Elise Cox

September 13, 2024 — The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors tackled several key issues during their Tuesday meeting. They approved a pay raise for supervisors and the use of Measure B funds for the county jail. They also approved amending the cannabis ordinance to clarify the original intent of the ordinance.

September 11, 2024 — Fort Bragg is making progress on an ambitious $72 million overhaul of its water infrastructure, targeting decades-old systems and pioneering new technology to secure the city’s water future. Key projects include remodeling the water treatment plant, replacing ancient pipelines, constructing three new reservoirs, and piloting a desalination project using wave energy.

September 9, 2024 — Homelessness is on the decline across Mendocino County, with the glaring exception of the tribal community, according to the latest annual Point-in-Time (PIT) homelessness survey. The survey, conducted in January and released last week, provides a detailed snapshot of homelessness in the region.

September 06, 2024 — “Have Steinway, will travel,” could be pianist Hunter Noack’s motto. For the past eight years, Noack has been traveling across the American West, towing a nine-foot concert grand piano to some of the country's most beautiful landscapes, setting up a stage, and performing music in the environments that inspired its creation. On Monday, September 9, Noack will bring this experience to Mendocino, setting up his piano on the lawn in front of the Ford House. The performance will begin at 4 p.m.

August 30, 2024 — Investigators determined the cause of a fire that burned the interior of a beloved Noyo Harbor seafood restaurant early Wednesday morning to be accidental.In other fire-related news, the Ukiah City Council closed a loophole in the city code to prohibit setting fires for cooking or recreational use — unless the owner of the property sets the fire. Meanwhile, a Ukiah man accused of setting fire to vegetation in the area of the McClure Subdivision Road is being held in the county jail with a bail set for $527,000.

August 23. 224 — A new deal between California lawmakers and tech giants, aimed at supporting local journalism, is stirring controversy among journalists and advocates who claim it may do more harm than good. The agreement, championed by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks of Oakland, promises to funnel an average of $25 million a year from Google and the State of California over five years to aid struggling newsrooms. However, critics argue the funding is inadequate and could accelerate the decline of independent journalism.

August 22, 2024 — As pink ladies bloomed in gardens, along roadways, and on the wild coastline, Mendocino winemakers gathered in Hopland on Saturday for the annual Mendocino County Fair Wine Competition, which determines whose wine will be poured at the fair.For the first time, the Mendocino Winegrowers did not invite wine experts but instead held a “people’s choice” competition. "It's great to have consumers, the people who buy the wine, judge the competition," said Executive Director Bonnie Butcher.

August 21, 2024 — The Planning Commission met August 15 and, citing the need for more public input, rejected controversial changes to the zoning ordinance that would legalize small commercial campgrounds on residential, agricultural, and rural land, as well as range land, forest land and timber land, and community, commercial, open space and public facilities.. People who are concerned by this issue should keep an eye out for the next round of public hearings, which could be scheduled for next year, or later this year.

August 16, 2024 —1 - Albion residents responded to a Caltrans call for community comment on a draft environmental impact report at a meeting Tuesday night at the Whitesboro Grange in Albion with a demand that Caltrans include the rehabilitation option in the EIR. “For a good ten years plus, Caltrans has been talking about this being a rehabilitation or a replacement program,” said Jim Heid, a member of Albion Bridge Stewards, a local group that has carried out its own studies of the bridge’s structural integrity. “All of a sudden the words rehab, rehabilitate, and rehabilitation disappeared from the project description.” 2 -What does a white male folk singer born in 1912 in Oklahoma have in common with a 23-year-old Mexican American female educator born in 2001 in Fort Bragg? Only the things that matter most: resilience, respect, the ability to remember, and a steadfast belief in the power of song. Listen to our interview with Maria Ramos, who plays multiple roles in Woody Guthrie’s American Song, playing at the Mendocino Theater Company through August 25.

August 9, 2024 — Last week, the Mendocino County Planning Commission tackled a controversial proposal to amend zoning regulations related to camping. Local fire chiefs, residents, and neighbors ofexisting campgrounds that are currently operating without a permit in residential areas said the amended rules are at best a work in progress and should not be passed. The public will have another chance to comment on August 15, when the commission meets again.