Crews continue to fight the Park Fire. It now tops 401-thousand acres to become the fourth largest ever in the state. Crews made progress over the weekend by reaching 31-percent containment but will again be battling triple digit temperatures this week. Officials describe today as critical fire weather due to dry, gusty winds. The Park Fire is believed to have been started by arson less than two weeks ago near Chico and has destroyed 640 homes and buildings in Butte and Tehama counties. It’s also affecting Shasta and Plumas counties. More evacuation orders were downgraded to warnings over the weekend.
California is answering the call to help save lives from Hurricane Debby. A search and rescue team was deployed to Georgia yesterday, where every county is under an emergency. There’s a high risk of flash flooding today and tomorrow, with some areas bracing for up to 30 inches of rain. Governor Newsom says he’s grateful to have support from other states battling wildfires and is glad to do the same.
Twenty-two communities are taking the pledge to keep California clean. The state launched a new designation program over the weekend. It rewards cities with zero-litter policies that work hard to reclaim, transform and beautify public spaces. In return, they will receive signage, educational resources, free cleanup kits and priority access to national grant opportunities. The program’s goal is to enlist 100 communities by June of next year.
The most visited national park in California is adding more peak-hour reservations. They begin at Yosemite today through Wednesday and the first three days of next week. A reservation is needed to drive into or through the park between 5 a.m. and 4 p.m. until August 16th. After that, they’re only required on weekends and holidays through October 27th. Visitors can claim a spot starting as early as 8 a.m. the day before their reservation.
Kirk Keeler, a nature photographer and former Sonoma County resident who is battling cancer, is celebrating after summitting Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. The 54-year-old completed the climb on Saturday, along with Kevin Jorgeson, a well-known climber from Santa Rosa. Keeler spent two years training for the five-and-a-half-hour climb up the Snake Dike route. Keeler was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer two-and-a-half years ago and vowed to climb Half Dome to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer screening. Keeler says his doctor gave him a year or less to live after he stopped chemotherapy treatments in February.
A 59-acre subdivision with more than 300 new homes could be coming to east Windsor. The Windsor Town Council is planning to discuss the so-called Quail Acres development on Wednesday. It’s unclear whether the final plans for the subdivision would include the site of a future school, something that has been requested by the Windsor Unified School District. The meeting agenda says councilmembers will be discussing “significant exposure to litigation,” meaning there may be concern the district could be gearing up to sue the city if it doesn’t include the school site dedication as a condition of approval for the development. The discussion will happen behind closed doors.
A man is behind bars after allegedly chasing two teens through Windsor with his pickup truck. The incident happened Friday afternoon, with details released over the weekend. Police say the teens were fishing in one of the private ponds in the Lakewood Hills community. They were confronted by the suspect, Manfred Ortmann, who told them to leave. As they started to leave, one on a bike and the other on a push scooter, Ortmann allegedly chased them with his truck at a high speed. The teens got away without being injured. But one abandoned their scooter, which police say Ortmann vandalized and threw in the bushes.
In a new twist, former Mendocino County payroll manager Paula Kennedy is seeking a mental health diversion from the courts during her felony trial on charges of misappropriation of public funds. According to court records, the judge in the case supported the motion after a forensic psychologist said Kennedy is suffering from depression and anxiety after being suspended from her job and being charged with theft. Public Defender Mary LeClair said the diversion is justified because of the emotional and mental impact the case has had on Kennedy. If she is diverted to a treatment program, she can then petition for the case to be dismissed.
A bomb squad had to be called in after a pipe bomb was found in a mailbox south of Ukiah. It happened on Saturday, just before noon, when a resident on Burke Hill road called the MCSO after finding what looked like a pipe bomb in his mailbox. Deputies responded along with K9 Officer Jet who alerted them to the presence of gunpowder. Bomb squad personnel removed the IED and were able to safely detonate it. The resident told police he’d been out of town for a few weeks and had no idea who would plant the bomb. Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate.
A multi vehicle crash near Hopland over the weekend backed up traffic for miles. The collision involved at least 3 vehicles at the intersection of Highway 101 and La Franchi Road. It happened on Saturday just after 3pm. Emergency responders had to close all southbound lanes for the safety of their crews and those injured. As a result, traffic was backed up in both the southbound and northbound lanes for quite some time. No word yet on how many people were injured, or what caused the crash. The investigation is ongoing.
The Lakeport City Council will swear in a new police chief. The ceremony to say goodbye to retiring Police Chief Rasmussen will be held tomorrow at 6pm in the council chambers. It will be followed by the swear in ceremony of the new chief. Then the Lakeport City Council will have their regular meeting. Agenda items include the nomination of voting delegates for the California Cities Annual Conference in October. You can see the full agenda and get the Zoom link at CityofLakeport.com
