Thursday, 28 March 2024

Regional

Jasen Dwain Coley is a suspect in a fatal shooting on Monday, July 3, 2023, in McKinleyville, California. Photo courtesy of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is searching for the suspect of a homicide occurring in McKinleyville Monday evening.

The suspect, 26-year-old Jasen Dwain Coley, is wanted in connection to a fatal shooting outside a residence on the 2200 block of Silverbrook Court.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home at about 5:25 p.m. Monday where they located a deceased adult male with a gunshot wound.

Coley is reported to have fled the scene. Deputies were contacted by residents in the Hiller Park area reporting a suspicious person matching Coley’s description. Despite extensive search efforts, including air support from the California Highway Patrol, law enforcement was unable to locate Coley.

Jasen Coley is described as a white male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, heavy-set, with brown hair, brown eyes and facial hair. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, dark pants and a light-colored hat. He may be in possession of a rifle or a shotgun.

Coley may be associated with a dark blue 2016 Hyundai Elantra, Tennessee license plate # 015BKGM.

McKinleyville residents are asked to take extra precautions such as locking all doors to your residence and not opening your door to strangers.

Please report any suspicious persons or circumstances immediately to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251, Extension 0.

This case is still under investigation. Identity of the deceased is being withheld pending next of kin notifications. More information will be released when available and appropriate.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced 24 projects receiving nearly $52 million in grant funding at an event in Oakland, along with U.S. Representative Barbara Lee and project grantees.

The selected projects will help protect and restore wetlands and water quality, build climate change resilience, and increase environmental benefits with a focus on underserved communities in the nine Bay Area counties (Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Marin, Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Contra Costa, and San Francisco).

"The San Francisco Bay is one of our nation’s most iconic natural treasures and vital ecosystems, and its shores are home to numerous and diverse Californian communities,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. "Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Justice40 Initiative, EPA is proudly awarding a record level of funding to protect and restore the Bay's watersheds and wetlands, and benefit surrounding underserved communities."

“Time and time again, the Biden-Harris Administration has shown their commitment to environmental justice and addressing the climate crisis,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Critical projects throughout my district will now receive meaningful investment to help improve water quality, protect and restore wetlands, combat climate change, and more. I’d like to thank the EPA, Regional Administrator Guzman, President Biden, and all of our grant awardees for playing their part in building a cleaner, safer climate for all Californians.”

“The East Bay Regional Park District’s parklands protect vital habitat for wildlife, including many rare and endangered species, and help preserve the natural beauty that makes the Bay Area such a desirable place to live,” said Park District General Manager Sabrina B. Landreth. “The Park District thanks President Biden, the EPA, and Congresswoman Lee and her colleagues in Congress for supporting the grant program.”

Funding for these projects comes from EPA’s San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, a competitive grant program focused on restoring impaired watersheds, reducing polluted runoff, and building climate change resilience around San Francisco Bay.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law expanded the Fund’s mandate to increase equity and access to federal funding and climate resilience support for underserved communities.

Since its inception, the Fund has invested over $120 million through more than 80 on-the-ground projects in the nine Bay Area counties.

Organizations receiving federal funding under today’s announcement:

San Francisco Estuary Institute (three grants totaling $7,625,000) — One grant will address high-priority pollution data gaps via information collection and modeling to improve PCB and nutrient management for San Francisco Bay. A second grant will fund pilot sediment reuse projects to help restore several acres of tidal marsh, transition zone, and riparian habitat in the Petaluma River, Rheem Creek, Lower Adobe Creek, and Stevens Creek watersheds. A third grant will be used to build green stormwater infrastructure for communities in Richmond and East Oakland, with project partners Urban Tilth and the Oakland Unified School District providing stormwater green job trainings and community tours.

California State Coastal Conservancy (two grants totaling $5,500,000) — One grant will support the restoration of 2,100 acres of former salt ponds to 1,300 acres of tidal marsh and 800 acres of enhanced managed ponds and improve four miles of existing levees. The project will also add transition slopes for sea level rise adaptation and four miles of trail to increase shoreline access. A second grant will support planning to collaboratively design 10 new living shoreline climate adaptation projects along the central San Francisco Bay, and also develop regional guidance for living shoreline and multi-benefit shoreline adaptation efforts.

San Francisco Estuary Partnership ($4,329,459) — Funds will be used to promote a suite of nature-based solutions, from planning and design to implementation and monitoring, for communities across the San Francisco Bay area. The project will also restore eight acres of transitional habitat at the Palo Alto Wastewater Treatment Plant and construct the first shoreline horizontal levee on the Bay to demonstrate the feasibility of multi-benefit nature-based solutions.

Marin County ($4,073,070) — Funds will support the county’s trash reduction activities, including designs for up to 17 stormwater treatment facilities, construction of a dewatering pad, and countywide public outreach and engagement. These activities are expected to capture over 8,000 gallons of trash annually.

Santa Clara Valley Water District ($3,800,000) — Funds will support the design and permitting of the re-connection of San Tomas Aquino and Calabazas creeks to the former salt ponds. This effort will restore approximately 1,800 acres of tidal marsh and enhance 50 acres of fresh/brackish marsh.

San Francisco Department of Recreation & Parks ($3,768,558) — Funds will be used to create bioretention basins to maximize the capture of stormwater and trash, thereby enhancing intertidal areas. The project will buffer against future sea level rise and allow for the continued existence of the intertidal habitats at a 6.2-acre park in an underserved community.

City-County Association of Governments San Mateo ($3,366,000) — Funds will support continued efforts to reduce trash entering San Francisco Bay. The project will include a regional work group to develop standard methods to evaluate the effectiveness of trash reduction measures in waters connecting to San Francisco Bay.

Santa Clara Valley Water District ($3,000,000) — Funds will support cleanups of encampment-generated trash, debris, and hazardous pollutants in nine heavily impacted Santa Clara County creeks, resulting in 2,000 tons of trash removal and 4,000 square feet of bank rehabilitation.

Sausalito Marin City School District ($3,000,000) — Funds will support the restoration of up to 600 feet of Willow Creek, providing an outdoor learning environment for the Nevada Campus students of the Sausalito Marin City School District. Additional green stormwater features will also be constructed on campus.

The SPHERE Institute ($3,000,000) — Funds will support design, permitting, and initial implementation costs for creating new tidal marsh and transition zone habitats to support shoreline resilience at a park along the Burlingame shoreline.

Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (two grants totaling $2,800,000) — One grant will support green stormwater infrastructure planning in old industrial areas throughout the underserved communities of Contra Costa County. A second grant will help improve watershed and water quality in Wildcat Creek by constructing a 400-foot-long “fish-friendly” reach and improving the existing sedimentation basin.

Richardson Bay Regional Agency ($2,782,586) — Funds will be used to restore at least 15 acres of eelgrass in Richardson Bay, continue implementation of the Richardson Bay eelgrass protection and management plan, develop a restoration and adaptive management plan, and remove marine debris.

City of Alameda ($1,472,500) — Funds will support creating over 6,000 square feet of green stormwater infrastructure bioretention areas at three intersections to manage stormwater runoff. This effort will be part of the City of Alameda Central Avenue Safety Improvement Project.

East Bay Regional Parks District ($1,200,000) — Funds will support the removal of over 1,000 toxic creosote-treated timber piles and 16,500 square feet of creosote-treated structures at Ferry Point Pier in Richmond.

All Positives Possible ($949,343) — Funds will be used for shoreline education, fish testing, garbage abatement, and shoreline preservation efforts, with a focus on training and increasing participation of community members and leaders from underserved neighborhoods along the shores of South Vallejo, the Carquinez Strait, and the Napa River.

City of San Jose ($419,002) — Funds will help teach San Jose high schoolers about watershed protection and support preparedness for climate change-related natural disasters, instilling resiliency and environmental stewardship in the next generation of young adults.

San Mateo County ($404,400) — Funds will support purchasing, installing, and maintaining a large trash capture device capable of removing about 3,500 gallons of trash per year from the North Fair Oaks community. The project will also develop an education and outreach program with a local youth engagement program.

Rose Foundation ($366,713) — Funds will support high school students from underserved communities and build their capacity as meaningful, active partners in planning a more equitable and sustainable water future at two project sites — Oakland Estuary and the Arroyo Viejo Creek watershed.

Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet ($358,708) — Funds will be used to build capacity and climate change resilience in two underserved communities of San Mateo County (Belle Haven and North Fair Oaks neighborhoods) through trainings, community-led vulnerability assessments, and a feasibility analysis for nature-based solutions that enhance water quality and climate justice.

University of California Regents, Berkeley ($343,685) — Funds will be used to pilot the EcoBlock program to improve stormwater capture on an urban block in an underserved neighborhood in Oakland bordering Sausal Creek.

San Francisco Bay is a designated "estuary of national significance" under the Clean Water Act. The Bay and its tributary streams, situated in an urban area with more than seven million people, provide crucial fish and wildlife habitat at the heart of the larger Bay-Delta Estuary. In partnership with numerous non-profit organizations, watershed groups, land trusts, government agencies, and resource conservation districts, the San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund has made significant progress in restoring water quality, ‘greening’ development, and building resilience to climate change impacts across San Francisco Bay and its watersheds.

For more information about EPA’s San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund, visit http://www.epa.gov/sfbay-delta/sf-bay-water-quality-improvement-fund.

GLENN COUNTY, Calif. — Caltrans is alerting motorists of an upcoming short-term closure of the north- and southbound Interstate 5 Willows safety roadside rest areas, or SRRAs, in Glenn County for construction.

Crews are scheduled to close the Willows Rest Areas starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, July 5. The closure will continue through Aug. 31.

During the closures, northbound I-5 motorists will be directed to use the Corning SRRA in Tehama County (about 25 miles north of Willows). Southbound motorists will be directed to the Maxwell SRRA in Colusa County (about 24 miles south of Willows).

This $470,000 project will construct new sidewalks and ramps that meet current American with Disabilities Act standards and add new parking lot and crosswalk striping. TSI Engineering Inc. of North Highlands, Sacramento County, is the contractor for the project.

Weather, the availability of materials or unexpected events may delay or prolong the work. Caltrans advises motorists to “Be Work Zone Alert.”

The department will issue construction updates on Twitter @CaltransDist3 and on Facebook at CaltransDistrict3.

For real-time traffic, click on Caltrans’ QuickMap quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ or download the QuickMap app from the App Store or Google Play.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the drowning of a girl on Saturday evening in Covelo.

At 8:25 p.m. Saturday, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office Dispatch Center received an emergency call regarding a missing 5-year-old child who had been swept down the river, in the area of the 34000 block of Etsel Ridge Road in Covelo,.

The sheriff’s office said deputies responded with lights and sirens and immediately requested fire and medical personnel be dispatched to assist in searching for the child, officials said.

The child was located by private citizens who immediately began life saving measures for her.

When deputies arrived, the life saving measures were being conducted in the ambulance.

However, authorities said that, even with the best efforts of emergency personnel, the little girl died.

This case remains under investigation and authorities said further information will be released as it becomes available.

The California Highway Patrol on Tuesday announced more than $19 million in grant funding to 71 California law enforcement agencies, crime laboratories, and nonprofit organizations to help address the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

The grants are the result of Proposition 64, the Control, Regulate and Tax Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which tasked the CHP with administering grants for education, prevention, and enforcement programs to help communities combat impaired driving. Money is also available to crime laboratories conducting forensic toxicology testing.

Funding for the grants comes from a tax on the cultivation and sale of cannabis and cannabis products sold in California.

“Communities throughout California will benefit greatly from the disbursement of these grant funds intended to help make California’s roadways safer for all who use them,” said CHP Commissioner Sean Duryee. “The money will be used to help enhance traffic safety by educating the public on the dangers of impaired driving, removing impaired drivers from the roadway through enforcement operations, and advancing research on the issue.”

Fifty-four recipients of law enforcement grants will use funds to address impaired driving within their communities. In addition to traditional impaired driving enforcement, funds will also be used for drug recognition evaluator training to enhance their respective agency’s ability to detect drug-impaired drivers. Additionally, funding will allow for public outreach campaigns, including educational presentations and community events.

Listed below are the law enforcement grant recipients for state fiscal year 2023-2024, which begins July 1:

Anaheim Police Department
Anderson Police Department
Auburn Police Department
Berkeley Police Department
Brawley Police Department
Brea Police Department
Calexico Police Department
Chula Vista Police Department
City of Corona Police Department
City of El Monte Police Department
City of Fullerton Police Department
City of Glendale Police Department
City of La Verne Police Department
City of McFarland Police Department
City of Montebello Police Department
City of Parlier Police Department
Covina Police Department
Danville Police Department
El Cajon Police Department
El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office
Fairfield Police Department
Folsom Police Department
Fort Bragg Police Department
Garden Grove Police Department
Hanford Police Department
Huntington Beach Police Department
Imperial County Sheriff’s Office
Irvine Police Department
Kensington Police Department
La Habra Police Department
La Mesa Police Department
Lincoln Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
Manteca Police Department
Marysville Police Department
Monterey Park Police Department
Morgan Hill Police Department
Ontario Police Department
Orange Police Department
Pittsburg Police Department
Rio Dell Police Department
Riverside Police Department
Rocklin Police Department
San Diego Police Department
San Joaquin Police Department
Sierra Madre Police Department
Simi Valley Police Department
St. Helena Police Department
Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department
Ventura County Sheriff's Office
Winters Police Department
Woodland Police Department
Yuba City Police Department

Five recipients of education grants will use funds to teach local communities about impaired driving laws, while highlighting the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Below are the education grant recipients for state fiscal year 2023-2024:

City of Lancaster
City of Long Beach
Imperial County Sheriff’s Office
Marin County Public Defender
Sacramento County District Attorney Laboratory of Forensic Services, Arrive Alive

Eleven recipients of two-year toxicology crime laboratories grants will use funds to eliminate backlogs in the analysis of forensic science evidence and to purchase and/or upgrade laboratory equipment to improve testing capabilities.

Below are toxicology crime laboratory grant recipients for state fiscal years 2023-2025:

Contra Costa County, Office of the Sheriff, Forensic Services Division
Kern Regional Crime Laboratory
Los Angeles Police Department
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, City and County of San Francisco
Orange County Crime Laboratory
Sacramento County District Attorney Crime Lab
San Diego County Sheriff’s Department
San Diego Medical Examiner Department
San Mateo County Sheriff's Office Forensic Laboratory
Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office
Ventura County Forensic Services Bureau

One recipient of a one-year toxicology medical examiners/coroner’s office grant will use funds to help improve and advance the data collection in cases involving driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Below is the medical examiners/coroner’s office grant recipient for state fiscal year 2023-2024:

Riverside County Sheriff's Department

The application process for future grant funding is expected to open again in early 2024. Additional information is available on the CHP Web site, at CHP’s Cannabis Tax Fund Grant Program.

After another wet winter and above average snowpack, warming temperatures and winds are quickly drying out the abundant annual grass crop.

The increasing fire danger posed by the high volume of dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region is prompting Cal Fire to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas of  Colusa, Napa, Solano and Yolo County.

This suspension takes effect  June 26 and suspends all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves.

Cal Fire will also be suspending all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas of Sonoma County, effective Monday, July 3.

“During this period we still encourage residents to work on creating that defensible space and complete home hardening projects to improve your home’s chance of surviving a wildfire should one strike near you,” Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Mike Marcucci said. “Visit our website to learn what you can continue to do now, and how to do it safely, that way the best of intentions do not inadvertently create a spark that can ignite a fire.”

Since Jan. 1, 2023 Cal Fire and firefighters across the state have already responded to over 1,943 wildfires as of the most recent reporting period, June 19.

While outdoor burning of landscape debris by homeowners is no longer allowed, Cal Fire is asking residents to take that extra time to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires by maintaining a minimum of 100 feet of Defensible Space around every home and buildings on their property and being prepared to evacuate if the time comes.

Here are some tips to help prepare homes and property:

• Clear all dead and or dying vegetation 100 feet from around all structures.
• Landscape with fire resistant plants and nonflammable ground cover.
• Find alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris like chipping or hauling it to a biomass energy or green waste facility

The department may issue restricted temporary burning permits if there is an essential reason due to public health and safety.

Agriculture, land management, fire training, and other industrial-type burning may proceed if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit.

The suspension of burn permits for residential landscape debris does not apply to campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property.

Campfires may be permitted if the campfire is maintained in such a manner as to prevent its spread to the wildland. A campfire permit can be obtained at local fire stations or online at www.PreventWildfireCA.org.

For additional information on how to create Defensible Space, on how to be prepared for wildfires, as well as tips to prevent wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

Upcoming Calendar

30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lakeport Community Cleanup Day
30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Second annual Bunny Brunch
30Mar
03.30.2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Lake County poet laureate inauguration
31Mar
03.31.2024
Easter Sunday
31Mar
03.31.2024 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lakeport Rotary Club Easter Egg Hunt
1Apr
04.01.2024
Easter Monday
1Apr
10Apr
15Apr
04.15.2024
Tax Day

Mini Calendar

loader

LCNews

Award winning journalism on the shores of Clear Lake. 

 

Newsletter

Enter your email here to make sure you get the daily headlines.

You'll receive one daily headline email and breaking news alerts.
No spam.