The state says commercial Dungeness Crab fishing will start on the coast north of the Sonoma/Mendocino County line to the border with Oregon beginning December 1st. Humpback whales have migrated out of Fishing Zones 1 and 2 and crabs there have passed quality testing, meaning fishermen can once again take to the water. Other offshore zones to the south will remain closed because of the number of whales still in those areas. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says the opening the season on Wednesday will allow crabbers to get to work so fresh caught Dungeness will be on tables and menus by the time the year is out.
Lake County is getting 80 miles of new high-speed fiber cable to expand broadband internet service to more people. State Senator Mike McGuire says the build-out is one of the first 18 projects funded under California’s largest in the nation high-speed project. The new cables will run along Highways 20, 175 & 29. McGuire says the Covid pandemic highlighted disparities among California’s small towns, urban cities, and rural counties about the lack of reliable internet service. Work should start in the next few months.
Mendocino College says there will be more in-person classes when the new semester starts in January. The school says there will be a more normal looking schedule with safety in mind as classes move away from the online model that has been in place since the pandemic started. Officials say when the spring 2022 term begins Jan. 18, the schedule will look similar to how it did pre-pandemic. Superintendent/President Tim Karas many events and activities will also return allowing campus life, and community engagement to feel much as it did before. Even so, Karas says the Mendocino County College will operate with safety in mind. Beginning January the college will require all students and staff to show proof of being fully vaccinated before coming to campus. Those who do not show proof of vaccination will have to provide weekly negative COVID-19 test results. All employees, students and guests will also required to wear masks while indoors on campus. There is information on the website mendocino.edu. Registration for next semester classes has already started
The Lake County Board of Supervisors has gone on the record opposing a proposed PG&E rate increase to cover costs associated with wildfire mitigation and Covid-19. Lake Co News reports that the board unanimously approved a letter to the state Public Service Commission this week, outlining its opposition to the planned 4.9 percent increase. The board’s letter says higher bills would hurt people least able to afford to pay them. It also says PG&E service is unreliable, with more than 200 long outages in the county since the start of the year. The utility has already sent out bill inserts notifying customers of the planned increase. PG&E wants it to take effect s soon as next fall, but the PUC says the request is so complex, proceedings could take 18 months or more. The PSC website is accepting public comments. Of the comments so far, all have been OPPOSED to the higher rate.
A routine traffic stop leads to drug charges and charges of impersonation against a man from Clearlake Oaks. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office says 53-year-old Alan Crow was a passenger in a car they pulled on Highway 101 in Ukiah. Crow told the deputies the car was his, but because he had been drinking he let a friend drive. When deputies searched the Buick they found drug paraphernalia and what they suspected was meth. Deputies started to question Crow’s story and eventually concluded he was giving them a fake name to avoid arrest on a felony warrant from Lake County. After they got his real name, officers took Crow to Mendocino County jail where his bail was set at $30,000.
A man from Covelo is accused of resisting arrest after Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies showed up at his door to take him in on a felony violation of parole warrant. They say Fox Blue Hoaglin struggled and made a move for a knife hidden in a couch as they tried to cuff him. Eventually, they got Hoaglin under control and took him to the county lockup. He is being held without bail on the felony violation charge.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office has charged a man from Covelo with domestic violence battery. Deputies say Pervinder Lai is accused of pushing a woman against a wall during a fight in the 24000 block of Foothill Boulevard. She suffered what the deputies call a visible injury. Lai was taken to the Mendocino County Jail, where his bail was set at $25,000.
A woman described as a person of interest in a theft investigation in Fort Bragg is in the Mendocino County jail without bail. Deputies say 41-year-old Summer Mascott was already wanted on a felony warrant from El Dorado County, leading to the no-bail detention.
Felony Domestic Violence and other charges against a woman from Ukiah. The Mendocino County sheriff’s office says 31-year-old Sandra Ibarra got into a fight with her boyfriend, threw his cell phone across the room, hit him with aboard, and with a frying pan. They say that blow was so hard that it bent the pan. Officers say the couple’s two children were home and saw the fight. In addition to the domestic violence charge, Ibarra is accused of assault with a deadly weapon and child cruelty. When she was booked, Ibarra had bail was set at $25,000.
When the Clearlake Rotary last hosted a Christmas Dinner in 2019, about 1,300 people showed up. Now, after a year off due to Covid, plans are taking shape for this year’s dinner on December 11th. It will be the 28th such meal but this dinner will be different than the others due to safety protocols. The meals will be takeout, with a drive-up or walk-up option. The meals will be served at the Burns Valley School starting at 10 AM and going until the food runs out. The dinner will also include food for more than 200 people in the Meals on Wheel program, delivered on the same day. Rotary officials say while the format may be different, they’re glad to be bringing the event back to help people in the community. No holiday celebration would be complete without SANTA. He will be there, riding in a fire truck and handing out toys and candy to good boys and girls as he passes by.
The City of Ukiah is looking for people who want to deck out their homes with holiday lights. The city is repeating its Holiday Lighting competition called Let It Glow again this year. Organizers say they want to light up the Ukiah Valley in a fun, yet safe way. There will be prizes for the top three homes and businesses in the city and the surrounding areas. The city website has entry information and will have an online map so you’ll know where to find the displays.
Governor Newsom wants more security around high end stores that have been hit with a series of bold robberies in the past couple weeks. There more such thefts around the state the day before Thanksgiving, including one in Santa Rosa. In that case, 4 young men ran into an Apple Store, scooped up $20,000 worth of stuff and bolted out the door. Police think the motive is to quickly fence expensive merchandise then quickly fence it online.. Store employees say they’re terrified and that those robberies could easily turn violent or even deadly.
