Some remains found in the Piercy area of Mendocino County a few years ago have been identified as a man who went missing nearly 40 years ago. The headless remains were discovered in a shallow grave in 2012 in an area along the Eel River. Forensic anthropologists did the excavation and preservation of the remains and worked on the case for years with other teams. Earlier this year, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office sent forensic evidence to a lab in Texas that specialize in a DNA technique called Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing and ID’d him as Warren David Hawkins who was reported missing by his sister in Washington State in July of 1986 when he was 21. The Sheriff’s Office says it is still an active and ongoing homicide investigation.
Homelessness was the topic of a recent City of Lakeport meeting where they discussed a study of creating a navigation center to help address the unhoused in the community. Last month the city published a draft study of a potential navigation center, which was an idea that initially came from community input. The study says the center could offer not just a path to housing but also to other support services and job training which the study claims could lower crime and spur the local economy. The Record-Bee reports at the meeting last week Lakeport officials said they are looking for grant funding to make it happen, and are looking at several properties to locate it.
An arrest has been made in a Friday morning knife assault at a gas station in McKinleyville. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s office says they were called out to the Chevron on Central Ave. where a man was reportedly refusing to leave and threatening the cashier. Deputies were able to get Eric Thompson into custody. They say the cashier told them Thompson has been asked not to return to the store due to his erratic behavior and when he showed up Friday morning and the clerk told him to leave, Thompson allegedly threatened to kill the employee and threw a knife at them. Investigators allege security footage confirms that story. Thompson is charged with Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Threatening a Crime with Intent to Terrorize.
If your holiday travel plans take you to the central and southern Sierra Nevada, they are bracing for a major winter storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for portions of Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon national parks and Mammoth Lakes. Mammoth Mountain could pick up 3 to 5 feet of snow by Wednesday.
Ukiah Symphony Music Director Dr. Phillip Lenberg has won a Gold Award for Conducting from the Fenix Award International Music Competition. Lenberg, who is also a Professor of Music at Mendocino College, won the competition for conductors from all over the world. And the Ukiah Daily Journal reports he also recently won second place in the Bach International Music Competition. Both honors were for performances with the Ukiah Symphony. The Symphony has a concert coming up on December 7 and 8 featuring American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. For information, check out https://www.ukiahsymphony.org.
State health officials are looking into an apparent positive test for the bird flu virus inside a sample of raw milk from a farm in Fresno County. The company Raw Farm sells cream top raw milk in many stores across the state including Sprouts, Ukiah Natural Foods, Mariposa Market and more. Officials say no one has gotten sick but the company has recalled the product out of an abundance of caution. The milk has lot code 20241109 with a Best By date of 11/27/2024 on the package.
