A long-time wine maker from the Central Valley has died. The family of 79-year-old Fred T. Franzia of the Bronco Wine Co. announced he died at his home after some health issues they had not shared publicly. The Central Valley man is remembered for creating high quality wines at a value, including Charles Shaw a/k/a Two Buck Chuck which sold over 1 billion bottles with the belief that wine should be enjoyed and consumed on every American Table.
A woman who disappeared in the Cobb area while picking berries has still not been found after a month. 38-year-old Goldie Lee Morse vanished from the Black Rock Golf Course August 13th, without even taking her shoes. Police say they do not think there was foul play involved. Apparently there have been reports of people seeing her that night and the next morning, but not again. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office reports continuing to find information on what may have happened to her. Mendo Fever reports speaking to a friend of Morse’s who says while picking berries with her roommate, the roommate left for less than a half hour and when they came back they saw only Morse’s shoes.
After the Mendocino County Grand Jury report on Water Insecurity in the Redwood Valley County Water District, the Board of Supervisors has come up with their mandatory response. The jury said the water district has not been able to consistently provide adequate water for customers, both residential and commercial. The report also said one of the main problems was due to its massive debt, nearly $7 million dollars. The money owed to the federal government and has not been paid for several decades. The Water District board is apparently set to discuss the debt at a meeting today. The jury recommended consolidation with other water districts. The Board of Supervisors sent a response to the Grand Jury, mostly disagreeing, but also admitting it wasn’t in a position to respond to all of the findings.
That dead humpback whale that washed ashore in Fort Bragg will not be removed after all. After a visit earlier this week by scientists and researchers, it was decided the 26.5-foot juvenile humpback near Glass Beach would be left to decompose naturally. The Noyo Center responded to the scene and reported to the Mendocino Voice, that there can be many benefits from leaving the whale where it is, for one thing, creating its own ecosystem where it lies. It is partially in the water, so scientists have been challenged to study the animal. They say they will continue to evaluate it though, and may take more tissue samples to try to determine how it died and its age.
The Governor has signed a new law to help those in the state affected by mental health issues. Governor Newsom therefore triggered the new CARE Court, which his office called “a paradigm shift” for people with severe mental health and substance use crises to get the care and services they need. CARE stands for Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act. As part of the law families, clinicians, first responders and others can refer people with disorders like schizophrenia or psychosis for help. It will first start in Glenn, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, Stanislaus, Tuolumne counties and in San Francisco.
Amazon is being sued by the State of Calif. The State Attorney General Rob Bonta says the company has “stifled its competition for years” and blocked the competition with their pricing. He says that has meant families have to pay more, so he wants Amazon to “pay the price.” The lawsuit is being met with negativity by tech experts who say it doesn’t make much sense as consumers try to beat back inflation by shopping for the lowest prices. Amazon has previously said sellers set their own prices and the company has the right not to spotlight products they feel aren’t priced competitively.
The Lake County Sheriff has reported to the Lake County Board of Supervisors about a staffing idea. The Board heard Tuesday from Sheriff Brian Martin on staffing incentives he wanted to offer because of a serious staffing shortage at the agency. He has 17 out of 50 positions filled at the moment and another seven people are on leave. He says he has one deputy trainee in the training academy, six deputies at the jail, three for dispatch and another deputy at the courthouse, but still, it’s not nearly enough. He says they don’t have enough people on the street. So he proposes adding emergency staff incentive pay, better hiring incentives at $15,000 to $20,000 and a new retention incentive. The board agreed to talk again about the idea at their meeting next week. Also this week PG&E spoke about their vegetation management programs and tree mortality issue.
United Disaster Relief of Northern Calif. has won a grant from 100+ Women Strong of Inland Mendocino County. At their gathering in late spring at Rivino Vineyards the group heard presentations by three nonprofits. Then over a hundred local donors gave the thumbs up to United Disaster Relief, formerly the Mendo-Lake Complex Fire Relief. The head of the nonprofit says the money will help them with their new building in Ukiah and spread the word on the organization which started after the Valley Fire in Lake County. They help fire survivors who may have lost their homes get all of their documents in order, find shelter and more.
The COVID mandate across California is no more. As of this Saturday workers who aren’t vaccinated don’t need to be tested every week any longer. The state Department of Public Health says the number of those unprotected is low, and vaccine coverage in high-risk settings is high, with as much as 80-percent of people having had their full doses, while almost half have received at least one booster shot.
That aftershock that hit less than a minute after Tuesday’s earthquake in Santa Rosa was larger than first reported. The U.S. Geological Survey upgraded the after-shock from a magnitude three-point-nine to a four-point-three. The first earthquake was a four-point-four. That one was centered two miles northeast of central Santa Rosa. The aftershock was centered a mile away. No major damage was done to the city’s infrastructure.
The Ghost Ship disaster in Oakland is back in the news. The guy who was the master tenant and is a Lake County resident may be behind bars again. You may recall the giant warehouse stuffed to the gills with artwork caught fire in 2016 during a party and killed 36 people. Now Derick Almena has to come back to court after his home was searched showing he had violated conditions of his probation by possessing weapons. He’s been on probation after he was found guilty in the fire for involuntary manslaughter. He asked at the time for his supervision to be transferred to Mendocino County. Probation officers have reported finding several weapons, including a machete, bows and arrows, and ammunition, all against the terms of his supervision. Prosecutors say they’re looking to revoke the deal so that could mean prison time for Almena who’s been ordered to appear, one week from tomorrow, back in Oakland.
