SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The American Red Cross of the California Northwest is currently seeking nominations for the 2017 Real Heroes Breakfast.

The annual event recognizes community members from Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties, who have shown courage, dedication, and character through acts of heroism and kindness while raising funds to support the lifesaving programs and emergency services provided by your local Red Cross Chapter.
 
Extraordinary acts of heroism occur in the community every day, and the people responsible for them could be your neighbors, coworkers, friends or family members.
 
The community is encouraged to nominate a hero at www.redcross.org/CalNWHeroes17 for one of the following 10 categories:

· Animal Rescue Hero: This award honors an animal that has protected a human in a time of need or is given to a person who has rescued an animal from a traumatic situation.
· Disaster Services Hero: This award is presented to an individual who has shown extraordinary courage in the face of a disaster or emergency, or made a significant contribution to their community’s disaster preparedness, resilience, or recovery.
· Education Hero: This award is given to a professional or volunteer educator (in elementary, middle school, high school, college or adult education) whose actions have had a profound influence on their student(s) or members of their community.
· Environmental Hero: This award is given to an individual who has had a significant impact on the protection and caring for the environment and is vital in changing the way their community cares for the environment.
· First Responder Hero: This award is given to a professional first responder, such as a police officer, deputy sheriff, firefighter, search & rescue team member, or 911 dispatcher, whose life-saving action or service to the community goes above and beyond the call of duty.
· Good Samaritan Hero - Adult: This award is given to an ordinary citizen (adult) who used life-saving skills (such as CPR, water rescue or first aid) to assist or save the life of another or to a person whose actions have made a significant contribution toward the betterment of his or her community.
· Good Samaritan Hero - Youth: This award is given to an ordinary citizen (youth) who used life-saving skills (such as CPR, water rescue or first aid) to assist or save the life of another or to a person whose actions have made a significant contribution toward the betterment of his or her community.
· International Services Hero: This award is presented to someone who has provided outstanding service to the community in the field of international services, including but limited to international humanitarian aid, refugee support, restoring displaced families, etc.
· Medical (Health Care) Hero: This award is given to a medical or health care professional, such as a physician, paramedic, or nurse, whose life-saving actions or service to the community went above and beyond the call of duty. This award honors extraordinary commitment to saving/improving lives or treating illnesses.
· Service to the Armed Forces Hero: This award is given to someone who has provided exceptional support to service members, veterans, or their families. This award also may also be given to a member of our armed forces (active, reserve, national guard, retired, commissioned or non-commissioned) whose life saving actions or service to the community went above and beyond the call of duty.

The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, Jan. 30. Any of these categories can also be awarded as a posthumous award.

Recipients of the 2017 California Northwest Real Heroes Awards will be selected by a committee of local community leaders. Committee members will consider the degree to which their acts of heroism uphold the values of the American Red Cross and leave a lasting and positive impact on the residents of the Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties.

Criteria for nominations:

· All nominees must work or reside in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma counties. Their heroic actions may have occurred elsewhere.
· The heroic acts must either ongoing commitment to the community for more than one year or have occurred between Jan. 1, 2016, and Dec. 31, 2016.
· Nominations must be received no later than Monday, Jan. 30.

Selected heroes will be honored at the 2017 Real Heroes Breakfast on Thursday, April 27, at Hyatt Vineyard Creek Hotel in Santa Rosa. 

Visit www.redcross.org/CalNWHeroes17 for more details on each of the 2017 Real Heroes Award categories. The Web site also includes information on how to purchase tickets and how to become a sponsor.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Clear Lake Cardinals hosted their fifth annual Michael Kroppmann Memorial Wrestling Tournament.  

Even with injuries and illnesses throughout the team, the Cards were still able to enter 13 wrestlers – six boys and seven girls – into their home tournament.

The girls placed fourth as a team, just points away from third.

Mavis Pyorre (girls 111 lbs.) went 3-0 with three pins to win a gold medal and was also awarded the Outstanding Wrestler of the Girls tournament, as voted on by the participating teams’ coaches.

Silver medals went to Justin Cantrell (boys 152 lbs.) who was 2-1, beating both the third and fourth placers along the way and Shelby Butcher (girls 189 lbs.).

Merari Alvarez (girls 160 lbs.) took home a bronze medal and Kally Vinson (girls 235 lbs.) placed fourth, going 1-2 with one pin.

Placing fifth at 2-2 were Frankie Sturr (boys 132 lbs.), Scarlett Ballard (girls 126 lbs.), each with two pins, along with Samantha Bruno (girls 235 lbs.) with one pin,  Mackenzie Markham (girls 106 lbs.) at 1-2 and Ozod Ermatov (boys 138 lbs.). Frank Weiler (boys 220 lbs.) placed sixth going 1-3 with one pin.

Also wrestling for the Cardinals was Thomas Lairson and Hayden Eastham, both at 126 lbs.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 21, the popular and versatile guitarist Little Charlie Baty and his trio called Organ Grinder Swing will be performing in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake.

This is the second in the hotel’s 2017 series of informal “Concerts with Conversation.”

Charlie Baty is best known as leader of Little Charlie and the Nightcats, an acclaimed blues band dating back to 1987.

Although no longer with the Nightcats, Baty has recently recorded and toured to high acclaim with the Golden State Lone Star Blues Revue.

Now based in Davis, Calif., Baty knows the Tallman and Blue Wing well, having performed with the Nightcats at the annual Blue Wing Blues Festival and with a small group performing the gypsy jazz music of Django Reinhart in the 2013 Tallman Concert series.

“Charlie is a pro’s pro on the guitar and a wonderful personality,” said Tallman owner Bernie Butcher. “It’s an honor and pleasure to have him back to perform in Lake County with his new trio.”

This organ trio venture has been one of Baty’s lifelong personal ambitions since encountering the music of the legendary Jimmy Smith, who popularized the organist/guitarist combination in the late 1950s.

Smith catapulted the jazz organ trio into another dimension, and set the standard for that ensemble configuration.

Joining Baty in the Organ Grinder Swing trio are J. Hansen on drums and Lorenzo Farrell on Hammond organ. Both are former Nightcats bandmates, so the personal and musical chemistry is always present.

“We recently produced a CD called Skronky Tonk,” said Baty, “containing some of the tunes I’ve been itching to record for many years. The album got a top 4-Star review in Downbeat Magazine and it’s been in the top 25 of the Blues Radio charts for the last 3 months.”

Tom Lincoln of Lincoln-Leavitt Insurance in Lakeport is co-sponsoring the Jan. 21 Tallman Concert.

“It’s a pleasure to help bring this world class trio to Lake County,” said Lincoln. “Charlie performed at my 40th birthday party – several years ago! – and I’ve been hooked on his music ever since.” 

The Tallman Concert Series continues on Feb. 18 with pianists Wendy DeWttt and Steve Willis, on March 18 with country star Rita Hosking and on April 8 with Bob Culbertson on the Chapman Stick.

The Baty trio concert on Jan. 21 starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel.

Tickets at $25 plus tax may be purchased by calling the Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

Coffee and cookies are served prior to the show.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The first of a four-part Contemporary Chamber Music Series produced by Beth Aiken and Jeff Ives takes place on Sunday, Jan. 22, at 3 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre.

January's program features Barbara D'Augelli (flute) and Sergei Bassehes (guitar).

They will perform pieces from composers Emile Desportes, Mauro Guiliani, Radames Gnattali and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco.

The series is presented under the auspices of the Soper Reese Theatre. All seats are reserved. Tickets are $20 and $15. Children 18 and under are free.

Three more concerts follow in February, March and April.

On Feb. 19 Luiz Coelho is the featured performer for chamber pieces that will include quintets and trios in various combinations of strings, piano, and clarinet.

On March 19 Tammie Dyer and distinguished associates from the North Bay present a wide range of classics from the string repertoire of Walton, Handel and Bach.

The season ends on April 23 with critically acclaimed “Trois Bois”  performing pieces from the 20th century.

In addition to individual concert tickets, a four-concert season ticket is now on sale for $70 and $50. Go to www.SoperReeseTheatre.com to purchase individual or season tickets.

Tickets also available at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

SACRAMENTO – California revenues of $12.85 billion for December missed projections in the 2016-17 Budget Act that Gov. Jerry Brown signed in June by $1.87 billion, a shortfall of 12.7 percent, State Controller Betty T. Yee reported.

“Given the state’s revenue shortfall and an inevitable future economic downturn, coupled with unpredictable federal funding under the new president, Gov. Brown is right to be cautious,” said Controller Yee, the state’s chief fiscal officer and board member of CalPERS and CalSTRS. “After CalPERS’ recent action to reduce the discount rate, I am pleased the proposed 2017-18 state budget would increase the state employer contribution by $172 million. This will help to stabilize the pension fund as the Board continues to work judiciously to secure public employees’ earned benefits.”

The “big three” sources of California general fund dollars – personal income taxes, corporation taxes, and retail sales and use taxes – all missed the monthly mark and are now behind fiscal year-to-date estimates.

For the first half of the fiscal year that began in July, total revenues of $51.72 billion are $1.66 billion below budget estimates, or 3.1 percent.

December personal income tax (PIT) receipts of $8.58 billion fell short of budget projections by $1.38 billion, or 13.9 percent – roughly the same percentage by which November PIT receipts topped estimates.

Six months into the new fiscal year, California has collected total PIT receipts of $34.58 billion, missing estimates by $824.1 million, or 2.3 percent.

Corporation tax receipts of $1.77 billion for December were $29.4 million lower than expected. Fiscal year-to-date corporation tax receipts of $3.23 billion are $347.7 million below projections in the 2016-17 Budget Act – a shortfall of 9.7 percent.

Retail sales and use tax receipts of $2.14 billion for December missed expectations by $372.1 million, or 14.8 percent. For the fiscal year-to-date, sales tax receipts of $12.06 billion are $610.4 million below estimates, or 4.8 percent.

The state ended December with unused borrowable resources of $20.49 billion, which was $2.01 billion less than predicted in the 2016-17 Budget Act.

Outstanding loans of $17.75 billion were $3.98 billion higher than projected. This loan balance consists of borrowing from the state’s internal special funds.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Born Aug. 10, 1951, Bobbi died of complications of pneumonia on Dec. 23, 2016, in her home in Lucerne.

Bobbi is survived by Gary Sharpe, her husband of nearly 43 years, as well as her daughter Connie Sharpe, son Steve Sharpe, and her two sisters, Janet Gardner and Barbara Fielding, along with two grandchildren, six nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bob and Jennie Shrader.

Bobbi was born Roberta Lee Sharpe in Jerome, Idaho, on Aug. 10, 1951. Her parents later moved to Colorado.

She graduated from Billy Mitchell High School in 1969 and then took classes for a year at the local community college. After that she went to barber college in Pueblo, Colo., and became the first female men’s hair stylist in Canon City, Colo., in 1973.

There, she met Gary Sharpe. They fell in love and married in 1974 and remained so until her passing in 2016.

Gary worked for the Bureau of Land Management and as a private bookkeeper/accountant so they lived in several different parts of the West. Their daughter Connie was born in Canon City, Colo., and their son Steve was born in Roseburg, Ore.

Other places they lived and raised their family included Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Colo.; Phoenix and Mohave Valley, Ariz.; and in California, Potter Valley, Blue Lakes and, finally, Lucerne. No matter where she lived, Bobbi made it their home.

Bobbi was a kind and loving person who enjoyed family, friends and life. She loved animals, particularly her beautiful little Pomeranian named Suzy. She enjoyed cooking, baking, traveling, adventures, old movies, and watching beautiful sunsets.

She loved her family with all her heart … as we loved her.

A memorial service will be held at Clearlake First Assembly of God on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 11 a.m. A catered celebration of life will follow at the downstairs fellowship hall of the church, located at 4472 Snook Ave. in Clearlake.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Instructor Angie Siegel is teaching a state-certified hazmat class at Carlé High School.

Those who are attempting to pass the state-certified test include Stacie Clemons, Triston Famalaro, Donovan Harvey, Alexis Kennedy, Nicholas Kieffer, Alfred Lewis, David Madrigal and Teagan Tompioner. We will have more on this next week.

A school wide mug contest has been taking place for the pass two weeks. Students have been putting their own mug designs together and hoping to produce and create these wonderful mugs.

The entire Carlé High School campus will be going on field trip to the Sacramento City College on Jan. 25.

Gold level students for the third grading period were Matt Diaz-Kaniss, Alvaro Duran, Nick Kieffer, Alfred Lewis, Karren Martinez-Meth, Aries McDonald, Cyrus Pouladdezh and Michael Solano.

Silver Level students were Kacy Barron, Ray Azevedo, Martin Ceja-Granados, Taylor Churchill, Stacie Clemons, Triston Famalaro, Donovan Harvey, CeCe Hendern-Brown, Alexis Kennedy, Alex Parriott, Haley Ramirez, Candice Safreno, Cheyanne West and Shaina Yaquinto.

Bronze Level students were: Jason Acevedo, Nick Begins, Lloyd Bridges, Dylan Crow, Vanessa Gonzales, Angel Landeros, Brianna E. Legg, Samantha McCulloch, Ryan O’Bryan, Damian Perazzo and Jasmine Shepperd.

The Sharp program led by Jonathan Killops will be on campus on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. The program is designed to help students make smart choices about his or her future.

School will be out on Monday, Jan. 16, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.

Jan. 26 is a collaboration day and school will be out at 12:30 p.m.

Brianna E. Legg is a student at Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College is preparing to start the Spring 2017 semester.

The semester begins on Jan. 23 and classes are filling up quick.

The college offers a large assortment of classes that allows students to pursue Career Technical Education certificates or degrees. From welding, water treatment, culinary arts, or early childhood education there are many CTE pathways to choose from.

Or if you are seeking to obtain a degree and transfer on to a four-year university, Lake County Campus allows for many possible pathways to choose from.

College is a great stepping stone towards making your dreams come true.

For those of you seeking to obtain a professional office job, you may be interested in the Business Computer Applications classes being offered such as Microsoft Outlook, Desktop Publishing, Microsoft Access, Windows, Beginning Keyboarding, Word Processing, and Machine Calculation. These are all classes that will help solidify your job prospects in this county.

Culinary Arts is a popular field on Lake County Campus. With classes such as basic and advanced food prep, beginning and professional baking, restaurant operations, and foods and catering, a student can take this pathway to either join an up and coming restaurant or learn the ropes to create their own culinary arts enterprise.

These are just a few of the possible classes and pathways that you can follow at Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College.

To register for classes, contact the admissions office at 707-995-7900, visit the campus at 15880 Dam Road Extension in Clearlake, or visit http://lcc.yccd.edu .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Middletown Rotary Club’s 25th annual fundraiser on Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Twin Pine Event Center in Middletown.

This year's event will feature a number of great auction items, including a condo stay in Cabo San Lucas, a day trip on the Delta, a behind-the-scenes tour and lunch for six at Golden Gate Fields, a fabulous Italian dinner for eight at Fults Family Vineyards that includes an original framed watercolor painting of Venice by local artist LaDonn Morgan-Garcia and an RV vacation.

Individual tickets are $60 per person. Hors d’oeuvres are served at 5 p.m., a prime rib dinner starts at 6 p.m. with a no-host bar. Vegetarian meals are available upon request. Reserved tables for groups of eight are also available.

The club is also soliciting more donations and sponsorships. This popular event draws large crowds, is usually sold out, providing a tremendous marketing opportunity. All contributions are acknowledged publicly. Business/corporate sponsorships include tickets. If a donation cannot be mailed, club members will arrange a pick up.

This lively event is usually sold out, so please contact Kathey Crothers for tickets or for more information at 707-355-0393, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about how you can participate in this well-known event.

Rotary is a volunteer organization, so all fundraiser proceeds go to projects and programs. The club meets every Friday morning at 7:15 a.m. at the Greenview Room in Hidden Valley Lake.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Middletown, contact club President Ron Roberts at 707-987-9824.