The latest from the Picket Fire near Calistoga puts it at 33 percent contained. Cal Fire says work continues to shore up the perimeter lines as crews continue to deal with interior fires. The is some potentially good news as humidity levels have gone up in the fire zone. Forecasters are keeping an eye on the winds, which could increase the fire risk, especially over higher terrain in Lake County at the start of the Labor Day weekend.,
Labor Day weekend will bring out all available CHP officers as part of a crackdown on drunk and aggressive driving. CHP’s annual Labor Day Holiday Enforcement Period, or HEP, begins Friday, Aug. 29, at 6:01 p.m. and runs through Monday, Sept. 1, at 11:59 p.m.Last Labor Day weekend, 61 people died on California Roads–of those, 21 were linked to impaired driving. Also, last year, CHP says it made almost 1,200 arrests over the three-day weekend. Among the enforcement tools this year, troopers will set up a DUI checkpoint in Ukiah on Friday night. The checkpoint will run from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on northbound North State Street, just north of town. Officers say it’s about keeping the roads safe by stopping impaired drivers before crashes happen.
A woman from Lake County with a herd of Alpacas is dealing with an increase in predators who are killing some of her animals. Julie Barr says mountain lions have attacked 4 times since mid-August–leaving 17 of her 42 alpacas dead or so severely mauled they had to be put down. She says she has kept alpacas for a decade at her 350-acre ranch near Hidden Valley Lake, but that this is the first time her herd has been attacked. She is fighting back, spending thousands of dollars on detection equipment like sensors, strobe lights, and cameras, hoping to prevent the next attack. Barr raises alpacas for their fiber, which is prized by weavers and spinners to create clothes and other items. Wildlife experts think the predators are female big cats, teaching their cubs how to hunt and survive on their own in the wild.
One state lawmaker is floating a radical idea to solve the partisan divide that has led to democratic efforts to redraw congressional district lines to their favor. Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher thinks California should split into two states, Southern California would be one, with the central and northern parts of the state as the other. He calls it a –two-state solution -and he has introduced a resolution in the Assembly calling for the break-up. Governor Newsom calls the idea, in his words, a stunt..There isn’t much chance of tacking a 51st star on the stars and stripes. The idea would have to be approved by both houses of the state legislature. Congress would also have to vote for the formation of a new state.
