Leaders of the Ukiah Senior Center are holding a meeting this evening to talk about its status. Last month, the center announced that due to a budget deficit, it would no longer be open on Fridays. This means that services like free food distribution, daily activities, and lunches will be reduced to four days a week. Executive director Liz Dorsey says they are working to address the financial strain and, on a long-term plan, to rebuild a new center at its current location. This evening’s meeting is at 5:30 at the Bartlett Events Center on Leslie Street.
Good news for travellers from Mendocino and Lake Counties who don’t want to drive all the way to San Francisco or Oakland to catch a flight.. Southwest says it will start flying from the Charles Schutz regional airport in Santa Rosa to San Diego, Las Vegas, Burbank, and Denver in April. The San Diego and Vegas Flights will operate daily, while flights to Burbank will operate five days a week, and Denver flights will operate on Saturdays. Tickets for those flights will be available starting tomorrow. The addition also opens competition–and potentially lower fares–as Alaska Airlines already flies to Burbank, Las Vegas, and San Diego. American Airlines also serves Santa Rosa. Another carrier, Avelo, pulled out of the airport last month.
State lawmakers have approved a bill that strengthens Native students’ right to wear tribal regalia at graduation ceremonies:
By a 73-0 vote, the assembly has said yes to the measure that clarifies that right, after some school districts balked at letting the native graduates wear tribal adornments relevant to their heritage. Assembly member James Ramos–the assembly’s first and only native member–says the bill removes obstacles those students have faced and ensures that graduation time is marked by celebration–not confrontation. He says the regalia that includes things like eagle feathers or beading represent important cultural and religious traditions. During the discussion of the bill, one native student testified had to fight for two years to get her school to OK the adornments. The bill also prohibits schools from doing anything that might stand in the way of student cultural expression during graduation. Governor Newsom is expected to sign the bill.
CalFire and other first responders are urging drivers to be careful and assess their road habits before their next trip. Emergency crews have been called out to several serious crashes in the past few days–including one in Napa County where 6 people died. That driver is charged with DUI. Officials say if drunk driving turns out to have been the cause, the crash was completely avoidable–and that six people might still be alive today
