LAKEPORT, Calif. – Want to run or volunteer in a disaster shelter? Free Red Cross classes in Lakeport teach you how.

American Red Cross is offering two free classes on how to run a disaster shelter.

Shelter Operations and Shelter Simulation will be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, April 11, and Tuesday, April 12, at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.

All interested people are invited to attend.

The shelter operations class, held on April 11, teaches how to effectively and sensitively operate emergency shelters while meeting the needs of people displaced by disasters.

Shelter simulation provides practice using the knowledge and skills needed to run a successful shelter.

The prerequisite for shelter simulation, held on April 12, is shelter operations.

Registration is required. To register, individuals should go to www.arcsm.org (click on “Take a Class”) or contact Joyce with name, address and phone at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-577-7603.

Since April 12 is the 150th anniversary of the attack on Fort Sumter, the discussion will focus on the political intrigue leading up the attack, the attack itself and the immediate consequences.

“No one was killed during the Sumter bombardment, but it triggered the final series of events that led to a war in which one in five American males between ages 16 and 40 were either killed or maimed,” according to presenter Phil Smoley.

The roundtable’s last meeting featured Dr. Bill Cornelison, a former Lake County superintendent of schools and a professor of history at Yuba College.

Dr. Cornelison’s presentation contrasted Abraham Lincoln with Jefferson Davis, the little known president of the Confederate States of America.

There were many similarities, including both being born in Kentucky, less than a year and 100 miles apart.

Both of their “first loves” died young, and both later married into well to do families. Lincoln had five children, Davis six, and both experienced the death of a son while serving as president. Both served in the Black Hawk War and in Congress.

Lincoln was opposed to slavery and was firm about not having it expand into the common territories, yet he was willing to preserve slavery wherever it existed because historians say he didn't believe the US Constitution allowed the government to ban slavery. He was a supporter of the colonization movement whereby former slaves would be relocated to areas outside the United States.

Davis believed that slavery was the best for both master and slave, and by most standards of the time, treated his slaves well. His plantation was in Mississippi, near Vicksburg, and by 1849, he owned 72 slaves.

While Lincoln received little formal education, Davis was able to attend some of the best schools, including the academy at West Point. He served with distinction in the war with Mexico, returning a hero.

Davis was elected to Congress, and then to the Senate. President Pierce appointed him secretary of war where he was instrumental in modernizing the army, the construction of the Capitol and the founding of the Smithsonian Institute.

“Many historians credit Davis as being the best secretary of war our nation ever had,” Cornelison said.

Davis was serving in the Senate when Mississippi seceded, so he resigned to return home to serve his native state. Later, he learned that he was made president of the newly formed Confederacy.

“He didn’t want to be president. He saw himself as a military leader and wanted to lead an army in the field,” Cornelison explained. “But he accepted the job and gave it his all for the next four years.”

Cornelison described many events of the war years that contrasted each man’s management style.

Each of their presidencies ended tragically, with Lincoln being assassinated, and Davis having to flee, hunted down like a criminal and thrown into prison in shackles.

He actually looked forward to his treason trial, believing he could prove in court what he lost on the battlefield. But all charges were dropped and he was released a free man. In 1978 his citizenship was restored by Congress.

Cornelison offered an intriguing “what if” scenario regarding the election of 1860.

Lincoln was able to win with less than 40 percent of the vote because the Democrats could not agree on a single candidate and split their vote.

Cornelison speculated that since Davis was considered a moderate prior to the war and had some popularity in some northern areas, if the other candidates pulled out and threw their support to Davis, he very well could have been elected president instead of Lincoln.

Following the presentation, the group had a robust roundtable discussion.

For more information about the roundtable, contact Phil Smoley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Zane Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

WILLOWS, Calif. – Starting Monday, April 4, personal use firewood permits will be available for purchase from the Mendocino National Forest.

Permits are $5 per cord of wood, with a minimum purchase of four cords for $20.

The permits are good through Dec. 31, 2011.

Use of firewood permits on the Covelo Ranger District is permitted through Nov. 30, 2011. The wood does not have to be cut at the same time.

All firewood removed must be dead and down. It is illegal to remove firewood from the National Forest without a valid permit, which must be purchased in person from one of the Mendocino National Forest offices.

If a person is unable to cut the wood themselves, they can obtain a third party authorization that will allow someone else to cut or gather the wood. However, the permittee must still purchase the permit in person.

The Mendocino National Forest only accepts cash or check as payment for firewood permits and sales are final, with no refunds. Permittees will receive tags and a map of the Forest.

Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of sudden oak death are in effect for Lake and Mendocino Counties.

Any firewood cut in these counties can only be transported into other SOD quarantine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.

Firewood permits can be purchased from the following offices:

Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office/Grindstone Ranger District Office

825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988

530-934-3316

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Stonyford Work Center

5171 Stonyford-Elk Creek Road, Stonyford, CA, 95979

530-963-3128

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1- 4:30 p.m.

Covelo Ranger Station

78150 Covelo Road, Covelo, CA 95428

707-983-6118

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Upper Lake Ranger Station

10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485

707-275-2361

Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Gathering firewood is important to many individuals and families surrounding the Mendocino National Forest. Following are some tips for a safer experience.

Plan your trip – check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes for spring and fall through winter cutting, water, emergency food, and the appropriate gear for the season when you are gathering firewood.

Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains. Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.

Keep vehicles on designated roads and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources.

If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over and taking a hike to look for wood, or turning around and finding a different area to cut your firewood.

As we enter fire season, be aware of fire restrictions or closure order than may be in place restricting where you can go. Make sure you have a spark arrester on chainsaws and any other mechanical equipment being used.

Make sure you are cutting firewood on the Mendocino National Forest and not from other federal, state or private lands.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino.

The March 2011 Local Cuisine Scene featured guest Chef Kathy Suzuki's sushi creations. Courtesy photo.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Shannon Michele of Cache Creek Catering and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting a monthly food and wine series featuring locally produced foods paired with select Lake County Wines.

The series is held from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the second Friday of each month. The per person cost is $15 and reservations are required.

The next event will be held on April 8.

March’s event was designed and prepared by guest chef Kathy Suzuki. The menu opened with Edamame followed by a seaweed cabbage salad.

The first pairing was Masago Gunkan Sushi with Dunsinberré Cellars Sparkling Cuveé Rouge followed by an assortment of sushi paired with Lake County Riesling [Devoto Vineyards] made by Hagafen Cellars. A ginger pear shooter followed as a dessert paired with Robledo Family Moscato.

April’s event will feature Rhone varietals opening with Shannon Ridge 2008 Roussanne paired with an arugula / mozzarella salad with Lemon Vinaigrette and Main Street Bakery crouton.

Sol Rouge’s Gypsy Rouge (a red blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Petite Sirah) will be paired with Shannon Ranch Clover-fed Lamb kebobs with rosemary, garlic and balsamic drizzle.

For additional event information and to make reservations, contact Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Lake County Wine Studio is located at 9505 Main St., Upper Lake.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Club will hold a regular meeting on Saturday, April 9, at noon in the Rose Room of the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center.

The public is always invited to the Democratic Club meetings.

Regular Lake County Democratic Club meetings are held on the second Saturday of the month at noon in the Rose Room of the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center.

The Senior Center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive, at the corner of 10th and Country Club Drive, in Lucerne.

Contact the Democratic Club of Lake County by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The next HazMobile event will be held Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16, at Upper Lake Community Park, 575 E. Highway 20, Upper Lake.

Hours will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Households can bring up to 15 gallons of toxic items free of charge.

Fees will be charged for amounts over 15 gallons.

Items that are accepted include paint, solvents, fuels, five-gallon propane tanks, pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, batteries, fluorescent light tubes (up to 60 linear feet) and other toxic materials that cannot be put in the trash.

Items that cannot be accepted include televisions, computer monitors, ammunition, explosives, radioactive materials or infectious wastes.

To learn how and where to properly dispose these items, please visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us or contact the Recycling Hotline at 707-263-1980.

HazMobile services are provided to residential households by the Integrated Waste Management Division of the Lake County Public Services Department and the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, (CalRecycle).

Businesses also are welcome to use this convenient service to properly dispose of hazardous waste and protect our environment, however, businesses must pay for this taxpayer-funded service and first make an appointment.

Business appointments can be made by calling the Mendocino County Solid Waste Authority, the contracted agency that provides this service in Lake County at 707-468-9786.