The team will meet at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 10, at the Narrows Lodge at Blue Lakes.

The morning's work will include tending and communication training.

Anyone interested in learning ore about the team is encouraged to attend; you don't need to be a diver to come out to the training.

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Fire Board Member Robert MacIntyre (right) presents an award to Fire Siren President Carol Olsen. Courtesy photo.

MIDDLETOWN – The South Lake County Fire Sirens received an award for their contributions to the fire district at their annual Installation of Officers Luncheon held on Jan. 8.

Robert MacIntyre, who is a fire district board member, presented the award on behalf of the South Lake County Fire Protection District Board of Directors.

The Fire Sirens is a group whose mission is to assist the South Lake County Fire District with funding for life-saving equipment. That means that their contributions directly help people in need.

Over the past five years the Fire Sirens have contributed nearly $40,000 to the fire district. This helped the fire district purchase such things as two-way radios, electronic heart defibrillators, modern backboards and much more.

One fire board member commented: “Our emergency personnel in the community believe this to be a huge benefit to those that live in the south county.”

The Fire Sirens also have a program called “The Vial of Life Project.” The program offers medication forms that people can fold up and store in an empty vial or pill bottle in the refrigerator, along with a bright red sticker for the door to alert emergency responders such as paramedics or firefighters. Fire Siren Babe Velellio manages this worthwhile program.

If you would like more information about the Fire Sirens, or the Vial of Life program, please contact Carol Olsen at 707-987-3405.

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The new Hopland roundabout. Courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

The event was well attended. Speakers included Charles C. Fielder, Caltrans District 1 director; Alan Escarda, Caltrans construction engineer; J. David Colfax, Mendocino County Board of Supervisors; Mark Graves, superintendent of North Bay Construction; and Stan Phernambucq, chief financial officer of Caltrop Corpn.

Also in attendance were representatives from United States Congressman Mike Thompson’s office, Assemblymember Patty Berg’s office, Sen. Pat Wiggins’ office, Mendocino Council of Governments, Mendocino County Transportation Department and Fetzer Vineyards.

This intersection had experienced 11 collisions during a five-year period, which is higher than the statewide average for similar intersections. Most were the result of motorists failing to negotiate the curve at the intersection of Route 175 and Old River Road. Speeding was the primary factor in over half of the collisions. There are a significant amount of left turns from Route 175 onto Old River Road. There is no left-turn pocket, so vehicles that wanted to proceed eastbound on Route 175 were required to wait for left-turning vehicles.

The traditional solution to enhance the safety at an intersection like this one would have been to add left-turn lanes and potentially, traffic signals. However, Caltrans also constructs roundabouts if they are a better solution than a traffic signal.

A roundabout was chosen because it has numerous advantages at this location, which include: a smaller footprint than a signalized intersection with left-turn lanes, so less new right-of-way was required; providing traffic calming, resulting in reduced speeds; requiring less maintenance, lower yearly operational costs, and a longer service life; providing a safe place for large trucks to safely turn around; and enhancing the roundabout with landscaping will create an aesthetic gateway to the community.

For more information on the advantages of roundabouts, and how to navigate them, see www.dot.ca.gov/dist1/d1projects/roundabout.htm.

The Thursday gathering officially marked the roundabout's completion. Courtesy of the Department of Transportation.

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Boundaries are still to be determined, but the NCA could potentially encompass about 800,000 acres from the Vaca Mountains in Solano County to the Snow Mountain Wilderness, and would include substantial portions of eastern Lake County.

Coordinated management between various public agencies, opportunities for public participation, and increased funding opportunities are among the anticipated benefits.

The meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday Jan. 19, in the Brick Hall on Main Street in Lower Lake.

UC Davis botanist Dr. Susan Harrison will provide the featured presentation: “Why is our region a hotspot of botanical diversity ... and what can we do to conserve it?” followed by a discussion of the NCA idea itself led by Tuleyome president Bob Schneider, with lots of maps, photos, and opportunities for questions and comments – refreshments, too.

The event is free and everyone is invited. Call Sierra Club Chair Victoria Brandon at 707-994-1931 for additional information, or visit the Lake Group Web site, http://redwood.sierraclub.org/lake.

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With almost 50 residents in attendance, Wanda Harris endorsed Hillary Clinton, Harold Riley spoke up for John Edwards, Shirley Howland stumped for Dennis Kucinich and Wendy White explained Barack Obama's position.

The monthly meeting was held at the Lucerne Senior Center on Saturday.

If you're interested in more information about the Lake County Democratic Club, visit www.lakecountydemocrats.org.

E-mail Terre Logsdon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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• After-school and summer programs focused on youth in grades four through eight;

• Parenting and social-skills training for parents;

• Emergency food and shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing programs; and

• Senior food and mental-health programs.

Applications are available on Jan. 15, with the submission deadline set for Feb. 25.

Please contact Chanda Zirkelbach, vice president of Community Impact, at 707-528-4485, Extension 110 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information and to learn how to access our online-application Web site.

There will be an applicant orientation on Feb. 1 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Transit Department Training Room 103, located at 45 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa.

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