MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Spring was in the air in February when Tanya Striedieck of Star Gardens Nursery agreed to speak at the March 16 Middletown Luncheon Club.

It's certainly cooler and wetter now, but it's still time to start thinking about springtime planting.

Striedieck will share the steps that need to be taken now and also what plants might be good choices as the community recover from the fire. Striedieck is a font of wisdom "on all things garden." Bring your questions.

Lunch will be served on Wednesday, March 16, by the United Methodist Women at noon at the Middletown Senior Center, 21256 Washington St. The program will end promptly at 1 p.m.

For only $5 per person, enjoy roasted pork loin, scalloped potatoes, and broccoli salad.

Reservations are highly recommended. Please call 707-987-3113 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information or to make a reservation before 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13.

As we approach this biannual shift in time, AAA urges drivers to take extra precautions while on the road.

According to the National Safety Council data, a significant increase of up to 6 percent in crashes occurs the Monday immediately following the spring shift.

“It is important to try to set your ‘internal clock’ and get the proper amount of sleep the night before as you turn your clocks forward one hour,” says Cynthia Harris, AAA Northern California spokesperson. “That one hour of sleep deprivation can leave you feeling groggy and have a dangerous impact on your driving skills.”

AAA tips for motorists when driving on early morning dark roads:

– Prep your car for nighttime driving.  Check and clean your headlights, taillights, brake lights, and signal lights. You want to see and be seen by other drivers on the road.

– Know when to use your low beams and high beams. Use your low beams when you need to see about 250 feet in front of you and high beams when your visibility range is 350 to 500 feet. Dim your high beams when following another driver or approaching an oncoming car.

– Get rest.  Avoid the temptation to stay up extra late on Saturday and Sunday night. Wake up 30 minutes earlier on Saturday and Sunday morning to help re-set your internal clock.

– Avoid drowsy driving: If you are feeling drowsy, pull safely off the road and continue to drive only when you are sufficiently rested.

– Use your headlights: Drive with your headlights on to increase your visibility to other drivers.

Just after sunrise and before sunset the sun can shine directly into drivers’ eyes, leaving many motorists driving with a glare.

This glare can make it much harder to see the road ahead. When sun glare is an issue slow down and use extra caution, especially while driving through school zones.

AAA tips for motorists when driving into the sun:

– Invest in polarized sunglasses: They can help reduce glare.

– Utilize your sun visor: It can help to block out the sun.

– Keep safe distance behind: Sun in your eyes reduces your view of the car ahead.

– As a last resort, temporarily use lane markings as a guide: Bright sun makes road hard to see.

For more information about AAA Safety Tips, visit www.Exchange.AAA.com .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around 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.
 
– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work 0.2 mile east of Hillside Lane on Wednesday, March 16. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Rocky fire repairs from Gravel Plant Road to the Lake/Colusa County line will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 29

– Valley fire cleanup 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
 
– 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.

– PG&E has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility work near Loch Lomond Road on Tuesday, March 15. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Bridge painting at the Navarro River Bridge will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Highway repairs just north of Ocean Meadows Circle will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 20

– Caltrans will perform pavement grinding from just west of Road A to the East Fork Russian River Bridge through Friday, March 11. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.
 
– Emergency pavement repairs from the North Calpella Overcrossing to County Road 260 will continue. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

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.

– Utility work just north of Upp Creek will occur on Tuesday, March 15. One-way traffic control will be in effect from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Motorists should anticipate 10-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 6 p.m. weekdays. Motorists should anticipate 15-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).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Delta Iota Tau will hold its special Easter See's Candies sale at Bruno’s Shop Smart from Monday, March 21, through Saturday, March 26.

The sales will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily.

Delta Iota Tau, a Lake County Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, sells See's Candies all year through North Lake Medical Pharmacy, located in the Bruno’s Shop Smart Center on Lakeport Boulevard.  

Due to the huge volume of customers for Easter, the sorority sets up this special table in Bruno’s to relieve the pharmacy staff during this time.

The money raised through these sales enables Delta Iota Tau to make a variety of community donations all year long.

All monies raised are donated to Lake County residents and organizations only.

Donations each year have included Clear Lake High School scholarships, Operation Tango Mike, Wreaths Across America, Sponsoring Survivorship, Miss Lake County Pageant, Lakeport Senior Center Meals on Wheels and Clear Lake High School Sober Grad Night, to name a few.

Delta Iota Tau also has been putting on monthly birthday parties for families staying at the Lake Family Resource Center with its fundraising dollars.

When the public purchases See's Candies from Delta Iota Tau please remember that the purchases provide far more joy than to the person who receives the candy.

“Many deserving people benefit from your purchase of See’s Candies, far more than you may imagine,” said Chapter President Dana Kearney. “Thank you for supporting our community giving.”

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On Thursday, March 17, Redbud Audubon will welcome wildlife biologist Mike Cardwell, M.S., a nationally recognized expert on venomous animals and the injuries they produce.

The program will take place at the Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St. The hall is across the parking lot from the Methodist Church. If you are coming through Lower Lake, turn left on Lake Street and then right on Second St.

Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. with the program at 7:15 p.m.

Cardwell served on the panel of subject matter experts who revised treatment guidelines for North American pit viper bites in 2015, co-authored the chapter on North American venomous reptile bites for the seventh edition of “Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine” and is co-editor of “The Biology of Rattlesnakes,” a 600-page compilation of the work of 98 researchers.

He has been invited to speak at multiple annual meetings of organizations like the Wilderness Medical Society and the National Association for Search & Rescue.

Cardwell has authored numerous articles for both scientific and non-technical publications and his long-term radiotelemetry field study of Mohave rattlesnakes was the first for this species and was prominently featured in Animal Planet’s “Venom ER” television series.

This should be a fascinating program and of great interest to those who live in Lake County, where rattlesnakes are quite at home.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – At the six-month mark of the Valley fire, United Policyholders is asking Valley fire survivors to take a short online survey about their experiences regarding the insurance claims process and the status of their recovery.

The identity of those who participate will be kept confidential when the survey results are analyzed.

Please take the survey today at www.uphelp.org/Vsurvey .

The specific purpose of this survey is to gather information about insurance-related recovery progress and problems from the Valley fire.

The valuable results will help United Policyholders serve Lake County's recovering community and identify coverage issues, individual and common problems and solutions, assess the pace of recovery and the claims handling performance of the various insurers in the region.
 
As a thank you for completing this survey, all email addresses will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card. The winner will be notified by email.

You can view the survey results when it is completed at www.uphelp.org/surveyresults .

The survey will be open throughout March.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this project, please feel free to call United Policyholders Program Coordinator Emily Rogan at 800-286-5631.

United Policyholders is a nonprofit organization that does not take any money from insurance companies. United Policyholders started after the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley firestorm.

The organization's mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for insurance consumers.

It provides free tips, tools and resources to make it easier for disaster survivors to get fair and timely settlements.

For more information visit www.uphelp.org .