[PM News Update]
Tragic news today. Sahaj Singh Saggu, the owner of Speers Market in Forestville, died while climbing Mount Whitney over the weekend. It was only eight days shy of his 27th birthday. According to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, Saggu had been climbing the North Fork of Lone Pine Creek last Sunday when he was hit by a falling rock. A search and rescue team was sent out by the sheriff’s office. A California Highway Patrol helicopter was also sent out. The group was able to retrieve his body and they then brought it back to Lone Pine.
Yesterday, Mike Lee, the President of Sonoma State University said he is resigning. This comes in the wake of a controversial email that he had sent to the campus community the night before. It detailed an agreement with the demands of pro-Palestinian protesters. He made the resignation announcement in an email he sent to students and faculty late yesterday. That was followed by a statement that came from California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia. She called his actions “insubordinate”. She said President Lee has been placed on administrative leave. She said that Dr. Nathan Evans, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, will be serving as acting president of Sonoma State University effective immediately.
This summer, a program is launching that offers the promise of homebuyer assistance for all residents of Lake County as well as other counties that are impacted by wildfires. The Golden State Finance Authority has been awarded a $28 million grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. This grant will be used to support individuals and families in California impacted by the devastating wildfires and other declared disasters back in 2018 and 2020. The program will provide homeownership assistance in the form of a forgivable loan, up to $350,000 per qualifying household. It is scheduled to launch in early June.
Not everyone follows through on a recall for your vehicle. Now, state and federal agencies are joining forces to educate California residents on free tools to check the recall status on their vehicles and whether or not you may have any open recalls so you can get those fixed. Several groups joined together at a news conference this week. The Office of Traffic Safety, New Motor Vehicle Board, California New Car Dealers Association, National Safety Council and Automobile Club of Southern California alerted vehicle owners of the urgent safety risks of unchecked recalls and that they are free to repair. It’s critical that vehicle owners use the NSC’s free Check to Protect program to check the recall status of your vehicle online at https://checktoprotect.org/.
Sunday marks the second Ukiah Youth Concert. It will take place at the Mendocino College Center Theatre. It’s a donation-based concert and all monies will benefit music education in the programs being offered by participating educational institutions. The event will feature a combination of local and international young musicians. It should run about two hours. The concert will present a variety of performers and well as different musical styles. Organizers say there will be a variety of performances including instrumental music, solos, ensembles, dance and duets played in genres from Eastern to Western music, choir, classical, jazz and pop. The concert begins at 3 p.m.
