Colleges across Calif. are going to be offering abortion triggering pills. A state senator from Chino introduced the legislation nearly 4 years ago. Senate Bill 24 says all CSU and UC campuses should offer non-surgical medication abortions, “abortion pills” by January. Ed Source reports the UC San Francisco research program Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health says this could be available to thousands of students next year. The governor signed the bill into law in 2019 and schools have been preparing ever since. But so far there are no CSU campuses offering the pills and UC schools don’t all have it, but the school systems both say they’re committed to offer the services by the Jan. 1st deadline.
Since the state says the moratorium on disconnecting water accounts for non-payment is over, the City of Fort Bragg says they will get back to it. The city had stopped disconnecting customers who were 60 days past due if balances were under $2,000 through the end of August. That was so they could apply for assistance, but the full past due amount has to be paid by September 2nd for the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) Grant. The program can help with up to $500 towards past due bills.
For more information, visit the City of Fort Bragg’s Website or contact Lacy Peterson at lpeterson@fortbragg.com, (707) 961 2825 ext 108.
A head on crash in Upper Lake has killed at least one person. Mendo Fever reports a semi-truck and gray pickup collided, with one fatality and more people with major injuries. The accident was reported yesterday afternoon on State Route 20 and State Route 29 in Lake County with several people trapped. Within an hour of the report medics were on the scene and removed the victims from the vehicles. They had to close the highway down as an investigation took place. The highway opened a few hours later.
Someone has been injured after falling off a boat in Lake Berryessa and getting hit by the vessel’s propeller. It happened Monday afternoon near Big Island. The Napa County Sheriff’s Office reported the man from Vacaville was cut on his left leg and arm. A sheriff’s boat patrolling the lake helped a local fire department volunteer to help the 20-year-old victim. He was taken to a hospital where his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.
After the lockdown went into play and kids had to learn online, some parents fought back. Now Cal Matters reports as the parents became more and more frustrated, they decided to use that energy to run for office. The news site reports some parents were motivated by national controversies, like critical race theory and LGBTQ+ education. And more wanted to be able to have a hand in how money was spent to benefit students directly. The California School Boards Association reported about 50% of 5,000 school board seats in the state are open this election, but they can’t say for sure how many parents are running for offices that drew so much anger in the early days of the pandemic. Parents against mask and vaccine mandates as well as sex education are getting the support of the state Republican party, but still some school boards say they’re hard-pressed to find suitable candidates.
A weekend of celebrations in Guerneville as the town celebrates its 150th anniversary. At the same time, it’s also the 100th anniversary of the truss bridge that spans the Russian River. Tomorrow is the Come Together Festival in Downtown Guerneville. Music and a fair are happening between 1:00 and 7:30 p.m., that touts hula hoopers, food vendors, and more. Town officials say Guerneville will also be celebrating several years of enduring floods, fires and the pandemic tomorrow.
The proposed high-speed rail project that will roll through San Francisco and San Jose has passed a major hurdle. The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors officially approved the final Environmental Impact Report, certifying the 43-mile project yesterday. The new rail section will link the San Francisco Bay Area and the Peninsula to San Jose, the Central Valley, and Los Angeles County. Now they have to secure funding for the final design and pre-construction.
The South Lake County Fire Protection District has secured a major donation to buy a couple of
new generation portable dip tanks, also known as HeloPods. That is a mobile helicopter dip tank for large choppers. That will help firefighters get a water dip site set up faster, so firefighters are only tasked with connecting hoses to a hydrant. It means choppers can suck water right from the hydrant as it hovers. Lake Co News reports that will shorten their turnaround times. The District is one of a handful of others in the state that use the HeloPods which are manufactured in Simi Valley.
A new strike team to fight fires in Calif. has been announced by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the California Military Department. Team Blaze will be operated by a state military department. The Type VI strike team of wildland-style fire engines will be run by the California military. They’ll be able to carry a four-person crew. The Cal OES director says they value the partnership with the military, during these times of need, especially during wildfires or other natural disasters. And the military responded saying they too are proud to be part of the collaboration, making sure there are more fire engines and expert staff ready to roll during major emergencies.
Things are starting to look a lot better in the Six Rivers Lightning Complex fire. There was supposed to be a storm coming, but it never happened, so firefighters got to two-thirds containment on the monster fire, still the second largest in the state. Fire managers say they had minimal fire behavior yesterday and they were able to get debris cleaned up in some areas. Crews were also able to do work to protect natural resources in Humboldt and Trinity counties, and they say, to prevent further harm. Managers also say they’re continuing suppression efforts that can help get folks back into the area. The fire so far has burned over 25,000 acres and is 67% contained.
The Mendocino County Wildfire Recovery and Resiliency Survey is ready for residents to fill out. They’ve been working on the survey a couple of years looking for feedback on recovery and continuing needs of fire survivors. The Department of Prevention, Recovery, Resiliency, & Mitigation (PRRM) is looking for feedback after five years of destructive wildfires in the area going back to the 2017 Redwood Complex fire, the Mendocino Complex fire in 2018, the August Complex and Oak fires of 2020, and the Hopkins fire, last summer. Other concerns about fire mitigation efforts in the county for those not directly harmed by a declared wildfire disaster.
