A small California study discovered that over half of Black and Latina women regularly use beauty products containing a chemical linked to uterine cancer. Researchers asked 70 Black and Latina women in Los Angeles to log use of their personal-care products for a week and take pictures of the labels to note ingredients. The study found 53-percent of the women used beauty products containing formaldehyde. Formaldehyde was in several products including soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, eyeliner and eyelash glue.
The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office along with a local family need your help finding a missing man who was last seen near Covelo.
44 year old Manuel Alvarado was last seen at a cannabis grow near Covelo July 22 of last year. Alvarado is a Hispanic male with black hair, around five feet, nine inches tall and weighs approximately 210 pounds. The Mendocino Voice says he’s got a muscular build and tattoos on both arms. You should know that the Sheriff’s Office says the day Alvarado went missing, he texted his mother that he loved her and was going to die and asked her to send help.
400 cannabis fans packed the Little Lake Grange in Willits last Sunday for the first-ever Mendo Cup. The event, which was organized by the Mendocino Producers Guild, included organic cannabis growers, activists and potheads, who came together to discuss all things, past and present cannabis and taste and smoke the best of the locally grown products. The Mendocino Voice says prior to Sunday’s celebration, a group of 12 judges gathered at Area 101 in Laytonville to blindly judge sungrown flowers submitted by 34 licensed Mendocino County cannabis farmers. The first place winners of the Best Flower were Sarah, David and Flynn O’Donnell of Sweet Sisters Family Farm for their “Biscotti” flower grown at their family farm.
County officials say the California Transportation Commission awarded the Mendocino County Department of Transportation a nearly $40 million grant to connect Redemeyer Road with N. State Street in the Forks area north of Ukiah. According to the county, Redemeyer Road will be extended westward by a bridge over the Russian River, which will be followed by a crossing over the railroad tracks before connecting it with N. State Street. The Mendocino Voice says the project is paid for by the state’s Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program, or LTCAP. That particular program funds climate-resilient infrastructure projects.
People looking for information on California wildfires can now get help from artificial intelligence. Gov. Gavin Newsom made that announcement saying the new ‘Ask CAL FIRE’ chatbot is live on Cal Fire’s website. According to CBS 13, the chatbot is powered by AI and will not connect users to a representative. It is designed to answer commonly asked questions and to direct users to Cal Fire web pages for more in-depth information. The chatbot can also give information on fires in the state that have burned ten acres or more. The department already uses artificial intelligence to monitor their more than one-thousand wildfire cameras.
California’s parks are expecting many visitors this spring and summer, making it vital to keep them clean. With limited resources for cleaning, everyone can help through the Clean California initiative. To maintain park cleanliness, park officials say if you pack it in, pack it out. Bring a bag for trash and carry out your waste if trash cans are full. Clean up after your pets. Pet waste can harm wildlife and pollute water, so bring bags and dispose of it properly. Dispose of cigarette butts properly as well know it can cause fires and pollution.
It’s that time of year again. Plowshares in Ukiah is preparing for its 4th Annual BBQ-On-Wheels dinner this Saturday. You should know that the popular drive-through fundraiser supports the Senior Meals-On-Wheels Program, which delivers freshly prepared meals to over 220 disabled, home-bound seniors. The dinner runs from 4-6:30 p.m. at 1346 S. State St., and is catered by Big Earl’s BBQ and The Ukiah Redwood Empire Lions Club. The Ukiah Daily Journal says it’s sponsored by the Harold and Vivienne Henderson Family Fund. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased through Plowshares’ website at www.plowsharesfeeds.org or by calling the Plowshares office. Plowshares provides meals to these seniors seven days a week
The 2025 Lake County Teacher of the Year has been chosen. It’s Michael Zeni, the agricultural mechanics teacher at Kelseyville High School. According to Mike Jones, Principal of Kelseyville, “Michael Zeni has transformed the student experience by blending academic rigor with real-world skills." Jones goes on to say that Zeni has built powerful community partnerships that give students access to long-term professional success. Lake County News reports that Michael Zeni has taught for 12 years, all of them with the Kelseyville Unified School District. You should know that Lake County has had three California Teachers of the Year in the last 18 years.
May is “CalFresh Awareness Month,” and officials aim to increase awareness and enrollment in the CalFresh program all month long. CalFresh, known federally as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, provides monthly food benefits to folks in need and provides economic benefits to communities. In Lake County there are nearly 17,000 people who depend on CalFresh benefits per month. Lake County News reports every $1 in CalFresh generates $1.79 in local economic activity. You should know that through the Market Match program, you can double your CalFresh spending power at the local farmers markets.
There’s an amazing display of wildflowers happening right now along a segment of the Klamath River where some dams were removed. Last fall, the Yurok Fisheries Department’s Revegetation Crew, under contract with RES, hand planted millions of native seeds on 500 acres of land in the area of the former reservoirs. The project included 43 native, drought resistant flowering herbs, forb and grass species, including western goldenrod and blue wild rye.
According to Yurok Fisheries Department’s Senior Riparian Ecologist Joshua Chenoweth, the plants germinated in the fall and grew a few inches before winter. You should know that the last of four Klamath dams were removed in August of 2024.
