Power shut offs are likely today and into the weekend due to dry and windy conditions that raise the danger of wildfires. PG&E has warned thousands in several counties including Lake and Mendocino that they may have to cut the juice for safety reasons. PG&E has been sending advanced notifications to customers about the possible shut offs but you can see if you are on the list at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. There is a Red Flag Warning in effect for Lake County from 11pm tonight through 5pm Saturday with winds gusts up to 50 mph and the daytime humidity around 10 percent.
A man accused of starting two recent Lake County fires will stand trial and remains in jail on $50,000 bail. Donald Shawn Anderson faces four felony charges of arson to a structure or forest land and arson during a statement of emergency for the September 22 fire off Seigler Canyon Road and an October 2 fire off New Long Valley Road. He has pleaded not guilty and has another court appearance on October 29. Lake County News reports Anderson spent 17 years in prison for an arson conviction in 2003.
The City of Lakeport says more than 3,360 lbs of garbage was collected at last weekend’s Community Clean-Up. Officials thank the community for braving the rain on Saturday and they thank Lakeport Disposal for coordinating the event. In addition to the nearly ton-and-a-half of trash, volunteers also picked up 260 lbs of e-waste and 860 lbs of metal. It happens again in a few months with Lakeport’s Spring Clean-Up.
The Ukiah Country Pumpkin Fest is this weekend. It runs from Friday through Sunday in Downtown Ukiah with food, music, vendors, a pet costume contest, a haunted house, a 3-on-3 hoops tournament and a whole lot more. There’s a Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off from 4pm-7pm Friday at Alex Thomas Plaza and the Pumpkin Fest Parade is Saturday morning at 10am. You can get the full schedule for all the activities and live performances as well as maps for all the activities on the City’s Website on the Pumpkin Fest Page at: https://cityofukiah.com/pumpkinfest.
Today is the Great Shake Out. The nationwide earthquake drill is held every October 17 at exactly 10:17 am. Officials suggest that wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you Drop, Cover, and Hold On to practice what you would do if it were an actual quake. It’s also a good time to review your family emergency plans and check what’s in your Go Bag. And if you have the MyShake App, they will send out a test at 10:17am. MyShake is tied to the USGS ShakeAlert system for California, Oregon, and Washington.
