KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Worldwide Healing Hands, the organization dedicated to eliminating maternal and infant mortality in developing areas of the world, is proud to announce its fourth annual Hike 4 Healing event to take place from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 29.

Participants will hike six miles round-trip over 1,600 feet of elevation on the Wright Summit Trail on Mount Konocti in California’s Lake County.

Hikers are asked to donate $25 for their participation and encouraged to get friends and employers to additionally sponsor their “boots on the ground” efforts.

All donations will directly benefit Worldwide Healing Hands and its mission to deliver critical health care services to underserved areas of the world.

“The annual Hike 4 Healing event was launched four years ago as a fundraiser for Worldwide Healing Hands’ mission,” says Hike 4 Healing coordinator Anthy O’Brien, a Worldwide Healing Hands board member and supporter. “Each year has brought more supporters who have chosen to dedicate a day to hike Mount Konocti so that mothers and children in far-flung areas can have a chance at life.”

Worldwide Healing Hands works to stop the needless deaths of mothers who are dying of preventable causes and is dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare for women and children in the most underserved areas of the world.

The organization is led by Dr. Paula Dhanda, an obstetrician and gynecologist based in Kelseyville.

The missions of her and her fellow physician and nurse volunteers to Uganda, Nepal, Chad and Haiti have met with extraordinary success with countless lives saved.

Hike 4 Healing is a fundraising event to perpetuate the ongoing efforts of Dhanda and WHH.

Participants are encouraged to sign up or get additional information by calling 888-627-1262 or visiting http://worldwidehealinghands.org .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Tony was born Nov. 19, 1966, in San Francisco. He was taken unexpectedly on March 19, 2017, in the city that he loved. His passing is a great loss for our world.

Tony was a a native of San Francisco. He loved everything about the history and culture of his city. He was a brilliant photographer. He could capture beauty and art in his pictures.

Tony was a joker and a sarcastic prankster. He would laugh, tease and poke fun all the time. He loved music and all sports. Fishing was his game, but he never caught anything. He loved camping and all sorts of adventures.

His biggest joy in life was his daughter, Jamie. He took her everywhere: games, fishing, concerts and his favorite place “The Double Play” just to have a PBR or two. He would move mountains for Jamie. He was her bodyguard and best friend.

Tony didn't think twice about helping people. He was always there no matter what; he truly had a heart of gold. To know Tony was to love him. He will always be missed and remembered.

Tony is survived by his loving daughter, Jamie (Johnny); brothers, Rick (Darlene) and John Moreno; sister, Terry (Sylvestre) Hurtado; grandchildren, Gia, Shaun, Evan, Johnny, Aliyah, Angelina and Monique; grandma, Susan; nephews, Rick (Cherice) and Joey (Rose) Moreno and children; and great friends, Karen and Sherry McWilliams.

Tony was predeceased by his son, Michael; mother, Hilaria Poggi; father, Joe Tellez; brother, Charles Poggi; and his beloved Mac and Janey.

Special thank you to Running Creek Casino and all of his friends and loved ones.

A celebration of life will be held at the Son's of Italy in Nice on Saturday, April 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. Please come and share your memories and stories of Tony, and always see the art of this world.

"Forgive, Forget, and move on,

drink a PBR and sing a song.

Go fishing and take a nap-

see a game and just relax."

For further information, please contact Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary at 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Public Health is warning consumers not to use certain skin creams that have tested positive for high levels of mercury. Mercury is a toxic chemical and regular or prolonged exposure can result in mercury poisoning.

The following products, La Tía Mána and an unlabeled cream, were recently tested and found to contain high levels of mercury. Both products were being sold by flea market vendors in California. Additional product photos are available on the CDPH Web site.

There have been no reports of illnesses associated with these specific products, however, similar skin creams have previously been associated with health issues nationwide.

Consumers should discontinue use of these products, as well as any skin cream that lists mercury, mercurio, mercurous chloride, cinnabar, or calomel in the ingredients, or is otherwise packaged without any labeling.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning include irritability, depression, nervousness, difficulty concentrating or remembering, fatigue, tremors, shaking or weakness, tingling or numbness in hands, feet or around the mouth.

If you have any of these symptoms and think they may be the result of using these skin products, see your health care provider.

For more information, contact the California Poison Control System at 800-222-1222, or the California Safe Cosmetics Program’s hotline at 877-325-3223. Information is also available on CDPH’s Mercury in Skin Creams Webpage.

Consumers who observe these products being sold are encouraged to call CDPH’s toll-free Food and Drug Branch complaint hotline at 800-495-3232.

SACRAMENTO – State Controller Betty T. Yee announced that her team has added tens of thousands of properties to her online database as a result of a new law.

The expansion allows the State Controller’s Office to identify and locate more owners of U.S. savings bonds and military awards held in safe deposit boxes.

The controller is currently safeguarding the contents of more than 138,000 safe deposit boxes turned over to the state.

Prior to a new law sponsored by Controller Yee (Chapter 297, Statutes of 2015), the State Controller’s Office could only notify and publicize the name of the person reported as owning a safe deposit box.

However, items in safe deposit boxes often have different names on them, such as U.S. savings bonds held in the names of children and grandchildren.

Under the new law, the controller now can notify potential owners of U.S. savings bonds or military awards contained within safe deposit boxes.

“Each day, my team is returning hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who had not known it was missing. Expanding the unclaimed property database provides greater opportunity for U.S. savings bonds and military awards to be returned to their rightful owners,” said Controller Yee, the state’s chief fiscal officer. “Search your name at claimit.ca.gov to see if the state is safeguarding any of your forgotten funds or lost family heirlooms.”

The controller is currently safeguarding over 75,000 U.S. savings bonds with an estimated value of more than $31.6 million in matured bonds.

Established in 1959, California’s unclaimed property law requires banks, corporations and other entities to report and transfer property to the State Controller’s Office when there has been no activity for a certain period of time, generally three years.

In addition to safe deposit box contents, common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts, life insurance benefits, uncashed checks, wages and stocks.

The controller protects this lost property and works to reunite it with the rightful owners. Potential owners can search for unclaimed property on the controller’s free online database at http://claimit.ca.gov or call 800-992-4647.

NAPA, Calif. – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced his office is now accepting entries for the 2017 Congressional Art Competition.

High school students from across the Fifth Congressional District have until April 26 to submit their artwork for consideration.

This annual competition showcases the artistic talents and ability of students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. All winning pieces are displayed in the United States Capitol.

“The Congressional Art Competition gives our students the opportunity to showcase their work on the national stage,” said Thompson. “Every year, I am blown away by the talent, creativity, and passion of our young artists. I always look forward to seeing their work and learning what inspires them, and I am eager to see this year’s submissions. I strongly encourage all of our students to submit their work.”

Since 1982, the Congressional Art Competition has given Members of Congress the opportunity to encourage the artistic talents of their young constituents. Each Member of Congress hosts a competition among high school students in his or her district.

The grand prize winner will be flown with a guest to Washington, D.C. to attend an awards ceremony in June and see their work installed in the Capitol.

All artwork must be submitted by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, to one of Thompson’s District Offices:

– Napa office, 2721 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA 94558; telephone 707-226-9898.
– Santa Rosa office, 2300 Country Center Dr, Suite A100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403; telephone 707-542-7182.
– Vallejo office, 985 Walnut St., Vallejo, CA 94592; telephone 707-645-1888.

A panel of judges will select the winning entry from each county in our district. The grand prize winner will be chosen from those finalists, and that winner will be announced in early May.

The guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition are as follows:

– Artwork must be two-dimensional.
– Artwork can be no larger than 26” x 26” x 4” including the frame.
– If selected as the winning piece, your artwork must arrive in Washington, DC framed.
– Framed artwork should weigh no more than 15 pounds.
– Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws.
– Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted.

Accepted mediums for two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
– Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
– Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed).
– Collages: must be two-dimensional.
– Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints.
– Mixed Media: use of two or more mediums, such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
– Computer-generated art.
– Photographs.

Complete rules and guidelines can be found here, or at http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/pdf/2017-Rules-for-Students-and-Teachers%20.pdf .

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Green Party will hold its monthly meeting on Sunday, April 23.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11 St. in Lakeport.

There will be no host food and beverages.

All meetings will now be held on the fourth Sunday of the month.

This meeting will feature Jenna Goodman, Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor from Napa.

Also a movie about single payer health care will be shown. "FixIt" is 38 minutes long and talks about a private businessman who discovers that health care premiums are wrecking his bottom line and how he starts promoting single payer as a solution.

If anyone wants to be on the agenda please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by April 22 or call 707-263-3391 for further information.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Due to safety concerns over high water and unsafe conditions, the annual Susan River Youth Fishing Derby will be postponed.

Sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, the 28th annual derby was scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 22 on the Susan River in Susanville, Lassen County.

“With all the rain we have had and the accompanying snow melt, the Lassen Sportsmen’s Club and CDFW felt it was best to postpone the event until the river conditions improve,” said CDFW Fisheries Biologist Paul Divine. “We will be working closely with the Lassen Sportsmen’s Club to find a weekend later this year to hold the event.”

Fishing derbies are held in several locations around the state and are designed to promote fishing to young people and their families.

At most events, all fishing tackle, gear, bait and equipment are provided free of charge and volunteers from local angling groups help with baiting hooks to cleaning the fish.

In California, anyone under 16 can fish without a license.

For complete regulations on fishing in California, as well as fish planting locations, state fishing records and more, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing .