It may be the first day of October but nevertheless we will be under an Excessive Heat Advisory for the next two days in Lake and Mendocino Counties. The National Weather Service says highs could range from 97 to 110, significantly higher than our usual fall average of mid-70s to low 80s. The official advisory starts at 11am this morning and goes through 8pm Wednesday. And as with the summer heat wave, they advise you to stay inside as much as possible, stay hydrated, limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening and check in on older folks or anyone sensitive to extreme heat.
We’re learning more about a police chase that ended with a crash on Friday in Potter Valley. As we reported yesterday, the chase that started in Ukiah, and went along Highways 101 and 20, reached more than 100 mph at times before it ended with the car flipping over on East Side Potter Valley Road. Ukiah Police have now ID’d the driver as Daniel Ray Holmes Jr of Ukiah. They say he initially missed a stop sign in Ukiah and did stop for an officer, but when that cop saw there were two men and what he thought was a gun he called for backup and Holmes took off. CHP and Mendocino Deputies joined the pursuit and on East Side Potter Valley a CHP officer did a pit maneuver and Holmes lost control. Holmes is charged with DUI, reckless evading and a parole violation for a previous reckless driving charge. His passenger was cooperative and confirmed that Holmes Jr. did have a gun but threw it out the window. The passenger was released with no charges. UPD says officers were not able to find the gun.
If you enjoy wielding a chainsaw, the Mendocino County Fire Safe Council hosts work parties to help communities maintain fire breaks. They say last week they did one just outside Willits with a handful of volunteers joining the Fire Safe Council’s crew with their equipment and professional skills, to clear brush, and chip wood so it doesn’t turn into kindling. The Fire Safe Council’s crew is paid for by Measure P which is the countywide sales tax that funds local fire departments and fire prevention activities. They say the Pine Mountain Fire Safe Council is working to get another work day scheduled. If you’d like to get a crew to your neighborhood, check out their website firesafemendocino.org.
There’s a candidates forum this Sunday for those running for election in Willits in November. The forum is at the Little Lake Grange and will also be on Zoom. It starts at 4pm with the five candidates running for three Willits City Council seats. Then at 5pm it’s the two candidates for the one Mendocino County Board of Education District 3 seat. At 520 pm will be the three candidates running for two seats on the Willits Unified School District Board. The event is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Mendocino, Little Lake Grange, the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition, Willits Economic Localization and the Willits Chamber of Commerce.
The Clearlake City Council will decide whether to support the formation of a new hospital district for Lake County. At their meeting this Thursday, the council will consider approving a resolution granting their consent to the County for a Lake County Hospital Improvement District that would establish a fee paid to the state by Adventist Health Clear Lake and Sutter Lakeside which would increase the federal reimbursement rate for the two hospitals. Lake County News reports it’s the Lake County Board of Supervisors job to set this up, but they need the consent of the cities to do it.
