NEWS ARTICLE ARCHIVE — in chronological order, with pagination below
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Frankly Speaking
JAG Shake‑Up: Amy Wynn Resigns, John Anderson Signals Exit as New Chris Rogers Bill seeks to redefine demonstration forests
COME JOIN ME/US for a fascinating forest tour at noon! Amy Wynn, a prominent Fort Bragg businesswoman, has led the Jackson Advisory Group (the civilian advisory body to Jackson Demonstration State Forest) through some of its most contentious years. She became emotional as she announced she would be leaving the JAG at its next meeting,…
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Arts & Culture
No Kings Fort Bragg Stays Peaceful, Productive, and 900+ Strong — Join Our Video and Photo Adventure- Other groups should use the great energy to accomplish local progress
Resist and Unsubscribe We went back and checked out or No Kings from the past photos and videos and we are pretty sure this one was actually smaller than the other two. Not by too much and there was also an unknown sized event at the stoplight in Mendo. We always do our own counts…
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Letters to the editor
Could This Be the Biggest No Kings Protest Yet? Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Point Arena — and 2,000 Cities Worldwide — Mobilize for a Massive Saturday Action; Fort Bragg Protest Details Below
Organizers of the loose‑knit No Kings movement say this weekend could mark the largest turnout yet — 100,000 people across more cities than ever before, stretching from small coastal towns to major metros. The flagship rally in Minneapolis is expected to draw thousands, with Bruce Springsteen performing in what organizers describe as a “democracy‑defining moment.”…
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Frankly Speaking
How big was Big River shark? Authorities still don’t know, is sea lion population crash changing shark behavior?
Authorities don’t know how big the shark was that bit teacher James Eastman on Big River Beach on Wednesday. “We’re still waiting on the personal/witness accounts, wetsuit and wound photos that calibrated with ruler for bite analyses. There is team that works on these data but it takes time to get all that information, run…
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Frankly Speaking
Linda and Frank Got to See Two Pods of Risso’s Dolphins — a Rare Whale‑Watch‑Month Treat
Thanks to Dan Maxwell, the biological observer for the Blues Beach construction project, Frank got to see Risso’s dolphins for the first time today. They were maybe 500 yards off the coast, and Dan had a very cool scope dialed in on them. Frank brought the Nikon P1000 and zoomed all the way out, but…
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Frankly Speaking
Teen Hunter Shot in Leg in Accidental Shooting; Transported Out of County in Stable Condition
A 15‑year‑old boy accidentally shot himself while hunting on Robinson Creek Road off Highway 253 west of Ukiah on Tuesday morning, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office. CalFire’s Howard Forest Dispatch Center notified the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office of the accidental shooting at 10 a.m. Tuesday. While all shootings are investigated by the Sheriff’s…
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Frankly Speaking
UPDATE- No more avian flu cases after Point Reyes murre; But everyone vigilant for move north as birds, seals head here and beyond for summer
Update March 25: Sonoma and Marin county health have been monitoring and watching for any more cases of avian flu after a common murre was found and tests ultimately showed it died of avian flu. Hundreds of elephant seals at a Bay Area facility famous for its elephant seal colony have died of avian flu…
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Jackson Demonstration State Forest
Three Days Lost in Jackson Forest: “Wonder Woman” 71, was OK but Missing all this Gear — Check Our Safety Kit Before You Go Hiking!
Somewhere out there is Wonder Woman. Turns out she’s real — she’s 71 — and she just spent three days and nights lost in Jackson Forest before anyone even knew she was missing. No food, no water, no gear. When Skunk Train railbike guides finally found her, she thanked everyone, waved off the ambulance, climbed…
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Caspar
Updated story- Allegedly drunk driver blamed for tow truck head on that closed Caspar Creek Bridge off and on for three hours + on March 9
We have gotten needed details on a crash that caused one of the biggest traffic tieups of the year on the Mendocino Coast. We wrote a story that day and LInda and i took photos under the bridge and Brutus and I hiked up to the north end of the bridge. We got enough of…
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City of Fort Bragg
A Little Food Truck Drama, a Big City Survey: Help Rewrite Fort Bragg’s Dining Map. Where? What kind of food?
One of our most‑read stories lately was the drama surrounding Sergio and Bertha’s food truck. We caught up with Sergio in his new spot last week, and he was genuinely relieved — and happy — to be back to business. Good News, Sergio and Bertha’s Fort Bragg food truck finds home! Thanks Purity!! The couple…
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California Highway Patrol
On a Sunday night and early Monday morning, I heard three bad crashes come over the scanner — and CHP confirmed every one was suspected DUI
Editor’s Note — Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Truly. Any one of these individuals could be found innocent. An arrest is not a conviction; it isn’t even a charge. It’s simply a suspicion that must be tested and proven in court. On Sunday, March 8, while gathering news for the Monday KOZT report, I…
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Frankly Speaking
What You Weren’t Told: The Crimes That Go Unreported — and the Ones That Get Overhyped
Creepy Crime Stuff from Mendo Frank joined the rest and reported on some old news during Frank’s stint on KOZT recently. The Sheriff’s Department sent out a press release last Monday about a horrific attack on a 72‑year‑old woman in Brooktrails — an attack that actually happened on Friday. From the law‑enforcement side, I get…
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Frankly Speaking
Mendocino Area Parks Association and California State Parks Post Warning on Facebook
IMPORTANT STATE PARK ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to a shark incident on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at approximately 5:00 PM, Big River Beach was closed to the public in accordance with department policy. The beach is scheduled to reopen today, March 20, 2026, at approximately 5:00 PM The closure followed standard California State Parks protocol, and with…
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Cannabis
‘Mendo’ popcorn vendor of popcorn business with name including 420 arrested for allegedly serving cannabis‑laced popcorn to Fort Bragg kids at a food truck event. If true, shouldn’t this operation been shut down by county health long ago?
A man well‑known around Mendocino County for his mobile kettle‑corn business was arrested by Fort Bragg Police on Wednesday on three felony charges following an 8‑month investigation. Michael James Fraser, 55, is accused of lacing his popcorn with THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, and one of the charges includes poisoning a child. Two Fort…
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Frankly Speaking
State agencies now using shark attack to warn, educate, are falling sea lion populations causing sharks to come to shore more?
Update — Linda Little Hartzell here. I have been reporting this story, not Frank. He went out before work this morning, took some photos, and posted them on Facebook. As of this afternoon, we have received zero communication from any government agency about this incident. People are understandably worried. Is the shark still in the…
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Mendocino County Sheriff's Office
Missing Mendocino Man -Lane Rider’s -Truck is Found
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: San Francisco authorities have located Lane Rider’s 2018 white Toyota pickup at 325 Mason Street. Because Tony is listed as the vehicle’s co‑signer, he was contacted and instructed to retrieve the truck from impound on Friday. Lane himself was not found at the scene, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Additional information will…
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Caspar
Car passing traffic hits pickup, crashes into front of big towtruck, becoming stuck for hours as Caspar Creek Bridge is closed off and on for much of Monday afternoon
A car passing traffic apparently bounced off a pickup and then went into the front of a huge towtruck, sending the vehicle spinning and resulting in those two vehicles being stuck together for much of the afternoon, we learned visiting the scene during a traffic. jam that lasted more than three hours. Monstorous traffic tieups…
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Frankly Speaking
Morning news on KOZT, a look at both the somber and fun news we will be talking about!
On the KOZT morning show, here are some of the fun news items we will be featuring. If you have any guesses or input, e-mail frankhartzell@gmail.com Why has the Marine Mammal Center issued a warning to stay away from seals and sea lions? This guy is a famous musician you have often heard on KOZT.…
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High School Sports
Fort Bragg High Mounts Big Comeback to Avenge Eureka Shutout — Oracle Park Awaits, and They’ll Need Our Support
Fort Bragg High’s baseball squad came storming back with six runs in the final two innings to pull off an improbable win and earn a split in their season‑opening doubleheader against Eureka High. But the biggest moment is still ahead! Next month, the Timberwolves will suit up on Northern California’s most famous field — Oracle…
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Business & Labor
Good News, Sergio and Bertha’s Fort Bragg food truck finds home! Thanks Purity!!
Linda checks out the menu. The truck will move onto private property this week, at the invitation of Purity Market. BREAKING: Taqueria La Oaxaqueña Finds New Home at Purity Market. Let’s start a movement!! Food Trucks on Glass Beach Drive, or at the Dog Parks or at the Noyo Harbor turnaround. And have a lottery…
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