MENDOCINO Co., 12/31/23 — At The Mendocino Voice, we’ve had a big year in 2023! We turned seven years old (can you believe it?!), and together with you, we weathered storms, outages, floods, fires, and heat waves. Through it all, we continued to bring you local news on everything from county supervisors to the economy and the environment to countywide food, arts and culture news — and we’re sharing some of our favorites with you here.
This year, we also had some exciting news ourselves: we were selected as finalists for two competitive national news awards for our government accountability work advocating for free access to Mendocino County’s public records — the “Community Champion” award from the Institute for Nonprofit News, and the “Government Accountability” award from Local Independent Online News Publishers — although we were more excited when the supervisors rescinded their unlawful fee ordinance! Our work was shared by statewide and national outlets, as well as this year’s “local journalism worth reading” list from the New York Times. We also received support from organizations including the Community Foundation of Mendocino County and Report for America, and our publisher received an Reynolds Journalism Institute fellowship.
Most importantly, we covered issues we know are essential to our readers, and we heard from our friends, neighbors, and readers like you how much they appreciated our coverage. Our focus is always has been on what you tell us is important, from the hills to the county seat: local elections, live fire, weather, and traffic updates as well as resource guides during emergencies so you can stay safe, reporting on essential issues like county government, health, housing, and the economy, and your go-to source for environmental coverage, from reporters Kate Fishman, Dave Brooksher, and and the popular deep dives from our longtime coastal correspondent Frank Hartzell. That also includes our regular coverage of local food and agriculture, events, music and the arts, like our beloved “Mendocino Flavors” and “The Setlist” columns from reporter Sarah Stierch, our weekly dispatches from farm correspondent Casey O’Neill.
Stories like these strengthen our communities, our county, and our local democracy. They need to be told, which is why we started this local news outlet in 2016. But it’s not always easy — or cheap — getting our experienced reporters around the county to check on what’s actually going on when you need it, or making sure our articles are edited, fact-checked, and packed with the useful information you need to navigate your daily life here in Mendocino. We’re proud to be able to pay our reporters and editors for their work so they can prioritize asking important questions, keeping local officials accountable, and bringing you the news you need. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of our readers, hundreds of members, and loyal advertisers that keep our news free for everyone to read.
We hope you will support this work and help us bring even more coverage of our community here in Mendocino County — and right now, your donations are doubled — or up to 12x for new monthly contributions — until Dec. 31, thanks to support from Newsmatch.
Here’s a look back at our favorite 2023 stories from our reporters, in the list below. As you can see, we had a hard time narrowing it down! Let us know your favorites or what you want to see reported on next year in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading.
January
- We covered the storms, from real-time updates each day, to a winter weather info guide, and the weather’s bigger impacts, including Point Cabrillo lighthouse, a sinkhole displaced dozens of north county residents at Creekside, and how unhoused residents in Mendocino County stay dry
- Lake Mendocino hit the highest water level in a decade, and we took a look at Mendocino County water projects
- Willits’ Edie Ceccarelli became the oldest person in the country at 114 years old
- That other pandemic: 2022 was worst year for bird flu
- April opening planned for Fort Bragg taproom
February
- The storms continued: Highway 101 closed, stranding passengers, and we showed you the storm in this photo essay
- A look at Fort Bragg’s new crisis response team
- Mendocino wines won big at the nation’s largest wine competition
- A historic movie theater in Willits goes up for sale
- The first restaurant closures of the year, including a beloved Elk institution
March
- The atmospheric rivers continued: local emergencies were declared, the governor declares a local emergency, and community comes together
- Sunshine Week: national award names Mendocino County one of America’s “worst in government transparency”, and we shared why we agreed
- Potter Valley Project: Russian River Water Forum forms to advise on decommissioning
- Mendocino County Cannabis Director Kristin Nevedal resigns
- We covered coastal housing and real estate: Chico developer creating 22-unit housing project; coast lodging properties are hot, Newsom’s Homekey not, and motels, inns, hotels, bed and breakfasts selling at fast clip
- Local species were in the news: Sunflower sea star finally could be listed under ESA, county’s robin population burst is more than a sign of spring, and the un-extinction of the Mendocino bush-mallow
- In food news, Harvest Market is first California grocery offering new EBT local produce program, culinary icon Sally Schmidt dies, Boomer’s Saloon & Grill serves hungry 101 travelers for over 90 years, and a beloved Fort Bragg chef takes the helms in Westport
April
- FBI investigated school shooting hoax calls to Fort Bragg, Ukiah, and Willits, and we looked into Hundreds of hoax school shooter calls over past year
- Eel River named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers
- BOS declares end to local drought emergency in Mendocino County
- We looked into the tsunami risks and warnings, and an urchin diver spots another sunflower sea star
- Mendocino County’s 2022 crush crushed records
- Live music returns to the Caspar Inn with new ownership
- Local coffee company wins “Super Bowl of coffee”
May
- We encouraged you to tell Mendocino County to rescind their unlawful public records fees, and the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors repealed the unlawful public records ordinance
- Urchin-smashing off to strong start this year
- Skunk Train property sells for $4.15 million
- Environmental, fisheries groups sue PG&E over Potter Valley Project operations
- Fort Bragg Animal Shelter closing, Mendocino Coast Humane Society could expand into building
- Hopland Band of Pomo Indians conducts tribal-led burns
- Mendocino Pride celebrates joy, inclusion and community
- Wine auction raises funds for Anderson Valley skatepark project
- Noyo Harbor receives $3.2 million for climate-informed revitalization project, and the Navarro River, two more Mendocino Coast watersheds to see salmon habitat restoration
June
- We shared our survey about what Mendocino County residents need to know in an emergency and looked at community resilience efforts: when help can’t come for days, Mendocino County ‘islands’ must build self-sufficiency
- Mendocino, Humboldt, and Sonoma county cannabis farms win big at the state fair, and our columnist Casey O’Neill reflects on his win with Strawberry Biscotti
- We continued our coverage of Grocery Outlet in Fort Bragg, which is approved by the city
- We visited First Friday and shared other summer festivals
- Otter we bring back sea otters? US Fish & Wildlife seek input
- Hours after Quinn Greene’s body found, family and friends gather on bluff
- First heat wave of the year arrived
- Mendocino College has highest number of Native American students in CA’s community college system
July
- We continued our coverage of storm recovery: What a climate of extremes means for low-income, rural Mendocino County residents: “It’s killing me”
- Mendocino 4th of July Parade both zany and patriotic (photos)
- Crab season rakes in estimated $54.4 million
- The heat is on…again.
- Three local restaurants win coveted national wine award, and we brought you our first annual top ten Mendocino County rosé list and tasting
August
- Over 90% of SEIU Local 1021 members support a strike
- Millions of funding announced for local fire departments and wildfire prevention
- Excessive heat brings temperatures of 114 degrees to the county
- Pelicans, murres and whales are feasting off-shore
- Who let the dogs dine out? The ultimate round-up of where to dine out with your pup.
- Lightning strikes start twelve fires in Covelo area
- County blanketed by unhealthy wildfire smoke – from Oregon
September
- Residents called to keep the tents up in Mendocino, and county will work on water issue during one year Mendocino tent reprieve
- Big trees, name-change foes, stir up Paul Bunyan Days in Fort Bragg
- Ukiah Regional Airport closes for facility upgrades
- A guide to creating a basic emergency go bag
- Featured pet launches with Pokey
October
- Mendocino County Auditor-Controller Chamise Cubbison was suspended after felony charges alleging misappropriation of public funds, and her attorney appeared in court — more of our ongoing coverage on the county auditor here
- Skunk Train’s motion to delay lawsuit with Fort Bragg prompts misunderstanding
- Sick and dead sea lions pose risk to dogs
- Red flag warning and freeze advisories in effect
- 7th Native Arts Expo fills the Mendocino Art Center
November
- Judge denies Skunk Train’s efforts to delay legal case
- Geiger’s downhill slump mystifies and dismays Laytonville
- McGuire announces $1 million for Mendocino County vocational jobs program
- Jackson State Demonstration Forest Advisory Group members engage in rare dispute, and critics confront state forestry board over Jackson Demonstration State Forest process during heated meeting
- Pudding Creek bridge reopens, and we looked at ongoing bridge repairs
- Mendocino County winter homeless shelters open
- City of Ukiah launches wildfire artificial intelligence detection program
- Three more restaurants close
December
- Manual breach of Navarro River sandbar raises issues
- Laytonville’s only full-service grocery store has not been open for more than two weeks
- Decommissioning the Potter Valley Project: a turning point
- Mendocino County’s 2024 election: final candidate list
- We kept you updated on crab season delays, and re-opening
- Information for your holidays: events, local shopping, open restaurants, and Sarah picks her 10 favorite foodie gifts for holiday gift giving
- Beloved dive bar celebrates 75th anniversary, and we looked at food business openings and closings for the year
For an even further look back, you can read our 2022 most read stories here, and you can see everything we’ve ever published (almost 5,000 articles) in this chronological list.
