Monthly Archives: December 2025

Articles, Emergencies, Infrastructure

Newsom Issues Disaster Declaration For July 30 Tsunami; Damage Estimates At CC Harbor Range From $2-5 Million, Harbormaster Says

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Thumbnail photo: The tsunami that struck Crescent City on July 30, 2025 caused complete separation of the harbor’s H Dock. | Photo courtesy of Mike Rademaker

Five months after an earthquake near Kamchatka sent a tsunami into Crescent City, the harbor has received the state disaster declaration needed to begin making repairs, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement Dec. 23 declaring a state of emergency in Del Norte County due to the tsunami that struck early the morning of July 30. The California Office of Emergency Services on Monday confirmed that the Crescent City Harbor District’s request for disaster assistance funding was approved, Rademaker told Redwood Voice Community News via email Tuesday.

The next phase, according to Rademaker, is for the Harbor District and Del Norte County to coordinate with state emergency officials to figure out a project list as well as scope and cost estimates so the Harbor District can be reimbursed. He said he hopes “things will happen within the next couple of weeks.”

Continue reading Newsom Issues Disaster Declaration For July 30 Tsunami; Damage Estimates At CC Harbor Range From $2-5 Million, Harbormaster Says →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure

Tsunamis, Marches, Government Shutdowns, or 2025 in Del Norte County

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Thumbnail photo: Del Norters participated in the People’s March on Jan. 18, two days before Donald Trump was inaugurated to his second term as president. | Photo by Jessica Andrews

Two weeks after the calendar ticked over to 2025, more than 100 Del Norte residents gathered at the Cultural Center in Crescent City.

Waving signs preaching “love not hate” and “united we stand,” they vowed to safeguard the rights of the vulnerable ahead of what they believed to be a dangerous presidential administration.

“Let us be on the right side of history,” Troy Lea said in a statement read aloud during the People’s March on Jan. 18, the first of several demonstrations Del Norters would take part in during 2025. “For our people, our nation and future generations whose lives will be shaped by the work we do here today.”

Continue reading Tsunamis, Marches, Government Shutdowns, or 2025 in Del Norte County →
Articles, Arts & Culture, Community News, Radio, Youth

Annual Fugathon Will Be KFUG’s Official Relaunch

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Editor’s Note: KFUG 101.1 FM is Redwood Voice Community News’s parent organization.

Have you ever wondered what’s lurking around Orick after dark? 

Aisling Bludworth has and at 3 a.m. Sunday, she and Bryce Evans are going to regale KFUG 101.1 FM’s loyal listeners with a tale that turns on the roll of the dice.

“I have a real fascination with Orick,” Bludworth said of the former lumber community about 42 miles south of Crescent City. “It’s a tiny little town that I’ve passed through a few times. There are old buildings that are shuttered and quiet. Something about Orick calls to me — that’s the perfect setting for hunting monsters.”

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Articles, Community News, Health

Heating Assistance Is Available For Low-Income Households

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Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte Senior Center

With its 2026 LIHEAP contract in hand, the Del Norte Senior Center is accepting applications from residents seeking energy assistance.

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program is open to all low-income households, not just senior citizens, Executive Director Charlaine Mazzei said. But with funding more limited than in previous years, applications will be prioritized on need, she told Redwood Voice Community News via email on Tuesday.

“We are starting 2026 with about $253,000 available to help with electricity, wood, propane and other heating fuels,” Mazzei said. “VERY roughly, that’s enough to help about 350 households based on our average benefits amount from 2025. But that can vary a lot depending on the circumstances of the households that apply.”

Continue reading Heating Assistance Is Available For Low-Income Households →
Articles, Education, Emergencies

Del Norte Unified, Office of Ed Launches Emergency Communications Protocol

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Thumbnail image courtesy of the Del Norte County Office of Education

Del Norte education officials are launching a new communications protocol officials say will present a “united and effective approach” to their messaging during emergencies.

Del Norte Unified School District and the Del Norte County Office of Education have adopted the Standard Response Protocol (SRP). Developed by the “I Love U Guys” Foundation, the platform will use shared language and procedures for communicating with students, staff, families and first responders at all of its campuses during an emergency.

Staff will begin practicing the new protocol starting Jan. 5, DNUSD spokesman Michael Hawkins said Monday. The public launch will be held Jan. 9, according to the district’s SRP web page. 

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Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan

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Thumbnail photo: The Crescent City Harbor District is working on paying back a $5.5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan that rebuilt the inner boat basin following tsunamis in 2006 and 2011. | Photo by Gavin Van Alstine

A week after county supervisors rejected a Crescent City Harbor Facilities Plan, its harbormaster argued that voters didn’t want the agency to wait 40 years before it began using Measure C tax dollars to make needed repairs.

The transiency occupancy tax measure voters approved in 2018 wasn’t specific about the repairs and maintenance the generated revenue would pay for, Harbor District CEO Mike Rademaker told commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday. 

In addition to being used to pay back a $5 million U.S. Department of Agriculture loan, Measure C revenue should also fund repairs and maintenance of harbor facilities. Rademaker cited legal advice he received from CCHD attorney Ryan Plotz, who said that could mean “anything that involves repair and maintenance.”

Continue reading After County Supervisors’ Rejection, Harbor Commissioners Opt To Re-Work Facilities Plan →
Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Crescent City Harbor District Needs Another Lawyer To Resolve Bond Dilemma With The County

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

A week after the question over whether they have faithful performance bonds in place reached the Board of Supervisors, Crescent City Harbor Commissioners learned they would need a different attorney to resolve the issue.

County officials have raised a conflict of interest objection stating that the firm the Harbor District’s attorney works for also represents Del Norte, Harbormaster Mike Rademaker told commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday. 

Rademaker, who had spoken with Ryan Plotz, the district’s legal advisor, said the attorney had found a provision in California Government Code, 1481(b), that supersedes the Harbors and Navigation Code.

Continue reading Crescent City Harbor District Needs Another Lawyer To Resolve Bond Dilemma With The County →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure, Local Government

CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park in June 2023. | File photo by Jessica C. Andrews

Harbor Commissioner Dan Schmidt was absent. Among the items discussed at the Crescent City Harbor District’s special meeting Wednesday:

No Lighted Boat Parade This Year: With harsh weather in the forecast and only nine vessels participating so far, CCHD Board Chairman Rick Shepherd said the lighted boat parade will be canceled.

This decision came after fiscal officer Sandy Moreno volunteered to organize the parade at the Board’s Dec. 3 meeting. Moreno had proposed holding the parade this Saturday and commissioners agreed to offer a $25 utility credit to participants.

Continue reading CCHD Recap: Lighted Boat Parade Canceled; Update on RV Park Leases; Harbor Receives Grant To Clean Up Derelict Vessels →
Articles, Community News, Health

Aegis’s New Crescent City MAT Unit Will Save A Daily Humboldt Trip For Del Norters Battling Opioid Addiction

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Thumbnail photo: Rx Safe Del Norte and the Department of Health and Human Services celebrate those recovering from addiction during an Addiction Recovery Awareness Walk in September. | Photo courtesy of Jermaine Brubaker

Patient Navigator Melissa Nelson described a tree in the lobby of Aegis Treatment Center’s Eureka clinic to illustrate an important facet of the care it provides.

Every patient that celebrates a milestone on their journey to be free of opioid addiction adds a leaf. It’s a reminder that someone cares about them, is available and will show up, Nelson said. That can mean a lot to someone in the throes of addiction.

“When you’re in the lobby, if you’re just waiting, you can look over and see what different patients have to say in that process of being celebrated,” Nelson told Redwood Voice Community News. “Maybe we’ll have a whale or something in Crescent City.”

Continue reading Aegis’s New Crescent City MAT Unit Will Save A Daily Humboldt Trip For Del Norters Battling Opioid Addiction →
Alerts, Articles, Emergencies, Youth

(Update) Amber Alert Issued For 12-year-old Boy Missing in Crescent City

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Update at 5 p.m. Wednesday: Shea Ramsey was found about an hour the California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert in the Crescent City area on Wednesday. The 12-year-old boy is back home with his parents, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott confirmed.

Scott credited the alert as well as new technology that allowed the sheriff’s office to put out a notice that Shea was missing so quickly.

“We appreciate all the public support — the people that reached out and gave us information, it’s amazing,” he said. “This is why we were able to find him, it was somebody that got that alert and they called us.”

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Original Post:

California Highway Patrol issued a localized Amber Alert in response to a 12-year-old boy that went missing from his parents’ Crescent City home Tuesday evening.

Shea Ramsey was last seen at about 9 p.m., according to the alert CHP issued on behalf of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office. The boy’s parents reported him missing at about noon Wednesday, saying that he had walked away from the family home after a disagreement, DNSO Capt. Melanie Curry told Redwood Voice Community News.

Shea is about 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs roughly 90 pounds. He has blond hair and green eyes and was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes. 

The Amber Alert went to phones within a five mile radius of the Shea’s residence, which is near Crescent Elk Middle School, Curry said. If anyone sees him, they can call dispatch at (707) 464-4191 or they can contact 911. Any law enforcement agency will respond and make sure Shea is returned to his family, Curry said.

Continue reading (Update) Amber Alert Issued For 12-year-old Boy Missing in Crescent City →