A MODERATE 3.8 magnitude earthquake centered about 3 miles northeast of Boonville jiggled the Boonville area for a couple of seconds about 4:45pm Sunday.
THE AV GRANGE has a limited number of lithium battery packs for loan to persons who need to power medical devices. This is for persons living in the Anderson Valley/Navarro Watershed area. Also one small generator for 24 support, such as an oxygen concentrator. Unfortunately our full building generator is not yet fully tied into the building so device charging is not available at this time. If you have a need for medical device support please contact us @ 707-684-9340
LYNSEY PAULO, a PG&E spokesperson, said her company has boosted its bill relief programs to increase the maximum amount of relief a qualifying customer can receive from $500 to $1,000. Customers can apply for the Relief for Energy Assistance through Community Help program and additional bill reduction programs online.
ANDREA GARCIA: Hello Valley friends. For those of you who know, I was a local notary, however, at the time my commission expired I was preparing for law school exams. On the bright side, I recently took the notary course, and now awaiting my results and new commission packet. My notary services will be back and available soon.
A FRANTIC few hours at the ava on Monday, With the power out and PG&E mum as to when we might expect it back, we moved our base of operations next door to the Redwood Drive-in, home of the famous Boonville Donut, whose proprietor, the gracious and accommodating Ricardo Suarez, lent us his power site. But for naught. We still couldn't reconnect with cyber world, and it only belatedly occurred to us to call upon the unfailing wizardry of Bob Abeles to elude the cyber-obstacles at the Redwood Drive-In. By the time we reached out to him, the only confirmed genius in all of Mendocino County, power was fully restored. We will have MCT posted tomorrow morning. BTW, the Redwood Drive-in offers the very best Mexican food in the county, along with Americano victuals.
IN OTHER storm-related disasters, the last remaining eucalyptus at Tom Town, central Boonville, came down on the modest building nearest the highway which houses a tasting room. Tom Town consists of several rentals and a single family residence, the whole of it located on the south side of the Farrer Building. The complex's owner, Tom Cronquist, is a Vietnam Vet currently being cared for at Fort Miley in San Francisco. The irony of the fallen eucalyptus is that the other two eucs on the property were removed a few months ago in fear they would come down in a windstorm.
BUMMER HOUSE has been red tagged. The focus of unanimous community hostility, the controversial structure radiated hostility, with two large menacing Dobermans hurling themselves at the fence at passersby, and painted a weird aqua-marine, the outer fence warned the community that they might die if anybody dared approach the front door.
LARGE OFFICE SPACE NOW AVAILABLE FOR RENT IN BOONVILLE
14150(A) Hwy 128, located next to Boonville Post Office.
Entry and restroom handicapped accessible; free water/sewer.
Credit report plus $500 security deposit required.
$875.00 per month. To view space contact Jeff Burroughs @707-234-1095 or joanburroughs0@gmail.com for further information.
ANNE FASHAUER: I have an opening in my building (Live Oak Building, Boonville) — 456 SF commercial space, currently a tasting room, available for rent 3/1/24. Rent includes that space, patio in front, a store room) and access to shared bathrooms and common areas. I'm asking $1,800/month, plus security deposit. Rental application and credit check required. Contact me at 707-512-0705.
PANTHER SPORTS
Celebrating Our Junior High Girls Basketball Team!
Our Panthers made a remarkable impact at the Boonville tournament, finishing with a strong 3-1 record. They played with determination and teamwork, showcasing their skills on the court.
The team achieved two solid wins against Point Arena, demonstrating great coordination and spirit. Their game against Round Valley added another well-earned victory to their tally, where they played with impressive tenacity and skill.
In a challenging game against the tall and talented Upper Lake team, our girls showed true grit. They competed with everything they had, earning a proud third place in the tournament.
A big round of applause for our Junior High Girls Basketball Team - your hard work and perseverance are inspiring!
AVHS junior high basketball went 6-1 over the weekend, keep an eye out for these young athletes, over the next several years as they continue to improve and bring our high school basketball program back to a high standard that parents and alumni can be proud of. Big thanks to our booster club Coach Espinoza coach star and Coach Rhodes as well as all of the supportive parents who are making the season possible. We’re not done yet!!
Panther Athletic Director John Toohey
APOLOGIES for the extended delay in reopening the swing area of our local park & playground. Errors were made during installation of two new elements that halted further work and will need correction before we can safely invite families to engage with the elements in this area. Thank you for your continued patience.
…If you have skills or resources that may help with the maintenance and/or continued improvement of our local park, or if you’d like to make a donation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. It Takes A Valley! ! (Elizabeth Jensen. (415) 713-3833. elizabeth.martha.jensen@gmail.com
BROCK PURDY via John Redding: “I put my faith and trust in Him and He’s gotten me to where I am. So, when I’m down 17 at the half, honestly, I was thinking, ‘All right God, you’ve taken me here, win or lose I glorify you.’ That’s my peace. I leaned into that.”
AIYUK’S MIRACLE CATCH in the NFC Championship Game where Brandon Aiyuk dove to catch a ball that bounced off the defender’s facemask.
Aiyuk: “Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe, and y’all know what that means. That’s all I can say.”
George Kittle: “I saw the replay and I was like, ‘Ha! Just how we intended it, off the guy’s facemask and right to BA [Brandon Aiyuk],’ Dang, Brock’s [Purdy] good at football isn’t he?”
Brock Purdy: “It was an ‘opportunity ball.’ In that moment I’m looking at it like, ‘We need a play.’ I’m not going to be stupid and just throw the ball up. BA is one-on-one. I’m going to take that up. Especially in this kind of game, we needed that kind of play. People can say what they want, but I was giving my guy a shot and it worked out.”
AT&T ABANDONING LAND LINES IN MOST OF MENDO.
(Chuck Dunbar)
AT&T Wants To Hang-Up On Us
Regarding the nefarious AT&T CPUC application 23-03-003 that seeks to end California landline phone service in their current role as Carrier of Last Resort: This is a big deal for many, many citizens, especially those of us in rural regions lacking decent cell service. Personal safety and the ability to contact emergency services are foremost issues. Following is some useful feedback on this disturbing, dangerous move by our “public utility”:
KRCRTV News, 1.29.24:
…On Tuesday, we spoke with the Utility Reform Network (TURN) who is against the proposal to get their side of things and figure out more details on the proposal and the next steps. Telecommunications Policy Director Regina Costa explained to us the complicated process it will be.
Costa said AT&T has given their testimony already and TURN will be giving their response by the end of February then AT&T will get a second chance to explain their reasoning again. After that what are like court hearings will happen where both sides will argue for and against, have witnesses say their statements, and be cross-examined and then a judge will ultimately determine the outcome.
Costa explained that TURN believes that even if AT&T is denied they will then try to make it a law. “We think that their application they haven’t been able to support it and we really think that their goal is to take this to the legislature to try and convince them to just put a bill through regardless of what the commission does, so you know this is kind of the preliminary round.”
Costa also said one of AT&T’s main arguments is that a lot of people don’t use landlines these days, “One of their arguments is not as many people are using landlines but the other side of the coin is you’ve got over a million Californians using landlines,” Costa continued, “you have a situation where they have actively tried to drive people away from using landlines by not maintaining their network and then when people call in to complain it will take you a long time to fix it but if you want to switch over to this service you’ll get it right away, this is the game that they have been playing for a few years now, they’re obligated to maintain those lines and they haven’t done it.” She said TURN is going after AT&T for that in another important hearing about service quality.
AT&T and the CPUC would like to hear from you if you’re affected by this. ..Costa mentioned that she believes those public hearings will be important. “I think the public hearings are vitally important and I think the commission will pay a great deal of attention to them,” Costa said. “What’s really important is that people get up and speak from the heart and speak from their real-life experience.”
If you want to find out more information on the letter, hearings, or the map showing the areas it might take place, you can check out the California Public Utilities Commission website.
* * *
Bob Abeles (Boonville)
I’ve done some slogging through the CPUC website from which I have garnered these pertinent facts:
AT&T is applying for relief from COLR in most if not all of rural California. A comprehensive list is here: https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M521/K479/521479757.PDF. Looking at page 9, all of Anderson Valley is on the list.
A quote from the CPUC fact sheet https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/news-and-outreach/documents/pao/pphs/2024/a2303002-a2303003-pph-fact-sheet_final.pdf:
What might happen if AT&T withdraws as a COLR? An area without a COLR could mean that there would be no landline telephone company serving that area and that there could possibly be no landline telephone access for customers in that area. If AT&T’s proposal were accepted as set forth in its application, then no COLR would be
required to provide basic service in your area. This does not necessarily mean that no carriers would, in fact, provide service in your area—only that they would not be required to do so. Other outcomes are possible, such as another carrier besides AT&T volunteering to become the COLR in your area, or the CPUC denying AT&T’s proposal.
No joke. This is serious.
SILENT BOOK CLUB IN BOONVILLE
Folks keep asking if they have to be silent at the Silent Reading Book Club. Of course you can talk — about books mostly (and other things, if you like). Some folks might want to read quietly, some might want to share book titles or a great turn of phrase. This is not a school library. No one will shush you (unless you’re very, very annoying). Just bring your reading material of choice and come along for the ride. It’ll be bookishly fun. And have I mentioned that the Distillery’s tequila is beyond the pale?!
THE FOUNDER and ex-sales boss of the “orgasmic meditation cult” OneTaste, formerly of Philo, appeared in federal court this week. One Taste's principal officers, Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, are charged with forcing women into sex acts and keeping them in “residential warehouses,” aka their lush premises formerly known as Shenoa Retreat at the west end of Rays Road, Philo. Their San Francisco based company was raking in $12 million a year from their “sexual dysfunction treatments” for women, which included being genitally massaged by a man with a latex glove. (This job was never advertised in Anderson Valley's newspaper.) But the FBI began investigating after ex-customers came forward saying they were left in debt after paying for expensive classes, and former employees said they were ordered to have sex with potential investors.
FIRE DEPARTMENT BREAKTHROUGH?
Measure P First Round Contracts, updates
Greetings,
After abandoning the “Evergreen Contract” as unworkable on Jan 17, the County provided a new draft Measure P contract template on Jan 24. It’s a FY 2022-23 contract designed to allocate the $1,240,888 collected in the final quarter that year. While not perfect, we’ve accepted this contract template with the goal to get these monies distributed as quickly as possible. Fire Safe Council has agreed to a similar contract for their 10% share of Measure P funding.
Next, the County will be sending individualized contracts to each Fire Agency for signatures/approvals. These contracts are pretty generic and are similar Prop 172 versions. After enough signed copies are returned to the County for processing, funding should occur rather quickly.
The official close out of the County’s 2022-23 books was completed this past weekend. This is important for both the County and for agencies with funds in the County treasury. It’s also important for confirming the balance of TOT [Bed Tax] funds available for distribution (and the Chiefs’ 25% holdback). Once the TOT amount is firmed up, contracts for undistributed 2022-23 TOT true-up funds can be generated/updated, then routed for signatures/approvals, and similarly processed. There’s already a precedent for these contracts so this won’t be new territory. Getting Measure P funding going was first priority. The undistributed TOT dollars are fewer and this wasn’t the top priority.
Also, with the 2022-23 books now closed, attention can be turned to contracts for 2023-24 revenues and verifying dollars received so far from Proposition 172, TOT and Measure P.
All good news ...
Ben MacMillan
Elk
Mark Scaramella comments: We’ll believe it when we see it here in Anderson Valley. Not until then.
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