Fort Bragg Police are asking your help in finding a missing teen. They say 15-year-old Naomi Mora was last seen on Saturday around 6pm in the area of Whipple Street and Oak Street in Fort Bragg when she left to see the Lighted Truck Parade with friends. Naomi was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. You can see her picture on the Fort Bragg Police Department Facebook page.
The Diocese of Santa Rosa is reportedly planning to sell Hopland’s 127-year-old St. Francis Catholic Church. The church has gone unused for worship since the pandemic although the St. Francis Guild, which shepherds the church and it’s artifacts with maintenance and expenses, had still been holding meetings there. But the Ukiah Daily Journal reports with the Guild unable to find a priest to go to Hopland on any kind of regular basis they decided it was no longer sustainable. Guild officials say their remaining money will go to a Hopland Fund at the Community Foundation of Mendocino County. Meanwhile the Hopland church is one of several the diocese is looking to sell.
Police are still looking into what caused a crash near Hopland Friday night that injured seven people. The three-vehicle wreck happened around 7pm on Highway 175 near Buckman Drive. Mendo Fever reports two people, including one child, have major injuries with the other five at varying degrees of severity. Three ground ambulances and two air ambulances were called to the scene, blocking the road for a couple of hours.
The commercial Dungeness crab season has been delayed yet again. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced late last week that due to continued concerns about migrating humpback whales getting caught in fishing gear, the season, which typically starts November 15, has been delayed until at least early January for all six fishing zones in California from the Oregon border to the Mexican border. The state says they will reassess on Friday December 20 with an eye toward opening January 1. Last year the commercial Dungeness season was delayed until January 18.
With November election results now officially tallied, the City of Fort Bragg has confirmed the passage of Measures T and U. In a statement issued Friday, the City says 68% of voters approved Measure T and 81% approved Measure U. Measure T, called the Essential Services Measure, establishes a 3/8ths cent sales tax, with about three-quarters of that being paid by visitors. Measure U, the Tourist Impact Measure, increases the transient occupancy tax for hotel and motel guests by 2%. The City says both will generate funding towards more housing, fire and police protection, supporting local businesses and keeping public spaces clean and it all stays in Fort Bragg.
A Ukiah High School senior has been chosen to represent California in the United States Senate Youth Program. The State Superintendent of Public Instruction says Bode Gower of Hopland has been tapped for the program along with a student from San Diego. He says they were chosen in the highly competitive process for their “demonstrated strong leadership and passion for making positive changes through advocacy work”. Gower, who was nominated by his high school principal, is Associate Student Body President at Ukiah High and also serves as student representative to the Ukiah Unified School District Advisory Committee. In addition to serving in the program, the students also receive a $10,000 undergraduate scholarship and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. in March.
Birdwatchers, get ready! The Redbud Audubon Society’s 50th annual Christmas Bird Count starts this Saturday, December 14. It’s part of a nationwide effort that actually started about 125 years ago and is considered by some to be the world’s most significant citizen-based conservation effort. Lake County News reports you can participate by meeting at either Anderson Marsh State Historic Park or Clear Lake State Park at 8am Saturday. You can call the Redbud Audubon to let them know you want to participate and find out about other locations. It is open to both seasoned bird counters and newcomers and to help you, on Thursday, December 12, at 7pm, there will be a Bird Identification Program on Zoom. Register at www.redbudaudubon.org.
