Firefighters have just about contained the Ruth Fire, which destroyed four structures and and burned some 1,500 acres over the weekend. According to a US Forest Service update this morning, a couple of days of light rain helped bring the fire under control. Only the northeast corner of the fire remained unchecked at the time of the update this morning; several small spot fires in that corner seem to have been sparked by the main bulk of the blaze.

The two-day evacuation of the community of Ruth was lifted this morning. Power has been restored. The cause of the fire was still under investigation. 

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On Friday, Chetco Federal Credit Union, which serves Del Norte County and two coastal Oregon counties, was taken over by the federal National Credit Union Administration – the credit union equivalent of the FDIC. The Portland Business Journal notes that Chetco is only the 12th largest credit union in the state, yet carries more than twice the delinquent debt of any other Oregon credit union.

Chetco’s CEO and board of directors were immediately replaced, according to the Curry Coastal Pilot, but all branches remain open. The FCUA is directing customers to a press release/FAQ that is sparse on detail, but which assures depositors that their money is safe.

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A Ferndale man is in custody after threatening to murder his ex-girlfriend, then knocking her unconscious with a block of wood.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office press release follows:

On 09-23-2011, approximately 5:00 p.m. the Humboldt County Sheriffs Office responded to Redwood Memorial Hospital to meet with an assault victim. Upon arriving at the hospital the deputy met with the adult female victim who was being treated for a large deep four to five inch gash to the back of her head.

The victim told the deputy she was exiting a residence near Russ Lane and Centerville Road, Ferndale when her ex-boyfriend Hilargo Vargas-Rodriguez, 25 years of Ferndale showed up on a bicycle. Prior to the encounter he had been texting her that he was going to kill her since their breakup.

As soon as the victim saw the suspect she started to run. The suspect picked up a three foot block of wood and pursued her. The suspect threw the block of wood at her striking her in the back of the head, knocking her out. When she awoke Vargas-Rodriguez was gone and her friends who witnessed the assault drove her to the hospital.

Deputies located Vargas-Rodriguez at a residence in the 1300 block of Dillion Road, Ferndale.

Vargas-Rodriguez was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of assault causing great bodily injury, domestic violence, and terrorist threats. He is being held without bail.