PM News 12/13/19

Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies say they had to use Narcan to revive a woman who had overdosed on heroin in a home on North State Street. Officers responded to that medical call and administered the opioid reversing drug to the woman who they say shot heroin about half an hour before. She was revived and taken to the hospital. Deputies have been carrying Narcan for this type of emergency since earlier this year. State statistics show Mendocino County has the
third-highest number of overdose deaths per capita in California.

Two women have been charged with stealing from a mailbox in Redwood Valley. Sheriff’s deputies on a routine patrol say they spotted 51-year-old Julia Hutchins of Redwood Valley and 50-year-old Leslie Mishou of Ukiah taking mail from a box on East School Way. They’re each now facing mail theft and conspiracy charges. Deputies say the two were on probation for earlier crimes, so they will be charged for that violation as well. Hutchins and Mishou were taken to the county jail on $10,000 bail.

There are three new members of the Ukiah Police Department. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports two of them have finished training and are now on duty, while a third will be on the street when she is through with her field training. Even with the new hires police officials say the department is still short-staffed, but that they hope to bolster the force with more new officers finishing their training and coming on board after the new year.

Police across the state are starting their annual stepped up patrols to fight drunk and impaired driving. Beginning this weekend through New Years Day there will be more officers on the roads looking out for people who shouldn’t be driving. Cops say they aren’t out to spoil holiday fun, but want drivers to know that those who don’t heed the warning are risking their lives and the lives of others on the road too. The California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. are paying for the extra patrols.

Enrollment in the Lakeport Unified Central School District is down, but officials say the district is in good financial shape. The district board got a budget update this week, with Chief Business officer Jacque Eischens telling members that staff and the community continue to work together holding the line on spending and that the outlook is rosy as planning starts on the next fiscal plan.
Record-Bee.com reports Superintendent Jill Falconer told the board that enrollment has dropped with students moving out of the district and that she is concerned about some chronic absenteeism as well. Falconer says her office is trying to find a pattern to that absenteeism problem and will fix it once they identify what’s wrong.

News 12/13/19

The mayor and vice mayor in Willits will continue another year. The Willits City Council voted to continue mayor Gerardo Gonzalez and vice mayor Larry Stranske until 2021. The council also held a public hearing at the same meeting on preparing a Groundwater Management Plan for the Little Lake Basin. It was a unanimous vote for the resolution to have a consultant draft plans. Then there was a public hearing on the General Plan Housing Element after some tweaks suggested by the Community Development Director. Now the planning department can start to develop plans for new housing.

A feasibility study is planned after locations were identified for mental health facilities. This is part of the requirement for a Measure B funded psychiatric health facility, crisis stabilization unit, and crisis residential structure. The Mendocino County Executive Office will do the work on the plan which outlines finances and shows how much the County can afford. About $2 million comes in each year thanks to Measure B. But the Mendocino County CEO says the County probably won’t be able to afford buildings for all three services, so priorities will have to be decided on. The Adventist Health president has also reportedly sent a letter to the Board of Supervisors to use funds to remodel part of the Mendocino Coast District Hospital for psychiatric services.

The Mendocino Emergency Weather Shelter is opening this weekend. After the board of supervisors puts up some money for the shelter to open, the location opens Sunday. It comes after the Fort Bragg City Council reportedly agreed on a $25,000 “bridge loan” for the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to manage the shelter. The county’s director of social services said the holdup was due to the Center’s late billing. One city council member saying it’s late coming and in the rain. Bernie Norvell saying maybe it’s time for another organization besides the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to run the shelter.

After leaving office a year ago, the former Registrar of Voters in Lake County is back in office, temporarily. Former Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley is back in the saddle after Catherine McMullen resigned earlier this month after only 5 months on the job. Fridley retired last December after more than 40 years in Lake County. After Fridley left, the Lake County Administrative officer because the interim Registrar, then McMullen was hired in June out of Oregon. She quit immediately after an election in June. In an online post, McMullen wrote her dream job turned out to be a nightmare. So the search is on again for Fridley’s replacement, but until then, she’s on the job.

The first interim budget of the Lakeport Unified School District’s (LUSD) Chief Business Officer has been released. At Wednesday’s board meeting the budget was presented showing fiscal stability through 2021-2022 even though there’s declining enrollment. There’s also notations of chronic absenteeism for some Native American students which has been noted may be caused by bussing issues. Also noted was the impact PG&E’s public safety power shutdowns have done to the school district and lost meal reimbursement revenue. They also discussed holding summer school for the first time in three years.

Three new police officers have been hired in Ukiah. Two of the new officers just finished training and were said to already be out on the street. Christopher Min in the academy but hired before even starting, had his program paid for by the department. The other on the street Patrick Infante who was in the academy with Min. The third officer has not been publicly introduced yet, but is said to be a former Ukiah resident who became a cop in Texas and is making a lateral move to be here. The three hires after three former officers left, including Joshua Cooper who went to Sonoma County, Ross Lunceford (who was arrested earlier this year for a domestic violence incident) and another, Dave McQueary who retired after more than 26 years of service.

The Lake County Point in Time count is nearing and the Board of Supervisors got an update from the organizers. The Chair of the Point in Time Count Committee, and chair of the Lake County Continuum of Care appeared in front of the board regarding the Jan. 27^th count around Lake County. The Continuum of Care put up a new website so folks can learn more and volunteer. They will give items out to the homeless too. There will be fliers going out around the county as we get closer to the Point in Time count with shows where the count will be happening.

PG&E once again revising its plan for Chapter 11 reorganization showing they’ve reached settlements with the major groups of wildfire victims suing the utility company, so they may make their June deadline to emerge from bankruptcy. The amended plan filed in court yesterday shows the settlements the utility company has reached with the groups of wildfire claimants which they say they believe satisfies the requirements of state law. The company claims it came to the agreement after extensive negotiations and it further treats all victims fairly, protects customers and employees, and will enable PG&E to emerge from Chapter 11 as a financially sound utility positioned to serve California for the long term. The plan filed Thursday is available on the company’s website at http://investor.pgecorp.com/Chapter-11/default.aspx .

 

 

 

PM News 12/12/19

PG&E crews spent part of their day dealing with a power outage in the Laytonville area. The Mendocino Voice reports at one point this morning, about 3,000 homes were out, but that most were expected to be back on by the end of the day. That outage apparently caused by the continuing wind and rain. The PG&E outage map web page has the latest information about the problem.

There’s a revision to a blockbuster deal set to shake up the wine industry. Constellation Brands and E.J. Gallo say they have revised the terms of their merger agreement to satisfy anti-trust concerns. That merger is now valued at 1.1 billion dollars, down from the initial value of 1.7 billion after Constellation says it will hang on to its sparkling wine, brandy, concentrate, and dessert wine lines, instead of selling them to Gallo. The two companies hope the changes will lead to a final deal by March 1st.

The Lake Ministerial Association says its warming center is available for homeless people who want to come in from the cold. The association says it has room for 24 people on a first-come, first-served basis Monday through Friday evenings. Those in need can check in between 5:30 and 6:00 at the bus stop in front of the old Natural High School. People who are intoxicated or aggressive won’t get a bus pass or be allowed in and all of those who stay the night will have to sign an agreement governing their conduct.

News 12/12/2019

The Mendocino County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Registrar of Voters office has sent out postcards for those who have registered with No Party Preference. The Registrar of Voters office says those with No Party Preference or Permanent Vote By Mail Voters will not have a polling place to go to in the Presidential Primary Election March 3^rd. You will instead get the ballot in the mail, and heads up, if you don’t return your preference card back to the Registrar by their deadline, you won’t get Presidential candidates on your mail in ballot. The three political parties, Democratic, Libertarian and Independent are allowing No Party Preference voters to vote in the Primary if they return the postcard before December 27^th, but the Green, Peace and Freedom, or Republican Parties require No Party Preference voters to re-register. The last day to re-register to vote is February 17, 2020.

www.howtovoteforpresident.sos.ca.gov or call the Secretary of State’s voter hotline at (800)345-VOTE (8683).

Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman has announced his retirement. It somehow leaked out a day before he was going to formally announce his last day, which will be Saturday, December 28^th. Allman says it’s a decision he made for various reason, and he says, most importantly there is a very good undersheriff in place in Matt Kendall, who Allman says is ready to take over. Allman has been working in law enforcement since 1985 and has been sheriff the last 13 years. His public letter thanking the men and women in his department and says he’s not moving away and will keep working on improving mental health services in the county.

A bank robber busted for crimes in Sonoma County now corralled for a Mendocino County bank robbery. Ryan Strickland, formerly of Ukiah, in court yesterday entering a no contest plea. He’s accused for the August 2018 robbery of a Chase Bank in Ukiah. He was found guilty already for a Sonoma County robbery this past July. He got the maximum amount of time in prison allowed, about 7.5 years. But there’s only 12 more months allowed if he’s convicted of the Ukiah robbery, because of limitations in California’s felony sentencing rules. He could also end up spending 85% of the total time in prison for work or good time credits.

A contract has finally been approved between Mendocino County and the SEIU Union, Local 2015. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the deal with In Home Social Support (IHSS) workers, of which there are as many as 1,400 members working with the disabled and elderly. The agreement dated December 10^th will be in force until the end of 2022. The workers will get a dollar more than the state’s minimum wage, that being $14 an hour in January, then $15 an hour in 2021 and $16 an hour in January 2022. The union is also getting $5,000 a year for training employees. The union had been lobbying for more money at Supervisor meetings and during contract negotiations for months.

Looking for something to do with family and friends this Christmas… you can make your own seasonal wreath out of materials collected from the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center. Those attending this Saturday get to make a wreath with the guidance of a master gardener coordinator from the Center. Gabriele O’Neill says a lot of their native plants have beautiful seasonal foliage, including California Holly and Christmas Berry. She says they’ll teach all about the native species as participants work on their wreath bases. They’ll also be providing hot apple cider and gingerbread. The workshop from 10 a.m.- noon costs $25 a person covering the cost of materials.

The Gov. and First Partner at the Calif. Museum inducting a class into the California Hall of Fame. Some of those inducted Tuesday night at the state Capitol include writer, poet, performer and teacher Dr. Maya Angelou; actor, model, singer, songwriter, television personality and author RuPaul; skateboarder, entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony Hawk; actor and comedian George Lopez and chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur Wolfgang Puck.

The federal government looking for a large chunk of money out of the PG&E deal with wildfire victims to settle their claims in the company’s chapter 11 bankruptcy. FEMA wants $4 billion dollars from PG&E for work clearing debris from homes and businesses that burned in the many fires the utility company is blamed for in 2017 in the North Bay and the 2018 Camp fire in Butte County. The money would be pulled out of the $13.5 billion dollars the utility company has set aside to pay wildfire claims. But attorneys for the wildfire survivors are against FEMA’s request in court, saying the federal agency trying to get money goes against the mission of FEMA to help disaster victims.

 

PM News 12/11/19

About 1,400 unionized workers in Mendocino County have a new contract. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports that the county board has approved the agreement with members of SEIU local 2015, who provide long term care for county residents. The deal runs until the end of 2022. It calls for an hourly wage eventually reaching $16.00 an hour by the end of the contract, plus more money for training. Funding will come from future county general fund budgets.

The Chief Administrator of the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District in Fort Bragg is one of five finalists for a similar job in North Dakota. The Park District in Fargo, North Dakota says Dan Keyes has made the final cut to be its next Executive Director. According to an online biography from the department in Fargo, Keyes has a 30-year career in the recreation field, and before coming to Mendocino County worked in several other western states. There’s no word when Fargo will make a choice.

There’s a new leader for the state’s largest health care provider. Greg Adams will be the Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, replacing former boss Bernard Tyson, who died suddenly last month. The health care system appointed Adams on an interim basis after Tyson died.

The California Attorney General’s office is asking for records from several Roman Catholic dioceses as it looks for more information about allegations of abuse by clergy members. The diocese of Sacramento and the Archdiocese of San Francisco among those getting subpoenas for documents such as medical records and other private information. Groups representing abuse survivors say that information could shed light on the church’s role in potentially covering up those
allegations, some of which go back several years. They hope a grand jury will eventually hear testimony and forward its findings for trial. Church leaders say they’ll hand over whatever the law allows.

News 12/11/19

A burglary at the Hopland Post Office and police are on the lookout for two men. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reports the burglary happened Sunday morning, witnesses seeing a grey sedan outside the building before 8 am. Deputies say there may have been packages and postal process equipment taken. U.S. Postal Inspectors are investigating along with police. The Postal Inspection Service says they can’t confirm whether or not packages were stolen, but postal equipment was. They’re asking customers who may be missing something they were expecting to report it. They’re also offering a reward of up $10,000 to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever was responsible.

A former Ukiah city manager is applying for a seat on the Ukiah Valley Sanitation District board of directors. Former City Manager Candace Horsley says she’s a customer so she has a vested interest in the district. She’s running for Andrea Reed’s seat, who resigned at the end of October. She gave her experience in a letter of interest for the position, saying she has experience working for the city, but she can remain neutral and work for the betterment of the Sanitation District. The board discussed the departure of Reed at their last meeting, who had reportedly said she was bullied and that was the reason she was leaving. The board is meeting tonight, no word if they’ll take up the matter again and discuss Horsley’s application.

PG&E will be taking their helicopter saw out again to trim trees after being sidelined by fog. The helicopter with hanging circular saws was supposed to fly in the Brooktrails community outside Willits through Thursday but had to stay down due to weather. They’re working on trimming treetops and the sides of trees near high voltage transmission and distribution lines for prevent fires and future power outages. The heli-saws to fly around Goose Road, Buckeye Road and Ridge Road.

A man in Fort Bragg’s arrested after a traffic stop turns up heroin. Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies stopped a car, then found passenger Clinton Sallee in the car who they knew was on probation with a search condition. When searching him and the car where he was seated, deputies say they found items in his backpack associated with the use of drugs, and heroin. He was arrested for violating his probation, possessing heroin and drug paraphernalia and held on no bail.

A couple of men accused in the murder of another man in Lucerne last month entered no pleas in court, they’ve yet to retain counsel. Michael Shaffer and Daniel Ford are accused of killing Nicky Smith, whose body was found Thanksgiving week off Scotts Valley Road. The two suspects were arrested the same day at Running Creek Casino in Upper Lake. The men showed up with lawyers but apparently they were not formally hired and apparently the prosecutor in the case may also change. The two are due back in court after the new year as the sheriff’s office continues its investigation into Smith’s murder. Smith’s car was still missing too.

A bunch of boulders set in place along the Russian River near Geyserville to stop erosion. The Press Democrat reports around 400 Alexander Valley residents could become isolated in the area if the erosion is allowed to take hold on the riverbank. The giant rocks placed by Sonoma County on River Road about a mile north of Highway 128. The board of supervisors approved the $200,000 project as a stop gap emergency repair back in February after a massive downpour. There are about 100 homes on the dead-end road and no other way in or out of the area for fire or emergency crews. There’s a permanent fix in the works including placing more rocks, willow trees and other features to hopefully slow the river, create fish habitat and protect the bank.

Neighbors banding together to help those affected by the recent fire that broke out at some homes and businesses in Boonville. The fire last week closed Highway 128 for several hours as firefighters took down the fire that tore thru three businesses in Anderson Valley. “The Boonville Fire Fund” has since been established and operated by the Community Foundation of Mendocino. There is also a GoFundMe set up to raise money for the families who were displaced, already raising more than $8,500 by Monday. The fire last Thursday started next door to the Anderson Valley Market and took down three homes, Lizzby’s Mexican Restaurant and the Pic ‘N Pay Market.

Dates set for the Crab Fishery by the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. The agency says the Sonoma County area and south of it had their fishery opening delayed, the starting date now this Sunday. That was to avoid marine life entanglements. So the Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group got together Dec. 4^th reviewing newer info and decided the fishery could open Dec. 15^th. The Working Group will continue to work with the state agency reviewing scientific information and to help minimize the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglements, they say, while maximizing fishing opportunity.

News 12/10/19

The annual Wreaths Across America in Lake County in honor of fallen veterans is happening this weekend. The event Saturday to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and their families, and teach our children the value of freedom. The event starts at 8:50 and is taking place at Hartley, Kelseyville, Upper Lake, Lower Lake, Middletown and St. Mary’s cemeteries. Lake Co News reports it’s to honor veterans during the holiday season featuring youth organizations and veteran organizations. They will place seven ceremonial wreaths for each soldier, sailor, airman, and marine who has served

The last meeting of the year for the Middletown Area Town Hall is set. On Thursday evening at 7 they’ll discuss the Guenoc (Gwen-ock) Valley development, homeless people loitering in community park and becoming a Firewise community. Lake Co News reports Middletown would be the first Firewise community, if it’s approved. The group to also get an update from District 1 Supervisor Moke Simon. As you may know MATH, like other Lake County cities is its own advisory council for residents. It covers Anderson Springs, Cobb, Coyote Valley (including Hidden Valley Lake), Long Valley and Middletown.

The annual burn ban has been lifted as weather conditions permit in Lake County. You still need a burn permit for any outdoor burning though. You can pick up a permit at any fire department. You’ll need a smoke management plan though for more than a one day burn, for standing vegetation burns, whole trees or vine removals of more than an acre, burns over 20 acres, and others that could create a lot of smoke. The plans are available at the Lake County Air Quality Management District office. There’s also a debris pickup or composting available thru the County.

A fire burns a home in Ukiah after flames break out in the crawl space. Nobody was in the home in the 600 block of Grove Avenue because of a basketball game happening at the time at nearby Pomolita Middle School. An off duty fire captain happened to be there and evacuated those in the home. Apparently there were people living illegally in the home’s crawl space. The fire starting on top of a plastic ice chest. Those inside tried using water on the fire and apparently kept it from spreading, but it did get to some support beams first. Fire officials say the fire damaged some of the electrical system in the house, which wasn’t up to code either, calling it a public safety risk. All electricity to the home was shut down. No injuries were reported.

Cannabis already making a mark in Humboldt County… now that it’s legalized some residents are looking at ways to market the industry, much like the wine industry. A committee’s been formed to promote cannabis, as part of Project Trellis, an investment into the county from cannabis tax revenue from the legal marijuana market. The county’s economic development officer says the ad hoc committee will be tasked with receiving, reviewing and ranking marketing proposals to help staff choose who to work with.

Another Empire actor in trouble with the law. This time it’s Actress Amanda Detmer who was arrested in Chico for a DUI and hit and run. Police say Detmer, who lives in Chico, was arrested after her car hit a utility pole. Whoever called it in says Detmer then drove away. A Chico police officer randomly stopped her car, seeing major front end damage. She was arrested after the stop. It comes after one of the other actors in the show Jessie Smollett was arrested for supposedly faking he was mugged in Chicago. He was fired from the show afterwards.

The mayor of Chico calling for help this winter with more warming shelters. A special meeting’s been called on the topic after the mayor and a couple of city councilmembers said there was a need for more warming shelters. They area also looking to change rules around when a warming shelter can be set up and where they can be located. They also say they want it to move more quickly thru the process, and cut some of the red tape. Right now the city has a contract with the Jesus Center if weather is forecasted for three days or more to be below freezing. Another shelter is opening December 22^nd though, but the city doesn’t pay for it.  The special City Council meeting tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Chico City Council Chambers.

A joint meeting of the governments of Lakeport, Clearlake and Lake County to lay out the plan for economic development. The Record Bee reports an economic adviser introduced the Lake County Economic Development Strategy in December 2018 for yearly goals. It included broadband infrastructure. The latest report was released last month saying the current broadband still needs improvement. The reports lead author laid out ways to expand broadband for rural areas, adding that thousands of Lake County residents don’t have access to broadband. Besides that, they discussed  improving the Lampson Field airport and putting buildings online where interested businesses could view to rent or buy.

A group against a new law in Calif. to punish doctors who write phony medical exemptions for vaccinations have dropped their fight. The group was interested in getting a couple of ballot measures in before the New Year. Now it’s on hold because they didn’t turn in the needed 600,000 signatures before Monday’s deadline. The Freedom Angels Foundation commented the introduction to their measure was grossly misleading and would have made it too difficult to explain the “egregious nature of these laws.” They’re referring to a new state law allowing state public health officials to investigate doctors who grant more than five medical exemptions in one year and to look into schools who have vaccination rates of less than 95%.

Firefighting overtime costs thru the roof in Calif. Overtime recorded at 65% more than any time over the last decade. The report shows overtime wages cost the state as much as $5 billion. That has firefighters at the top of the list of the highest paid workers in state government. There was only one fire official in the $300,000 a year salary range eight years ago, but as of last year, there were more than 200 salaries above that amount. But fire commanders and other fire experts say it’s still cheaper than hiring more firefighters. The report by the Los Angeles Times who poured over ten years of records. It also showed Cal Fire’s expenses were up 142% during the same time period.

News 12/9/19

You may see some smoke visible as Cal Fire starts burning slash piles. To keep catastrophic fires at bay, Cal Fire is burning debris piles and other vegetation this month. The burning starts in the morning around 10 and continues thru 5 pm daily. This is the third in a series for the Ukiah Fuels Reduction Project, a joint effort by Cal Fire, the city of Ukiah and Mendocino County. They started the project last winter. This phase is for controlled burning of fuel, with piles of vegetation, and broadcast burning of larger areas to strategically reduce fuel loads. As we reported it’s part of a larger plan by the Governor to reduce fuels and improve forest health across the state.

Willits Unified Schools may be getting a facelift. After the School District’s board of trustees approved an election to authorize $17 million in bonds to pay for the work over nine years. The money raised will help fix old classrooms and school facilities; fix roofs, plumbing, heating/ cooling and electric systems; and upgrade, acquire, construct and equip classrooms, labs and facilities. The schools superintendent supporting the vote telling the board it’s been about ten years since the last time they tried for repairs. The bonds would be sold every two or three years in increments of about $4 million.

A man from Southern California has been arrested for having guns. It was during a routine traffic stop that a deputy noticed an empty gun holster in the front seat of the car, and the driver’s belt. The deputy found a fully loaded handgun with the driver Luis Parra of Santa Clarita. He told the deputy he was headed to work, guarding marijuana grows, but did not have supporting documentation, a concealed weapon permit or other items to prove what he was saying. Plus his driver’s license was suspended and there was no required interlock device after a DUI conviction. He was then arrested on several charges including suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place and violating probation.

Lake County excluded from the Two-Basin Partnership regarding the future of the Potter Valley Project. The Record Bee reports PG&E deciding to give up the sale of the project as they claimed bankruptcy almost a year ago. As you may know the Potter Valley Project diverts water from the Eel River to the Russian River thru the Scott Dam, forming Lake Pillsbury and thru the Cape Horn Dam, forming Lake Van Arsdale in Mendocino County. The diverted water and electricity formed from the project have left some residents in limbo. A coalition of Humboldt County, Sonoma Water, the Mendocino Inland Water and Power Commission, environmental nonprofit California Trout and the Round Valley Indian Tribes approved for a feasibility study.  Lake County tried to get in and was denied because no more members were being added for “expediency” reasons.

A settlement agreement has been reached by PG&E Corp with claimants who sued after the 2017 Northern California Wildfires and 2018 Camp fire. The agreement reached Friday night said to be worth about $13.5 billion. Lake Co News reports the settlement will reportedly resolve all claims from the fires, including the 2017 Tubbs fire, a 2015 Butte fire and 2016 Ghost Ship fire in Oakland, but PG&E is apparently not admitting any fault for either the Tubbs fire or Ghost Ship fire. It’s still not a done deal yet. The bankruptcy court has to give it a thumbs up. The CEO of the utility company says it’s been their primary goal to get wildfire victims fairly compensated. It’s one of several settlements with PG&E for wildfires. Another for $1 billion for cities, counties and other public entities and one for $11 billion agreement with insurance companies and other entities for the 2017 and 2018 wildfires. PG&E looking to finalize all of the settlements so they can emerge out of bankruptcy by next June.

A cancellation announced for the Upper Lake Holiday Light Parade. The Northshore Business Association announced the parade was cancelled because of severe weather. An email went out on the cancellation too, but it wasn’t clear if the entire event was canceled or not. Besides the parade, there’s music, caroling, a visit by Santa, and a tree lighting ceremony.

A high school music teacher in Kelseyville has been arrested for inappropriate behavior with a female student. Cory Cunningham, a teacher at Kelseyville High, was arrested Friday night. The school district says it’s also investigating internally, but they haven’t said anymore about the case. The Sheriff’s Dept. reported arresting a teacher for possibly having an inappropriate relationship with a 17-year-old female student. He apparently admitted the relationship. He was charged with sending lewd material to a minor, genital penetration by a foreign object, annoying or molesting a child, willful cruelty to a child, and destroying or concealing evidence. He was booked into jail on $75,000 and his arraignment’s set for tomorrow. He’s also on administrative leave from the school. He’s also reportedly married to the niece of the school district Superintendent.

PG&E is reportedly flying a special helicopter over distribution lines in the Brooktrails community to clean up trees near transmission lines. The helicopter saw, a chopper carrying circular saws trims tops and sides of trees near high voltage transmission and distribution lines. They reportedly do the work in remote areas to prevent power outages and increase public safety. The work today on Buckeye Road and tomorrow on Ridge Road, both days between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The utility company says it’s all part of their enhanced vegetation management program to remove or prune about 1.4 million trees a year.

A man from Ukiah’s been arrested after a traffic stop when he gave a phony name and the arresting officer knew other guy. The Sheriff’s office reports Armando Alvarez was pulled over last Wednesday for a vehicle code violation. Four people in the car, the driver giving a fake name, but since the deputies knew that person they became suspicious. They also saw the driver was wearing body armor and while trying to arrest the driver, he took off running. There was a short foot chase and Alvarez was arrested and charged with several crimes including resisting or threatening officer, falsely impersonates another, probation revoked and driving with a suspended or revoked license. He was held on $15,000.00 bail.

A man from Ukiah’s been arrested after making threats and waving a knife around. Police say John Sullivan told them he was a federal agent so Deputies pat searched him and found three knives on him, so he was detained. A woman at the home says he was her estranged husband and sent her several text messages which made her fear for her safety. There were also two boys in the home with her, a 7 and 10 year old. They also said there were text messages sent. Security videos apparently corroborated allegations, so Sullivan was arrested and held on $20,000.00 bail.

A woman in Ukiah’s been arrested after an argument between her and a man in Redwood Valley. Deputies say when they arrived they spoke to a couple and found Kelsey Pierce was dating the adult male at the house, but lost his phone there. When they went looking for the phone, they got into a fight and Pierce hit the man who had visible facial injuries. Plus his car was reportedly damaged too. Pierce was arrested for domestic violence battery and held on $25,000.00 bail.

A man from Bakersfield busted in Ukiah for driving erratically. Eric Guyton telling a deputy he was driving home from Oregon, and the deputy saw some marijuana in plain sight and found the guy had a suspended driver’s license. During a pat search, Guyton was found with an orange flare gun and three live 12 gauge flare rounds. He was found to be on probation and not allowed to possess firearms or ammunition. So he was arrested for felon possess firearm and felon possess ammunition. He also had a bunch of credit cards and id’s on him that were not his, so more charges could be coming. For now he’s held on $25,000.00 bail.

Crazy weather Thanksgiving-week thanks to the “bomb cyclone”. It brought a 75 foot wave to Cape Mendocino. The Press Democrat reports the wave on November 26^th, a couple days before the holiday, there were also smaller, giant waves, one at about 37 feet and yet another of 43. The waves because of the weather event also known as a Bombogenesis when a cold air mass crashes into a warm air mass with a low pressure system. The lower the atmospheric pressure, the more intense the storm. Parts of I-5 were closed, you may recall if you wanted to travel that week. There were winds recorded in Oregon of up to 106 mph that afternoon and in Crescent City of almost 70 mph.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors considering how to restructure the Registrar of Voters Office after losing another manager there. Lake Co News reports on tomorrow’s board agenda, an untimed item about the options being looked at for leadership and structuring the Registrar of Voters Office after Registrar Catherine McMullen resigned after only about five months on the job. The news site reports the board’s looking at keeping the elections office as a standalone department or maybe merging it with another department. Right now the Auditor-Controller/County Clerk Cathy Saderlund is the interim registrar. There will also be closed door session interviews for new registrar of voters candidates, including some who can possibly take over as the interim registrar too.

Valley fever’s not going away… Lake Co News reporting the state Department of Public Health working with local health departments to remind the public and health care providers the disease usually peaks in the fall. There’s been a steady climb in California cases since 2014. More than 7,500 reported Valley fever cases in 2018 and numbers not confirmed yet for this year, but they’re still up there. The news site reports as of mid-November, more than 7,000 likely cases had been recorded. You can become exposed by breathing in dirt or dust where the disease is common. The illness spreads by breathing spores of a fungus growing in certain regions of the state. It can infect lungs and cause respiratory issues like a cough, chest pain and fatigue and can come with fever.

PM News 12/6/19

Debris flows in areas scarred by wildfires could pose a problem over the weekend, with heavy rain expected. The National Weather Service says people should stay alert and be prepared to evacuate quickly if they are told to.

Cal Fire says heroic actions from a fire captain trapped in the flames at the heart of the Kincaid Fire in October saved lives. A new report from the agency says the fire captain got trapped in the fire when the wind shifted October 25th in the Gurneyville area. He was able to set up his own fire shelter, but as he did he saw two civilians who were also trapped. He then got them into the shelter, where they all waited amid the intense flames and heat until backup could get in for a rescue. Cal Fire says had the captain not stepped in, the civilians could have died.

A new study says California’s strict gun control laws are not keeping people here from owning guns, Results of a wide-ranging survey in the Medical Journal “Injury Prevention” show 1 in 7 Californian owns at least one gun. The average owner has 5. The study’s authors say a deep dive into their research suggests a shift from the number of people who use guns to hunt to those who carry guns for protection. They argue gun-control advocates need to address that to be effective.

Those behind a failed attempt to get rent control passed by California voters last year are ready to try again in 2020. A group called Housing Is A Human Right says it has gathered more than a million signatures from voters who support putting rent control back on the ballot. Members say the initiative stands a better chance now because it’s been rewritten to address some of the concerns that came up before. Opponents are already mobilizing for a fight. The head of the California Rental Housing Association says any rent control, no matter how it is worded, would only make the state’s housing affordability problem worse.

News 12/6/19

A drug store robber gets out of prison time. The Mendocino County D-A reports one of three robbers from Sacramento who swiped more than $30,000 in drugs during a robbery at a Rite Aid in Willits, 19 year old Eural Strickland IV, instead gets probation. After the probation department and prosecutors referred him for prison time, the judge cited his age, and not fully formed brain. He already had a 90 day diagnostic study, now Strickland will be referred back to the probation department for recommendations for probation which he will hear at a future court hearing. The DA says the sentencing decision sends the wrong message to local criminals and others from out of the area, that they can commit violent crimes in Mendocino County and avoid prison time if they’re relatively young.

A man from Ukiah convicted of murdering another transient gets prison time. The Mendocino County D-A’s Facebook page with the story of 23 year old transient, Isaiah Bennett who was convicted in October for causing the untimely death of the victim, kicking him in the face causing traumatic and fatal injuries. Bennett was sentenced to the maximum of 8 years in state prison and will be required to serve at least 85% of the overall term. It’s his first time in state prison, the DA says, but not his first prison stay. He served 44-months previously for second degree burglary and statutory rape.

Power generators rented by the City of Ukiah after Pacific Gas and Electric announced power downs in fire weather conditions may be purchased in the future. The generators had to be rented to keep the city’s sewer and water system online during the Public Safety Power Shutoffs. The Daily Journal reports one of the generators is about $200,000 for purchase. A city public works management analyst says the city council may revisit the matter in the spring with a decision to purchase instead of rent so there’s no worry to keep sewage flowing thru the pipes, instead of backing up in people’s homes.

The Sheriff is handing out commendations to a fire crew in Humboldt County for helping during fire season in Mendocino County. Sheriff Allman in a small ceremony Tuesday at the Cal Fire Humboldt- Del Norte Unit in Fortuna bestowed the honor on a team of 4, telling them they were in the right spot and the right time, doing the right thing. The group, Cal Fire apparatus engineer Jesus Valdovinos, and Cal Fire firefighters Bobby Gray, Kianna Norman, and Peter Hewson for their work in October on Highway 20, about six miles east of the 101 in Mendocino County where a spot fire broke out as part of the Burris Fire in Potter Valley.

A late fall fire breaks out in Boonville taking three businesses and threatening homes. Firefighters on the scene yesterday afternoon after the fire broke out at an apartment complex in the 14000 block of Highway 128. The Pic-N-Pay Market, a Mexican restaurant and laundromat all reportedly burned in the fire. The highway was closed down as firefighters descended on the area just before 2 pm yesterday. No injuries were reported. Firefighters on the scene until after dark last night.

A plan to take over PG&E is taking shape. As many as 100 leaders in California working on a proposal include mayors of San Jose, Oakland and Santa Cruz putting the framework together including making the utility a nonprofit cooperative that will have to raise about $60 billion to pay creditors and wildfire victims. The mayor of San Jose says that will allow them to be transparent, accountable, and equitable. Mayor Sam Liccardo apparently the brains behind the plan announced in a letter to the California Public Utilities Commission last month after public safety power shutoffs in red flag weather conditions. The electric cooperative would be owned by its customers who get to elect the board of directors. If it goes thru, they would take control of PG& E and its transmission system with a new governing body.

A rule finalized by the federal government to cut food stamps to nearly 700,000 Americans will hit Calif. The USDA says it’ll save the agency $5.5 billion over five years and intends to put the rule into effect in April 2020. It will impact almost 200,000 Californians. Current law says healthy adults without dependents who work less than 80 hours a month or are participating in a training or volunteering activity gets three months of food stamps every three years. Those can be waived by states and counties at will. The Press Democrat reports the California Association of Food Banks estimates as many as 700,000 Californians will be affected.

The city of Clearlake continues cleaning up blight. The police department’s Code Enforcement Bureau heads out for cleanup and board ups as the weather clears. On Redwood Street, they reportedly found a property owner had passed away years ago, so squatters and trespassers were in the home since then. Police say homes like this can be taken over and can be the site of criminal activities or illegal drug use. There are about 10 properties that are on an abatement list for the city, but because of weather, they’ve not been able to complete them.

The federal government setting aside more than 2 billion dollars in disaster recovery for places like Lake and Butte County to recover from devastating wildfires. Lake Co News reports the money for declared disasters including the Sulphur fire and Mendocino complex in Lake County. The HUD secretary Ben Carson says the grants will help the communities continue their recovery process including the rebuilding of homes, restoration of businesses and repairing of critical infrastructure. The money for fires between Oct. 8^th to the 31^st of 2017, in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties.