A simple speeding violation on North Main Street led Fort Bragg police to arrest a man wanted for a serious sex crime out of San Mateo County, according to a press release issued by the Fort Bragg Police Department. Monday night around 9:30, an officer in downtown Fort Bragg clocked a northbound vehicle going 41 mph in a 25 mph zone and stopped 32 year old Juan Pena. A records check showed Pena had a felony warrant, issued in Menlo Park from 2019 sodomy without consent involving drugs or alcohol. Mendofever reports he was arrested on that outstanding warrant and cited for speeding.
The 2024-25 Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury is pragmatic, but also optimistic over Fort Bragg’s Care Response Unit. (CRU) In a new report titled “Homelessness: A County-Wide Issue.” The 2024-25 Mendocino County Civil Grand Jury pointed to several gaps in services and coordination across Mendocino County, calling homelessness “endemic,” adding the issue needs immediate, countywide solutions. Mendofever says while the Grand Jury praised CRU for its local leadership and compassion, it says results that would verify its success have not been published. No matter, Fort Bragg’s CRU has gotten a lot of praise and is being looked at by UCLA for potential replication across the state. You should know that the homeless crisis locally burdens Mendocino County’s infrastructure.
The Deep Valley Arts Collective has a new name. MEDIUM Art Center. Lillian Rubie, co-founder and executive of the nonprofit says the new name makes it clear they’re a public community art center. Rubie says their mission is clear: Equity and access. The Ukiah Daily Journal says the transition to a more formal arts center puts the organization in a better place to meet local needs, especially since Ukiah has no year-round, accessible arts education facility. If you’d like to donate or just check them out, go to www.mediumarts.org.
We’ve got a construction update. Water main construction is complete on Gobbi Street between Orchard Avenue and Main Street, and water laterals and tie-ins are being scheduled and replaced now. It will involve short water outages. All impacted customers will receive a 72-hour notice before the outage. You should know that some of the work near the intersection of Gobbi and Orchard will be performed at night to reduce water service disruption impacts to residents and businesses. Water tie-ins and laterals, fire hydrants, testing, and reconnects will continue for another 2-3 weeks.
The Ukiah Valley Water Authority is meeting this evening. Some agenda items include updates on water supply issues, the Eel-Russian Project Authority and annexation efforts with the Russian River Flood Control District. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. and you can attend in person or online.
Nearly one-third of people released early from California prisons during the pandemic were re-incarcerated. That’s according to the state’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and a report by Cal Matters. While serious crimes like murder accounted for less than one percent of the total, the main reasons for re-incarceration included illegal gun possession, assault, and burglary.
The nonprofit cannabis group Origins Council, in partnership with California State Polytechnic University Humboldt, University of California Berkeley and a few other advocacy groups is hosting a two day conference. The panel will feature their work on the Legacy Cannabis Genetics study. The Mendocino Voice says the project focuses on community outreach and public education to help growers define, document and legally protect the genetics of the intellectual property of their plants. It takes place Sunday and Monday at the Brambles in Philo from 1 to 5p.m both days.
