California Governor Newsom is visiting the Great Wall of China today. The AP reports Newsom met with China’s leader Xi Jinping in Beijing today. His weeklong tour of China is being scrutinized after years of heightened tensions between the US and China. Newsom and Xi are discussing ways to work on climate change. Fentanyl was also part of a discussion as a leading killer of young people in the US, along with China’s role in combating the transnational shipping of chemicals used to make the drug. Newsom says he also raised human rights issues and Taiwan. The governor also met with the leader of China’s National Development and Reform Commission where a memorandum on environmental issues was signed.
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. Teams from the Forestry Service and the Round Valley Tribal Police were on hand. Ultimately, the National Traffic Safety Board will determine the circumstances and cause.
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.
The Cal Fire Mendocino Unit will be actively doing prescribed burns beginning today through Saturday, of a couple dozen burn piles at the unit headquarters on Highway 101 in Willits. Smoke will be visible from Redwood Valley through Willits. Cal Fire is using very tight restrictions and will monitor wind conditions and more to conduct the burns safely.
The Governor’s Office is announcing that the state has created over 6,600 megawatts of battery storage. In a release in Lake County News, the office reports the storage is double the amount from two years ago, a significant step to California’s goal of 100 percent clean energy by 2045. Storing access power from solar, wind and other renewable sources generated during the day will help meet demand when energy is needed. The announcement says nearly 2,000 more megawatts of energy storage projects will be online by the end of the year.
The Anthropology Department at CSU Chico is helping authorities investigate human remains found in Covelo. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office released a statement saying their office was contacted by a hunter on Bauer Ranch Road near Mendocino Pass Road when they found several human bones scattered on a property. The hunter also found a man’s ID in the same area Saturday evening. After a storm delay, yesterday deputies and search and rescue teams found several human skeletal remains. Anyone with information to help the coroner is urged to call the sheriff’s tip-line.
The Fort Bragg City Council is announcing increased usage and membership fees for the CV Starr Center that the city took over. As the council works on the center after taking over from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Parks District, they’ve also agreed to use a special fund to help a local swim team. Beginning in 2024, swim team lane rental fees will go to $13. MendoFever reports the increased rental fees and other funds could generate $180,000 a year. The fees there haven’t increased in a decade. The operating costs to run the center have increased with the price to heat the pool doubling. Insurance and minimum wage have increased as well. A former official says the increased fees remain lower than similar facilities nearby. The City of Fort Bragg will do a comprehensive study to analyze the costs to continue operations.
The California Department of Cannabis Control is discussing potential federal rescheduling of marijuana and how it will affect the state’s cannabis industry. In a release this week, KymKemp reports cannabis may be reclassified from Schedule 1 to Schedule III in the federal Controlled Substances Act. The state department claims the move will have significant tax benefits for cannabis businesses. People are watching how the DEA will respond in deciding that reorganization. The move won’t legalize marijuana on a federal level, and state licensed cannabis businesses would remain operating as the regulatory framework.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is joining with 32 other state’s attorneys general in a lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The suit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California alleges that Meta designed and is using harmful features on their social media platforms to addict children and teens. The attorneys are looking for an injunction and funding to address what they say is harmful to young people’s mental and physical health. Lake County News reports the complaints come after a nationwide investigation that began 2 years ago. The suit was filed yesterday, where Meta is reported to have violated federal and state laws. AG Bonta began also investigating TikTok this spring that is ongoing.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors is approving a resolution to continue to use the Juvenile Hall in Lakeport for an overnight shelter. The board recognized that some repairs are needed to meet code standards. Based on the state of emergency for the health of shelter residents, the board waived the request for competitive bidding. The Lake County Behavioral Health Services will continue to administer the shelter contractor, the Continuum of Care provider and Blue Horizon Foundation until new management by Redwood Community Services takes over operations in December. The Record Bee reports the move will require a General Plan Conformity Determination.
Clearlake Police are investigating a shooting that involved at least three suspects. Last month, police responded to a shooting near Austin Park. A couple of juveniles fled the scene, one being arrested days later. The Record Bee reports a 26 year old man Treyvon Jones was arrested in connection with the shooting, with help from the Mendo/Lake Regional SWAT team a few weeks ago on Highway 20. Jones was arrested for attempted murder. Anyone with information on the events of September 12th is urged to call the Clearlake Police Department.
The UC Hopland Research and Extension Center and Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project are collaborating next week for a youth environmental education event. Local youth organizations in Ukiah, Hopland and Redwood Valley will get together one week from today, November 1st to find volunteers needed to help guide filed trips and nature walks. The Hopland Research Center and Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project welcome over 3,000 students in field trips annually since the end of the pandemic. They need volunteers to support site staff and guide groups on nature walks while sharing information about the wildlife and ecosystems of the area. The recruiting event next Wednesday from 10am to 1pm at Shippey Hall at eh Research Center on University Road.
There will be a grand opening for the newly named Xabatin Community Park, tomorrow at 4pm. Parking will be available near the park on North Main Street as well as at the Silviera Community Center. People are asked to not walk on the newly sown grass. Lake County News reports the Clear Lake High School, Lake County Military Honors Team and more will help welcome an invocation from Senator Mike McGuire. The mayor and other community leaders will be on hand to celebrate the renaming of the park to reflect the original residents of the area, the Pomo Indians with the Big Valley and Scotts Valley Bands engaged in tomorrow’s event. The new skate park there will be broken in with performances by professional skateboarders and BMX riders. Food trucks will be there with free goodies provided by the city. City funding will pay to demolish the school district building for future development, including a boathouse.
