Several Mendocino County residents have reported feeling some shaking from a 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hit off the coast near Eureka Saturday night. According to the USGS, the quake hit around 11:20pm about 77 kilometers west of Petrolia. They say they got shake reports from Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Point Arena and even Santa Rosa. Officials say the quake was not far from the 7.0 earthquake that hit December 5, and at nearly the same depth, but this one did not trigger a tsunami warning.
A Fort Bragg man previously convicted of child porn charges in Oregon has now also been convicted in Mendocino County. The Mendocino DA’s Office says Jeffery Lloyd Hockett has been found guilty on six felony counts related to child pornography on kids under 18 as well as failure to register as a sex offender for more than six months. The DA says he will stay in custody until he is sentenced next month. His prior felony sex convictions reportedly involved children out of Oregon in 1997 and 2006.
The 120-year-old water tower on Mendocino’s Main Street is reportedly going to be there for the foreseeable future. When they last met the Mendocino Historical Review Board rejected a request to take it down. The Mendocino Beacon reports the property owners want to take out the water tower and stairs and put in some new stairs up to Flow Restaurant. The property is currently for sale for about $2.8 million. While the water tower reportedly does have some documented structural integrity problems, the Historical Review Board says they got a lot of comments from the public as well as a petition to keep the tower and find a way to strengthen it. The owner has reportedly filed an appeal of the Historical Review Board’s denial to the County Board of Supervisors
Work has started on renovating Ukiah’s Palace Hotel. New owner Tom Carter, who is also a contractor, tells the Ukiah Daily Journal his crew has started in the oldest and most damaged part of the building that dates to 1891. Carter calls that a priority so the city will remove its condemnation order for the building. Carter tells the paper getting that order lifted will make way for him to start getting investors so his crew can move into restorating of the rest of the building. He says his ultimate vision is to turn the Palace, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, into a boutique hotel.
There’s a new business open at the Big Valley Rancheria. The Big Valley Market and Fuel Station on Soda Bay Road opened last week. Officials tell the Record Bee they are planning to add a Starbucks, a boat wash, a dog park, and some retail space to the development near the Konocti Vista Casino. The fuel station has 24 gas pumps with two designated for big trucks as well as six electric vehicle charging stations. And they say the boat wash they are planning will help keep invasive mussels out of Clear Lake. The project also includes a large fresh water filtration system that serves the entire tribe.
The Adventist Health facility will reportedly be staying put in Fort Bragg. In October Adventist gave a 60-day notice to the county that they would not be renewing their existing lease, worrying some in the community that they were leaving. The Mendocino Voice reports last week the Mendocino Coast Health Care District directors approved a restructured lease with Adventist with a couple of changes including that Adventist doesn’t want to run the Hospice Thrift Store in the Boatyard Shopping Center any more. The Health District will reportedly look into if and when they could take it over next year.
