The National Weather Service says snow may join the rain this week as a colder air mass looms and that snow levels will drop first on the western side of the coastal mountains. The risk of snow and rain will continue throughout the week with moderate snow expected down to 2000 feet early Thursday.
Ukiah Unified School District is announcing that Kristen Tangren, a dedicated math teacher at Eagle Peak Middle School, has been named the California League of Middle Schools Educator of the Year for Region 1. The award honors outstanding middle school teachers who inspire students, earn the respect of their communities, and exemplify educational excellence. Eagle Peak Principal Dan Stearns praised Tangren, stating that she is relentlessly student-centered, exceptionally collaborative, and inspirationally caring. Tangren, who’s in her 21st year of teaching, will represent Region 1 in the state competition this March.
Protesters in Sonoma and Napa counties took to the streets yesterday, to join the nationwide “Day Without Immigrants” protest. About 400 people gathered at Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa, where demonstrators lined the sidewalks along Third Street, waving flags and chanting. The demonstration comes amid a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting criminal illegal immigrants. Last month, the Trump administration ordered ICE to ramp up arrests from a few hundred per day to a minimum of 1,200 to1,500. That’s according to The Washington Post. Numerous businesses shut down in support and students in various schools left class for the day to attend protests.
Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt gave his first interview following a state investigation into his campaign finance reporting. The two-hour interview, held yesterday with the Press Democrat, followed the paper’s reporting last week on an investigation launched by California’sFair Political Practices Commission into Rabbitt’s campaign finance reporting last year. Rabbitt said the investigation centers on a missed filing deadline and reporting errors, including failure to properly designate contributions received and failure to total contributions, resulting in failure to capture a donation that exceeded contribution limits. He called the matter resolved and the violations “minor in nature.
Chief Deputy Administrative officer, Matthew Rothstein, noted the county priority will be reimagining Lake County. He says it will be done through enhancing the economic resilience of county residents, as well as recovering from recent disasters through improvement of infrastructure and implementation of broadband internet for everyone. He went on to say that the county must grow the local economy and create quality jobs while cleaning up neighborhoods through code enforcement. He’s also promising to support the county‘s workforce through targeted training, recruitment and retention initiatives. Lake County officials go on to say they also intend to pursue federal support to shelter the homeless and to secure key wrap around services.
A former Mendocino County jail nurse has been convicted of sex crimes in connection with a "catfishing" case. Twenty-eight-year-old Blake Bradley Cox, a Ukiah resident, was charged with six felony counts, including two counts of lewd acts on a child, and a misdemeanor count of unauthorized invasion of privacy. He pleaded no contest to those charges. Prosecutors say Cox pretended to be a woman on the internet and convinced his victims that they could only meet his female persona if they had sex with him first. Cox will be sentenced on February 25th and is facing more than 15 years in prison.
The East Region Town Hall, or ERTH, will meet Wednesday afternoon. The meeting kicks off at 4 at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks and will also be available via Zoom. On the agenda are discussions about a CalRecycle grant and illegal dumpsite cleanups, and the General Plan and Shoreline Area Plan update. Updates expected on the commercial cannabis report, Cannabis Ordinance Task Force and Spring Valley, and Supervisor EJ Crandell will give his monthly report. ERTH’s next meeting will take place on March 5.
This Saturday afternoon, beginning at 3, local author Karen Rifkin will discuss her book, “The History of Ukiah’s Palace Hotel.” Her presentation will include a slideshow showcasing all of the photographs in the book, highlighting the history and development of the Palace Hotel, along with personalities and events that created its unique and colorful history. This free event is family friendly and sponsored by the Friends of the Ukiah Branch Library and the Mendocino County Library.
State Farm, California’s largest insurer, filed a request with the state today for an emergency 22% rate hike for homeowner policies, calling the increase essential to stave off a "dire situation" for customers and the insurance industry. The company requested immediate approval of interim rate increases effective May 1 amounting to 22% for homeowners, 15% for renters and 38% for rental dwellings. Officials say the company has already received more than 8,700 claims and has already paid out more than $1 billion.
