Tag Archives: redwood voice

Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections, Local Government

Race For The Harbor: Linda Sutter Promises ‘Real Change’

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Linda Sutter can’t say why she wanted to see the former harbormaster’s credit card statements from January through August of this year other than “something hit me wrong.”

Sutter spent three years investigating alleged misuse of public funds at the Crescent City Harbor District. She submitted a complaint to the Del Norte County Civil Grand Jury over their lack of a credit card policy and $75,000 in unapproved credit card use. After the Grand Jury “picked out one transaction” to focus on in its investigation, Sutter said she felt her claim was validated, but was disappointed in the results.

She resumed her investigation in August and filed a writ in Del Norte County Superior Court when Harbormaster Tim Petrick initially refused to let her see his credit card statements. Three weeks later — after the Crescent City Harbor District released Petrick’s credit card statements — the harbormaster had submitted his resignation.

Sutter says Petrick wouldn’t have resigned had it not been for her. As one of six candidates vying for three open seats on the Crescent City Harbor District Board of Commissioners, Sutter said the current commissioners have caused the harbor to “lose so much money.”

“I can no longer stand by without trying to get on as a commissioner because I believe I can bring real change,” she told KFUG Community Radio’s Paul Critz and Redwood Voice Community News last week.

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Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Elections, Local Government

Race For The Harbor: Dan Schmidt Wants To Help

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Dan Schmidt approaches his candidacy for Crescent City Harbor Commissioner the same way he viewed his job as editor of the Del Norte Triplicate — he wants to help.

That philosophy was emblazoned on the absurdly large wrench he brought into the KFUG studio last week where he sat down with Community Service host Paul Critz and Redwood Voice Community News. The Crescent City Harbor District needs repairs, Schmidt says, but it has potential.

“There are a whole lot of things that were allowed to fall apart in previous years that need to be corrected,” he said. “The whole Fashion Blacksmith fiasco — where the Harbor ended up owing millions and millions of dollars because they neglected their job to maintain and repair the harbor facilities. That should never have happened, and worse, they allowed a very hard-to-get permit to do that work to expire. Somebody wasn’t paying attention, and they allowed that to happen, and then they got embroiled in the lawsuit.”

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The Sheriff’s Office Staffing Plan – Redwood Voice Community News

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October 24th, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; Tuesday’s supervisor meeting had a union appearance; a rundown of the meetings regarding lily bulb fields and pesticide use held earlier this week throughout Del Norte; the Del Norte Sheriff shares updates on his new staffing plan; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation enters year two of its free food program; an explanation of California’s Prop 35; Curry County announces its Halloween candy map still has vacancies; and a bit of info about the Curry County Cruisers Car Club from the Curry Pilot. 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 a screenshot from Google Maps, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Law

Del Norte Supervisors Sign Off On DNSO Staffing Plan; Sheriff Says He’s Already Received Interest From Potential Recruits

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Experienced officers have already begun inquiring about working for the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Garrett Scott told Redwood Voice Community News the day after the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved his staffing plan.

The Del Norte County sheriff said his proposal to freeze positions that have been vacant for more than a decade in an effort to increase salaries for new and existing employees won’t be the answer to all of his office’s problems, but it will help.

“I [plan] to send five locals to the academy in January,” Scott said Wednesday. “I anticipate several of those being current staff members of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. For example, jail deputies that want to work [as] patrol deputies or bailiffs.”

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Sign Off On DNSO Staffing Plan; Sheriff Says He’s Already Received Interest From Potential Recruits →
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A Sea of Purple Shirts in the Board Chambers – Redwood Voice Community News

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October 23rd, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; County workers confront Del Norte’s Board of Supervisors; Curry County struggles to figure out a proposal for opioid settlement money; two missing hunters in Josephine County have been found; a missing boy from Cave Junction has also been found; Curry County’s Chamber of Commerce is still seeking participants for the county’s Halloween Candy Map; CDFW officially opens Quail Hunting season; info on California’s Prop 34; CDFW also announces adult fall-run chinook salmon have begun to occupy and spawn in former dam locations on the Klamath River; and information on CPSC’s marine flare exchange events. 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 Redwood Voice Reporter Aisling Bludworth, which has been edited.

Agriculture, Articles, Community News, Environment, Health, Smith River

Smith River Residents Air Concerns About Illnesses They Say Are Linked to Pesticide Use In Lily Industry

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Marilyn Gray Wintersteen admitted she didn’t think much about what growers were spraying on the lily fields in her neighborhood until last year when it hit her in the face.

Wintersteen was planting flowers in her backyard on Ocean View Drive when she got a face full of spray from the adjacent lily field.

“My skin burned, my eyes burned, my tongue swelled up, I had blisters on it [and] I ended up in the ER,” she said. “I got from the back of my house where they were spraying around to the front of my house and bent over to catch my breath. I could not breathe.”

Wintersteen, a 35 year resident, told her story to the North Coast Water Quality Control Board at a town hall meeting at the Smith River United Methodist Church on Monday and to the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

Both meetings, and a third at the United Methodist Church in Crescent City, focused on the Water Quality Control Board’s efforts to develop water quality regulations for Easter lily bulb production in the Smith River plain. Those regulations will be in an order monitoring and mitigating the impacts of copper diuron and other pesticides and fertilizers on the watershed aquatic ecosystem. 

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North Coast Water Board Hosts Smith River Meeting – Redwood Voice Community News

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October 22nd, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; help support National Family Partnership’s drug use campaign by wearing a red ribbon this month; Curry County Commissioners scurry to address their accounting errors; Curry Jail Commander seeks to claim some of the County’s opioid settlement dollars for inmate telehealth; the Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative is starting it’s annual food drive; the Oregon Elections Division is overwhelmed by out of state calls regarding Trump’s presence on the ballot; two hunters have gone missing in the Illinois Valley near O’Brien; information on California’s Proposition 33; as election season progresses, unions are urging people to get out and vote; California’s quail hunting season opened up last weekend; and adult fall run chinook salmon have begun to spawn upstream of the former Klamath dam sites. 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 Manager Paul Critz, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Curry, Local Government

Curry County Commissioners, Jail Commander Differ On Use Of Opioid Settlement Dollars

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Curry County commissioners considered two proposed uses for opioid settlement dollars on Thursday. The first proposal was an agreement with Gold Beach for a school resource officer position, while the second involved opioid use disorder treatment at the jail.

Competing proposals on potential uses for opioid settlement dollars put jail commander Lt. Jeremy Krohn at odds with the Curry County Board of Commissioners on Thursday.

Krohn’s request for $36,000 in opioid settlement dollars to provide telehealth services to inmates struggling with addiction came after commissioners supported a proposed five-year intergovernmental agreement with Gold Beach to create a school resource officer position.

Under that proposal, Curry County would pay Gold Beach $149,100 in opioid settlement dollars for the first year. This cost would cover the officer’s salary and benefits, vehicle accessories and insurance, outfitting for the officer as well as software. The county would continue paying for those expenditures throughout the five-year term of the agreement, which includes a 5 percent cost of living adjustment and step increases for the officer.

During the summer, the school resource officer would transition into a community resource officer, according to Commissioner Brad Alcorn.

Though Curry County Finance Director Keina Wolf said there were enough opioid settlement dollars to fund both programs, Krohn took issue with the SRO proposal. He said he was perturbed that he had to make a presentation to obtain approval to use those funds, but Gold Beach and the school districts benefiting from the SRO position didn’t have to make a presentation.

Without naming who they were, Krohn said he sent the proposed intergovernmental agreement between the county and Gold Beach to “colleagues who handle opioid settlement funds” for review.

“They said you could not fund a full position based on that IGA through opiate money,” Krohn told commissioners. “They conservatively said 20 percent to fund it. So, with that, be prepared for that to come up — that we’re over funding out of the opioid settlement funds. There will be an audit for that.”

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Oregon Sec. of State Elections Division Closes Phone Lines – Redwood Voice Community News

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October 21st, 2024 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; information on the National Family Partnership for Red Ribbon Week; an investigation into Curry County’s treasury department; Coos-Curry Electric Cooperative begin their annual food drive; Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division’s phone lines close early due to overwhelming out of state callers and misinformation; info on California’s Prop 32; Unions in California urge Californians to vote; CDFW announces opening for Quail hunting season; and the first fall-run Chinook Salmon returns to the Klamath Basin after 100 years. 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 Chepté Cormani via Pexels, which has been edited.

Community News, Curry, Local Government

Curry County Commissioner Calls For Forensic Audit Of Treasury After Past Accounting Errors Were Revealed

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Thursday’s meeting

Commissioner Jay Trost called for a forensic audit of Curry County’s treasury department and its accounting practices on Thursday, saying that an investigation of past practices revealed it may have short- changed the area’s special districts.

Trost told his colleague Brad Alcorn that he, Finance Director Keina Wolf and the current county treasurer, Nick Vicino, had conducted a reconciliation of the county treasury for two fiscal years leading into the 2023-24 budget season.

That reconciliation revealed that the county had been holding on to tax revenue that belonged to other special districts and had erroneously recorded the transfer of those dollars when they were never actually transferred, Trost said. When the error was discovered, the dollars were no longer available to be transferred, he said.

The reconciliation also uncovered several other errors, Trost said, including bank fees and $66,000 in deposits that hadn’t been recorded and $3.7 million that had been transferred into other accounts “other than those recorded in the fiscal system.”

“We had overdraft charges to the county bank account that had rolled over for 11 months,” Trost said Thursday. “We had $601,180.32 in deposits that weren’t recorded in the fiscal system for up to three months — we were obviously behind in our reconciliation by two years. And we had over $32 million in bank adjustments during that time period.”

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