NICE, Calif. – The Sons of Italy Nice will have a dinner dance on Saturday, Oct. 13.

Volunteer chefs will be cooking a delicious homemade meal in their Lake County lodge hall, located at 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

The meal will include Italian herb chicken, risotto, vegetable, salad, bread and dessert, plus coffee or tea.  

The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m., dinner starts at 6 p.m. then dancing to Jim Williams starts after the meal.

The cost will be $15 for everything.

 Everyone is welcome, no need to be a member.  

For information about this event, reserving a table or renting the hall please call 707-274-2244.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will meet on Thursday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.

The monthly meeting will take place in Lakeport at the Lake County Tax Service Office, 1210 S. Main in Lakeport, which is also the United Democratic Campaign Headquarters.

The agenda will contain reports from the elections, finance, issues, and elections committees, voter registration and updates on the recent annual legislator's barbecue.

Also on the agenda will be reports from representatives for Congressman Mike Thompson, Assemblyman Wes Chesbro and Sen. Noreen Evans, as well as reports from the Stonewall Democratic Club Chair Mark Wickhamshire and Lake County Democratic Club representative Paula Mune.  

Updates on the campaigns of Congressman John Garamendi and Assembly Member Mariko Yamada will be given by Wanda Harris and Becky Curry.

Wanda Quitiquit and Carol Bettencourt, headquarters coordinators, will give an update on sale of Obama signs, t-shirts, buttons and other memorabilia available for all Democratic Candidates in local and state races. Anyone wanting yard signs etc contact the Democratic phone at 707-533-4885.  

Satellite locations for material also located in Clearlake and Hidden Valley Lake.

Democratic Central Committee meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body of the Democratic Party in Lake County.

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

On Saturday an estimated 170,000 people, including many in California, will participate in the 18th annual National Public Lands Day.

Since 1994, nonprofits from across the country, as well as eight federal agencies, and state, regional and local governments have participated in the annual day of caring for public lands, making it the nation's largest single-day volunteer event for public lands.

“We’re thrilled that so many people are getting excited about improving and maintaining public lands,” said Sara Husby-Good, executive director and campaign coordinator of Tuleyome, a nonprofit located in Woodland and Napa, CA.

Husby added, “This is a beautiful place that is loved and utilized by so many people. We want these special lands to be protected for many future generations to enjoy.”

Tuleyome is working to designate the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a National Conservation Area.

If designated, the Berryessa Snow Mountain region will become part of the National Landscape Conservation System, for federally recognized areas that are considered the crown jewels of the American West.

The purpose of National Public Lands Day is to educate America about the need for shared stewardship of these valued, irreplaceable lands; build partnerships between the public sector and the local community based upon mutual interests in the enhancement and restoration of America's public lands; and improve public lands for outdoor recreation, with volunteers assisting land managers in hands-on work.

This year volunteers in every state visited parks, lakes, beaches, wildlife preserves and forests to help protect these special and wild lands that belong to all Americans. They improved and rehabilitated the lands and facilities for public use; such as recreation, education, and exercise.

Here in Northern California, a crowd gathered to improve the network of trails in the public lands of the Berryessa Snow Mountain region.

They worked on clearing a section of trails that will stretch from Pope Creek to Putah Creek in Napa County.

With abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hiking, biking, fishing, horseback riding, boating and swimming the area is already a prime, if little known, recreation destination. Just a stone’s throw away from Sacramento and the Bay Area, the public lands in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region are some of the most dazzling and diverse in the country.

Last year, National Public Lands Day contributed an estimated $17 million in volunteer services to public lands, which included planting about 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants, as well as building and maintaining approximately 1,500 miles of trails.

Volunteers also collected an estimated 23,000 pounds of invasive plants and removed about 500 tons of trash from trails and other places.

For more information about National Public Lands Day, please visit www.publiclandsday.org , or to learn more about protecting the public lands in the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region, visit www.berryessasnowmountain.org .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Branch 168 of the Sons In Retirement held its monthly luncheon on Friday, Sept. 14, at Lakeside Lanes and Family Fun Center in Lakeport.

This month’s guest speaker was Denise Johnson, victim advocate from the District Attorney’s Office’s Victim-Witness division.

Johnson described the various types of elder abuse that her office deals with throughout Lake County.

She pointed out that in addition to physical abuse, many seniors suffer from financial, psychological and verbal abuse.

The most important thing from her presentation was that if you suspect elder abuse you should contact her office at 707-262-4282 and they will look into it.

Sons In Retirement is a social organization for men of retirement age who are pursuing the goal of enjoying their later years. It has 142 branches with 18,000 members throughout the state.

Anyone interested in learning more about Sons In Retirement are encouraged to contact Larry Powers, chair of the membership committee at 263-3403 or to visit www.sirinc.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – To help fund service projects and activities in the fall and winter, Girl Scouts from around Lake County will be selling nuts and magazines through Nov. 18.

Just in time for holiday entertaining and gifts, the Girl Scout sale includes new Dark Chocolate Mint Penguins, Blueberry Pomegranate Crunch and Morning Mountain Mix, plus returning favorites Chocolate Toffee Almonds, Butter Toasted Peanuts, Caramel Treasures, Whole Cashews, Salsa Mix, Cranberry Nut Mix, Chocolate Covered Raisins, Honey Roasted Peanuts and Gummi Berries.

Subscriptions to your favorite print and digital magazines also available. The Fall Nut and Magazine Prices ranging between $4 and $8.

You also can donate snacks to the food bank or military through the Care to Give program.

To find a troop near you and arrange purchases, visit  www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/pages/product_sales/fall_sale.html .

The American Red Cross has launched its official Earthquake App, putting lifesaving information right in the hands of people who live in or who visit earthquake prone areas.

This free app – available in English or Spanish – is the third in a series created by the American Red Cross, the nation’s leader in emergency preparedness, for use on both iPhone and Android platforms.

The Earthquake App comes on the heels of the highly successful First Aid and Hurricane apps, which have been downloaded more than 1 million times.

“This newest app gives instant access to local and real-time information on what to do before, during and after earthquakes,” said Ellen Maremont Silver, communications director, Sonoma, Mendocino, and Lake Counties Red Cross. “Local residents will receive earthquake notifications and can monitor activity where other family and friends reside. People who do not live in earthquake-prone areas can have peace of mind knowing they’ll have instant information about loved ones.”

New “Shake Zone Impact Maps” show give users personalized local impact information to help them make crucial decisions.

Features of the app include:

• Earthquake notifications showing the epicenter, magnitude and intensity maps;
• One touch “I’m safe” messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm’s way;
• Options to view the app in English or Spanish based on user handset settings;
• Locations of open Red Cross shelters;
• Simple steps and checklists people can use to create a family emergency plan;
• Preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps, even without mobile connectivity;
• Information on events that may happen after earthquakes such as fires and tsunamis;
• Toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm; and
• Badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks.

Over the past three months, the Red Cross has made great strides in putting vital information in the hands of people who need it during emergencies.

More than 1 million people have downloaded the First Aid and Hurricane Apps. People have used the content in our First Aid App to control bleeding, care for broken bones and help people having seizures.

The Red Cross Hurricane App was used to find Red Cross shelters and to send “I’m safe” messages during Hurricane Isaac.

National Red Cross experts in health, safety and preparedness have thoroughly reviewed and field tested the information and advice provided in Red Cross apps.

“A recent Red Cross survey found that apps have tied social media as the fourth most popular way for people to get information during emergencies, making the Red Cross app development effort even more important,” added Silver.

The Earthquake App can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. Apps can help prepare people for disasters, but they are not a substitute for training.

Red Cross First Aid and CPR/AED training empowers people to know how to respond to emergencies in case advanced medical help is delayed. People can visit www.redcross.org/takeaclass for course information and to register.

The Red Cross responds to nearly 70,000 disasters each year and helps people get ready to respond to emergencies by providing these apps for free. The Red Cross needs the help of the public to continue this lifesaving effort.

People can make a donation to the Red Cross by going to www.redcross.org , texting REDCROSS to 90999 or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS. Information about the local Red Cross is available at www.arcsm.org .