Articles, Crescent City, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government

Contractors Selected For City’s RV Park Revamp; Coastal Conservancy-Funded Project Includes Two Cabins, Renovated Apartment

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City is using a California Coastal Conservancy grant to install two ADA-compliant cabins at its Lighthouse Cove RV Park. | Photo courtesy of the City of Crescent City

After they weren’t able to reach a consensus on vacation rental regulations, Crescent City councilors last week approved contracts to install cabins and renovate an apartment for rent at the city-owned RV park.

Paid for through a $835,000 California Coastal Conservancy Explore the Coast Overnight grant, the project isn’t meant to compete with locals who own Airbnbs or VRBOs, Public Works Director David Yeager said at the Council’s Sept. 8 meeting. 

Though the rates have yet to be set, Yeager described renting the cabins and apartment as a “lower cost opportunity” than booking a privately-owned vacation rental.

Continue reading Contractors Selected For City’s RV Park Revamp; Coastal Conservancy-Funded Project Includes Two Cabins, Renovated Apartment →
Articles, Education, Elections

DNUSD Board Appoints John Pritchett to McArthur’s Vacant Seat; Trustees Will Have Seek Other Candidates Before Nov. 3 Election, Superintendent Says

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Updated at 7:17 p.m. to correct an error, John Pritchett graduated from Redmond High School in 1979.

John Pritchett’s work as Del Norte High School’s family engagement liaison stood him in good stead with three members of the local school board who appointed him to Don McArthur’s old seat.

Pritchett, a 1987 Del Norte High School graduate a 1979 graduate of Redmond High School in Oregon, fielded questions from trustees Michael Greer, Charlaine Mazzei and Abbie Crist at an 8 a.m. meeting Tuesday.

Pointing out that for many families, generations have gone through Del Norte public schools, Pritchett said he viewed the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees as a conduit to the community.

Continue reading DNUSD Board Appoints John Pritchett to McArthur’s Vacant Seat; Trustees Will Have Seek Other Candidates Before Nov. 3 Election, Superintendent Says →
Articles, Crescent City, Emergencies

(UPDATED) Family Organizes Search Party For Missing Crescent City Woman

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

Updated at 3:06 p.m. Wednesday

Stephanie Atchison was found safe Wednesday morning and is being treated at Sutter Coast Hospital, Undersheriff Devin Perry told Redwood Voice Community News.

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Original post

Friends and family have turned to the community to help find 24-year-old Stephanie Atchison who was last seen at her Parkway Drive home last week.

Atchison left her home at Parkway Drive and Railroad Avenue at about 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 9, Del Norte County Undersheriff Devin Perry told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office has entered her into its missing persons system, Perry said, and had conducted a ground search that was unsuccessful despite requesting pings on her cell phone to try to locate her.

Atchison is described as a white female, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 130 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants and a white beanie, according to

Continue reading (UPDATED) Family Organizes Search Party For Missing Crescent City Woman →
Articles, Local Government

Del Norte County Experiences 4.5% Drop In Staff Vacancy Rate; Elected Officials, Union Rep Raise Concerns About State-run HR System for Social Services, Child Support Services Programs

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

After learning that Del Norte County’s financial situation isn’t as dire as it was in June, county supervisors found out that its vacancy rate had also improved.

The county’s overall vacancy rate dropped from 25% last year to 20.5% in 2026, Human Resources Director Kerri Vue told supervisors on Sept. 8. Out of 483 authorized full-time positions, 99 are currently vacant, she said.

“This reflects an official drop from triple digit vacancies for the first time in many years,” Vue said.

Vue presented these statistics to county supervisors after they opened the public hearing process ahead of final adoption of Del Norte’s 2026-27 budget. County supervisors learned that despite reporting a $9.6 million deficit in June, last-minute revenue and efforts from departments to reduce expenditures led to more resources than anticipation.

Continue reading Del Norte County Experiences 4.5% Drop In Staff Vacancy Rate; Elected Officials, Union Rep Raise Concerns About State-run HR System for Social Services, Child Support Services Programs →
Articles, Crescent City, Economy, Local Government

Crescent City Council Fails To Agree On Vacation Rental Ordinance

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Though he shared Candace Tinkler’s sentiments concerning vacation rentals, Crescent City Councilman Steve Shamblin couldn’t convince his colleagues that ensuring “everyone’s paying their fair share” was common sense.

Shamblin, and Tinkler, the city’s mayor pro tem, argued for an ordinance that would capture the addresses of Airbnbs, VRBOs and other short-term rentals operating within city limits. But after the city manager and finance director on Tuesday concluded that short-term rentals make up about 2.8% of Crescent City’s overall housing stock, councilors Jason Greenough and Ray Altman said enacting stronger regulations was a waste of time.

“The city should mind its own business and leave property owners alone,” Altman said, repeating a statement he made about two months ago. “Staff should be working on stuff that’s way more important.”

Continue reading Crescent City Council Fails To Agree On Vacation Rental Ordinance →
Articles, Education, Elections, Local Government

DNUSD Board Poised To Appoint John Pritchett To Empty Trustee Area 1 Seat on Tuesday

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Michael Hawkins

School board officials are set to meet Tuesday morning to discuss appointing John Pritchett to the vacant Trustee Area 1 position.

The meeting will be held at 8 a.m. at the Del Norte County Unified School District office, 301 W. Washington Boulevard. Trustees will interview Pritchett for the position, which has been vacant since Don McArthur retired in July. If he is appointed, Pritchett will serve through the end of the position’s current term which ends in December, according to DNUSD Director of Communications Michael Hawkins.

Pritchett was general manager for Del Norte Ambulance for about 20 years and had been the editor of the Daily Triplicate before that. He is the announcer for the Del Norte High School football and basketball games on KPOD and is a member of the Del Norte Fair Board and Sutter Coast Hospital Board of Directors.

Continue reading DNUSD Board Poised To Appoint John Pritchett To Empty Trustee Area 1 Seat on Tuesday →
Articles, Crescent City, Crime, Local Government

‘Our Information Is Not Sold To Anybody Else’; CCPD Allowed To Keep Axon Automated License Plate Readers

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Crescent City’s police chief convinced policymakers Tuesday that the automated license plate reader cameras installed in his department’s patrol vehicles are not the Flock Safety cameras residents raised concerns about last month.

Richard Griffin told city councilors that the Axon ALPR devices the Crescent City Police Department uses helped a dementia patient get home to Southern Oregon and a MythBusters host recover a stolen vehicle.

They’re not stationary like the six Flock Safety cameras the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office has posted throughout the community, he said. Any agency that wants access to the data must go through him.

Continue reading ‘Our Information Is Not Sold To Anybody Else’; CCPD Allowed To Keep Axon Automated License Plate Readers →
Articles, Local Government

Del Norte County Officials Say Financial Picture Is Brighter, Though They Admit To Discrepancies

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Thumbnail photo by Aisling Bludworth

Eleven weeks after he presented county supervisors with a recommended general fund budget that included a $9.6 million deficit, Del Norte’s top administrative official said staff found additional resources to make an accelerated payment associated with the former Bar-O Boys Ranch.

But County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez blamed timing issues when District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey asked why that recommended $500,000 accelerated payment to the Bar-O Boys Ranch fund wasn’t included in the staff report she and her colleagues received Tuesday.

Lopez said he and others on the budget team also received last-minute information concerning the 2025-26 ending fund balance that would allow for the additional payment.

Continue reading Del Norte County Officials Say Financial Picture Is Brighter, Though They Admit To Discrepancies →
Arts & Culture, Community News

Art Scene: Juried Multimedia Exhibition, Community Drum Circle, Art in Public Places

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Here are this week’s Arts Notes from the Del Norte Association of Cultural Awareness (DNACA):

  • Oct. 17: DNACA is hosting a Community Drum Circle instructed by Mombo Hernandez at 1:30 p.m. at the Tapestry Arts Center, 224 F. St. in Crescent City. Hand drums and percussion instruments will be provided or you may bring your own. All ages are welcome.
  • On display until Oct. 22: DNACA presents a variety of local artwork at the 35th Annual Juried Multimedia Exhibition in the Del Norte County Courthouse, 450 H St. in Crescent City. The courthouse is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • On display until Oct. 22: DNACA presents Painting the Music– a collection of paintings of musical artists by local artist Marcia Morgan. Her portraits paired with musicians’ lyrics can be viewed on the second-floor mezzanine of the Del Norte County Airport, 1650 Dale Rupert Rd. in Crescent City.
  • On display until Dec. 10: DNACA showcases the dreamlike artwork of artist Susan Moore. View her exhibition at the College of the Redwoods’ Del Norte Campus, 883 W. Washington Blvd. in Crescent City between the business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To feature an event via DNACA, email Kim@DNACA.net. 

Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, Sept. 8, 2026

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Thumbnail photo: Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office and jail. | Redwood Voice

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

Measure R funds for jail rehabilitation: Four supervisors agreed to use about $2 million in unallocated Measure R dollars to make up a funding gap in the ongoing jail rehabilitation project. 

But at least two representatives, District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short and his District 2 colleague Valerie Starkey, were confused at the term “Justice Campus” County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez used in his board report for Tuesday. Starkey abstained from voting.

In response to their concerns, Lopez brought up the Board’s approved use last year of Measure R dollars as gap funding for the jail project and also brought up a proposal to build a designated building for the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office and the Probation Department.

Continue reading Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, Sept. 8, 2026 →

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