After searching for three days for a young father from the Berkeley area, his body has been found. It was believed 24-year-old Angel Fulgado had been in Ukiah last Sunday after disappearing early that morning. And on Monday reports he might have been in Nice in Lake County too, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead yesterday afternoon Fulgado’s body was found in his car in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. His wife was reportedly informed after and further told the death was being investigated. His car was found in vegetation along Avenue of the Giants in the High Rock area. He and his wife have a newborn.
After PG&E tried to take out a bald eagles’ nest in Potter Valley because of a dying pine tree they were blocked by neighbors. But apparently the company is itching to get the nest to safety so they can fell the tree because it’s so close to a powerline. Early this year the property owner wouldn’t grant tree-cutting crews’ access and neighbors also blocked the road in. Afterwards two babies were seen in the nest. The property owner says at least one of the birds has flown away. This week though, the US Fish and Wildlife Service held a meeting telling attendees they are granting PG&E a permit to remove the tree next month, before nesting season.
Those impacted by the earthquake in Humboldt County could use the public’s help. The Mendocino Voice has listed ways you can donate to residents who may have to repair their homes, were injured or worse. 2 people were killed, and more than a dozen were injured. As many as 30 people in Rio Dell, which was hit hard by the 6.4 temblor, had to move out of their damaged homes, and many don’t have insurance either. Still 10,000 homes are without power too, just ahead of the holidays. There is a shelter in Fortuna for those who need a place to stay. The Red Cross is accepting cash donations and has a shelter set up. The local food bank, Food for the People is accepting donations, the same for the Humboldt Area Foundation, United Disaster Relief of Northern California, World Central Kitchen, you can also drop off items at the Rio Dell Volunteer Fire Department and Sequoia Springs Senior Living in Fortuna.
Nothing new, but an alert that as we head into the holidays, the CHP will be out in force. And ahead of Christmas the CHP commissioner says drivers should be prepared for a lot of traffic, and major winter storms this weekend. She says to “slow down, buckle up, and never drive impaired”. The CHP wants you to take extra time to get to where you’re going, make sure you’re fueled up and properly equipped, and to have a sober driver piloting your vehicle. Last year 28 people were killed on roads and highways due to drunk drivers on Xmas weekend.
A church in Kelseyville has been burglarized just before they celebrate Christmas. Lake Co News reports the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church sustained thousands in damage. That’s not stopping the church from its holiday celebrations, with services and Christmas dinner. An alarm apparently went off early Tuesday morning alerting church members and staff someone was inside. When they got there they found the main church building had been broken into, along with its Fellowship Hall and food pantry. There were multiple doors and windows damaged and what looked to be hammer marks on walls, but alas, nothing was stolen. They’ve set up a GoFundMe to pay for the infrastructure damage.
A woman from Yuba City who reportedly tried to plow through a California Highway Patrol driver checkpoint in Lower Lake has been arrested. Lake Co News reports the DUI checkpoint was set up Saturday where officers contacted hundreds of drivers, handed out over a dozen tickets, impounded two cars and investigated 4 possible DUI’s. And as they finished the checkpoint a woman in a Mini Cooper ran through the screening area at a high rate of speed, not stopping for officers. She’s been identified as 22-year-old Kiara Renee Fears, who officers say hit speeds of up to 100 miles/hour on State Route 29. She ended up crashing around a turn, jumped out and ran, but was eventually caught and charged with DUI and more. She also had a suspended license and another DUI for which she was on probation.
Fuel reduction plans are being together by the Bureau of Land Management who would like to hear from the public on the matter. The agency wants public comment so they can get to work on the treatments near high fire-risk areas on public lands. The work will be across the state in most counties and in northwest Nevada. The Wildland-Urban Interface fuels treatments programmatic environmental assessment on about 900,000 acres of public land near rural communities. The BLM says the work would reduce the likelihood of loss of life, property, and community infrastructure from wildfires.
Caltrans reports they’ve reopened the Fernbridge in Humboldt County after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake this week. There was damage to the bridge’s deck and overall structure. The span over the Eel River got a quick $6 million infusion for the repairs and repaving of the road. The bridge on State Route 211 reopened last night with crews on hand to make sure traffic flowed well in one direction with crews on either end. They said they could continue the repairs safely with one-way controls and thanked residents who use the bridge for their patience. The quake was about 10 miles beneath the earth’s surface on the Mendocino Triple Junction, where the Gorda, Pacific and North American plates meet.
A local state of emergency has been declared by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors due to the earthquake Tuesday. This will help move money quickly to victims, some of which are not covered by earthquake insurance. One of the supervisors whose area was hit hard says only about 1 in 20 people had earthquake insurance. The Governor also declared a state of emergency for the county. Many residents continue to pick up after the initial quake and multiple aftershocks. Some reports say there were 2 per hour the first day or two. The USGS reported shake alerts as far out as Chico, with most of the shaking and damage in Ferndale, Rio Dell and Fortuna. More than 2 dozen homes were reported to be unsafe to live in.
A bunch of money’s been donated to the Lakeport Volunteer Firefighter’s Association. Haunted Lake County has given $10,000 to the Association from their 12th annual event. The event, “Your Worst Nightmare” was very popular this year with themes that included the Netflix series, Stranger Things and movies Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Hellraiser and more. The Lakeport Volunteer Firefighters Association not only got money, but they were active participants each night of the event.
A new report says California has 30% of the nation’s homeless. The latest report from the US Dept. of Housing and Community Development after the biennial point-in-time count of the unsheltered. This year was the first count since 2019 because of the pandemic. The Dept. says over 172,000 Californians were homeless at some point this year. California was also noted as having the country’s highest homelessness rate, at 44 people/10,000 experiencing homelessness; the biggest jump in the homeless population of any other state from both 2020-22 (6.2%) and 2007-22 (23.4%). The report was released after the fed announced a new program which would start next year to address homeless encampments.
