Category Archives: Regional News

Alerts, Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Law

CCPD Are Searching For An Alleged Carjacking Suspect

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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.

Articles, Community News, Curry, Local Government

Curry Commissioners Green Light Law Enforcement Levy Amid Criticism

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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 →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Local Government

Crescent City Has A New Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, And Other Items From The Dec. 16, 2024 Meeting

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The Tolowa Interpretive Walk at Beachfront Park will feature a redwood tree, a burden basket and a canoe with kiosks focusing on their origin story, culture and the atrocities they lived through at the hands of white settlers. | Image courtesy of Crescent City

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

New Council, New Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem:

A new Crescent City Council appointed Ray Altman as the new mayor with Isaiah Wright taking on the job of mayor pro tem.

Altman had been mayor pro tem under Blake Inscore, who finished out his final two years on the City Council on Monday. Wright had been mayor in 2023.

Continue reading Crescent City Has A New Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem, And Other Items From The Dec. 16, 2024 Meeting →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure

With Park Improvements Underway, Crescent City Looks To Its Downtown

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Don Arambula, an urban designer with Crandall Arambula PC, floated some ideas for a revitalized Downtown Crescent City on Monday. | Screenshot

Don Arambula showed a new City Council how his firm could help revitalize its downtown area by comparing Crescent City to Whitefish, Montana.

Arambula, project manager, principal planner and urban designer for the Portland-based Crandall Arambula, PC, said Monday when his firm began working on a master plan for Whitefish’s downtown business district, the city wanted to “lean into its visitor potential.” Though it’s a bit larger than Crescent City, Arambula drew a comparison, saying it, too, is on a national park’s doorstep.

“They’ve found that people want to come to Whitefish and experience a unique condition. If they’re from Georgia, they don’t want to see the same things they left in Georgia,” he said. “They wanted to have a sense of the culture and the place, and that’s really one of the founding principles we had for this project. And we suspect something like this would be appropriate also for Crescent City.”

Continue reading With Park Improvements Underway, Crescent City Looks To Its Downtown →
Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Inscore, Feola Pass Torch to New Councilors In Heartwarming Ceremony

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The board chambers were filled with an outpouring of love Monday. Monday was the last day that Mayor Blake Inscore and Kelly Schellong-Feola were members of the Crescent City Council. The meeting started with a PowerPoint presentation from City Manager Eric Wier about the accomplishments of the two outgoing councilors over the past ten years of service. This PowerPoint was not a straightforward affair, it instead took on the air of a roast. As Wier continued through the slideshow, the audience was treated to a number of amusing pictures caught of Inscore and some surprise pictures of Schellong-Feola.

“Time has a way of changing people and it’s always interesting to see how time does affect people,” Wier said, “and a lot of times you see aging with presidents and whatnot, I don’t know what to say about this aging process.” This statement was punctuated with two images juxtaposing Inscore’s appearance at the beginning of his mayoral term with his appearance at the end.

Following this hazing of Inscore, the flood of public comments on their tenure began. Many members of the First Baptist Church of Crescent City spoke to his commitment to his work as a pastor, as a mayor of Crescent City, and as a family man. A sentiment that cropped up again and again during these comments is that no one ever felt neglected by Inscore in these arenas of his life. He was always there to listen, to consider, and to move forward when he had his facts straight.

Continue reading Inscore, Feola Pass Torch to New Councilors In Heartwarming Ceremony →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City

‘She will be an asset to the community later, the dog and Jenna’; Future K9 Hero Juno Needs Help

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Jenna Phillips and her K9 partner Juno — seen here in the middle with Catherine Schneider (left) and Gloria Bobertz — earned their AKC Canine Good Citizenship certification on Nov. 18. | Photo courtesy of the Crescent City Police Department. Thumbnail photo courtesy of GoFundMe.

Jenna Phillips can already see herself as a new officer working at the Crescent City Police Department with her canine partner Juno.

At 16 years old, Jenna is a sergeant in the CCPD Explorers Program and is a member of its volunteer K9 crew. Juno, a cattle dog Labrador mix, has appeared at “multiple fundraisers for different things” and has taught youngsters about canine safety.

Juno just passed her AKC Canine Good Citizenship qualification test with flying colors.

“One day, she will be able to be deployed and help find missing persons,” Jenna wrote.

Continue reading ‘She will be an asset to the community later, the dog and Jenna’; Future K9 Hero Juno Needs Help →
Articles, Community News, Local Government, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Oppose Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Land-Acquisition Efforts

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Photo by Persephone Rose

Four county supervisors officially opposed efforts by the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation to place more than 24 acres into trust, citing concerns that the land would no longer generate tax revenue for the county.

In a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs on Tuesday supervisors pointed out that much of Del Norte County consists of public land and is home to “three tribes whose trust land holdings have grown over the past decade.”

“Although each acquisition may seem small, the cumulative impact of continued reductions of the county’s privately held land base — and thus its taxable land base — is significant,” the letter states. “This ongoing trend strains local resources and challenges the county’s ability to serve its residents.”

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Oppose Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Land-Acquisition Efforts →
Alerts, Crescent City, Economy, Local Government

Crescent City Featured Magazine That Generates 7.9 Million Digital Page Views Annually; And Other Crescent City Council Actions On Dec. 4, 2024

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Castle Rock is one of the photos featured in an article in the Yosemite National Park Journal. | Photo courtesy of Visit Del Norte

Though it wasn’t an item they were asked to approve, Crescent City councilors learned that $3,700 in money set aside to market the community paid for an ad in a magazine with a 550,000 annual print circulation.

The half-page ad and an article featuring photos of Castle Rock, the redwoods and Battery Point Lighthouse will appear in the Yosemite National Park Journal, City Manager Eric Wier told councilors on Monday.

Published by Outside Interactive Inc., the magazine aims to help readers plan a road trip to Yosemite National Park and other communities in the region, including the California coast.

Continue reading Crescent City Featured Magazine That Generates 7.9 Million Digital Page Views Annually; And Other Crescent City Council Actions On Dec. 4, 2024 →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Local Government

Council Chooses Gateway Design, Urges Staff To Engage With Businesses Before Embarking On Street Name Change

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Nearly 80 percent of those who responded to a Crescent City survey said they preferred a sequence of gateway elements incorporating waves and dolphins to welcome folks to the Beachfront Park area. | Screenshot

After a community outreach campaign netted 561 survey responses and more than 100 shares on Facebook, Crescent City councilors chose a gateway that draws on its residents’ relationship with the ocean.

Seventy-six percent of those who responded to the city’s survey also supported changing Front Street’s name to Beachfront Drive, Crescent City Manager Eric Wier told the Council on Monday. But the potential name change could disadvantage local businesses, Wier said, costing them thousands of dollars.

“The hard costs are somewhere between $7,000 on the low end for the permitting, the licensing, all the changing of business cards — all those types of pieces,” he said, adding that he spoke with two business owners on Front Street. “Then if you get into search engine optimization and the actual loss of revenue if that’s done the wrong way or at the wrong time, it could be tens of thousands of dollars. Upwards of $50,000. It’s not a small item and it should be one that’s dealt with carefully and intentionally.”

Continue reading Council Chooses Gateway Design, Urges Staff To Engage With Businesses Before Embarking On Street Name Change →