Category Archives: Articles

Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Transportation

Caltrans Unveils Fancy New Welcome Signs; More From Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting

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Caltrans representative Julia Peterson unveiled new welcome signs that will be built on U.S. 101 and 199. | Screenshot

Using an oft-quoted phrase involving beer, District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey warned that California’s new monument signs on U.S. 101 and 199 may prompt Oregon to step up its game.

Clean California Coordinator Julia Peterson unveiled the sign that will be constructed and installed on U.S. 199 later this year. Though Caltrans is still figuring out the color scheme, the new sign will feature the Golden State’s iconic shape and state flower. A momma bear and her cub will flank the sign welcoming motorists through Del Norte County’s northeastern gate.

The sign’s back side will encourage motorists to “drive safely,” Peterson said.

“Bears was a theme everyone wanted,” she told supervisors Tuesday, adding that Caltrans had deployed a survey via the Wild Rivers Outpost.

Continue reading Caltrans Unveils Fancy New Welcome Signs; More From Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Elections

Harry Adams Announces Write-in Candidacy For Harbor District; Del Norte Ballots Mailed This Week

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Your Vote Counts badge. | Photo: LALeBan via Wikipedia. Creative Commons License

A familiar face has joined the race for Crescent City Harbor District this election, though Del Norters won’t find him on their ballot.

Harry Adams, who’s currently president of the Harbor District Board of Commissioners, announced Friday that he’s running as a write-in candidate. He’s running against Linda Sutter, Annie Nehmer, Dan Schmidt, Devon Morgante and John Evans. Adams said he submitted the signatures he needed to be an official write-in candidate.

“I just feel like my job wasn’t done yet,” he said. “Why quit when you’re just starting to get good at it? I don’t totally agree that three seats should be vacated at one time.”

Continue reading Harry Adams Announces Write-in Candidacy For Harbor District; Del Norte Ballots Mailed This Week →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Local Government

Fireworks Ordinance Set To Go Before Del Norte Board of Supervisors

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Del Norte County supervisors will get their first look at an ordinance that seeks to discourage folks from bringing illegal fireworks into the community.

The proposed regulations are expected to come before the full Board on Tuesday about three months after a fireworks explosion created a mass casualty incident on South Beach during the Fourth of July.

They’re consistent with an ordinance Crescent City already has on the books, said District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey. The proposed regulations also coincide with an ordinance the Harbor District Board of Commissioners is considering, though Starkey noted that harbor commissioners are considering banning all fireworks.

“That was super important for us to have very consistent ordinances across the board,” she told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. “At our last ad-hoc meeting we decided that we couldn’t really move forward with messaging and education until we have those ordinances in place.”

Continue reading Fireworks Ordinance Set To Go Before Del Norte Board of Supervisors →
Articles, Arts & Culture, Crescent City, Economy

Rikuzentakata’s Story Of Survival Prompted RCRC Members to Open Their Wallets, Generate $31,000 for Kamome Foundation

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Rikuzentakata representatives Kyoshi Murakami, Futoshi Toba and Akihiko Ito talk about how their community survived the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. | Photo courtesy of Chris Howard

Chris Howard talks about Del Norte County’s relationship with Rikuzentakata, Japan everywhere he goes, so Kamome’s story isn’t new for his colleagues with the Rural County Representatives of California, or RCRC.

But when he brought Council Chairman Akihiko Ito, Mayor Futoshi Toba and Kyoshi Murakami, senior executive advisor for Rikuzentakata, to the organization’s annual meeting as the keynote speakers last month, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, said Howard, who represents Del Norte County’s District 1.

The three Rikuzentakata delegates told county leaders from across California how their community survived the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and how it led to a now six-year-old Sister City relationship with Crescent City and Del Norte County.

Continue reading Rikuzentakata’s Story Of Survival Prompted RCRC Members to Open Their Wallets, Generate $31,000 for Kamome Foundation →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Economy, Environment, Infrastructure

Crescent City Ice Plant Closure Has Community Leaders, Fishing Reps Searching For Alternatives

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Pacific Choice Seafood is expected to cease operating the ice plant in Crescent City on Saturday, according to Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker. | Photo by Paul Critz

City, county and Harbor District officials are joining a representative of the local fishing community to find a solution for the commercial fleet’s ice needs.

Pacific Choice Seafoods is expected to stop operating the ice plant at the end of Citizens Dock as of Saturday, Interim Harbormaster Mike Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday.

A mobile ice plant may be a feasible option long term since it doesn’t need much in the way of permitting to establish at the port, said Josh Mims, whose Community Food Council’s Sea-to-Market Project brought local seafood into Del Norte schools. The concern now, however, is ensuring there’s an ice supply available for the Dungeness crab season, which typically opens Dec. 1 on the North Coast.

Continue reading Crescent City Ice Plant Closure Has Community Leaders, Fishing Reps Searching For Alternatives →
Articles, Crescent City, Health, Humboldt, Opinion

OPINION: Limited Choice in Rural Reproductive Care Sheds Light on Systemic Moral Hazards

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Signage outside the Trillium Birth Center at Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata, California, taken in November of 2019.

Photo and Editorial by Amanda Dockter

In 2019, I experienced a miracle of sorts. After more than a decade of coping with irregular menstrual cycles and infertility caused by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), I learned that I was pregnant. At the age of 33, I found myself navigating a major life milestone that I didn’t think I would ever get to experience. When I saw the faint lines indicating a positive on my home pregnancy test, I was hesitant to believe it could be true. A visit to Open Door’s wellness center confirmed the pregnancy, so I went ahead and scheduled my first trimester appointments for prenatal care at the Sutter Clinic — the only obstetrics practice in Del Norte County.

I was nervous about receiving prenatal care through Sutter. I had heard numerous horror stories from friends and relatives who had experienced labor and delivery at Crescent City’s Sutter Coast Hospital. Locals living in a rural county know that finding quality medical care is a huge challenge. Sutter was the only game in town, so we decided to give them a chance. 

Continue reading OPINION: Limited Choice in Rural Reproductive Care Sheds Light on Systemic Moral Hazards →
Articles, Curry, Local Government

Curry County Commissioners Face K9 Program’s Benefactor, Field Questions About Conflict With Sheriff

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Wednesday’s Curry County Board of Commissioners meeting

Roughly two weeks after they retired one of the county’s police dogs, the Curry County Board of Commissioners faced tough questions from the man who made the canine’s purchase possible.

Dick Wilson, a Brookings-based realtor who donated $14,000 to the county to purchase D’Arvit, asked commissioners Wednesday why they hadn’t contacted him before turning the dog over to his former handler.

Commissioners spent about 35 minutes giving Wilson a timeline of the circumstances surrounding the dog’s retirement, including Sheriff John Ward’s statement at a July 29 meeting that he was a “dirty dog” because he didn’t have enough training. At the end of the exchange, Wilson said he wouldn’t do anything more for the county.

Continue reading Curry County Commissioners Face K9 Program’s Benefactor, Field Questions About Conflict With Sheriff →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Local Government

Harbor Commissioner Apologizes For Board’s Role In Circumstances Surrounding Harbormaster’s Resignation; More From CC Harbor Meeting

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Photos by Gavin Van Alstine

The day after their former CEO’s resignation became official, Crescent City Harbor Commissioner Brian Stone stood at the podium, faced his constituents and apologized.

Stone referred to a verbal altercation he had with then-harbormaster Tim Petrick over staff’s response to the Del Norte County Civil Grand Jury at the Board’s Sept. 17 meeting. On Tuesday, Stone said Petrick was less than forthcoming and that he was continuously denied information about the former harbormaster “continuously.”

Though he wasn’t able to go into detail about what occurred in closed session, Stone spoke to why the Board of Commissioners didn’t fire Petrick.

“Legally, since we are a subdivision of the State of California, we are unable to just fire someone outright. We have to give them a warning and we have to go through the legal steps,” Stone said. “I cannot tell you what was discussed in closed session, but I will tell you this: Mr. Petrick, upon being confronted decided to resign. Now, that’s up to him. I think what needs to happen is true healing on the part of the community as well as reflection by the Board as to what has happened.”

Continue reading Harbor Commissioner Apologizes For Board’s Role In Circumstances Surrounding Harbormaster’s Resignation; More From CC Harbor Meeting →
Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Harbor Commission Makes Rademaker’s New Leadership Position Official; Interim CEO Says OC Developers Have Shown Interest In RV Parks

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Mike Rademaker

Crescent City Harbor commissioners hired Mike Rademaker as interim CEO/harbormaster, Board President Harry Adams announced after a closed session meeting Tuesday.

Rademaker will be interim harbormaster for six months and will receive an annual base salary of $94,000.

Rademaker will also continue to live in a 360-square-foot studio apartment on Harbor District property in exchange for being on-call after business hours, Adams told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday.

According to Adams, the Harbor Commission has no current plans to advertise the vacant harbormaster position.

Continue reading Harbor Commission Makes Rademaker’s New Leadership Position Official; Interim CEO Says OC Developers Have Shown Interest In RV Parks →
Articles, Arts & Culture, Community News

Sea Cruise Takes to the Streets This Weekend

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Sunny skies and an open highway are expected to draw more hot rods, low riders, Corvettes, Mustangs and mini trucks — think Datsuns or Nissans — to the coast this weekend.

Now in its 32nd year, Sea Cruise, Del Norte’s classic car extravaganza, is shaping up to be stronger than ever, said Cindy Vosburg, executive director of the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce.

Continue reading Sea Cruise Takes to the Streets This Weekend →