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SACRAMENTO – California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith says you don’t have to be perfect to improve your health, but you can strive to be better.
“Be Better” is the new CDPH “Champions for Change” campaign unveiled Wednesday during a Sacramento River Cats game at Raley Field in West Sacramento.
“‘Be Better’ is a reminder that even small steps can make a difference in improving your health,” said Dr. Smith. “Take the stairs, snack on fruits and veggies, and quench your thirst with water instead of soda – these are simple ways that we can all be better to enjoy better health.”
“There’s no greater way to celebrate the launch of this important campaign than by showing how even the seventh-inning stretch is an opportunity to be better,” said River Cats General Manager Chip Maxson. “Our players were happy to join ‘Champions for Change’ in coming up with this fun activity for our fans and creating a new healthy baseball tradition right here at Raley Field.”
The “Be Better” campaign promotes new federal dietary guidelines that recommend Americans focus on making small shifts in what they eat and drink to prevent chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.
Having a normal weight reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 70 percent.
The “Be Better” campaign will include English and Spanish ads on television and radio stations, billboards and Web banners. There will also be community-level promotions coordinated with local health departments.
The ads will feature “Champions for Change” – real people who have committed to be better for themselves and their families by being more active, drinking water instead of sugary drinks, and eating more fruits and vegetables.
More information about how you can become a “Champion for Change,” including how you can “Be Better,” is available on the “Champions for Change” Web site, http://cachampionsforchange.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/default.aspx .
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – What do you get when you put together a Boy Scout from Santa Rosa, a sign company from Forestville, and volunteers and donors from around the North Coast?
The answer: A new welcome sign for Middletown.
On Saturday, Boy Scout Jordan Gurries – accompanied by his grandfather Rick Gurries, members and leaders of his scouting troop, Erik Paul of Insight Signs and Graphics and staff of Pacific States Environmental – led the effort to install the new sign at the northern end of town.
It replaces one of two “Welcome to Middletown” signs that had been burned by the Valley fire in September.
The sign is 10 feet wide by 7 feet tall, the same size as its predecessor, but has a different design that was created by Jordan Gurries and his team and approved by the Middletown Rotary.
The new design includes dimensional black lettering and a purple horse representing Middletown High School's mustang mascot. There also is an additional post with hooks so temporary banners can be hung on it.
It's in place just in time to welcome the visitors expected to make their way to Lake County for the summer season.
“It just shows great community spirit,” said Middletown Rotary President Ron Roberts.
As the community continues to recover from the fire, Roberts said he believes the new sign helps with morale.
The effort to create the new sign started in October.
Gurries, 16, is a sophomore at Santa Rosa High School and an Eagle Scout candidate who has relatives in Lake County.
He was considering a community service project – required as part of the process of becoming an Eagle Scout – when he began thinking of helping replace the damaged Middletown entry signs.
“I thought this would be a good idea for a project and it would really help a town out,” he said, explaining, “It might bring a little pride back to them.”
He added, “I knew it was going to be big, and I knew it was going to take some time.”
Building projects aren't new to the teen. His interests include automotive, welding and woodworking, and he and grandfather Rick build wooden boats together. “We like to do hands-on stuff and stay busy.”
So it was natural for the two to want to work side-by-side on the sign project.
Rick Gurries said they reached out to the Middletown Rotary to ask about replacing the signs.
Roberts said Jordan Gurries came to one of the organization's meetings to propose the sign replacement.
“We thought it was a wonderful project,” said Roberts, adding that the Rotary agreed to support it.
It was at that point that they found there was interest from another part of the North Coast – from Bonnie Hill and Erik Paul, the husband-and-wife team that own Insight Signs and Graphics of Forestville and who are former Lake County residents.
The Middletown Rotary put them in contact with Gurries, which gave birth to a new collaboration.
Hill said Gurries “asked us if we would be willing to work with him and guide him through the
process, we said yes and now Middletown has a sign!”
She added, “We were really happy to be able to connect with him and mentor him.”
Gurries ultimately was the project manager, finding himself heading up a team of many individuals and organizations that wanted to pitch in to help.
Hill said the total sign cost – including labor, design time and supplies to manufacture and install it – is estimated at $5,500.
That cost was covered completely through donations, she said.
“There was absolutely no cost to the community or Rotary up there,” added Rick Gurries. “It was all donated – all the labor and all the materials.”
Taking on a big project
As the effort started, Rick Gurries said he assisted his grandson with getting the permits for the sign.
His grandson's Eagle Scout project eventually would turn out to be larger than anticipated. “Some of them are more involved than others, this being one of them,” he laughed.
He said that, originally, the plan had been to replace both of the damaged Middletown signs. “We ran into a snag on the south one,” he said.
That's because the sign location was within the Caltrans easement, which was going to require 60 to 90 days for permitting, he said.
The larger issue was one of safety – with the boys not being able to work next the road, he explained.
As a result, Gurries said they dropped plans to pursue a sign on the southern end of town and instead focused on the sign at the north end.
The new sign sits on land that is private property, said Roberts, adding that Rotary has issued to the landowner an assurance that the organization will maintain the sign.
Separately he said an individual is working to get the permits to place a new sign at the south end of town.
As for the design, it was the result of Jordan Gurries and his team brainstorming.
“We didn’t really have any clue of what the old sign looked like,” he said, adding that the only picture they found was one of the sign on fire, and he didn't think that was a good starting point.
So they started fresh, coming up with the new design, getting approval and working on permits.
Gurries said there also were a number of meetings, and a visit to the sign sites.
On May 1 it was time to get to work on cutting out the sign, painting the posts and the sign backing, all of which was completed in one day, he said.
Then he said they needed to wait for the right time to install it, hoping to get it done ahead of summer due to the scouts' different commitments and scheduling.
The day arrived on Saturday, and even though there were concerns about the possibility of rain and thunderstorms, Hill said the work was going on, rain or shine.
Rick Gurries said they got to the site at around 8:30 a.m. and went prepared for rain, with seven pop up covers on hand.
“It was threatening rain pretty much all day long, but for some reason it held off just for us,” he said.
When they wrapped up shortly before 4 p.m., “It was just starting to trickle when we were leaving, so we really lucked out,” he said.
Gurries said there were “a lot of really great people helping out.” He estimated there were around 20 people on site for the work. In addition to him and his grandson, there were several Scouts, scoutmasters and assistant scoutmasters.
Also assisting were staffers from Pacific States Environmental, the contractor who has been working with CalRecycle on Valley fire cleanup. Gurries said Pacific States had found out about the project and reached out to offer help.
He said Pacific States helped get more concrete for the project and brought more water. “They were just super.”
There are a few items of paperwork relating to permits to finish, and the Rotary Club and other local organizations need to hang up their signs on the sign post, but other than that, Jordan Gurries said the sign is complete.
He thanked Hill and Paul, his grandfather, his scout troop and all of the many businesses and organizations that supported the project, which he said has led to a lot of people thanking him.
In addition to Jordan Gurries, his grandparents Rick and Laurie Gurries of Cloverdale, and Hill and Paul of Insight Signs and Graphics, the following businesses, organizations and individuals contributed to the effort: Boy Scouts of America Redwood Empire Council Troop 121, N. Glantz and Sons Signs Supply of Sacramento, Jim Sackman Focal Point Business Coaching of Santa Rosa, Aaction Rents of Healdsburg, Barnes Lumber of Cloverdale, Charley Carpenter, Cloverdale Mini Storage, Hardester's Market of Middletown, Layne Paving & Trucking of Clearlake, Kevin Moore, Ray's Custom Wood Working, Richard Thomas Sr., Pacific States Environmental Contractors Inc. and the Sonoma County Gazette.
As for Jordan Gurries' Eagle Scout candidacy, he still has some final steps in the process, but if all goes well, he said he could be approved late in the summer.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Memorial Day weekend, one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, is the traditional start of summer and a time when more travelers and especially families will be on the go.
When California Highway Patrol officers take to the roads over the Memorial Day weekend, they will be working to save lives through seat belt education and enforcement.
To help keep motorists safe, the CHP will be conducting its annual Memorial Day Maximum Enforcement Period, or MEP, throughout the state.
The MEP begins at 6:01 p.m. on Friday, May 27, and continues through 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 30.
Although the focus of the MEP is seat belt usage, the CHP will be watching just as diligently for distracted drivers and those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“Everyone inside the vehicle should be safely secured every trip, every time. Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and death,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “It takes only seconds to buckle up, and those seconds could literally save your life. Furthermore, California law requires that all children under the age of eight to be properly secured in a child safety seat.”
Thirty-one people died in collisions during the 2015 Memorial Day MEP. Two-thirds of those killed in the CHP’s jurisdiction were not wearing seat belts.
That same year, 1,125 people were arrested for DUI in CHP jurisdiction during the Memorial Day MEP, the CHP reported.
California also will join the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, in its nationwide “Click It or Ticket” campaign, May 23 to June 5.
The NHTSA reported that in 2015, almost 50 percent of occupants in fatal collisions nationwide were not wearing seat belts.
“So many of the deaths and injuries that occur on the highway are completely preventable,” added Commissioner Farrow. “Our job is to make the motoring public aware of the risks and encourage them to be especially cautious this holiday weekend.”
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Habitat for Humanity Lake County celebrated the dedication of its 19th home build in Clearlake on Saturday.
The O’Keefe family was welcomed into their new home by family, friends and Habitat staff.
Joe O’Keefe, the new homeowner, said of the opportunity, “I never thought I’d be able to provide a home like this for my family. This opportunity is the best thing that has ever happened to us.”
His wife Amber added, “We are so excited and blessed to have this chance with Habitat to give our children a home. It was a lot of hard work, but totally worth it.”
Habitat for Humanity Lake County partners with qualified, low-income families to build safe, decent, affordable houses.
If you or someone you know has a housing need and would like to learn more, visit www.lakehabitat.org , come by the Lower Lake office at 16285 A. Main St. or call 707-994-1100 for more information or a pre-application. Applications are being accepted now.
LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Six Sigma Ranch & Winery of Lower Lake will extend its regular Saturday tour schedule over the Memorial Weekend.
It will offer tours Friday, May 27, through Monday, May 30, at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. each of the four days.
This is a great way to connect with the beauty of Lake County and enjoy a scenic tour of Six Sigma Ranch. The cost of the tour is $10 per person.
Guests will be welcomed in the historic Stage Coach House Tasting Room and then will climb aboard the Six Sigma Ranch Pinzgauer for the rustic trip to the highest elevation vineyard, the Diamond Mine Vineyard.
A guide will take you to the far corners of the ranch, sharing some amazing vistas as far away as Lake Berryessa.
Along the way you will learn about the distinctive characteristics of Six Sigma Ranch and its wines. You also are likely to see cattle, sheep, and pigs and learn about the ranch’s meat program. The guide will lead visitors through the history of the ranch that dates back to the 1850s.
The tour will conclude with a wine tasting at the tasting room where visitors can enjoy Six Sigma’s award winning wines. You are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and eat under the shade of ancient oak trees.
Please call to make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance at 707-994-4068.
Six Sigma Ranch is located at 13372 Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake and open daily from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Visit Six Sigma online at www.sixsigmaranch.com .
DAVIS, Calif. – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Davis, Fairfield, Yuba City) held a reception last Friday honoring 11 students from the Third Congressional District who he nominated and have been accepted into one of the nation’s five military service academies.
The young men and women competing for nominations this year include an outstanding group of individuals.
While all applicants demonstrated the dedication, courage and aptitude necessary to excel at an academy, only a select few of the most qualified individuals are able to receive a nomination each year.
Nominations are based on the applicant’s academic strength, extracurricular activities and in-person interviews with Congressman Garamendi’s Academies Nomination Committee.
Members of the committee include service academy alumnus and current members of the military.
“Each year I have the privilege of nominating a select group of young men and women to four of the five service academies,” said Garamendi. “Our nation’s military service academies have a long standing tradition of excellence in education, service, and integrity, and I am proud to have such remarkable nominees represent the Third Congressional District. I salute our 2016 nominees and thank them for their commitment to our country.”
The list of nominees follows.
United States Air Force Academy
· William Boyd, Justin Siena High School Currently attending USAFA Preparatory School.
· Melissa Brunkal, Vacaville High School.
· Abby DeVarennes, DaVinci Charter Academy.
· John Evalle, Vanden High School.
· Kylee Gilbert, Vanden High School.
· Kara Malong, Winters High School.
· Leanne Singleton Comfort, East Nicolaus High School, currently attending UC San Diego.
· Hannah Wyatt, Woodland Christian High School.
United States Naval Academy
· Joshua Thompson, Dixon High School.
United States Military Academy
· Richard Delzell, North Hollywood High School Currently attending UC Davis.
· Paul Mooradian, Armijo High School.