In the fatal plane crash near the airport in Covelo more information is coming in. The two fatalities on board are from out of state. A family member had been tracking the flight and knew the plane had gone down. Mendocino County Sheriff’s investigators along with the FAA and NTSB are looking into the details of the fiery scene. Dental records helped the coroner’s office identify the victims. The Press Democrat reports they expect those details this week. The Beechcraft A-36 plane went down around 6pm Friday evening, we don’t yet know if it was taking off or landing at the airport.
Highway 101 is the scene of an investigation into a roll over accident near Standish Hickey State Park. Reporting in KymKemp says a car rolled over after a high speed pursuit north of Leggett. It was a suspect being chased northbound by CHP. The highway was closed while the driver was trapped for over an hour until emergency personnel could get him loaded onto a CHP helicopter to an area hospital. Authorities kept the road closed as CalTrans and CHP investigated the accident and cleared the road safely.
Clearlake Police are searching for a missing teenage girl. Alysa Ontko is a native girl with dark brown hair and brown eyes. The 16 year old is five foot 4 inches tall and weighs around 125 pounds. Lake County News reports Alysa was last seen yesterday near Carle High School wearing a black hoodie and black jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call Clearlake Police.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors are getting a request for Measure B funds to build a treatment center for substance use disorder while costs are mounting for construction of the new jail that will include mental illness treatment. MendoFever reports the Ford Street Project is looking for over $4 million to build a 24 bed sober living facility near the Ukiah Recovery Center. The California Department of Healthcare Services offered the project over $3 million for their first phase. The Executive Director for the Ford Street Project says they have followed the county’s processes to the letter and is demanding clarity in their funding. At the end of this weeks meeting, two supervisors were appointed to an ad hoc committee to research questions about the proposal with Ford Street and the potion of Measure B funds for the new jail.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors will work on a response to state regulations that would mandate water right holders give information on wells and water usage as part of an effort to preserve Clear Lake hitch. Lake County News reports they’ll meet this morning at 9am. Board members will take written comments on the draft regulations through the end of this month. The board will also consider approval of the Facilities Capital Improvement Plan through fiscal year 2027-2028. Regarding the Lake County Watershed Protection District, the group plans to adopt a resolution to accept a State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways Mussel Infestation Prevention agreement with over $330,000 in grant funding. In closed session, the board will confer with a labor negotiator and go over litigation with Earthways Foundation, Inc.
Governor Newsom is announcing that the state passed it’s zero-emission vehicle truck sales goal ahead of schedule by two years. The goal was 6 percent of new trucks to be ZEV by 2024 and surpassed that percentage by a point and a half last year with over 7,600 trucks sold. The Record Bee reports by 2035 half of all new medium and heavy duty truck sales need to be zero emissions with 100 percent ZEV by 2045. California has accelerated the transition with over $10 billion for the charging infrastructure development. Trucks make up over 35 percent of California’s transportation emissions and a fourth of the state’s on road green house gasses.
Harvest Mendocino has expanded dates for the annual festival. October 27th through November 12, the tourism organization, Visit Mendocino has several events featuring locally produced foods and crafts. This weekend, the Fort Bragg Magic Market will have local foods and gifts with Halloween themes along Franklin and Laurel Streets. Saturday, there will be a costume and pet parade, live music and kids activities. The first ever Craft Cannabis Cornucopia event is set for Saturday afternoon with live music, foods and flower tasting. You can meet the California State Fair winners. The county tourism site also has information on Fungi Walks and Talks with the Mendocino Botanical Gardens and more.
Three local nonprofits will get a chance at $10,000 from the 100+ Women Strong fathering next week. The American Association of University Women’s Tech Trek, Oscar’s Place Adoption Center and Sanctuary and the Ukiah Senior Center are the three finalists who will participate in next week’s presentation on November 2nd with the 100+ Women Strong Gathering in Hopland. Each organization will get five minutes to make their case and take audience questions. The Willits News reports the gathering is open to the public and supported by local organizations. 100+ Women Strong was created in 2019 and has so far given away more than $187,000 to support local nonprofits in the Mendocino community.
The Lake County Superior Court has a new way to remind people to show up to court. The court has a new technological service to remind people of court dates and appearance times. Lake County News reports people who sign up will get text and or email reminders. Reminders will ping people two weeks before their date, and 2 days head of their appearance. People can sign up and create an account using their case number to register.
The Clearlake Oaks Water District was ordered to repay disaster relief funds it got from the feds and state agencies. They must pay FEMA nearly $1.6 million and nearly $400,000 to Cal OES. The Record Bee reports the general manager of the water district said the funds were given for relief from flooding that happened in 2017. The Inspector General of the US Department of Homeland Security says with the US Attorney’s Office in Northern California, the money will be repaid to the US. Combating fraud in federal grants is part of an effort by the False Claims Act to resolve the matter. The district says they kept the funds in an investment fund and a spokesperson says they fully cooperated in the investigation. The claim they offered to return the funds a number of times and never concealed the money. In order to settle the matter rather than going to trial, the district decided to repay the money.
California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta is filing a motion in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to extend a stay on a decision to halt the state’s restrictions on assault weapons. In a release in KymKemp, the AG says the court granted a ten day stay that will expire on October 29th. Bonta says California law has prohibited sales of semi-automatic assault weapons for decades and that the district court issued a dangerous decision. The Assault Weapons Control Act was passed in 1989 and strengthened in 2000. Since then, the state has restricted the manufacture, distribution, possession and more. AG Bonta says without an extension of the stay, pending appeal, assault weapons may flood into the state.
Banks across the country are engaging the public in a campaign to combat phishing on social media. The Savings Bank of Mendocino County is participating in the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign sharing information by the American Bankers Association to inform the public about bogus bank scams. The national group aims to explain to everyone that banks will never ask for sensitive information like passwords and Social Security numbers by phone, email or social media. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports people should watch for misspelled words, poor grammar or false links that could hook customers into a scheme. Officials urge people to change their passwords and check in with your local branch if you are the victim of a scam.
Eight kids who were abducted from foster homes in Arkansas were driven across the country by their biological mom before being found safe in Northern California. Anderson Police responded to a welfare check on Saturday after a group of children and a woman were acting bizarre. Police arrived and identified Trista Fullerton with a felony warrant on the abduction of her eight kids. The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office found all eight kids and issued protective custody warrants for their safety. Fullerton was jailed and the children will be reunified with their legal foster guardians in Arkansas.
Wednesday the First 5 Lake County Commission will hold a public hearing on their Annual Evaluation Report. The meeting at 2pm on Wednesday at the Anderson Ranch Conference Room will also be available virtually, according to Lake County News. The hearing is aimed at accepting comments from the public and will be available for residents to see.
A Lake County Superior Court received evidence in a preliminary hearing this week where the judge ordered Melinda Fred of Lakeport to answer to murder charges. Fred is scheduled for arraignment and bail review hearing one week from today. The charges stem from the homicide of a man last May. The Record Bee reports Christopher Burrows, was found last spring stabbed to death on Red Feather Lane in Lakeport. Fred was arrested and initially bail was set for $1 million. Fred is charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon and corporal injury on her partner.
