Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) says it plans to award up to $43 million in Microgrid Incentive Program (MIP) grant funding for the development of nine new community-driven microgrids throughout its service area. Community microgrids target a variety of vulnerable customers and key community resources such as hospitals, police and fire stations, water treatment and telecommunications facilities, gas stations, among other entities. Dave Canny, Vice President for PG&E’s North Coast Region says the North Coast is home to several ground-breaking microgrids that benefit customers, including the Redwood Coast Airport. He says these microgrids have now been active for several years providing resilience and low-carbon energy to some of our most vulnerable communities. The Record Bee says you can apply for this second wave of MIP grant funding beginning April 3 in an email to to communitymicrogrids.
Human remains discovered last Saturday in the 1800 block of Low Gap Road in Ukiah have been positively identified. Angel Murguia-Martinez, a 25-year-old male from Ukiah was reported as a missing person back in February of 2024. The official cause and manner of his death will be determined by a forensic pathologist and released when all the forensic exams and tests have been completed. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office or anonymously by calling the non-emergency tip-line at 707-234-2100.
A new bill in Congress proposes federal funds in order to research the impacts of wildfire smoke exposure on grapevines and vineyards.The Smoke Exposure Research Act requests $32.5 million to fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture so it can work with University of California, Davis, Oregon State University and Washington State University to research the effects of smoke exposure on viticulture and winemaking practices. The Mendocino Voice reports that all three universities are in the country’s largest wine growing states, and combined, have approximately 669,000 acres of planted vineyards. You should know that California, Oregon and Washington have all experienced major wildfires during the fall, when the vineyards are full of grapes that are ready for harvest.
Every Californian with an email address and an internet connection can now visit California’s Bookshelf and access more than 300,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks. Previously, readers had to log in through a participating library to get to all the ebooks available on the state’s eBookshelf. The Mendocino Voice says thousands of books of all genres and over 20 languages are just clicks away. Best of all, it’s free. You should know that the eBookshelf is a partnership with the Palace Project and the Palace app to provide access to digital content. You can download the Palace app on your iOS or Android device.
