NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Department of the Interior on Tuesday announced a $849 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to revitalize aging water delivery systems across the West.

The funding supports 77 projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington to improve water conveyance and storage, increase safety, improve hydropower generation, and provide water treatment. This includes 14 projects totaling $118.3 million in the Colorado River Basin.

In California, the funded projects include the Lake Berryessa Wastewater Treatment and Collection System in Napa County, which will receive Reclamation funding totaling $4,044,500.

The funds will be used to repair the main lift station, repair wastewater ponds and equipment, replace air relief/vacuum valves, replace lift station pumps, replace 1-½ inch black wastewater lines, and rehabilitate/replace septic tanks. Funding is for planning, design and subsequently implementation.

The Tuesday announcement follows the release of five alternatives earlier this month that will be analyzed as part of the Post-2026 Operations for the Colorado River Basin.

Since day one of the Biden-Harris administration, the department has led critical discussions over how to bring the Colorado River back from the brink of crisis in the face of an unprecedented 24-year drought.

Having achieved overwhelming success in 2023 on interim operation plans to guide operations through 2026 with a historic consensus agreement, and following more than a year of collaboration with the states and tribes who call the Colorado River Basin home, the release of alternatives is the next step in a responsible path to guide post-2026 operations for the Colorado River.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda provides transformational resources to safeguard clean, reliable water for families, farmers and Tribes,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “As we work to address record drought and changing climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the West, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will conserve community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems.”

“Reclamation is committed to utilizing these historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize our infrastructure for continued reliability and sustainability for the next generation,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Roque Sanchez. “These facilities are essential to the West as they provide water for families, farms and tribal communities, while also producing hydropower and recreation opportunities for communities throughout the Basin.”

Deputy Commissioner Sanchez visited the Lower San Acacia Reach Improvements project in New Mexico on Tuesday, which will receive $143 million to realign the Rio Grande for improved water conveyance and to provide a long-term strategy to better manage sediment.

Senior Advisor John Watts also visited the Delta Mendota Canal Subsidence Correction project in California today, which is receiving $204 million to address structural impacts to the canal from dropping groundwater levels.

The projects selected for funding today are found in all the major river basins and regions where Reclamation operates. Among the 77 projects selected for funding are efforts to restore canal capacity, sustain water treatment for Tribes, replace equipment for hydropower production and provide necessary maintenance to aging project buildings.

The Biden-Harris administration has led a comprehensive effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and address the ongoing megadrought across the region by harnessing the full resources of President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda.

As climate change has accelerated over the past two decades, the Colorado River Basin experienced the driest period in the region in over one thousand years.

Together, the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation’s history, including $15.4 billion for western water across federal agencies to enhance the West’s resilience to drought and deliver unprecedented resources to protect the Colorado River System for all whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. This includes $5.35 billion for over 577 projects in the Colorado River Basin states alone.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Santa Rosa Police Department reported that it is investigating the circumstances that led to a U.S. Postal Service worker being struck and killed by a vehicle on Monday evening.

The crash victim was identified as Irvin Hernandez, 33, of Santa Rosa.

On Monday at approximately 5:05 p.m., Santa Rosa Police officers, fire, and medical personnel were dispatched to the intersection of Northpoint Parkway and Corrigan Street for a major collision involving a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and GMC Denali SUV.

Police said the SUV ended up in the front yard of a residence on Corrigan Street and the postal vehicle was in the middle of Northpoint Parkway, near the dead end.

Multiple 911 calls to Santa Rosa Police Dispatch reported that there was a male victim lying in the roadway, and he appeared to be deceased. Callers indicated that this male was the driver of the postal vehicle.

The driver of the SUV was conscious and appeared to be having a medical emergency. He had remained in the SUV after the collision, police said.

Police officers arrived on scene with medical personnel. Authorities said the male victim in the roadway was pronounced deceased immediately. The driver of the SUV was transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Santa Rosa Police Department accident investigators and evidence technicians arrived and took over the investigation.

Based on witness statements and surveillance video from area residences, authorities said it appeared that the driver of the SUV was driving erratically prior to the collision and struck the postal vehicle and driver as he was standing outside the vehicle, sorting mail.

The preliminary investigation showed that the driver of the SUV suffered a medical emergency that caused him to lose control of the SUV, prior to the collision, police said.

The roadway was closed for several hours during the investigation. Santa Rosa Police worked in conjunction with representatives of the postal service throughout the investigation.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Officer John Fisher, telephone 707-543-3600, Extension 8550.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in the Bailey Blunt missing person investigation.

Blunt was reported missing to Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on Sept. 25, 2023.

She was last seen on Sept. 22, 2023, when she reportedly went to retrieve her belongings from a location off Berg Road and State Route 299, where she had been staying with her ex-boyfriend Tyler Burrow.

Since law enforcement’s first response to investigate Blunt’s disappearance, multiple searches of the Berg Road property were conducted, including the use of highly specialized K-9 teams and ground searchers without success.

Blunt has not utilized any credit cards or contacted any of her loved ones since the disappearance a year ago, authorities said.

Interviews have been conducted by investigators with more than 30 individuals, including Tyler Burrow. Search warrants have been issued and served on vehicles, properties, cellular phones and electronic records as part of the ongoing investigation, the sheriff’s office reported.

Tips received throughout the investigation have led to thorough searches of locations in Humboldt and Trinity Counties, and Oregon.

At this point, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has followed up on all possible leads and is requesting the public’s help in this investigation. Investigators believe there are people in this community that know what happened to Blunt.

Blunt is 29 years old and described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

She has a tattoo of a trident on her neck and a fishing hook on her left hand.

If anyone has any information, please contact Investigator Jennifer Taylor with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Division.

To make an anonymous crime tip please call 707-268-2539 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cows at three California dairies located in the Central Valley have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

When herds began showing clinical signs consistent with HPAI on August 25, 2024, the dairy owners worked with their veterinarians and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, or CDFA, to submit samples to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory network for preliminary determination.

The samples were then submitted to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory, where the test results were confirmed on Friday.

No human cases of HPAI have been confirmed in California related to this incident. The California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, is working in collaboration with CDFA and will work with local health departments to monitor any individuals who may be exposed to infected animals to ensure prompt clinical and public health interventions, and CDPH would provide official confirmation of any human cases associated with this incident.

“We have been preparing for this possibility since earlier this year when HPAI detections were confirmed at dairy farms in other states,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Our extensive experience with HPAI in poultry has given us ample preparation and expertise to address this incident, with workers’ health and public health as our top priorities. This is a tough time for our dairy farmers given the economic challenges they’re facing in a dynamic market, so I want to assure them that we are approaching this incident with the utmost urgency.”

According to CDPH and the Centers for Disease Control, this influenza virus is not considered a significant public health threat and the risk to humans is considered low. The primary concern is for dairy workers who come into close contact with infected dairy cows. As we have learned from recent cases in other states, these workers may be at risk of contracting avian influenza. Public health officials have experience working with agricultural partners and supporting farm workers working with infected poultry to prevent and monitor for infection.

CDPH recommends that PPE  (masks, gloves, caps, face shields, and safety goggles) be worn by farm workers and emergency responders when working with animals or materials that are infected or potentially infected with avian influenza.

Earlier this summer, CDPH supported a one-time distribution of protective equipment for dairy farm workers and others handling raw dairy products, as well as for slaughterhouse and commercial poultry farmworkers. CDPH will continue to support dairies with confirmed positive cases with PPE.

Furthermore, affected farms can take advantage of a USDA grant that provides financial support for producers that supply PPE to employees. The CDC has confirmed four human cases of HPAI in dairy workers in other states since April 2024: one each in Texas and Colorado, and two in Michigan.

CDFA is working with public health officials and dairy owners to inform and monitor workers at affected dairies in California, and to assist the dairies with education and resources to protect their workers, including providing PPE.

For CDC guidance for employees and employers, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pdf/avianflu/protect-yourself-h5n1.pdf.

California’s supply of milk and dairy foods is safe and has not been impacted by these events. As a precaution, and according to longstanding state and federal requirements, milk from sick cows is not permitted in the public milk supply. Also, pasteurization of milk is fully effective at inactivating the virus, so there is no cause for concern for consumers from milk or dairy products. Pasteurized milk and dairy items, as well as properly handled meat and eggs, continue to be safe to consume.

The affected dairies have been placed under quarantine on the authority of CDFA’s State Veterinarian, and enhanced biosecurity measures are in place. Sick cows are isolated and are being treated at the dairies; and healthy cows have been cleared to continue shipping milk for pasteurization.

Animal movement is being tracked and evaluated, as are other potential introduction pathways. Additional testing will be prioritized according to epidemiologic risk.

Background on HPAI in California

The HPAI virus has been detected in wild birds in the U.S. since 2022, with occasional transmission into domestic poultry or wild mammals in almost all states, including California. In March, 2024, the first US detection in cattle was confirmed in Texas, most likely due to a single spillover event from wild birds. Since that time, the USDA has linked new detections in cattle to the interstate and regional movement of infected or contaminated livestock, people and equipment.

CDFA has been engaged for years with an extensive network of private veterinarians, farmers and ranchers, backyard bird enthusiasts, and local, state and federal partners to actively monitor for this disease in livestock and poultry throughout California.

The department has taken steps to reduce the risk of entry of infected dairy cattle into the state, has extensive experience responding quickly and effectively to past detections of HPAI in poultry, and is fully prepared to respond to detections in cattle.

Most infected livestock and dairy cattle fully recover from an HPAI infection within a few weeks.

No California domestic poultry flocks are affected by the current incident. Avian influenza viruses continue to circulate normally among migratory and wild birds. Monitoring of both wild and domestic bird populations is performed on a continuous basis by multiple public agencies, as well as farmers and ranchers and private bird owners.

For the most up-to-date information regarding highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in livestock in California, please visit CDFA - AHFSS - AHB - Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 Virus in Livestock.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Marin County Sheriff Jamie Scardina, Marin County District Attorney Lori Frugoli on Wednesday announced the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program provided an investigative lead that has led to the arrest of 75-year-old Michael Eugene Mullen for the brutal 1973 rape and murder of a young woman who lived in San Rafael with her husband and two-year-old daughter.

“I am incredibly proud of the endless hours of behind the scenes work our Bureau of Forensic Services put into this case,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We are hopeful that this arrest will bring justice and closure to this devastating case. Thank you to our partners at Marin County Sheriff’s Office and the Marin County District Attorney’s Office. This arrest proves that when we work together, we get results.”

In 2021, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office sought assistance from the California Department of Justice’s Familial Search Program to generate new leads in the cold case of Nina Fischer.

Fischer had been sexually assaulted and murdered in her San Rafael home in November 1973, while her husband was at work.

The Familial Search Program worked for several months and provided a lead. This led to a three-year investigation and identified Michael Eugene Mullen from Idaho as the suspect.

On Aug. 14, 2024, Mullen was arrested by Marin County investigators, along with the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Office and Idaho State Police.

He was taken to Lemhi County Jail and is now awaiting extradition to California for prosecution that will be handled by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office.

DOJ's Familial Search Program compares DNA from unsolved serious crimes against California’s Convicted Offender DNA Database to identify potential relatives of perpetrators.

If a potential relative is identified, and if additional investigation by DOJ’s Bureau of Investigation supports the genetic information, an investigative lead is provided to law enforcement.

DOJ’s Familial Search Program has provided investigative leads in 30 different cases since the genesis of the program in 2008.

The program uses technology and comparison data that is distinct from Forensic Investigated Genetic Genealogy.

The Familial Search Program is one of many programs within DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services, or BFS.

BFS is a comprehensive, state-of-the-art accredited laboratory system servicing 46 of the state's 58 counties.

BFS operates 10 regional crime laboratories for which forensic scientists collect, analyze, interpret, and compare physical evidence from suspected crimes.

DNA casework analysis is performed at the Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory in Richmond, as well as regional laboratories located in Ripon, Fresno, Redding, Riverside, Sacramento and Santa Barbara.

The Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory also houses the DNA Databank, Missing Persons DNA Program, Method Development, and the aforementioned Familial Searching program. BFS services are provided at no cost to law enforcement agencies in the 46 counties.