Mendocino County Today: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017

Storm Updates
River Level
Dog Mauling
Huffman Boycott
Shoemaker Wrong
Boys Basketball
Little Dog
Chiropractor Missed
Cannabis Crimes
Flu Restrictions
Counterfeit Bills
Nature Reflections
Basketball Study
BabyBoo Annoyed
Planning Agenda
College Sports
Yesterday's Catch
Alexie Show
Corporate Tyranny
Psychopathocracy
Acoustic Concert
Chanting

AREA ROAD CLOSURES, as of 4:20pm, January 10, 2017

State Road 222 – Talmage: closed from US 101 to Old River Rd.

Vichy Springs closed at Oak Manor; and Watson at Vichy Springs closed. (Alternate route: Watson to Old River to 101.)

Hwy 1 at Garcia River mile marker 17.00 to 18.5 is closed.

Hwy 128 is still closed in Navarro from mile marker 0-11.

(CalTrans Code 20 notice)

* * *

CHP UPDATE January 11, 3:55 am

Road Open SR 222 –Talmage from US 101 to Old River Rd

* * *

At 10:35am Tuesday morning Sheriff Tom Allman came into the board of supervisors meeting to give an update on the storm and flooding. He said that, according to NOAA, the Russian River is expected to reach its high water mark at 9:00pm tonight, Jan 10, and may reach a height of around 26.1 feet, which will cause flooding in low-lying areas such as the Oak Manor area, Talmage area and Hopland area and may cause evacuations.

The sheriff said he is planning an evacuation center for the east side of Ukiah. The location has not been determined, but he advised members of the public to listen to radio stations KWINE, KZYX, and KWINE. Emergency services providers will be in contact with residents of Hopland and the Oak Manor neighborhood in Ukiah.

Talmage and East Perkins Roads are currently open. The Ukiah Police Department will also be issuing emergency alerts and automated calls. Updates will be available on the sheriff’s Facebook page.

There is a mudslide on Highway 20 between Willits and Fort Bragg. He advised county residents to be prepared for 72 hours of isolation, to have medications on hand and make sure animals are secured. He advised the county government to close offices early to give workers time to get home before the floods start.

OTHER UPDATES:

Highway 1 at the Garcia River is CLOSED, as of noon. The sheriff said he was working with CalTrans to have a monitor on site instead of having a closed gate, which sometimes takes hours to re-open.

Babcock, Talmage and Gobbi in eastern Ukiah were starting to flood, as 10:51am.

Power lines are down on Sears Lane at Hwy 20.

There is a tree blocking one lane of Hwy 1 near Cameron Rd. The reporting party was able to remove part of it.

Shortly after noon, a Honda Civic spun off the road at 9501 East Road in Potter Valley. No injuries were reported.

A little after noon, a tree was blocking the road at 556 Virginia Circle in Redwood Valley.

There is an unspecified traffic hazard at 43501 Hill Crest Drive near Hwy 1 north of Manchester.

At 11:39am, there were mud and boulders in the northbound lane of 101 near Jaxon Keys winery north of Hopland. At 12:17, a big rig called for a tow in the same area.

Highway 128 at the Navarro River is CLOSED and is predicted to peak at 36.5 feet, which would flood the south side of the Navarro River.

Around 1,000 residents remaining without power this morning, according to PG&E.

If you see flooding on the road, the National Weather Services reminds you to “TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN,” and report road hazards. If you need sandbags, they are available at the following locations, according to a MCSO press release:

Fort Bragg Fire Department, Laytonville / Long Valley Fire Department

Brooktrails Fire Department

Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department

Potter Valley Fire Department

Hopland Fire Department

Friedman’s Home Improvement in Ukiah (first 20 bags free prior to a fee)

They are also available outside the Willits Police Department on East Commercial in Willits. For a sandbag tutorial see below. Here’s more information about flood safety from NWS.

Readers are reporting that a large tree has blocked the Hearst-Willits Rd. around mile marker 5.5 in the Rock Tree Valley area. And the Tomki Creek ford is impassable.

If YOU have other information please post to Facebook or email info@mendovoice.com, readers tips are the fastest way for us to spread information.

ORIGINAL:

MENDOCINO Co. 1/10/2017 — The U.S. National Weather Service predicts high winds today that might make driving on the coast and in the mountains difficult. Expect thunderstorms and hail around the county, too. The weather service predicts one to three inches of rain, possibly up to five inches in the mountains.

Route 1: Parts of Route 1 are still fully closed in areas north and south of the county: just north of Point Arena, and one mile south of the 101 near Leggett. As of 3:22pm yesterday, CalTrans reported that Route 1 at the Garcia River was re-opened to two-way traffic but it is expected to flood later today.

Route 128 is still closed for 11 miles, from the junction of Route 1 to Flynn Creek Road.

The 175 at Hopland closed as of around 9:30am due to flooding.

In Ukiah, 540 South Orchard is closed, as of 1:03am.

At 6:27am, CHP received a report of a car hitting a telephone pole on the Comptche/Ukiah Road, 6.2 miles from Hwy 1. The motorist hit a tree that had fallen across the road. As of 6:46am, there were power lines and a tree down in the road, just south of Mendocino.

At 6:16am, a white Ford Explorer was blocking the roadway at 24500 Sherwood Road in Brooktrails.

NAVARRO RIVER expected to rise to over 37 feet, three feet short of record high flood stage, around midnight on Tuesday. That will be followed by a steep drop off on Wednesday as the river returns to something like winter-normal. Light rain will continue Wednesday then clearing Thursday into the weekend accompanied by colder nights.

THREE DOGS HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED by Mendocino County animal control officials for mauling a Covelo man who was out on his evening walk, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

The pit bull terriers are being quarantined for 10 days and evaluated to determine whether they are dangerous and should be euthanized or can be returned to their owner, Miguel Angel Escareno Pinon, 24, of Covelo, officials said.

The mauling victim, Pollard Hale, 57, also of Covelo, was walking at about 7 p.m. on Wright Way last week when he was attacked by the dogs, officials said. Hale’s wife reported that her husband sustained major injuries to his limbs and face and had been flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment. He remained in intensive care Monday and is expected to require extensive rehabilitation, sheriff’s officials said.

Escareno Pinon told authorities he had left the gate to his yard open and the dogs got out. When he returned home, he saw the three dogs around the victim, who was lying on the ground. Pinion’s dogs were reported to have been involved in a previous incident, but details on that one are not available.

Officials asked anyone with relevant information to contact animal control at 707-463-4086.

* * *

Sheriff’s Press Release:

On 1/5/2017 around 10:20 AM the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Animal Control Division received a call from a female in Covelo who wanted to report a dog mauling. The female reported that her husband, Pollard Hale, had been attacked by three adult Pit Bull Terrier dogs as he went on his evening walk. The caller reported the attack occurred the evening before, around 7:00 PM, on Wright Way. Mrs. Hale advised her husband had sustained major injuries to his limbs and face and had to be flown, via air ambulance, to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for treatment. Hale is currently in intensive care and it is expected he will have to go through extensive rehabilitation in his recovery.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Animal Control Division has opened an investigation and has learned the owner of the animals, Escareno Pinon, also lives on Wright Way in Covelo. Escareno Pinon has been cooperative in the investigation and the three dogs have been secured by Animal Control for a 10 day bite quarantine. The owner advised investigating Officers that he had left the yard gate open when he left his residence and the dogs got out. When he returned he saw the three dogs around the victim who was lying injured on the ground. He secured the dogs while medical personnel were called to assist the victim. The Sheriff’s Animal Control Division has one previous contact with the owner of the dogs regarding a previous dog bite, but it did not involve the same animals.
The investigation is on going and the case will involve a legal process to determine whether or not the animals will be returned to the owner or if they will be deemed dangerous animals and euthanized.

* * *

A GOFUNDME page has been established to help Mr. Hale with his substantial medical bills. He and his wife are raising two grandchildren and Mr. Hale is now unable to work.

https://www.gofundme.com/help-for-my-fathers-recovery

"UNWILLING TO CELEBRATE the beginning of what he called a “dark and dangerous chapter” of American politics, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, announced on social media that he will not attend the inauguration of Donald Trump as the nation’s 45th president…"

FAST FORWARD to the big day. Orange Man is ready to swear he'll defend Wall Street against all enemies, foreign and domestic, but especially domestic. Just as he raises his right hand to take the oath, he looks around and yells "Stop! Hold it! Huffman isn't here! Come back tomorrow."

LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I read about national and international politics, but I don't write about it much because I don't have any special knowledge of Big Picture events and personalities. But what sticks in what's left of my mind is Trump's statement more than a year ago that he was seriously going to consider Single Payer. I haven't seen any mention of who's advising him on the ObamaCare dismantle, but Single Payer would be the quickest, most efficient way to do it, and get Big Orange off to a reasonably popular start.

NOR HAVE I SEEN any mention of the likely demonstrations in the area around the big event. I do know lots of people of the kamikazi personality type who plan to be there. The riot potential is enormous.

SHOEMAKER STRIKES AGAIN

Couldn’t make it to BV to work today. Drats!

First Point Arena City Manager Richard Shoemaker gave misinformation to the press saying that the Garcia had been flooded all morning, so I took Fish Rock. Then, Shoemaker called the radio station to say the Garcia was still open and he simply didn’t understand what he was told about the status of the road(!). $50,000/year for that?

So took Fish Rock instead. Trees are going down left and right along Fish Rock to the Valley as well. At least half a dozen with the root ball still attached, having slid down to the road from the cliff above. Men with chainsaws working and a pay loader coming to clear, but, as the County worker said, “It’s going to be a long day!”.

Indeed. A long week!

Debra Keipp, Point Arena

PANTHER BOYS BKBALLERS LOSE TO MENDO CARDINALS, 48-61.

by Andrew Scully, Special Correspondent

It was a sunny afternoon in Boonville Friday as the Anderson Valley High School basketball teams prepared to travel to the coast, the last before an onslaught of successive winter storm fronts began to arrive, systems so massive and laden with moisture that meteorologists said they would be like “atmospheric rivers.”

By the time the Panthers boarded their team bus in Mendocino a little after 8 pm, darkness had fallen, the rains had started, and both the Girls and Boys Varsity teams had lost their games to the hometown Mendocino Cardinals.

(Girls game previously reported: https://www.theava.com/archives/64320#5)

* * *

Boys

The varsity boys game began with a long dry spell, which was not cracked until almost 4 minutes had elapsed, when Mendocino's Nakai Baker converted a nice three pointer. A few minutes later Baker closed out scoring in the 1st quarter with yet another trey.

Other than Baker and fellow Mendocino point guard Evan Cole – a real firecracker, that Cole – play seemed tentative on both sides. Nerves no doubt. In the event Anderson Valley had to wait another minute and a half – well over five minutes into the game – before their drought ended with a basket by Cristian Natareno.

The home-court Cardinals looked well prepared, and it showed, in passing and play execution, and the fact that their shots began to drop. One problem for AV was that their hands never really warmed up. Panthers coach Luis Espinoza summed it up nicely at the end: “We just didn't hit our shots. And Mendo played well.”

Mendocino's Cody Call played well at center, making a bigger impression than his size. Speaking of impressive, the Panther's center Alesandro Soto is certainly a good athlete, demonstrating impressive rejections on defense and a nice turn-around jumper.

It was Baker, the Mendocino guard, who dominated the first half. His free throw gave the Cardinals the lead in the 2nd and he followed that with a no-look pass and assist to Cole Duncan on a breakaway. He converted another field goal after a relentless baseline drive for the hoop.

In the second half, Anderson Valley was more on-task, and at one point the Panther's Gerardo Torales, was trading outside twos and threes, real tomahawks, with the aforementioned Mr. Baker, the Mendocino guard. Torales kept the Panthers alive in the 3rd, and Cole for the Cardinals was outstanding, hitting a trey offensively and then transitioning to defense where he decisively rejected a Panther shot.

AV opened strongly in the 4th quarter with good ball control and shot selection, but their guns, never warm on this night, cooled. Though the Panthers closed to within seven with a little more than five minutes remaining, the Cardinals were stronger in the finish, and closed it out 61-48.

LITTLE DOG SAYS, “I'm really tired of people saying to me, ‘Hey, Little Dog. It's raining cats and dogs.” How would you like it if I said, “Hey, Two Legs, it's raining you moms and dads’?”

HOBBLED & WOBBLED

Dear Editor,

When the AV Health Center lost chiropractor Jim Young we lost a lot! The guy was the Mendocino basketball coach, a gentleman surfer and a wonderful guy. He was punctual and a terrific chiropractor. So if you see me wobbling down the street it doesn’t mean I took up the bottle — it means my chiropractor is gone.

Ken Hurst

Philo

CRIMES & CANNABIS ON THE KZYX CANNABIS HOUR TOMORROW

"Crimes and Cannabis" will be the topic of The Cannabis Hour tomorrow, Thursday, Jan.12 at 9 a.m.. My guest will be Mendocino County Sheriff Tom Allman. We'll talk about everything from driving under the influence to the future role of county law enforcement as new local and state medical and recreational cannabis laws go into effect. Call in with questions at about 9:40 a.m. to 707 895-2448. If you can't listen to the show live on your radio or stream live at kzyx.org, you can hear the archived edition at jukebox.kzyx.org. See you on the radio!

KEEP THOSE LITTLE DISEASE MONKEYS OUTTAHERE!

Howard Hospital Implements Visitor Restrictions for Flu

WILLITS, CA -- In response to increasing rates of influenza and other seasonal illnesses across the nation, Frank Howard Memorial Hospital (HMH) has implemented temporary visitor restrictions and is asking young or sick visitors to stay away from the hospital unless necessary.

Effective Monday, January 9, HMH is asking the public to voluntarily limit hospital visits. "This is a precautionary measure to protect patients, visitors and staff from spreading the flu and other upper respiratory illnesses," explains Daria Fletcher, infection prevention specialist at HMH.

The request comes as the number of positive flu cases throughout the North Bay started increasing this winter. Last week, a Napa county resident became one of three flu deaths in the state as of December 30, 2016. Fletcher says imposing flu restrictions are just one of the many steps the hospital is taking to protect the hospital's patients and the public. For those who are visiting the hospital while the flu restrictions are in effect, HMH is requesting that:

Visitors must check in at the main lobby, nurse's station or ER registration desk and will be asked about flu-like symptoms before they are allowed to visit patients.

Visitors should be at least 13 years and older to minimize patient exposure to children who are at higher risk for transmission of viral infections and to protect children from getting sick. Exceptions may be made for dire situations.

Individuals who aren't feeling well with symptoms such as fever and cough shouldn't visit hospitalized patients. If they have these symptoms but need to use the hospital's services, they will be asked to wear a mask.

All hospital visitors should wash their hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel when entering and leaving a patient room.

Everyone should cough or sneeze into their arm, shoulder or tissue to reduce the spread of germs. Flu cases usually peak from December through February and may continue into May, according to public health officials. Given this, these safety measures at HMH will be in effect until further notice.

John Glyer, MD, family medicine physician at Redwood Medical Clinic says it's not too late to get vaccinated. "The flu vaccine this year is a good match. Vaccination and proper hand-washing is the best way to protect yourself from the flu and stop it from spreading," he shares.

Flu symptoms to look out for include a fever and chills, muscle or body aches, as well as a cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose and fatigue. Colds, on the other hand, are usually milder than flu symptoms, and come with a runny or stuffy nose without a fever. Those sick from the virus should stay home until they're free of symptoms for 24 hours. "Patients come to us when they are not well, and exposing them to the flu does not help their outcome. So this is the best way to protect our patients and also the public," explains Fletcher. Fletcher advises the public to wash their hands often and thoroughly and also avoid touching their eyes, their noses and mouths. Influenza kills roughly 36,000 Americans a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Flu vaccinations are available in the Redwood Medical Clinic, located at 3 Marcela Drive in Willits, in front of the hospital. They are open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information or to make an appointment, call 707-459-6115.

Nate Bailey, LVN washes his hands thoroughly before taking care of patients to help prevent the spread of infections.

COUNTERFEIT BILL ALERT FOR UKIAH - We are taking reports of counterfeit bills being used in the Ukiah area. Please be on the lookout for lower denomination bills and $100.00 bills. Remember, if you are passed a counterfeit bill, you own it. So when accepting cash, it pays to be knowledgeable about the crime of counterfeiting. Click on the below link to learn how to spot a fake bill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybt04VtOmzE

If you believe you have received a counterfeit bill:

Do not put yourself in danger.

If you can do so safely and not put yourself in danger, do not return the bill to the passer.

Delay the passer with some excuse, if possible.

Observe the passers description - and their companions’ descriptions - and write down their vehicle license plate numbers if you can.

Contact your local police department and do not handle the counterfeit note. Place it in a protective cover, a plastic bag or envelope until authorities arrive.

Please call 911 for any life threatening emergency or Ukiah Police Department’s 24 hour non-emergency number at 707-463-6262.

PETIT TETON MONTHLY FARM REPORT - DECEMBER 2016

Well, we managed to untangle ourselves from 2016's clutches (probably only because time is not yet under our control), and we've landed in the embrace of 2017 which promises to be an even more emotionally draining entanglement. We say we're ready for the "fight" but isn't it fighting that's at the root of our problems? Or is it global warming? Or overpopulation? Or racism? Or guns? Or....

Here in Northern CA we are weathering "real" storms...the kind with wicked winds and pounding rain, trees falling and power flickering. There are plenty of you out there in this country (we won't let ourselves think of the horrors in some other countries) weathering a far worse reality...the kind with sub zero temperatures, ice, snow and wind. Yes, emotional storms are real, but they're self-created and self-induced - not global. And yes, we are part of nature, but our natures' are often unnatural and appear counter to humanity's and nature's needs or wants. To very poorly paraphrase the environmental reporter Elizabeth Kolbert, we're living in a climate of the past and the weather can only become more destructive. The indignities our way of life have foisted on the natural world, starting many years ago, are just now rebounding on us in what we think of as unusual natural events. The torture we are subjecting nature to right now, will regurgitate on us and the rest of the natural world in a few more years with more and more violent, extreme and seemingly "unnatural" natural events. We have to conclude that it is mankind who is "unnatural" and perhaps it is our nature to be so since we seem powerless to stop ourselves!

We apologize for being pessimistic; we live our lives with optimism. On a positive note, we are thankful for the water in whatever form it takes!

Nikki and Steve

LATE NIGHT BASKETBALL STUDIES

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE was posted on the County Courthouse's FaceBook page last month:

From: BabyBoo James

BabyBoo James was feeling annoyed with Suzie Williams at Mendocino County Courthouse.

December 19, 2016 · Ukiah:

U GOT 2B KIDDING ME!! I KNOW IT HASNT BIN THAT LONG BUT WEN U HVE AN INFANT OH HELL YAH, IVE BIN UP AT THIS DAMN COURT HOUSE SINCE 8AM THERE WAS HELLA PPL HERE NOW THERE DOWN TO ALMOST NO1 UGH IM GETTING FED UP WITH THIS MAAAAN!! PLS HURRY THE FUCK UP ALREADY IM HELLA HUNGRY N TIRED, FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!

JANUARY 19, 2017 PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA

http://www.co.mendocino.ca.us/planning/meetings.htm

FAIR PLAY FOR MENDO COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS

To the Editor:

An Open Letter to the College Trustees and President Reyes:

The stated mission of Mendocino College is to “partner with a dynamic community of diverse students to help them achieve their educational goals.” In the case of its football players, the college has failed to be a good partner. Therefore we ask, what is the College’s goal in having a football program?

Thanks to pressure from us, at your January meeting you’ll decide whether the crisis surrounding the College’s football program should be discussed — at yet another meeting. Only two of our group urged you to address the football program issue at your December meeting, and our remarks were necessarily brief. We’re writing again to communicate more thoroughly and to offer more voices. We urge you to examine this issue sooner than later, because the problem might have been at its worst and most visible this past semester, but it’s been happening for many years and won’t go away on its own.

To recap the crisis for others reading this: Mendocino College welcomes football players from out of town and often out of state without adequately describing the expense of living here and the difficulty of finding housing in Ukiah. The College says it cannot do anything to help these young men in need of housing because the rules of CCCAA, the association that governs athletics at California community colleges, requires member schools not to do anything for athletes that it doesn’t do for all of its students.

Since Mendocino College has no dorms and the rental market here is very difficult, in the past many of these young men paid for rooms at a Ukiah motel, which became the equivalent of a makeshift dormitory where there was no supervision or organization but there were prostitutes and drug dealers and bed bugs. Forced to leave the motel this past summer for being noisy, 30 of them next found housing with the help of their coach, crowded into a large rental house meant to sleep no more than 24 on Ukiah’s west side. Again, lacking supervision and structure and even hot water for a period of two weeks, they were forced to leave this second sort-of-dorm for making noise that disturbed the neighbors. It’s easy to believe the students were noisy in both cases; colleges that house large groups of students wouldn’t think of grouping them together without set rules, on-site supervision, and established organizational structure. The landlord of the large westside rental house also reported that the 30 were behind on rent, although many of the young men paying $250/month each claimed that they were current on rent payments and were shocked to learn than no rent had been paid.

A local church came to the rescue, offering to house the students free in a building not designed as a residence; understanding this but desperate, 20 of them moved in early October to the church, where they had no kitchen and two tiny bathrooms with no showers. Of the ten remaining students, we heard that four found housing in Willits and at least one returned home, having given up on the idea of playing football or pursuing higher education.

As the story of these events reached local newspapers, members of the Ukiah community stepped forward to help the students staying at the church. Twenty-five people communicated via email and phone to organize contributions of air mattresses, bedding, towels, a refrigerator and other kitchen tools and supplies, groceries, prepared meals, and even spiritual help if desired. South Ukiah Rotary, various religious groups, and many individuals made generous donations. A woman in Lake County created a web page to coordinate food and meal donations and herself brought the students a complete meal at Thanksgiving.

Still, the stay at the church was rocky at times; again it was a makeshift dormitory without adequate supervision, and the pastor suspected that some students were entertaining girls on the premises and one was smoking weed; he was also displeased with general lack of cleanliness and failure to adequately dispose of the large amount of garbage generated by the necessary use of disposable dishes and utensils. (The students could not use real dishes and utensils since there was no kitchen sink in which to wash them; it was tricky enough to wash up the pots and pans used on a donated cooktop.) Late in October the pastor evicted the 17 remaining students and a day later invited back nine of them. Seven chose to return, two of the others talked their way back into his good graces, and the others found housing through the end of the semester with people who’d been among the volunteers supplying food to the church — apart from two students who returned home.

Once the students were living in smaller groups, the situation stabilized. Families hosting students reported that their guests did beautifully. There were no further dramas at the church. In spite of all their difficulties, the team had a winning season under Coach Frank Espy, tying for second in their league. Six of the players were chosen for an all-conference team. Who knows how well they might have done if their lives had been less fraught.

However, when the semester drew to a close on Dec. 15, the volunteers, the students, and the College Foundation executive director had been unable to locate rental housing for the coming semester for any of the young men who’d lived at the church. One host family continued to offer a space for one young man; other host families needed to free up their extra bedrooms for family and friends. As a result, we advised the students to make plans elsewhere for the coming semester. Fortunately, nine of them had invitations from other community colleges in California, Kansas, and North Dakota that could supply housing and in at least one case, a meal card. Another three who are sophomores will be attending four-year colleges. Others who stayed after the 15th hoping to find housing are now talking about approaching community colleges elsewhere for the coming semester or the coming football season.

Who are these young men? Each year mostly minority students from across the country come to Ukiah with the dream of playing football and getting an education, beginning at the Mendocino campus and then transferring to four-year schools if they’re fortunate enough to win scholarships. They want both to play football and to earn advanced degrees. As one young man on the Mendo team said, “Football is saving my life.” He said that football is an avenue to leave his community where he’s likely to be killed or become tangled in trouble that will land him in prison. Another student said that was true for most of the football players. All across America, the pattern is being repeated at other community college campuses. Fortunately for young men attending other schools, many of these schools can offer on-campus housing or off-campus rentals that are far more affordable and available than in Ukiah.

You cannot expect the local people who extended themselves for young men in emergency circumstances during these past months to repeat their efforts in the coming year. Above all, we are feeling bitter toward Mendocino College for having allowed this emergency to develop. We want to see young men offered a pathway toward success in higher education and athletics, but we want that path NOT to be fraught with the stress that young visitors to Ukiah have experienced these past months. Have no doubt, this experience has been traumatic for the students; some report that they still haven’t told their parents what happened here because their parents would be too upset.

The big question is why Mendocino College has allowed football players to arrive at its campus to face the same difficult situation over a period of some 30 years. Mr. Reyes, during the three and a half years that you’ve held office, you’ve known of this long-standing situation and done nothing to remedy it.

Former Mendocino College football coach, professor, and trustee Larry MacLeitch recently wrote about continuation of the problem-laden college football program in the Ukiah Daily Journal, “This is done primarily for one reason…. money.” Out-of-state students pay much higher tuition than California students. MacLeitch reported, “the college maximizes the money it receives (from these students) by minimizing the in house costs of the team to a thread-bare minimum. All of the team’s coaches are poorly paid part-time employees without benefits such as health insurance or retirement.” In talking with the students, we learned that their football equipment is ten years old and in many ways deficient, which is particularly concerning in a sport that requires brutal body contact. To make matters worse, there is almost no local support for the players at their games. Only the final game of the season was well-attended, primarily because many of the volunteers and their families plus some the players’ own families were in attendance. When the Board of Trustees finally and openly analyzes the costs and benefits of the Mendocino College program, it is likely to find that the financial benefits to the College are significant. What we insist you keep in mind is the cost in human suffering.

The second big question is whether there are remedies to this crisis that would justify continuation of a football program at Mendocino College. The only solutions we can envision are to build dormitories or find host families. Whatever path you choose, you must do it quickly and effectively so that this season’s remaining students and their coaches can wisely plan for the future — and so that a whole new group of football players are not misled into coming to Ukiah this summer. What you’ve allowed in the past you cannot do again to another group of young men with dreams of football and education. Either find a way to offer out-of-area students adequate housing in Ukiah or discourage them from traveling in some cases thousands of miles to pursue a dream that turns into a nightmare.

Do the right thing and make the community proud. The legacy of Mendocino College is in your hands.

Signed:

Victoria Golden, Ukiah; Barry Vogel, Ukiah; Carrie Brigham, Ukiah; Berry Salinas, Lakeport; Margo Frank, Ukiah; Fran Saito, Ukiah; Janet Rosen, RN, PHN, Ukiah; Sharon Gorman, Ukiah; Alfred White, Ukiah; Catherine Woskow, Ukiah; Cassie Gibson, Ukiah; MaryLou Leonard, Ukiah; Susan Baird, Ukiah; Benj Thomas, Ukiah; Anita McAvoy, Ukiah.

CATCH OF THE DAY, January 10, 2017

GABRIEL ARAIZA, Ukiah. DUI, drunk in public, probation revocation.

TIMOTHY BILELLO JR., Fort Bragg. Loitering, resisting.

FRANKIE ESQUIVEL, Redwood Valley. Check forgery, bad checks.

TIMOTHY FISCHER, Roseville/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

JARED KIDD, Ukiah. DUI-drugs. (Frequent flyer.)

CHANTAL KNIGHT, Ukiah. Domestic battery.

LISA LOPEZ-FUGATE, Ukiah. Probation revocation.

ANTHONY MARTINEZ, Ukiah. Vandalism.

DUSTIN ROAT, Clearlake/Ukiah. Drunk in public.

BRIAN SCHAT, Ukiah. DUI.

MARCUS SLOAN, Hopland. Failure to appear.

STEVEN WHITE, Potter Valley. Under influence.

ERIC WRIGHT, Ukiah. Criminal threats.

AN AFTERNOON WITH SHERMAN ALEXIE

by Paul Modic

There was a crowd gathering outside the College of the Redwoods auditorium, we had all come to hear one of my literary heroes Sherman Alexie give his talk. Indian kids had been bussed in from Hoopa and other areas, financed by the casinos, and as we filed in there was an adolescent buzz, most of the audience was teenagers here to listen to our most prominent Native American author. I found a seat up toward the front and soon a guy took the one next to me, the place was filling up. He immediately let his legs spread apart into the spaces of his neighbors forcing mine to retreat.

“Do you know what 'man-spreading' is?” I said.

“No,” he said.

“Well, it's been all over the news recently, mostly about rude men on subways and busses, and that's what you're doing right now. I would appreciate it if you would keep your legs out of my space.” He pulled back. A few minutes later he pointedly looked at me and held up a pack of TicTacs.

“Are you saying I have bad breath?” I said. He nodded. I licked my wrist and sniffed it, nothing. “What are you, a tough guy?” He was one of those skinny bearded guys with finely coiffed hair, he sported a fancy shirt and a leather vest. We settled into the show and a few minutes later when I started to laugh at Alexie's one-liners the glowering man-spreader got up and left.

Sherman Alexie is a funny guy, a comedian as well as a National Book Award-winning author, he milks the audience for laughs and we were generously responsive as he told stories about his life on and off the reservation, his years-long bout with hydrocephalus as a child, and his passion for writing, basketball, and women, among other topics. When the show was over he took questions from the audience and I had remembered reading in Todd Walton's column in the Anderson Valley Advertiser that Alexie was still, at 50, such a competitive basketball player that his jaw had been broken or shattered in a game.

“Is it true you have part of a pig jaw implanted in your head from a basketball injury?” I said.

“I've got a stalker!” He said, rambling on to other topics until he came back and addressed my question. He's constantly digressing in his stories, jumping through time and back and the question-answer segment is more of the same. He listens to the questions, gives a partial or non-answer then goes off on more tangents, sometimes he actually comes back and answers the question. It didn't matter, we were all having fun, especially Sherman Alexie.

I got his attention for another question and he called on me: “Pig jaw!” (Hmm, maybe that could be my new nickname along with Zukini, Puffy, Paulito, and Jefe?) The funny thing is that I did feel like I wanted to start stalking him. There were all these earnest young kids with their hands up trying to ask questions, a girl near me held hers up for many minutes, and he ignored nearly everyone. I got in a few questions because I was aggressive and wasn't shy, when his body language dictated a pause, when he took a breath, I jumped right in. Pig Jaw! Yeah, I would be his stalker I mused, I would follow his act around the West Coast and when it came to the question-answer session I would roam the crowd with my mic and facilitate the questions, help those shy kids get their words out. Well, maybe it was all by design, maybe he was trying to teach, urge those kids to be more assertive?

I love Sherman Alexie and I love his stories!

(Some years ago I read one about a son trying to fulfill his dying father's last wish, to go to Mexico. He was trying to wheel him up to the border, then the wheel chair breaks and he's carrying his father across the border, and when reading it I laughed and cried (don't we all have daddy issues?) and wrote him a letter but never sent it.)

ON LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Of course you’re right, anyone that’s worked in a large corporation knows tyranny. You see it up close each and every day, both at home and at work.

Freedom of speech? Nope. Freedom of information? Not a bit. Freedom of association? Nada. Transparency? Fuggedaboudit.

At work the employee is closely monitored and not just for performance. They are expected to maintain an air of quiet optimism and unbending belief no matter the circumstance. Malcontents and doubters are quickly identified and rousted. Even the private life of the employee is subject to scrutiny.

Political or social activism? Yes, yes, such things are encouraged I was told, BUT “with discretion”. So, reading between the lines and closely observing the pauses, the message was this: the wise employee, if he wants to remain employed, stays out of public view and shuts up.

In the corporate world contradiction and illogic are the order of the day so the Orwellian double-jointed mind is the workaday necessity. How else does one accommodate blatant lies? See, what the CEO and his cronies want is North Korean style obeisance – adoring, cheering, clapping employee multitudes at every utterance of the Great CEO Leader no matter the absurdity.

A while back, at a former employer, they cut our benefits. And Human Resources, masters at double-think, was tasked with the announcement. So, predictably, they told us we have something to celebrate, an improvement, an increase to the chocolate ration so to speak. You see, now we have “choice” to allow for differing employee preferences.

Well, yes, there was “choice”, but to the secretly independent mind, a choice between worse alternatives. And we were expected to get out the pom-poms. A mundane example maybe, surely one example among multitudes, but one that illustrates drip-drip-drip corrosion and diminishment.

WELCOME TO PSYCHOPATHOCRACY

By Juan Cole

We are now on the brink of a new form of government undreamed of by Aristotle who spoke of monarchy aristocracy and democracy.

http://www.juancole.com/2017/01/welcome-to-psychopathocracy.html

FOXGLOVE AT MTC JANUARY 21

Foxglove, will be performing at MTC on Saturday January 21. This is an acoustic concert with guitar, mandolin, bass and multiple other instruments with rich vocal accompaniment. Sweet brother-sister harmonies, a tasty mix of strong original music and select covers, and outstanding instrumental talent are all part of Foxglove's signature sound. Foxglove is: Gwyneth Moreland (Vocals, accordion, guitar), Morgan Daniel (vocals, guitar), John Bush (vocals, bass), and Booi Volk (mandolin, banjo, etc.).

"...the perfect union of bluegrass, R&B, and rock-n-roll." -Smother.net

"...Foxglove is the real deal." -Dan MacIntosh, Indie-Music.com

All ages are welcome! Doors open at 7 PM with snacks and libations.

Tickets are $20. Order online at

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2730530 or through me

pattied@mcn.org. Some tickets may be available the day of the show.

CORRECTED VERSION

Subject: Om Namah Shivaya (corrected copy. Missed one down at the bottom) ;-)

Om Namah Shivaya Om Namah Shivaya Om Namah Shivaya Om Namah Shivaya Om