Catch Me Up: Daily news roundup for July 28, 2025

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This Daily News Roundup for the 24 hours from 4:00 PM Sunday 7/27 to 4:00 PM Monday 7/28 is based on news articles created by Bay City News reporters and editors. We prompted ChatGPT to analyze the articles produced by our staff and to choose 5 stories to highlight. Then we used ElevenLabs and other tools to help us convert the text into audio based on the voice of Leslie Katz, one of our Bay City News editors. This content was verified by a human editor.

Hello, and welcome to Bay City News for Monday, July 28, 2025. Here is a look at some of the top stories from across the region.

In Mendocino County, the “Medicine Fire” burning northwest of Covelo is now 40% contained. Cal Fire reported Monday afternoon that the wildfire stands at 263 acres. The fire, which started Sunday afternoon, had forced mandatory evacuations that were later lifted by Sunday night. Fire crews remain on the scene to strengthen control lines and extinguish hot spots. The area is under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service until 8 p.m. this evening, prompted by forecasts of scattered dry thunderstorms that could produce lightning and start more wildfires. At its height, the Medicine Fire threatened 229 households. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Shifting our focus to regional news, a Delta Airlines co-pilot was arrested at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday night, suspected of child sexual abuse. Authorities identified the suspect on Monday as 34-year-old Rustom Bhagwagar. He was taken into custody by Homeland Security agents and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s deputies after his flight from Minneapolis landed at SFO. The Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office stated that their detectives have been investigating Bhagwagar since April after receiving a report of sex crimes against a child. Bhagwagar, a resident of Florida, has been booked into Martinez Jail on suspicion of five counts of oral copulation with a child under 10 years old and is being held on $5 million bail. The investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, in Monterey County, one person died early Monday after a Tesla veered off a road, crashed into a tree, and caught fire. According to the California Highway Patrol, the white Tesla sedan was headed southbound on River Road near Chualar River Road at about 1:40 Monday morning when it drifted off the roadway. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews. The victim’s name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin. Authorities do not yet know if alcohol was a factor in the crash or if the Tesla was in full self-driving mode. The investigation is ongoing.

In San Jose, a contentious political dispute continues as the Santa Clara County District Attorney, Jeff Rosen, has again prevented a deputy prosecutor who works for him from returning to the office, despite a county order to reinstate him. San Jose Spotlight reports that in a June 13 letter, District Attorney Rosen instructed Daniel Chung not to perform any assignments. This comes after the county’s Personnel Board reinstated Chung on May 15, ordering him to return to work. Chung, who has publicly challenged Rosen and will seek his office again in 2026, is currently making over $200,000 in annual gross pay while remaining at home. His attorney, Jim McManis, called the situation “scandalous,” questioning why the county is paying his client’s salary for no work, especially given reported county budget strains. Rosen’s office declined to comment, citing Chung’s pending 2021 free speech lawsuit in federal court.

From that news, we turn to Sonoma County, where a man who died after plunging into the Russian River from a rope swing over the weekend has been identified. Authorities on Monday identified him as 34-year-old Nelshon Hamilton, a resident of Richmond. Hamilton was reported missing around 5:30 Saturday evening after he jumped into the water from a rope tied to the Hacienda Bridge and did not resurface, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies, fire protection districts, and Cal Fire assisted in the search, which became a body recovery operation. Hamilton’s body was found by dive teams in the Russian River at about 11:20 Sunday morning.

Finally, some news regarding health care. Major cuts to Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, could severely threaten rural healthcare access, particularly in Mendocino County. The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law by President Donald Trump at the beginning of July, is expected to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance. Gov. Gavin Newsom estimates that these cuts could result in 3.4 million Californians losing health coverage. In Mendocino County, nearly half of its 91,000 residents were enrolled in Medi-Cal as of May. Adventist Health Ukiah Valley, the county’s only hospital with a licensed labor and delivery unit, stated deep disappointment, noting that more than 70% of their patients rely on Medicaid and Medicare. The hospital warned that the new law threatens the financial stability of local hospitals and clinics, potentially leading to closures. The legislation introduces new eligibility rules, including an 80-hour monthly work requirement and more frequent income reporting for Medicaid recipients. Additionally, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Trump administration on Monday over a decision to limit public benefits for immigrants without permanent legal status, expressing concerns that such measures create barriers to accessing crucial health and social services.

And those are some of the top stories we’re following. Thank you for joining us for Bay City News.