A medical call at a park in Kelseyville spiraled into tragedy when Lake County deputies restrained a man who then stopped breathing and later died. Witnesses say he seemed out of it at first, then suddenly grew combative, prompting deputies to cuff him while waiting for paramedics. He went limp en route to the hospital, and now the sheriff’s office and district attorney are treating this as an in‑custody death. Investigators haven’t released his name, but they’re promising a transparent review.
PG&E says it’s finally pulling the plug on the Potter Valley Project, the old dams that reroute water from the Eel River to the Russian River. a video released by the uitility provider shows the surrender plan filed with federal regulators, with officials admitting the century‑old system costs more than it’s worth as they lay out a staged dam‑removal process while keeping water flowing for farmers and cities. PG&E ditched its bid for a new license back in 2018, and there’s no hard deadline for regulators to rule on the teardown. Expect plenty of environmental red tape before those concrete walls come down.
A Clearlake man is back behind bars after being accused of setting two separate fires just two weeks apart. Police say 66-year-old Patrick Blaine Squier was first picked up for an Aug. 23 blaze behind Foods Etc. but was later released by the court. On Sept. 6, he was arrested again after another fire was reported behind the Grocery Outlet, this time while already out on bail. Prosecutors pushed to keep him locked up, and a judge agreed ahead of his Sept. 15 hearing.
Point Arena’s used Oil recycling program is coming to an end. The city says there isn’t enough money or enough staff to keep the program going past September 30th. For years, it was supported by CalRecycle Grants, but the city has picked up the $10,000 annual tab since 2022, when that funding went away. Now, the city says it has no choice but to stop taking used oil and filters. You still have options at several permanent collection sites, plus the city is bringing out the Hazmobile for a collection event on October 3rd and 4th from 9 to 1 in Arena Cove. You can contact the city for more information.
A California resident accused of registering her dog to vote in two elections is explaining herself. Laura Lee Yourex says she did it to expose flaws in California’s voting system. Yourex made her first court appearance on Tuesday. She was charged with five felonies last week, after allegedly registering her dog, Maya, to vote in the 2021 and 2022 elections. The U.S. Department of Justice says the dog’s vote was officially counted in the 2021 gubernatorial recall election but was rejected in the 2022 primary election.
Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas and Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuirere are huddling behind closed doors, trying to cut massive climate and energy deals before time runs out in this year’s legislative session. They’re juggling plans to extend cap‑and‑trade, set up a regional power grid with other states, refill wildfire funds and float a huge transit loan, but no one outside the room knows the details. Veteran lobbyists and environmental justice groups are fuming that California’s transparency law is being bypassed.
On California’s 175th birthday yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom sent his State of the State letter to the Legislature. He painted the Golden State as an engine of culture and innovation but slammed the federal government for what he called attacks on democracy and progress. Newsom pointed to wildfire recovery, housing and education investments, and clean energy as proof California is still moving forward. His message boiled down to this: the state is strong, and it’s not backing down.
