There was a crash Monday night on Highway 101. A passenger van drove into a broken down truck in the middle of the road. The crash sent the truck rolling, injuring it’s driver. CHP reported the accident around 10:40pm. In KymKemp online, it happened between Willits and Laytonville south of Underpass Road. The Chevy truck stopped running in the north lane. The driver and passenger were out of the truck when a Ford Transit van in the same lane hit the truck, forcing it into the driver on the side of the road. All four lanes of Highway 101 were covered with vehicle parts and the road was temporarily closed down. The driver of the van also had injuries; both drivers were taken to the hospital. CHP is investigating.
Caregivers in the state can apply for $6,000 in financial incentives in a new program. The California Department of Aging is launching a workforce training and development program called CalGrows. The program began this year with nearly $90 million awarded to nearly 80 organizations across the state. Through it, hundreds of courses will be available to caregivers to support paths to a career in health care while helping California keep qualified health care workers. In Lake County News, direct care jobs can open advancement opportunities with training providers in virtual and in-person courses for caregivers. Courses range from dementia and infection control to food safety and cultural diversity classes. Training is available and free for paid direct care workers, home and community-based caregivers and unpaid family and friend caregivers. For more information head to calgrows.org.
Mendocino County cannabis enforcement pulled 17,000 plants and confiscated a dozen guns at illegal grows this week. In KymKemp, Sheriff Matt Kendall said that yesterday they assisted California Fish and Wildlife in the cannabis enforcement operation near Bell Springs Road. While there they discovered polluted waterways that were diverted illegally. One man was detained and three fled the grow on foot. Earlier in the week, the department and sheriff’s office went to three grows in Redwood Valley off of West Road where they pulled over 12,000 plants and found a dozen guns and four people. All the people who were detained were not processed into jail, as they face misdemeanors. The Sheriff said the cannabis sites they were at this week were most likely drug trafficking organizations.
The existence and harm of PFAS was suppressed by DuPont and 3M according to researchers at UC San Francisco. In Lake County news, a publication in the Annals of Global Health investigated documents and looked at the chemical industry’s delayed public response and regulations of the harmful ‘forever’ substances. It is the first time the PFAS industry documents have been analyzed by scientists using methods designed to expose other industry tactics of silence in harmful impacts. There has not been a lot of information about the toxicity of PFAS for the first 50 years of their use when the “industry had multiple studies showing adverse health effects at least 21 years before they were reported in public findings” according to the report. Enlarged organs, deadly animal testing, birth defects and more were not publicly reported by companies like DuPont and 3M in order to protect their products.
The fatal fire in Redwood Valley is being investigated. The house fire on Tuesday began around 3:40 in the afternoon on Colony Drive. Firefighters found a one story wooden home consumed with the blaze. There was a person at the residence who had received care from firefighters recently and was not able to move on their own. Within minutes, the resident was found dead and a coroner was called in. Fire investigators are looking into the start of the blaze, according to KymKemp. Hopland Fire, Ukiah Valley Fire and Mendocino County Fire, Cal Fire and more united mobilized to the scene.
California is the worst state for dog bites with 675 bites last year. The Postal Service announced this week is the annual National Dog Bit Awareness Week thru the 10th. In Lake County News, the USPS is sponsoring this week’s public service campaign with safety tips and awareness of how owners can prevent dog attacks. Nationally, over 5,300 mail carriers were bit in 2022. A San Francisco Post Master says that unsecured dogs are a real threat to postmen and women. The post office asks that you keep your dog secured behind a fence or inside when your mail is delivered. Mail carriers are trained to be alert and not startle any dog. They know top keep their eyes on dogs and never assume a dog won’t bite and more.
State Farm and AllState Insurance Companies have announced they won’t offer new home and property policies in California. The decision is forcing homeowners to the state’s FAIR plan, the insurer of last resort. In MendoFever, insurers pulled back and stopped renewing policies for properties in high fire risk areas after the wildfires of 2017. An insurance broker in Ukiah says they are quoting policies through the FAIR state plan, a co-op of insurers that write basic property insurance for California residents. FAIR plans tend to be up to four times as expensive as policies from individual insurance companies. There is a real fear even more companies will choose to not cover people in the state. Officials say if you’re currently covered, hold on to that coverage. The FAIR plan is not only much more expensive, but it doesn’t cover personal property or liability.
And it’s been a shockingly electric week in the sky. Tuesday night, there were 137 lightning strikes around Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties according to the National Weather Service. In the Press Democrat, some of those strikes caused fires in the north. Thankfully, the heavy rains of late winter are still keeping the extra vegetation green, so fire fuels aren’t so easily caught up in flames. The accompanying rain this week helped keep fire danger down too.
The Ukiah City Council will hold a special meeting tomorrow to go over the budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan. According to the Ukiah Daily Journal, the meeting is scheduled for 3pm at the City Council Chambers. In the posted agenda is Riverside Park with over $760,000 in grant money to do flood surveys, debris removal, grading and planting slated to begin this summer. The Ukiah Skate Park is on the agenda with a request for a quarter million dollars to add a band stand, install lighting and more. The city will consider a park for the Wagenseller Neighborhood and request up to $5 million next year, working with the Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation. And the council will discuss funding for Oak Manor Park to install a bathroom.
Rental relief may still be available to California residents. More than 100,000 people in the state applied for the COVID-era rental assistance and were delayed or denied by the housing department, according to the Record Bee. Those renters have another chance to get some help after a legal settlement between anti-poverty and tenant rights groups and the state. The suit, settled at the end of May alleged California rejected applications without adequate explanations. Now, California’s Housing and Community Development Department will audit its denials and improve access for tenants to don’t speak English as their first language. The department also said it would help applicants with more detailed instructions and explanations. They agreed to clear up the pending applicant pool within six months.
Taxpayers in the state are getting notices from the IRS for balances due, even those who were allowed an extension in disaster effected counties. Forbes is reporting the notices demand payment within 3 weeks or face fines. California tax professionals say the problem seems to be with returns filed during that extension period. Usually, extensions give taxpayers extra time to file returns and delay paying any taxes due. But, the IRS is processing the state’s returns despite the disaster relief extensions. The notices do have some fine print that says taxpayers in areas of granted disaster relief the extension dates apply rather than the notice dates. Yesterday the IRS issued a statement reassuring taxpayers that they have an automatic extension thru later this year to pay their taxes in those disaster declaration zones.
The Lake County Library Literacy Program has rebuilt one-on-one tutoring to increase literacy in adults, and those who are learning English as a second language. IN a press release, the Lake County Library has a Family Literacy Program helping families of adult learners with kids. Children will receive free books for their home libraries. The group has announced that Clear Lake State Park has partnered with the Family Literacy Program with monthly StoryWalk and Crafting Parties on the second Saturday of each month from 11am to 2pm, including this Saturday. During the Saturday programs, parking and day use fees will be waived. A new StoryTime in the Park program began today and will continue on Wednesdays through August at 10:15am at the Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville.
The Mendocino County Cannabis department is changing their processing after the Board of Supervisors approved an amendment to the Cannabis Cultivation Ordinance. In a Canna Note sent out yesterday, the department says the amendment streamlines the cannabis application and review process. Documents required for a Cannabis Cultivation Business License have been consolidated, with requirements varying depending on the site and license phase. The department will continue to do sensitive species habitat reviews and might require additional documents that include management plans and permits. The department announced the Treasurer-Tax Collector and the board created a cannabis tax amnesty and payment plan. The department is working to process licenses faster and to streamline the paper-trail.
The House Ways and Means Committee passed the Employer Reporting Improvement Act yesterday. In Lake County News, the bill helps businesses comply with the Affordable Care Act. Representative Mike Thompson says the bill makes reporting easier so companies can grow. The bill protects privacy by stopping the requirement for employers to get social security numbers of employees and their dependants. It gives the IRS more time to enforce ACA obligations and gives employers a notice before the IRS enforces penalties. The bill is now headed to the House floor.
The Mendocino Railway is asking Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Nadel to set aside her judgment this month saying their case was filed prematurely. In the Press Democrat today, the owner of the Skunk Train wants the judge to reopen its case against John Meyer in the eminent domain situation. The company says there is new evidence to support their claim that the railway is a public utility with the right to condemn property. The evidence is apparently a letter from the US Railroad Retirement Board that confirms the company’s status as a common carrier. The judge disputed their right to eminent domain because the California Public Utilities Commission said the railroad was not a public utility. They asked Judge Nadel for a hearing on June 30.
