CalFire says so far, so good on the prescribed burn at the Parlin Fork Conservation Camp in Fort Bragg. If you’ve noticed the smoke around Mendocino and Lake Counties the prescribed burn started Monday with crews completing a 12-acre plot of the 200-acre total prescribed burn plan. Yesterday they did a 15-acre plot. They will continue the burn periodically, on days that weather conditions and air quality allow, through October 28 or until it’s all done.
Investigators say a Sonoma Valley man shot by Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies Saturday night in Sonoma was armed with a makeshift gun and he was firing at one of the deputies. The Press Democrat reports the man is in critical condition but is expected to survive and may face charges of attempted homicide of a police officer. Investigators characterized the gun as an “improvised firearm” and say it was made of pipe and black tape. The deputies were not hurt in the incident and both are currently on paid administrative leave.
Today is the Great California ShakeOut, a chance for you to practice what you would do when an earthquake hits. At approximately 10:20, MyShake App users will get a test notification encouraging you to practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On”, wherever you are, in the event of an earthquake. The test drill will have an audible tone along with verbal messaging that says, “This is a test of the earthquake warning system.” It’s not a County run exercise, it’s purely voluntary. You can find the app at https://myshake.berkeley.edu. It’s available in both the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Ukiah’s Community Development Director has approved a permit for an indoor mini-golf course on South Orchard Avenue. Parking was the main concern for whether the business is appropriate for that spot next to CVS, but the Ukiah Daily Journal reports the Planning Manager cited the opinion of city planning staff that there is plenty of parking in the 440 space parking lot nearby and the mini-golf would likely have mostly opposite hours from businesses next door. The developer reportedly says they plan to promote it as a family-friendly, all-ages attraction.
Assemblymember Jim Wood of Healdsburg is touting the start of the first leg of a high speed internet installation called the Middle Mile that will allow internet service providers to provide connections to unserved or underserved Californians. The 10,000 mile network, made possible by $6.5 billion in funding from SB 156, will be the nation’s largest when fully constructed. Wood says with one-in-five Californians not having access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet, this is the biggest investment California has made yet to fix that.
A new study suggests the California wildfires of 2020 that destroyed more than 4 million acres of forest doubly erased 16 years of progress in tackling climate change in the state. The study done by researchers at UCLA and the University of Chicago called “Up in Smoke” claims the 2020 wildfires released around 140 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air. That’s around twice the 71 million tons the state managed to reduce in carbon emissions from 2003 to 2019.
Factory Pipe in Ukiah recently played host to more than 100 Mendocino County Shop and Welding students to give them an up-close look at a true state of the art manufacturing business. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports Factory Pipe held a “Manufacturing Day” for students from Ukiah High, Mendocino College, Clearlake High, Laytonville High, Willits High, Round Valley High, Sequoia Career Academy and South Valley High on October 13. The kids took a tour of the operation and got to watch Factory Pipe’s real-time production of exhaust systems for motorsports.
As you get ready to winter your garden, the Ukiah Branch Library will be hosting a workshop on “Fall Seed Cleaning”. It’s Saturday, November 5, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. You’ll learn how to clean, dry and store vegetable seeds from your garden including both wet-seeded and dry-seeded crops like tomatoes and beans. The Library says it will be a hands-on class where you’ll learn to clean, winnow and sift seeds and yes, if you have seeds ready to clean, you can bring. The workshop is free to the public, thanks to the Ukiah Valley Friends of the Library and the Mendocino County Library.
