Local News

September 26, 2025 - The September 22nd meeting covered a variety of issues that could impact the city for many decades. Late in the evening, the City Council heard a report from its planning consultant, Marie Jones, regarding the State’s Pro-housing Designation Program.

Sept 15, 2025 - MCPB/KZYX received an unexpected and very welcome $175,000 donation last week. This show of support comes from an anonymous donor or group of donors whose stated intention in making the gift is to ensure rural public radio stations like ours can continue to broadcast and serve their communities.

September 10, 2025 - The September 8th meeting focused on potential changes to the planning and zoning codes that would ease regulations for businesses looking to start up or expand in Fort Bragg. The report was commissioned by the City from Marie Jones, a land-use and planning consultant, who is under contract with Fort Bragg. There were six primary elements to the plan. Of the six suggestions in the plan, only one will return to the council for discussion and approval. The other five suggestions will go to the planning commission or the community development committee for further study.

September 9/2/25 - The Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) announced the release of its 2025–2030 Strategic Plan that will guide the Board’s conservation and public access investments over the next five years. The updated plan builds on WCB’s 2014 Strategic Plan and reflects California’s current conservation priorities, including Pathways to 30x30, Outdoors for All and the Nature-Based Solutions Climate Targets. It emphasizes collaboration with Tribes, community partners and agencies to protect biodiversity, advance climate resilience, expand equitable access to nature and improve organizational effectiveness.

August 26, 2025 - Local non-profit Plowshares is calling on the community to help fight hunger by participating in a matching donation challenge throughout the month of August. The T.R. Eriksen Foundation has pledged to match every dollar donated, up to $25,000, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution. The goal is to raise a total of $50,000 to support the organization's operating budget and its mission "that no one in our community go hungry."

August 18, 2025 - The family of Danilla Sands needs our help. You may know Danilla, or of her, because she is the person who helps keep us all safe by tirelessly posting about Emergency Alerts in real time via Mendocino Action News. Danilla's mom, Deanna R.C., a longtime foster parent and local volunteer, is now facing the total loss of her home and belongings after a fire destroyed the property she had lived in since 2002. In the face of the tragedy, her daughter, Danilla, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help her mother, who she says "has spent her entire life helping others without ever asking for help for herself."

August 14, 2025 - At the August 11th meeting, the city unveiled a new online GIS mapping system developed in conjunction with two CSU Long Beach students as part of their master’s thesis. Angelica Cruz and Jully Voong demonstrated the features, which include the location of front doors and property lines. The new system will be available to the public and will be continually enhanced over time by city staff for planning and emergency preparedness purposes.

August 11, 2025 - A familiar and troubling scene is unfolding once again at the Marine Mammal Center, as pens fill with sick and dying California sea lions. Veterinarians are seeing the telltale signs of a recurring, deadly kidney disease that spikes every few years along the coast.

August 5, 2025 - After a decade of watching a mysterious plague turn sunflower sea stars into formless goo, Canadian scientists have identified the killer: a bacterium known as Vibrio Pectinicida. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, marks a critical first step toward reversing the catastrophic decline of this keystone species and restoring the vital ecosystems that depend on it.

July 29, 2025 - In a significant move to end mobile dead zones, Starlink has partnered with T-Mobile to launch its "Direct to Cell" satellite service, which promises to bring connectivity to the most remote corners of the United States. The service uses a new generation of Starlink satellites to connect directly with standard smartphones, offering text, voice, and data where traditional cell towers cannot reach.

July 24, 2025 - In a surprising move, the Trump administration has become an unlikely ally for advocates opposing a plan to kill hundreds of thousands of barred owls in Pacific Coast forests, halting a controversial program designed to save the endangered northern spotted owl.

July 22, 2025 - A contentious bill making its way through the California legislature could fundamentally alter the landscape of telephone service in the state, potentially allowing AT&T to phase out its traditional copper-wire landline service in many areas. The bill, AB 470, pits the push for technological advancement against deep-seated concerns for public safety and universal access.