We have a Red Flag Warning in place from this afternoon through Thursday morning due to the forecast for dry and windy weather. PG&E is warning of more public safety power shut offs today and Wednesday. PG&E says they are working with local election officials at more than 7,000 polling locations in PG&E’s service area as well as 48 tabulation centers and are staying in contact to be able to respond to any power issues or needs that may arise. As for the planned shutoffs, there is one within the polls at the Geothermal Visitor Center in Lake County but officials say the potential power shutoff is planned for after the polls close at 8pm and they are staging temporary generators there today out of an abundance of caution in case of a unplanned power loss.
As the Mendocino County Elections Office gets ready to oversee today’s election, officials say as of Monday morning, nearly 21,000 ballots had already been received. The Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder told the Daily Journal they had already checked the signatures on the ballots and started counting them. She says they plan to start publishing results on the county website around 8pm tonight and will publish results every two hours until all of the polling places have checked in. Also – there is one polling place change today – the Redwood Valley area Polling Location is now the Redwood Valley Fire Department at 8481 East Road.
An arrest has been made in a series of vehicle burglaries in Lake County. The Sheriff’s Office began investigating the burglaries that occurred in Hidden Valley Lake during the early and later part of October with several local businesses reporting their work trucks were burglarized, with several thousand dollars worth of tools stolen. Using video surveillance that captured the vehicle used during the burglaries and the Automated License Plate Reader system, investigators were able to find the vehicle in the area of each of the burglaries around the time the burglaries occurred. The vehicle was found to be connected to Manuel Madrigal of Napa. The Sheriff’s Office says a search of Madrigal’s home turned up many of the stolen tools.
Someone has stolen the popular parrot from the Fish Out of Water pet store in Willits. Owner Melissa Marsh tells the Mendo Voice Susie the parrot was reported stolen October 25 and community members are offering a $1,300 reward for her return. They do have a description of the person they believe is the suspect, a man who had asked if she was for sale and then lingered in the store, but there is no surveillance video of him. They are trying to get footage from other nearby businesses and are working with the Willits Police Department.
As we move into the holiday season, Hospice of Ukiah will be offering free support groups for those who have lost loved ones and struggle during the holidays. Grief and Bereavement Counselor Kay Lieberknecht says the free support groups are scheduled for this Saturday November 9 and then again on Saturday December 7. You can come to either or both. They are from 10am to Noon at Ukiah United Methodist Church. She says pre-registration is preferred, but the groups are open to walk-ins if it’s not already full. Lieberknecht says she is also available for some no-cost individual and group counseling sessions. To pre-register, phone Kay Lieberknecht at (707) 391-1817.
Two separate boating incidents in rough waters off Bodega Bay have claimed at least two lives and likely more. On Saturday night a crabbing boat with a family of five plus a friend capsized off the coast. Only an 11-year-old boy survived after hanging on to an ice chest and being found by rescuers more than 10 hours later. A teenager from the boat was found dead and four people are missing. On Monday morning two men were thrown into the water when their crabbing boat capsized off Mussel Point. The Press Democrat reports one was found dead a short time later and the other is still missing.
