The Ukiah Regional Airport says they’ve completed two major runway upgrades. The City of Ukiah owns and operates the Ukiah Regional Airport which has 87 aircraft based on site and serves as the CalFire Air Attack Base as well as local service for Reach Medivac, FedEx, UPS, and more. In 2020, Phase One included repaving and adding a new taxiway thanks to a $4 million grant from the FAA. Phase Two started a year ago to narrow the runway, upgrade the airport’s lighting systems and add some safety features for better visibility and pilot safety. That $2 million was also funded by the FAA.
Thousands of dollars in stolen items have been recovered in Lake County. The Lake County Sheriff’s Office says Tuesday morning deputies and detectives served a warrant at the Clearlake Oaks home of Casey Curnutt in connection with a series of burglaries. They say Curnutt ran off and through a creek bed but he was caught by K9 Rex. In the house, detectives reportedly found stolen items valued at over $8,000 connected to at least five recent burglaries in the Clearlake Oaks area. Curnutt is in custody at the Hill Road Correctional Facility. Detectives are actively working to return the items to their owners. If you have any information you are asked to call the Major Crimes Unit.
A San Diego teen reported missing in September has been located in Mendocino County. The Sheriff’s Office had put out a call for information about the 17-year-old from Southern California after they got word that she had been spotted in Mendocino County on Monday. When she was reported missing she was described as being “at risk” but on Thursday afternoon the Sheriff’s Office said she had been located by law enforcement and was safe but they did not specify where she was found or who she was with.
Progress is being reported on the restoration of Ukiah’s Palace Hotel. At this week’s Ukiah City Council meeting Ukiah’s Deputy Manager said the historic hotel’s new owner Thomas Carter has been applying for permits and brought in an engineer – ZFA Engineering – which is already familiar with the hotel, which the city has declared a dangerous building and public nuisance. The engineer has reportedly started putting up scaffolding. The Daily Journal reports the city’s Chief Building Official sent Carter a letter calling it critical to shore it up to avoid any more collapsing of the structure before winter.
Attention artists: Deep Valley Arts is calling for submissions for their annual “Small Works” exhibit. Deep Valley Arts is a nonprofit collective that works to create a culture that nurtures artists’ development and success. They operate the MEDIUM Art Gallery in Ukiah and the “Small Works” exhibit will be held there from December 6-28. They say the exhibit will showcase art in all mediums that are priced at $200 or less to make it easy for art lovers to add to their collections or buy gifts. They say while art of any medium is welcome, framed pieces have a maximum framing requirement of 12” x 16”. Entries must be submitted online by 11:59pm on November 24 and those chosen will be notified by November 26. Learn more at deepvalleyarts.org/call-for-entry.
If you live along the coast, the Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services and the Division of Environmental Health are having a coastal community stakeholders meeting next week. It’s on November 14 at 10am at the Fort Bragg Library. They will talk about some recent updates and proposed changes and do some brainstorming about how things are done including how to improve permitting processes in their departments. They say your feedback is crucial in helping to streamline and enhance permitting processes.
There are two openings coming up on the Lakeport Planning Commission. The City says they are looking to fill two upcoming vacancies beginning January 1. One seat has to be filled by someone living within the Lakeport city limits but that other can be someone outside of the city limits but within the Lakeport zip code. Planning Commission members serve four-year terms and meet monthly to advise the City Council on planning, zoning, and land use. You can apply on the City’s website under: “Now Recruiting: Commission/Committee Opening”. The deadline is November 12.
A reminder that there is a prescribed burn scheduled for today in Ukiah. As we reported yesterday the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance is doing what they call an ecocultural broadcast burn on the traditional lands of Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians Pinoleville Pomo Nation. It’s set to go from 9am to 3pm today although even after the fire is out there is the potential for residual smoke overnight and into Saturday so if you are sensitive to the smoke keep your doors and windows closed. Officials describe it as a cultural fire training exchange in partnership with several agencies, the Tribes, Cal Fire, and the Mariposa Institute.
