Alerts, Crime, Klamath, Regional News

Judge Rejects Request to Evaluate Defendant’s Mental Competency in Dante Romannose-Jones Case

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

A Del Norte County judge denied a request to determine if the 27-year-old man accused of killing 13-year-old Dante Romannose-Jones when he was still a teenager himself is competent enough to assist in his own defense.

During a hearing in juvenile court on Wednesday, Crescent City attorney James Fallman asked to have his client, Nathan Feliz, evaluated by a psychiatrist for competency. 

Fallman told Judge Darrin McElfresh that the defendant, who was 16 years old in 2015 when Romannose-Jones was shot and killed in Klamath, ended a conversation mid-sentence when he tried to discuss options with him.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, July 28, 2026

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Right: Retiring correctional deputy sergeant Gary Potter (middle) received a proclamation celebrating his 24-year career with the county from District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson (left) and Sheriff Garrett Scott (right). | Capt. Jennifer Campbell

Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Gary Potter: Before he read the proclamation celebrating Gary Potter’s 24 years with Del Norte County, District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson noted that he had administered the oath of office to the retiring correctional deputy sergeant.

Potter began working for the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office in 2001. For the past 17 years, Potter has been a correctional deputy sergeant, according to the resolution.

“Potter was an experienced correctional sergeant that kept things running with safety and security in mind,” the resolution states, “he was a real pillar of excellence in our Del Norte County Jail.” 

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Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Transportation

Front Street’s Completion Is Ahead, Though Motorists Will Have To Contend With A Couple Detours

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Thumbnail image courtesy of Crescent City

Motorists will soon encounter a detour on Front Street near the Cultural Center and on K Street near the Redwood National and State Parks visitors center.

“This coming Monday, a week from today, we’re going to be looking at the closure of Front Street,” City Manager Eric Wier told the City Council on Monday, stating that the storm drain reconstruction project is moving ahead of schedule. “It’s good in the fact that our project is progressing and we’ll be able to get it done this year, but it is going to be an inconvenience. For that, we apologize to the community.”

Front Street will be closed from U.S. 101 to Play Street starting Wednesday, Wier told Redwood Voice Community News. K Street will also be closed between 2nd Street and Front Street. Motorists should expect the closure to last through November.

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Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government, Tribal Affairs

Crescent City Commissions Water Capacity Study As Elk Valley Rancheria Looks To Start Hotel Construction

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Thumbnail photo: Elk Valley Rancheria tribal building. | Photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

Crescent City councilors took a first step Monday toward helping Elk Valley Rancheria build its new four-story 93-room hotel.

It’s a project the tribal nation has been working on since the early 2000s when it took the Martin Ranch through the fee-to-trust process, Elk Valley Rancheria CEO Crista Stewart told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. Ground breaking is expected to take place in about a month, she said.

“It’s going to be really rustic,” Stewart said. “We’ll have a beautiful one-story lobby with open ceilings that’ll open up into a beautiful backyard patio with a fire pit overlooking the ocean. We’re also going to have two areas for meetings. (There) will be a smaller board-room style room for smaller meetings and we’ll also have a larger meeting event room for guests up to 100 for weddings and trainings and conferences.”

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Articles, Crescent City, Infrastructure

State Dollars City’s Sewer Plant Upgrade May Be Less Than Initially Expected, City Manager Says

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Thumbnail photo by James Brooks

Crescent City met the deadline to apply for a $50 million forgivable loan to bring its sewer plant into compliance with updated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System requirements.

But the likelihood the city will receive $50 million from the State Water Resources Control Board is questionable, City Manager Eric Wier told councilors on Monday.

“The total amount of funding that is available in this round has been reduced significantly,” he said. “The $50 million will represent a significant portion of the total funding that they have overall. Hopefully we’ll know in the next six months.”

Continue reading State Dollars City’s Sewer Plant Upgrade May Be Less Than Initially Expected, City Manager Says →
Articles, Crime, Klamath

Arrest Made In 11-Year-Old Shooting Death of Klamath Teenager

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(Updated at 5:15 p.m. to include input from Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott.)

A 27-year-old man faces a similar murder charge he received 11 years ago in connection with the homicide of Klamath teenager Dante Romannose-Jones.

Nathan Feliz, who was 16 years old when Dante was shot and killed, was arrested in Ukiah on Monday, the Redheaded Blackbelt’s Lisa Music reported. According to Del Norte County District Attorney Katherine Micks, Feliz’s current charge — murder with a special allegation of use of a firearm — originated in juvenile court.

Feliz appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, Micks said. His next hearing is scheduled for July 30 before Del Norte County Superior Court Judge Darrin McElfresh, she said.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Economy

Schmidt, Nehmer object to doing business with LLC created to manage Harbor District RV parks

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park at the Crescent City Harbor is one of two that a new limited liability company, Crescent City Beach Village LLC, will redevelop and manage. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

A nine-month long courtship between the Crescent City Harbor District and BSD Property Management was nearly derailed over what the investment manager said is standard procedure for a new business.

But after CCHD commissioners Dan Schmidt and Annie Nehmer balked at entering into a lease agreement with Crescent City Beach Village LLC, the limited liability company created to operate the harbor’s RV parks, Daniel Dahan said without trust, the relationship was doomed.

“If you always have to come back and say, ‘Why did you do this? Why is this? Why is that?’ not as an interest, but as a fear, that’s not a good relationship,” he said Wednesday. “That’s not a healthy marriage.”

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Articles, Community News, Klamath, Regional News

‘I’ve Been In Good Spirits’; Though He’s Still Struggling With the Loss Of His Hand, Jason Turner Says He’s Optimistic About the Future

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of GoFundMe

Jason Turner didn’t have time to see what he grabbed before it exploded.

The father of seven and his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, were spending a post-holiday afternoon at the beach north of Crescent City. As they walked along the beach, Pamala picked up some trash, putting it in a pile to retrieve before they left, when something round and shiny caught Turner’s eye.

“We walked close to the water’s edge, there was a little bit of sand over it, but it was fairly close to where the water would get us,” he said. “To me, it looked like a lead sinker with something on it and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be cool,’ and that’s the last thing that happened.”

Two weeks after the July 5 explosion at Point St. George forced doctors at U.C. Davis Medical Center to amputate his left hand, Turner is back home in Klamath. He says he’s slowly getting used to his new life, including figuring out how to maneuver a game controller to play Fortnite, but he has a long road of surgeries, doctors visits, occupational and physical therapies ahead of him.

Continue reading ‘I’ve Been In Good Spirits’; Though He’s Still Struggling With the Loss Of His Hand, Jason Turner Says He’s Optimistic About the Future →
Alerts, Crescent City, Emergencies, Infrastructure

With Pac Power Unable To Support A Microgrid, SitelogIQ Proposes Solar Panels For The Jail, Flynn Center

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Thumbnail image: SitelogIQ had proposed using photovoltaic solar panels and battery backup to create a microgrid in the northern area of Crescent City that would power the school district, Sutter Coast Hospital, the airport and the Crescent Fire and Rescue fire hall. | Image courtesy of SitelogIQ

Two years after outlining microgrid projects that would keep Del Norte County’s critical infrastructure functioning during a power outage, SitelogIQ representatives told supervisors that a facilities-based approach would be more feasible.

Despite spearheading successful projects in Pacific, Gas & Electric territory, including four in Humboldt County, SitelogIQ’s governor affairs and community development representative Kristy Coughlin said Del Norte County’s utility, Pacific Power, would be unable to manage a microgrid.

“Pacific Power determined they did not have the capacity, resources, personnel or infrastructure to support a community microgrid,” Coughlin told supervisors on Tuesday, adding that the company had met with Pacific Power in March.

Continue reading With Pac Power Unable To Support A Microgrid, SitelogIQ Proposes Solar Panels For The Jail, Flynn Center →
Alerts, Environment, Local Government, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Weigh In On Assembly Bill That Recognizes Tribal Stewardship On State Conservation Lands

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Three months after he opposed a proposal to transfer Tolowa Dunes State Park to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard has his sights set on another assembly bill penned by the same author.

Authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos, Assembly Bill 53 would allow federally recognized tribes to receive grants, awards and loans from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program and Inlands Wetlands Conservation Program.

It would also allow federally-recognized tribes the ability to enter into contracts or agreements with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage “certain lands.” 

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Weigh In On Assembly Bill That Recognizes Tribal Stewardship On State Conservation Lands →

Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.