Today is Cinco de Mayo and while many will celebrate, it’s not a holiday for Fort Bragg construction workers. Cedar Street, Nancy Way, Cypress Street, Walnut Alley, as well as Ocean View, Boatyard, and South Harbor drives all will see broadband installation work starting today.Just one week later, they’ll start working on Rasmussen Lane, and on May 19, The Mendocino Voice says N. Sanderson and Franklin Street will be impacted. You are gently reminded to allow for enough time for delays and remember that the schedules are weather dependent plus, whatever surprises the crews may encounter once they start drilling. In case you forgot, last month, the Fort Bragg City Council voted unanimously to take out a loan from EverBank to close the $7-million gap between grant funding and the cost of the Middle-Mile Broadband Network, which will make high-speed internet available to every address within city limits.
A bill that would force California Homeowners’ associations to act more like local governments has failed to advance out of committee. Assembly Bill 21 would make the HOA’s in the state operate more like local governments when it comes to open records and public meetings. Republican Assembly member Joe Patterson had launched a campaign to "Defund the HOA". The failed measure would have made it a mandatory for HOA board members to make decisions in recorded open meetings, along with having meeting agendas and minutes.
Ukiah city officials were joined by representatives of the Pinoleville Pomo Nation this week for a ceremonial ground-breaking of construction for the new Mendocino County Courthouse, which is located behind the Railroad Depot on East Perkins Street. The Ukiah Daily Journal says the Judicial Council of California has made the Ukiah project one of its highest priority trial court projects for the judicial branch. What you may not know, that the nearly $145 million project was put on hold in 2016, then essentially brought back in Fiscal Year 2021-22. Officials peg its completion date to be in May 2027.
A new bill in Sacramento that could change up early reading instruction passed its first test in the Legislature this past week with Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas changing his mind and announcing support for Assembly Bill 1454 following a short hearing. The folks pushing for a statewide approach to early literacy claim the bill would fill in significant gaps in what has been missing under the state’s current policy of local control over instructional decisions. The Record Bee says the bill has yet to be released since the Legislative Counsel has not had time to vet the wording due to the lengthy negotiations that continued into this past week.
The American Red Cross California Gold Country Region is set to welcome the community to its Lakeport office with an open house one week from Wednesday, at its Lakeport office, along with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Lake County news says everyone is invited to this family-friendly event. It’s an opportunity for you to meet local Red Cross volunteers and staff and learn the services they provide the community and throughout their 26-county region. You’ll also learn how you can serve the community and become a Red Cross volunteer.
Clear Lake has been named one of the nation’s best fishing lakes. For 2025, FishingBooker, known for being the world’s largest platform for booking fishing trips, has released its list of the Best Fishing Lakes in the U.S., and Clear Lake was named among the top 18 freshwater fishing destinations in the country.
Lake County News says Clear Lake, which is known as the “Bass Capital of the West,” is one of the state’s most prolific largemouth destinations.
Fishing experts and enthusiasts consider it a best-of-both-worlds type of fishery because it produces excellent numbers of bass and lunker-level specimens.
Plus, anglers can also snag crappie and catfish out here.
California Senator Alex Padilla joined 100 plus lawmakers, who are reintroducing the Medicare for All Act. It’s the first of its kind legislation and it would guarantee health care as a fundamental human right to everyone in the county regardless of income or background. Under this bill, Medicare would provide comprehensive health care to every American with no premiums, no co-payments, and no deductibles. It would also expand Medicare to include dental, hearing, and vision care, and it would give every American the freedom to choose their doctors. The legislation has 16 cosponsors in the Senate and 104 cosponsors in the House.
A 49-year-old Ukiah man is under arrest on allegations that he set two explosive devices in public. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s office says one exploded, and the other explosive was discovered in his home. Todd Scott was accused of setting off an explosive wrapped in packing tape that was placed in a shopping cart in the 8600 block of North State Street in Redwood Valley on Thursday. The Mendocino Voice says fragments from the explosive that detonated matched the type of explosive found in an incident the day before in Talmage, which was being investigated by the CHP. Scott is facing allegations of possessing or igniting a destructive device or explosive and arson of forest land.
An inmate is back in custody after he was found at a local casino. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or CDCR, Donavan Bacon walked away from Parlin Fork Conservation Camp #6 in Jackson State Demonstration Forest, which is east of Fort Bragg. Yesterday morning, CDCR special agents with support from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office apprehended Bacon at Coyote Valley Casino in Redwood Valley. The Mendocino Voice says the camp is co-operated by CDCR and Cal Fire. Cal Fire uses jailed inmates as hand crews to support wildfires and flood response. The casino is approximately 38 miles west of the camp by foot. Officials say Bacon was sentenced to six years for second degree robbery with an enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon and served time in San Bernardino County before moving to the camp in February.
