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COURTESY The role of president of the Sunrise Speakers Toastmasters was recently passed by Paul Stubbs to Caylyn Brown. The role of president of the Sunrise Speakers Toastmasters was recently handed over to Caylyn Brown by Paul Stubbs. Brown will also be com- peting in the Division speech contest in Marys- ville. At Toastmasters, partici- pants have the opportunity to develop their communi- cation and leadership skills through the giving of both planned and extemporane- ous speeches and taking on leadership roles within the club. Sunrise Speakers meets at noon Thursdays at 220 Sycamore St. in Red Bluff and the meetings last for one hour. The public is always wel- come. Call 529-3556 for more information. Brown new president of Sunrise Speakers DAVIS USDA Rural De- velopment California State Director Glenda Humiston announced Wednesday the USDA is seeking applica- tions for grants to support rural businesses and help create jobs. "These grants will help support rural businesses all across California," said Humiston. "Small businesses are the backbone of our rural econ- omies, and with these funds we are continuing our in- vestment to help rural com- munities grow and thrive." Nationally, more than $28 million is expected to be available under the Ru- ral Business Development Grant program. Eligible ap- plicants include public bod- ies, government entities, In- dian tribes and non-profit organizations with a dem- onstrated successful history of administering economic development and technical assistance programs. Indi- viduals and for-profit busi- nesses are not eligible to ap- ply. The program was es- tablished under the 2014 Farm Bill and combines USDA's former Rural Busi- ness Enterprise Grant and Rural Business Opportu- nity Grant programs. The new program, like its pre- decessors, is designed to assist in the development of small and emerging pri- vate businesses and non- profits in rural communi- ties. Grants can be used for technical assistance, job training and other activi- ties. Grants will be awarded competitively at the state level with a Native Ameri- can set aside that is funded through a national compe- tition. There are no substan- tive programmatic or oper- ational changes to the pro- grams as a result of this consolidation. The interim regulations can be found in the March 25 Federal Reg- ister. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact a lo- cal Rural Development of- fice for more details about the program and how to ap- ply. Applications for Native American set aside funds must be received by the lo- cal Rural Development of- fice by 4 p.m. May 4, and all others are due by 4 p.m. June 19 Grants made before the implementation of the pro- gram will continue to be governed by the terms of the applicable regulations in effect at the time the grants were made. USDA Applicants sought for support of rural businesses TOASTMASTERS I used to get so much mail, it would arrive in long plastic trays. Some days I'd get more than 10 trays, each one holding hundreds of individ- ual pieces of mail. Twenty years later, that kind of mail has dwindled to only a few pieces each day, but don't assume that means my mail has slowed. It has changed from phys- ical letters to email. You should see my inbox! I can't say that I miss all the trays, the trips back and forth to the post office and all of that pa- per. I still get just enough of your lovely handwrit- ten letters each week, which I enjoy so much — letters like this one that just showed up on my desk: Dear Mary: Today our coffee maker died, which means we're in the mar- ket for a new one. What do you recommend? — Carolyn Dear Carolyn: When I saw your message I grabbed it and put it right at the top of the pile be- cause I am nothing if not an evangelist for the joys of coffee. Some might call me a coffee snob — that's how opinionated I am on the matter. And I love it when someone asks me for a recommendation having anything to do with coffee. A good cup of coffee is dependent on a lot of things, not the least of which is proper brew- ing. For example, the wa- ter needs to be just the right temperature when it hits those coffee grinds. You can do this manually — but it's tricky. However, most coffee lovers pre- fer to make a whole pot at a time (that would be me), which means you re- ally do need a good coffee maker. That being said, I have three recommendations for you. The best way to make a cup of coffee manually is with the Aeropress Cof- fee and Espresso Maker. Working on the "French press" method of coffee making (but with a pa- per filter), the Aeropress can make up to 4 cups at a time. While you have to do all the work with the Aeropress, you can't beat the result: smooth, rich coffee that has no bitter- ness. It takes about 5 min- utes start to finish. About $25. My recommendation for the best inexpen- sive coffee maker is none other than this Mr. Cof- fee 4-Cup machine. For $20, you really can't go wrong. It makes a de- cent cup of coffee. You won't get a clock or timer or any other bells and whistles, but you will get a gold-tone reusable fil- ter, which means you will save money by not having to buy paper filters. About $20. If you are looking for the best value in a coffee maker, look no further than the Bonavita 8-Cup Coffee Maker. This is an amazing machine that heats the water quickly and to the precise tem- perature needed to make the best quality coffee — 205 F. Made of stainless steel, it looks nice on the counter, too. Comes with a two-year manufac- turer's warranty. About $115. Hope that helps! For more info on the coffee makers mentioned above please visit www.every- daycheapskate.com/love- coffee. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Fortheloveofagoodcupofcoffee The Resource Conser- vation District of Tehama County has been named one of a select number of organi- zations across the state that have been awarded grants to develop and implement energy management out- reach, awareness and edu- cational programs for its lo- cal community with an em- phasis on reaching diverse and underserved popula- tions. These grants are part of Energy Upgrade Califor- nia's efforts to work with various organizations across the state to edu- cate Californians about the simple steps they can take to better manage energy, save money and make their homes and businesses more comfort- able. "We are proud to have been chosen as Commu- nity Ambassadors to imple- ment the Energy Upgrade California educational out- reach grant and look for- ward to working with indi- viduals in our community to provide them with tools and resources they can use to reduce their energy con- sumption and save money in the process," said Brin Greer, watershed coordina- tor of the district. The district was one of 75 organizations statewide that received grants since 2014. It won an award due to its strong history of ef- fectively reaching a diverse group of citizens in the community through public outreach and engagement programs. "The grants will help bring the importance of en- ergy management to com- munities throughout the state," said Lauri Walker, manager of community am- bassadors. "If we all take steps to better conserve and manage energy, our collective efforts will make a big difference as Califor- nia works to meet energy goals." The district's long expe- rience with community out- reach campaigns has dem- onstrated its success by uti- lizing both in-person and social media outreach. To further the cam- paign, it will use program dollars to fund the La- tino Outreach of Tehama County, a successful com- munity-based organization in reaching diverse popu- lations at the grassroots level, to assist in conduct- ing outreach on behalf of Energy Upgrade. For more information, visit www.EnergyUpgra- deCa.org. CONSERVATION DISTRICT Grant awarded for energy management education Mary Hunt One of the earliest camps for men arriving from Ore- gon during the beginning of the California Gold Rush in the 1840s was established at what was eventually named Oregon City. The Butte County Historical Society, which acquired the build- ing in 1983 as a museum, will host an open house at the historic old Oregon City schoolhouse from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The museum is located at 2100 Oregon Gulch Road and is normally open from 1-4 p.m. on Sundays with admission by donation. For more information, call 533-9418 or visit butte- countyhistoricalsociety.org. BUTTE COUNTY Open house set at old Oregon City schoolhouse Shasta College Humanities Through Film Class April 10th at the State Theatre Games,Displays,RotaryJail, Western Music in the Evening by The Coyotes, Robberies! Old Fashioned fun! CHILDREN'S MATINEE Doors open at 1:30 p.m. Film starts at 2:00 p.m. Fievel Goes West Directed by Steven Spielberg Children 12 and under $1.00 EVENING SCREENING Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Film starts at 7:30 p.m. Quigley Down Under Adults $5.00 40 Chestnut Avenue Red Bluff 530-330-1096 BRING BALANCE TO YOUR BODY Bring balance to your LIFE Pilates and Yoga Studio Formoreinfo www.healthybalanceredbluff.com LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Thursday, April 2, 2015 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4