Mendocino County Today: Friday, Aug 21, 2015

• Prop Bust
• Rocky's Cause
• Vice-mayor Coursey
• Hospitality Police
• Wolves Return
• Still Sinking
• Future Fantasies
• Old Footraces
• Yesterday's Catch
• Finding Snooze
• Beheaded Archeologist
• Earth Idiots
• Pot Water
• Reproduction
• Troubled Souls
• George Houser
• AV Reunion
• California Growers
• DUI Result
• KMUD Party
• FedEx Lawsuit
• FF Birthday
• Redwood Hike
• PA Agenda
• Craig Types
• Kids Programs
• The Wall
• Jared Radio

COUNT US AMONG the saps who voted for Prop 39 because (1) it raised taxes on corporations and (2) the money raised would go to the creation of clean energy jobs. Three years later, according to an AP story, Prop 39 raised nowhere near the promised money and produced less than ten percent of the jobs promised. The board of trustees sworn to guarantee Prop 39 accountability? It has yet to meet.

LAKE COUNTY'S MONSTER Rocky Fire was caused by a faulty out-building water heater on the outskirts of Clearlake, although that explanation is still being investigated. Some 70,000 acres were burned, 43 homes destroyed. The origin of the adjacent Jerusalem Fire has not been revealed.

THE END IS TRULY NEAR: Former Press Democrat reporter and columnist Chris Coursey is vice-mayor of Santa Rosa.

NEW HOSPITALITY CENTER EXPLAINS LAW ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE

The Old Coast Hotel "Wellness Center" in Fort Bragg opened Monday and had a visit from law enforcement three times Wednesday.

Law enforcement attended the Hospitality Center location three times yesterday.

Before rumors fly about alleged trouble, here are the facts about the reasons.

1. Oak St. outside Hospitality Center was being kept empty for an oversized vehicle to pass.
2. A MCHC staff member was served a subpoena to attend court about a client.
3. A MCHC client used the Hospitality Center phone to report a theft of her belongings which happened to her elsewhere, and not on any MCHC property.

Thank you for your service to all members of law enforcement.

THEY'RE BACK!

— the California Department of Fish & Wildlife:

After trail cameras recorded a lone canid in May and July, CDFW deployed additional cameras, one of which took multiple photos showing five pups, which appear to be a few months old and others showing individual adults. Because of the proximity to the original camera locations, it is likely the adult previously photographed in May and July is associated with the group of pups.

“This news is exciting for California,” said Charlton H. Bonham, CDFW Director. “We knew wolves would eventually return home to the state and it appears now is the time.”

The photos were announced by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday. The images were recorded after cameras in southeastern Siskiyou County captured what was believed — but not confirmed — to be a gray wolf in May and July.

CDFW has designated this group (comprised of two adults and five pups) the Shasta Pack.

Wild wolves historically inhabited California, but were extirpated. Aside from these wolves and the famous wolf OR7 who entered California in December 2011, the last confirmed wolf in the state was here in 1924. OR7 has not been in California for more than a year and is currently the breeding male of the Rogue Pack in southern Oregon.

In June 2014, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to list gray wolves as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act. The gray wolf is also listed as endangered in California, under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973. Gray wolves that enter California are therefore protected by the ESA making it illegal to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture or collect wolves, or to attempt to engage in any such conduct in California.

CDFW is completing a Draft Wolf Management Plan and will release it soon. Throughout the plan’s development, CDFW has held numerous meetings with stakeholders. Currently, CDFW is incorporating comments from a stakeholder advisory group, and considering revisions due to implications of this news, before releasing the draft plan to the general public. Public meetings will be scheduled to receive public comment on the draft plan.

In addition to the trail cameras, CDFW relies on help from the public to glean information about wolves in California. The public can report wolf sightings on CDFW gray wolf website at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/Sighting-Report.

Though wolves rarely pose a direct threat to human safety, CDFW recommends that people never approach, feed or otherwise disturb a wolf. For more information about staying safe in wolf-occupied areas, including what people should do if they encounter a wolf, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Gray-Wolf/FAQ.

CENTRAL VALLEY STILL SINKING

Appropos of Wednesday’s “eek” in Mendocino County Today (— see this stunning photo on the first page of this USGS report section:

“Approximate location of maximum subsidence in United States identified by research efforts of Joseph Poland (pictured). Signs on pole show approximate altitude of land surface in 1925, 1955, and 1977. The pole is near benchmark S661 in the San Joaquin Valley southwest of Mendota, California.”

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/circ1182/pdf/06SanJoaquinValley.pdf

— Betsy Cawn

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

I’ve seen a number of interviews in the last few months with the “techno-futurist” crowd who are predicting all types of miracle type changes in society from biotech and robotic technologies, to name a couple. It’s very heady stuff, and you can tell these individuals have certainly bought into their own fantasist imaginations.

And look – who wouldn’t want to have something like a replicator from Star Trek? But the problem is that we have an educational system that is wholly unprepared to train anybody past working at Arby’s, and a large and rowdy underclass who are fixated on historical grievance & government subsidies.

On top of all this, where is the money going to come from for big structural changes, whether it be educational or in another area? The country is in the hole for over 18 trillion. Furthermore, many states get a large percentage of their own budgets from the federal government.

In another bubble situation which will occur like 2008, there will be a cascading systemic failure from top to bottom.

THE RUSSIAN RIVER RUN: MENDOCINO'S SECOND OLDEST FOOTRACE

by Jim Gibbons (June 1990)

The night before the Russian River Run, Sally Miklose called me from her motel room in Ukiah because her 16-year-old son Jesse wanted to find out how fast I'm planning to run the next day's 8K. He wants to run with me as long as possible, and says his older brother Gabriel wants to beat me. Neither he nor his 19-year-old bro have finished in front of me in a footrace so far, but they're determined to do so. I'll be 46 in a few weeks so we all know it's just a matter of time. A case of impetuous youth verses age and experience.

I tell her about the same as last year, a sub-27, but I don't tell her I'm a little tired because this is my third race in three weeks, which includes the Pacific Sun 10K six days ago and the 7.5-mile Bay to Breakers the week before that. Instead I just say “Jesse and Gabe will have to run the race of their lives to beat me.” She laughs and relays the message to Jesse, who's sitting on the bed watching TV. He admits he can't run that fast...yet.

Although there are plenty of local footraces to compete against each other, it seems that we miss opportunities because either Gabe's hurt or Jesse just ran a tough track meet or I opt for the longer race, knowing my years of conditioning give me the edge over the shorter races. But I don’t want to run the marathon or the half. I like the 5-mile distance. Although the Russian River Marathon and Half-Marathon started in 1979, the 8k wasn’t added until 1984. I not only ran that first 8k, but won it in a PR of 25:59.

I hang up knowing once again I've put the pressure on myself. My goal suddenly changes from having a pleasant jog through the vineyards to beating those pesky high schoolers. That includes my son Eli, also 16, who just came off an impressive track season, almost breaking 10 minutes for two miles, something I can no longer do.

Jesse became the first sophomore to ever win both the mile and 2-mile in the Coastal Conference League, running a 4:41 mile and a 9:58 2-mile.

Eli finished off the season by beating Jesse in the North Coast Sections with a Willits High School record of 10:05 in the 8 lapper, and maybe more impressive for tomorrow's showdown, set a school record earlier in the season at the Stanford Invitational with a 16:51 5,000 meters.

Yes, both of their mile and two mile times are better than anything I've done in recent years, but add another mile or two and they're history. My big advantage is the 50-mile weeks I've been averaging for the past 12 years. I ran my first marathon when they were still in kindergarten. So what if Eli beat me for the first time in a 2-miler in April, they both know they can't stay with me for 5 miles. Or I should say, they don't think they can stay with me, because regardless of the mileage, when runners are relatively fit it comes down to a mental game.

Race Day Arrives

The next day there's Jesse at the start. We hit the first mile in 5:21 and Jesse speeds up, figuring we're going too slow, which I find amusing and let him go, confident I'll reel him in when the course flattens out around 2 miles. My group includes Mike Tuffly of Mendocino, Tim Wallen, a 1981 Ukiah High School grad who now lives near the Panhandle in Golden Gate Park and runs for the Greater San Francisco Track Club, and Dave Stancliffe, the eventual winner.

I invited Stancliffe up, figuring he would win, but I was glad Wallen showed so he'd have someone to run with. I didn't want to get sucked into Stancliffe's race. I knew the workouts he'd been doing and the fact that he just ran a 15:02 5K at Carlsbad in April. Dave and I had no choice but become friends a few years ago because we kept finishing in front of or behind each other. We'd have a few beers afterward and plan to see each other at the next big race.

But that was a few years ago, before he started doing two killer track workouts each week, preparing for kicking butt when he turns 40 next year. He's already surpassed the fitness level he had 22 years earlier when he set the Drake High School mile record at 4:28.

Then two weeks ago at Bay to Breakers he got off his sick bed to run a 40-flat — that's a 5:22 mile pace! It was after Eli's Class 1A Sections meet at the Santa Rosa JC track. James Wright, the one-man track team from Laytonville, was with us. We drove down to spend the night at Dave and Sue's house in San Rafael, but when we walked in Dave was on the couch, surrounded by medicinal drugs, and coughing up dark-colored phlegm. Not a pretty sight. I sent the boys to the movies, figuring whatever Dave had must be contagious, and didn't want the boys to get it. I was feeling bad that Dave wouldn't be able to run, because I know how much he loves this race. I was choosing just the right words to console him, when Sue says, “He's going to run.”

“What!?!” I was noticeably concerned, “Dave,” I pleaded with him, “That's insane! Don't run man, you may have pneumonia right now! You won't even finish.”

Besides him running sick, he'd be running in the rain. If he didn't have pneumonia before the race, he'd get it for sure afterward. It was as if winter was suddenly reborn. 1990 became the first rainy Bay to Breakers since 1938, back when it was held in March.

“I'll just take it easy,” he says. And in what for him is a comforting gesture, tells me how he already has resigned himself to running much slower than he originally planned, and says with a straight face, “I'll run with you. How fast are you planning to run?”

“Fast enough to make you cough up lugies all the way up Hays Street Hill,” I tell him, realizing nothing I could say would make him change his mind, or as Sue puts it, “You can't tell him anything.”

The next day I see Dave up ahead of me for about the first half mile before he disappears. I figure I'll see him on his hands and knees coughing up blood along side the road somewhere, but no, he eventually places 61^st, is upset he didn't break 40 minutes, and to top it off, he's one of the first runners to the beer wagon at the Polo Field. After too many beers to count, he and Sue borrowed Eli to drive them home, while I followed with Riley riding shotgun.

But getting back to the Russian River 8K, Dave dropped Tim Wallen at about two miles, and that's also where Jesse finally fell off his 5:20 pace and joined me and Mike Tuffly in a more relaxed gait.

Tuffly is a forester from Mendocino who led the recent Boontling 5K to just past the turnaround, where I caught him to win it in 16:28, while he finished second with the excuse that he went out too fast. He doesn't want that to happen here, so we stay together, drop Jesse, and with the last uphill mile staring us in the face, he slows his pace and I decide to kick and finish third behind Wallen in 27:20.

Stancliffe got his PR with a 25:43, while Wallen just slipped under 26. Jesse finished fifth behind Tuffly, and after I got my pulse back down under 100, I jogged back to see where Eli and Riley were. Eli was content to run with James Wright, finishing just ahead of him for ninth and second in the high school division.

Then Riley came chugging up the last hill to win his 12-and-under division for the second straight year, only this year he didn't get anything for his efforts. Last year he got a free pair of running shoes, which I may have appreciated more than him, but this year not even a ribbon.

At the awards ceremony, I gave race director Dennis Huey an entry form for the Willits Fourth of July Footrace, inviting him to the “real oldest footrace in the county.” Being the race director, I was tired of reading in the press and hearing on the radio that the Russian River Run was the “oldest footrace in the county” when it wasn't. The Willits race was started in 1978, a year before his race.

We finally got to Mill Creek Park where the free beer was flowing, Ed Reinhart was playing his keyboard, Lura Damiano of Fort Bragg, who won the half-marathon in 1:21, was passing out entry forms for the Mendocino Classic 8K to be held at the end of July, and Susan Park was handing out entries to the Real Oldest Footrace in the County on July 4^th.

The kids went off swimming while we parents carbo-loaded and discussed our summer racing schedules. Plenty of beer, plenty of running buddies, and plenty of chances to run those pesky high school kids into the ground.

CATCH OF THE DAY, August 20, 2015

ALBERTO ACOSTA, Talmage. Resisting arrest.

JOHN BOLTON, Willits. Probation revocation. (Frequent flyer.)

JAMES DOZIER, Livermore/Willits. Sale of meth, possession of controlled substance and paraphernalia.

CAMERON HAMMOND, Ukiah. Possession of controlled substance, mandatory supervision violation.

CURTIS HIPES, Willits. Drunk in public.

DWAYNE MCKENZIE, Ukiah. Failure to appear.

PATRISHA MOODY, Ukiah. Possession of paraphernalia, probation revocation.

CARLOS MORALES-ESCARRILLO, Ukiah. Refusing to leave, resisting, probation revocation.

JORGE SANCHEZ, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

ANDREW SAWYER, Oakland. Probation revocation.

GABRIELLE SUISSA, San Francisco/Ukiah. Vehicle theft, receiving stolen property.

RACHELLE SUTHERLAND, Fort Bragg. Probation revocation.

BRADLEY THOMAS, Willits. Domestic assault, probation revocation.

LOUIE VIGIL, Redwood Valley. Probation revocation.

TAYLOR WRIGHT, Little River. Failure to appear.

DOG STORIES. — Generally I avoid them. They turn out badly for the dog. Think Old Blue, and Mr. Bo Jangles' dog, and my La Brea Tarpit. Nevertheless, my new old hound found me a few days ago. — I'd stopped my truck to pick up after the trash collectors had done their work up here on Black Bart Trail, and I noticed a dog headed my way. Alert, purposeful, thin, likely thirsty. Of course no collar. People abandon dogs up here, perhaps counting on the kindness of strangers to take care of them, or on Nature's red teeth and claws.

My new old hound let me pick him up (35-40 lbs.) and put him in the cab, where he curled counterclockwise on the passenger seat, right foreleg & paw nonchalantly on the center console. He looked at me. Were he human, I'd call him entitled. His look said, “I assume you'll provide for me.” — In the event, I called him Doggo, detoured back to the house for water and food, and resumed my errand run to town. Kept an unexpectant eye out for distraught owner or lost dog posters. Doggo's a good, quiet companion. He sat up, most of the time, also looking around, likely not for posters.

Invested our first afternoon together in brushing, petting, sitting for treats, staying. Doggo has considerable self-respect, but he quickly accepted the drill. That evening he demonstrated that he preferred a couch to Brea's dog bed on the floor. Doggo couchant violates my house rule. I remembered a larger dog bed in the attic. Brea'd rejected it. Doggo circled on it 3 times, settled, went to sleep. He's a good sleeper. When I was ready for bed, Doggo went inertly heavy, making it difficult to get him off his bed so I could move it to my bedroom. But he soon acquiesced, and was sound asleep at the side of my bed before I'd brushed my teeth & picked a book.

By morning we were a match. Doggo'd slept all night. Years ago, mentioning the one drawback to our relationship, Isis remarked that Brea snored and I kicked. Snoring is no longer an issue. — At sunrise, Doggo woke, stretched, went out to the vicinity of a tree, expected his breakfast in the kitchen. Sloppy eater, thorough. Spent the day in rural matters. Walked him on leash because I wasn't certain he was as bonded to me as I to him. Took him to town, to meet Isis and have Doc Haynes check for the chip I feared Doggo would have. No chip. Isis gave qualified approval, based in her loving sense that I need a dog. — Night time was repeat of previous serenity.

Lost Doggo the next morning. He'd nuzzled my cheek as I sat with coffee on the deck stairs. Then he turned away, sniffed the air, ran down the steps and into some intoxicating scent. Oblivious to “Stay!” to “Sit!” to “Come here!” — Fortunately the scent switchbacked on a slope recently buzzcut for defensible space. I collared Doggo on his third pass, carried him — as he began to bay — into the house. He ran about indoors, baying at all doors. It was like being inside a French horn. Doggo's Instinctive behavior was intolerable behavior.

The trip to the shelter was not happy for me. I knew something Doggo did not. He curled up as before, looked at me trustingly, fell asleep. — At the shelter, I said I'd picked up a stray. “Stray what?” the woman asked. “Hound.” “Where'd you find it?” “Black Bart Trail.” “We know his owner . . . is he fixed?” “He should be, unless he chips his dog.””Dog's name is Snooze,” she said.

Back home on my ridge, I put Doggo's bed back in the attic.

— Jonathan Middlebrook

BEHEADING THE GUARDIAN OF PALMYRA

by Robert Fisk

Isis has killed “the guardian of Palmyra.” Tortured for a month and then beheaded for refusing to betray the secret location of the Roman’s city’s priceless artefacts, Khaled al-Asaad’s gruesome death has appalled his fellow archeologists.

“[He was] a joyful guy. You had to see him if you went to Palmyra. He was a guardian of the past,” a Lebanese archeologist, Joanne Farchakh, recalled. “You felt his passion when he talked.”

The 82-year old was long retired, remaining at home when Isis descended on Palmyra three months ago. What would the “Islamic Caliphate” want with an old man steeped in antiquity? Certainly no tour of the Roman forum and amphitheatre, the remains through which he walked with countless foreign archeological teams over half a century, ensuring – as Ms Farchakh said – “that they made no mistakes, didn’t get the facts of history wrong”.

In truth, Mr al-Asaad knew that most of Palmyra’s movable artefacts had long ago been taken to the comparative safety of Damascus (no one could transport the entire Roman city away), but Isis believed he knew where other treasures might have been buried.

After a month, the fighters realised that Mr al-Asaad knew nothing – or would say nothing – and so they decapitated the old man and strung his torso to a Roman pillar in the ancient city.

He had, in his long career as a civil servant, visited overseas archeological conferences, and this alone would have merited a death sentence in the eyes of his puritan torturers. If you work for the Syrian government, in however lowly a role, you are a “regime man”.

For months, Isis has operated an antiquities smuggling ring, selling objects from Syria’s Roman past to international dealers, usually through Turkey.

“Khaled al-Asaad was always there, and then he became a hostage,” said Ms Farchakh. “The truth is that Palmyra is a hostage itself – to two wars and to two political systems.”

(Robert Fisk writes for the Independent, where this column originally appeared. Courtesy, CounterPunch.org)

THE DAY THE PLANET OF THE APES STOOD STILL

Jeff Costello

My favorite movies as kid in the 50s were sci-fi and monster flicks, mostly black and white budget affairs like Creature from the Black Lagoon, where you could see the zipper up the back of the monster's costume, or The Thing, where you never got a good look at the Thing at all. One of my particular favorites was Not of This Earth, in which a guy wearing a perfect Blues Brothers outfit, sunglasses and all, comes from his dying planet to harvest blood for transfusions, for the folks back home. When he took off the sunglasses, you could see that he had no eyeballs, and all he had to do was look at you and you were dead - after a few agonized screams. Naturally my thought was, "I wish I could do that." My high school principal would have been target number one.

Some of these films were real stinkers, like The Giant Gila Monster or Teenagers From Outer Space. Or the Hideous Sun Demon, a man who goes up in a rocket and comes back over-exposed to the sun and turns on sunny days into a scaly reptilian humanoid that kills people for no apparent reason. The message was perhaps the same as Dorothy's in the Wizard of Oz: Best to stay in your own back yard.

All I knew about The Day the Earth Stood Still was that a flying saucer landed in Washington D.C., and that was good enough for me. I rode the usual bus for a quarter, 12 miles into town, and I think it was still under a dollar for the movie ticket. I'm sure my 11 or 12 yr.-old self didn't entirely "get" this movie, but it turned out to be something of a classic, a landmark film of sorts. People still remember and quote the "spaceman's" message to Gort, his robot assistant and bodyguard: "Klaatu, Barata, Nikto." This meant "I'm in trouble and need immediate help." The spaceman, naturally, was shot by soldiers acting on the orders of the Big Hawks in the Pentagon, who have determined, wrongly, that the alien was here to start an interplanetary war. Unlike the nice aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, this one had come to warn that unless we humans stopped all the wars and figured out how to get along, our planet would have to be "eliminated." As a small demonstration of his ability to do this, he shut down all electric activity on Earth for a half-hour, and, as the title suggests, the Earth stood still.

So the other night, The Day the Earth Stood Still was on cable TV, no commercials. And this time I not only "got" the movie but saw a parallel to Planet of the Apes. The story line was inside-out, or reversed but the basic premise was the same: Earth People are By and Large, idiots hell-bent on self-destruction. The twist in Planet of the Apes was Charlton Heston (an excellent casting choice) thinks he's landed on another planet when in fact it's Earth in the future when humanity has destroyed itself, the apes are back in charge and know what a menace humans are. And that they can't be trusted.

Each movie portrays humans as having pretty well fucked everything up.

WATERSHEDS can cover huge areas and just because they are remote does not diminish their importance. The Eel River watershed is 200 miles long and covers over 3,600 square miles, the third largest in California. Most of the creeks in this area are spring-fed. Estimates are, there are 1 million pot plants in just Mendocino County. Average water use for each plant is 6 gallons a day. That's 6 million gallons every day not going into the creeks and why so many creeks have dried up in Mendocino County. This water is crucial to the survival of fish, crawdads, turtles and tadpoles. It is horrible watching a creek dry up and find fish belly up, especially when its caused by greedy pot growers with no concern for the environment. Agriculture has been forced to cut its water use. So should the illegal growers. Pot needs to be legal, regulated and taxed.

— Jo Ann Herr

THE HOMELESS

Neither side in the homeless debate seems willing to acknowledge the ugly truths. The majority of the homeless are mentally ill, addicted to damaging drugs, or both. Our treatment for these people, especially the mentally ill, has nearly vanished, so that their only viable options are the street or our jails. Making matters worse, well-intentioned civil libertarians argue that those who are incapacitated should be able to refuse treatment, and remain on the streets. We tolerate the desperate camping on our sidewalks, and are willing to provide basic assistance such as food and transient services.

The result is that our homeless-tolerance and warm climate are a magnet to America's troubled souls. Local taxpayers are shouldering the burden of communities nation-wide who have failed their mentally ill and substance-addicted populations. The more services we offer, the more people are drawn here. Homelessness is not just a local problem. It can only be solved by state and federal efforts to treat and house those in need, especially the mentally ill. Cities can't be expected to fix this alone.

— Mark Crosley

GEORGE HOUSER DEAD AT 99

Civil Rights pioneer, ex-Rocklander George Houser dies at 99 Robert Brum, rbrum@lohud.com 1:35 p.m. EDT August 20, 2015 George Houser, a civil rights pioneer and former Pomona resident, died Thursday in Santa Rosa, California. He was 99. A committed pacifist, Houser refused the draft as a conscientious objector in 1940 and was imprisoned for a year. The son of missionaries was influenced by the teachings of Ghandi and was drawn to the nonviolent movement for equality. In 1942, he co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality. CORE organized The Journey of Reconciliation: a series of trips across the United States in 1947, to test whether a Supreme Court decision desegregating public transportation was being obeyed in Jim Crow states. That led to the Freedom Rides. He joined the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1938 and became a staff member in 1941 after his release from jail. "It's been a deep privilege for me to have gotten to know George Houser in this past decade," said Ethan Vesely-Flad, director of national organizing for the Upper Nyack-based Fellowship of Reconciliation. "As someone who grew up in the era of the anti-apartheid movement, meeting and being mentored by a man who challenged racism, colonialism and imperialism in our country and in Africa and globally made me more resolved to stay in this very difficult, hard work today and going forward." Vesely-Flad continued, "He was always incredibly passionate, focused and committed to truth and justice and forming the next generation of people like me to join the struggle for social change." He said an East Coast memorial for Houser was being planned. Houser and his wife, Jean, moved to Skyview Acres, an interracial and politically active community in Pomona, in 1949. They relocated to a retirement home in California in 2009. Jean Houser, a longtime mental-health advocate and master pianist, survives him. Houser participated in the Rockland Coalition for Peace & Justice's weekly peace vigils until he moved to California. In May of 2011, he appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides. In 2010, Houser was honored for his efforts in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. South African President Jacob Zuma presented him with the Order of the Companions of O.R. Tambo award. Houser was inducted into the Rockland County Commission on Human Rights' Civil Rights Hall of Fame in 2007.

AV ALL YEARS REUNION

All are invited to another All Year Reunion. We are asking for $20/person, payable at the door, which will include a wonderful spaghetti dinner prepared by Marti Titus and Dot (Crawford) Gialdini. Bring your own drinks. Coolers, ice and water will be provided. Class pictures will be taken between 1:30 and 4, so if you want to be in your class photo, be there during that time. There will again be a yearbook corner.

Parking: Those with handicap placards can park at the Senior Center (first come/first served). Loading/unloading will also be available at the Senior Center. The AV Senior Center bus will be a shuttling attendees from 12:30-2:30 and 4:30-6:30. It will run from the High School to the Senior Center to Gravel Pit flats, with in between pickups at the Drive-In, Rancheria Realty and Hwy 253. Donations to cover driver expense will be appreciated - donation jar on the bus.

Volunteers Needed!

If you can help at the gate, contact Anna Avery at annaavery@aol.com.

If you can help with dinner prep, serving or cleanup, please contact Marti at marti@mctitus.com or Dot at alndot@sbcglobal.net.

If you can help with grounds setup, decorating, cleanup, please contact David & Sandra Knight at sandrakknight54@yahoo.com. Have a popup canopy? Please bring along. Shade is good!

If you can take class photos, please contact sheri@rancheriarealty.com. We would like to have several photographers this year. Not necessary to be professional, just necessary to devote some your time to this popular part of the reunion.

Need more information? Contact Sheri Hansen at sheri@rancheriareatly.com or Jimmy Short at jsannmargretfan@aol.com

Any proceeds and donations benefit the Anderson Valley Senior Center

Sheri Hansen

sheri@rancheriarealty.com

EMERALD GROWERS ASSOCIATION CHANGES ITS NAME TO CALIFORNIA GROWERS ASSOCIATION

by Jane Futcher

The Emerald Growers Association, a trade group for cannabis farmers launched in Mendocino and Humboldt counties several years ago, is changing its name to the California Growers Association.

The EGA board of directors made that decision July 21.

“As we move forward toward a well regulated, farmer-friendly cannabis industry, it is critical that we organize ourselves effectively,” said acting CGA board chair Casey O’Neill. “I am firmly committed to working to strengthen collaboration between growers across the state.”

According to O’Neill, the name Emerald Growers Association didn’t go over well in Sacramento, where the EGA has been lobbying lawmakers to write farmer-friendly bills currently making their way through the State Assembly and Senate.

At an Aug. 15 EGA meeting in Laytonville, O’Neill offered more details.

“We’ve gotten outside of our area, and we’ve found that people who aren’t from the Emerald Triangle aren’t necessarily enthused about the use of the Emerald Triangle. There has been some friction in that department.”

O’Neill said that among those from out of the area who will soon be joining the CGA are farmers from Los Angeles as well as indoor growers.

“We are broadening the discussion,” O’Neill said. “We’re making this transition. We’re growing into our shoes.”

Emerald Grown, a non-political trade group for local farmers, will continue to exist, O’Neill said.

Anyone who is a currently a member of the EGA and wishes to be listed as a founding member of the California Growers Association should contact emeraldgrowers.org as soon as possible.

JURY TRIAL RESULT

Ukiah, Wednesday, August 19. — A jury returned from its deliberations late Thursday afternoon with guilty verdicts against Crystal Rhea Terry, age 29, of Blue Lake, a Humboldt County town on the Mad River 16 miles northeast of Eureka. The jury found the defendant guilty of misdemeanor driving a motor under the influence of alcohol and misdemeanor driving a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol .08 or greater. The jury also found true a special allegation that the defendant's blood alcohol was equal to or greater than .15. The evidence presented to the jury was that the defendant's blood alcohol was .16 at the time of her arrest in October 2014.

Following the release of the jury, a court trial was convened to determine whether Terry had been previously convicted of DUI within the past ten years. The Court found true that Terry had been convicted of DUI in June 2010 in the Humboldt County Superior Court. It was also determined that the defendant failed to show proof of insurance at the time of her arrest.

Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Jeanine Nadel placed the defendant on 5 years informal probation. Terms of that probation included that she serve 60 days in the county jail, fines and fees, and that she attend and complete an 18-month second offender alcohol treatment program. If she ever earns back her license, Terry may not drive a motor vehicle without an ignition interlock device installed therein for the next three years.

The prosecutor who presented the People's evidence during this three-day trial was Deputy District Attorney Jessalee Mills. The investigating law enforcement agencies were the California Highway Patrol, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, and the California Department of Justice Laboratory in Eureka.

(District Attorney Press Release)

REMINDER -- KMUD Party Tomorrow (August 21st)

We are having our Pool Party tomorrow here at the station in Redway from noon to 5 p.m. and our Soul Flow electronic music dance party is from 5 p.m. to midnight.

Hope to see you here!

* * *

My name is Emily Hobelmann, and I am the Underwriting Representative at KMUD. Most of you know me. Some of you I haven’t met. Either way, I want to invite you to KMUD’s upcoming Pool Party & Soul Flow evening of electronic music on Friday, August 21st, right here at the station in Redway.

The KMUD Pool Party features two full-size pools and it runs from noon to 5 p.m. on the 21st. Bring your kids, swim attire, floaties and towels. There will be music, tasty local treats and beverages provided by our sponsor Lagunitas. That’s here at the station on Friday, August 21st, from noon to 5 p.m.

KMUD’s Soul Flow party is the same day, and it runs from 5 p.m. to midnight. Soul Flow features EDM (electronic dance music) with DJs Noel Screech Owl, Tim Coppertone, Marjo Lak and Joe-e. This is a complimentary event, meant to get you moving. All ages are welcome to this outdoor music event sponsored by Butter Music, KMUD, Deep Groove Society and Cold Blue Water Band. No dogs please. And again, that’s here at the station on Friday, August 21st from 5 p.m. to midnight.

The Pool and Soul Flow parties are being thrown as part of KMUD’s Summer Blitz Pledge Drive, which runs from August 17th through the 22nd. Please feel free to stop by anytime, especially during our pledge drive! We just got new flooring installed at the station, and it’s a welcome improvement.

I’ll be here for the parties on August 21st, celebrating KMUD with our staff, board and community. I hope to see you here!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

Emily Hobelmann
Underwriting Representative
KMUD -- Redwood Community Radio
Office: 707-923-2513
Cell: 707-362-0734
emily@kmud.org

CIVIL SETTLEMENT UPDATE: FED EX GROUND PACKAGE SYSTEM INC.

Mendocino County District Attorney David Eyster announced today the court-approved settlement of a civil enforcement action that he had previously joined in with other county prosecutors to bring against FedEx Ground Package System Inc., said lawsuit being filed in the Sacramento County Superior Court on July 1, 2014. This civil action alleged illegal transportation and storage of hazardous waste, and unlawful business practices.

The complaint was filed after a lengthy investigation into FedEx Ground’s handling of damaged, broken, or leaking packages containing hazardous materials. Beginning in 2010, regulators from San Diego, Sacramento, and Los Angeles counties had responded to hazardous material incidents at FedEx Ground facilities. Further investigation found that FedEx Ground was not immediately identifying hazardous waste, and was improperly transporting and storing the waste prior to disposal. While Fed Ex Ground disputed these claims, Fed Ex Ground was cooperative in the investigation and has corrected all of the alleged violations.

Under the terms of the negotiated $1.75 million final judgment, FedEx Ground agreed to pay $1.5 million in civil penalties, $155,000 in investigative costs to the involved agencies, $85,000 for environmental programs, and will expend $10,000 toward working with its customers on a waste minimization program. The stipulated judgment, approved by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Raymond M. Cadei, covers all 36 FedEx Ground Facilities in California — one of which is in Ukiah — and provides that FedEx Ground will be bound by the terms of a permanent injunction requiring compliance with California’s hazardous waste and hazardous materials laws. FedEx Ground has not admitted any violations of the law. As part of settlement, the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office will receive $37,500 in civil penalties as part of the final judgment and permanent injunction filed in Sacramento on July 28, 2015.

In signaling his approval of the settlement, DA Eyster commented, “This judgment brings a leader in a large and growing industry into compliance with California’s hazardous waste control laws, and enhances public protection throughout the state.”

Sacramento County Superior Court Docket Number 34-2014-00165700-CU-TT-GDS

FREQUENT FLYER BIRTHDAY WISHES also go out to Walter Joseph Stough this week. One of our more elderly FFs, Walter was born August 21, 1953. He's a tall puff of meth, listed at 6'5", 190 pounds. Formerly of Fort Bragg, and since relocated to Albion, Walter often gets arrested with Joni Dearing. As you can see from their recent booking photos, methamphetamine has not been kind (Joni appears to have an advanced case of "meth mouth"). A police report from a couple years ago...

ON FEBRUARY 2, 2013, at approximately 1:03am, Mendocino County Sheriff's Deputies were patrolling the Noyo Harbor on Basin Street in Fort Bragg. Deputies observed a motor home parked in a permit parking area and, from prior contacts, recognized the motor home as being occupied by Walter Stough, 59, of Fort Bragg and Joni Dearing, 51, of Fort Bragg. Knowing that Dearing is on formal probation, with a search clause, the deputies contacted the occupants of the motor home. Contacted in the motor home were Walter Stough, Joni Dearing, and Jon Anderson, 59, also of Fort Bragg. A search of the motor home revealed items that indicated the occupants had been ingesting controlled substances when the deputies arrived. These items included methamphetamine smoking pipes, syringes, and approximately half a gram of methamphetamine. Jon Anderson was found to be in possession of numerous prescription drugs and items indicating that he was engaged in the illegal sale of those drugs. The drugs were seized and the listed persons were arrested and booked into the Mendocino County Jail, with charges and bail as follows: Stough was booked for possession of methamphetamine, etc.; maintaining a place for selling, giving or using drugs; possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $15,000. Dearing was booked for possession of methamphetamine, etc.; possession of drug paraphernalia, and probation violation. Bail was set at $10,000, but was later removed and status was changed to no bail. Anderson was booked for possession of methamphetamine for sale; possession of methamphetamine, etc.; visiting where illegal durgs are used; and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $25,000.

ANCIENT REDWOOD HIKE

Join Sanctuary Forest on Saturday, August 29 for the Big Red: Ancient Redwood Hike. The hike will be led by Sanctuary Forest Board member Eric Shafer and long-time restorationist Richard Gienger. It will be held in a section of virgin, Mattole headwaters forest, untouched by logging and rarely entered by humans. Hike leaders will take participants from the Mattole River to the ridge top and back to the Mattole along a rugged trail that winds through the forest. Along the way leaders will share stories about the Mattole community's historic efforts to preserve different areas of this forest, including the 2,000 year old Big Red, which sparked the creation of Sanctuary Forest in 1987. Please meet at the Sanctuary Forest office in Whitethorn at 9 a.m. Bring a lunch and plenty of water and wear sturdy hiking shoes. This is a rigorous, mostly uphill, approximately 5-mile hike on uneven terrain—there is also a very steep, slippery downhill section towards the end. The hike will end between 4 and 5 p.m. This is a group excursion, and participants are asked to stay together at all times. The hike is free of charge, though donations are gladly accepted and help Sanctuary Forest offer this program year after year. For questions or clarifications, contact Marisa at marisa@sanctuaryforest.org, or call 986-1087 x 1#. Hope to see you there!

Support from volunteers and local businesses have made this program possible for Sanctuary Forest. Local businesses that have made generous contributions are James Holland, MSW Counseling Services, J.Angus Publishing Group, Southern Humboldt Fitness, Sylvandale Gardens, The Security Store, Blue Star Gas, Caffe Dolce, Charlotte’s Perennial Gardens, Coffee Break, Mattole River Studios, Monica Coyne Artist Blacksmith, Randall Sand & Gravel, Whitethorn Construction, Ned Hardwood Construction, Pierson Building Center, Chautauqua Natural Foods, Dazey’s Supply, Madrone Realty, First Fig Gallery, Hohstadt’s Garden Center, Humboldt Bar & Grill, Roy Baker, O.D., Redwood Properties, Vella Wood Flooring, Wildberries Marketplace, Whitethorn Winery and Mattole Meadows

Sanctuary Forest is a land trust whose mission is to conserve the Mattole River watershed and surrounding areas for wildlife habitat and aesthetic, spiritual, and intrinsic values in cooperation with our diverse community.

CITY OF POINT ARENA Regular Meeting Agenda August 25, 2015

https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/afcf8d8d-4bb3-4be0-8e09-66ce82d6d833

HE'S IN BALTIMORE

Good evening radical environmental comrades, Please know that I am at the Hostelling International in Baltimore, on West Mulberry Street across from the historic Catholic basilica and also the Free Library, just blocks from the first Washington Monument, and around the corner from O'Shea's Irish bar, all of which I have visited, in addition to recently enjoying Red Emma's anarchist infoshop and cafe. I am doing absolutely nothing right now, basically checking emails and awaiting another creative opportunity, probably in Washington D.C. While maintaining a perfect spiritual detachment so as not to get sucked into the maya and suffer, I am sending out this message, because I do not want to be idle. As we all contemplate just what the postmodern future will be, given the chaotic worldwide geopolitical situation and the specter of climate destabilization, feel free to stay in touch with me. It will be much more fun to contribute to the good together, and also to collectively warn all sentient beings of the miserable fate awaiting those who are buying into the rather visionless, disturbing, spiritually ignorant upcoming national American political elections. You are invited to contact me, and if I do not receive anything from you which is exciting, during these "dog days of summer", it's okay, because I will extend my stay at HI-Baltimore for another week beginning Sunday, which will give the entire situation more time. Thank you very much for reading this message from me; indeed, what else could I do but send it out tonight? And now, I will go enjoy the Thursday night group pasta dinner with the other travelers here who have embraced a nomadic lifestyle.

Bliss divine for all,

Craig Louis Stehr
Email: CraigStehr@inbox.com

KIDS PROGRAMS AT THE LIBRARY

The Mendocino County Library, Ukiah Children’s Library is Beginning our School Year Children’s Programs Starting the Week of August 24^th:

Tuesdays: 3 p.m. Lego Build Hour

Wednesdays: 10 a.m. Toddlers in Motion!

11 a.m. Bilingual Story Hour; 3:30 p.m. A Child, a Dog and a Good Book Story Hour

Thursdays: 3 p.m. Team build with blocks and Pipes. 5:30 p.m. Beginning 10/15/15 Family Board Games.

Saturdays: 1 p.m. Family Story Hour

Check our website for special events!

www.mendolibrary.org

NO DICE, HIL

Friend —

I’m so excited to tell you about a new program we’re launching this week:

For a limited time only, the campaign is going to put the names of every single person who donates on a wall here at headquarters. Chip in today to make sure your name is included.

This idea is a beautiful representation of our team. We’re moms and dads, teachers and friends, pastors and neighbors, all working together to move our country forward.

I want to see your name on that wall every time I walk into headquarters. I want to honor you for being part of this team, and I want everyone who walks through those doors to know that your fights are the reasons I’m in this race.

Chip in today, and we’ll make your name a permanent part of our headquarters:

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/get-on-the-wall/

Thanks,

Hillary

DEAR JARED: An Open Letter to Heather Gurewitz

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Heather Gurewitz
Field Representative
Congressman Jared Huffman
Fort Bragg District Office

Dear Heather,

I was just copied on your email to Meg Courtney of the KZYX Board. A word to the wise, if I may.

Representative Huffman would be well-advised not to get over involved in KZYX internal politics. There is real cause for concern here at the station, and there could be blow back for the congressman. I would hate to see that happen. Jared Huffman is a good man.

I'll explain. Five good reasons.

First, one third of the station's 2,100 members who voted in the last KZYX election, voted for reform candidates. Every open board seat was hotly contested, and the proposed reforms were sweeping in scope in that they would return KZYX to a truly public/community station model — not the radio station currently operated by a few insiders . One third of the voting membership can't be all wrong, Heather.

Second, last year, several members of the public, including myself, a sitting member of the KZYX Board of Directors and a past treasurer of the Board, filed objections to the automatic renewal of the station's two FCC licenses, pending the FCC's review of the station's operations. The station tried to defend itself in formal responses that contained a lot of "legalese". The FCC then contacted each of us for feedback and additional information on the station's responses. We got back to the FCC with our feedback. That was a year ago.

Third, recently, five people — including myself, Doug McKenty and King Collins, past members of the KZYX Board of Directors, Dennis O'Brien a KZYX board candidate and Ukiah attorney, and Norman De Vall, a retired and highly respected member of the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors — filed for discovery on the station's dubious financial record keeping practices and other aspects of operations.

Fourth, it may be coincidental, however unlikely, but former KZYX Executive Director and General Manager, John Coate, announced his resignation within 24-hours after receiving the discovery demand.

Fifth, complaints to the California Office of Attorney General, which oversees non-profit corporations, and the California Department of Business Oversight, are pending. The complaints will focus on KZYX's exclusionary governance practices.

As a footnote, I should also add that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has slashed funding to KZYX. Why? Because KZYX does not reach enough of our minority population here in Mendocino County. Too few Latino(a) and Pomo listeners.

And, I should add, popular support for KZYX is also declining — membership has fallen from 2,300 to 2,100 in only the last few years, despite John Coate's aggressive efforts to double membership.

Here's my suggestion.

Representative Huffman can support public radio in Mendocino County by supporting KMEC at the Mendocino Environmental Center, and KNYO in Fort Bragg. Also, KMUD's broadcast signal reaches much of Mendocino County.

He should become a member at all three public radio stations, and so should you! Forty bucks will do it. KZYX is not the only game in town. They don't have a monopoly. People have choices.

Here's a link: http://www.kmecradio.org/donate/

Much-needed reforms will come to KZYX, but I suspect reform will come only over time and only through the intervention of regulatory agencies, and possibly through litigation.

Thank you, and regards to Representative Huffman. I look forward forward to having him as a guest on my show at KMEC.

Representative Huffman may be interested in knowing that my show at KMEC is a finalist for a $211,000 grant at a major foundation to expand on the interviews we've done with the following whistleblowers at KMEC: Tom Drake, Bill Binney, Kirk, Wiebe, and Russ Tice from the NSA; Ray McGovern, Patrick Eddington, and Melvin Goodman from the CIA; Coleen Rowley and Jesselyn Radack from the FBI, Elisabeth Murray from the National Security Council; and Matthew Fogg from the U.S. Marshall's Service.

We are currently negotiating with Edward Snowden's attorney for an interview in Russia with him.

I was also just introduced to Judy Ehrlich, who was nominated for an Oscar for her excellent documentary on Daniel Ellsberg.

If funded by the foundation grant, we at KMEC hope to build on our interviews with whistleblowers to create a new curriculum for professional responsibility and ethics for the next generation of national security professionals and federal agents.

It's an ambitious project, and KMEC may be a longshot, but we're in the running. Our proposal has been endorsed by several big players in the intelligence community.

Sincerely,

John Sakowicz, Ukiah

KZYX Board of Directors (2013-2016), Board Treasurer (2014)