Tag Archives: redwood voice

Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

Defect In C900 Pipe May Have Caused Last Wednesday’s Water Main Break, Crescent City Manager Says

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Crescent City Public Works and Tidewater Contracting crews responded to a water main break on Elk Valley Road at about 6 a.m. last Wednesday and had drinking water restored to about 3,000 customers in the Bertsch-Oceanview area by approximately 5 p.m. the next day. | Photo by Amanda Dockter

A defect in a 20-year-old C900 PVC pipe may have caused the water main break that left taps dry for about 3,000 customers in the Bertsch-Oceanview area last week.

City Manager Eric Wier was notified of the big leak on Elk Valley Road at about 6 a.m. last Wednesday. He thought it was going to be a run-of-the-mill leak, but found that the break lifted the pavement and destroyed the sidewalk.

The water main was about 8 feet underground, below the city’s storm drain system, Wier told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. Crews with Crescent City Public Works and Tidewater Contracting had to replace 20-feet of pipe, he said.

Continue reading Defect In C900 Pipe May Have Caused Last Wednesday’s Water Main Break, Crescent City Manager Says →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure, Local Government

Pool Reopening Set, Though Crescent City Now Has To Replace The Roof; Staff Blame Seagulls

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

“Cannonball Chaos” will reign supreme when the Fred Endert Municipal Pool reopens on March 22.

There will be contests, games and giveaways, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the facility’s new flooring and heating systems. But the pool’s three-month closure this winter revealed a problem — actual rain was getting inside the building. Crescent City Public Works Director David Yeager blamed it on seagulls.

“We’ve had the roofer up there a couple times and the thought is what’s going on is we’ve got about 150 holes in the roof and they’re very small and so the water only comes through after long periods of rain,” he told councilors on Monday. “It rains a little bit, sheds off and gets trapped between the membrane, but it basically has become completely saturated under the shingles and the plastic there. If you get enough water it will actually create a little bit of pressure and come through the membrane.”

Continue reading Pool Reopening Set, Though Crescent City Now Has To Replace The Roof; Staff Blame Seagulls →
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Grants Pass Police Surveil Designated Homeless Camp – Redwood Voice Community News

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March 4th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from Caltrans District 1; with a decline in students and funding, the Del Norte Unified School District Board of Trustees discussed post-Covid layoffs; last week California hosted its third annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Summit; Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation officials travel to Coos Bay for the Travel Southern Oregon Coast Network Conference; Federal funding freezes pose a threat to the Del Norte Fire Safe Council; Curry County Commissioners appoint Nick Vicino to the treasurer position; the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife has changed the regulations for sea urchin harvesting; Grants Pass nonprofit MINT purchases the property that houses their emergency weather shelter; Grants Pass Police deploy security cameras and loudspeakers at the 6th & A St. homeless camp; Rogue Valley Law Enforcement commemorate speed awareness month with increased patrols; and DOGE has ordered the layoff of over 400 Department of Fish and Wildlife employees. 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 KOBI-5 NBC5, which has been edited.

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Fire Safe Council Faces the Peril of the Funding Freeze – Redwood Voice Community News

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March 3rd, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from Caltrans District 1; with attendance rates dropping and funding cuts, DNUSD realigns its budget and adjusts staffing; information on the Tsunami siren tests planned for the end of this month; a dive into Del Norte’s Poetry Out Loud champion; Thursday marked the end of Oregon’s longest healthcare worker strike; the Del Norte Fire Safe Council faces a threat more perilous than fire: budget cuts; Curry County Commissioners appoint Nick Vicino to take Keina Wolf’s seat as treasurer; the American Red Cross is celebrating Red Cross month by offering free A1C tests; a lawsuit to halt the firing of probationary federal workers got a hearing before a district court judge in San Francisco; fishy facts and figures from Kenny Priest of Fishing the North Coast; and a blood moon is expected mid-March. 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 Del Norte Office of Emergency Services Public Information Officer Bill Steven, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Education

DNUSD Trustees May Issue Layoff Notices To Teachers, Classified Staff on Tuesday

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Thumbnail: DNUSD logo

Del Norte County teachers and classified staff could receive preliminary layoff notices for the 2025-26 school year following a vote from the school board on Tuesday.

The Del Norte County Unified School District Board’s decision could impact more than 18 full-time teachers, Del Norte Teachers Association President Amber Tiedeken-Cron told Redwood Voice Community News.

Meanwhile library services technician and paraprofessional positions also face elimination, according to the proposed resolution. According to Tiedeken-Cron, these potential cuts would impact two classified staff members.

Continue reading DNUSD Trustees May Issue Layoff Notices To Teachers, Classified Staff on Tuesday →
Articles, Community News, Curry, Local Government

Curry County Finance Director Resigns; Commissioners Appoint Treasurer To Role On Interim Basis

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Thumbnail: Former Curry County Finance Director Keina Wolf (far left) tendered her resignation effective Monday |Screenshot

Curry County commissioners appointed Treasurer Nick Vicino to provide financial oversight on an interim basis following the resignation of Keina Wolf effective Monday.

Vicino will receive a 25 percent salary increase for taking on extra duties, including the supervision of finance staff, said Commissioner Jay Trost who read out the order at an emergency meeting Friday.

Vicino’s other duties will include ensuring accounts payable and accounts receivable are entered into the county’s Casselle government software system and to ensure that the use of county accounts are in compliance with policies and government accounting standards. Vicino will also be required to prepare financial statements and documents for the county budget and authorize claims for payment.

Continue reading Curry County Finance Director Resigns; Commissioners Appoint Treasurer To Role On Interim Basis →
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The Oregon Nurses Association Returns to Work – Redwood Voice Community News

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February 28th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from Caltrans District 1; a special Harbor Fire & Rescue Board of Directors meeting is happening tomorrow; a warning about a tsunami alert system test next month; a weekend weather update from the National Weather Service of Eureka; Supervisor Wilson suggests AI to fill staffing shortages in the County; a profile on Del Norte County’s Poetry Out Loud champion; the Oregon Nurses Association returns to work; Oregon seeks to protect renters from application fees; next month is Red Cross Month; the marine update from Fishing the North Coast; and a blood moon is coming. 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 KOBI-5 via their article, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News, Emergencies, Environment, Local Government

Federal Funding Freeze Puts Del Norte Fire Safe Council Fuels Reduction Projects In Limbo

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Thumbnail: Del Norte Office of Emergency Services Public Information Officer Bill Steven snapped this photo of the Smith River Complex wildfires burning above Patrick Creek Lodge and U.S. 199 on Aug. 16, 2023.

(Updated at 12:03 p.m. Friday with a correction: The California Climate Investments grant is a state program and Cal Fire is a state department. There is a $70 million federal grant available, though Del Norte Fire Safe Council County Coordinator Aaron Babcock said he’s not sure how it will be distributed.)

Flames from the Smith River Complex crept within 600 feet of Aaron Babcock’s Gasquet home in August, 2023.

A former firefighter, Babcock is the county coordinator for the Del Norte Fire Safe Council. He said he and his wife chose not to evacuate from the smattering of wildfires burning around the Gasquet area. Instead, he and two of his Fire Safe Council colleagues helped clean out gutters and create extra defensible space for about 50 homes threatened by the fire.

“The houses we had worked on definitely got skipped over,” Babcock told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday. “Because they had firefighters preemptively clearing around people’s homes in case the fire came through, those homes didn’t have to have anything done [to prevent them from burning], which was great because it lowers the amount of firefighting resources that were needed and helped protect other homes.”

Continue reading Federal Funding Freeze Puts Del Norte Fire Safe Council Fuels Reduction Projects In Limbo →
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Supervisor Suggests Staffing AI to Combat Vacancies – Redwood Voice Community News

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February 27th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: road work updates from Caltrans District 1; Elk Valley road has a major water main break; Oregon seeks to protect renters from application fees and deposits; Del Norte County Sheriff cracks down to stop a possible July 4th repeat; information on the Del Norte backed AB 1014; the Brookings City Council sees a wave of public support for the municipal pool season; AI is suggested by a supervisor to fill the gaps in county staffing at the Board of Supervisors meeting; environmental groups seek reinstating protections against offshore drilling; and Oregon property owners still have time to fill out their intent to appeal recently released wildfire hazard maps. 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.

Articles, Community News, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government

Staff Vacancies Among Top Concern In Strategic Plan Update; County Supervisor Suggests AI To Increase Productivity

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Norma Williams rejected a suggestion from District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson that artificial intelligence might allow Del Norte County departments to increase productivity despite struggling to hire and keep staff.

Williams, Del Norte County Employees Association SEIU 1021 president, provided public comment following an update of the county’s 2024-29 strategic plan on Tuesday. She reminded Wilson that many county services are state- and federally-mandated. The technology staff use to provide those services was created by the state or federal government and, therefore, the responsibility to update those systems rests with the state or federal government.

Del Norte’s vacancy rate is still high and AI can’t replace everyone, Williams said.

“I doubt very seriously that the community at large is going to want to talk to an AI,” she told supervisors. “When they walk through the door they want to see a live human being. Someone who can understand them, who can speak with them and who can serve them.”

Continue reading Staff Vacancies Among Top Concern In Strategic Plan Update; County Supervisor Suggests AI To Increase Productivity →