News 8/26/10

INDIAN VALLEY FIRE UPDATE JKB 8/26/10

• A FIRE BURNING NEAR THE INDIAN VALLEY RESERVOIR IN EASTERN LAKE COUNTY HAS CONSUMED 363 ACRES. AUTHORITIES SAY FIREFIGHTERS HAD ACHIEVED 80% CONTAINMENT AS OF LAST NIGHT WITH FULL CONTAINMENT EXPECTED BY TODAY.

THE BLAZE WAS FIRST REPORTED TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT THE NORTH END OF THE RESERVOIR NEAR THE COLUSA COUNTY LINE. NO STRUCTURES HAVE BEEN THREATENED. THERE HAVE BEEN 3 HEAT RELATED INJURIES REPORTED AMONG FIREFIGHTERS. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE REMAINS UNDER INVESTIGATION.

TWO FIRES BLACKEN VEGETATION JKB 8/26/10

• TWO FIRES THAT BROKE OUT WITHIN AN HOUR OF EACH OTHER, BURNED APPROXIMATELY 6 ACRES EACH IN LAKE COUNTY LAST NIGHT.

THE FIRST FIRE WAS REPORTED AT AROUND 9:30 PM WHEN A TRANSFORMER BLEW ON OLD LONG VALLEY ROAD. THE 2ND BLAZE WAS LOCATED ON NEW LONG VALLEY ROAD AND WAS REPORTED SHORTLY AFTER 10:30 PM. THE CAUSE OF THAT FIRE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION.

HOUSE FIRE JKB 8/26/10

• A WINDOW MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONER IS THOUGHT TO BE THE CAUSE OF A FIRE THAT DESTROYED A SINGLE WIDE MOBILE HOME AT THE U WANNA CAMP CAMPGROUND ON SCOTTS CREEK ROAD NEAR LAKEPORT YESTERDAY.

THE FIRE BROKE OUT IN ONE OF THE PERMANENT RESIDENTS HOME AT AROUND 4:30 PM WHEN THE HOME OWNER WAS VISITING A NEIGHBORS HOUSE. THE STRUCTURE WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES BY THE TIME FIREFIGHTERS ARRIVED AND WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. NO ONE WAS INJURED DURING THE INCIDENT.

E-QUAKE JKB 8/26/10

• THE HUMBOLDT COUNTY COAST WAS RATTLED BY ANOTHER MODERATE SIZED EARTHQUAKE YESTERDAY.

THE QUAKE OCCURRED AT 6:23 AM AND WAS CENTERED 30 MILES SOUTH WEST OF FORTUNA. IT WAS TOO SMALL AND TOO DEEP TO GENERATE ANY SIGNIFICANT WAVE ACTIVITY. IT WAS THE 6TH QUAKE TO STRIKE ON OR NEAR THE HUMBOLDT COUNTY COAST IN THE PAST WEEK. 4 OF THE 6 HAVE BEEN GREATER THAN 2.5 IN MAGNITUDE.

EMBEZZLEMENT CASE JKB 8/26/10

• A PRELIMINARY HEARING DATE HAS BEEN SET FOR 8 PEOPLE INVOLVED IN A PLOT THAT EMBEZZLED MORE THAN $102,000 FROM SLOT MACHINES AT THE SHO-KA-WAH CASINO IN HOPLAND DURING A 7 MONTH PERIOD BEGINNING IN MARCH OF 2007.

ACCORDING TO PROSECUTORS, 42 YEAR OLD JOAN PICKRON OF UKIAH ALLEGEDLY USED A HUB MACHINE TO INTERFACE WITH DIGITAL SLOT MACHINES TO CREATE FALSE PAYOUTS TO ACCOMPLICES WHILE WORKING AS A SHIFT MANAGER FOR THE CASINO. THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE BEGAN THEIR INVESTIGATION IN OCTOBER OF 2008. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED IN JUNE OF THIS YEAR. 4 OF THE 8 SUSPECTS, 58 YEAR OLD MARY ANN MOORE OF ROHNERT PARK, 27 YEAR OLD THOMAS WILLIAMS OF REDWOOD VALLEY, 77 YEAR OLD GLORIA NELSON OF NICE AND ROBERTA REEDER OF UKIAH TURNED THEMSELVES ON JUNE 26TH. PICKRON, 47 YEAR OLD ALEX MARTIN OF UKIAH AND 38 YEAR OLD JOHN GLASS JR OF UKIAH WERE ARRESTED AUGUST 19TH. AN 8TH SUSPECT IS STILL BEING SOUGHT. A PRELIMINARY HEARING HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 20TH.

HEAT WAVE AFFECTING GRAPES JKB 8/26/10

• THE RECENT HEAT WAVE IS CAUSING ADDED CONCERN FOR NORTH COAST GRAPE GROWERS WITH SOME VINEYARDS IN SONOMA AND MENDOCINO COUNTIES REPORTING AS MUCH AS 50% LOSS TO SUN SCORCHING OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

THE MOST RECENT CHALLENGE COMES ON THE HEALS OF A DAMP COOL SUMMER THAT HAS LED TO MOLD AND MILDEW THAT WAS ALREADY TAKING ITS TOLL ON THE 2010 CROP. ACCORDING TO GROWERS, VINES HAD BEEN PRUNED BACK TO COMBAT POSSIBLE MOLD PROBLEMS BY OPENING THE FRUIT UP TO THE SUN, BUT THE EXCESSIVE HEAT DESTROYED A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE CROP. EXACTLY HOW MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE WILL NOT BE KNOWN UNTIL THE HARVEST COMES IN.

WILLITS WANTS TAX SHARING AGREEMENT WITH COUNTY JKB 8/26/10

• ON A VOTE OF 4 TO 1 LAST NIGHT THE WILLITS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A MOTION TO ENTER INTO DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COUNTY TOWARD ACHIEVING A 50% TAX SHARING AGREEMENT IN REGARDS TO THE PROPOSED SALES TAX MEASURE THAT WILL BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT.

FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS MAYOR BRUCE BURTON AND VICE MAYOR VICTOR HANSEN WILL NEGOTIATE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY. 2ND DISTRICT SUPERVISOR JOHN MCCOWEN SUGGESTED ADDING SUCH A PROVISION TO THE PROPOSED TAX MEASURE TO GENERATE SUPPORT AMONG THE CITIES, BUT THAT PROPOSITION WAS DECLINED IN FAVOR OF OTHER POSSIBLE REVENUE SHARING AGREEMENTS. IF PASSED BY VOTERS, THE COUNTY SALE TAX WOULD INCREASE TO 8.75% WHILE THE SALES TAX IN THE CITIES OF WILLITS, UKIAH, POINT ARENA AND FORT BRAGG WOULD JUMP TO 9.25%.

MINERS REQUEST ITEMS TO MAKE STAY EASIER JKB 8/26/10

• COMMUNICATIONS AND SUPPLIES ARE FLOWING EFFICIENTLY BETWEEN RESCUERS AND 33 TRAPPED MINERS IN CHILE.

THE MINERS HAVE BEEN TRAPPED FOR 20 DAYS 2300 FEET BELOW THE EARTHS SURFACE. A PROBE SENT BY RESCUERS FOUND THE MEN ALIVE ON SUNDAY. SINCE THEN THE MINERS HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR PLAYING CARDS, RELIGIOUS ITEMS AND A CHILEAN FLAG TO LIFT THEIR SPIRITS AND PASS THE TIME. OFFICIALS SAY IT COULD TAKE UP TO 4 MONTHS TO DRILL AN ACCESS HOLE TO REACH THE TRAPPED MEN.

RECALLED EGGS BEING PASTEURIZED JKB 8/26/10

• EGGS BEING PRODUCED BY FARMS AT THE CENTER OF A MASSIVE NATIONWIDE RECALL ARE BEING DIVERTED TO USDA APPROVED FACILITIES FOR PASTEURIZATION TO RID THEM OF ANY SALMONELLA BACTERIA.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SICKENED IN THE 18 STATES THE EGGS WERE DISTRIBUTED. THE EGGS PRODUCED FROM WRIGHT COUNTY EGG AND HILLANDALE FARMS SINCE THE RECALL ARE BEING SOLD TO BREAKING PLANTS THAT BREAK THE EGGSHELLS, PASTEURIZE THE EGGS AND TURN THEM INTO LIQUID OR OTHER FORMS USED IN A VARIETY OF PRODUCTS.