KZYX News

A food security project years in the making has come to fruition.  The Mendo Food Network is opening a new warehouse in Willits on Saturday, June 29th. The new facility promises to revolutionize food distribution in the county.

Flockworks, a non-profit art edcuation organization focused on fostering creativity and community connection, has grown to be the third-largest employer in Fort Bragg.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors met on Tuesday and discussed a grand jury report that found the county department of planning and building services was not adhering for state law or local ordinances with regard to permits for limited density rural dwellings. The supervisors also discussed withdrawing from a master tax sharing agreement in response to Ukiah’s proposed annexation of county...

The Fort Bragg City Council on Monday unanimously agreed to allocate $58,000 in emergency funding to the Fort Bragg Food Bank after hearing testimony about the ripple effects federal cuts to food programs are having on the community. In other action, the city council agreed to rezone the mill site. The council adopted a new fee schedule for the new municipal fiber-optic broadband utility, they ado...

In local news Fort Bragg police are investigating a sexual assault on the 400 Block of S. Harrison Street .... in response to  Ukiah’s controversial proposal to triple its size by annexing adjacent county land, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider withdrawing from a tax-sharing agreement The board will meet on Tuesday at  10:15 a.m. at the County Administration Center...

If you’ve been following budget discussions in Ukiah, Willts and Mendocino County you know that declining sales tax is a big problem. In the last five years, Ukiah’s sales tax has not grown a penny. Indeed, after taking into account the roller coaster of the pandemic, the stimulus, followed by the post stimulus slump, Ukiah’s total sales tax has shrunk by 1%. In Willits, sales taxes have shrunk by...

For the city, annexation is a way to bolster its tax base and improve service delivery. But for county residents, it means even less money for road repairs, public safety and fire prevention and suppression. Businesses and farms in the areas targeted for annexation expressed fear that joining the city would threaten their livelihood.

The city of Willits is facing a moment of financial reckoning. What began as an effort to complete a series of overdue audits has revealed a municipal budget that is teetering on the brink.  According to a report provided by Finance Director Manny Orozco at the city council meeting last week, during the last year the city faced a shortfall of $4.2 million. As of last Wednesday, the general fund ha...

For generations, the Yuki people lived by the Eel River. It was a lifeline flowing through their ancestral lands. Then, in 1908, the river's natural course was interrupted by the Potter Valley Project , impacting their way of life, their fish, and their culture. Now, with the impending decommissioning of the dams, a new chapter is unfolding.

June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month. Jesse Vanvoorhis, deputy director of Adult and Aging Services, is using the opportunity to draw attention to some troubling trends. Vanvoorhis has been directly involved with Adult Protective Services for at least the last six years and has worked in social services for 19 years. He points to a significant increase in elder abuse reports.

The Fort Bragg City Council on Monday narrowly approved a resolution accepting the Millsite Development Strategy Report as a guideline for subsequent planning of what to do with the oceanfront property that was once the site of the Georgia Pacific lumber mill. 

In local news, private developers are in early talks with the owner of the Albion headlands, Ukiah is planning to hold a town hall on a controversial annexation proposal and Chamise Cubbison’s civil suit against the county is taking an unusual twist as it moves forward.

For the past two years, the wine industry has been going through a tough transition. As older wine lovers drink less, they’re not yet being replaced by younger consumers. The industry also faces new challenges — from diet drugs to range anxiety in electric cars.

After weeks of detailed presentations, frank discussion, and grim fiscal forecasts, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has adopted a budget for the upcoming fiscal year. “It was a difficult budget, but we made it through it,”  said Board Chair John Haschak after the unanimous vote that followed six weeks of budget hearings.

Tom Corning didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a police chief. His journey into law enforcement started with a more universal call to arms. He served nearly seven years, including a 13-month deployment in Iraq as a crew member on an M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. After returning stateside, Corning became a recruiter for the Army in Marin and Napa Counties. When his service ended, he faced the real...

In local news today, there’s an update on the status of the Older Americans Act, hotel tax receipts may be rebounding after a three-year decline, the governor wants feedback on a new online tool to protect communities from extreme heat and CAL FIRE offers burn pile safety tips.

Who bombed Judy Bari? Lauren Schmitt of KMUD looks into the thirty-five year old attack on Earth First organizer Judy Bari. The 40-year-old environmentalist was severely injured by a pipe bomb when she was driving in Oakland on May 24, 1990. She died seven years later. Her colleague Darryl Cherney sustained minor injuries and has been seeking justice ever since. 

Residents of Potter Valley are confronting a difficult choice as they consider the future of farming in their home town:  water that costs at least $200 acre feet a year or no water at all.

Just over a year ago the City of Point Arena was teetering on the edge of financial collapse. Today, it’s making a fragile recovery — thanks in part to the dogged determination of interim City Manager Peggy Ducy.

Fort Bragg is taking a stand in support of gender and sexual diversity and will be holding its first ever Pride March on June 21st. Mayor Jason Godeke commemorated the city’s support with a proclamation at the city council meeting on Tuesday. In other business City Manager Isaac Whippy said the purcahse of the MCN broadcast network has been finalized, and Public Works Director John Smith acknowled...

First, a reminder that Willits will conduct an emergency drill this afternoon at 3:30 p.m. And in local news headlines, a sheriff’s deputy who drove a patrol vehicle into a guardrail has been charged with multiple misdemeanors, and county department heads have been instructed to identify budget cuts of at least 10 percent.

In local news today correspondent Frank Hartzell attends a memorial service in Fort Bragg,  the Mendocino Coast is facing the threat of offshore oil drilling, and an assembly bill that aims reduces compensation for some homeowners with rooftop solar is advancing in the state legislature.

Mendocino County is full of beath-takingly beautiful county roads, but drivers on county road 404, also known as Little River Airport Road, have little opportunity to take in the scenery. They are too busy navigating a minefield of pits and potholes. Residents say the condition of a roughly two-mile stretch of the six-mile road isn't just a nuisance – it's a serious public safety hazard.