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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino College has a full selection of community college classes set for the spring semester, beginning on Monday, Jan. 25.
“We’ve scheduled a diverse offering of classes in various formats throughout the week including many Saturday courses to meet different student needs in all of the communities we serve,” said Dean of Instruction Debra Polak.
Registration is happening online at www.mendocino.edu or by visiting any one of the four locations where Mendocino College offers coursework throughout the year.
The Ukiah Campus offers the largest list of course offerings. An extensive list of classes are also offered at the Mendocino College Lake Center and North County Center. The Mendocino College Coast Center also is offering many courses this spring, growing from Fall 2015.
Mendocino College offers classes designed to meet the needs of university transfer students and those interested in job skill improvement, personal enrichment and lifelong learning.
Classes offered every day of the week cover the traditional range of general education college degree topics.
“One of the items we find most important to students today is a vast array of choices for scheduling that meets their needs,” says Polak. “In working with our academic counselors, students can set a course schedule that allows them to meet other important family or employment commitments without missing the chance to attend college classes.”
Students interested in Mendocino College classes in all locations – including Willits, Lakeport and Fort Bragg – should consult the printed college schedule or listings on the college Web site for details. The printed schedule is available in multiple locations at each center.
For nearly all students, community college costs are very affordable. Mendocino College unit fees are just $46 per unit.
In addition, more than half the students who attend Mendocino College qualify for some form of financial aid. Many meet the guidelines that eliminate the unit fees and others receive grants to cover college costs.
Registering soon for the spring semester is advised to help guarantee placement, college officials reported.
Already enrolled students can register for classes using WebAdvisor, which can be found by visiting www.mendocino.edu .
New students can enroll online at www.mendocino.edu . For additional assistance, call the office of Admissions and Records at 707-468-3101.
Persons entrusted with the operations of a trust must be very carefully selected as trustees are not usually subject to court supervision (unlike executors in court supervised probates).
Trustees, special trustees and trust protectors are the persons entrusted with the proper implementation of a trust in a managerial or oversight capacity.
Anyone establishing a trust needs at least to be knowledgeable about who trustees are, what they do, and how to select them. This is because the trustee will have control over the trust assets and responsibility for its day-to-day operations. Sometimes, one may also need to know about special trustees and trust protectors.
Every trust must have at least one trustee. It is normally desirable and sufficient to just have one trustee in order to avoid trustee deadlock, and the accompanying extra costs and complexity associated with having multiple trustees (who must each sign-off jointly on decisions).
The trustee owns legal title to the trust assets in a so-called “fiduciary capacity.” That is, the trustee as owner safeguards, controls and invests the trust assets, files trust tax returns and pays taxes (if the trust is irrevocable).
Their ultimate role is to use and distribute trust assets pursuant to the trust’s own terms. They may have discretionary powers about payments to the beneficiaries. They are accountable to the beneficiaries for their actions and inactions.
A trustee can either be a non-professional person (e.g., family member or friend), or can be a professional trustee, such as a private fiduciary or a bank’s trust department.
If you select a nonprofessional person then you need to be especially sure that they are trustworthy, responsible, capable of working with the professionals they will need hire (attorney, tax preparer, real estate agent, appraisers, etc.), and, that they can communicate with the beneficiaries fairly and effectively.
Otherwise avoidable problems may arise when the trustee does not have the confidence and cooperation of the beneficiaries.
Professional trustees come in a wide variety, including private individuals who are trained and licensed to act as trustees, to trust management companies (including banks) of varying sizes.
Typically banks require liquid assets of over $500,000 (and sometimes over $1 million) before they will become involved and charge a percentage of the value of the trust estate for their investment and management services. Also, the trust departments of these banks will be located in major cities (not Lake County).
If a suitable nonprofessional trustee is unavailable then a private fiduciary should be considered and interviewed for suitability. That is: How do they charge? How available are they to the beneficiaries? What is their qualification? Who are their back-ups when they are away? Who do they use for investment advice? Are they well suited to work with the type of beneficiary in question?
A special trustee is someone who is entrusted with exclusive trust powers over a particular trust asset. The most common reason for a special trustee is when there is a professional practice (e.g., a doctor’s practice).
For example, a professional medical corporation that is owned by a trust can only be owned by a licensed physician.
So, while the surviving non-licensed spouse may be the trustee another person who has the required license would be the special trustee who winds-up the affairs of the practice, sells the practice assets and transfers the net cash proceeds into the name of the trustee.
Lastly, a trust protector is a “super trustee.” Unlike the trustee, he or she is not involved in the day to day management of the trust assets, but is empowered to oversee the trustee; to replace the trustee; and, sometimes, to petition the court to amend or reform the trust document.
Usually the trust protector is a trusted family member. Trust protectors are commonly seen in special needs trusts for disabled persons, and also in irrevocable discretionary trusts where the trustee (usually a professional) has complete discretion as to whether or not to distribute assets to the beneficiary.
The trust protector oversees that the trustee acts appropriately and, if not, can replace the trustee.
Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at
A student-built experiment aboard NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has been integrated onto the spacecraft.
The Regolith X-ray Imaging Spectrometer (REXIS) will determine elemental abundances on the surface of asteroid Bennu, complementing the mineral and chemical mapping capabilities provided by two other instruments on the spacecraft.
"The students worked incredibly hard to get to this point," said Mike Donnelly, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It is quite an accomplishment to develop a flight instrument and have it integrated to a spacecraft that's headed to an asteroid."
REXIS will observe the solar X-rays and their interaction with the asteroid's surface material, or regolith. The surface responds to this incoming energy by glowing faintly, or fluorescing, by emitting X-rays.
These X-rays have an energy that is uniquely characteristic of the elements. REXIS is a telescope that images this X-ray fluorescence, allowing the production of maps of the different elements present on Bennu's surface.
REXIS brings together students and faculty from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, both in Cambridge. After a competitive process REXIS was selected as a student collaboration experiment as part of OSIRIS-REx.
The instrument will involve more than 100 students throughout the mission. Students at Harvard and MIT will perform data analysis as part of their coursework.
"The REXIS instrument has already achieved its primary objective -- to train the next generation of scientists and engineers," said Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx at the University of Arizona, Tucson. "This team should be proud of all they have accomplished. I look forward to seeing the REXIS data from Bennu and using it to learn more about the chemistry of the asteroid surface."
OSIRIS-REx will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid. After launch in September 2016, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and retrieve at least 60 grams (2.1 ounces) of surface material and return it to Earth for study.
Scientists expect that Bennu may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of the water and organic molecules that may have made their way to Earth. OSIRIS-REx's investigation will also inform future efforts to develop a mission to mitigate an asteroid impact on Earth, should one be required.
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta is the mission's principal investigator at the University of Arizona. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver is building the spacecraft.
OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages New Frontiers for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The SPCA of Clear Lake is closing its shelter this month and switching its focus to affordable spay and neuter programs.
The organization's board of directors made the decision after “exploring opportunities to better serve our community,” according to a statement the SPCA released on Thursday.
“We have identified that our number one goal is to reduce the number of unwanted animals in Lake County,” the statement said. “In order to achieve this goal with the limited amount of resources available to the organization, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our shelter operations effective Jan. 30, 2016, and focus our efforts on affordable spay and neuter programs.”
The board of directors said in the statement that it is looking into the possible implementation of a high volume, high quality, affordable spay/neuter clinic. “We believe this will be a great asset to our community.”
The SPCA said it has stopped accepting animal surrenders from the public, effective immediately, but will continue to adopt out animals in its shelter for a reduced fee. Adoption fees for animals at the SPCA are now $75 for dogs and $45 for cats.
Any animals remaining at SPCA after Jan. 30 will be transferred to other rescues or shelters. An organization representative said on the group's Facebook page that the goal is to make sure animals go to no-kill shelters.
The SPCA had offered animal control services to the city of Clearlake beginning in October 2013 at a cost of $20,000 annually.
The agreement was to have been terminated in the fall as the SPCA and the city struggled to agree on terms, including the amount of money the city was to reimburse the SPCA for its services.
To see animals awaiting adoption, visit the SPCA at 8025 Highway 29 in Kelseyville from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday.
The SPCA will still hold its monthly vaccination clinic from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 16.
The organization, which relies heavily on community support, continues to seek donations to fund its operations. Tax-deductible donations can be sent to the SPCA at 8025 Highway 29, Kelseyville, CA 95451, made online at http://www.spcaofclearlake.com/donations or called in to 707-279-1400.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – State Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Bill Dodd announced that the governor’s budget, released Thursday morning, includes millions of dollars to assist Lake County in the long recovery from the devastating Valley fire.
Since the start of the Valley fire – the third most destructive in state history – Dodd and McGuire have been active on the ground in Lake County working to ensure residents have the resources they need to recover and rebuild.
Specifically, the budget includes $1.3 million to cover lost property, sales and bed tax revenue for Lake County.
The Valley fire damaged or destroyed more than 1,900 structures including homes, apartment buildings and multiple businesses, resulting in more than $1 billion in damage and significant lost tax revenue for the county as well as other special districts.
The budget also includes $2.2 million for the South Lake County Fire Protection District, which is located in the heart of the Valley fire burn zone.
The fire district needed these funds to ensure the residents of the region continue to receive robust fire and emergency services throughout the year.
The state also has committed additional Cal Fire personnel in the Valley fire zone. These enhanced staffing levels – which have already been embedded in the district – will ensure residents have the emergency resources needed to respond to any El Niño-related storm impacts.
“Assemblymember Dodd and I have been working overtime with the Governor’s Office to ensure Lake County has the resources needed to recover, rebuild and thrive,” Sen. McGuire said. “These funds will be immediately put to work to ensure the county and emergency services don’t miss a beat serving local communities. We’re grateful for the partnership with Gov. Brown and appreciate his continued dedication to Lake County.”
McGuire and Dodd worked with the Governor’s Office and Lake County officials – for the last several months – to secure this budget allocation.
“When natural disasters strike, it’s critical the state of California helps impacted communities, and receiving these funds in Gov. Brown’s budget is a critical step towards recovery from the Valley fire,” Dodd said. “These funds will help residents receive critical services, especially fire protection and emergency services. Sen. McGuire has been a great partner in advocating for our communities, and we will continue fighting to get the residents of Lake County the help they need to recover and thrive.”
In addition to the $3.5 million allocated in the governor’s budget for Lake County property tax relief due to the Valley fire, schools in Lake County will receive property tax backfill funding from Proposition 98, which is the previously guaranteed source of funding to cover lost property tax revenues for school districts.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Special Olympics is beginning the 2016 sports program, with plans to bring back a favorite sport and introduce another to its lineup of events.
The action starts this Saturday, Jan. 9, from 10 a.m. to noon, when the basketball season gets under way at the Clear Lake High School Gym.
Basketball runs from January through March and ends with regional competition in Santa Rosa.
Beginning in April Special Olympics will offer track and field, along with bocce. Bocce is a new sport for Lake County and the organization said it's happy to have coaches committed to this sport.
Both track and field and bocce finish with Davis Summer Games in June.
After many years without coaching to support it, Special Olympics is bringing back softball this year, which will run from June through August. More details will be released closer to the season start.
Also in June Special Olympics will continue its golf program. The organization has a group of dedicated alternate shot coaches, and anyone with golf experience is welcome to join the coaching volunteers. The more coaches, the more athletes who can participate, and Special Olympics always is looking to grow our program.
In the fall of 2016 Special Olympics will once again offer soccer. As a second year sport for Lake County, the local Special Olympics athletes are now eligible to go to the soccer competition. Stay tuned for more details as they develop.
Special Olympics thanks its dedicated volunteers and welcomes any additional volunteers. Coaches are always needed, with all of the current sports needing additional coaches at this time.
If you have a talent in basketball, bocce, track and field, golf or soccer, please give Robert a call at 707-245-8425.
If you would like general information about the program, please call Cathy at 707-245-6116.