There’s a new boss at the Lakeport Fire Protection District. A new chief was announced yesterday who replaces Jeff Thomas who resigned in May. Chief Patrick Reitz starts Nov. 1st from the Idyllwild Fire Protection District. He also served in Wyoming and Oregon. He is taking over for the interim chief Dan Grebil who’s been running things all summer. Reitz was first a volunteer firefighter, then moved into career positions as an EMT and firefighter. He and his wife are relocating from Idyllwild.
The South Cow Mountain OHV Safety Event is being held by the Bureau of Land Management. This Saturday at the South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area the public is invited for an exciting experience, which the Ukiah Field Manager says can be just as fun for beginners and experienced riders alike. They are asking for you to make safety the priority and ride responsibly. It starts at 9am at the Westside Staging Area with a safety clinic first. There are 23,000 acres to explore. For more information and directions to the South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area, visit their webpage or call the Ukiah Field Office at 707-468-4000.
Firefighters pounced quick on a home fire in Hopland. Mendo Fever reports hearing yesterday afternoon about a structure fire in the hills outside of the town with Hopland Volunteer Firefighters on the scene with CALFIRE. The fire broke out in hilly terrain inside a home’s kitchen. The stove was apparently engulfed in flames and the homeowner was on it with a garden hose. As soon as firefighters got there, they snuffed it, but say there was “quite a bit of damage” to the inside of the house. The homeowner was also reportedly complaining of possible smoke inhalation, but said they’d get medical treatment if they felt it was necessary.
It’s Emotional Wellness Month nationwide. In Lake County they’re reminding as the holiday season approaches, combined with social, cultural and political conflict, COVID-19, natural and man-made disasters, it’s been a stressful, even traumatic time for many. The Director of Lake County Behavioral Health Services says the communities within the county are “resilient and strong, but it is important to be aware of our emotional wellness, and how critical good mental health is to overall health”. He reminds ways to support emotional well-being can include: staying connected or creating new social connections, physical exercise and meditation, self-care and laughter.
For more information, please contact Lake County Behavioral Health Services at 707-274-9101 or 707-994-7090. Or visit: https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/
It doesn’t look as though the Supreme Court is too keen on wading into California’s animal welfare law and protections for pigs. Some Pork producers in the Midwest are challenging a ballot measure in the State of California to ban the sale of pork if breeding pigs were being confined in narrow metal cages. Proposition 12 was approved by California voters in 2018. The new argument to the Supremes is that it’s unconstitutional because it forces hog farmers elsewhere to make the same changes. Most of the pork sold in Calif. though comes from other states.
As we head into the new water year, officials in Mendocino County say they’re preparing for another drought year. The latest update released from the Mendocino County Water Agency says the City Community Services District is going to keep on promoting “strong conservation” and increased individual water storage. They’ve been touting a new emergency community water storage tank project which is apparently still a couple years away. The Board has moved into a Stage 2 Water Shortage as of September 26th. In Ukiah, the Director of Water and Sewer says the city is prepared for whatever happens and there is nearly 300 million gallons of recycled water this year.
Some community members in Ukiah are trying to get a permit for an indoor miniature golf course. A request has been made to use a deserted building next to CVS for “T-Up Ukiah” at 125 S. Orchard Ave. where a Sears used to be. The city’s Zoning Administrator has reportedly received the application. The building has been empty for more than a decade. The owner has requested a Minor Use Permit for the indoor, nine-hole mini-golf course with a lounge and seating for special events. They would section it off into three parts over its 5,800 square-feet. The meeting is Monday morning.
An update has been released to the public on the new tsunami hazard map. The California Geological Survey and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services put the updated map out that mostly shows changes in the Bay Area, but over seven counties total. The areas were based on a map from back in 2009 showing potential inundation from a Tsunami, should one happen. The counties with the major updates this time around are Marin, Napa, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma and Ventura. The last update was in July of 2021 showing 1,000-year historical tsunami events. Previous to that map, they only showed 100- to 500-year historical events.
It happened again, the Sonoma County Water Agency reported “a third consecutive year of below average rainfall in the Russian River watershed”. The agency reports that means the two primary water storage reservoirs, Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino are near historic lows. The report also says thru August of this year, was the driest in Sonoma County in 128 years. Rainfall was almost 20 inches below normal. There’s going to be a virtual townhall with Sonoma County officials today to discuss water for those dependent on the Russian River. The briefing will be streamed live on the County of Sonoma Facebook page.
A donation from Walmart is going to the Lake Pillsbury Fire Protection District. The company reportedly donated the money after the Ukiah store manager showed the District they could apply for money to help bolster the Firefighters Association for Fire, Rescue and Medical equipment needs. The $4,000 donation from the Walmart Community Grants. That’s not all, the District also announced being awarded another $10,000 grant from their grant partner California Fire Foundation. With that the District says they can protect several firefighters with up-to-date and properly fitting wildland PPE and various other safety, rescue and medical supplies required to help safely protect our community and their north state neighbors.
A new report says a recent crackdown on drug dealers across California seems to be working. Four-million fentanyl pills and almost 900 pounds of powder was gathered in the roundup over the last 16 months and 200 people were arrested. That’s according to the state Attorney General Rob Bonta who says fentanyl is coming from out of the state and country, leading to an increase in overdose deaths. The drug is up to 100 times more potent than morphine.
