Weekend SPORTS entertainment Thursday Giants beat Rockies .................................Page A-6 ..........Page A-3 May 22, 2008 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Friday: Sunny & cool H 69º L 48º 7 58551 69301 0 Saturday: Sun & clouds; H 68º L 47º 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 18 pages, Volume 150 Number 43 email: [email protected] IN COURT Volunteers have been helping local students Marijuana FOSTER GRANDPARENTS: for the past 35 years defendant convicted of a felony The Daily Journal A Mendocino County jury deliberated eight hours before finding Russell Rexrode, 41, of Fort Bragg, guilty of felony marijuana cultivation Wednesday. Rexrode was arrested Oct. 17, ‘This was an extremely 2005, after Cali- fornia Depart- important case for our ment of Fish and office. Commercial Game law en- forcement Lt. marijuana growers who Lynette Shimeck found evidence of hide behind the medical marijuana culti- marijuana laws are now vation while in- vestigating re- advised they can be ports that Rex- convicted of a felony, even rode had a moun- tain lion cub at his in Mendocino County.’ Old Caspar Rail- road Crossing property. DA MEREDITH LINTOTT A search war- rant served on the site by the Mendocino See FELONY, Page A-14 Marijuana case pleas postponed Sarah Baldik/ The Daily Journal Foster Grandparent Jane Manz works with Jesus Macias in a Frank Zeek second-grade class Tuesday morning. By BEN BROWN Grandma Jane spends every school day giving extra help and attention to the students and assisting the class The Daily Journal teacher. Codefendants Jeff Burrell and Steven Laino did not enter pleas to marijuana culti- By ZACK SAMPSEL have the best job in the world. I work with recently recognized by the Ukiah City vation charges at their Wednesday arraign- The Daily Journal all these absolutely incredible seniors who Council for 35 years of work in the com- ment because the District Attorney’s Office For the past 35 years, the Foster have so many gifts to offer the youth.” munity. was not prepared to charge them. Grandparents program has quietly provided Sponsored by North Coast “NCO had such vision and everything “The district attorney has not reached a supplemental instruction in the classroom Opportunities, Inc. in 1973, the Foster they set in place for this program has filing decision,” said Deputy District for hundreds of special-needs students Grandparents program has placed seniors, worked for 35 years,” Bostwick said. “The Attorney Katharine Houston. throughout the county, but if you ask 60 years old and above, in classrooms foster grandparents provide that one-on- Burrell and Laino were arrested April 21 Director Eileen Bostwick, it’s just the way throughout the county as well as juvenile one, intensive time that helps many of them on suspicion of possession of marijuana for she likes it. hall with the hope of making a difference (the students) go on to be successful. There sale, cultivation of marijuana for sale and “It’s really one of the best kept secrets in for children in need. are lots of hugs and lots of encouragement. maintaining a place for drug sales after the America,” said Bostwick, who has been For more than three decades, Foster Ukiah Police Department served a search with the program locally for 18 years. “I Grandparents has helped students and was See FOSTER, Page A-14 warrant on a storage shed leased by Burrell and seized a reported 140 plants. See PLEAS, Page A-14 Survey documents farmworker crowding, transportation issues SMOKE SCARE ON STATE ST. By ROB BURGESS The Daily Journal BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Crowding, housing and transportation prob- lems were just some of the issues local farm- times more likely to live in extremely crowded workers brought up in a recent survey present- conditions. ed to the Mendocino County Board of The survey was nearly a year in the making. Supervisors. On June 5, 2007, the board authorized the sur- On Tuesday, the Mendocino County vey and on Oct. 2, 2007, the board authorized Planning Team issued the report to the board a successful application to the Caltrans detailing the demand for farmworker housing Agricultural Workers Transportation Grant and transportation in the county. Program to partially fund it. When compared with the crowding rates for In the presentation given by Ron Strochlic, the general population, the study found that a principal from California Institute of Rural farmworkers were 15 times more likely to live in crowded conditions and a little over seven See SURVEY, Page A-14 Hopland begins process of creating a committee to give community ‘a voice’ By ROB BURGESS forward. The Daily Journal “We’re working on a long-range plan in the Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal A new planning committee currently on the district,” he said. “It should be done in concert Firefighters investigate a report of smoke in a building on South State drawing board could give Hopland a greater with community. We don’t have any cohesive Street about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Ukiah Fire Department voice in the debate over future development of groups -- no chamber of commerce. I teach Battalion Chief Chuck Yates said a cigarette butt dropped into a vent in the area. school in Geyserville. They have done a really front of the building may have smoldered in dry leaves, producing smoke. The organization is centered around good job with their Geyserville Planning Firefighters evacuated The Mendocino Ballet Company, Accent Tattoo and Hopland Fire Chief Ken Johnson, who has Committee. They work very well as an adviso- Ragamuffin and closed down South State Street at Perkins Street and Clay used the model set into place by the nearby ry group. They’ve done such a good job in Street while they investigated the source of the smoke. The Ukiah Valley unincorporated community of Geyserville. terms of representing their community.” Fire District, Cal Fire, UFD, the Ukiah Police Department and the Mendocino Johnson said the group would take input Johnson said the seven group members County Sheriff’s Office responded to this call. from the public at meetings in addition to hav- ing its own say when new developments come See HOPLAND, Page A-14 TIME OUT THURSDAY, MAY 22, 2008 – B-1 Editor: Chris McCartney, 468-3524 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] Puzzlers THE LEARNING CHALLENGER by Robert Barnett DIRECTIONS: A. Using each "Chaos Grid" number with its letter one time, arrange the numbers with their letters for the "Order Grid" so each vertical column, horizontal row, and two diagonals each ADD to numbers inside thick lined cells. B. Some correct numbers with their letters have been put into the "Order Grid" to get you started. Also, above the "Order Grid" is a "Decoded Message" clue. C. After you have solved the "Order Grid" doing as direction "A" says, put the let- ters from horizontal rows, from left to right, under "Decoded Message" and make words to form the answer. CHAOS GRID THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME 9242110 by Mike Argirion and Jeff Knurek AOCE 517816 Unscramble these four Jumbles, DUEM one letter to each square, 7241023 DERB to form four ordinary words. 17 7 8 14 HMRS DRATY CLUE: RAPT ORDER GRID 55 ©2008 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 55 All Rights Reserved. 7 55 D ZABLE 21 9 55 CA 10 55 R 55 55 55 55 55 5/22/2008 DECODED MESSAGE: WHARRO ANSWERS IN NEXT EDITION © 2008 Robert Barnett www.jumble.com YADLAM Answers to Previous Now arrange the circled letters Learning Challenger to form the surprise answer, as HECETA & VANCOUVER suggested by the above cartoon. 100 -16 -9 70 HECE Answer here: A “ ” -3 64 54 30 TA&V (Answers tomorrow) 43 16 11 75 Jumbles: BOOTY HAVEN OUTLAW OXYGEN ANCO Yesterday’s 5 81 89 -30 Answer: Where he went when he stopped drinking — UVER ON THE WAGON 5/21/2008 Woman appears to be exploiting man’s paternal feelings Dear Annie: My husband and I recently that time I have been fixed up by friends and chance on a blind date, dropping 30 or 40 turned 60 and celebrated our 40th wedding met women from dating services. Simply put, I bucks on someone I may discover I don’t anniversary. We both work full time. have been hoping to find that special someone. intend to see again. -- Tired of Paying Lately, a lovely young woman whom my ANNIE’S MAILBOX It’s fun to meet women even if we don’t Dear Tired: We can understand why you husband considers “just a friend” has been vis- By Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar “click.” However, I cannot continue my hunt don’t want to spring for every first date, and we iting him at his place of business and calling for love while picking up the tab every time. agree that women should offer to split the bill. frequently on his cell phone. She confides in You would do your readers (male and It is especially important for women not to give him about her rocky relationship with her made himself very vulnerable to this young female) a service if you would encourage them the impression that they are beholden in any boyfriend, cries on his shoulder when things woman, and she is exploiting it. He enjoys to share the cost of the first date. Ladies, please way because some men misinterpret a free don’t work out, and has even had him drive her being the hero, especially since the heroine is show some class and insist on splitting expens- meal as a down payment on sex.