Two juveniles have been caught just after they escaped from the Mendocino County Juvenile Detention Center. On Sunday the Sheriff’s Office got wind of the escape. The pair were working in the garden at the facility but climbed a huge fence that had razor wire on top. Deputies, Ukiah cops and officers from the Mendocino County Probation Department went to the scene and quickly found one of them, a female escapee. She had to be taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries from the escape. Then the nixle alert went out, which we reported yesterday, on the male escapee. He was chased in the area of Hazel Avenue in Ukiah and caught. The two may face new charges for escaping custody.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors are reportedly considering items in closed session regarding cannabis. The closed session is around 2:30pm and they are expected to be behind closed doors for four hours. This is reportedly about Equity Program limitations and recommendations. The Board is also hearing the latest on the Mental Health Treatment Act, will direct the Executive Office for discussion and possible action including introduction and waiving of the first reading of an ordinance pertaining to the duties and responsibilities of the CEO and replacing county code references to “health and human services agency” with the departments of behavioral health & recovery services, public health and/or social services.
The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office is reminding about the upcoming General Election on November 8th. They’re sending out the vote-by-mail ballots no later than next Monday, October 10th, with supplemental mailings to follow for newly registered or re-registered voters. They also say not to forget to keep your voter registration information up to date. To make sure you get your ballot on time, verify with the Registrar of Voters your most up-to-date information. If there are errors, you may have to re-register, which you can do online at registertovote.ca.gov or by calling (707) 263-2372 and requesting a voter registration form be mailed to you.
Sheriff’s Deputies on the scene in Willits after reports of a shooting. The call to 911 yesterday morning, according to Mendo Fever, that a man had shot his son three times. There were no injuries though. The news site reports the shooter used a pistol, then ran into the woods. His son told police dispatch the man was still making threats but got rid of his gun. The man was eventually detained along with his son and another person while police tried to get to the bottom of what perpetuated the incident.
A survey is being conducted for the Mendocino National Forest for the next year. Starting this Friday and continuing through Sept. 30th, 2023, the public will see contractors who are conducting the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) survey at recreational sites and along Forest Service roads. You may encounter the guides in orange vests that say “Traffic Survey Ahead.” They will use the information they get on the surveys for forest planning and tourism. Some of the questions they’re reportedly asking include: Where you recreated on the forest, How many people traveled with you, How long you were on the forest, What other recreation sites you visited while on the forest, and How satisfied you are with the facilities and services provided.
The Governor has signed a bill into law to try to quell the amount of disinformation spread by doctors about COVID19. The bill by Assemblyman Evan Low of Campbell and co-sponsored by the California Medical Association looks to curb the fake news they say is often perpetuated on social media, for instance, promoting untested or ineffective treatments and even cures, at the same time, calling into question the effectiveness of face masks and vaccines. Newsom says it’s only going to apply to “egregious instances” where someone acts with malicious intent or deviates from the required standard of care while talking to a patient in their care.
Congressman Mike Thompson has announced the application period for the Department of Education is open for a couple of grant programs related to mental health services for students and youngsters. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is gun violence prevention legislation Thompson championed. The first of the two grants is for School-Based Mental Health Services for mental health professionals with credentials. And the second, the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration (MHSP) grant is so school districts can hire more on campus mental healthcare providers in higher-need districts.
The drought continues, with the last three years some of the driest in history. The state says it’s preparing for the extreme drought conditions to persist. The official water year ended last Friday. Last October had record rainfall, but then from January-to-March, it was the driest in about 100 years. The drought manager for the state Department of Water Resources and the state’s climatologist spoke on the latest report last week. The US Drought Monitor records most of the state in severe or extreme drought with the worst conditions in the Central Valley where a lot of the country’s fruits, vegetables and nuts are grown.
A new study says there are some major earthquake faults in the San Francisco Bay Area that could trigger the big one. We’ve heard this before, but a geologist with the USGS says the San Andreas and the Hayward are fairly well known, but most residents don’t even know the Foothill Thrust Belt faults deep beneath the Silicon Valley are there. Researchers at Stanford say they could potentially set off a magnitude 6.9 earthquake every 250 to 300 years. The Foothill Thrust Belt has two main thrust faults from south of Gilroy past Palo Alto. The study’s main author says faults can “creep” though, and never trigger an earthquake or they can store all of that energy up and spark a massive earthquake. Even a 6.5 could happen each 100 to 150 years.
The Governor has signed a new law that the Mendocino County DA says it’s a bait and switch to add two years onto his term that he’s against. The DA’s Facebook page says it would also add an additional two years to the Sheriff’s term. The bill grabbed the support of Assemblyman Jim Wood and Senate Majority Leader Mike McGuire. The new law makes it mandatory that a one-time extension be added to all DA’s and Sheriff’s in the state who were elected in 2022. They would have a six year term ending in 2028. The bill was first proposed last year, but got carried to this legislative session. Statewide associations who represent district attorneys and sheriffs opposed the bill.
A man from Escondido has crashed near Kelseyville and had major injuries. Lake Co News reports the car accident happened early Sunday morning on Highway 175 with 52 year old Richard Riley being airlifted for treatment out of the county. The California Highway Patrol reports Riley was headed east alone in a 2019 Land Rover Discovery and for an unknown reason drifted off the road and hit a parked car, then went out of control, hit some trees and brush and stopped in a creek bed. The incident was reported as a car 40 feet off the road, down a cliff, and that the driver was trapped and unconscious. He was pulled out of the vehicle by firefighters and taken for treatment of major injuries in Vacaville.
