Lake County preparing already for the Fair. The exhibitor handbooks are available so anyone interested can check it out. There were more than 1,000 exhibits last year. There are also ideas for those interested, but don’t know exactly what they’d like to do. Copies of the free handbook are available now at the Fairgrounds’ Office. The 2019 Lake County Fair is August 29 – September 1, and the Fair theme is “Make a Splash!” For more information, call (707) 263-6181.
Fort Bragg is preparing for July 4th festivities. The city and the police dept are in the planning stages for the 4th for July Fireworks Display set for Saturday, July 6th. The city reports over the last several years, the event has ballooned in size around Noyo Beach. That’s lead police to change the way they handle the event. They will have officers on the beach and surrounding areas this year, looking for violations specifically related to fireworks, alcohol, and open fires. Those found in violation could get a ticket, be arrested or ejected from the event. On a lighter note the display can be seen from many areas including Pomo Bluffs Park, Noyo Beach, and the South Coastal Trail. A reminder not to park in the way of local residents too.
The state of Calif. officially taking the position that coffee has a minimal cancer risk. The Associated Press reports the state’s made the move after a judge in Los Angeles ruled Starbucks and other companies couldn’t show benefits from drinking coffee outweighed risks from a byproduct of the roasting process. So the industry had to take the chemical out of beans or grounds or warn consumers about it. It’s all about the chemical acrylamide, on the list California says causes cancer, but the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found no significant risk following a study by the World Health Organization found inadequate evidence that coffee causes cancer.
Folks on Supplemental Income or Welfare in Calif. who have not been able to get certain food assistance will now be able to. North Coast Opportunities announced last Friday, starting June 1st, those getting the help will now be able to get benefits from CalFresh. It comes after a big expansion in the state regarding the program, formerly known as food stamps. Those getting the help from the federal government had not been able to access the food assistance, generally it affected those over 65 or others on disability. The state was excluding the programs, saying everything was included in one check, but apparently it wasn’t enough to cover food, until now. It will affect more than 3,000 in Mendocino County alone.
Members needed on the Lake County Grand Jury. The Superior Court is trying to get at least 30 applicants who will be jurors and alternates for the 2019-2020 Grand Jury panel. It’s made up of 19 people from across the county’s various supervisorial districts. As you may know the Grand Jury acts as the public’s “watchdog”, investigating then reporting on local government. It runs for a year from this July 1st to June 30th, 2020. It’s about 10 to 20 hours of work a week.
Applications available at www.lake.courts.ca.gov or call 263-2374 ext. 2282.
A man from Clearlake accused of robbing a Jack in the Box restaurant with a gun in court to be sentenced. 20 year old Giovanni Madrigal-Rincon has been in jail since the incident in March of 2018. Bail denied after his lawyers ordered a bail study and it came back to being well over the one million dollar mark. He was charged with kidnapping to commit robbery, robbery, kidnapping and assault with a firearm on a person. He was found guilty of robbery and three counts of assault with a firearm on person. He went into the fast food restaurant with a mask on, carrying a loaded shotgun and forced employees to get into the safe at gunpoint, took cash and ran. He’s sentenced to 19 years in prison, but got just over a year of credit for time served.
The Lakeport City Council says no to two candidates applying to be on the Planning Commission. Now the council tells staff to advertise for the position again. This comes after Planning Commissioner Jeri Driver resigned last month for health reasons. She was on the commission since last December. She was appointed with a couple of others, one of which was asked to consider this opening, but apparently the never showed at the last Commission meeting. Another who was passed up to be reappointed was asked to come back too, but the commissioners couldn’t agree on reappointment again. So it’s back to the drawing board.
The “Start Smart” traffic safety class for new drivers is being offered for free. Teens about to get their license can attend Tuesday, June 24th at the Clear Lake Area CHP office in Kelseyville. The CHP reports deaths and injuries can be reduced by cutting high-risk driving behaviors through education. This program works to give teens solid traffic safety education classes for them along with their parents. It includes crash statistics, teen driver and passenger behaviors, graduated driver’s license laws, cultural changes in today’s society and a need for parents to be involved in a teenager’s driving experience.
Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Joel Skeen at the CHP office, 707-279-0103, or email jskeen@chp.ca.gov .
