LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 21, the Clear Lake Cardinals entered wrestlers into two separate tournaments.

Four boys headed off to the 18th annual King of the Mat in Windsor and four girls went to the fifth annual Lady Eagle Invitational, held at Del Oro High School in Loomis.

The King of the Mat, one of the tougher tournaments held in the North Coast Sections, proved to be so once again.

Justin Cantrell (154 lbs.) won a silver medal in the bronze division bracket going 2-2 on the day, unfortunately injuring his elbow in his finals match, possibly putting an end to his very successful first year of wrestling.

Frankie Sturr (128 lbs.) went 1-2 with one pin, with one of his losses against the No. 1 seed and eventual champion.

Brandon Dickey (140 lbs.) and Thomas Lairson (122 lbs.) also wrestled some tough matches in the tournament for the Cardinals.

At the Lady Eagle Invitational tournament in the Sac Joaquin Section, Mavis Pyorre (113 lbs.) took fourth place in the varsity bracket, going 2-2 with one pin.

Unseeded in the tournament, Pyorre went on to beat the No. 2 seed from Bear Creek 9 to 0, then lost a close battle to the wrestler (from Cordova) who advanced from the No. 3 seed.

A little banged up, Pyorre went on to pin the No. 4 seed from El Capitan and advance to battle for third place, against the No. 2 seed again. She controlled the first period but there were no points scored.

In the second period Pyorre took a shot to the head and used up most of her injury time, now down by two.

In the third period Pyorre came back taking the lead, almost pinning her opponent, who then slipped out. Pyorre took another bang to the head and was out of time and lost by injury default to take fourth.

Merari Alvarez (162 lbs.) won the silver medal in the novice bracket going 3-2 with two pins.

Along the way Merari got her first win by pin against a Christian Brothers wrestler, then beat a Del Oro wrestler 6-2, fell to a wrestler from Whitney, pinned an opponent from Will C. Wood and came up just short against a wrestler from Casa Robles.

Also wrestling some hard-fought matches for the Cardinals were Mackenzie Markham (103 lbs., varsity division) and Scarlett Ballard (123 lbs., novice division).

On day one of his administration, President Donald Trump suspended a quarter point decrease in the FHA mortgage insurance premium that was set to begin on Jan. 27.

The decrease was designed to make FHA mortgages more affordable as mortgage interest rates are on the rise and allow more people to qualify for home ownership.

The National Association of Realtors expressed disappointment stating that “roughly 750,000 to 850,000 home buyers will face higher costs, and 30,000 to 40,000 new home buyers will be left on the sidelines in 2017 without the cut …” 

If I had voted for Donald Trump based on his promise to make “America Great Again,” I would be curious as to why that doesn’t include giving more people an opportunity to own their homes.

But maybe his supporters aren’t aware. There’s little media coverage of this mean-spirited action because we are all distracted by the facts and alternative facts of crowd counts for the inauguration. 

Shirley Howland lives in Clearlake, Calif.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Dr. Stephen Pollaine, a noted Lake County physicist, cosmologist and pianist, will speak at the Taylor Observatory’s monthly public night event on Saturday, Jan. 28, at 8 p.m.

The Taylor Observatory is at 5725 Oak Hills Lane in Kelseyville.

The observatory opens at 7:15 p.m. A planetarium show beginning at 7:30 p.m. precedes the talk, and telescopic views are available until 11 p.m.

Pollaine will address a compelling topic, “Is There a Deeper Reality Beyond the Physical World?”

In the talk he explores the question of defining human consciousness. Hoffman’s Interface Theory of Perception, according to Pollaine, presents the idea that there is more to consciousness than science knows.

Dr. Pollaine received his Ph. D. in astrophysics from U. C. Berkeley followed by a 31-year career at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, working in fusion energy research. His avocation is the piano.

Public nights at the Taylor Observatory include the lecture, a planetarium show and, weather permitting, astronomical viewing through the observatory’s several telescopes.

Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12.

Friends of the Taylor Observatory sponsors the lecture series.

Contact FOTO President Bill Haddon at 707 262-4121 or 415 209-3084 for further information.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Mendocino College's Lake Center Campus still has spots available in its Construction Fundamentals and Green Building class.

The class takes place on Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with lectures on various phases of construction.

Hands-on labs are on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For more information or to sign up visit www.mendocino.edu .

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Roadside rumble strips are designed to alert motorists that they may be veering off the road, but for bicyclists, rumble strips can catch them by surprise.

Caltrans worked with Northern California bicycling advocates and designed the “Flying Wedge,” a new pavement striping that alerts bicyclists of upcoming rumble strips.
 
In this latest Caltrans News Flash, see how collaboration and creative thinking resulted in an innovative and inexpensive solution that is having a big impact on the safety of bicyclists.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Konocti Education Center in Clearlake and the Lake County Theater Co. are teaming up to sell raffle tickets to benefit theater around the lake.

The grand prize is two tickets to the musical, “Hamilton,” at the SHN Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco on May 20 at 2 p.m.

Ticket donations are $10 per ticket.

Two winners will be selected and each will receive two tickets in the drawing to be held on April 20. Winners need not be present to win.

Tickets can be purchased at the Konocti Education Center, 15850 Dam Road Extension, Clearlake, or Chris Kinney at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Konocti Education Center is a fourth through eighth grade visual and performing arts school in the Konocti Unified School District.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Parks and Recreation Commission will next meet on Thursday, Feb. 2.

The commission will meet beginning at 3 p.m. in the conference room at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The agenda includes updates on activities at Library Park and Westside Community Park.

The commissioners also will discuss changing to quarterly meetings and will get a progress update on a sign for a new walking path.

Commissioners are Ann Blue, Kipp Knorr,  Suzanne Lyons, Suzanne Russell and Cindy Ustrud.

On Monday, Congressional Wine Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA-05) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA-50) applauded a new trade enforcement action to ensure both imported and local wines have equal access to grocery store shelves in Canada.

Currently in British Columbia, only wines produced in the province can be sold on grocery store shelves.

This week, the United States challenged that regulation for discriminating against U.S. wine producers.
 
“Our American wineries make some of the best wines in the world, and denying them access to grocery stores in British Columbia not only hinders the growth of our entrepreneurs, but denies Canadians access to our products,” said Thompson and Hunter in a joint statement. “It is encouraging that British Columbia wants to open grocery stores as a new distribution channel for wine, but as a member of the WTO, any expansion  must include products from around the world. Any trade partnership must be based on a level playing field where everyone has a chance to grow their economy—including American winemakers.”
 
Under the WTO dispute settlement process, the U.S. and Canada undergo consultations to resolve this complaint. If a mutually-agreed upon solution cannot be reached during the consultation period, the U.S. may request a dispute settlement panel to examine the matter.
 
For more information, visit https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2017/january/Challenges_Canadian_Trade_Measures_That_Discriminate_Against_US_Wine .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Methodist Thrift Shop will hold a special 25-cent sale on Monday, Jan. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The shop is located at 5250 First St., just off of Main Street.

“This is a special sale to new and regular customers,” said Methodist member and volunteer Marti Dunn. “We have an array of pants, blouses, dishes, linens, purses, sweaters, infant clothing and coats.”

The 25-cent sale is for inside items only. All outside items are at regular prices.

The thrift shop has been providing assistance to the community since 1954 and all proceeds assist the operation of this Kelseyville Church, which has served the community since 1854 on the same spot at First and Main streets.

In addition to Kelseyville United Methodist Sunday Services at 9 a.m. with Sunday brunch on the first Sunday each month, the church hosts Girl Scouts, 4-H, AA and the Lake County Unitarian Universalist at 11 a.m. on Sundays.

For more information about donations to the thrift shop, contact Linda Breeding at 707-349-5400.

For information about the Kelseyville United Methodist Church and prayer requests contact Pastor Voris Brumfield at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or text 707-295-7174.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – David Ellsworth Schober Jr. entered into rest on Friday, Jan. 6, 2017, in Clearlake.

Age 37, David lived most of his life in Lake County.

He is survived by his daughter, Alexis Davis Schober; wife, Kathy Chase Schober; sons, Dalton Case Schober and Dylon Chase Schober; and parents, David and Penny Schober.

A celebration of life is planned for this coming springtime.

David’s family would appreciate any memorial donations in his memory be made to the American Diabetes Association, 2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 900, Arlington, VA 22202.

Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel.

Please share your loving memories of David by signing his online guestbook at www.jonesandlewis.com and www.legacy.com .