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LAKEPORT – Local firefighters put to work a ladder truck last week as they worked to help a man who suffered a seizure.
A Sunday report from Lakeport Fire Protection District explained that the rescue occurred on Monday, Dec. 14.
Shortly before noon on that day, Lakeport Fire Protection District responded to a reported diabetic emergency on the roof of the Sutter Lakeside Hospital Administration building, according to firefighter Brian Hajik of Lakeport Fire.
Lake County Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Willie Sapeta, who already was inside the building when the emergency occurred, reportedly made initial contact with the patient.
The man had been servicing the building's HVAC units when he experienced a full body seizure. Sapeta found the patient unresponsive but breathing, and began assessing the patient before transferring care to ambulance staff, according to the report.
Advanced Life Support (ALS) interventions were begun in the event the man experienced additional seizures, and extrication options were discussed between paramedics and the incident commander, Hajik said.
Access to the patient was only possible via a scuttle hatch, and with roof being nearly 40 feet above the street, the decision was made to utilize truck 5011’s 75-foot aerial ladder to safely lower the patient to the ground.
Under the direction of Fire Captain Bob Holbrook, the patient was secured to a stokes basket after spinal immobilization, said Hajik. Using a series of ropes and specialized lowering hardware, the patient was brought to the ground by sliding the basket along the rails of the ladder with the attending paramedic.
Lakeport Fire reported that the patient had no additional seizures during the rescue operation and had regained full consciousness during the short transport to Sutter Lakeside emergency room.
The incident was terminated at 12:47 p.m., exactly an hour after it began, Hajik reported.
Lakeport Fire Protection District responded with one ALS ambulance, one ALS engine company and one truck company.
No injuries to emergency responders were reported. Hajik said they didn't have an update on the patient's status.
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UKIAH – Channing Cornell, of Redwood Valley, is the newly elected president of the Mendocino College Foundation Board of Directors.
The Mendocino College Foundation consists of 22 directors, all volunteers from throughout the Mendocino-Lake Community College District.
The foundation supports the college students by providing student scholarships and funds to enhance educational programs and staff development.
Cornell, who previously served as vice president of the foundation board, was unanimously chosen by the directors at the December meeting of the board. Rhonada Clausen, of Ukiah, was elected to serve as vice president. Mendocino College Superintendent/President Kathy Lehner, also of Ukiah, serves as secretary/treasurer of the board and was re-elected to that position for 2010.
Accepting the gavel from Tom Herman of Willits, president for the past two years, Cornell thanked the directors and gave special recognition to Herman.
“Tom has been very conscientious in guiding this board in its fiduciary responsibility,” said Cornell. “You’ve done a wonderful job,” he said, directing his comments to Herman. “We appreciate everything you’ve done (as president) over the last two years.”
Cornell then conducted the remainder of the board meeting, including the scheduling of meeting dates, times, and locations for 2010, and election of committee chairs and members.
The president heads the Foundation’s Executive Committee. Members of the committee are vice president Clausen, secretary/treasurer Lehner who is also chair of the Fundraising Committee, immediate past president Herman, and committee chairs Tommy Thornhill (Scholarship Committee), John Bogner (Land Committee), Gary Smith (Finance Committee) and Richard Cooper (Special Events Committee), all of Ukiah, and Wilda Shock (Marketing Committee) of Lakeport.
Additional foundation board members are Kristi Barrington, John Behnke, Donna Berry, Harry Bistrin, Paul Conrado, Jerilyn Harris, Neelam Salmen, Joan Schlienger, all of Ukiah; Peggy Campbell-DeBolt, Lakeport; Leroy Chase and Christy Scollin, Redwood Valley; David Geck, Kelseyville; and Tod Kong, Hopland.
Regular meetings of the foundation’s board of directors for 2010 are scheduled for Tuesdays, March 2 at the Ukiah campus, MacMillan Hall, 1000 Hensley Creek Road; June 1 at the Lake Center, 105 Parallel Drive, Lakeport; Sept. 7 at the Ukiah campus, and Dec. 7 at the Ukiah campus. Meetings start at noon and are open to the public.
Marketing Committee meetings immediately follow the board meetings on each of the scheduled dates. The Foundation’s Finance Committee will meet Thursdays, Jan. 14, April 8, July 8 and Oct. 14, starting at 3:30 p.m., at the President’s Office in MacMillan Hall. Other committee meetings are listed on the Mendocino College Foundation Web site, http://foundation.mendocino.edu .
For additional information about the Mendocino College Foundation and the efforts of the board of directors, call the Foundation Office at 707.467.1018, visit the Web site at http://foundation.mendocino.edu , or send an email to Kerry McMullen, Foundation support specialist, at
The California Employment Development Department's monthly report showed that Lake County's unemployment rate hit the 17.7 percent mark, a jump from its adjusted 16.4 percent rate in October.
Lake County's November unemployment rate is the highest reported since 1990, as far back as the Employment Development Department's online records extend.
The state's overall unemployment saw a small drop in November, from 12.5 percent in October to 12.3 percent in November, but up from 8.3 percent in November 2008, according to the report.
The U.S. unemployment rate was 10 percent in November, down from 10.2 percent in October but up from the 6.8 percent rate in November 2008, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Lake County's jump in November is likely the result of last month's closure of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, which was estimated to have taken away as many as 700 jobs, although at this time of year the resort usually had a seasonal reduction in its labor force.
The November numbers show only an increase of 190 unemployed people over October.
However, the report also showed that Lake County's overall labor force in November was reported at 24,750, down from October, when there were reported to be 25,600 people in the local labor force. In October, 4,200 people in Lake County were reported to be out of work, while in November there were 4,390 unemployed.
Within the county itself, the following unemployment rates were reported: Clearlake Oaks, 25.8 percent; Nice, 24.6 percent; city of Clearlake, 24.3 percent; Middletown, 21.6 percent; Lucerne, 18.5 percent; Kelseyville, 17.3 percent; city of Lakeport, 16 percent; north Lakeport, 15.6 percent; Cobb, 14. 6 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 14.4 percent; Lower Lake, 14.1 percent; Upper Lake, 7.2 percent.
Six of California's 58 counties had higher unemployment rates than Lake: Yuba, 17.9 percent; Merced, 18.3 percent; Trinity, 19.1 percent; Sutter, 19.4 percent; Colusa, 22.6 percent; and Imperial, 29.2 percent.
The lowest unemployment in the state was in Marin, which had an 8 percent rate.
Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates: Colusa, 22.6 percent; Glenn, 14.6 percent; Mendocino, 11.2 percent; Napa, 10 percent; Sonoma, 10.1 percent; and Yolo, 13.2 percent.
California's nonfarm payroll jobs totaled 14,194,200 in November, a net loss of 10,200 jobs since the October survey. This followed a gain of 31,100 jobs – as revised – in October, the Employment Development Department reported. Those numbers are based on a survey of 42,000 California businesses.
The year-over-year change – November 2008 to November 2009 – showed a decrease of 617,600 jobs, down 4.2 percent, according to the report.
A federal survey of 5,500 households showed an increase in the number of employed people, according to the report. That federal survey estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in November was 16,067,000, an increase of 26,000 from October, but down 931,000 from the employment total in November of last year.
The number of people unemployed in California in November was estimated at 2,254,000 – down by 45,000 from October – but up significantly from the 716,000 unemployed that were reported in November of last year.
The Employment Development Department reported that there were 781,449 people receiving regular
unemployment insurance benefits during the November survey week, compared with 740,272 in October and 593,670 in November 2008.
New claims for unemployment insurance were 84,738 in November, up slightly from 83,475 in
October and 80,920 in November of last year, the agency reported.
The Employment Development Department reported that five categories – mining and logging; construction; information; professional and business services; and other services – added jobs over the month, gaining 13,500 jobs. Professional and business services posted the largest increase over the month, adding 8,000 jobs.
At the same time, six categories reported job declines in November, down 23,700 jobs. They included manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; financial activities; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and government. Trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest decline over the month, down by 8,200 jobs.
The report showed that one industry division, educational and health services, posted job gains over the year, adding 18,900 jobs, a 1.1-percent increase.
Ten categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 636,500 jobs, the report explained.
Trade, transportation and utilities employment showed the largest decline on a numerical basis, down by 135,400 jobs, a decline of 4.9 percent. The report said that construction posted the largest decline on a percentage basis, down by 16.1 percent, a decrease of 118,200 jobs.
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Over the next few weeks, Lake County Health Services projects that local health providers will have collectively received approximately 16,000 doses of Pandemic 2009 (H1N1) vaccine since the beginning of the pandemic in spring of this year.
According to information from the California Department of Public Health, this will mark the approximate half-way mark for the total amount of H1N1 vaccine that will be distributed this influenza season.
The flu has so far claimed the life of one Lake County resident, as Lake County News has reported.
Pandemic 2009 (H1N1) influenza illness remains widespread in Lake County and throughout California, according to Lake County Health Officer Dr. Karen Tait.
Although the amount of illness may be starting to level off, influenza illness remains at higher than normal levels for this time of the year, she said.
Tait said vaccination efforts to date are thought to have reached roughly 10 percent of the Lake County population overall and there are concerns that shortages of the formulations licensed for children under age 3 years have hampered vaccination of this vulnerable group.
“It appears that the pediatric formulation of vaccine will remain in short supply this year,” said Tait, noting that this appears to be the result of production issues.
Although parents can choose to have their young children vaccinated with a preparation of the vaccine usually used in persons 3 years of age and older – an option made possible by a state waiver to its law concerning use of vaccines containing the preservative thimerosal – Lake County is also shifting its vaccine strategy in order to reduce the likelihood that adults will contribute to the spread the infection, Tait reported.
Lake County residents of all ages can now request a Pandemic 2009 (H1N1) vaccination, according to Tait.
“We want everyone to consider vaccination against H1N1 influenza anyway, but by shifting to this broader vaccination approach now, we hope to reduce the amount of influenza in the community that may expose children who remain unvaccinated due to shortages of vaccine for their specific age group,” she said.
Health officials say the youngest children are the most vulnerable to influenza infection and have the highest rates of hospitalization when they do become ill.
Vaccine has been arriving in small shipments of varying quantities of the different preparations intended for people of different ages and states of health. The limited and unpredictable quantities have made it challenging to publicize vaccine availability or to offer large vaccine clinics, Tait noted.
“We definitely don’t want to schedule a large vaccination event and have to turn people away,” said Tait.
In addition to efforts of local health care providers to vaccinate their patients, the local pharmacies that
offer vaccination services have improved access to the vaccine in Lake County.
Lake County Public Health recommends that local residents continue to seek H1N1 vaccination over the coming months.
Vaccination can be obtained in any of the following ways: Check with your doctor or clinic to see if they have vaccine available; check with your local pharmacy; check with Lake County Public Health.
Vaccine supplies are expected to be more plentiful in early 2010.
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I started writing this particular article in early November, so I got a good laugh this week at the timeliness of the topic.
On Sunday I was listening to “The Culinary View“ on the local radio and Julie Hoskins was talking about pasties and meat pies, then on Wednesday Ron Jones’ column was about mincemeat pie; all I could do is laugh out loud about how foodies tend to think alike. Pasties, mincemeat pies, and shepherd's pies all stem from the same basic recipe.
Shepherd's pie is the perfect winter dish for your family since it is an all-in-one meal. You have meat, vegetables and potatoes all in the same dish. To help plan meals ahead you can make two of them, freeze one and eat the other one. Shepherd's pie is a great thing to make on a Sunday afternoon. If you like rustic food you can’t get more rustic than this unless you are making meat on a stick over a fire.
Shepherd's pie is basically a thick, lamb-based stew baked with a mashed potato topping. It’s a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs winter dish, although you can lighten it up a little bit here and there by substituting ingredients. You can make this dish with beef but then it’s technically called cottage pie (shepherds don’t raise cows, duh). It’s also been made with chicken, salmon, sausage and turkey, and I’ve even seen vegan versions.
I like to make various versions of shepherd's pie, especially since my wife likes lamb but my daughter doesn’t. My daughter's "petting zoo vegetarianism" causes her to hate eating anything cute and cuddly, so I try to pass things by her from time to time.
In her own defense she has developed a palate much more sophisticated than most people. She will take one bite of shepherd's pie, drop her fork and say, “This is lamb,” and then walk to the kitchen to find leftovers to eat. Months later I’ll make the exact same recipe with beef and she’ll love it. (We've established that cows aren't “cute.”)
My wife loves lamb – just not in the same way my daughter loves lamb, but that’s what keeps my kitchen interesting. My wife also loves curry, my daughter doesn’t ... OK, so it’s not interesting, it’s hell.
Chefs have a love/hate relationship with shepherd's pie since, on the one hand it is a cheap to make dish (love), but on the other it has no “sex appeal” (hate). It's not fancy, it's not complicated, it's not stylish or trendy. Unless you are going to an Irish pub, nobody goes out to a restaurant to have shepherd's pie. I suppose shepherd's pie is too plebeian for most restaurants.
Originating in the Middle Ages in England, shepherd's pie started out as a stew baked into pastry “coffyns.” When the potato made its way to England in the 18th century the mashed potatoes were added, but unlike in today's common recipes the mashed potatoes completely surrounded the stew. It was seasoned with cloves, pepper, prunes, raisins, etc. Seasonings were typically very strong; since there was no refrigeration and meat spoiled quickly, the strong seasoning could cover the taste of meat that might be past its prime. As with many rustic-style foods, it was designed to use up the little bits of this and that which might be lying around the kitchen.
Mincemeat pies were, and still are, popular in England. One of my favorite culinary memories is eating pasties (PAS-tees), which is another form of mincemeat pie. They're like little handheld pot pies. I remember eating pasties out in the snow with mittened hands, the cold air chilling my tongue just before the hot pasty hit it.
In this recipe if I use ground lamb I like to grate the vegetables, but if I use cubed lamb I also cube the vegetables. It just seems to give a desirable level of consistency. When modifying it for my daughter's taste, I use this exact recipe but substitute beef for the lamb and rosemary for the curry powder to make cottage pie.
OK don’t tell anybody I said this but if you are in a pinch you can use potato buds or freeze dried potatoes and it will come out just fine.
Shepherd's Pie
Filling
1 pound lean, ground or cubed lamb (or whatever meat you choose).
1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)
1 onion, grated (about 1 ½ cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I like the sun dried tomato paste)
1 tablespoons curry powder
¾ cup red wine
¾ cup chicken stock
Topping
4 Russet or starchy potatoes
½ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup cheddar cheese
Pinch salt and white pepper
Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
Brown the meat in a fry or sauté pan on high heat for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and continue to cook on high until the liquid is almost evaporated, stirring frequently (about 10 minutes). Pour into a 9-inch round casserole or equivalent.
Meanwhile peel and cube the potatoes and boil in salted water until tender, drain, process through a food mill or ricer, or mash and mix in the rest of the topping ingredients. Carefully spread your potatoes over the filling, trying not to mix them together. One way to make this easier is to take a zip top bag, put the potato topping in it (after it has cooled some) and then cut off one corner and pipe it onto the filling.
Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the potato topping starts to brown.
Frozen shepherd's pie should be thawed, then cooked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until it starts to bubble.
Ross A. Christensen is an award-winning gardener and gourmet cook. He is the author of "Sushi A to Z, The Ultimate Guide" and is currently working on a new book. He has been a public speaker for many years and enjoys being involved in the community. Follow him on Twitter, http://twitter.com/Foodiefreak .
In an effort to keep California’s roads safe this holiday season, enhanced CHP presence will occur during the upcoming Christmas enforcement period which begins Thursday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m. and continues through midnight, Sunday, Dec. 27.
“The holidays are about family, friends and celebration,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Unfortunately it’s also a time of year when we see too many alcohol-related fatalities.”
According to the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) there were more than 4,000 collisions that occurred during last years’ Christmas enforcement period in California.
During that same time period, 37 people died on California’s roadways and among those killed, 23 lost their lives in alcohol-related crashes.
“Driving impaired is not worth the consequences,” said Commissioner Farrow. “Pre-plan your holiday celebration by designating a non-drinking driver before the event.”
Along with the increased enforcement effort, the CHP is asking motorists to help keep the state’s roadways safe by calling 911 to report a suspected drunk driver. Callers should be prepared to provide dispatchers a description of the vehicle, its location and direction of travel.
“Hopefully by drawing attention to the enforcement efforts, motorists will choose to voluntarily comply with the traffic safety laws and be there to ring in the new year,” added Commissioner Farrow.
The CHP will conduct a similar holiday enforcement effort over the long New Year’s weekend which begins Thursday, Dec. 31, at 6 p.m. and continues through midnight, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010.
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