Category Archives: Community News

Articles, CC Harbor, Community News, Local Government

Harbor Board, Minus One Commissioner, Approve Rademaker’s Contract Amid Insolvency Rumors

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Harbormaster Mike Rademaker

Before asking her colleagues to consider taking protective action against potential insolvency, Crescent City Harbor Commissioner Annie Nehmer stood at the podium, invoked state and federal whistleblower laws and said the port may run out of cash within four to nine months.

There’s been no spending freeze or emergency budget discussion, Nehmer said, and the Harbor District Board in April gave their CEO a $24,000 raise “without disclosing the financial impact or explaining the decision to the public.”

Nehmer urged her colleagues to think twice about continuing to employ Harbormaster Mike Rademaker and voted no when, at the end of a closed-session meeting Wednesday, they finally approved his five-year contract.

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Community News

Curry Voters Reject Law Enforcement Levy For A Second Year; Hollinger Gives Recitation On Presentation From Sheriff’s Association Rep

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Sheriff John Ward

Thumbnail photo by Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Two days after Curry County voters rejected a property tax levy to fund patrol deputies and dispatchers, the sheriff took solace from the narrower margin of failure compared to the effort the Board of Commissioners spearheaded in 2024.

“It was 70-30 [last year],” Sheriff John Ward told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. “And this year, the breakdown was somewhere around 60 percent-to-40 percent.”

According to the results from Tuesday’s election posted on the Oregon Secretary of State’s website, 60.20 percent of the Curry County voters who cast a ballot rejected the proposed “five-year option tax for Curry County law enforcement. According to the results, 39.8 percent approved it.

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Community News, Crescent City, Curry, Humboldt, Local Government, Newscast

GIANT SEQUOIA SEEDLINGS IN SPACE! – Redwood Voice Community News

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May 22nd, 2025- For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: Roadwork Updates from Caltrans District 1; Del Norte’s illegal fireworks committee announces their “No Tolerance” Campaign; Items discussed at Monday’s Del Norte Library District Board Meeting; Local transportation officials will hold a meeting Thursday to unveil The South Beach Climate Resilience Plan; The Del Norte Sheriff’s Office warns of scammers calling about unpaid jury duty fines; An update from DNUSD superintendent Jeff Harris; Topics discussed by the Tolowa Dee-’ni Nation during the 2025 Economic Summit; The California Fish & Game Commission adopts the sports fishing regulations for the 2025 season; The Save the Redwoods League recently planted several Sequoia tree seedlings that had orbited the moon; A proposed funding bill will result in cuts to Medicaid, affecting rural hospitals; Governor Gavin Newsom proposes freezing Medi-Cal Enrollment, among other changes; Jackson County Fire District 4 seeks to increase it’s levy by eleven cents; The possibility of a nuclear reactor being constructed in Umatilla County sparks controversy; California State Parks is offering free admission in participating park units this Memorial Day; and Humboldt County Supervisors will appoint a new Director Of Aviation at their next meeting. 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 Bjorn Bakstad via Getty Images, which has been edited.

Community News, Crescent City, Curry, Economy, Humboldt, Local Government, Newscast, Regional News, Tribal Affairs

YOU CAN’T OWN THE NIGHT LIKE THE 4TH OF JULY – Redwood Voice Community News

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May 21st, 2025– For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: Roadwork Updates from Caltrans District 1; Del Norte’s ad hoc firework committee announce their “No Tolerance” Campaign against illegal fireworks; The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office warns of recent scam calls demanding Jury Duty fines; The Tolowa Dee-’ni Nation share information on projects and contributions at the 2025 Economic Summit; A lifejacket advisory from Curry County Aquatic Safety; The California Fish & Game Commission open Chinook salmon fishing in three Central Valley rivers; A proposed funding bill will result in cuts to Medicaid, affecting rural hospitals; An update on the ongoing investigation into West Coast Game Park Safari; A look at Oakland’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program; Five proposed Oregon bills will protect customers from predatory business practices; California State Parks is offering free admission for veterans and military members this Memorial Day; and the Humboldt County Board Of Supervisors announce the upcoming appointment of a new Aviation Director. 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!

Articles, Community News, Education

Library Director Tenders Resignation As Trustees, Staff Fight For Del Norte Reads

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Literacy means resiliency, stability and survival for Del Norte County, Terrin Musbach wrote in a letter she plans to send to state library officials.

Musbach, program coordinator for Del Norte Reads, read her letter before library trustees on Monday about six weeks after the California State Library recommended the local program not participate in the state’s literacy program.

But, while trustees agreed to partner with Musbach and petition the state to let Del Norte Reads rejoin California Library Literacy Services, they also received a letter of resignation from their library director, Phyllis Goodeill.

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Articles, Arts & Culture, Community News, Education, Just For Fun, Youth

DNHS Music Department Turns Up The Heat This Memorial Day Weekend

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Slideshow: Screenshots from the last Chili Pepper Fundraiser video | Courtesy Dan Sedgwick

Two years ago for Christmas the Del Norte High School music department attempted an unconventional fundraiser. Students from band and choir teamed up to play and sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”… with a twist. Part way through the concert, participants were challenged to eat a chili pepper before continuing their musical fare. The event was a hit with students and donors alike, ultimately raising around $10,000.

This year, the school’s music department hopes to match that figure as they revive the chili challenge for a spicy take on “America The Beautiful” as part of a Memorial Day fundraising blitz.

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Articles, Arts & Culture, Community News

‘Sketch Comedy Experiment’: Not Your Typical LRT Production

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Thumbnail photo: The cast of Lighthouse Repertory Theatre’s ‘Sketch Comedy Experiment’ prepares for the production’s opening night, which will be held at the Cultural Center on Friday. | Photo and video by Monique Camarena

The jury’s still out on whether Lighthouse Repertory Theatre’s new production embodies the definition of insanity, but preparing for it was definitely loony, or so Elizabeth Coburn says.

Coburn is one of the producers for LRT’s “Sketch Comedy Experiment” which makes its second appearance at the Crescent City Cultural Center starting Friday. It’s a departure from the organization’s usual repertoire, but Coburn is hoping to get the same results as the previous demonstration.

“From most of the responses we got, the audience really enjoyed it,” she said, adding that she and longtime LRT thespian Howard R. Patterson wrote the sketches for the experiment’s debut in November. “Howard’s goal when he wanted to put a sketch comedy together was to replicate what was done on Saturday Night Live, but on stage in front of an audience. That’s definitely what we heard from the audience [members] that we spoke to. That’s what they felt like.”

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Articles, Community News, Education

Meet Del Norte’s Lunch Lady

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Julie Bjorkstrand is a self-described “worrier,” a trait that comes in handy when you’re in charge of feeding nearly 2,000 kids every day.  

“I worry where there’s often no need to worry just because I like to think ahead,” she says, taking a seat at the small conference table in her office. The spring sun streams through the windows. Outside, a lawnmower whines in the adjacent Mike Whalen Field. It’s a decidedly non-stressful office, belying the myriad concerns Bjorkstrand encounters daily as Del Norte Unified School District’s Nutrition Services Director. Has she found the best vendors for the mix of prepackaged and fresh fare students get? What if the funding goes away? What if Last Chance Grade slides into the sea? 

“I’d rather be unsurprised by bad news,” Bjorkstrand says, “and have had a moment to think about if this happens, what next? What do we do after that?”

Bjorkstrand has been Nutrition Services Director since 2020. Before that, she served as the admin to her predecessor, Deb Kravitz. For seven years, she worked alongside Kravitz, learning the role of director, helping develop relationships with local food producers, making sure the district was able to provide quality nutrition to its students. “I learned a lot from her,” Bjorkstrand says of Kravitz, “oh, absolutely!”

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Articles, Community News, Education

DNUSD Foregoes Issuing Final Layoff Notices For Most Positions; District Still Has Funding Challenges, Superintendent Says

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Pine Grove School | Photo by Amanda Dockter

Del Norte Unified School District has been able to forego issuing final layoff notices to most of its certificated and classified staff members, Superintendent Jeff Harris said.

But since many of those positions will continue to be paid for through one-time grant dollars, DNUSD may find itself in the same boat again next year, Harris told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday.

“We’ve lost about 450 students since 2019,” he said, echoing a statement from a press release the district issued Feb. 28. “Losing 450 students would be the equivalent, at this point, of closing ‘O Me-nok, Mountain, Sunset and Bess Maxwell schools. What that means is that prior to 2020, we had a certain number of teachers. And, today, we have approximately, I think it’s 21 teachers more than we had before the pandemic even though we’ve lost 450 students.”

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Articles, Community News, Humboldt, Law, Local Government

Eureka Mayor Says Homelessness Discussion ‘Needs To Happen’ Even If Proposed Ordinance Doesn’t Pass

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Eureka City Councilman G. Mario Fernandez used the phrase “robber baron” when asking his colleagues to postpone consideration of an ordinance that would increase the penalties for people living in unauthorized encampments.

Fernandez urged his fellow councilors to refer the ordinance to an ad-hoc committee on camping alternatives consisting of himself and Councilwoman Renee Contreras-DeLoach rather than consider it on May 20.

This request echoed comments several public speakers made on Tuesday about removing the proposed ordinance from the May 20 agenda. Though a handful of commenters accused the City Council of criminalizing homelessness, Fernandez said speakers were asking him and his colleagues to either let them be part of their deliberations or to bring “those with experience into the discussion.”

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