The search for a man who reportedly fell of the cliffs on the coast near Big River Beach continues. The Press Democrat reports that family members, rangers at Mendocino Headlands State Park and lifeguards were combing coves around the beach and searched north and south of the area. Yesterday was the third day of the search that began Saturday evening when a witness said they saw a man floating face down in the water, after tripping and falling in. Park officials have said the man was a local who visited the park weekly. Officials on Jet Skis, a helicopter and a drone were used to search over the past few days. Headlands State Park Officials say it’s a recovery mission at this point.
The Lakeport Planning Commission will talk about several projects including signage at the former Kmart store. Tomorrow at 5:30 several applications will be discussed. The design review will go over the exemption by Lake County Contractors to allow a 7 foot tall chain link fence on Industrial Avenue where a new group, including Tractor Supply and Marshalls will replace the old Kmart building, a third lease is still open, according to Lake County News. The architects who are renovating it are also applying for an exemption to build a 35 foot tall sign and a 6 foot sign for the shopping center. And a parcel map for a 15 acre subdivision will be considered for Waterstone Residential at Craig Avenue.
A logging truck was on fire yesterday on Highway 101 in Laytonville. Traffic was stopped in the northbound lane starting just after 10pm. A semi-truck load of wood planks was on fire as someone exited the cab. In MendoFever, the semi was engulfed in flame, but within 15 minutes, the fire was reported to be mostly extinguished.
The Willits Police Department found a pipe-bomb at the scene of a domestic violence encounter Sunday morning. In a news release yesterday, it happened in a home in Brooktrails. Police found a man named Kristoff Suba who allegedly attacked a woman Sunday morning. The woman told officers she was able to keep Suba at bay with a stun gun. She said she thought Suba had a pipe-bomb as well. Willits Police along with Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Humboldt Sheriff’s Bomb Squad confirmed the improvised explosive device in a family member’s car. Suba was arrested for domestic battery and possession of a destructive device.
A boat leaking gas and oil into Clear Lake temporarily closed the boat ramp at Lakeside County Park near Kelseyville yesterday morning. In The Record Bee, the spill happened on Sunday near the ramp. The boat owner called the Lake County Sheriff’s Boat Patrol. An oil slick could be seen floating on the surface and was still visible yesterday as cleanup crews worked. About 35 gallons of gas and oil leaded into the lake they estimate. Boat officials don’t have a timeline of reopening, as they worked to clear it Monday, Lakeside Park is open for all other activities.
There will be a prescribed burn at the Coyote Valley Dam today. The US Army Corps of Engineers with Cal Fire will begin tonight at 5pm until about 9pm. Smoke will be visible through the Ukiah and Redwood Valley Areas, according to a press release from CalFire. The aim is to reduce vegetation on the face of the dam for an inspection. Coyote Dam and the Fish Hatchery will be closed to the public.
The Clearlake City Council will meet on Thursday evening to go over an appeal for a city project and more. June 15th at 5pm before the meeting there will be a budget workshop in the council chambers. At the 6pm meeting, council members will consider an appeal by the Koi Nation of Northern California on the environmental analysis of the Burns Valley Development Project, according to Lake County News. The matter has been continued from the April 25th meeting and discussion from meetings earlier this month. The council will also hold a public hearing on the 2023-24 budget. The council will consider an understanding between the city and the Clearlake Middle Management Association between July of this year and next. They’ll discuss the abatement for properties on Sixth and Cottonwood Streets, Clement and Woodland Drives, and Johnson, 19th and 32nd Avenues.
Fire Victim Trust administrators will mediate this week with AT&T over money tied up in an account to go to wildfire victims. When PG&E filed for bankruptcy in 2019 under the burden of soaring liabilities for wildfire damages, AT&T says the utility owed more than $238 million in equipment, lines and revenue lost to the 2017 North Bay wildfires and the 2018 Camp Fire. In The Press Democrat, AT&T is the third company in the bankruptcy filing along with Adventist and Comcast whose claims were put in the Fire Victim Trust. Individuals received about 65 percent of damages awarded, and were maddened when the trust funds were limited. As the last company to get paid, the trust has slowed its payout process for tens of thousands of fire victims. Victims are waiting for the AT&T payout, after Comcast was settled last month.
Cal Fire will be doing a prescribed burn at Sonoma Land Trusts Laufenburg Ranch Preserve in the northeast part of Sonoma County on Thursday. In the Press Democrat, officials hope the burn helps to restore natural habitat and reduces the risk of wildfires on the nearly 180 acre preserve at the base of Mount St. Helena. Cal Fire made the announcement over the weekend. Fire officials say the fire season may get a later start this year following a wet winter. But they do worry about the extra vegetation the water helped grow. The burn will be from 9am to 5pm Thursday in two different areas of the ranch preserve off of Spencer Lane in Knights Valley.
Food banks are seeing a significant increase in recipients as COVID emergency benefits expired last month. Benefits were reduced to over 5 million Californians, according to Cal Matters. Food banks say there may be a catastrophic hunger crisis this year as more residents use food banks regularly. CalFresh benefits dropped from about $280 per month to about $23 at the end of March. The surge in demand has doubled in the capital. There are lawmakers working to introduce bills that would increase the CalFresh benefits by 100 percent. But, at a cost of nearly a billion dollars is a high cost amid California’s $31 billion budget deficit. Bills that would increase benefits have passed the house, but face obstacles to becoming law with the state tightening its belt.
Wine grapes have been researched by Oregon State University, as they found a new class of compounds that contributes to ashy or smokey flavors of wine exposed to wildfire smoke. In MendoFever, persistent exposure to smoke compromised the quality of wine grapes and adversely affects wines, in the findings. Volatile phenols have been attributed to the class of compounds created when grapes are exposed to wildfire smoke. Researchers believe there are more unnamed compounds that cause smoke taint in wine. Sulfer-containing compounds, called thriophenols are a new culprit. The discovery could help vintners find the chemical marker that could help ways to identify and eliminate during the winemaking process.
Safeway grocery stores are being sued for illegal price gouging in the state. The suit claims about a million residents were harmed by the alleged deceptive promotional pricing practices. In The Bay Area News Group the lawsuit in Northern California US District Court claims Safeway’s practices of false advertising goes against the state’s unfair-competition laws. The suit comes after the plaintiff, Caleb Haley said a BOGO sale on ice cream and other items were priced up before the promotion. The class-action lawsuit alleges more than 800,000 Californians paid more than the retail price. Earlier this year, Safeway in Oregon agreed to pay over $100 million in a class-action lawsuit that made similar claims of price hiking. Haley is looking for unspecified damages and a court order barring Safeway from price inflation on similar promotions.
Residents who were affected by the late winter severe storms can get information on disaster assistance today at a Disaster Recovery Center in Willits. EI News reports recovery specialists will be there in person to help people apply for FEMA help. Information on rental assistance and help in other resources are available at the Willits Community Center from 9am to 6pm Monday thru Saturday. US Small Business Administration officials will also be on hand for business owners to learn about low-interest disaster loans. FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation specialists are also on hand to share home-improvement help and more.
A mass shooting in Northern California left an 18 year old woman dead and six wounded. The AP is reporting the shooting happened early Sunday at a birthday party in Antioch. The shooter or shooters showed up uninvited and armed. They fled before police arrived on scene, and remain at large. Police say multiple calls were made just before 1am with some victims driving to hospitals themselves. Four other women and two men were injured as well, though authorities say they have not life-threatening injuries.
The new state budget agreement released by the Senate and Assembly includes funding for transportation operations and cuts transit capital projects. In Axios San Francisco today, BART and Muni bus lines are warning of service cuts without support. The two largest systems in the state are projected to face deficits by 2025. The new budget agreement would put over $1 billion in mostly cap-and-trade funds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to transit operations. Both transit agencies say service cuts could start as early as this autumn. A spokesman for the governor says he is optimistic they can work out a deal to support transportation statewide
The Sonoma County Water Agency began inflating a dam last week on the Russian River in Forestville. The seasonal dam is part of the region’s water supply system, according to the Press Democrat. Once inflated, the dam deepens water for diversion into nearby ponds, recharges aquifers and increases capacity at nearby wells. The dam backs water up for miles to recharge the deep aquifer upstream for wells too. In all, the water is used by 600,000 people in Sonoma and Marin Counties. The flow downstream of Healdsburg is now below 300 cubit feet per second and on the decline. The inflation began last Monday and was completed Thursday, according to the water agency. There is a fish ladder at the site with video monitoring of salmon and steelhead.
The first woman to serve for California’s Department of Veterans Affairs is a Navy Veteran. Secretary Lindsey Sin worked in military intel overseas, specializing in Arabic language. She supported operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. She as worked with CalVet and served a Deputy Secretary for Women Veteran Affairs for about a decade before moving to the Deputy Secretary for Communications in 2020. According to KCRA, of California’s 1.6 million veterans, only about 10 percent are women.
