Ukiah Police arrested a 20-year-old man and a 15-year-old student on two felony firearm charges each, after a “ghost” gun was found. Police were alerted by school staff at Ukiah High School that a suspicious social media threat was made by a student toward a South Valley High student. The Ukiah student posted a picture holding a semi-automatic handgun. The threat came just days after a fight broke out between the two high school students. UPD along with Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies searched the home of Gabriel Aguilar, where they found a “Polymer 80” Glock-style semi automatic 9mm gun in a duffel bag. Aguilar was arrested on the spot, and the student was arrested on school grounds. The Ukiah Police Department says the Ukiah Unified School district notified them immediately, enabling them to bring a scary situation to a safe resolution.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors will discuss vacation rental limits at its next meeting, tomorrow. On the agenda is a public hearing to consider an appeal of the Planning Commission’s resolution to clarify Mendocino County Code, affecting vacation rentals. A group called the “Friends of Coastal Access” wants to see an expanded code to ease up on restrictions limiting short-term rentals. Instead, the group wants to see development of additional housing. The discussion, revolved around tourists versus local worker housing. The planned expansion of the Fort Bragg library will also be discussed, as well as approval of the Mendocino County Juvenile Justice Plan.
Road work continues in Mendocino County, with utility work in Manchester from Kinney Road to Alder Creek Beach that begins Monday. Bridge work in Fort Bragg from Manzanita Street to Pudding Creek Road will continue on Route 1. Drivers can expect short delays. Emergency road work from Road 430 to north of Hardy Creek continues. One-way traffic control will be in effect to 5:30 p.m. On Route 20, construction continues with 20 minute delays for drivers, from James Creek to Three Chop Road. More roadwork is happening in the county, and can be found in the Ukiah Daily Journal.
Ukiah Unified School District announced that Jim Evans has accepted the principal position at Grace Hudson Language Academy, effective July 1. The Academy’s new principal has nearly two decades of experience in education, last serving as principal at Jefferson Elementary School in Cloverdale. Evans majored in Spanish and Anthropology at Humboldt State University and is bilingual and biliterate. He earned his Master’s degree from Sonoma State University and more. Evans was a Microsoft Certified Systems engineer prior to his graduate studies.
The Museums of Lake County has opened its newest exhibition, traveling from the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History. The exhibit titled “Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964” explores the story of the program, which brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the United States to help fill the labor shortage during World War II. The exhibit illustrates the program’s impact on agriculture, labor and immigration, as well as on the lives of the workers and their families. The Museums of Lake County California will host the exhibit from May through August. There is more information in Lake County News.
The County of Mendocino began reopening Bower Park in Gualala, on Friday. The park had been closed since January 6, due to weather damage from the atmospheric rivers that passed during the winter. A partial opening began with the parking lot, the restrooms, and the baseball field. Mendocino County hired a third-party contractor to work on storm damage repair and clean-up services. So far, all downed trees have been removed. Mulch has been spread throughout the park. The playground has been worked on, and new equipment is on order. While work continues, there are some closures in the park as clean-up and restoration are on-going, including the outdoor theatre, tennis and basketball courts and more.
In the Record Bee over the weekend, a Clearlake City Councilman brought up an emergency item during the Clearlake City Council meeting on Thursday on the 18th Avenue Project. The project is set to connect Old Highway 53 through the old airport site. The council authorized the construction contract on April 6, in a unanimous vote. Since then, according to city leaders, the Housing and Community Development Department changed some requirements during the process of construction, which prompted the city to reduce the scope of the project, decreasing the cost from about $14 million to $5.5 million. The goal is to have all the funding allocated in by July 1. The Clearlake City Council will meet again on the first Thursday of May.
A motorcycle rider crashed in the northbound lane of Hwy 101 south of Laytonville, Saturday morning. It happened near mile marker 63. According to police reports, the biker had major injuries including broken ribs, cuts and road rash. CHP was on hand to help the rider and clear the scene.
The 2023 recreational Pacific halibut fishery will open Monday, May 1 until Nov. 15 or until the quota is reached, whichever is earlier. The 2023 Pacific halibut quota for the California sub-area is nearly 40,000 pounds, about the same as last year’s quota. California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife urges anglers to check for updated information including limits and gear restrictions.
California Legislators are advancing a bill that would codify film set safety rules in the wake of the accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, in Alec Baldwin’s production in New Mexico. Studio representatives and unions are working on amendments to the new measure, Senate Bill 735 that passed last week through the Senate Labor Committee. The proposed legislation is an attempt at imposing legal safety requirements on film production, and would create the first state regulations around the use of firearms and live ammunition on film and TV sets. Under the proposed legislation, casts working near guns would need training and productions must use armorers whose sole duty would be preparing firearm usage, along with risk assessment.
Small, part-time drop-off centers for beverage container redemption operated by Redwood Waste Solutions, Inc. (RWS) are projected to open sometime in May. In the Mendocino Beacon yesterday, the City of Fort Bragg has been searching for a company, after a redemption site closed last summer. All drop-off locations will have scales and bins, which will be hauled away at the end of the day. RWS has not announced the locations yet, but the city hopes to have a schedule soon. Beverage containers made of aluminum, glass, plastic, and some metals will be accepted. Milk and infant formula containers are not accepted. As of January 1, 2024, CRV centers will accept wine and liquor containers in the state.
The Clearlake Planning Commission will consider approvals for the city’s new Burns Valley Sports Complex project. In the Lake County News today, the commission will discuss the project site, part of 31-acres behind Safeway. In August, the city received $3 million from State Parks’ Rural Recreation and Tourism Program to create the new complex. The commission will meet beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, at Clearlake City Hall
The Lake County Board of Supervisors this week will discuss approving a right-of-way purchase for the South Main Street-Soda Bay Road Improvement Project. The board will also consider an ordinance changing the county code on allowing temporary hoop structures for cannabis cultivation. And the board will consider an additional 90 days and a new total of just over $300,000 to keep the North Lakeport Emergency Warming Shelter open longer. The board will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday, in the Lake County Courthouse and can be watched live on Channel 8
There was a horrific dog attack in Fort Bragg recently. Two women were violently attacked by pit bulls at a friend’s home. One woman was flown to Mendocino Adventist Hospital, another woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance. One of the dogs has been euthanized, another in quarantine, and a third dog was medically evaluated after two of the attacking dogs turned on her. Fort Bragg Police officers and a Community Service Officer provided care to slow the bleeding of women’s wounds to their faces, arms and legs.
Save the Redwoods League announced it has selected nine projects to receive over $160,000 in grant funding for research and discoveries in coast redwood and giant sequoia forests this year. Funds will go to those who will study effects of fire; migratory birds, amphibians and microorganisms within forest communities. The league said they’d like to see collaboration with Indigenous tribes to create a database of plants and their traditional uses and more.
