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LAKE COUNTY – An effort is under way to raise funds to assist a local family that lost a son last week in a bombing in Pakistan.
Sgt. 1st Class David J. Hartman, 27, died in Pakistan Feb. 3 after he and members of his unit were hit by a roadside bomb planted by insurgents, as Lake County News has reported (see the full story here: elseyville family mourns son killed in roadside bombing in Pakistan ).
Hartman, a member of the Army's special forces, was on his way to the opening ceremonies for a girls' school when the bombing occurred.
He left behind a wife, a young son and a baby on the way. His father, Greg, and stepmother, Kate, live in Kelseyville, as do other family members.
A memorial service for Hartman is planned for this weekend in Los Banos in Merced County, where he was raised, according to Ginny Craven, founder of Operation Tango Mike, who has been working to assist the family.
Hartman is to be interred at Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony in the near future, Craven said. While the military will cover some expenses, that does not include air travel, lodging, food, ground transportation and incidentals for extended family members.
Donations are being accepted to assist the Hartman family during their time of need.
Craven said donations may be made care of Operation Tango Mike at Umpqua Bank, 805 11th St., Lakeport, or by mail to 5216 Piner Court, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
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The Lake County Wine Alliance Board of Directors this week announced that nonprofit organizations, agencies and programs in Lake County may now apply for a share of the proceeds from the 2010 Lake County Wine Auction.
The 11th annual benefit will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16, at the National Guard Armory in Lakeport.
The Wine Alliance has contributed $770,202 in proceeds to Lake County groups since the inception of the annual charity event in 2000.
This past year, 18 nonprofit organizations – including agencies, programs and high schools – received $57,200 from the proceeds of the 2009 wine auction held last September.
Awards are made in the fields of the arts, health services and the community.
Proceeds include ticket sales, donations from sponsorships, live and silent auction income, and sales of special edition, fine art posters by Lake County artist John R. Clarke.
Local wineries, winegrape growers, restaurants and other businesses are generous supporters through their donations to the live and silent auctions and to the food and beverages served at the gala affair. Other Lake County and regional businesses provide support through sponsorships.
Applications need to be postmarked by March 5, 2010. Application forms may be obtained online from the Wine Alliance Web site, www.winealliance.org , or by contacting Judy Luchsinger, chair of the Beneficiaries committee, at 707-263-3280, or
The charter of the Wine Alliance directs its efforts to foster the arts, benefit health services, and support the community, while promoting Lake County as a premier grape growing and fine wine region.
The Wine Alliance is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization of Lake County wineries, winegrape growers, and business and community supporters that annually presents the wine auction as a fundraising charity benefit.
Members of the Wine Alliance board are Margaret Walker-Stimmel, president; Marie Beery, vice president; Pamela Shine-Duncan, secretary; Rob Roumiguiere, treasurer; and Kaj Ahlmann, Judy Luchsinger, Wilda Shock, and Janet Thompson, directors.
The Lake County Wine Alliance may be contacted by phone, 866-279-9463, or by mail to P.O. Box 530, Kelseyville, CA 95451.
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On Thursday – dubbed "2-1-1 Day” – FIRST 5 Mendocino, Mendocino County Health & Human Services Agency and United Way of the Wine Country announced the countywide launch of the 2-1-1 Mendocino phone service.
By simply dialing 2-1-1, Mendocino County residents can reach a caring, trained specialist, who will match their needs with local community services, such as housing and shelter assistance, senior services, employment assistance, physical and mental wellness, and much more.
Available 24 hours a day, 2-1-1 is also an integral component of Mendocino County’s disaster-response infrastructure.
“Mendocino County is proud to become a 2-1-1 service area that is financially supported by the county and the private sector," said Mendocino County's Assistant Chief Executive Officer Carmel Angelo. "This leveraged public-private partnership is based on the knowledge that 2-1-1 is a vital public communication vehicle through which individuals, families and whole communities gain access to comprehensive and up-to-date health, housing and human service information.”
In California, more than 90 percent of the state is covered by 2-1-1. Nationally, 2-1-1 serves 75 percent of the American public.
In the Bay Area, 2-1-1 was introduced in San Francisco County in early 2006, in Santa Clara County in early 2007, Alameda County in mid 2007, Contra Costa, Napa, Marin and Solano counties in 2008, and Sonoma County in 2009.
Walter Collins, president and chief executive officer of United Way of the Wine Country, said, “Finding help in Mendocino County is now as simple as dialing 2-1-1 – residents can quickly connect with local community services that meet their needs.”
He noted that without 2-1-1, people often make up to nine phone calls before finding the correct service, while many give up before getting the help they need.
Collins added, “2-1-1 is simple, easy-to-remember, toll-free, and available 24-7. Both on a daily basis and in times of disaster, 2-1-1 is the one number people need to know to get help and information."
The 2-1-1 Mendocino effort is a public-private partnership between FIRST 5 Mendocino, Mendocino County Health & Human Services Agency, and United Way of the Wine Country. In addition to these founding partners, 2-1-1 Mendocino is generously supported by PG&E, Bank of America and Community Foundation of Mendocino County.
For everyday needs and in times of disaster, 2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember, toll-free phone number that connects Mendocino residents with local community services, such as food, shelter, counseling, employment assistance, quality child care and more. It's confidential and available 24 hours a day.
The service also serves as a vital link for individuals seeking to volunteer and provide resources to nonprofit organizations.
The service's Web site, www.211mendocino.org, includes a searchable database. There are more than 500 agencies and services in the 2-1-1 Mendocino County databases.
The 2-1-1 service’s role in disaster response and recovery has been important in major events across the country.
The importance of 2-1-1 during disaster was underscored during the October 2007 wildfires in Southern California, where 2-1-1 San Diego call volume peaked at 30,000 calls a day – up from 800 daily – as residents sought information about evacuation sites, road closures, shelters, medical assistance, pet and large-animal care and more.
Calls to Texas’ statewide 2-1-1 system increased from 2,500 to more than 10,000 a day after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, as people sought food, shelter and other assistance. Three weeks after Katrina, more than 170,000 Texas callers had received 2-1-1 assistance.
When a major disaster strikes Mendocino County, 2-1-1 will provide residents with critical information about evacuation routes, food and shelter, as well as support with finding new jobs and permanent housing during long-term recovery.
In the United States, 2-1-1 started in Atlanta in 1997, and currently reaches approximately 198 million people through 2-1-1 systems covering all or part of 41 states.
In 2000, responding to advocacy by the Alliance of Information & Referral Systems (AIRS) and United Way of America, the Federal Communications Commission agreed to designate 2-1-1 as the nationwide three-digit community services telephone number.
In January 2007, both houses of Congress re-introduced the Calling for 2-1-1 Act, which will authorize $250 million to state entities to help implement and sustain 2-1-1.
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ruled in 2003 that 2-1-1 service would be established on a county-by-county basis, as opposed to deploying a statewide system.
California’s first 2-1-1 service launched on Feb. 11, 2005, in Ventura County. In Southern California, 2-1-1 is available in Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara, San Diego and San Bernardino Counties.
What's the difference between 2-1-1, 6-1-1, 9-1-1, etc.? The following is a breakdown.
2-1-1: Community services
4-1-1: Directory assistance
5-1-1: Traffic and transit
6-1-1: AT&T repair service
7-1-1: For hearing impaired
8-1-1: Underground utility lines
9-1-1: Life-threatening emergency services
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Gerald Crandell Simpson, 40, was taken into custody for inhaling toluene, an industrial solvent used as an intoxicant, and for arson, according to a report from Lt. Ron Welch.
On Wednesday shortly before 9:30 a.m. deputies were dispatched to Black Bart Casino regarding a patron under the influence of toluene, Welch said.
Upon their arrival deputies contacted Simpson, who was seated near the front of the casino. Welch said Simpson allegedly had evidence of toluene consumption on his person – including paint on his hands, face and clothing – as well as the heavy chemical toluene odor about his person.
Simpson was under the influence to the point he could not answer questions, nor walk without assistance, Welch said.
Deputies learned through their investigation that Simpson had entered the casino while under the influence. While in the casino, Simpson allegedly had lit a napkin on fire dropping in to the floor, burning a portion of the carpet, Welch said.
Simpson was arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of toluene influence, and arson of property, Welch said. Bail was set at $100,000.
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LAKE COUNTY – The Lake County Office of Education has reported the final scores for all four teams that competed in last weekend's Lake County Academic Decathlon.
The 30th annual competition was held in the gymnasium at Upper Lake High School on Saturday, Feb. 6, as Lake County News has reported.
Upper Lake High School, coached by Steve Harness and Anna Sabalone, won the overall title again this year, with a total score of 36,779.8 out of a possible 60,000 points.
Nancy Harby coached Lower Lake High Team 1 and Lower Lake High Team 2, which scored 29,295.5 points and 25,514.5 points, respectively.
Coach Ryan Callen's Middletown High School Academic Decathlon team scored 22,685 points.
Decathlon officials also reported that a tie occurred in the scoring for the top scoring student from each school or team.
Honors-level stuent Teodora Toshich previously had been reported to have received the gold medal for Lower Lake High Team 2, but Bianey Madrigal, also an Honors level competitor, tied for the gold medal.
Upper Lake High now moves on to the state competition, which will take place in Sacramento March 12-15.
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The closure order covers the entire forest, including the Grindstone and Upper Lake Ranger Districts.
The forest's main office reported that the closure is scheduled to be lifted on Wednesday, Feb. 24, conditions permitting.
The closure is the result of wet weather patterns over the past month, which have saturated trails. Additional storm systems in the current forecast are likely to bring more water to the forest and trail system.
Using the trails in their current condition would result in damage not only to the trails, but would also impact other resources including soils, water quality and wildlife habitat, officials reported.
“We appreciate the public’s understanding and cooperation with the temporary OHV trail system closure,” said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras. “By closing the trails now and preventing further damage, we are reducing the risk of longer closures for costly repairs and restoration efforts. Waiting for things to dry out will help us continue to provide quality recreation areas for OHV riders.”
The Emergency Trail Closure for the Mendocino National Forest is formally referenced under Order Number 08-10-01.
Violation of this closure order is punishable by a fine of no more than $5,000 for an individual, $10,000 for an organization, or up to six months imprisonment or both.
For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino .
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