The former principal of a Cloverdale middle school put on paid leave earlier this year has reportedly been put on unpaid leave in a step toward maybe being fired. Former Washington Middle School Principal Mark Lucchetti confirmed his status to the Press Democrat, saying he continues to fight what he calls baseless allegations that he failed to properly investigate and report accusations from female students about the behavior of a male PE teacher. Lucchetti claims all the steps he took were in concert with the superintendent. The district has not commented to the newspaper. The incident with the PE teacher at the center of the issue is reportedly under a police investigation.
Lake County has its first confirmed case of Monkeypox. The Health Services Department confirmed it Friday and said they are doing extensive contact tracing to prevent any more cases. They say the patient had recently traveled and later became aware of their exposure and is recovering and isolating at home. Officials say there is no evidence of community spread in Lake County at this time. Monkeypox is rarely fatal and has symptoms similar to smallpox but milder, including a fever and blistery rash.
Thousands turned out for the return of the Kelseyville Pear Festival Saturday. The 28th annual event was back after a forced two-year pandemic break with a parade, music on three stages, several vendors with food, and pretty much every version of pears in sweet and savory dishes you could imagine. Lake County News reports they also partnered with the Lake County Horse Council for the Horse Faire which included several horses and ponies, horse care information, and riding demonstrations.
The Potter Valley Cemetery District and Auxiliary are hosting a Living History Luncheon on Saturday, October 8. The goal is to raise money for maintenance at the burial site of many of Mendocino County’s settlers. Organizers tell the Daily Journal they will be serving a beef and local lamb BBQ, with vegetarian options, as they present stories of Potter Valley’s history as recreated by performers portraying ten of the dearly departed who inhabit the cemetery. Tickets are $25 and are available only in advance.
A proposal to build a giant surfing lagoon in the Coachella Valley desert has been shot down. Late last week the La Quinta City Council unanimously rejected the idea with the mayor saying while it sounds fun on paper for somewhere in California, it’s an inappropriate use of water during a severe drought. The land in question was originally envisioned as a residential development with a golf course but the developer asked the council for a zoning change to create the 16-acre 18-million gallon wave pool.
Lakeport Police are holding their National Night Out Against Crime next week. It’s Tuesday October 4 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Library Park. The idea is to bring police and other local government agencies and community members together under positive circumstances in an effort to reduce crime. The Lakeport Kiwanis will be serving up hot dogs and movie theater popcorn, there will be games for kids along with Safety Pup, Chipper and McGruff the Crime Dog and raffles including new bikes and fishing gear.
The Clean California initiative has hit a major milestone. The litter removal program launched by Gov Gavin Newsom less than 15 months ago has now removed more than one million cubic yards of litter from the state’s roadsides – enough to build two stacks of trash from the Earth’s surface to beyond the International Space Station 250 miles in orbit. Clean California is a sweeping $1.1 billion, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to remove trash, create jobs and engage communities to clean public spaces.
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