm of everybody’s favorite Liverpudlians to the stage. They also play modern reissues of the exact same instruments and amps used by the Fab Four.
Axel Clarke (“Ringo Starr”), a high school and college teacher by day, prepares for his time behind the drumkit by studying old video footage, listening to band interviews, and mimicking Starr’s very specific performance style.
“Ringo's style and physical approach to the drumset were unique,” said Clarke.
“He sat very high with his drums low, used big sweeping arm movements, punched at his cymbals more than striking them, bounced his torso in time and kicked his head to the side on big accents — and smiled like a goon at all times. That's Ringo 101 for you!”
Clarke and his bandmates also spend time mining the original Beatles recordings for specific nuances, and unintentional flubs that ended up on the final cut.
“There are subtle mistakes all over the Beatles’ recordings. In 'All My Lovin,' Ringo forgets the form of the song and goes into the chorus beat by mistake," said Clarke.
"He plays that beat for one bar, realizes his error, and switches back to the verse beat. Most people might not notice things like that, but it adds a level of authenticity and would feel weird if it wasn’t there.”
Kicking off the show in signature A Hard Day’s Night-era black suits, the band runs through several costume changes, including mustaches and wigs (a la Sgt. Pepper’s) and full-on Abbey Road attire, before the night is up.
Onstage, the bands alternate mini sets and trade improvised barbs and banter between songs to act out the famous rivalry.
Since 2011, the Beatles vs. Stones cast members have traded improvised barbs and banter to sold out audiences all across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Whether you’re a mod or a rocker, a John or a Mick supporter – Beatles vs. Stones is your ticket back in time to “Yesterday.”
Tickets are $30 and may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheater.com , by phone at 707-263-0577 or at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After several dry days, Lake County can expect rain to return the middle of this week.
The National Weather Service said another wave of rain is due to move over Northern California beginning on Wednesday.
From Wednesday to Thursday, Lake County is expected to get between 1 and 2 inches, a far more modest level than it received during the last round of storms.
The specific Lake County forecast also calls for chances of rain through Sunday.
The drier weather that arrived late last week has allowed Clear Lake’s waters to begin to slightly recede.
Early Monday, the lake’s depth was 9.79 feet Rumsey, according to the United States Geological Survey gauge on the lake. Flood stage on Clear Lake is 9 feet Rumsey.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts that Clear Lake will continue to recede until the rain returns Wednesday, at which point the lake is expected to rise once more.
Due to the lake’s conditions, the National Weather Service has a flood warning in effect through 9:15 p.m. Monday for Lake County.
The National Weather Service said it expects the lake level to remain high and to fluctuate near the 10-foot Rumsey throughout the day on Tuesday.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This Valentine’s Day, the local animal rescue group Orphan Dog is asking the community to support a concentrated effort to get Lake County’s animal population problem under control.
Fix Lake County’s Fabulous February Fix fundraiser is on. The purpose is to raise money to do one huge spay and neuter event in Lake County.
Fix Lake County has tentatively scheduled the first event for June 10, in partnership with a local tribe as the location for the event.
The cost to bring the program into the county will be between $5,000 and $10,000 per event. To raise the money for the event, donations are solicited at $50 each, though smaller donations are also appreciated.
Donations can be sent via the donate button on www.OrphanDog.org or mailed to Orphan Dog, P.O. Box 662, Lakeport, CA 95453.
Fix Lake County is an initiative by Orphan Dog Rescue.
“When we first started Orphan Dog in 2003, I thought the problem would be stemmed in about 10 years. Instead, the need continues to grow,” said Orphan Dog Executive Director Karen Schaver. “We can’t adopt our way out of this mess, we have to try something else.”
While rescue is one side of the problem, the growing number of unplanned and unwanted litters for both cats and dogs is really the driving force and “flip-side” of animal rescue.
“I get up to 20 phone calls a week from people who need to give up their dog, up to five calls a week from people who need help with their vet bills and up to 10 calls a week from people who need to get their animals spayed or neutered,” Schaver said, “We currently have 300 names on the spay-neuter list. If we could tackle this list, it would make a huge difference in our unwanted pet population in Lake County.”
Although Fix Lake County raises funds to provide spay/neuter services to people who are looking for assistance, logistics is one of the biggest hurdles.
“Many of the people who’ve contacted me asking for assistance also struggle with finding transportation to a scheduled clinic,” said Schaver. “Our Valentine’s Day Spay/Neuter outreach, the Fabulous February Fix, has addressed that by scheduling a spay and neuter event in areas where I know, from experience, that pet owners struggle with transportation issues. By going directly to those areas, we have a much greater opportunity to provide these desperately needed services. In addition, we will be providing some transport of pets for those who absolutely cannot come to the event.”
The Orphan Dog team travels more than 3,000 miles a month to over 50 adoption events a year and has homed over 3,200 dogs, 296 were homed in 2016.
Orphan Dog is an all-volunteer rescue group, every single penny of every donation goes directly to animal care.
Valentine’s Day Fabulous February Fix 2017 goal is to raise $10,000 to do one spay and neuter event. That means we need only 200 gifts of $50 to meet this goal. The next event will also require another $10,000, so the total goal for both events is 400 gifts of $50 each.
Donations can be sent via the donate button on www.OrphanDog.org or mailed to Orphan Dog, P.O. Box 662, Lakeport, CA 95453. Every donation is greatly appreciated.
To follow Fix Lake County, go to www.Facebook.com/fixlakecounty .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – On Sunday night Gov. Jerry Brown issued an emergency order to bolster the state's response to the situation at the Oroville Dam's auxiliary spillway and support subsequent local evacuations.
A reported 188,000 people in the northern Sacramento Valley were under evacuation orders on Sunday as a result of concerns that the dam’s auxiliary spillway was close to failing.
That auxiliary spillway hadn’t been used since the dam’s completion in 1948, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
The main spillway of the dam – the tallest in the United States – had developed a huge sinkhole this past week.
"I've been in close contact with emergency personnel managing the situation in Oroville throughout the weekend and it's clear the circumstances are complex and rapidly changing," said Gov. Brown. "I want to thank local and state law enforcement for leading evacuation efforts and doing their part to keep residents safe. The state is directing all necessary personnel and resources to deal with this very serious situation."
The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has activated the State Operations Center in Mather to its highest level and is coordinating with personnel at the Incident Command Post in Oroville with other local, state and federal emergency response officials to address all emergency management, evacuation and mutual aid needs.
The California National Guard, Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol are among the many agencies involved in the response.
The full text of the governor’s emergency proclamation is below.
PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY
WHEREAS during January and February of 2017, three atmospheric river storm systems struck California, bringing massive amounts of rainfall; and
WHEREAS this rainfall inundated lakes, rivers, and streams throughout the state, causing them to reach capacity, resulting in widespread flooding; and
WHEREAS Lake Oroville in Butte County reached capacity, causing officials to utilize the spillway to reduce the lake's water levels; and
WHEREAS on February 7, 2017, the spillway at Lake Oroville Dam began to erode, causing officials to begin utilizing the auxiliary emergency spillway on February 11; and
WHEREAS officials have determined that the auxiliary emergency spillway at Lake Oroville Dam is in danger of failing, which if it fails, may cause widespread and severe flooding; and
WHEREAS the potential for flooding has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents; and
WHEREAS the circumstances of this potential flooding by reason of its magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8558(b) of the California Government Code, I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist in Butte, Sutter, and Yuba Counties due to this potential flooding; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8571 of the California Government Code, I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of this potential flooding.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, section 8625 of the California Government Code,
HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in the Counties of Butte, Sutter, and Yuba.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
1. All citizens should heed the advice of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety.
2. All agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities consistent with the direction of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan.
3. As necessary to assist local governments and for the protection of public health and the environment, state agencies shall enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly remove dangerous debris, repair damaged resources, and restore and protect the impacted watershed. Applicable provisions of the Government Code and the Public Contract Code, including but not limited to travel, advertising, and competitive bidding requirements, are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of this flooding.
4. The California National Guard shall mobilize under California Military and Veterans Code section 146 to support disaster response and relief efforts and coordinate with all relevant state agencies, including the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and all relevant state and local emergency responders and law enforcement within the impacted areas. Pursuant to section 147 of the California Military and Veterans Code, any and all provisions of Division 2 of the Military and Veterans Code or other laws of the State which require advertisement for bids for purchases of supplies or employment of services are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of this flooding.
5. In order to expedite response and recovery, Division 13 (commencing with section 21000) of the Public Resources Code and regulations adopted pursuant to that Division are hereby suspended.
6. The Office of Emergency Services shall provide assistance to Butte, Sutter and Yuba Counties, as appropriate, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, California Government Code section 8680 et seq. and California Code of Regulations, title 19, section 2900 et seq.
I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this proclamation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 12th day of February 2017.
_____________________________
EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor of California
ATTEST:
_____________________________
ALEX PADILLA
Secretary of State
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