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Written by: Editor

Published: 24 January 2012

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Main Street Association (LMSA) invites business and property owners to the Main Street Mixer on Thursday, Feb. 2.

Pam Scully of Lakeport Furniture hosts at 302 S. Main St.

Meet and greet starts at 5:30 p.m.

Complimentary appetizers and water will be provided and there will be a no host wine/beer bar.

The Business of the Quarter will be awarded and there will be door prizes, too.

For more information contact Executive Director Carol Hays at 707-263-8843.

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Written by: Editor

Published: 23 January 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) announced Monday that new regulations to help ensure airline passengers are treated fairly will go into effect this week.

The new protections, put in place by the Department of Transportation (DOT), require that airlines and ticket agents include all mandatory taxes and fees in published airfares and that they disclose baggage fees to consumers buying tickets.

“Starting this week, there will be more transparency when it comes to the cost of flying,” said Thompson. “Passengers have rights, and now because of the new DOT regulations airlines will no longer be able to hide costs and fees from consumers.”

Specifically, the new rules will make it easier for passengers to determine the full price they will have to pay for air transportation prior to travel.

Currently, airlines and ticket agents are allowed to publish ads that list government-imposed taxes and fees separately from the advertised fare, as long as these taxes and fees are assessed on a per-passenger basis.

However, sometimes the notice of these taxes and fees is not obvious to consumers. Under the new requirements, all mandatory taxes and fees must be included together in the advertised fare.

In addition, airlines and ticket agents will be required to disclose baggage fees to consumers when they book a flight online.

The first screen containing a fare quotation for a specific itinerary must show if there will be additional baggage fees, and inform consumers where they can go to see these fees.

Information on baggage fees also must be included on all e-ticket confirmations, and for most trips the same baggage allowances and fees must apply throughout a passenger’s journey.

These consumer protections build on rules announced in August that expanded the existing ban on lengthy tarmac delays to cover foreign airlines’ operation at U.S. airports and established a four hour time limit on tarmac delays for international flights. Under the regulations, carriers must ensure that passengers stuck on the tarmac are provided adequate food and water after two hours, as well as working restrooms.

Exceptions to the four hour rule will only be allowed for safety, security, or air traffic control reasons. These same protections are included in the Air Passenger Bill of Rights Act (H.R. 729), a bill Thompson introduced in February.

Also beginning this week, passengers will be able to hold a reservation without payment, or cancel a booking without penalty, for 24 hours after the reservation is made, if they make the reservation one week or more prior to a flight’s departure date.

In addition, airlines will be required to promptly notify passengers of flight delays of over 30 minutes, as well as flight cancellations and diversions, and they will generally be prohibited from increasing the price of passengers’ ticket after it is bought.

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Written by: Editor

Published: 22 January 2012

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Lake County Websites and Computer Repair is starting off this year's monthly computer workshops with a very fundamental computer class called “Just the Basics.”

It will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at 15642 Armstrong St. in Middletown in the Jazzercise Center (two blocks behind the post office).

Do you know the difference between Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows? Do you use the "right click" on your mouse? Do you know how to attach a picture to an email? Is your computer protected from viruses? Do you understand computer terminology like browser, hard drive, RAM, USB, etc.?

If you have questions about running or maintaining a Microsoft Windows computer, you will get answers at this workshop.

The presenter of the “Just the Basics” Computer Workshop, Mark Rudiger, is the owner of Lake County Websites & Computer Repair and has more than 18 years of experience installing, troubleshooting and working with computers.

During the course of Rudiger's daily work as a computer repair tech and Web site designer, he has been repeatedly asked to offer this kind of workshop.

If you have a laptop, bring it along and connect to the high speed Internet. If you don’t, you can follow along on Rudiger’s laptop screen which will be projected on a 70-inch screen.

Go to www.facebook.com/LCSMGroup to register for this and other upcoming workshops.

The workshop has a $10 admission fee to cover costs.

For more information or to reserve your spot, call Mark Rudiger at 707-987-1923.