The City of Ukiah issued an update on street work in MendoFever. The city says crews will be replacing the sewer line between Gobbi and Cherry and are asking residents to drive carefully around construction crews. Weather permitting, at the end of this week work will begin on the joint trench that will run parallel with the west side of the street and house under-grounded electric and communication lines. Work is happening on sidewalks and driveways on the north side as they’re poured, but may take five or more days to cure. Bases for new streetlights are being installed on the north side. Through traffic will continue on State Street and traffic signals at Gobbi and State as well as Mill and State will be on flash.
CHP Clear Lake is investigating a fatality on the road with a Tesla hitting a woman on SR-29. Friday at about 6:20pm the driver of a Tesla Model S was headed north when they hit the woman. She suffered major injuries and was taken to Adventist Health in Clear Lake. Despite life saving efforts, the woman was pronounced dead due to her injuries from the crash. Initial reports in MendoFever indicate the woman on the road may have been under the influence of alcohol.
The Lakeport City Council is meeting today at 6pm and will go over a contract for just over $128,000 for Carnegie Library improvements to begin in February and finish in June. Lake County News reports the staff will ask for a nuisance abatement hearing and consider adopting a resolution naming the Vista Point Shopping Center a public nuisance and order the property owner to abate identified nuisances within 30 days.
A California public interest, civil rights law firm and advocacy organization, Public Advocates wrote to 15 school districts who failed to submit critical credentialing information on teachers. In a release issued in KymKemp, the organization warned the districts of their obligation to certify numbers in the state’s educational data system in accordance with the California Department of Education’s deadlines. The Round Valley Unified District in Mendocino County was included in the warning letter. The data districts are mandated to supply help identify what student groups are most impacted by teacher mis-assignments and more. A senior policy member for Public Advocates says they’ve reached out to the districts to urge troubleshooting and compliance in the future to ensure transparency, support and accountability.
The California Department of Public Health has transitioned from the COVID dashboard, to the new Respiratory Virus Dashboard. According to the Press Democrat, the data will show hospital admissions, deaths and test positivity rates for COVID and the flu. The new dashboard appeared on Friday about a month into the season. An infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco says COVID is still the main cause of incoming hospitalizations and deaths nationwide. RSV is also on the rise according to the state health department. COVID numbers are about the same numbers as last years figures. Health officials are urging people to get the COVID, flu and RSV vaccines as well as taking precautions like staying home if you’re sick, and limited time in public places.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors are planning to go over PG&E’s initial decommissioning plan for the Potter Valley Project. They’ll meet this morning at 9am and discuss the fate of Lake Pillsbury and residents of the county in how the future of the Eel and Russian Rivers diversion plans will affect them. They‘ll consider adopting the Lake County Hazard Mitigation Plan and appointments to the Lakeport Fire Protection District Board of Directors. Lake County News reports they plan to adopt a resolution to approve the County Sheriff’s Office to apply for grant funding including a Homeland Security application. The board plans to present a Revised State Water Resources Control Board’s regulations for the Clear Lake Watershed. In closed session they plan to work on interviews and appointments for the Health Services Director and more.
Candidates for the 1st and 2nd District Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will meet for a forum on December 14th, 6pm at the Ukiah Civic Center. The Ukiah Daily Journal reports residents of the districts are encouraged to participate in the forum with issues of concern and questions to the candidates. Questions from the public will be given to the moderator and each candidate will have equal time to answer. Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition member Christine Rodriguez will be the moderator. There will be campaign information available at the event one week from this Thursday.
The East Region Town Hall will meet tomorrow the 6th at 4pm in Clearlake Oaks. The guest speaker will be the newly appointed Lake County Chief Public Defender Raymond Bueanaventura. Lake County News reports the agenda includes updates on commercial cannabis, the Shoreline Area Plan, the Northshore Fire Protection District and Spring Valley updates. ERTH’s next meeting is set for January 3rd.
Bottle deposit laws are changing in the state. California residents can soon turn in wine, liquor and other bottles for cash. The Governor signed an amendment to the California Bottle Bill into law last fall and added to it in October. The program starts next month to encourage people to recycle. The Press Democrat reports the Cal Recycle Director says it’s the first of several changes they’re rolling out to make recycling easier. Bottles and other containers under 24 ounces have a California Redemption Value of 5 cents, and larger containers can be redeemed for a dime. The changes include boxed wine containers, liquor bottles and large juice containers for a deposit of twenty five cents. . The state will use $285 million for expanding recycling processing. Retailers in the state are required to accept recycling.
Tribal leaders from across California and the nation are headed to the nation’s capital for the White House Tribal Nations Summit, which starts tomorrow. Many California tribes are asking lawmakers and President Joe Biden to further protect more tribal land currently managed by federal agencies. The California News Service reports that since taking office, President Biden has created five national monuments using the Antiquities Act. Congress is also considering legislation to create or enlarge national monuments, including an expansion of the Berryessa Snow National Monument in Lake County. The two-day summit draws tribal leaders from across the nation to discuss a range of issues.
A new study published in Nature Plants shows how coastal redwood trees have growth after catastrophic wildfire with the discovery of ancient buds and decades old carbon reserves. Save the Redwoods League issued a release in MendoFever describing the results suggesting that many redwoods were actually well prepared for a wildfire event. The study observed a mini carbon dating system, a first of its kind tool that helps measure the number of radiocarbon atoms in samples to find the age of carbon reserves used to grow new leaves. A team from Northern Arizona University and the University of Nevada collected samples at Big Basin following the CZU fires and have identified carbon reserves the redwoods used to produce sprouts more than a half century old. The effect has rarely been documented before and never in such large, old trees.
The EPA is announcing the final cleanup plan for a mine site and residential soils in Clearlake Oaks. Lake County News reports the Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site cleanup will include removing or covering contaminated residential soils, combining and covering mine waste piles and reducing mercury in the lake. Toxic levels of mercury and arsenic spread into nearby neighborhoods and into Clear Lake from mining operations through the 1950’s. The EPA held a 90-day public comment period and answered questions online and in person with hearings geared at the community and Tribal advocates. The department’s prior cleanups of the Superfund site worked to control erosion, the removal of contaminated soil, capping mine waste and more. The aim now is to continue and focus on reducing mercury pollution.
The Mendocino County Cultural Services Agency is announcing a scavenger hunt and more this month. Everyone is invited to participate in a Cozy Scavenger Hunt starting tomorrow through the 23rd. Visitors can also create holiday cards at their festive station and interact with historic typewriters and old kitchen gadgets to create a recipe booklet with recipes from the collection. It’s all happening at the Mendocino County Museum.
The Ukiah Brand Library is holding a Cold Weather Clothing Drive now through January. In a release in MendoVoice the library is asking for donations of clean and lightly used coats, sweaters, scarves, socks and more. Check out the mendolibrary.org site for more details as the colder and wet weather moves in.
