Articles, Community News, Education, Transportation

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

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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 →
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The Del Norte to Mendocino Juvy Pipeline – Redwood Voice Community News

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December 16th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; updates on the progress of the restoration of Steven’s Prairie; Del Norte Juvenile offenders can now be housed in Mendocino County as a last resort; Del Norte County staff discuss how exactly to determine the property value of a Tuff Shed; Nautical News from Kenny Priest of Fishing the North Coast; and vacancies run rampant among County Departments. 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 taken as a screenshot from Google Maps of the Mendocino County Juvenile Hall, which has been edited.

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Roads Reopened After Rockslide Recovery – Redwood Voice Community News

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December 13th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; Highway 199 has been reopened after a rockslide Thursday morning; Del Norte Supervisors greenlight a proposal to send juvenile delinquents to Mendocino; Del Norte departments remain plagued with vacancies amid contract negotiations; Supervisors block Tolowa reacquisition of land; the marine update from Fishing the North Coast; information on the US Forest Service’s Every Kid Outdoors program; the monarch butterfly flies close to the endangered species list; and raw milk could help spread the current avian flu outbreak. 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 Caltrans District 1, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Local Government

Tuff Shed, ‘Nuff Said?

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Photo courtesy of Valerie Starkey

Eric Matson had tiny houses in mind when he and his wife approached Home Depot staff about turning a Tuff Shed into a second home.

Since the “Tuff Shed guy” was at the store, Matson said he and his wife viewed base models and asked if the Denver-based company — which operates a factory in Medford — could extend the overhang, add insulated windows, 2-by-6 exterior walls, a paint job and a gable fence.

The result is the 1,224 square-foot two-bedroom, two-bathroom, two-story structure at 216 Macken Avenue, which was completed in December 2023. Matson said he paid a total of $140,000. This includes $39,050 for the unit itself plus the concrete pad it sits on, the Home Depot cabinets and carpet and the Ikea island he installed as well as the plumbing.

Continue reading Tuff Shed, ‘Nuff Said? →
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The Festival of Lights – Redwood Voice Community News

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December 12th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; the new Crescent City Harbor Commissioners appointed their board president and secretary at their recent meeting; Commissioners further discussed the Ice Plant issue; Del Norte County Supervisors oppose the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s reacquisition of their land; Brookings’ Azalea Park has started it’s annual Festival of Lights; information about the US Forest Service’s Every Kid Outdoors Program; the monarch butterfly may flutter its way onto the endangered species list; and livestock across North America continue to be impacted by Avian Flu. 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 Curry Coastal Pilot, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Local Government

Del Norte Departments Still Plagued By Vacancies, SEIU 1021 Rep Says; Contract Negotiations Between Union, County Continue

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Six weeks after supervisors signed off on the sheriff’s plan to, hopefully, boost recruitment and retention, Norma Williams says vacancies continue to plague county departments, particularly the Department of Health and Human Services.

Williams, chapter president of the Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021, told supervisors on Tuesday that the county’s overall vacancy rate is 30 percent. Most of those vacancies are concentrated within DHHS, where some staff are struggling to serve more than 700 clients, she said.

Wages associated with several classifications fall well below what other similar counties offer, Williams said, giving Humboldt, Modoc, Siskiyou, Trinity and Lassen counties as examples. She said that the vacancy rate equates to $7 million in savings to the county in unpaid salaries and benefits and argued that those dollars should be repurposed to try to make those positions more attractive.

Continue reading Del Norte Departments Still Plagued By Vacancies, SEIU 1021 Rep Says; Contract Negotiations Between Union, County Continue →
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Miss Indian World 2023-2024 – Redwood Voice Community News

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December 11th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; some of the items discussed at the recent Crescent City Harbor District Meeting; an update on the whole Crescent City Harbor Ice Plant situation; Brookings’ Azalea Park has begun it’s annual Festival of Lights; the winter pool pact between Crescent City’s South Coast Community Aquatics and Brookings Municipal Pool is finalized; Tori McConnell becomes the first Yurok citizen to receive the Miss Indian World title; and updates on recreational crab fishery delays from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. 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 via their Facebook Page, which has been edited.

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 →
Articles, Community News, Law, Youth

Del Norte Juvenile Offenders Can Be Housed in Mendocino, Supervisors Say

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Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday green lit a proposal to house juvenile offenders in Mendocino County. But they urged Chief Probation Officer Lonnie Reyman to use that option as a last resort, with District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short stating that “there’s probably more gang activity prevalent” in Mendocino than in Shasta County.

Del Norte County maintains agreements with Humboldt and Shasta counties to house wards in their juvenile detention facilities. Humboldt is the first option and Shasta is currently the second, though there are times when probation officials there have declined to hold Del Norte youth as well, according to Reyman.

Two Del Norte County youth are being detained, Reyman told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. One is at the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall in Eureka and the other is at the Shasta County Juvenile Rehabilitation Facility in Redding, he said.

Continue reading Del Norte Juvenile Offenders Can Be Housed in Mendocino, Supervisors Say →
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The Winter Pool Pact is Set – Redwood Voice Community News

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December 10th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: the secure property tax deadline is today; roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; information on the lethal hit and run on Northcrest; an update on the tsunami evacuation from the Del Norte Unified School District; the City of Brookings officially implements their shoreside camping ban; some of the items discussed the the Brookings City Council’s recent meeting; the pool pact between South Coast Community Aquatics and the Brookings Municipal Pool is set in stone; Tori McConnell becomes the first member of the Yurok Tribe to receive the Miss Indian title; recreational Dungeness crab fishery updates from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife; Crescent City Councilors agree on a gate design that draws on the City’s proximity to the ocean; and a missing mushroom picker is found in Coos County. 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 Curry Coastal Pilot, which has been edited.