News 5/31/17 Afternoon

A Hidden Valley Lake man has been arrested on suspicion of murder for the shooting death of his daughter. The victim’s grandmother called for help Tuesday night and when Sheriff’s Deputies and Cal Fire medics arrived at the home on Spyglass Drive they found 20-year-old Hannah Welch dead of a gunshot would. The suspect, her father, Steven Miller, had left the home but was found in the neighborhood within a few minutes and taken into custody. Miller was taken for a mental health evaluation before being taken to jail. As of this afternoon he was being held on $1 million bond with arraignment tentatively set for Friday. The Sheriff’s Office has not given any specifics on what led up to the shooting.

A Napa woman and her boyfriend have been convicted of the murder of her 3-year-old daughter. On Tuesday two juries in separate but simultaneous trials convicted Sarah Krueger and Ryan Warner of murder with special allegations of torture and assault in the death of Kayleigh Slusher in 2014. The Press Democrat reports police found the girl’s body during a welfare check at Krueger’s apartment. Police say she’d died the day before and Krueger and Warner stashed her body in a freezer then took her out and put her in bed as they fled Napa.

A documentary about Anderson Marsh State Historic Park has been nominated for an Emmy Award. The Film “A Walk Through Time: The Story of Anderson Marsh” has been included in the 46th annual Northern California Emmy Award nominations in the “Historic/Cultural-Program/Special” category. Lake County News reports the 28-minute film, which premiered at the Native American Day Gala in Clearlake in July 2015, was produced through a partnership with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, under the direction of archaeologist Leslie Steidl, and the Koi Nation of Northern California. The film looks at the history of the Koi people, a Pomo tribe that first colonized the Anderson Marsh area more than 14,000 years ago. The film was produced by Dino, Drake and Darin Beltran, Greg White and Dr. John Parker and directed by Daniel Bruns. In 2015, it received the Governor’s Historic Preservation Award.

News 05/31/2017 News

The annual Hike for Hospice looking for teams and individuals to start their fundraising now. The event is in about a week and a half at Highland Springs Park. It’s the third year for the hike to raise funds for Hospice Services, which provides grief counseling, family bereavement camps and school-based children’s grief groups. They’re looking for businesses, groups, agencies, youth groups and other organizations to challenge each other and to form teams and compete for prizes. For more info, call (707) 263-6270, ext. 111, visit Hospice Services’ website at http://www.lakecountyhospice.org.

A man arrested after a machete attack in Clearlake still in jail after the weekend attack. Police say they got a call to an apartment building where a man was yelling racial slurs at people in the parking lot. They found a man down with a wound to his shoulder which they say may have been caused by the yelling man who they say had the machete. Anthony Hammond charged with assault on the victim, who is black, Hammond is white. He’s also charged with aggravated mayhem, battery with serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer, hate crime, battery on a person and two felony arrest warrants. Cops say he barricaded himself in an apartment and when they nabbed him, he threatened to kill them.

A man out abalone diving on the Mendocino Coast who died has been identified. Emergency workers get a call about a diver in distress. They say Steve Nguyen of Oakland was pulled out of the water in a rocky stretch of the coast at Bowling Ball beach near Point Arena. No word on how the man died yet.

Dentals records will need to be pulled for the body of a man found on Judge Davis Trail in Eastern Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff’s office reports the body was in poor condition, found in a remote area of the trail in the Cache Creek area. Cops say there were no signs of foul play.

A special meeting’s being held for public comment on the proposal for an apartment complex to house the mentally ill in Ukiah. The planning commission is having a meeting today to hear the public’s take on the idea for Willow Terrace. The project would be constructed on one acre in the 200 block of E. Gobbi Street by the Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation. They want to put a two-story building with 26 studios, 11 one-bedrooms and a three-bedroom apartment for the building’s manager. The residents would also get on site services which would be provided by Mendocino County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. The meeting tonight at 6 in City Council chambers.

SWAT and canine teams out in Laytonville after reports of a marijuana theft. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports getting a call from the property owner yesterday who reported about 20 pounds of manicured pot was taken from a shed on his property off the 101. He says there were human tracks on the property so he followed them and saw four men, one, he says, looked to be armed with an assault-type rifle. After a lengthy search, police didn’t find anyone suspicious.

Small businesses in Mendocino County could be getting some savings because of Sonoma Clean Power’s service. The service starts tomorrow compliments of a partnership between the Community Development Commission and PG&E. Customers can opt out if they want to stay solely with PG&E, but apparently businesses will save more by taking part in Sonoma Power’s energy efficiency program. Mendo-Lake Energy Watch does the energy audits to evaluate the amount of energy used and how much may be saved, known as benchmarking. With the help of contractors, there’s some retrofitting and the savings happens after that. There have been about 80 audits so far in both Lake and Mendocino counties for mostly small and medium businesses.

As Caltrans looks into changing the massive wooden trestle bridge on Highway 1 over the Albion River, the bridge could become a national historic landmark. Caltrans wants to put in a more modern bridge that could hold up to earthquakes and tsunamis to replace the 150-foot-tall bridge. But those living in Albion would prefer if the bridge that’s there already was repaired. The State Historical Resources Commission has unanimously voted however for the Albion River bridge to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A spokesperson for Caltrans says they knew about the listing qualification and says they’re in the early stages of the draft environmental impact report.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors still working on a Hazard Abatement Ordinance after destructive wildfires. The Record Bee reports Hazard Abatement Ordinances in neighboring counties are a guideline for Lake County. The paper reports the county’s goal is to strengthen safety near and around residential areas with weed and brush abatement. That includes inspection and enforcement which would cost money.

Congressman Mike Thompson authoring a bill with a Republican colleague to protect those who get prosthetics or orthotics thru Medicare. Congressmen Thompson and his Republican counterpart Glenn or “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania have introduced H.R. 2599, the Medicare Orthotics and Prosthetics Improvement Act of 2017. The pair say it’s for Medicare beneficiaries with prosthetics and orthotics to be sure they’re getting the best care possible. It would make sure fraudulent providers are not allowed thru Medicare and make sure patients get the treatment they deserve at a lower cost.

A man in Hidden Valley Lake’s been arrested in connection to a shooting that ended in the death of a woman. The Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin says it happened on Spyglass Road last night. Cops get a call and tell Lake Co News they found a woman dead of a gunshot wound, but there were no other victims. A man was being interviewed at the scene late last night.

Police arrest a man from Lakeport for an assault on his ex wife. Police say Jessie Slotte was arrested Saturday for assault with a deadly weapon, felony domestic violence battery and child endangerment after reports of a domestic disturbance last Saturday in Potter Valley. Cops say they found the woman with Slotte in a car with their kids, 3 years old and 5 months old. She reported driving with everyone when the two adults got into an argument which got heated and Slotte gassed the car and grabbed the steering wheel. She says he then pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her, holding it to her neck. She was able to stop the car, but when she tried to get out, he attacked and kicked her. He drove off with her part way out of the car, hitting mailboxes before stopping. She got one kid out and he drove off. He was arrested later that night and booked on $30,000 bail.

The state budget still not done and lawmakers are considering a massive payment to the state’s public pension fund. The revised budget proposal put forth by Governor Brown early this month with the pension payment to be made by borrowing from a little-known government account due to a massive hole in pension and health benefits for public retirees. The hole to the tune of about $359 billion dollars and the onetime payment would be double Sacramento’s scheduled contribution. The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office says so far there’s no evidence or analysis to show the claims the payment would bring about $11 billion in taxpayer savings. It also says the proposal puts lawmakers in a tough spot, having to decide just a few weeks before the drop-dead budget deadline of June 15th.

A 7-11 store in Oregon had to be evacuated after a suspicious object exploded inside a microwave. Cops get a call to the convenience store and the Portland Police explosives unit was called too. They found a urine sample wrapped in a hand warmer in the microwave. Cops say it looked like somebody had been on their way to go do a drug test, but didn’t think the urine was warm enough so they decided to zap it, but the chemicals in the hand warmer made the whole thing explode. Cops say they’re looking at security footage to see if they can find out who left the mess behind and say they probably didn’t pass that urine analysis after all…

News 5/30/17 Afternoon

The victims of a Laytonville marijuana theft say it was four men who came onto their property and stole from them Monday. The man and woman told Mendocino County investigators when they discovered 20 pounds of manicured bud had been taken from their shed on North Highway 101, the man followed what he believed to be human tracks and saw four Hispanic males walking through a meadow on the property. He says one of them looked to be carrying an assault rifle. Mendocino County deputies, K9s and SWAT and CHP officers searched the area but didn’t find any sign of the suspects or evidence leading to them. If you know something you can stay anonymous when you call the Sheriff’s Office.

A Clearlake man is still being held in the Lake County Jail following what police say was a racially motivated machete attack against another man at his apartment complex Saturday. Anthony Hammond is being held on several charges including aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, resisting an officer, and hate crime. Witnesses told Clearlake Police Hammond, who is white, had been yelling racial slurs at people in the parking lot of a Lakeshore Drive apartment complex before getting a machete from his apartment and hitting the victim, who is black, on the shoulder. Hammond then barricaded himself in his apartment, which led Police to evacuate much of the building. Hammond eventually came out and was arrested and allegedly threatened to kill a police officer and his family. Police found the machete but no guns in Hammond’s possession although while searching the building they arrested another man for having an assault rifle and high capacity magazine.

Fire Season has officially begun in Mendocino County. The Mendocino Cal Fire Unit says due to current dry weather conditions and increased flammability of forest fuels and grasses, Fire Season was declared in Mendocino County yesterday – effective as of 12:01 am on Monday. Cal Fire says it covers all state responsibility area lands within the county of Mendocino.

Plan for some utility work to maybe slow you down the rest of this week along a section of East Perkins Street in Ukiah. The City Manager says today through Thursday a contractor will be inspecting sewer lines on East Perkins at the intersections with Orchard Ave, Warren Dr., and Leslie St. Most of the work will be done at night but some will be done during the day and could mean a lane will be partly blocked.

News 05/30/2017 News

The son of a woman suspected in the fatal shooting of another woman has also been arrested. 20 year old Alexander Coan was arrested over the weekend, just 4 days after his mom, Kelly Anne Coan turned herself in for the shooting death of Jamie Shipman. Police say they gathered evidence that the son was connected to the death too. He had been questioned then released the day of the murder, but cops now say they they’ve got new evidence in the case. Shipman and her husband lived with the Coans on rural land near the Mendocino Coast in Caspar. Shipman’s husband found her body and called for help. Police say Kelly Coan had a property dispute with the Shipmans. Alexander Coan was arrested in Comptche Saturday and was being held on 1 million dollars bail in the Mendocino County Jail. Mom’s held without bail.

Several bills lived or died as legislators had to make quick decisions ahead of the holiday weekend. Senate and Assembly versions about the bail-bonds system go forward in their respective houses this week. Bail bondsman are apparently against those bills. Some of the others that survived, Senate Bill 30 to ban business with any contractor connected to the construction of the California-Mexico border wall; Senate Bill 385 to change the closing time for California bars to up to 4 AM; Senate Bill 179, to make Calif. the first state in the U-S to have the word “non-binary” on forms, a third gender marker; and Senate Bill 3, which is a $3 billion bond to go towards building affordable housing units.

An accidental fire in Ukiah guts a car. The fire started Sunday afternoon on Holden Street around lunchtime. A black, 1999 Volkswagen Beetle found completely in flames. The Fire Chief says the owner of the car said they used a match and tossed it into a cup they had on the dash, and it caught fire , then the car was totally engulfed in flames. There were no injuries, but the car is toast.

The company that makes Jelly Belly jellybeans is being sued by a woman who claims some of their beans have too much sugar. Forbes is reporting Jessica Gomez filed the lawsuit saying their sports beans which are supposed to help with athletic performance have a ton of sugar in them, something she didn’t know when she bought them. Apparently the label says there are 17 grams of sugar per 28 gram serving. Also, the first ingredient is evaporated cane juice. Jelly Belly says the case is “nonsense.”

A meeting of pot growers and state officials regarding the draft medical marijuana regulations. The meeting last Thursday at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. It’s one of several hearings officials are holding across the state. Some cultivators, business owners and lawyers at the meeting. The president of the Mendocino Cannabis Industry says the rules right now would be a disaster if they’re implemented. Many at the meeting saying the rules aren’t that clear about what a canopy or cultivation area means, and the definition of mixed-light cultivation and ownership. Other rules in the draft were widely panned like having the right security measures, which can be costly, and a July 1st deadline regarding water board guidelines. Plus they also questioned the track-and-trace system. Another hearing takes place in Sacramento June 14th.

A lot of weeds in Clear Lake this year so it’s about time for the yearly Aquatic Vegetation Management Program. The Record Bee reports there’s a massive amount of weeds this year, especially in shallow parts of the lake, in docks and coves. 260 acres of the lake will be cleaned out in high traffic recreational spots. Lake County pays a contractor to treat the areas every year since 2011. It costs about a quarter million dollars or more for the work each year. The contractor uses pellets which kill aquatic weeds. The county’s Water Resource dept. works with the company to make sure it complies with the Pesticide requirement discharge permit. The weeds tend to grow depending on sunlight, the depth of the area, watersheds and runoff. Money for the cleanup comes from various areas including geothermal royalties and tourism dollars.

A man from Clearlake has been arrested for the stabbing of another man with a machete which police say may have been a hate crime. Anthony Hammond, whose white is accused of the attack on a black man Saturday who witnesses say he was yelling racial slurs to before stabbing him. Cops say when they got to the apartment complex on Lakeshore Dr. they heard from others that Hammond was yelling at several people in the parking lot. They found the victim down with a wound to his shoulder. When cops went looking for Hammond he had barricaded himself inside so the entire complex had to be evacuated. They finally arrested him and charged him with several crimes including aggravated mayhem, battery with serious bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon, plus the hate crime. He also had a couple felony arrest warrants and was held over the weekend on one million dollars bail.

(Folo) A man arrested during the evacuation in Clearlake after police find an assault rifle and a high capacity ammo. 19 year old Jordan Gallon nabbed early Sunday morning after the standoff with cops of a man accused of a hate crime and stabbing nearby. Gallon’s charged with having a loaded firearm in a vehicle, possession of an unregistered firearm, possession of a high capacity magazine and possession of an assault weapon. Apparently someone else living in the apartments told police about another apartment where the suspect in the stabbing attack could escape, so they went in thru another apartment and found the weapon and ammo on Gallon. Police found the SKS-style assault rifle and a 60-round high capacity magazine.

News 5/26/17 Afternoon

Two people have been killed in a car accident on Hwy 101 in Willits. The CHP says for an as-yet-unknown reason an SUV crossed the centerline around 1230am and collided head-on with a pickup truck, and both caught fire. There were six people in the pickup – four adults, an infant and a 7-year-old boy, from Eureka and Fortuna. A Good Samaritan got five of them out but could not reach the driver who was trapped and died in the truck. The SUV driver also died at the scene. The injured were taken to Santa Rosa Memorial and Howard Memorial hospitals. The boy has minor injuries while the others are said to have more serious injuries. The CHP says while the cause of the collision is under investigation, impaired driving may have been a factor.

As more boaters from all over get ready to take over our local waters this weekend several state and local agencies are asking you to help them keep invasive quagga and zebra mussels out of our lakes. These mussels spread from one body of water to another by attaching to watercraft and associated gear. It’s not just a matter of taking a quick look, as the juveniles are microscopic. And they don’t just hang out on the bottom of the boat; they can live in engines, bilges, and buckets. To prevent the spread of these mussels those launching vessels at any body of water are subject to watercraft inspections and are strongly encouraged to clean, drain and dry your boats – both motorized and non-motorized – before and after you go boating, kayaking, or jet skiing. And be ready to for an inspection not just at a lake but also maybe at a state Food and Agriculture Border Stop.

News 5/26/17

There’s reportedly been a fatal boating accident near Lakeport. The Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Patrol told Lake County News that a single boat with two people on board crashed around 330pm Thursday. Lakeport Fire Protection firefighters found the boat a short time later at the Skylark Motel with two men on board, one of them dead. The survivor said they had hit a tree and the other men fell to the deck and likely hit his head. Few other details have been released. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating.

The Lake County Office of Education has named Cynthia Lenners as the new assistant superintendent, succeeding April Leiferman who has been hired as the new superintendent of the Lakeport Unified School District. District officials said Lenners, who has been in education for more than 35 years, will officially start the new job July 1. For the past two years she has been the Lake County Office of Education’s senior director of school and district support services. She started her career as a science and social studies teacher in Salinas where she also served as an education specialist and later worked as an educational consultant, focusing on school and district accountability and reform.

A guy with a Mohawk has gotten away from a motorcycle chase in Fort Bragg and the Sheriff’s Office wants to find him. The chase started around 415pm Sunday when a deputy saw the red Polaris Slingshot Three-Wheeler speeding along Simpson Lane. They chased him for nearly three miles during which he sometimes swerved into oncoming traffic until he ditched the bike and ran. The motorcycle was confirmed stolen out of Roseville. Investigators don’t yet know the identity of the guy driving it but they say he did have a passenger at some point earlier in the day around Mendocino County. If you know something you’re asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office, and you can stay anonymous.

Lake County is moving right along in getting abandoned vehicles off the streets. The Abandoned Vehicle Abatement Commission says as of May 17, the County had tagged 59 vehicles, towed 10, and impounded 2. The City of Lakeport had tagged 3, towed 2, and had 5 more ready to be tagged and the City of Clearlake has now tagged more than 160, and towed over 35. When a vehicle is tagged, the last registered owner is notified by mail at their last known address and gets ten days to move it until it’s towed. As for motorhomes, the County says it can cost between $4000 and $6000 to remove an abandoned motorhome with all the environmental issues involved and since the AVA program has limited funding, if one person dumps an RV is means several smaller cars will likely just stay on the sides of county roadsides.

Yet another delay in the trial of a man accused of making threats against the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. The Record Bee reports the jury trial of Nine Green, which was scheduled to start October 18 after a series of delays, will been rescheduled again, although the dates for Jury Selection have been set. Green is charged with two counts of Threats to Commit Crime which will result in Death or Great Bodily Injury, Threats to an Elected Public Official, Willful and Malicious Harassment to Another Person and 34 counts of a Violation of Protective Order. The charges stem from a series of incidents, including Green allegedly smearing manure at the DA’s office. Two panels of jurors will be summoned and will be given a questionnaire as to how much they already know about to the case.

News 5/25/17 Afternoon

Grand Theft and other charges have been levied at two people from Annapolis, CA, who the Sheriff’s Office stole an excavator bucket from a business in Gualala. Robertson Enterprises reported the $1,800.00 equipment has been stolen from their yard around May 15th. Surveillance video allowed deputies to identify Edgar Figueroa-Garcia and Melissa Harbuck as the suspects. On Monday deputies saw a vehicle associated with Figueroa-Garcia on South Highway 1 at Old Stage Road and tried to stop him but he took off, leading to a brief chase until he stopped in the 40000 block of Old Stage Road. Harbuck was also in the car and both were arrested. A search of the vehicle turned up about 9-grams of methamphetamine. Mendocino and Sonoma Deputies later found the stolen excavator bucket in Sonoma County. Figueroa-Garcia is charged with grand theft and evading a peace officer. Harbuck was cited and released for possession of a controlled substance and an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for driving on a suspended license.

The FAA is investigating the death of a skydiver who crashed into a Northern California vineyard Wednesday while wearing a specialized jumpsuit called a wingsuit. Matthew Ciancio crashed while jumping with the Lodi Parachute Center where a spokesman told the Sacramento Bee the wingsuit failed to deploy correctly and Ciancio may have waited too long to deploy his emergency parachute. Wingsuit flying, also known as squirrel suit or birdman suit jumping, is usually done as part of BASE jumping but more extreme athletes who skydive in them can reach speeds of nearly 200 miles an hour. The FAA plans to talk to witnesses and review any available video evidence. This is the fourth death at the Lodi Parachute Center in the past two years.

News 05/25/2017 News

More than 150 vehicles have been red tagged to be removed in Clearlake. As part of the city’s vehicle abatement project under the Abandoned Vehicle Authority, a partnership of Lakeport, Clearlake and Lake County. It’s part of a law passed by voters to set aside cash to remove stranded vehicles. The money’s been on hold for five years because the legality of Proposition 218, which collected the funds, and was challenged. The state’s been holding nearly 300-thousand dollars which won’t be distributed until the rest of the money being held is released. Clearlake says they’ve got about $35,000 for work thru June 21st.

Lawmakers are considering a proposal to bring energy costs down after massive hikes in pricing over the winter months. Democratic Senator Jerry Hill of San Mateo authored a bill that has unanimously passed the Senate after some complaints from Pacific Gas & Electric customers. The Senator says he was personally contacted by constituents about their high heating bills. Apparently the utility uses a tiered system, charging lower fees for a certain percentage of energy used, then going up from there. But Hill’s bill, if it passes, would mean an average residential customer would be charged the lowest rate for up to 70 percent of their heating energy usage from November to March. The bill now moves to the Assembly.

Congressman Mike Thompson comes out swinging against the new budget proposed by President Trump. Thompson says it’s a "full-throated" attack on the middle class with unprecedented cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and more, which he says goes against what Trump had promised on the campaign trail. Thompson says he strongly opposes cuts that’ll destroy programs important to hardworking men, women, and families. The budget, as it stands, cuts $1.4 trillion from programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), federal student loans, and many other needed programs for lower income families.

A home east of Cloverdale’s been gutted by a fire that quickly took off and spread. The home was completely destroyed yesterday and the fire charred about 10 acres too. It took crews about 4 hours to contain it after it spread to the woods near the home because of gusty winds that blew embers across Geysers Road. More than a dozen engine companies and 84 firefighters were on the scene. The damage to the home pegged at about $200,000.

A poem believed to be crying out about racial injustice and conservative politics gets a negative review after Sonoma State University’s weekend graduation ceremony. The Press Democrat reports some parents weren’t happy with the tone of the poem read by a graduating senior saying it’s language was rude. The school president sent out an emailed apology afterwards. Senior Dee Dee Simpson recited her own poem Saturday night in front of the record setting graduating students and their families. The poem calling out police violence against blacks, plus there were negative references to President Trump and Fox News which included curse words.

Congressman Jared Huffman’s trying to get a bill passed to bring high-speed internet through federal public lands. Huffman’s Public Lands Telecommunications Act had a hearing in front of the House Committee on Natural Resources Tuesday. Huffman says if folks in rural areas had better broadband connections then park visitors would then get better interpretive services and improved public safety response. He also says there would be more efficient land management, plus surrounding communities would be able to get faster broadband. The bill would mean a public land management agency such as the National Park Service could work with a private company and nearby rural communities to expand broadband infrastructure and services.

A woman accused of shooting another woman from Caspar has turned herself in. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office reports Kelley Ann Coan went to the San Joaquin Sheriff’s Office related to the property dispute that ended in the death of Jamie Shipman. Someone had reported shots fired Tuesday morning, then cops were on the lookout for Shipman’s SUV. Coan and her son apparently lived with Shipman and her husband where there was some sort of disagreement. Steve Shipman found his wife’s body and called police who searched their 33 acre property. As we reported Shipman’s SUV with “American Repair Co.” painted across the side had been missing after the shooting.

The Ukiah Valley Sanitation District board of directors gets the greenlight to enter into a contract with a possible interim district manager. The district’s lawyer made the announcement after the meeting last week where board members discussed working with Joe Tait of San Diego. He apparently has experience in strategizing and contacted the district directly. He also apparently wasn’t aware of the dispute between the city and the district that’s been brewing for several months over the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The City Manager in Ukiah told the Daily Journal since they’re in the midst of their negotiation with the district, he can’t go into details about its status.

High water levels and damage from the winter rains means multiple facilities at Lake Mendocino are closed. The South Boat Ramp, the Bushay Campground, lower Kyen Campground “C” loop and the Pomo C, Joe Riley and Oak Grove day use areas are all closed until further notice. There are plenty of areas open though too, the North Boat Ramp, several upper Kyen Campground sites, the dam and day use areas, including Pomo A, Pomo B and the Overlook.

A man from Australia posts a video to Facebook of a ginormous spider carrying a mouse up his refrigerator. The video by Jason Womal has been viewed more than 10 million times showing the Huntsman spider attempting to consume the rodent as it drags it along. The man saying he’s going to adopt the spider now, and he named it Hermie. Apparently this type of spider hunts late at night and can eat medium sized prey like cockroaches, caterpillars and moths. We’ve posted a link to the video on our website and Facebook page…

http://wate.com/2016/10/30/man-captures-terrifying-footage-of-massive-spider-carrying-mouse-up-a-fridge/

News 5/24/17 Afternoon

What was being called a suspicious death investigation is now being called a murder. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is searching for Kelley Coan of Caspar in connection with the Tuesday morning shooting death of Jamie Shipman at a property on Caspar Little Lake Road. Detectives say Coan lives on the property along with Shipman and Shipman’s husband and had been in a dispute with them related to the property. An arrest warrant has been issued for Coan for murder. Shipman’s car is also missing and detectives want to find that too. It is a 2009 Chevrolet HHR, wrapped with the logo of the business American Repair Company. It has California license plate #6JWT270.

If Memorial Day Weekend has you checking out the Mendocino National Forest, officials remind you there are still some closures due to winter storm damage repair as well as some snow still in the High Country. You can find road closure information on the forest service website but here are some reminders: if you are heading from Covelo to Willows, State Route 162 (turning into Forest Highway 7) is not passable yet. Also, be alert to logging activity on the M4 Road. And there may be some unknown and therefore unmarked problems like downed trees and rock slides. They say it’s not all bad news though: the M10 Road is open so the Letts Lake and Mill Valley campgrounds are open. And while some campgrounds are still unavailable, dispersed camping is allowed in areas you can get to by car within the rules.

News 05/24/2017 News

It may be the last planning meeting on the planned Costco in Ukiah. The Planning Commission is having the meeting today to get public comment then consider the revised Environmental Impact Report. The reports been on hold for a couple years after a lawsuit the city ended up mostly winning. The lawsuit was dismissed but the attorney who first filed in 2014 appealed. Then the court decided part of the environmental report needed work and it shouldn’t have even been certified. That was for energy usage. So the Planning Commission will talk about the updated energy section tonight at 6 p.m. in the City Council chambers. The city council won’t take it up again until June 7th. The planning commission is also considering changes to so-called mother in law or granny units at the meeting tonight too.

Part of a ventilation system catches fire so Factory Pipe at the Masonite site had to be evacuated. The owner Ross Liberty says one of their dust collectors caught fire and they tried to extinguish it themselves, but had no luck. They called Ukiah Valley Fire Authority. There was no damage to the building and no injuries were reported.

Storm damage has some of the murals at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds damaged and covered up so now what to do? The Fair’s’ Building and Grounds Committee are getting public comment today about what to do with the murals at the Fine Arts building. Some of the damage means the murals will have to totally be painted over. They’ve been there since the late 70’s and were last restored in the 1990s. The board of directors looking to hear from community members. The meeting this afternoon at the fairgrounds at 4. Anyone with questions can email them too, info or call (707) 462-3884.

A community garden’s popped up on Highway 29 in Middletown. Giant posts have been put up across from the Calpine building on Central Park Road. The North Coast Opportunities Gardens Project for a community garden to teach families how they can feed themselves and their families by building gardens. The Manager of the project says they’re working with AmeriCorps VISTA so the garden will help low income families and those who’ve been affected by natural disasters. There was massive damage in the town during the 2015 Valley Fire. The property is owned by Calpine who agreed to be part of the project which is next to the Visitor Center. The garden is funded for three years with grant money that will also pay for water usage and art installations. The work to be done to get the garden going in early June.

Three men have been arrested on separate child pornography charges. 35 year old Daniel Wood of Middletown, 44 year old Scott Davis of Clearlake Oaks and 24 year old Jose Mendoza from Upper Lake busted. After lengthy investigations, the Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit served several search warrants and say they found tens of thousands of images and video of kiddie porn. Wood was arrested last month for a parole violation, then after a search he was charged with child pornography. After a tip, Davis was arrested a couple weeks later, then Mendoza was nabbed last week on a warrant. The Lake County Sheriff’s office says the arrests were all a result of Cybertips sent to the Major Crimes Unit.

Willits residents along with city officials talking about the just finished rough draft of cannabis regulations. The regulations cover indoor growing, processing, manufacturing, and dispensing of weed for medical use only. An ad-hoc committee was created on the matter. Members saying the rules are welcoming to business and could help create jobs at the same time protecting residents. It prohibits growing, processing, and manufacturing facilities, requires odor-control systems on all businesses, establishes buffer zones between businesses and schools and considers zoning only in industrial areas and dispensaries only in certain commercial zones, mostly south of State Route 20.

Receipts tallied for what it may cost if California to have a universal single-payer health care system. The Senate Appropriations Committee report pegs the cost at $400 billion dollars. Some money from the federal government along with state and local money would hit the $200 billion mark, then residents would have to cover the other $200 billion thru tax hikes. The report looks at the tax coming in from payroll with no cap on wages, it’s calculated at about 15 percent of earned income. The report does say the costs of the new taxes would be offset by lower spending on health care coverage by employers and employees. The Healthy California Act first considered by lawmakers in February and was authored by Democratic Senators Ricardo Lara of Bell Gardens and Toni Atkins of San Diego.

Cops are searching for info on the death of a 60-year-old woman and need help finding her missing station wagon. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports finding the woman’s body yesterday mid morning. They also say her blue 2009 Chevrolet HHR which has a gold medallion on the hood. The side has markings of “American Repair Company” with the California license plate number 6JWT270. They also say not to approach the car if you see it and to immediately call the Sheriff’s Office.

A change in the decision regarding the Dollar General store in Middletown. The Board of Supervisors said no to findings of fact for the appeal it said yes to, so now the board has to have a special meeting next week. As we reported the board overturned its own findings last month, voting 3-2 against the appeal from Cross Development of Texas. The company fighting against the decision by the Lake County Planning Commission to deny their design review permit for a major use permit for the Dollar General store proposed on State Highway 29. Lake Co News reports the board, within the required 45 days, changed course and rejected the findings due to the community design criteria.

The state’s working to contain a recent outbreak of norovirus. The California Department of Public Health and local public health departments are ramping up the fight after increased reports of the illness in schools and other buildings. It’s easily spread where people are in close contact. The State Public Health Officer warns it’s very infectious and can spread fast wherever people meet and share food and bathrooms. The agency helping to make sure schools are properly disinfected to contain the virus because it can live on surfaces a while unless they’re properly cleaned.

A missing woman from Sonoma County has been found dead. The Sheriff’s Dept. volunteer search and rescue team has found 54 year old Catherine Huberty of Santa Rosa close to where she was last seen. Police had reported the woman, who has mental health and mobility issues, seen walking uphill on Mark West Springs Road Saturday. Her body was found yesterday afternoon along a steep area of Redwood Hill Road in a ravine. A sheriff’s helicopter was brought in to remove the body which was seen in rugged terrain. Cops say right now it looks as though she had slipped and fallen.

If you’re planning a ride down Highway 1, you’re out of a luck for quite some time. First a bridge failed during heavy rains, but people stuck there were starting to make due, now a massive landslide has buried the highway under about 40-feet of rocks and dirt. It apparently happened last Saturday in an area known as Mud Creek. The California Department of Transportation reports more than 1 million tons of rock and dirt have fallen down the hillside which is so unstable, they haven’t been up to assess how they can fix it. It covers about a quarter mile of Highway 1. They say they’ll have geologists and engineers check it out this week.

In Canada, they’ve come up with a new way to get people to drive slower or be cited… They have dart like guns in Ontario Provincial Police vehicles so they can shoot at speeding cars. The announcement made this week that just like a James Bond gadget enhanced car, cops can now launch projectiles about the size of a soup can from the front of their police vehicles. The dart can stick to a car and a GPS signal is then sent back to their communications centre so they can continue to track the car and avoid high speed chases. The officers have to be specially trained. 3 cop cars now have the technology.