Community How to get FORUM sports digest a great Our readers write .............Page 6 photo of Mom ...................................Page 4 ..............Page 3 INSIDE Mendocino County’s World briefly The Ukiah local newspaper ..........Page 2 Tomorrow: Windy and cooler 7 58551 69301 0 THURSDAY May 3, 2007 50 cents tax included DAILY JOURNAL ukiahdailyjournal.com 16 pages, Volume 149 Number 24 email: [email protected] Thompson: Iraq War could go on An EEL RIVER run ‘indefinitely’ By DAVID ESPO AP Special Correspondent WASHINGTON — Congress failed to override President Bush’s veto of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, a defeat for anti-war Democrats that triggered immediate talks on a new measure to fund the con- flict. Northern California Thompson Congressman Mike Thompson said the veto tells him that the president has no real intent to wind down the war in Iraq. “The president’s veto signals his determina- tion to keep this war going indefinitely. Even his Secretary of Defense has said that a timeline - like the one in this bill - communicates to the Iraqi government that this is not an open-ended commitment,” said Rep. Mike Thompson (D- Napa Valley). “Our troops have done what we sent them to do. It's now time for the Iraqis to bring peace to their country. We need to show Ben Brown/The Daily Journal the Iraqi government that we’re serious about the The meeting point of the North Fork of the Eel River and the Main Stem of the Eel River near Dos Rios. The Eel benchmarks we’ve set for them. Just asking them river is running low this year because of lower than average rainfall. to meet the benchmarks hasn’t worked for four A tour through a critical system See VETO, Page 2 By BEN BROWN rivers and countless streams the Pacific Ocean. The water is running only Sonoma County The Daily Journal and tributaries on its way to On the way to Dos Rios, in the deepest parts of the Editor’s note: This is the first of the Pacific Ocean. forester Bill Smith, who was river, often in channels no asks Ukiahans two stories by Ben Brown on his To say that it is big would lived and worked in the forests more than a dozen feet wide . two-day tour of the Eel River be an understatement. around the Eel River his entire The Middle Fork of the Eel For the last three years, the life, points out where a previ- River is running higher than to save water with the Mendocino County Mendocino County Farm ous bridge over the Eel River the main stem. Janet Pauli, Farm Bureau. By KATIE MINTZ Bureau has taken people on a once stood. chairwoman for the The Daily Journal The Eel River is 200 miles two-day trip through the Eel The bridge, which must Mendocino County Inland A drop of water saved now means a drop of long, it runs through five River watershed, hoping to have been easily 60 feet above Valley Water Commission said water will remain in Lake Mendocino this fall as counties and numerous moun- foster a better understanding the bed of the river, was car- it was due to snow melt in the it faces dangerously low levels, according to tain ranges, it drains 3,684 of where some of Mendocino ried away in the flood of Yolla Bolly Mountains in Sonoma County Water Agency staff. square miles of countryside County’s water comes from 1964. Trinity County where part of “In a situation like this, time is of the and has three forks at various and what it goes through on Looking at the river now, it the Middle Fork originates. essence,” said Chris Murray, principal engineer points along the way. the way there. can be hard to believe it was From a vantage point fur- for the agency, addressing about 25 area resi- The river is home to at least Among the early stops on that high. ther down the road the snow- dents who attended a public meeting in the 30 species of fish and the the tour is the small town of Both forks are running low capped peaks of the Yolla Ukiah city hall Tuesday evening. watershed supports a large Dos Rios, on a bridge far this year and even to an Bolly Mountains were visible The meeting, called to inform citizens about number animals. It runs above the area where the Main untrained eye it is easy to see in the distance, but rain and the status of water supply in Lake Mendocino through mountains and forests, Fork and the North Fork of the that the Eel is usually a much snowfall in California have and the agency’s petition to reduce flows into and out of lakes and is Eel River meet and head north wider river than it is on this through the Coyote Valley Dam to the Russian joined by at least two major toward Humboldt County and day. See RIVER, Page 16 River, was one of three planned for areas along See WATER, Page 16 PLOWSHARES’ NEW DIGS Construction is underway at the new Plowshares Katie Mintz/The Daily Journal Community Dining Room site, 1346 South State Emergency personnel tend to victims of a traffic accident Wednesday afternoon. Street. Plowshares has until the end of June to match Two injured in North State accident the T.R. Eriksen challenge grant for its building fund. The Daily Journal was at a stop sign on North State Street. Valley Medical Center with unknown Two Redwood Valley residents were Billy McCarn, 67, of Hopland, was in a injuries. Challenge grant on injured in a traffic accident just past 2 Ford F250 pickup truck behind her. McCarn and the passenger in his The Daily Journal p.m. on Wednesday when a woman dri- Madison started to pull out and then saw truck, Carolyn McCarn, 68, of Hopland, “The Plowshares Community Dining Room is now under ving a four-door Pontiac pulled out from a car coming and had to stop again. were uninjured. construction, and walls have already begun to reach for the a stop sign, and then hesitated due to on- According to the report, McCarn didn’t sky,” Plowshares Executive Director, Mary Buckley said coming traffic, resulting in the truck stop in time and as a result rear-ended Ukiah Valley Fire District, the Wednesday. behind her hitting the back of her car. Madison’s car. California Department of Forestry and The T.R. Eriksen Foundation is challenging the community According to the California Highway Madison and her passenger, Edgar Fire Protection, Ukiah Ambulance, the to match its $20,000 grant for the building project before the Patrol, Mariah Madison, 53, of Figueras, 59, also of Redwood Valley, California Highway Patrol, and Stevo’s end of June, which means that all building donations received Redwood Valley, driving the Pontiac, were taken by ambulance to Ukiah towing responded to the incident. See GRANT, Page 16 2 – THURSDAY, MAY 3, 2007 DAILY DIGEST Editor: K.C. Meadows, 468-3526 The Ukiah Daily Journal [email protected] SHERIFF’S REPORTS an apprehending those driving The world briefly under the influence of drugs The following were or alcohol. compiled from reports Drivers will be taken to the prepared by the Mendocino County Jail for Oakland connector to Interstate 80 to eastbound Interstate 580 two segments of a solid booster rocket Mendocino County booking and their cars will be was destroyed by the tanker explosion, that caused the Challenger explosion that Sheriff’s Office: impounded. reopen in 10 days however, and will have to be replaced. killed seven astronauts in 1986. BOOKED -- Patricia Ann Murphey, 58, of Laytonville, Those arrested by law enforcement OAKLAND — A highway ramp shut was booked into jail on suspi- officers are innocent until proven guilty. President Bush declares People reported as having been arrest- down by the collapse of an overpass near Train carrying segments cion of driving under the ed may contact the Daily Journal once the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge terrorist group al-Qaida influence and driving in a left their case has been concluded so the won’t have to be rebuilt from scratch and of the space shuttle’s turn lane at 8:51 p.m. results can be reported. Those who feel ’public enemy No. 1’ the information is in error should con- could reopen within 10 days, the gover- rocket boosters derails Tuesday. tact the appropriate agency. In the case nor said Wednesday. of those arrested on suspicion of dri- WASHINGTON (AP) — President ving under the influence of an intoxi- The ramp connecting two interstate MYRTLEWOOD, Ala. (AP) — A Bush on Wednesday declared al-Qaida CHP REPORTS cant: all DUI cases reported by law highways was blocked Sunday morning freight train carrying segments of the “public enemy No. 1 in Iraq,” placing The following were enforcement agencies are reported by when a burning tanker truck brought space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters the newspaper.The Daily Journal makes increasing emphasis on the terror net- compiled from reports no exceptions. down the overpass. Crews finished clear- derailed Wednesday after a bridge col- work forever associated with the dead- prepared by the Califor- ing debris from the collapse Tuesday. lapsed, authorities said. Six people liest attack in U.S. history. nia Highway Patrol: CITY REPORTS Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the aboard the train were reported injured. The president also seemed to offer ACCIDENT -- Robert The following were com- ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 NASA said it was not immediately another definition of success in Iraq — Colombi, 85, of Fort Bragg, piled from reports prepared to southbound Interstate 880 could be known whether the equipment was dam- not a lack of violence, but a livable level suffered minor injuries when by the City of Ukiah.