News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 6, and the American Red Cross reminds everyone to “turn” their clocks back an hour and “test” the batteries in their smoke alarms.

The Red Cross recommends that all Northwestern California residents have working smoke alarms on every level of their home, including inside and outside bedrooms.
 
“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half,” said Jeffrey Baumgartner, CEO, American Red Cross of the California Northwest. “Turn and test is a reminder to set your clocks back and take a few minutes to push the test button to make sure all alarms are working.”
 
It’s also an opportunity to make sure all households are prepared for home fires and other emergencies:
Create and practice a fire escape plan.

Make sure everyone in the family knows how to get out of every room and how to get out of the home in less than two minutes. Select a location outside for everyone to meet.

The Red Cross responds to 66,000 disasters across the country every year and most of these are home fires. Tragically, some people lose their lives in these fires and countless others are injured.

The Red Cross has launched the Home Fire Campaign to reduce the number of deaths and injuries due to home fires by 25 percent over the next five years.

Since October of 2014, the Red Cross and partners have saved more than 110 lives as part of the Home Fire Campaign.

The Red Cross is committing to install 2.5 million free smoke alarms in neighborhoods at high risk for fires, and to educate those residents about fire prevention and preparedness during the multi-year campaign.

Since the Home Fire campaign began, more than 530,000 smoke alarms have been installed in all 50 states and four territories, and it has reached more than 597,000 children through campaign youth preparedness education programs, such as The Pillowcase Project.

The Red Cross also recommends keeping disaster supplies in an easy-to-carry bag to use at home or carry in case ordered to evacuate.

Download the Red Cross Emergency App which includes content on how to prevent home fires and what to do if one occurs. The Monster Guard: Prepare for Emergencies App is a game designed for kids. Both apps are available to download for free in app stores or at www.redcross.org/apps .

People can visit www.redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from a fire. A variety of emergency preparedness kits and supplies are available at www.redcrossstore.org .

To help prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, visit www.redcross.org , call 1-800-RED CROSS or text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Habitat for Humanity has received a contribution from AT&T to help the organization with its new office space and with the rebuilding homes destroyed in the fires during the past two years.

Preston Dickinson, representative for AT&T, presented the $5,000 contribution to the Lake County Habitat for Humanity on Nov. 3 at the organization's new office in Clearlake.

Lake County Habitat for Humanity suffered the loss of its Lower Lake office during the Clayton fire in August.

Despite the loss, Lake County Habitat for Humanity continues to aid the community by assisting fire victims and helping those in need of repairs to their homes.

“Our mission has always been to help those in need and we are grateful to AT&T for helping us rebuild after this devastating fire,” said Richard Birk, president of Habitat for Humanity Lake County. “Our residents rely on our support and having an office to conduct our community efforts is vital to the rebuilding process for us and our Lower Lake residents.”

“AT&T is proud to support Habitat for Humanity in Lake County,” said Dickinson. “Lower Lake has suffered two devastating fires in the last two years and organizations like Habitat for Humanity need support to continue their great work in helping residents and those affected by the fires.”

Lake County Habitat for Humanity will continue efforts to aid the Lake County community, to assist fire victims and help those in need of repairs.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans celebrated the completion of the Willits Bypass Project on U. S. Highway 101 on Thursday in Mendocino County.

The celebration included the dedication of the 1.1-mile-long viaduct as the Jesse D. Pittman S01 Navy SEAL Memorial Bridge, in honor of a fallen local hero.
 
On Aug. 6, 2011, U.S. Navy SEAL and Willits local Jesse Pittman was aboard a military helicopter participating in a night raid over Afghanistan to root out Taliban fighters.

The helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed, claiming the lives of those aboard.

Pittman also served his community as a Cal Fire firefighter in Mendocino County shortly before enlisting in the Navy.
 
Crews constructed approximately six miles of roadway and 14 bridges on U.S. Highway 101 in Mendocino County for the $300 million two-lane bypass project to improve safety for traffic and pedestrians traveling through the city of Willits.

The project also eliminated the only stoplights on U.S. 101 between San Francisco and Eureka, relieving congestion and reducing delays for motorists.
 
“It’s a great day for motorists traveling both north and south on U.S. 101,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. “I’d like to thank the Willits residents for their patience and support throughout the life of this project. Driving, riding a bike, or walking through downtown Willits will finally be safer and easier, with significantly less traffic through the center of town.”
 
Local classic cars were among the first to cross the viaduct and carried honored guests including Reps. Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, Assemblyman Jim Wood, Willits Mayor Bruce Burton, and the family of and those who served with Pittman. 

Cal Fire provided a color guard for the bridge dedication ceremony, and Caltrans Honor Guard members were present to honor the fallen Navy SEAL.
 
This highway improvement project is partially funded by $136 million in Proposition 1B funds from the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond. To date, more than $19 billion in Proposition 1B funds have been put to work statewide for transportation purposes.

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is warning recreational anglers not to consume the viscera (internal organs) of Dungeness crab caught in coastal waters north of Point Reyes.

This warning is due to the sporadic detection of elevated levels of domoic acid in the viscera of Dungeness crabs caught off the Northern California coast.
 
This warning is effective for recreationally caught Dungeness crabs taken from state waters north of Latitude 38° 00' N. (near Point Reyes).
 
CDPH believes that Dungeness crab meat is safe to consume, however, as a precaution, consumers are advised not to eat the viscera (internal organs, also known as “butter” or “guts”) of crabs.
 
Consumers should follow these preparation practices to ensure that they avoid any inadvertent exposure to domoic acid that might be sporadically found in some crab’s viscera.

When whole crabs are cooked in liquid, domoic acid can leach from the viscera into the cooking liquid. Water or broth used to cook whole crabs should be discarded and not used to prepare dishes such as sauces, broths, soups or stews (for example, cioppino or gumbo), stocks, roux, dressings or dips. 

The best ways to reduce risk are:

· Remove the crab viscera and rinse out the body cavity prior to cooking, or
· Boil or steam whole crabs, instead of frying or broiling, and discard cooking liquids.

Symptoms of domoic acid poisoning can occur within 30 minutes to 24 hours after eating toxic seafood. In mild cases, symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness. These symptoms disappear within several days.

In severe cases, the victim may experience trouble breathing, confusion, disorientation, cardiovascular instability, seizures, excessive bronchial secretions, permanent loss of short-term memory (a condition known as Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning), coma or death. There have been no reported illnesses associated with this year’s domoic acid event.

Domoic acid accumulation in seafood is a natural occurrence that is related to a “bloom” of a particular single-celled plant. The conditions that support the growth of this plant are impossible to predict. CDPH routinely monitors phytoplankton levels in coastal waters and bi-valve shellfish, and will increase sampling of other species when monitoring indicates that an event may be occurring.

CDPH will continue to coordinate its efforts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the fishing community to collect Dungeness crab samples from the northern California coast until the domoic acid levels have dissipated. Please consult CDFW for information about the recreational Dungeness crab season, which is scheduled to open November 5th.

To receive updated information about shellfish poisoning and quarantines, call CDPH’s toll-free Shellfish Information Line at (800) 553-4133. For additional information, visit CDPH’s Natural Marine Toxins: PSP and Domoic Acid Web page or CDPH’s Domoic Acid Web page, which includes additional information and domoic acid testing results.

I knew Monica Rosenthal before she started campaigning for District 1 supervisor so I wasn’t surprised when she was chosen as our 2015 Woman of the Year.

Monica has served our community in numerous ways including volunteering to assist those affected by the fires. She was our District 1 planning commissioner, and is a member of several community service groups. She has experience working within our local government.

Monica’s endorsements include a diverse mix of supporters. If you look at her campaign funding disclosure documents, you will see that her contributions come from a variety of friends, neighbors and people who know of her 20-plus years of service and commitment to our communities.

On the other hand, her opponent, Mr. Simon, has received campaign contributions totaling $27,500 from three sources – Robert Rosette, Attorney at Law, Ariz; Middletown Indian Rancheria, Twin Pines Pomo Indian Tribe, Middletown; and the CA Nations Indian Gaming Association, Sacramento.

Mr. Simon has stated he will not step down as the Middletown Rancheria tribal chair should he win this election. I see that as a conflict. I want our next supervisor to commit 100-percent to the duties he or she is elected to do.

Monica is ready to serve 100-percent as our District 1 Lake County supervisor. She has the experience and dedication to our district and our county. Her focus is fire recovery, economy, and the health and well being of our communities and our environment.

Please join me in voting for Monica Rosenthal.

Sandy Bayles lives in Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.

AT&T is working with school districts and community-based organizations to spread the word about a new program, called Access from AT&T, designed to help bridge the digital divide by making wireline home Internet service more affordable for low-income households.

Access from AT&T is available to qualifying households in California with at least one resident participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

Qualifying households will be assigned the fastest of five speed tiers – 10Mbps, 5Mbps, 3Mbps, 1.5Mbps, and 768kbs – available at their address.

Internet speeds provided at over 3Mbps will cost $10 a month, and Internet speeds at 3Mbps and below will cost $5 a month.

The company also will waive installation and Internet equipment fees for participating households.

To learn more, please visit www.att.com/access .