Today’s solar eclipse will briefly block out the sun, but it’s expected to shine some light into the economy. As millions prepare to witness the rare celestial event, experts are forecasting a 1.5 billion dollar boost to businesses within the eclipse’s line of totality. Lodging and travel, like Airbnb, hotels and airlines, will be the major beneficiaries with an estimated four million travelers on the move along its path from Texas to Maine. In the Ukiah area, we’ll see the moon pass over the bottom third of the sun starting about 10:40 this morning.
A Laytonville mobile home was crushed by a tree last night. The large pine tree fell on the home around 9:30 Sunday evening, taking power lines down with it. The mobile home was flattened, but thankfully, everyone inside was able to escape without being hurt. PG&E was called in to cut the power so the downed lines could be safely removed. The residents of the home were able to relocate without help from the Red Ross, crews were on scene trying to clean up the mess well into the night.
A high speed chase in Mendocino County ended with a crash near a Fort Bragg Taco Bell. It happened Saturday afternoon when a California State Parks officer tried to pull a car over for running a stop sign in Westport. According to a police report, CHP officers laid down a spike strip near the Pudding Creek Bridge, which popped all the tires on the vehicle, but the driver reportedly kept going. A short time later, Fort Bragg police say the driver crashed near Taco Bell and then took off running. Fort Bragg PD chased him and finally arrested him about a block from the crash. The suspect was taken to Mendocino County Jail, the incident is still being investigated.
Another weekend earthquake in Northern California is a reminder to sign up for alerts. The San Francisco Bay Area shook Saturday when a three-point-four quake struck, two days after a four-point-five quake was felt in Plumas County. This comes during Earthquake Preparedness Month. State officials are urging everyone to download the MyShake app, which will send smartphone warnings in time for people to run and find cover.
California’s Dungeness crab season is closing today. It started two months late to protect humpback whales from getting tangled in the gear, and that’s the same reason why it’s ending early along most of the state’s coast. The closure runs from the Sonoma-Mendocino County line to the border with Mexico.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors is holding interviews this week. They’re trying to find two new department heads. The board meets tomorrow at 9am in Lakeport where they’ll interview candidates to be the Director of Social Services and the Director of Water Resources. Other agenda items include the consideration of a 3 million dollar amendment to an agreement between the county and Community Behavioral Health. They’ll also discuss appointments to the Child Care Planning and Development council. The meeting is open to the public, and will also be available on Zoom.
