A Willits man has been found guilty of grisly murders in Mendocino County Superior Court this week. After a two-week trial, Christopher Gamble was found guilty of shooting and killing Ulises Andrade Ayala and Anwar Ayala Rodriguez at a marijuana grow on Sherwood Road. According to the district attorney, the victim’s headless bodies were found in a burn pile, along with abused chickens. Animal abuse was also a crime he was found guilty of. The heads of the human victims were not found. Gamble was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Ukiah Police discovered a woman defrauding her dead mother in Ukiah. The department was contacted by a man reporting suspicious circumstances following the recent death of his 58-year-old sister. The brother went to Ukiah to look after her and the estate she shared with their mother. He told police their mother died about 10 years ago, and his sister was living in her home. At the time, his sister said their mother’s remains were delivered to a medical research facility, but when he got to their home, he found recent bank papers in his mother’s name. Police then learned that his sister didn’t report her death, kept her body around, and accessed their mother’s finances. Authorities found that the mother died naturally, and with the sister now passed on, the case was closed.
Mendocino County’s Round Valley High School confirmed an investigation into a threat to the school last Wednesday, in a social media post. The following day, the high school announced that it would cancel its ‘Big Time’ event, scheduled for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person’s Day on the following Friday, saying it was cancelled due to the threat. In KRCR the school with the county sheriff’s office is investigating. Officials say there is no threat to the public at this time. The school believes multiple students were involved in the threat. Anyone with information should contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Just when the COVID emergency declaration ended recently, a new strain has a new symptom. In the Record Bee today, pink eye is the latest symptom, dubbed Arcturus. The newest subvariant of omicron seems to be the most infectious strain yet, according to medical authorities. Arcturus hasn’t become the dominant strain of COVID in the U.S. yet, but it is growing. Pink eye, a lead indicator of the new variant, is usually caused by bacterial or viral infections, and during a time of year when pollen and allergies are at their highest, may be a confusing season. Even though pink eye symptoms are more common in the new variant, coughing and sore throat are still the most common symptoms. If you have any COVID-like symptoms, you should get tested, he said. The good news is that Arcturus isn’t likely to be more severe in COVID illness patients, and that a continued decline is expected to continue.
The fire district board is proposing to send a no confidence letter to the Health Service Director at their meeting today at 5pm. Health Services Director Jonathan Portney has argued with the sheriff’s office, fire districts and his own employees over his management of the department. Nine Health Services Department employees signed a December 5th letter that faulted Portney for leadership failures with civic partners. The controversy surrounding Director Portney began in March, when agencies learned of a letter sent by Portney, they say was inaccurate. The letter implied the fire district was not responding to emergency calls. According to Lake County News, the health services director had been evaluated for his performance eight times within his 16 month appointment.
The California Department of Corrections is adding a third visiting day each weekend for inmates and is offering free bus rides for families. Correction officials say its prisons statewide will move to three days visiting starting on July 7. The expansion comes as video weekend visits come to an end at most of the facilities. In the Press Democrat today, the California Legislature approved over $20 million to expand in-person visits to three days. The Corrections Department is working with TransMETRO for free busing to state prisons, once visitors have been approved. The Northern California bus schedule shows departures from Sacramento, Stockton, Chico and Redding. CDCR also is launching a new Facility Status page online, that will provide the latest visiting status for each prison with hours of visitation, along with updates and holiday postings. Conservation camps will continue hybrid video and in-person visits on weekends, since those facilities won’t have three days of visiting.
California’s travel industry is returning with a bang, according to a new report from Visit California. Tourism is projected to surpass a pre-pandemic milestone as the industry heads toward full recovery. In the Press Enterprise today, travel-related spending in the state grew to over $134 billion last year, a 32 percent increase from 2021. The most recent peak was nearly $145 billion in 2019. In Mendocino County, travel related spending was about $469 million. In Lake County last year brought in $176 million, and in Sonoma, travel spending returned to over $2 billion, close to the highest levels seen in 2019. Tourism related employment has also grown, with the addition of 157,000 jobs last year. State and local tax revenue from travel is also returning. It increased about 22 percent last year, just 3 percentage points short of pre-pandemic levels. In their report, Visit California lists beaches, hiking trails, mountains and theme parks among the state’s top attractions.
The Middletown Area Town Hall will meet this week to discuss general topics and plan upcoming presentations. In Lake County News today, the town hall will begin at 7pm on Thursday, May 11th in the Middletown Community Meeting Room at the Library. The group will make plans for upcoming meetings. Next month, they will hear from the Lake County Sheriff and get an update on the Maha Guenoc resort plan in July. Middletown Area’s next town hall meeting will be June 8.
California Water Service submitted a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission yesterday, to rescind Stage 2 of the Water Shortage Contingency Plan because of improved drought conditions and increased water supply. California Water service says it’s been one of the wettest years on record following three of the driest years in history. Cal Water says they will continue to build lont-term conservation efforts as they prepare for the weather pendulum that has swung back and forth. The agency says customers must continue to follow city or county irrigation ordinances. Some outdoor water-use restrictions remain in place, including watering only between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. and there is no watering driveways or sidewalks unless for health and safety purposes. Cal Water’s conservation rebates and programs will also continue, including a $3-per-square-foot rebate for lawn-to-garden conversions and its popular Smart Landscape Tune-Up Program. For more information visit calwater.com
The Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee will hold its next meeting this Wednesday, May 10th, at 7:30am at Lakeport City Hall. Agenda items include updates on city projects and City Council priorities. There also will be discussion of the city action plan for fiscal year 2023-24, member reports, citizen input and more, according to Lake County News. The committee’s next meeting will be in July.
Cal Fire will be testing use of German environmental start-up Dryad Networks’ “ultra-early” wildfire detection technology to increase fire detection speeds, according to the Mountain Democrat. 400 sensors will be deployed in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest in Mendocino County. In a press release from the company, the pilot project is expected to begin this month, and aims to show how the AI technology can detect wildfires faster, helping firefighting efforts. The sensor model is being tested, hanging from trees at about 10 feet high with over a 300 foot radius between sensors. The sensor then transmits wireless data to resources and researchers. The “ultra-early” detection technology can reduce wildfire detection times from several hours to minutes, allowing firefighters to get to a fire in its earliest stages, according to the company. The sensors can also detect which fuels get ignited. The company is ramping up manufacturing, moving from 10,000 units last year, to producing 230,000 by the end of this year to deploy worldwide.
Governor Newsom is expected to introduce a revised budget proposal on Friday, which will identify how to fill a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit. In the Sacramento Bee, his options include cuts to programs, borrowing money or closing prisons. Some lawmakers are also pushing a plan to raise corporate taxes, but the governor says he won’t support that. He released his $297 billion budget for the next fiscal year, with a projected $22.5 billion deficit. It could be worse, as state revenue hasn’t met forecasts. Financial issues like interest rate hikes and banking instability could affect California’s budget. Newsom’s original 2023-24 budget proposal called for cuts in transportation and climate initiatives, capital improvements and a series of reductions that could be restored if conditions improve. He’s unlikely to propose drastic cuts to social services.
Medi-Cal will reach out to recipients within the next year, to verify eligibility, as the emergency declaration has ended. Kaiser Health Foundation urges residents to look for a yellow envelope with about a 20 page form. Officials are warning that criminals may try to scam some people into paying a fee to confirm eligibility. Medi-Cal has started a 14-month effort to reexamine the eligibility of its nearly 16 million members. Because of the end of the pandemic, restrictions will be enforced, booting an estimated 2 million to 3 million in California. California’s Department of Health Care Services, which runs Medi-Cal, has launched a $25 million advertising campaign to let people know, and hopefully decrease the number of those dropped from the program. Those who are worried about being dropped should call your local Medi-Cal office to update your information and get help.
Monthly nature walks continue to be hosted on the second Saturday of each month at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park. The next guided walk will be held this coming Saturday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The two hour May nature walk will be led by Henry Bornstein, a certified California Naturalist and volunteer State Parks Docent, according to Lake County News today. Bring binoculars and meet in the parking lot at 8:15am for time to wake up with wildlife in the Ranch House and Barn complex yard. There is no charge for the guided nature walk and parking is free for those attending.
