The Clearlake Police Department is searching for a man not seen in a month. James Foster was last seen on November 18th on Howard Avenue in Clearlake. Lake County news reports the 62 year old white man is about 5 foot 10 inches tall, weighs around 200 pounds with short brown hair and green eyes. If anyone has information on James Foster, they’re urged to call in to Clearlake Police.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Deputies are on the lookout for armed and dangerous criminals. Over the weekend, on routine patrol in Ukiah, they saw a man wanted for multiple felony warrants leaving an apartment complex on Laws Avenue. As soon as they tried to pull the car over, a female driver took off at high speeds. After a short pursuit the man bailed from the car and dropped a loaded gun. The suspect, Jamie Rodriguez and the driver, Leslie Medina were found after returning to her apartment. Deputies were able to arrest both. Rodriguez faces multiple felonies for probation and parole violations, and possession of a firearm and more. Medina was arrested for felony evading and harboring a wanted fugitive. They’re both behind bars, Rodriquez on a No Bail Status; Medina is being head in lieu of a $35,000 bail.
The Willits Police Department is working on community traffic complaints like excessive speeding and overall unsafe driving. The department received RADAR speed equipment, and have been certified to use the new tools to enforce the law. There will be an increase in traffic enforcement with the goal to increase safety for pedestrians and drivers on the roads. They’ll be targeting high traffic and problematic areas. The Willits Police Department is also reminding people of seasonal conditions, with wet or icy roads that require additional stopping time, especially around School Zones.
The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service are hosting a public meeting this afternoon in Woodland to hear about the management of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and more. The meeting will be at the Woodland Community Center from 2 to 4pm today. It’s part of the current administration’s commitment to support locally led conservation efforts across the country. In September, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited Berryessa and proposed an expansion area, and plans to hear from Tribal leaders, local elected officials and community members to hear about their vision for conserving the natural and cultural resources on the BLM managed public lands in Lake County.
The Ukiah City Council will continue negotiating the purchase and annexation of a 40 acre parcel of land as part of a deal to get hundreds of acres for conservation and public use. MendoFever reports the city began acquiring land years ago for conservation and is working with the developer and deciding how many parcels will be developed. David Hull and the Planning Commission are negotiating on how much to develop. If Ukiah does not get the latest 40 acre parcel, there may be no public access to the landlocked preserve. With Redwood Avenue the only access to future residents, some worry about evacuations and wildfire risks. The Planning Commissioner says Hull’s development plan is not viable. Hull wants to develop 3 houses in exchange for the property, saying the county would allow for more development if the city did not agree.
The annual winter rise in COVID infections is here, but so far, only ten percent of Californians have gotten the latest booster shot, according to the state vaccination Dashboard. The most recent COVID booster shot came out in September, but only 27-percent of people over age 65 had received it as of December 8th. California State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan says now is the time to get not only the COVID booster, but a seasonal flu shot. The California News Service reports The R-S-V vaccine is also available for infants and people over age 60. To make an appointment, go to ‘myturn.ca.gov.’ Health insurance plans are required to cover the vaccines free of cost. If you have questions about any of the vaccines, check with your physician.
The University of California’s Naturalist class is open for registration in Mendocino at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center. In an announcement this week, UC California Naturalists class runs from February to April with six Saturday classes and field trips to the oak woodlands and rangelands at the over 5,000 acre site. Classes are collaboration between science curriculum with guest lecturers, field trips and project based learning to immerse students in the natural world of inland Mendocino County. The program is offering equity pricing on a sliding scale. There is a limited number of need-based scholarships available as well. Call the Hopland Research and Extension Center for more details and registration.
Catastrophic wildfires are leaving even more harm behind, as exposed from scientists at Stanford University in a study released this week in the journal “Nature Communication.” Based on research samples in the area, they’ve uncovered unsafe levels of toxins in the air and soil that surrounds us, as reported in the Press Democrat. Wildfires transform naturally occurring metals in rock, soil and plants into hexavalent chromium. The study found fires accelerate the conversion from chromium 3 into chromium 6, especially in metal-rich geologic areas like the North Coast Range. The cancer causing toxins then are transported in the smoke, or stay on the ground for nearly a year, or until rainfall dilutes it back into the soil. Continued exposure remains a threat to people that live, recreate and work on the land. The study encourages people to wear N-95 masks if there’s smoke in the air, and to use air purifiers inside.
The Toys for Tots organization that serves Mendocino and other counties is reeling after a robbery. Friday night, a truck full of toys was stolen. The Times-Standard reports the truck was recovered, but the toys were not. It happened at the Eureka location where burglars broke into a warehouse of toys with bolt cutters, loaded a semi up and drove it through a gate. The thieves also got away with the charity’s security surveillance equipment. The lead coordinator for the location says it’s the first theft of this magnitude in the 17 years he’s been there. Toys for Tots is asking anyone who has information about the incident or see someone selling a large number of discounted toys to call the Eureka Police Department.
The highly contagious and deadly strain of the bird flu is spreading in Sonoma County. Another poultry farm has tested positive for the virus. The Press Democrat reports Liberty Ducks is a boutique producer of Pekin ducks that serve many of the area’s restaurants. The positive test was confirmed last week. At least 4,000 birds were affected, about a third of the farm’s production. It’s a widening crisis for the nation’s poultry industry. In late November over a quarter million birds in Sonoma County had to be euthanized with a quarantine zone established. On December 5th, the Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency. So far, at least 5 counties in the state are dealing with the outbreak.
The California Transportation Commission is granting over $1 billion to projects to improve the state’s infrastructure. The funds include over $300 million to make the state’s systems more climate resilient and invest in bicycle and pedestrian pathways while increasing natural disaster preparedness. In a release issued in the Record Bee, the allocation approved yesterday includes Mendocino County projects, with over $50 million toward roadway, guardrail and sign improvements on Route 162 from US 101 east of Poonkinney Road near Covelo. Around $13 million will be allocated toward road improvements on Highway 101 near Willits. And about $1.7 million will go to fish passage improvements along Route 1 near Anchor Bay at Sunset Drive near Fort Bragg.
Lake County’s new crop report shows continued strength of wine grapes and for the first time, cannabis numbers are included in the latest report. Lake County News reports the report was presented to the Board of Supervisors yesterday morning. The estimated gross production value for agriculture shows a 28 percent increase from 2021. Nursery and timber production was down. The first ever inclusion of cannabis means a starting point for the future of the agricultural crop. In the report, square footage for both mixed light and outdoor cultivation was shown with help from the tax collector and Community Development Departments gathering the data for the first time. The top five commodities in Lake County are wine grapes, pears, field and seed crops, cattle and miscellaneous livestock.
