The Jackson Demonstration State Forest will hold a meeting with the Recreation Task Force this Thursday starting at 9:30am. The meeting will be held at the Woodlands Fire Station in Mendocino. Agenda items include a general update on recreation for the new year, plus a discussion on public trails. The group also plans to introduce a draft of unsanctioned trail rating criteria. Public comments will be taken but must be submitted to the group by tomorrow.
The Fort Bragg Rotary and Mendocino Coast Sports Foundation are hosting their annual drive-thru Crab Feed Fundraiser this Saturday from 2 to 5pm behind the Fort Bragg Firehouse. Crab, locally made chowder, salad, dessert and more will be available, and you can schedule delivery for an extra ten dollars. Raffle tickets will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting the community. Tickets are $60 and must be purchased in advance, get more details on the Fort Bragg Rotary Facebook page.
The City of Lakeport with the Lakeport Police and Overdose Lifeline will host an event this Wednesday at the Soper Reese Theatre in Lakeport. There will be a presentation on the opioid crisis in Lake County, along with a Q and A. Overdose Lifeline is a nonprofit that addresses the opioid epidemic through harm reduction and education. The nonprofit along with staff from Lake County Behavioral Health Services will be there handing out information on substance abuse and the services they offer to help anyone struggling with addiction locally.
Humboldt Transit Authority has announced a new weekday express route between Eureka and Ukiah starting tomorrow. The new route connects Crescent City on Redwood Coast Transit and Lake County on Lake Transit. Officials said future connections will be added soon connecting Santa Rosa and Mendocino Transit. The new route has a 2 dollar fare, and will operate Monday through Friday, with some holiday exceptions. You can download a map and see the full schedule at HTA.ORG.
Road work around the area may affect your commute this week. Eastside Calpella Road in Redwood Valley will be closed all week as part of the Calpella Two Bridge Replacement Project, according to a news release from Caltrans. Officials said the road will be closed from 6am to 6pm at Road 144 to Moore Street, weather permitting. Signs will be in place to direct you around the work zone. Caltrans said Myers and Sons construction is expected to finish up the Bridge Replacement Project in 2025, and thanked residents for their patience while the work continues.
Authorities issued a shelter in place order yesterday just east of Fort Bragg. Mendocino County Sheriff’s office said the shelter in place was issued just after 11am because of a situation near mile marker 4 along State Route 20. Officials said they were first called to the area just after 9 Saturday night. A man at the scene said he was involved in a dispute over stolen property. The suspect, Michael Jones, fired a shot at the victim, but he was not hit. Deputies were called back to the same residence early Sunday morning where they found the same victim with a gunshot wound to the leg. Deputies said Jones was once again the suspected shooter, and he’d run into the woods south of the scene. The victim was taken to the hospital, and a search warrant was served by the Mendo-Lake County Regional SWAT team. Jones was not located during the search, so deputies issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of attempted murder, felon in possession of a firearm, and parole violation. The shelter in place order was canceled, but Jones is still reported to be on the run. He is described as a white male, 33 years old, 5’11”, and 175 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes and a tattoo on the right side of his neck. Anyone with information is asked to call the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
Be on the lookout for tree work happening this week on Mendocino County Route 1. The work will be happening this Wednesday just north of Elk near Navarro Bluff Road from 7am to 3:30pm. Traffic will be moving in one direction at a time, and motorists should expect some delays. Emergency work on Route 1 south of Westport from the Blues Beach Trailhead to the Overlook will also continue this week. Flaggers will be in the area directing traffic from 7am to 6pm. On Route 20, you can expect to see utility work this week from the Cold Creek Bridge to the Lake County Line. Expect slight delays in that area from 6am to 6pm all week. Finally, road work continues near the Rodeo Creek Bridge on Route 162 this week, just south of Dos Rios. One lane will be closed weeknights from 3pm to 7am, expect delays.
Mendocino County Cannabis Department announces fee changes have been approved by the Board of Supervisors and will go into effect on February 3rd. The updated fees reflect current costs for services, according to a news release. If you have an outstanding renewal or special inspection fee, you’ll be able to use the current rate as long as you make your payment before February 3rd. Read the full Cannabis Fee Memo on the department website. As a reminder, the MCD will be closed today in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, normal business hours will resume tomorrow.
The Mendocino County Air Quality Management District Office has announced they’ll be limiting services this month while they move. The District office will have limited in person services through January 26th. They will be moving from the District’s current location starting today. The new location is at 405 Observatory Avenue in Ukiah. The new office is scheduled to open on January 29th. The district’s online and phone services will be operational during the move. See Mendocino County dot GOV for more information.
The Upper Lake Ranger District announced the closure of the OHV trail as of yesterday. The Grindstone Ranger District also announced OHF trail closures are in effect. The closures are a result of recent rainfall. Wet weather trail closures mean a restriction of motor vehicles on National Forest System trails. The closures will be in place until conditions stay dry for 48 consecutive hours. Trail users can check current conditions at FS.USDA.GOV before heading to the forest.
Mendocino County Animal Care Services is looking for the public’s help to identify a man they say abandoned two dogs near the shelter on Friday. Shelter staff said the man pounded on the main doors and became irate when they would not let him in before they opened. About 20 minutes later, the man was seen on the shelter’s security cameras abandoning 2 dogs and driving away. Animal Care Services officials released his description in a press release, he is described as a white male in his 30s driving a black Ford truck with California plates 24211B2. The press release also stated that anyone who willfully abandons an animal is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a thousand dollar fine and up to 6 months in jail.
Today, close to 100 Cal Poly Humbolt students, staff, and faculty will be taking part in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of service. They’ll be volunteering at local community centers with the Cal Poly Humbolt Youth Educational Service. Today was designated a federal holiday in 1994, and is meant to be observed as a day on, not a day off. Everyone is encouraged to give back by volunteering as a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr’s life’s work. Some Cal Poly Humbolt students will be helping out at the Oh Snap! Food Pantry sorting food and clothing donations for the campus thrift store, and helping to clean the pantry. For more information on MLK Day of Service, visit Yes.Humboldt.edu/mlk
Police responded to a two vehicle crash on Sunday evening in Eureka. The crash happened around 6pm on West Harris Near Winco. Traffic was delayed in the area of Prospect Avenue and Albee Street while the crash was being cleaned up. One of the vehicle’s had to be removed on a flat bed because of the extent of the damage. No injuries were reported, police are still investigating the cause of the crash.
The Humboldt County Office of Elections is holding Voters Choice Act Drop in Workshops for voters with disabilities and those who are bi-lingual. The first workshop is tomorrow from 3-6pm. The second workshop is Thursday from 3-6pm. Learn about resources to help you vote in the March 5th Presidential Primary. Refreshments will be available. Both workshops will be held at the Center in McKinleyville at 1615 Heartwood Drive.
PM update
The case against suspended Mendocino Auditor Chamise Cubbison will continue. Superior Court Judge Keith Fauldner won’t recuse DA David Eyster, saying there isn’t enough evidence that Eyster is biased against Cubbison. The judge says he is open to new evidence of bias but for now, Eyster can stay involved. Next up –Cubbsion will be back in Court on January 18, to enter a plea to the felony count of misappropriation of public funds filed last fall. Cubbision’s lawyers argue that past political conflicts should keep Eyster from prosecuting.
The Mendocino County Animal Shelter hopes someone will adopt two dogs dropped off near the shelter while it was closed last week. The shelter says the man pounded on the door before it opened Friday morning, got mad and left, and came back later, leaving off two dogs in the area. Mendo Fever reports shelter workers eventually tracked down the owner from the Laytonville area and determined that the person who found the dogs wandering simply decided to bring them in for safekeeping. The owner has agreed they’re no longer able to care for the dogs so now they are in the shelter’s care. This is a tough time at the shelter. Late last year, officials said they might have to start putting down healthy dogs because of overcrowding. They have seen more animals coming in and fewer going out. They say anyone adopting a pet should realize that it is a long-term commitment that can get expensive.
Congressman Mike Thompson has honored two first responders as Lake County Heroes. THE congressman says Clearlake Police Officer Daniel Eagle and Northshore Fire Protection Capt. Chrissy Valadez went above and beyond the call of duty last year. The two are among several responders in Thompson’s congressional district to get his annual award.
A competition to come up with the best Haiku poetry is returning to Mendocino County. The ukaiHaiku Festival has seen submissions from around the world in the past but has been on hiatus for the past three years. The traditional haiku is a three-line poem which contains an allusion to a season. The competition’s regional categories are open to residents of Mendocino, Humboldt, Lake, and Sonoma Counties. There is a major international competition too. The Jane Reichhold International Prize is open to anyone worldwide. You can submit by February 8th. The festival is set for late April. The website ukiahhaiku has more.
A special birthday is coming up for Edie Ceccarelli of Willits next month. Cecerelii ‘s big day is February 5th. That’s when she turns 116..making her the oldest person in the US and the second oldest person in the WORLD. As they have since 2020, the community will have a Happy Birthday parade through her neighborhood on Grove Street on the 4th starting at 1 PM. EDie was born in Willits in 1908. Teddy Roosevelt was the 26th president and the Wright brothers were still perfecting their flyer from just five years earlier.
