News 02/28/18 Evening

We have Winter Storm Warnings and Advisories all over the area. The National Weather Service is predicting snow for the northern higher elevation areas of Leggett, Laytonville, and Covelo and possibly the higher elevations of Willits and Ukiah. Hail and thunderstorms are also possible along the coastal areas. Forecasters say from today through Saturday the combination of rain and snow could be:

Laytonville: 3-4"
Fort Bragg: 2-3"
Willits: 2-3"
Ukiah: 1.5-2"
Gualala: 1.5-2"

Around Clear Lake and Middletown, the forecast from tonight through Friday is 1-2 inches of snow at lake level; Blue Lakes/Hwy 20 to the Mendocino County Line, 3- 6 inches; and the Cobb Mountain area could see 6-12 inches of snow. Meanwhile areas above 3500 feet could see from 2-7 feet of new snow, plus Thursday we’ll have gusty winds with blizzard-like conditions making driving very difficult. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says travel into the mountains or any off-road areas, is not advised.

The man the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is searching for in their Warrant Wednesday post this week is facing a long list of charges. Roberto Bartolo is wanted on a bail warrant of $280,000 for 13 different charges mostly related to weapons, drugs, and committing felonies while out on bail. Bartolo is 28 years old, 5’10”, 180 lbs, with brown eyes and black hair. You can see his picture on our Facebook page. He was last known to be in Santa Rosa. If you recognize him or have information that could lead to his arrest, contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office at 707-463-4086.

Starting Thursday, March 1st, fire and emergency medical dispatch services for the Lake County Fire Districts will be provided by the CAL FIRE Emergency Command Center in St. Helena. The Sheriff’s Office says when you have an emergency, you will still call 911 as usual and you will be transferred to the appropriate dispatch center. Should you have any non-emergency question or concern, contact CAL FIRE Emergency Command Center in St. Helena at 707-963-4112.

News 2-28-18

A man from Redway’s busted for using workers under 21 years old to sell marijuana. Karl Witt runs Eden Farms Cooperative in Humboldt County. He accepted a plea deal after his arrest by the CHP in December. He has to serve 36 months probation, 100 hours of community service, return almost $19,000 to law enforcement and waive his 4th Amendment right. That’s search and seizure. He cannot have any marijuana without a valid state license and a valid Humboldt County permit. And no more volunteer workers or employees under 21 will be allowed.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors has voted unanimously to file a lawsuit to get back some of the money it cost to remove a sunken crane from Clear Lake seven years ago. The board is suing former Lakeport City Councilman Martin Scheel, who used to be a marine contractor. While a major storm hit the area in November 2010, Scheel was trying to build a boat lift in Clearlake Park and the crane slipped from the barge then sank in about 50 feet of water. Other equipment that also sank was taken from the water a month later. Then in 2011 the board voted to get the crane removed which cost about $60,000. And Scheel signed the crane over to the county, but that was only worth about $4,000 as scrap. No word exactly when the suit will be filed.

Congressman Jared Huffman has signed on to be a cosponsor of Articles of Impeachment against the President. Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Committee filed the articles. Huffman says he decided to cosponsor the articles because of the President’s impeachable actions like, obstruction of justice, unprecedented conflicts of interest, unwillingness or inability to credibly and forthrightly address Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and recklessness regarding national security. The resolution outlines five articles of impeachment adding, domestic emoluments, undermining the independence of the judiciary, and undermining freedom of the press.

Some fire chief’s have testified about the October wildfires and how they overwhelmed the state’s old mutual aid system delaying their response. The chiefs in front of a panel of legislators Tuesday at the Capitol. Bay Area fire agencies said they knew their North Bay neighbors were in need and they were ready to go October 8th, but the state’s software system was overloaded by multiple requests for help so early requests for up to 400 more engines requested by Cal Fire and local fire officials weren’t totally processed for several hours. They say it was Day 3 when some of the mutual aid arrived, much too late. The state mutual aid system pools local, state and out-of-state resources for fire fighting and has been lauded as the country’s gold standard.

News 02/27/18 Evening

A Sonoma County high school has been evacuated after some graffiti was found indicating a specific threat. Analy High School administrators evacuated all 1,100 students and sent them home around Noon after Sebastopol Police were called to investigate the threat. While police said there were no additional signs of a “credible or imminent threat” during the evacuation, the school administration decided to keep the school closed for the day. It will be back open Wednesday but with an increased police presence on the campus for the next several days.

More snow is likely in the foothills and passes as the region goes under a Winter Storm Warning from Wednesday through Saturday. Forecasters say the total snow accumulations for the 4-day stretch could be 3 to 5 feet or more above the 3500-foot level. But foothill locations above 2000 feet can expect between 8 inches and 2 feet. And they say it will be accompanied by some gusty winds, which means visibility could be affected. While the warning officially starts Wednesday afternoon, forecast tracks are showing the snow coming in Thursday afternoon.

The Mendocino CHP Office is looking for witnesses to a fatal crash that happened last week. It was Thursday evening around 830pm on Mitchell Creek Drive south of Turner Road. Officers say a Fort Bragg woman was northbound and on a curve in a 2002 Mazda when she lost control and her car spun off the road and hit a tree. The CHP is asking anyone who saw the crash or who has information that could help the investigation to contact them at the CHP Ukiah Office.

The Ukiah Planning Commission is set to consider a permit for a new three-story, 31-unit apartment complex for lower-income seniors proposed for the empty lot behind Rite-Aid at the corner of West Gobbi and South Oak. The planning commission agenda has the applicant listed as AMG & Associates of Encino. The Commission will also consider a permit for a 65-foot cell phone tower near Brush Street. US Cellular has applied for the permit to build the tower on the property of B&B Industrial Hardware and Metals. The Planning Commission meets Wednesday at 6pm at the Ukiah Civic Center.

News 2-27-18

Sonoma County’s been given some ideas to better handle emergencies after the October wildfires that killed more than 20 people and destroyed thousands of homes. The state Office of Emergency Services recommended clarifying county guidelines about how officials use different warning technologies, develop pre-scripted message templates and improve training for public safety incident commanders, dispatchers and anyone allowed to issue warnings during an emergency. This was part of a formal state review of how the county alerted people in October. The investigation after criticism from the community the last four months since there was no Amber Alert-style cellphone warnings which some say could have helped more who were in the path of the fire.

The new CHP commissioner has officially been sworn in. The Governor swearing in California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley Monday with his mom and several of his family members on hand. He’s the 15th CHP commissioner and was first appointed as the acting commissioner last year. He was appointed as the permanent chief February 9th. He’s been with the CHP since 1982 and also is the first African American in the history of the CHP to be the commissioner, overseeing the biggest state law enforcement agency in the country. He has more than 11,000 employees.

Congressman Mike Thompson is trying to force a vote in Washington D-C to strengthen background checks and close some gun sale loopholes. Thompson’s the chair of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. His discharge petition to force a vote on the Thompson-King Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act. A discharge petition helps get broadly supported legislation to the floor. It would allow the House to consider bills supported by most of the country but blocked by Republican leaders. Thompson says it’s time to take action, adding, every member of Congress knows we have to take action to prevent gun violence.

Habitat for Humanity is looking for wildfire survivors who want to own a home. Funding is still available for those in Lake County who need to rebuild. The requirements include being a low-income family that lost their home in one of Lake County’s wildfires or renters who lost their home due to the fires and are still looking for housing. They consider applicants on a first-come, first-served basis who are income qualified. They need applications from candidates to get pre-qualified.

For a pre-qualification application visit Habitat for Humanity’s Web site at www.lakehabitat.org , call the office at 707-994-1100, or come by 15312 Lakeshore Dr. Clearlake.

The former golf pro for the Hidden Valley Lake Association has won a two million dollar defamation case. After just over a week of court proceedings, the jury unanimously found for Wayne Clark who was fired in April of 2015 from the association. Since he was hired as an “at-will” employee, he sued them for defamation of character instead of wrongful termination after derogatory posts on the association’s Facebook Page after he was fired. Clark’s lawyer read some of the posts in court which said he had booze in his office and other inappropriate items. Clark says the woman posting about him defamed him, invaded his privacy, painted him in a false light and negligently and intentionally inflicted emotional distress on him. He also said they didn’t pay him what was owed when his contract was terminated.

A report is out on Lake County’s series of Cannabis Workshops. The report from a subcommittee tasked with coming up with an ordinance for cultivation, sales and use of marijuana in Lake County. The county will go over the report then give their findings. The Record Bee reports concerns were addressed in the Article 72 Ordinance including Water Board Permits and water waste management, water runoff, water supply and solid waste management plans. They took into account concerns from the Sheriff’s Office, the Air Resource Department, the Agriculture Department and the Public Works Dept.

A hearing is set this week in Ukiah with State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood which they’re calling the “First 60 Days of Prop 64”. McGuire says getting prepared to implement Prop. 64 was a massive undertaking for the state and local communities. He says they’re committed to being transparent. The hearing is an official joint meeting of the Committee on Governance and Finance, for which McGuire is the Chairman. The meeting at 6 pm Thursday at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center.

Applications being accepted by the Redwood Valley and Santa Rosa Community Recovery Fund for organizations in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County announced the funding to go to support community restoration for youth, elderly, educators, emergency workers, and animals affected by the Nuns, Tubbs, and Redwood Valley/Potter Valley fires. The fires burned more than 100,000 acres and burned more than 6,000 structures including more than 3,000 homes. The Community Foundation of Mendocino County working with local organizations and donors to make resources available to those impacted.

Please read the Redwood Valley and Santa Rosa Community Recovery Grant Program guidelines. For more information about how to apply, contact Michelle Rich, 707-468-9882, michelle .

A flight from New Jersey to Tampa couldn’t take off, but that didn’t stop one passenger from getting on his way. United Flight was parked at the gate at Newark Liberty, but one passenger started panicking and yelled he didn’t belong because it was on the wrong flight, He somehow popped a chute and slid down. Port Authority says the guy had a ticket in his name for the flight. He’s been identified as Troy Fattun and was arrested with charges pending.

News 02/26/18 Evening

Friends and family of a missing Covelo woman are holding a vigil Tuesday morning at the Mendocino County Courthouse. Khadijah Britton has been missing since February 9 when her estranged boyfriend Negie Fallis came to her home with a gun and demanded she leave with him. She has not been heard from since. Fallis was found and arrested ten days later by Round Valley Tribal Police. He is set to be arraigned Tuesday morning on charges including suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, making death threats, and more. The Mendocino Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team is still searching for Britton and there is $50,000 reward for information leading to her location. Organizers of the vigil say on Facebook they want to show solidarity and ask for answers. The vigil is at 830am; Fallis’ arraignment is at 9am.

A couple of mail theft investigations have led to drug and weapons busts. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office has been working with residents on a surveillance campaign of rural mailboxes. On February 14 deputies were called to a reported mail theft near Highway 253 and Robinson Creek Road. They followed suspect Richard McCormick back to his motel and found several stolen packages as well as meth, metal knuckles, and pepper spray. On February 22 deputies responded to a potential mail theft from a block of Highway 20 near the Lake/Mendocino County line. Deputies followed that suspect Jose Angulo and found not just a stolen package but also five pounds of marijuana that was packaged for sale. The Sheriff’s Office thanks all the citizens who have stepped up to watch out and report suspicious activity.

News 2-26-18

Four men have been arrested on drug charges after deputies find a honey oil lab and pounds of pot in Lakeport. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit took a search warrant to an office space, finding a lab set up there. They found about 10 pounds of pot shake, nearly 100 grams of concentrated cannabis and more. They arrested Dustin Brey of Kelseyville, Cody Harrell of Springfield, Missouri, Justin Richardson of Summerfield, Florida and someone else the Sheriff’s Office has not identified. Officers say one of the guys admitted he took classes how to operate the lab and was renting the spot to manufacture butane honey oil, which can be vaporized and inhaled. 2 of the men are in custody without bail, one had bail set at $100,000 and the unidentified person was released with no charges.

Some adjustments have been made to the mid-year fiscal budget in Lake County. The adjustments so the county can continue being funded with this adopted budget. The County Administrative Officer says the changes were mostly transferring money from different categories, with no net change in appropriations. The adjustments have been approved by the Board of Supervisors besides money for special projects. Some are being removed and an updated list will be given to the board for approval.

The Lakeview Supermarket and Deli in Lucerne gets some recognition as a leader in for its meat department. The owner Kenny Parlet says he got a call, but thought it was a prank. It was the Progressive Grocer, an independent grocer publication which had chosen Lakeview Supermarket as America’s Outstanding Independent Retailer in the meat category for 2018. It was a tie though with McKinnon’s Supermarket in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, also taking the same category. Markets in Chicago, Spokane, Mount Vernon, New York and Wellesley, Massachusetts were all named. So Parlet gets to go to Vegas to pick up his accolade. The magazine saying the winners in each category were, quote “keyed into what their immediate neighborhood needed, and tried various ways to meet those demands.”

A Habitat for Humanity house dedication for another family who lost their home in Lake County due to a wildfire. This time, the Torres-Guerrero family, who lost their home in the Clayton fire got a Habitat house. Alberto Torres and Angelica Guerrero and their son went to Habitat for help after the fire. Now​
they have a new home, which was dedicated February 17th, in Lower Lake.

The North Bay Fire Relief Fund announcing the collection of more than $32 million dollars from more than 41,000 donors. The fund, in partnership with The Press Democrat, state Sen. Mike McGuire and the Redwood Credit Union says it gave out millions to fire victims the last 4 months in support of those with immediate needs after the October wildfires that hit Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties. 100 percent of the donations the fund collects are distributed to victims through the Redwood Credit Union Community Fund. The contributions have been received from over 41,100 donors from 23 countries. Almost two-thirds of the donations from outside the four affected counties.

The family of a woman set on fire by her boyfriend in 2001 are appearing at his state Board of Parole Hearing. Gregory Beck of Mendocino County is going before the parole board tomorrow. He’s been in prison since the attack on Sherry Carlton, who was left disabled and disfigured. Her mother, Phyllis Kline, says Beck is “absolutely evil”. She has attended two other hearings before this one. And she and her daughter’s father plan to speak at the hearing. Beck and Carlton were together 12 years when Carlton tried to break up with him. He then attacked her when she came back to get some of her personal items, soaking her with lighter fluid and setting her on fire. They had a 12 year old child together at the time.

A man from Middletown says yes to a plea agreement after he shot and killed a black bear last year. Matthew Outen sentenced to three years formal felony probation, 90 days jail and he has to pay $1,940 in fines for the April 2017 incident. He was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, threatening a witness, discharging a firearm within 150 yards of a residence, killing a bear out of season and not having a hunting license or bear tag. He told officers he shot the bear because it charged him and his instincts kicked in. But a witness says the bear didn’t charge him. A necropsy showed the bear hit by a bullet in the back of the neck. Beck agreed to plead guilty to a felony violation of negligent discharge of a firearm and a misdemeanor of illegally killing a bear when the hunting season for bear was not open.

Voters may get to decide if money should go to the Middletown Creek Restoration Project. The Board of Supervisors decides tomorrow if there should be a sales tax measure before voters in June. The 1.5 percent sales tax would be in the unincorporated county after the board considered the idea earlier this month. It comes after State Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry was able to get $15 million dollars for the restoration project. Lake Co News reports the meeting tomorrow morning will also include a land swap deal and the Lake County Courthouse project.

The annual Ukiah Polar Plunge raising money for the Special Olympics of Northern California. On Saturday the event was held at Testa Vineyards which was part of the larger plunge that happened the same day in other areas of Northern Calif. including Sacramento, Lake County and Fort Bragg. Those participating got to jump into a huge bucket of ice water while dressed as masked wrestlers, characters from The Flintstones and dinosaurs. Those participating get a chance for a T-shirt and other prizes. The area director says they raise between $5,000 to $7,000 on average with money to pay for year-round sports programs, equipment, uniforms, car rentals, practice facilities and travel costs.

Not a positive turn of events at the Democrats State Delegation this weekend for long sitting U-S Sen. Dianne Feinstein. This weekend Feinstein didn’t get the official endorsement of the California Democratic Party for her bid for a fifth term. Her closest challenger, State Sen. Kevin De Leon, also didn’t win the endorsement, but he got closer to the needed 60% to win the endorsement than Feinstein. Feinstein still has millions for a successful campaign with a lot of support still from Democratic voters and independents.

News 02/23/18 Evening

A Butane Honey Oil lab has been busted up in Lakeport. Wednesday detectives from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit served a warrant at an office space on Skypark Drive and found an active BHO lab and four men inside. They say Dustin Brey of Kelseyville admitted to buying the BHO set-up, taking classes to learn how to use it, leasing the space for that purpose, and making the BHO. He was arrested for manufacturing a controlled substance and was being held on $100,000 bail. Brey told detectives the other men there were not responsible for the lab but one of them was arrested as a fugitive from Missouri and another on a warrant from Florida. They were being held on no bail. The fourth guy was released with no charges.

A commercial marijuana entrepreneur from Humboldt County has been convicted in Mendocino County of using workers that were under 21 while he was bringing pot to an event. The Mendocino DA says Karl Witt, executive director of Eden Farms Cooperative, was arrested in December in Mendocino County as he was traveling to Sonoma County for the Emerald Cup with pot and some underage helpers. He pleaded no contest. He was given three years of probation with several terms including 14 days in jails which he already served, 100 hours of community service, $18,000 in restitution to law enforcement which the DA says already been paid, and he is banned from any involvement with the Emerald Cup while he’s on probation.

Willits Police Chief Scott Warnock has returned to duty. Warnock went out on medical leave last summer but came back on the force last week. He tells the Willits News recruitment and retention of officers is a major priority as they’ve had a significant increase in calls in the last year. He says they do active recruiting but are challenged because Willits doesn’t pay officers as well as other cities and he refuses to lower his hiring standards as other cities do just to bolster numbers. He says retention is an issue because his officers are so well-rounded they sometimes become attractive to other cities to be hired away.

News 2-23-18

The California state senator we’ve been telling you about who’s accused of sexual misconduct has resigned. In a critical resignation letter, Democratic Sen. Tony Mendoza of Los Angeles says the whole investigation into the allegations were to pressure him to leave. The letter saying the Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon wouldn’t rest until his head was on a platter due to the #MeToo movement. An outside law firm came to the conclusion that Mendoza more than likely engaged in improper behavior, including possibly coming on to an intern, offering booze to underage staffers and making sexually inappropriate remarks to others. Mendoza is the third legislator to quit due to sexual misconduct allegations the last few months. Mendoza’s been a leave since an explosive report in the Sacramento Bee newspaper. He denies everything and is suing the senate.

Drivers in Calif. may soon be able to take several photos for their driver’s license, then choose which one they like best. Democratic State Senator Josh Newman of Fullerton is proposing the bill saying, many people get unflattering photos, but you have no choice… then you have to show it to everybody. The idea is to take several photos, but you have to pay more money to do so, then that extra cash goes to a Driver Education and Training Fund. Newman says the money’s needed since most schools no longer run driver’s ed classes after the Great Recession.

It’s a thumbs down vote from the Fort Bragg Planning Commission for a cannabis processing business in town. The applicant, Root One Botanicals can appeal the 2-2 vote, then it’s up to the City Council. The commission said it was concerned because there might be a federal crackdown on marijuana and because there’s other businesses nearby, including the Calvary Chapel, which sits in the radius the city has for “sensitive sites” such as churches and schools. The two commissioners who liked the idea said it was in an ideal location and said the applicants had worked with city staff, the police and fire departments so their proposal would comply with the ordinance.

The Fort Bragg City Council is another step closer to their final plans for retail marijuana sales. The council considering the sales telling staff to draft an ordinance where they’ll come up with one ordinance to cover both recreational and medical use, so locations could sell accessories, follow the same odor requirements, prohibit on-site smoking or ingestion and require a security plan the police department approves of. So far there’s four retail cannabis permits that have been issued in Fort Bragg. There will be other tweaks so that it matches up with state regulations, so things are fluid and automatically adjust as state law changes.

A new referendum to be on the April ballot so there could be expanded fire services in Northshore communities. If Measure E passes, money would go to the Northshore Fire Protection District, which covers more than 350 miles of land including Upper Lake, Nice and Lucerne. The money also for more hours of staffing for the Upper Lake Fire Station and accepting insurance payments for medical emergency responses. The fire chief says if it doesn’t pass they’d possibly close some stations and limit some emergency medical services. Many of the calls last year were medical. The Record Bee reports the Measure needs a two-thirds vote to pass.

A local couple raising money after the October fires in Redwood Valley from the sale of T-shirts, brings in a bundle. The Perkowskis donating the proceeds to the North Coast Opportunities Wildfire Relief Fund. Their company, Perkowski Screenprint & Embroidery came up with the “Mendo Strong” T-shirts and has Mendo Mill in Ukiah and Harvest Market in Fort Bragg selling them for $20. The couple says they wanted to help fire victims and won’t take a profit from it. So far they’ve raised about $15,000. They say they’ll continue making and selling and donating for as long as there’s a demand.

There’s a vacancy on the Clearlake City Council so they’re accepting applications for Russ Perdock’s seat. He’s resigned so he can apply to be the next police chief. The term expires in November. The council discussed either having a special election, or appointing someone, but then the seat would stay open. So an ad hoc committee is charged with looking at all of the applications, interviewing the applicants, then suggesting up to three people who might work. Then they could come up with someone by the end of March.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors had a listening session on the status of insurance money to cover the state’s debris removal operations for the Valley fire. County staff is collecting money for the Valley Fire Debris Insurance Collection Project with the money going back to the state since CalRecycle was in charge of the Valley fire debris program. The County Administrative Office reported getting more than 500 payments totaling more than nine point seven million dollars, an increase of 133 payments since the January report. That chunk mostly after a large settlement with AAA. About 500 people with insurance have not been paid yet for the debris removal and about 400 had no insurance for the removal.

No it was not a confederate flag. That was fake news. The Seattle Times getting a news tip that someone was flying a Confederate flag under their American flag and residents weren’t having it. But that flag actually, was the flag of Norway, some locals showing patriotism for their home country during the winter Olympics. A tipster sending a note to the paper with concern, saying they wanted to know why the Confederate flag was flying in their neighborhood, but they didn’t want to go to their neighbors and knock, to ask. The person flying it said they were a proud Norwegian-American. And that their parents came to America in the mid-1950s.

News 02/22/18 Evening

The Ukiah City Council is leaning toward keeping the Orr Street Bridge traffic-free. While they did not vote about it at their meeting this week, they directed city staff to look into how the bridge could be made structurally sound enough to support vehicles in emergencies or special circumstances. The bridge closed nine years ago when the Orchard Avenue Bridge came into use. The Daily Journal reports since then residents of the Wagenseller Neighborhood say their quality of life has improved significantly with less noise, less pollution, and fewer disruptions and some said they were surprised the Council was even considering reopening it to traffic. While residents and community groups agreed the deteriorating bridge has become attractive for transients to live under, they would like to see it improved for pedestrian and bicycle use.

Real estate was a bit slower in Lake County in January. The Lake County Association of Realtors reports the number of single family residential sales in January was down 32 percent as compared to December with 77 sales were reported in December and 52 in January. Prices were up however, with a median price of $271,450 in January over the $269,000 in December. And from last year, home prices are up over 26%. Statewide, January’s median home price was $527,800, down 4 percent from December but up 7.3 percent from last January.

News 02/22/18 Afternoon

The community is encouraged to attend a Mendocino Fire Recovery & Rebuilding Town Hall this evening. Federal, state and county leaders will be on hand starting at 630pm at Eagle Peak Middle School. Topics covered will include: a status update on debris removal and timeline from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Cal OES; a briefing from FEMA and Cal OES on long-term temporary housing at Kyen Campground; an update on the partial reconstruction of the infrastructure in the Redwood Valley Water District; and a look at the Year Ahead with information to help residents be successful with rebuilding their homes and lives. The County Recovery Team will also provide an update on services and programs available for fire survivors. If you can’t attend the meeting it will be streamed on the Mendocino County YouTube Channel.

This afternoon is the official ground breaking for the Kyen Campground Fire Survivor Housing. At 4:30 p.m., Mendocino County, FEMA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a ceremony to commemorate the start of the disaster housing project going on 75 acres at the Lake Mendocino Kyen campground. It will have up to 70 temporary housing units to accommodate those displaced by the Redwood Complex wildfires. Primary work starts this week to add sewer, water and electric for the housing sites. This is the first time a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground has been used to house disaster survivors and they say it could pave the way for future partnerships between the agencies on disaster response.

If you lost power in the Clear Lake Riviera last night, it was due to a car crash in which a vehicle hit a power pole. The CHP says around 8 p.m. a car hit a pole around the 11000 block of Point Lakeview Road near Kelseyville. Kelseyville and Lake County Fire Protection District firefighters came out to block the road where the lines went down near the Westwind Mobile Home Park and presumably help the driver. But the driver apparently ran from the scene leaving the car about 20 feet down the embankment. Power went out to approximately 1,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers.