A Silver Alert has been issued for an 83-year-old man last seen in Lake County. Willie Gustave Cain was last seen about 5pm Saturday at the Colusa Casino Resort. The California Highway Patrol says they believe Cain was driving a white 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck with an Oregon license plate. Cain is white, about 5’ 5“ and 180 pounds with white hair and blue eyes. The CHP issued the Silver Alert for multiple counties including Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma. You can see his picture, along with other missing persons, on the CHP Alerts Facebook page.
DUI is suspected in a Thanksgiving night fatal head-on crash on Highway 1 outside Fort Bragg. As we reported yesterday, Joseph Garcia of Fort Bragg was killed and two people hurt in the Thursday night crash on the Caspar Creek Bridge. The California Highway Patrol says their investigation shows a Mendocino woman was driving northbound on the bridge around 10pm when she lost control of her car and crossed into the southbound lane, crashing head-on into a van driven by a 76-year-old Alameda woman. Garcia was a passenger in the car and was dead at the scene. The driver of the car remains in critical condition. The CHP says while impairment was not yet known it was suspected. The 76-year old van driver reportedly has only minor injuries.
A Ukiah man is facing charges after deputies allege he nearly ran them down with his truck. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says two deputies doing an investigation into something else heard the squealing sounds of reckless driving. When they saw the truck approaching they tried to stop it, but they claim the driver, now identified as Rodrigo Chavez-Bejinez, accelerated toward them, ultimately driving between them and speeding away. After a short chase they trapped his truck against a gate but he allegedly backed up and rammed an MCSO patrol vehicle. The deputies were not hurt. Chavez-Bejinez was found to be on active probation out of Mendocino County and was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and driving under the influence.
A Hopland man has been arrested on gun charges in Santa Rosa. Saturday night Santa Rosa officers doing holiday traffic enforcement stopped a car with five people in it, and claiming probable cause got consent to search the car. One of the five, who is a minor, was found with a loaded handgun and brass knuckles. But they also allege Thomas Shaw of Hopland was in possession of a stolen handgun. Both Shaw and the juvenile are facing multiple charges and Shaw was being held in the Sonoma County jail.
The Lakeport City Council is scheduled to vote today on an ordinance that would require places that sell tobacco products to have a license. Council members have been talking about the idea since September. That’s when they heard about Lake County’s plans to adopt a similar license to address the rise of smoking and vaping in the county–specifically by school-aged kids taking up the habit. Lakeport’s ordinance would be similar to the new county regulations but Lake County News reports it would differ by giving the City Manager the responsibility to delegate how it is enforced.
The Anderson Valley Unified School District has gotten a $500,000 federal grant to upgrade some infrastructure. In a message on the district website, Superintendent Kristin Larson Balliet says thanks to some help from Congressman Jared Huffman’s office with the “months” of paperwork, last week the district received the half-million dollar USDA grant. She says the grant was originally for the septic system, which required repair about two years ago. Now that the money has arrived, they are able to redirect the funding to an upcoming kitchen remodel that ties into the septic system.
Art Center Ukiah is encouraging you to give the gift of art this season with their current show at the Corner Gallery called “Gifts From Home”. It features several original, locally made and reasonably priced pieces of art with the win-win goal of supporting local shopping and homegrown artists. Show organizer Katie Gibbs tells the Ukiah Daily Journal there is a lot to choose from including ceramics, wood, metal, paintings, scarves, quilts, jewelry, greeting cards and ornaments. Art Center Ukiah will have a holiday sale on everything in the gallery for both the First Friday show opening this Friday December 6 from 5-8pm and Saturday, December 7 from 11am to 5pm.
