News 12/11/14

ARMED ROBBERY AT VINTAGE STORE IN FT BRAGG (LAW) JB 12/11/14

FORT BRAGG POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR TWO SUSPECTS WHO ROBBED THE MENDOCINO VINTAGE STORE AT GUNPOINT YESTERDAY.

FORT BRAGG POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDED TO THE MENDOCINO VINTAGE STORE ON N. FRANKLIN STREET JUST BEFORE 2 PM YESTERDAY TO THE REPORT OF A ROBBERY THAT HAD JUST OCCURRED. OFFICERS WERE INFORMED THAT A MALE AND FEMALE SUSPECT HAD ENTERED THE STORE AND ROBBED THE OWNER AT GUNPOINT, THEN FLED THE BUSINESS. THE MALE IS DESCRIBED AS HISPANIC, 510, AROUND 200 POUNDS, WEARING A BLUE BEANIE, LIGHT BLUE SWEATSHIRT, AND BLUE JEANS. THE FEMALE IS DESCRIBED AS HISPANIC IN HER MID-20S, LONG DARK HAIR, THIN BUILD, WEARING A BLACK COAT AND DARK COLORED PANTS. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION IS ASKED TO CALL OFFICER ONEAL AT 961-2800, X.167.

STATE APPROVES $64 MILLION FOR WILLITS BYPASS (GOV/TR) JB 12/11/14

THE STATE HAS APPROVED A $64 MILLION EXPENDITURE TO COMPLETE THE WILLITS BYPASS.

THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION APPROVED A $64 MILLION CALTRANS REQUEST TO COMPLETE THE HIGHWAY 101 BYPASS AROUND WILLITS. THE PROJECT, ALREADY TWO YEARS BEHIND, IS 50 PERCENT COMPLETE. THE TWO-LANE HIGHWAY IS NOW SLATED TO OPEN IN 2017. A SECOND PHASE OF THE PROJECT TO WIDEN THE ROUTE TO FOUR LANES EACH WAY REMAINS UNFUNDED.

FORT BRAGG COUNCIL TURNS DOWN MAIN ST MONEY (GOV) JB 12/11/14

THE FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCIL HAS TURNED DOWN STATE FUNDING FOR AN OVERHAUL OF MAIN STREET.

THE FORT BRAGG ADVOCATE REPORTED THAT BOWING TO PUBLIC PRESSURE, FORT BRAGG HAS TAKEN THE UNUSUAL STEP OF SAYING NO TO $2.6 MILLION IN STATE ROAD FUNDS AIMED AT BEAUTIFYING THE COASTAL CITYS MAIN STREET, CANCELING A PLAN THAT HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR 12 YEARS AND ALREADY HAS COST THE CITY SOME $300,000 IN PLANNING-RELATED COSTS. LOCAL BUSINESSES AND RESIDENTS OBJECTED TO PLAN, WORRIED THAT DISRUPTIVE WORK COULD IRREPARABLY HARM BUSINESSES ON MAIN STREET. THE FUNDING SLATED FOR THE PROJECT EVENTUALLY WILL RETURN TO MENDOCINO COUNTY FOR OTHER PROJECTS.

BALTIMORE MAN GETS 15 YEARS FOR DRUG CRIMES (LAW) JB 12/11/14

A BALTIMORE MAN HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON FOR MAJOR MARIJUANA RELATED CRIMES IN MENDOCINO COUNTY.

33 YEAR JOSEPH GUADAGNOLI RECEIVED A 15 YEAR SENTENCE, TO BE FOLLOWED BY 5 YEARS OF SUPERVISED RELEASE FOR CHARGES INCLUDING INTENT TO DISTRIBUTE BETWEEN 1,000 TO 4,000 KILOGRAMS OF MARIJUANA. AFTER FLEEING MARYLAND WHERE HE FACED SIMILAR CHARGES, GUADAGNOLI AND HIS PARTNER CAME TO MENDOCINO IN 2010 WHERE THEY OBTAINED CALIFORNIA DRIVERS LICENSES AND FALSE NAMES TO HIDE THEIR IDENTITIES. HE WAS ARRESTED IN 2012 ON A PROPERTY IN MENDOCINO COUNTY HE WAS USING TO CULTIVATE MARIJUANA AND, AS PART OF HIS SENTENCING, HE MUST PAY A $2.4 MILLION JUDGMENT, THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY INVOLVED IN THE MARIJUANA CONSPIRACY.

LAKE COUNTY BOS APPROVES NEW WEED MANAGEMENT (GOV) JB 12/11/14

THE LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HAS APPROVED A DROUGHT SECTION TO THE WEED MANAGEMENT PLAN.

THE RECORD BEE REPORTED THAT AN ADDITIONAL SECTION IN THE LAKE COUNTY WEED MANAGEMENT PLAN ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE WEEDS ON NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS DURING THE DROUGHT WAS APPROVED BY THE LAKE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT TUESDAYS REGULAR MEETING. USED AS A MEANS TO BATTLE INVASIVE WEED POPULATIONS, THE PLAN USES ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGIES TO SURVEY AND ERADICATE INVASIVE WEEDS, AS WELL AS MONITOR CONTROL ACTIVITIES. BY ADDING THE DROUGHT SECTION TO THE PLAN, FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONTROLLING INVASIVE SPECIES MAY BE AVAILABLE IN THE FUTURE

POWER OUTAGES, SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATES (PI) JB 12/11/14

HERE IS THE LATEST ON THE SCHOOLS IN LAKE AND MENDOCINO COUNTY AND THE CURRENT POWER OUTAGE IN UKIAH.

THE UKIAH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS REPORTED THAT ALL SCHOOLS WILL BE OPEN TODAY. THERE WILL BE NO SCHOOL BUS SERVICE TO HOPLAND DUE TO THE CURRENT CONDITIONS. LCOE, KELSEYVILLE, BOTH UPPER LAKE, MIDDLETOWN, KONOCTI AND LAKEPORT SCHOOLS ARE ALL CLOSED. HOWEVER, THE SCHOOL IN LUCERNE IS OPEN TODAY. THE UKIAH POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS REPORTED A POWER OUTAGE AFFECTING THE NORTH END OF UKIAH. CITY CREWS ARE ON SCENE HOWEVER NO TIME FRAME HAS BEEN GIVEN AS TO WHEN THE POWER WILL BE RESTORED.

SLIDE ON 101 NEAR WILLITS BYPASS (TR/EVR) JB 12/11/14

A SLIDE HAS BEEN REPORTED ON HIGHWAY 101 NEAR THE WILLITS BYPASS.

LAST NIGHT A ROCK COVERED SLOPE ABOVE THE LONG-TERM DETOUR ALONG HIGHWAY 101 AT THE SOUTH INTERCHANGE BEGAN TO FAIL. CALTRANS ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS ARE WORKING TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE SLOPE FAILURE, HOW IT IS BEING AFFECTED BY THE CURRENT STORM, AND WHEN LANES WHEN LIKELY NEED TO BE CLOSED. CONTRACTOR CREWS ARE WORKING TO REOPEN AT LEAST ONE LANE OF THE OLD HIGHWAY 101 ROADWAY SO IT CAN BE USED TO HELP KEEP TRAFFIC FLOWING. THE TIMING OF THE REPAIRS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL IS NOT YET KNOWN.