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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
CLEARLAKE – The Lake County Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held a resoundingly successful Black History Month program and dinner on Sunday, Feb. 18.
The standing-room-only crowd that attended the festivities included many dignitaries from the arenas of politics, business and culture.
NAACP's local chapter was founded by Rick Mayo – now the chapter's first vice president – along with Clarence Wright Sr., A.C. Marks and past California State Conference Vice President Gilbert Gray.
A proclamation was made by the office of state Sen. Patricia Wiggins in recognition of Black History Month and the Lake County NAACP.
Judy Thein, Mayor of Clearlake, on behalf of the City Council and citizens of Clearlake spoke encouragingly to the crowd on the topic of city government being in complete accord with the ideals of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy and dream.
The mayor also made a proclamation in honor of Dr. King, Black History Month and the NAACP, declaring them to be integral to the American experience.
Dr. Linda Robinson, pastor at Praises of Zion Baptist Church, rendered a powerful message that touched on the lingering effects of slavery on the psyche of of African-American people and the failure therein to educate subsequent generations adequately.
Peppering her oratory with quotes from African-American intellectuals like Nikki Giovanni, Carter G. Woodson, Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Robinson cautioned against the reality of academic lynching and complacency.
Supervisor Ed Robey provided the keynote address. His theme was on why he chooses to be a lifetime member of the NAACP.
Robey spoke of coming of age in the 1950s and 1960s, when 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi; the struggle of James Meredith to enter the University of Mississippi; Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice; and the fire hoses of Sheriff Bull Conners' repressive regime in Alabama.
His main thrust was that social change and justice are yet necessary to the fabric of life in America and the NAACP's nonviolent stance is a "very cool" way to achieve those goals.
Lake County thespian Voris Brumfield presented a dramatic and creative portrayal of Alberta Williams King, the mother of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Woven skillfully into her oration was a proclamation and commendation from the office of Congressman Mike Thompson in honor of the occasion. Brumfield used humor and candor in bringing Alberta Williams King back to vibrant life.
Another highlight of the evening was the presentation by Mayo of the Founder's Trailblazer's Award to Dorothy Myers.
Myers has been political chair of the Lake County NAACP for the past 20 years, in conjunction with being a Legal Redress Committee member for six years.
She has made huge contributions collectively with the body of the local chapter in many areas, including housing, education and employment issues within the community. It was largely through her efforts that the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County was resurrected.
Also recognized for 16 years of organizing Black History Month programs in Lake County was Mae Nahmias.
Lake County NAACP President Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit acknowledged Nahmias' work ethic as being equivalent to the efforts of 10 people – she even prepared the dishes for the evening's soul food buffet.
The gifted Nahmias eventually treated the audience to her vocal prowess at the urging of the president.
Bakheit also presented plaque awards to the family of Dr. Alan and Kathy Sampson family; Aaron and Gloria Turner; and Al and Mae Nahmias for their generous and continued contributions to the local NAACP branch.
St. Elmo Mosby Jr., education chairman, recreated King's powerful "I Have A Dream" speech with chilling accuracy and emotion. The audience responded with two ovations.
Outstanding musical selections and contributions were made by the Praises of Zion Baptist Church Choir, the Beit Chavurah Group and keyboardist David Neft.
The evening's festivities and the diversity of the attendees indicated that Dr. King's dream is still vibrant in the community at large in Lake County.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
NICE – A woman hit by a car early Tuesday morning remains in the hospital with serious injuries.
The California Highway Patrol reported Tuesday that Martha Bertolino was struck by a vehicle at 4:22 a.m. on Highway 20, west of Sayre Avenue, near the Valero gas station.
After the accident Tuesday Bertolino was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital, and then airlifted by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
CHP said they were continuing to investigate why Bertolino was in the roadway at that time. As part of that investigation, they ordered a blood test on Bertolino before she was transported to Santa Rosa.
On Wednesday, Bertolino's sister-in-law, Jenny Reale, said Bertolino suffers from bipolar disorder, which – without warning – caused her to get up and run out of her house and into traffic.
Reale said Bertolino remains Santa Rosa Memorial's critical care unit, suffering from two broken legs, a broken arm, head injuries, a broken jaw and internal injuries.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LUCERNE – Starting a business is, by itself, one of the biggest challenges anyone can face.
But imagine you've just started a new business, you have a small child and a baby on the way, and you find yourself called to go to war overseas.
That's what happened recently to Bryon Martinez, who opened Firehouse Pizza in Lucerne earlier this month.
Martinez, 23, was raised in the Corning area, and has worked in food service, particularly pizza restaurants, since he was a teenager.
He started going to community college to study business, and joined the Army National Guard to help finance his education.
His original assignment in the guard was to have been in San Diego, patrolling the border. Martinez said that assignment was called off.
Eventually, though, Martinez said he dropped out of school because his goal was to open a pizza parlor.
As he was driving through Lake County last year he passed through Lucerne and saw the former Paradise Pizza parlor, at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Highway 20, sitting empty. The name caught his eye because he had wanted to have a pizza parlor with just that title.
So he, along with his wife, Sabrina, and their friends, started putting the restaurant that came to be known as Firehouse Pizza together. It opened at the start of February and has received a warm response from the community.
Shortly after he signed the two-year lease for the building, Martinez called the guard to request a leave of absence.
That's when he was told that his name was on a deployment roster for Iraq.
Martinez is a member of a combat engineer unit based in Redding, which specializes in clearing roads of improvised explosive devices – IEDs – the homemade bombs which have proved especially deadly for U.S. soldiers and Iraqis during the Iraq War.
He was told to attend a pre-deployment conference at Camp Roberts near San Luis Obispo, which was taking place in the middle of the restaurant's opening week. Martinez said he managed to get a waiver from attending because of his business commitment.
Martinez leaves for training March 2, and will ship out to Iraq in May. He's hoping that he'll still be home for the birth of his second child, due that month. He and Sabrina also have a 5-year-old son, Kameron.
Last Saturday, a group of local veterans and military supporters gathered at the restaurant for a social night to support Martinez and his business.
Martinez said he expects to be gone about 18 months. While he's gone, his friends, brothers Thomas and Cisco Bobadilla, will run the restaurant for him.
Firehouse Pizza's hours are 2 to 9 p.m. during winter, with summer hours set for 2 to 10 p.m. The menu includes pizza, salads, wings, burgers and sandwiches, with wine and beer scheduled to be added early next month.
The restaurant, located at 6232 E. Highway 20, can be reached at 274-7117.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
The collision took place on Highway 20 west of Sayre Avenue in Nice at 4:22 a.m., according to Josh Dye, public information officer for the CHP's Kelseyville office.
Clearlake resident Michelle Paterson was driving westbound on Highway 20 when she encountered Martha Bertolino in the roadway, Dye reported.
Paterson's vehicle struck Bertolino, who suffered a broken leg and various lacerations, said Dye.
Bertoleno was flown by REACH helicopter to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to Dye's report.
CHP's incident logs reported that a blood draw was conducted on Bertolino, which Dye confirmed.
Dye said the CHP is still investigating why Bertolino was in the roadway at that hour.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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