LUCERNE
Town Hall to hold special meeting Wednesday to discuss sale of Lucerne building and efforts to turn it into a homeless shelter
According to chair Kurt McKelvey, recent apparent attempts to stifle and delay public discourse regarding the purchase of the Lucerne Hotel Building A.K.A. “The Castle”, and proposed plans to turn it into a homeless shelter via grant funds that were obtained by lying, have necessitated an immediate Emergency Meeting of the Lucerne Area Town Hall.
The meeting is at 6 p.m. at the Lucerne Elementary School multipurpose room.
Invited Guest Speaker: Tom Jordan, Scott’s Valley Band of Pomo tribal administrator to discuss how their agency partnered with LCOE to obtain a taxpayer funded grant to convert the Lucerne hotel into a homeless shelter in the town of Lucerne and utilize it by importing homeless people to Lucerne without consulting the District Supervisor, or the Town Hall, and without county planning approval.
On the agenda as an action item is the consideration of resolution A0004, condemning the effort to turn an historic building, the centerpiece of the town of Lucerne, into a homeless shelter.
zoom link for the meeting is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87169906960?pwd=SERzYUh2KzVQZ2FsWlBoaFVIWExRQT09
Meeting ID : 871 6990 6960 Password: 13931
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KELSEYVILLE
Flotilla 08-08 of Lake County Changes watch
On Dec. 11, 2022, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) Auxiliary, Flotilla 08-08 of Lake County held their annual Change of Watch for 2023at Riviera Hills Restaurant in Kelseyville, California.
Officiating at the ceremony was District Captain Wayne Farnholtz . Kevin Kealey accepted the office as Flotilla Commander again for 2023. Arthur Martinez took the oath of Vice-Commander for 2023 and was awarded new shoulder boards indicating his new command. Receiving the Award for Auxiliarist of the Year
was Dorothy “Bunny” De Lope, Public Affairs Officer.
Among the invited guests were Elizabeth Larson, Editor and Publisher of Lake County News, and guest speaker William Fox, Program Coordinator of Lake County Water Resources.
The USCG Auxiliary consists of over 30,000 volunteer members throughout our country who provide operational support to the USCG and are dedicated to promoting recreational boating safety.
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LAKEPORT
Lake County has moved to ‘medium’ level of COVID community spread
Lake County has moved to the ‘medium’ level of COVID community spread, according to the latest metrics released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Additionally, and of great concern, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are together driving a national wave of respiratory illnesses parallel to the ongoing pandemic. At this time, local health officials are particularly concerned for our community’s first responders as this development poses innumerable challenges for them as they go about fulfilling their duties this winter.
Our first responders are burdened by the direct effects, indirect effects, and changes in their operational environments posed by this increased risk of exposure. Directly, they’re threatened by the risk of severe illness, which leads to absenteeism, stress, and quarantines. Indirectly, this changes how services are delivered, training slows down, or first responders face increased healthcare costs. The availability of resources, their working conditions, and the level or type of demand for services is also affected.
The community level is determined by the number of new COVID cases in the county over the past 7 days, the number of newly admitted patients with confirmed COVID, and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds that are occupied by patients with coronavirus. With Lake County moving into the ‘medium’ level of transmission, the CDPH mask mandate requires that congregate settings, such as jails and homeless shelters, implement universal mask mandates.
While officials are concerned for our first responders given this development, their focus continues to be on our community’s vulnerable elderly and youth populations. County of Lake Health Services recommends that all people, but especially those who are more at risk for severe illness or live with someone who is, take the following extra precautions at this time:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean commonly touched surfaces.
- Consider wearing a well-fitting, good-quality mask when indoors or in crowded spaces.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Throw the tissue away after using it. ∙ Stay home when sick and limit contact with others.
- Take a COVID test. People who develop flu-like symptoms should take a COVID test, especially if they have underlying conditions that put them more at risk for severe illness or hospitalization from flu or COVID. Free rapid antigen COVID tests may be ordered through the United States Postal Service (USPS) here: special.usps.com/testkits
- Wash hands frequently with soap and running water. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Officials also strongly recommend getting vaccinated and boosted against COVID and influenza to prevent more severe illness and hospitalization. The updated bivalent booster offers increased protection against strains that are currently circulating, including omicron and its subvariants. To learn about the most up-to-date vaccine schedule, visit cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/index.html or call our dedicated COVID Hotline at (707) 263-8174. It is also recommended that everyone ages 6 months and older receive a yearly flu vaccine. People may receive their flu shot at the same time as their COVID vaccine or booster at one of many vaccination sites throughout our community.
—submitted
