During the month of October Safeway is raising funds for breast cancer awareness which will be donated to important research, advocacy and patient services.

Safeway reported that for four years the corporation has given a $10,000 grant to Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County, part of this grant goes to fund services for underserved women in Lake County.

On Oct. 6 they will have a “celebrity bagging” event where we ask people to bag groceries for an hour to thank customers and help raise awareness.

The event will take place from noon to 1 p.m.

In conjunction with the event, representatives from Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino County will be on hand to talk to customers about specific resources for women in Lake County.

The Lakeport Safeway is located on 11^th Street.

That’s according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), which is promoting “Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with!” as the theme for this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, October 3-9, 2010.

NFPA has been the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for 88 years.

“By now, most families know that smoke alarms are a vitally important element of home fire safety, and have at least one,” says Lorraine Carli, NFPA’s vice president of communication. “Unfortunately, far fewer people are familiar with some of the newer recommendations for smoke alarms. Without incorporating these updated measures, many families may not be as well protected from fire as they think.”

“Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with!” works to better educate the public about recommendations for smoke alarms, and help maximize families’ safety from home fires, as follows:

Installation

• At least one smoke alarm should be located on every level of the home, including the basement, as well as in every sleeping room and outside each sleeping area.

• NFPA strongly recommends either installing combination smoke alarms, or both ionization and photoelectric alarms, in the home. An ionization alarm is typically more responsive to a flaming fire, such as a pan fire. A photoelectric alarm is typically more responsive to a smoldering fire, as might occur where a lighted cigarette is dropped on a sofa. Combination smoke alarms have ionization and photoelectric capabilities.

• Whatever type of smoke alarms you choose, they should carry the label of a recognized testing laboratory.

• Interconnected smoke alarms offer the best protection; when one sounds, they all do. This is particularly important in larger or multi-story homes, where the sound from distant smoke alarms may be reduced to the point that it may not be loud enough to provide proper warning, especially for sleeping individuals.

• A licensed electrician can install either hard-wired multiple-station alarms, or wireless alarms, which manufacturers have more recently begun producing. An electrician can also replace existing hard-wired smoke alarms with wireless interconnection capabilities.

Maintenance and testing

• Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button, and make sure everyone in your home knows their sound.

• If an alarm “chirps,” warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.

• Replace all smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and hard-wired alarms, when they’re 10 years old (or sooner) if they do not respond properly when tested.

Fire departments throughout the country will be hosting activities during Fire Prevention Week to promote the “Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with!” campaign locally. These educational, family-oriented activities can help everyone learn more about the power of smoke alarms, newer options for installing and maintaining them properly, and ultimately, how to better protect themselves and loved ones from fire.

To find out more about Fire Prevention Week, smoke alarms and this year’s campaign, “Smoke Alarms: A sound you can live with!”, visit NFPA’s Web site at www.firepreventionweek.org.

That means keeping the cell phone locked in the trunk, skipping the drive-thru, and not playing DJ with the radio.

AAA’s Heads Up Driving Week is from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.

“It only takes an instant for a crash to occur. In fact, a study by AAA found that the odds of being involved in a crash, or a near crash, double when drivers look away from the road in front of them for two seconds or longer,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “We hope that by driving distraction-free for a week, which allows people to have their heads up and focused on the road, drivers will end up picking up the habit for life.”

A new study by AAA shows that 52 percent of drivers say they feel less safe on the roads now than they did five years ago.

The leading reason for that sense of unease is distracted driving. Eighty-eight percent of motorists rate drivers who text and email as a very serious threat to their safety.

AAA offers the following tips to minimize distractions:

• Stow electronic devices. Turn off your phone before you drive so you won’t be tempted to use it while on the road. You could also pull over to a safe place to talk on the phone or to send and receive text messages or emails.

• Prepare kids and pets for the trip. Get the kids safely buckled in and situated with snacks and entertainment before you start driving. If needed, pull off the road to safely care for them or pets.

• Satisfy that craving off the road. Eat meals and snacks before driving, or stop for an eating break.

• Get your vehicle road-ready. Adjust seat positions, climate controls, sound systems and other devices before you leave, or while your vehicle is stopped, and store loose gear. Make sure your headlights are spotless so you can see everything on the road and other drivers can see you properly.

• Dress for success before you get in the car. Your car isn’t a dressing room. Brush your hair, shave, put on make-up, and tie your necktie before you leave or once you reach your destination.

• Enlist passengers. Ask a passenger to help you with activities that may be distracting.

The term for both seats expires in January, at which time an election will be held to fill the seats.

Nominations will be accepted at a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, beginning at 7 p.m.

The meeting location is the Calpine Cartwright Geothermal Visitors Center, 15500 Central Park Road, Middletown.

For more information, contact MATH Secretary Mike Tabacchi, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wednesday, Sept. 15, saw a festive evening as ladies entered the Seventh-day Adventist Church with well-mannered children and potluck dishes in hand.

The mood was light as they all gathered around a big table to share food, friendship, historical facts and stories; they were celebrating Mexican Independence Day with some friends from south of the border.

This year is the 200^th anniversary of the war of independence of Mexico from Spain. The struggle began on Sept. 16, 1810, with the cry of Delores (“El Grito de Delores”), a town in Mexico where the priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla incited people to fight – he is now known as father of the nation.

Mexico did not actually receive independence until 1921, but celebrate this event every year starting on the evening of Sept. 15 when the president of Mexico addresses the people in Mexico City’s square or Zocalo. The president waves the Mexican flag and rings the liberty bell once used by priest Miguel.

You can join our group anytime on the first and third Wednesday of the month at 21640 Hwy 29 at the Seventh-day Adventist church at 6 p.m.

They share food (a healthy cooking class) and healthy lifestyle information including sound nutritional advice, and of course, friendship.

A special thanks to the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the support and a good place to meet. They also thank Earth Goods Health foods, Middletown Hardester’s Market, Linda Barton and Diane Leon, along with Maria Sanchez for working with the precious children.

Annie Barnes, Suzanne Abel, Veronica McGee and Jacque Felber are part of the Sunrise Special Services Reach Out program, which promotes preventive health classes all around Lake County.

For more information call Sunrise Special Services at 707-274-9121.

The nonprofits can preserve their nonexempt by complying with a one-time relief program being offered by the IRS.

Some of the local organizations appearing on the IRS list include mutual water companies, peace officer associations, grange patron groups, business associations, food cupboards, community radio stations and booster clubs.

“Attaining 'tax-exempt' status is a big event in the life of a nonprofit organization,” said Mary Heare Amodio, president of the Lake County Bar Association. “Because of the huge impact this may have on local nonprofits, the Lake County Bar Association has compiled a list of affected Lake County organizations.”

She said members of the community who would like to review the list can request a copy from by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; use the words “IRS list” in the subject line.

The current situation arose when Congress passed the Pension Protection Act of 2006. In it are two important changes affecting tax-exempt organizations, effective the beginning of 2007.

First, it mandated that all tax-exempt organizations, other than churches and church-related organizations, must file an annual return with the IRS. The Form 990-N was created for small tax-exempt organizations that had not previously had a filing requirement.

Second, the law also required that any tax-exempt organization that fails to file for three consecutive years automatically loses its federal tax-exempt status.

The IRS said it conducted an extensive outreach effort about the new legal requirement but, even so, many organizations have not filed returns on time.

If an organization loses its exemption, it will have to reapply with the IRS to regain its tax-exempt status. Any income received between the revocation date and renewed exemption may be taxable.

Organizations can check their status on the IRS.gov Web site at the following link: http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=225889,00.html.

For donors, once an organization has its exempt status revoked, their contributions are no longer tax-deductible.

Two types of relief are available for small exempt organizations — a filing extension for the smallest organizations required to file Form 990-N, Electronic Notice (e-Postcard), and a voluntary compliance program (VCP) for small organizations eligible to file Form 990-EZ, Short Form Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax.

Small organizations required to file Form 990-N simply need to go to the IRS website, supply the eight information items called for on the form, and electronically file it by Oct. 15. That will bring them back into compliance.

Details about the VCP are on the IRS Web site, along with frequently asked questions.

“If you do not have your filings up to date, now's the time to take action and get back on track,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.

The IRS will keep today’s list of at-risk organizations on IRS.gov until Oct. 15, 2010.

Organizations that have not filed the required information returns by that date will have their tax-exempt status revoked, and the IRS will publish a list of these revoked organizations in early 2011.