KZYX News

As the County prepares to hire a contractor to repair the 25-year-old cap on the Laytonville landfill, old questions about contaminants are rising to the surface. A 2020 report found that one of the groundwater wells had detected contamination that triggered extra reporting requirements and a study about how to take corrective action. The landfill is monitored by a network of ten wells, plus gas p...

December 30, 2022 — Lawsuits about rails to trails projects have become an industry, according to an expert in the history of public lands in the U.S. In northern California, close to 300 private landowners are suing the federal Department of Justice over the Great Redwood Trail. Planning efforts for the future recreational trail are the responsibility of a state agency after the Surface Transport...

December 20, 2022 — The Great Redwood Trail has had a string of successes this year. The Surface Transportation Board, the federal entity that regulates railroads, has rebuffed efforts by local and out of state rail interests that wanted to use the line for its original purpose. Two months ago, the Board ruled that the Great Redwood Trail Agency will be allowed to railbank the track from Willits t...

December 29, 2022 — The license for the Potter Valley Project is undergoing a variety of considerations. As PG&E prepares its plan for decommissioning the inter-basin hydropower project that diverts water from the Eel River into the Russian River, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, announced that it is considering reopening the license. That means that, although it granted PG&a...

December 23, 2022 -- For the last couple of weeks the term tripledemic has been around and we ask the Mendocino public health director Dr. Andrew Coren about it and how to stay healthy during the holidays. This is a bilingual report Durante las últimas semanas ha existido el término triplepandemia y cuando llegamos a las últimas semanas del año le preguntamos al director de salud pública de Mendoc...

December 21, 2022 -- The winter solstice reminded us that we have come to the end of another fire season in northern California. 2022 was a mild season compared to other years and it help firefighters and other organizations to train, recruit and fortify collaborations between agencies to continue their mission of preventing and aiding during natural disasters. KZYX asked Cal Fire to give us an up...

Branch Librarian Josh Bennett for the Round Valley Public Library sits down with KZYX News reporter Eileen Russell to discuss how the Measure O tax that passed in November will impact the library.

December 15, 2022 -- The pledge of allegiance kicked off the December 5th, 2022 Ukiah City Council meeting. With the city council election results in, outgoing mayor Jim Brown, who did not get re-elected, was honored with a standing ovation as he exited the dais before the swearing in of newly elected and re-elected council members. Two current members, Mari Rodin and Juan Orozco, will continue to...

December 12, 2022, Sarah Reith — The Board of Supervisors gave a less-than-resounding nod of approval to the first step of an effort to increase tax assessments on businesses that appeal to tourists. The Mendocino County Tourism Commission and a contractor called Civitas Advisors told the Board that they believe the county should allow the Business Improvement District, or BID, to double its asses...

On Monday December 12th the Fort Bragg City Council swore in their newly elected and re-elected members.  Three of the current council members will continue to serve, Marcia Rafanan, Lindy Peters and Tess Albin-Smith. Albin-Smith ran as a write in candidate and won by just three votes.  Jason Godeke, a local artist with several prominent murals in Fort Bragg and a middle school art teacher is the...

December 12, 2022, Sarah Reith — The Board of Supervisors is looking for $6.1 million to balance its books for Fiscal Year 2021/22, as costs and interest rates soar and sales tax decreases. The county reached a tentative agreement with its largest employee union for a 2% Cost of Living Adjustment, which it might be able to fund with a pension reserve account. The self-funded healthcare plan that w...

December 8, 2022 -- As we approach the end of the year holidays, the United Disaster Relief continues their mission of helping people impacted by natural and man made disasters in most of northern California. KZYX news talked to the organization director Danilla Sands about their work and the challenges of the 2022 fire season. More information at www.udrnc.org

December 7, 2022, Sarah Reith — Supervisor Ted Williams asked County Counsel for advice on limiting public comment related to agendized cannabis issues, leading to a swift warning from a leading cannabis attorney. The query follows close on the heels of the Board approving a controversial ordinance approving a fee schedule for public records requests. In health-related topics that arose at the reg...

An interview with Sarah Grimes, the stranding coordinator for the Mendocino Coast about the five deceased whales spotted in 2022.  Twice the number Grimes normally sees.  Grimes talks about the unusual species that stranded this year, including a Sperm whale and a Hubbs beaked whale. Photo courtesy of Sarah Grimes.

December 5, 2022, Sarah Reith — An agreement between the county and its largest employee union is coming before the membership this week, with a side letter granting workers a bonus from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA fund. And the “triple-demic,” or flu, RSV, and covid season, is compounded by staff shortages, including substitute teachers, which means administrative staff and even school...

December 1, 2022, Sarah Reith — The Fort Bragg City Council voted unanimously this week to purchase over 580 acres from the Mendocino Coast Recreation and Park District, for the purpose of building three 45-acre-foot reservoirs. That’s about 14.7 million gallons each, which is also the capacity of the currently existing Summers Lane reservoir. John Smith, Fort Bragg’s Operations Manager, reported...

November 29, 20222, Sarah Reith — Cold and flu season arrived early this year, with an extra hard-hitting strain of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which can be dangerous for children and elderly people. With dwindling numbers of pediatric beds available nationwide, kids who need to be hospitalized often have to travel out of the county to receive a high level of care. Doctor Casey Johnston,...

November 28, 2022 — Today, we’ll be sharing a story from our friends at KMUD pubic radio in Southern Humboldt county. Stella Gerkins reported that on November 17, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, issued a license surrender order for the lower Klamath river hydroelectric project, owned by energy giant Pacificorp. FERC Chairman Richard Glick spoke about the reasons for the surrender order o...

November 23, 2022, Sarah Reith — The cannabis department is moving from the county administrative campus on Low Gap Road in Ukiah to the Justice Center in Willits. The new office will open Monday, with counter service. But the department is still short-staffed. At last week’s cannabis department meeting, Director Kristin Nevedal said the majority of permits were issued without environmental review...

November 17, 2022, Sarah Reith — The Fort Bragg City Council voted this week to carry out six recommendations by a citizens commission that was convened in 2020 to find out if changing the city’s name was supported by its residents. Fort Bragg was named for Braxton Bragg, a Confederate general who never set foot in the town but was highly respected by a soldier who served with him in the U.S. Mexi...

November 15, 2022, Sarah Reith — Noble Waidelich, the former Ukiah Police Chief, has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman on June 13th of this year while on duty. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office handled the investigation, but details are sparse. Mike Geniella, a longtime reporter for the Press Democrat and former spokesman for District Attorney David Eyster, has called for Eyster to recu...

November 14, 2022, Sarah Reith — A discussion about establishing regulations for tiny homes on wheels led to a call for more regulations, more freedom, and more flexibility in housing at last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting. After the Board updated the building code, as it’s required to do every three years, supervisors turned their attention to recommendations for moveable tiny homes, which w...

December 02, 2022 -- By Victor Palomino The Spanish-language newspaper Al Punto celebrates twelve years serving the community with information in Mendocino County and surrounding areas. Al Punto has a circulation of 5 to 10 thousand copies and is distributed in Mendocino County and parts of Lake county and Cloverdale in Sonoma County. For 12 years, Al Punto has been the source of vital information...

November 30, 2022 -- Mendocino county has a diverse environment but for Spanish speakers in the area enjoying the outdoors is something that can be difficult for many reasons including language barriers. The Center for Environmental Inquiries at Sonoma State University has created a partnership with Crecer Conciencia, a Latino environmental organization to offer outdoor events in Spanish. This Sat...

November 24, 2022 -- For many immigrants, holidays are a way to understand a new country and create the little things that make one feel part of where you are and remember where you come from. Latinos in Mendocino county told KZYX how they celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.