Monthly Archives: March 2026

Articles, Crime

CHP Investigates Dead Horse Found at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds Stables

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of dnfair.org.

The discovery of a dead horse at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds has led to a California Highway Patrol investigation, authorities confirmed last week.

Officers responded to the fairgrounds, a state facility, at about 4:14 p.m. on March 21 and found the deceased animal in the horse stalls, the CHP reported on March 25.

According to a statement posted to the fairgrounds website, the deceased animal was in a stall its owner had rented prompting fairgrounds management to alert law enforcement.

Continue reading CHP Investigates Dead Horse Found at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds Stables →
Articles, Crime, Local Government

Hooper Given 44-Day Jail Sentence, 3 Years Probation Nearly A Year After DUI Arrest;

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Hooper

Thumbnail photo: Randy Hooper was arrested on a DUI with injury charge after he struck Megan Postma’s vehicle at Sand Mine Road and U.S. 101 on April 19, 2025 | Photo by Heather Polen

Randy Hooper will serve 44 days in jail, a Del Norte County judge decided on Monday nearly a year after officers arrested the assistant county administrative officer on a DUI with injury charge after leaving Elk Valley Casino.

At a sentencing hearing before Judge William Follett, Hooper offered an apology to Megan Postma, the Grants Pass woman whose vehicle he struck at U.S. 101 and Sand Mine Road on April 19, 2025.

“I wish I could have apologized sooner, but I was advised not to by my attorney,” Hooper told the judge. “I think my conduct was not of character — it certainly is not the way my parents raised me nor the way my wife and I are raising our children.”

Continue reading Hooper Given 44-Day Jail Sentence, 3 Years Probation Nearly A Year After DUI Arrest; →
Articles, CC Harbor, Infrastructure

Harbor Commissioners Tepid About CEO’s Offer To Travel To Washington D.C.; Rademaker Says Trump Maritime Initiative Could Help Crescent City

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Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Crescent City Harbor commissioners were lukewarm about their CEO’s offer to travel to Washington D.C. on his own dime to advocate for the district’s role in the Trump administration’s Maritime Action Plan.

Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said he planned to speak with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, whose father, Michael Greer, is a Del Norte Unified School District trustee. 

Rademaker said he wanted to talk about the role the Crescent City Harbor District could play in President Trump’s initiative to expand shipbuilding capacity in the United States with the former Fashion Blacksmith boatyard being a particular concern.

Continue reading Harbor Commissioners Tepid About CEO’s Offer To Travel To Washington D.C.; Rademaker Says Trump Maritime Initiative Could Help Crescent City →
Articles, CC Harbor, Crescent City, Local Government

Harbor Board Chair Calls For April 8 Conclusion To RV Park Negotiations; Self-Management On Table As ‘Contingency,’ CEO Says

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Thumbnail photo: Bayside RV Park is one of two the Crescent City Harbor District is looking to lease for redevelopment. | By Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Crescent City Harbor commissioners say they’re in the final stages of their negotiations with potential developers for the district’s two RV parks.

But their experience with the last developer who sought to revamp Bayside and Redwood Harbor Village RV parks still haunts them, they say. Responding to a member of the public Wednesday, Chairman Rick Shepherd said he’d like to present a bottomline to the developers by the Harbor District’s April 8 meeting.

“I’m done with it and I’m ready to move on,” he said.

Continue reading Harbor Board Chair Calls For April 8 Conclusion To RV Park Negotiations; Self-Management On Table As ‘Contingency,’ CEO Says →
Articles, Klamath, Tribal Affairs

Search Continues For 23-Year-Old Man Last Seen Near Old Klamath Townsite

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Thumbnail: Brandyon Salazar was last seen heading to the boat ramp at the old Klamath townsite early Sunday morning. | Courtesy of the California Highway Patrol

Yurok Tribal police are leading an investigation into the whereabouts of a 23-year-old man who was last seen heading to the boat ramp at the old Klamath townsite early Sunday morning.

Brandyon Salazar, a Pulikla Tribal member, was with a group of people at the Country Club Bar and Grill on Klamath Boulevard at about 2 a.m. when he drew the attention of law enforcement. According to YTP Chief Greg O’Rourke, Salazar had been drinking and was becoming aggressive, forcing his officer to make a determination to either arrest him for public intoxication or give him a ride home.

Before the officer could take action, however, Salazar fled on foot. O’Rourke said his officer followed Salazar, who had crossed U.S. 101 near Ehlers Avenue, before losing sight of him. Salazar’s family reported him missing later in the morning, the police chief said.

Continue reading Search Continues For 23-Year-Old Man Last Seen Near Old Klamath Townsite →
Articles, Crime

Three Accused Of Killing 41-Year-Old Man During Maiden Lane Altercation

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Three Del Norte County men are accused of killing 41-year-old Robert Allen Cole during an altercation that took place on Maiden Lane the evening of March 16.

Robert Christopher Hunter, 46, Andrew Salinas, 43, and 23-year-old Donovan Natt face murder charges, Del Norte County District Attorney Katherine Micks told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday.

Hunter and Natt appeared before Judge Karen Olson on Wednesday. Hunter pleaded not guilty and waived his right to a speedy trial. However, since Natt’s lawyer, Humboldt County attorney Russell Clanton, had just received the case, Natt’s entry-of-plea hearing has been postponed until April 9.

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Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Developers Working To Get Project On Track After Cost Overruns, Water Damage Halts Construction At Battery Point Apartments

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Updated at 10:39 a.m. Wednesday to correct who the general contractor is for the project.

Water damage and cost overruns have halted construction on Battery Point Apartments — the 162-unit affordable housing project being built near Joe Hamilton Elementary and Crescent Elk Middle School.

Three days after a former Del Norte County supervisor told the Crescent City Council that the project disturbed him, Bill Rice, president of the Synergy Community Development Corporation, acknowledged the work stoppage. But his description of who the building’s tenants will be is different from Roger Gitlin’s “completely Section 8 assisted living project” characterization.

It’s true that the complex’s senior apartments will be offered to those receiving project-based housing vouchers through the Crescent City Housing Authority, Rice said. The remaining 120 units will go to families, including those who are not very-low income, but who can’t afford market-rate rent.

Continue reading Developers Working To Get Project On Track After Cost Overruns, Water Damage Halts Construction At Battery Point Apartments →
Articles, Infrastructure, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 24, 2026

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Thumbnail image: The 57-acre “Sand Spit Property” the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking to acquire. |Image courtesy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

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

Trust Acquisition Opposition: County supervisors approved a letter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs opposing the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts to acquire 57 acres of undeveloped land just outside its boundaries in Smith River.

Known as the “Sand Spit Property,” the parcel is located on the south side of the Smith River estuary near the river mouth.

Continue reading Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Recap, March 24, 2026 →
Articles, Emergencies

Earthquake/Tsunami Drill Set For Tomorrow

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Thumbnail map courtesy of the Redwood Coast Tsunami Working Group. To find maps for Fort Dick, Smith River and Klamath, click here.

Del Norters who have opted into the county’s emergency alert system will get a notification between 11 a.m. and noon Wednesday.

Coinciding with Tsunami Preparedness Week, the earthquake and tsunami drill will only involve the county’s Everbridge system, Emergency Services Manager Deborah Otenburg told county supervisors on Tuesday.

“Oftentimes we have community members say we didn’t receive the alert, you do have to be registered to receive that alert,” Otenburg said. “And there will not be sirens. This is not a live-code activation. This is not a National Weather Service putting this out. It’s just us.”

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Articles, Crescent City

Chamber To Move To A Temporary Home Ahead of Cultural Center Project

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Thumbnail photo by Persephone Rose

Crescent City’s transformation of the Cultural Center into a more inviting, easier place for the public to visit will be underway this spring, but for that to happen the local chamber of commerce needs a temporary home.

The Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce is looking to move its gift shop and offices into Suite 2 at the Mason Mall likely by May 1, Executive Director Cindy Vosburg told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday. The organization hopes to be back home some time in November, “but you know how construction is,” she says.

“Nobody likes to move, it’s always a disruption, but this is a good workaround,” Vosburg said, adding that parking is plentiful for visitors at the new location. “And when we get to move back, Front Street will be done and it will be beautiful and even more beneficial for people who come to Del Norte County and Crescent City.”

Continue reading Chamber To Move To A Temporary Home Ahead of Cultural Center Project →