State Route 162 added to the list of road closures due to the winter weather. The highway was closed, but reopened about an hour later after a mudslide. The CHP reported yesterday afternoon they had closed the road and had no anticipated time to reopen it, but then crews from Caltrans cleared the debris. At the same time there was only one way traffic on Highway 101 due to a collapse and possible sinkhole. That was just north of the Mendocino/Humboldt County Line. One lane of traffic is open while it continues to be safe to travel through the area. Caltrans will continue to monitor the area.
Salmon season is up in the air as the state considers ways to keep a slimmed down season afloat. Regulators are expected at a week-long meeting starting April 1st. The alternatives being discussed as rumors circulate the fishery was totally done for all of 2023. Mendo Voice is reporting sport salmon fishing groups and the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA) said the season should be canceled and after that there was a recommendation to try for a federal disaster declaration to help anglers. It comes after temporary closures of part of the season.
The ten-year extension of the Lake County Tourism Improvement District is now in place. The Lake County Board of Supervisors approved of the move for Visit Lake County CA through Dec. 31, 2033. The Board had hearings on the matter in January, including the city councils of Lakeport and Clearlake. Each of the councils voted unanimously to extend the District another decade. The extension includes an increase in the room night assessment to 2.5% starting next January. Visit Lake County CA touts bringing more traffic to the website from 6,000 to 86,000 since beginning in 2018. They’ve also beefed up their presence on social media and have had a good amount of press coverage ever since.
A boy from Clearlake has been reported missing. 11-year-old John Clemence was last seen Sunday in the town. Police describe him as a white male juvenile, 5 foot, 110 pounds, with dirty blonde short hair and blue eyes. He was last seen in a black Champion sweatshirt, black sweatpants and brown shoes. They’re asking anyone who may have seen him to call police.
Assemblymember Jim Wood says major utility companies should make sure customers get electricity in a timely matter. AB 50 looks to improve planning and communication processes around sharing electricity with other parties. Wood says the state “won’t be able to reach its housing and climate goals and expand local economies if utility companies can’t meet the demand for electricity when it is required.” Wood explained when introducing the legislation that when someone is trying to get new service they have to pay a lot of money and just get a letter from a utility they will be served. He says the “will serve” letters aren’t adequate.
We should get a couple days of sunshine midweek, but continued treacherous weather is forecasted with possible thunderstorms and strong wind. We are not out of the woods though, the National Weather Service is forecasting a flood watch for today, encouraging folks to monitor the weather and if you have outdoor furniture, to make sure it’s secure as this will be one of the strongest days so far this winter. The rain was expected early this morning then taper off later today, but windy conditions were forecasted for some regions of Central and Northern Calif. Scattered showers may last until tomorrow morning before clearing out until Friday, when the next system moves in.
The man accused of starting the Hopkins Fire a year and a half ago will be tried in Marin County. A judge in Mendocino County ruled Devin Lamar Johnson, who was seen in photographs at the scene of the Sept. 21 fire in Calpella, will be tried outside the county due to publicity. The fire destroyed 30 homes and blackened almost 260 acres near the Russian River and Lake Mendocino. 200 people had to leave their homes after the fire broke out. Johnson was arrested a couple days later. And during jury selection, many remembered the fire. The judge ruled Marin would have a better pool of jurors.
A man in the Brooktrails area apparently had a confrontation with a bear. Mendo Fever reports Ryan Ballou’s family has seen a family of bears in the area of their home in the Blue Lakes Drive area, but last Saturday, he says a bear he’s seen before was acting in an aggressive manner on his front porch. He tells the news site the bear charged at him through his windows, and his dog accidentally opened their front door. Ballou says as he went to shut the door the bear swiped at him and drew blood. The man told the news site he had no intention of contacting Fish and Wildlife to report a human-wildlife conflict.
The Ukiah Unified School District has voted to enter negotiations with the Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation (RCHDC) to possibly buy the old Redwood Valley Elementary School property. The School District had put out a Notice of Offer to sell the property. There was a window of two months for offers from Dec. 18, 2022, to Feb. 16, 2023, with the negotiation period of 90 days. If the deal cannot be closed by June 7th, then the school board will offer up the property again related to Education Code and selling surplus real estate property.
Cal Fire has a planned burn at the Jackson Demonstration Forest. The agency says it’s to continue to celebrate and learn from traditional cultural practices while honoring the stewardship and heritage of tribal partners. This comes after a burn near Fort Bragg earlier this year, which Cal Fire says was the first part of their long-term restoration project to improve acorn health and harvesting potential in the area. The forest is managed by CAL FIRE, which characterizes their work there as a living laboratory for “restorative ecological research and landscape for interested local tribes to practice Traditional Ecological Knowledge, with support from state partners”.
An appeals court in Calif. has ruled Prop 22, which was on the 2020 ballot allowing side hustle work to be classified as independent contractors, is mostly constitutional but part of the measure doesn’t work. The court ruled the distinction between employees and contractors is quite different as employees can get benefits and certain protections that independent contractors don’t. But the appeals court didn’t agree with the lower court ruling that Prop. 22 was unconstitutional on the whole. The part struck down was a definition of the legislation related to unions for gig workers as amendments to the Proposition.
Several dozen school districts across Northern California are going to be on hand at an employment fair in Sacramento. The Pre-K-12 employment fair from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday will feature sixty local education agencies looking for teachers, language, speech and hearing therapists, mental health clinicians, and paraeducators, and classified positions, like office, technical, facilities, and food service staff. The event is co-hosted by the California Center on Teaching Careers, the Tulare County Office of Education and the Sacramento County Office of Education. Participants can also join virtually.
For more information and to register, go here: https://thecentervirtualevents-hybnorcal23.vfairs.com/en/#instructions
Two students have been arrested on suspicion of bringing knives to Santa Rosa’s Montgomery High School, where a student was stabbed to death earlier this month. A 15-year-old and 17-year-old student were arrested last Friday, but police didn’t announce that until yesterday. Police first said a younger student had a weapon on campus, which they found out on social media. Investigators didn’t reveal why the kids brought the knives to school, but say they were not linked to the fatal stabbing March 1st. They have a police officer stationed at the campus. Also, we found out the principal and assistant principal were put on leave. That update was posted on the district’s website but had no other details.
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