The event will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the The Lodge at Blue Lakes, 5135 W. Highway 20.

There will be complimentary food, a no host bar and live music.

The federal credit is worth up to $5,657 for the 2009 tax year.

“Taxpayers who claim the credit today could receive a check before the holiday season,” said Chiang. “The Earned Income Tax Credit can make a tremendous difference to working Californians.”

The State Controller, who chairs California’s Franchise Tax Board (FTB), last year asked the tax agency to work more closely with the federal government to improve delivery of the EITC.

A recent study by the New America Foundation estimates that one in five eligible California taxpayers do not take advantage of the credit, leaving approximately $1.2 billion unclaimed.

The FTB has formed a working partnership with the State Controller’s Office and the IRS to explore other ways of informing eligible taxpayers about the benefits of the EITC. This mailing, which includes 46,000 letters statewide, is the first action to come from that working partnership.

The letters are going to individuals who appear to be eligible for the credit but did not claim it on their 2009 federal income tax returns. The credit is available to many workers and self-employed individuals whose incomes were under $49,000 in 2009.

Chiang also coordinates volunteer tax-filing assistance each year for California taxpayers who are eligible for the EITC. In the past four years, these efforts have helped more than 2,500 taxpayers claim $3 million in credits and refunds.

The IRS letters include everything taxpayers need to claim their credit, including a worksheet that can take the place of an amended return. Taxpayers who want help filling out the forms can call the IRS at (800) 829-1040. The IRS will verify the information provided and send taxpayers checks directly. Taxpayers can find more information on credit eligibility at www.irs.gov.

Taxpayers earning less than $42,000 in calendar year 2008, or less than $40,000 in calendar year 2007, should also check their returns to see if they qualified for this credit in either of those years. Taxpayers can file amended returns to claim past years’ credits.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The year 2011 will mark the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, the sesquicentennial of the conflict, and a local group is forming a Civil War roundtable to help mark the commemoration locally.

The first meeting of the Lake County Civil War Roundtable is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, at 901 S. Main St., Lakeport. Everyone is welcome.

While for most people it may seem like ancient history, there are still millions of Americans alive today who had contact with those that were alive during The War.

The last Civil War veterans did not pass away until the 1950s, and it is believed that a widow of a Confederate soldier is still alive (a product of a teenage bride to an octogenarian during the Depression).

In addition, the impact of The War continues to resonate today in our politics, culture and race relations.

“No one can fully understand what is going on in today’s America without a firm grasp on what happened then,” according to Phil Smoley, one of the founders of the Lake County Civil War Roundtable (LCCWR).

“People may not realize it, but we are still battling many of the same issues that brought about the Civil War,” Smoley said. “The end of the shooting did not necessarily mean the end of the argument. Our discussions will include the full range of issues that brought on the war, including States Rights, economics, and slavery.”

The War caused more than 600,000 deaths, and several American cities were virtually wiped out.

“An equivalent impact today would be to have an event that killed over 6 million people in this Country. It was devastating,” according to LCCWR co-founder Zane Jensen. “There were over 50 major battles fought and 5000 skirmishes from Arizona to Vermont. On the oceans, ships battles all around the world, from the North Pacific and the Indian Ocean, to the English Channel and Brazil. These battles are full of stories of heroism, courage, patriotism, ingenuity, and even romance. We want to cover some of these actions and how they affected the outcome of The War.”

Many important 150 year anniversaries have already came and went, including the Dred Scott Decision (March 2007), John Brown’s Raid (October 2009), and the more recently, the election of 1860 (this month).

“Each of these events were major contributors to the cause of The War,” Jensen explained. “One of our goals is to report on significant events as they reach their Sesquicentennial.’

Jensen and Smoley are both amateur historians who share a passion on all things related to the Civil War.

Jensen is a history teacher in Lakeport who recently completed an extensive battlefield tour. Smoley is a real estate broker and current president of the Lake County Historical Society.

“Lake County was created just as The War commenced and played very little into it. However, California played a significant part in The War, and we hope to discuss that in depth,” Smoley stated.

The goals of the LCCWR include having monthly robust discussions on chosen topics, and investigate ways to assist Lake County students and teachers in learning more about the Civil War period.

“Bringing a Civil War reenactment to Lake County would be something we want to look at,” according to Jensen.

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at 707-264-4905, or Zane Jensen at 707-349-6546.

The event will be held from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 4, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5.

The faire will feature local vendors.

Twin Pine Casino is located on Highway 29 at Rancheria Road outside of Middletown.

On Wednesday, Dec. 1, TLC will host a free talk entitled, “Building Local Resilience: an Intro to the Transition Model,” featuring Scott McKeown, a founding member of Transition Sebastopol, the eighth official Transition Town in the US.

The Wednesday event will consist of a 60-minute presentation on the basics of the Transition model, plus a question and answer time with the audience.

The event is free and open to the public, and will begin at 7 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and there will be snacks and drinks available, as well as a chance to sign up for TLC’s Training 4 Transition.

The Training 4 Transition event is a weekend-long workshop that will give local citizen-leaders an opportunity to learn about the Transition model in greater depth, and to explore together what transitioning means here in our local context of Lake County.

The Training 4 Transition (T4T) will be held at Ann Card’s barn (“The Barn”) at 8971 Hwy 175 in Kelseyville.

The T4T will take place the first weekend in December., Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 5. The hours of the workshop are Friday evening 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be approximately 40 participants in this workshop, mostly composed of local citizen-leaders involved in the Transition Lake County effort, but also including a few out-of-town visitors from Quincy, and a other towns where local citizens are interested in coming together to build community resilience.

The Training 4 Transition will be facilitated Scott McKeown and Shaktari Belew, instructors from Transition US, a national nonprofit that supports and connects the growing number of Transition Towns nationwide.

There are currently more than 100 official Transition Towns in the US, and countless more worldwide. The Transition Movement is a vibrant, grassroots movement that seeks to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis.

It represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected. Those involved with the movement believe that society can make the transition to a more sustainable world.

Transition Lake County (TLC) was begun in the summer of 2010, as a citizen-led effort to build community resilience and co-create new ways to meet our needs locally. Since its founding, TLC has hosted numerous community events and “Open Space” potluck meetings on the fourth Sunday of each month, where local citizen-leaders have come together to engage in this transition process from their place of passion.

TLC has facilitated the growth of several working groups intended to address the most important areas of this movement toward local resilience, including Local Economy Working Group, Time Bank of Lake County, Local Food Working Group, Local Farmer Support Group, Energy Security Working Group, Community Mapping, Re-Skilling, Clean Water, Transportation, Clear Lake and Environment, Holistic Health, Heart and Soul, and many more.

Past TLC potlucks have had great turnout, with attendance numbering anywhere from 30 to 125 – and an estimated 250 people showed up for TLC’s 10/10/10 Community Celebration in Clearlake in October.

TLC’s next 4th Sunday Potluck with a Purpose will be held on Sunday, Nov. 28, at the Lake County International Charter School in Middletown, 15850 Armstrong St., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. All are welcome to attend this free event.

More information about TLC and these upcoming events are available online at www.transitionlakecounty.org and also on the Transition Lake County page on Facebook.

For more information, call Nils and Karen at 707-928-0159 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Wednesday, Nov. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 28, in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Projects below marked with ** are exceptions to that suspension.

However, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary for Caltrans Maintenance forces to respond to emergency situations.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 175

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from the Lake/Mendocino County line to Mathews Road on Monday, Nov. 22, and Tuesday, Nov. 23. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Replacement of signal heads from the junction of Routes 1/20 to Manzanita Street will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Republic ITS of Novato.

Highway 20

– AT&T of Sacramento has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Summer Lane on Friday, Nov. 19. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 101

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from the El Roble Overcrossing to 2.3 miles north of Reeves Canyon Road will continue. Work hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

– PG&E of Eureka has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs from Reeves Canyon Road to 0.6 mile south of Uva Drive Friday, Nov. 19, through Tuesday, Nov. 23. Work hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Southbound traffic will be restricted to one lane. On Friday, Nov. 19, southbound lanes will also be intermittently closed. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from 2.2 miles south of Ridgewood Ranch Road to 1.0 mile north of Reynolds Highway will continue. Work hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

** – Pavement striping from Steel Lane to 2.5 miles south of Rattlesnake Summit will continue Friday, Nov. 19, through Wednesday, Nov. 24. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Mercer-Fraser Co. of Eureka.

** – Emergency diesel cleanup just north of the Bridges Creek Bridge will begin Friday, Nov. 19. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from the Rock Creek Bridge to the Bridges Creek Bridge will continue. Work hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

Highway 222

– Replacement of the Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays during work hours and five-minute delays at other times. Contractor – CC Myers of Rancho Cordova.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).