Category Archives: Transportation

Articles, Community News, Education, Transportation, Youth

DNUSD Is Getting New Vans, Training New Bus Drivers, Transportation Director Says

Leave a comment

Thumbnail photo by Persephone Rose

Del Norte Unified School District is putting four new vans on the road, replacing an aging fleet that drew concerns from parents and staff who said they weren’t safe for students.

But since it will take  two or three weeks to be retrofitted to meet the district’s needs, DNUSD is still relying on those older vans, transportation director Chris Armington told the Board of Trustees on Thursday.

Providing an update  four months after parents and staff complained of warped brake rotors, leaking brake fluid and school bus seat belts held together with duct tape, Armington said his department had implemented a check-in check-out system for use of the vans.

Continue reading DNUSD Is Getting New Vans, Training New Bus Drivers, Transportation Director Says →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Transportation

Assemblyman Chris Rogers Introduces Del Norte-Sponsored Speed Limit Bill

Leave a comment

Chris Rogers

Del Norte’s new assemblyman is bringing statewide attention to a problem Tamera Leighton says she’s been working on for nearly two decades — cars speeding through the U.S. 199 communities of Hiouchi and Gasquet at 55-plus mph.

Chris Rogers, representative of California’s 2nd Assembly District, introduced a bill Friday that aims to provide more flexibility when it comes to setting speed limits on state highways. Del Norte County is the bill’s sponsor.

Leighton, Del Norte Local Transportation Commission’s executive director, said she and District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard have worked to address residents’ concerns about unsafe speeds since about 2006. According to her, Rogers’ potential piece of legislation means they’ve pushed the issue as far as they can, though she urged supervisors to continue their advocacy.

Continue reading Assemblyman Chris Rogers Introduces Del Norte-Sponsored Speed Limit Bill →
Articles, Community News, Economy, Education, Health, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation, Youth

Trump’s Attack On Federal Funding Could Impact Del Norters’ Access To Health Care, Senior Services, Education, Local Nonprofits Say

Leave a comment

Open Door Clinic operates a clinic at the Del Norte Community Wellness Center. At a discussion with Congressman Jared Huffman on Monday, the organization’s CEO Tory Starr said he was worried about being unable to serve patients should their federal funding be frozen. | Photo by Persephone Rose

Nearly a week after a judge temporarily blocked a Trump Administration directive to freeze federal funding, Open Door Clinic CEO Tory Starr said his organization is still bracing for the worst.

Open Door operates more than 14 clinics across Humboldt and Del Norte counties, providing behavioral health, medical, dental and obstetrics care to 60,000-plus patients and employing nearly 800 people.

During a virtual roundtable discussion hosted by Congressman Jared Huffman on Monday, Starr said that while a judge hit pause on the directive Jan. 28, guidance he’s received from the Health Resources and Services Administration suggests that federal dollars could still be at risk.

Continue reading Trump’s Attack On Federal Funding Could Impact Del Norters’ Access To Health Care, Senior Services, Education, Local Nonprofits Say →
Articles, Community News, Transportation

Supes Add Proposal To Lower Speed Limit Through Gasquet, Hiouchi to Legislative Platform

Leave a comment

Thumbnail courtesy of Google Maps

Del Norte County Supervisor Chris Howard hopes a slate of new legislators, and potential support from one of them, will alleviate a problem that’s plagued Hiouchi and Gasquet for years — cars speeding through  at 55-plus mph.

Howard, whose district includes those communities along U.S. 199, asked for his colleagues’ support on Tuesday, pointing out that those safety concerns will persist if change isn’t made at the legislative level.

“Legislation was attempted here two-and-a-half years ago and it failed to give the county a voice into our state highway system and, more importantly, setting up speed [limits],” Howard told his colleagues. “So why not get more specific? Why not focus on a specific area where those public lands are impacted?” 

Continue reading Supes Add Proposal To Lower Speed Limit Through Gasquet, Hiouchi to Legislative Platform →
Articles, Community News, Education, Transportation

DNUSD Transportation’s ‘Monsters’ Include An Aging Fleet, Dearth of Drivers

Leave a comment

Photo by Persephone Rose

Though she thanked trustees for taking her concerns seriously, Lisa Sedgwick rejected the idea that implementing a digital system for reporting and tracking mechanical issues in district vans would cost $70,000.

Sedgwick, a teacher at Mary Peacock Elementary School, told Del Norte Unified School District trustees on Thursday that free electronic tools exist that allow people to fill out forms that are dated and time stamped and QR codes can make them available when a van is returned after hours.

“If you’re really stuck on having a paper form, which they never tell you when you make a complaint in person [that there’s] this form to fill out — it was never handed to me when I complained about the rotors two years ago — that could be handed to you when you’re handing over the keys,” she said. “There are so many tools that are easy to use and they’re free. There’s no reason to spend $70,000 when you have these tools available.”

Continue reading DNUSD Transportation’s ‘Monsters’ Include An Aging Fleet, Dearth of Drivers →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Transportation

Transportation Officials Seek Public Input South Beach Climate Change Resiliency Plan

Leave a comment

Photo courtesy of the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission

Transportation officials are holding the second of two public meetings today to come up with a plan that ensures U.S. 101 and Anchor Way continue to function in the face of rising sea level and extreme weather associated with climate change.

These meetings are part of a joint effort between the Crescent City Harbor District, Elk Valley Rancheria and the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission to create a South Beach Climate Resilience Plan.

Caltrans District 1, Del Norte County, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as consultants GHD and GreenDOT are also participating in the project, DNLTC Executive Director Tamera Leighton said.

Caltrans is expected to take over the project on June 30, 2025, when the planning phase is completed, Leighton said. Today’s meeting, which will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Elk Valley Rancheria, will give people the opportunity to learn more about why a resiliency project is necessary and will enable them to provide input, she said.

Continue reading Transportation Officials Seek Public Input South Beach Climate Change Resiliency Plan →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Transportation

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

Leave a comment

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 →