The man accused of starting California’s fourth largest wildfire ever is staying behind bars. A judge ordered that yesterday after Ronnie Stout pleaded not guilty to arson. Prosecutors say he was seen pushing a burning car into a gully last month near Chico and those flames spread, starting the Park Fire. But Stout’s lawyer claims she may be able to prove he didn’t do it on purpose. The 42-year-old has two previous felony convictions. If found guilty, he could face up to 25 years to life under the state’s three-strike law.
California is keeping guns out of the hands of convicted felons. A state appeals court upheld that law yesterday, which also bans them from having ammunition. The court says these laws were based on centuries of history even though the ban here only dates back to 1923. The ruling could still be appealed to the state Supreme Court.
More families affected by the Park Fire are on alert. They may have to evacuate again this weekend because of wet weather. A flash flood warning begins today for where the fire burned through Butte and Tehama counties, and flames are still going. Tomorrow marks one month of crews on the front lines and they just reached 63% containment. The fire tops 429,000 acres and has destroyed 641 homes and buildings.
New COVID vaccines are on the way here. The FDA approved two updated versions from Pfizer and Moderna yesterday and they could be available by next week. These are more effective against the latest variants making people sick. The state’s summer wave is still surging, with coronavirus levels in wastewater reaching some of the highest since 2022. Officials say the vaccination rate here is only about 15%.
An 84-year-old man has died from his injuries after a single-car crash near the Mendocino County coast. The man was pronounced dead on Wednesday night, at Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. He was airlifted to the hospital after initially being rushed to a hospital in Fort Bragg. The California Highway Patrol says the man flipped his car onto its roof last Saturday, after overcorrecting on a turn. The road was slick from light rain at the time. The man has not yet been publicly identified.
A dramatic cool down is in the forecast for Northern California this weekend. Matthew Igel, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at UC Davis, says cooler weather has started to set in, bringing a chance of rain and thunderstorms in the Bay Area, Sacramento and Central valleys and maybe even snow in the Sierra. (:10) While the storm is relatively weak, officials are concerned about possible flash flooding and mudslides for the Park Fire burn scar. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for that area. Looking ahead to next week, forecasters are predicting a return to hotter weather.
Federal authorities are investigating the Tesla electric semi-truck crash that shut down Interstate 80 for nearly 16 hours. The National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation into the crash. The Tesla big rig crashed and went up in flames on Monday morning. Its batteries burned for hours, causing the highway to shut down in both directions for most of the day. The NTSB will investigate the incident alongside the California Highway Patrol.
The city of Ukiah’s planning commission will meet next week. The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 28th at 6pm. Agenda items include the discussion of zoning for a minor subdivision on Marlene Street. The Full agenda and other meeting details can be found at City of Ukiah dot com slash meetings.
Volunteers are needed for the 2024 Ukiah Valley Russian River Clean up day. From Streets to Creeks is scheduled for Saturday, September 28th from 8:30am to noon. You can pre-register to volunteer online before September 23rd. Just visit the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District’s Facebook page or click here.
