How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Letters
- Details
- Written by: Melissa Hendrick
Wednesday morning, I was getting coffee at a Lucerne gas station when I accidentally left my ATM card on the counter.
A stranger tracked me down in the store and returned my card, stating that his had been stolen before in the past and he “wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”
Later that day, my husband took our 1-year-old son to Safeway to do some grocery shopping.
As he was loading our son back into the car, he must have gone on “auto pilot” and just gotten into the car himself, driving away leaving our groceries in the cart in the parking lot.
He didn’t realize it until he got home, and rushed back to Safeway. Again, an angel had found our cart and turned it in to the service desk, without a single item missing from it.
That night, my husband noticed his cell phone was missing. Figuring he left it in the car or some other safe place, we went to bed.
The next morning I received a call on my cell phone from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, who stated that a gentleman just dropped off a cell phone he found in the street. They went through the contacts and found my number to let someone know they had it.
It isn’t often that we have days this disorganized, but it’s sure nice to know that there are still people in this county who will do the honest thing because they genuinely care about others. I’d like to thank those three people for a wonderful end to a day that could have been disastrous without their kindness.
Melissa Hendrick lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Lee Loban and Melissa Kinsel
Grateful. That's the word that sums up how we feel about the success experienced at Cirque du SoLake on Thursday, Aug. 22.
From feeling appreciative to all those giving souls who took the time and spent the effort to be there and help in so many meaningful ways, to feeling almost overwhelmed with thanks at the show of generosity from our sponsors and our bidders, to a general sense of wonder at all those who turned out, turned it on, and came with open hearts, minds, and yes, wallets.
Over 150 people came out to support the hospital and enjoy some circus-themed entertainment while bidding in a live and silent auction and helping themselves to assorted refreshments.
It appears that our community is responding enthusiastically to improvements taking place at St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake (SHCL), as over $54,000 was raised to top off our Building for the Future: Emergency Department Expansion Campaign.
Beth Havrilla, owner of Lake Event Design, did an absolutely extraordinary job getting our colorful “big top” look just right. Twin Pine Casino & Hotel’s Event Center staff was extremely accommodating through the entire process, and Tina Chiotti lent a spectacular a spectacular flower arrangement from Middletown Florist & Gifts that went perfectly with our “cirque” theme.
Our emcee, Tony Barthel, and auctioneer, Donnie Schwartz, rivaled the entertainers from Picklewater Circus for amusement points.
Special guest of the evening, Jim Robello, was honored for his instrumental role in the SHCL Campaign Cabinet. Overall, we couldn’t be more pleased.
Our sponsors included the following: Brassfield Estate Winery, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Lionakis, REACH Air Medical Services, Coyote Valley Pharmacy, Verihealth, California Medical Group, Burns Valley Mall, Lake Event Design, CALSTAR, Dr. Bruce Anderson, Helmer & Sons, Josette Brault, Mendo Mill & Lumber Company, Nurses and Professional Healthcare, Pound Management, WestAmerica Bank, Jim Gamble, Advanced Communication Systems, Advanced Electronic Security Systems, CMRE, Credit Bureau Ukiah, Raymond Choy, Redbud Health Care District, Trinchero Family Estates, Pauline Usher, Dr. I. Kim, Xerox, Trane, Lake County Courier, Triage Consulting Group, Action Sanitary and Aggie Berry.
Wine was generously donated by Laujor Estate Winery, Moore Family Winery, Mt. Konocti Winery, Six Sigma Ranch & Vineyard and Vigilance Winery.
Our donors included Angel’s Rockhouse, Bass Fishin’ with Richard, Kim Beller, Lorena Bowers, Brassfield Estate Winery, Laura Buckner, Calistoga Balloons, Ceago Winegarden, Claremont Resort & Spa, Chacewater Wine & Olive Mill, Cobb Mountain Golf Club, Angie and Jeff Conley, Crazy Creek Air Adventures, Cuvaison Winery, Dawson Studios, Dr. Paula Dhanda and John Clarke, Darling Desserts, Disneyland Resort, Edgelight Productions, Gary’s Fabulous Finds, Tammy and Troy Harbison, Hidden Valley Lake Golf Club, Hidden Valley Laser & Skincare, JT Couture, KNBR, Langtry Estate Winery, Laujor Estate Winery, Tom Lincoln, Lee Loban, Steve Lundin, Bill Macdougall, Manzanita Restaurant, Merci Hoskins Yoga, Middletown Florist & Gifts, Middletown Jazzercise, Valerie and Dan Moberg, Napa Valley Balloons, Napa Valley Country Club, Owen Ranch, Joan and Fred Poucher, Park Place Restaurant, Prager Port Works, REACH Air Medical Services, Jim Robello, Smith’s Trout Farm, David and Denise Santos, Saw Shop Restaurant, Sherwin Family Vineyard, Six Sigma Ranch & Vineyards, Ken Stanton, Tallman Hotel, Mike and Jan Thompson, Tea Rose Landscaping, The Bunk House, Thorn Hill Winery, Jen and Jim Totten, Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, US Food Service, Amber Warner, Wildhurst Winery, Steve Williams, Without a Net, Woody’s Café Grill & Pub, Vincent Arroyo Winery, Vista del Lago and 2 Women Traders.
Volunteers Bridget Sholin, Debbie Mulcahy, Heather Mackenzie, Jon Minadeo, Kathy Graydon, Melanie Walker, Michelle Van Hoff, Pat Bright, Peggy Foster, Pete Landini, Sinda Knight and Tammy Harbison were incredible. They were all so professional, anticipating and responding to needs before any issues developed.
From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU to all who helped make Cirque du SoLake a success!
Lee Loban and Melissa Kinsel work in the Development Department of St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake in Clearlake, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Phil Smoley
Many Lake County residents are upset with last week's Press Democrat article (“Health report shows Lake County's death rate is twice the state average”) that claims that the death rate in Lake County is twice the state's average.
The implication being put forth is that people are dying in droves in Lake County due to lack of adequate health care, too many obese people, smoking, drinking, drugs, etc.
A superficial review of this article would scare anyone from considering moving here, and make those of us who live here to consider getting out quickly to save ourselves.
However, before anyone starts making moving plans, a more careful analysis of this article is in order.
Let me start with an example. Compare two hypothetical towns. One has the best health care in the world, the cleanest air and water, no crime, no drug abuse, safe roads. But every resident is over 85. The other town has smog, poor health care, high crime, drugs abuse, and bad roads, but every resident is under 25. Which one do you think might have the higher death rate?
Obviously, unless the second town's pathologies were so severe to create abnormally high mortality, most people would agree that the first town with nothing but very elderly people would have the higher death rate, in spite of all the benefits of living where they are.
With this in mind, consider the comparison of Lake County's death rate to that of the rest of the state.
The article itself states correctly that the percentage of residents in Lake County over the age of 65 is nearly 20 percent. But note that it does not mention the percentage of people in California over the age of 65. And what is that percentage? Less than 11 percent.
Thus, Lake County has nearly twice the percentage of people who are over 65, the group which has the highest death rate of any age group anywhere in the world!
Why the omission? Was it an intentional attempt to smear Lake County, or was it done innocently due to stupidity?
Either way, it portrayed Lake Country incorrectly and unfairly. Shame on the Press Democrat for allowing such a distortion to be run as reasoned fact.
Any high school statistician knows the writer of this article should have taken the time to adjust for the age factor prior to drawing such an overblown and inaccurate conclusion. Age adjusting a rate is a way to make fairer comparisons between groups with different age distributions.
Any fair-minded person realizes that a county with a higher percentage of elderly people would likely have a higher rate of death when compared to another county, region or state with a much younger population simply because an elderly population is more likely to die and suffer from poor health.
The Press Democrat owes the people of Lake County an apology and a retraction for this grossly negligent article.
Does Lake County have issues? Sure we do. But we have the cleanest air in the state, something the Press Democrat failed to mention, along with some of the best bass fishing in the world.
The question is, why do retirees disproportionately choose Lake County to enjoy their golden years instead of Sonoma County? Only 12.6 percent of Sonoma County is over 65, compared to nearly 20 percent for Lake County.
Why is Sonoma County's elderly percentage so small? Are they killing off their elderly? Is it such a bad place to live that as soon as they retire they get the heck out of there?
Sounds like a scandal. Maybe our local press should investigate that.
Phil Smoley is a Realtor. He lives in Lakeport, Calif.
- Details
- Written by: Heather Conlin
The Lake County Winery Association (LCWA) would like to express its sincere thanks to the following businesses and individuals who supported this year’s Wine Adventure weekend.
For event sponsorship, we send thanks to Twin Pine Casino & Hotel.
For donations to the raffle packages and prizes, our gratitude is expressed to Beaver Creek Winery, Blue Wing Saloon / Tallman Hotel, Brassfield Estate, Bullion Creek, Cache Creek Catering, Cache Creek Vineyards, Ceago Vinegarden, Chacewater Winery & Olive Mill, Disney Water Sports, Featherbed Railroad B&B, Finch Gardens B&B, Fore Family Vineyards, Robinson Lake Vineyard, Gregory Graham Vineyards, Herb Gura, Hawk and Horse Vineyards, Judy’s Junction Restaurant, Lake County Land Trust / Brad Barnwell, Lake County Wine Studio, Lakeport English Inn, Langtry Estate & Vineyards, Laujor Estate Winery, The Lodge at Blue Lakes, Moore Family Winery, Noggle Gardens, Noggle Vineyards & Winery, Olof Cellars, Park Place Restaurant, Pine Cone Cabin/ Lake County Vacation Rentals [Bill and Kim McCulloch], Red Lava Wines, Robledo Family Winery, Rosa d'Oro Vineyards, Saw Shop Gallery Bistro, Shannon Ridge, Shed Horn Cellars, Six Sigma Ranch and Vineyard, Sol Rouge Vineyard, Soper Reese Community Theatre, Steele Wines, Suite on Main Loft / Brian Fisher, Thorn Hill Vineyards, Twin Pine Casino & Hotel, Vigilance Winery & Vineyards, Wildhurst Vineyards,
We thank all of the 2013 participating Lake County Wineries. Without their commitment to LCWA and to the Lake County Wine Adventure, this event would not exist: Beaver Creek Vineyards & Winery, Bell Hill Vineyards, Brassfield Estate, Bullion Creek, Cache Creek Vineyards, Ceago Vinegarden, Chacewater Winery, Cougar’s Leap Winery, Don Angel Cellars, Fore Family Vineyards, Glamazon/Robinson Lake Vineyard, Gregory Graham Vineyards, Hawk and Horse Vineyards, Langtry Estate & Vineyards, Laujor Estate Winery, Moore Family Winery, Mt. Konocti Winery, Noggle Vineyards & Winery, Olof Cellars, Red Lava Wines, Robledo Family Winery, Rosa d’Oro, Shannon Ridge, Shed Horn Cellars, Six Sigma Ranch and Vineyards, Sol Rouge Vineyards & Winery, Steele Wines, Thorn Hill, Twin Pine Off The Vine, Vigilance Winery & Vineyards and Wildhurst Vineyards.
We would also like to express our appreciation to the 2013 Wine Adventure Chair, Cheryl Lucido and volunteers Valerie Ramirez, Susan Feiler and JoAnn Schwartz, and to the numerous volunteers who organize and orchestrate the Lake County Wine Adventure.
In closing, our final applause and encore goes to the wine adventure seekers – thank you for supporting this annual event with your attendance and the attendance of your family and friends from near and far.
LCWA is an all-volunteer organization promoting agritourism and awareness of Lake County as a premier and award-winning wine and winegrape producing region. For more information please visit us at www.lakecountywineries.org.
Heather Conlin is executive director of the Lake County Winery Association, based in Lake County, Calif.