Another lawsuit has reportedly been filed against energy giant, Pacific Gas & Electric. The second in relation to the massive Mosquito Fire that burned in Placer and El Dorado counties. The lawsuit was filed on September 29th connected to property losses and damage that impacted residents. Thousands had to evacuate the inferno. The first lawsuit was filed September 23rd for “poorly maintained utility infrastructure.”
Inmates in Vacaville are being hailed as heroes after coming to the rescue of a woman stabbed on a bike trail. A cleaning crew and the correctional officer with them saw a 33-year-old woman walking her dog and get attacked for no reason. The inmates saw the incident then jumped into action, providing aid until first responders arrived. The victim is in stable condition. An 18-year-old suspect was arrested for attempted murder.
Two people have been injured after a car crash on Highway 1 near Gualala. The California Highway Patrol reports a woman from Point Arena in a 1999 Dodge 2500 full-size pick-up was driving south on the highway Tuesday morning and for some reason she drifted west, and when trying to correct the truck, she side-swiped a 2016 Kia Sorento SUV headed north. The driver of that car, a 72-year-old woman from Gualala hit a dirt embankment, but the truck driver crashed into a guardrail, overturned and landed on its roof. The truck driver had major injuries and the Kia driver had moderate injuries. The CHP says they’re investigating but do not consider drugs or alcohol as factors.
The latest report on homelessness in Calif. has been released, showing thousands more after the pandemic. 22,500 more Californians were homeless over the last three years for a total of nearly 174,000. CalMatters reports the federal government’s point-in-time count was the first since 2019. Those who track the unsheltered say the rise was probably because so many people lost their jobs during the beginning of the pandemic and the housing crisis has not helped. But the analysis also showed homelessness grew around the same rate it had been over the last several years, but it could have been worse because California had rent and mortgage help and stimulus checks from the federal government.
Homecoming week is coming to a close in Ukiah. Ukiah High had the final lunchtime spirit rally yesterday to cap off Homecoming Week 2022. Pictures can be seen on the Daily Journal website of students dancing and singing along. This year’s Homecoming King and Queen will be crowned today. There’s also a parade this afternoon, so be cautious if you need to get somewhere, the streets may be clogged around the High School as school lets out. They’re leaving the high school on Low Gap Road at 3:30 p.m. The school is live streaming some of the events.
The Mendocino County Assessor-County Clerk Recorder says all general election mail in ballots to active registered voters are about to go out. Next Tuesday the November 8th ballots are leaving their office and should take about 5-7 days to get to you. As a reminder, if you don’t receive your ballot within one week, to please call their office for a replacement ballot. If you have moved since the last election, please re-register. They also sent out sample ballots separately from another office, so those should arrive soon too. THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS OCTOBER 24th. If you need to register before then, or re-register, visit https://registertovote.ca.gov/
It’s the fifteenth-year anniversary for the Adopt-A-Fifth-Grader program from the Mendocino College Foundation. They offer scholarships to fifth grade students in Lake and Mendocino Counties with awards by individual donors, families, service clubs and local businesses each giving $700 to “adopt” a fifth-grade student. The foundation helps invest the money to grow it over the next seven years into a $1,000 scholarship as the student graduates from high school. So far over 800 students have received one of the scholarships and 24 elementary schools in the Mendocino-Lake Community College District have taken part.
Cal Fire is conducting a prescribed burn on state owned property in the Howard Forest. The burn today through the weekend in Willits will send smoke into the sky. They’re doing it to promote natural regeneration, enhance wildlife habitat, protect watershed values and help provide training for fire personnel. They remind that fires are essential for the environment in fire-dependent ecosystems, like California wildlands. But after more than a century of fire suppression that has meant wildlands, woodlands and rangelands cannot withstand normal droughts, insect outbreaks or wildfires. So the purpose of any fuel reduction project is to change the size and composition of fuels in the forest, to create a break in fuel continuity.
For information on how to create Defensible Space, as well as tips to prevent wildfires, visit
www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
Money’s leaving the state and getting into the hands of everyday Californians as Middle Class Tax Refund payments. The refunds of up to $1,050 are for millions of eligible Californians. The Governor said California is doing this to put money back into your pockets. The refunds are to help families pay for gas and groceries during these expensive times. The payments will be from $400 to $1,050 for couples filing jointly and $200 to $700 for individuals depending on their income and whether they claimed a dependent on their taxes. They’re sending out 18 million payments for as many as 23 million Californians.
Some water companies in California have offered to cut the amount of water they’re taking from the Colorado River. They’ve apparently been negotiating for several months. The water agencies have written to federal agencies to reduce California’s water intake by 400,000 acre-feet annually until 2026. That’s about 9% of the river’s water the state of California has been entitled to under senior rights. The water mostly travels to the Imperial Irrigation District, and serves almost a half million acres of farmland. The Metropolitan Water District, Coachella Valley Water District and the Palo Verde Irrigation District also signed on to the deal.
