Mendocino County Today: Friday 1/17/2025

Mostly Sunny | Basketball Games | Wild Chaon | Suicide Deterrents | Participation Trophies | 12 Guitars | UVBGSA Meeting | Women's March | Making Curries | Coach Retiring | Tiny Houses | Weed Suitcases | Jacob Waggoner | Reinstating Rich | WTF | BHAB Meeting | Lost Treaties | Mardi Gras | Buffet Rules | Ed Notes | Vichi Case | Synonym Rolls | Yesterday's Catch | Charlie Mott | Post 1956 | Quicksand | Jayne Mansfield | Tariff Weary | 49 Ford | Geronimo's Cadillac | Chicken Delight | Windfall Elimination | Paying Nothing | Inner Peace | Full Mast | Lead Stories | Paul Newman | Insufficiently Polite | Love Mousies | Nothing Remains | Barnyard Fire

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CONTINUED DRY through Thursday, with some precipitation potential toward Friday next week and into the following weekend. Chilly nights and mornings with areas of frost and patchy fog into mid-week next week.

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A foggy 39F on the coast this Friday morning. Haven't said that in quite a while. The fog will play tag with the coast for a few days. Cold morning temps remain in place, although this weekend is not a cold as earlier forecast. No rain in sight. Sneaker waves are back in the forecast today also.

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BLOW, GABRIEL, BLOW

On Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at approximately 12:50 a.m., the Ukiah Police Department (UPD) Dispatch Center received a call from a citizen reporting that two male subjects had just attempted to break into his vehicle. The reporting party was inside the vehicle at the time, in the 300 block of Washington Avenue. The reporting party further stated that the two males were wearing black clothing and were last seen traveling on foot towards Nokomis School (495 Washington Avenue).

During the UPD officer’s response, a second reporting party contacted the UPD Dispatch Center and stated that two male subjects had just tried to break into their vehicle in the 500 block of Nokomis Drive and were currently on foot traveling towards Observatory Avenue, via Marwen Drive.

A third reporting party contacted the UPD Dispatch Center and stated that the subjects tried to break into their vehicle at 429 Nokomis Drive, and the reporting party had video surveillance cameras.

UPD officers arrived in the area shortly after the first call to dispatch and were receiving the second and third calls while in the area. There have been multiple vehicle thefts that have occurred in this area recently, and UPD officers have identified Gabriel Chaon, 18, of Ukiah, as a person of interest in these crimes. It should be noted Chaon is on formal felony probation out of Mendocino County for a previous stolen vehicle conviction.

While searching the area, a UPD officer observed Chaon attempting to jump over a fence at Nokomis School. The UPD officer was very familiar with Chaon and tried to contact him. Chaon immediately fled on foot eastbound on Washington Avenue. He jumped over a resident’s fence in the 300 block of Washington Avenue, traveling southbound. The UPD officer lost sight of Chaon. Assisting UPD officers and members of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) began checking the surrounding area.

A short time later, an MCSO deputy was heard on the radio saying they observed a gray-colored Hyundai traveling recklessly at a high rate of speed on Wabash Avenue. A UPD sergeant was parked with his lights turned off at the intersection of Faul Avenue and Laws Avenue. The UPD sergeant observed the gray Hyundai turn eastbound onto Tedford Avenue from Laurel Avenue. The UPD sergeant positioned his vehicle behind the Hyundai and observed that the driver, later identified as Chaon, was driving all over the road and nearly crashed into the northeast curb when turning northbound onto South Dora Street from Tedford Avenue.

The UPD sergeant requested an additional officer respond to conduct a traffic enforcement stop on the vehicle. An additional UPD officer arrived in the area, and a traffic enforcement stop was initiated at Beacon Lane and South State Street. Based on Chaon’s driving, it was suspected that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The UPD sergeant activated his emergency lights, and Chaon immediately turned northbound on South State Street and accelerated rapidly. The UPD sergeant initiated a vehicle pursuit due to the severity of the driving observations prior to the stop.

Chaon traveled at a high rate of speed, running red lights and almost crashing into multiple objects in complete disregard for the safety of others. As he approached the intersection of South State Street and Talmage Road, he abruptly turned through the Speedway Gas Station property (1105 S. State Street), almost crashing into the gasoline pumps before entering Talmage Road and traveling eastbound. Chaon continued with his reckless evading, turning northbound onto Betty Street. Chaon traveled at an extremely high rate of speed over the speed control bumps, causing his vehicle to leave the ground before turning eastbound onto Marlene Street. Chaon proceeded through the stop sign at Lorraine Street, then turned northbound on South Orchard Avenue. Chaon turned eastbound onto Cindee Drive, turning north and back out to South Orchard Avenue.

As Chaon began traveling northbound, he abruptly jerked the wheel and accelerated, ramming through a hydraulic gate at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses (734 South Orchard Avenue). The gate was torn from its hinges and went airborne over the top of Chaon’s vehicle. Chaon did not slow down. Rather, he accelerated around the back of the church and south towards a chain-linked fence that bordered the Ukiah Autumn Leaves apartment complex (425 East Gobbi Street). As Chaon approached the fence, he again accelerated, ramming through the fence and off the paved road. He continued southbound along the east side of the complex, ramming through small trees/bushes, planter boxes, water lines, and eventually hitting a raised bocce ball court curb, causing the vehicle to crash head-on with an oak tree.

The UPD sergeant had exited his vehicle near the chain-linked fence and began pursuing Chaon on foot, knowing that he would not likely be able to re-enter a roadway. The UPD sergeant observed the crash and approached the vehicle with his department-issued handgun drawn and pointed towards the vehicle. As the UPD sergeant got within 10 yards of the vehicle, the driver’s side door swung open. The UPD sergeant, while pointing his firearm at Chaon, ordered him out of the vehicle and onto the ground. To prevent Chaon from fleeing any further, the UPD sergeant jumped on top of Chaon and placed him into handcuffs without further incident.

During a search of Chaon incident to arrest, a large, fixed-blade knife was located concealed inside the front waistline of his pants. Chaon’s airbag had deployed, causing injuries to his face that were actively bleeding. The UPD sergeant, not knowing the extent of the injuries, requested a Code-3 (lights and sirens) medical response to provide medical aid to Chaon. Chaon was ultimately transported by ground ambulance to a local hospital and found to only have sustained superficial injuries.

While on scene, it was determined that the registered owner of the vehicle Chaon was driving lived on Yokayo Court, which was directly in line with the direction Chaon traveled after fleeing on foot from the UPD officer. A UPD officer responded to the residence on Yokayo Court and contacted the registered owner, a 25-year-old female from Ukiah. The registered owner stated that her keys were missing from inside the residence and nobody had permission to drive her vehicle. During the investigation, it was found that Chaon had entered the residence, stolen the keys to the vehicle, and then stolen the vehicle without the owner’s consent.

UPD officers later located additional attempted vehicle thefts that occurred in close proximity to the originally reported attempted thefts.

Based on Chaon’s driving behaviors and an odor of an alcoholic beverage emitting from his person, a search warrant for his blood was authored. A Mendocino County Superior Court judge reviewed the warrant and granted the blood draw, which was conducted at the hospital. Once medically cleared for incarceration, Chaon was transported to the Mendocino County Jail to be booked for burglary, attempted car theft, stolen vehicle, DUI, reckless driving, burglary tools, concealed dirk-dagger, vandalism, evasion, reckless driving, and probation revocation.

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TEEN'S DEATH PROMPTS OUTCRY FOR SUICIDE DETERRENTS ON FORT BRAGG BRIDGE

by Matt LaFever

A meeting of the Fort Bragg Public Safety Committee on Wednesday highlighted how the Mendocino County coastal hub is dealing with recent tragedies.

On Dec. 7, 2024, 15-year-old Roy Mora went missing from Fort Bragg, prompting an exhaustive search by authorities. Two weeks later, the tight-knit community was shaken when a body was discovered in the harbor beneath the Noyo River Bridge, which Mora’s mother identified as the missing teen. Officials believe Mora died after jumping from the bridge, which towers about 110 feet above the water.

Now, city leaders and residents are calling on Caltrans to take action, demanding suicide deterrents be installed on the iconic Noyo Bridge to prevent another tragedy.

‘A loaded gun’

At the Wednesday meeting, Fort Bragg police Chief Neil Cervenka highlighted the concerning trend of dangerous situations at the Noyo Bridge, noting that since 2011, his department has responded to 15 people with suicidal ideations, and six died by suicide there.

Cervenka explained that when the Noyo Bridge was completed in 2005, it was the first bridge to feature a new type of scenic railing from Caltrans that was designed to provide an unimpeded view. The railing is just 42 inches high, which makes it easily bypassed by the average adult.

Cervenka spoke in favor of installing a system similar to what the Golden Gate Bridge has. Completed in late 2023, the Golden Gate Bridge’s $224 million suicide deterrent net has proved highly effective in reducing deaths from jumps. The net — which is actually a stainless steel fence — extends 20 feet below the bridge deck and 20 feet out. This design keeps people from being able to simply leap over it and plunge into the water below, and the use of stainless steel, while adding to the cost, helps prevent rust and reduces maintenance due to the harsh ocean climate.

Cervenka explained that the concept behind the deterrent is simple: “It gives a despondent person time to reconsider their decision to commit suicide.”

The biggest obstacle in the push for change on the Noyo Bridge, Cervenka said, is Caltrans. “The Noyo River Bridge belongs to Caltrans. The city of Fort Bragg doesn’t have any control over it,” Cervenka said. He said that when he first arrived in Fort Bragg and noticed there were no suicide deterrent placards on the bridge, he asked Caltrans about installing some. The response was a flat-out “no,” he said.

Cervenka also cited a recent attempt to install license plate reader cameras on the bridge, which was met with the same rejection. “They would not allow us to install anything on any Caltrans equipment because they would have maintenance costs, even though we said we would do the maintenance,” he continued. “They said absolutely not. They have their own rules and regulations against local municipalities putting anything on their equipment.”

In the meantime, Fort Bragg officials continue to push. Cervenka said the police department sent a letter to the director of Caltrans and reached out to Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Chris Rogers, who represent the area in state government.

During public comment Wednesday, Fort Bragg resident Andy Wellspring urged officials to “talk to Caltrans about a fence on the sides of this bridge,” stating suicides at that Noyo Bridge have “really affected a lot of people.” “Views do not compare to public safety,” he said.

He added that he’d been concerned for his own safety simply while walking on the bridge due to the railing height. “I’ve walked on the bridge only once, and I was afraid. Honestly, [the railing] is too short.” He acknowledged the complexity of addressing the root causes of suicide but emphasized that “a fence stops it.”

Gowan Batist shared how her terminally ill father jumped from the Noyo Bridge in 2020, calling it “a split-second decision,” as he jumped from the bridge within 30 seconds of arriving. She described the bridge as “leaving a loaded gun lying around” and called inaction “socially irresponsible.” Batist supported a lightweight, climb-resistant fence along the Noyo Bridge’s railings, calling it “the best idea I’ve heard in terms of feasibility, cost, and time.”

“The faster we get something done, the better,” said resident Judy Valadao. “It also seems like it would be a cheaper way for Caltrans to go, and maybe it would get approved.”
In the end, no actionable decisions were made about the bridge Wednesday.

‘It’s like no day is real’

Jen Mora, the mother of 15-year-old Roy Mora, expressed the depth of her grief in an emotional interview with SFGATE. “Every day just seems like a nightmare,” she said. “I feel like I’m living in an out-of-body experience. It’s like no day is real.”

With the idea of installing suicide deterrents on the Noyo Bridge gaining traction, Mora has become attuned to the bridge’s inadequacies, including the short railing. “The railing is literally up to like my belly button,” she said. “Well, I mean, if it was like, I don’t know, 8 feet tall, and it had like, I don’t know, barbed wire or something, that’s a whole different thing. But literally the fact is my kid — my youngest kid, who’s 12 — could easily roll over it. You could be riding a bike and just go right over.”

For Mora, the safety net proposal, though seemingly well-intentioned, feels like a “Band-Aid” on a much deeper problem. “There’s nothing you can do, almost, because if someone doesn’t want to live, they’re going to find a way,” she said. Yet she acknowledged that infrastructure changes could deter some tragic acts. “If you make it more difficult … it might help,” she said.

Fort Bragg police Capt. Thomas O’Neal, an 11-year veteran, has recovered four bodies from beneath the Noyo Bridge and talked two people out of jumping. He told SFGATE he also once “failed” to stop a suicide. Three of the people who jumped were locals, while the fourth was from Ukiah. O’Neal said a traveler from Texas actually jumped off the bridge “for fun and survived with moderate injuries.” When O’Neal asked the man why he would do such a thing, he said the man replied, “I jump off every bridge I cross.”

A combat veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, O’Neal said dealing with suicides on the bridge has been more emotionally taxing than his military service. “It’s been one of the most emotionally impactful things that’s occurred in my life,” he said. The bridge’s lack of deterrents makes it dangerous even for those with limited mobility, like a 63-year-old woman who “just threw a leg over and went.” The rugged terrain further complicates recoveries, often forcing officers to wait for the coroner, as shallow waters prevent boat access.

“Early in my career, the culture was, yeah, that’s your job. Pick it up. Get back to work,” O’Neal said. Now, the department offers immediate psychological support and critical incident debriefings to prevent long-term trauma for officers who encounter suicides, he said.

Still, O’Neal stresses the need for change. “We have to do something — not just for the victims but for our community and our team. Too many of us have been touched by this in a very personal matter.”

Following Roy Mora’s death and rising community calls for suicide deterrents on the bridge, SFGATE contacted Caltrans about potential safety measures. On Jan. 6, Caltrans District 1 spokesperson Manny Machado stated, “There are no plans to install netting off the Noyo Bridge.”

SFGATE reached out again Wednesday ahead of the public safety meeting. This time, Machado responded that Caltrans would meet with local officials Thursday to discuss the possibility of netting and hear community concerns.

(sfgate.com)

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SUPERVISORS URGED TO CELEBRATE THEIR EXCESSES, ER, SUCCESSES

by Mark Scaramella.

… “Success” as defined by them, anyway.

For two full days this Tuesday and Wednesday the Supervisors gave themselves and their senior staff, the equivalent of participation trophies for mostly doing what they’re supposed to do. No action was taken. No proposals or motions were made. Except for one lone man who objected to the banishment of the abstention option, nobody but Supervisors and staff attended.

The first day of the workshop was “facilitated” by a professional facilitator from Sacramento named Yolanda Underwood of “CPS HR Consulting,” a former Social Worker turned Human Resources Consultant. Ms. Underwood got a whopping $4,800 for her one day appearance, plus an additional $720 to prepare an “action plan.”

Ms. Underwood’s “services” were obviously unnecessary. Her remarks were clichés, and she didn’t appear to be prepared to discuss any Mendo-specific subjects. Her primary contribution to the meeting was for the County officials to “Celebrate your successes.”

A few random bits of info were dropped here and there, such as when Acting Auditor Controller Treasurer, Tax Collector Sara Pierce officially declared that the County now has at least an $11 million-plus carryover surplus from last fiscal year ending in June of 2024. Nobody seemed interested in knowing how the County went from near bankruptcy last year (according to Supervisor Williams) to an enormous surplus a year later.

A few small cost savings measures that the CEO and the supervisors implemented — turning out the lights earlier, more carpooling, paying a few senior staffers to retire early — may have contributed a little to the apparent surplus, but most of it is the result of the County’s high vacancy rates in all general fund departments. No one seemed interested in the actual vacancy numbers, even when the beleaguered Human Resources Department made their presentation, nor did anyone express any interest in such trivialities as workloads, backlogs, output statistics, experience levels, hiring delays, performance evaluations, etc. The Supes paid frequent lip service to “efficiency,” but of course, only in the abstract. Paying $5,500 for a pointless “facilitator” for one day’s “work” undermines that theoretical objective though.

At one point CEO Darcy Antle complained that “Staff has been labeled with negative titles in the public” but did not offer any examples. Like her colleagues and the facilitator, Antle thinks that they need to do a better job explaining themselves and their accomplishments to the public who for some reason doesn’t hold them in the same high regard they have for themselves.

Environmental Health Director Marlayna Duley told the supervisors that there wasn’t much chance of significant housing increases in the unincorporated areas of the county because “most of the low hanging fruit has been picked” — meaning that most of the potential sites in the unincorporated areas that might seem suitable for housing development do not have adequate soils or percolation capacity.

A few new departmental budget reports were presented which listed the account numbers and categories for some departments with unannotated budget status snapshots. They came with the usual caveats about the timing of revenues and expenses so please don’t draw any conclusions and don’t ask any questions. Everybody thought these reports were a wonderful achievement — a success to be celebrated! — failing to mention that these raw reports, such as they are, could have been produced by the Executive Office years ago if they had wanted to. Instead, they preferred to berate former Auditor Chamise Cubbison who pointed out at the time that the departments and the executive office were slow to update the budget information, making the reports nearly useless. They preferred to blame Cubbison for their own failures; getting rid of Cubbison was more important than getting useful departmental budget reports.

Newly elected Supervisor Madeline Cline didn’t contribute much beyond what sounded like excerpts from her generic campaign speeches. Near the end of the workshop she suggested that the Board “needs to shift to linear prioritization,” and they need “a dedicated PR professional to tell our stories.”

Supervisor Bernie Norvell very politely said that the county and staff could do a little better with the homeless situation a la Fort Bragg. Sheriff Kendall, Social Services Program Manager Megan Van Sant, and Mental Health Director Dr. Jenine Miller explained some of the intricacies and difficulties with the more incorrigible homeless people — most of whom are not crazy enough to be “reimburseable,” so not eligible for mental health services. But they promised that yet another new program was in the works focusing on frequent offenders. Sheriff Kendall insists that Proposition 36 which ups the penalties for theft will force some of them into treatment to avoid jail. He hopes these efforts will show results in six months to a year. (Nobody in Mendo ever provides a time certain or a specific date when the results will be provided. But things will get better soon, trust them. Again.)

Ms. Van Sant told the Supervisors that hard-nosed approaches like enter treatment or go to jail may sound good; and that people with jobs can be influenced by the threat of jail and job loss. “But we can’t just arrest somebody for being objectionable. This is America. They have freedom. We can’t just take their liberties away.” Ms. Van Sant also insisted that the County’s homeless bureaucracy has implemented all of consultant Robert Marbut’s recommendations, despite the public impression to the contrary.

The first hour and a half of day 1 was wasted on “decorum” in the board chambers. This exercise was clearly the brainchild of Supervisor and new Board Chair John Haschak. Decorum is Mendo’s way of telling people to go with the flow, not rock Mendo’s sensitive boat. In this case it came across as a thinly veiled attempt to stifle Supervisor Williams who has an annoying habit of asking questions and shooting from the lip.

Supervisor Williams wasn’t very receptive to Haschak’s passive aggressive coercion and continued to ask most of the questions during the two day workshop.

Supervisor/Chair Haschak, with an obvious jibe at Williams since Williams is the only Supervisor who even tries to put novel ideas on the agenda, noted that some agenda items are “totally off track,” but then Haschak added that he was “just putting it out there for discussion.”

Williams himself has an annoying way of invoking “the public” in his questions as if he alone is specially tuned in to what “the public” wants. Nobody asked Williams how he knows what the public wants. At one point Williams even claimed that “the public” wants daily budget reports posted on the County’s website.

The board mulled their tentative plans for a road tax proposal, currently being evaluated by the Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) for both the receptiveness of local voters as well as the level of the tax and what it might be used it for, or at least what they might tell “the public” what they’d use it for.

Consultant Underwood didn’t show up for the Day 2 of the workshop, so at least they can celebrate not wasting another $5,500.

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2025 STARTS WITH $1.36M GRANT AND LEADERSHIP TENSIONS AT UKIAH VALLEY GROUNDWATER AGENCY

by Monica Huettl

The Ukiah Valley Basin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (UVBGSA) Board kicked off the year on January 9, 2025, with leadership changes, a $1.36 million grant approval, and a shift to City of Ukiah administration. Key moves included electing Madeline Cline as Chair, securing state funding for groundwater studies, and raising concerns about balancing control among member agencies.

With a new year it was time to elect the Board Chair. Since the formation of the UVBGSA, the Chair has been a member of the County Board of Supervisors. Director Chris Watt nominated Adam Gaska to be Chair, based on Gaska’s extensive work on the UVBGSA fee study. The Board chose Madeline Cline as Chair over Adam Gaska, with Directors Douglas Crane, Cline and Theresa McNerlin voting for Cline, and Watt and Gaska voting for Gaska. Cline thanked Gaska, Watt, and the rest of the Board, and said, “It’s appropriate, especially as we transition to the City of Ukiah as the administrator, that someone from the County should have a leadership role and oversight.” Crane the City of Ukiah’s Board representative, currently serves as Vice Chair, and he was elected to continue in that position.

The Board next discussed and voted on a direct billing threshold. UVBGSA fees are billed several ways. Well owners have the fees added to their property tax. Water agencies, such as the Ukiah Valley Water Authority, are billed and pass this along to their customers on the water bills. There are a few entities, such as non-profits and religious agencies, that are exempt from property taxes, so the UVBGSA bills them directly. The administrative cost to send out direct bills for small amounts is more than the amount that would be collected. The Board voted to pass the direct billing threshold. The UVBGSA will not send out direct bills for fees under $20. There are very few customers that fall into under $20 direct bill category, and the total amount in question is less than $500.…

https://mendofever.com/2025/01/17/2025-starts-with-1-36m-grant-and-leadership-tensions-at-ukiah-valley-groundwater-agency/

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NATIONAL WOMEN'S MARCH January 18th Includes Ukiah

On Saturday, January 18th towns and cities across the United States will hold Women's Marches. Mendocino County participation starts at Noon at the Courthouse in downtown Ukiah, then we march to Alex Thomas Plaza where there will be music with Wendy DeWitt and the Inland Women's Choir. In addition, speakers will cover a wide range of relevant topics including immigration, women's reproductive rights, funding genocide in Gaza, health care, education, organized labor, Black Lives Matter, climate change, LGBT rights, and civic responsibilities.

The sponsoring groups, Mendocino Women's Political Coalition, Cloud Forest Institute, Community Action Alliance and Mendocino Gaggle of Raging Grannies, plan a positive event with a focus on common ground within our communities and the power of love over hate.

Everyone is welcome. For more information text or call Lynda at 707 272-0580

Val Muchowski

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NORCAL PREPS FOOTBALL: Santa Rosa Junior College head coach Lenny Wagner retiring after 12 seasons

Lenny Wagner, 55, has also coached at Sonoma State and Mendocino College.

by Gus Morris

After 12 seasons as Santa Rosa Junior College head coach football coach, Lenny Wagner is retiring.

The announcement was made on SRJC social media channels on Thursday morning and confirmed in a press release from the school in the afternoon.

Wagner has spent the last 24 years in the football program, serving as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the first 12 years and as head coach for the last 12. He said in the release that he’ll stepping away from coaching to focus more on his teaching duties. Wagner, 55, has been the department chair of kinesiology, athletics and dance at SRJC for the last 20 years.

“This is the right time for me to shift my focus fully to teaching,” he said in the release. “Serving as the head coach of the Bear Cubs has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I am proud of our team and deeply grateful for the support of the SRJC community over the years. While I may be stepping away from the sidelines, I will remain one of the Bear Cubs’ biggest fans and a lifelong champion for our program.”

Defensive coordinator Dante DePaola, who has served on Wagner’s staff for the past 10 years, will take over as head coach.

“We are proud to support Lenny in his decision to step down as head coach,” said Matt Markovich, SRJC athletic director and dean of Kinesiology, Athletics and Dance. “We are happy that he is not going far and will still be a part of the SRJC family. We thank him for his tremendous leadership over the past 24 years. Our football program has achieved significant success under his guidance, and we are excited to build on the foundation he has established.

“Dante has been an integral part of our coaching staff, and we are confident that his leadership will continue to drive our program forward,” Markovich added about DePaola. “This transition reflects the strength and continuity of our football program.”

DePaola was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Press Democrat on Thursday.

Wagner told The Press Democrat on Thursday night that he’s been considering retirement for “a while.” He said he’s ready to spend more time with his family after coaching in some capacity for the past 34 years.

“I feel like I had my opportunity and now I need to pay it forward and do everything I can for the program, maybe behind the scenes or at another level,” Wagner said. “I’m excited for Dante, I know he’s going to do a fantastic job. So, I’m pumped. The staff is still a lot of players that played for me, so I’m really excited for the program.”

Wagner began his coaching career at SRJC as defensive coordinator in 2000 and took over as head coach after the 2012 season. He compiled a 50-58 overall record at the helm, including two bowl wins in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

He starred at Fullerton Junior College in his playing days before transferring to Sonoma State University, where he was a defensive standout in the early 1990s.

After graduating, Wagner joined the coaching staff at SSU and eventually worked his way up to assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He served in those roles until taking the head coaching position at Mendocino College in 1998. In 2002, SSU inducted Wagner into the school’s athletics hall of fame.

(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

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TINY HOUSES

Notice Is Hereby Given that the Fort Bragg Planning Commission will conduct three public hearings at a special meeting on Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 6:00 PM or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard at Town Hall, at the corner of Main and Laurel Streets (363 North Main Street), Fort Bragg, California. The public hearings will concern the following items:

Local Coastal Program Amendment 1-25 (LCP 1-25) & Inland Land Use and Development Code Amendment 1-25 (ILUDC 1-25) to: 1) Eliminate Minimum Parking Requirements for Residential Uses in the CLUDC and the ILUDC and 2) Amend the Parking Regulation of the CLUDC to Match the Changes Already Approved for the ILUDC by City Council; and 3) Address Inconsistencies in Landscaping requirements for Parking Lots in Both Zoning Codes.

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WHO SAYS THE POT INDUSTRY IS DEAD?

by Madison Smalstig

Three men from Illinois were arrested last weekend in Lake County after a deputy found $170,000 in cash and suitcases of marijuana in their vehicle, authorities said.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said the men were stopped Saturday in Upper Lake when a deputy on patrol pulled over their vehicle for multiple traffic violations.

During the stop, the deputy reported smelling marijuana while speaking with the driver and passengers. A search of the vehicle uncovered suitcases containing “large amounts” of packaged marijuana, processed marijuana products commonly found in dispensaries — including edibles — and materials used to process and package the drug.

The men, identified as Mamar Aljazara, 53; Mohanad Maali, 48; and Ali Salem, 47, were arrested and booked into the Lake County jail. They face allegations of possessing more than $100,000 from the unlawful sale of a controlled substance, conspiracy, possession of marijuana for sale, and selling or transporting marijuana.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the three men were no longer in custody. No charges have been filed in Lake County Superior Court, online court records show.

(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)

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KZYX, THREE COMMENTS

Re: Petition to Reinstate Rich Culbertson

Karen Ottoboni: “I have been a member for the last 25 years. I love KZYX and am very grateful for all the years of ‘Community Radio.’ I have witnessed twists and turns in KZYX but have never felt as worried and saddened by the feeling that KZYX’s board of directors are taking the ‘community’ spirit out of OUR station putting the desires for the station of a select few over those of the greater community. The firing of Alicia [Bales] and then Rich is absolutely disgraceful and a wrong turn down a dark road. Please whip it around and head back towards the light! It is not too late.”

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Tim Bray: “IMO, Reinstating Rich would not be in the best interests of the station or the listeners at this point. While I wasn't happy about the way it was (mis)managed, making way for a new Operations Manager was the right thing to do. There are far too many things that were just not getting fixed, and recurring problems that were not being solved. I was a programmer when Rich was first hired, by Belinda Rawlins, and he was terrific then. For many years he improved our operations and introduced many technical upgrades that made it easier for programmers and staff alike. He and I worked well together and had a lot of fun over the years. In recent years there have been recurring technical problems that just did not get resolved, and it seemed harder to get his attention. I don't know any details, what may have been going on, I just know it felt like things weren't getting fixed. Bringing in a new guy always means a fresh look and a fresh start, a lot of legacy issues will be tackled head-on, and if he succeeds we will have far less dead air and smoother operations.”

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Chris Skyhawk: “Dead wrong of you.”

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH 101

Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board Hosts Community Meeting:

Ukiah, CA – The Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board is pleased to announce an upcoming Community Meeting, titled Behavioral Health 101, designed to engage with the community, answer questions, and provide valuable information about the County’s Behavioral Health Services.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
• Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Location: Behavioral Health Conference Room 1, 1120 South Dora St., Ukiah, CA 95482

This meeting offers an opportunity for community members to learn more about the behavioral health services available in Mendocino County, voice their concerns, and have their questions answered by experts in the field.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions in writing to ensure a productive and informative discussion.

RSVP Information:

To help us accommodate all attendees, please RSVP by emailing bhrsadmin@mendocinocounty.gov or calling (707) 472-2355.

For more information about the Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board and our ongoing efforts to support the mental health needs of our community, please visit our website or contact us at the email or phone number provided above. https://www.mendocinocounty.gov/departments/behavioral-health-and-recovery-services/mental-health-services/behavioral-health-board

Contact:

Mendocino County Behavioral Health Advisory Board

Phone: (707) 472-2355

Email: bhrsadmin@mendocinocounty.gov

This event is open to the public, and we welcome all community members to join us in this important conversation about behavioral health in Mendocino County.

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ST. MARY’S SCHOOL MARDI GRAS MASQUERADE

54th Annual Fundraiser to be Held February 22nd and 23rd

St. Mary's School in Ukiah is proud to announce its 54th annual Mardi Gras celebraHon, a two-day extravaganza of community spirit and fundraising, set to take place on February 22nd and 23rd. The festivities kick off on Saturday, February 22nd, with the Mardi Gras Moonlight Soiree at Carl Purdy Hall at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. Tom Allman, retired Mendocino County Sheriff, and Roberta Gonzales, Meteorologist at KTVU FOX 2, will be emceeing the evening’s events, which kick off at 5:30 p.m. Guests are invited to revel in an evening filled with fine dining provided by Saw Shop Public House Catering, casino-style gaming, a no-host bar and a live performance featuring The Hots. Highlighting the night are exclusive silent and live auctions, showcasing magnificent items and experiences, from luxurious getaways to exquisite wines and artisan crafts. Additionally, the much-anticipated Mardi Gras raffle offers prizes, including a $3,000 travel voucher with $1,000 cash, an Apple iPad Pro, a Blackstone Griddle with Grilling Tools, and a Yeti Cooler. The merriment continues Sunday, February 23rd, at Carl Purdy Hall with the Family Carnival, promising an afternoon of fun for all ages. Admission is free and open to the public. The carnival will feature a variety of games like an inflatable dart board, soccer target, pitching challenge and more. Alongside the games, attendees can enjoy face painting, a balloon artist, musical performances by St. Mary's students, silent and live auctions, and an assortment of delicious concessions. Since its inception in 1969, Mardi Gras has been a cornerstone in supporting St. Mary's School, with proceeds fostering campus improvements, providing scholarships and upholding a tradition.

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ED NOTES

WHAT'S IN A NAME

In 2009, Daniel Goode; Michael Andrews Church; Eugene Fedorov; and “Luo Yan,” all of Dos Rios, an inland Mendo locale not previously known for its cosmopolitanism or internationalism, were arrested on marijuana cultivation charges.

Mssrs. Goode, Church and Fedorov seemed to fit the general Mendo pot grower profile, although we noted that Fedorov's nationality was not listed on his booking sheet. He turned out to be a Bulgarian. Oddly, Bulgarians were then plentiful in the Northcoast dope business.

But Ms. Yan?

Yan Luo translates as either “God of Death” or “Ruler of Hell,” hardly names Chinese parents would choose for a female child. Ms. Yan was clearly having some fun with the cops who, incidentally, identified Asians by the blanket unwoke tag, Oriental, since elevated to Asian.

With arrests of Bulgarians and Israelis for pot violations, and lots of arrests of Vietnamese and Chinese poachers, with the occasional Hindu drunk driver thrown into the mix, and not to mention Ms. Ruler of Hell, local cops had to brush up on their socio-geography.

IN MY YOUTH as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Borneo state of Sarawak, my day job was with Broadcast House in Kuching where, under the tutelage of a wonderful Brit exile from the BBC, he and I wrote primitive English language plays for broadcast to students deep in the interior.

ALLAN MOORE and I enjoyed seeing how much we could get away with in provocative content, once pulling off, “Stalin, Man of Steel,” which surely must have mystified the little Dyaks who listened to it as their English lesson, deep, deep in the untracked jungle. (I stayed in Dyak longhouses where 12-year-olds had never seen a white person, let alone an American white person. These communities thought I had something to do with the British royal family. Sarawak had been a Brit crown colony and, before that, the sole proprietorship of the Brookes, the famous British White Rajahs. Finally, Sarawak became part of today's Malaysia.)

AFTER HOURS, I played basketball with Chinese guys who initially didn't care to include me, never wanted to include me but who became real good at faking inclusion since I was so persistent in tracking them down. Kuching was the largest town in Sarawak but not much larger at the time than Ukiah with about twenty basketball courts, all outdoors. But the top players always had priority to work out at one or another of them.

EAGER to play with the very best local hoopsters and, ahem, able to hold my own against ordinary competition, I imagined myself soaring into the equatorial sun high above the startled Chinese faces, a white streak against jungle green as I blew routine lay-ups. But these guys, who comprised the Sarawak national team, hid their daily game from me.

I'D have to jump on my motorcycle and drive frantically all over town, from playground to playground, to find the game. Which my would-be playmates kept moving to keep me out.

AFTER literal months of hide-the-hoops, and after literal months of me nevertheless ferreting them out every afternoon, I finally became a regular, a begrudged regular regularly addressed as Ang Mo Qui, which I thought for the longest time was simply a non-English speaker's attempt at “Anderson.”

WE'D be picking up teams and someone would gesture at me and say, “Ang Mo Qui,” as in “I'll take Ang Mo Qui on my team.” Nobody ever laughed so I assumed I was being respectfully referred to.

CURIOUS after hearing myself so addressed, I finally asked a host national, who also happened to be my wife, “What does Ang Mo Qui mean? The guys I play basketball with always call me that.”

SHE laughed, a little too heartily, then said, “It means either long-nosed monkey or, depending on how you pronounce it, red haired devil.”

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ALEXANDER 'JOHN' MASSIMO VICHI, FORT BRAGG KILLER (1971)

(Research by Deb Silva)

Deb Silva Writes:

Once upon a time you may have asked me if I knew anything about this guy. His name is vaguely familiar. Maybe you wrote about him in MCT?

He was a Fort Bragg resident who murdered his ex-wife and four children in Nevada County in 1971. I learned that he had been released from prison from a Nextdoor post made by a shirttail relative of the guy.

Vichi was sentenced to five consecutive life terms, as opposed to a concurrent term. He should have never gotten out regardless of his age or health.

Grass Valley Has Fourth Mass Slaying

Desert Sun, Nov. 8, 1971

GRASS VALLEY, (UPI)-A mother and her four children were shot to death and her parents critically wounded Sunday in the fourth mass slaying recently which has taken 35 lives in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The woman's estranged husband was arrested 105 miles away.

“He offered no resistance — he couldn’t,” said Lt. Ed Maybrun of the Sonoma County sheriff's office. “I had my shotgun stuck six inches from his nose.”

Charlene Sheriff Vichi, 31, and her four children were slain at her parents' home in a small village 10 miles south of here in gold rush country. Mrs. Vichi's parents were seriously wounded.

The children, Michelle Sheriff, 13; Steven Sheriff, 10; David Vichi, 4 and Tina Vichi, 1-1/2, all had been living with their grandparents and attending school in Grass Valley. Their bodies, clad in bedclothes, were found in one bedroom. Their mother was discovered in another bedroom, in the shingled cottage in a quiet, wooded area.

Police arrested Alexandre (John) Massimo Vichi, 41, as he sat in his car in Healdsburg, 105 miles west of the death scene. He was taken under heavy guard to Sonoma County Jail and booked on five counts of murder. Maybrun said officers found a .22 caliber rifle in the car after Vichi's arrest.

Thirty other persons have been victims of mass murders within 25 miles of Grass Valley in recent months, including 25 itinerant farm workers slain near Yuba City, two persons dead at the hands of a sickle-wielding man at a campground near Nevada City; and three young deer hunters gunned down in their camp.

Vichi, a stocky man who operates a body and fender shop in the Coast community of Fort Bragg, 150 miles west of here, was captured by 15 heavily-armed officers as he left a friend's home Healdsburg.

Nevada County Sheriff Wayne Brown said the shootings apparently were the result of a marital quarrel.

“Some of them were shot more than once,” Brown said. He said the bullets struck the victims in the chest and body. “I suspect they were in bed at the time the fracas, started,” he said, adding that there was no sign of struggle.

“There wasn't much of a way for them to go, they were more or less trapped.”

The scene “was not the kind of thing you would like to walk into, I'll tell you that,” Brown said.

Mrs. Vichi's parents, Russell and Charlotte Faylor, were badly wounded, police said. Mrs. Faylor, weak from loss of blood, staggered 50 yards to a neighbor's home about dawn Sunday and called authorities. Brown said the youngsters had been living at the Faylor home in the small village of Cherry Creek Acres. Mrs. Vichi, who also lived in Fort Bragg but apart from her husband, was visiting the children for the weekend. Brown said.

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UDJ Nov. 10, 1971

Ft. Bragg man arraigned in killing

Nevada City (UPI)-Alexandré (John) Vichi, a husky 41-year-old Fort Bragg automobile repairman, has been arraigned on five counts of murder in the gun slaying of his wife and her four children.

Vichi made no plea and showed no emotion Tuesday when he appeared before Judge Verle Gray in Justice Court, who set a preliminary hearing for Nov. 23 and appointed public defender William Hager to represent the suspect.

The suspect is accused of killing his wife, Charlene Vichi, 31, their two children, David, 4, and Tina, 18 months, and two of her children by a prévious marriage, Steven Sheriff, 10. and Michelle Sheriff, 13.

In addition to the murder charges. Vichi was arraigned on two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in the wounding of Russell and Charlotte Faylor, the dead woman's parents and grandparents of the children.

The defendant, wearing a faded blue jail shirt, khaki trousers and field boots without laces, told the judge softly “No, your honor,” when asked if he had funds to hire a lawyer.

Vichi, arrested in Sonoma County Sunday nine hours after his estranged wife and her four children were found shot to death in their pajamas at the Faylor's Grass Valley home, was escorted to the courtroom by four armed sheriff's deputies.

He was confronted by news cameramen outside the courtroom but covered his face, with handcuffed arms and hands.

In a related development. Paul Bergemann, a Nevada City undertaker, announced he would perform funeral and burial services for the victims without cost to the survivors because the family was without insurance. Services will be Friday.

Fort Bragg man guilty. of killing wife, children.

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UDJ Feb. 10, 1972

Nevada City (UPI) A Superior Court judge today found Alexandre Kjohn Vichi guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his wife and her four children.

Judge Harold Wolters said his review of the psychiatric testimony convinced him the husky Fort Bragg auto body repairman was able to harbor malice, and his mentality was not diminished to the extent that he did not know that he was committing a wrongful act."

Vichi, who appeared shaken by the verdict in the nonjury trial, had pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity of pumping nearly 20 bullets into the bodies of his estranged wife, Charlene, 31, and her four children ranging in age from 2 to 13.

Less than an hour after Wolters returned the guilty verdict, he ruled the defendant sane and the trial moved into its penalty phase.

“I am convinced that the defendant at all times of the commission of the murders knew and understood what he was doing and that he was legally sane at the time of the commission of the offenses,” Wolters said.

His ruling followed a brief discussion of the significance of conflicting testimony offered by several psychiatrists during the trial.

Vichi previously testified he had no recollection of the slayings but added, “I had visions of my wife falling. But I thought it was all a bad dream.”

He said he only remembers getting into his car in Fort Bragg the day of the killings and waking up in his car later in the day in Santa Rosa. He was arrested in the Sonoma County town of Healdsburg a short time later.

The killings occurred Nov. 7 at the Grass Valley home of Mrs. Vichi's parents, both of whom were wounded in the attack.

Before Wolters retired to his chambers to begin deliberating Vichi's fate, Deputy District Attorney Ronald McMillen and defense attorney William Hager each reviewed the case in their closing arguments.

Hager contended Vichi was not able to comprehend the magnitude of the crime while McMillen argued that the defendant was completely able to realize he was committing a crime.

Dr. Frank R. Schulkin, a San Francisco psychiatrist who was the final defense. witness, said Vichi “was not in full control of his mental capacities” on the day of the killings.

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Life Sentence for Vichi

UDJ Feb 11, 1972

Nevada City (UPI) - A Superior Court judge found Alexandre John Vichi guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of his wife and her four children and sentènced Vichi to life in prison.

Judge Harold Wolters spared the husky Fort Bragg auto body repairman, from the death penalty although disagreeing with defense attorney William Hager's contention during the penalty phase of the trial that “capital punishment is ‘barbaric’.”

Before pronouncing sentence, Wolters said. “I do not consider the death penalty barbaric. It is a proper punishment under our present law.” The judge added he considered mitigating circumstances in the case in determining sentence.

Vichi, who showed no emotion when the verdict was announced, had pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity of pumping nearly 20 bullets into the bodies of his estranged wife, Charlene, 31,. and her four children ranging in age from 2 to 13.

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The Modesto Bee Sun, Mar 05, 1972 Page 23

Life Sentence For 5 Killings

Nevada City (UPI) A superior court judge has formally sentenced Alexander (John) Vichi to five consecutive life prison terms for the murder of his wife and her four children. Judge Harold Walters pronounced the sentence Friday. Wolters presided over Vichi's nonjury trial earlier and found the 41-year-old Fort Bragg auto body repairman guilty in the slayings of his estranged wife, Charlene, 31, and two children by a previous marriage and two by Vichi.

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On Line Comment 2025

If you see this guy around, he was released from prison after murdering his 5 family members, with an extremely long jacket for rape and attempted murder, domestic violence, murder, and other crimes. Due to his age the courts deemed him able to medical release out. He has not changed, and is using his new found freedom to have some fun (his type of fun) before he dies. He has already attempted at least once to rape someone since his release a couple months ago. They are afraid to press charges and he’s gotten away with it. He has at least one charge of rape of a minor, several of adults. If you see this “man” do not engage or be alone with him, or allow children near him.

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Village Voice story on Vichi case (2015)

https://www.villagevoice.com/how-a-quintuple-murder-and-a-dream-house-on-the-hudson-brought-the-paranormal-into-our-legal-system/

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Thursday, January 16, 2025

CODY CALDWELL, 25, Willits. Controlled substance, probation revocation.

JOHN CEA, 27, Shirley, New York/Ukiah. Parole violation.

RYAN CRANFORD, 38, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

PENNY EMBERSON, 63, Willits. DUI-alcohol&drugs.

FERNANDO JOAQUIN, 30, Covelo. County parole violation.

TIMOTHY JOHNSTON, 42, Fort Bragg. Criminal threats, failure to appear.

TODD RAMOS, 53, Redwood Valley. Controlled substance, suspended license, paraphernalia, tear gas, failure to appear.

VICTOR VELASQUEZ, 52, Ukiah. DUI.

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SOFTBALL MEMORIES:

by Paul Modic

Battling Charlie Mott and The Salmon Creek Buds

It’s Superbowl Sunday 2024 and thoughts turn to big games from the past, like when our softball team, the Lost Coast Whalers made our heroic run to the finals of the season-ending tournament forty years ago. We made it to Labor Day Monday and were playing the Salmon Creek Buds, lead by Charlie Mott, the best player in the league. (He could hit the ball farther then anyone, throw it further, and was one of the fastest runners also.)

I still remember that game and the crucial play which decided it (no home runs from Charlie that day as I had tamed the Buds’ bats pitching with my “sky-ball,” which I could throw thirty feet high and hit the plate most of the time):

It was the fifth inning, game tied 1 to 1, Whalers vs Salmon Creek, Labor Day finale 1983, three teams left, with the Loaded Bases waiting in the wings to play the winner.

I was on the mound, runners on first and third and one out. We had a little infield huddle: remember the double play, and now it was in my head. I threw the pitch, with Lion Man on third and it’s a bouncer back to me! I whirl to throw to second to start a double play, throwing it to Jeff for the first out, but the runner beats the throw to first, Lion Man scores, and that would be the game.

(Now as I stand on that pitching mound at the South Fork Junior High baseball diamond forty years later I replay it: I grab the grounder, LOOK Lion Man back to third, THEN get the out at second. Or fake a double play and catch him off third in a rundown. He’s OUT! Better late than never!)

So we’re losing 2 to 1, our last at bats in the last inning, tying run on third base, two outs, and Ray Baillett gets a hit! He drives it to left field, the tying run heads to the plate, and Ray, this huge lumbering guy, gets thrown out at first from left field! (Then I think of that weird Robin Williams movie when he goes back and relives “the big play” in HIS life.)

Hey Charlie, thanks for all the likes…and go 49ers!

Update: The next day the 49ers lost to the Chiefs in an exciting overtime finish and Charley ended his life as scheduled, which got me to wondering:

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Charlie & Cyrus

There have been two cases recently where people I know have taken the “death cocktail” and I wonder how that works: Is it a pill? A concoction you drink? A shot? Are your loved ones there with you? Do they watch you die? Do people request privacy, to be alone? Is it pleasurable, like a heroin or fentanyl overdose probably is, or nothing of the sort? Can you have a last glass of wine or joint first?

At some point, no matter our age, most of us may/will be facing that option, when we’re tired of the pain, and ready to say goodbye to everything…

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EDWARD ABBEY from Desert Solitaire (1968):

A few hours later the bulk of the flood was past and gone. The flow dwindled to a trickle over bars of quicksand. New swarms of insect life would soon come to recover the provinces of those swept away. Nothing had changed but the personnel, a normal turnover, and the contours of the watercourse, that not much.

Now we’ve mentioned quicksand. What is quicksand anyway? First of all, quicksand is not as many think a queer kind of sand which has the hideous power to draw men and animals down and down into a bottomless pit. There can be no quicksand without water. The scene of the sand-drowned camel boy in the movie Lawrence of Arabia is pure fakery. The truth about quicksand is that it is simply a combination of sand and water in which the upward force of the water is sufficient to neutralize the frictional strength of the particles of sand. The greater the force and saturation, the less weight the sand can bear.

Ordinarily it is possible for a man to walk across quicksand, if he keeps moving. But if he stops, funny things begin to happen. The surface of the quicksand, which may look as firm as the wet sand on an ocean beach, begins to liquefy beneath his feet. He finds himself sinking slowly into a jelly-like substance, soft and quivering, which clasps itself around his ankles with the suction power of any viscous fluid. Pulling out one foot, the other foot necessarily goes down deeper, and if a man waits too long, or cannot reach something solid beyond the quicksand, he may soon find himself trapped. The depth to which he finally sinks depends upon the depth and the fluidity of the quicksand, upon the nature of his efforts to extricate himself, and upon the ratio of body weight to volume of quicksand. Unless a man is extremely talented, he cannot work himself in more than waist-deep. The quicksand will not pull him down. But it will not let him go either. Therefore the conclusion is that while quicksand cannot drown its captive, it could possibly starve him to death. Whatever finally happens, the immediate effects are always interesting.

My friend Newcomb, for instance. He has only one good leg, had an accident with the other, can’t hike very well in rough country, tends to lag behind. We were exploring a deep dungeonlike defile off Glen Canyon one time (before the dam). The defile turned and twisted like a snake under overhanging and interlocking walls so high, so close, that for most of the way I could not see the sky. The floor of this cleft was irregular, wet, sandy, in places rather soupy, and I was soon far ahead and out of sight of Newcomb.

Finally I came to a place in the canyon so narrow and dark and wet and ghastly that I had no heart to go farther. Retracing my steps I heard, now and then, a faint and mournful wail, not human, which seemed to come from abysmal depths far back in the bowels of the plateau, from the underworld, from subterranean passageways better left forever unseen and unknown. I hurried on, the cries faded away. I was glad to be getting out of there. Then they came again, louder and as it seemed from all sides, out of the rock itself, surrounding me. A terrifying caterwauling it was, multiplied and amplified by echoes piled on echoes, overlapping and reinforcing one another. I looked back to see what was hunting me but there was only the naked canyon in the dim, bluish light that filtered down from far above. I thought of the Minotaur. Then I thought of Newcomb and began to run.

It wasn’t bad. He was in only a little above the knees and sinking very slowly. As soon as he saw me he stopped hollering and relit his pipe. Help, he said, simply and quietly.

What was all the bellowing about? I wanted to know. I’m sorry, he said, but it’s a horrible way to die. Get out of that mud, I said, and let’s get out of here. It ain’t just mud, he said. I don’t care what it is, get out of there; you look like an idiot. I’m sinking, he said.

And he was. The stuff was now halfway up his thighs.

Don’t you ever read any books? I said. Don’t you have sense enough to know that when you get in quicksand you have to lie down flat? Why? he asked. So you’ll live longer, I explained. Face down or face up? he asked next.

That stumped me. I couldn’t remember the answer to that one. You wait here, I said, while I go back to Albuquerque and get the book.

He looked down for a moment. Still sinking, he said; please help?

I stepped as close to him as I could without getting bogged down myself but our extended hands did not quite meet. Lean forward, I said. I am, he said. All the way, I said; fall forward.

He did that and then I could reach him. He gripped my wrist and I gripped his and with a slow steady pull I got him out of there. The quicksand gurgled a little and made funny, gasping noises, reluctant to let him go, but when he was free the holes filled up at once, the liquid sand oozing into place, and everything looked as it had before, smooth and sleek and innocent as the surface of a pudding. It was in fact the same pool of quicksand that I had walked over myself only about an hour earlier.

Quicksand is more of a menace to cattle and horses, with their greater weight and smaller feet, than it is to men, and the four-legged beasts generally avoid it when they can. Sometimes, however, they are forced to cross quicksand to reach water, or are driven across, and then the cattleman may have an unpleasant chore on his hands. Motor vehicles, of course, cannot negotiate quicksand; even a four-wheel-drive jeep will bog down as hopelessly as anything else.

Although I hesitate to deprive quicksand of its sinister glamour I must confess that I have not yet heard of a case where a machine, an animal or a man has actually sunk completely out of sight in the stuff. But it may have happened; it may be happening to somebody at this very moment. I sometimes regret that I was unable to perform a satisfactory experiment with my friend Newcomb when the chance presented itself; such opportunities come but rarely. But I needed him; he was among other things a good camp cook.

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TRUMP LOVES TARIFFS. BUT HE MIGHT SPARE WINE

by Esther Mobley

Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he plans to instate tariffs on imported goods after he is inaugurated as president on Monday. “To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff, and it’s my favorite word,” he told Bloomberg in October.

American restaurants, wine importers and wine retailers have been bracing for the possibility that imported wines, especially from France, could be among the Trump administration’s targets. The wine industry is already tariff-weary, having been subject to rounds of fees on European wines in 2019 and 2021 — years when many American wine businesses were already straining to make ends meet.

But there’s reason to believe that the incoming administration may spare wine from tariffs this time around, said Ben Aneff, president of the U.S. Wine Trade Alliance.

Because of the way wine distribution works in this country, tariffs on imported wines hurt American businesses disproportionately, Aneff said, making them highly ineffective tools in a trade war. What’s different in 2025, he believes, is that key policymakers and legislators understand this system better than they did in 2021.

“Tariffs on imported wine do significantly more damage to U.S. businesses than to businesses abroad,” said Aneff. “For every dollar U.S. companies send over to France to buy wine, U.S. companies make $4.52.”

That’s thanks to what’s known as the “three-tier system,” which ensures a middleman in the sale of any bottle of alcohol. In the U.S., an alcohol producer must sell to a wholesaler — an importer or a distributor — before selling directly to a store or restaurant. This structure was enshrined in our legal code after the repeal of Prohibition.

The three-tier system makes the sale of wine starkly different from that of other imported goods. Take clothing, for example: A French fashion company like Chanel can come to the U.S., open its own Chanel store and send all of its profits directly back to Chanel in France. A French winery cannot do that. “There is no such thing as a Dom Pérignon wine store,” Aneff said. “It would be illegal in the U.S.” Instead, Dom Pérignon must sell its Champagne to a U.S. wine importer, which then sells it to a U.S. shop. That means that two American businesses, the importer and the shop, profit from that French Champagne.

When the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative last levied tariffs on wines, as part of a program designed to retaliate against subsidies for European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, Aneff believes that key stakeholders did not fully grasp the implications of the three-tier system.

“We’ve had lots of really good conversations with people on both sides of the aisle,” he said, though he declined to give specific names. “There does seem to be some understanding that the Airbus tariffs did more damage to U.S. businesses than to their targets abroad.”

Trump’s rhetoric around tariffs has been blustery but short on specifics. He has suggested he may impose a universal tariff on all goods imported into the U.S., significantly different from the targeted Airbus tariffs. But legal experts say it’s unclear whether he would have the authority to enact a universal tariff (at least in the long term) without Congressional approval. (He has floated the idea of declaring a national emergency in order to make it happen.) A universal tariff would likely lead to higher inflation, experts warn.

If a universal tariff does come to pass, foreign wine would be subject to it alongside all foreign goods. The 10% figure that Trump has mentioned would still be significantly lower than the 2021 tariffs, which taxed wine at 25%. But other reports have indicated that Trump’s team may be considering a narrower set of products, including industrial materials, medical supplies and energy production — not Bordeaux and Burgundy.

There’s one final, and very important, factor that distinguishes wine from other imports: U.S. wine producers have vocally opposed these tariffs. That’s unusual; an American steel manufacturer would presumably be thrilled if its foreign competitors were being handed an extra tax. But American winemakers want the wines of the world to be on the same shelves as their own bottles. That’s partly because they tend to drink a lot of international wines themselves, but also because, Aneff said, they don’t always see themselves as direct competitors. A Napa Cabernet isn’t the same as a Rhone Valley red.

“Every domestic wine organization is against the tariffs,” Aneff said. “We’re an ecosystem, and when we’re not doing well, we all suffer.”

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What I'm Reading…

Two physicians offer measured interpretations of the surgeon general’s recent advisory on alcohol consumption and cancer. In the New York Times, Dr. Rachael Bedard writes that although “the case is strong” for linking alcohol with cancer, she’s “less sure” about how that news should inform people’s daily choices around drinking. And in the Washington Post, Dr. Leana S. Wen argues that clinicians should heed the surgeon general’s warning to help people with certain “red flags” like alcohol use disorder curb their consumption. But for others, Wen writes, “My view is that it’s fine to enjoy the occasional drink.”

Mirroring some of the pressures facing the wine industry, the global whiskey market is currently experiencing a significant glut, reports Susannah Skiver Bartonin the New Wine Review. “Right now, this crisis is more of a slide than a crash,” Barton writes, but the effects of this oversupply will begin to be apparent within the next 12-18 months.

The New York Times’ Eric Asimov praises a new wave of shorter wine lists, a rebuke of the thick “wine bibles” that were considered mandatory at serious restaurants in the past. He cites one new Manhattan restaurant that currently carries only one bottle of red wine. “I am a big fan of pithy, succinct lists, especially if they display a coherent vision,” he writes.

Dr. Anita Oberholster, the UC Davis professor who became the leading authority on the impact of wildfire smoke on wines, died on Saturday at age 50 after battling cancer. UC Davis’ Emily C. Dooley looks back on Oberholster’s distinguished career and shares details on plans for a service and a memorial fund. I found Oberholster to be a generous and invaluable source in my own reporting on smoke taint, helping me and the California wine industry understand in real time the implications of a fast-developing area of science.

(SF Chronicle)

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GERONIMO’S CADILLAC

Well they put Geronimo in jail down south
Where he couldn't look the gift horse in the mouth
Sergeant, sergeant, don't you feel
There's something wrong with that automobile
Governor, governor, isn't it strange
They didn't have no cars on the Indian range
Warden, warden, please listen to me
Be brave and set Geronimo free

Whoa boys, take me back
I want to ride in Geronimo's Cadillac

Warden, warden, don't you know
Prisoners have no place to go
They took old Geronimo by storm
Ripped off the feathers from his uniform
Jesus tells me I believe its true
The red man is in the sunset too
Took all his land, now they won't give it back
And they sent Geronimo a Cadillac

— Michael Martin Murphey (1972)

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CORRECTED

Editor:

Thousands of retirees who had worked, however briefly, as postal employees, teachers and police were deprived of some Social Security benefits no matter how much they contributed to the Social Security Administration. The government claimed this would be double-dipping.

Recently the windfall elimination provision was passed by bipartisan votes in both houses of Congress although some Republicans in the House and Senate voted against this provision, claiming Social Security would be insolvent without an infusion of $200 billion by 2035.

To date, the U.S. government has invested $175 billion in support of the war in Ukraine, and the citizens of America receive no benefit whatsoever from this investment. And yet a percentage of Republican legislators would not support a bill that would dramatically improve the quality of life for thousands of Americans? Dwight Eisenhower warned us of the perils of the military-industrial complex, and evidently a percentage of Republican legislators did not get the memo.

Richard Cardiff

Sebastopol

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FREE AS A BIRD

On the Postmodern American Eve of Destruction

Good morning, America. Am free as a bird here in Washington, D.C. Social security money is in the bank, just today received more California EBT, and am still paying nothing for rent and food at the homeless shelter. Will continue “following spirit”. As Hsun Hua, the founder of Talmage, CA's City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, said: “Do not be attached to anything at all!”

Craig Louis Stehr

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ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Will Trump have a poet at his inauguration? I doubt it.

The cry-baby threw a tantrum about half mast flags so they will now be flown full mast.

What's next? Will he ask that Martin Luther King jr Day be canceled because it falls on the 20th.

I can hear Trump now. “I am more important than King. I am the greatest President ever. What did King ever do”

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LEAD STORIES, FRIDAY'S NYT

Israel and Hamas Work Out Differences Over Deal, Netanyahu Says

TikTok Makes Last-Minute Push as Supreme Court Is Poised to Rule on Ban

More Than a Week After the Fires, Los Angeles Evacuees Remain in Limbo

Biden to Commute Sentences of Nearly 2,500 Drug Offenders

David Lynch, Maker of Florid and Unnerving Films, Dies at 78

The Panama Canal’s Newest Voyagers: Fishy Intruders From Two Oceans

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NONE OF THESE WAR CRIMINALS WILL FACE JUSTICE While The US Empire Exists

by Caitlin Johnstone

Two journalists were ejected from a State Department press conference on Thursday for asking inconvenient questions about Gaza. One of them, Sam Husseini, was physically carried out by security while demanding to know why Secretary of State Antony Blinken is not in The Hague for his war crimes.

The Grayzone’s Max Blumenthal was also made to leave while asking Blinken why he allowed hundreds of journalists to be murdered in Gaza, telling State Department spokesman Matt Miller that he “smirked through a genocide.”

Husseini was then forcibly removed for asking questions about Gaza, and about Israel’s nuclear program and Hannibal directive. Blinken told Husseini to “respect the process,” to which Husseini replied, “Respect the process? Respect the process? While everybody from Amnesty International to the ICJ says Israel’s doing genocide and extermination, and you’re telling me to respect the process? Criminal! Why aren’t you in the Hague?”

The western political-media class is expressing outrage over the incident, not because of journalists being manhandled for asking critical questions of their government, but because those journalists asked critical questions.

The talking heads on CNN described the journalists interrogating government officials as “cringeworthy heckling by activists”, initially expressing bafflement at how those “activists” could have gotten into a press room intended for accredited journalists (both Blumenthal and Husseini are in fact members of the press who often attend State Department press briefings).

Longtime State Department swamp monster Aaron David Miller tweeted of the exchange, “In 27 years at State, never seen a situation where a Secretary of State — a caring compassionate man — is heckled in his own building by a heckler yelling ‘Why aren’t you in The Hague.’ A new low in civility and discourse.”

This is western liberalism in a nutshell. The problem isn’t the genocide, the problem is people being insufficiently polite about the genocide. Western officials feeling inconvenienced and insulted is a greater concern than children being shredded and burned by US military explosives.

Husseini’s question is an interesting one. Why isn’t Blinken in The Hague? Why hasn’t he faced justice for his facilitation of the starvation, sickness and daily massacres he’s been helping Israel inflict on civilians in Gaza for the last 15 months? And more importantly, why does it seem like a safe assumption that he never will?

This is after all the “rules-based international order,” is it not? Surely when you’ve got mainstream human rights organizations asserting that genocidal atrocities are being committed with the facilitation of the government which purports to uphold that order, some legal repercussions should be seen as at least within the realm of possibility, should they not?

And yet we all know this won’t be happening any time in the foreseeable future. We all know that as long as the US empire exists in the way that it exists, Tony Blinken and Matt Miller will enjoy prosperous free lives after their time with the Biden administration draws to a close.

This is because “international law” only exists to the extent that it can be enforced. If a superpower doesn’t want its lackeys being carted off to war crimes tribunals in the Netherlands then they won’t be, because as things sit right now nobody’s going to war with the US empire to put Tony Blinken behind bars. Or George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, for that matter.

As long as the US empire exists, none of these monsters will ever face justice for their actions. They will move on from their time in government to lucrative careers in think tanks or working as lobbyists until another Democratic administration calls for their services again — or, in Biden’s case, enjoy a comfortable retirement until a peaceful death surrounded by family members in the lap of luxury.

Until the empire has been dismantled, the world will never know justice. These swamp creatures will be able to worm their way around back and forth through the revolving door between Washington’s official government and its unofficial government while murdering, displacing and tormenting as many innocents as they please, with total impunity.

One way or another, the slaughter in Gaza will end at some point. And as long as the US-centralized power structure still dominates our world, there will be no meaningful consequences for this. It will be filed away in the history books, and the propagandists will pace us along into the next imperial horror show. There will be more Gazas in the future, perhaps overseen by different Tony Blinkens or perhaps by the same ones, and they will keep happening for as long as this murderous empire remains standing.

This world can have justice when it finds a way to end the US empire. Until then the world will be ruled by tyrants who do exactly as they please, and anyone who questions them will be removed from the room by any force necessary.

(caitlinjohnstone.com.au)

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UNTIL NOTHING REMAINS

For profit and power

The lies are told

In this darkening hour

Our Democracy's been sold

With Money and fame

The privileged run

The rules of the game

Having so much fun

It's all for them

And none for all

The liberal Dems

Have lost their balls

Techno Bros.

With worm-eaten brains

Say everything goes

Until nothing remains

— Elvin Wood

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