A couple from Fort Bragg have been arrested for leaving their kids with a stranger and going for a hike. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Dept. reports getting a call about possible domestic violence in the town of Mendocino possibly involving a small child. Deputies found the four-year-old girl with a good Samaritan by a church. The good Samaritan says they were approached by a couple who asked them to watch the girl, then they left. Then Flash Blanton and Amanda Dearth were located, the woman was the mom of the tot and said she didn’t know where the girl was. Deputies say she was drunk and couldn’t care for the girl. Also, Blanton is a sex offender who had not followed registration requirements. The two were arrested and booked into jail on $25,000 bail.
A woman out on bail and probation after a hit and run last year has admitted she wasn’t following the terms of her probation when she was found with a meth pipe. Gina Rae Bean of Fort Bragg was convicted for the hit and run, where someone died in September of 2021. She first denied she broke the law when she was found with a pipe last month. She had to go back to court because her original sentence for the hit and run was suspended. She was ordered to serve 210 days and another 60 days. With time served, she will get to serve that 60 in a probation-approved residential drug treatment program.
The Governor has announced money coming to some Native American Tribes for preventing and ending homelessness. $20 million is for homeless assistance grants from the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency for housing projects in 16 tribal communities across the state. There are also four Homekey awards from the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) worth $27 million to pay for 75 homes for members of four tribes, including homeless children. The Governor says it will help get people off the streets into safe housing. He also said another $20 million in tribal grants will be awarded in 2023. The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Lakeport, the Cahto Tribe of Laytonville Rancheria, the Round Valley Indian Tribe in Covelo are among the tribes getting the awards.
A Northern Calif. lumber mill is being sued again, related to a wildfire that destroyed several dozen homes and killed multiple people. The lawsuit filed against Roseburg Forest Products Co. who is blamed for reckless conduct at their mill, operating in a manner that “caused an unreasonable risk of catastrophic fire.” The lawsuit filed November 18th is on behalf of 8 people who say the company was negligent and had several health and safety violations related to the Sept. fire. Those suing are homeowners in the area of the Mill Fire in Siskiyou County. One of the plaintiffs is an 88-year-old woman who, the lawsuit claims was hurt during her evacuation and continues to suffer from PTSD, and related emotional trauma.
Volunteers are needed for the Historical Society of Mendocino County (HSMC). The Society is accepting applications for the board of directors. They say it’s a great opportunity for those interested in local history and to help them further their mission of collecting, preserving and sharing the diverse history of Mendocino County. They go back to the mid-50’s and need to fill out their 9 member panel. Those with strategic planning, grant writing, fundraising and backgrounds working in nonprofits, at museums or library sectors or business management are highly encouraged to apply.
Wreaths Across America, the national nonprofit will be at the Kelseyville Cemetery this year as one of their official locations for their mission to “Remember, Honor, Teach”. The national movement includes dedicated volunteers who work in communities across the nation to honor our fallen heroes and thank them for their service, at the same time teaching our next generation about the sacrifices they have made for us to live freely. There are more than 3,000 participating locations this year where wreaths will be laid on December 17th by over two million volunteers. At the Kelseyville Cemetery, they’re also trying to raise money so they can place 519 sponsored veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of all the local heroes.
The Habematolel Pomo tribe of Upper Lake reports making a sizeable donation to the Northshore Fire Protection District to help them better respond to fires. The $662,000 donation is part of the tribe’s ongoing commitment to the community they say. The Fire Protection Chief thanked the tribe for their support to develop the new Northshore Fire Fuels Crew. The Chief says the Habematolel have always been a big supporter and with the latest donation they are hiring 11 new full timers who will get to receive health insurance and retirement benefits. The money will also pay for new equipment including, two F-350 crew cab utility trucks, one F-350 crew supervisor truck, a chipper with a trailer, six chainsaws, two pole saws and 11 sets of wildland fire personal protective equipment.
The National Park Service is reportedly taking possession of some mobile homes. Homeowners near Yosemite National Park say they have taped notes on their windows that say “this property is not abandoned”. But some say bulldozers mowed their homes down anyway and did not pay them, nor were they ever evicted. One woman there over 3 decades says they first turned off her power and threatened to imprison them if they didn’t get out. Several people living in the El Portal Trailer Park say they were forced to leave because Yosemite was concerned about power line safety, and because there were other plans for the area. Supposedly the 12 homeowners got 3 month’s notice to leave. That’s according to the Fresno Bee, per a Freedom of Information Act request.
California is reportedly trying to find out where racial discrimination exists in health care. Attorney General Rob Bonta says he’s looking into the way hospitals make clinical decisions, schedule operating rooms and their billing practices. He recently asked 30 hospital CEOs for a list of software programs they’re utilizing. He says that’s to see what algorithms may direct more attention and resources to white patients than to minorities. Bonta says “Unequal access to our health care system needs to be combated and reversed, not carried forward and propagated.”
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