LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A local family is in need of assistance after the sudden death of one of its members.

Brenda Sanders Iversen of Lakeport died unexpectedly on May 27 at the age of 42.

Her family needs help with burial costs, and a bank account has been set up to help cover expenses.

More information can be found at her memorial Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/brendasandersiversen.memorial .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Star Chapter 442 will hold a motorcycle ride on Saturday, June 8.

The club is heading for the coast, and the weather is predicted to be outstanding.

Meet at Hillside Honda at 460 S. Main St. in Lakeport at 9 a.m. Kickstands go up at 9:30 a.m.

The group will ride out Highway 29 to Highway 175, then over the Hopland Grade to Highway 128.

They will travel through Boonville and Little River to gorgeous Mendocino, where they will stop for lunch.

Riders will return to Lake County via Comptche, turning off on Highway 128 to come back through beautiful country to Lake County.

As always, all makes and models of bikes and all licensed and insured riders are welcome.

Visit the group's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Star-Chapter-442/146399068773126?fref=ts .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Local author Shay R. Jensen will give a reading at Watershed Books on Friday, June 7.

The reading will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Jensen will read from, and talk about, his book, “Raising Kick-Ass Girls, A Father's Perspective.”

Jensen describes his book as “more of a manual and guidebook ... covering 19 areas from infancy through the teen years ... All of [my daughters] are optimistic, strong, productive, and don't let other people push them around ... I realized that I had quite a bit to do with this phenomenon.”

Join them for good conversation and refreshments.  

Watershed Books is located at 305 N. Main St. Call 707-263-5787 for more information.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In efforts to offer a wider variety of organic food products to its customers, Lake Co-op announced it now offers locally grown and regionally processed wheat flour from Clover Creek Farm of Upper Lake and regionally produced organic artisan cheeses and butter from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese of Petaluma.

These products and more are now available for home delivery or delivery to one of 12 drop points throughout Lake County, as well at at Lake Co-op's overage site at 307 N. Main St. in Lakeport on Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
 
Clover Creek Farm, owned and operated by Thurston Williams and Annelle Durham, began offering their non-certified organic Hard Red Spring wheat flour through the Co-op in March.

The small batch production coupled with the slow, stone milling of the whole wheat berry gives rise to a high protein and rich flavored flour unique to artisan grown and processed flours.
 
Grain production in Lake County is seeing a renaissance with the help of Clover Creek Farm, Bio Farm, Full Moon Farm and Love Farm. They are members of the recently formed Lake County Grain and Legume Association.

Clover Creek also is growing oats with the intention of offering these products to Lake County residents as an effort to strengthen our local food system. As well, the Lake County Grain and Legume Association offers custom harvesting with their combine.
 
The Clover Creek Farm flour is processed in Mendocino County through the Mendocino Grain Project and can be purchased in five-pound bags from Lake Co-op.
 
Spring Hill Jersey Cheese is a certified organic, handcrafted, artisan estate cheese from the Spring Hill Farm division of the Petaluma Creamery.  

The homestead cheese is made from the milk of owner Larry Peter's herd of pasture-grazed Jersey cows on the Spring Hill Dairy just west of Petaluma in Sonoma County.

Founded in 1913, the Petaluma Creamery has been an integral part of the farming community in Sonoma County.
 
Spring Hill Farm has a wide array of cheese varieties. Lake Co-op received samples from local musician Don Coffin, who is the cousin of owner Larry Peter and the Lake County representative for Spring Hill Farm products.

After customers sampled various flavors, Lake Co-op ran a survey of their customers to glean the top three flavors they would like to have available through their online ordering site at www.lake.coop . Spring Hill's award winning White Cheddar was the most popular with Monterey Jack and Smoked Cheddar close behind.

Lake Co-op began offering those Spring Hill products in April of this year and received a resounding thumbs up from its customers. They now also offer creamy Spring Hill organic European style butter. For more information on Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, visit www.springhillcheese.com .
 
Lake Co-op is celebrating five years in community and offers a wide variety of organic and local organic products through their online ordering system.

The order cycle is open from Sunday, 12:01 a.m. through Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. and offers individual items direct from local organic producers as well as the Co-op's signature Organic Fruit N' Veggie box, which is a mix of seasonal and regional organic fruits and vegetables sourced local first and regional second.

The orderers at Lake Co-op pay particular attention to the distance of the farms where they purchase the produce, as well as farm size, and choose products from organic farms participating in Farm to Fork programs.
 
Home deliveries, telephone order and subscriptions are just a few of the conveniences Lake Co-op offers its customers to help Lake County residents shop local, support organic production, and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.

For more information on the co-op, visit www.lake.coop or call 707-513-5226.

For more information on Clover Creek Farm and the Lake County Grain and Legume Association, contact Williams or Durham at 707-275-9315.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Library Children's Summer Reading program is planned for June 4 through July 23.

This year's theme is, “Reading is so delicious.” The program is free.

Signups begin Tuesday, June 4, at the new Middletown Library, 21256 Washington St.

There also will be signups on Saturday, June 15, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the Friends of the Library Book Sale at the old Gibson Library.

Preschool through children entering sixth grade are eligible for the program, with two categories of readers: Little Family Listener and Independent Reader.

Just sign up with an adult's signature to receive a reading packet with all details.

Readers choose a goal and everyone participating will earn a prize.

A Readers' Celebration Awards Party will be held at the end of the program.

Story times will be on Tuesdays, June 18 through July 23.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans has announced that routine maintenance work will continue for two Mendocino County bridges.

Work to paint the Salmon Creek Bridge on Highway 1, which started on Saturday, will continue from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

One-way traffic control with temporary signals will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists can expect five-minute delays.

Routine maintenance of the Albion River Bridge on Route 1 will begin on Monday. Work hours will be 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays. Motorists may expect five minute delays.

Work is in its first phase, and includes painting the bridge rails above and alongside the bridge deck.  

Work will eventually require the need for larger equipment to clean and paint the steel under the bridge deck, and will require temporary signals similar those currently used for work at the Salmon Creek Bridge.

Traffic at the Albion River Bridge will be open in both directions during nights and weekends, when no work activities are scheduled.

Jeffco Painting and Coatings Inc. is the contractor for both locations, and work at both bridges is expected to continue through the fall.