The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for Lake County for later this week. Officials say the combination of low humidity and gusty winds will make conditions ripe for fires to move quickly. The Watch – which covers Lake County but not Mendocino at this point – goes into effect from Thursday morning through Saturday evening. They say to expect humidity as low as 15 percent during the day and less than 40 percent at night and winds gusts over 45 mph on ridges and higher elevations.
A teenager has been arrested in connection to some threats made to two Mendocino County schools. On Saturday the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office and Round Valley Tribal Police Department began investigating a series of threats made against Round Valley High School and an elementary school in Covelo. The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing details of what the threats said or how they were delivered, but they say there is no ongoing danger. A 17-year-old from Covelo was taken into custody and booked into the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall. Officials say there are no other suspects.
Congressman Mike Thompson is reportedly planning to attend the Clearlake Oaks – Glenhaven Business Association meeting next week to give an update on legislation and other topics such as fire insurance, the state of the economy, and veterans’ issues. The Association is a non-profit organization serving the combined communities of Clearlake Oaks and Glen Haven with membership open to businesses and citizens throughout Lake County. The Record Bee reports Thompson is scheduled to be at the meeting on Thursday, October 24 at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks. The cost is $20 per person and the deadline is October 21.
Expect delays to continue on Gobbi Street in Ukiah as crews continue working on the sewer replacement. Work started Monday near Acorn Village apartments and will move west towards State Street with traffic one-way westbound between Waugh Lane and Main Street Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm. Meanwhile on Perkins Street crews are upgrading sidewalks and ADA ramps on the north side of the street near the railroad tracks. That’s expected to take at least three days and maybe a whole week.
Mendocino College has a new Vice President of Administrative Affairs but she is a familiar face. The College says Director of Human Resource Nicole Marin has been appointed as the new VP Administrative Affairs following the retirement of Eileen Cichocki. President/Superintendent Tim Karas says Marin brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record as well as deep understanding of the College’s institutional culture and operations. Karas says Marin being an internal hire is a testament to the College’s belief in nurturing talent and promoting from within.
Lakeport’s Business Walk-In program is underway. Every fall a few groups of city staff, police officers, Lakeport Economic Development Advisory Committee members and some volunteers walk through the city and visit businesses to find out what they worry about and what they need. Lakeport City Manager Kevin Ingram tells Lake County News in November they will get together to compare notes and look for trends and that data will ultimately figure into city decisions. One example of an outcome was having a police officer assigned to patrol certain areas, saving the city money by knowing where to target. Other concerns have included homelessness, lack of business, and lack of staff.
Some organizational structure of the soon-to-be Ukiah Valley Water Authority is coming together. The new effort to unite and streamline several local water systems is set to begin January 1. Mendo Fever reports earlier this month the Executive Committee met to review the current physical infrastructure looking at about 20 different sites. Officials say new water infrastructure is about three years away. But they say the integration of the billing and meter reading systems from most of the agencies into the City of Ukiah’s is nearly done. Next they have to work on consolidating employee pay and benefits.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill he says will prevent spikes in gas prices. Newsom had called a special session to push the bill through the legislature which allows the California Energy Commission to require oil companies to keep some fuel in storage as a buffer against supply shortages. Officials say California has fewer refineries than it used to so when one goes down for maintenance or a problem, the oil companies raise prices due to a shortage, at some points driving up the cost of a gallon of gas in California to over $6 in recent years. The oil industry says the new law could threaten safety by giving bureaucrats authority over refinery operations.
