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- Written by: Mendocino Land Trust
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Mendocino Land Trust has finalized the purchase of the spectacular 157-acre coastal blufftop property, known as Bell Point, located just south of Westport, on the northern Mendocino Coast.
Bell Point sits by the southern edge of the village of Westport. It consists of approximately 50 acres of open coastal headlands, coastal meadows, riparian wetland and a bishop pine forest.
Across Highway 1, an additional 100 acres of mixed redwood-fir forest, meadowland, and ocean view ridgelines will also be preserved.
The headlands offer a jaw-dropping 180-degree degree view of our rocky and dramatic Mendocino coastline.
Mendocino Land Trust now moves into the planning state of the project: designing and building a new portion of the California Coastal Trail, a projected parking area, and ultimately returning the property to Kai Poma, a nonprofit representing three local Native American tribes, who will also soon own the nearby Blues Beach to the south.
Mendocino Land Trust said it is honored to work with Kai Poma to facilitate the return of this land to the Sherwood Valley Pomo Band of Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians as a vital step towards restoration and reparation.
“We are so thrilled to have been able to purchase this property to ensure its conservation and protect this special part of the Mendocino Coast from private development forever,” said Bell Point project lead, MLT Director of Land Protection Emily Griffen. “The property will be opened to the public for the first time, and returned to local Native American Tribes for long-term ownership and management.”
Protecting this remarkable property has been made possible with a $2.5 million grant from the State Coastal Conservancy, as well as a $95,000 Project Advancement Grant from the California Council of Land Trusts.
The project has the strong support of the Westport Village Society, State Sen. Mike McGuire, former Assemblymember Jim Wood, current Assemblymember Chris Rogers and Mendocino Land Trust’s project partner, Kai Poma.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
MERCED COUNTY, Calif. — On Monday, July 28, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, will open a new training center in Merced County, located at the former Castle Air Force Base in Atwater.
The Atwater Training Center will provide comprehensive training and education to Cal Fire personnel to ensure readiness and effectiveness in fire prevention, protection and emergency response.
“The addition of the fourth training center is a significant milestone for our Department, as we continue our efforts to advance fire protection throughout the state,” said Cal Fire Training Centers Deputy Chief of Operations Justin Chaplin.
Cal Fire currently operates three other Training Centers located in Ione, Redding and Riverside.
The addition of this fourth training center will further support the addition of new positions and enable us to provide instruction to an additional 300 students annually.
This expansion will support fire control academies — including firefighter and company officer academies — both delivered across four locations.
With the opening of the Atwater Training Center, Cal Fire Training Centers will maintain seven concurrent Fire Control Academies in addition to an annual heavy fire equipment operator academy, three emergency command center academies and a California Peace Officer Standards and Training, or POST, certified law enforcement regular basic course across its four locations and is on pace to train approximately 1,600 fire control students in 2025.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that it has arrested an Arizona man after new DNA technology helped link him to a rape and murder case from 1984.
Roger Neil Schmidt Sr., 64, of Tucson was arrested on Saturday for the murder of 18-year-old Terrance “Terry” Arndt and the rape of a then-18-year-old female victim.
On Dec. 14, 1984, at approximately 11:25 p.m., the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office was notified by the California Highway Patrol regarding a shooting victim that had been contacted at the intersection of Main Street and Marquette Street in Burney, eastern Shasta County.
When sheriff’s deputies arrived, they found a vehicle parked in the roadway with a male gunshot victim — Arndt — inside and a female victim also at the scene.
Arndt was transported by medical crews to a local hospital, but he did not survive, officials said.
As the investigation unfolded it was learned that earlier that night, Arndt and the female victim were parked in his vehicle talking on Mountain View Road, near Burney High School.
An unknown person pulled up in a vehicle. Neither Arndt nor the female knew who this person was. At that time, Arndt was shot while he covered the female victim to protect her.
Authorities said a male armed with a gun appeared and sexually assaulted the female victim multiple times before leaving the scene. With Arndt badly hurt, the female drove the car, with Arndt inside, for help.
At the time of this crime, an extensive investigation was conducted by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office. Over 40 years, and thousands of hours were spent trying to solve these crimes.
Last year the case was revisited and utilizing new DNA techniques known as Forensic Genetic Genealogy through the Houston, Texas-based company called Othram, there was a breakthrough.
Othram also has successfully conducted cold case DNA testing for law enforcement agencies in other areas of California, including Lake, Humboldt and Mendocino counties.
Testing of this kind is expensive. Thankfully, through “Roads of Justice” grant sources secured through Othram, once further testing on the DNA was conducted, a suspect came to light.
That suspect was identified as Schmidt, who was 23 at the time of crime, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives determined Schmidt lived in Burney at the time of the murder. He strongly resembled the sketch originally provided by the female victim.
It was discovered that Schmidt was residing in Tucson, Arizona. On July 16, detectives from the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit, joined by a senior deputy district attorney from the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, travelled to Tucson.
Detectives coordinated with the Tucson Police Department. DNA from Schmidt was collected pursuant to a search warrant and immediately submitted to Tucson Police’s forensic lab.
The DNA was compared to the evidence collected from the female victim the night she was assaulted. On the night of July 17, it was confirmed the DNA matched suspect Schmidt’s profile.
On Friday, July 18, an arrest warrant was issued by a Shasta County Superior Court Judge for the arrest of Schmidt.
On Saturday, July 19, Schmidt was arrested, interviewed by detectives, and subsequently booked into the Pima County Jail for the murder of Terry Arndt and the sexual assault of the female victim.
Custody staff is currently working on extraditing Schmidt to Shasta County. As of early Thursday, July 24, he remained in custody in the Pima County jail’s medical observation unit.
The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office thanked the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office, the Tucson Police Department, Othram Forensic Genealogy and the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services in Richmond for their assistance in finally bringing some measure of closure to these two victims and their loved ones who have waited four decades for justice.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday approved the predeployment of firefighting resources in Nevada, Sierra and Plumas counties in response to critical fire weather conditions forecasted to impact Northern California starting Wednesday, July 23, through Friday, July 25.
“The state is again taking proactive measures to protect communities ahead of dangerous fire weather conditions. I ask the residents of Nevada, Plumas, and Sierra counties to pay attention to local authorities and be prepared to evacuate if told to go,” Newsom said.
A total of 14 fire engines, four water tenders, and two dispatchers are prepositioned in Nevada, Sierra and Plumas County.
These efforts ensure that resources are ready to respond quickly, minimizing the potential impact of new fires.
This proactive approach has proven to be a critical component of California’s wildfire response strategy, reducing response times and containing fires before they escalate into major incidents.
Wednesday’s announcement follows the recent prepositioning of resources in Plumas and Sierra counties from July 20 to July 22.
Residents are urged to stay vigilant during this heightened fire weather period. The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES, reminds the public to:
• Prepare a wildfire action plan, including planning evacuation routes and packing a go-bag ready with essentials.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts to stay informed about changing conditions.
For more information on fire safety and preparedness, visit News.CalOES.ca.gov and Ready.ca.gov.
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- California prepositions resources in Plumas and Sierra Counties ahead of critical fire weather conditions