Mendocino County officials confirmed that most opioid settlement funds have gone or are going towards abatement for remediation. The county issued a release Friday, clarifying their uses of money received so far in the opioid settlements. 15 percent is directly distributed to the county for it’s lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors. The county says they’ve only received a small portion of the initial settlement of $1.4 million, and will use $275,000 to reimburse county costs related to opioid related healthcare. Continued work with the Director of Behavioral Health, the Board of Supervisors and other agencies, they’ll plan out the best use of those funds county-wide.
Water diversion from the Eel River to the Russian River will be reduced. PG&E asked regulators to be allowed to cut the flow into the East Branch of the Russian by a third. They are also asking to cut the flow if water near the Scott Dam is warmer than 60 degrees Farenheit, according to reporting in KymKemp. At those temperatures, conservation advocates say is bad for salmon. Recent research into seismic concerns has led PG&E to leave gates at the top of the dam open. Mendocino County officials are concerned people who get water from the Russian may have to ration water. It’s one of many issues surrounding the release of the Potter Valley Dam project by PG&E.
Lake County COVID rates have been increasing over the last few weeks. The latest post by the Lake County Office of Emergency Services on social media reported a 15 percent increase over the previous week. It was similar the week before that one. Lake County News reports the state’s positivity rate is just under 9 percent. Lake County’s numbers have increased since December when the rate was below 10 percent.
Survivors of federal Indian boarding schools discussed their personal stories with US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland yesterday at the Graton Rancheria. The Press Democrat reports Secretary Haaland is on a nationwide listening tour aimed at those survivors and their descendants. Haaland wants to connect communities with trauma informed support and help make their stories part of history. From 1819 through the 1970s, Indian boarding schools were funded by the Department of the Interior. Haaland was affected by the boarding school system herself as the granddaughter of two survivors. There were 12 of those boarding schools in California, half of which were north of the Bay Area, including the Round Valley Boarding School in Covelo.
Lakeport Unified School District is beginning tomorrow. Lakeport Police are urging drivers to be aware of school buses and road crossings for kids as they return to class. Lake County News reports the district is asking parents to know your drop off and pick up times and check with your school for any other details. Lakeport Police will be doing maximum enforcement and education as school traffic returns.
A trial for a Mendocino County Realtor is set for this month. David Ryan was arrested by Ukiah Police in 2021 and charged with sex related felonies. KymKemp reports his charges include burglary, sexual battery and more. With historical reporting from the Ukiah Daily Journal, Ryan has a list of charges decades long of intoxication and even for grand theft. Four women accused Ryan of sexual misconduct and more over 20 years ago. His jury trial is set for August 14th.
The Ukiah Senior Center is in trouble financially. After being in the area for half a century the non-profit’s executive director says they are in “dire financial straits” according to reporting in MendoVoice. The center is asking the public for help on social media platforms and has set up a gofund me page. The Senior Center went through COVID, continuing on a minimal level to serve area seniors with food. Then, a disaster at the thrift store, where it gets revenue, was damaged from faulty fire suppression, flooding the store. It was forced to close for 7 months and pay part of the rehab that cost tens of thousands of dollars, even with insurance. 4,000 seniors a month are served there and act as an official cooling station during heat waves. They don’t get funds from the city or the state, even though they are contracted with the county for services. Grants mostly fund the senior center. They are facing tens of thousands of dollars in repair after struggling for the last several years.
A former soccer coach and science teacher is agreeing to a plea deal in a case with over a dozen former students of his. The Middletown Unified School District previously employed Michael Dodd from June to September in 2021. Dodd had inappropriate behavior with a female student within the first month of that school year. Within days of the report, the school fired him based on their investigation that added 8 more victims. Lake County News reports last month, the District Attorney’s Offices charged Dodd with 14 counts of juvenile victims in 2021, including 3 felonies. Dodd entered a plea deal and will accept the charges of felony stalking and two misdemeanors for molesting a child. After spending time in jail Dodd is on two years of probation and must register as a sex offender after spending months behind bars. The judge mandated that he not be able to teach, work, or volunteer that brings him anywhere close to minors and more.
Mosquitoes are coming up positive for West Nile Virus in Lake County. Lake County News reports the Vector Control District confirmed five more of the insects were tested last week. Officials continue to urge people to wear Deet repellant, long sleeves and pants during dawn and dusk, and to drain any standing water near their homes. So far this year, there have been 7 mosquitoes test positive in Lower Lake, Middletown, Lakeport and Kelseyville and one bird found near Cobb. The Vector Control District asks that residents report neglected pools and also offer help with in-ground yellow jacket nests.
Governor Newsom is expediting critical work to protect and prepare communities for rainy weather. The Governor signed an executive order Friday that helps areas fix damaged levees and clear out river channels. Lake County News reports the order allows certain orders can be excluded that would delay any projects to repair and rehab flood damaged areas. The easing of restrictions from the Departments of Fish and Wildlife, and of Water Resources will help usher along fixing infrastructure. The Governor is helping to ease along federal aid to areas where the Presidential Disaster Declaration was enacted to build water resilience and prepare for the state’s water supplies to endure increasingly extreme weather.
PG&E is changing its focus on the enhanced tree-trimming program. The utility has a new strategy to mitigate wildfire risks. The Sac Bee reports the utility will continue clearing and cutting trees and limbs away from area power lines. PG&E has been blamed for much of the harm caused by wildfires and still has a backlog of over 385,000 hazardous trees to target. A new program will focus more on their Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings. The new strategy, adopted last year, reduced fire ignitions by almost 70 percent, according to PG&E. It will continue its biannual inspections of trees around power lines and the tree trim program in heavily forested areas. The new program has settings on power lines that work to shut off those lines when touched by branches and more, reducing the risk of sparks. PG&E also has been working on undergrounding lines at a cost of $20 billion.
The Lakeport Fire Protection District Board is holding a public hearing this week. The meeting will go over the new budget and discuss a property purchase and more. Lake County News reports they’ll meet tomorrow at 5pm in the headquarters station on Main Street. There are plans for a presentation on the new Water Rescue Program training. They’ll also go over contracts with Cal Fire and Kelseyville Fire Protection District for dispatch services.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors will meet and continue the process of interviewing for two positions. The board will meet tomorrow at 9am in the Lake County Courthouse. The board is planning to consider a three year Lake County Mental Health Services Act Program for fiscal years 2023-2026. The board will hear a presentation from North Coast Opportunities on their new program. The board may approve an agreement with the Women’s Recovery Services for substance use disorder residential treatment for over $100,000 for this fiscal year as well as $266,000 for the Department of Social Services for adoption services. The board also plans to continue the shelter crisis declaration, the emergency declaration for drought conditions, and Clear Lake hitch and tree mortality emergencies. In closed session, Lake County News reports they will continue chief public defender position interviews.
