A man in Willits says the president of Mendocino Railway, AKA the Skunk Train offered him a bunch of money for his home to expand the railway. John Meyer now has a go fund me account up saying now they’re trying to take his property by eminent domain. Meyer says his property was supposed to be built out with a few vacation rentals, but instead the Skunk Train parent company had their property appraised and is trying to take it out from under him. He said in court the company claimed it was a public utility and freight company transporting goods between Willits and Fort Bragg. Meyer says fighting the company in court has cost him more than his property may be worth now. Meyer is trying to raise $150,000 and so far has raised about $2,500.
Members are needed for the Federal Advisory Committee on National Forests. Nominations are being accepted for the national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The committee provides input on modernizing landscape management, promoting sustainability, climate change adaptation, and wildfire resilience. There are 20 members on the committee for two year terms. Applications are being accepted through the middle of January.
For more information, visit the Forest Service’s Northwest Forest Plan page or the committee page.
A man from Hopland has been arrested after reports to Deputies about a couple of drunk dudes. A Deputy responded to the 13000 block of South Highway 101 and found one of them, while the other started walking away. They say Johny Nunez-Garcia was ordered to stop, but ran, and a chase began. The Deputy easily caught up to the guy, who they say started punching the Deputy. The Deputy, avoiding the man, had to chase him again as he took off. Then someone witnessing the whole thing helped the Deputy take Nunez-Garcia down. He was finally detained and booked into jail on$15,000 bail. The Deputy had minor injuries.
A man in Willits is on the run after what police say was a brutal beating. On Monday Christopher Roy Kirsch was blamed for beating someone with a baseball bat. Police say the victim had serious injuries and Kirsch was on the run and they had no idea what the motive was, or if the two men knew each other. The police chief also says it’s unclear where Kirsch lives, and that he may have been staying at the victim’s home.
Members of the Yurok Tribe could get peace officer status so they can access state law enforcement databases. Assemblymember James C. Ramos has introduced legislation so tribal police officers can use the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (CLETS). The Yurok Tribe is a sponsor of the bill which if it passes will give them power to work on Missing and Murdered Indigenous People cases. Yurok Chairman Joseph L. James says Indigenous Women and Girls have been disproportionately affected by violence, human trafficking, and murder. He says they go ‘missing’ at much higher rates than people of other racial groups. They have also declared an emergency due to the crisis.
There’s a new petition being circulated in connection to the management of the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. The Coalition to Save Jackson State Forest says it outlines their vision for the forest (JDSF) and advocates for new management. The Northern Pomo and Coast Yuki peoples use the land which is also filled with various species of trees, is a prime example of biodiversity, a key tool in the fight against climate change, and a well-known spot for outdoor recreation. The petition asks for lawmakers and the governor to take action to conserve the forest. So far petitions circulating have inked 2,000 signatures.
For the first time, the federal government is auctioning off renewable energy from Calif., in the form of wind. The Biden Administration is set to auction rights for private companies to build wind turbines off the California coastline. It’s like the sale of offshore oil drilling years ago. The two sections of land the fed is looking to work with are in Humboldt County, about 20 miles outside of Eureka, and Morro Bay, about 35 miles offshore. The land together totals around 373,000 acres. There could be 300 to 450 turbines that can potentially generate 4,500 megawatts of electricity or enough to power 1.5 million California homes.
Since the Lake County Sheriff has announced his retirement, city staff have been instructed about how to appoint an interim sheriff. Sheriff Brian Martin ends his second term at the end of the year and has designated Capt. Chris Chwialkowski since there’s no undersheriff, as his temporary replacement. Under state law, the highest ranking officer takes over as sheriff-coroner until the vacancy is filled. The Board of Supervisors will interview candidates and appoint a permanent replacement next month, and that person will serve until 2025. Sheriff Martin asked the board to move quickly so he can help his replacement transition, and they can attend a training next month too.
The Governor will be joining the outgoing Governor of Oregon to celebrate the nation’s largest river restoration project. The US interior secretary and tribal leaders will also join in the recognition of the work to be done along the Klamath River. The plan was approved last month to take out four dams to begin the restoration of several hundred miles of habitat for fish and ecosystems.
PG&E warns of holiday scams. The energy company has put out the word they’ve been hearing about victims in Northern California and along the Central Coast. The company says tens of thousands of people say they received a call from someone who says the work at the utility company and demand money. They say it’s more than twice as much as all of 2021. They say the scam has also lost customers over a million dollars in fraudulent payments.
Undergraduate students at University California campuses are reportedly concerned the strike by some academic workers could affect their grades. The strike is in its fourth week and could mean faculty withhold tens of thousands of grades by staffers who already got their deal ratified, but are sort of silently striking still, in solidarity with other workers. Some students need to get their grades to hit a certain grade point average to maintain federal financial aid. And others who plan to graduate this year or may want to apply to grad school. Those who won’t give grades say they’re protected against picking up work responsibilities of striking employees.
The yearly fire department competition to bring in blood is on. 19 fire departments in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties are taking part in the 17th annual Bucket Brigade Blood Drive Challenge, a friendly competition with the winning department chosen after they bring in the most blood this month and next. The departments do community outreach to get other firefighters, friends, family and community members to donate, which is especially crucial during the holiday season. Generally speaking donations drop this month, and the last two weeks of the year are the lowest donation period all year round. The next blood drives are in Lakeport tomorrow, and next Wednesday at the South Lake County Fire Protection District.
