Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

Del Norte CAO Says Federal or State Loans May Be An Option To Finish Jail, Pyke Field Rehab Projects

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Thumbnail photo: Despite receiving about $3 million for much-needed improvements to the jail, Del Norte County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez says additional funding is needed. | Photo courtesy of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office

Del Norte County officials are looking to state and federal loan programs to complete needed upgrades to the jail and to the Pyke Field Sports Complex despite receiving roughly $3.5 million in Congressionally Designated Spending funds last year.

During a presentation on capital improvement projects that are either finished or ongoing, County Administrative Officer Neal Lopez said staff is working on applications for a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan and a potential loan through the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, or Ibank.

Staff have also decided that tackling the Pyke Field rehabilitation project in phases would be the best path forward, he said.

Continue reading Del Norte CAO Says Federal or State Loans May Be An Option To Finish Jail, Pyke Field Rehab Projects →
Articles, Community News, Local Government

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Roundup, March 25, 2025

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey was absent. Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Emergency shelter: Supervisors approved a budget transfer of nearly $2.9 million to build the 60-bed emergency shelter that’s part of a larger project to address homelessness in Del Norte County.

The funding, which comes from a $10 million Encampment Resolution Funding grant Del Norte received in 2023, will allow Adams Commercial General Contracting Inc. to start building the shelter. The 6,700 square-foot emergency shelter and a 50-unit micro village, along with restroom and commercial kitchen structures will be housed on county property on Williams Drive. This joint venture, which includes wraparound services and case management, is being spearheaded by the county Department of Health and Human Services and Del Norte Mission Possible. Individuals could begin occupying the emergency shelter and the micro village by September, according to DHHS Director Ranell Brown.

Continue reading Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Roundup, March 25, 2025 →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

County Engineer Presents List Of Repairs Planned For Del Norte’s Unmaintained Roads, Proposes Long-Term Options For Residents

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Thumbnail: Rock delivery and minor grading on Childs Avenue is among a list of planned repairs to unmaintained county roads for the upcoming fiscal year. | Photo courtesy of Del Norte County

Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to finance repairs to public roads the county doesn’t maintain for a second year. They also supported a proposal to use that allocation as an incentive to get residents to take on that responsibility themselves.

That policy pitch came from County Engineer Jon Olson. He acknowledged that residents weren’t receptive to a proposed benefit assessment to pay for those repairs about 15 years ago, but, he said, an up-front investment might get them to change their minds.

“This Board is spending $50,000,” Olson said. “That could be the leverage or the carrot that we need to get people to take responsibility long term for the roads that they’re responsible to maintain instead of just spending out $50,000 each year.”

Continue reading County Engineer Presents List Of Repairs Planned For Del Norte’s Unmaintained Roads, Proposes Long-Term Options For Residents →
Articles, Arts & Culture, In Media Res, Just For Fun

Down the Rabbit Hole of Poland’s Indianist Movement

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Last year I took a trip and spent nearly 3 months in Poland. After only a few weeks of staying there, I came to the realization that, despite such a large cultural and geographical gap between my home and the Slavic country, I and many others had much more in common than I first thought. What started out as a cultural exchange between me and the many Poles I met quickly turned into a rabbit hole of information I had never even known existed. A one-off conversation about Native American tribes turned into the realization that there was an entire  movement about them, spanning generations, all the way across the world. Strangely, it all ties back to a 60’s Americana-based trend. . .

Cowboys and Indians – you’ve definitely heard of the concept. It’s a cliche in American pop culture, most pronounced during the heyday of the Western movie. It  sparked a generation of American children’s imaginations, playing as gun-shooting, horseback-riding cowboys fighting Native Americans. However, it wasn’t just American kids during this era that were captivated by this myth. Over 5,000 miles across the world and deep behind the Iron Curtain, Poland —  a Slavic Eastern European country — would play Cowboys and Indians too, except it wouldn’t be the “righteous” cowboys in the lead role, fending off Natives. Rather, it was the Natives defending their land from the greedy, destructive cowboys. 

Why exactly did this role reversal occur, and how did playing Cowboys and Indians contribute to an informal movement of support for Native Americans in a distant Slavic land? 

Continue reading Down the Rabbit Hole of Poland’s Indianist Movement →
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Pebble Beach Drive’s New Wall System – Redwood Voice Community News

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March 26th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from CalTrans District 1; an update on Pebble Beach Drive’s construction; the grand opening for Fred Endert Municipal Pool has been rescheduled to March 29th; Sunset High School is named a 2025 Model Continuation School; DNUSD Board of Trustees discuss upgrades to aging wireless infrastructure; Tribal Citizens graduating can sign up to be recognized on Dee-ni’ Night; an exhibit by Brookings Third graders teaches basics of local government; CDPH releases annual report on California student vaccinations; Insurance Rates rise in California due to environmental disasters; Rural communities take a hit from Federal funding cuts; Josephine County’s Food Bank estimates losses as USDA halts deliveries; and Oregon Insurance companies see crackdown on predatory practices. 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 news card image is courtesy of KFUG Station Coordinator Amanda Dockter, which has been edited.

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Are You Ready For Tomorrow’s Tsunami Drill? – Redwood Voice Community News

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March 25th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from CalTrans District 1; information on the tsunami drill planned for tomorrow; Curry County Commissioners approved the transfer of four vehicles to Brookings Police Department for their K9 program; Sunset High School becomes one of only three NorCal schools to be named 2025 California Model Continuation School; DNUSD Trustees approve the proposed internet upgrades planned for Del Norte County’s Schools; fish related facts and figures from Kenny Priest of Fishing the North Coast; the California Department Of Fish & Wildlife is seeking artists for this year’s duck stamp art contest; a look at the Department of Public Health’s annual student vaccination rate report; proposed bills will allow health insurance coverage for mental health care; and a look into Oregon’s House Bill 3835. 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 news card image is courtesy of KQED, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Education, Youth

Sunset High Achieves Model Continuation School Status, Recognized For Field Trip Program

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Unified School District

Though he cast a wide net, Tony Fabricius said he was surprised at how many people showed up to advocate for Sunset High School.

Hoping that his school would be singled out as a Model Continuation High School for a second time, Sunset High’s principal hosted a representative with the California Department of Education last summer.

In addition to combing through its attendance and student achievement data, the CDE rep also met with stakeholders including parents, students and business owners and other community leaders. Fabricius said he sent out 22 invites and was surprised when “something like 20 people showed up.”

Continue reading Sunset High Achieves Model Continuation School Status, Recognized For Field Trip Program →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure

New Wall System Shores Up Pebble Beach Drive As City Council Approves Second Work Order

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Crescent City’s public works director on Monday unveiled a Pebble Beach Drive that’s completely different from the eroded remnant an atmospheric river left behind in January 2024.

A new wall system shores up the scenic thoroughfare between 7th and 8th streets. Constructed of vertical piles, soil nails and reinforced shotcrete, it’s been sculpted and stained to mimic the surrounding bluff, according to Public Works Director David Yeager. A rock revetment provides further erosion control and a landscape contractor has sown more than 500 native plants at its base.

“We also have a 240 foot wall that is a vertical space and so that brought about the idea of putting in some sort of railing,” Yeager told the City Council. “The most attractive in terms of not being able to lose your view is a steel cable rail. It’s a 3/8ths inch stainless steel cable rail that’ll go through the posts and so you’re basically looking through wire.”

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Curry Loans Cars For K9s, Prompting Rehashed Grievances – Redwood Voice Community News

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March 24th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from CalTrans District 1; Crescent City Councilors consider cramming underground electrical distribution lines into Front Street’s reconstruction; advanced warning about the Tsunami Alert system test on March 26th; Curry County Commissioners approved the transfer of four vehicles to Brookings Police Department for their K9 program; qualifications for California Earned Income Tax Credit; Oregon Department of Transportation’s Oregon Coast Bike Route Plan improvements kick off construction in Brookings; fishy facts and figures from Fishing the North Coast; bird populations across the United States are in decline; the City of Brookings is seeking input on suggested park improvements; the California Department of Fish & Wildlife is seeking artists for this hunting season’s duck stamp; and proposed bills for mental health insurance coverage. 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 news card image is taken as a screenshot of Google Maps, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Curry, Law

Curry County Sheriff Takes To Facebook After BOC Transfers K9 Vehicles To Brookings

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Curry County commissioners on Tuesday green lit a proposal to transfer four vehicles to the Brookings Police Department for use in its K9 program.

They reached this decision after learning that BPD would make its dogs available to other agencies in the county. But it prompted Sheriff John Ward to rehash a long-standing grievance via Facebook on Wednesday.

“This was all done without a conversation with me or even one word, no communication,” he posted on the Curry County Justice Facebook page. “They even demanded that I turn over all duplicate keys to all our vehicles. It sounds insane, but that is what is going on.”

Continue reading Curry County Sheriff Takes To Facebook After BOC Transfers K9 Vehicles To Brookings →

Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.