Mendocino County Today: Wednesday 7/16/2025

Greenwood Bridge | Cooling | Gas Breaks | Jim Eddie | Cemetery Talk | PG&E Event | Salvation Jane | Tun Drunk | ICO Hiring | Taser Death | Reconsider Annexation | Reentry Programs | Pansies | Burn Severity | Floodgate Store | Art Show | Fair Deadlines | Mendo Sawmill | Farm Raiser | Yesterday's Catch | Shield Neighbors | Samsara Quagmire | CEQA Misuse | Klamath Run | Old Age | Golden Mussels | Wang Dang | SF Tower | Stage Robbery | Real Cost | Unfolding Tragedy | Clayton Moore | Days Remaining | Blues | Confused | Lead Stories | Damage Done | Dog Prank | Epstein Files | The Kid | Prophet Business | How High

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INLAND TEMPERATURES continue trending down this week while still remaining warm. The coastal stratus will become more persistent over the coastal regions, lowering the daytime highs for some areas. (NWS)

STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A foggy 52F this Wednesday morning on the coast. If you like patchy fog you'll love the forecast well into next week, look at that west coast satellite shot. Yesterday was much foggier & cooler if you hadn't noticed.

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DOWNTOWN UKIAH EVACUATED AFTER CONTRACTOR STRIKES GAS MAIN

For the second time in four days, emergency personnel responded to a major gas leak in downtown Ukiah, prompting evacuations and road closures on Monday afternoon. This latest incident was reported at approximately 1:52 p.m. on Monday, July 14, when a construction crew struck a six-inch gas main while grading the roadway near North Main and Smith streets.

Ukiah Police and Fire, along with PG&E, initiated evacuations spanning several blocks, including the 100–300 blocks of North Main Street and portions of South Main, extending from Norton to Perkins streets and from State Street to Main. The evacuation zone expanded over the next hour, with officials requesting assistance clearing apartment buildings and businesses along Main and Standley streets.

PG&E spokesperson Megan McFarland confirmed the leak and stated that a third-party contractor, Ghilotti Construction, was responsible for striking the gas line while performing road work in the area. “It is a complicated repair,” McFarland said around 4:30 p.m. “We’re bringing in extra resources. It will be a couple of hours at least.” She explained that crews need to dig up three separate isolation points to shut off the flow and safely begin repairs.

A City of Ukiah representative said evacuations are currently expected to remain in place until 10 p.m. tonight, though that timeline may change. Residents are encouraged to follow the City of Ukiah Facebook page for real-time updates. An evacuation center has been established at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, 200 South School Street, offering cooling, water, restrooms, and Wi-Fi for those affected.

This follows a similar incident on Friday, July 11, when Ghilotti reportedly struck a smaller two-inch line near the Mendocino County Library. That leak was resolved quickly, but it required evacuations and temporarily closed the library.

Residents are asked to avoid the area while emergency personnel and utility workers continue to secure the scene and begin the repair process.

Evacuation orders were lifted at 7:58 p.m.

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On Line Comments

• Time to get real contractors
• Maybe quit taking the lowest bid from Ghilotti. They seem to have a hard time doing good work, as other streets they’ve done break down quick. It’s a hot day and I can’t imagine how disruptive this is to businesses in the evacuated area.
• Most likely inadaquate marking by utility co. Nobody wants to hit a gas main.
• City of Ukiah: “These gas lines that were hit, both today and last Friday, were unmarked/unknown to PG&E. We are coordinating with PG&E to avoid additional mishaps as this project continues.”
• Neener, neener, Told you so!
• Ghilotti has been around since 1914. There are lots of laws to cover this sort of excavation, pretty sure that they ‘called ahead’ and and probably there were lots of surveys and markings conducted. I am also pretty sure that the underground location of the gas mains was er… ‘poorly known’. Somebody, somewhere is ‘on the carpet’ to explain what happened. They may need (and probably will) to go to an alternative excavation method. Probably Vacuum Trucks. Expensive to do for a large excavation. But given the double gas line contacts… probably worth it.
• “Call before you dig” ?
• Time for the city to stop contracting with a crap company, instead of being short-sighted.
• I don’t mean to be petty, however, the photo is a water main. Any contractor would know that. Many lines are not color coded. However if any line is identified by color it will be identified by a standard color code.
• Yellow: Indicates gas, oil, steam, petroleum, or other flammable or gaseous materials. Red: Indicates electric power lines, cables, conduit, and lighting cables. Orange: Indicates communication lines, including telephone, cable, and fiber optic lines. Blue: Indicates potable (drinking) water. Green: Indicates sewer and drain lines. Purple: Indicates reclaimed water, irrigation, and slurry lines. These color codes are used by utility companies and construction crews to identify underground utilities and ensure safety during excavation and other work.
• Twice? Time to hire a different contractor.
• Spot on. Don’t give them a third chance to blow up Ukiah…
• But think of all the jobs rebuilding it. And it will certainly look better… Disclaimer: I have spent many hours in Ukiah not really enjoying that place…or its people
• Jumping to conclusions does absolutely no good and is often wrong, such as this case. PG&E who owns and utilizes the gas mains in BOTH incidences did not mark nor even know the lines were there. Fault lies with PG&E not the contractor.
• I want to know when people are going to wake up and start holding PG&E accountable for their negligence?
• Pffft. When you are a monopoly, and own the board that is supposed to hold you accountable (and keep rates affordable for the public), you can get away with just about anything. Remember the San Bruno gas explosions?

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JIM EDDIE

With heavy hearts we would like to announce the passing of James Clyde Eddie or as we all call him Grandpa, Papa, Big Jim, Uncle Jim and Dad. This spring we celebrated his 90th Birthday surrounded by friends and family.

A Potter Valley Cemetery Service will be held on July 26th at 10 am. We will share the obituary once it is printed. Our whole family appreciates our community as they share love and prayers.

If you have favorite photos, please reach out here or to a family member. As well, write down your stories to be shared.

Thank you and God Bless.

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ANDERSON VALLEY’S HISTORIC CEMETERIES

by Terry Sites

Yorkville resident Valerie Hanelt has by her own admission an obsessive-compulsive interest in genealogy particularly as it applies to the cemeteries of Anderson Valley. On July 13th at 2:00 pm a sizable mostly gray-haired audience showed up at the Rose Room of our local museum. The AV Historical Society invited us to hear what the well informed Valerie had to say about our local cemeteries.

She began her cemetery database project began in 2017 and it currently contains a total of 1760 entries. The handout she gave each of us contained 181 names of burials from the first ever recorded through the last day of 1899. Her information has been gleaned through obituaries, first person accounts, cemetery visits and other research. This is obviously an ongoing project and treasure hunt for her.

Commenting on the deaths Valerie noted “There were a lot of logging accidents.” All of her entries have been uploaded to the “Findagrave.com” website so that relatives, friends and researchers can find them readily. “Findagrave” is dynamic and designed so that anyone can add information or entries. There is a unique “pin-it” feature that allows you to physically walk around a graveyard with your cellphone and tag and later find the exact location of an existing grave. She also gave a report of the Stakes Project covering eleven Valley pioneers who had lost their markers.

Finally and most useful was information on “Findagrave.com” itself and how people can use this surprisingly useful and well-designed website.

Several local residents including Kathy Bailey, John Hanes, Jimmy Hill and Sheriff Matt Kendall recounted fascinating personal stories about local gravesites. A great deal of history can be found by tracing backward from gravestone markers using findagrave.com or other research.

The earliest marker in the database is from 1857 which is 220 years ago!

For example, Rhoda Beeson/Crouch Anderson was born in 1805 and died in 1857. She is buried in the Rawles cemetery in Boonville. Her first husband was Isaac Beeson and their children were Henry, Martha and Isaac. (Henry Beeson was one of the soldiers in the California Bear Flag Revolt.) Her second husband was Walter Anderson (namesake of Anderson Valley; buried in Ukiah) and their children were Artemesia, Jane, Washington and Rhoda.

The Anderson Valley Cemetery District includes five public sites: Yorkville, Rawles-Babcock, Evergreen, Ingram and Shields also one private in Philo, the Ruddock. Valerie’s database includes; last name, first name, middle/other, maiden/nickname, birth month, birth date, birth year, death month, death date, death year, cemetery, plot, marker and brief notes. Also included on the back of the handout information on and how to use Findagrave.com. For more information contact Val Hanelt at [email protected] Valerie wants to give special recognition and thanks to the late Clyde Doggett former cemetery custodian for taking such good care of our loved ones’ graves. She also thanks Alicia Perez current cemetery custodian for the excellent job she does in keeping the grounds looking good and well cared for.

One presenter, perhaps reflecting an attitude some of us can relate to, said that most of his family members were in one corner of their family cemetery — “except for my brother who is over there in the other corner where he belongs.”

A reminder: On August 17th at 1 PM the Historical Society will celebrate the 45th anniversary of its dedication with a big party featuring Dean Titus and the Coyote Cowboys whose first band appearance was at that 1980 dedication ceremony. Lunch will be served 1-1:45; memories will be shared from 1:45-2:00 and the music will start at 2 and run to 4. Members are free; non-members $5. A great opportunity to check out our small but quite wonderful “Little Red Schoolhouse” museum.

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IN REDWOOD VALLEY, PG&E LAYS OUT BOLD PLANS — few show up to listen

by Monica Huettl

Turnout was sparse for Pacific Gas and Electric’s July 1 Open House at Eagle Peak Middle School in Redwood Valley — a missed opportunity for local residents to meet directly with PG&E leadership, including North Coast Regional Vice President Dave Canny.

The event, held inside the school’s gymnasium, featured a range of informational booths on wildfire prevention, vegetation management, customer support programs, and updates on the Potter Valley Project. Representatives were stationed around the room to answer questions and share materials with attendees.

Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project

PG&E’s plan to decommission the Potter Valley Project was a key topic. Tony Gigliotti, PG&E’s Senior Licensing Project Manager for Power Generation, was available to explain the utility’s surrender application and decommissioning timeline.

PG&E submitted its draft application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Jan. 31 and expects to file its final version on July 29. The utility plans to relinquish its license to generate hydroelectric power at the project and fully decommission both Scott and Cape Horn dams on the Eel River.

PG&E initially cited the project’s lack of profitability as the main reason for decommissioning. Later, an independent inspection reportedly deemed Scott Dam seismically unsafe. While critics argue that many dams in California face similar risks and question the urgency, PG&E maintains that the inspection was reviewed by FERC and the California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams and that the findings support their decision.

Many downstream water users who rely on the existing water diversion system have voiced strong opposition to the dam removal and proposed alternatives. On July 2, Cloverdale Mayor Todd Lands, a vocal critic of the plan, released a Facebook video claiming the dams are safe. Lands said he obtained copies of the inspection reports through a public records request.

When asked about the lack of silt mitigation plans, PG&E stated that those details would be addressed during the upcoming environmental review process. Once the final surrender application is submitted, state and federal environmental reviews will follow, during which PG&E will develop mitigation strategies over the next 12 to 18 months.

The construction timeline will ultimately depend on FERC’s response.

Customer Resource and Support Programs

PG&E highlighted assistance available for low-income customers, especially those impacted by repeated Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) or Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS) outages in recent years. Eligible customers may qualify for financial aid to purchase generators, batteries, or storage systems, and can apply for rate discounts and one-time payments of up to $1,000.

Other programs — such as budget billing, home energy assessments, and green energy financing — are available to all customers. More information is available on PG&E’s Financial Assistance and Energy Savings pages.

Wildfire Safety and Enhanced Powerline Equipment

PG&E has been replacing older infrastructure with EPSS equipment, which it says led to a 65% reduction in ignitions last year. These systems can detect hazards and shut off power automatically in a tenth of a second, triggering alerts to repair crews.

Upcoming Infrastructure Upgrades

From August to December 2025, PG&E will inspect underground gas lines on East Road in Redwood Valley and North State Street in Ukiah using robotic “pigs” — machines equipped with cameras and sensors. Temporary lines will ensure uninterrupted service during inspections.

From November 2025 to June 2026, gas mains in Willits’ Holly Street neighborhood will also be upgraded.

Additionally, new EPSS powerlines will be installed along East Road to Pru Road in Potter Valley.

Electrical Safety Demonstration with Retired Lineman Felix Morales

Retired PG&E lineman Felix Morales used a tabletop diorama to demonstrate power line hazards. He emphasized key safety tips, such as staying far from downed power lines — especially those caused by vehicle collisions — and avoiding contact with standing water or metal structures nearby.

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He also warned about the risks of mylar balloons, which can cause outages if they become tangled in power lines. Releasing them can result in liability for any resulting damage.

Another major takeaway: always call 811 before digging. “Electricity is always trying to go to ground,” Morales said, and damaging underground lines can result in injuries, fires, or financial liability.

Coordination with Fire Agencies

PG&E Public Safety Specialist Ron Karlen outlined how the utility collaborates with fire agencies such as Cal Fire and local Offices of Emergency Services. The company provides grant funding to Fire Safe Councils, which in turn support neighborhood-level fire mitigation efforts.

Karlen also explained PG&E’s Fire Potential Index (FPI), which is calculated daily using AI and data on weather, topography, and vegetation moisture to forecast fire risks up to five days in advance.

Vegetation Management and Contractor Complaints

PG&E contractors responsible for vegetation management have drawn criticism for poor communication, sloppy tree trimming, and leaving behind flammable slash piles. Karlen said the contractors are selected through competitive bids and are required to be licensed and insured.

To improve accountability, PG&E launched a free smartphone app called Report-It, which allows customers to upload photos and descriptions of unsafe conditions directly to PG&E’s safety team.

(mendofever.com)

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YOUR BLOOD ALCOHOL WAS HOW HIGH AND YOU STILL THOUGHT YOU WERE SAFE TO DRIVE?

A Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned from its deliberations in less than an hour Tuesday afternoon to announce it had found the trial defendant guilty as charged.

Defendant Julian Canul Tun, age 43, of Fort Bragg, was found guilty of driving his motor vehicle on South Corry Street in Fort Bragg in October 2024 under the influence of alcohol, and driving his motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater, both crimes being misdemeanors.

The jury also found true a special allegation charged by the DA that alleged that the defendant's blood alcohol concentration at the time of the driving was even higher -- .15 percent or greater.

The evidence heard by and explained to the jury was that the defendant's blood alcohol concentration was determined to be .31/.32 percent at the time he was driving.

The law enforcement agencies whose personnel provided witness testimony at this week's trial were the Fort Bragg Police Department and the California Department of Justice's forensic laboratory.

The prosecutor who presented the People's evidence to the jury was Deputy District Attorney Carla Ocodhain.

As a side note, this two-day trial was DDA Ocodhain's first jury trial both as an attorney and as a Mendocino County prosecutor. Congratulations, Carla.

Retired Mendocino County Superior Court Judge John Behnke, sitting on temporary assignment back in his old courtroom in Ukiah, presided over jury selection, the presentation of evidence, instructing the jury on the applicable law, and receiving the verdicts reached by the jury.

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WILLITS ASSAULT SUSPECT DIES AFTER BEING TASED BY DEPUTIES

Original Press Release:

On 06-05-2025 at approximately 07:02 P.M., the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center received a call from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) who requested Sheriff’s Office assistance for a call in the 2000 block of Hearst Willits Road in Willits.

CHP informed the Sheriff’s Office of a call they received regarding a hitchhiker who was picked up by a motorist in the area and the subjects were now involved in a physical fight. CHP Officers were responding to the call with an extended response time and Willits Police Department (WPD) Officers were also requested to assist. This investigation revealed the male subject had brutally assaulted the driver of the vehicle after he was offered a ride and entered the vehicle. This assault was unprovoked and resulted in injuries that caused the driver to be admitted into a local hospital.

A Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Deputy responded to the area and contacted a male adult subject walking in the middle of the roadway in the 1200 block of Hearst Willits Road. The male subject failed to comply with the lawful orders of law enforcement and immediately took a fighting stance and lunged at the Deputy. The Deputy pointed his department-issued Taser device at the subject while ordering the male to comply and surrender.

The Deputy moved away from the male in the roadway and attempted to speak with him and de-escalate the situation. The Deputy continued to employ de-escalation tactics that were ignored by the male.

The male subject fled along the north side of the roadway when a Sheriff’s Sergeant arrived to assist. The male subject ran into the brush north of the roadway as Sheriff’s Office personnel continued to order him to surrender. Multiple warnings were provided to the male subject that he would be Tased if he did not comply with their orders. During the attempts to lawfully arrest the male subject, Sheriff’s Office personnel utilized Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray.

The male subject moved onto his stomach, so Sheriff’s Office personnel attempted to place the subject in handcuffs. The male subject physically resisted attempts to place him into handcuffs and assaulted a Deputy so a Taser was deployed to overcome the resistance and arrest the individual.

Willits Police Department Officers arrived as Sheriff’s Office personnel continued to inform the male he was under arrest and ordered him to comply with the arrest.

Sheriff’s Deputies and WPD Officers removed the male from the brush and continued to attempt and place him into handcuffs as the male physically resisted. Law Enforcement personnel were able to eventually handcuff and arrest the male subject.

The male subject was monitored at the scene after being arrested and Law Enforcement personnel determined the male became unresponsive. Restraints were removed from the male as Law Enforcement provided emergency medical treatment at the scene. Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated by Law Enforcement personnel as emergency medical assistance was requested.

Law Enforcement personnel administered Narcan on the male subject and CPR was continued for approximately 5 minutes when emergency medical personal arrived at the scene. Fire and EMS personnel continued life-saving efforts, to include CPR and other emergency medical treatment. Life-saving efforts continued for approximately 25 additional minutes until the male subject was pronounced deceased by medical personnel at the scene.

Since the male subject was in the custody of law enforcement and died during the incident, the County-Wide Fatal-Incident Protocol was initiated. The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office was contacted and is the lead agency for this ongoing investigation.

A coroner’s investigation was initiated, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the official cause and manner of death. The decedent has been identified as a 36-year-old male from Willits, CA, but his name is not being released at this stage of the investigation.

Pursuant to Sheriff’s Office Policy, the two Sheriff’s Office personnel involved in this incident have been placed on paid administrative leave while this matter is being investigated.

Investigations are continuing regarding the crimes committed against the motorist who provided the subject a ride.

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Update, July 15, 2025

As a part of this continuing investigation being conducted by the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office, additional information is being released to provide the identity of the involved Mendocino County Sheriff's Office personnel and the identification of the decedent.

The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office employees involved in this incident on 06-05-2025 were Deputy Jesus Lopez and Sergeant Sam Logan. Deputy Lopez has approximately 5 years of law enforcement experience and Sergeant Logan has approximately 13.5 years of law enforcement experience. Both Deputy Lopez and Sergeant Logan have law enforcement experience in the Corrections and Patrol Divisions with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

During the coroner's investigation related to this incident, the decedent was identified as Nicholas Bakewell, a 36-year-old male from Willits.

Pursuant to California Assembly Bill 748, dispatch and video footage of this incident are being released publicly on the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office YouTube page.

The video release can be accessed by utilizing either of the following links:

https://youtu.be/XBzx08v3s7U

https://www.youtube.com/c/MendocinoSheriff

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SUPERVISOR JOHN HASCHAK:

When the board voted 4-1 (with me as the dissenting vote) to approve the Master Tax Sharing Agreement with the cities of Mendocino County, it was said at the time that it would be a big hit on the county’s budget. Since then, the City of Ukiah has been pursuing the annexation of large parts mostly north, south, and east of the city limits. The board again discussed the agreement and proposal on June 24, considering the pros and cons of this annexation. Mostly the pros are for the City of Ukiah, and the cons are for the county. The public was overwhelmingly against the proposal. The board was very skeptical of Ukiah’s plans. Two members of the Ukiah City Council said that they would go back and reconsider the proposal’s size and scope. They need to do that.

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MENDOCINO COUNTY REENTRY PROGRAM HOSTS OPEN HOUSE ON JULY 16

GEO Reentry Services and the Mendocino County Probation Department will host an open house at the Day Reporting Center for adults on Wednesday, July 16 from noon to 2 p.m. Local officials, Probation and center staff, community partners, current program participants and program alumni are invited to attend. Guests can learn about the reentry programs being offered and tour the facility.

Located at 579 Low Gap Road, the Mendocino County DRC serves individuals on probation and provides a structured combination of evidence-based programs, skill building, case management and community connections to help connect participants with resources and obtain essential needs. The program combines daily reporting with groups and treatment that focuses on sobriety and employment or full-time school enrollment when participants exit the program.

At the center, participants attend several groups, including substance abuse treatment; life skills development; cognitive behavioral treatment; parenting and family resources; emotional regulation and coping skills; employment skills building and career development counseling; and aftercare. Individuals move through phases at the center based on behavioral milestones.

Mendocino County opened the DRC in 2012 to focus on reducing the likelihood of reoffending, a long-term benefit to the community in reduced correctional costs and improving public safety. Since opening, the Mendocino County DRC participants have recidivated at a lower rate compared to a much higher rate statewide.

If you have any questions about the open house or the DRC, please contact Program Manager Jennifer Cook at 707-397-9800.

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CAL FIRE LAUNCHES ONLINE VIEWER TO MONITOR VEGETATION BURN SEVERITY FROM CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES

Interactive public mapping tool shows how wildfires have impacted vegetation across the state

CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP) has launched the new California Vegetation Burn Severity Online Viewer, an interactive public mapping tool that shows how wildfires have impacted vegetation across the state. This resource supports California’s commitment to transparency and wildfire resilience under Senate Bill 1101.

The Burn Severity Viewer displays burn severity data for all wildfires over 1,000 acres in California from 2015 to 2023. With this information easily accessible, landowners, planners, scientists, and the public are empowered to better understand postfire conditions, support ecological recovery, and plan for future fire resilience.

“This tool helps Californians see and understand how fire affects our landscapes,” said Chris Keithley, Assistant Deputy Director for FRAP. “It gives communities data to support efforts to plan prescribed burns, guide restoration work, and reduce future wildfire risk.”

The Burn Severity Viewer has several benefits to post fire recovery planning: 1) helps identify areas in need of reforestation or active restoration; 2) improves fire preparedness by assisting prescribed fire practitioners in planning treatments based on past burn severity and fuel changes; 3) enhances safety by offering insights for fire suppression planning and understanding how previous burns might influence future fire behavior; 4) informs habitat management by identifying changes to wildlife habitat and supporting conservation work.

This new tool features interactive maps showing burn severity across all land ownerships. Users can search fires by name, year, cause, or size; view multiple data layers, including fire perimeters and severity classifications; add custom data layers; and generate downloadable, georeferenced maps for field use. The viewer will be updated annually to include new qualifying fires.

Burn severity is measured using advanced remote sensing techniques and translated into both the Composite Burn Index (CBI) for forested areas and a continuous severity scale for all vegetation types. Data are derived from satellite imagery processed one year after each fire to account for vegetation recovery and delayed tree mortality.

This marks Phase 1 of the project, focused on the online viewer with planned annual updates. Phase 2 will deliver downloadable datasets as CAL FIRE continues to refine methods, especially for non-forested landscapes.

The viewer is now live and available to the public: https://gis.data.ca.gov/datasets/CALFIRE-Forestry::california-vegetation-burn-severity-data-online-viewer-web-app

For more information about CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program visit the webpage: https://hub-calfire-forestry.hub.arcgis.com/datasets/california-vegetation-burn-severity-data-online-viewer-web-app

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THE FLOODGATE STORE

Our store inventory continues to grow!

We have an assortment of grab and go meals and snacks, paninis, good coffee available hot or cold brewed, iced tea and lemonade, camping and picnic supplies, and more! A lot of our food is made or can be made gluten free, including our paninis!

Coming soon we will have espresso drinks, ice cream, milkshakes, and smoothies!

Stop by and check us out!

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ART ON THE LAWN

Celebrate community, art, music, and fun in a collaboration with the Mendocino Art Center. This invitational showing and sale of original art comes from jewelers, painters, printmakers, collagists, ceramic artists, and more, created by your own friends and neighbors! Check out the art and good vibes, including live music from Angie Hienman of the Blushin Roulettes! Saturday July 26, from 11am to 5pm at the MAC gallery entrance, 45200 Little Lake St. in Mendocino. For more information please email [email protected].

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MENDOCINO COUNTY FAIR ENTRY DEADLINE REMINDER

Paper entry forms are due by August 15; online entries are due by August 28.

(Terry Sites)

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BIG RIVER SAWMILL

The third Mendocino sawmill was constructed in 1864 on the site of the second, which had been destroyed by fire the year before. Located near the east end of Big River Beach, this final mill was a two-story structure with saws operating on the upper floor and a planing mill below. For decades, it was the beating heart of Mendocino’s economy, running almost continuously with only brief shutdowns, until the hardships of the Great Depression brought production to a halt.

From 1931 to 1934, the mill sat idle. It reopened intermittently over the next two years, but operations remained uncertain, and by 1936 it was closed once again. Then, in August 1938, the mill was unexpectedly brought back to life. A massive raft of logs being towed from Washington to San Diego had broken apart offshore, and the drifting timber posed a serious threat to navigation. The salvaged logs were brought to Mendocino Bay, and the old mill sawed them into lumber. When the last log was cut and the remaining timber in the Boom was processed, the saws fell silent forever on November 30, 1938.

In January 1945, the Harrah Brothers Machine Works of Willits purchased the long-dormant mill for dismantling. But tragedy struck in the early hours of December 12, when fire swept through what was left of the structure. As the Mendocino Beacon reported, “The mill was being dismantled by Joe Harrah from Willits, and he had been more than cautious about fire. He had taken most of the machinery out of the mill but there still remained a quantity of valuable equipment.” The blaze destroyed everything that remained, including the south side band mill, a stock of new parts stored in the old storehouse, and the massive engine with its flywheel.

The destruction marked the final chapter in the story of the Mendocino mill, an industrial landmark that had shaped the town’s identity and livelihood for nearly a century.

(Kelley House Museum)

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Tuesday, July 15, 2025

JAMES BEARDEN, 35, Ukiah. Corporal injury to spouse by strangulation or suffocation, child endangerment.

KATHERINE BOWES, 35, Covelo. Failure to appear.

ANDRES EMERY, 27, Ukiah. Domestic abuse, domestic violence court order violation.

JASON FRYMAN, 40, Willits. DUI with priors, suspended license for DUI, failure to appear.

PETE CONZALES, 23, Fort Bragg. Battery on peace officer.

JUAN GONZALEZ, 39, Cloverdale/Ukiah. Burglary, grand theft, conspiracy.

ALANNA HARRIS, 36, Willits. DUI-any drug with priors, narcotics for sale, under influence, paraphernalia.

EMMA HARRISON, 38, Willits. Under influence, controlled substance, paraphernalia.

DEVAUN JOHNSON, 25, Ukiah. Arson, attempt to aid, counsel or procure arson, disobeying court order.

LUIS MAGANA-ALVAREZ, 26, Ukiah. Burglary, grand theft, concealed dirk dagger, conspiracy, probation revocation.

DARIN MOFFETT, 55, Comptche. Domestic abuse.

LEE RUPERT, 49, Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.

PETER SAARI, 62, Ukiah. Paraphernalia, parole violation.

KIMBERLEE WALKER, 61, McKinleyville/Ukiah. DUI.

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THE PROB

Warmest spiritual greetings,

Identified with Parabrahman.

The problem with living in this world, is in being identified with the body and the mind. The solution to this problem is to be identified with that which is prior to consciousness, which automatically frees one from the travails of daily life situations. Identification with the appearance of daily life is to be rotting in the quagmire of samsara; it does not matter what one's role is in any given worldly situation. Objectively observing, and deeper still, being one with the nameless formless Absolute, is freedom. Simple as that.

Craig Louis Stehr

Adam's Place Homeless Shelter

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MISUSE OF CEQA

Editor,

The California Environmental Quality Act states that government officials, must order an impact report when “there is substantial evidence that a project may have a significant effect on the environment.” That sounds good to me.

Many housing proposals do not have a significant impact on the environment. Considering that, officials should not use CEQA to deny a project. I think the dominant governmental practice is that substantial evidence of significant impact exists, merely when a group of constituents says it does. They are the only evidence; their very opposition defines “significance.”

The article cited some of the environmental opposition to CEQA reform because of a jeopardized ecosystem and destruction of coastal habitat. If a housing project causes those threats then, of course, environmental assessment and project denial are justified. Most lands suitable for housing do not.

History shows that CEQA is one of the many tools local government uses to delay and stop projects. The housing supply problem is primarily the result of constituent objections and policy-makers agreeing. A council candidate will rarely be elected.

I think misused CEQA has been instrumental in housing shortage. Reform legislation is essential.

Angelo Siracusa

Larkspur

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INDIGENOUS YOUTH COMPLETE FIRST DESCENT OF UNDAMMED KLAMATH RIVER FROM SOURCE TO SEA

by Dan Bacher

On July 11, several dozen Indigenous youth from the Klamath Basin and beyond completed a historic 310-mile, month-long source-to-sea “first descent” of the recently undammed Klamath River beginning in Oregon and ending at the mouth of the river on the Yurok Reservation.…

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/14/2333382/-Indigenous-youth-complete-first-descent-of-undimmed-Klamath-River

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Old age, after all,

is merely the punishment

for having lived.

— Emil Cioran

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NEW INVADER THREATENS CALIFORNIA WATER SUPPLIES

by Rachel Becker

One of the state’s best investigators was on the hunt for golden mussels — a dangerous new invader in California’s waters, with a reputation for destruction.

Wearing a collar and a tongue-lolling grin, Allee, a Belgian Malinois, sniffed along the glittering hull of a bass boat at an inspection station in Butte County.

The dog’s handler, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden Mark Rose, pointed at the outboard motor and the dog delicately nosed the propellers. She stretched up on her hind legs to get a good whiff of the port side before Rose led her away. She yawned. Nothing here.

The dog was searching for any hint of the thimble-sized mussels hidden in the nooks and crannies of boats headed to Lake Oroville, the state’s second-largest reservoir, or two smaller reservoirs nearby. Her human counterparts at the Department of Water Resources’ inspection station combed the boat’s interior for standing water that could harbor larvae.

Mandatory boat inspections are among the few weapons in California’s arsenal for protecting its thousands of lakes and reservoirs from the invasion. The mussels’ prolific growth and voracious appetites can upend entire ecosystems, encrust underwater surfaces, choke off water supplies and damage dams and power plants.

“We have been on high alert,” said Tanya Veldhuizen, special projects section manager in the California Department of Water Resources’ environmental assessment branch, which operates the state’s water delivery system. “It’s not just on our doorstep, it’s in our house.”

State water managers made the alarming discovery last October that golden mussels, which are native to China and Southeast Asia, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta — the core of California’s massive water delivery systems. It marked the first detection in North America.

The mussels, first discovered encrusting a float near the Port of Stockton, have already infiltrated California’s two major state and federal water systems, which export water from the Delta to supply 30 million people and millions of acres of farmland. Their larvae are spreading through the network of pumps, pipes and canals.

“To everyone’s horror, it was in many, many more places than we expected,” said Ted Grosholz, a professor emeritus with the UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute. “The further they looked, the further they found them.”

Now the mussels are here to stay. They cannot be eradicated. Water suppliers bracing for the onslaught have instead turned their efforts to shoring up pipes, pumps and treatment plants against the infestation.

The state’s most immediate priority is protecting the small pipes at upstream pumping facilities that keep water deliveries flowing, then they’ll move their efforts downstream, Veldhuizen said.

“It is a huge undertaking,” Veldhuizen said. “We’re not looking at removing mussels from all the water, because it’s just not feasible.”

The race is on to keep the mussels and their microscopic larvae from infesting untainted lakes by stowing away on hulls or inside damp, internal cavities of boats.

But resources are stretched precariously thin. There is no funding dedicated to fighting invasive golden mussels in the state’s budget. And each new infestation means one more place from which they can spread.

Boaters statewide are warned to “clean, drain and dry” anything that touches water before moving it to another lake or river. Microscopic larvae can survive in tiny amounts of trapped water. Adult mussels may survive for around a week or longer with no water at all.

Water managers in some lakes and reservoirs now require inspections, quarantine periods and decontamination with hot water before boats can enter. Others have closed or limited access to boating. But a patchwork of oversight leaves many lakes with no protection at all.

‘Oh, Look What We Found’ — The Hunt For Mussels

Allee, with her sensitive snout and devotion to Rose, is one of the state’s more finely-honed weapons against this invasion. But she is one of only 14 dogs with the wildlife agency trained to detect invasive mussels, Rose said. And she is also tasked with sniffing out the guns, ammunition and kills of wildlife poachers farther north in Tehama County, where Rose is the only game warden for nearly 3,000 square miles.

A state and federal mussels task force released recommendations in April, including mandatory decontamination of boats in infested areas for longer than five days and prevention programs at all accessible, uninfested waters. But these are monumental tasks, especially amid federal staff cuts and the state’s $12 billion budget deficit. California’s fish and wildlife agency, for instance, is severely understaffed, with only 33% of the resources needed to fulfill its law enforcement duties and 26% needed for habitat and species conservation, according to a 2021 analysis mandated by the Legislature.Even so, Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting 164 vacant positions at the department this year, including wardens and other enforcement positions, according to HD Palmer with the Department of Finance. Lawmakers rejected the cuts for now, but the finance department said the budget does not provide funding to fight golden mussels.“Everybody’s under fire,” UC Davis’ Grosholz said. “It’s not a great time for resource agencies to suddenly have a brand new threat.”

At the Department of Water Resources’ Oroville inspection station last month, trucks hauling expensive fishing boats and beat-up skiffs rolled over the dusty parking lot at the Thermalito Forebay, a smaller, downstream reservoir. The boats that passed Allee’s smell test and neon-vested inspectors were recorded and tagged, then sent to the open ramps. Boats that failed because they were still wet — even wet cupholders and life jackets can trigger a failure — were sent to a decontamination station, where they were sprayed and flushed with steaming water. Inspection stations set up by multiple agencies have already intercepted boats contaminated with golden mussels bound for lakes Tahoe, Folsom, Berryessa and Oroville. Leaning against his sailboat at an Oroville boat ramp, boater Dean Dyrr said inspectors spotted mussels on the boat right next to his when his sailboat was checked at the Thermalito Forebay in May.“They were like, ‘Oh, look what we found!’ and it was a handful of mussels,” Dyrr said as his wife loaded up their boat with supplies and water. Lake Oroville glinted against the dry, oak-studded foothills, and dozens of boats bobbed on its surface.

When mussels are found, the boat is pressure-washed and flushed with hot water, then confirmed free of mussels before it can be launched at the lake.

“The program’s actually working. They’re actually doing some good to keep the mussels out of the water” at Oroville, Dyrr said. “Don’t know what they’re doing with all the other thousands of lakes around that they’re not monitoring, though.”

Various authorities — federal, state, local and private — manage access to California’s lakes and reservoirs. Of particular concern are the lakes and waterways that are not fed by Delta water, because they have the best chance of being spared infestations.Around thirty lakes and reservoirs have inspection programs and quarantine requirements of up to 60 days, and a handful have limited or barred access to boats, according to the state’s Division of Boating and Waterways’ analysis of a list they maintain. The division warns, however, that the list is not comprehensive and is kept as a courtesy with the limited staff that they have; boaters are advised to contact lakes and reservoirs to confirm. Among the biggest gaps in oversight are federally-managed Whiskeytown and Shasta lakes. Shasta Lake is the biggest reservoir in the state, and both are popular with boaters. Neither have mandatory inspection programs. “If golden mussels are detected in Shasta Lake, we will reassess the current approach and consider additional measures,” a spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service said in an email. The agency asks boaters to voluntarily dry their boats for five days between visits to local North State lakes like Shasta and Whiskeytown, and 30 days if entering the lakes from outside the area. Laura Shaskey, division lead of resource management and interpretation with the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, said voluntary inspections are offered during peak visiting periods. The inspection programs that do exist are costly and labor intensive. Lake Tahoe’s has been in place since 2008, after invasive quagga mussels breached California’s borders. But golden mussels are more ecologically nimble than previous invaders, and can survive in a much bigger range of waters. So the threat that they pose to Lake Tahoe is even greater, said Jeff Cowen, a spokesperson for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

The agency has budgeted $1.1 million this fiscal year for its mandatory inspection program, which now also requires decontamination for boats entering on trailers. Boaters launching for the first time in Tahoe will need to pay a $115 registration fee for the year, plus $30 to $60 decontamination fees each time the boat returns from another lake. Kayaks, paddleboards and other hand-launched boats can skip the line and be decontaminated for free. At Folsom Lake and Lake Clementine, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and California State Parks require boaters to quarantine their boats for 30 days after inspection before they can enter the water, or pay a company for decontamination. By mid-June, staff braving sometimes sweltering weather had inspected more than 7,000 boats in just two months. But for all the expense and effort, there are still too many ways for boats to leave the Delta with invasive stowaways, and too few resources to stop them. There are also traces of DNA that suggest golden mussels had already invaded the Delta more than a year before they were first spotted near the Port of Stockton, Veldhuizen said. “There is the real potential that watercraft have moved golden mussels out of the Delta, and my fear is that we will begin to see detections outside of that interconnected water,” Martha Volkoff, environmental program manager for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Invasive Species Program, said at a recent webinar. Still, Volkoff told CalMatters, it is worth trying to slow the spread as much as possible. California has done it before: Quagga mussels are thought to have spread to only two unconnected bodies of water since they were first discovered in Southern California’s Colorado River Aqueduct in 2007. “There’s so much to protect yet,” Volkoff said. “Yes, it’s a lot of work, but the long-term savings — to the environment and to all the other ways that it costs us — is investment well spent, even if we just delay new introductions.” Rose, in his K-9 unit vest, led Allee toward a pickup hauling an aluminum fishing boat when the driver rattled away, kicking up dust. The boat had not been inspected; the lake he was heading to — Collins Lake, in Yuba County — doesn’t require them. “There’s just too many boats and too many people out there to not miss them. It’s physically impossible,” Rose said. Another boat pulled up, and Allee happily trotted over.

Boaters Upset About Long Dry-Outs

About 25 miles away in the Sierra foothills, Collins Lake brimmed with campers on a Friday afternoon in June. People lounged on the sandy beach and paddled on kayaks and floats. A handful of fishing boats bobbed in the deeper water.

A sign at the lake’s boat ramp warned “Don’t Move A Mussel. Clean. Drain. Dry.” It was a precaution against the older threats of quagga and zebra mussels, and hadn’t been updated yet to include the state’s newest invader.

There was no one checking boats at the ramp, though — which had drawn Mark Mezzanares and his friend Sonny Steuart to the lake. The retirees from Colfax were put off by the 30-day dry-out periods required at Folsom Lake in Sacramento County and Rollins Lake in Nevada County, though boaters who want to fast-track entry can pay for disinfection.

“I’m not gonna go sit over there and have my boat sit in the freaking driveway for 30 days and then go fishing once,” Mezzanares said. Rollins’ quarantine is an even more stringent 60 days for boats with bilges, ballasts and live water tanks that could carry stowaways.

“You don’t buy and spend $45,000 on a boat to go to one lake,” he said. They wished the state offered a pass that allowed boats cleared for one lake to visit others.

It’s a common refrain among boaters who chafe at the new restrictions. Maggie Macias, a spokesperson for the Department of Water Resources, said in an email they are discussing a pass program from Lake Oroville with other lake managers, but will need to ensure that any potential partners have rigorous inspections — and don’t already have mussels in the water themselves.

Those whose livelihoods depend on keeping lakes open for visitors are facing a difficult new reality. Jacob Young, the general manager of Collins Lake recreation area, is leaving it up to the boaters to ensure their boats are clean, drained and dry — at least for now.

“You can just sense a lot of that frustration that they’re feeling, like, ‘This is ridiculous,’” Young said. “And the same token, you get some people who might say, ‘Man, you’re not doing any golden mussel inspections? How could you not be doing that and making sure you’re staying safe?’”

At the boat ramp, water poured from the motor of a cherry-red bass boat that visitor Dan Jacobs had just hauled off the lake. Jacobs said he wished California had a network of courtesy decontamination stations like the ones offered in Minnesota to combat the spread of invasive zebra mussels, instead of lengthy quarantines.

“One of the rare times our tax dollars were spent wisely,” he said.

For him, the risk to Collins Lake feels personal; he and his wife camped there decades ago, when he was stationed at Beale Air Force Base, and now their children and grandchildren return for family camping trips.

“As bad as the mussels are, it makes you kind of nervous,” he said. “All it takes is one person to screw it up for everyone.”

(CalMatters.org)

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WANG DANG DOODLE

by Willie Dixon (1960)

Tell Automatic Slim
Tell Razor Totin' Jim
Tell Butcher Knife Totin' Annie
Tell Fast Talking Fanny
We gonna pitch a ball
A down to that union hall
We gonna romp and tromp till midnight
We gonna fuss and fight till daylight
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle
All night long

Tell Kudu-Crawlin' Red
Tell Abyssinian Ned
Tell ol' Pistol Pete
Everybody gonna meet
Tonight we need no rest
We really gonna throw a mess
We gonna to break out all of the windows
We gonna kick down all the doors
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle
All night long

Tell Fats and Washboard Sam
That everybody gonna to jam
Tell Shaky and Boxcar Joe
We got sawdust on the floor
Tell Peg and Caroline Dye
We gonna have a time
When the fish scent fill the air
There'll be snuff juice everywhere
We gonna pitch a wang dang doodle
All night long

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RECORD-BREAKING SF TOWER PROPOSAL WOULD DWARF ANY OTHER WEST COAST BUILDING

It would surpass Salesforce Tower by about 155 feet

by Kasia Pawloska

A major developer has filed plans that would dramatically reshape San Francisco’s skyline.

On Friday, Houston-headquartered global real estate investment and development firm Hines submitted a proposal for a 1,225-foot office tower at the former PG&E headquarters at 77 Beale St., surpassing Salesforce Tower by about 155 feet; it could become the tallest building not just in the city but on the entire West Coast. The plan was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)

Hines acquired the full-block PG&E/Matson property — bound by Beale, Main, Market and Mission streets — for $800 million in 2021, according to the Chronicle. Initially pitched as a redevelopment called the “Atlas Block Campus,” the plans included a new office tower, a residential high-rise and the restoration of historic buildings. As SF YIMBY reported in 2022, those earlier plans would have made 50 Main St. the second-tallest building in the city. But that vision has since evolved.

In an email to SFGATE, a spokesperson for Hines called the PG&E/Matson Block “a significant investment towards the revitalization of downtown San Francisco and a catalytic project that demonstrates momentum and confidence in the city.” The updated proposal would restore the two original historic buildings — 215 and 245 Market St. — while retaining their architectural character. Together, they would make up 300,000 square feet of office space, along with ground-floor retail space.

The existing tower at 77 Beale St. would be demolished and replaced with a modern, record-breaking structure with 1.65 million square feet of office space. The spokesperson for Hines said the new tower would replace 1.3 million square feet of “obsolete office space” with something more in line with current demands that would transform the “gated, inaccessible” block into “a vibrant, activated open space, creating pedestrian pathways and gathering areas, like other successful downtown plazas.” That reimagining also includes a light-filled public garden.

Additionally, the firm is proposing to convert the historic 25 Beale St. building — which is currently used for offices — into up to 120 residential units. It also plans to add new restaurant and retail spaces throughout the block.

“The PG&E/Matson Block project encapsulates Hines’ belief in the strength of the San Francisco real estate market in the coming years,” the Hines spokesperson said in the email. “We look forward to working closely with the City and community stakeholders during this period and steering the development forward into its next chapter as a top-quality, innovative project that will be a significant, long-term investment towards the revitalization of downtown San Francisco.”

No new office towers are currently under construction in San Francisco, but developers believe demand will return for high-end workspaces — like The Cove at 525 Market St. SFGATE previously reported on the recently opened $20 million luxury co-working floor, which features a cryolounge, infrared sauna, curated dining and a host of other amenities intended to draw workers back downtown.

(SFGate.com)

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C-WIN: THE REAL COST OF NEWSOM'S DELTA TUNNEL COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM $60 TO $100 BILLION

by Dan Bacher

As Californian salmon and Delta fish populations collapse because of massive water diversions and other factors, the California Water Impact Network has submitted written testimony and a detailed report to a hearing of the State Water Resources Control Board blasting Governor Newsom’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project (DCP) for being “overvalued, under-analyzed and a massive blow to ratepayers and the environment.”  

In 2024, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) estimated the cost of the project, also known as the Delta Tunnel, at $20.1 billion in undiscounted 2023 dollars. Water agencies and their ratepayers that receive water from the State Water Project (SWP) are supposed to pay for the project costs.

But economic experts reveal that the real costs, if the tunnel was built, would add up to many times that estimate. In reality, the Delta Tunnel could cost anywhere from $60 to over $100 billion.…

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/14/2333351/-C-WIN-The-real-cost-of-Newsom-s-Delta-Tunnel-could-be-anywhere-from-60-to-100-billion

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BIG, BEAUTIFUL DISASTERS

To the Editor:

As yet another flood kills scores of Americans and devastates vast swaths of America, let the record reflect that the G.O.P.’s “big, beautiful bill” gutted key federal efforts to address the climate change that is the root cause of such environmental carnage.

My prayers and thoughts are with the dead, their families and the ravaged communities, but I also pray that Americans stop acting like sheep and do more to work with the rest of the world to tackle the climate change that is causing levels of destruction that will only get worse. Failure to do so will make us complicit in this unfolding tragedy.

William August

Cambridge, Massachusetts

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WHY SHOULD I CRY FOR YOU?

by Gordon Sumner (1991)

Under the dog-star sail
Over the reefs of moonshine
Under the skies of fall
North-north-west, the stones of Faroe
Under the Arctic fire
Over the seas of silence
Hauling on frozen ropes
For all my days remaining
Would north be true?

All colours bleed to red
Asleep on the ocean's bed
Drifting in empty seas
For all my days remaining
Would north be true?
Why should I, why should I cry for you?
Dark angels follow me
Over a godless sea
Mountains of endless falling
For all my days remaining

What would be true?
Sometimes I see your face,
The stars seem to lose their place
Why must I think of you?
Why must I? Why should I?
Why should I cry for you?
Why would you want me to?
And what would it mean to say,
'I loved you in my fashion?'
What would be true?
Why should I, why should I cry for you?
Why should I cry?

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ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I believe Trump thinks he has things well in hand… he just doesn't know which hand or how many hands he has. Old boy is confused and it becomes more apparent every day.

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LEAD STORIES, WEDNESDAY'S NYT

Rising Inflation Underscores Risks in Trump’s New Tariff Threats

Supreme Court Keeps Ruling in Trump’s Favor, but Doesn’t Say Why

State Dept. Layoffs Hit Russia and Ukraine Analysts

H.H.S. Finalizes Thousands of Layoffs After Supreme Court Decision

As Iran Deports a Million Afghans, ‘Where Do We Even Go?

Libraries Pay More for E-Books. Some States Want to Change That

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HARLEY LEIBER:

It took a person as audacious as a Trump to check all the boxes and show that "The strength of American democracy has been revealed to be something akin to the power of the Wizard of Oz: seemingly all powerful but in fact much weaker than almost anyone imagined". He started slowly, testing the limits and trampling small stuff, then, observed the response (impotent and unwilling to challenge) and moved onto the big stuff, i.e wealth transfer, cuts to Medicaid, mass immigration roundups and deportations, cutting of USAID, on and on. Unstoppable it seems. One could argue that his behavior is now seen as acceptable. A way of "just a way of getting things done". The possible roadblocks or impediments like the midterms, civil suits and maybe the Epstein mess, are out there on the horizon for sure, but the damage is being done.

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THE EPSTEIN FILES, A PERFECT RECIPE FOR CONSPIRACY THEORIES

The disturbing facts and unsubstantiated suspicions make Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender, a politically potent obsession.

by Devlin Barrett

The assertion by Elon Musk last month that Donald J. Trump was named in the F.B.I. files concerning the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein signaled a loud, public crack in the president’s support system.

That crack has become a chasm in recent days after the administration suddenly reversed course on its longstanding promises to reveal previously unknown details of the investigation into Mr. Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges before his death in 2019.

The remaining files, administration officials suggested, included a “client list” that many involved in the case insist never existed. Suddenly, some of Mr. Trump’s most ardent and outspoken supporters declared that they smelled a cover-up, even if they did not agree on who was involved or why.

Over the weekend, Mr. Trump urged his supporters to move on, imploring them on social media not to “waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.”

The still unfolding fallout from the Trump administration’s decision to keep the files secret highlights the ways in which Mr. Epstein is a more politically potent figure now than when he killed himself six years ago in a Manhattan jail cell.

Mr. Epstein paid teenage girls money to perform sex acts, and used his onetime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to recruit and manage his stable of victims.

An F.B.I. and Florida police investigation led to his indictment in 2006. Two years later he pleaded guilty in state court to two felony charges, including soliciting a minor, in a deal that avoided federal charges that could have meant far more serious prison time.

A series of articles years later by The Miami Herald revealed how the criminal justice system had bent over backward for Mr. Epstein, despite the reams of evidence against him.

In 2019, he was arrested by federal agents in the New York area, accused of trafficking dozens of girls, some as young as 14, and engaging in sex acts with them. The authorities say he hanged himself in a jail cell while awaiting trial.

Ms. Maxwell, for her part, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 of conspiring with Mr. Epstein for nearly a decade to aid his abuse.

The very nature of the charges against Mr. Epstein contributed to some of the confusion about what he did. By calling him a sex trafficker, federal officials left many with the impression that Mr. Epstein was selling children to others to be abused, but that was never part of the criminal case against him.

The case has many of the real-life elements that fuel speculation and propel conspiracy theories: a rich, politically connected person getting away with horrific crimes for years, an apparent unwillingness by government officials to punish the offenders, and then a sudden death under seemingly suspicious circumstances.

The Epstein case offers a unique new twist on those elements. Conservatives seized on Mr. Epstein’s acquaintance with former President Bill Clinton, while liberals point to his yearslong friendship with Mr. Trump and his death in custody during Mr. Trump’s first term.

While Mr. Epstein’s death heightened suspicions of government from liberals and conservatives alike, Mr. Trump’s supporters have publicly embraced the notion that he would finally expose sordid crimes by elites against children. The Epstein obsession became just the latest and strongest iteration of other conspiratorial notions that have captivated Trump loyalists over the years, including outlandish and shadowy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate, both of which involved specious allegations of child molestation.

In an unsigned memo last week, the Justice Department and the F.B.I. said that the Epstein files did not contain the kind of evidence that would justify investigating other people. The video recordings of child sexual abuse material found by investigators were not, as some have suggested, videos that Mr. Epstein recorded of crimes by himself or his friends, but material he downloaded, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

So what is in the material that Ms. Bondi and Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, have refused to release?

F.B.I. files about the rich and famous tend to be a mix of real intelligence, strange rumors and absurd speculation. For example, federal agents once entertained the notion that Frank Sinatra was in a secret conspiracy with his dentist, as they sought to determine whether the singer and actor was a communist sympathizer.

Contrary to what Mr. Musk suggested, merely being mentioned in an F.B.I. file is not by itself incriminating, since such files often contain witness statements, victim information and bad tips. And a wealth of reporting shows that Mr. Epstein and Mr. Trump were friends for years who saw each other frequently at high-society parties in Florida and New York.

In a 2002 interview with New York magazine, Mr. Trump called Mr. Epstein a “terrific guy” whom he had known for 15 years. Mr. Trump added, “It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”

Two years later, though, in November 2004, the two ended up competing to buy a Florida estate out of a bankruptcy. Mr. Trump ultimately outbid Mr. Epstein for the property.

There is little public record of the two men interacting after that real estate battle. Mr. Trump sold the property four years later to a Russian businessman, getting more than double what he paid for it.

Not long after the November auction, the police in Palm Beach fielded a tip that young women had been observed going in and out of Mr. Epstein’s home, the police chief said in a deposition.

Four months later, the police received a more substantive complaint, from a woman who said her teenage stepdaughter had been paid by Mr. Epstein to give him a massage while she was undressed, according to a police report. That led to an investigation that later identified at least a dozen potential victims.

Mr. Epstein survived that investigation with his fortune and freedom largely unscathed. His 2019 arrest, followed by his death in custody, gave new meaning to a case that had posed disturbing questions about the role that money and influence play in criminal cases.

(NY Times)

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THE PROPHET BUSINESS

by James Gleick

Invited to compose a message for posterity to be buried in a time capsule at the 1939 New York World’s Fair and opened 5,000 years later, Albert Einstein sounded a dour tone: ‘Anyone who thinks about the future must live in fear and terror.’

His gloom must have disappointed the sponsor, the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which was promoting the fair’s theme, “The World of Tomorrow,” alongside other paragons of American industry. The Ford Motor Company featured the road of tomorrow, the Borden Dairy Company had the dairy world of tomorrow, and, most popular of all, General Motors presented Futurama, where visitors lined up for an eighteen-minute ride on a conveyer belt across an imagined landscape said to represent the marvels to come in the year 1960. Life magazine said it was “full of a tanned and vigorous people, who in 20 years have learned to have fun.” As they left, each visitor received a badge that read, “I have seen the future.” They really hadn’t.

Einstein was thinking about the looming war, of course, as was Thomas Mann, whose time capsule message was, “We know now that the idea of the future as a ‘better world’ was a fallacy of the doctrine of progress.” Awkward, considering that progress was on display from more than a thousand exhibitors.

The whole enterprise celebrated futurity. Participants claimed to be “selling ideas,” not just products. As Glenn Adamson frames it in his insightful new history, ‘A Century of Tomorrows,’ they were engaging in a “kind of futurology.” Their crystal ball was rose-colored; their vision utopian. Nowadays the utopians are, to put it mildly, out of fashion.

The World’s Fair told a white story. Black Americans were invisible, implicitly omitted from the “tanned and vigorous” and explicitly excluded from the fair’s workforce except as maids and porters. The white press did not remark on this, but Black organizers did, and they counterprogrammed an American Negro Exposition in Chicago, taking note of the 75th anniversary of emancipation.

The Black World’s Fair, as it was known, projected a contrasting view of the future, rooted in a different knowledge of the past. Highlighting Black artists from slavery to the present, the Exhibition of the Art of the American Negro emphasized a social realism that ‘goes beneath the jazzy, superficial show of things,’ as the writer and philosopher Alain Locke put it. It represented hunger; it represented lynching. It reminded its visitors that the future is not a destination awaiting our arrival but rather, as Adamson writes, “a perpetual battlefield of ideas.”

The future shown at the New York World’s Fair was a future of technology as humanity’s helpmeet. It embodied “the presumption that a well-designed, well-oiled machine, once up and running, cannot help but produce a better world,” Adamson writes. At the alternative in Chicago, the organizers were voicing another kind of futurology, one that developed alongside mechanistic thinking, counterbalanced it, and to some extent even contradicted it. A machine is autonomous, defined by its own internal operations, self-regulating and self-propelling. Step back a bit, though, and what looks like a marvel begins to seem monstrous.

(New York Review of Books)

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