Sonoma County’s first major wildfire of the year is almost fully contained. The Point Fire is 90-percent contained, as of this morning. The fire started last Sunday on the east side of Lake Sonoma and forced hundreds of evacuations. It destroyed ten structures, including three homes, and damaged two others. The fire burned 1,207 acres of land, doing most of its damage last Sunday and Monday. Cal Fire says several of the firefighters that were battling the Point Fire have been reassigned to battle the Sites Fire in Colusa County which started on June 17th, is about 48% contained, and has burned almost 20 thousand acres.
One of the homes destroyed in the Point Fire was outside of the evacuation zone. The home along Dry Creek Road went up in flames last Monday morning. The owners were staying in their guest house, taking advantage of its air conditioner to breathe better in the smoke. Their main house was destroyed, but their guest house was not damaged. The cause of the fire has not been determined. But a Cal Fire spokesperson said wind may have carried embers from the Point Fire about a mile and a half to the house.
An eight-year-old Pekingese from Oregon has been named the World’s Ugliest Dog. The annual contest was held Friday at the Marin-Sonoma County Fair, and top honors went to the black-and-white Pekingese named Wild Thang, whose tongue sticks out permanently because his teeth didn’t come in properly. His biography says Wild Thang supports several causes and has helped to find safe homes for Pekingese dogs living in Ukraine.
An overturned semi blocked traffic on Highway 101 in Leggett on Friday. CHP was called to the scene just after 2pm near mile marker 93. The semi rolled over and blocked the northbound lanes. Curious onlookers slowed traffic in the southbound lanes while crews worked to clean up the crash. There was a report of a small brush fire next to the wreck, but crews were able to put it out quickly. The driver of the big rig was reportedly able to get out of the vehicle, the cause of the crash is being investigated.
Three members of a Hells Angels motorcycle club chapter in Sonoma County have been sentenced to life in prison. Jonathan Nelson, Brian Wendt, and Russell Ott were sentenced Friday after being convicted in June of 2022. The men were found guilty of the charge of murder in aid of racketeering. According to the press release from the US States Attorney’s Office, the men were considered the most violent of the dozens who were convicted during a long investigation. The charges against Nelson, Wendt, and Ott stemmed from the murder of another member, Joel Silva in 2014. Five other defendants pleaded guilty to charges of RICO Conspiracy and were sentenced to up to 84 months in prison.
Governor Newsom is giving his State of the State address tomorrow. It comes after reaching a nearly 300-billion dollar budget deal over the weekend. He says this closes a roughly 47-billion dollar shortfall while preserving programs like education, health care and expanded behavioral health services. It means cuts of almost 8% to every department, less than what many first feared. The agreement will now be voted on this week by the full legislature before the budget takes effect July 1st.
The next step in tackling California’s opioid crisis is underway. A generic version of Narcan is now available over the counter. It’s free for first responders, universities and other qualifying organizations through the state’s prescription drug label, Cal-Rx. Other businesses can buy naloxone for 24-dollars through Amneal Pharmaceuticals, which is about half the market price. The life-saving drug can reverse an overdose in two to three minutes.
A report from the Mendocino County Family and Children’s Services office revealed what officials called a toxic environment. According to the report, a Grand Jury investigation found the lack of staffing was causing stress on clients and a toxic environment among employees. The unit has been short staffed for some time, and the report said the unfilled positions and 4-day work week are only part of the problem. Issues between the overworked employees are leading to trouble with recruiting and retention. Being short staffed has caused a ripple effect, leading to late reports, late filings, and children in foster care spending more time in the system which causes them unnecessary trauma. The Grand Jury recommended several ways to improve the Mendocino County FCS, including requiring the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors to create a committee that will oversee operations.
