Public Safety · El Dorado County
Approximately 85,698 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers remained without electricity across California on Friday morning as wildfire-prevention public safety power shutoffs entered their third day. Nearly 20,000 customers in El Dorado, Placer, and Amador counties were still affected, along with thousands more in Nevada, Yuba, Calaveras, San Luis Obispo, Madera, and Tuolumne counties. PG&E estimated power would return by Saturday morning or noon in many Sierra Nevada foothill communities, though restoration depends on safe weather conditions and equipment inspections. The utility activated its Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville and opened community resource centers for charging devices, Wi-Fi access, and supplies.
Local Politics · Nevada County
Residents of Nevada County, California must register to vote by Monday, Oct. 19, 2026 to participate in the Nov. 3 General Election without additional review steps at a vote center. Registrar of Voters Armando Salud-Ambriz noted that same-day conditional registration remains available but requires extra processing. Students ages 16-17 can pre-register so their status activates automatically at age 18, and anyone turning 18 on or before Election Day is eligible to vote. Ballots were mailed Oct. 5 to all registered voters; vote center locations and ballot tracking are available through NevadaCountyCa.gov and WheresMyBallot.sos.ca.gov.
Public Safety · Nevada County
A wildfire named Scotts Fire was first discovered at 1:25 p.m. on October 16, 2026, burning on private land in Nevada County, California. As of the initial report, no containment data had been released and the cause remained undetermined. The information was sourced from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Public Safety · Nevada County
The Spaulding Fire was first discovered at 11:53 p.m. on Oct. 15 in Nevada County, California. After four hours of activity, the fire had burned two acres of private land as of a 4:31 a.m. Oct. 16 update. Containment status data was unavailable and the cause remained undetermined at the time of reporting. The information is sourced from the National Interagency Fire Center.
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Community News
A "No Kings: Vote Early" rally will be held Saturday, October 17, from 3 to 4 p.m. at the intersection of Donner Pass Road and Highway 89 (the Safeway intersection) in Truckee, California. Organized by Indivisible Tahoe Truckee, Tahoe Tomorrow, and local volunteers, the event encourages residents to complete ballots and deposit them in official drop boxes rather than relying on mail delivery. Organizers cite U.S. Postal Service postmark practices that could cause late-arriving mailed ballots to be rejected. Truckee has three 24-hour ballot drop boxes open through Election Day on November 3 at 8 p.m.; additional drop box locations are listed for Nevada County and Placer County's North Shore communities.
Public Safety · Penn Valley, CA
Penn Valley Fire Protection District announced it received a $177,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety to purchase hydraulic rescue tools used to free crash victims trapped in vehicles. The equipment will serve the Penn Valley and Rough & Ready communities, where traffic accidents are cited as a leading cause of traumatic injury. The grant program, funded through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, runs through September 2027.
Education · Nevada City, CA
Nina Kopp, a Nevada City resident and operations manager for a local events venue, has announced her candidacy for the Nevada Joint Union High School District Board of Trustees, Area 1, in the November 3, 2026 election. Her stated priorities include limiting phone and personal laptop use during instructional time, expanding arts and Career Technical Education programs, and addressing student mental wellbeing. She cited district statistics showing a near-90 percent graduation rate but fewer than half of graduates fully prepared for college or careers. The announcement is self-published campaign material outlining her background and policy positions.
Community News · Nevada County
Nevada County resident Rick Nelson, who has made four trips to Ukraine since 2022, presented his experiences supporting GoGlobal's youth education programs called Ko_Laby and shared images from cities across the country. A local GoFundMe, 'NC Friends of Ukraine Relief Effort,' has raised $10,676 with significant contributions from Nevada County residents. Nelson encouraged locals to volunteer one hour per week in English-speaking clubs for Ukrainian youth through Nevada County Friends of Ukraine (ncfriendsofukraine.org). A rally to urge government officials to support Ukraine is planned for Saturday, Oct. 24, 6–9 p.m., on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento, organized by Olga Noshyn and Anna Berbeneva of The Sunflower Society.
Social Events · Truckee, CA
The newly formed Truckee Disc Golf Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will hold its inaugural Champions Cup fundraiser on Saturday, October 24, and Sunday, October 25, 2026, at the Ponderosa Golf Course in Truckee, California. The two-day event features a custom 27-hole temporary disc golf layout open to all experience levels, along with Closet-to-the-Pin contests, raffles, and other fundraising activities. All proceeds benefit the club's mission of supporting local disc golf initiatives and course maintenance in the Truckee area. Registration and volunteer information is available at truckeediscgolf.org.
