Someone has reported to Ukiah Police an attempted kidnapping at the Chili Cookoff. The mom says she was at the event Friday when a man came up to her and her toddler, grabbed the two-year-old by the hand and tried to leave. But mom and her friend got the child away and the suspect ran off. The mom described the would-be abductor as very tan skin, about 5’ 10”, 200-220 lbs, 35-45 years old, wearing a brown tank top and tan shorts. The mother called 911 saying the man was quite slick and others nearby didn’t notice, probably thinking this was the child’s parent. Police confirmed they got to the scene and were canvassing the area and actively investigating.
The City of Lakeport needs some art for Lakefront Park. They’re looking for mid-range to large-scale sculptural and/or innovative, mixed or multimedia art to be shown in front of the new lakefront park development downtown. They’ve extended the deadline to Tuesday, October 11th. Those chosen will get from $5,000 to $20,000 depending what’s needed for their project. That should cover the materials, artist’s labor, installation needs, and any necessary travel expenses. As we reported earlier this month, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) are strongly urged to submit proposals. You do not need to be a county resident.
For more information, contact Jenni Byers, Community Development Director, (707) 263-
5615, Ext. 201, jbyers@cityoflakeport.com.
A career fair is being hosted by Adventist Health Ukiah Valley. They’re looking for both clinical and non-clinical positions. The fair is Thursday, Sept. 15th 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center at 200 S. School St. The positions they’re looking to fill include nurses, medical assistants, housekeepers, customer care associates, and technicians. They say they’re offering competitive wages and exceptional benefits. Career fair attendees are asked to wear face masks and maintain social distancing.
For more information on job opportunities, contact Jolee White (707-963-6588, whitej@ah.org) or visit www.adventisthealth.org/careers.
A man from Albion is going to prison for two decades for murder. Robert Henry Brockway III got 21 years to life after pleading guilty last month to murder in the second degree and residential burglary while someone was home. He had been in trouble with police several times in the past. In this case, Brockway was accused of killing Jimmie Mooneyham inside his home. He first claimed he was not guilty by reason of insanity. Then he changed to a guilty plea as they were choosing the jury. He was suspected of the crimes after he was linked through evidence.
A disaster has been declared in the State of Calif. for Chinook salmon. At the beginning of the month the Commerce Department declared fishery disasters and set aside over $17 million dollars for multiple Native American tribes for disaster assistance. Salmon have been under duress for years due to warming waters. They generally migrate to the ocean to feed and come back to spawn, but the numbers have been decreasing year over year. Scientists say it’s not only climate change but also pollution in river dams that prevents access to spawning areas. Some of the stocks have been deemed threatened or endangered and more are reportedly being considered threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
A giant grant has been given to the Noyo Center by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The more than $825,000 grant to boost tourism in Mendocino County. It will fund a new visitor building using money from the pandemic stimulus known as the American Rescue Plan. The money will help pay for designing the building and a feasibility study for the Marine Science’s Ocean Science Center. There is a matching fund as well of nearly $208,000 that can go into the project too.
A new booster shot for the COVID19 vaccine is about to be rolled out. Last week a briefing by the FDA informed all in attendance of the agency’s “Vaccinate All 58” campaign. The boosters are for those who are 12 years of age and older. The state is getting more than 1 million doses. Some of the health experts in the virtual meeting for the FDA last Wednesday said the vaccination, like many others, requires a booster for continued protection against severe disease and death as the protection can decrease over time. They have been updated so that they can protect against newer strains as well as the original coronavirus.
The Chili Cook Off has come back after the pandemic put it on pause. This was the first cookoff since COVID19 overtook the country. The event is a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Ukiah. The money raised helps the club continue to offer their services. Granite Construction has been the main sponsor for years.
Once again PG&E says they have to raise their prices. The company says it’s for about 7 bucks a month for the average customer with electricity and gas and does not get help with their bills through subsidies. Lower-income or CARE customers who do get help would see an increase of under $5/month on average. The energy giant blames inflation in their Securities and Exchange Commission filing. The document says they may be negatively affected by inflation resulting in impacts to their operations, liquidity, and cash flows. They also said in the filing that they’ve already experienced higher prices for equipment, materials, supplies, employee labor, contractor services, and variable-rate debt.
Two people from Ukiah have been booked into jail for trafficking marijuana. Deputies picked up Kevin Worley and Destenie Hall Thursday morning after seeing them while out on routine patrol stopped on the side of the road. They say they contacted the pair and Hall seemed high on drugs and evaluated her to confirm it. They found a couple baggies with two different types of suspected controlled substances and in possession of drug paraphernalia. They also found 5 pounds of bud marijuana packaged for sale. She was booked for being under the influence of a controlled substance, and she and Worley for possession of marijuana for sales, transportation of marijuana for sales and possession of drug paraphernalia. They’re both held on $15,000.00 bail separately.
A man in Ukiah has been arrested after he was found in possession of drugs for sale, while out on bail for another crime. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Dept. reports Eric Silk-Hoaglin was seen by Deputies who recognized him from previous contact, so they stopped him on North State Street. They searched the car and found he was out on bail, then found several rounds of ammunition on the driver’s side floorboard of the vehicle and immediately detained the guy. They also found a bunch of small baggies on him with fentanyl inside and evidence he was probably selling drugs. Silk-Hoaglin was arrested for possession of narcotic for sale, transportation of a narcotic for sale, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person and committing a felony offense while out of custody on bail. He was held on $50,000.00 bail.
2 people in Cloverdale have been arrested for alleged drug sales. Cloverdale police say they found a couple of people asleep in a blue Dodge Journey in front of a driveway. They say the driver was Maggie Tapia of Crescent City who was on active felony probation. She was with Anthony Grayson of Ukiah. The two were both arrested after police smelled drugs coming out of the car. They searched and found 2 pounds of suspected meth and another 3 ounces of suspected fentanyl, plus various drug paraphernalia and evidence they may have been attempting to sell the drugs. The DEA pegged the suspected fentanyl at more than 39,000 lethal doses. The two were booked into Sonoma County Jail on multiple felony drug charges on $100,000 bail each.
A cow wandering in traffic has been hit by a couple of cars on Highway 101 near Willits. The animal was hit by two cars around 10 pm Saturday. The cow was reported to be in the center divider of Highway 101 near the Willits exit. The owner of the animal was apparently on the way there, but it was too late as it was hit in the southbound lane by one vehicle. Then it was hit again and at least one person was reportedly injured too, per the police scanner calling them, “walking wounded.” Mendo Fever reports the CHP had to close the Willits Bypass and redirected traffic to Highway 20 for under about an hour.
The Walker Fire which had been burning for about a week and a half is 100% contained. Fire officials said on Saturday the fire had been encircled. It started September 1st south of Willits. Cal Fire put out their final report on the incident late Saturday afternoon. The fire burned about 109 acres then flared up again to blacken another 15 acres after that. Firefighters were still on the scene controlling hot spots and mopping up. The cause of the Walker Fire is still being investigated.
