Storms Support Statewide Precipitation Levels – Redwood Voice Community News

December 31st, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; Curry County commissioners delay renewing finance and human resource director’s employment contract; an update on New Year weather from the National Weather Service; a New Year’s Day walk will be happening at Brookings’ Harris Beach; seeds will be spread over the former Klamath River reservoirs via helicopter; the California Department of Water Resources says the recent series of storms have helped boost statewide precipitation levels; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation reminds citizens to be mindful of the soil from graves in Howonquet Indian Cemetery; the North Coast Rape Crisis Team receives a grant that will recruit more nurses and help Del Norte’s sexual assault survivors; the U.S. Postal Service warns of ‘smishing’ scams while expecting holiday packages; and the Chafee Foster Care Program celebrates 25 years of providing services to youth. All this and our regular segments from the Pacifica Radio Network and National Native News.

We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org! every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Today’s newscast image is courtesy of Active NorCal, which has been edited.

This Weekend Was All Wet; Atmospheric River Dropped Nearly 2 Inches of Rain on Crescent City

A rain-soaked Middle Fork Smith River at the Nels Christensen Memorial Bridge on Sunday. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

The atmospheric river that drenched the North Coast and Southern Oregon over the last few days dumped nearly 2 inches of rain on Jack McNamara Field between Thursday and Saturday, according to a National Weather Service meteorologist.

The bulk of the rain — about 1.57 inches — fell on Saturday, meteorologist Edward Swafford told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday.

With the ground already saturated, water runoff brought the Smith River within a half-inch of minor flood stage at the Dr. Fine Bridge on Sunday, according to the National Water Prediction Service. The NWS issued a flood warning for the area near the bridge at 8:39 a.m. Sunday, warning that flooding was likely near the quarry on South Bank Road. That flood warning was canceled at 11:55 p.m., the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services posted on Facebook.

Continue reading This Weekend Was All Wet; Atmospheric River Dropped Nearly 2 Inches of Rain on Crescent City

Funding Fuels Fight for Sexual Assault Survivors – Redwood Voice Community News

December 30th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; Patrick Creek Road is closed due to slide activity; weather updates for the New Year weekend; Curry Commissioners delay renewing employee contract for their finance and human resources director; Oregon State Parks is hosting a winter whale watch until the 31st; the North Coast Rape Crisis team receives a game changing grant; USPS warns about smishing scams; less than half of eligible foster youth have access to Chafee foster services; and The X Games will be held in Sacramento every year through 2027. All this and our regular segments from the Pacifica Radio Network and National Native News.

[EDIT: headline for Curry Commissioners has been changed to accurately reflect their finance and human resources director had their contract delayed, *not* fired.]

We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org! every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Today’s newscast image is courtesy of the North Coast Rape Crisis Team via their Facebook Page, which has been edited.

Working on the Old Wastewater System – Redwood Voice Community News

December 27th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from Caltrans District 1; an update on the Patrick Creek Road closure; Eureka’s National Weather Service expects high surf conditions this weekend; Curry County declines to renew their human resources director’s contract; the items discussed at last week’s Crescent City Council meeting; the forecasted winter storm could impact Pacific Power customers; ‘chaotic seas’ will be hitting our beaches through Tuesday; it’s Winter Whale Watch Week on the Oregon coast; the Army Corps of Engineers wants to help improve the Tolowa Dee Ni’ Nation’s 50-year-old wastewater system; the commercial Dungeness crab fishery is opening soon; December marks the Chafee Foster Care Program’s 25th Anniversary; and the X Games are coming to California! All this and our regular segments from the Pacifica Radio Network and National Native News.

We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org! every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Today’s newscast image is courtesy of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation via their Instagram page, which has been edited.

Breathing New Life Into the Local Fight Against Sexual Assault; Del Norte SART Team Wins Grant For Nurses, Training, Interviewing Equipment

Thumbnail: Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin awards A’Lissa Scott and Amanda LeBlanc a certificate of commendation on Dec. 2 for their part in resurrecting the Del Norte Sexual Assault Response Team.

Scrawled on a whiteboard inside A’Lissa Scott’s office at the Del Norte County Courthouse is the following quote: “Children of all ages can tell us what they know if we ask them the right questions in the right way.”

Taken from a manual on the best practices of child forensic interviewing, the 30-year-old quote reminds Scott and her colleague Amanda LeBlanc that much of their job is about allowing, and trusting, sexual assault survivors to make the decision that’s right for them.

“One big thing about mentoring is there is no victim-blaming. That went out in the ‘70s or ‘80s, or it should have,” said Scott, a field investigator in the county’s Victim Witness Center. “We bring kids in that are going to have to testify and if they say, ‘I don’t want to do this’ We are never going to force them to testify.”

Continue reading Breathing New Life Into the Local Fight Against Sexual Assault; Del Norte SART Team Wins Grant For Nurses, Training, Interviewing Equipment

Healing the McKinney Fire Scar – Redwood Voice Community News

December 26th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; items discussed at Crescent City’s City Council Meeting last week; Nautical News from Kenny Priest of Fishing the North Coast; updates on the Yurok Tribe’s restoration of the McKinney Fire Scar; dangerous beach conditions are expected through the holidays; The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation signs an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade their waste water treatment infrastructure; and the Commercial Dungeness Crab fishery from Sonoma County to Mexico is on track to reopen January 5th. All this and our regular segments from the Pacifica Radio Network and National Native News.

We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org! every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Today’s newscast image is courtesy of the Yurok Tribe, which has been edited.

Curry County’s Finance Director Faces Criticism Over Proposed Employment Agreement

Curry County Board of Commissioners Meeting from Dec. 19. Thumbnail: Keina Wolf, the county’s finance and human resources director, sits at the far left on the dais. | Screenshot

(Update at 2:51 p.m. Dec. 30. Curry County commissioners delayed renewing an employment contract with Finance and Human Resources Director Keina Wolf at their Dec. 19 meeting.)

Curry County commissioners declined to renew delayed renewing an employment contract with their finance and human resources director, Kiena Wolf, at last week’s meeting. 

Wolf, who was in attendance at that meeting, found herself on the defensive against critics arguing that the county couldn’t afford the expense.

One critic, Michele Martin, a member of a Facebook group called Citizens For Curry Justice, criticized Wolf’s proposed salary of $130,000 per year and said the $15,000 professional development allowance it calls for is more than the training budget at the Curry County Sheriff’s Office.

Rod Palmquist, a representative for Teamsters Local 223, which represents sheriff’s office employees, repeated the statement regarding the training budget for Wolf’s department, comparing it with that of the sheriff’s office. He told commissioners that the proposed employment agreement prioritized bureaucracy “over the very safety of the community you were elected to serve.”

A third critic was County Assessor and Tax Collector Kylie Wagner, who said that Wolf, who does much of her work from her home in Lane County, “should be here in the trenches with the rest of us.”

Continue reading Curry County’s Finance Director Faces Criticism Over Proposed Employment Agreement

CCPD Are Searching For An Alleged Carjacking Suspect

A man whose “possible first name” is Andrew is wanted after allegedly brandishing a firearm and stealing a car at the Safeway parking lot, according to CCPD Chief Richard Griffin. | Photo courtesy CCPD

Crescent City police are searching for a man they brandished a firearm in the Safeway parking lot before encountering police this morning and then stealing a vehicle with an 18-year-old man inside of it.

The vehicle and 18-year-old was later found at Foursquare Church, according to Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin. He said the incident took place just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday.

The suspect’s possible first name is Andrew, Griffin said. According to the police chief, the suspect had fled west on Macken Avenue after abandoning the stolen vehicle. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Police are urging the public to call dispatch at (707) 464-4191 to report any sightings.

Curry Commissioners Green Light Law Enforcement Levy Amid Criticism

In the face of more public criticism over budget cuts at the sheriff’s office, Curry County commissioners agreed to place another law enforcement tax levy before voters next May.

But they took umbrage at some of the statements citizens lobbed at them on Thursday, including accusations from local Teamsters representatives that they abandoned the sheriff’s office.

That statement came from Rod Palmquist, labor representative of Local Teamsters 223, which represents Curry County Sheriff’s Office employees. Palmquist criticized a proposed employment contract between the county and Finance and Human Resources Director Keina Wolf, charging commissioners of prioritizing bureaucracy over public safety. He mentioned a potential consideration to consolidate jail services between Curry and Coos counties — an issue that’s in the early stages of exploration at this point, according to Commissioner Jay Trost.

Continue reading Curry Commissioners Green Light Law Enforcement Levy Amid Criticism

A Very Special FUGMas – Redwood Voice Community News

December 23rd, 2024 –

In the days before Christmas
All through the Fughouse
A group of media youth
Report on all things Claus

In today’s STOCKING news,
An Elf Workers’ Union gets squashed by Strikebreaker;
A Naughty or Nice Algorithm says everyone’s a troublemaker;

Mrs. Claus is in an abominable affair;
Conspiring Sugar Plum Fairies step up to the judges’ chair;

Tips to keep yetis out of your trash bin; and
Why elderly women get in Reindeer crashins’

Please keep in mind these reports are a spoof—
You get all this and more from Redwood Voice Community News.

. . .

This newscast will be aired Dec. 23rd, 24th, and the 25th while the news team is taking some time off for the holidays. We’re broadcasting on KFUG 101.1FM and kfugradio.org! every day at 12PM, with a rebroadcast at 5PM. We’re also airing on KZZH 96.7FM at 6AM, and KCIW 100.7FM at 6PM!

Today’s newscast image is courtesy of @awkwardfamilyphotos via Instagram, which has been edited.