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INLAND TEMPERATURES will trend lower with the arrival of cloud cover and isolated showers. Thunderstorm activity is expected through Saturday. A sharp warmup will begin Monday and peak Tuesday and taper off through the end of the work week. Additional showers will be possible early to mid next week. (NWS)
STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): My clear skies at 4am sure did not last long yesterday, ahem. I have cloudy skies & 53F this Friday morning on the coast, at 4am I might add, sky cover often changes by sunrise. A chance of a sprinkle but generally mixed skies into next week.
CHURCH RUMMAGE SALE in Ukiah, September 19 and 20, 9am-3pm
STUDENT ATHLETES SHOW COURAGE AND KINDNESS
by Carole Hester
A serious accident occurred at the Piner High School football field during a game between the Piner Prospectors and the Willits Wolverines.
In the second quarter of the Varsity game, a very frightening and sad event occurred, which was almost tragic.
Kam Kerr-Cobb, a Piner athlete running in full gear, was run off the football field and flattened the Willits High School Team Manager, Ep Beltran, who never saw “it” coming.
There was immediately an eerie silence and many tears as Beltran was not breathing. The Medics revived him. He rested as the teams finished the second quarter. A short time into the third quarter, Beltran fell down with no pulse.
“This time, things were scary and serious as the rescue workers resuscitated Ep once again,” explained Willits Team Coach Gary Cavender.
“There was much fear as the football players and coaches were moved down the field for a helicopter landing. There was much bewilderment as the Willits Team Manager was loaded onto an emergency helicopter and flown to Santa Rosa Sutter Hospital. There were hugs and tears everywhere as medics, along with one of our firefighter coaches, resuscitated Ep. Everyone was afraid. Some of the student athletes from Willits, along with Kam from Piner, were borderline hysterical. It became a Spiritual moment very quickly. People were comforting and trying to encourage one another,” he explained.
Both teams, along with cheerleaders and parents, came together at the center of the football field, where moments earlier, there was much sweat, aggression, and competition.
“Now there was a quiet unity and oneness. We prayed together, and there was a great loving concern amongst all. Kam and a few Willits players still could not settle or let go of the fear for Ep’s life. Little did we know that later, Kam and his mom would be sitting with Ep in his hospital room, so happy with all the good treatment and prayers Ep received. He was sitting upright, ready to go home within the next 36-40 hours! Praise God, Ep is now back on the Willits’ football field helping the players and coaches for the next competition.”
Summer Foster, a Piner Mom, felt compelled to write and tell the Willits coaches and administrators, “What an awesome organization you and your team are running. As a Piner Prospector Mother, I often see and hear lots of unsportsmanlike behavior at our football games and other sports games.
“Tonight was my first experience of seeing the Wolverines in action against our Piner team. The Wolverines were so nice and so encouraging throughout the JV and into the Varsity games. No bad language and helping each other up off the ground, and even patting each other on the back when needed.
“As a mother of a Junior who has seen many high school football games, I must tell you this sportsmanship is rare. Unfortunately, our Varsity game ended early due to a very severe medical emergency involving someone from your team. On behalf of my family and the family of the Piner Prospectors, I wish this person a speedy recovery, and my prayers are with them and with you all. Thank you and keep up the good work.”
More accolades, this one from the principal at Piner High School, Andrea Correia, addressed to Willits High School Administration and Athletic Director Gary Cavendar.
“On behalf of the entire Piner High School community, I want to extend our heartfelt wishes that your friend who was injured at tonight’s game is doing well. Please know that we are keeping him in our thoughts and sending our very best for a full and speedy recovery.
“I also want to share how deeply impressed I was by the character and sportsmanship of your team. The way your players immediately went to our student athlete to assure him it was not his fault was incredibly kind and meaningful. After the game was called, seeing your players surround our school players with hugs and support was something I will never forget. Both teams coming together to close with a prayer and blessing was one of the most powerful moments I have experienced in my 27 years at Piner.
“Please let your team and coaching staff know how much I sincerely appreciate the grace, compassion, and strength they displayed in such an emotional and frightening situation. It was truly a testament to the values of your program and your school, with gratitude and respect, Mrs. Andrea Correia, Principal.
BETTY JEAN DEBOER
Betty Jean DeBoer (née Winslow), 88, of Chico CA where she made her home for the past eight years died on September 2, 2025, in Chico, California.
Born April 5, 1937, in Glendale, California, to Annie and Jim Winslow, she was raised in Burbank and devoted herself to youth church activities, forging lifelong friendships. Betty married Walter Edward “Ed” DeBoer in November 1957; they later divorced. Together they raised three children, Joyce, Mark, and Sheri, and after the kids were grown, she and Ed, along with close friends, enjoyed several memorable cruises.
Her career began at Pacific Bell in Hollywood, where she was known for her professionalism and warmth. Later, Betty and Ed purchased a lake resort in Mendocino National Forest, running it for several years and creating countless cherished memories with guests. A meticulous needlepointer, Betty earned a ribbon at the Mendocino County Fair for her beautiful work. She also loved square dancing, league bowling, bingo nights, and tuning in to Days of Our Lives for decades.
Betty’s greatest joy was becoming a grandmother. She cherished every moment with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, took pride in their achievements, and enriched all who knew her with her warmth, gentle humor, and generous spirit.
Betty is survived by her former husband, Ed. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Annie and Jim Winslow. A graveside service will be held at the Ukiah Cemetery on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. for friends and family who wish to say their farewells.
MENDOCINO COUNTY FAIR 2025
by Terry Sites
The Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show came to Anderson Valley September 12-14th this year and it was the 101st time this has happened. This year’s theme: “Mendocino County Coastal Adventures” reminded everyone that the Fair is not just a Boonville event. Many things at the Fair stay the same but many of the local people who attend every year are seen to change from babe in arms to stroller-roller, grade school explorer, high school young adults and finally parents themselves. For any long-time resident watching this progression it is a touching reminder that nothing stays the same for long.
The weather was kind. Overcast mornings gave way to warm but not too hot afternoons and comfortable evenings. The special fair clothing purchased by many had an optimal chance of being seen, admired and even comfortable. Notable were some tiny golden boots about three inches long worn by a fashionista under the age of one. One teen girl wore red and white striped tights with a second pair of black tights on top in which artful holes had been carefully cut creating striped polka dots up and down her legs. Festive. A woman in a full-length blue jean maxi skirt revealed one entire bare leg where half the skirt had been carefully trimmed away.
The tattoos seem to cover more skin and become more elaborate every year. Someone in the know tells me that one-color tattoos are what is happening; multicolor is out at the moment. A riot of various hair colors was on display. So many people passing by and not a covid mask in sight despite reports that it is out there again. Fairgoers seem confident that it won’t get them.
Sitting on the benches next to the Wool Building is the best place to view the fair’s human parade especially as evening closes in. This is also the best place to see happy reunions, hugs and kisses. Happily the Elder Home wine bar is right there providing beverages to accompany all the promenade action.
It’s always time to eat. And Milo’s refreshment stand is ready to serve up your favorites. Sadly after 45 years in the business Milo died this year. He will be remembered for taking fair food to a whole new level of excitement with his towering two-story candy colored signage and exuberant food offerings. The Volunteer Fire Department’s burgers were in higher demand than ever before with their fresh garden tomatoes, lettuce and onions at a nice price of $10. Sausage sandwiches were up to $14 this year. Most popular by far were the giant blocks of French Fries that are enough to feed an entire family. Grace’s apple pie is still my favorite dessert, but there were loads of other sweet options. Funnel Cakes with plenty of whipped cream and powdered sugar got lots of play. Probably the healthiest option is the baked potato with everything on it served up annually by the AV High School Seniors.
Adults of course like to relax a little with their alcoholic beverages. Beer is the big favorite but wine is very popular with some. This year a Marguerita booth seemed like it could hardly keep up with the demand. Cheers!
There is a saying that “Those who give the most get the most” and it just might be true. The Fair runs largely on volunteer power and the volunteers looked awfully happy this year. The number of hours some put in just so people can relax and enjoy those three fair days is astonishing. I know that Palma Toohey has been working on decorating the Hall of Flowers since September. Ellen Fontaine was accepting, displaying, guarding and releasing all items in the Junior Division for days on end. Brenda Hodges lays out her own special style in the Home and Fine Arts and Wool Buildings. Mandy runs herd on the livestock. The Grange runs the beloved Exhibitors dinner and I’m sure that there are many others that I don’t know about.
The exhibits in the Hall of Flowers are all put together by volunteers. The small demonstration gardens take days to assemble. Matt and J.J. from the A.V. Market camped out to put their lighthouse themed grand prizewinner together. Debbie Pichler and her family also spent many long hours, as did all the garden builders including Mea and Eric Bloyd. It is a labor of love. The potted plants are heavy to lug to the Fair but people like Janet Lombard and Julie Winchester loaded up their trucks and made the supreme effort. The flower arrangements take time and care and sensitivity. An entire brigade of flower arrangers put it all together for your viewing pleasure. Congratulations to Denise Mattei: Best in Show for her “Shell Story.”
The Fair staff which is unbelievably small for this size undertaking straps themselves in and gets ready for a wild ride as they prepare, supervise, troubleshoot and finally put the Fair to bed. It is a monumental undertaking. Thank you Jim, Gina, Jo, Becky, Johnny and Dominic. We really don’t know how you do it but we are really glad that you do.
All the local clubs and organizations that run booths and contribute to the festivities including the Veterans, Fire Department, First Responders, Lion’s Club, Unity Club, Y.C.B.A., Senior Center, Elder Home, Felines of Philo, The Grange and on and on must be thanked.
Sitting at the back gate at the very close of the fair watching the goats prance, pigs waddle, cattle lumber and sheep dance as their human owners urged them on is such a privilege. It is a lot of work to take care of animals and it is clear that they are very fond of their charges. Watching the animal judging is even more fun. Some of the judges are kind of like poetry in motion as they examine, manipulate and evaluate one rabbit after another, or pigs or goats. There is a lot of dignity in the way they comport themselves. The relationship of the judges to the animals and to their owners is so civil. Everyone is on his or her best behavior and it is delightful to observe.
There is an air of belongingness that permeates the Fairground that you can feel. For a few days there is a community that comes together and it feels really good. Someone told me that their out-of-town relative decided they wanted to move to Mendocino County after attending the fair. We kind of are in a “Blue Zone” if you know what that means.
I know a First Responder who did everything in her power to respond to two simultaneous emergencies during the fair. I know two young men who both answered the call when the burger grill at the Firefighter/First Responder booth failed and they got ‘er done too! So that’s the way it is at Fair time in Mendocino County.
Sightings reflected in the photos included quilts, paintings, gardens, ribbons, a surprising blow-up Martian, a big girl on stilts, a sweet 4-H bunny, a giant pumpkin, The Fair’s mascot Apple Jack, lots of wonderful animals and their tenders, kids having fun… I think it is safe to say that a good time was had by (almost) all. I wasn’t able to go to the Sunday parade, the rodeo, the dances and a few other things, so you won’t find them in this report. You can’t do it all — but I wish I could. Until next year… Happy Mendocino County Trails to you.
CHUCK DUNBAR: Re: (re the crisis at Family and Childrens Services)
As a former Mendocino County FCS/CPS social worker supervisor, it is troubling to see Mark Scarmella’s piece today on the current status of that department. So much of what is covered reminds me of what occurred off and on during my 18 years at FCS.
I could go on and on here, but I’ve already done that in the past. I will say this: I came to believe that management staff often (not always, there were some knowledgeable, good souls who led us from time to time) undermined, even destroyed, the level of trust and integrity necessary to a healthy-functioning social service department. Absent trust and integrity, organizations fail in so many ways. They did so in the past with some of the same uninformed, unwise, crude and cruel actions noted in Mark’s piece. I’ll note that these kinds of actions directly contradict and violate the following Mendocino County policy:
From the County’s Human Resources Department Statement on “Leadership Philosophy:”
“About the Mendocino County Leadership Initiative
At its core, the purpose of the Leadership Development Initiative is to transform our organizational culture by cultivating ‘leaders at all levels’ within the organization by engaging, developing, supporting, and utilizing our employees to their fullest potential.
In order to achieve effective leadership at all levels, and excellence in public service, we believe…
Trust and integrity are essential.
In departments working together as one organization.
In employees being involved in key program and policy decisions that impact the organization.
That investing in and supporting employee development results in the retention and promotion of quality employees.
Darcie Antle, CEO”
I respect that FCS staff are now pushing back on management staff’s failure to follow the above policy. Direct service staff are the ones who see the severe costs of dysfunctional management. They are taking a risk in voicing their concerns, but they are acting righteously and with honor. You do a needed, tough job. You need your voices heard. And you deserve respect and support in doing so. Good fortune to you folks.
JIM ARMSTRONG (re the crisis at Family and Childrens Services)
It is hard to believe that this most important county responsibility has been allowed to misfunction so badly for the at-least 55 years that I know about.
Folks like Chuck held sway for varying periods, but it was a battle.
The Peter Principle has been a big part of it, but mostly the people who have been in charge didn’t know how to do the job and didn’t really much care.
In the 70’s, there were knowledgeable and dedicated workers who tried hard to put neglected and abused children first but faced often having it come to naught by ultimate decisions being made by business administrators.
Now (as in human affairs in general) may be the worst it has ever been.
A READER WRITES:
The Plethora of issues. Let’s unpack.
All the Measure B money spent thus far with ZERO results or fuctioning.
Yes, county vehicles are a ridiculous cost. For example drive State Street, notice the DA cars sit for weeks growing cobwebs under the wheels.
Tons of surplus items never sold, recycled, e waste galore all taking up individual office and large building space.
Rotting buildings sit empty, not fully utilized.
Management mostly focused on feelings rather than function.
Denial of any issues to praise fluff and fantasy.
Win “awards” based on glossy 5x7s but are not able to produce requested internal reports and budgets.
There is much more.
Sad to witness the endless issues.
Sad to hope for better by discussing it.
Sad more of the same.
THE POT BIZ, an on-line comment:
The State pushed big grows and consolidation. Without the Acre cap lots of farms went as big as possible to chase revenue from all the falling prices from over production. A couple could just about get a 10,000 footer to a $20,000 trim machine and do it. Beyond that, or any trimming to get your $300 “AAA” buds, takes people. Most bigger grows surviving are paying immigrants about half what immigrants used to get paid, and now must trim the weed faster and better. Gone are the days of Europeans with tourist visas. Besides the drop in wages, many were getting detained if they flew into SF, or LA and they had any 707 numbers on their phone. You might be expecting to pick up a friend, they never walk out to arrivals, a week later maybe they call from home. Didn’t really matter if you just wanted to ski or trim. Sign this and never come back, or we’ll detain you indefinitely until you change your mind. The “choice” is yours.
JAMES JOSEPH SHIELDS
March 1, 1947-September 3, 2025
James Joseph ‘Jim’ Shields, 78, of Laytonville passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, while working on the latest edition of The Mendocino County Observer newspaper.
Jim was born in Bloomington, Illinois on March 1, 1947 to Robert E. Shields and Lois Marie Plotts Shields. Jim married Susan Staley on October 6, 1981 at Chateau Lake Louise in Canada. Susan preceded Jim in death in October of 2013.
Surviving are his two children Jimmy (Maria) Shields and Jayma (Roland) Shields Spence, and his grand-dog Chiquita. Jim leaves behind his extended animal family, including Lily the Horse and his many cats, who he loved very much, and they loved him right back. Additionally, Jim is survived by brothers Tom (Judy), John (Nasrin) and Kevin and numerous nieces and nephews.
His parents, siblings Robert Jr. and Patricia preceded him in death.
Jim’s early life was filled with many interesting details. Jim spent time on his family’s Illinois Farm and also assisted with the Shields Family’s Grain Elevator in Illinois. He raised many farm animals and participated in FFA. Jim’s freshman year he attended Roanoke-Benson High School where he participated in basketball and baseball and was considered a talented player and was also on the student council. The Shields Family moved to the Bay Area during his adolescence where Jim graduated from San Mateo High School. In high school Jim was on the student council and the senior class council. He played on tennis, basketball and baseball teams while in high school. He really enjoyed his debating class as well as history and political classes. San Mateo High is where Jim met his first wife Donna Leonhardt, where they were married in 1966, a marriage that brought the birth of Jim’s son “Jimmy.” Donna and Jim’s marriage would end in 1979.
Jim also attended CSM and graduated from Illinois State University with a BS in Political Science and History. Jim would tell a story about how he was interested in becoming a lawyer, and through a friendship that was established with a professor at Harvard University, was offered a scholarship to attend the prodigious Harvard School of Law. Jim ended up moving to a different direction when he joined the Airline Industry instead, and joked he was a Harvard dropout.
Jim was employed by Western Airlines starting off as a “Ramp Rat” (as he referred to himself), where he was one of the people responsible for loading cargo onto the planes at San Francisco International Airport. Jim would entertain us all with his stories from his Ramp Rat days, which ranged from loading Fighting Cocks onto the plane and accidentally releasing prize-winning Greyhounds onto the tarmac.
While working in the airline industry in Los Angeles he would meet a beautiful, smart, caring, funny and no-nonsense Customer Service Agent named Susan. With their good friends, co-workers and allies, they would form the “Airline Transport Employees” union despite pushback and resistance from Western Airlines, the corrupt union that represented WA employees and the federal government. Despite long-odds, the employees decided to trust Jim’s leadership, and voted to accept the new union.
With his charisma, intelligence, knack for understanding legal issues and love of politics, it was perfectly suited he would become involved in the labor movement, where he was voted in as the President of the Airline Transport Employees Union. Jim would also serve on the Board of Directors of Western Airlines. Through his career in the labor movement, Jim experienced many interesting people, situations and problems; none of which fazed him. With his union work came so much history that paved the way for many conditions and regulations that are still in place in the airline industry today.
For example, Jim was surrounded by women in the Union, thanks in large part to Susan’s personality. She attracted smart, capable and strong women leaders into their circle. Jim began inviting the women into the board room (which was basically unheard of in the 70s and 80s). The gruff, old-school union men would openly question his decision to allow women into this role, to which Jim came back with a witty quip to put these guys in their place. Eventually, with Jim’s leadership and trust-building the women were not only invited to the table, but given leadership roles within the Union, and offered protections from gender-discrimination in the industry.
Jim also allowed women to bring their babies to work. Since he and Susan welcomed Jayma in 1982, Susan would bring Jayma along to union meetings and gatherings in various states and Canada. It was said that passing around baby Jayma during tough negotiations broke the ice and got some hard-ass men to soften a bit for the betterment of the Union.
In the mid-to late 80s the airline industry was facing many challenges, including the recent de-regulation of the industry, that Jim would forever say “screwed” the airlines, its workers and its unions. Upon the merger of Western Airlines to Delta Airlines, Jim decided it was no longer for him, and in 1987, Jim, Susan and Jayma moved to Laytonville (Northern Mendocino County), eventually purchasing the Laytonville Ledger which became The Mendocino County Observer.
Newcomers, Jim and Susan got pushback from some “Old Timers” when they bought the Ledger and decided to cover hard news, politics and stories such as the then raging timber wars and not just Chamber of Commerce press releases, local sports, wedding announcements, as had been the norm. Some local business owners protested the coverage and cancelled ads in the paper due to the Obsever’s coverage of these issues, because Jim and Susan didn’t just take the side of the dominant timber industry of the times. “Granny Lois” Shields (Jim’s mother) would move out to Laytonville in the 1990’s and assist with the running of The Observer, which was growing in popularity thanks to Jim’s coverage of Mendocino County politics, when at the time, he was providing coverage of the Board of Supervisors that not many local media outlets were covering.
Jim’s knowledge of history, labor and politics really shaped his ability to take on the bureaucratic system that often screwed the common person. Jim began to act as a local government watchdog, where he would use The Observer’s pages to cover the issues, allow the readers to weigh in via the Letters to the Editor section, and invited collaboration with other journalists to share coverage of important topics.
Jim was known to appear at the Board of Supervisors meetings, where he would use his public comment time to educate, lecture or call BS on the Ukiah-area Bureaucrats. Through his efforts, he built long-lasting friendships with county workers who needed a cheerleader, his readers, and surprisingly the people he originally called BS on.
For those of you who knew Jim, you knew his style of calling something out starts with a preamble on the historical nature of the current problem we faced, a lecture on why we should find this issue important, and then closing remarks on why we needed to side with him for the good of the order.
Through his desire to keep an eye on politics and be an advocate for Good Government, Jim founded the County’s “MAC” system. This was a way for the unincorporated communities, that weren’t a city, to be able to advise their local representative(s) on issues that mattered most. Jim was the Chairman of the Laytonville Area Municipal Advisory Council, and forged friendships and trusted relationships with his fellow council members, as well as the agencies and organizations that would attend the LAMAC meetings.
Jim was also the long-time District Manager for the Laytonville County Water District, a job he got when the water district approached him for advice in the late 1990s/early 2000s, and the rest, they say, is history. Jim worked many long hours at the Water Plant and District office, he was known to be running the water plant after 10 p.m. to save the District money on the enormous PG&E bill. If there was a water leak, big or small, Jim was there to assist Jay and Steve, whether they needed his help or not.
Over the years, Jim forged many new friendships with his Water District co-workers, board members and customers. Up until the end, Jim was working with various agencies to save the Water District from financial collapse post-cannabis legalization. Jim spent most waking-hours doing things behind the scenes to prop the Water District up, his dedication to the LCWD will be sorely missed. Jim leaves behind a dedicated and hard-working crew at LCWD: Tracey, Steve and Jay, along with a capable board of directors, Mike, Kary, Tim and Jayma.
Locally, Jim did so much for the Laytonville community and residents. The list is really too long, but some highlights include: setting a sprinkler system to pull backwash water from the water plant, so that it not only was a benefit to the Water District to discharge what was essentially “trash water” but it was also a benefit to the Harwood Park ball field, and made it green 365 days of the year.
With his wife Susan, Jim and their friend Pam, founded the North Pole Toy Express, a Christmas toy drive for the Laytonville kids, we now affectionately call Pam & Susan’s North Pole Toy Express to honor Pam and Susan who enjoyed playing Santa every holiday season. After Susan’s passing, Jim assumed the role of feeding various colonies of feral cats (a term he didn’t like using, because truth be told, what you or I would consider a feral cat, was not feral around Jim). Jim loved causes that supported his Feline Friends, such as the respected non-profit “Spay-Neuter Assistance Program” (SNAP). SNAP worked with Jim to fix populations of Laytonville cats. Jim and Susan donated proceeds from the sales of Observer “fire-starter” newspaper bundles to SNAP, a tradition that Jayma carries on.
When there was a problem in Laytonville, or in Mendocino County, Jim was approached for advice on how to fix it. He saw the devastating potential of the legalization of marijuana and how it could ruin the local and regional economy, and as Jim said one day on KPFN’s “This & That” “we walked into legalization with our eyes wide shut.” He would stand on his soapbox at every LAMAC meeting or water board meeting or Board of Supervisors meeting pointing out that Mendocino County’s cannabis regulations were killing the mom and pop growers, which in turn killed our local economy.
Up until the end, Jim was preparing a fight with the County on the ridiculous code enforcement complaints that blanketed our area, and was going to be appearing at an upcoming Board of Supervisors meeting to let the bureaucrats know their BS wasn’t going to fly.
For those who knew Jim, you know the enormity of his departure. There is a big hole in our community right now, and we may or may not be able to patch it in his absence. We have lost a giant community contributor. We have lost a champion for the working person/small business owner. We have lost history that would provide context for today’s problems and today’s solutions.
Jim was a strong Irish-man, a Union Man, a newspaper man, a water man and a community man. Jim loved exercising, and religiously worked out for at least 1-hour per day, where he kept a log on a clipboard documenting how many minutes of cardio, reps of weights and stretches he did. Jim and Susan owned a sailboat in Marina Del Ray and in the 80s loved sailing every chance they could. Jim loved riding his bike, which in turn many Laytonville residents loved seeing him on his rides. In his earlier years, he also loved running, bocce ball, and tennis. In the 90s Jim coached the Laytonville Warriors Basketball team, and Jayma was his water girl/scorekeeper and Susan took photos for The Observer.
Jim was an avid listener and fan of music. He loved The Stones, Kinks, Doors, ELO, the Punk movement at the Mubuhay Gardens, and had many stories of seeing up and coming bands in LA in the 70s and 80s. Throughout his life Jim had a strong commitment to social justice and tried to help achieve those aims in various ways.
Jim often turned to Irish poems or sayings and this IRISH BLESSING was a favorite of his:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home,
And may the land of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.
Jayma, Roland, Jimmy and Maria are planning a memorial celebration of life for Jim on Saturday, October 4 from 3-6 p.m. at the Laytonville Rodeo Grounds, next door to the Laytonville County Water District Plant. If the weather is iffy, we will gather inside Harwood Hall. Please bring a potluck dish to share or dessert. If you feel compelled to help honor Jim, pay your water bill; subscribe to The Observer (or get a gift a subscription), or place an ad. Jim and Susan haven’t raised the rates on the newspaper in over 20 years, so every little bit helps keep it going, since Jim invested his own monetary donations into the newspaper.
Donations in Jim’s honor can go to an organization of your choosing: SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program of Mendocino County); Pam & Susan’s North Pole Toy Express; Laytonville Healthy Start Community & Family Resource Center or KPFN/Bella Opus 105.1 FM
If you would like to be in touch with Jayma, an email can be sent to [email protected] or mailing address PO Box 490, Laytonville, CA 95454 or (707) 984-6223. Thank you to everyone who has expressed love, sorrow and offers to assist. It is helping Jim’s survivors more than you may know.
MATT LAFEVER:
Hey Mendocino County friends-
Erin and I (and Wyatt!) are excited to be welcoming a little sister into the family in just about a month. With our new daughter on the way, we’d love to have our in-laws nearby for the next year to help out and spend time together.
We’re looking for a mobile home or trailer that could be parked on our property for an extended stay. If you have one that you don’t use much, or know someone who does, we’d be glad to pay rent for it.
Please DM me (on facebook) if you have any leads or ideas. Thanks so much for helping us make space for family during this exciting time.
P.S. Did anyone catch the rainbow tonight?
MENDOCINO COAST FISHERMEN HOOK A WIN WITH NEW LOCAL SEAFOOD LABEL
by Matt LaFever
Mendocino County’s fishing fleet has a new way to stand out. The Noyo Harbor District and West Business Development Center this month launched North Coast Catch, a label that marks seafood harvested off the county’s rugged coast and sold at markets from Gualala to Ukiah.
The bright orange tag will now appear on local favorites including Petrale sole, Dover sole, lingcod, black cod, albacore tuna, California king salmon and Dungeness crab. The goal is simple: make it easy for shoppers to identify seafood caught by Mendocino boats and keep more dollars in the community.
“When you see the North Coast Catch label, you know you’re not only getting the freshest seafood but also supporting the livelihoods of our local fishermen,” said Anna Neumann, harbormaster of the Noyo Harbor District. “This initiative keeps dollars in our community and promotes the responsible harvesting that protects the health of our waters,” according to the press release.
Seven local markets have signed on so far, including Harvest Market and Princess Seafood Market in Fort Bragg, Surf Market in Gualala, Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, Left Coast Seafood in Ukiah, Mariposa Market in Willits and Little Dory Seafood in Point Arena. A county-wide mailer landing later this month will explain how to shop seasonally and support the fleet.
Noyo Harbor is already known as one of the most sustainable ports on the California coast. Fishermen there balance small-boat livelihoods with conservation, selling straight off the docks when boats come in and urging customers to buy in season to support healthy fish stocks. Regulars know to bring cash, a cooler of ice and sturdy shoes to the harbor, where a quick chat with a captain often comes with tips on how to cook that day’s catch.
The fleet itself is part of the story. Princess Seafood’s all-female crew has grown from a single small boat into a market and restaurant on the harbor. Second-generation fisherman and diver Grant Downie works not only to harvest seafood but also to restore bull kelp beds vital to the ecosystem.
Restaurants across the county — from Casa Del Sol and The Wharf to the Princess Seafood Restaurant — also showcase the same catch now marked with the new label.
North Coast Catch ties it all together, giving residents and visitors a clear sign that what’s on the counter came from Mendocino County waters.
For more information, visit noyoharbordistrict.org/the-seafood.
(SFGate.com)
FLOODGATE STORE (Upcoming Closed Dates)
Good Morning Valley,
The Floodgate Store will be closed for 12 days starting next Tuesday.
The Floodgate will be closed September 23rd - October 4th.
The Floodgate will be back open Sunday, October 5th at 7am.
Come enjoy a free cup of coffee Sunday and Monday, October 5th and 6th when we are back.
Thank you for your continued support.
OPUS CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT this Sunday at 3 PM, Preston Hall, Mendocino.
This first concert of the season is called “Carrie, Marius and the Maestro” and it will feature Carrie Hennessey, who delivered an incredible performance with Symphony of the Redwoods in November of 2023; it’s time to have her back! She will be joined by Mendocino favorite Marius Constantin who you know after his outstanding performance with us in the Sing-along Messiah in 2024 and 2023. Our own Music Director Bryan Nies will accompany them both as well as treat us to a few pianistic surprises that are sure to delight!
That’s this Sunday at 3 PM in Preston Hall. Doors open at 2:30 PM and as always, coffee, tea and cookies before the start of the concert and during intermission.
Go to symphonyoftheredwoods.org for tickests and also to view the full program. Click on the Program Link. Tickets also available at Out of this World in Mendocino.
Symphonyoftheredwoods.org
CHUCK ROSS:
Note: The rotating antenna you see at the far right is much bigger than you think. The building it stands on is 84 feet high. The antenna is 120 feet wide and weighed 135 tons. For a little perspective on that, if it only turned ten revolutions per minute you’d still be going 43 miles per hour out at the tip.
THE BRAVE WOMEN WHO DELIVERED THE MAIL
by Averee McNear
At the Kelley House, we are preparing for an upcoming exhibit celebrating the work women have done to shape Mendocino’s history. There are countless stories to tell of the many working women on the coast, too many to fit into one exhibit. The following is one of those stories, written by William Lemos in 2017.
It was 1942. The men were overseas fighting dictatorships, fascism and tyranny. While they were gone they wrote letters home describing the conditions they lived with daily, and they often described longings they had to return to the normalcy of their previous lives. These letters needed to be delivered, and the U.S. Postal Service was there to provide that service to both G.I.s and their families. In many cases, these communications kept families together under the anxious times that surrounded the early 1940s.
But who would deliver these important missives? And here in Mendocino County we had special problems other less rural communities did not have. Homesteads and towns were scattered from Rockport to Gualala, and during the rainy season, when a driver got behind the wheel of the Model A’s that served as mail trucks, it was often impossible to predict whether the roads would be passable. Where would the Postal Service find drivers?
A few young women stepped up to answer this call. Sisters Toni and Lu Robinson had recently moved to the North Coast to live with their parents in the old Pullen House south of Little River. They were hired by USPS to drive the mail and, “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” While the Postal Service has no official motto, the popular belief that is the quote above is a tribute to America’s postal workers.
My mother and Aunt Lu (who later became postmaster at Little River for many years) told me that their job was to do exactly that, “complete their appointed rounds,” Rockport to Gualala. Think of what the roads must have been like then.
They would receive incoming mail early in the morning in Mendocino. After the mail was divided into north and south routes, the heavy bags were loaded into the cars. One young woman would get in a Model A and head for Fort Bragg and points north, while the other would jump in the other Model A and head to Albion and points south.
These were all-day runs. Flat tires, rock slides, mud holes deep enough to float small boats, and herds of sheep or cattle blocking progress were all part of the job. Most of the roads were dirt, so the women often came home less than tidy from digging their mail trucks out of the mud so they could complete their rounds.
But complete them they did. As a way of remembering these times and what these brave women did for our community, I offer this tribute. There are many small parts people play in the making of the history of place. The story of how these two women delivered the mail during the Second World War reminds us that what we do today may not be long remembered, but at the time they occurred, the actions of a few hardy souls help create the ties that hold us together during uncertain times.
(kelleyhousemuseum.org)
CATCH OF THE DAY, Thursday, September 18, 2025
IAN ANDERSON, 42, Fort Bragg. County parole violation.
LELAND BEAN JR., 48, Willits. County parole violation.
ELECTRA BEARD, 38, Fort Bragg. Domestic battery, false imprisonment, criminal threats, petty theft, resisting.
JADA BRILL, 25, Ukiah. Failure to appear.
JONATHAN CAMARGO, 37, Ukiah. Paraphernalia, probation revocation.
JASON CARLO, 42, Fort Bragg. Failure to appear.
ROYCE GOOD, 56, Laytonville. DUI-alcohol&drugs, controlled substance.
THOMAS GUYETTE, 47, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs, probation revocation.
JEREMIAH MCOSKER, 47, Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs, probation revocation.
DEVIN MILLER, 28, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.
JASON OLSON JR., 26, Ukiah. Paraphernalia, failure to appear.
NATHAN PACHECO, 37, Fort Bragg. Controlled substance, paraphernalia, failure to appear.
PIPER ROSIER, 39, Gualala. DUI.
ANDY TUCKER, 54, Covelo. Trespassing, paraphernalia, probation violation.
DANIEL YEOMANS, 54, Fort Bragg. Disorderly conduct-alcohol.
AMERICAN FLAGS, UPSIDE DOWN AND ABLAZE
Editor:
At the end of the Labor Day weekend, our shabby Old Glory was set ablaze. It had flown proudly, albeit upside-down, as it did on Flag Day and every national holiday since Donald Trump plunged our country into distress mode in January. Our new flag will likewise be displayed upside-down on all future holidays for as long as he remains in power. Trump threatens a year in jail for burning the flag, but under the U.S. Flag Code, it’s the proper and preferred way for military personnel and civilians to dispose of a no-longer serviceable flag. Additionally, in 1989 the Supreme Court ruled that “flag-burning constitutes symbolic speech that is protected by the First Amendment.” Trump may threaten jail-time, but flying the flag upside-down is also considered freedom of speech.
When it comes to American history and laws, Trump is the least knowledgeable and qualified and most uneducated and disrespectful president we’ve ever had. So strike a match for freedom, and if you decide to burn a worn and torn flag, consider throwing in a photo of him as well — just for the joy of it. You’re doubly protected.
Bob Canning
Petaluma
A DANGEROUS CALIFORNIA VOLCANO IS IN SAN FRANCISCO’S BACKYARD
Entombed in Lake County, the Clear Lake Volcanic Field is one of the state’s riskiest
by Matt LaFever
California’s volcanic giants are hard to miss. Mount Shasta looms over the Oregon border. Lassen Peak, the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range, erupted just over a century ago, blasting ash and steam in scenes etched into early photographs. And in the Eastern Sierra, Mammoth Mountain rises above the Long Valley volcanic region — a complex of calderas and domes ranked from moderate to very high threat. These peaks dominate remote stretches of California, far from its major metropolitan centers.
Just 90 miles north of San Francisco, however, thousands of people live, boat and build communities around Clear Lake. Rising from its southern shore is Mount Konocti — the largest volcano within the Clear Lake Volcanic Field and one of the most dangerous in California. Dormant for 11,000 years, it still hides an active magma chamber and restless geothermal system, earning a “high threat” ranking from scientists.
In U.S. Geological Survey terms, “threat” isn’t hype — it’s a calculated measure. The agency weighs a volcano’s type, past eruption frequency, and tendency toward violent activity alongside societal factors such as nearby population, critical infrastructure and air traffic. By those metrics, many of California’s volcanic systems — including Mount Shasta, Lassen Peak, Medicine Lake, the Coso Volcanic Field, and the Salton Buttes — fall into the high to very high threat categories. Clear Lake is grouped among them, sharing the state’s top tier of concern alongside these major volcanic centers.
Seth Burgess, a research geologist with the California Volcano Observatory who studies the region from his home in Windsor, warned that Clear Lake’s location makes this volcano concerning.
“Clear Lake is the closest volcanic field to the really densely populated Bay Area,” he told SFGATE. “And although the volcanoes aren’t the big explosive types that you see up in the Cascades, there’s obviously a risk to the local and regional population and infrastructure if Clear Lake were to erupt again.”
The Clear Lake Volcanic Field remains under the watch of the California Volcano Observatory, not because an eruption is expected soon, but because the stakes are too high to ignore. Scientists track seismic tremors and gas seeps for any sign of change, offering reassurance for now while acknowledging the uncertainties ahead.
As Burgess put it: “Might it erupt in the future? Absolutely, and that’s why we’re researching it with such vigor. But that future might not be on the human time scale, it might be more on the geologic time scale.”
The Clear Lake Volcanic Field is not a single towering peak like the stratovolcanoes of the Cascades, but a wide-ranging field of domes, cones and lava flows that define Lake County. Burgess noted that “there have been lava flows akin to those you would see in Hawaii,” while volcanic forces built ash-spewing domes such as Cobb Mountain, Mount Hannah and Mount Konocti, the tallest rising nearly 5,000 feet.
At its center lies Clear Lake, spanning 43,000 acres, which played a critical role in the field’s last known eruption 11,000 years ago. When magma surged into the water, it flash-vaporized, blasting out craters and cinder cones still visible along the shoreline near Mount Konocti today.
Today, more than 17,000 people live within the footprint of the Clear Lake Volcanic Field, according to a county hazard-planning draft reviewed by SFGATE. The Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ rancheria sits inside that zone, and Clear Lake State Park, at the base of Mount Konocti, draws more than 70,000 visitors every year. More than 25 million vehicles pass through the volcanic field annually, and within its borders sit two dozen critical sites, including schools and emergency centers.
Studies indicate that the last major eruption within the Clear Lake Volcanic Field occurred around 10,000 years ago, which, Burgess said, “from a geologic standpoint, that’s not very old.”
“That raises our eyebrows as volcanologists,” he explained to SFGATE, “that something might happen here in the future, the distant future. We don’t really know.”
A 2019 U.S. Geological Survey report, “California’s Exposure to Volcanic Hazards,” lays out in stark detail what could happen if the Clear Lake Volcanic Field were to stir like it did approximately 10,000 years ago. Scientists warn of pyroclastic flows — avalanches of superheated ash, gas, pumice and rock that roar downslope at highway speeds, incinerating nearly everything in their path. These deadly currents can surge at tens of meters per second and burn hotter than 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Other threats are no less grim. Lava could ooze or pour from vents, swallowing homes and infrastructure beneath rivers of molten rock. Explosive eruptions could hurl volcanic bombs and blocks the size of cannonballs for miles, some flying up to 10 kilometers from the vent. Eruptions can also unleash lahars — fast-moving floods of ash, rock, mud and water that race down valleys, wiping out everything in their path.
The signs of this volcanic system are everywhere. The Geysers — the world’s largest geothermal power plant, straddling Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties — taps the volcanic heat beneath the region. Covering 30 square miles with 18 power plants, the complex provides an estimated 60% of the electricity used along the North Coast between the Golden Gate and the Oregon line.
Obsidian, the black volcanic glass historically chipped into blades and arrow points, is scattered across Lake County. Burgess said it’s “really common,” dating back about a half-million years, with deposits producing “beautiful obsidian glass that you can find in boulders the size of cars.” Another manifestation are the so-called Clear Lake diamonds, quartz crystals that still lure both locals and visitors.
“You can find them — remarkably fresh, clear pieces of quartz that are big, you know, like the size of your thumb in some cases — in lava flows out in the volcanic field. They’re spectacular,” Burgess said.
Even the landscape carries reminders. Leah Sautelet, Lake County’s emergency services manager, pointed to a small landmark near Kelseyville known as Gas Hill, an “uninteresting place to look at” but named for the volcanic gases that seep from the earth. Off the lake’s shore sits Soda Springs, a bubbling mineral pool where carbon dioxide rises through dormant vents, making the water fizz like seltzer. Once prized for its supposed medicinal qualities, the spring became deadly after walls were built around it, trapping the gases close to the surface. Over the years, as many as a dozen people are believed to have been asphyxiated while soaking in the bubbling warm waters of Northern California’s Soda Springs, where carbon dioxide seeps up from the earth. Federal officials eventually tore the walls down, fenced the site off, and posted warning signs.
The Clear Lake Volcanic Complex, Burgess says, “doesn’t look like the typical volcano. It is not a snow-capped mountain that is conical in shape.” Instead, the landscape of Lake County stretches out in subtle hills and rounded mountains encircling the broad horizon of Clear Lake. “It’s not readily identifiable by folks who think volcano and immediately think a Cascade volcano or like Mount Fuji,” Burgess said.
Though Lake County’s volcanic complex might not resemble the typical rumbling giant, the signs of nature’s power are everywhere for those who know where to look. As Sautelet put it, “If you live there, it’s not forgotten at all.”
(SFGate.com)
WITHER CURSIVE
William Wray:
I heard a chilling thing from a random stranger today- Their children are unable to read cursive- let alone write it.
On Line Comments:
You have to actively teach it to your kids yourself. I homeschool and was going to teach my son cursive anyway but he wanted to learn cursive this year in second grade instead of third grade. And actually his love for cursive has made me decide to get my own adult cursive practice book. My print is great but my cursive still looks like I’m stuck in 3rd grade. His appreciation for cursive has made me want to appreciate it more myself.
Try calligraphy. It really helps to break letter forms into individual strokes and then pull them into their customary shapes---magic! Plus cool pens and ink!
I love doing lettering by hand- I still do it on my comic book card- I hate fonts.
I just recently learned that kids are no longer taught to write cursive script. I learned it from a young bank teller, who informed me that his class was the last to be taught cursive, and he hasn’t used it since he graduated from high school.
I was shocked to find that out. It’s like all of our letters and notebooks and old family recipes are going to be like the Voynich Manuscript they’re trying to decode.
Yep! But even worse, whenever the electricity goes out the people who never learned how to write with pens and pencils on paper will be completely helpless. This actually happened once when I was at a restaurant. The kids waiting tables had no idea how to take orders and give them to the kitchen, so the restaurant closed. LOL!
09/18/25: Saratoga, about four years ago, at the bakery called Mrs London’s, the power went out. The serving line went out the door and almost down to Albany because no one behind the counter had any idea what their cakes etc. cost and they never ever had to know because when the power worked all they had to do was hit a button that said “Apple Pie,” etc.
My kids were taught cursive in (pvt) middle school 3 ya. No idea about public schools in OH.
Our kids (24 & 23) learned it in early elementary school but weren’t requited to use it in their college prep high school. They can’t read my writing and I say boo hoo. I’m not going to start printing for you!
Children??? Also apply that to college students who are further down the track & the teachers who did NOT train them -- consider why that is so. Keyboard use does not accommodate that skill.
Emojis - when I noted the emoji key on my keyboard I knew we were doomed. Have never used one, never will.
AFTER 146 YEARS, A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COUNTY LOSES ITS ONLY NEWSPAPER
A Crescent City institution, the Del Norte Triplicate has shut down after nearly 150 years
by Matt LaFever
One of California’s oldest small-town newspapers has gone silent. The Del Norte Triplicate — tracing back to a paper founded in 1879 in Crescent City, a fogbound fishing town just south of the Oregon border — has permanently closed after nearly 150 years of chronicling life in the state’s northernmost county.
Editor Roger Gitlin announced the shutdown on Facebook, saying there wasn’t enough revenue to keep publishing. He called the closure “a very sad day” and likened Del Norte County losing its newspaper to no longer having a soul.
The shutdown leaves Crescent City and Del Norte County — a remote corner of the North Coast, about 350 miles north of San Francisco — without a newspaper of record for the first time since the 19th century, a stark reminder of how fragile local journalism has become.
In its final edition, the Triplicate ran a brief article under the byline “Staff” announcing the closure. It noted that Country Media Inc. had bought the paper “out of bankruptcy” in 2019 along with the Curry Coastal Pilot in Brookings, Oregon, just across the border. Country Media chief executive Joe Warren was quoted saying, “We knew going in there would have to be changes to enable us to maintain sustainability of these failing businesses.” SFGATE sought further comment from Warren but did not hear back by publication time.
Gitlin told SFGATE over the phone Wednesday that closure came down to economics: Country Media was “not making money, and that’s the name of the game.” The Triplicate faced what he called a “dwindling dearth of subscriptions,” with its advertiser base shrinking just as fast. While readers moved online, he said the company “never really quite developed” its digital presence. “Print media is kind of an obsolete method to communicate,” he said. “…We saw the writing on the wall a long time ago.”
With the Triplicate gone, Gitlin believes the community is deprived of a vital watchdog holding local power to account. He warned that Del Norte County now faces a “very dangerous” situation, explaining, “This community is small as it is without a flashlight to look at people and what they’re doing.”
He added that he suspected, “There is plenty of corruption up here,” and in his role as a reporter, “I’d call it out.”
District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey said the Triplicate was once an anchor of civic life in Del Norte County “prior to social media. Residents relied on this publication to keep them informed.” She recalled coverage that ranged from council votes to “high school sports, graduations, debate club results, births and marriages, accomplishments of our friends and neighbors, and future events people could attend.” For many older residents, she added, “printed news is still a viable way many people opt to stay current.”
But in its final years, Starkey said, the paper suffered “a slow death.” Issues shrank to four pages most weeks. In the aftermath of losing the Triplicate, Starkey said, “We need real solutions. Coming together as a community to solve this problem will be essential.”
Cindy Vosburg, executive director of the Crescent City/Del Norte Chamber of Commerce, described a painful decline, recalling when the paper published five days a week. “A community needs quality journalism to fairly represent the issues that surround their lives,” she said.
The Triplicate’s history underlines what’s been lost. In 1912 it merged three local titles, the oldest of which was first published in 1879, under the name Triplicate, drawn from the Latin triplicare, or “a third thing corresponding to two others of the same kind,” according to author Jim Bernhard in “Porcupine, Picayune, and Post.”
By the 1950s, it had built a reputation for bold editorial choices. In 1956, the Healdsburg Tribune reported on the Triplicate’s controversial decision to begin naming juvenile offenders in crime stories. After consulting judges, clergy and law enforcement, the paper declared that “suppression of the news is not the answer.” At the time, “approximately one-third of recent arrests” in Del Norte County involved teenagers — “a list of shame,” as the Triplicate called it.
The paper also endured disasters that tested its survival. When a catastrophic tsunami struck Crescent City in 1964, editor Jim Yarborough later recalled watching his newsroom fill with 8 feet of water. “I watched from up the street and saw the sparks fly when the water hit the Linotype machine,” he told the San Francisco Examiner in 1978, describing “a 900-pound roll of newsprint bobbing” through the street “like a spool.” He remembered cars stacked like toys and an elderly woman carried in her bed by floodwaters until she was rescued hours later. Even then, amid wreckage, the Triplicate carried on publishing — documenting both devastation and recovery.
Del Norte County was already a news desert — and the Triplicate’s collapse only makes the void starker. Northwestern University’s 2024 State of Local News report listed the paper as the county’s sole outlet, with no other newspapers, digital startups or broadcast stations counted. Community members point to Redwood Voice as a rising online source, but it wasn’t included in the study and doesn’t carry the same weight as a newspaper of record. That distinction matters: California law requires legal notices — foreclosures, public hearings, government filings — to be printed in a local newspaper.
With the Triplicate gone, Del Norte County has no publication that qualifies. As a digital-only site, the Redwood Voice can’t fill that role. For a county already starved of information, the closure takes it from thin coverage to none at all in the eyes of the law.
The closure leaves the county without a paper for the first time since the 19th century, and no clear plan for what comes next. Gitlin, though, isn’t ready to give up. “I’ll continue in some way, shape, form or another,” he said. “I’m just not quite sure what.”
(SFGate.com)
THE S.F. GIANTS' PLAYOFF HOPES TOOK A HIT WITH A LOSS TO THE DODGERS
by Shayna Rubin
LOS ANGELES — To be successful in his seventh year, Logan Webb knew he had to show his most familiar opponents a new look.
He had the Los Angeles Dodgers, among others, in mind when he began to incorporate more of a cutter and four-seamer into his mix when the year began. Far inferior pitches to the sinker, changeup sweeper trio that lofted him to the San Francisco Giants’ ace spot, but they turned out to be just the ones to keep hitters off their toes and help Webb rack up more strikeouts than he ever had.
Perhaps Webb had lost himself trying to stay new. That’s what happened last week against the Dodgers, when he gave up six runs and 10 hits in four innings. Thursday, he came full circle. Back to his trusty mix, he plowed through L.A. for seven innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on 103 pitches.
“Today he just trusted his stuff and believed he’s better than anybody in that box and that showed tonight,” catcher Patrick Bailey said. “That was probably one of the better outings he’s had all year.”
Said Webb: “I just wanted not to overthink it. Credit to Patty and pitching coaches and said pretty much, you’re good because you throw a real good sinker and changeup, not because you throw a good cutter. Don’t overthink it. Better than last time, but not good enough.”
Webb pitched like his old self, which meant the offense reverted back to its old habit of finding new ways to not give him any run support. The Giants lost to the Dodgers 2-1. The loss put San Francisco three games back of the New York Mets — who hold the tiebreaker — for the third-wild card spot with the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks ahead. It all happened in unusual fashion, too.
Giants batters walked 10 times and recorded just one hit. It’s the first time the Giants have had at least 10 walks in a game at Dodger Stadium since July 19, 2002 — those Giants won.
Six of those walks and their only hit, courtesy of Bailey, came against Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The long at-bats forced Yamamoto — a starter with a filthy splitter the Giants have had trouble against of late — out of the game at 5⅓ innings having thrown 108 pitches. Down a pair of runs, that meant they’d have a shot at a shaky Dodgers bullpen.
Even that opportunity went squandered. They drew four more walks against Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen in the seventh. Rafael Devers drew their 10th walk of the night with the bases loaded to score a run. But shortstop Willy Adames took a tough strike three call and Matt Chapman struck out, too, to strand the bases loaded. The Giants struck out 14 times total.
“We put pressure on them, we just couldn’t get a hit,” manager Bob Melvin said. “We had traffic all night long. You’d think that we would get one or two, especially with Webby doing what he’s doing on the mound. Saw a lot of pitches, had a lot of traffic, couldn’t get a hit.”
Losses that come down to one big hit often are decided in the margins for error. Bailey’s error in the sixth inning, ultimately, cost the Giants.
With a runner at third with one out in the sixth, Mookie Betts hit a chopper to Adames, who made the quick throw to Bailey at home that had the runner beat. But Bailey never had the ball in his mitt and the runner scored.
“Webby made a great pitch. Willy made a heck of a play. Dropped the ball, which is unacceptable,” Bailey said. “Probably win that game if I make that tag at the plate.”
Though L.A. added a second run in the sixth on Freddie Freeman's RBI single, Adames used his glove to keep the Giants in it, ranging nearly into shallow left field to snag a sharp groundball and make the bouncing throw to Devers at first to rob Teoscar Hernandez of a hit to strand a runner and end the inning.
Now the Giants will hope to salvage the series amid history Friday when Clayton Kershaw makes his final regular-season start at Dodger Stadium.
Briefly: The Atlanta Braves claimed infielder Brett Wisely off waivers on Thursday. Wisely was designated for assignment on Monday to make room for top prospect Bryce Eldridge on the 40-man roster in his big league callup.
(sfchronicle.com)
IF 49ERS ‘COMMEMORATE THE LEGACY OF CHARLIE KIRK,’ WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT AMERICA?
by Scott Ostler
A question for our times: What’s the respectful way to decline to participate in a public moment of silence?
I will be at Sunday’s game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium. If the 49ers’ ownership and management opts to honor Charlie Kirk before the game by asking those in attendance to observe a moment of silence, how can people like me politely opt out?
By “people like me,” I mean those who condemn political violence and assassination, who were sickened by the killing, who don’t celebrate Kirk’s death, but do not wish to honor him.
One definition of the verb honor is: to regard with great respect.
The White House’s official website commended teams and organizations that “paused this week to commemorate the legacy of Charlie Kirk.”
There will be no gratuitous trashing of Kirk here. I certainly will not call him a “scumbag,” which was Kirk’s description of George Floyd after his 2020 murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Some of us, though, will stop short of commemorating the legacy of Charlie Kirk. It’s still a free country, isn’t it?
Kirk was killed last Wednesday. For that Thursday night’s NFL game at Lambeau Field, Commanders vs. Packers, the league mandated that there be a moment of silence.
The NFL issued a long explanation, 317 words, for ordering this tribute, a tacit acknowledgment that it would not be universally popular. The league also said that for all subsequent games, “It’s up to the clubs.”
The result so far has been a mixed bag. Last Sunday, seven teams honored Kirk in some form, five did not, and one — the Vikings — had a moment of silence for the victims and survivors of the Aug. 27 attack on a Minneapolis area school, and, “all victims of recent gun violence.”
Will the 49ers ask for a moment of silence on Sunday to honor Kirk? I queried the team but did not receive an answer.
As the 49ers make their decision, they’ll wrestle with a fair question: Why? Why did the league order the honoring of Kirk for the Commanders-Packers game? The NFL’s wordy explanation didn’t fully explain.
And if the league is so big on moments of silence, why were the league’s leaders so vocal in opposing the moments of silence that were provided by Colin Kaepernick and other players in 2016?
The league’s long explainer also did not deal with the issue of Kirk’s beliefs and the many things he said about them on his show. A sampling: In July 2023, Kirk said of four prominent Black women — Michelle Obama, Joy Reid, Sheila Jackson Lee and Ketanji Brown Jackson — “You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.” In December 2023, he called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a “huge mistake.” In January 2024: “If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder, is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?”
The NFL, for the past several seasons, has painted “End Racism” behind each end zone. Now the league that demands an end to racism honors a man who seemed to be trying to keep it alive.
This season, each team is asked to paint “It Takes All of Us” behind one end zone, and at the other end zone go with their choice of “End Racism,” “Stop Hate,” “Choose Love” or “Inspire Change.”
The 49ers appear to be going with “Choose Love.” So, if there is a moment of silence to honor Kirk at Levi’s, it will be difficult to not glance down at “Choose Love” while we’re honoring the memory of a man who chastised a YouTube personality wishing LGBTQ+ folks “Happy Pride” (June 2024) with a biblical reference by citing a Bible verse about how stoning gay men to death “affirms God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters.”
We might be asked to observe a moment of silence to decry violence while saluting the guy who, two days before the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, tweeted that his organization was “sending 80-plus buses full of patriots to DC to fight for this president.” After President Donald Trump’s attempted coup failed, Kirk deleted that tweet, and his organization subsequently claimed it sent “just” seven busloads.
It’s worth noting that Kirk was a friend and political ally of Trump, who gives a lot of direction these days in a lot of areas, including in sports. And that Trump has many friends and allies in the NFL team owners’ club.
The grandest display of respect for Kirk last Sunday was by the Jets at the Meadowlands. The long pregame tribute included a slideshow of Kirk photos as a mournful version of “Amazing Grace” played over the PA system.
Maybe it’s just a coincidence that Jets owner Woody Johnson was a major campaign contributor to Trump, and was rewarded by being appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom, a position Johnson used to try to get the 2018 British Open moved to a Trump golf course in Scotland.
And is it being overly sensitive to wonder why, on this season’s menu of end-zone messages, “Inspire Change” replaces “Vote.” So voting is now controversial?
Regardless of what happens Sunday at Levi’s and at other NFL stadiums, it might be a good time for the league to observe a moment of silent reflection on whose game this is.
Does the league belong to the players, a majority of whom are Black? Does it belong to the fans, a good chunk of whom are not in tune with Charlie Kirk’s teachings?
Or does it belong to, you know, other people?
THE PHILOSOPHER JUDITH BUTLER on UC Berkeley turning over to the Trump administration the names of 160 students and faculty members, including her own, for making what it alleges are anti-semitic statements: “The students, the faculty, the staff who have opposed genocide or who have supported Palestinian rights and freedoms have been consistently accused of anti-semitism even though there is no good evidence that antisemitism is rampant on campus. To take a position against genocide is certainly not an antisemitic thing to do. Most Jews are against genocide and we were taught to be against genocide. And we were taught, as well, that ‘Never Again’ is a slogan that should apply to all people.” (Jeffrey St. Clair)
ERIKA KIRK TAKES A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN TURNING POINT USA
And now let us pray…
To the shrine of Tammy Faye…
After years spent emphasizing family life in the public eye, she will now run the group her husband built.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/style/erika-kirk-turning-point-usa.html
(Fred Gardner)
DON REED:
Stopped in at the local tavern for lunch. Lou The Wrench was there.
I asked him how his reconstructed knee was. “Fine. I’m going back to work next Monday.” Two guys next to Lou, big Yankee fans, keeping up a stream of chatter about Rao’s etc. All that one of them needed was the cue about artificial knees:
“Me too!”
And with that, he swung his visible right knee (wearing shorts) out from under the counter. It had a surgical scar line that started in a straight line from below his knee, continued up and over the knee cap (we’re now in a steeplechase race), and ended above us in the Hayden Planetarium ceiling.
I said to him, “I’m glad we’re not discussing vasectomies.”
ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY
This is my impression of the public discourse anytime anything bad happens now:
“It never happened, and if it did then it was taken out of context, and if it wasn’t then it was staged, and if it wasn’t, then the other side did it, and if they didn’t, then it was a false flag operation, and if it wasn’t, then Russia/Israel/Iran did it, and if they didn’t, then it was justified!”
LEAD STORIES, FRIDAY'S NYT
Trump Pressures Broadcasters Over Critical Coverage, Escalating Attack on Speech
Kennedy’s Advisory Panel Votes to Limit M.M.R.V. Vaccine for Children Under 4
Since Leaving Washington, Elon Musk Has Been All In on His A.I. Company
ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich described Gaza as a “real estate bonanza” on Wednesday, saying Israel is in talks with the United States negotiating how the two countries will divide up the enclave.
“We are checking how this becomes a real estate bonanza — I’m not joking — and pays for itself,” Smotrich said, adding, “I’ve begun negotiations with the Americans, and I’m saying this seriously, because we paid a lot of money for this war. We need to work out how we share percentages on the land. The demolition phase, the first stage of urban renewal, we’ve already done. Now we need to build.”
It’s absolutely incredible how often Smotrich and his buddy Itamar Ben-Gvir will just come out and admit that Israel is doing the thing everyone says it’s doing. If this information had come out as a WikiLeaks drop or something it would have been a bombshell revelation, and this guy is right here just bloody saying it.
— Caitlin Johnstone
IT IS GENOCIDE
by Senator Bernie Sanders
Hamas, a terrorist organization, began this war with its brutal attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 innocent people and took 250 hostages. Israel, as any other country, had a right to defend itself from Hamas.
But, over the last two years, Israel has not simply defended itself against Hamas. Instead, it has waged an all-out war against the entire Palestinian people. Many legal experts have now concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The International Association of Genocide Scholars concluded that “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.” The Israeli human rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel have reached the same conclusion, as have international groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Just yesterday, an independent commission of experts appointed by the United Nations echoed this finding. These experts concluded that: “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
I agree.
Out of a population of 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza, Israel has now killed some 65,000 people and wounded roughly 164,000. The full toll is likely much higher, with many thousands of bodies buried under the rubble. A leaked classified Israeli military database indicates that 83% of those killed have been civilians. More than 18,000 children have been killed, including 12,000 aged 12 or younger.
For almost two years, the extremist Netanyahu government has severely limited the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and thrown up every possible hurdle to the United Nations and other aid groups trying to provide lifesaving supplies. This includes an 11-week total blockade in which Israel did not permit any food, water, fuel or medical supplies to enter Gaza. As a direct result of these Israeli policies, Gaza is now gripped by man-made famine, with hundreds of thousands of people facing starvation. More than 400 people, including 145 children, have already starved to death. Each day brings new deaths from hunger.
But it is not just the human cost. Israel has systematically destroyed Gaza’s physical infrastructure. Satellite imagery shows that the Israeli bombardment has destroyed 70% of all structures in Gaza. The UN estimates that 92% of housing units have been damaged or destroyed. At this very moment, Israel is demolishing what’s left of Gaza City. Most hospitals have been destroyed, and almost 1,600 health care workers have been killed. Almost 90% of water and sanitation facilities are now inoperable. Hundreds of schools have been bombed, as has every single one of Gaza’s 12 universities. There has been no electricity for 23 months.
And that is just what we know from aid workers and local journalists — hundreds of whom have been killed — as Israel bars outside media from Gaza. In fact, Israel has killed more journalists in Gaza than have been killed in any previous conflict. The result: there is likely much we don’t know about the scale of the atrocities.
Now, with the Trump administration’s full support, the extremist Netanyahu government is openly pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank. Having made life unlivable through bombing and starvation, they are pushing for “voluntary” migration of Palestinians to neighboring countries to make way for President Trump’s twisted vision of a “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Genocide is defined as actions taken with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” The actions include killing members of the group or “deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.” The legal question hinges on intent.
Israeli leaders have made their intent clear. Early in the conflict, the defense minister said, “We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.” The finance minister vowed that “Gaza will be entirely destroyed.” Another minister declared: “All Gaza will be Jewish … we are wiping out this evil.” Israeli President Herzog said, “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible.” Another minister called for, “Erasing all of Gaza from the face of the earth.” Another Israeli lawmaker said, “the Gaza Strip should be flattened, and there should be one sentence for everyone there — death. We have to wipe the Gaza Strip off the map. There are no innocents there.” Yet another Knesset member called for “erasing all of Gaza from the face of the earth.” And, just recently, a minister in Israel’s high-level security cabinet said: “Gaza City itself should be exactly like Rafah, which we turned into a city of ruins.”
The intent is clear. The conclusion is inescapable: Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
I recognize that many people may disagree with this conclusion. The truth is, whether you call it genocide or ethnic cleansing or mass atrocities or war crimes, the path forward is clear. We, as Americans, must end our complicity in the slaughter of the Palestinian people. That is why I have worked with a number of my Senate colleagues to force votes on seven Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to stop offensive arms sales to Israel. The United States must not continue sending many billions of dollars and weapons to Netanyahu’s genocidal government.
Having named it a genocide, we must use every ounce of our leverage to demand an immediate ceasefire, a massive surge of humanitarian aid facilitated by the UN, and initial steps to provide Palestinians with a state of their own.
But this issue goes beyond Israel and Palestine.
Around the world, democracy is on the defensive. Hatred, racism and divisiveness are on the rise. The challenge we now face is to prevent the world from descending into barbarism, where horrific crimes against humanity can take place with impunity. We must say now and forever that, while wars may happen, there are certain basic standards that must be upheld. The starvation of children cannot be tolerated. The flattening of cities must not become the norm. Collective punishment is beyond the pale.
The very term genocide is a reminder of what can happen if we fail. That word emerged from the Holocaust — the murder of six million Jews — one of the darkest chapters in human history. Make no mistake. If there is no accountability for Netanyahu and his fellow war criminals, other demagogues will do the same. History demands that the world act with one voice to say: enough is enough. No more genocide.
SEPTEMBER SONG
lyrics by Maxwell Anderson (1938)
When I was a young man courting the girls
I played me a waiting game
If a maid refused me with tossing curls
I'd let the old Earth take a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in place of pearls
And as time came around she came my way
As time came around she came
But it's a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September
And the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
And I haven't got time for waiting game
And the wine dwindles down to a precious brew
September, November,
And these few vintage years I'd share with you
Those vintage years I'd share with you
But it's a long, long while from May to December
And the days grow short when you reach September
And I have lost one tooth and i walk a little lame
And I haven't got time for waiting game
And the days turn to gold as they grow few
September, November
And these few golden days I'd spend with you
These golden days I'd spend with you
When you meet with the young men early in Spring
They court you in song and rhyme
They woo you with words and a clover ring
But if you examine the goods they bring
They have little to offer, but the songs they sing
And a plentiful waste of time of day
A plentiful waste of time
But it's a long, long while from May to December
Will the clover ring last till you reach September
And I'm not quite equipped for the waiting game
But I have a little money and I have a little fame
And the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'd spend with you
These precious days I'd spend with you
CPS management, always a sh** show. Personal agendas, power hungry, self righteous, selfish, looking out for themselves always. Nothing changes, its been that way for a million years. CEO comments are outrageously laughable, since when do the top leaders admire the first line staff for real? Ha! She’s taking names and retaliation awaits. All those leadership initiatives…..great teachers came but staff were never allowed to implement anything learned. If you did, you were gone. The CPS staff speaking out are brave, and to be commended, but I hope they all have back up career plans and good mental health therapists. They are going to need both.
There were some good management folks, off and on, over the time I worked there–1996 t0 2014. Most of them had extensive field experience, knew what was what, cared deeply about the work, cared about staff, cared about children and families. They did their best to listen to staff. When we worked for these folks, even disagreeing at times, we felt supported and valued. These kind of leaders had our backs. We could go about the hard work of CPS and not have to worry about the next management betrayal. I”ll name a few: Bryan Lowery, Deborah Moody, Deborah lovett, AJ Barrett,and way back in time, Steve Prochter.
What’s happening now at CPS is scary and outrageous–and I’ve recently heard direct reports from past and current supervisors and others, as well as Mark’s piece yesterday–needs to be addressed directly by the BOS. CPS staff clearly state what is wrong and what needs to change. Bold action by the BOS to correct this course is needed. It’s clearly an out of control situation, with management staff who are out of their league, overwhelmed, and don’t have the trust of staff. They have turned in their frightened, stressed state to the crudest kind of managerial style–brute power, threats and maltreatment of staff. That of course makes it all worse.
BOS–you now know the extent of the problem, made clear in the staff petition and other documents. Do your jobs. Take action.
One more thing here:
Bernie Norvell, I know, from your history here on the coast, that you know how to deal with difficult situations, know how to listen, know how to plan and execute plans of action in difficult matters. As our BOS representative now for the coast, I especially hope you will assert yourself in this matter, and assist in resolving it, making it right. Without bold, effective, BOS intervention, this matter will just go on, and will just get worse–a certain outcome, and a disservice to the County’s citizens.
The establishment of Roadless and Wilderness areas is an attempt to recreate, by the exclusion of human economic enterprise,, a landscape that was created by, and adapted to human economic management and exploitation.
Economic enterprise is just one slice of many human interests and endeavors. Care of our environment is one I care about greatly. At this moment in time, I would think the care of our environment is much more important to us than economic enterprise. In fact, some believe that unrestrained economic enterprise has pretty much run its useful course.
Care for the environment means recognizing, and understanding the critical role human enterprise has had in creating and shaping it in at least the last 10,000 years. If there was a well cared for and admired orchard in the neighborhood that was abandoned and allowed to deteriorate, would we advise it to be left alone so it could return to its former much admired self?
It happens sometimes, but if that is what the owner chooses, it does not violate any zoning laws, and it does not endanger the public, then sure, I could live with that. But who is this collective “we” of which you speak? Will private property rights give way to committees formed to ensure the land is put to its highest (most profitable) use? Or the government seize it, to make that determination?
MENDOCINO COAST FISHERMEN HOOK A WIN WITH NEW LOCAL SEAFOOD LABEL
by Matt LaFever
Missing from this article. For the third consecutive year, commercial salmon fishing off the California coast has been prohibited, although there will be a limited opportunity for recreational anglers for the first time since 2022 which will be open for 2 days! 2 days! Commercial salmon fishing once accounted for the lead landings of fish in Noyo harbor. Due to California’s one party political system, it is gone, gone, gone.
My prediction is the King Salmon will return, just as the Silver Salmon have for the last two years. Hopefully we will see another large Silver run this year. There are more unknowns than knowns.
Sure, once all the dams are down, large enough commercial kind salmon runs will be back in about 100 years. Until then, enjoy your unhealthy, farmed Atlantic salmon from Canada, Norway and Chile That’s as close to un unknown as you will get, and you will undoubtedly be gone before it happens.
We have had big runs and record landings with the dams.
Anything on your dinner plate? Silver salmon have been banned from commercial fishing for years and years.
James Joseph Shields Memorial
That’s a fine, fine life–a good man and a good citizen.