UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Lake County Wine Studio is hosting a wine tasting event featuring wines from Laujor Estate and an artist reception with a collection of watercolor paintings by Sharon Fenton from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, June 7, and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 8.

Musical guests during the Friday evening reception will be Paul Kemp on keyboard, Robin Lewis on guitar, and vocals by Machiko and Jenna Mammina.

The $12.50 ($10/per person for studio club members) wine sampler and appetizers presented at the studio will showcase the 2012 Sauvignon Blanc with Thai chicken, 2010 Sangiovese with tortellini pasta salad, the 2009 Zinfandel with a flatbread pizza topped with crimini mushrooms, Yerba Santa Dairy Chevré and porcini dust, the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon with smoked duck drizzled with balsamic glaze and the 2010 Petite Sirah with a dried fruit and bittersweet chocolate bark topped with a Lake County Red Walnut and bleu cheese.

Appetizer pairings for each of these wines have been designed by Cache Creek Catering and chef, Sandy Poze.

Laujor Estate is a breathtaking 14 acre property in the Red Hills Appellation of Kelseyville, sitting high in the clouds at an elevation of 2,300 feet.

Known for their intense, fruit-forward boutique wines, the sustainably farmed vineyards at Laujor were planted in 2006 to Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Syrah Noir and Cabernet Franc.  

Owners David and Cheryl Lucido will be pouring and talking about their wines and their newly opened tasting room during the Friday and Saturday reception hours.

The artist for June is Sharon Fenton. Introduced to art by a paint by numbers kit at the age of 12, Fenton was "hooked" and painted her first original piece using the leftover paints from that kit.

A California girl and former Cardinal, she graduated from Clear Lake High School in Lakeport and moved to the Ukiah area in 1970.

Her formal art studies commenced at Mendocino College in their watercolor class and since then she has not put her brushes down.

Refusing to box herself into any particular style, Fenton and said, “Every subject is my favorite. I believe there is no limit to the exciting combination of techniques and colors. I experience each painting as an adventure, and sometimes an unintentional stroke or touch becomes the painting.”

A member of the Lake County Arts Council, Mendocino County Art Association and Ukiah Valley Artists Co-op, Fenton’s works have won numerous awards at the Lake County, Mendocino County and Redwood Empire Fairs.

Lake County Wine Studio is a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artists' shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.

The gallery is located at 9505 Main Street in Upper Lake and is open Monday 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Fenton art show will be on display for the full month of June.

For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030 or 707-293-8752.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – This May, two Board members from the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association attended the yearly three-day conference of the California League of Park Associations, which was held this year in Sacramento.

CALPA is a volunteer group serving as an "umbrella" support organization for nonprofit associations (such as AMIA) that are affiliated with specific state parks throughout California.

The annual CALPA Conference provides an opportunity for representatives from different park associations to “compare notes” and learn from each other.

Workshops are also held that help associations learn skills and information that will help them carry out their missions.

AMIA Board members Gae Henry and Henry Bornstein met with Major General Anthony Jackson, USMC, retired, the new state parks director, taking the opportunity to thank him for signing the recently finalized partnership agreement with AMIA that will keep the park open.

Jackson personally thanked AMIA for all of its work in helping to keep Anderson Marsh State Historic Park open and protected.

For information about Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, AMIA and how you can help, go to www.andersonmarsh.org or contact AMIA at either This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-995-2658.

SACRAMENTO –The Senate Public Safety Committee passed Assembly Bill (AB) 1006 on Tuesday.

Authored by Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis), this legislation helps former juvenile offenders move into adulthood without the burden of juvenile records.

“Youth who have completed their court adjudicated ‘debts-to-society’ should have an opportunity to start over with a clean slate,” Assemblymember Yamada said. “Many former juvenile offenders are unaware that their records are unsealed until they are refused a job, credit or housing.”

Current law allows a juvenile who has not received an adult felony conviction or committed a serious felony after the age of 14 to petition the court to seal their juvenile criminal records.

If the court grants the petition, all records related to the youth’s juvenile criminal history are sealed and the offense is considered never to have occurred.

While state law also requires the clerk of the court to advise youth of their right to petition the court, the means of informing these individuals may vary among counties.

Many youth, parents and case managers also are under the mistaken impression that juvenile records are automatically sealed when the youth turns 18.

AB 1006 would require the creation of a statewide standardized form informing a juvenile offender of their right to petition the court to seal their juvenile records and a standardized petition form to initiate the process.

Courts and probation officers would provide this information when the youth has fulfilled the requirements of the court or their probation.

The legislation was proposed by Elliot Jones, a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for minors in the family court and foster care system, who said that a juvenile record can be especially debilitating for homeless and foster youth who already face a number of challenges when they reach adulthood.

“Having an unsealed juvenile delinquency record can mean the difference between getting a job and being unemployed, between being a productive citizen and struggling with homelessness,” Jones said. “Not having this as a barrier will be huge step towards self-sufficiency.”

The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The next HazMobile event will be held Friday, June 21, and Saturday, June 22, at Kmart, 2019 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

Hours will be from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
 
Households can bring up to 15 gallons of toxic items free of charge.

Fees will be charged for amounts over 15 gallons.

Items that are accepted include paint, solvents, fuels, five-gallon propane tanks, pool chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, batteries, fluorescent light tubes (up to 60 linear feet), and other toxic materials that cannot be put in the trash.
 
Items that cannot be accepted include televisions, computer monitors, ammunition, explosives, radioactive materials or infectious wastes.

To learn how and where to properly dispose these items, please visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us or contact the Recycling Hotline at 707-263-1980.
 
HazMobile services are provided to residential households by the Integrated Waste Management Division of the Lake County Public Services Department and the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle).

Businesses also are welcome to use this convenient service to properly dispose of hazardous waste and protect our environment, however, businesses must pay for this taxpayer-funded service and first make an appointment.
 
Business appointments can be made by calling the Mendocino County Solid Waste Authority, the contracted agency that provides this service in Lake County at 707-468-9786.
 
Free recycling options for residents and businesses:

• Recycled paint is available to both residents and businesses at Lake County Waste Solutions on first-come, first-served basis in five gallon containers. Colors include tan, brown, gray and pink.
• Used cooking oil can be dropped-off by businesses and residents, which will be recycled into BioDiesel by Yokayo BioFuels. Drop-off at Lake County Waste Solutions, South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center, and the Northshore Fire Protection District station at 6257 Seventh Ave. in Lucerne.
• Used motor oil can be dropped-off by residents for recycling year round at a number of sites in the county. Visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us for locations.
• Electronics (E-waste) can be dropped-off at Lake County Waste Solutions, South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center, and monthly at the Goodwill E-Waste collection held in Lakeport.

Lake County Waste Solutions
230 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport
888-718-4888 or 707-234-6400
Monday – Saturday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
www.candswaste.com

South Lake Refuse & Recycling Center
16015 Davis Street, Clearlake
Open daily 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
707-994-8614
www.southlakerefuse.com

The HazMobile program is subsidized by the Lake County Public Services Department, Integrated Waste Management Division and CalRecycle as a public service to Lake County residents.

For more information about recycling, reusing, and reducing, please visit www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us or call the Recycling Hotline at 707-263-1980.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – WestAmerica Bank in Kelseyville will be sponsoring a food drive from Monday, June 17, through Monday, July 1, at its branch in downtown Kelseyville.

All proceeds will benefit the Kelseyville Food Pantry, a collaborative effort of the Kelseyville  United Methodist, Presbyterian, and Unitarian Universalist churches.
 
Please give generously. All nonperishable food items are appreciated. The pantry always runs low on cereal, peanut butter, tuna, pasta, pasta sauces, canned fruits and vegetables.
 
In a year and a half since its inception, the food pantry has fed more than 2,100 people during their twice-monthly giveaways.

The giveaways are from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the United Methodist/Unitarian Universalist church on Main Street in Kelseyville.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – South Lake County Fire Protection District will hold its second annual dinner and auction fundraiser on Saturday, June 8.

The dinner will take place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Middletown Lions Club, 15399 Central Park Road.

The New York strip dinner will be catered by Frontier BBQ.

There also will be raffles, door prizes, and live and silent auctions.

One hundred percent of the proceeds go directly to the South Lake County Volunteer Firefighter Association.

Tickets are $40 per person and include dinner and a raffle entry.

Tickets can be purchased at the Middletown Station, 21095 Highway 175, telephone 707-987-3089; Hardester's Market Service Counter (Middletown location only); or from any South Lake firefighter.

There also will be a limited number of tickets for sale at the door.