News 02/29/16

An elderly man has been killed in a car crash outside of Ukiah. Police say the crash Friday night on a winding road east of Ukiah was caused by a drunk driver. The Ukiah CHP reports the suspected drunk driver Jared Soinila of Redwood Valley drove into the 81 year old, killing him and seriously injuring his passenger. The two headed home to Ukiah after dinner when they were hit on Vichy Springs Road by a pickup truck. Police say they arrested Soinila on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. After he was treated for minor injuries, he was booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Once again the Mendocino County board of supervisors will discuss the county’s mental health program. After the Kemper Report, mostly against the work done for the adult mental health program by Ortner Management Group, the Board told the county Executive Office they wanted a new plan using recommendations in the Kemper report. They board also looking for a timeline of when the ideas would be implemented. The county looking for electronic health records to be in place by summer and for a dedicated person to be in charge of making sure all of the contractor’s work follows the report. The Daily Journal reports Kemper also criticized the county saying there had been no oversight and that led to a miscommunication with contractors. The board taking up the matter at their regular meeting tomorrow morning.

Campus police at UC Berkeley looking for possible drugging victims at fraternity parties this month. Police report two female students could have been drugged at a party at the Chi Psi house. Cops say there may have been a couple of other female students drugged at a Phi Gamma Delta party. Both of the parties on Feb. 19th. Police say possible victims should get medical treatment and consider filing a police report.

A broken fire hydrant had to be capped near the intersection of Talmage Road and Waugh Lane after it burst into the air. Water shooting from the hydrant Saturday afternoon. Cops getting a call around 1-30 that there was a bunch of water accumulating on the road. So crews went to the scene and turned off the water to the hydrant.

Mendocino County firefighters going after Proposition 172 funds after a judge said no to a petition to get the idea on a ballot. Lawyers in court again Friday as the grand jury released a report on the matter. An amended complaint was filed in the matter Friday, after the same judge stopped the ballot measure. California Supreme Court records show a petition was filed to review the first decision by the judge, that transferred to the 1st District Court of Appeals which denied the request. Local firefighters are trying to get some of the Proposition 172 funds. The prop voted in in 1993 is a half-cent sales tax covering certain departments when funds are low. Local funding distributions to the sheriff, district attorney and probation departments, but fire departments insist on more transparency and part of the money.

Clearlake Police asking for the public’s help looking for whoever’s responsible for dumping recreational vehicles. The city says there’s been a huge increase in abandoned motor homes and travel trailers in residential and business areas. The city’s acting police chief says the dept. believes the RV’s are being abandoned along with vacant marijuana growing operations and increased code enforcement efforts. He says they’re left on the side of the road and sometimes they block roads and driveways. The chief further says the city’s been having a hard time removing the vehicles as it’s not cheap. The vehicles can be towed, but storing and towing them, also costly. The city’s looking into various options to dump the vehicles.

New items added at the Lake County Library to help residents who need help after last summer’s fires. After the Valley fire, survivors went to the Library for disaster recovery help, using computers to fill out forms and look for lost family, friends and pets. The state librarian has visited the area and since then the library in Lake County got a $15,000 federal Library Services and Technology Act grant. The money from the California State Library to buy materials to help with the information needs created by the Valley fire. They’re ordering materials to help with rebuilding, recovery and future planning like topics on construction, landscaping, wildfires, disaster planning and self-help for both children and adults.

It’s finally over… almost five months after the first Valley Fire refugees showed up at the Hidden Valley Lake Campground, the last two have left. Most of the more than 100 fire refugees and other homeless folks at the campground left by early last December but a couple trailers with five people were still there. One of those with three occupants left in January but there was still another left there. There had been multiple notices to leave given to that last trailer with several deadlines passing. But after legal action was a possibility, the last two split. The campground’s GM says they didn’t want to leave, because they didn’t know where to go. He ways it was very peaceful though and no legal action was necessary.

A special meeting for the Lakeport City Council looking at city goals for the next fiscal year. There were many presentations from various heads of departments, council members and from the City Manager too. They talked about improving public safety, enhancing infrastructure and increasing community outreach. The city looking to recruit and retain more Lakeport Police officers. The salary structure has meant the department’s having a hard time filling all 12 paid officer positions. The Chief Brad Rasmussen reports the city’s made conditional offers to a couple of applicants who will go to the police academy soon. The meeting Friday also covered infrastructure improvements to sidewalks and city streets. Some already started and others set like on Bevins Street.

A fugitive from Tampa, Florida trying not to be identified by his fingerprints during a traffic stop chewed off his fingertips. Police say Kirk Kelly was arrested for felony counts of evidence tampering and obstructing official business, along with other lesser charges. Cops say the guy with several others in a cruiser without handcuffs on after a cop smelled drugs during a routine traffic stop. The officer reported Kelly gave fake names and while trying to I-D him with pictures of his tattoos, found he was wanted on firearms and drug charges.

Panicked calls into the California Highway Patrol about a tiny unicorn was running down a road. Actually a white pony with a fake horn on it for a photo session. Juliette the pony seen by a CHP helicopter Wednesday in an orchard in Madera Ranchos. The pretend unicorn’s owner, 5-year-old Tatum Boos (Bohs), says Juliette was given a timeout for being bad.

City officials in Salem OR firing their landscapers. The city’s pilot project using goats to remove invasive species ended up costing quite a bit more than what it would have cost for a regular landscaper. The Public works operations manager says they also had to pay more to clean up the quote "heavily fertilized area" left behind by the goats. The Statesman Journal reports (http://stjr.nl/1n1viWm ) the city working with a Goat Rentals company, getting 75 goats for a park where they wanted the animals to munch down Armenian blackberry and English ivy.

Playlist 3/3/16

CHAINSMOKERS (THE)-ROSES

DNCE-CAKE BY THE OCEAN

FLO RIDA-MY HOUSE

JUSTIN BIEBER-LOVE YOURSELF

SELENA GOMEZ-HANDS TO MYSELF

TWENTY ONE PILOTS-STRESSED OUT

ADELE-WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

CHARLIE PUTH-ONE CALL AWAY

DJ SNAKE W/BIPOLAR SUNSHINE-MIDDLE

ELLIE GOULDING-SOMETHING IN THE WAY YOU MOVE

G-EAZY W/BEBE REXHA-ME, MYSELF & I

JASON DERULO-GET UGLY

MIKE POSNER-I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA

RACHEL PLATTEN-STAND BY YOU

RIHANNA W/DRAKE-WORK

ROBIN SCHULZ W/FRANCESCO YATES-SUGAR

TROYE SIVAN-YOUTH

ZARA LARSSON W/MNEK-NEVER FORGET YOU

ZAYN-PILLOWTALK

ALESSIA CARA-WILD THINGS

BORNS-ELECTRIC LOVE

LUKAS GRAHAM-7 YEARS

NATHAN SYKES W/ARIANA GRANDE-OVER AND OVER AGAIN

ONE DIRECTION-HISTORY

SHAWN HOOK-SOUND OF YOUR HEART

ZENDAYA W/CHRIS BROWN-SOMETHING NEW

COLDPLAY-ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

DUKE DUMONT-OCEAN DRIVE

EMPIRE OF THE SUN-WALKING ON A DREAM

GWEN STEFANI-MAKE ME LIKE YOU

KYGO W/PARSON JAMES-STOLE THE SHOW

PITBULL W/SENSATO & OSMANI GARCIA-EL TAXI

RUTH B-LOST BOY

News 02/25/16

Congressman Mike Thompson at the Eastlake Landfill thanking folks for their work handling debris from the Valley Fire. Landfill supervisor Kris Byrd tells the Record Bee it was a pleasure to know that someone of his status recognized how much hard work they’ve been putting in. The landfill has been operating from dawn to nightfall since the fire, at some point with between and 500 and 600 trucks a day full of trash to process, now down to about 30 a day. Officials tell the paper the Valley Fire produced nearly eight years worth of garbage for the landfill and while they’d already wanted to expand it, they’re now looking for ways to get that done sooner.

A rural Northern California school district closed all of their schools after receiving a threat on social media. The Press Democrat reports the Willows Unified School District, in rural Glenn County, about 85 miles north of Sacramento, closed all four of its schools yesterday after a threat was made against the high school. Police say they were notified of the threat around 11pm Tuesday night and worked through the night looking for possible explanations but had none by morning so closed the schools out of caution. The district website says school will be back open today and police say they’re still investigating with no one in custody, but the threat has been resolved.

The next Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force meeting is set. Next Tuesday the meeting will be held at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Cobb at 6:00pm. The Recovery-Coordinator reminds that the public’s welcome at the meeting to hear the latest recovery updates first-hand. Those attending encouraged to share concerns and asks questions. The water and sewer system providers from the Cobb and Middletown areas are invited to the meeting so they can give updates on the status and capacities of their water systems since the Valley Fire. The Valley Fire Survey is finishing up Monday. If you’re a survivor or know one who’s not been called or given a link to the survey, visit www.LakeCountyRecovers.com or call (707) 533-9271 to find out more information.

A man from Santa Rosa has been killed near Hopland, driving into a tree in a dump truck. The CHP reports the 53-year-old headed west on a private unpaved road in the 24000 block of Geysers Road near Hopland Monday mid morning when for some unknown reason he hit a tree as he came down a steep incline. He went down a steep, grassy embankment, rolled several times before stopping. He was ejected and killed, pronounced dead on the scene. Cloverdale and Hopland fire departments, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Labor Mine safety and Health Administration all responded. The CHP is investigating.

The Willits School Board is bringing six candidates to town to be interviewed for School District superintendent. The school board met in a closed session last Friday to talk over the applicants and an advisory group’s interviewing the superintendent candidates next Wednesday, then the board will interview them Thursday. Their names are not being released to the public. Patricia Johnson is leaving the district, choosing not to try for a contract extension. The school board has also unanimously decided to hire an outside consultant to investigate several employee complaints.

A man from Willits arrested a couple weekends ago for a rape allegation has been released. The Mendocino County DA’s office says they’re dropping charges against Jedidiah Jones regarding a 21-year-old acquaintance accusing him of assaulting her for more than five hours at her home. Sheriff’s detectives submitted charges to the DA which also investigated and said the evidence didn’t support the charges. A DA office spokesperson says the case had major credibility issues and they determined the case couldn’t be prosecuted beyond a reasonable doubt. The man has been ordered to stay away from the woman though. She’s not being charged for making a false report.

Committee member seats need to be filled for RAC boards in the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn, Colusa, Tehama, Mendocino and Lake Counties. RACs first established as part of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The seats are four-year terms and part of 15-member committees. If you’re interested submit a cover letter, interest form and an FBI background check will be done before anyone’s considered for the committee. For more info go to the Mendocino National Forest website at: www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino. From the main page, click “Working Together” on the left side bar, then Advisory Committees.

A maintenance worker in Orange County’s been charged with using social media to find multiple college women so he could burglarize their homes and sorority houses. The Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/1XMN2lZ) reports Arturo Galvan of Menifee has pleaded not guilty to burglary and was in jail as of last night. Cops say the man went after more than 30 women and was able to steal as much as $250,000 worth of items. Police say he’d spot women in public places like coffee shops or malls then try to track their locations through Instagram. He somehow got their home addresses from geotagged photos and stole laptops, jewelry and underwear from the victims, all students at Chapman University and California State University, Fullerton.

A woman eating a meal of clams and other seafood found a rare pearl at an Italian restaurant in Washington state. KOMO-TV reports (http://goo.gl/ohETuU) Lindsay Hasz and her husband Chris were at a restaurant in Issaquah when she bit into a hard something in her entree. She didn’t know what it was so she put it in her pocket and went home and did some research. She apparently took it to a gemologist, who told her it was a Quahog purple pearl worth about $600. She says she might have the pearl made into a necklace.

The Ukiah City Council considering raising water rates the next five years by as much as 17 percent. The Daily Journal reports the first hike would be about 5 percent set for this July. The council discussing the idea at its last meeting last week, voting unanimously for the City Manager to mail out Prop. 218 notices and to set another public hearing before the council takes a formal vote on the five-year plan. The idea after a consultant was hired and analyzed what it would take to pay for projects in its 10-year financial plan plus a five-year plan for rates. The first year would hike up by 4.5 percent, then level off to 3 percent a year. The new plan doesn’t actually penalize you if you’re conserving enough water.

Water delivery estimates from the California Department of Water Resources have been increased. Recipients told though that extended dry weather could mean even less. The agency says the state’s still dealing with a critical water shortage and more wet weather’s needed. They’re warning residents to use water carefully and sparingly. The announcement yesterday was the second incremental increase from the State Water Project (SWP), this one to 30%, before it was at just 10 percent in December and an increase to 15 percent announced a month ago after storms started building the Sierra Nevada snowpack and lots of rain soaked the state.

The Director of the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency is leaving. Stacey Cryer has turned in her resignation to the county department of human resources. The Daily Journal reports the human resources Director says Cryer submitted a letter of resignation Monday, to be done with work by April 1st. She didn’t give a reason for leaving. The newspaper reports though that a county source, not authorized to speak on the matter, says it was not related to any disciplinary action, and probably because of ongoing stress and responsibility. The dept. oversees mental health, animal care services, environmental health and social services.

News 2/24/16

A Mendocino County man has been sentenced to 81 years to life for the sexual abuse of his two daughters over a 15-year period. Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Ann Moorman described the case against Donald Earl Dunakin as one of the worst child sexual abuse cases she had ever seen. The packed courtroom was silent as the victim courageously explained what he had forced her and her younger sister to endure. Dunakin plead guilty back in October to six felony counts of child sexual abuse, including four counts of perpetrating a sexual act with a child under the age of ten. Dunakin and his longtime live-in companion Ina Selene Medina were arrested at their Talmage area home in January 2014. Sheriff’s investigators learned the abuse had been going on for years and the couple was sharing the children as sex objects with other adults. Medina was sentenced last year to 20 years to life.

An initiative on the hack-and-squirt practices in Mendocino County has made the June 2016 ballot. A group of local firefighters gathered five thousand signatures to qualify the measure. Titled “Shall the People of Mendocino County Declare Intentionally Killed and Left Standing Trees a Public Nuisance?,” will now move forward as Measure V. Voters will decide whether or not timber companies, or others, that use hack-and-squirt can be held liable for the dead standing trees that are left behind. Citizens for Safe Forests, proposed the ballot measure last July. The hack-and-squirt practice involves “hacking” a notch into unwanted trees, then “squirting” the notch with an herbicide to kill the tree. Concerns have been raised about the herbicides being used and the dry standing trees left behind. Some firefighters argue those trees may increase fire risk. If voters say yes to Measure V in June, dead trees left standing as a result of hack-and-squirt could be declared a public nuisance and property owners could be held liable for any damages caused by the trees.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors has approved an advertising contract in hopes of attracting visitors from the northern Bay Area. The contract is with the company that owns the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat. The deal is worth up to 60 thousand dollars. It will pay for print and digital advertising space in multiple publications. The goal is to attract “day trippers” and weekend tourists. But the ad buy comes at a time when relations between the county and the Press-Democrat have not been great. The Press Democrat has been accused of writing unbalanced stories that create a negative image of the region. The vote was 4-0 even though Supervisor Jim Steele expressed concerns that tourists would be disappointed and tricked if they were directed to blighted areas of Lake County.

Lake County home sales prices have gone while the number of homes for sale has dropped. The Lake County Association of Realtors reports that the January median sales price of single family home rose 7.6 percent over sales in December. The January median sales price was $232,500. The number of sales in January was 50 which was a 46.2-percent decrease from the 93 sales in December. The association of realtors says it is pretty typical to see sales numbers back off in January. The sales numbers are up on a a year to year basis by about 11 percent and the median is really up, increasing 46 percent.

New state voter registration figures continue the trend of the fastest growing segment of the California electorate registering without any political affiliation. The data released Monday by Secretary of State Alex Padilla show 24 percent of those registered have no party preference. The report says California had 17.3 million registered voters in January. Of them, 43 percent were registered as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans. Both major political parties have been losing their share of the electorate in recent years as more people register as independents, but GOP registration is falling fastest as a percentage. Padilla says registration is not keeping pace with increases in the population. Only 70 percent of those eligible to vote are registered.

Weather and Water experts say California’s sunny weather this February is not surprising … even during an El Nino. The longest dry spell this month — 14 days — is actually less than the average for a strong El Niño winter. But state water officials say that unless the rainy weather returns with a vengeance, some drought restrictions are likely to continue this summer. A climate and conservation manager for the State Water Resources Control Board says it would have to rain almost every day — storm after storm after storm — in March for there to be no drought rules this summer. State water board officials plan to decide in mid-April whether the rules should continue for another year. The Sierra snowpack is 94 percent of normal. A new series of storms is forecast to hit California beginning next week.

The Ukiah City Council is set to talk about the condition of city streets at a workshop Thursday. A recent poll commissioned by the Mendocino Council of Governments revealed that of 300 Ukiah residents surveyed, more than 88 percent think the condition of city streets is a serious concern. The survey also indicated public support for a one-half cent local sales tax to pay for street repairs. The Daily Journal reports that when the City Council and staff discussed the budget last summer and how street repair could be prioritized, the City Manager suggested workshops focused on different aspects of city infrastructure. The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in the Ukiah Valley Conference Center.

Lake and Mendocino are on the list of Counties that would be part of a new conservancy area proposed by a group of Northern California lawmakers. Senate Bill 1396 would create the Northern Inner Coast Range State Conservancy. 13 counties would band together to compete with other areas for conservation and economic development funding. The bill is modeled on the successful Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which has led to several grants and bond fund proposals for that area.

Two wrestlers are both winners after getting engaged during a fight. Joey Ryan and his girlfriend Laura James are both professional fighters, so naturally he popped the question in the middle of a match against each other. Ryan says he wanted it to be a surprise so he planned the big moment for when they were supposed to be fighting each other. He threw her against the referee who fell to the floor as a distraction, long enough for Ryan to grab the ring from the sidelines. She said yes and then he flipped her into a hold, winning the match.

A man in Iowa has his wallet back that’s been missing for more than 70 years. The owner of a comedy club says he found a plastic wallet while renovating the theater which was built in 1928. The wallet had old pictures and a pocket calendar inside, dated 1944. There was also a hand-written ID card, which is how he tracked down the owner of the wallet. The now 85-year-old man thought it was a joke at first, but eventually met up with the club owner to claim his missing wallet.

News 02/23/16

A fire’s gutted a trailer home in Spring Valley. A report came in Saturday night to the fire before 9. When firefighters arrived the trailer was fully engulfed in flames. Northshore Fire reports the old travel trailer had a large add-on and porch. It was vacant when the fire started and there’s no injuries reported. There was also a downed power line due to the fire which slowed things up for crews. The home totally burned. The fire was out by 2 Sunday morning, but apparently started back up again an hour later and Firefighters returned to stomp it out once and for all. They’re investigating, but say it appears accidental.

Mendocino County looking to find a way to deal with Tule Elk. They’ve been appearing in large groups in Round Valley, Long Valley, Laytonville, Willits, the coast and Potter Valley but ranchers want them gone. One says he’s seen about 300 roaming between two groups. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has been trying to bolster the numbers of the protected species which was last estimated at about 4,000, in 2007. There’s been several complaints by ranchers saying there’ve been accidents as they cross the road, they’re eating all of the ranchers’ vegetation, destroying fences and stripping grape vines. The Center for Biological Diversity says elk need to roam free so they have access to water and food. Some hunting has been allowed of the elk, but animal advocates have fought against it. The next General Government standing committee meeting March 21st should cover how to help ranchers and manage elk.

All briefs related to the long talked about Costco store in Ukiah have been filed in an ongoing court case. The City Attorney David Rapport says they’re next going to hear from the First District Court of Appeals in San Francisco for a hearing after a lawyer arguing for an environmental group, which no longer exists, filed a suit saying the environmental impact report for the big box store should not have been certified. But the city attorney says there may not even be a hearing before May. The appeal filed last July for the group “Ukiah Citizens for Safety First” after another lawsuit was dismissed, filed by the same lawyer against the environmental impact report in 2014.

Still no movement on the status of the Palace Hotel. A mediation session between the City of Ukiah and the building owner Eladia Laines has not changed much. The Daily Journal reports the city attorney says the first scheduled mediation session was earlier this month and says they’re still in discussion. A court appointed and visiting judge was looking at the idea of receivership and suggested mediation. The city had filed a petition in Mendocino County Superior Court so a receiver could take over rehabbing the old building. A conference call has been set on the case tomorrow with all parties involved.

Several cases of mail theft reported in Lakeport. Police say the ripoffs last week and this past weekend. They say they believe thieves were rifling thru residential mail looking for things of value like cash, checks, credit cards or info to be used to steal a person’s identity. Anything found so far has been turned over to the Lakeport postmaster. Lakeport Police recommend a locking mailbox; they say not to leave mail in a box overnight or other extended periods; and if you can’t get your mail the same day, have a hold placed on it or a friend pick it up.

Congressman Mike Thompson has filed for reelection in the Fifth Congressional District. That covers all of Napa County and parts of Lake, Sonoma, Solano and Contra Costa counties. He says he’s been born and grew up in the district and he’s humbled to have a large group of diverse supporters.

Some Sycamore trees need to come down at the Red Bluff Recreation area. Mendocino National Forest officials say advanced decay in branches and trunks has led to some fallen branches and near misses in the very popular public area so they’re taking them down for safety. A plant pathologist examined the trees several times and after a detailed inspection last year determined that the trees pose a very high safety risk. Depending on the weather it should take a few weeks to take them all down. Forest officials are looking for replacement trees and will plant them when the weather permits.

If you lost trees in the Valley Fire, the Kiwanis Club of Lakeport has bought 2,500 tree seedlings for planting in the Cobb area. They are giving them out for free to the community on Saturday, March 5, beginning at 9 a.m. at Cobb Mountain Elementary School. They will be there until 1 p.m. or until all of the seedlings have been given out. Kiwanis says they will give you up to ten seedlings per person, or 20 max per family. But the project coordinator and forester, Jim Harvey, tells Lake Co News the tree seedlings are fragile and should be planted right away for which they’ll give you instructions.

A man from Houston on the most wanted gang fugitive list in Texas has been arrested in Windsor. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reports as many as 12 police officers and sheriff’s deputies arrested Paul Rasco, a known member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas. He had been wanted in that state on two arrest warrants involving assault. Local police got a tip about a Texas gang fugitive at a hotel, finding the guy at the Hampton Inn. Rasco will be in custody until he’s extradited back to Texas.

A federal appeals court has upheld a case connected to two prison inmates’ who had been eligible for parole. The case having to do with two state laws, one sets conditions on parole hearings and another, giving the governor authority to block parole. Marcy’s Law extends the amount of time a prisoner waits until their parole hearings; and Proposition 89 gives the governor authority to reverse, affirm or change the terms of parole granted to inmates serving time for murder. The California inmates sued to overturn the laws.

New state voter registration data shows new registrants are not affiliating themselves with any political party. A report released yesterday by the Secretary of State Alex Padilla shows 24 percent of folks who registered had no party preference. It also showed California had 17.3 million registered voters in January and of those, 43 percent had been registered as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans. Padilla says registration not measuring up to increases in the population. With only 70 percent of eligible voters being registered.

The body of a man has been found in Sacramento County, in Steamboat Slough, which is about five miles south of Grand Island Mansion. The body’s not been identified, but a man from India there for his daughter’s wedding had been reported missing, depressed and despondent days before. The sheriff’s department went to a call from a boater in the area last Tuesday. Police have been trying to locate Prasad Moparti who disappeared after his daughter’s wedding Feb. 13th at that mansion in Walnut Grove. Police say there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances or foul play.

A major political campaign to get recreational marijuana legalized in California had been working with major donors before it was unveiled last fall. The Sacramento Bee reports negotiations had been ongoing for donors, drug-policy reformers, medical doctors, labor unions, environmentalists and several other groups with an interest in the legalization. The measure could land on the November ballot. The effort led by billionaire venture capitalist Sean Parker with the support of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. The campaign has announced backing of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

Police in Los Angeles have released a photo of two people taken with a stolen Kindle. The photo auto uploaded to the owner’s cloud account. There’s a man and woman in the picture who visited church Ash Wednesday, the woman apparently had a smudge of ash on her forehead. Police say just hours later the man in the picture gave the Kindle back and apparently the woman in the photo was his mom and had nothing to do with the theft. The man caved to family pressure, because his mom was in the picture. He’s charged with misdemeanor theft.

The U.S. Postal Service is apologizing to residents in upstate New York who got mail stained with blood. A Postal Service spokesperson for the western New York district tells the Olean (OH’-lee-an) Times Herald (bit.ly/1VrWGJ5) the blood was from a mail carrier who cut his finger after a car accident Tuesday. The mail carrier’s vehicle sideswiped, damaging its side mirror where the worker cut his finger as he tried to adjust the mirror.

News 02/22/16

A couple of public hearings to be held by the Ukiah City Council on the new draft Housing Element. One’s happened already covering the city’s vacancy rate which the city’s planner says is currently at 1.5 percent, one of the lowest in the state. Ukiah Principal Planner Kevin Thompson says the low rate means rents are going up. The new Housing Element Plan went to the Planning Commission first. The city manager says staff’s considering suggestions that have come in already. Nobody from the pubic came forward to speak so far on the 150-page plan which goes before the council when it’s done around April. The public is welcome to comment again at that meeting.

An improvement for the city of Ukiah’s water conservation rate. The Daily Journal reports the city has to use 20% less water than in 2013. So far this month is getting closer than January when it was off by more than 50 percent. The conservation rate was only 8 percent but the cumulative rate is apparently more important. The water shortage is almost nil at Lake Mendocino, currently sitting at 73,000 acre-feet. Water can be stored again after next month and the project over at Potter Valley by PG&E should be done too so more water will flow from Lake Pillsbury to Lake Mendocino.

A man from Butte County’s been arrested on suspicion of robbery for a hold up at a salon. The Ukiah Police Department reports getting a call Friday afternoon to the Bella Vita Salon in the 400 block of Talmage Road for a robbery. The victims say a man in a hoodie with a bandana partially covering his face came in with a knife, demanding money. They report the man also took personal items from those in the salon and he got some cash. He told the victims not to call police and ran off. The CHP found the guy near a restaurant on Airport Park Boulevard. Officers linked the man, identified as Michael Balmer of Oroville to the robbery and say they found stolen property on him. He’s charged with suspicion of robbery and preventing a victim from reporting a crime.

A man from Santa Rosa has been taken to jail after police say they found as much as 8,500 marijuana plants and a hash oil lab at a home. Cops got a tip about two armed men last Monday who were supposedly taking pot from the home. Cops went to the house and found Gary Labriola who they say looked like he was walking out of a pot cultivation setup inside the home. They found 2,700 pounds of processed pot, packaging materials, scales and lab equipment, plus magic mushrooms, testosterone and syringes. He’s been booked into jail on suspicion of pot cultivation, possession of marijuana for sale and possession of a controlled substance. But he posted bond on $20,000 bail and was released.

An empty cliffside apartment building in Pacifica has been demolished before it could tumble into the Pacific Ocean. The San Francisco Chronicle reports (http://sfg.ly/1Q5IyFk ) the two-story building was taken down last Thursday after being vacant since 2010 when it was red-tagged after a storm. 3 apartment buildings sit on an eroding bluff. After a wind storm last month, the balcony of another of the apartment buildings fell into the ocean 80 feet below. City inspectors put up yellow tags, so residents could get inside just to remove their possessions. The buildings were constructed in 1962 with a big enough bluff for playgrounds and one had a swimming pool in a space between the apartments and the edge of the cliff.

Police from San Francisco on the lookout for the gun of a federal agent who lost it after leaving it on top of a car and driving away. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent’s loaded service weapon had been reported lost Friday. Police say it’s an H&K P200sk .40 caliber handgun. Handguns have been stolen from federal agents and used in high-profile murders the last several months, one in San Francisco in July and one in Oakland in September.

Still a lot of donations at the Valley Fire Work Right Warehouse Distribution Center which is closing this month. Clothes, toiletries household items and other donations still not given out. There was a community service day over the weekend for folks to come out and help go thru and sort the items and take stuff too. It’s closing permanently Friday. The warehouse manager has been volunteering there since the Monday after the fire started, Sept. 12th. The Record Bee reports just a handful are still visiting the center which has served hundreds of families a week at its peak with emergency items like sleeping bags, tents, water and paper plates. There will still be items available at the Little Red School House in Cobb and the Seventh Day Adventist Relief Supply Center in Lakeport.

A new Energy Reduction Plan has been made public by the Lake Transit Authority. The work to be paid for with federal money after a consultant investigated the agency’s fuel use for power. The plan looking to bring down energy costs by about $50,000 a year. That would be a savings of about 10 percent compared to the same amount of spending in 2012. The GM of LTA says if they can achieve those savings, that would pay for the project and save more than $200,000 a year. The consultant, ICF International suggests the governing board take small steps right away like changing light bulbs inside and outside its facility near Lower Lake to LED’s; put UV coatings on some windows and other recommendations that will have to wait for the federal funding.

The Lake County DA not moving further after an appellate court tossed the first-degree murder convictions of a couple of men who killed a 4-year-old boy and injured five others during a 2011 shooting. The DA, Don Anderson says he’s not going after a retrial so the men can now be resentenced to a lesser murder charge. Lake Co News reports this comes after the appeals court handed down the decision last Wednesday in the case of Paul Braden and Orlando Lopez who were sent to prison in August 2012 for killing Skyler Rapp and injuring his mom, stepdad and three family friends in June of 2011, in Clearlake. The two challenged the findings in their first-degree murder case, citing a 2014 California Supreme Court case, People v. Chiu which established someone who aided and abetted couldn’t be convicted of first-degree premeditated murder under the doctrine of natural and probable consequences.

A bill introduced in the California legislature says any gun sales would have to be videotaped. The requirement part of a new ordinance San Francisco adopted last November which ended with most gun stores closing. The new bill by Democratic Assemblyman Kevin McCarty of Sacramento who says it would help keep guns out of the wrong hands and ban sales by licensed dealers from their homes. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence says video recordings would stop those from buying guns for others who can’t pass background checks.

Travelers going to Latin America are now being warned to be careful of the Zika virus. It had just been associated Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, but now Latin American too. They say the illness is usually mild and symptoms start about three days to a week after you’re bitten by an infected mosquito. Symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and redness of the eyes and so far there’s no specific treatment. They’re warning of serious birth defects like abnormally small heads and brains in newborns to women infected with Zika while pregnant.

A teenager gets into a local high school in Marion, OH for a tour, then speaks to a class, disguised as a state legislator. Mohawk Local School District officials say Izaha Akins went to the school last December saying he was a state senator, replacing another. They say they figured they’d been duped when Sen. David Burke, of Marysville, showed up to speak weeks later, as scheduled.

A food distributor in Oregon stops some shipments of canned green beans after a woman in Utah claimed she found a severed snake head in a can. She says she found the head as she prepared a meal at the Mormon church in Farmington, Utah last week. She says she took the beans out of a slow cooker and saw what she thought was a burnt bean, but when she got closer, she saw eyes and screamed. Another woman cooking with her that night says it was a very small snake that had clearly been cut up. They say they threw out several other large pots of string beans, but first let youngsters into the church kitchen to see the odd bean.

Playlist 2/25/16

CHAINSMOKERS (THE)-ROSES

DAYA-HIDE AWAY

DNCE-CAKE BY THE OCEAN

FLO RIDA-MY HOUSE

JUSTIN BIEBER-LOVE YOURSELF

TWENTY ONE PILOTS-STRESSED OUT

ADELE-WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

CHARLIE PUTH-ONE CALL AWAY

DAVID GUETTA W/SIA & FETTY WAP-BANG MY HEAD

DJ SNAKE W/BIPOLAR SUNSHINE-MIDDLE

ELLIE GOULDING-SOMETHING IN THE WAY YOU MOVE

G-EAZY W/BEBE REXHA-ME, MYSELF & I

JASON DERULO-GET UGLY

MIKE POSNER-I TOOK A PILL IN IBIZA

RACHEL PLATTEN-STAND BY YOU

RIHANNA W/DRAKE-WORK

ROBIN SCHULZ W/FRANCESCO YATES-SUGAR

SELENA GOMEZ-HANDS TO MYSELF

TAYLOR SWIFT-OUT OF THE WOODS

TROYE SIVAN-YOUTH

ZAYN-PILLOWTALK

ALESSIA CARA-WILD THINGS

BORNS-ELECTRIC LOVE

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE-DRINK YOU AWAY

LUKAS GRAHAM-7 YEARS

ONE DIRECTION-HISTORY

SHAWN HOOK-SOUND OF YOUR HEART

ZARA LARSSON W/MNEK-NEVER FORGET YOU

COLDPLAY-ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME

DUKE DUMONT-OCEAN DRIVE

EMPIRE OF THE SUN-WALKING ON A DREAM

KYGO W/PARSON JAMES-STOLE THE SHOW

NATHAN SYKES W/ARIANA GRANDE-OVER AND OVER AGAIN

PITBULL W/SENSATO & OSMANI GARCIA-EL TAXI

ZENDAYA W/CHRIS BROWN-SOMETHING NEW

News 02/19/16

A man who had a five-hour standoff with Clearlake police is having a mental health evaluation. It started around 9pm Weds. when Michael Jacob of Grass Valley called 911 telling a dispatcher he was both Lucifer and God and it was “time to go” and he was going to take people with him. A Clearlake Police spokesman says the dispatcher told officers it sounded as though Jacob was on drugs and police say marijuana was found in his system as well as his home. Police say at times during the standoff Jacob broke out windows, threw rocks at cops, started up a chainsaw and put a rifle near a window although police say it turned out to be a pellet gun. Jacob surrendered around 2am yesterday but when doing so, climbed out a window with glass in his mouth. At last check he was being held at a hospital.

The First District Court of Appeals has overturned the murder convictions of two men connected to a shooting at a family barbeque in Clearlake in 2011 where a 4-year-old boy was killed and five other people hurt. On Weds the court ordered that Paul Braden and Orlando Lopez should either be retried for first-degree murder or have their convictions reduced to second-degree murder. Their convictions on other charges were upheld, including multiple counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, and numerous special allegations. Each got more than 300 years in prison. Lake Co News reports the first-degree murder convictions were reversed because there was no evidence as to which man fired the kill shot on the boy, while they were aiming elsewhere, and the jury was not properly instructed that they could not both have been responsible for first-degree murder.

A 5th grader from Cobb Mtn. Elementary got a perfect score on the Wordmasters Challenge. Henry Thomas did what only 52 other fifth-graders in the nation have achieved. The vocabulary competition is for 150,000 elementary and middle school students across the nation. The WordMasters Challenge is touted as an intense program helping students understand ins and outs of certain words. Teachers download a list of 25 words 3 times a year from the WordMasters website and hands them out to their students who spend months studying the words. Then they’re tested. The school itself in Cobb had great test scores, the students using the WordMasters challenge at least a decade.

A several hours long discussion by the Lake County Board of Supervisors on its mid-year budget. Recommended adjustments from the Deputy County Administrative Officer and a resolution to amend money for positions in different departments during the 9 hour long meeting Tuesday. The Record BHee reports the board considered combining or separating Public Services, Public Works and Water Resources but nothing was done so far. That apparently took up a lot of the time in the meeting. It looks like a committee will be put together to decide the future of this. It’ll be taken up again at the meeting March 1st.

A parent group suing the state of California is getting their hands on the public- school records of about 10 million students. The information includes the students Social Security numbers. Less than ten people are getting the data, then the review will be conducted with the oversight of a court-ordered special master in electronic discovery. Attorneys on both sides of the lawsuit blaming the other for the release of the sensitive data. It’s got to be kept private and confidential, and will have to be returned or destroyed after. Parents can also ask for an exemption from a court order to release their students’ information by April 1st. The data includes addresses, test scores, disciplinary records, health and mental health records and more. Parents in the Morgan Hill Unified School District going to court saying the California Department of Education doesn’t force school districts to provide appropriate special-education services for children needing them.

An Ad-Hoc committee made up of just two people is being formed to consider increasing Fort Bragg’s transient occupancy tax to supplement revenue needs for the maintenance and operation of the new Coastal Trail. This after the city council’s Finance and Administration Committee meeting which took up the idea last month. The tax, also known as the bed tax is ten percent of hotels and other tourist lodging in the city. Maintenance will be needed along the trails so discussion to form the committee to figure out where money will come from to maintain the trail.

A man from Ukiah has been arrested on suspicion of DUI after a sign at a fast-food restaurant was smashed into. Ukiah Police report getting a call to the Taco Bell on North State Street early yesterday morning about a man in a 2005, Blue Jeep Liberty who had hit the sign in front of the business. Cops identified the driver as Troy Baldwin of Ukiah who they found bleeding from a cut on his head. When an officer called for medical help, after speaking with the driver, he thought he might be drunk and was arrested. He was taken to Ukiah Valley Medical Center, cited and released so he could get medical treatment. The jeep had major damage and had to be towed from the scene.

A Lake County man found to be not guilty almost 18 years after going to jail for supposedly molesting his girlfriend’s daughter is finally free. As we reported 71 year old Luther Jones Jr. was exonerated last week. He was freed from the California Health Care Facility in Stockton and said to be going back to the Northern California town where his family lives. He had been sent to prison for 27 years but the girl he allegedly molested came clean earlier this month, saying her mom, who was in a custody battle with Jones forced her to lie about the molestation. It was found she was actually molested by one of her mom’s other boyfriends. Now the Lake County DA may charge the mom and actual perpetrator.

A woman from Oregon who police say they suspect shoplifted items from a local grocery store has been arrested after an assault on a cop. Police say the officer went to investigate Wednesday night at the Lakeport Safeway and Alyssa Davis of Springfield, Oregon tried to leave the store two times without paying for stuff in a cart. When a store manager took the cart from her she stayed in the store and did it again. The police officer came in while Davis was locked in the bathroom. They say she appeared extremely drunk and may have downed a whole liter of Fireball Whiskey in the bathroom. When she came out she resisted and had to be physically put into a patrol car with her kicking, hitting one cop in the head and face several times. She was hit with a Taser but kept kicking. The cop complained of pain but didn’t get medical help. Davis did, due to the amount of booze she consumed. She was booked on felony charges of resisting a peace officer with force and violence and misdemeanor charges of possession of stolen property, resisting arrest and battery on a peace officer.

The Mendocino County Board of Retirement is looking at employee retirement inflation rates. The board voted unanimously this week for staff to research Bay Area rates to bring back to the board this fall for consideration so they can look at other options besides the Bay Area Consumer Price Index. An actuary has suggested a 3% increase to take effect April 1st. If the board goes with the Bay Area index it could mean county retirees’ checks are smaller. But that could save the county from overspending.

A man from Willits arrested earlier this month for a federal fugitive warrant is trying to fight extradition proceedings in federal court. Israel Ramirez Luna of Willits is supposed to be sent back to Mexico for two counts of aggravated homicide. An arrest warrant issued Feb. 8th for Luna who’s been transferred from Mendocino County Jail and is now in federal custody with no bail. He’s accused of a connection to the murders of 2 people after a fist fight in Mexico in January 2009.

Kindergarteners in Mendocino County getting more vaccinations. The California Department of Public Health reports the number of kids getting immunizations up 7%. The numbers released this month after new state legislation mandating students be vaccinated before they first go to school or get into the seventh grade. The required vaccinations include measles, mumps, and rubella, chickenpox and polio. The state numbers show for the 2015-16 school year, at least 1,000 kindergarteners in county public and private schools were noted as up-to-date on their vaccinations out of a total of 1,134 students reported, or 89 percent. That compared to 947 students a year before.

An elderly woman in Pennsylvania has chased down robbers who she says stole her purse, then rammed their car with hers and left damage that helped officers catch the suspects. The 81 year old sitting in her driveway in Mount Pocono Tuesday, a couple approached her, she talked to them thru an open car window and they grabbed her purse and took off. She took off after them and hit their car, they got away, but evidence linked them and they were arrested. William Hayhurst and Erin Vanmatre were arrested on robbery and other charges.

A man in West Virginia found guilty and sent to jail for a $1 robbery. The Herald-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1VoZkiH ) reported 21-year-old John Chafin of Huntington agreed to a so-called Kennedy plea for first-degree robbery, allowing him to plead without admitting guilt. He was sentenced to at least six months to two years at Anthony Center for youthful offenders after suspending a 15-year prison sentence. The young adult arrested in January after showing a gun to a man, demanding his wallet, which had a buck in it. Cops confiscated the dollar bill, a jacket and a revolver as evidence.

News 02/17/16

A Lake County man has died after being hit by an SUV while walking across Highway 20 in Nice. The CHP says Timothy Hartnett was wearing dark clothing and was not in a crosswalk when he was hit around 6:20 p.m. Monday night. Hartnett was airlifted to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where he died. Investigators say the SUV driver, who is from Redwood City, was not using any drugs or alcohol and was going the speed limit when Hartnett crossed in front of him.

Deputies have arrested a Willits man at the request of the US Marshals Service. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says deputies served a federal warrant for Israel Ramirez, also known as “El Chino,” last Thursday during a traffic stop on Reynolds Highway. The Sheriff’s Office says the warrant is sealed so they can’t tell us what it’s for, but Ramirez was being held in the Mendocino County Jail until the Marshals take him to a federal court to be charged.

Some small fires that popped up Monday along Highway 29 are under investigation. Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta tells Lake County News six small fires were spotted along Hwy 29 between Seigler Canyon Road and Lee Barr Drive starting around 3:45pm Monday. Sapeta said Lake County Fire, Cal Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Northshore Fire all responded and the CHP and Lake County Sheriff’s Office closed off the road for about an hour. Sapeta said the fires ranged in size from an eighth of an acre to half an acre. There is no word yet on any immediate cause – Cal Fire has the investigation.

Mendocino National Forest officials are looking for folks to serve on the Resource Advisory Committees for boards within Mendocino, Lake and other counties. You would serve a four-year term, on a 15-member committee made up of a wide representation of national forest resource interests to help decide on projects that benefit public lands. To apply you’ll need to do a cover letter, interest form and an FBI background check form before being considered. You can get that on the Mendocino National Forest website – from the main page, click “Working Together” on the left side bar, then click Advisory Committees. To apply for Mendocino or Lake County RACs, you’ll be dealing with RAC Coordinator Debbie McIntosh in Upper Lake. Applications must be received by March 15th.

A woman in Ukiah’s been arrested in connection to thousands being stolen from Walmart. Ukiah Police say they got a call to the store Monday for a report that employee Donna Arriaga had taken more than $6,000 from the business since January. After an internal investigation police were handed over evidence of crimes by Arriaga who’s charged with suspicion of embezzlement and grand theft. Cops say she had $4,000 cash in her possession. After further investigation police say she had purchases items with stolen money which they found at a motel where the woman was staying. A man in the motel room was also arrested for having several warrants and drug possession.

Lawmakers may soon approve a health care tax that could bring in as much as $1.27 billion a year and help pay for programs for developmentally disabled Californians for the first time in more than a decade. The tax is bundled with several votes set for this week that could replace a tax in place on health care plans now that bring in about $270 million less per year and will expire in July since it doesn’t match up to administration rules for the Affordable Care Act. Gov. Jerry Brown is pushing the tax proposal which has been endorsed by leading insurance companies and health plans. The Assembly Republican leader says the caucus is carefully considering the proposal.

The President has granted national monument status for almost 1.8 million acres of scenic Southern California desert. It’s been in the works for some time, but last Friday Obama made it official. The move will maintain the fragile ecosystem and natural resources plus allow for recreational opportunities for hikers, campers, hunters and others in perpetuity. The President’s been in Calif. this week for meetings and fundraising. He signed the proclamations last week to establish three regions as national monuments — Mojave Trails, Castle Mountains (both in the Mojave Desert) and Sand to Snow in the Sonoran Desert.

A pretty decent sized earthquake has shaken the eastern range of California’s Sierra Nevada. The 4.8 temblor yesterday afternoon hit some remote communities with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey says it hit just after 3 p.m. near Big Pine which is a town along U.S. Route 395. There were also three aftershocks. The Bishop Police Department says they felt the quake and some folks in the office hopped under the desks. Calls came in from all the way out to Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley from folks also feeling the quake.

More money needed if the California High-Speed Rail’s Bullet train is to be built. The Rail’s Authority employees say there could be cost overruns on the first segment of the train. Board members informed by finance officials the project may need another $150 million for the first 29-mile segment near Fresno. That means the contingency costs could be more than a quarter of a billion dollars more than the board already approved for the entire first section. A spokesperson says the numbers are just a warning and not an indication that costs have actually gone up.

A township in southwest Ohio says it’s not going to sue after all related to a man’s holiday "Zombie Nativity" scene. Jasen Dixon’s display with zombies instead of the baby Jesus and others as part of a traditional Christmas Nativity scene. Sycamore Township officials say the man violated rules for improper "accessory use" for the nativity scene in his front yard. He was looking at thousands in fines, but his lawyers say the township was trying to suppress his freedoms. The Township administrator says the scene’s down now so there’s no need to litigate and spend taxpayer dollars.

A regional court in Russia says an Orthodox Church diocese should repay part of an outstanding debt in prayers instead of cash. The ruling last week in Niz-heg-oro-dsky Regional Court. The local Russian Orthodox Church diocese gets to pray for the health of the company who installed a boiler system instead of paying more than $3,200 American dollars it owed for the installation of the system. The court saying the diocese should however pay some money still owed which adds up to $2,525. They’d paid about 6 grand or so already.

A judge in Lake County’s ordered an ill, elderly man who has also recently been found to be innocent of child molestation, to be released. 71 year old Luther Jones will be set free from prison after his accuser, now 30 years old admitted she made the whole thing up when she was 10 years old after her mother talked her into it. The Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson petitioned the court to get Jones released and says they want him out quick. Jones had nine years to go on a 27-year sentence. He was being at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton due to serious illness. The alleged young victim had told police she was molested by another of her mother’s boyfriend’s but said it was Jones because her mom was in a custody fight with him regarding a younger sibling. The DA says he’s investigating the whole thing and may charge the mom and another boyfriend. Jones had alleged the mom made up the molestation because he’d won the custody of their child.

Some crabbers say they’re against a plan by state wildlife officials for a partial opening of the commercial crab season. Fisherman in Bodega Bay said to be concerned as waters at nearby Point Reyes could open soon to commercial crabbing which would bring in a lot of fishing gear to a small area and allow large, northern vessels in and they could potentially clean out the Dungeness stocks. The Press Democrat reports fisherman also concerned the massive harvest so late in the season could get in the way of Dungeness breeding and whale migration. There’s been no crabbing for the last three months because of an algae bloom that tainted some shellfish, including crab, with massive levels of the neurotoxin domoic acid.

News 02/16/16

A man from Branscomb has returned home safe after disappearing after a weekend hike. The sheriff’s dept. reports getting a call Saturday night near midnight for a missing person in the 41000 block of Wilderness Lodge Road in Branscomb. Deputies say the man who knew the area as he’d lived there most of his life, went hiking in the late afternoon but didn’t come back several hours later. His mom reported him missing, saying he usually took hikes in the area around the same time every afternoon and was never really out more than a couple hours. Deputies couldn’t find the man when they looked due to steep terrain and dark skies. They say search and rescue volunteers went out Sunday and found the man walking along a small dirt road leading back to his home. He told deputies he became disoriented while out and got lost. He was otherwise fine.

A Willits man’s arrested for the rape of a woman whose home he was visiting. The Sheriff’s Office says Jedidiah Jones was on felony probation for cultivation of marijuana when he allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman at her home last Friday night. The victim says it happened for over 5 hours and alleges Jones threatened her and her family while committing numerous assaults against her. Jones left the house when another family member arrived but was arrested a short time later. He was being held with no bail on a long list of charges including Rape, False Imprisonment, and Criminal Threats.

The Lakeport City Council is set to look at a plan for a new walking trail. Their agenda for this week includes the Public Works Director asking for approval for the Parks and Recreation Commission’s Downtown Walking Trail plan and development of trails from Library Park to 16th Street and High Street. Lake County News reports they’ve been working on a plan to encourage healthy exercise in the downtown/Library Park area since the city got a $5,000 donation from the Sutter Lakeside Active Living Grant program. At their January 21st meeting the Parks and Rec Commission approved motions defining the walking trails and a list of items to buy with the grant, including informational signs, park benches and a stretch station near the Yacht Club. The City Council meets tonight at 6 p.m.

A tuition freeze for California’s public universities will go into its fifth year this fall, but University of California and California State University are considering what to do after the budget deal with the Governor ends. The costs stay where they’re at through next summer. UC’s tentatively proposed two years of increases starting in the 2017-18 academic year, and CSU has started talking about the future of its financial stability. The Sacramento Bee Newspaper reports UC and Cal State may go with smaller yearly fee hikes tied to inflation, something that’s previously recommended by the state’s nonpartisan fiscal analyst.

New-car sales in Calif up by more than 11 percent more than twice the U.S. average. The California New Car Dealers Association reported sales in 2015 were up 2 million, up from 1.85 million the year before. The association says it thinks sales will be more than 2 million against US sales again this year, but they don’t think it’ll be up at 11.1 percent again. The association says new car sales look to be approaching a cyclical peak and the economic outlook is cloudier. The Honda Civic the most popular new car sold in the state last year, with 79,656 sold. Then it’s the Honda Accord at 73,505 and Toyota Prius at 72,040.

A black man killed by police in San Francisco found with 20 gunshot wounds, including six in the back. The coroner’s office says Mario Woods also had drugs in his system when he died causing protests and calls for the police chief’s removal. The San Francisco coroner’s report was released last week. It also says Woods was shot twice in the buttocks and had more shots to his head, legs, abdomen and hands. Some wounds, the report says, may have been from the same bullet. The autopsy showed he had used methamphetamine, marijuana, antidepressants and cough medicine before being shot. Five officers shot him down in December. Cops ran into the man as they searched for someone who stabbed a stranger the same day. Police say they ordered him to drop a knife, but he resisted even after being shot by a "bean-bag" gun and pepper-sprayed.

A female lawmaker in Kentucky says men who want erectile dysfunction treatments like Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra should have to go to a doctor twice and get written permission from their wives before getting the drugs. Rep. Mary Lou Marzian penned the bill requiring a man to be married and that he make a sworn statement on the bible he needed the pill for erectile dysfunction for sexual relations with his current spouse. She’s proposed the law as a statement to anti-abortion advocates saying her point is to show how intrusive and ridiculous it is for elected officials to insert themselves into private and personal medical decisions. The bill presented days after the governor signed an “informed consent” law which means women have to be counseled by a doctor 24 hours before having an abortion.

A computer glitch means some folks got gas in Ohio for pennies per gallon. WTOL-TV reports it was due to a computer malfunction that prices were way down at one north Toledo gas station, but then another across the street lowered its prices to stay competitive. One customer told the TV station he got a full tank for a quarter. The pricing lasted three hours. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in Ohio was $1.55 yesterday and the national average for regular gas was $1.70.