A Ukiah man was convicted midweek of armed carjacking in Mendocino County Superior Court. Justin Michael Hietala, 41, was convicted of three counts of attempted carjacking with a weapon. After the jury was excused, a bench trial was scheduled to present additional evidence to support the DA’s allegations that Hietala’s crimes should be designated aggravated. … Read more
The Fort Bragg Police Department has been awarded 2.5 million dollars to be used over the next three and a half years to expand its Care Response Unit outside of the city on the coast. The competitive grant will be split between expanding the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center to expand mental health services outside of … Read more
CalFire has announced that all campgrounds and roads in Jackson Demonstration State Forest will close for the season on Tuesday, with few exceptions. Hikers can still utilize the roads, but seasonal wet weather necessitates the closure. For a list of remaining open roads and more information go to fire.ca.gov.
At a special meeting of the Lakeport City Council on Thursday, the board voted 3-1 to approve a request to execute a 2018 Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery grant extension request letter to the California Department of Housing and Community Development on behalf of the Parkside apartments project. The council also approved moving almost … Read more
A local graffiti tagger has been arrested again in Ukiah. UPD was called to Schats Bakery on West Perkins Street on a report of graffiti. Surveillance video showed that Aldar Fragoso was the culprit. Fragoso has been in custody in the Mendocino County Jail for another tagging incident and also is facing pending parole for … Read more
Willits residents may see a drop in water pressure and water discoloration for a short time both today, Thursday and Friday as the Willits Water Department flushes water mains at the base of Pine Mountain to clear sediment from the water system. Letting the water run for a minute in the case of discolored water … Read more
The Lucerne Alpine Senior Center is hosting its monthly community breakfast on Saturday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids for a hearty waffle and egg breakfast. Get tickets in advance at the center or at the door.
The Clearlake office of the California Highway Patrol welcomed two new officers this week. Steven Andre and Luis Estrada will now ride with a more experienced partner for the next four months as part of their in-field training. Officer Andre is from Lake County.
There will be a special meeting of the Lakeport City Council this evening at 6 to consider an extension of a grant request first made in 2018. The request sent to the California Department of Housing and Community Development would ask for an extension to a CDBG-DR grant, which will include a reallocation of roughly … Read more
Two teens led Ukiah Police officers on a chase through the city early Sunday morning. UPD officers dispatched to a report of auto theft arrived to find a dark colored SUV speeding away from the scene. A pursuit ensued and officers followed the vehicle til it stopped in the area of the Lower Creek Dams. … Read more