A Lucerne man at the center of a deadly fentanyl case appeared in Lake County Superior Court yesterday, and the judge rejected prosecutors’ attempt to fold his case into others. The defendant, 40-year-old Ryan John Stahl, is facing murder and drug-sale charges after investigators tied him to the fentanyl that killed 28-year-old Carissa Morton back in February. Detectives say toxicology confirmed an overdose and that witness interviews, digital evidence, and search warrants eventually led them straight to Stahl. The case now moves to a trial readiness hearing Friday, with jury selection coming next month.
California Highway Patrol officers chased a grey BMW with Nevada plates on Highway 101 near Willits this morning after the driver was reported going the wrong way. Dispatchers said the car was traveling about 76 miles per hour as it passed the North Main Street exit. CHP tried a felony stop but held back at a safe distance while waiting for backup. Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and the suspect was detained quickly. Authorities have not released the driver’s identity or any potential charges.
Mendocino County officials say a celebration is planned Monday for participants graduating from the Day Reporting Center program. GEO Reentry Services and the county probation department will host the event at 5 p.m. at the Behavioral Health Regional Training Center in Redwood Valley. The ceremony recognizes months of treatment, reporting and supervision for adults on probation working through the program. Several local leaders, including Judge Keith Faulder and Sheriff’s Capt. Gregory Van Patten, are scheduled to speak
A former top aide to Governor Gavin Newsom is now facing federal charges for what prosecutors call a years-long scheme to siphon money from dormant political campaigns. Investigators say 52-year-old Dana Williamson funneled 225 thousand dollars into a friend’s account between 2022 and 2024. That friend, according to court filings, is Sean McCluskie, who once served as chief of staff to then–HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Williamson could see up to 20 years in federal prison and heavy fines if the case ends in a conviction.
Lake County officials say California’s November 4 special election isn’t wrapped up yet, with thousands of ballots still sitting in the queue. Officials reported yesterday that 5,575 vote-by-mail ballots, 386 provisional or conditional ballots, and another 260 mail ballots under review still need to be counted. Nothing gets finalized until those numbers are added in. The state plans to drop its next results update on November 18.
California plans to yank 17 thousand commercial driver’s licenses from migrants, a step Governor Gavin Newsom insists has nothing to do with pressure from the Trump administration. He says it’s about state law violations, though he didn’t spell out what those were. The move comes after fatal truck crashes in Texas and Alabama tied to drivers who may not have been legal residents, drawing attention from federal officials. NBC reports Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted the decision as proof California mishandled the licenses, but Newsom’s office says every affected driver had valid federal work papers.
With the longest federal government shutdown in history now over, travelers can expect airport problems to start easing. Air traffic controllers will soon get their first paychecks in over a month. However, flight delays and cancellations will not vanish immediately. That’s because planes and crews are out of position all over the nation and it’ll take several days to get them back in place. Yesterday, Sacramento International had 13 cancellations and 8 delays. But, there’s now hope that air travel could be back on track by Thanksgiving.
California has the deadliest roadway in the nation. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Interstate 15, which connects Los Angeles to Las Vegas, recorded 80 deadly accidents in a period of three years, more than any other road in America. Two more California highways make the top ten. Interstate 10 in Riverside County ranks third with 54 deaths. Number eight is Interstate 5 in San Diego County, with 42 deaths.
