Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka
December 9, 2013

Lunch Menu:  Salad bar, chicken Kiev, beef stroganoff, scalloped potatoes, assorted vegetables and dessert.

Called to order by President Ziggy at 12:30pm

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Steven Lafferty.

The Invocation was led by Bruce Rupp, who called for a moment of silence in memory of Eureka Rotarian, Dick Nash who recently passed away.

Visiting Rotarians

Mike Brown, Fortuna; Les Merrill, Southwest.

Guests of Rotarians

Dr. Kim Bauriedel introduced his good friend, Dr. David O’Brien, who recently moved back to Eureka to take the position of President and CEO of St. Joseph Hospital.

Student Guest

Our Russian exchange student, Daniel, was supposed to participate in a wrestling tournament in Oregon but it was cancelled because, in his words, “Americans can’t drive in the snow.”  He did take 1^st place at a tournament in Crescent City out of 24 people in his weight class!

Birthdays

Jay Bahner on December 15^th and Greg Bowen on December 10^th.

Announcements 

Logger Classic-  President Ziggy said that the Logger Classic was left out of this year’s budget.  We need to raise $2,000 in order to participate. (We’ve been a sponsor of this event for over 20 years.)  If you can help by making a donation please let him know.

Toys for Tots-  Greg Gardiner said that last year Toys for Tots provided gifts for 5,000 kids.  This year they will provide even more.  If you can help there are plenty of opportunities for volunteers.  This Saturday there will be a toy sort at Western Web where they will figure out how many toys they have so far and what they still need.  They will start at 9am and it will take 4 to 6 hours.  There will be Christmas music playing and it’s always a lot of fun.  On the 19^th of December there will be a lunch at the Elks Lodge for 140 middle school kids.  On Sunday the 22^nd will be the biggest event they hold, at Eureka High School, where they distribute gifts to kids. 

Christmas Party- If you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, but want to go, contact Mike Cunningham prior to Thursday, December 12^th.  Please bring a toy to donate to Toys for Tots.

Recognitions

Greg Williston was fined $50 because he misses his exchange student, Dan, who has since moved to the Bauriedel’s.  

Ted Loring was maxed out on his recognitions and received a t-shirt because Chuck Ellsworth was cleaning out his house and shared some photos at Rotary of Ted with hair.

Raffle

$10 to: Hank Ingham       $10 to: Will Kay

Guest Speaker

Ikolo and Sarah Griffin reside in the Bay Area, but have been living in Eureka since mid- October as the artistic directors of the annual Nutcracker Ballet.  A husband and wife team, they are both professional dancers as well as artistic directors.  They will also be dancing in the ballet, performing as the Arabian Couple in the 2^nd act, as well as a couple of other parts. 

They said the performance is a community driven ballet.  They are holding 4 to 5 ballet classes a week with youth in the area and are excited about adding their own fresh perspective to the traditional ballet. 

The Nutcracker will be held at the Arkley Center, which is being reopened just for this production.  Dates and times are available on their web site: www.atlpublishing.com/North_Coast_Dance or at North Coast Dance: 426 F Street, Eureka; Eureka Fabrics:  412 2nd Street, Eureka or Parasol Arts: 211 G Street Eureka.

They have been dancing for many years, Ikolo for 30 years and Sarah for 20.  Many of those years they participated in the Nutcracker Ballet in other markets.  Ikolo was a dancer with the San Francisco Ballet for many years and has traveled in Europe with the Dance Theater of Harlem as well.  Sarah was also a dancer with the Dance Theater of Harlem, which is where she met Ikolo. 

They are excited about the upcoming Nutcracker Ballet and hope to build upon this year’s performance by engaging the community more as they visit schools and local youth groups to encourage youth to engage in the art of dancing.

Meeting adjourned at 1:19 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Alicia Cox

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka

December 2, 2013

Lunch Menu: Salad bar, canned peaches, corned beef, meatloaf, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, gravy, rolls, dessert.

Called to order by Acting President Gregg Gardiner at 12:30pm

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dan Price. (Gregg asked that he lead the pledge in honor of Dan’s son who just left for Afghanistan.)

The Invocation was led by Greg Pierson

Visiting Rotarians

Greg Seiler- Fortuna Rotary and Les Merrill- Southwest Rotary

Guests of Rotarians

Arnold Klein introduced his guest, Dr. Kitty Poterak. Fred Sundquist introduced Jason Chan, CEO of City Ambulance of Eureka. Matt Owen introduced Maggie Fleming, who is running for District Attorney in the upcoming election. Don Smullin introduced Paula Patton, Publisher of the Times-Standard

Student Guests

Eric Bergel introduced two Interact students Jordan Rossi and Kendall Duncan.

Exchange Student

Dan recently left the Williston’s and moved to the Bauriedel’s, his second host family.  He enjoyed Thanksgiving and liked eating turkey, watching football and watching his father drink beer, (although he didn’t have any beer because he’s not old enough).  He introduced his wrestling coach from Eureka High School, who is also a Rotarian in McKinleyville.  

Birthdays

Jay Reed on 12/5, Jack Macdonald on 12/5, and a standing ovation for Jim Howard who celebrated his 98th birthday on December 1st!

Anniversaries

Bert Campton’s 29th anniversary with Rotary, Jay and Vonel Bahner will celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary on 12/5.  With a little prompting from acting President Gardiner, Jay confessed that he proposed in a bowling alley and that they went on two honeymoons to Hawaii and Las Vegas.

Announcements

Mike Cunningham reminded everyone to sign up for the Christmas Party at the Ingomar Club on December 14th.  Information is on the tables or you can email or call him. About 40 people have signed up so far.  Generally there are about 80 that attend, most of who sign up at the last minute.

Acting President Gardiner said that the secure portion of the rotary1.org web site is now up and can be accessed by remembering an important date for our club. 

He also talked about Toys for Tots.  This year over 5,000 kids will be served in Humboldt County, plus Weaverville, Leggett and Covelo.  There are two ways to help.  You can send a tax deductible check or drop off a toy to one of 50 or 60 locations. 

Recognitions

Gregg asked all Rotarians who had driven more than 200 miles on Thanksgiving to stand.  The winners were Eric Bergel who went to Coeur D’Alene, Idaho and Matt Messner who went to Seattle, WA.  Those who attended a dinner with 20 or more people were John Winzler with 22, Dan Price with 25 (plus 3 little girls), and Patrick Cleary.

Those Rotarians who had memorized the lyrics to The 12 Days of Christmas didn’t have to pay a fine of $5.  Unfortunately, the majority of the club failed the lyric test and the money was piling up on the tables.  Final lyric winners were:  Lisa Slack- partridge in a pear tree, Keith Crossley- two turtledoves, Nancy Dean– 3 French hens, Jill Macdonald- 4 calling birds, Dennis Hunter- 5 golden rings, Dan Price- 6 geese a laying, Christian Hill- 7 swans a swimming, Greg Pierson- 8 maids a milking, Kathy Smith- 9 ladies dancing, Greg Williston- 10 lords a leaping, Jordan Rossi (our Interact guest)- 11 pipers piping and Nick Bertell- 12 drummers drumming.

Raffle

$10 to:  Matt Messner and $10 to: Dr. Ted Welton.

Program

Our speaker was introduced by Murl Harpham.  Gregg Gardiner noted that Murl Harpham has been with Eureka Police Department (EPD) for 56 years, 4 times as acting Chief.  He asked for applause and Murl received a standing ovation.  Murl then introduced Andrew Mills our new Chief of Police for EPD.  Murl said that despite having a hard time over the past few years finding the right person to head up EPD, this time he knows they’ve got it right.  Andrew Mills has been in law enforcement for 30 years.  The past 27 years in San Diego and prior to that in Michigan. Murl has found him to be an honorable and good person.

Chief Mills said it was hard to follow a legend like Murl. Murl’s belief in the city and Murl’s willingness to put off retirement so many times to help out Eureka, influenced Chief Mills decision to come to Eureka and that the city owes Murl a debt of gratitude. 

He told a “true story” about thinking outside of the box… When he was in San Diego his team was working on a case to expose a cartel.  It took 3 years and they were finally able to arrest the individuals when a detective on the team came up with an out of the box way to “kidnap” a source which eventually led to the indictment of numerous cartel members. Chief Mills added it’s easy to get used to doing things a certain way but sometimes you need to take an out of the box approach. 

He said Eureka is a fabulous community.  He and his wife have received a warm, friendly welcome from numerous community members.  EPD is a great police department.  They have a heavy workload with as many as 400 calls in one day.  Generally 13 or 14 people are receiving those calls.  He estimates that the dispatch center is 40% understaffed. There are great people doing a lot of multitasking. 

He needs DATA about where crime is occurring and when so he can send his men to those trouble spots. He is working with various people to gather that data.  For example after talking with the city attorney they were able to note that 3 people are committing 24% of the crime in Eureka.  Obviously, those 3 people need to be dealt with.

They are putting a foot officer back in Old Town.  During Black Friday weekend they had a presence at the mall and in Henderson Center. 

When he and his wife first drove into Eureka they came from the south and as they entered south Broadway there was a person in a wheelchair in the “fast” traffic lane going north.  He is focusing on what we can do to help alleviate the too many pedestrian vs. vehicle deaths that have occurred.  They are looking at what other cities have done as well as thinking outside of the box about other ideas.

He wants to reduce internal hazards at the police station.  It reeks of marijuana due to the immense amount of confiscated marijuana located on the 3rd floor.  They need to replace or remove the carpeting, which is 3” higher in one place than another and creates a walking hazard.  They need bodies.  He’s sending out letters to other police departments looking for people willing to commit to working in Eureka for a period of time. 

Right now he’s doing a lot of walking and talking… meeting people, getting to know the problems and needs of Eureka. He then answered a number of questions.

Meeting adjourned: 1:30pm

Respectfully submitted, 

Alicia Cox

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka

November 25, 2013

Steve Lafferty was called on to lead the pledge.  Bill McAuley gave the invocation.    

Guests included Dan Price’s son Mike, who is in the military and is going to Afghanistan next week.   

Mike Cunningham reminded us that the Rotary Christmas dinner is December 14^th at the Ingomar.  Festivities begin at 5pm and the cost is $75 per head.  

Kim Bauriedel then came to the podium to deliver a gift basket that had been won at the Foundation dinner and somehow left behind.  Before announcing the winner Kim had Ziggy set the delivery charge at $50.  Then he announced the “lucky” winner was Ziggy.   

Gregg Gardiner invited everyone to view the newly remodeled www.rotary1.org.  It now  includes small grants applications and features photos of former Rotary Presidents.  Oh, boy!  Gregg then segued to Toys For Tots.  A website designed by Bob Morse allows schools to securely input the name, sex and age of the needy children to take all the guesswork out of supplying the right gift.  They expect to play Santa for over 5,000 children this year.  They are in need of a 18-22ft truck with a lift gate for a few days.  Call Gregg for details.   

Will Kay was recognized for aiding and abetting Southwest Rotary in “tapping out” his wife Nancy.  Ziggy returned the favor, tapping out Will.   

Mike Martin had the Midas touch.  He found a gold George III guinea from 1775 while he was metal detecting in England.  He also found a silver Denarius from 200 BC.  He was fined $100 to muffled applause.  (see Midas reference above) 

New member Arnie Klein couldn’t find his badge so Ziggy helped him locate it in the badge box for a $50 finders’ fee. 

Ziggy said that Dean Christensen owns the Elks Club.  O.K., $150 fine.   

Raffle winners were Greg Seiler and Steve Lafferty.  

Program

Our program was Brad Mettam, deputy district director for Cal Trans.  He announced that the Willits bypass was 30% done and should be ready in two more construction seasons.  He then showed before and after pictures of the Richardson’s Grove project.  It appeared from the before photos and after artists’ renderings that only a few skinny trees would be removed. No protesters were rendered.  

Moving northward, he discussed the Eureka corridor.  They may put a signal in at Hawthorne for all those pick ups loaded with garbage waiting to make left turns.  They may synchronize all the lights on Broadway and 4^th and 5^th street with a computer that keeps track of traffic in real time.  They may tap dance on the moon.  The Arcata safety corridor was next.  He showed a mock-up of the proposed interchange at Indianola road.  It is a big dirt ramp and an overpass similar to the Roger Rodoni memorial overpass at 36 and 101.  He then briefly mentioned removing the billboards in the corridor.  Chuck Ellsworth got his dander up, whatever that means.  Finally he mentioned that on 101 near Crescent City, at a place called “last chance grade,” the highway will continue to slide into the sea.  That’s the plan unless someone wants to cut a swath through Redwood National Park.  The meeting ended pretty much on time.  Scribed by Hank Ingham

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka

November 18, 2012

Kathy Cloney Gardiner led us in the flag salute.  Lisa Slack gave the invocation. 

Ziggy got a brief report on Sam, whose last name shall not be spoken.  Greg Williston said Sam is a good conversationalist and encouraged club members to invite him over for dinner.  He is studying US history, so that would be a good topic. 

Steve Lafferty then gave his craft talk.  He bought Stewart Communications from Bob Stewart and incorporated it last year.  The firm sells and installs professional phone systems.  His wife is pregnant with their first child who they will not name “Jack”.  I’m sure he’ll be a wiry little guy. 

Greg Gardiner introduced new member Arnie Klein who immediately threw his hat into the ring as a candidate for District Attorney.  Carlton Nielsen gave the Past President’s talk, reminding Arnie that there are no assigned seats in Rotary even though some people sit together in the same place all the time.  It’s all an illusion. 

Mike Cunningham reminded everyone that the Rotary Christmas party is coming up December 14 at the Ingomar.  It’s $75 a person.  Bring your own person.  

Dave Dillon was singled out for the 4 weeks he spent at his condo in Hawaii.  $100 went into the lanai. 

Chuck Ellsworth reported that he had been in Texas pouring footings for his new home on Goose Island.  The island is equidistant from the middle of nowhere and Corpus Christi.  Chuck got a $150 t-shirt. 

Christian Hill was having too much fun at the recent Redwood Memorial Hospital fundraiser so Ziggy raised $50 from him. 

Finally, Ziggy corralled Wayne Wilson and fined him for no longer raising Arabian horses.  Wayne admitted that there are a lot of things he no longer does.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, a slip of paper with eight candidates for the board was given to each member with instructions to vote for four.  The new board members were Jason Eads, Christian Hill, Greg Seiler, and Carol Rische. 

Nancy Dean and Greg Williston won the Spengler Science Fair raffle.

Our speaker for the day was Sasha Marini whose topic was Teen Court.  The court promotes “restorative justice” and acts as an alternative to the Juvenile Justice System. It offers youth who are first time offenders of misdemeanor infractions the opportunity to be judged by their peers and given sentences that promote self-improvement.  Positive peer pressure is very effective.  Teen Court is sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club of the Redwoods.  When the offender completes his or her “sentence”, their record will be expunged.  Teen court’s participants have a recidivism rate of under 10%.  The proceedings are guided by volunteer lawyers who serve as mentors.  Ms. Marini added that they were looking for attorneys to volunteer.  Arcata Police Department’s diversion program refers most of the offenders.  Even though Teen Court is based in Eureka, the Eureka Police Department doesn’t participate.  The court adjudicates 4 cases a month.  There are 1,100 Teen Courts nation wide.  There are 75 in California.  Teen Courts must not be confused with Trailer Courts which do not dispense justice but do provide water and sewer hookups. 

Penned by Hank Ingham

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka

November 4, 2013

Jim Davis led the Flag Salute.  Eric Bergel gave the invocation, quoting C.S. Lewis “It is better to give too much than to give too little.”   

Grace and Jordan from Eureka High Interact introduced themselves.   

Sam, the Russian whose last name shall not be spoken, at least by Ziggy, reported that he is more comfortable in school.  Ziggy vowed to pronounce his name correctly before the end of the year.   

Bill Morrill of the Southwest Eureka Rotary Club invited everyone to attend the Veterans Day celebration at the Adorni Center on 11/11 at 11am.   Our Rotary club will not meet on that day so you can attend the ceremony.   

Pat Folkins reminded us once again of the Foundation dinner on 11/9 at the River Lodge.  Bill Gates has promised $2 for every $1 donated to Polio Plus.   

Don Smullin received his Blue Badge, and then fined $50 for having had the temerity to let J Warren Hockaday take the fall for him on the Chamber of Commerce imbroglio last week.   

Ken Stodder was singled out for wearing a Boston Red Sox hat and jacket.  He was born in Boston and went to school there at Boston University.  He said that he had interviewed Ted Williams and even saw Babe Ruth play.  He was also one of the original signers of the Declaration of Independence and knew George Washington when he played for the Senators.  He received a Rotary shirt for his longevity.   

While we’re on the subject of longevity, Jim Howard won the Spengler Science Fair raffle again, along with Dale Warmuth.   

Our program was the amended Rotary Bylaws.  Discussion of the changes went on for almost 45 seconds before someone called for the vote.  They were unanimously approved. Gregg Gardiner gets kudos for having worked on the changes.  Carlton Nielsen, Kim Bauriedel and Jason Eads also contributed.  Carlton then talked about our new website design.  www.rotary1.org now will have some of the information formerly contained in the Roster and some new things, like Bored minutes [sic].  Your user name is your Foundation number.  Ask Gregg for the password.   Ziggy asked for the support of Club members to help Matthew Owen find speakers for our programs.  Michael Cunningham reminded us that the Rotary Christmas party will be held at the Ingomar Club on December 14th.   

Once again the meeting ended early-so early that I was unable to write anything humorous about it.   

Penned by Hank Ingham

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka
October 28, 2013

Pat Folkins, wearing an American Flag Tie, lead us in the flag salute.  Greg Williston started his invocation by quoting Winnie the Pooh.  “What’s your favorite day?” he was asked.  “Why, Today, of course!”   It was noted that Elmer Haskins Jr, a former member, had passed away.  He was Sales Manager of KIEM for many years and Congressman Clausen’s Northern California Campaign representative.   

Announcements
Pat Folkins related his experience accompanying the recent Honor Flight to Washington D.C.  They were met at the airport and treated to a motorcycle escort that cleared traffic for them as they visited the various monuments.  In a touching moment, Mac Gardner admired an airline pilot’s flag tie, and the pilot took it off and gave it to him.  Then he admired the Pilot’s wallet, but nothing came of it.  Everyone who hasn’t been to Washington DC recently should go and visit the new monuments.   

Mike Cunningham reminded everyone of the Rotary Christmas party to be held at the Ingomar Club on December 14^th.  Music is by Holbrook and Bear and also by the Limited Edition.   

John McBeth was recognized for being retired.  He complained that he was on a fixed income, so  Ziggy cut back on the size of the Rotary T-shirt, giving him a medium. 

Al Crnich was fined because Ziggy sent him an email, and it was returned asking him if he was sure the name was spelled correctly.  Then the recognitions became fast and furious.   

Brian Papstein was dinged for carrying Raiders games.  Ziggy was going to give Brian a t-shirt, but realized he’d have to cut the bottom off one and sew it to the bottom of another to cover Brian’s capacious midriff.   

Richard Boroughs was fined $50 for occasionally writing a column in the Times-Standard.   

Keith Crossley paid for his Wife’s Open House at the Eureka Inn.   

J. Warren Hockaday was penalized for having caused a traffic jam in front of Ziggy’s house when The Chamber of Commerce had its open house at Coast Central Credit Union.  He doesn’t work there anymore, but it was easier and cheaper not to complain.   

Tom Schallert was drained of  $50 for having personalized license plates since 1959.   

Finally Ziggy produced a blue raffle ticket that someone had mistakenly put in the lunch ticket basket instead of the green receipt.  Burt Campton got up first, but then he noticed that he still had both his ticket and his receipt.  The culprit turned out to be John Bradley.  He not only had to pay $50, but also his ticket was a loser.   

Program
Our program was Nancy Stipe from the Department of Health and Human Services.  Her topic was The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  One out of five people in Humboldt County have no health insurance.  Under the Act 7,000 will now be eligible for Medi-Cal and 13,500 will be eligible for tax credits or subsidies through Covered California.  The Affordable Care Act will not affect those already on Medicare.  It will not cover undocumented individuals.  Those who want to opt out of insurance can choose to pay a fine instead. To learn more, go to www.coveredca.com.   

Then she opened it up for questions.  A very tall person asked her if she knew how many physicians and other health care professionals would quit their practices and move away in the next several years, thus leaving us with no health care at all.  “Of course I do even though I’m just a lowly assistant from County Health,” she said. “ It’s 82 Physicians, 3 Surgeons, 2 Proctologists, 208 Chiropractors and Podiatrists, 78 RN’s, 2 hospital janitors and three seeing eye dogs.” Next some one asked why we should be like 99% of all civilized countries and offer low cost health care for everyone?  Oh, wait.  No one asked that question.   

The meeting ended at 1:10 pm.

Written in haste and regretted at leisure by Hank Ingham