Marty Durlin

Mendocino County Animal Shelter Director Rich Molinari and Ukiah veterinarian Charlotte Burns talk about the ways they're adapting to protect animals and their caretakers during the coronavirus epidemic and fire season.

Jim Culp interviews Pastor Matt Davis of the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, owner of a herd of goats who eat their way through invasive species and pretty much anything in their path. They're the Holy Goats, and landowners are hiring them to take care of their problem plants.

KZYX Program Director Alicia Bales attended a gathering in honor of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday, September 19th, and recorded people's heartfelt tributes.

Jim Culp reports on how the peace community in Fort Bragg celebrated the life and accomplishments of Will Beaumont, who died last month at the age of 89. An accomplished boat builder, naval commander and industrial designer, Will spent part of his last years creating large posters of iconic peace activists that were used in protests and demonstrations.

Jim Culp reports on a day of gorse-busting on either side of Highway 1 in Caspar. The storied plant -- also known as broom or furze -- was brought to the coast from Ireland in the 1800s, and has taken its place as an invasive species that can become a huge fire hazard. A community-driven effort to remove it took place last week. 

Four owner-managers from Mendocino Village businesses talk about their experiences over the past six months, and what they've done to stay afloat.

Augustine Ruiz, a spokesman for the giant postal district that encompasses both San Francisco and Mendocino County, says there are no slowdowns, no layoffs and no problems locally, despite conflicting reports in other parts of the country, and even within the district. 

When Jim Culp didn't hear about his COVID test results after three weeks, he posted his complaint on social media, and others chimed in about delays in receiving the results of their tests. His quest to find out why led him to Lucresha Renteria, Executive Director of Mendocino Coast Clinics in Fort Bragg.

Jim Culp checks in with the Mendocino Film Festival, holding this year's event online; and with the Coast Cinemas. The movie theatre, with four screening rooms, hopes to reopen with many safety guidelines in place.

No big tent on the Mendocino Headlands this year: the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Mendocino Music Festival to cancel its 34th season. In its place, Festival Executive Director Barbara Faulkner and her staff have created online offerings specific to the Festival, and hope to present the same classical music programming next year.  Mendocino Village and the surrounding area will take a financial hit of at least $1.5 million, and locals and visitors alike will miss the live music. But there are some bright spots.

The 31-year-old Mendocino Coast Writers' Conference goes online this year because of COVID-19. But Executive Director Lisa Locascio, in her second year of diversifying the conference by recruiting more young writers of color as faculty and students, says it may make the conference even more accessible.

"Where to start?" asked Fort Bragg Mayor Will Lee on Monday night, after more than three hours of public testimony about whether to change the town's name. He and other City Council members debated briefly on their course of action, looking for a way to address diverse local input about a name that honors an unpopular confederate general, and refers to a fort established to "subdue" the indigenous population of the area in the mid 1850s. Vice mayor Bernie Norvell suggested substituting Union General Edward Bragg for the much-derided Braxton Bragg.

Jim Culp gets his locks shorn by Nancy at Style Salon in Fort Bragg, and describes the double-masked experience. He also talks to Tanya of Hair Company Plus in Fort Bragg, who has been cutting hair for more than 50 years, about what it was like to shut down and now reopen.

Lana Cohen is our new environmental reporter, working for both KZYX and The Mendocino Voice, and recruited through Report for America, a national service program that places emerging journalists into local newsrooms across the country to report on under-covered issues. Her position is funded by KZYX, The Mendocino Voice, Report for America and a grant from the Community Foundation. We will also be fundraising throughout the year to support her work in Mendocino County.

A diverse, all-ages crowd led by high school students gathered in front of Town Hall in Fort Bragg on Tuesday afternoon to protest the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers last week. Many spoke eloquently about the history of racial injustice in the United States. The crowd of hundreds of mask-wearing people chanted, waved signs and asked passers-by to honk in agreement. Parts one and two give a flavor of the variety of persepectives at the rally.