ANDERSON VALLEY COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT board member Joanie Clark has resigned for health reasons. The district is now accepting applications to fill her position. If interested, call the District office at 895-2075.
LONG-TIME FIRE DEPARTMENT VOLUNTEER and Boonville battalion chief Jim Minton has retired. Fortunately for us, he will continue to be involved in an advisory capacity and remain available for special projects. This modest man has been a stalwart volunteer for many years of selfless service to Valley residents via all-hours medical aids and fire responses. He has been a gift to us all. At a minimum Minton deserves a plaque on the Fire House wall.
THE ANDERSON VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENT is preparing something they are calling “social media protocols.” Apparently, at a recent incident, a dispute developed when an onlooker was observed filming the incident, which may have then been posted on-line. AV Fire Chief Andres Avila wants to make sure that local first responders are prepared for social media issues arising at an accident scene.
According to a website called “fireengineering.com” the problem has been around since at least 2010 when: “It is possible that the habit of snapping a quick picture first posed a problem for fire departments on July 17, 2010. On that day, a 23-year-old woman named Dayna Kempson-Schacht ran off the road in a single-car accident. When the fire department arrived, the victim was already dead. Firefighter Terrance Reid took out his phone and shot a video of the victim, complete with graphic commentary, while she was still in the vehicle. At first, Reid shared the video only with firefighters with whom he worked, but the situation quickly spiraled out of his control. The next night, a firefighter who had received the video went out to a bar and began sending the video to the phones of other patrons at the bar. One of those patrons then put the video online; from there, it went worldwide and was posted on as many as 800 Web sites at one point. The video made it back to the parents of the 23-year-old woman. The pain of seeing their daughter mutilated and lifeless was almost too much for them to bear. Then, all eyes turned toward the fire department and others responsible for putting the video out there for all the world to see.”
IT’S HIGHLY UNLIKELY that our volunteers would be so insensitive as to take photos like the one described, and then share them with a gang of leering bar drunks (and necrophiliacs), but in times like these Chief Avila is only prudent to spell out policy.
HELLO MENDOCINO COUNTY FAIR FANS:
The Fair Board voted unanimously, following several months of discussion, to change the name of the Commercial Building to the Wool Building. This is located inside the main gate on your left (toward Yorkville) as you enter the grounds and you know it well as it is the home to The National Wool Show during fair time. Further a banner will be displayed recognizing The National Wool Show for their participation and ongoing contribution to the excellence of our annual Fair. The building has for many years been known as the Wool Building by most fairgoers and now it is getting the sign on the wall amended to match its new title. Stay tuned for more news about the Mendocino County Fair next month and thanks for all you do to make our fair truly special. See you at the fair September 14th through the 16th 2018.
Kindly, The Fair Boosters
NOW THAT the wool has been pulled down over commerce, how about lowering booth fees at the annual event? There would be a lot more exhibitors if those fees weren’t exorbitant, as they now are.
FIRST the sirens then the medical helicopter overhead, and everyone in Boonville hopes it's not someone they know. The dual alarm sounded just after 3pm one day last week, but we were happy the alarm didn’t occur in the middle of the night when the terrible sound of sirens are especially disturbing.
MEET ANNE MOLGAARD, CFO of the mostly privatized Mendocino County Health and Human Services, and Jeanine Miller, of the mostly privatized Director of Behavioral Health at the AV Unity Club meeting, Thursday, February 1, 2018, Dining Room at the County Fairgrounds in Boonville. The Community is invited to join us at 1:30 for complimentary cookies and coffee during Anne Molgaard’s presentation. Questions: Call Hostess Valerie Hanelt, 895-3526.
THOSE ATTENDEES who might dare will want to ask their two guests why they recently got such big raises, and when the two guests launch into long, keening replies about how hard they work and how something called the Slavin Study forced the Supervisors to boost their own pay and the pay of their top gofers to “ensure excellence,” ask these two excellencies who paid for the Slavin Study? (Hint: The Supervisors.)
ON SECOND THOUGHT, better not ask. The last person from the County — Alan Flora — to address the Unity Club disappeared when he got back to Ukiah and hasn’t been seen or heard from since. These ladies may be risking their lives by appearing in Boonville!
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