The meeting, which begins at 6 p.m., will be held at Riviera Hills Restaurant, 10200 Fairway Drive, Kelseyville.

For more information call Kevin, 707-277-7575, or Randy, 707-262-1217.

LAKE COUNTY – Ever thought of running for office? Know a woman who you think would make an excellent candidate?

Emerge California is recruiting for the 2010 class. Emerge California is a nonprofit political training program for Democratic women from Northern California who are interested in running for elected office.

The Emerge California program provides Democratic women in the Bay Area with a unique opportunity to get hands-on training in running for elected office.

Program members receive training in campaigns and elections, public speaking, fundraising, network and coalition building, ethics and legislative process. They also get the chance to meet, interact with and be mentored by local women politicians.

Many of the program graduates have gone on to run for elected office already, and acknowledge the importance of the Emerge program. Sonoma County's newest supervisor, Shirlee Zane, is an Emerge graduate.

There have been seven classes totaling more than 160 alumnae and among them, there have been approximately 50 runs for public or party office, an almost 50% win rate (with at least six more running in November 2009), and nearly 60 appointments to boards and commissions.

Emerge seeks Democratic women from eleven Northern California counties (Alameda, Contra Costa, Sacramento, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano and Sonoma) who have political leadership experience or potential, meaningful community involvement and an interest in running for elected office.

Emerge is committed to embracing diversity at every level (race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, geographic, socio-economic, profession, etc). For more information about Emerge California, please visit the website at www.emergeca.org .

It’s a known fact – women tend not to self-nominate for elected office. If you know someone who would make a great elected official, please encourage them to attend one of the following informational sessions where they’ll hear from alumnae and the executive director details about the application process and the program. They can feel free to attend any of the information sessions below, regardless of what county they live in.

If they do not live in any of the counties listed below, they can attend a session that is most convenient for them:

• SONOMA County: Monday, Aug. 17, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., North Bay Labor Council, 2525 Cleveland Ave., Suite A, Santa Rosa;

• SANTA CLARA County: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., 125 Fox Ave., San Jose;

• SACRAMENTO County: Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., 1121 L St., Sacramento;

• SOLANO County: Thursday, Aug. 20, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., 4254 Green Acres Court, Fairfield;

• MARIN County: Monday, Aug. 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kathleen Russell Consulting, 1346 Fourth St.., San Rafael;

• ALAMEDA County: Tuesday, Aug. 25, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Center for Community Dispute Settlement (CCDS), 291 McLeod St. (at Third), Livermore;

• SAN MATEO County: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., IBEW 617, 1701 Leslie Street, San Mateo.

• CONTRA COSTA County: Thursday, Aug. 27, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., 3731 St. Francis Drive, Lafayette.

• SAN FRANCISCO County: Monday, Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., 131 Steuart St., Suite 300, San Francisco.

Applications are available at http://emergeca.org/application on the Emerge California Web site.

All applications must be submitted by Sept. 21. Finalists will be invited to attend interviews Nov. 7. Sessions begin in December.

SAN FRANCISCO – A new study from AAA finds a shocking number of mature drivers are unaware of the dangers of driving while under the influence of medication, and the problem gets worse with age.

The study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety surveyed drivers 56 and older. The study finds 78 percent of those with a medical condition use one or more medications. However, only 28 percent were aware those medications could potential impact their driving performance.

The study further showed that only 18 percent received a warning from a healthcare professional about the medications possibly impairing their driving. Additionally, the study found that even if a person has multiple medications or health conditions, this doesn’t increase their chances of being warned by a healthcare professional.

Commonly used medications that can impair driving behavior include ACE inhibitors, beta blockers and sedatives. Previous research shows using just one potentially impairing medication can increase a driver’s risk of being in a crash.

The survey used data from those aged 56 to 93. It shows the awareness of medications that could impair driving decreased with age, while the number of prescription medications people were taking increased with age. Of those surveyed, 69 percent use one or more medications that could impair their driving, and 10 percent use five or more medications that could impair their driving.

“Health care professionals need to educate patients about medications that could potentially impair driving to help them make safe driving decisions,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “One of our goals is to help older drivers stay mobile as long as safely possible. So, it is imperative that we do a better job of educating drivers on known risks, such as the side‐effects of medications.

By 2030, the number of drivers 55 years of age and older is expected to increase by more than half. That means the issue of medications impacting driving will only grow unless measures are taken to increase awareness. Potentially high‐risk groups include those with multiple medical conditions, those taking multiple medications, and those with less education about the overall risks.

“Seniors and their families need to be aware of health and wellness issues which can affect their ability to drive safely,” said Skryja. “By using the tools and resources available at www.aaa.com/seniordrivers , families can identify and address these issues to help maintain safe mobility throughout their lives.”

AAA Northern California offers a wide array of automotive, travel, insurance, DMV, financial services and consumer discounts to nearly 4 million members. AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers since it was founded more than 100 years ago.

LAKE COUNTY – “How far we’ve come in 10 years: An update on the reemerging Lake County wine industry” is the exciting and informative program at the next Middletown Luncheon Club meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at noon.

Updates will be given by Lake County Winery Association’s executive director, Monica Rosenthal, the Lake County Winegrape Commission and by Margaret Walker-Stimmel of the Lake County Wine Alliance.

The Middletown Luncheon Club meets at noon at the social hall of the Middletown Methodist Church, 15833 Armstrong at Washington, Middletown.

Lunch is only $5 per person.

Lunch this month will be prepared by Catholic Charities’ Rural Food Cupboard. All programs are open to the general public.

Reservations are requested this month but are not absolutely necessary. Call 707-928-9812 to reserve.

If you don’t know about the Middletown Luncheon Club (MLC), here is the perfect opportunity to tap into the 108 year continuum of community and fun.

MLC meets every third Wednesday of the month from January through November. A nonprofit organization is selected to provide lunch, and there is a different program each time to keep things lively and informative.

For more info on the MLC, contact Helen Whitney, 707-928-9812.

Girl Scouts gathered at the Taylor Observatory on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009. Photo courtesy of Taylor Observatory.

Forty NorCal Girl Scouts (grade sixth through 12) and adult chaperones participated in a barbecue, classroom activities, a planetarium show, telescope viewing and a Perseids meteor shower party.

The meteor shower party included camp fire pits to roast marshmallows for their s’mores while they watched the meteor fireworks in the sky. The Friends of Taylor Observatory provided the barbecue and s’mores. Kelseyville Lumber and Piedmont Lumber helped by discounting the cost of the fire pits.

Observatory Assistants Edward Giannelli and Stephen Kane were there to assist the girls with understanding sky maps, identifying constellations and telescope viewing of deep sky objects. Not only did the girls and their chaperones have a great time, Taylor Observatory helped fulfill several of the requirements necessary for the Girl Scouts to earn their Space Exploration Interest Project Award.

All girls, grades fourth through sixth, are invited to register with the Girls Scouts and join the campout at Taylor Observatory in an upcoming event on Oct. 10. Junior Girl Scouts will be earning the Sky Search Badge and Cadettes in 6 th grade will earn the Space Exploration Interest Project.

Anyone interested in participating, should contact Michelle Meese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or register online at http://www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/pages/events/event.html?id=1526 .

Taylor Observatory-Norton Planetarium, a program of the Lake County Office of Education, holds public events on the third Saturday of each month from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The observatory is available for school groups, scout groups, birthday parties and other private functions. Call 707-262-4121 or visit www.taylorobservatory.org for more information.

The Friends of Taylor Observatory are, from left, Hans Dobusch, Walt Lyon, Kathy Windrem, Michelle Buell and Dave Geck, Lake County Office of Education superintendent. Photo courtesy of Taylor Observatory.

The event helped Girl Scouts earn badges. Photo courtesy of Taylor Observatory.

The first algae volunteer committee meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at Main Street Bar & Grill, 14084 Lakeshore Dr., Clearlake.

Clearlake City Council member Joyce Overton said 15 people have signed up to take part so far, which she said is a great start.

Anyone is interested in joining the group or attending is asked to call Overton at 707-350-2898 or Dian Gibson at 707-994-6642.