Mendocino County Today: Friday, Oct. 7, 2022

Warming | Fogbow | Downtown Meeting | Dog Care | Mail Ballots | Philo Pumpkins | Westport Evening | Trailer Stolen | Homecoming Week | Meet Candidates | Grocery Outlet | Lansing Street | Forest Project | Daisy Loco | Ballot Shift | Tire Disposal | Women Voters | Ag Dinner | Grift Question | Chestnut Gathering | Succulent Cuttings | Rail/Trail Scam | Parade Photo | Orgasmic Suspension | Hippie Bust | Funeral Exhibit | Yesterday's Catch | Pyramid Building | Old Westport | Humboldt Lawsuit | Ukiah Milling | Milling About | Laytonville Warrior | KGO Death | Solar City | Nuclear Disasters | Cooking Tip | Dark/Light | Police Report | Fed Pardon | Trees Talk | Hunter Case | Drum Wonder | Pipeline Bomber | Chickenhead | Ukraine | Evolution | Prevent Extremism | Trick or Trump

HIGH PRESSURE remains over the west coast bringing above normal temperatures inland and fog and low clouds at the coast. This pattern is expected to persist into next week, although a gradual cooling trend is expected starting Sunday. (NWS)

FORT BRAGG QUARTERLY DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY MEETING

The City of Fort Bragg will host the next quarterly downtown meeting on Saturday, October 8, 2022 from 9AM to 11AM at Town Hall. To read the Press Release, please click here: 10-06-2022 Quarterly Downtown Merchant Meeting.

MAIL BALLOT AVAILABILITY

Mail Ballots (aka Vote By Mail or Absentee Ballots) will be mailed to all active registered voters in Mendocino County by, Tuesday, October 11, 2022 and will be available in the County Clerk's Office, for the Statewide General Election, to be held on November 8, 2022, according to Katrina Bartolomie, Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder. The County Clerk's Office is located in Room 1020 of the County Administration Building located at 501 Low Gap Road, Ukiah. The normal delivery is five to seven days, if you do not receive your ballot within one week, please call our office at (707) 234-6819 for a replacement ballot. If you have moved since the last election, please re-register at https://registertovote.ca.gov/

Sample Ballots (local voter information booklets) were mailed by our vendor and should be arriving in your homes within the next week as are the Voter Information Guides (VIG) the State mails directly to voters. if you do not receive your Sample Ballot or VIG, please call our office so we can send you one. All the local candidate statements and text of local measure are also on our website.

A list of all polling locations and ballot drop off boxes are included with your ballot and in your Sample Ballot. Some of our drop off boxes are shared with the cities (Ukiah, Willits, Fort Bragg and Point Arena). For these drop boxes the City Clerk and a member of their Financial Department gather the ballots together, they sort them together, so the City Clerks only receive the ballots. No one else handles the ballots other than the City Clerk

If you would like to view the VIG online, please visit: https://voterguide.sos.ca.gov/

Katrina Bartolomie would like to remind voters who wish to vote in the November 8, 2022 election, that the last day to register to vote is October 24, 2022 to receive a regular ballot in the mail. Please call our office for a Voter Registration card or go to: https://registertovote.ca.gov/ to register to vote online.

For additional information please contact the Election / County Clerk’s Office by calling 707 234-6819.

Katrina Bartolomie, Assessor, County Clerk-Recorder, Registrar Of Voters

A NIGHT OUT IN WESTPORT

Musica Latina Plus at the Westport Hotel, This Saturday, October 8, 6-9pm.

Enjoy the beautiful drive to Westport. Watch (maybe) a sunset from the deck, have a drink, pub food or dinner, and hear a sweet mix of Latin, some new takes on old standards and original tunes, with Nomi Gomez Molina, Chad Swimmer, James Whiting, and Annie Lee.

AV HIGH SCHOOL UPDATE

I hope this message finds you well. I am deeply grateful to our parents and guardians that took the time to visit with us this week during the PLPs. We value this time together, and I appreciate your coming. I read each PLP personally, and look forward to responding to any questions you may have or directing them out to the appropriate staff members. I also have had numerous conversations with parents/guardians personally, if I had behavior or grade concerns, and I truly appreciate that collaboration.

If your student is in junior high and needs homework support, please enroll them in the free ASP program. There are two adults available to supervise homework and work with students, as well as providing recreational activities after the homework period.

Homecoming week is here!

Monday is a holiday. No school.

Homecoming week themes:

• Tues – Eras
• Wed – Country Club (11th -12thgrade) vs cowboys (7th -10th grade)
• Thur – Famous Duos
• Fri – School Colors

Thursday, October 13: Picture Day

Saturday, October 15: Football 4:00 p.m.; Homecoming Dance 7-11

Sports This Week:

• Tue Oct 11, Volleyball
• Wed Oct 12, B Soccer
• Wed Oct 12, G Soccer
• Thu Oct 13, JH Volleyball
• Sat Oct 15, Football

Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Take care,

Louise Simson, Superintendent, Anderson Valley Unified School District, Cell: 707-684-1017

FORT BRAGG CITY COUNCIL TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON GROCERY OUTLET

A public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Grocery Outlet project will be held on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. To read the staff report, please click the following link and scroll to Item 7A: City Council Agenda 10/11/2022

cityfortbragg.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=997118&GUID=2E02EA1C-193C-4529-B354-CC9B38302151&Search=

NEW 4-H FORESTRY PROJECT OPENS THROUGH UKIAH SHAMROCKS CLUB

Do you remember the mystery a tree held when you were young? Is there a tree that you associate with a special memory? Perhaps your first climbing experience? On Thursday, Oct. 13, a new UC 4-H Youth Development project will begin in Ukiah to inspire young people ages 8-18 to explore forests. This project will join many other clubs that are available through the Ukiah Shamrocks 4-H Club.

The forest project will be led by Licensed Forester Estelle Clifton and UC Hopland Research and Extension Center Community Educator Hannah Bird. 

“We welcome young people who like to be outside learning about trees, animals and birds to join this exciting new project,” Bird said. “We’ll consider our local forest ecosystems, the wildlife that live in forests and management of these natural resources. It doesn't matter if participants don’t know the term ‘forestry.’ All will be explained and we’ll enjoy exploring all the ways in which trees support us with habitat, cultural connections and materials. We’ll also discuss how we can better support healthy forests.” 

The new project is designed by Bird and Clifton to provide 4-H members opportunities to interact with natural resources, and is supported by a donor with a desire to encourage young people to pursue careers in forestry. Looking back on her own experience Clifton reflected that “I’d never heard that forestry could be a career when I was at school”.

The project meetings begin on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the UC Cooperative Extension office at 890 N. Bush Street, Ukiah, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Interested families are encouraged to join this first meeting to learn more about the project and the enrollment process. Meetings will be held monthly on the second Thursday of each month, with some field trips on weekends as agreed with the project members. The cost of 4-H enrollment for the year 2022-23 is $62, which includes this project and the opportunity to participate in many other projects, including sewing, photography, dogs and more!

For more information and updates, families are encouraged to sign up at https://bit.ly/forest4h or call Hannah on (707) 744 1424, ext. 105.

UNUSUAL LAST MINUTE CHANGES TO NOVEMBER BALLOT FOR CITY COUNCIL

by Mary Benjamin

The City Clerk of Fort Bragg has validated two notable changes to the November ballot listing of candidates for open positions on the Fort Bragg City Council. Both reflect the removal of two names from the roster. One candidate’s name will not be printed on the roster, and the other candidate’s name will be on the roster, but any votes for him will not be officially recorded.

Tess Albin-Smith, an incumbent council member, who had originally filed paperwork for re-election to her four-year seat, will now be a write-in candidate, and Alberto Aldaco who filed as a first-time candidate running against incumbent Lindy Peters for a two-year term has resigned from the race. Each of the two former candidates faced an unusual situation.

On August 29, 2022, the City of Fort Bragg issued a press release announcing the removal of Tess Albin-Smith’s name as a re-election candidate on the City Council ballot. After serving on the city council for a four-year term, she filed the necessary papers to run for re-election. Following her name’s removal due to an odd technicality, Albin-Smith is now running as a write-in candidate for a four-year term.

At first, Albin-Smith decided to run as a new candidate for the two-year term seat. She was legally within the deadline for filing the new paperwork. However, Lindy Peters did not wish to compete with a fellow incumbent and amended his filing to vie for one of the three open four-year seats. The changes were county-approved, legal, and publicly posted.

Two citizens then questioned the possible lack of ethics in the two candidates’ filing amendments and warned the City of Fort Bragg that they might initiate a lawsuit regarding the ballot changes. To avoid public confusion and any claim of malfeasance, Albin-Smith officially removed her nomination papers from the November election. Lindy Peters re-filed for the two-year seat.

Albin-Smith then considered waiting two years for a council seat opening, but strong support in the community convinced her to remain in the race as a write-in. Voters wishing to support her will need to hand-write her name onto the ballot as one of their three choices for the city council. At this time, eight candidates will be listed by name on the ballot for three seats of a four-year term.

Albin-Smith also noted that she felt a deep commitment to her various ongoing city council committee projects and wasn’t comfortable stepping away for two years. She is aggressively advertising her campaign with posted signage throughout the city limits and plans to mail out informational flyers to registered voters.

She assigns no blame for the error regarding her filing date and views her new situation with open enthusiasm. “This is the first time, probably in history,” she said, “that the majority of candidates running are women. It’s exciting.”

She then speculated, “ When’s the last time anyone even wrote in a candidate?” Albin-Smith added a final optimistic viewpoint. “Win or lose,” she said, “I have a lot of friends, apparently.”

Alberto Aldaco, who owns and operates Mendocino Tech Guru, a tech repair business in downtown Fort Bragg, was running for his first term on the City Council. He has chosen to remove his name from the ballot after an online posting by Matt LaFever, appeared on his news website, MendoFever.

The posting shows a Fort Bragg police officer’s body camera footage of a recent encounter, dated September 23, involving candidate Aldaco, his companion Isaac, an ex-felon on parole, and Officer Frank.

On patrol, Officer Frank approached the two men he observed publicly drinking alcoholic beverages on the city sidewalk at about 2 AM. Aldaco immediately interfered with the verbal interaction between the officer and his friend Isaac who now faced violation of probation. The officer clearly recognized Isaac and knew of his history.

Aldaco attempted to use his position as a city council candidate to assert control over the officer’s authority to cite or arrest an ex-felon for forbidden alcohol consumption while on probation. Aldaco suggested that, as a potential city council member and as a member of the Hispanic community, he held leverage over the actions of the officer.

The officer warned against illegal threats made to a police officer in the discharge of his duty, and Isaac repeatedly asked Aldaco to stay out of the situation. During the entire encounter, Aldaco continually recorded the event.

More than once, Officer Frank pointedly reminded both men that his body camera was recording the encounter. In spite of his fear of arrest, at no time did Isaac fail to politely cooperate with the officer or attempt to leave. He also cooperated with a breathalyzer test.

The officer continued to counsel Isaac. However, Aldaco also continued to insist on his ability to potentially cause trouble for the officer should an arrest occur. At this point in the video, Aldaco walked off the curb of the street, and in full view of the other two men, urinated on the asphalt directly behind a parked car.

Aldaco’s act was a clear violation of city regulations, but he implied he was attempting to demonstrate his protected status against arrest. Officer Frank called his supervisor Sgt. Joseph Shaw to come and advise him. A short discussion led to a joint decision to cite Aldaco with an alleged act of public nuisance. He was assigned a court date for October 20, 2022.

Isaac was released with a warning. Officer Frank also advised him to inform his probation officer about the incident, suggesting that transparency could be a positive notation in his probation record should Isaac fall into another violation.

In a statement to the Fort Bragg Advocate-News, Aldaco said, “I am simply dropping out. I’ve been telling everyone non-stop don’t waste your vote on me.” In reference to the video, Aldaco said, “It’s not a true reflection of who I am as a person, but it happened and I have to take responsibility.”

Aldaco then added, “I believe the City of Fort Bragg deserves the best version of me, and I am not currently the best version of myself. I just want to learn from it and keep moving forward with my life.”

Aldaco has removed all his election signs and said he is no longer attending candidate events or city council meetings. Since the official ballot has already been printed, his name will still appear as a city council candidate. However, no marked votes for him will be counted.

On Friday, October 14, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at Town Hall in Fort Bragg, the League of Women Voters will hold a public forum for the ten city council candidates Please check the Advocate-News Weekly Calendar of Events for further information.

(Ukiah Daily Journal)

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS PROPOSITION PROGRAMS

The League of Women Voters of Mendocino County will present its popular 'Pros & Cons' program on Tuesday, October 18, at 6pm. The program will be via Zoom. League members will cover all state propositions, the two countywide measures and one local measure which will be on the November 8 ballot; information will include basic information about each proposition and measure, official supporters and opponents, and possible effects of passage. Audience questions will be taken via the Chat function. Find the link for the meeting at the League's website under the Calendar tab.

On Wednesday, October 19, the League is sponsoring an information meeting on ballot measures O & P. This meeting will also be via Zoom. Proponents of each measure will give short presentations, followed by questions from the audience, taken using the Chat function. Again, the Zoom link can be found at the League's website under the Calendar tab.

For more information, call 707-937-4952.

Pat Dunbar, Publicity, pdunbar@mcn.org

GRIFT OR NOT TO GRIFT? THAT IS THE QUESTION

by Will Lee

Fort Bragg City Council Candidate Michelle Roberts is the landlord to her 2 sons, Mr. Jacob Patterson and Mr. David Childs on N. Corry Street. 

Mr. Patterson is the attorney that received $22,000 of Fort Bragg Taxpayer money a couple years ago in a CVRA (California Voting Rights Act) settlement.

It appears the Covid Pandemic was very, very hard on the Corry Street Household that taxpayer monies were provided to Ms. Roberts to pay the rents of her 2 sons living on the property through the TBRA - Tenant Based Rental Assistance. Times were so difficult for the family, that the sons’ rent was raised by Mom July-August 2020 from $800 a month to $1200 a month for Mr. Patterson and in April 2020 from $533 a month to $800 a month for Mr. Childs. The N. Corry home received $18,933 in assistance. As far as we can tell, Ms. Roberts has been employed during the pandemic. Mr. Patterson, not so much. 

Is it legal to raise rents during a pandemic? I don’t know, but it probably isn’t recommended. 

Did Landlord Ms. Roberts claim rental income on her Form 700 before this Assistance request in 2020? Doesn’t appear on Form 700 in 2019, but it does on the 2021 and 2022 Forms (2020 is redacted). 

Public Records Request found here (Click on Documents): https://cityoffortbraggca.nextrequest.com/requests/22-147

Form 700: Statements of Economic Interests

Every elected official and public employee who makes or influences governmental decisions is required to submit a Statement of Economic Interest, also known as the Form 700. The Form 700 provides transparency and ensures accountability in two ways:

• It provides necessary information to the public about an official’s personal financial interests to ensure that officials are making decisions in the best interest of the public and not enhancing their personal finances.
• It serves as a reminder to the public official of potential conflicts of interest so the official can abstain from making or participating in governmental decisions that are deemed conflicts of interest.

With such a large settlement from the City in Mr. Patterson’s CVRA action, you’d think he would save enough to pay his rent. Or get a job. Or something.

The good people of Fort Bragg should be aware of such activity involving their tax dollars and public officials. Mr. Patterson’s penchant for requesting any and all documents from City Hall also works the other way. You can also see his hundreds of requests for public records (his right as a citizen of Fort Bragg to request public records). It’s also our right to familiarize ourselves with certain citizens’ activities involving tax payer dollars and where those dollars go and why. Mr. Patterson has sure made it his business everyday to question City processes, expenditures, staff texts, emails and any and all documents pertaining to a myriad of topics since 2017.

Some citizens that may have qualified for the same assistance did not receive the same help during the very difficult pandemic. Sad and tough times for sure.

The TBRA Requests can be found here: https://cityoffortbraggca.nextrequest.com/documents/15529405

THE 2022 ANNUAL CHESTNUT GATHERING at Zeni Ranch will be on October 29th this year. (Details to come.)

BETH SWEHLA: 

My Agriculture students are going to make Succulent Pumpkins at the beginning of November. 

Do you have any succulent cuttings we could have? Tip cuttings and such are great. We will take other larger cuttings too as the students love succulents.

Thank you.

bswehla@avpanthers.org

THE REDWOOD HOBO TRAIL SCAMARAMA

Senator McGuire is once again asking for our vote while pushing to convert the old Northern California Railroad Authority (NCRA) rail line into the “Great Redwood Trail”. His push for this proposed trail involved channeling several million taxpayer’s dollars to former Congressman Doug Bosco among others. Just so happens the two key players assisting these efforts, McGuire’s aid Jason Liels and former NCRA Executive Director Mitch Stogner, also worked for Bosco during his time as a politician. Bosco conveniently is also an owner of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and Chairman of the California Coastal Conservancy whose agency is now essentially in charge of the Great Redwood Trail Authority formally NCRA.

McGuire has promised many, many times to provide transparency during the process of railbanking the NCRA rail line yet there has been zero response from his office to several inquiries. The NCRA also has repeatedly refused to provide relevant information under the Public Records Act.

A railbanking proposal is meant to preserve the rail corridor for future rail reactivation yet the continued claims out of the McGuire camp is that reactivation is impossible. This claim actually argues against their own proposal. In other words, if the rail cannot be reactivated as they say, there is no reason to railbank it. If the Federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) ultimately agrees with McGuire the rail easement goes away or is “abandoned”. Thus, no trail easement either. I am not sure if McGuire thought that one out. Or maybe he did. But he made sure getting Doug Bosco paid was first priority.

A short section of the northern most end of the “Great Redwood Trail” in Blue Lake was christened by Senator McGuire upon completion a few years ago. The cruel irony is that even with the $1 million plus spent, the STB determined the NCRA did not actually have the authority to grant Blue Lake a license to build it where they did. Apparently the NCRA didn’t own the land in question and knew that at the time. This will probably lead to litigation.

Multiple claims of “beating back the coal trail” by both McGuire and Congressman Huffman are laughable if you know that the deadline for submitting a specific filing was simply missed by less than 24 hours.

McGuire and Huffman both say they support the port of Humboldt, yet both are adamantly against a rail line to feed the port and distribute goods brought in. If either one of our representatives can provide an example of an industrial port that does not have a rail, I would be interested. Otherwise, it’s just more rhetoric with zero basis in reality.

Uri Driscoll

MARSHALL NEWMAN: Old Mendocino County Fair parade float 

The credit on the back suggests it may have been shot by Bill Rapp, AV Unified High Schools longtime science teacher back in the 1950s and 1960s. Fair dates the year of the photograph, according to the poster on the float, were October 7, 8, and 9.

PS. On consideration, I think the photograph might be of a Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show float in a 12th District Fair parade in Ukiah from the late 1950s. Why would the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show be promoting itself at its own parade? I still think Bill Rapp shot the photograph; he was local, he was a photographer and I could see the fair asking him to help it. 

SHERIFF SUSPENDS ‘PRISON MONASTERY’ PROGRAM LINKED TO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ORGASM ORGANIZATION

Mendocino County Sheriff Matt Kendall suspended a “prison monastery” program at the jail on Monday afternoon amid revelations that Unconditional Freedom, the organization running the program, was linked to OneTaste, a company intimately connected to the Institute of OM, which touts the supposed neurological and spiritual benefits of an expensive clitoral stimulation technique called Orgasmic Meditation, or OM.…

mendofever.com/2022/10/06/prison-monastery-linked-to-multi-million-dollar-orgasmic-meditation-cult-suspended-from-county-jail/

DEB SILVA: Manson Family Bust

I recently got a bunch of Manson related documents. Among those documents is the police report for the so called Boonville Bust. The report says that the arrest took place in June of 1968 at the “Old Sheldon Ranch.” Is the old Shedon Ranch the same as Price's place?

MENDOCINO: FUNERAL RITES AND CUSTOMS 

by Marguerite O’Brien

The new exhibit at the Kelley House Museum invites you to explore one of life’s certainties, death. Far from macabre, this exhibit explores the ways people from many different cultures have approached death and mourning throughout Mendocino’s history. Despite their differences, all mourning practices help to guide people through their grief and to find renewed meaning in life. Examining the history of burials and funerary rites from economic and social perspectives helps reveal how we deal with, and can emerge from loss. 

In one part of the exhibit, ledgers from the Cannarr Funeral House are displayed. The business was begun in the 1920s by Richard C. and Grace T. Cannarr, but after their divorce in 1933, Grace bought out her spouse and ran the business alone until her retirement in 1950. She was known as an exceptionally kind businesswoman. Also shown are burial invoices from one of the disputed “pioneer” undertakers in Mendocino, August Rahlves, who began a public debate in the Mendocino Beacon with J. D. Johnson over which of the two was the first undertaker in Mendocino. Although reading C. M. Walker’s coroner’s inquiry reports on accidental deaths may be horrifying, it is comforting to see that much had been done to save the person. Interestingly enough, C. M. Walker was also Justice of the Peace and recorded marriages as well as deaths in his ledger. 

Spread out on the table are maps of Mendocino area cemeteries for visitors to peruse. Sections of Hillcrest and Evergreen Cemeteries are presented, as is a map of Zenith Hill Veterans Memorial Cemetery, located within Hillcrest Cemetery. The land for it was donated by Jean MacCallum, the daughter of Daisy Kelley MacCallum, to the veterans of the Mendocino Coast. 

The business side is not all paperwork though, and also explores the artistry of headstones. A brief history of headstone materials also capture some of the evolutions in carvings and symbolism. For example, headstones in the shape of bolster pillows or bed frames were common in the early 20th century to express wishes for the deceased to rest peacefully in the afterlife. 

Another section explores the funerary rites practiced by the diverse communities of Mendonesians. Funeral customs of the Pomo, the Chinese, other immigrant groups, and the many fraternal organizations are described. Although each fraternal society had its own particular practices, most guaranteed to fund a member’s funeral and aid the families left behind. Historic photos show scenes of funeral processions, a Taoist altar, and Pomo baskets used for the deceased. Read the Pomo myth, “The Making of Death,” as told by Clifford Salvador, Southeastern Pomo of Lower Lake, and learn about the Victorian custom of weaving the hair of deceased loved ones into jewelry to remember them by. 

The exhibit space is decorated to evoke a Victorian parlor in mourning, with floral arrangements displayed throughout. Each flower in funeral bouquets had a specific meaning, as did the colors of the posies. My favorite arrangement features purple orchids; purple signifies respect, admiration and sympathy, and orchids represent hope, love and courage. A historic photograph of Dr. James Milliken’s casket on display in his parlor in 1909 showcases the spectacular floral arrangements that were common in the late Victorian era. 

(The Kelley House Museum is open from 11am to 3pm, Thursday-Sunday. Questions or requests for appoitnments for Curator: curator@kelleyhousemuseum.org. Walking tours of the historic district depart from the Museum regularly. Tour schedule and more at www.kelleyhousemuseum,org/walking-tours/

CATCH OF THE DAY, October 5, 2022

DANIELLE DAUGHERTY, Ukiah. Robbery, failure to appear, probation revocation.

JOHNY DELGADO, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery, protective order violation.

MICHELLE GOLDSMITH, Willits. Controlled substance, organic drug sales, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

SKYLER GOODWIN, Willits. Criminal threats, resisting.

DANIEL HEATH, Ukiah. Fake checks or currency, suspended license for DUI.

WILLIAM HOLLETT, Fort Bragg. DUI, reckless driving.

CLAUDIA KAPPEL-MUELLER, Albion. Disobeying court order, failure to appear, probation revocation.

GEORGE MANSFIELD, Fort Bragg. Parole violation.

COLE PARKIN, Ukiah. Protective order violation, probation revocation.

KYLEE PETERSEN, Ukiah. Tear gas, stun gun, ammo possession by prohibited person, probation revocation.

JESUS RIOS-ESCOBAR, Ukiah. DUI, leaving scene of accident with property damage.

DONALD ROCKOWITZ, Fort Bragg. Marijuana cultivation over six plants, renting to distribute controlled substance.

AUGUSTINE ROHLOFF, Redwood Valley. Battery, resisting, probation revocation.

DYLAN RUMBLE, Willits. Metal knuckles.

A GLORIOUS PYRAMIDAL FUTURE

Beverly Karfuff wrote: "That's so inspiring! Why isn't this all over our local news? (Round Valley first Native American woman in space.)"

---

Marco here. Beverly, the lead-up was on KNYO a month ago, and this latest triumph and further details will be on KNYO this Friday night.

In Other News: I wrote to the AVA regarding the announcement of $25,000 available for 2022/2023 Fish and Game project grants (for info, call Fish and Game Commission, 707 234-6094), which will also be on KNYO Friday night:

A suggestion I made years ago and repeat every once in awhile, to solve the problem of destroying nature and animal and fish habitat, and the problem of using up all the resources and polluting the planet, and to solve the day-to-day human problems of drought and wildfire and erratic power delivery, is as follows:

Stop putting up new houses and buildings all over the landscape, and stop replacing ones that fall into the earth. Make it prohibitively expensive to keep a private place out in a drought or flood or storm-damage or fire zone. And tear all the fences down that don't fall down by themselves. And use less than half of all the money and materials that currently go into all those separate structures to instead start a pyramid on land already as ruined for nature as it can get, the middle of Fort Bragg (CA), say.

At first it would look like a square plateau maybe a quarter-mile on a side (that's less than 10-percent of the size of current Fort Bragg CA). Offshore power generation by various new and old ocean-life-friendly methods, as well as power from solar means on the roof and proper sides of the structure, as well as cogenerated thermoelectric power and smart distribution of heat and coolth. And for backup, when the sun's not out, and the wind's not blowing, and the sea's not waving, and the town battery's being serviced: maybe one of the new, safe, small nuclear electric plants in a container box that they're already making now for military bases and remote communities. Just switch it on like a radio in an emergency.

As the landscape is reforested and re-wilded, burning occasionally, what will eventually be a steep, high pyramid is added to, floor by floor, employing anyone who needs a good union job, until everything is farms and forest and fishing and swimming holes and hiking and biking paths for miles and miles all around a single beautiful shining building of mixed-use spaces and businesses and theaters and schools, plant-lined vaulted caverns and thousands of big, airy apartments, an entire town of activities and enterprise and creativity, including small factories, using real recycling, to make and repair almost everything people need. A free hospital. With efficiency of scale and volume, construction, materials, heat, and cooling costs and needs go way down per person without all the surface area of each of thousands of separate structures. One big water system taking in groundwater, river water, desalinated seawater, and using recycling/purification too, of course. All earthquake-safe, and who cares how much gasoline costs? because nobody would need a car. Work is a stroll away, and you can take your lunch hour (a full hour), or full (weekly) four-day weekend, in nature, right outside.

Just a lovely national-park-like environment a short walk (or even shorter tube ride) from even the deepest (well-lighted, well-ventilated, 3D video window-walled) living space. And, of course, fast aerial monorail service to all the other pyramid towns. And maybe airship shipping and travel. Gliding, too.

Or we can keep doing what we're doing the way we're all doing it, and fifty years from now everything in this area and the wider world will be ten times uglier and worse and essentially dead. That time is going to pass whatever we do, and whatever we argue about and fight over regarding what's important or moral or tasteful or God's will or a communist outrage. All that has to happen for us to have a wonderful future instead of a terrible one, is for owner-class people to want this and be just a fraction less selfish in the short term. So that's not happening, then. I'll mention it again in a few years, when it's even closer to way too late. Everybody with a nice place out in the country will be dead of old age by then anyway. Nobody's getting kicked off their spread.

Marco McClean, memo@mcn.org, https://MemoOfTheAir.wordpress.com

WHY US? WHY HERE?

by Ed Denson

Well, for centuries sailors would come home from the sea with tales of huge rogue waves rising out of the ocean with no warning and almost sinking the ship. No one believed them until this century when it became evident that such waves do exist. They exist also, metaphorically, in life. Every now and then seemingly without warning something happens and a great turmoil comes with it, and then everything is different. COVID, 9/11, the 60s. 

Well something like that has occurred in Humboldt County, I’m pretty sure it was in McKinleyville. It is not as huge a social wave as 9/10 or COVID, but it has the potential of changing the lives of millions of Californians, freeing them from out of control County and City governments that fine and tax them out of their homes and off their land. 

Best of all it’s a homegrown wave. Like the rogue waves of the sea, it arose from interactions of a lot of small waves, which in themselves were not creating much of a stir. When the conditions are right you get the wave. Maybe once in your lifetime if you are really affected by it. Peter Childs finds this wave's origin in United Stand, the social uprising against the Humboldt County Planning Department many years ago. He could be right. 

Of course, I’m speaking of the lawsuit against the county because of the Code Enforcement Unit. It was filed in federal court (in McKinleyville?) Wednesday morning, October 5, 2022. The lawyers are the famous (to those who follow these things) Institute for Justice. They file suits on behalf of people whose rights to own and use property are threatened, among other things. (Google them). And God knows that is rural people in Humboldt County. The suit alleges unconstitutional behavior by the County in its abatement program. It’s 50+ pages long and you can link to it on their website. 

Our own Blu Graham, Rhonda Olson, and Doug and Corrine Thomas are the named plaintiffs for a class action representing victims of Humboldt County Code Enforcement. There have been about 1200 abatements since January 2018, and the class is found among them. It’ s a big deal. The You Tube video got 34, 000 views in the first 14 hours after posting. There’s a great Nichole Norris article on Red Headed Black Belt, coverage in the Times Standard and local Fox news. The rest of the state governments may be living in blissful ignorance at the moment, but this suit could create vast changes throughout the state, restoring freedom to many property owners.

* * *

The lawsuit filed against Humboldt: https://ij.org/case/humboldt-abatements/

READY FOR ANYTHING

Reflections on the Navratri Kali Puja

Warmest spiritual greetings, Hoping that your Kali Puja was as deeply magical and powerful as it was in Mother India. Also, I will continue indefinitely performing Kali Puja, as is appropriate to destroy the demonic and return this world to righteousness. We are in the transitional time between the dark phase of Kali Yuga and the Satya Yuga:

I am available for just about anything on the planet earth. I may exit the Building Bridges homeless shelter in Ukiah, California at any time. Health is good. Money situation: $800.81 in the checking account, $53.77 on the hip, three main lottery tix purchased. 

Craig Louis Stehr, craiglouisstehr@gmail.com

THE DEATH OF KGO

At 10:08 AM, right smack at the beginning of the "Mark Thompson Show", they pulled the plug on KGO Radio...

I'm not surprised. I've been predicting KGO (old and new) would be either going Spanish language <http://richliebermanreport.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-kgo-810-am-spanish-radio-rumors-are.html> or become a taped financial package of KABCish/WABCish (LA/NY has-been radio stations) and now it's official.

Keep in mind, KGO has been dead for years now, since 2011 when Cumulus killed it and only a sliver of its once-official greatness remained. So don't shed any tears now.

A former KGO talk-show host, Jim Wieder texted me the following:

"As someone whp worked there (KGO) 11 years (as fill-in), it's a sad day...KGO radio was the 'Mayo Clinic of radio. No other talk station was even close. Best staff, best ratings, most advertised, it's a sad, sad, sad, day."

*Update 2: KGO just posted this statement on Twitter:

"Today we say goodbye to the legendary KGO. Over the last 80 years, KGO has been here for Bay Area listeners covering and discussing all the news that has impacted our world and local communities. We thank you for your loyalty and for trusting KGO to be your source for information. We also want to sincerely thank all of the talented men and women that worked so hard over the years to produce award-winning programming on KGO. On Monday, 810AM begins a new era. We hope you will tune in." Gees, I can hardly wait.

* * *

UPDATE and Exclusive: 11: 58 AM PT:

Just got off the phone with longtime KGO host, John Rothmann, who said he is shocked at the news. Rothmann told me no one at KGO called and he only now (via me) is aware of the KGO demise.

"I've been deluged with hundreds of emails and people telling me, 'what's going on? It's all unbelievable."

 Update 4: The all-new sports betting "shows", your new Cumulus/KGO 810 AM (as I vomit) "One Sheets" that state that the new station is "The Spread 810AM" The Bay's Best Bet on Sports". The lineup is: 6a-9a Bet QL Daily 9a-12p The Jim Rome Show 12p-4p You Better You Bet 4p-8p Bet MGM Tonight 8p-12m CBS Sports Radio"*Even by Cumulus standards, this is outrageous. And the Bay Area radio listener Loses. Were we to have a real FCC, they would investigate this crap and take Cumulus to task.

What an utter insult and dagger to Bay Area radio.

— Rich Leiberman

SOLAR CITY SURVIVES IAN

While the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Ian in Florida last week lost power, water and communications connections, one community gave us the perfect demonstration of resiliency and survival. Babcock Ranch, located just 12 miles northeast of the now devastated city of Ft. Myers, is a town powered 100% by solar energy. Its 700,000 solar panels kept the lights on throughout the flooding and destructive winds.

Of course, if a nuclear plant had been in the path of Ian, it would have had to shut down for safety reasons. But Babcock Ranch, the brainchild and initiative of former NFLer, Syd Kitson, modeled the right way forward — locally-generated power not reliant on large inflexible thermo-electric generators and vulnerable, unreliable grids.…

cnn.com/2022/10/02/us/solar-babcock-ranch-florida-hurricane-ian-climate/index.html

MARIE TOBIAS: 

Nuclear waste is a slow motion disaster and I've protested its existence since I was preteen. I keep a record of every nuclear disaster, including the first American Disaster in Idaho in a small military research reactor that resulted in a technician's body being pinned to its ceiling like a bug by an exploding nuclear fuel rod. Closer to home, my home... I grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the 60s. Nobody told the local residents that they'd been subjected to fallout from a nuclear accident in the local Santa Susana Mountains. It's by far the worst nuclear accident in American History, and almost nobody even knows about it. It's described in detail in the documentary "In the Dark of the Valley"; https://youtu.be/puxOB5BHbKE

Folks don't talk about the military nuclear accidents or nuclear subs at the bottom of the ocean... It's an important part of this discussion people step over.

I'm not a fan of existing light water reactors and I've protested the grotesque safety violations, or hiding of misconduct by GE (and other corporate contractors) in cutting corners, from the American People. Most of all I've howled for years at the complete and utter failure of our Government to handle Plutonium (and other high level nuclear wastes), keeping it out of the environment, keeping it safe for terrorism, preventing it's transport transport through heavily populated areas, and long time storage in places that impact the lives of millions of people.

I can read off chapter and verse all the horrific failures to choose the best and safest technology, instead promoting a technology that allowed America to stockpile weapons grade fissionable materials for our nuclear arsenal. Nuclear technology could have been a real boon to humanity, and the continued struggle to profit, and dominate the world won out.

I'm for safe, clean, environmentally responsible technology. But you have to bother to understand what that even means. Taling about nuclear waste: Uranium 238, half a half life of 4.5 billion years... Plutonium, about 24,000... Cesium 137 about 30 years, and Francium 223 about 22 minutes. People are living in Hiroshima, because the radioisotopes created by the nuclear blast there have virtually all returned to normal, and the radiation there is no higher than the background radiation... Sadly the land around Chernobyl will be uninhabitable for thousands of years. That's the difference in the kind of nuclear waste that got spread all over the scenery.

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I’ve noticed a pattern: It gets dark then it gets light again. Or you could say, it gets light then it gets dark again, as a vampire might say since he or she has a different base of reference. 

Imagine the terror of the ancients during an eclipse. I experienced a version of that or something similar as a young boy. When it thundered without rain, I felt like it was a cosmic error or that the gods were angry with us. I would become distraught, one time even breaking a window with my hands.

THE FAN who ran onto the field during the Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco 49ers game has filed a police report against linebacker Bobby Wagner who threw him to the turf.

BIDEN PARDONS THOUSANDS Convicted Of Marijuana Possession Under Federal Law

President Biden on Thursday pardoned thousands of people convicted of marijuana possession under federal law and said his administration would review whether marijuana should still be in the same legal category as drugs like heroin and LSD.…

nytimes.com/2022/10/06/us/politics/biden-marijuana-pardon.html

HUNTER BIDEN: Federal investigators reportedly think they’ve gathered enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes and lying on gun purchase paperwork. The investigation has been ongoing since 2018 and scandal surrounding President Joe Biden’s son has been a large right-wing talking point, particularly by former President Trump during the 2020 election. The next step will be for the U.S. attorney for the District of Delaware—who was appointed during the Trump administration—to decide whether to actually file the charges. Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, shot back at the information leak, saying “It is a federal felony for a federal agent to leak information about a Grand Jury investigation such as this one,” and alleging that any agent who spoke with The Washington Post broke the law. “We expect the Department of Justice will diligently investigate and prosecute such bad actors. As is proper and legally required, we believe the prosecutors in this case are diligently and thoroughly weighing not just evidence provided by agents, but also all the other witnesses in this case, including witnesses for the defense. That is the job of the prosecutors. They should not be pressured, rushed, or criticized for doing their job.”

CAN EUROPE AFFORD TO TURN A BLIND EYE TO EVIDENCE OF A US ROLE IN PIPELINE BLASTS?

If Washington was involved, it would mark a dangerous new stage not only in the Ukraine war but in Europe’s acceptance of vassal status

by Jonathan Cook

The sabotage of the two Nord Stream pipelines leaves Europeans certain to be much poorer and colder this winter, and was an act of international vandalism on an almost unimaginable scale. The attacks severed Russian gas supplies to Europe and caused the release of enormous quantities of methane gas, the prime offender in global warming. 

This is why no one is going to take responsibility for the crime – and most likely no one will ever be found definitively culpable.

Nonetheless, the level of difficulty and sophistication in setting off blasts at three separate locations on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines overwhelmingly suggests a state actor, or actors, was behind it.

Western coverage of the attacks has been decidedly muted, given that this hostile assault on the globe’s energy infrastructure is unprecedented – overshadowing even the 9/11 attacks.

The reason why there appears to be so little enthusiasm to explore this catastrophic event in detail – beyond pointing a finger in Russia’s direction – is not difficult to deduce.…

jonathancook.substack.com/p/can-europe-afford-to-turn-a-blind

UKRAINE, THURSDAY, 6TH OCTOBER

Ukrainian police have found the bodies of 534 civilians and evidence of torture in recaptured territory.

More than half were women and children, and most were found in a mass grave in Izium. A Russian occupation official blasted the country’s defense minister in a sign of infighting within Moscow’s ruling elite.

Ukrainian police have found the bodies of 534 civilians and evidence of torture in recaptured territory.

Critics say Russia’s military was unprepared for war.

Two Russians who braved miles of open sea arrive on an Alaskan island and request asylum.

U.N.’s nuclear agency does not recognize Russia’s claim to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Swedish investigators say the evidence in pipeline leaks points to sabotage.

The Kremlin agrees with the U.S. assessment that Ukrainians were behind Daria Dugina’s assassination.

Seven civilians are killed in Russian missile strike in Zaporizhzhia, local authorities say.

“IF YOU WANT TO PREVENT EXTREMISM, what you have to have is a functional democracy, not a democracy where you highlight Trump in order to ensure that your own party, in this case the Democrat Party, can neglect ordinary blue-collar Americans of all hues, colors, and persuasions. I think using the specter of 20th-century fascism in order to avoid confronting the inefficiency of contemporary neoliberalism is the real crime here. If you want people not to be drawn to what you regard as extremism then present alternatives and options instead of increasing the social tensions, exacerbating existing cultural conflicts, pretending that Trump is worse than he is. Whether you like Donald Trump or don’t like Donald Trump, comparing him to a Nazi is illegitimate, it’s wrong, and it’s a way of avoiding your own political shortcomings, and that’s the real problem.”

— Russell Brand