News 9/28/16

A house fire has done major damage to a home in Redwood Valley. Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department Assistant Chief Brendan Turner says said the fire started around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday at the home on Ellen Lynn Street. The cause of the is still under investigation but Turner told the Ukiah Daily Journal is did not seem suspicious. No one was home to no one was hurt and one pet was able to escape unharmed. The house has major damage but the residents were reportedly able to salvage some of their belongings.

The Sawmill Fire is now 85 percent contained. The 1500-acre fire, which started Sunday morning, is burning in the Geysers, about 10 miles east of Cloverdale. Cal Fire doesn’t yet know what started it. They have started moving some of their firefighters to other fires although as of this morning there were still more than 700 personnel on scene.

The Ukiah Planning Commission is holding another public hearing tonight on proposed changes the ordinance allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within city. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the city council’s chambers at 300 Seminary Ave. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports while some on the Planning Commission wanted to wait until after the November Election, the Planning Director says the Ukiah City Council’s direction was to try and pass it ordinance before the election. The ordinance would require, among other things, anyone wishing to operate a marijuana dispensary to obtain a dispensary use permit approved and issued by the zoning administrator/planning director and a public hearing would be required. After that the holder would need to renew it each year.

A SWAT callout has led to several charges against a Fort Bragg man after he called 911 and yelled obscenities at a dispatcher. Thomas Anderson reportedly first called the Mendocino County 911 around 2:30 Monday afternoon from his home on Mitchell Creek Drive, yelling obscenities and making threatening and derogatory statements toward the dispatchers. The dispatchers tried to find out what kind of help he needed but he just kept up the hostility. Deputies went to his house and tried to talk to him but he allegedly just kept calling 911 and continuing his tirade so they left. But around 5pm Anderson walked onto his porch and starting shooting off a handgun and that brought out the Mendocino County SWAT Team. Charges include Possession of Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Discharging a Firearm in a Grossly Negligent Manner.

The Lakeport Police Department will be staffing a full time School Resource Police Officer on the campuses of the Lakeport Unified School District starting next week. This program has been made possible by a funding partnership between the School Board and the Lakeport City Council. Officials say it will not only enhance the safety of the students, staff and visitors on the campuses but past experience has shown officers have a positive impact on the students’ lives.

The CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit has announced changes for the Fall season at the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. The seasonal closure of JDSF Camp One, Dunlap and Horse Camp campgrounds starts Monday, October 3. Big River campground will says open for now. Beginning October 15, the “Trestle Trail” between Camp 8 and JDSF Road 1070 will be closed to mushroom gathering and other recreational activities until May. The designated areas for firewood cutting will also close on Monday, October 3 or until the first significant rain after which all firewood cutting on the Forest is prohibited until further notice.

Lake County is going to take over operation of the Gibson Museum as part of the County Museum System. The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to approve a proposal from the Lake County Public Services Director and County Museum Curator which came at the request of the Gibson Museum’s Volunteer Board. Lake County News reports the Gibson board wanted to keep their place as the primary fundraisers but felt that running the museum was getting beyond their scope and feared it would have to close without the county’s help. During their Sept. 14 budget hearings, the Board of Supervisors approved adding the Gibson to the Public Services Department’s budget. They put the cost around $16,000 a year.

News 09/27/16

Firearms need to be locked up in cars under a new law signed by the governor. This in response to some major thefts out of police vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was one of four gun bills the governor signed and is the latest in a line of bills approved this year to rein in gun violence. The Gov. also veto’d a couple other gun bills. Beginning in 2017 anyone with a concealed weapon permit has to lock it in a trunk or it has to be in a container that cannot be seen. Police are included in this.

A new law the governor has signed allows Californians who see an animal locked in a hot car can break a window to let them out and will not be prosecuted. This is only the case if there’s no other way to get the animal out of the vehicle. Rescuers are allowed to break into the car if the animal looks to be in peril, the car is locked or law enforcement wasn’t there fast enough. The person who breaks the window does have to wait for law enforcement to respond.

A toddler’s been killed by a stray bullet as the child rode in a car in Northern California. Another person was killed the day before the Sunday night shooting in Stockton too. Police say a man was killed and another was hit by gunfire at a shopping center Saturday, but police say they don’t think the two were related incidents.

Another stage of development moves forward for the proposed expansion to the Cache Creek Casino Resort. The resort in Brooks, off Hwy 16, is owned by the Yocha Dehe Wintun (Yoka Dee-Hee Win-ton) Nation that’s on federally owned land held in trust. The tribe wants to add more than 400 more rooms to the already, 200-room resort, which opened in 2004. There would also be a new pool and lounge area and a giant ballroom. The tribe turned in new documents to the county which doesn’t have power to allow the development on federal land.

2 people have been arrested on suspicion of pimping and pandering during a sting. Police say the human trafficking operation to find and rescue runaways used in sexual exploitation. The women were brought to Woodland and don’t live in the city but were put in touch with a group that helps abuse victims. The sting last Thursday at a motel in Woodland. But several law enforcement agencies were involved in the sting. Gregory Carvalho of Sacramento was arrested on a parole violation. And Preston Gray of Vallejo was also arrested on felony charges of pimping and pandering. The two booked into Yolo County Jail. The women with them were not arrested.

The Governor Jerry Brown signing a bill into law to help rural health clinics (RHCs) and federally qualified health centers bring in more qualified licensed marriage and family therapists and let them work with Medi-Cal. Assemblyman Jim Wood authored the bill which he says will bring access to mental health care services essential to people’s well-being.

Improved access to broadband technology has been signed into law by the Governor. Assemblymember Jim Wood’s (D-Healdsburg) legislation requires Caltrans to inform any company or organization working on broadband deployment like Redwood Coast Connect Consortium and the Broadband Alliance of Mendocino County to inform Caltrans. The bill instructs companies to work with Caltrans so broadband conduit can be included as part of each project. It also calls for Caltrans to put together guidelines to facilitate broadband conduit installations by 2018 on state highway rights-of-way.

A driver in Southern Calif. busted for using a mannequin as his passenger so he could drive in the carpool lane. The Orange County Register reports (http://bit.ly/2d5N3Sh ) Brea police finding the mannequin Friday in a truck on the 57 freeway during traffic. Apparently the driver veered out of the carpool land into a motorcycle cop who noticed the passenger, not really a passenger.

The Sawmill Fire is about 45 percent contained. The 1500-acre fire is burning in the Geysers, about 10 miles east of Cloverdale and has so far not moved into Lake County Territory. Cal Fire says it is challenging terrain with difficult access in an area that’s extremely dry due to five years of drought. The high temperatures and low relative humidity are added to the difficulty. Mandatory evacuations continue for residents in the Geysers. Calpine’s geothermal power facility also had to be evacuated – a spokesman says all employees are accounted for, the plant was not operating at the time so there was no power disruption, and their other facilities in the Geysers are not affected. Cal Fire says they don’t yet know what started the fire, which was first spotted Sunday morning.

The Preliminary hearing continues for two of three drifters accused of killing a former Middletown Yoga Instructor in Marin County last year. The Marin County Superior Court Judge holding the hearing to decide whether Lila Alligood and her boyfriend Morrison Lampley should both go to a jury trial for the murders of Steven Carter on a walking trail and a backpacker named Audrey Carey a few days earlier in Golden Gate Park. The third suspect, Sean Angold, pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder in connection to Carter’s death and is expected to testify this week against Lampley and Alligood. Police alleged Lampley was the shooter in Carters’ death. Lampley and Alligood’s attorneys say Angold was the mastermind and they were just following along.

News 09/26/16

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is supporting the No position on Measure AF. The measure, aka as the Heritage Act had the board taking 6 supporting ideas behind their no position. They say it’s not needed because the County’s already drafting comprehensive regulations, where there has to be public review. If it passes there won’t be a public review process to identify or mitigate significant environmental impacts. The board says it would reduce or eliminate setbacks from neighbors already in place. It gets rid of a requirement for “wildlife exclusionary fencing” and eliminates all fencing requirements unless a garden is visible from the public right-of-way. Almost every zoning district could have up to an acre of cannabis cultivation as a principle permitted use and the measure would allow thousands of new cannabis cultivators on new cultivation sites.

A wildfire has started in the Geysers, east of Cloverdale. Cal Fire reports the fire’s moving at a moderate rate of spread in steep, challenging terrain with difficult access. They report heavy fuels in the area including areas of grass and pockets of oak woodland. The area’s extremely dry due to five years of drought conditions. Temperatures had been in the high 90’s with low relative humidity when the fire started. As of last night some structures were being threatened. The fire has several area teams fighting including, Napa County Fire, Cloverdale, Geyserville, the CHP and Lake County Sheriff’s office. It broke out over the weekend off Big Geysers Road and Geysers Resort Road, 10 miles E of Cloverdale. So far 1500 acres have burned and the fire’s 10% contained.

A woman has drowned off Goat Rock at Sonoma Coast State Park. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office reports the woman was in her 70’s, near the surf, with a friend when a wave hit and she lost her balance and was swept out to sea. The friend trying to help the woman back to shore and got some state park lifeguards attention. They went into the ocean and helped the woman out and started CPR immediately but could not revive her. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The chief of the Monte Rio Fire Dept. said they jumped in to help too after the woman was found face down.

New staff from the Clearlake Police Dept. introduced to the City Council. The Council also agreed to give the city manager a raise. The acting police chief introduced the council to a new school resource officer, dispatcher and four Explorer Post cadets last Thursday at the regular council meeting. Young Adult Explorers spend time checking out a potential job in law enforcement. They get to wear uniforms and train with officers on desk work and as assistants. At the same meeting last week the council unanimously approved an updated agreement for the city manager and a 5% salary bump.

The Lt. Gov. has introduced a gun control initiative which is on the general election ballot. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom introduced Proposition 63 to force those buying ammunition to get a background check and bans high-capacity ammunition magazines. It’s not that much different than what the Governor signed into law over the summer. The Record Bee reports on a new Field/IGS Poll shows 60 percent of likely voters who took the survey the week of Sept. 7th supported the initiative and another 30 percent said no.

A man in Lakeport’s pleaded not guilty to manufacturing and growing pot, possessing weed and receiving and selling stolen property. Jose Luis Rosales Hernandez is accused in a July incident where cops went out to a call and found two men fighting and were told one man had a firearm. The man admitted to police he had a shotgun. He also said he had a medical recommendation for pot. But instead police claim he reached for a handgun, then apologized saying it was unintentional. Hernandez was arrested after police found 300 plants, four firearms and 20 pounds of processed marijuana.

A man in Lakeport’s been arrested for a chase with cops. Police say Venancio Martinez, who posted bond pleaded not guilty to Evading Peace Officer, Fleeing from Peace Officer, Two counts of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Unlicensed to Drive, and Two counts of Obstructing/Resisting Public Officer. Police say it’s because he crossed over into oncoming traffic in July then tried to get away from officers during a traffic stop attempt.

City staffers in Ukiah are tasked with contacting the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District to try to smooth things over between the agency and city. The Vice Mayor says the years of miscommunication and mistrust on both sides needs to be resolved. The sanitation district is suing the city and the city filed suit too. The City Manager says the city can lose tens or millions of dollars. City officials say, if the so-called purple pipe system’s not built, there still needs to be a major upgrade at a cost of about $30 million because reclaimed water can’t be discharged into the Russian River because it contains too much nitrogen and ammonia.

A woman from San Francisco’s been arrested after a cab driver said she refused to pay for her ride to Ukiah. Ukiah Police Department report they got a call last week that the woman wouldn’t pay her $427.50 fare and she got out a ran away. He got out and chased her and called 911. The woman first told them a fake name, but was found to be a resident of the bay area. She told police the cab driver kidnapped her, but she was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance, falsely reporting a crime and providing a false name to a police officer.

A couple of men in a Ford pickup have been caught trying to steal a Taco Bell sign from a drive-thru. An employee said he noticed someone had vandalized one of the drive-thru signs and showed surveillance video to police showing a truck like the one the man was in with two signs in its bed. They say it also showed one guy get out of the truck and try to pull another sign out, but couldn’t so the other guy got out and kicked it. The fast food joint says the damage is about $1,200 worth.

A new law in a town in Alaska says cats need leashes like dogs. The Kenai Mayor and a council member proposing the cat leash law after complaints from residents. Right now city code doesn’t allow cats to be restrained. The city manager says he’ll research other area ordinances, to see if other cities have similar ordinances.

A man in Naples, FL without work after videos showed a man urinating near a mailbox then taking a Donald Trump sign from the front lawn then hopping in a car and taking off. The pickup looked to have been owned by a local pool service company. The owner of the business saying after the video surfaced they had more than 1,000 threatening and harassing calls and emails.

News 09/23/16

AT&T has announced upgrades to equipment in Northern Calif. The Director of External Affairs for AT&T appeared before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. Mark Blakeman explaining the work they did adds more “resiliency” to the existing fiber network with a redesign. The redesign means info will be transmitted in a circular route instead of point to point. He says the new system working thru the Clayton Fire proves the resiliency of the system. He says it’s possible now because there are more and more fiber systems being requested and installed by big customers like hospitals and schools.

A long haul transfer station in Fort Bragg is going to be a reality after more than 20 years of being without. At a joint meeting of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors and the Fort Bragg City Council, the Environmental Impact Report was certified for the Central Coast Transfer Station, followed by a public hearing. The project to be outside of downtown Fort Bragg on 17-acres. The city’s been without since the Caspar landfill closed suddenly in 1992.

A meeting of medical marijuana entrepreneurs in the North Coast. State Regulators joined the businesses in Santa Rosa yesterday to brainstorm before regulations start in Calif. for medical pot businesses. The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act is still being fleshed out. There are still no specific rules for cultivation, distribution, testing, quality assurance and more. More than 200 people at the meeting, the 3rd across the state, from Redding to San Diego. Voters also have the chance to legalize marijuana this November, for recreational use.

Lakeport police putting more time into a cold case from 1996. Steven Branston was reported missing in Lakeport in October of that year. He was last known to be in Honolulu that summer. Now the police department has teamed up with an internationally known Forensic Artist who drew some age progression images of Branston. The pictures show what Branston might look like today. He’d be 40 years old now. The police department says they hope the age progressed images can help generate leads to figure out where Branston might have disappeared to.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is making strides with Latino voters against Rep. Loretta Sanchez in the state’s first all-Democratic U.S. Senate race. New polling shows Harris ahead 42 to 20 percent. The field poll with UC Berkeley’s Institute of Government Studies also showed 12 percent of respondents, mostly Republicans, saying they’re not going to bother voting in a race between two Democrats. Another 26 percent were undecided. The poll taken of 1,426 likely voters Sept. 7-13th.

UC Davis looks poised to be the location for the University of California Firearm Violence Research Center in Sacramento. University of California President Janet Napolitano made the announcement with Garen Wintemute, an ER doc and recognized authority on the epidemiology of firearm violence, as the head of the department. The new center being paid for with $5 million over the next five years from the state of California. Napolitano saying even though it’s located at UC Davis, she expects experts from other UC campuses to contribute to the effort.

A fundraiser for a Sacramento nonprofit for the homeless ended in a big brawl and the mayor getting pied in the face. The person police say chucked the pie at the Seeds of Hope fundraiser said he’d nail Mayor Kevin Johnson again. Sean Thompson was arrested and says he wanted to do something to symbolize and embarrass him. He says he did it because the mayor is not doing enough to help the homeless. The mayor apparently took Thompson to the ground after the pie hit him. Thompson quipped he bought the coconut cream pie so, in case he chickened out, he would at least eat it.

2 people have been arrested in Clearlake for possession of heroin, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and illegal fireworks.
Cray Hall of Hidden Valley Lake and Krystal Peng of Clearlake were arrested Monday after police got a call to reports of people in a condemned home. They went to the home and found the two inside and arrested them. Police say they found several items inside the home and took the pair to jail for possession of heroin for sales, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of fireworks without a permit.

Testimony in the preliminary hearing for a man accused of punching another man who died, has begun. Charles Reynolds is accused of walking with Kenneth Fisher outside Boomer’s Saloon in Laytonville and for some reason sucker punching Fisher in the head. The judge said there was sufficient evidence to try Reynolds for felony assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. Reynold’s lawyer argues a single hit shouldn’t bring those charges and Fisher’s family and friends wanted stiffer charges for the Aug. 28th death of Fisher. Reynolds had been arrested on suspicion of murder, but the Mendocino County District Attorney said later there wasn’t evidence to support that charge.

A young man from Covelo’s been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing several businesses. The Mendocino County sheriff’s office reports 22 year old Michael Freeman was held yesterday on suspicion of felony burglary, vandalism and a misdemeanor probation violation. They say they believe he’s connected to a burglary Tuesday at Round Valley Towing and when deputies went to check it out they noticed a couple of other nearby businesses were also burglarized or vandalized. Freeman picked up after surveillance videos connected him.

News 09/22/16

Two women have been arrested after four brothers say they were being held against their will on an illegal marijuana farm in West Point. The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Dept. reports the men ran away from the pot garden in July from the small Sierra Nevada mountain town after they apparently heard they were going to be murdered after the harvest. Guadalupe Arellano and Medarda Urbieta have been charged with human trafficking, kidnapping, battery with serious bodily injury, terrorist threats, and drug charges. Cops also found more than 23,000 marijuana plants worth up to $60 million and guns and $10,000 in cash.

State money coming in to pay for debris cleanup and removal from the Clayton Fire. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Bill Dodd made the announcement Tuesday about the money coming from the California Disaster Assistance Act. It comes after assessments by the Office of Emergency Services, the State Department of Toxic Substance Control and local authorities in areas of Lower Lake hit by the fire. Cleanup teams will be out in Lower Lake neighborhoods over the next few weeks.

The Vallejo Fire Dept. warning locals about an unknown odor and to stay inside. The Emergency Operation Center has been partially activated and the Fire Department and PG&E are looking into the smell. The Shelter in Place order for Southern Vallejo after a strong odor of natural gas was reported in the Glen Cove and Beverly Hills Park neighborhoods. Hazmat crews were out but they didn’t detect any natural gas and so far say the source of the odor was unknown.

Bay area poverty rates are down for the first time in almost 10 years. But newly released census reports say even though most U.S. cities are climbing out of the Great Recession, 1 in 5 Californians are still struggling on low income. Lake County’s labor force participation rate is at about 51 percent, the same its been for several months. And the poverty rate a little more than 24 percent with median household income lower too. About 15.3 percent or nearly 6 million in Calif were below the official poverty line in 2015.

John’s Place in Willits reopens its doors in a new location. This almost two years after a fire gutted the place on East Commercial Street. The husband and wife team who own the place, Dan and Jeanne Chesser are still running the joint. He’s 89 years old. They’re having their reopening celebration this Saturday at 377 S. Main St.

A couple of deer hunters who were reported missing in Covelo have been found safe. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports the men out hunting last Sunday and didn’t return a few hours after as planned. The family reporting them missing Monday and about 50 people went out searching including the Mendocino County Search and Rescue, the California National Guard and the Bay Area Mountain Rescue Unit. The two finally were able to use their cell phones and were brought back to camp. They were said to be fine, just dehydrated and hungry.

A man has been detained as a couple fires start in Ukiah. Fire Authority reports at least two fires started behind the Hillside Health Center yesterday morning. Firefighters went out to the first fire, than less than a half mile away, another started. The fire authority reports a homeless man walking near the second fire was arrested. The fires burned about one to two acres together and were under control by the afternoon.

A former driver for the taxi like companies Uber and Lyft has been arrested for the sexual assault of several women. Investigators in Southern Calif. say an 18 year old college student said she had been assaulted last week after hailing an Uber near San Diego. She says the driver picked her up at the Palomar College campus in San Marcos, took her to another location and attacked her inside his mini-van. Jeremy Vague was arrested later. He’s an ex college basketball player, 7 feet tall, 270 pounds. He’s pleaded not guilty to multiple sexual assault charges. Cops say there could be more victims.

The California Supreme Court says yes to take on a lawsuit against the app, Yelp. Yelp says it could lead to the removal of negative reviews on its site. The court voted unanimously Wednesday to take on the appeal by Yelp after a lower court ordered the app to remove negative reviews about a San Francisco law firm. Yelp is looking for the ruling to be overturned saying it could mean businesses can then force the company to remove critical reviews.

Police in New Jersey say a 61-year-old woman stabbed her roommate after he said no to having sex with her. Sharon Harry arrested and faces aggravated assault and weapons charges. Her lawyer says the action was out of character for the woman from Trenton. Cops say she stabbed the roommate in the chest and he was seriously injured but told police what happened. He’s expected to survive. Harry was held on $10,000 bail.

News 09/21/16

A seaplane that crashed at Clear Lake Saturday morning has been hauled out of the lake. The Grumman Widgeon crashed about 500 yards offshore of Via Del Lago while the pilot was trying a water landing during the Clear Lake Seaplane Splash In. Lake County News reports the landing gear had been left down and snagged the water, pitching the plane forward. It sank in about 8 feet of water. The pilot had minor injuries, and his passenger has a broken leg. The plane was pulled out of the lake Monday.

Ukiah High School says it’s getting the cockroach situation under control. School district officials say the proper identification of the exact type of cockroaches they have has helped them further eradicate the bugs. The Superintendent of schools says the California Department of Pest Regulation says local pest control companies couldn’t totally get rid of the pests because it wasn’t known they were Turkestan cockroaches which look just like a common species known as the Oriental cockroach, which is what they were going after. So now that they know they’ve had an easier time fighting the infestation.

A drive up flu clinic in Ukiah, if you want to partake. Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency Public Health Dept is having their seasonal flu vaccine drive-up clinic next Saturday, Oct. 1st, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at 1120 S. Dora St., Ukiah. They recommend the flu shot for anyone over 19 years old. Those without health insurance are being encouraged to attend. They’re asking for a suggested donation of $15 per flu shot, but they say nobody 19 years or older will be turned away. For more information, call 472-2600.

Continual vandalism happening at Trump Headquarters in Ukiah. It happened at least 3 times in one day. The Daily Journal reports Mike Carter and his wife, Robin went to the building Monday and saw splattered red paint on the front of the building. There was vandalism there the day before too, words written in chalk which were washed off, then later they found the word bigots spray-painted on the sidewalk. The couple says most of the response they’ve received has been positive.

The cause of a fire in Kelseyville is being investigated. Fire officials reported the fire reported Monday night across from Mike’s Auto. The Kelseyville Fire Chief says the business where the fire happened does body work and repair, but they didn’t release the name. He says when they got there a fiberglass skylight had burned out and fire was coming out of that. The building was totally gutted.

Mendo-Lake Credit Union is donating $600 to match a donation from Nokomis Elementary School for victims of the Clayton Fire in Lake County. Nokomis Elementary counselor Keenan Tyner started the fundraising and says most of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced lunches, so getting the money raised was a big deal for them. Staff and 105 students donated to fire victims using competitions and other efforts. Tyner organized the 2 week fundraising drive before school started.

Seniors in Calif can soon hold off on paying their property taxes as a tax postponement program is back in force. The California State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement Program starts again October 1st after being on hold since the Legislature froze it in 2009. Homeowners at least 62 years old who are blind or have another disability can defer current-year property taxes on a primary place of residence if certain criteria is met. They have to have 40 percent equity in their home and have an annual household income of $35,500 or less. For more info (800) 952-5661 or visit www.SeniorResourceDirectory.org.

A new report by the Associated Press shows California lawmakers get paid for their cost of living and eating out when they travel to Sacramento to write and pass bills. Not to mention they get six-figure salaries and benefits. But the report shows the state’s got loosely worded rules so lawmakers can get those payments even if they never go to work. The AP reports Assemblyman Roger Hernandez of West Covina got unlimited time off and still got a tax-free, daily allowance of $176. The report shows lawmakers had taken 325 days off during the legislative session that just ended for various reasons but still collected taxpayer-funded living expenses.

Mendocino County supervisors say no to Mendocino Redwood Company demanding a refund of nearly $20,000 in taxes for the Mendocino Coast fire district. The tax measure approved last November with 83% of the tax money going to the Albion-Little River Fire Protection District. So Mendocino Redwood sued the county, saying the parcel tax is against the law and the money should be given back. And further, they already pay fees to Cal Fire. The company is not alone, landowners also have to pay a tax to the fire district as firefighters are first responders to fires and other emergencies on timberland.

It may cost the Diocese of Stockton $15 million to pay off more than two dozen victims who say they’d been sexually abused by priests in the diocese. The Bishop Stephen Blaire has announced the diocese filed for bankruptcy as part of the proposed settlement. One of the victims first came forward nearly 4 decades ago. She says she was abused by a defrocked priest from the Diocese, Oliver O’Grady. She reported being abused in the 1970s during Catholic camp sleepovers.

A man has been arrested after a credible threat was reported against the state Capitol. Police say it came from outside, but there was never any lockdown. They’ve not said what sort of threats were made, but id’d a person they arrested as 20-year-old Cody Moore, who was arrested in Carmichael. He faces charges of threats to elected officials and criminal threats.

A mom and daughter in Northern California got a month in jail after being found guilty of not cooperating with a black police officer. 48 year old Michelle Lemos and her 19 year old daughter Gabrielle, both white, were arrested after a domestic disturbance at their house where sheriff’s Deputy Marcus Holton responded. He reported, and his body camera showed a chaotic, alcohol-fueled high school graduation party. His camera showed the women wagging their finger in his face, and using racial slurs later during a phone call. Mom and daughter have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, accusing the deputy of police brutality. That lawsuit invalidated due to their the conviction.

A drug suspect in Pennsylvania that dropped his cellphone as he ran from cops went on Facebook to tell his friends they shouldn’t call him. Lackawanna County detectives say James Hankins of Scranton ran as police tried to arrest him for an undercover heroin and cocaine deal. His Facebook status saying he’d be off social media for a while and didn’t have a phone. A woman who apparently knew him, let him in to her home where cops found him hiding in the basement.

A 2 hour chase by cops in Anchorage, going after a young black bear. The bear seen running down sidewalks and thru traffic and hiding for a time behind a Pizza Hut. Police followed the bear last Thursday but then the state Department of Fish and Game joined the chase, caught the bear and relocated it. Police posted video of the chase on FB which was viewed more than 1 million times.

News 09/20/16

A man with his newborn son in the car crashed into three cars in as many crashes on a major Healdsburg route. Police say Robert Harrison of Geyserville had an open beer in the car with his 2-month-old son inside when he crashed his pickup. He and the child were taken to a hospital for what looked to be minor injuries. The baby reportedly fine. Harrison cited for driving with an open container, but he passed field sobriety tests. He had a blood‑alcohol test which showed him to be well under the legal limit of 0.08.

Logging operations have been stopped in the Gualala River watershed until after a court case ends. The judge in the case has granted a preliminary injunction coinciding with an earlier temporary ruling siding with environmentalists who the judge ruled had a strong enough case to allow the work to stop. The judge said the work to fell trees in the area near the coast by the Sonoma-Mendocino county border, would change the environment in a way it could not be changed back if the plaintiffs in the case won their lawsuit and got approval to withdraw the logging plan. A fight against the logging of 330 acres of redwood forest along the lower river known as the Dogwood harvest plan.

A young man from Hopland has died during a high speed chase west of Santa Rosa. Police say 19 year old Maclovio Romero with two other people in the silver Toyota Avalon Sunday during the crash. The others also had major injuries, one of them ejected with Romero, the other stuck in the smashed up car. They say they don’t know who was driving. Police tried to make a routine stop, but the car kept going at speeds of up to 80 mph. It went over the barrier, went airborne, then rolled several times.

More info’s come out on the study of white trees known as albino redwoods. Scientists say they’re genetic mutations attaching to the roots and branches of healthy redwood trees then suck sugars off the huge host trees to live. They say they’ve found about 400 in California, especially in Santa Cruz County. A researcher in San Jose says the “ghosts of the forest” also have high levels of toxic heavy metals like nickel, copper and cadmium. The trees found along 400 miles from the Oregon border to Big Sur.

A recent assessment of several of the top health priorities in Mendocino have been identified. Five teams met to come up with their objectives to solve problems in five areas, poverty, housing, mental health, childhood obesity/family wellness and childhood trauma. Healthy Mendocino met last week to find solutions to the health problems found as part of a Community Health Needs Assessment this past summer.

The costliest wildfire in California’s history continues burning along the Big Sur coast. The fire has cost more than $200 million in firefighting costs. The National Interagency Fire Center says the fire’s past the previous high of $165 million from a fire in 2002 that burned in Calif. and Oregon. The fire is only 67 percent contained and could take weeks to get it totally surrounded. The 200 million number does not take into account how much damage has been done to homes, that’s just the cost of putting it out. The U.S. Forest Service says the fire’s cost $8 million/day at its peak, and now more like $2 million since it’s calmed. The fire started by an illegal campfire July 22nd.

The Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill into law regulating greenhouse-gas emissions he says are caused by dairy cows and landfills.

SOT

This goes further than other efforts to fight global warming including methane and other pollutants. The category known as short-lived climate pollutants, which create more damage to the environment even though they themselves have a short life in the atmosphere.

A two faces calf’s been born to a cow mama in central Kentucky. Stan McCubbin of Campbellsville says he first thought it was twins, then noticed something a tad strange. The female calf emerged with two noses, two mouths and four eyes, but the middle two eyes don’t work. The calf can walk, but McCubbins says it goes in circles and falls over. They also say calves with this sort of genetic mutation are usually stillborn, but this one is eating and seems healthy.

News 09/19/16

No tours at a college outside Philadelphia for prospective students and their parents because those living there already say the dormitory frequently smells like marijuana. The Philadelphia Inquirer (http://bit.ly/2d1lEjy ) reports tour guides at Swarthmore College say administrators said parents complained of getting a “contact high” when passing through Willets dorm. So they were told during a summer training to stop visiting the dorm.

Police went for a McGyver move, using Olive Oil to get a man out of a tight spot after he got stuck trying to get his phone in Rhode Island. It happened near a fishing area in Point Judith where police say the guy dropped his cell but then got stuck when he bent down to get it between a couple of jettys. Firefighters and environmental police helped the guy for the better part of an afternoon, finally setting him free with olive oil.

A vote’s delayed by the Ukiah Planning Commission on a proposed ordinance to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Ukiah. Commissioner Laura Christensen saying there’s too many unanswered questions to move it forward. The proposed ordinance to allow medical weed stores in all commercial zones, including the downtown core. Operators have to get a permit from the zoning administrator/planning director plus they would have to have a public hearing for approval too. Then after they got their permit, they’d have to renew it annually.

Two people have been arrested after gunshots were heard this weekend. Police in Clearlake arrested two people on suspicion of armed robbery at an illegal marijuana grow. They say they got a call to the gunshot sounds early Sunday morning finding 3 men had broken into a home trying to steal some pot. One of the five at the residence hit in the head with a blunt object during a struggle. Police say several shots were fired during the encounter and they arrested Christopher Cairati and Todd Davi. They also say another man Joshua Joaquin was involved, but they’ve yet to locate him. Police say the pot garden was supposedly being used to sell the weed to local collectives which is against the law. The Lake County DA will decide if the victim is charged for the illegal grow.

A man in Clearlake getting ready for work shot several times. Police say the man was taken by family members to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake and that he had multiple growing pot plants outside his home. Police say they got a call to shots fired last Wednesday and while searching the area they found spent shell casings. Then hospital staffers confirmed they had a gunshot victim. The victim says he was putting stuff in his car before work and saw a man walking nearby and then he was shot. The suspect then took off. Police went into the victim’s home and found several pot plants and say even though they were used for medicine they were not in compliance with code. No word on if he’ll be cited or what happened to the suspected shooter.

A man from Comptche who disappeared has been found ok. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports getting a call Friday night about a missing 61-year-old man from Elk. Deputies searched his property that night to no avail. They had volunteers from the department’s Search and Rescue team out the next morning with police dogs and found the man in a deep ravine on his property. They say he was disoriented and needed medical assistance.

California is starting a study into state balcony standards after the deadly collapse in Berkeley. The Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation into law last week creating a working group to recommend ways for the better construction of balconies and if the state should look into information on construction malpractice. Licensed contractors also now have to report industry-related crimes. Thirteen people on that fifth-floor balcony when it collapsed in June 2015 and six of them died.

Cops in Sacramento say a woman pretended to try to kill herself to get out of a prison sentence. The Sacramento Bee reported the woman had been sentenced to almost 2 years behind bars for mortgage fraud. They say the 41 year old woman was supposed to start her sentence in February of 2014 but left and penned note making it looked like she offed herself. She was arrested again last month in Sacramento in a car her husband was driving. She was charged for failing to surrender and her hubby for harboring a fugitive.

More than 1.3 million people showing up since 1985 for the yearly California Coastal Cleanup Day which happened again Saturday. Since it all started in 85, there’s been 22 million pounds of trash taken away from the coast, lakes, creeks and rivers in nearly every county. Thousands of volunteers were expected this weekend for the 32nd annual event. The California Coastal Commission, the sponsor of the event, says cigarette butts litter waterways more than anything else. This as the Gov. pursues a no smoking law at beaches across the state.

Three people have been arrested in Clearlake in a probation sweep at a home. Police say they went to a home last Wednesday and served a search and arrest warrant on several people living in the house as part of their community oriented policing project. Jayson Tate arrested and went to the Lake County Jail for resisting arrest; William Rankin for possession of a controlled substance; Jennifer Morse for being under the influence of a controlled substance and six cars were towed.

2 people have been injured after the seaplane they were flying in crashed into Clear Lake. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports it happened late Saturday morning at the yearly Clear Lake Seaplane Splash. They say the crash happened offshore from Via Del Lago. Apparently the pilot just fueled up and accidentally left the wheels down. The plane landed nose down in the water with its tail in the air in about 8 feet of water.

News 09/16/16

The Lake County Long-Term Recovery Task Force has a new meeting scheduled related to the Clayton Fire. Next Wednesday, September 21st at Lower Lake Park at 5:30p.m. with Lake County’s 5th District Supervisor Rob Brown and County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson. They’re encouraging fire survivors to come to the meeting, and say seating is limited. Meetings so fire survivors have a chance to share concerns and ask questions of members of the Task Force.

A man from Fort Bragg’s arrested after a Mendocino Transit Authority bus was being punched in Ukiah. Police report going out to the 200 block of North Orchard Avenue Wednesday morning on reports about a man hitting a bus. They say they knew him from other contacts and booked him into jail on suspicion of vandalism. They say when they tried to talk with him, he had trouble forming words. The bus driver says she was driving in the JC Penny parking lot and when she stopped, saying the guy’s behavior alarmed her. She said he was hitting and pulling on the front passenger double doors, trying to pry them open and damaged them.

Three people have been arrested after they were seen in a stolen car. Ukiah Police report being in the 2200 block of North State Street Tuesday seeing a silver Honda spray-painted looked to match the description of a car recently reported stolen. Officers went up to the parked car and as those inside started exiting the car, the driver and two passengers were detained. 26 year old Sarah Auclair of Willits was arrested on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and stolen property. Her two passengers for drug charges and violating parole. All three were booked into Mendocino County Jail.

A man from Redwood Valley convicted of a fatal drunk driving incident got prison time. Jared Soinila agreed to a plea deal of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and inflicting great bodily injury for the February incident where he drove into oncoming traffic, killing an elderly man and seriously injured his wife. Soinila had minor injuries. Soinila got 6 years and has to serve 85% of the sentence before going up for parole.

The state reporting to the city of Ukiah it’s concerned about plans for a so-called “purple pipe” so reclaimed water from the Wastewater Treatment Plant could be used for irrigation. The money from the state includes almost $10 million in grants and a $25.5 million loan with 1-percent interest from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The city’s also applying for another $13 million in loans and $7 million in grants. But the Water and Sewer Director says he was told by state officials they’re concerned about moving forward because of a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District for unpaid sewer fees. The director says the state gave the city until the end of the year to clear the matter up.

The Mendocino County Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Susan Ranochak has updated the Board of Supervisors on management of the Elections Department. The 90 minute presentation after 3 residents accused the city of problems rapidly reporting election results to county residents. Three residents who were voter observers filed the complaint after working the June Primary. The residents complained over several weeks saying there were unwarranted restrictions on viewing ballot processing, a cavalier attitude of observers by Ranochak and other staffers and other unseemly behaviors. The county Executive Office is looking for short term solutions for observers and is asking for potential extra help for Ranochak if needed.

A teen in Carinthia, Austria, is suing her parents for their posting of more than 500-odd childhood photos on FB. She says it was without her consent. The now 18 year old says there was no shame and no limit and the pictures included her sitting on the toilet or lying naked in bed. She says she’s tired of her parents not taking her seriously even after repeated requests and their refusal to take the pix down. A trial date’s been set for November.

A unanimous decision by the Fort Bragg City Council for cleaner energy options by joining the Sonoma Clean Power Joint Powers Authority. The council has directed staff to draw up a resolution and an ordinance by the end of the month which they expect to be adopted in October. The Sonoma Clean Power CEO was at the council meeting this week with a presentation and answered questions before the decision was made. Service wouldn’t start for residents of the city until next June.

Quick work by several city employees and community members in Fort Bragg averting a catastrophe after a gasoline spill at the Chevron Station in the 800 block of South Main Street. One police officer who went there found a trail of spilled gas leaked from a big RV which was fueling up. The Fort Bragg Fire Department and City of Fort Bragg Public Works employees went to help with cleanup. And employees of the gas station spread absorbent powder and stopped the leak from getting into any storm drains or waterways. Apparently the motorhome driver didn’t notice they had a blown inner dual tire, damage to the vehicle’s fuel filling system.

News 09/15/16

A bunch of trash to be cleared under the Lake Mendocino Dr. Bridge and other spots. The Mendocino County Resource Conservation District organized the cleanup day for Saturday. Volunteers will clean the river, Orr Creek and other areas of trash and other debris. The date, the same as the Coastal Cleanup Day. Friends of Gibson Creek, Mendocino County Solid Waste Management Authority and the city of Ukiah are working with the district to host the event. Volunteers are meeting in three areas the Orr Creek Bridge in Ukiah between Brush and Ford streets; McCarthy’s Bar and Grill in Redwood Valley and at the intersection of Highways 175 and 101 in Hopland, all at 9am. For more info call 707-462-3664, ext. 106, or email deborah.edelman. For the Hopland group, contact Ken Johnson at 570-9226 or ken.

A teen in the middle of the whole San Francisco Bay Area police sex scandal is facing a reduced assault charge in Florida. Prosecutors in Martin County, where the teenager’s been in jail since she was arrested last month, reduced the biting a security guard charge to a misdemeanor. It happened at a drug treatment center where she was living. It essentially means she can be extradited back to Calif. sooner. The Alameda County D.A. had said she was waiting for the teen to get back from Florida before seven men were charged with various crimes.

A felon in a stolen car caught by Clearlake Police. Police say it started as a traffic stop for a minor violation then ended up in a high-speed chase as the driver of the gold Chevrolet Impala took off instead. Police say an officer saw the car driven by Kashi Arbeeny Friday night with a tail light out and took chase. It went on about 3.5 miles. He finally stopped and was arrested. Another man in the car was questioned. Arbeeny faces charges of evading a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance and other charges. His passenger had a warrant and was also arrested.

A continuance for a man accused of a chase and attack on a cop. The Preliminary Hearing for Craig Fenno, II postponed after a July incident where he’s accused of stabbing and seriously injuring a Clearlake man. Fenno faces multiple charges including Battery on a Peace Officer With Injury, Escaping/Attempting Escape After Arrest and three counts of Obstructing/Resisting a Public officer. He was missing 2 weeks after the stabbing and when he was found, police say he put up a violent struggle, with one officer injured. He’s due back in court next Monday.

A delay for the first case of the Lake County District Attorney’s new Perjury Investigation Unit. The lawyer in the case Komnith Moth said he had a conflict so he’s been relieved by the court. This for the case of Merissa James who’s charged with Perjury, Two counts of Preparing False Evidence and a Violation of Probation. She was arrested in August after she was accused of submitting phony documents to the court in another case.

A man who ran to his parents’ house in New Hampshire after being accused of killing a man at a Covelo pot farm last spring has been extradited to Mendocino County and is now in jail. Joshua Ruoff was booked last Friday on suspicion of murder and assault with a deadly weapon for the death of Timothy Sweeting. The Press Democrat reports a witness saw Ruoff’s alleged assault on Sweeting May 17th. Detectives found Ruoff in New Hampshire soonafter but he was fighting extradition for nearly four months. He’ll be arraigned Sept 23rd.

Lake County is giving a $20 million jail expansion grant back to the state because they don’t have the money to staff it. Lake Co News reports the Board of Supervisors voted to return the grant, as requested by the County Administrative Officer Carol Huchingson and the Sheriff Brian Martin. The County got the grant to expand the Hill Road Correctional Facility a couple years ago. But they say operating it would take 18 more staffers, which would increase the county budget up to $2 million a year, as the county struggles to meet costs from wildfires. Huchingson also says when the county got the grant the jail was over capacity but now it it’s not.

A busy September meeting of the Mendocino Broadband Alliance. The group, with the goal of making reliable high-speed Internet available to all citizens and businesses, met last Friday. The agenda included discussion of the Sonoma-Mendocino Economic Development District’s final draft of a Comprehensive Economic Development strategy. That’s still under review but they’re looking for the money thru a Call for Projects. If they secure that money, the deadline they have to meet is Sept. 30th. The group also reviewed the status of some coastal permitting revisions to make it easier to do small-scale wireless projects which passed the County Planning Department and Board of Supervisors but now awaits approval from the Coastal Commission. Learn more about the alliance at http://www.mendocinobroadband.org

Traffic headaches as Ukiah High School started classes 45 minutes later this school year. The idea so teens could sleep longer. The Superintendent of schools says years of research shows sleep is crucial for teenagers’ health and learning ability. The district’s board of trustees had voted for the change almost two years ago. The principal says it’s already proven to help, with the students seeming much calmer already. But traffic is a nightmare, some late to work and their own school days. Employees at the county administration building are circulating a petition now saying neighbors were never considered. The school board for their part says staff is “monitoring” the traffic situation.

The Perkins Street bridge over Highway 101 is closed indefinitely after some heavy equipment being hauled hit the overpass. The California Highway Patrol reports an excavator on a tractor trailer going south on the 101 hit the overpass yesterday afternoon. No injuries, but the CHP closed down the overpass about 10 minutes later and detoured traffic south to Gobbi Street or north up Orchard Avenue and North State Street. There was no estimate as to when the repairs would be done and it could apparently last a while.

Four employees at the mega Chinese internet company, Alibaba, have been fired — accused of stealing more than 100 boxes of mooncakes. The cakes are a traditional delicacy which people delight on during the Mid-Autumn Festival which is happening this week. State media reports Alibaba offered employees a discount, but some worked a loophole in company software and took 124 boxes of cakes. The company said it was “unfortunate, but we wish them a better future.”

A teenager crashes into a Camel and has minor injuries, but the Camel was not so lucky. It happened in Alabama, where Sardis Police say the camel’s owner was leading it across a road Monday when the teen came at it. The owner waved his arms and leapt out of the way, but the camel crashed onto its hood. The Camel from Turk’s Bama Bucks, which breeds deer and is home to other exotic animals like kangaroos.