Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) has introduced a bipartisan resolution honoring March as Women’s History Month – the origins of which are rooted in California’s Fifth Congressional District.

“For too long, the impact and contributions of women were minimized and ignored,” said Thompson. “It took the Education Taskforce in Sonoma County launching a Women’s History Week in March of 1978 to begin a national conversation about the role women have played in shaping America and the world. Schools and communities across the nation joined in the commemoration, and it has grown and expanded since then. In March – as we should throughout the year – we recognize the women who have made breakthroughs in science and medicine, the leaders who shaped our government and politics, the businesswomen and entrepreneurs who drove innovation, and the countless women who changed the course of history in numerous ways.”

Last month, Thompson’s office opened nominations for his annual Woman of the Year Awards, which recognizes exceptional women across the district for their work in the community. Winners will be announced at a ceremony later this month. Additional details will follow. 

 

Rev. William Robert Anderson
August 5, 1927 - February 25, 2017

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Rev. William Robert Anderson of Lakeport, retired Presbyterian minister, passed away peacefully from natural causes after a fall.

He leaves behind his companion of 19 years, June Benkelman; three children, Bruce Anderson, Robert Anderson and Celest Boer; friends, Robert and Nancy Benkelman, Ronald and Ruth Benkelman and families.

Bill was a graduate of Vanderbilt University, M.A. Divinity, and served our country in the U.S. Marine Corps, having the priviledge of being an “attache” to and walking with President Truman on the White House Grounds.

He was a Christian who studied extensively the Hawaiian “Huna,” namely the “mana,” the energy and power used by kahunas and Hawaiian Chiefs to perform “healings.”

Bill was an advocate of human rights and donated significant amounts of money to the education of black Americans.

Bill believed in Jesus, was an ethical man, impeccable with his word and loved by all. His final words, “Blessings upon you,” are meaningful to everyone.

There will be no services per his wishes. Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to United Christian Parish or Lakeport Senior Center.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Friends of the Lake County Library has received a sizable donation from the Clearlake Walmart store.

Last week, Travis Peck, manager of the Clearlake Walmart, presented a check for $1500 to Trudy Nagy and Lupi Martinez, representatives of the Friends of the Lake County Library.

Walmart annually selects community groups who apply for its grants that meet their chosen criteria.

Walmart chose the Friends of the Lake County Library because they provide an opportunity for people in the community to succeed in various areas.

The money will be used for children's books.

Billy Frank Newsom Sr., 72, left this earth and was reunited with his beloved wife, Barbara, in heaven. He passed peacefully on the afternoon of Feb. 26, 2017.

In his early years Billy graduated from Liberty High School in Brentwood, Calif. Here he fell in love with the girl next door, Barbara Huggins. The two married and were blessed with three children.

In the early 70s they moved to Westwood, Calif., where he attended Lassen Community College. He pursued his dreams and graduated with his AA and a degree in gunsmithing.

Even though his passion was gunsmithing, he also worked for the Department of Navy in Concord, and as a foreman at Adobe Creek Packing in Kelseyville, Calif.

In 1998 Billy lost his beloved wife, Barbara. He took a security position at Robinson Rancheria in Upper Lake, Calif., where he met his second wife, Cheryl. The two married and moved to Sweet Home, Ore., where he spent his final years.

Billy always referred to Kelseyville as his true home where he was a friend and “Papa” to many.

He was a big-hearted, strong-willed man who faithfully loved his family, beer and guns. He loved being surrounded by his grandchildren, sitting at the table telling stories and sharing memories.

Billy was also preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Gladys Newsom, and his sister Sara Brooks.

He was survived by his wife, Cheryl Newsom of Sweet Home, Ore.; and his three children, Chantay Newsom of Upper Lake, Billy Newsom Jr. (Tammy) of Cobb, and Danielle Huck (Joshua) of Cobb.

Billy was the proud Papa to 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren whom he loved with all his heart.

Funeral services will be held Friday, March 10, at 1 p.m., at Kelseyville Cemetery. Upon his request following the service will be a party in celebration of his life at the Little Red Schoolhouse on Cobb.

Arrangements entrusted to Jones Mortuary FD311 Lakeport, Calif., www.jonesmortuary.com .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In February, Worldwide Healing Hands volunteers teamed up with organizers of the warming center in Lakeport to conduct free health screenings for homeless individuals.

Approximately 10 people ranging in age from 4 years to 66 years took advantage of the health screenings while staying at the center located at the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Dr. Paula Dhanda, Worldwide Healing Hands medical director and founder, was joined by student Jasmin Clarke, nurse Lacey Deas and Family Nurse Practitioner Christine Dalva in checking vital signs and providing consultations for health issues.

Worldwide Healing Hands is a nonprofit organization that conducts free health screenings for homeless and impoverished at various community outreach functions in Lake County.

THE GREAT WALL (Rated PG-13)

The Great Wall of China was built to protect the populace and territory from invasion. Little did we know until the advent of the new Matt Damon film “The Great Wall” that the invading hordes were hideous monsters previously seen only roaming freely in fantasy movies.

As “The Great Wall” opens, Damon’s William Garin, a 12th century mercenary and trader, leads a group of battle-scarred warriors into the badlands of ancient Northern China in search of wealth and power.

One member of the group has knowledge that a powerful weapon, known as “black powder,” is in the possession of the Chinese, and its value would be tremendous if taken back to continental Europe.

Barely surviving a hair-raising scrape with desert tribes, William and his sidekick Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal) recover a strange, magnetic stone and reach the Great Wall, where they have to surrender to an army of warriors known as the Nameless Order.

Imprisoned in the bustling military outpost of Fortress City, the two mercenary warriors meet another Westerner, Ballard (Willem Dafoe), who has the haggard look of someone plotting an improbable escape for several decades.

For their part, William and Pero attract the notice of General Shao (Hanyu Zhang) and Commander Lin (Jing Tian) because they had retrieved the severed claw of one of the beasts that are assumed to be nearly invincible.

These ugly creatures that look like leftovers from a cheesy science-fiction B-movie are called the Tao Tei, a breed of ancient, mystical beasts that rises every 60 years for eight days to feast upon humanity.

That day of reckoning has arrived, and though the Chinese are well-prepared, Commander Lin, a fierce female warrior, realizes that William’s archery skills would come in handy and thus he is enlisted to the cause of defending the fortress wall the Tao Tei ferociously seek to breach.

For a joint United States and China production that obviously cost a boatload of cash, “The Great Wall” is a mostly lackluster exercise in repetitive action with the beasts launching repeated attacks on the Great Wall, with the valiant Chinese soldiers fighting back.

The most dazzling of the action scenes involve female warriors that perform impressive aerial attacks on the monsters. Aside from these heroics, the battle scenes lack ongoing ingenuity because the recurring assaults soon become too monotonous.

Matt Damon has obviously done well with the Jason Bourne franchise, but his adeptness at physical action just doesn’t translate well to an ancient Chinese setting.

“The Great Wall” is an overall disappointment on several fronts.

TV Corner: ‘Taken’ on NBC Network

The amazing revelation is that the series “Taken” just might be operating in an alternate universe because the NBC Web site notes that in 30 years the TV character Bryan Mills is “destined to become the Bryan Mills that we’ve come to love from the ‘Taken’ films.”

The problem with this scenario is that the TV version of Bryan Mills (capably portrayed by Clive Standen, who is considerably younger than Neeson) is dealing with contemporary issues of terrorism and fighting drug cartels and assorted bad guys.

In seeking to be topical, the “Taken” TV series must, by necessity, remain rooted in the present-day to grapple with existing geopolitical conditions. And since the Liam Neeson character has not been catapulted into the future, we just have to overlook the anomaly.

Nevertheless, the intent with “Taken” the series is to come up with an edge-of-your-seat thriller that shows how former Green Beret Bryan Mills, already well-trained by the military, finds himself pulled into a career as a deadly, secret government operative.

The first episode establishes a personal tragedy for Bryan during a train trip, one for which he feels personally responsible given a previous deadly military mission resulted in a Colombian drug lord seeking vengeance that caused collateral damage.

Drawn back into covert action by Christina Hart (Jennifer Beals), the special deputy director of National Intelligence, Bryan joins a clandestine group with autonomy that seemingly only reports to the president. 

The operatives within this deep undercover organization are the usual hard-edged soldiers with special skills of their own, whether tracking suspects with high-tech equipment or supplying the muscle to extract victims of kidnapping plots.

Kidnapping, just like in the “Taken” film, is a major plot point in the episodes, and it does not always involve only Middle Eastern terrorists. One episode is devoted to corporate thugs holding a girl hostage to retrieve incriminating evidence from a whistleblower.

In any case, while the TV landscape is ripe with action series, “Taken” could be a worthwhile investment for a few episodes because Jennifer Beals and Clive Standen bring nuance to their characters, and the action scenes have a purpose beyond mere gunfights and explosions.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Cody W. Fincher, 61, passed away unexpectedly at home on Jan. 13, 2017.

He is survived by his loving wife of 35 years, Tina; his sons, Neil and Alex Fincher; and buddy, Buster the dog.

Cody was born in Oregon in 1955. His mother, Gladys, taught him to play the piano at a very early age. He began his photography career while attending Crater High School. Cody met Tina in 1980 while he was obtaining a BA degree in communications at CSU Chico. They were married and moved to Lake County in 1982.

Cody spent his life helping people, including teaching a GED class for four years, being a substitute teacher in local schools, and working as an IHSS Social Worker II for five years. Cody loved his sons and volunteered as a soccer coach and with Cub and Boy Scouts in Lucerne.

Cody was very artistic and enjoyed listening to and playing music, attending concerts, photography and working on classic cars. He had a unique sense of humor, and enjoyed making his family, friends and co-workers smile. He also enjoyed playing “real band/fake band” and was known for his excellent spelling and grammar.

He was loved by many and will be greatly missed. Cody was preceded in death by his father and mother, Carl and Gladys Fincher. 

A celebration of Cody’s life will be held sometime in the spring of this year.

Two quotes from Jimi Hendrix seem appropriate at this time: “The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye. The story of love is hello and goodbye, until we meet again,” and, “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.”

Arrangements entrusted to Jones Mortuary FD311 Lakeport, Calif., www.jonesmortuary.com .

John Garoutte
Dec. 11, 1981 – Feb. 17, 2017

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – John grew up in Nice, Calif., attended Upper Lake schools, then moved with his family to Lower Lake in 1999.

Much of John’s life was troubled, but he had rounded a corner and was building a better life for himself when he was struck and killed by a passing motorist while walking back from a late shift at work.

He is survived by his parents, Fay and Steve Garoutte; sister, Anna Uher (Jon); niece, Adelaide, whose smile lightened his heart; his cherished friend, Shannon Lynch; as well as many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

A memorial will be held at the Middletown Mansion, 20650 Highway 29, Middletown, on Saturday, March 11, at 1 p.m.

In John’s memory, please show a kindness to someone in need or donate to a favorite charity.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .

GLENHAVEN, Calif. – Ann Priscilla Orpustan was born to Frances and John Ingram, July 28, 1941, in Glendale, Calif.

Ann passed away peacefully Feb. 12, 2017, in her home in Glenhaven, Calif. She passed in the family home she had grown up in, looking out the window at the beautiful view she so loved of Mt Konocti and the lake.

Ann moved to Lake County when she was 8 years old. After graduating from Lower Lake High School, she attended Chico State where she received her teaching credential and was active in college musicals. She also studied art and was an accomplished artist.

She resided and worked as an elementary school teacher in Sonoma, Calif., after graduating. She later resided in San Francisco after marrying her Basque husband, Bernard Orpustan.

After the death of her husband, she raised her two daughters in Lake County. Ann continued her career in education working at Lucerne Elementary and Konocti Unified School District, employed as an elementary school teacher, librarian and reading teacher.

Ann loved to share her knowledge of Lake County and fond memories of growing up at the lake and her family’s ranch in the mountains above High Valley.

Ann took great pride and joy in her family. She enjoyed her home, flowers, gardening, painting, artwork, listening to music, humor, plays, musicals, and socializing with friends, family and neighbors.

Ann had a lively personality; she loved to sing, perform, and always had a joke for you. She was a very positive person who laughed and smiled often, even when faced with difficulties in her life. She had a huge heart, a strong spirit, tremendous energy and a genuine love for people, nature and the beauty of life.

Ann is survived by her two daughters, Michele (Tod) Orpustan, and Denise (Chad) Orpustan-Love; her beloved grandchildren, Delaney, Beñat, Maite and Silas; and her brother, Richard Ingram and his family. She is preceded in death by the love of her life, Bernard Orpustan.

She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .