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Empire Report
@empirereport.bsky.social
2 followers 9 following 21 posts
Inform, Engage and Empower the Redwood Empire
https://empirereport.org/
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empirereport.bsky.social
West Sonoma County is nearly divided in two by this Monte Rio Hwy 116 slide.

dot.ca.gov/caltrans-nea...
Landslide on State Route 116 West of Monte Rio in Sonoma County Caltrans Has Implemented One-way Traffic Control Update January 9, 2026 Caltrans hired an emergency contractor who arrived at the site yesterday to stabilize the highway. Using a crane with a large auger, the contractor drilled through the pavement and earth below the eastbound lane, lowered steel beams into the holes, and backfilled them with gravel. Although the steel beams aren’t interlocked to create a solid wall, they are aligned close enough together to stabilize the road until a permanent retaining wall is designed and built. Landslide on State Route 116 West of Monte Rio in Sonoma County Caltrans Has Implemented One-way Traffic Control Update January 9, 2026 Caltrans hired an emergency contractor who arrived at the site yesterday to stabilize the highway. Using a crane with a large auger, the contractor drilled through the pavement and earth below the eastbound lane, lowered steel beams into the holes, and backfilled them with gravel. Although the steel beams aren’t interlocked to create a solid wall, they are aligned close enough together to stabilize the road until a permanent retaining wall is designed and built. Landslide on State Route 116 West of Monte Rio in Sonoma County Caltrans Has Implemented One-way Traffic Control Update January 9, 2026 Caltrans hired an emergency contractor who arrived at the site yesterday to stabilize the highway. Using a crane with a large auger, the contractor drilled through the pavement and earth below the eastbound lane, lowered steel beams into the holes, and backfilled them with gravel. Although the steel beams aren’t interlocked to create a solid wall, they are aligned close enough together to stabilize the road until a permanent retaining wall is designed and built. Landslide on State Route 116 West of Monte Rio in Sonoma County Caltrans Has Implemented One-way Traffic Control Update January 9, 2026 Caltrans hired an emergency contractor who arrived at the site yesterday to stabilize the highway. Using a crane with a large auger, the contractor drilled through the pavement and earth below the eastbound lane, lowered steel beams into the holes, and backfilled them with gravel. Although the steel beams aren’t interlocked to create a solid wall, they are aligned close enough together to stabilize the road until a permanent retaining wall is designed and built.
January 10, 2026 at 12:18 AM
empirereport.bsky.social
Commercial fleet is said to be putting crab pots out today - yet AIS shows none are using their mandated transponders.

Read all about it:

norcalpublicmedia.org/202601089998...
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/centerx:-123.2/centery:38.3/zoom:10 crab pots - old style (not legal anymore like this) https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2026010899988/news-feed/bodega-bay-crabbing-fleet-heads-out-to-sea-despite-price-uncertainties
January 9, 2026 at 7:39 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Three vehicle pile up blocking all lanes of SB 101 @ Baker this morning.

One rollover, no extrications. One patient.

Slow TF down, people. Leave earlier for work, sheesh.
google maps of the accident
January 9, 2026 at 4:07 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
A book too hot for Windsor HS to teach in the classroom? Scythe, by Neal Shusterman is that book.

norcalpublicmedia.org/202601089997...
Windsor school board rejects award-winning YA novel, prompting censors
 A multi-award-winning young adult science fiction novel has been removed from the Windsor school district’s proposed curriculum, sparking a local deb
norcalpublicmedia.org
January 8, 2026 at 9:05 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
It's the season of flooding and guess who can't keep their flood cameras working? If you guessed Sonoma County Public Works, you're right!

www.youtube.com/@SonomaCoPI/...
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
Sonoma County Public Infrastructure
www.youtube.com
January 7, 2026 at 11:43 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
The Pilot of Sonoma County Sheriff's helicopter, Henry1, is alleged to have prevented the promotion of a black deputy to Henry1 because "black men can't swim"

Alt URL: archive.is/0y0Lz

www.pressdemocrat.com/2025/12/18/s...
Former sheriff’s deputy sues Sonoma County, alleging racial discrimination, harassment
The lawsuit filed by Marcus Holton, who is Black, details racist comments by colleagues, being passed over for promotions and retaliation rooted in a long-time “good old boys club” cult…
www.pressdemocrat.com
January 7, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Reposted by Empire Report
bnonews.com
NEW: Second video shows ICE shooting in Minneapolis. A woman, a U.S. citizen, was killed
January 7, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Empire Report
danielsuitor.com
This is the video.
January 7, 2026 at 5:47 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
The Glory Hole Watch has commenced!

Source: www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
Lake Berryessa's Glory Hole (spillway)
January 7, 2026 at 4:13 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
The Brown Trout are running!
raw sewage alert for the lower russian river
January 7, 2026 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by Empire Report
thedesk.net
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has officially disbanded, months after Congress and President Trump stripped funding from public media.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting disbands after Congress pulls funding
The decision has already triggered layoffs and budget crises across public radio and television stations.
thedesk.net
January 5, 2026 at 7:14 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Lopez De San Roman disrupting expectations as stand-out cyclist web.archive.org/web/20251230...
Sebastopol teen delivers breakthrough season on World Cup mountain biking circuit
In her first season as a pro rider, Vida Lopez De San Roman, 19, switched her focus to mountain biking, and finished 2nd in the world in her age group.
web.archive.org
December 30, 2025 at 9:36 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
A train through downtown Sebastopol as recently as 1978?!

Believe it, or not.
The train is a fond memory, but I prefer the trails
What it was like working on Main Street when the train came through
www.sebastopoltimes.com
December 30, 2025 at 9:08 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
With as much as 10% of Sonoma and Monterey counties without power, and 25% of Mendocino County!
source: https://poweroutage.us/area/utility/760
December 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
The last 24 hours of storm development over California is truly something to behold! The December 24th early morning wind event stopped power to more than 100,000 households (and counting)!
December 24, 2025 at 4:23 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Huge swaths of coastal California are without power this Christmas Eve.

pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outage-tools...
SF to Fort Bragg - coast is out of power almost without exception, and deep into west Sonoma County SF to Big Sur - many outages including most of the Monterey Peninsula
December 24, 2025 at 4:15 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Cordell Marine Sanctuary end-of-year report:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_VY...

cordellfoundation.org

mailchi.mp/accd4150cd76...
Explore the Blue: Cordell Bank 360° Experience
YouTube video by NOAA Sanctuaries
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Reposted by Empire Report
deflock-redmond.bsky.social
"The final installment of the Flock Trilogy, filmed on a publicly deployed Flock Safety camera."

Benn found nearly 70 #Flock AI surveillance cameras with no user name or password required to access the past 31 days of recorded or live footage! 😩

Cancel Flock! 🚫

#deflock #surveillance #flocksafety
This Flock Camera Leak is like Netflix For Stalkers
YouTube video by Benn Jordan
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 4:44 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Noon Yesterday: A shark was seen breaching with a *human swimmer* in its mouth in Pacific Grove (Monterey)

Missing Swimmer has not been found.

archive.is/gcb8k
shark breaching - image credit Michael Fontenot, Flickr
December 22, 2025 at 5:33 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/live/mcQJUHn...
Green Valley Road Flooding Conditions Livestream
We’re excited to announce a new live camera feed to help residents monitor flooding conditions on Green Valley Road! This project is made possible through a partnership between the Sonoma County Depar...
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
The flooding Garcia River, just North of Point Arena, closed Highway 1 at 11pm last night.

Source: www.facebook.com/groups/64272...
December 22, 2025 at 4:02 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
DUI checkpoint in Santa Rosa screens 996 vehicles...

Nabs zero drunk drivers.

www.reddit.com/r/santarosa/...
From the santarosa community on Reddit: Santa Rosa police arrested a man Friday night after he attempted to evade a DUI checkpoint, leading to a vehicle chase that ended in a crash and the recovery of...
Explore this post and more from the santarosa community
www.reddit.com
December 21, 2025 at 3:38 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Super Pretty Super Bloom

Swirls of green curled across the Pacific Ocean off of northern California in early December 2025.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/11/2025
Resolutions: 1km (144.6 KB), 500m (337 KB), 250m (578.4 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
modis.gsfc.nasa.gov//gallery/ind...
Swirls of green curled across the Pacific Ocean off of northern California in early December 2025. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the brilliant tones on December 11. Well inland, a thick layer of low cloud (fog) lays over the California Central Valley. The bright colors are the result of a large floating colony of phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms that live in these waters year-round. When conditions are right (adequate light, favorable water temperatures, and plenty of nutrients), the tiny organisms can reproduce explosively to create massive blooms that can easily be seen from space. There are many types of phytoplankton, ranging from diatoms and dinoflagellates to coccolithophores and cyanobacteria. Most types are harmless or helpful, consuming carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen while forming the backbone of the marine food web. However, a few types can be harmful, especially those that produce biotoxins (chemicals that can be harmful to living things). According an article published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on December 14, “A record breaking algal bloom continues to expand across the North Pacific reaching as far north as the Aleutian Islands and as far south as southern California. Amidst well-above average sea surface temperatures across the North Pacific and along the western coastline of North America, a toxic algal bloom has developed with far reaching consequences for sea life as well as regional and local economies.” The bloom, which began in May, is responsible for the deaths of at least 9 Fin whales near Kodiak Island, Alaska this summer. More recently, the presence of a toxin called domoic acid led to closures or recreational razor clam harvests in Oregon and Washington, closure of portion of the Dungeness crab fishery in Washington, and the closure of some sardine and anchovy fisheries in California. Some, but no…
December 19, 2025 at 7:59 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Flock cameras make it so law enforcement can retrace your every move.

www.kqed.org/news/1206698...
California Cities Double Down on License-Plate Readers as Federal Surveillance Grows | KQED
California municipalities continue to press ahead with automated license-plate reader contracts, betting the technology’s public-safety value outweighs demonstrated risks to data privacy and civil lib...
www.kqed.org
December 19, 2025 at 3:48 PM
empirereport.bsky.social
Hello World! ER is now at Bluesky
Sonoma County Redwoods and Blue Sky
December 18, 2025 at 11:53 PM