Cal Fire crews are making progress on two active fires in Lake and Mendocino counties. The three-acre Cole Fire on Bottle Rock Road in Kelseyville is 20 percent contained, with forward progress stopped since yesterday. North of Laytonville, the Pond Fire is 97 percent contained at 25 acres, down from a peak response of 181 firefighters to just six patrolling the lines. While cooler temperatures are expected later this week, breezy conditions could still raise fire danger in the region.
One person died Tuesday evening after falling from the cliffs above Portuguese Beach in Mendocino. The incident was called in Just after 6:30pm, drawing fire crews, state park rangers, and other first responders to the area. Authorities say rescue crews had to descend the cliff to reach the person’s body. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s coroner’s unit was then called to the scene . No details on the person’s identity or what lead up to the fall have been released , but\the sheriff’s office could release a statement today.
The Guenoc Valley luxury resort and housing project near Middletown cleared a key hurdle Friday, with Lake County’s Planning Commission approving most permits and certifying a revised environmental report addressing wildfire risks. Plans call for hotels, resort units, estates, and workforce housing across part of the 16,000-acre property, along with a new fire station and evacuation points. A tie vote on rezoning now heads to the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 26. Developers say the project could bring $3.8 billion in economic benefits, while a new conservation deal has paused legal challenges to the project’s first phase
Native American leaders say unresolved violence against Indigenous people remains at crisis levels, with more than 160 unsolved cases in Lake, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties alone. the head of the Pinoleville Pomo Nation’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples program has called for a dedicated tribal liaison within the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office to improve trust and response times. Sheriff Matt Kendall says staffing limits make a permanent liaison unlikely but agrees better relationships are key to solving cases. Advocates say building that trust is essential to addressing the barriers that have left so many cases unresolved.
Frontline care workers at Sutter Lakeside Hospital walked the picket line Tuesday, calling for safer staffing levels, better working conditions, and stronger patient services. The demonstration was part of a rolling series of protests at Sutter Health facilities, with staff citing concerns over service cuts, corporate pay, and the impact of recent Medicaid reductions. Hospital leadership responded by highlighting the top national safety and quality ratings and reaffirming their commitment to adequate staffing and patient care. Union negotiations with Sutter began July 24, with more pickets planned at hospitals across Northern California in the coming weeks.
Following last month’s mass shooting in Midtown Manhattan, California Congressman Mike Thompson is leading a push for universal background checks on all gun sales. Thompson, along with Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries and Jerrold Nadler, is urging New York’s Republican House members to back a bipartisan bill that supporters say would help stop illegal gun trafficking into the state. They argue the measure wouldn’t change access for New Yorkers, who already face universal checks, but would close loopholes in other states. Lawmakers hope to gain new cosponsors later this month.
Authorities have identified the man found dead in the South Fork Eel River earlier this month as 66-year-old Robert Samuel James of Los Angeles. A snorkeler working with the state discovered his body August 2 in a remote stretch of river near Highway 271, about 1.4 miles upstream from the Reggae on the River festival site. Investigators say James had traveled from Los Angeles for the event and may have been linked to a vendor, though his exact activities remain unclear. An autopsy showed that James drowned, however a final report is pending toxicology results.
