CalFire is again warning about illegal fireworks as the Fourth of July gets closer. Officials say a fireworks interdiction operation has seized almost 80,000 pounds of illegal devices and led to 215 citations and 3 arrests around the state. The dry weather is a major concern.
The so-called Lava Fire near Mount Shasta is now about a quarter to full containment. More than 3,500 people have been evacuated from that fire zone. It is the largest of several fires burning in Northern California.
The Ukiah City Council continues to talk about some property in the Western Hills. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports that the council held a closed-door meeting this week to discuss a possible land donation there. The was no report made out of that private session. The Ukiah Planning Commission put off a vote last month on a land donation that could have meant more development in the Western Hills above the city. Residents in that area are concerned about more development there, citing population, environmental, and fire concerns. Last year, a city official said that any property donation would be part of a long-term vision and protect trees and wildlife in the Western Hills.
A bail review hearing for a woman accused of Gross Vehicular Manslaughter and other charges related to the deaths of two people on Highway 29 near Middletown in March has been continued. The Lake County Record-Bee reports 22-year-old Keilah Coyne of Novato is due back in court for that hearing on July 12. Prosecutors say Coyne was impaired when her pickup crossed the center line and hit a van head-on, killing two people from Clearlake. Coyne’s lawyer wants more time to get his client into a residential treatment program. Lake County Superior Court previously found that Coyne IS mentally fit to stand trial. She is in jail on 2 million dollars bail.
The State Department of Finance has verified the total cost to state and local governments for the gubernatorial recall election at 276 million dollars. Now that the numbers are in, the official date will be set soon.
