Mendocino County’S World Briefly the Ukiah Local Newspaper
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Eagles earn Women’s History ON THE MARKET BVC honors Gala is Sunday Guide to local real estate ..........Page A-6 ............Page A-3 .......................................Inside INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper .......Page A-2 Tomorrow: Sunshine & clouds; H 71º L 40º 7 58551 69301 0 FRIDAY March 7, 2008 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 38 pages, Volume 149 Number 333 email: [email protected] Ukiah medical pot dispensary closing By ROB BURGESS give his surname, said the supply of own. It’s not like it was a few years The Daily Journal ‘Business has been pretty slow ... Everyone seems to be growing their own. It’s not medical marijuana patients trying to ago.” Attention Ukiah medical marijua- like it was a few years ago.’ sell to him has far outweighed the Aaron said the fact that he didn’t na patients: if you’re reading this demand by customers buying from own the property the dispensary was today, you only have around 24 Comment by Reflections of Avalon owner him. situated upon would make it easier to hours left to take advantage of the “Business has been pretty slow,” close it down. area’s only medical marijuana dis- Reflections of Avalon, located at months after opening for business in he said. “I’ve been turning people “I just rent the building,” he said. pensary before it closes its doors for 1490 S. State St., is going out of December. away who have wanted to sell to me. good. business Saturday, a mere three Aaron, the owner, who refused to Everyone seems to be growing their See MARIJUANA, Page A-10 UKIAH UNIFIED FISHING: KEEP IT LEGAL IN COURT School 40-yrs.-to-life layoffs sentence for and cuts fatal shooting looming at PV party Possible elimination By BEN BROWN The Daily Journal of music and arts Caleb Flitcroft will spend programs protested the next 40 years of his life in prison for the murder of his By ROB BURGESS girlfriend, Brittany Syfert, The Daily Journal Mendocino Superior Court Tear-stained monologues Judge Ronald Brown ruled were issued in hushed tones Thursday. by both members of the “We have all been denied the potential of one of our Brittany Syfert school board and the public at died when she a special board meeting community’s children,” Brown said before passing sentence of was shot five Thursday night at the Ukiah times by her Unified School District office Sarah Baldik/The Daily Journal 40 years-to-life in prison. Fish and Game hatchery employee Michael Carlson shows an adult male steelhead to “No time he can spend in boyfriend at a as the elimination of pro- party celebrat- grams and employees were guests at the Coyote Dam hatchery Thursday afternoon. One of Carlson’s duties is to jail will bring her back to us, clip the adipose fin on steelhead; this helps to identify wild steelhead from hatchery but the peace of mind of know- ing her 20th discussed. birthday. The meeting was held in fish. ing that he will spend the next response to Gov. Arnold 40 years minimum in prison will bring me some Schwarzenegger’s 2008-09 comfort,” said Kim Fannuchi, Syfert’s mother. budget proposal which, along Syfert’s father, John Syfert, said it was hard to with declining enrollment in Keeping wild speak about the crime, more than two years after the district, caused the board his daughter’s death. to investigate cutting $3.5 “I feel he should be sentenced to death for what million from its budget. steelhead a he did to my daughter,” he said. “This is a night I wish I Flitcroft shot and killed Syfert on Nov. 12, wasn’t on this board,” said 2005, at her Potter Valley home during her 20th board member Kathy James. birthday party. He was arrested and charged with “These students were twin- crime in state first-degree murder in her death. kles in their parents’ eye in By BEN BROWN In an interview that took place a few hours after the early ’90s when we had to the shooting, Flitcroft said he retrieved his gun cut programs, and now we’re The Daily Journal because he wanted to scare three men who had cutting employees in addition Dead men may tell no tales, but if you reel in attacked him at the party earlier. to programs which is even the wrong fish on your line, a dead steelhead can Carlson points out the clipped adipose fin Flitcroft said he was shooting at a man in a worse.” cost you. on this adult steelhead. The dorsal fin, top white shirt, later identified as Rudy Flores, when During the course of the It is illegal to keep wild steelhead in California, fin to the far left, will usually be torn or he fired on a group of people in Syfert’s driveway. meeting the board unani- and though it is rare that a fisherman will catch worn down on a farmed fish from being Flitcroft fired seven rounds from a Ruger 9mm mously approved a pair of one, California Fish and Game hatchery employ- raised in a concrete hatchery pond. If you handgun, according to police reports, hitting items that would establish a ee Michael Carlson said it is important that people catch a fish without one or both of these Syfert five times and grazing Flores in the arm. criteria for establishing an know the rules. signs present it is likely a wild steelhead, The jury deliberated for just over a day before order to termination of “A lot of it is ignorance,” he said. “People don’t and keeping it is illegal, potentially netting finding Flitcroft guilty of the lesser charge of sec- employees and a list of the know.” you a hefty fine from Fish and Game. ond-degree murder. kinds of services being Fishermen can take farmed steelhead in the late The courtroom was filled with family and reduced or discontinued, winter and spring as they run up the rivers to friends of Syfert Thursday, most of them wearing respectively. spawn. Carlson said the way to tell the difference buttons or ribbons that read “justice for Brittany.” Teachers, students and between the two is that the adipose fin, a small fin Several wore shirts with the dead girl’s picture on their parents concerned about on the top side of the fish two thirds of the way them. the possible elimination of back from the head, is clipped off by hatchery Also present were Flitcroft’s parents. music and arts programs in workers on farmed fish. “They are devastated by this,” said Flitcroft’s the district flooded the Carlson admitted that not every hatchery fish attorney, Ann Moorman. “Caleb is devastated by cramped board room, with See STEELHEAD, Page A-10 this.” several airing their views on “He genuinely hopes there is healing,” the cuts during public com- Moorman said. “He is very sorry.” ment. A hatchery employee fills a net with year- Moorman did not argue against the state man- “I don’t want to leave ling steelhead. These fish will soon be dated sentence of 40 years-to-life in prison, but Ukiah, but feel I might have released from their pond at the hatchery said she did not believe Flitcroft should be sen- to relocate,” said Boyd into the Russian River. tenced to serve an additional three years for See SCHOOLS, Page A-10 See SENTENCE, Page A-10 Council approves 6.88% increase in garbage collection rates By ZACK SAMPSEL the proposed increase, which would with the city’s franchised waste Most homes in Ukiah utilize The Daily Journal UKIAH CITY COUNCIL help offset the more than $670,000 hauler, Ukiah Solid Waste. Under either the 20- or 32-gallon trash bins, Trash rates went up because com- price tag for state-required upgrades that agreement, rates are adjusted by which translates to an increase of plaints were down. to the waste hauler over the next five two factors: an increase in the gate $0.56 and $1.02 a month, respective- With fewer than 10 people pre- of the proposed increase were sent years. The California Air Resources fee charged at the Taylor Drive ly. The increase took effect sent, the Ukiah City Council unani- out to homes throughout the city. Board requires that diesel engine- Transfer Station, as well as 75 per- Thursday, and also covers the cost of mously approved a 6.88 percent More than 2,400 written protests powered equipment, including waste cent of the percentage change in the the recycling and yard waste pickup. increase in trash collection rates were needed to stop the increase, but collection trucks, are brought into consumer price index from the previ- The rates will be adjusted during a Wednesday night. The public hearing with just 17 complaints filed ahead compliance with new air quality ous year. public hearing every three years. for the proposed increase ended in of time discussions were almost over standards. The city calculated the higher pro- less than 30 minutes with no opposi- before they started. In addition to truck upgrades, the posed rate increase by evaluating the Zack Sampsel can be reached at tion from residents. The hearing was the last chance proposed rates were calculated based annual audit for the period that ended [email protected]. Last year, more than 8,000 notices for complaints and comments against on the Waste Collection Contract Dec. 31, 2006. A-2 – FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2008 DAILY DIGEST Editor: Jody Martinez, 468-3517 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] jail on suspicion of second- FUNERAL NOTICES POLICE REPORTS degree burglary and a San The following were Francisco County warrant for [\ Rodney (Bonnie) Dashiell bration of her life wine maker and great lover compiled from reports tampering with a vehicle by of Ukiah.