SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced that thousands of additional gas and electric customers may now be eligible to receive a discount on their monthly energy bill thanks to an adjustment in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program’s income qualifications.

With hot summer temperatures right around the corner, now is an ideal time for PG&E’s eligible customers to sign up for a discount on their energy bill.

Every year, the California Public Utilities Commission adjusts the maximum qualifying income levels for CARE to reflect current federal poverty guidelines.

The latest adjustment means more PG&E customers may now qualify for the program based on their pre-tax annual income, as follows:

Size of Household                         Previous Income                                       Guidelines New Income Guidelines

                                                     (June 1, 2009 -May 31, 2010)                  (June 1, 2010-May 31, 2011)

1 – 2                                             $30,500                                                   $31,300

3                                                   $35,800                                                   $36,800

4                                                   $43,200                                                   $44,400

5                                                   $50,600                                                   $52,000

6                                                   $58,000                                                   $59,600

Each additional person add        $7,400                                                     $7,600

On average, CARE saves households $46 per month on their gas and electric bill. Since the program's inception in 1989, PG&E customers enrolled in CARE have saved more than $3.7 billion on their energy bills.

Currently more than 1.4 million customers throughout PG&E's service area are enrolled in CARE. Thousands of additional households in Northern and Central California are eligible for CARE, but not yet enrolled.

Eligible PG&E customers can apply for CARE by going online to www.pge.com/care and be enrolled in the program within two business days. Customers may also enroll through the toll-free multi-lingual assistance line at (866) 743-2273. The discount will appear on their bill after a full billing cycle.

In addition to the CARE program, PG&E offers a host of other programs to assist customers during challenging economic times. PG&E's Breathe Easy Solutions™ help customers manage their energy costs when life brings financial challenges or unexpected changes. Additional details, as well as eligibility requirements and enrollment instructions, can be found at http://www.pge.com/myhome/customerservice/financialassistance/.

LAKE COUNTY – The new 2010 Lake & Mendocino Counties Senior & Disabled Resource Directory has just been released and is available at senior centers, public libraries, and social services offices throughout the both counties.

Provided courtesy of the Area Agency on Aging of Lake and Mendocino Counties and Community Care’s Senior Information & Assistance Program, this free directory provides valuable information on local resources for seniors.

It is also available online at www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org.

The Senior Information & Assistance Program, which operates out of Community Care’s central office in Ukiah, provides free information to Lake and Mendocino County seniors who have questions about area services to meet their needs.

Callers within the counties are invited to call toll-free 1-800-510-2020, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. From outside the county, dial 707-468-5132.

LAKE COUNTY – On Thursday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. listen to the KPFZ show “Women's Voices,” which will discuss this past Tuesday's primary election.

The show airs on 88.1 FM.

Thursday's guest will be District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing, who won reelection on Tuesday night.

Hosts Lenny Matthews, Rae Eby-Carl and Loretta McCarthy will discuss the local elections with Rushing.

The show encourages listeners to call in. The studio phone is 707-263-3435.

Pictured are Northshore Lions President Alan Mattern, Boys State Student Ben Mullin and Northshore Lion Alan Carson. Courtesy photo.

NORTHSHORE – The Northshore Lions Club has been busy with civic duties and would love to find some new members to continue the journey.

The group has already set up two personal eye exams and assisted with eye screenings in Upper Lake schools, helped fill holiday packages and sponsored a local Cub Scout troop.

The Northshore Lions Charity Bass Tournament, at Lucerne Harbor Park, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 19, to help with future project funding.

They will jump-start the eye screenings for second graders at Lucerne Elementary in the fall, too.

The group has a new mission to send a young man to Boys State in Sacramento. The high school program trains students to be great speakers with a civic attitude. The students get together at Sacramento State University for a weeklong experience in speech giving, political education and a visit to the state capital.

Each Northshore Lions Club program meeting, there is a raffle with proceeds going to the tuition.

The Boy State speaker, Ben Mullin from Upper Lake High School, proved during his speech that the program is wonderful.

The new Lions group meets every third Thursday at the Marina Grill in Nice at 6:30 p.m.

Call 707-274-9952 for more information.

LAKEPORT – The Kitchen Gallery is happy to present its first knife skills demo classes on Saturday, June 26, at 301 N. Main St., Lakeport.

Three classes are being offered throughout the day for your convenience starting at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The cost is $20 per person and includes the use of knives to practice with, a free cutting board provided that you can take home, and a store gift card in the amount of $15 that can be used on the day of the event.

Class overview is as follows: safety, workplace, body position, general technique, chef’s knife use, learn how to julienne, brunoise and mince, as well as use of Santoku knife and maintenance for all your knives.

Classes will be taught by Joel Kauffman, California, Nevada and Hawaii territory manager for Zwilling JA Henckels Corp.

Sign up now as space is limited to 12 people per class.

Call the Kitchen Gallery at 707-262-0422 for more information.