UC and Cal State campuses are looking to help whoever might be in need, by offering medication abortions. The Cal State campuses don’t offer the medicine now, and UC campuses don’t all do it either. But both systems say the law that was passed in 2019 should be fully implemented by next January. Once the pills are made available, over 6,000 students/year could access them. CalMatters reports the Senate Bill’s author from a few years ago says the significance wouldn’t be known back then and is even more important now.
Lake County has a bunch of applicants to choose from for the newly created Cannabis Task Force. On Tuesday the community development director gave a list of names to the Board. They had 24 applicants for seven positions. They gave the seats to a tribal member, a member of the Farm Bureau, another from the agriculture industry, the Lake County Cannabis Alliance President and another citizen who will represent the cannabis industry and a couple others from the north and south regions of the county. They also heard an appeal, separately from this, about a nuisance and order to abate two pergolas on the Blue Lakes Shoreline.
A woman from Nevada accused of arson, but incompetent to stand trial has headed to a mental health facility. 39-year-old Nickelina Rose Williams of Fallon was arrested after witnesses said they saw her lighting a fire along State Route 29 in Lake County in October of 2021. A hearing was set for Sept. 27th, but she’s not been ordered to appear. Last year her lawyer declared she was not able to understand the proceedings, so the judge ordered they be suspended, and ordered Williams to be evaluated and brought back to mental competency to stand trial. In the meantime, Williams also asked for a new court appointed lawyer, but was denied. She’s charged with felony arson of forest land, felony arson during a state of emergency and possessing material/device for arson. And she also faces charges in another case of vehicle theft and buying/selling/receiving stolen property.
A new report from Consumer Watchdog says your home may not be covered if it has smoke damage from a wildfire. The report shows insurance companies have new provisions in homeowner policies and for renters too, where they can limit or deny coverage after a wildfire. The report says Farmers, Nationwide and the Automobile Club of Southern California are some of the companies. Their “Up in Smoke” report says companies were lowballing or denying claims as the state had three of the most destructive fire years, 2017, 18 & 20. And the report says the California FAIR Plan, which is sometimes considered a last resort when folks can’t get coverage, is doing the same thing.
A body has been found in a Vineyard in Ukiah. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed 35-year-old Justin Michael Malugani was the person who died, but they’re not sure how. They say there were no obvious signs of foul play, so an autopsy with a blood alcohol/toxicology analysis was scheduled. He was found by a vineyard worker on land owned by the City of Ukiah but leased by a local vineyard management company. The man had a criminal background, as a convicted arsonist, lighting a boat, motorhome, and three vehicles on fire near the Ukiah airport two years ago. That got him three years in prison.
Help is needed for the Round Valley Blackberry Festival. It’ll be the first time since the pandemic started. This August 20th and 21st is the 39th year where they feature blackberry delights, along with arts and crafts vendors, Mendocino County wine tasting, a climbing wall, children’s games, and live music. Organizers say they ran out of money due to two years of being off because of COVID. All volunteers are unpaid. They were asking for the community to help raise $5,000, of which they already raised $3,000.
Looking for a side-gig? Point Arena is looking for locals to join the City Council. The election is this November, as part of the General with three open seats on the five-member panel. The terms are four years. Those interested can fill out candidacy paperwork starting Monday, July 18th until August 12th. If the three incumbents don’t file for re-election during the filing period, then the filing period for non-incumbents is extended a few days. You must live in Pt. Arena and be registered to vote there too. Candidates need to get 5-10 signatures from other area voters to be considered, and you need to file a Statement of Economic Interests with your nomination papers. Its free to apply.
The City of Ukiah’s looking for whoever lit some hay bales on fire. It happened yesterday morning in a field near Kohl’s, by the intersection of South Orchard Avenue and Ford Street. Apparently, the hay bales were sitting in the field up to four weeks before being ignited. Fire investigators were asking local businesses and nearby residents whether they may have witnessed anything.
A large homeless encampment has been removed by police in Lakeport along with Public Works staffers. The camp was along the Clear Lake shore and considered to be trespassing on private properties. The camps were there a couple years and posed a safety, sanitary and fire danger risk, per cops. The police chief says there were several wildfires started there, threatening surrounding neighborhoods. He also says they had been trying to contact people living there multiple times with no luck. They had a crisis responder from Lake Family Resource Center helping some living there. There were still a few stragglers living there this week who were offered help to leave. They were later ordered to vacate the area or be arrested, so they finally left. Then the area was cleared out. The chief says they took 22,360 pounds of trash.
The Community Development Director in Lake County calls it quits. After less than a year on the job, Mary Darby has reportedly resigned. Lake Co News reports she was only in the position since last October and quit Tuesday during a closed session evaluation with the Board of Supervisors. Her last day though, isn’t until November 4th, giving the county plenty of time to find her replacement. Next week, the board will tackle that issue. Darby was hired last August and started unofficially last September. The news site reported since Darby was brought in from Georgia for the job, there were five closed door sessions with her on her performance. She is also reported to be the sixth person in the position since 2016.
