Matt LaFever

1 week ago | mendofever.com | Matt LaFever

On Sunday evening, June 22, CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit will ignite a prescribed burn on the face of Coyote Valley Dam, targeting roughly 23 acres of dry grass in a carefully coordinated operation aimed at wildfire prevention and dam safety. According to a press release from CAL FIRE MEU, the burn—scheduled to begin around 6 p.m. and wrap up by 11 p.m.—will support the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ annual geological survey and mandatory earthquake inspection of the dam structure.

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Matt LaFever

Cow Mountain, rising between Mendocino and Lake counties, is a favorite of rural Californians who value freedom, firearms and open space. Just two hours north of San Francisco, it’s a place where lifted trucks, dirt bikes and side-by-sides tear through trails carved into federally managed wilderness. Hunters post up at dawn. Gunshots echo from the public range.

1 week ago | mendofever.com | Matt LaFever

Firefighters responded to a structure fire Thursday night at the Ukiah Mobile Home Park, just north of The Forks on North State Street, and were able to quickly bring the flames under control. Scanner traffic indicated multiple 911 calls came in around 9:45 p.m., reporting a fire at 4951 North State Street. Law enforcement and fire crews arrived within minutes and launched an aggressive response. By 10:06 p.m., fire crews had knocked down the blaze, according to scanner updates.

1 week ago | sfgate.com | Matt LaFever

Three weeks later, there’s still no sign of him. Meyers told SFGATE the case doesn’t follow the usual script: “There’s some weird, weird things about the whole story, you know, from start to finish.” Ferrin agreed. “It’s very unusual circumstances. It doesn’t really compare directly to any case that I’ve worked in the 20 years that I’ve been in law enforcement,” Ferrin added. Brian Kyncy, whose son Hunter is Cardenas’ best friend, said he believes there was no criminal intent in that decision.

1 week ago | mendofever.com | Matt LaFever

A Lucerne man has been arrested in connection with the fentanyl-related death of a 28-year-old woman in what the Lake County Sheriff’s Office says is the county’s second fentanyl homicide case. On June 18, 2025, Lake County Sheriff’s detectives arrested 40-year-old Ryan Stahl on suspicion of second-degree murder, as well as possession and transportation of a controlled substance for sale.