News 8/24/10

HOT WEATHER WARNING JKB 8/24/10

• IT IS GOING TO BE HOT ALL ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS.

HERE IN MENDOCINO COUNTY TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE UP IN THE 103 TO 104 DEGREE RANGE TODAY AND TOMORROW, WITH A DROP INTO THE HIGH 90S BY THURSDAY AND THE UPPER 80S BY FRIDAY. LAKE COUNTY WILL BE SLIGHTLY HOTTER WITH HIGHS OF 107 AND 106 EXPECTED TODAY AND TOMORROW, FOLLOWED BY A SIMILAR COOLING TREND TOWARD THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE HIGH TO LOW 90S THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SPECIAL WEATHER ALERT DUE TO THE HIGHER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES. RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, AVOID GOING OUTSIDE DURING THE HOTTEST PARTS OF THE DAY, BE AWARE FOR SIGNS OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESS AND TO TAKE OTHER PRECAUTIONS AS NECESSARY FOR THE HOT WEATHER.

EMBEZZLEMENT PLEA JKB 8/24/10

• A LAKE COUNTY WOMAN WAS SENTENCED YESTERDAY, AFTER PLEADING NO CONTEST IN JULY TO EMBEZZLING MORE THAN $150,000 FROM HER EMPLOYER OVER A YEAR AND A HALF LONG PERIOD.

MICHELLE DAVIS WAS WORKING AS A BOOKKEEPER FOR SHANNON RIDGE WINERY WHEN THE THEFTS OCCURRED BETWEEN MARCH 2006 AND DECEMBER OF 2007. SHE PLEADED NO CONTEST TO 8 MISDEMEANOR COUNTS OF GRAND THEFT JULY 21ST. DAVIS WAS SENTENCED TO 45 DAYS IN JAIL, 360 HOURS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE, 3 YEARS PROBATION AND ORDERED TO PAY $50,000 IN RESTITUTION.

NO RECORD OF PEDOPHILIA REGARDING PRIEST JKB 8/24/10

• ACCORDING TO SANTA ROSA BISHOP DANIEL WALSH THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE FILE OF FORMER PRIEST PATRICK MCCABE THAT WOULD HAVE ALERTED THE LOCAL CATHOLIC DIOCESE HE WAS A PEDOPHILE BEFORE BEING APPOINTED TO A PARISH IN EUREKA.

IN HIS FIRST PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE CASE, WALSH SAID LOCAL CHURCH OFFICIALS HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING THAT MCCABE HAD BEEN TREATED AT A SPECIAL CLINIC FOR SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BEFORE HE WAS ASSIGNED TO ST BERNARD PARISH IN 1983. TWO FORMER ALTER BOYS HAVE COME FORWARD TO REPORT MOLESTATIONS BY MCCABE BEFORE HE LEFT THE PARISH IN 1985, AND ONE HAS FILED SUIT CLAIMING CHURCH OFFICIALS KNEW MCCABE WAS A PEDOPHILE WHEN HE WAS SENT TO ST BERNARDS. MCCABE IS CURRENTLY AWAITING EXTRADITION TO IRELAND TO ANSWER CHARGES HE MOLESTED 6 BOYS FROM 1973 TO 1981.

MONEY SOUGHT TO RAISE COYOTE DAM JKB 8/24/10

• OFFICIALS FOR THE RUSSIAN RIVER FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT AND THE WATER CONSERVATION IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WILL ASK CONGRESS FOR MONEY TO RAISE COYOTE DAM TO INCREASE THE WATER LEVEL IN LAKE MENDOCINO.

ACCORDING TO WATER OFFICIALS, THE DAM WAS DESIGNED AND BUILT TO BE RAISED OVER TIME AND ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED TO BE RAISED IN 1994. IF THE DAM IS RAISED AND WIDENED IT IS ESTIMATED THE CAPACITY OF LAKE MENDOCINO COULD ALMOST BE DOUBLED. AUTHORITIES SAY THAT WOULD PROVIDE THE LAKE WITH A MULTIPLE YEARS SUPPLY OF WATER RATHER THAN JUST A SINGLE SEASONS WORTH. WATER BOARD MEMBERS SAY THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROCESS WILL BE TO GENERATE LOCAL PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT. THE COST OF THE PROPOSED DAM RAISING PROJECT IS UNKNOWN BUT EXPECTED TO EXCEED $100 MILLION DOLLARS.

GAMING COMPACT DENIED JKB 8/24/10

• A RULING BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR HAS PUT A CASINO PLANNED FOR UPPER LAKE IN JEOPARDY.

ACCORDING TO THE RULING, A PROPOSED GAMING COMPACT BETWEEN THE HABEMATOLEL POMO INDIANS AND THE STATE, THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE LAST YEAR, IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FEDERAL INDIAN GAMING REGULATORY ACT. AT ISSUE IS A REVENUE SHARING AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE. TRIBE OFFICIALS PLAN TO APPEAL THE DECISION HANDED DOWN LAST WEEK. THE HABEMATOLEL TRIBE HAS PROPOSED BUILDING A $25 MILLION DOLLAR, 34,000 SQUARE FOOT CASINO, COMPLETE WITH RETAIL SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, GAMING TABLES AND 349 SLOT MACHINES ON AN 11 ACRE PARCEL ON HIGHWAY 20 JUST OUTSIDE OF UPPER LAKE. THAT PROJECT IS NOW ON HOLD.

MARTIN SHORTS WIFE DIES JKB 8/24/10

• NANCY DOLMAN, THE WIFE OF ACTOR COMEDIAN MARTIN SHORT HAS DIED.

THE LOST ANGELES FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO A CALL FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL AID AT THE COUPLES PACIFIC PALISADES HOME SATURDAY MORNING. NO DETAILS ABOUT THE TIME, LOCATION, OR CAUSE OF HER DEATH WERE RELEASED. SHE WAS 58.

FINE FOR SEAWORLD JKB 8/24/10

• THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION HAS FINED SEA WORLD ORLANDO $75,000 FOR VIOLATIONS UNCOVERED WHILE INVESTIGATING THE DEATH OF ANIMAL TRAINER DAWN BRANCHEAU, WHO WAS GRABBED BY A KILLER WHALE AND DRAGGED UNDERWATER IN FEBRUARY.

OSHA CATEGORIZED THE MOST SERIOUS VIOLATION AS WILLFUL OR SHOWING INDIFFERENCE OR INTENTIONAL DISREGARD FOR EMPLOYEE SAFETY FOR EXPOSING WORKERS TO DROWNING HAZARDS WHEN INTERACTING WITH KILLER WHALES. THE AGENCY PROPOSED NOT ALLOWING TRAINERS TO HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH THE WHALE RESPONSIBLE FOR BRANCHEAUS DEATH UNLESS PROTECTED BY A PHYSICAL BARRIER. IT ALSO SUGGESTED THAT TRAINERS NOT INTERACT WITH OTHER KILLER WHALES AT THE PARK EITHER IN OR OUT OF THE WATER UNLESS PROTECTED BY A BARRIER OR DECK.

U.S. TROOPS FALL BELOW 50,000 IN IRAQ JKB 8/24/10

• THE NUMBER OF U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ HAS FALLEN BELOW 50,000, THE LOWEST LEVEL SINCE THE U.S. LED INVASION IN 2003.

THE DROP COMES AHEAD OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMAS DEADLINE TO BRING DOWN TROOP LEVELS BY AUGUST 31ST. THE MILITARY SAID U.S. TROOPS WILL NOW TRANSITION TO OPERATION NEW DAWN, EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1ST. IN THIS PHASE, THE UNITED STATES WILL HELP TRAIN IRAQI SECURITY FORCES UNTIL THE END OF ITS MISSION IN DECEMBER OF 2011.

PLANE CRASH KILLS 14 JKB 8/24/10

• A SINGLE ENGINE AIRCRAFT CARRYING 11 PASSENGERS AND 3 CREW MEMBERS CRASHED SOUTH OF KATMANDU, NEPAL TUESDAY MORNING.

THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS. ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS, 4 OF THE PASSENGERS WERE U.S. CITIZENS, ONE WAS A JAPANESE CITIZEN AND ONE WAS A BRITISH CITIZEN. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FLYING TO THE EVEREST REGION OF NEPAL WHEN IT WENT DOWN. A POLICE RESCUE TEAM HAS HEADED INTO THE MOUNTAINS TO RECOVER THE BODIES, BUT RAINY CONDITIONS COULD HAMPER RECOVER EFFORTS.