LATEST STORIES
Newsom clamps down on California data centers as voters turn against the industry
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed seven data center bills into law, signaling a tide change toward regulation of the industry.
Featured Pet: Hulk
Mellow Hulk knows how to dance and settle in as a happy, easygoing companion.
Fort Bragg City Council candidates share their top priorities
From infrastructure and public safety to housing, Fort Bragg candidates detail the top focus areas where they aim to make an immediate four-year impact.
Gov. Newsom declares Mendocino storm emergency ahead of El Niño winter
Caltrans and Department of Water Resources will stage equipment ahead of predicted storms.
Ukiah man jailed on suspicion of firing at a home on Calpella Road
Sheriff’s deputies say Skyler Blue Dausman, 43, pointed a rifle at his neighbors house.
Sheepdog trials drew a full crowd on the last day of the Mendocino County Fair
Eight dogs who made it to the finals herded sheep through a course against a clock.
Fort Bragg City Council candidates answer five vital questions
The five-part series starts Monday, Sept, 21 and runs each weekday. Saturday will wrap up with every candidate’s answers to all five questions.
Lucas Fire reaches 100% containment
Crews will now patrol the burn area for hot spots and smoke.
The Mendocino Setlist: September 21-27, 2026
Your weekly guide to upcoming music events in Mendocino County.
UC climate scientist gives the skinny on Mendocino County’s winter
What is forecast to be the strongest El Niño on record tilts the whole North Coast toward a wet winter. What that means on the ground is not so easy to say.
The circus at Crowley came in by train. So does the audience
The Flynn Creek Circus runs until Sept. 27, with over 20 performances in a clearing near Willits.
Mendocino Dance Project to invite audiences on a journey through nature with dance
Aerial and climbing techniques aim to immerse audiences in art and nature.
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FEATURED STORIES
Newsom vetoes Jackson Demonstration State Forest bill, citing need for ‘flexibility’
Mendocino County backed AB 2494. A rural counties group asked for the veto.
Mendocino County’s healthcare backup to Medi-Cal may cut its eligibility and benefits
The program for those who can’t get Medi-Cal could reduce eligibility. The first public hearing is Friday.
Mendocino schools broke water permit rules, county staff says
The school district filled two big water tanks in the dry months, which its permit didn’t allow. On Thursday, the county may rewrite the rules.
A white-eyed vireo is hiding in a Big River thicket
Found Aug. 31 and reported again Friday, it appears to be only the second instance of this eastern songbird on record in Mendocino County.
Mendocino’s sheriff is treasurer of a private nonprofit that funds the county’s trafficking raids
Five county sheriffs and a district attorney run a nonprofit, paid for by a Buffett family foundation, that funds cannabis and trafficking enforcement in five Northern California counties. It has yet to win a trafficking conviction.
Judge halts logging above Dutch Charlie Creek with most of it already done
Two courts bar cutting on 926 acres west of Laytonville. By the company’s own count, 776 were already down.
POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Poll: California voters support billionaire wealth tax — and its countermeasures
The wealth tax is opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and gubernatorial frontrunner Democrat Xavier Becerra who say the tax will drive wealthy taxpayers to other states.
Alliance for a Better Fort Bragg to host candidate forum
Five city council candidates have signed up to participate in the Sept. 22 event
Fort Bragg will get the keys to the county-owned Veterans Memorial Building
County supervisors approve a 3-year license 5-0; veterans’ groups stay first in line and keep their own rooms.
Police & Courts
Ukiah man held on more than $1 million bail in Sunnycrest stabbing
Deputies found the 23-year old suspect bloodied and arguing outside a Sunnycrest Drive house Friday night; the 53-year-old victim is expected to survive.
Mendocino County Supervisors approve taking a $4.5 million state grant to fight illegal cannabis grows
Much of the debate was about ICE, misunderstood board actions and a $150,000 software contract.
Convicted sex offender from Piercy arrested again after detectives find more material
He was arrested for suspected possession of over 600 images of sexual conduct involving a minor
ARTS & CULTURE
The Mendocino Setlist: September 21-27, 2026
Your weekly guide to upcoming music events in Mendocino County.
Printmaking exhibit combines with the 44th annual Steam Festival in Willits Saturday and Sunday
Mendocino County Museum volunteers will help visitors carve their own linoleum blocks to join the prints on display through Sept. 27.
Ukiah Library mounts show with local artists
Mixed media and paintings by local artists Cottie Morrison and Janet Rosen are on display.
Mendocino College displays new art created by students in first mural painting course
Mural reflecting themes of Mendocino College now on display near campus café.
FOOD & DRINK
The oldest bar in Mendocino County?
One bar at a time, one claim at a time, until the county runs out of either.
On Mendocino Ridge, a winemaker says wine’s real problem is trust
“Regenerative,” “sustainable,” “natural” — they’ve been stuck on so many bottles that a shopper has no way to tell which ones mean anything.
After years of pop-ups, Floyd and Connie’s opens a permanent Fort Bragg restaurant
“We’re telling people it’s like a sexy mid-century steakhouse” — if that steakhouse sported a large deck overlooking Noyo Harbor and personal touches everywhere.
COLUMNS & OPINIONS
O’Neill: A love letter to the Hog Farm
And to all the farmers who make up the community that supports local food and resilience.
Your Mendocino County Garden: September
The coast finally gets its summer, the tomatoes all show up at once, and the seed packets get a second chance.
Word Junkie: Mendocino County’s autumn edition
In which we rake up the season’s words and find a few from Boonville in the pile.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letter to the Editor: Fairgrounds are a safe haven during emergencies
Ask Governor Newsom to sign AB 1711 so our fairgrounds are in good shape when we need them most.
Letter to the Editor: The AMEX timber harvest plan at Jackson Demonstration State Forest relies on out-of-date plans
AB2494 will modernize forest management in many ways. Cal Fire should not lock in prior practices.
Letter to the Editor: Ukiah Planning Commission recommends staff redraw annexation map
We congratulate the four commissioners who showed insight and courage.
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Environment & Natural Resources
Lake Mendocino boat inspections funded two more years after golden mussel scare
Alerted by a mussel detection dog, a June boat stop at Lake Sonoma turned up lab signs of golden mussels.
Mendocino County Board of Supervisors weighs sea level rise rules for coastal building
People building in hazard areas would accept the risk and give up seawall rights.
Potter Valley dam comments close Friday as Southern California district keeps fighting to join case
Final spoken comments to come Tuesday and Wednesday in Eureka while Elsinore Valley water district seeks rehearing.
Potter Valley Project series
U.S. House of Representatives votes to speed up stalled Lake Mendocino dam study
The Army Corps paused the Coyote Valley Dam study last October for lack of federal money. The bill adds none.
New models say a rebuilt Eel River water link could keep Russian River supplied
Computer models show that a planned water project on the Eel River could move about as much water to the Russian River each year as the Potter Valley Project.
Opinion: A seismic threat to the Potter Valley Project’s Scott Dam
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and PG&E should make public the internal studies of seismic risk to Scott Dam.
COMMUNITY
Mendocino County celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
More than a quarter of the county’s population is Hispanic or Latino. A fiesta in Fort Bragg is on Sept. 26.
Winesong 2026 raises more than $700,000 for Mendocino Coast healthcare
The 41st annual event plays a vital part in funding healthcare needs—and offered a smashingly good time.
Church “Cents-Ability” program fights hunger from the Bay to the Oregon border
The First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg contributed $2,500 to the Mendo Food Network.
ANIMALS
Featured Pet: Hulk
Mellow Hulk knows how to dance and settle in as a happy, easygoing companion.
Jackson Demonstration State Forest marks Biodiversity Week with guided owl walk
Guided dusk walk on Saturday marks California Biodiversity Week with a search for the forest’s resident owls.
Spotted a western monarch? Conservationists are asking public to report sightings
Sightings can be submitted through the free iNaturalist mobile app.
Ukiah dog toast of the Big Apple. Welcome home, Jinny Lu!
She got in at 2 a.m. and announced that she was done talking to reporters.
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