It’s the 75th anniversary of the Wildlife Conservation Board which was created years back by the Caif. Legislature. The board works with conservation groups, government agencies and residents of the state to protect biodiversity, increase climate resiliency and provide access for all under the umbrella of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). The three main pillars they work under, finding land to acquire, habitat restoration and developing wildlife-oriented public access facilities. Right now they’re focused on protecting biodiversity, climate resilience, disadvantaged communities and protecting 30 percent of land and coastal waters by 2030.
Starting this weekend if you’re visiting any healthcare, acute care or skilled nursing facility in the state the COVID restrictions are over. The only thing you will have to do starting tomorrow, is continue to mask up. The facilities themselves must maintain the current infection prevention practices for vulnerable populations. Testing should also be offered for the public if it’s required by the state in the future again. Screening testing for those entering the facilities is no longer required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in general community settings. The state has administered almost 80 million doses of the vaccine by now, with at least 80% of residents getting at least one dose. The state has had about 10,350,000 cases since the start of the pandemic and almost 95,000 deaths. Those unvaccinated are much more likely to die from the virus.
A woman in Hopland reports finding a rattlesnake in the cab of her truck. Yesterday afternoon, Erica Franklin told Mendo Fever she was preparing to run errands and as she went to put her puppy in the truck, she encountered the snake coiled up on the middle console. She says she’s unsure how the rattler got into the truck, which shed its skin in the truck while she wasn’t around. She says the car was secure and locked.
A fire has ignited in the tiny coastal town of Mendocino. Firefighters also found someone inside who had been burned and got them to a hospital. The 52-year-old man was reportedly inside the home for about 5 – 10 minutes as the fire started. No word on his condition or how the fire started.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is trying to get their hands around what has been described as a financial crisis. Last month the board asked for help from the state after Supervisor Ted Williams said he hadn’t seen a credible financial report in his three years on the board. This week they met with the State Controller who informed the Board needs to take control and make official requests to the auditor, which they’ve done. They also said if some of the work was beyond local capabilities, they could hire outside help since many departments are seriously short staffed. The auditor chaffed, saying the CEO’s office has the same capabilities accused the board of trying to “break her will” just after she took the job. More to come, we’re sure…
Some folks are speaking out about the name of a local marijuana dispensary. The Daily Journal reports the building on Talmage and South State St. houses the shop called “Cookies”. Some say it could be a magnet for kids who don’t know they actually sell weed there. A resident spoke out at the last City Council meeting saying the City of Ukiah may want to rethink the name saying it reminds him of the Cookie Monster character from Sesame Street, which he called outright marketing to kids. Someone representing the business though says the “brand identity and artwork was designed to have an adult appreciation and appeal.”
We’ve got a new historic fire in California. The Mosquito Fire has now overtaken all others this year to be named the biggest in the state as it’s still only 20% contained. The fire ignited in the Sierra Nevada foothills September 6th and is threatening thousands of homes, and some historic giant sequoias. This weekend the state is supposed to be getting some rain, but not much, however that could put a dent in containment for the fire straddling Placer and El Dorado counties. But Cal Fire says with the rainstorm, comes wind. 70 homes have been destroyed by the fire. Fire officials say they expect the fire to continuing growing.
A man from Lake County found guilty of multiple sex assaults is getting a new trial. The motion for 36-year-old Antonio Magalhaes of Nice who was arrested two years ago. He’s accused of assaulting two people over six months in 2018 and 19. One he allegedly broke into a home and raped a woman, then raped a second woman the following year. He was found guilty this spring of several crimes including, assault with intent to commit sodomy while committing a first degree burglary; sodomy by force and rape of an intoxicated, unconscious person. He was set to be sentenced in July and was facing 38 years, but his lawyer asked for a new trial due to evidence related issues, where a witness supposedly didn’t finish testifying on cross examination. They’re back in court Tuesday.
The Governor has signed a new law he says will protect the health and wellbeing of kids. It’s the nation’s first online safety bill and will require sites and apps to consider the best interest of children. It will ban certain features that put kids at risk, like strangers messaging each other. Sites likely used by kids must also turn on the highest privacy settings by design and default.
Another case of Mpox has been reported in the state. A health care worker, a first for the nation, was apparently exposed on the job in Los Angeles County. That’s where California’s first monkeypox death was recently confirmed too. The CDC recommends people get vaccinated if they’re in contact with someone who has disease or know a sexual partner was diagnosed in the past two weeks.
The pair of earthquakes in Santa Rosa earlier this week may have exposed an issue with the earthquake early warning system. Several residents have reported receiving English Shake Alerts and other wireless emergency alerts on their cellphones, but they signed up to get them in Spanish. Sonoma County officials say it’s an important safety issue. Social media posts show there may be more people than we know who had the issue, but some just didn’t report a problem with the Shake Alerts which come direct from the U.S. Geological Survey and broadcast from cell towers.
