After a body was found under the 101 last year by State Route 162, the identity of the person has not been known. Police said the man was in women’s clothing and had a book on Tarot nearby. The body was found by someone who pulled over to walk their dog north of Willits. Mendo Fever reports the only thing released so far about the body was that it was a man in his twenties. The news site reports the book may have somehow been significant in the case, but police have not confirmed that. The Sheriff’s Office reports the man had on a dress, women’s denim jeans and black leggings, and a dark heavy jacket and men’s leather mid-rise boots. Other descriptors indicate the man was probably White and had “possibly shoulder-length” brown hair and was likely between 5’10”-6’4″. There was no known cause of death, but the teeth have been sent in for DNA information.
A new survey by Mendocino Railway and the Skunk Train show it continues to be the most popular attraction in the county. The Railway’s Demographic Survey from 2016 to 2021 and Visit Mendocino County’s latest Annual Report showed it also provided great economic support to the local economy, to the tune of over $67 Million in visitor spending over five years. The Skunk Train’s Railbikes are reported to be the number one most-viewed attraction on the Skunk Train website and at visitmendocino.com. And reports say the Skunk Train is one of the stronger economic drivers locally, even while ridership was off during 2020 due to the COVID lockdown of the entire hospitality industry. But 2021 had a great rebound, with historical numbers.
A woman accused of a hit and run that killed a man had her bail reinstated instead of reporting to jail. Mendo Voice reports Gina Ray Bean was sentenced to 210 days in county jail in December for the July 2019 crash that killed Calum Hunnicutt. The news site reports Bean was set to begin her sentence last month, but her lawyer is appealing the conviction, so her bail was reinstated and her surrender date vacated. Court papers say Bean drove into the intersection of State Route 1 and Little Lake Road in Mendocino on a green light, but hit Hunnicut, who was on a skateboard and had a red light. He was found to be at fault, but Bean left the scene. She was arrested for suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, but later it was reduced to leaving the scene of an accident.
Performance reviews on the agenda for the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors. They will go over performance of various county employees over two days this week. Nine public employees will get evaluations in closed door sessions Thursday and Friday. They are the new Public Health Director and the Public Health Officer, the Cannabis Program Director, Transportation Director, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Director, General Services Agency Director, Social Services Director, Agricultural Commissioner and Cultural Services Agency Director. The board is also taking public comments on the matter or other agendas before these sessions.
A large commercial cannabis operation is being considered again near Hidden Valley Lake. The Lake County Board of Supervisors appealed the Planning Commission’s decision last year, so they will take it up again Thursday. They will once again hold a public hearing to consider the major use permit for We Grow, LLC in Middletown. There will only be nine of 300 acres used for greenhouses, drying buildings, a shed, water tanks and privacy fencing. They also propose removing 130 blue oak trees. The Board of Supervisors didn’t like the environmental document on the plan, so there have been some changes.
A local nonprofit is trying to raise money to rebuild trails in the Boggs Mountain Demonstration State Forest which was seriously damaged by the 2015 Valley fire. The Redwood Trails Alliance is calling it the “Bring Back Boggs” fundraiser. They’re partnering with the Trail House of Santa Rosa and others to work to rebuild the Demonstration State Forest trails. It’s been a popular place for mountain bike enthusiasts and was the spot for years where the Bike Monkey Boggs 8 hour race and the NorCal Interscholastic Cycling League’s state championship race were both held. But the fire burned almost 90% of the forest. They’re looking for donations and are giving away a mountain bike to get that enthusiasm going. Every $5 donation gets a chance to win prizes. The deadline to enter is this Sunday at 6 p.m.
Interested parties can enter to win here at www.trailsalliance.org or https://trailsalliance.givingfuel.com/bringbackboggs
The 2020 Census has triggered the Secretary of State’s Office to lower the amount of offered languages on ballots in some precincts this year. The latest Census showed about 40 percent of Californians speak another language besides English at home, over 200 languages and dialects and that about 20% of Census respondents had limited English knowledge. But some say the Secretary of State should not reduce the languages for elections, and that some could lose votes if they can’t get money for translators for ballots and other voting information. A letter’s reportedly been sent to the Secretary of State by The ACLU California Action, Common Cause California, Asian Americans Advancing Justice California and the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans saying reducing the number of languages creates obstacles for limited-English proficient voters.
The new Public Health Officer for Lake County has not visited the county yet. The Record Bee reports Dr. Erik McLaughlin and his family have not driven from Vegas to the area due to the pandemic, but he says he’s eager to see the area in person and get to know the local community and its citizens. McLaughlin was hired last week after a nationwide search to replace Dr. Gary Pace, who resigned a year or so ago. There have been a couple of floating interim health officers until now. McLaughlin is expected to work about 32 hours/week for Lake County. He’s the fifth PHO in five years. The newspaper reports speaking to McLaughlin who said he wasn’t surprised by the high turnover due to the area’s rural nature. He is expected to be in town before next month pending approval of his medical license. He is licensed in eight other states.
The Public Health Officer in Sonoma County had a DUI. The Press Democrat reports Dr. Sundari Mase pleaded no contest last summer to misdemeanor reckless driving with alcohol involved. The incident happened in December of 2020. Mase was pulled over and arrested in Alameda County for DUI with a prior offense, another DUI from 2014. Apparently that case was dismissed and removed from her records. But the latest arrest makes mention in court papers, to the previous arrest. At the time of the 2020 arrest, Sonoma County was in a restricted lock down due to the amount of COVID cases at the time. Court papers say her blood alcohol measured 0.14. She received a year’s probation, was fined $530 and has to go to a six month DUI course. She was questioned by the newspaper and made a public apology for the offense, saying she made a serious mistake after socializing with a friend and misjudged her sobriety. The Board of Supervisors and Mase’s immediate supervisor said they knew nothing about the incident.
