KELSEYVILLE, Calif.  – “How far would you walk for health care?” With that question, Worldwide Healing Hands (WHH) invites individuals of all ages to take part in the third annual “Hike 4 Healing” on April 30.

In addition, WHH seeks sponsors for the event and for hikers. Sponsors will be recognized in print and broadcast releases about the event as well as acknowledged on information available at the hike.

All donations will help support the WHH’s goals and missions to provide quality healthcare to women and children, especially those who do not have access to such care.

Hike participants will traverse the Wright Summit Trail on Mount Konocti, a little more than 6 miles round-trip and an elevation gain of 1,600 feet. Suggested donation for the hike is $25 per person (no amount for children under the age of 12). Participants may register on EventBrite ( https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-hike-4-healing-registration-23469961286 or search “2016 Hike 4 Healing” at www.EventBrite.com ).

Registration forms are available at Worldwide Healing Hands’ office in the Specialty Care and Surgery Center, 5685 Main Street, Kelseyville. Call 707-279-8733 or stop by the office to pick up a form.

The Hike 4 Healing was launched two years ago as a fundraiser for Worldwide Healing Hands’ missions, according to Hike 4 Healing coordinator Anthy O’Brien, a WHH board member and supporter.

Led by Dr. Paula Dhanda, an obstetrician and gynecologist based in Kelseyville, WHH provides health care services to women and children in underserved areas of the world. WHH teams have traveled to Uganda, Nepal, Chad and Haiti to deliver health services.

WHH volunteer medical teams have also provided free health screenings to homeless and impoverished in Lake County, as well as to evacuees following last year’s devastating fires in south Lake County.

WHH recently sent a team of volunteers to Haiti for a week-long mission in conjunction with Project MedShare. While in Cap-Haitien, the WHH doctors and nurses conducted cervical cancer screenings and treatment for dozens of Haitian women and provided training to Haitian physicians and midwives.

The WHH Board of Directors is planning a second mission to Uganda for the organization later this year, following WHH’s successful 2015 trip to the Muko Health Center.

“We will need funds to acquire equipment and supplies for the clinic in Uganda,” said Dhanda.

Doctors, nurses and staff who accompany Dhanda on the WHH missions are not paid for their time; they donate their services to WHH. However, there are other costs incurred, mainly for much-needed supplies and medicine, according to Dhanda.

“Please join us on our Hike 4 Healing this year so that we may help many more women and children with the health care they need and deserve,” O’Brien said.

The hike is not a race nor competition, she added. “Your prize is the satisfaction of completing the hike and helping a worthy cause.”

For more information about the Hike 4 Healing, call 707-279-8733. Visit WHH’s Web site, www.worldwidehealinghands.org , to read more about the organization.

State Sen. Mike McGuire has introduced a first-of-its-kind bill that will protect California’s beloved whale populations from dangerous entanglements in lost or abandoned crab fishing gear.

The legislation was proactively initiated by the thousands of Californian’s who fish Dungeness crab off of the California coast.

With this year’s crab season finally getting underway after a historic delay, and fishermen heading back out to sea, it’s more important than ever to launch this initiative.

Senate Bill 1287 – The Whale Protection & Crab Gear Retrieval Act – would create a regulatory program with incentives for fishermen to retrieve Dungeness crab fishing gear that would otherwise be lost in the ocean.

It’s estimated that hundreds of pots are lost every season and these pieces of gear could have hundreds of feet of rope attached to a locater buoy.

The lost gear has created marine debris and entanglement hazards for whales and has created challenges for both the salmon and crab fleets.

“Working with California’s hard working crabbers and our state’s environmental community, we’re advancing this needed legislation that will benefit the thousands of migratory whales that feed off our coast and the thousands of fishermen who make up the Golden State’s crab and salmon fleet,” Sen. McGuire said. “We’ve seen a record number of whale entanglements over the past few years and it’s crucial to get the lost gear out of the water and out of their way. This bill creates a simple solution to this problem, while at the same time supporting recommendations initiated by crab fishermen.”

Crab fishermen have taken the lead on this issue and many are already taking part in pilot programs that collect lost crab gear.

SB 1287 will create the statewide solution to the problem and has garnered support from crab fishing organizations and environmental advocates.

“California’s crab and salmon fishermen are the first to recognize the need to remove preventable marine debris, and in the best possible position to do so,” said Tim Sloane, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. “SB 1287 gives them the tools to carry out effective gear recovery that will keep our ocean ecosystem clean.”

Based on recommendations from the Dungeness Crab Task Force, SB 1287 will call on the Department of Fish and Wildlife to establish a retrieval program.

Dungeness crab fishermen, who obtain a permit through this program, will retrieve old crab traps after the season has closed each year.

The bill also establishes a fee to be paid by the fishing boat that lost the crab trap or abandoned the gear at sea.

The creation of a self-perpetuating program to recover fishing gear is a necessary action of the commercial Dungeness crab fishing industry to continue operating as a responsible, sustainable fishery.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “Our responsibilities – to act as good stewards of nature and our ocean heritage – is more important today than it has ever been. Our environment on land, in skies, and beneath oceans is delicately balanced, each bound to the health of the other. I commend the dedication of crab fishermen and Senator McGuire in their work to reduce ocean debris, protect of our ocean’s whale population, and preserve California’s natural heritage for generations to come.”

Dr. Jeff Boehm, executive director of The Marine Mammal Center based in Sausalito, CA, said: “We applaud the efforts of Senator McGuire to advance this important legislation that will protect whales and other marine wildlife by helping to keep our coastal waters free of fishing gear debris.”

“The Dungeness crab fishery is in the top tier of California’s commercial seafood catch and the entire industry has weathered a challenging few years, including the historic delay of this year’s Dungeness crab season,” Senator McGuire said. “This gear retrieval program will be a great step forward in cleaning up our oceans and making a safer environment for people and whales.”

SB 1287 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Natural Resources Committee on April 12.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, candidate for District 4 Assembly, will be the guest at the Lake County Democratic Club's meeting on Tuesday, April 12.

The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Lower Lake Community United Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St., Lower Lake.

After Aguiar-Curry speaks, there will be a question-and-answer period.

The Lake County Democratic Club is an officially chartered club of the Democratic Party of Lake County.

Meetings are open to the public. Membership is open to all registered Democrats.

For more information visit www.lakecountydemocraticclub.org or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The regular meeting of the Clearlake Planning Commission scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, has been canceled.

The commission's next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, April 19.

LUCERNE, Calif. – The Northshore Community Center is holding a workshop to assist the board of directors in deciding the future of the center on Saturday, April 2.

The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at the center, located at 3985 Country Club Drive, Lucerne.

The board is looking for assistance in solving issues of planning, recruiting a new director since the current is retiring and funding shortfalls impacting operations. 

Community volunteers have formed a committee and are looking for more dedicated individuals. All input is valuable and the meeting is open to everyone from all areas of the county. The meeting duration will be flexible based on input. 

If you are interested in keeping the center in operation, provision of on-site senior nutrition, Meals on Wheels and pantry services, this is a very important meeting for you to attend. Coffee and refreshments will be served. 

April 12 will be the regular Board Meeting of the Center at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is usually the second Tuesday of the month and always is open to the public. The board is currently recruiting members to help with the guidance of the center.

Coffee, tea and refreshments will be provided at the meetings but feel free to bring other snacks to share.

For more information about Northshore Community Center and its activities, call 707-274-8779.

The not-for-profit serves Northshore senior populations with on-site lunches, Meals on Wheels, social events and advocacy. It also has many other activities for seniors and families. Stop by and get a calendar for what is happening.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around Lake County and the North Coast during the coming week.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20
 
– Pavement repairs from Rosemont Drive to the junction of Routes 20/53 will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

– AT&T has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility repairs near Butler Street on Friday, April 1. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.
 
Highway 29

– Valley fire recovery work from the Lake/Napa County line to Hidden Valley will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

Highway 175
 
– Valley Fire recovery work from the junction of Routes 29/175 in Middletown to Loch Lomond will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 7 days per week. Motorists should anticipate 30-minute delays.
 
MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 101

– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– O'Reilly Auto Parts has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit to install a commercial driveway near Gregory Lane beginning Monday, April 4. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Locating underground utilities from Sherwood Road to 0.4 mile north of Casteel Lane will begin Monday, April 4. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Pavement repairs from County Road 307 to Rattlesnake Creek will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

– Emergency slide repairs just south of Standish-Hickey State Park will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).