CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Carol Lee Barrett LeVasseur Gridley passed away on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at her home in Clearlake, with loving family by her side.

Born in Brattleboro, Vermont, and formerly of New Hampshire and Washington state, she was a resident of Lake County for over 30 years. Carol was a waitress for over 25 years.

She volunteered work at Salvation Army REACH Program and the Clearlake Community Center and also the Red Hat Society. She enjoyed knitting and reading.

Carol is survived by her beloved husband of 24 years, James Gridley of Clearlake; daughters, Lesley (Will) Dreger of Goldendale, Wash., Georgette Russell of Keene, New Hampshire, Bobbi Sue LeVasseur of Whinchester, New Hampshire, and Evelyn (Rick) Patty of Clearlake; brothers, Lyman Barrett of Springfield, Ore., and Gene Barrett of Montgomery, Ala. Carol is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Carol was preceded in death by her son, Robert LeVasseur; granddaughter, Stormy LeVasseur; and parents, Winston and Mary Barrett.

There will be a graveside service at the Mountain View Cemetery in Goldendale, Wash., beginning at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 23, followed by a celebration of life at Fathers House of Fellowship.

Carol’s family would appreciate any donations be made in Carol’s memory to Highlands Senior Center, PO Box 180, Clearlake, CA 95422.

Arrangements under the care of Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel. Please share your loving memories of Carol by signing her online guest book at www.jonesandlewis.com .

LUCERNE, Calif. – Wendy Lee Torrigino, 55, from Lucerne passed away peacefully, April 29, 2017, at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa from kidney disease.

Wendy was born Aug. 17, 1961, and was raised in San Anselmo, Calif., by her parents Victor and Judy Bologna.

She attended St. Anselm's Catholic School and then graduated from Sir Francis Drake High School, class of 1979.

She married her husband Steve Torrigino on Jan. 3, 1987, and they moved to Petaluma. On Aug. 19, 1993, their son Tony Torrigino was born.

Wendy worked for Mrs. Gossman's Paper Co. in Petatuma for 17 years before moving to Lucerne.

She enjoyed boating and fishing on Clear Lake, sitting by the pool with friends and family, the coastal beach and her kitty cats. Wendy had a great sense of humor and loved to giggle.

Wendy is survived by her her loving husband of 30 years, Steve Torrigino and son, Tony Torrigino, both from Lucerne; parents, Victor and Judy Bologna of Lakeport; sister, Vicky (Blyine) Magill and nephew, Jesse Magill from Finger, Tenn.; uncle, Joseph (Carol) Bologna of Novato, and all of her cousins.

She is predeceased by her grandparents, Vito and Jennie (Russo) Bologna and Charles and Enes (Ghiorsi) Walker.

Funeral service will be held at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport, at noon on Thursday, May 4, with interment to follow at Upper Lake Cemetery.

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

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Folk & Americana Coffee House Concert Series will host the “Divas of Lake County” on Friday, May 5.

The concert will take place beginning at 7 p.m. at the Fore Family Vineyards Wine Room at 3920 Main St. in Kelseyville.

Featured will be Andrea Blair, a Cobb favorite; Jill Shaul, former 3-Deep star; and Libbie Larson with her band “InVoice.”

Wine, beverages and snacks will be offered.

The concert is presented by the Unitarian Universalists of Lake County and Fore Family Vineyards.

The ticket price is $10 per person. Tickets are available at the door, at Watershed Books in Lakeport or online at www.uuclc.com .

Sandra Kay Hearn
July 01, 1947 - April 28, 2017

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sandi Hearn, loving daughter of Dean and Verla, sister of Guy Smith and Patti Smith-Salinas (deceased), passed away in peace with her husband Rick and her son, Rick holding her hands. 

Survived by daughters, Michelle Hill and Julie Hearn; and sons, Frank Fernandez, James Fernandez, Edward Fernandez, Michael Fernandez and Richard Hearn.

In lieu of services and flowers, Sandi requests a kind donation in her name to Hospice Services of Lake County, 1862 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, CA 95453 or call 707-263-6222.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Mendo Lake Credit Union invites the public to “Shred the Word - Protect Yourself from Identity Theft” with free shredding opportunities in both Lake and Mendocino counties.

Anyone may bring up to five boxes or bags of old documents for free shredding to the credit union branch at 14866 Olympic Drive in Clearlake between the hours of 10 a.m. and noon on Thursday, May 25, or to the branch at 963 11th St., Lakeport, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, May 26.

Individuals taking advantage of the free shred event do not have to be members of the credit union, according to Jamey Gill, Mendo Lake Credit Union’s director of Marketing and Community Outreach. It is open to the public.

Additional “Shred the Word” events are scheduled for May 11 at the Fort Bragg branch and May 12 at MLCU’s Ukiah branch. Items for shredding may be delivered between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on each of the planned days.

Gill said MLCU encourages people to take steps to protect themselves from identity theft by destroying old confidential documents that are no longer needed for tax filing or other purposes.

Mendo Lake Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative and has been serving members’ financial needs since 1959. MLCU branches are located in Lakeport, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and Ukiah.

For more information, contact the Mendo Lake Credit Union Member Service Center at 707-468-0161.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – In keeping with the Soper Reese Theatre’s continuing goal to provide a first class venue for the area’s finest musical talent, Johnny Tsunami & the Hurricanes from Santa Rosa will bring their high octane American roots rock show to the stage on Saturday, May 6.

The show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for all seats. The dance floor will be open.

Johnny Cipressi’s Texas style guitar playing, influenced by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy, combines with Paul Dowling’s base guitar and Steve DuBois’ drums to create a smokin’ blues sound that connects simply and directly with the audience.

Jim Hicks of Sonoma County said, “When most people play the blues I’m bored to death, but when artists like yourself play, I get that paradoxical life-does-suck-in-an-awesomely-beautiful-way-and-in-the-end-I-wouldn’t-change-a-thing feeling that truly great blues gives me.”

So, if you are looking for some low down, greasy blues, look no further than Johnny Tsunami & The Hurricanes.

Tickets are available online at www.soperreesetheatre.com , or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information call 707-263-0577.

The theater is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On Wednesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. the Lake County Democratic Club will host guest speaker Jocelyn Suzanne Hoey.

Hoey plans to present a slideshow from her recent training with Al Gore, “Climate Realities: Curious? Concerned? Get the Facts.”

Lake County Democratic Club meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the social hall of the Lower Lake United Methodist Church, 16255 Second St.

All meetings are open to the public. Membership is open to registered Democrats.

Lake County Democratic Club is an officially chartered club of the Democratic Party of Lake County.

Visit www.lakecountydemocraticclub.org or contact the club at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Douglas Kirk Marshall, age 55, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, surrounded by his family and friends.

He was born in Morris, Ill., but spent most of his life in California.

Doug was a loving husband, great Dad, and a caring friend to all! He was such a giving person with a heart of gold that would help everyone and anyone in need!

Doug worked in construction for Helmer & Sons for over 20 years. He was a hard worker, keeping busy from dawn till dusk, whether working for the company or working on his land providing a beautiful home and life for his family. He was the handyman God needed in heaven!

Doug is survived by the love of his life and best friend, Jennifer Marshall, his spouse of 20 years; his children, Christopher Marshall of Napa, Courtney Marshall of Napa, Nathaniel Oberdorf of Lower Lake, Dustin (Jordan) Marshall of Napa, siblings Roxanne (Rich) Sargent of Napa, Walter (Beverly) Marshall of Hidden Valley Lake, Brenda (Brett) Breeze of Medford, Oregon, Bonnie (Wayne) Hanks of Utah, mother-in-law Carol (Glen) Davis of Florida, brother-in-law John (Catherine) Oberdorf, and sister-in-law Joanne (Mike) Buckley; three grandchildren, Dominic, Veronica and Hollie; numerous nieces and nephews; and many special friends. Also, an honorable mention to his devoted and loyal companions Baby Blue, Bear, Chewy, Stryper, Nynja and Little Lou.

Family and friends are warmly invited to attend a memorial service to celebrate Doug’s life on Friday, May 5, beginning at 11 a.m. at Jones & Lewis Clear Lake Memorial Chapel in Lower Lake.

After the service there will be a reception with a light lunch and desserts to spend time together and share stories about Doug.

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

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino College has joined the Community College Equity Assessment Lab, or CCEAL, National Consortium on College Men of Color.

Participation in the consortium, or NCCMC, will enhance the college’s commitment to improving the success of historically underrepresented and underserved students, including men of color.

Despite programs designed to enhance outcomes for men of color, in the United States only 17 percent and 15 percent of black and Latino men, respectively, earn a certificate, degree, or transfer from a community college to a four-year institution in six years.

Figures for men from other ethnic groups (e.g., Native American, Southeast Asian) also indicate an insurmountable need for improvement.

To combat this achievement gap, the NCCMC facilitates an exchange of ideas between community colleges across the nation on how best to serve men of color in our educational institutions. Community colleges convene to share their efforts and learn about new strategies for enhancing the success of men of color.

As a NCCMC member, Mendocino College will receive these benefits:

· Access to monthly webinars.
· Participation in information sharing sessions.
· Discounted rate to participate in the annual working group meeting.
· Free access to assessment tools (Male Program Assessment for College Excellence, Community College Student Success Inventory).
· Discounted rate for CCEAL's flagship institutional assessment package (Community College Success Measure, Community College Instructional Development Inventory, and Community College Staff Development Inventory).

Mendocino College‘s engagement in the NCCMC will enhance professional development for faculty and staff, enable informed interventions for our current programs serving men of color, and inspire new initiatives addressing challenges facing these men.

“As our college community works diligently to ensure an equitable and inclusive environment for all of our students, the opportunity to join this consortium could not have presented itself at a better time,” said Mendocino College Superintendent/President Arturo Reyes.

“With student success at the helm of all that we do here at Mendocino College it is important to actively engage in opportunities that allow us to serve our disproportionately impacted groups,” Reyes said. “I am grateful for all that NCCMC has to offer and I look forward to learning more to advance our student population that this consortium will best help serve.”

“This innovative group of college leaders will be instrumental in implementing cutting-edge practices and policies to address the achievement gap facing underrepresented men,” said Dr. J. Luke Wood, co-director of CCEAL.

Launched in February 2015, the CCEAL has already seen much success in information-sharing between community colleges. An average of more than 1,000 consortium members participates in each webinar.

“It is inspiring to see educators collaborate and openly share innovative ideas for serving men of color,” said Frank Harris III, co-director of CCEAL. “We look forward to the future of CCEAL and the future success of men of color.”

Editor’s note: The following article contains photos that are from a crash scene reenactment. The individuals shown were not injured but were portraying crash victims.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – At the end of March, Kelseyville High School hosted the “Every 15 Minutes” program, which aims to prevent drunk driving deaths among young people.

Kelseyville, like other local high schools, holds the crash scene reenactment event every four years to educate students about the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.

“The Every 15 Minutes program is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community, and many others,” according to the California Highway Patrol.

Every 15 Minutes events are organized by school officials, representatives of the CHP, local fire districts, hospitals, community groups, businesses and individuals.

On the first day of the events, students participate in the crash reenactments, playing the parts of crash victims and drunk drivers.

During the course of that school day, students who have agreed to participate are removed from classes by a person dressed as the Grim Reaper to illustrate the number of teenagers killed in drunk driving crashes.

Parents of the children who participate are given death notices by local officials, while the students who portray drunk drivers are put through the experience of going through a mock arrest, visit to the jail and an appearance before a Lake County Superior Court judge.

The final day of the event typically involves a student assembly during which students who portrayed victims are reunited with their families, and students watch a video production of the event.

In addition to Kelseyville High, this year Clear Lake High School held its own Every 15 Minutes event, which took place at the end of April.

Every 15 minutes is made possible by funding provided by the CHP through the California Office of Traffic Safety, as well as donations from community members.