LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A longtime leader of Lake County Special Olympics has been honored for her efforts to support the group.

At the February 2025 Northern California Special Olympics Volunteer Leadership Conference, Lake County Special Olympics Athlete Ambassador John Lahti presented to Lake County Special Olympics Volunteer Area Director Cathy Saderlund the Special Olympics Northern California award for outstanding fundraising efforts in 2024.

This award showcases the incredibly supportive, generous and giving Lake County community.

The Lake County Polar Plunge will take place on Saturday. The group said it is excited to continue the tradition of a successful fundraising campaign and, most importantly, a fantastic annual event bringing together athletes and supporters for an enjoyable time.

Follow Lake County Special Olympics on Facebook.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Participation in Kelseyville's Junior Giants program also includes the opportunity to apply for the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholarship.

Each year, the Giants Community Fund inducts 10 new Junior Giants into the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholarship Program.

All Junior Giants entering eighth grade are invited to apply for a $10,000 scholarship. The Harmon and Sue Burns Scholars are honored at a home-plate ceremony at Oracle Park on Education Day.

Special thanks to the Burns Family Foundation who generously underwrites the cost of the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholarship Program each year and to Franklin Templeton Investments for their donation to support the Road to College Workshop and Education Day.

The Kelseyville League has been well represented in this education focused extension of the Junior Giants Program. Winners from the Kelseyville League include:

• 2014: Jacob Lopez.
• 2015: Paige Bour.
• 2020: Adam Astrup.
• 2023: Gordon Astrup.

Parents of elementary and middle school students are encouraged to check out the details of the Harmon and Sue Burns Scholarship here.

Recruitment of volunteers and players will begin this spring. Watch for announcements on lakecountysal.com and the Lake County Sheriff's Activities League Facebook page.

Sen. Christopher Cabaldon (D-West Sacramento) has been appointed to the Little Hoover Commission by the Senate Rules Committee, chaired by Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-Healdsburg).

Sen. Cabaldon replaces Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), who served on the Commission from 2021 until his election to Congress in 2024. Senator Min automatically left the Commission when his legislative service ended.

Cabaldon has been Senator for California's Third Senate District, representing Wine Country, the Delta, the North Bay, and the Sacramento Valley, since 2024.

He served two decades as mayor of West Sacramento, where he implemented pioneering initiatives, including universal preschool, college savings accounts for kindergarteners and free community college for local graduating seniors.

Cabaldon represented California on the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education prior to his election to the Senate. He served previously as vice chancellor of the California Community Colleges and Director of the Higher Education Committee for the California State Assembly.

Cabaldon served as president of the Linked Learning Alliance and as national president for Asian and Pacific Americans in Higher Education. He was appointed by President Obama to the national board advancing America's College Promise initiative. He served as chair of the Jobs, Education & the Workforce Committee for America’s mayors, and represented the U.S. in the Global Parliament of Mayors.

He was also the inaugural chair of the national LGBTQ Mayors Alliance, and former chair of both the Asian/Pacific and LGBT caucuses of the League of California Cities.

Cabaldon was chair of the Sacramento Area Council of Governments, and a member of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Delta Protection Commission.

Senator Cabaldon earned a Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento and a Bachelor of Science in environmental economics from the University of California, Berkeley.

The Little Hoover Commission is America’s only permanent, independent citizens commission working to improve state government. A nonpartisan oversight agency created in 1962, the Commission includes 13 Commissioners appointed by the Governor and legislative leaders. The commission’s mission is to investigate state operations and promote efficiency, economy, and improved service.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Redbud Audubon Society is pleased to host wildlife biologist Dan Airola who will present an overview of the status and conservation issues facing the purple martin in California at the upcoming Feb. 20 Zoom program meeting starting at 7 p.m.

The purple martin is recognized as a species of special concern in California.

Airola’s talk will discuss the unique life history of this largest North American swallow, differences between the eastern and western subspecies and current threats they face.

He will also discuss conservation opportunities through nest box programs and plans for the upcoming 2025 statewide status survey.

Airola is a wildlife biologist and ornithologist who has worked for over 40 years in research and conservation of at-risk bird species in Northern California.

He has conducted a research and conservation program on the Sacramento purple martin population for over 30 years.

Airola has conducted several status assessments of the species in California and is leading a statewide status survey in 2025. He has also studied Swainson's hawks, turkey vultures, ospreys, bald eagles, fire-adapted forest species, migrant songbirds, and diving ducks in Northern California.

He serves the Central Valley Bird Club as a director, conservation chair, and editor of the journal Central Valley Birds.

To register for the program, go to the Redbud Audubon Society’s website at www.redbudaudubon.org and click on the registration link on the home page. The link to attend the program will be sent the day of the program.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Wine Alliance has opened the beneficiary application window for proceeds from the annual Wine Auction.

The auction takes place in September.

The application can be found at https://www.winealliance.org/beneficiaries/beneficiary-application/. 

The deadline for submission of applications is May 1.

For more information or questions please contact Marie Beery at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Library Literacy Program has scheduled a free New Tutor Training for the new year.

Training will be offered in-person on Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Lakeport Library located at 1425 N. High St.

The training will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided, along with training materials at no cost.

For more information or to register for tutor training, please call 707-263-7633 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Hosted by Literacy Program Coordinator Georgina Marie Guardado and facilitated by Lake County Literacy Coalition Board Member Pam Klier, participants will learn useful techniques for teaching adults to read and write.

Bilingual Spanish speakers are encouraged to attend to support adult learners interested in learning English for the first time. Volunteer tutors are also needed for our Lake County Jail tutoring program.

No experience is needed and ongoing support and workshops are provided for tutors. Upon completion of the training, tutors will be matched with adult learners in a variety of settings around the county. Those who would like to help adults improve their literacy skills are encouraged to attend.

More than 43 million adults in the United States cannot read, write, or do basic math above a third-grade level, according to the ProLiteracy organization.

A new year is a great time to set goals and learn new skills. Yet low reading and writing abilities stop many adults from going after their goals.

Learn how to support someone in achieving their goals by increasing their literacy skills. A Family Literacy program is also available to encourage family engagement and early literacy.

Learn more about the Literacy Program at https://www.lakecountyca.gov/836/Literacy-Program.