The congressman representing San Benito County is set to make a visit to Hollister on Tuesday.
Sam Farr open house
Congressman Sam Farr is hosting a Hollister town hall meeting. It is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 26 at the county board chambers, 481 Fourth St.
Fall art classes
The San Benito County Arts Council is offering three sets of fall art classes, which include courses in painting and drawing with charcoal. There will be three month long sessions including one from Sept. 8 to Oct. 3, a second from Oct. 6 to Oct. 31 and a third from Nov. 3 to Dec. 5. Classes will be held in the council’s new art space at 240 5th Street. For more information, including the full class schedule, registration forms and rates, go to sanbenitoarts.org or call Jennifer Laine at (831) 636-2787.
Public health reminder on West Nile virus
There have been at least four deaths from the West Nile Virus in California, according to the California Department of Public Health.
While there have been no fatalities from the virus in San Benito County this year, but there have been four fatalities in northern California with two deaths in Stanislaus County and one in Sacramento County and Shasta County, respectively.
The West Nile virus is commonly transmitted to humans by mosquitos and there are no vaccines or medications to treat or prevent the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five people who are infected will develop a fever with other symptoms, according to the CDC. Less than 1 percent of infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, neurological illness, according to the CDC.
The San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office Mosquito Abatement program is issuing the following recommendations to help residents minimize mosquito bites this summer:
1) Minimize time spent outdoors at dawn and dusk, which are the prime mosquito flying hours.
2) Wear light, loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts and pants and wear U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered mosquito repellent outside at dawn and dusk.
When selecting a mosquito repellent, look for Deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide), Picaridin (KBR 3023), Oil of lemon eucalyptus (p-methane 3,8-diol or PMD) and IR3535 (also called Merck 3535). Of these, Deet is considered the most effective and best studied repellent currently available, according to a press release from the San Benito County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office Mosquito Abatement program.
The EPA has an online search tool to help people compare skin-applied repellent products here: cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect.
‘Summer mobilization’
California Highway Patrol officers in Monterey and San Benito Counties started their “summer mobilization” effort Friday, and it runs through Labor Day, according to an announcement from the CHP.
According to the CHP statement:
The Avoid the 20 effort, named for the number of law enforcement agencies in the two counties, gets its funding from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said Salinas police traffic Sgt. Gerard Ross.
Jurisdictions are planning sobriety checkpoints, in-city saturation patrols and maximum enforcement by the CHP’s three area commands, Hollister-Gilroy, Monterey and King City.
“We hope that the DUI arrest count will be much lower, maybe in the two digits,” he said. In the last two years, the arrest total duplicated itself at 100.
“The good news is that a DUI arrest is completely preventable, just use the good old designated sober driver method,” the sergeant stated.
“The bad news is that an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs could cost as much as $10,000 when you add up all the various costs. Never mind that your insurance rates will go through the roof, if the insurance company doesn’t cancel your policy outright.”
The effort is part of a national NHTSA campaign with the title “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
CASA seeks advocates
CASA is looking for adult volunteers interested in becoming advocates for foster children from San Benito County. No special background or education is required, just someone who cares about making a difference in their community and a foster child’s life. For more information, please call (831) 637-4992 or email: [email protected].
