All posts by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Articles, Crescent City, Law

Crescent City Fire, Police Chiefs Discuss Independence Day Game Plan

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Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey said his department will be the eyes for law enforcement as the community seeks to curtail illegal fireworks this Fourth of July.

Speaking to the City Council via Zoom on Monday, Carey said he expects to have 25 volunteers and five of his battalion chiefs on duty. The fire department will divide its efforts into north, central and south divisions and plan with the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Crescent City Police Department and Del Norte Ambulance in case there are any large emergencies.

“We will be out and about doing patrols and following up on reports and smoke incidents,” Carey said. “And we’ll be reporting that to the PD and deputies as we need to do so we can produce a more safe Fourth of July in our area.”

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Articles, Community News

Forest Moon Festival Sandwiched Between Disney and Taylor Swift In People Magazine Special Edition

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Thumbnail photo: Crescent City Fire & Rescue crew members pose with costumers at the Forest Moon Festival earlier this month. | Photo courtesy of Crescent City Fire & Rescue

“We beat Taylor Swift!”

Cassandra Hesseltine uttered those words before the Crescent City Council on Monday. People, the celebrity news magazine that reaches more than 35 million Americans weekly, listed the Forest Moon Festival as the fourth reason to love California, she said. 

Disney was No. 3 on that list. Taylor was No. 5. And, Hesseltine said, the magazine left Humboldt out though the Forest Moon Festival is a two-county event.

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Articles, Curry, Local Government

CCPD Establishes Volunteer Reserve Officer Program, And Other City Council News

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Among the items discussed at Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting:

Reserve Officer Program: 

Councilors gave their blessing to a program that will rely on volunteers to boost the Crescent City Police Department’s roster.

Police Chief Richard Griffin said two candidates have expressed interest in the program. One is a former CCPD officer who’s looking to maintain her police academy training and police officer status. The other candidate is a former corrections officer who wants to help out with the police department’s negotiations team, Griffin said.

The Council’s unanimous approval of an ordinance creating the reserve officer program will allow volunteers to be 24-hour peace officers depending on their level of expertise, the police chief said. They would be available to cover a shift when a career officer calls out sick and could fill in during an emergency. Their primary duties could also include helping out with traffic enforcement during major events like the Fourth of July celebration, acting as a public information officer, Griffin said.

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Articles, Crescent City, Local Government

Crescent City Expands Downtown Masterplan Project Despite Federal Grant Uncertainty

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Thumbnail photo: Don Arambula, of the urban design and architect firm Crandall Arambula, gave councilors an idea of what a master plan for Downtown Crescent City might look like. | Screenshot

Crescent City leaders are expanding the scope of a downtown master plan project to include work at Lighthouse Cove RV Park, though the federal grant they’re relying on for the endeavor is currently in limbo.

Crescent City was conditionally awarded $186,000 in Economic Development Administration grant dollars, but can’t move forward with the project assuming that it’ll get those funds, City Manager Eric Wier said Monday.

However, the city can use its contribution for the EDA grant to proceed with the master plan, Wier said. 

“If EDA comes through in the next several months as we’re working on that, then our grant match still counts and we just get the EDA funding and we can continue to move forward,” he said. “Worst case scenario is EDA comes back and says, ‘We’re sorry that money’s no longer available.’ At that point in time our grant match doesn’t count as a grant match anymore. It would be us putting forward economic development dollars to pay for phase one.”

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Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

Schmidt Urges His Colleagues To Resume Crescent City Harbormaster Search; Rademaker Says His Appointment in April Stands

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Dan Schmidt

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

One of the four commissioners who approved Mike Rademaker’s contract as Crescent City harbormaster late last month is walking back on his decision, saying he questions Rademaker’s judgment on at least two issues.

Dan Schmidt, who was elected to the Crescent City Harbor District Board in November, says his suggestion to negotiate with Rademaker over his contract during a May 28 closed session meeting violated the Ralph M. Brown Act, California’s open meetings law. Though he was one of four who agreed to approve the contract, Schmidt says the Harbor District Board will again be soliciting applicants for the harbormaster position.

“Mike Rademaker has on too many occasions exhibited what I consider to be poor judgment in two distinct hemispheres,” Schmidt told Redwood Voice Community News on Friday.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Law, Local Government

Del Norte’s Youth Opportunity Center To House Adult Inmates During Jail Rehab Project Next Spring

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Thumbnail photo: Consultants with NMR Architects, of Redding, are proposing a more open dormitory style layout rather than the row of cells that are currently at the Del Norte County Jail. | Screenshot

Though they echoed the probation chief’s sentiments that they didn’t want their employees “living out of a bag,” Del Norte County supervisors green lit a proposal to house adult inmates in the Youth Opportunity Center while the jail undergoes a significant remodel.

It was the less expensive option out of two members of a working group presented to the Board on Tuesday. Those group members, which included Assistant County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper and Del Norte County Sheriff’s Capt. Kyle Stevens, also asked the Board to consider using Measure R and capital improvement dollars to close a funding gap in the jail rehab project.

The Board agreed, but asked staff to continue to work to secure state funding for the remodel. Supervisors also directed staff to make sure Del Norte County Probation has input into where they will be housed when construction starts next spring.

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Articles, Education, Youth

Mountain School In Gasquet May Lose A Teacher As DNUSD Grapples With Budget Deficit

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Thumbnail photo by Aisling Bludworth

(Updated at 4:42 p.m. Wednesday: Del Norte Unified School District Director of Communication Mike Hawkins offered a clarification regarding class sizes in the district. While class sizes are changing, many are still fairly small, he said.)

Brandiy Dixon’s days teaching third through fifth grades at Mountain School in Gasquet appear to be numbered.

But instead of fighting to keep her job when she appeared before the Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees on Thursday, Dixon said she was concerned about her colleagues, who will now be expected to cover five grade levels each, and her students.

“The maturation gap between a 4 year old and a 9 year old and a 9 year old and a 14 year old is enormous,” she said. “These are formative years where students need targeted academic support, clear routines and peer connections appropriate at their stage of development. This structure risks students feeling overlooked, frustrated or unsupported, especially those who already need scaffolding to succeed.”

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Articles, Crescent City

CCPD Officer Cleared Of Wrongdoing In February Surf Apartments Shooting

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A Crescent City police officer has been cleared of wrongdoing in connection with the shooting death of 67-year-old John Spencer at the Surf Apartments on Feb. 17, Del Norte County District Attorney Katherine Micks concluded.

Officer Ethan Miller acted in justified self defense and in defense of others, Micks said in a written statement on Friday following an investigation led by California Highway Patrol Officer Adriana Warner. Micks stated she ascribed no criminal liability to Miller’s conduct during the Feb. 17 incident.

According to a summary of the officer-involved shooting, dispatch sent CCPD officers to Surf Apartments, 108 H Street, after receiving a report of a male subject in his apartment with a firearm possibly intent on harming himself. Miller and Sgt. Ed Wilson arrived on scene at about 4:20 p.m. and made contact with Spencer in his apartment.

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Articles, Education, Health, Youth

Del Norte’s School Wellness Guide Prompts Discussion Over Birthday Parties, Cupcakes, and Equity

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Thumbnail photo: Fish tacos were on the menu for Del Norte High School students in this file photo from last year. Julie Bjorkstrand, Del Norte Unified School District’s director of nutrition services, presented an updated wellness policy and guide to the DNUSD Board of Trustees last week. | Photo courtesy of Josh Mims

Julie Bjorkstrand’s attempt to clear up confusion surrounding a wellness policy and accompanying guide turned into a plea for community involvement after questions about classroom birthday parties, cupcakes, pizza and other treats persisted.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture requires school districts participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs to adopt a school wellness policy. Such policies are required to include guidelines that set nutrition standards around food and drink sold or provided to students on campus during the school day. 

Treats for classroom parties fall into the latter category, said Bjorkstrand, Del Norte Unified School District’s director of Nutrition Services, but it doesn’t mean having to give them up entirely.

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Articles, Crescent City, Crime

Suspects In Safeway Shopping Center Shooting Arrested in Citrus Heights

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Thumbnail photo: Russell Walters Jr. and Russell Walters Sr. were arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide in connection with a May 28 shooting near Safeway. | Photo courtesy of CCPD.

The 17-year-old suspect in last week’s shooting at Jedediah Smith Shopping Center, along with his father, are in custody in Citrus Heights, Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin told Redwood Voice Community News on Sunday.

Citrus Heights police arrested Russell Walters Jr. and Russell Walters Sr. after serving a search warrant at a home just before 5 p.m. Sunday, Griffin said. The two attempted to flee out a backdoor, but were taken into custody. 

Officers also identified a female subject who drove them to the Sacramento area and will likely ask for accessory charges to be filed against her, Griffin said. 

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