All posts by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

County Engineer Presents List Of Repairs Planned For Del Norte’s Unmaintained Roads, Proposes Long-Term Options For Residents

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Thumbnail: Rock delivery and minor grading on Childs Avenue is among a list of planned repairs to unmaintained county roads for the upcoming fiscal year. | Photo courtesy of Del Norte County

Four Del Norte County supervisors on Tuesday agreed to finance repairs to public roads the county doesn’t maintain for a second year. They also supported a proposal to use that allocation as an incentive to get residents to take on that responsibility themselves.

That policy pitch came from County Engineer Jon Olson. He acknowledged that residents weren’t receptive to a proposed benefit assessment to pay for those repairs about 15 years ago, but, he said, an up-front investment might get them to change their minds.

“This Board is spending $50,000,” Olson said. “That could be the leverage or the carrot that we need to get people to take responsibility long term for the roads that they’re responsible to maintain instead of just spending out $50,000 each year.”

Continue reading County Engineer Presents List Of Repairs Planned For Del Norte’s Unmaintained Roads, Proposes Long-Term Options For Residents →
Articles, Community News, Education, Youth

Sunset High Achieves Model Continuation School Status, Recognized For Field Trip Program

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Unified School District

Though he cast a wide net, Tony Fabricius said he was surprised at how many people showed up to advocate for Sunset High School.

Hoping that his school would be singled out as a Model Continuation High School for a second time, Sunset High’s principal hosted a representative with the California Department of Education last summer.

In addition to combing through its attendance and student achievement data, the CDE rep also met with stakeholders including parents, students and business owners and other community leaders. Fabricius said he sent out 22 invites and was surprised when “something like 20 people showed up.”

Continue reading Sunset High Achieves Model Continuation School Status, Recognized For Field Trip Program →
Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Infrastructure

New Wall System Shores Up Pebble Beach Drive As City Council Approves Second Work Order

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Crescent City’s public works director on Monday unveiled a Pebble Beach Drive that’s completely different from the eroded remnant an atmospheric river left behind in January 2024.

A new wall system shores up the scenic thoroughfare between 7th and 8th streets. Constructed of vertical piles, soil nails and reinforced shotcrete, it’s been sculpted and stained to mimic the surrounding bluff, according to Public Works Director David Yeager. A rock revetment provides further erosion control and a landscape contractor has sown more than 500 native plants at its base.

“We also have a 240 foot wall that is a vertical space and so that brought about the idea of putting in some sort of railing,” Yeager told the City Council. “The most attractive in terms of not being able to lose your view is a steel cable rail. It’s a 3/8ths inch stainless steel cable rail that’ll go through the posts and so you’re basically looking through wire.”

Continue reading New Wall System Shores Up Pebble Beach Drive As City Council Approves Second Work Order →
Articles, Community News, Curry, Law

Curry County Sheriff Takes To Facebook After BOC Transfers K9 Vehicles To Brookings

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Curry County commissioners on Tuesday green lit a proposal to transfer four vehicles to the Brookings Police Department for use in its K9 program.

They reached this decision after learning that BPD would make its dogs available to other agencies in the county. But it prompted Sheriff John Ward to rehash a long-standing grievance via Facebook on Wednesday.

“This was all done without a conversation with me or even one word, no communication,” he posted on the Curry County Justice Facebook page. “They even demanded that I turn over all duplicate keys to all our vehicles. It sounds insane, but that is what is going on.”

Continue reading Curry County Sheriff Takes To Facebook After BOC Transfers K9 Vehicles To Brookings →
Articles, Community News, Infrastructure, Local Government

City Starts Process To Underground Utility Lines Ahead of Gateway Project

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Crescent City hopes to use the last leg of Front Street’s reconstruction along with a gateway project as an opportunity to underground electrical distribution lines between K and M streets, but it’s under a tight deadline.

Councilors have until June 8 to update the municipal code chapter governing the creation of underground utility districts. They must hear from the public, adopt a resolution creating the underground utility district, coordinate with Del Norte County on the transfer of work credits Pacific Power can use to underground the existing power lines and negotiate an agreement with Pacific Power.

“It’s that last action which commits the funds,” City Attorney Martha Rice told councilors on Monday.

Continue reading City Starts Process To Underground Utility Lines Ahead of Gateway Project →
Articles, Community News, Local Government

Week of Activities Planned For Next Month’s Kamome Festival, Including A Cardboard Boat Regatta

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Thumbnail: A delegation from Rikuzentakata, Japan celebrates the unveiling of a mural commemorating its Sister City relationship with Crescent City at the inaugural Kamome Festival in 2023. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Del Norters have less than a month to shore up their finest cardboard boat for a regatta celebrating the 20-foot long fishing vessel that led to a friendship between Crescent City and Rikuzentakata, Japan.

The first-annual Kamome Cardboard Race will be held at the Fred Endert Municipal Pool on April 11, City Manager Eric Wier told the Crescent City Council on Monday. It’s a new component to the third-annual Kamome Festival, which has grown into a week-long shoulder-season — spring or autumn — event that includes involvement from local businesses as well as several different government agencies.

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Agriculture, Articles, Community News, Fort Dick, Humboldt

Alexandres Caught Up In Class Action Lawsuit A Year After Cruelty Allegations Surfaced; Defendants Include Certified Humane

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Thumbnail: Cows mill about at Alexandre Family Farm’s operation on Lower Lake Road last spring. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

The matriarch of Alexandre Family Farm says a new consumer class-action lawsuit against her family’s dairy operation, stemming from allegations of animal cruelty that are nearly a year old and revealing new claims, is without merit.

The animal cruelty allegations levied against the Alexandres in an April 11, 2024 exposé from the nonprofit organization Farm Forward forms the basis of this new lawsuit, Taylor v. Humane Animal Farm Care and Alexandre Family Farm. It also accuses the Alexandres and Humane Animal Farm Care — the organization behind the Certified Humane logo — of deceiving consumers.

According to the complaint, Humane Animal Farm Care allowed the Alexandres to continue to display its logo despite knowing that the farm didn’t meet the organization’s “advertised standards of animal welfare.”

Continue reading Alexandres Caught Up In Class Action Lawsuit A Year After Cruelty Allegations Surfaced; Defendants Include Certified Humane →
Articles, Community News, Emergencies, Weather

Curry County Declares Emergency Following Weekend Atmospheric River

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Thumbnail: In the wake of an atmospheric river that brought flooding to Curry County, the National Weather Service is warning of gusty winds on Wednesday. | Image courtesy of the U.S. National Weather Service Medford office.

A “severe rain event” that led to flooding and road damage in Curry County prompted the Board of Commissioners to issue an emergency declaration on Tuesday.

The same atmospheric river that brought gusty winds to Del Norte County over the weekend caused the Rogue River to flood near Lobster Creek as well as near the mouth, Curry County Director of Operations Ted Fitzgerald said.

Flooding plugged culverts, causing streams to wash out Floras Creek and Six Rivers roads, said Fitzgerald, who also serves as the county’s roadmaster. It also brought down a lot of debris, he said.

Continue reading Curry County Declares Emergency Following Weekend Atmospheric River →
Articles, Community News, Crime

Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder, In Connection With Deputy’s Death

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Thumbnail photo: Deanna Esmaeel (left) is sworn in as a Del Norte County Sheriff’s deputy by then-sheriff Erik Apperson. | Photo courtesy of the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office.

Davies

A 55-year-old man faces 15-years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder earlier this month in connection with the death of Del Norte County Deputy Deanna Esmaeel.

Edward Patrick Davies was also found to be sane when he killed Esmaeel, District Attorney Katherine Micks told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday. The jury reached a verdict in the case on March 6 and ruled on Davies’ insanity defense on March 10, she said.

Esmaeel was found dead at her North Bank Road home the morning of Oct. 12, 2023. One of her colleagues at the sheriff’s office was sent to investigate when she didn’t show up for work and wasn’t answering phone calls.

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Articles, Community News, Education, Infrastructure

DNUSD To Undergo $698,000 Upgrade To Its Wifi Access Points

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Thumbnail image by RRZEicons via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Trustees green lit a proposed $698,000 upgrade to Del Norte Unified School District’s wireless network infrastructure, replacing wireless access points that are at the end of their life with new units that came out in November.

Ryan Bahten, DNUSD’s director of information network services, said he plans on replacing 379 access points that are currently housed indoors. There are 13 others that provide internet access outdoors, but “we’re just talking about the inside ones,” he said.

DNUSD currently uses Wifi 5, which is the fifth generation of WiFi technology, Bahen said. Its hardware is currently at the end of its life and is no longer warrantied. He proposed upgrading to Wifi 7, which became available in November.

“[Wifi] 6 has been out for almost 10 years so we’re going straight to [Wifi] 7,” he said. “[It] offers simultaneous connections, better range. We expect to see more benefit in our classrooms for our students and our staff.”

According to Bahten, the total cost breakdown for the upgrade is about $155 per user, which includes students and staff. He said the $698,285.98 cost would come out of a special reserve DNUSD set aside for technology infrastructure, called Fund 40.

Bahten also pointed out that state testing is done via Chromebooks and iPads as are other district assessments.

According to Assistant Superintendent of Business Jeff Napier, DNUSD has contributed to Fund 40 every year after the DNUSD had to borrow $3.5 million for technology upgrades.

District 3 representative Frank Magarino was absent.