A man charged with felony continuous child sexual abuse has been convicted in Mendocino County. The jury found that Henry Rinne of Ukiah abused the victim for two years between June 2016 and August. She is now 17, and prosecutors say she was integral to their case. The DA’s office also says that the abuse might have gone on, and Rinne might not have been convicted without a good Samaritan from out of county who saw the abuse and testified in the trial. Rinne is back in Court next month for a hearing on aggravating factors. Once that’s decided, the county adult probation Department will recommend a sentence.
California has a new tool to track grey wolves, which pose a threat to livestock. The wolves have been fitted with GPS collars, with their location showing on a map. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says ranchers can use that information to protect their herds from wolf attacks from predators nearby. The CDFW has kept track of wolf movements for years, but this is the first time that information is accessible to the public. The collars ping the GPS four times a day, and the system automatically updates wolf movements every morning. The department says there are built-in safeguards to prevent people from hunting the wolves, which are federally and state-protected.
It looks like a busy Memorial Day weekend on the roads, in the sky, on rails, and even at sea. AAA projects a record 45.1 million of us will travel at least 50 miles from home from Thursday to Monday. 87 percent of the travelers will be driving, helped out by lower gas prices. Airports will be busy too, with bookings and costs both up from last year. Also up this year–cruises, with about 19 million Americans onboard ships to popular ports. Another reminder for fliers–this is the first major holiday where the TSA will require Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses to get to the gate.
