A man has been arrested after reports in Willits of a domestic disturbance. Police went to check after reports a woman had been thrown from a moving car, then chased by the same guy who was assaulting her. Witnesses say Kirk Freitas had picked the victim up and threw her on the ground, plus they say they saw him throw a cell phone at the woman but missed her and shattered their car window. The woman was treated at a hospital and Frietas was arrested on Domestic Violence charges. The couple do not live in Willits.
A cop looking into a suspicious vehicle report in Willits found two teenagers inside. The officer out late Sunday night noticing a car was in the back of a dark parking lot on the grounds of Brookside Elementary School. One of the people was 18-year-old Luis Vega-Montes de Oca, and a female who gave varying dates of birth, one making her eighteen, the other, seventeen. But it turns out the girl was just 14. Police say she was a victim of the older teen after they met on the social media platform, Snapchat. Vega-Montes de Oca was arrested and booked into the county jail for sexual crimes against the victim including using a foreign object on a victim under 16 and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She was released to her parents.
After a rate study was commissioned by the Mendocino City Community Services District Board of Directors, they’re looking at rate increases. The board deciding on one of four ideas to raise prices. Apparently the wastewater collection rates have been the same for the last seven years and the groundwater management rates are the same for the last four years. They’re putting together an ad hoc committee to consider the four options and make a recommendation to the board. A study confirms Mendocino has been in a drought for 2 years. And we’re in the 9th driest year on record. There’s only been about 21 inches so far this current rain year, about 8 inches below normal.
The day John Hopkins University reported six million worldwide deaths from coronavirus, there are some who say the numbers seem off. Mendocino County Public Health reported 124 residents had died, but the State of California is lagging, posting there were 116 deaths in the county. The county says it’s because they’ve decided to include “probable” COVID-19 deaths in the official count, something the state doesn’t do. The Public Health Officer says there were deaths where a COVID test was not available, like in early days, but there was “overwhelming” evidence a person had passed away from the virus.
Several events have been organized by Mendocino College to help promote CalFresh. It was CalFresh Outreach Week February 22-24 so more people could become aware of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and food insecurities, for not only college students, but many in the community. Last month college staff distributed DIY food kits for students to be able to prepare a healthy and easy dish at home. The recipe was provided by a college Culinary Arts Instructor, and included a demo video which was posted to the college website. There were more distributions that week with volunteers from the athletic programs at the Ukiah campus. Food was provided by Redwood Empire Food Bank.
The State Legislature is reportedly working to dump a law to let voters veto public housing projects. But it has a racist backbone. The provision was placed into the state constitution in 1950 so Black families couldn’t move into white neighborhoods. There’s a majority of lawmakers who believe it should be repealed because of its racist beginnings. Plus they say it’s harder to put up affordable housing. They’re apparently at a roadblock though because they need financial support to back it changing the California Constitution. Lawmakers have until the end of June to decide if they want to continue to pursue the move.
Money has been secured by the Willits Unified School District for their Expanded Learning Opportunities Program. The District had applied for and won grant funding for the program. At their latest meeting with district representatives and parents, they discussed how the money should be used. It’s between about $800,000 to $900,000. Apparently it’s something the state requires, and the district didn’t have a choice, but to participate, but the Superintendent, Joe Aldridge said it’s a good program. It’s described by the state as a way for low-income, English learners and foster or homeless children to take part in before and/or after-school programs. It covers nine hours of programming a school day for kids in transitional kindergarten to sixth grade.
State Senator Mike McGuire says the state is still trying to hire over 1,000 firefighters more. During a virtual townhall he also said the state’s planning to put $6 billion dollars into bringing high-speed Internet to rural communities. Talking about the firefighters, McGuire said staffing at Cal Fire peaked back in 1975, which is unacceptable. And he says if the state can hire 1,100 or so more firefighters, they can start to close the gap in the firefighter shortage. Then he spoke about expanded Broadband Internet access, calling the project the state’s working on “the largest public internet project in American history”. He says the state will install fiber along Highway 101, state and county roadways and connect rural hospitals and schools in “every corner of the state”, working first to get people with no broadband access, and the underserved next, calling the plan a “game changer for the state.”
It’s a first, a hemp study, showing its worth as a nationwide crop. It’s legal in many places across the country, and in the North Bay, worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The first ever, “Hemp Acreage and Production Survey” (PDF) covers the year 2021. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says they believe hemp that is grown “out in the open” was worth $712 million nationwide last year. And when it’s grown in greenhouses or other protective awnings it had a $112 million dollar worth. The National Agricultural Statistics Service also said in Calif., it made about $62.2 million. The crop is legal in Sonoma, Solano, Marin, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties, and covers over 54,150 acres nationwide.
The now former Chancellor of the California State University system, Joseph Castro, is getting a huge payout. Castro resigned last month after he was accused of mishandling sexual harassment complaints at Fresno State, when he was president. He’s getting over $400,000 the next year and can be a professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo too where he had an agreement. It’s all part of his settlement agreement with CSU, which was released 2 weeks after his resignation. He was only on the job a short time. He will stay on in the executive transition program, as adviser to the board, for which he will have to be prepared to return to teaching and be available to CSU’s board of trustees and executives. He also has to fully cooperate in any investigations, depositions, hearings, trials or other proceedings connected to his time as chancellor or Fresno State president.
