This morning, a Juilliard string quartet will be performing songs composed by Sonoma County jail inmates. The four students’ performances will be available via a Zoom livestream at 8:30 a.m. The one to three-minute-long songs were composed by a group of eight inmates at Sonoma County Jail. The inmates learned how to create songs during a six-week music composition class called “Music for the Future,” which is offered through the nonprofit organization called Project: Music Heals Us.
A weekend rollover injured one person north of Willits. It happened Saturday near the entrance to Sleepy Hollow Campground on Highway 101. According to reports, first responders arrived just after 3pm to find a Subaru Outback had rolled over, causing them to close a northbound lane on a blind corner of the highway. The driver of the Subaru was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. CHP is investigating the cause of the rollover. Officials said the area near Sleepy Hollow Campground is a challenging one to navigate with tight bends and limited visibility.
Easter is this weekend and Clearlake Recreation and Events will be holding its 2nd annual Bunny Brunch on Saturday. Brunch will be served from 9 to 11am at the Clearlake Youth Center at Redbud Park. The Easter Bunny will stop by brunch, and the meal will be followed by an easter egg hunt. You can get tickets in advance on Event Brite or grab them at the door on Saturday. Click here for more info.
State officials say unemployment rates were down in February for most of our area. Figures released on Friday say Sonoma, Napa, and Lake Counties all posted lower unemployment rates in February than they had in January. Lake County showed unemployment at 7%. Mendocino County’s unemployment rate stayed the same in February at 6.2%. Across California, rates were up slightly from 5.2% in January to 5.3% in February. The Associated Press reports California now has the highest level of joblessness in the nation. Statewide, jobs in private education and health services saw the most growth, while the construction industry showed the most jobs lost.
Caltrans will be busy this week across Mendocino and Lake Counties. Look for tree work to be happening today in Lake County on Highway 29 near the junction of Route 281. That will have traffic down to one lane from 8am to 3pm. And on Route 1 in Mendocino County, bridge work starts today at the Gualala River Bridge. Look for one way traffic control from 7am to 5pm. You can expect delays in that area. CalTrans reminds you to drive with caution through work zones. You can get the latest updates on the QuickTrip tab at DOT.CA.Gov
A new effort is underway to protect California’s youngest fentanyl victims. Senator Dave Cortese introduced legislation after two babies died last year. In one, a three-month-old girl was reportedly never removed from her home despite warning signs. Three months later, an 18-month-old died with 15 times the lethal amount of fentanyl in her blood. Cortese says he wants every county to treat this as a crisis. His bill would create statewide guidelines for when it’s appropriate for kids under five to be returned to their parents who have drug cases.
Another 11 California counties are getting help to recover from February storms. Governor Newsom expanded last month’s state of emergency that includes Lake and Mendocino Counties. Five counties are also part of his request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration due to widespread flooding and mudslides.
Close to 80 California non-profits are getting a massive boost. They’re among 361 charities nationwide that will share $640 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. She’s the third richest woman in the country and was married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for nearly 25 years. She split from him in 2019 with $38 billion in Amazon stock, vowing to give most of it away. The 76 charities here include Foundation for a College Education, Next Generation Scholars, and Inner City Struggle.
Someone in the Golden State is waking up as the newest millionaire. While no one won Saturday night’s massive Powerball jackpot, one ticket sold in the state came oh-so-close. It matched five numbers to score just over $2.4 million. Interesting note, all four of the biggest Powerball jackpots ever won were right here in California. Players can try their luck again with tonight’s drawing. The grand prize is $800 million.
