NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – With a major storm now heading toward Northern and Central California, Pacific Gas and Electric is reminding customers that power outages may occur this week due to significant rainfall, potential flooding and high winds.

PG&E is implementing its emergency preparedness plans and utilizing advanced technology to be ready to restore service to impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible.

“With storms bearing down on our region, we want our customers to know that PG&E has a plan, is mobilizing resources and will work around the clock to restore service to customers,” said Geisha Williams, executive vice president of electric operations. “Likewise, we encourage our customers to have a personal or family preparedness plan in place and – above all else – stay safe as winter weather arrives in our area.”

PG&E crews are prepared and ready to respond to power outages as soon as weather conditions permit the safe restoration of power.

The utility is also pre-positioning contract power restoration and vegetation management crews.

PG&E routinely practices its preparedness and response to storms and other emergencies through company exercises and through drills with local first responders.

The company also utilizes the latest technology to restore power more quickly and efficiently after a storm.

This includes the use of storm outage prediction models, the installation of automated equipment that “self-heals” the electric grid as well as timely and accurate outage data from its network of more than 4.5 million electric SmartMeters.

PG&E urges customers to stay safe during storms and remember the following safety tips:

– Always treat low hanging and downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others away from them. Be aware that trees, pools of water and other objects that may be in contact with power lines. If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 911 immediately and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
– During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, holiday trees and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
– Customers with generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to crews working on power lines.
– If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Homeownership Program of Habitat for Humanity Lake County is actively seeking qualified candidates.

Habitat for Humanity has received a CalHome grant which will enable them to build several new homes but they need qualifying applicants.
 
In order to qualify, you must be a “first time buyer” in need of a decent place to live and be a low-income household. 

A family of four, for example, would require a gross household annual income between $28,650 and $46,300.

Applicants will be considered on a first come, first serve basis.  Military veterans are encouraged to apply.
 
For full qualification information and homeowner participation requirements, or to receive an application, visit Habitat for Humanity’s website at www.lakehabitat.org , call the office at 707-994-1100, or come by 16285A Main St. in Lower Lake.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Christmas Wish Trees at the Umpqua Banks in Lakeport and Kelseyville, to benefit children in care at Child Welfare Services, still have many tags with wishes that remain to be filled.

With Christmas only two weeks away, the need for donations is urgent.

Every year, Umpqua Bank helps to bring each Lake County child under the supervision of Child Welfare Services a holiday gift. 

This year, the gift requests are less specific, making it even easier to sponsor the holiday for a child.  Gift cards to local retailers are a great option. 

If you are not able to shop, donations are gladly accepted and we will do the shopping for you. 

Experience the joy of giving and brighten the holiday of a child in need. Stop by your local Umpqua Bank or call to see how you can be a part of this tradition of giving.

Umpqua Banks are located at 805 11th St. in Lakeport and 4280 Main St. in Kelseyville.

If you have questions, feel free to call 707-262-3342 or 707-262-3389.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall (MATH) group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

The meeting will take place in the activity room at the Middletown Community Center, 21256 Washington St.

The public is invited to attend.

Agenda items include nominations for the board, a discussion of moving the Middletown welcome sign closer to town, Christmas decorations in the park, the naming of the new Middletown park, Dollar General's plans for a store in the town and a chili cookoff planned for May 22, 2015.

MATH meetings are subject to videotaping. Meeting proceedings may be available for viewing on public access television and/or the Internet.

MATH – established by resolution of the Lake County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 12, 2006 – is a municipal advisory council serving the residents of Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

The group’s current board of directors include Chairman Fletcher Thornton, Vice Chair Claude Brown, Secretary Ken Gonzales, and members Laura Helton and Mike Tabacci.

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – At the Jan. 12 meeting of the Hidden Valley Lake Garden Club, members are asked to bring their favorite gardening tool and share “why you can’t garden without it.”

In addition, there will be a video shown on how to sharpen garden tools.

The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.

This should be a fun and informative meeting with lots of group participation, so come and join in as a member or as a guest.

Meetings of the Hidden Valley Lake Garden Club are free and open to the public.

The group gathers on the second Monday of each month in the activities room of the Hidden Valley Lake Association administration building, 18174 Hidden Valley Road.

For further information, contact Cheryl Crawford at 707-987-8254 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Soper Reese Theatre Classic Movie Series will feature 'The Manchurian Candidate' on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Show times are at 1 and 6 p.m.

The 1962 political thriller stars Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh.

“The Manchurian Candidate” is a classic blend of satire and suspense that was uncomfortably prescient in its own time and distressingly relevant today. It's rated PG-13.

For the matinée showings, doors open at 12:30 p.m., with the shows starting at 1 p.m.

For the evening showings, doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the films starting at 6 p.m.

Admission to the film is by donation.

Popcorn, candy, soda, water and coffee will be available for purchase.

The Soper Reese Theatre, located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport, is a restored, historic, performing arts venue established in 1949 and seating 300 patrons.

Check the theater's Web site, www.soperreesetheatre.com , its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Soper-Reese-Theatre/117392951610902 or call 707-263-0577 to find out about other upcoming events.