Community News

Sheriff’s Detective, Emails From Sexual Assault Response Team Members Cast Light On Pending MOU Between Law Enforcement, Survivor Advocates, Sutter Coast Hospital

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Thumbnail photo by Persephone Rose

Three months after she told Healthcare District officials that the Sutter Coast Hospital emergency room hadn’t followed federal law in at least one case of suspected sexual abuse, Maia Mello says attitudes seem to have improved.

No two cases are the same, the Del Norte County Sheriff’s detective told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. But since the July 28 Healthcare District Board meeting, members of the Sexual Assault Response Team have been working with hospital administrators to get their concerns addressed. As a result, service at the hospital has improved, Mello said.

“We are taking a look at these very individualized experiences and dissecting those to see what went wrong so that we can write a protocol that adequately covers all of the what ifs,” she said. “Typically MOUs are pretty vague. In this case, we don’t want it to be vague because we want each partner to really understand what their responsibility is and what is the law that governs that.”

Continue reading Sheriff’s Detective, Emails From Sexual Assault Response Team Members Cast Light On Pending MOU Between Law Enforcement, Survivor Advocates, Sutter Coast Hospital →
Articles, Crescent City, Housing, Local Government, Parks, Regional News, Youth

Crescent City Council Recap, Nov. 2, 2026

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Among the items discussed at Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting:

Apartments on 3rd Street? Crescent City resident Gloria Carone went to the City Council with her concerns about a “stack and pack” apartment complex she said was slated for 3rd Street between E and F.

According to Carone, the apartment building is being spearheaded by LNL construction and will be right across the street from St. Joseph Catholic Church. She said she worries about impacts to the sewer system and people’s views. Carone said she also wonders where the residents are going to go for medical care.

“Doctors and dentists are so overbooked for the people who live here,” she said. “Stop with all these mega big construction companies coming in and building up these stack and packs all over the place.”

Continue reading Crescent City Council Recap, Nov. 2, 2026 →
Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Instead of Detailed Summary, Crescent City Council Says Official Record Will Include Motions, Votes, Directions to Staff

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Meeting regulars gave mixed reviews to a proposal from City Clerk Robin Altman to change the way she records the business of the Crescent City Council.

Altman asked councilors Monday to allow her to transition from the current practice of providing a detailed summary of the meetings, including what was said during the public comment period, to taking action minutes.

“Action minutes focus primarily on the business conducted and the formal actions taken by the City Council,” she said, providing examples from Eureka, Blue Lake, Fortuna and Arcata on how they approach meeting minutes. “Rather than summarizing discussions in detail, action minutes document the agenda items that are being considered, motions and seconds and voting results. In addition, the action minutes will include any direction given to staff and other formal action taken by the Council.”

Continue reading Instead of Detailed Summary, Crescent City Council Says Official Record Will Include Motions, Votes, Directions to Staff →
Articles, Economy, Infrastructure, Transportation

Local, State, Federal Officials Discuss What’s Next, Urge Continued Advocacy For Last Chance Grade Tunnel

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Thumbnail photo by Monique Camarena

Doug Hecox was hard pressed to provide a concrete answer to what kind of federal funding Caltrans can expect when it comes to building the 1.1 mile-long tunnel around Last Chance Grade.

There isn’t an exact price for the tunnel’s construction yet, the Federal Highway Administration’s acting division administrator for California told Del Norters at an Oct. 27 open house. The project just entered its design and geotechnical engineering phase, he said. 

And, though Hecox described two potential pots of federal funding, one depends on a highway reauthorization bill Congress was expected to approve but didn’t. The other source came from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Biden-era Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that ran out earlier this month. Still, there are ways to obtain federal funding for a project of this size, Hecox said.

Continue reading Local, State, Federal Officials Discuss What’s Next, Urge Continued Advocacy For Last Chance Grade Tunnel →
Articles, Elections, Local Government

Del Norte Declines To Respond To USDOJ Demand To Set Aside Ballots They Say Belong to NonCitizens

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Thumbnail photo by Monique Camarena

Del Norte County is declining to respond to a U.S. Department of Justice demand that its elections office segregate four ballots they say belong to noncitizens who are ineligible to vote, County Counsel Jacqueline Roberts said.

Del Norte is following the example of Humboldt, Fresno, Tulare, San Joaquin and other California counties who have received similar USDOJ demands, Roberts told Redwood Voice Community News via email Monday. 

County officials are making this decision after thorough review of the letter Craig H. Missakian, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California delivered to County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup last week. Roberts said her office is also taking into consideration the law and recent court decisions related to similar demands federal officials have made to county elections offices statewide.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government

CCHD Mulling State Grant Opportunity That May Lead To Miniature Golf Course And Wheelchair Ramp to South Beach

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The Crescent City Harbor District is considering a grant opportunity that would pay for recreational amenities on land owned by Crescent City Beach Village on Starfish Way as well as an ADA-compliant boat ramp to South Beach. | Images courtesy of Mike Bahr

Crescent City Harbor officials are eyeing a state grant that would pay for recreational opportunities at the port, including, potentially, a miniature golf course, dog park, food court and a ramp providing wheelchair access to South Beach.

A Statewide Park Program Grant could provide up to $8.5 million for the amenities listed above, according to Community System Solutions CEO Mike Bahr. These are items the public has asked for at meetings held in July 2025, Bahr said, and are aligned with Daniel Dahan’s priorities.

Dahan is the developer behind Crescent City Beach Village, LLC, which leases the property that would host nearly all of these public recreation features, Bahr said Wednesday.

Continue reading CCHD Mulling State Grant Opportunity That May Lead To Miniature Golf Course And Wheelchair Ramp to South Beach →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

In 3-2 Decision, Harbor Commissioners Finalize Public Restroom Location Three Years After Getting State Grant To Build It

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Thumbnail image: The proposed site for a new restroom is shown in green near two new parking spaces in light blue. An alternative location, shown in yellow within the boundaries of Redwood Harbor Village RV park had been rejected. | Courtesy of the Crescent City Harbor District

A month after they were faced with the possibility of having to abandon the project, Crescent City Harbor commissioners chose a site for public restrooms serving the South Beach and the California Coastal Trail.

But a dispute that began at a Sept. 30 special meeting over the proposed location on Starfish Way across the street from Redwood Harbor Village spilled over to Wednesday’s meeting. Commissioner Annie Nehmer argued that the Harbor District “tore down a perfectly good bathroom” to benefit Crescent City Beach Village developer Daniel Dahan. Board President Rick Shepherd said the public isn’t being asked to walk that far from the beach to access a restroom.

Former commissioner Harry Adams also weighed in, urging the Board not to build the restrooms on the Redwood Harbor Village overflow lot due to its potential commercial value to the harbor.

Continue reading In 3-2 Decision, Harbor Commissioners Finalize Public Restroom Location Three Years After Getting State Grant To Build It →
Articles, Arts & Culture, Community News, Youth

Community Gets First Virtual Walkthrough of Performing Arts Center As Its Plans Head To State For Approval

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Images courtesy of the Partnership for the Performing Arts

“OFIATC –Our future is at the center,” Nick Rail says, using a tagline the Partnership for the Performing Arts is coining for its major project — the Wild Rivers Performing Arts and Civic Center.

Rail has another tagline: “Our future is only as good as the opportunities we provide for our youth.”

Since Rail founded the Partnership for the Performing Arts in 2021, the nonprofit organization has supported the arts and arts education in Del Norte and Curry Counties. Through school district-wide instrument donations, the establishment of a high school instrument repair class, a yearly concert series, and consistent philanthropy towards the arts and local organizations, the nonprofit’s primary goal is to serve youth and provide meaningful artistic experiences to the community.

The facility’s designs are now before the California Division of the State Architect for approval, Rail told Redwood Voice Community News.

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Arts & Culture, Community News

Art Scene: Samhain Dinner, Art in Public Places, Free Art Classes

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

  • Sunday: The Pacific Music Guild is hosting a traditional Irish Samhain Dinner from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Crescent City Elks Lodge, 359 H Street. This fundraiser will help send the North Coast Chorale to Ireland in June. There will be authentic Irish food made from local ingredients. Tickets are $30 for adults and youth are $15. Kids 5 years and under eat for free. Tickets are available at Del Norte Office Supply or at this link.
  • On display until Dec. 17: As part of its Art In Public Places Program, DNACA presents the scenic California photography of Joshua Tryban at 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.
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Articles, Environment, Local Government

Despite Seeking Exemption to New State Law Targeting Single-Use Packaging, Del Norte Could Help Expand Program, Solid Waste Director Says

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County supervisors on Tuesday approved the resolution necessary to relieve Del Norte of the burden that comes with a new state law targeting single-use packaging and to-go flatware recycling.

But, though the resolution notes that the county is eligible for a rural exemption to State Senate Bill 54 —the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act — Del Norte is also a good venue for pilot projects as the program expands, Solid Waste Management Authority Director Tedd Ward said.

On Oct. 20, Ward told the DNSWMA Board of Commissioners that the resolution he brought to county supervisors Tuesday would also mention the opportunity for working with the state organization responsible for meeting those recycling targets.

Continue reading Despite Seeking Exemption to New State Law Targeting Single-Use Packaging, Del Norte Could Help Expand Program, Solid Waste Director Says →

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