Two more meetings are planned in Lake County to talk about new maps for Board of Supervisor districts. The meetings for citizen input will be on November 2nd and 30th. The final map must be ready to go in time to meet the December 15 deadline. Like other government bodies, the board is using data from the 2020 US Census for redistricting. Once the lines are drawn, they will stay that way until sometime after the next census in 2030. The board of supervisors has more on the redistricting process and the upcoming hearings on its website.
If you live in Lakeport, you’ll have a chance to get rid of all that junk that has been piling up this weekend. The City and Lakeport Disposal are holding a Community Cleanup day on Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm in the public parking lot near the fifth street boat ramp downtown. They will take Household trash, televisions, specified appliances, electronic waste, mattresses, household furniture, unusable clothes/blankets/towels, and similar materials. They won’t take Hazardous waste or construction debris. You’ll have to show a photo ID and a copy of a city utility bill to get in. Covid-19 protocols will be in effect.
Automotive repair students at Ukiah have something new to work on, thanks to a donation from CHP. The bright yellow 2011 Camaro was recovered stolen and could never legally be driven again. It COULD, however, be donated to an educational institution. That’s where CHP Lt. and Ukiah graduate Dan Fansler stepped in. The Daily Journal reports he arranged for the car to go to the school shop, where the students can now tinker with it to refine their repair skills.
A lot of California State Workers seem to be bucking Governor Newsom’s vaccinate or be tested order. According to the state Human resources department, almost 40 percent of those on the state payroll have yet to get a Covid shot. That compares to 28 percent of the overall state populations that remain unvaccinated. Some departments have a higher vaccination rate than others. Caltrans rate is 70 percent, while employees of the California Highway Patrol have a rate of 52 percent.
A man in Willits has been arrested after reports of a bloody crime scene behind the Grocery Outlet at the Evergreen Shopping Center. Willits police say they first got a call of a man down with blood all over, but when they arrived the found the person to be a 61 year old woman, bleeding and unconscious. She was taken to Howard Memorial, then flown to UC Davis due to the seriousness of her injuries. They say she had been severely beaten and sexually assaulted. They identified her attacker as 23 year old Jose Perez who was arrested yesterday afternoon and charged with attempted murder, attempted rape, kidnapping with bodily injury and violating probation. He’s held on $500,000 bail.
The body of a missing kayaker we’ve been telling you about, has been found. Dylan Flanagan of San Francisco had been staying in Lake County at a vacation rental celebrating his birthday and a job promotion. When he went out kayaking on Clear Lake last weekend, he disappeared. The Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol and a private helicopter, volunteers and the Sheriffs office all looked for Flanagan since Sunday. His body was reportedly found along the shore in Clearlake Oaks. An autopsy is set for next week. There were extremely windy conditions when he went out on the lake, including a red flag warning.
The Mendocino County Assessor and Clerk-Recorder reports sending out the Vote By Mail Ballots (VBM) in the Hopland Fire Protection District for the election next month. The ballots went out two weeks ago, on Friday, October 1st. You can also pick one up at the Elections Office if you didn’t receive it. This is for the November 2nd Hopland Fire Protection District election. The office says if you normally vote by mail and have not received your ballot to call them for a replacement.
The Mendocino County Public Health Officer, Dr. Andy Coren has met with the Office of Education and local teachers. Dr. Coren gave them props for effectively stopping “COVID at the door.” They were going over the latest COVID transmission data, showing there had been 33 COVID cases in schools, all from community spread—not transmission at school. The Superintendent of Schools said schools are safe for students and staff. Schools have to have social distancing and other protocols, mask wearing, hand hygiene stations, vaccinations and screenings. Apparently the state is considering dropping the mask mandate if things stay status quo. The Superintendent also said she hopes as folks notice how safe schools are, they will apply for one of the nearly 200 openings. Go to www.edjoin.org for details.
Ukiah police warn against viral school related challenges surfacing on Tik Tok. The dept. sent out a notice they are partnering with the school district to watch out for the challenges that can include monthly themes around stealing school property, assaulting a teacher, vandalism, and even to the extreme of committing sexual assault. The School Resource Officer has already investigated multiple related crimes from the TikTok challenges including theft, vandalism, and inappropriate videos. They’re asking parents to watch out too if their child uses the social media platform and to talk to them about the challenges and remind them they can have long-lasting legal implications.
After two people are accused of alleged mail theft in Potter Valley, one arrest was made. The driver, Charles Maxfield reportedly got away but his possible accomplice, Sharon Smith was arrested. The mail found in the car they were in together was from all over Mendocino County including Ukiah, Potter Valley, Redwood Valley, Reeves Canyon and Willits. There were blank checks, a laptop and portable printer. Smith has been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and acquiring false identification with intent to commit fraud. She pleaded no contest to being an accessory after the fact this week. She was offered 12 months probation and 20 days in jail as part of a plea deal.
A woman from Nevada has been arrested after a fire along Highway 29 in Kelseyville. The CHP’s Clear Lake Area division says 38 year old Nickelina Rose Williams of Fallon was arrested Wednesday afternoon after the fire broke out near Bottle Rock Road. Several people called 911 to report the fire spreading in a field. CHP officers reported to the area just after a group of drivers had stopped and tried to put the fire out. The CHP reports Williams was walking on the Highway near where the fire started but denied any knowledge of a fire. But officers say she had a lighter and ignition items on her matching what had been found at the fire’s ignition point. She was arrested on suspicion of arson and booked into jail. She’s charged with arson and for having two misdemeanor warrants for her arrest and held without bail. Her arraignment was set for today.
The latest public safety power shutoff that was supposed to impact folks in 10 counties has been canceled. Apparently PG&E saw a change in the forecast and canceled just days after another power down that impacted thousands in Lake County, but none in Mendocino County. The PG&E spokeswoman says the winds that were forecast were trending weaker. There were still several customers that could possibly see a power down in So Cal including in Kern County.
Break out the Great Pumpkin as PumpkinFest is back in person. The fall tradition for so many years was canceled last year, like many events because of the pandemic. But the city of Ukiah did however host the Great Pumpkin Weigh-off. It was a drive thru event and the winning Pumpkin weighed in at a stealthy 866 pounds. The organizers say they’re looking forward to hosting the festival in person this weekend. The weigh off is tonight from 4 to 7 p.m. at Alex Thomas Plaza. Tomorrow is the parade at 10 am from Redwood Empire Fairgrounds to past Alex Thomas Plaza.
A hearing that was supposed to take place on a proposed U-Haul facility in Ukiah with the Planning Commission has been postponed. The city’s director of community development told the Planning Commission on Wednesday that high winds came through last weekend and knocked down the sign for the project hearing, so they wanted to reschedule so the public hearing was well attended. There is no new date set yet. We told you about the 3 story facility being not well-received by members of the city’s Design Review Board recommending the Planning Commission scrap the plan, at least for that location.
