LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A series of new changes have been announced for local programs that help seniors stay in their homes.

After 25 years of service on the board of Konocti Senior Support, including 10 years as president, Hope Brewer wanted to step down, and fortunately for this nonprofit program, board member Pat Goodson, volunteered and was voted in as president.

Goodson has a fantastic background to succeed Brewer's dedication in overseeing Konocti Senior Support's two programs: The Friendly Visitors and Senior Peer Counseling Program.

Goodson already had served on the board for three years and had volunteered as Senior Peer Counselor for five years.

She has a degree in behavioral science, has lived in Lake County for 25 years and had worked for Lake County Mental Health for almost six years.

One of her first duties as president was to find a new director for the Senior Peer Counseling Program.

An excellent candidate was hired, Barbara Nuckols, who had been a guidance counselor for more than 20 years, working in nonprofits, schools and agency-based settings, assisting with clients in psychosocial rehabilitation, corrections, reentry and phase-of-life transitions.

Along with her strong experience, she has a master's in counseling psychology with a somatic emphasis and a master's in educational counseling psychology, as is a credentialed guidance counselor.

Nuckols feels her main strength is helping clients reconnect to the support and joy in their own lives. What may feel like a lonely path or an uphill battle can become a joyful dance and procession.
 
On Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to noon in Clearlake, Nuckols holds weekly meetings and training sessions for volunteer senior peer counselors.

Those trained will visit seniors in their home who may need grief counseling or emotional or psychological support.

Each week in a confidential setting they will receive guidance to help their clients. If you have questions, want to volunteer or know a senior who you think might benefit from peer counseling, please contact Nuckols at Konocti Senior Support offices at 707-995-1417.  

Visit the organization online at www.konoctiseniorsupport.com .

LUCERNE, Calif. – A fun evening for daughters and dads – or other father figures – will take place on Friday, Feb. 7.

“Dessert and Dancing with Dad” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lucerne Elementary School, 3351 Country Club Drive.

Get dad or your favorite over-18 father figure – uncle, grandpa or brother – out for an evening of fun entertainment with a local DJ and a 50/50 raffle.

Presale tickets will be available Feb. 3 to Feb. 7 at 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in front of the school office for $10 per couple Additional tickets are $5 each.

Tickets will be $15 per couple at the cafeteria door the night of the event, with additional tickets costing $5 each.

For more information call 707-274-5578.

SACRAMENTO – State Controller John Chiang has introduced eClaim, a breakthrough online tool aimed at reuniting Californians with lost and forgotten money.

When the property is worth less than $500 and there is only one owner listed, this online innovation – found at www.claimit.ca.gov – may let the claimant bypass the “paper and snail-mail” process upon which the state has been dependent since the Unclaimed Property Program was first established in 1959.

Instead, Californians can search for and claim their money completely online, and expect to be reunited with their assets within 14 days.

"After reforming one of the nation's largest lost and found programs to put property owners first and returning record amounts of assets, I am pleased to announce this latest technological advancement that will reunite owners with their lost money with greater speed, ease, and convenience." said Chiang. "For those who have put off doing paperwork to claim smaller amounts of property, the simple eClaim tool provides a painless option."

Currently, 72 percent – or 18 million – of the 24.9 million lost items being safeguarded by the Controller's Office are eligible to be claimed through eClaim. Depending on feedback and usage, future editions of this tool may include a higher qualifying dollar threshold.

For tips on how to use eClaim, watch a tutorial at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EvPiLG0-lk&;feature=youtu.be or call the Controller's Unclaimed Property Division at 800-992-4647.

Since January 2007, the controller has reunited owners with more than $2.5 billion in cash that had been lost or forgotten – more than any previous controller.

As of June 2013, the controller also returned 181 million shares of securities to owners, which is more than 30 times the amount returned to owners during the previous decade.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch will hold a special workshop for its network of volunteer hitch migration monitors on Wednesday, Feb. 12.

The workshop will begin at 6 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors chambers in the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes in Lakeport.

Presentations will cover the history and life cycle of the hitch, traditional Pomo uses and the monitoring protocol, as well as an update on Chi Council activities to date and results of its work over the past 10 years.

There also will be a brief status update regarding the Endangered Species Act listing process, with the hitch currently under consideration for a listing.

If you are one of the council's dedicated volunteers who wants to increase your expertise and the value of your observations, if you have been following the council's work over the years but have never taken an active part in its annual springtime efforts or if you are simply curious, you are welcome to attend this highly informative and free event.

For more information visit http://lakelive.info/chicouncil/ .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable will have its next presentation at 6:15 p.m. Monday Feb. 3, at the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.

Dr. Mark Cooper and Phil Smoley will share presentation honors as they both are intimately familiar with the CSS Hunley, the Confederate submarine that sunk the USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, 150 years ago this February.

Smoley attended the funeral of the Confederate sailors in 2004 following the removal of their remains from the vessel after it was raised form its resting place.

More than 10,000 reenactors participated in the funeral procession through the streets of Charleston.   

Dr. Cooper has since been back to Charleston and seen the progress of the restoration of the submarine. It is in remarkably excellent condition.

"Outside history circles, the story of the Hunley is little known," according to Smoley. "But it is a story that needs to be told and retold. It has elements of courage, heroism, ingenuity, patriotism, tragedy and a strong connection to our modern day. It will come across as imaginative fiction, but it all happened."

The Civil War Roundtable meets once a month to discuss topics related to that war. The group was founded to coincide with the Sesquicentennial of the conflict. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.

For more information, contact Phil Smoley (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-264-4905) or Zane Jensen (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-349-6390).

SACRAMENTO- Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) will recognize Davis constituent and children’s book author, Dr. Loriene Honda, on the Assembly Floor on “Fred Korematsu Day,” Thursday, Jan.30.

Dr. Honda will be accompanied by her father, Mr. Lawrence Honda, who was interned at the Manzanar War Relocation Center during World War II.

Assemblymember Yamada’s family members also were Manzanar internees.

“In honor of Fred Korematsu Day, it is important to reflect upon our civil rights and the heroes  who stood up to protect them,” stated Assemblymember Yamada. “Inspired by illustrations by the late renowned artist and Sacramento native, Jimmy Tsutomu Mirikitani, Dr. Honda’s book, ‘The Cat Who Chose to Dream’ tells Jimmy the Cat’s tale of triumph over tragedy and freedom over fear during the Japanese American internment during World War II. My hope is that young readers will be empowered to stand up for themselves and for others by reading this story.”

Dr. Honda is a child and adolescent psychologist, using art to help children distance themselves from the pain of abuse and neglect so that they can make strides towards healing. Currently, Dr. Honda serves her community through her private practice in Davis.

In 2010, AB 1775 established the “Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution” to honor Asian American Civil Rights Hero, Fred Korematsu, who defied orders of removal during World War II.

His failure to report to the internment camp later became the subject of a Supreme Court case challenging the constitutionality of forced incarceration of Japanese American citizens.  

Assemblymember Yamada will host a reception in honor of Dr. Honda and her book at 10 a.m. in Capitol Room 317. Members of the public are invited to attend. Please RSVP by calling 916-319-2004.

More information about “The Cat Who Chose to Dream” may be found at http://www.martinpearl.com/childrensbooks/thecatwhochosetodream.html .