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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Super Bowl Sunday is the biggest one-day sports event in the nation and it goes hand-in-hand with celebrations that include alcohol.
Revelers who consume too much alcohol during Super Bowl Sunday, and feel unsafe behind the wheel, AAA will take you and your car home for free.
The AAA Tipsy Tow program keeps drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel and is open to everyone. You do not need to be a AAA Member to take advantage of this service to the community.
AAA will offer free tows to drinking drivers from 6 p.m. on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5, to 6 a.m. February 6 in Northern California. Drivers, potential passengers, party hosts, bartenders and restaurant managers can call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) for a free tow home of up to 10 miles.
Just tell the AAA operator, “I need a Tipsy Tow,” and a truck will be on its way.
The service will provide a one-way ride for drivers and their vehicle to the driver’s home. If there are additional passengers who need a ride, they will be taken to the driver’s home as long as long as they can be transported safely in the tow truck. Tipsy Tow does not take reservations.
“Everybody wants to have fun at a Super Bowl party,” said Cynthia Harris, spokesperson for AAA Northern California. “But be aware that as little as one drink can impair vision, steering, braking, judgment, and reaction time. If you’ve been drinking, don’t get behind the wheel. Give AAA a call and we’ll make sure you get home safely.”
According to the California Highway crash data, during last year’s Super Bowl, one person was killed in an alcohol-involved collision and 52 others were injured on California’s roadways. That same day, there were 360 arrests made by the CHP for driving under the influence (DUI).
AAA estimates that a first-time misdemeanor DUI conviction in California can cost approximately $15,649 or more in fines, penalties, restitution, legal fees and increased insurance costs.
DUI-related costs have risen sharply in recent years largely due to steep increases in fines and insurance for DUI drivers.
The estimated cost of a first-offense misdemeanor DUI for those under age 21 is $21,500.
There is no price tag on a crash that causes an injury or death.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reminds football fans to use safe food preparation and storage measures to prevent foodborne illness on Super Bowl Sunday.
Bacteria that can be found in foods such as meat and poultry may cause illness if they are insufficiently cooked, inadequately cooled or improperly handled.
“Proper food preparation and storage measures can help ensure the only guests at your Super Bowl party are friends and family, and not foodborne pathogens,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith.
About 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths in the U.S. each year are related to foodborne diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Foodborne diseases can be prevented by:
· Washing hands with soap and warm water before and after food preparation, especially after handling raw food.
· Cleaning all work surfaces, utensils and dishes with hot soapy water and rinsing them with hot water after each use.
· Cooking food thoroughly and refrigerating adequately between meals.
Symptoms of foodborne disease can include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever. Most infected people recover from foodborne illnesses within a week.
Some, however, may develop complications that require hospitalization. Young children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk for potentially life-threatening complications.
For more information about preparing and storing food, visit the following CDPH Web site.
Additional information about food safety is available at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854).
Consumers can also access the national Partnership for Food Safety Education’s Fight BAC! Web site.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The Yuba Community College District announced that it has moved its headquarters office to a new location in Yuba City.
Since the Yuba Community College District became a multi-college district in 2008, one of the goals of the district's board of trustees and Chancellor Douglas Houston has been to increase organizational efficiency and accomplish defined board strategic goals, by moving the district offices that provide services to the colleges, off the Yuba College campus.
On Jan. 5, the offices and staff associated with the chancellor, vice chancellor of education and planning, fiscal services, human resources, YCCD Foundation, information technology (hardware and software staff support only), the director of facilities and planning and the district registrar have moved from Yuba College to the second floor of 425 Plumas Blvd. in Yuba City.
Prior to choosing this location, more than 10 different properties were explored.
“This new collaborative work environment is increasing the Districts efficiencies assisting students and meeting the needs of faculty and staff. The board and i were committed to moving the district; the fact that we were able to do this through savings by reorganizing other costs in the District Services budget is a win for everyone,” said Chancellor Houston.
In 2011 when the Sutter County Center was built in Yuba City, the board committed that the district offices would not be collocated with any education facility so as to not impede on any current or future potential instructional sites.
Prior to moving to the new district offices, district services staff were scattered across the Yuba College campus in five different buildings making collaboration and decision making cumbersome and slow.
The freed space at Yuba College will allow President Javaheripour and his faculty and staff to determine how best to use the vacated offices including relocating programs and services.
An open house/ribbon cutting is schedule for Thursday, March 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. in conjunction with the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce. Tours and light refreshments will be served.
The ribbon cutting will precede the regularly schedule YCCD Board of Trustees meeting that will begin following the open house. For more information, please contact Miriam Root, 530-741-6972.
For more information about Yuba Community College District, visit http://yccd.edu .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – All Lake County Library branches will be closed Feb. 18 to observe Presidents’ Day.
Normal hours at all branches will resume on Feb. 21. Call your local branch if you have any questions.
Even though the library will be closed you can still go online to the library website at http://library.lakecountyca.gov to download ebooks, audiobooks, movies music and magazines.
You can also check on your account, renew any items you have checked out or requests books from libraries in Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino to pick up at your local branch when the library does reopen.
Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-263-8817.
Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake, is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 7 p.m. The phone number is 707-994-5115.
Middletown Library, 21256 Washington St., is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-987-3674.
Upper Lake Library, 310 Second St., is open Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The phone number is 707-275-2049.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Teams of bright, hard-working students will square off this weekend in the annual Lake and Mendocino County Academic Decathlon.
The competition will culminate in the Super Quiz and awards, which are free and open to the public, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb.4, at Clear Lake High School, 350 Lange St. in Lakeport.
Tammy Serpa, education specialist with the Career and College Readiness Department of the Lake County Office of Education, is the event's lead organizer.
Serpa said this year 73 students from five schools will compete. High schools sending teams are Clear Lake, Kelseyville, Middletown and defending 2016 champion Upper Lake, with a team from Willits also taking part. Middletown and Willits returned this year after not participating in the 2016 competition.
This year's topic is World War II.
Academic decathletes will compete in 10 disciplines: arts, economics, essay, interview, language and literature, mathematics, music, science, social science and speech. In addition, the teams are scored on their Super Quiz performance.
The local competition also includes poetry and poster production competitions judged by the Lake County Arts Council but not scored in the overall competition.
The full competition actually takes place over the course of several weeks. On Jan. 6, the students took their first exam, an essay, Serpa said. Then, this past Saturday, they completed their speech and interview portions.
“We had 40 volunteers from the community help judge the speeches and interviews,” Serpa said.
Students will compete in the remaining disciplines on Saturday morning, she said. They will then have a break before the afternoon Super Quiz, which will be followed by the awards ceremony.
The team that wins the regional competition on Saturday will advance to the state competition, to be held in Sacramento March 23 through 26, according to the California Academic Decathlon Competition Web site.
The team rosters are shown below.
Clear Lake High School
Superintendent Erin Smith-Hagberg; Principal David Chamberlain; Coach Kristi Tripp
Team: Brenden Allen, Kaitlyn Avila, Miah Bullard, Alexis Burke, Michael Camacho, Candace Clayton, Zoe Cramer, Anna DelBosco, Dustin Domagalski, Dominik Helms, Brent Hinchcliff, Kyle Jensen, Subhagya Joshi, Christopher Lasher, Carina Martinez Lopez, Clinton Mather, Isabella Mattina, Courtney McIntosh, Nicolette Norcio, Anahy Olmedo, Sarah Pope, Nicolette Rivera, Felix Salinas, Andrew Scott, Connor Simons
Kelseyville High School
Superintendent Dave McQueen; Principal Matt Cockerton; Coaches Erick Larsen and Heather Koschik
Team: Andrew Aceves, Samantha Darnell, Kelsie Engle, Cassidy Holmes, Christina Jimenez, Kyle Keener, Artem Laptiev, Sienna Longoria, Anna Pak, Megan Petersen, Tiara Richards, Merin Rixen, Savannah Rodriguez, Kaitlyn Salata, Hannah Smith, Nichole Stevens
Middletown High School
Superintendent Catherine Stone; Principal Bill Roderick, Coach Jeff Mielke
Team: Robert Carey, Tyler Chorjel, Ella Dunsford, Donald Elder, Diana Espinoza, Carissa Forest, Olivia Glosser, Rachel Harvey, Ashley Hediger, Justin Hingston, Beckett Hoage, Moyra Horrell-Pyzer, Alixe Olson, Gary Pickrell, Jack Shrive, Colton Soderling, James Stalker
Upper Lake High School
Superintendent Pat Iaccino; Principal Sandy Coatney, Coaches Anna Sabalone and Angel Hayenga
Team: Cyndal Ader, Daniela Estrada Flores, Jeff Fannon, Megan Franco, Casey Herman, Miranda Huntley, Anisha Kalan, Kehlani McKelvey, Katlyn Minnis, Cristal Nieves, Rue Owen, Elizabeth Rosas Moreno, Breanna Sanchez, Maria Tinoco, Sarah Williams, Jack Wurm
Willits High School
Superintendent Mark Westerburg; Principal Robert Chavez; Coach Mary Colvig
Team: Katelyn Abernathy, Jace Atalig, Aiden Bertolino Haley, Oliver Campuzano, Hanna Corey, Eduardo Escobedo, Ryann Hee, Mychaela Nowlin, Tachyna Renick, Cheyanne Turner, Alisabeth Wilcox, Miranda Wilson
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon wants to make sure that everyone who lost a home in the Rocky, Valley and Jerusalem fires is aware that the standard 24-month deadline for receiving insurance proceeds will occur this summer.
Insurance Code Section 2051.5 provides that in a “loss relating to a ‘state of emergency,’ no time limit of less than 24 months from the date that the first payment toward the actual cash value is made shall be placed upon the insured in order to collect the full replacement cost of the loss, subject to the policy limit. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the insurer from allowing the insured additional time to collect the full replacement cost.”
County staff verified with the California Department of Insurance that homeowners who do not expect to be able to meet the 24-month deadline can request an extension for “good cause” from their insurance company. Owners may also have concerns about living expenses.
Any consumer who has questions or concerns relating to their insurance matters should file a request for assistance with the California Department of Insurance, which will look into the matter and assist you in resolving your concerns.
According to Supervisor Simon, “Filing a RFA is easy and can be done online at: http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/101-help/index.cfm .”