Mendo Local Weekly News — December 14, 2025
Salmon restoration. Major road repairs. A bomb from WWII is detonated in Gualala, and a kidnapping case unravels in Fort Bragg.
🐟 MENDOCINO COUNTY
California’s Salmon Comeback: Restoring Habitat and Reviving Populations
By Governor Newsom’s Press Office
Summary: California is making significant strides in salmon restoration, completing major projects in the Central Valley and along the Klamath River. This summer, juvenile coho salmon were spotted in the upper Russian River basin for the first time in more than 30 years. The state has approved seven new salmon restoration projects totaling more than $70 million, removed historic dam barriers, and completed the Big Notch Project, creating critical floodplain habitat.
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$20+ Million Approved for Mendocino County Highway Repairs
By Elise Cox, Mendo Local News
Summary: The California Transportation Commission has approved more than $20 million in funding for highway repairs in Mendocino County. The emergency funding, sourced from the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 and the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will address drainage, erosion, and ground movement at three key locations: Highway 1 near Rockport ($16.5 million), U.S. Highway 101 near Leggett ($3.3 million), and Route 253 near Ukiah ($500,000).
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New MCOG Survey: Which Roads Will Be Most Affected by Sea Level Rise
By Mendocino Council of Governments
Summary: The Mendocino Council of Governments is soliciting community input on 15 local road segments and asking residents to help prioritize which should receive the highest level of planning attention as sea levels rise.
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🎶 FORT BRAGG
Fort Bragg Releases Blues Fest Lineup
By City of Fort Bragg
Summary: The City of Fort Bragg announced the lineup for the second annual Fort Bragg Blues Festival and a limited number of early-access tickets priced at $250, available through Jan. 4. Regularly priced $295 all-access tickets will go on sale Feb. 1. The lineup includes Tia Carroll, Grammy-nominated slide guitarist Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings, the Blackhorse Blues Band, Aki Kumar — “the only Bombay Blues Man” — and more.
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Fort Bragg Never Disappoints
By Terry Sites, Anderson Valley Advertiser
Summary: What happens when a local writer spends Black Friday in Fort Bragg? Instead of a frantic shopping spree, the day becomes a celebration of local character and community. “No danger of being homogenized or cookie-cuttered in Fort Bragg, where the only ‘big box’ store is Safeway,” Sites writes.
🔗 Read more in the Anderson Valley Advertiser (paywall)
Skunk Train Wins Eminent Domain Appeal, Affirms Freight Carrier Status
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.news
Summary: The California Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Mendocino Railway, reversing a lower-court decision and affirming the Skunk Train’s status as a public utility with eminent-domain authority. The ruling allows the railway to proceed with acquiring property in Willits for rail facilities, overturning previous limitations that classified it as solely an excursion service.
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Haywire Western Wear Store Closes After 107 Years of Local Retail History
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.news
Summary: Haywire, a longtime Fort Bragg clothing and western wear store, will close at the end of January, marking the end of more than a century of local retail tradition. The Anderson family, which purchased the store from the Makela family in 2013, cited challenging business conditions. A 30% storewide sale is underway ahead of the closure.
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Kidnapping Case Reveals Alleged Ambush Plot in Fort Bragg
By Elise Cox, Mendo Local News
Summary: A Fort Bragg kidnapping case took an unexpected turn when prosecutors uncovered a potential plot to ambush the alleged perpetrators. Initially reported as a kidnapping and sexual battery, the case ultimately resulted in two men pleading no contest to weapons- and drug-related charges. Jose Francisco Plascencia will serve two years in state prison, while Douglas Kenneth Hance received two years of probation.
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Bar Fight at Welcome Inn Leads to Reduced Charges and Informal Probation
By Elise Cox, Mendo Local News
Summary: A night out at the Welcome Inn escalated into arrests for four friends, three of whom initially faced felony charges for resisting arrest. The district attorney later offered plea bargains of 50 hours of community service and 12 months of summary probation to three defendants and declined to file charges against a fourth.
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🌊 GUALALA
World War II-Era Practice Bomb Safely Detonated
By David Torres, Independent Coast Observer
Summary: A World War II AN-MK 23 practice bomb discovered near Sedalia Drive in Gualala was safely removed by the Beale Air Force Base Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and destroyed in a controlled detonation at Ocean Ridge Airport. No damage was reported.
🔗 Read more on the ICO (paywall) Read more on Mendo Local
🎁 LAYTONVILLE
Pam & Susan’s North Pole Toy Express
By Jayma Shields, The Mendocino Observer
Summary: Volunteers are busy wrapping gifts for Pam & Susan’s North Pole Toy Express, the longtime Laytonville toy drive serving more than 100 children each holiday season. The effort began with Pam Tucker (Cornell), Laytonville Unified’s longtime lunch lady, and later grew into a nonprofit with the help of Susan Shields. The tradition continues in both women’s memory.
🔗 Read more in the Anderson Valley Advertiser (paywall)
⛳ SEA RANCH
Homeowner Group Opposes New Cell Tower in Sea Ranch
By George Calys, Independent Coast Observer
Summary: A group of Sea Ranch residents have organized in response to a proposed cell tower planned for the north end of the community. Concerns include the severity of service gaps, the tower’s location, the expected return on an $800,000 investment, and board accountability and transparency.
🔗 Read more in the Independent Coast Observer (paywall)
Sea Ranch Golf Links Packed on Official Opening Weekend
By David Torres, Independent Coast Observer
Summary: The Sea Ranch Golf Links officially reopened Thanksgiving weekend to a large and enthusiastic crowd. “We ran out of golf carts,” said Superintendent Jason McDonald. More than 120 rounds were played on Friday alone.
🔗 Read more in the Independent Coast Observer (paywall)
🚲 UKIAH
Newest Section of Great Redwood Trail Doubles Length in Ukiah
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal
Summary: The City of Ukiah completed Phase 4 of the Great Redwood Trail, adding 1.9 miles and bringing the total trail length to nearly four miles. The new section includes bridges, picnic areas, bicycle repair stations, and more than 200 newly planted trees.
🔗 Read more in the Ukiah Daily Journal (paywall)
Urgent Care Facility Planned for Airport Park Boulevard
By Justine Frederiksen, Ukiah Daily Journal
Summary: The Ukiah Planning Commission will consider a proposal to convert the former Mendocino Animal Hospital into a 14,144-square-foot urgent care clinic with exam rooms, imaging services, solar-covered parking, and improved emergency access.
🔗 Read more in the Ukiah Daily Journal (paywall)
Ukiah Weighs Downtown Improvements Amid Pistache Tree Controversy
By Sydney Fishman, The Mendocino Voice
Summary: Ukiah officials held a public workshop to discuss proposed downtown improvements along School Street, including the possible removal of Chinese pistache trees — a move that has sparked public debate.
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🏘️ VILLAGE OF MENDOCINO
Jack Peters Creek Bridge Reopens with Two Lanes and Pedestrian Walkway
By Elise Cox, Mendo Local News
Summary: After a 1.5-year, $15.5 million construction project, the Jack Peters Creek Bridge on Highway 1 reopened Friday night. The temporary traffic signal was removed, marking the completion of the long-anticipated infrastructure upgrade.
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🌬️ WESTPORT
Caltrans Battles Nature to Save Highway 1
By Frank Hartzell, MendocinoCoast.news
Summary: In a $110 million emergency project at Blues Beach, Caltrans and Myers & Sons Construction are racing to stabilize a collapsing mountainside threatening Highway 1, using thousands of massive boulders and advanced drainage systems.
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🎨 WILLITS
Willits Kids Corner Opens in Former Rexall Building
By Mathew Caine, The Willits Weekly
Summary: After two years of anticipation, the former Rexall building reopened as Willits Kids Corner, billed as the largest indoor playground and family fun center in Mendocino County, featuring inclusive play spaces and amenities for families.
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Willits City Council Approves New Street Vending Ordinance
By Sydney Fishman, The Mendocino Voice
Summary: The Willits City Council unanimously approved a new street vending ordinance aligned with SB 946, clarifying permitted locations, operating hours, and restrictions. The new rules take effect Jan. 9, 2026.
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📊 CALMATTERS
Rural California Schools Receive Funding Lifeline
By Carolyn Jones, CalMatters
Summary: Congress restored the Secure Rural Schools Act, unlocking $471 million nationwide — including more than $40 million for California counties — to support schools, roads, and public services in rural communities.
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California’s Deadly Roads: 40,000 Lives Lost as Leaders Look Away
By Robert Lewis and Lauren Hepler, CalMatters
Summary: A CalMatters investigation finds nearly 40,000 people have died on California roads over the past decade, as state leaders repeatedly failed to take meaningful action to curb rising traffic fatalities.
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Amazing roundup! The coho salmon spotting in the Russian River after 30+ years really shows what persistent habitat restoration can do. I've tracked similar reintroduction efforts in Oregon watersheds and the timeline from dam removal to juvenile presence is usually 5-7 years minimum, so seeing results after decades proves patience pays off. What's intresting is how the $70M in new funding might accelerate secondary effects like improved riparian zones and nutrient cycling across entire watersheds, not just target salmon poplations.