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- Written by: Editor
Commissioners will meet via Zoom.
The meeting ID is 920 4364 5056, pass code is 392117 or join by phone by dialing 669-900-6833.
The public is encouraged to attend.
During this month's meeting, the commission will elect officers and discuss a presentation of the results of the 2021 Kindergarten Entry Developmental Profile report to be given by the commission’s evaluation consultant, Crystal Duarte. This report gives insights into how "ready" Lake County children were for kindergarten last fall as assessed by their teachers.
The commission this month also will welcome its newest member, Jonathan Portney, the new director of Health Services for Lake County, and the new First 5 executive director, Samantha Bond.
Other items on the agenda include approval of the November-December 2021 financial statements, review and approval or amendment of the First 5 Lake bylaws, and approval of the continuation of AB 361 resolution for teleconferenced meetings.
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- Written by: Janine Smith-Citron
LAKEPORT, Calif. — Hospice Services of Lake County has an immediate need for volunteers at thrift store locations in Lakeport, Clearlake and Middletown.
Volunteers play a vital role in the store operations including stocking merchandise, assisting customers with purchases at the cash register and accepting donations.
Stores are open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. with volunteers filling three- or four-hour shifts on the days of their choice.
Flexible shifts are available, and volunteers receive 25 percent discounts on merchandise as well as other incentives.
“Staff and volunteers incorporate CDC protocols throughout our store operations to prevent the spread of COVID,” said Hospice Services Executive Director Cindy Sobel, R.N. “We are committed to maintaining a safe environment for our volunteers, staff and customers. Plastic shields are installed at cash registers, counters and fixtures are regularly sanitized, staff and volunteers are vaccinated or tested weekly, masks are required, and social distancing encouraged. Customers are encouraged to mask up and we always have extra masks available for them.”
Volunteering at Hospice retail stores is a valuable opportunity for students wanting to learn job skills, build their resume, and fulfill community service hours.
Retirees and others find volunteering helps them stay active, productive, engaged with others while giving back to the community.
To learn more about volunteering at Hospice Services thrift stores or the many other volunteer opportunities at Hospice Services of Lake County, call Christy at 707-263-6222, Extension 104, or email her at
“Volunteers are essential in the operation of our thrift stores,” said Retail Sales Manager Melanie McCreary.
Training is provided, and stores are positive and supportive environments for individuals interested in giving back to their community.
Hospice Services thrift store revenue supports the Wings of Hope bereavement program serving children and families with camps and school-based grief counseling all around Lake County.
Journey through Grief support groups, individual counseling and drop-in groups also are provided at no charge to participants.
“Hospice Services has done so much for me personally, students, individuals and the community at large … and it is fun,” said retired teacher and thrift store volunteer Carolynn Jarrett. “I like to give back. During these uncertain times when there are so many needs, volunteering is a rewarding way to stay involved in the community.”
Hospice Services of Lake County provides high quality medical, emotional and spiritual care to help patients and their families navigate their end-of-life journeys.
For more information, call Hospice Services of Lake County, 707-263-6222.
Visit the organization’s website at www.lakecountyhospice.org.
Janine Smith-Citron is director of development for Hospice Services of Lake County.
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- Written by: Caltrans
The expansion comes after a successful pilot in the Sacramento and San Diego regions that added 230 new highway adoptions in just three months.
“Clean California is all about restoring pride in public spaces and making a difference in our communities,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “This incentive is designed to encourage and reward people for volunteering to pick up highway litter and beautify California’s roadways.”
Part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Comeback Plan, Clean California is a sweeping $1.1 billion multiyear effort to remove trash, create thousands of jobs and engage communities to transform roadsides into places of public pride.
Since July 2021, Caltrans has collected more than 5,600 tons of litter — enough to fill 103 Olympic-size swimming pools — and made more than 500 new hires and another 290 conditional job offers.
The Governor’s California Blueprint proposes $100 million to expand the Clean California Local Grant Program into 2023-24, which provides grants to cities, counties, transit agencies, tribal governments and other government agencies to beautify their communities and remove trash and debris.
Adopt-a-Highway volunteers help create cleaner and more beautiful roadsides by removing litter, planting trees and flowers, clearing graffiti, and thinning overgrown vegetation, and also help prevent litter and other pollutants from entering state waterways through stormwater drains.
Whether completed by an individual or group, Caltrans will award up to $250 per month for activities such as:
• $250 for clearing litter on both sides of a highway
• $62.50 for each ramp, or $250 for all four ramps
• Up to $250 for cleanup activities at other locations, such as along bike paths or park-and-ride facilities.
Caltrans will require volunteers to submit information — including date, location, amount of trash collected, number of volunteers, hours worked and pictures — following eligible cleanup activities to receive a payment. Adopt-A-Highway participants are limited to one payment a month.
There is no cost to participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program. As part of the program, Caltrans installs signs displaying the name of the person, family, organization, or business on all segments of the adopted highway.
Volunteers interested in participating in the Adopt-A-Highway Program can call 866-ADOPTAHWY (866-236-7824) or visit CleanCA.com for more information.
Since its inception in 1989, more than 120,000 Californians have cleaned and enhanced more than 15,000 shoulder-miles of roadside. The incentives augment the overall goals of the Clean California program by providing additional resources to maintain and beautify the state's roadways.
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- Written by: Editor
The event will be on Sept. 17 at the Mercantile by Shannon Family of Wines.
Visit the Lake County Wine Alliance website at www.winealliance.org to apply.
The deadline is May 1, 2022.
For more information, contact Marie at telephone 707-489-9226 or email