Category Archives: Klamath

Alerts, Crime, Klamath, Regional News

Judge Rejects Request to Evaluate Defendant’s Mental Competency in Dante Romannose-Jones Case

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

A Del Norte County judge denied a request to determine if the 27-year-old man accused of killing 13-year-old Dante Romannose-Jones when he was still a teenager himself is competent enough to assist in his own defense.

During a hearing in juvenile court on Wednesday, Crescent City attorney James Fallman asked to have his client, Nathan Feliz, evaluated by a psychiatrist for competency. 

Fallman told Judge Darrin McElfresh that the defendant, who was 16 years old in 2015 when Romannose-Jones was shot and killed in Klamath, ended a conversation mid-sentence when he tried to discuss options with him.

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Articles, Crime, Klamath

Arrest Made In 11-Year-Old Shooting Death of Klamath Teenager

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(Updated at 5:15 p.m. to include input from Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott.)

A 27-year-old man faces a similar murder charge he received 11 years ago in connection with the homicide of Klamath teenager Dante Romannose-Jones.

Nathan Feliz, who was 16 years old when Dante was shot and killed, was arrested in Ukiah on Monday, the Redheaded Blackbelt’s Lisa Music reported. According to Del Norte County District Attorney Katherine Micks, Feliz’s current charge — murder with a special allegation of use of a firearm — originated in juvenile court.

Feliz appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, Micks said. His next hearing is scheduled for July 30 before Del Norte County Superior Court Judge Darrin McElfresh, she said.

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Articles, Community News, Klamath, Regional News

‘I’ve Been In Good Spirits’; Though He’s Still Struggling With the Loss Of His Hand, Jason Turner Says He’s Optimistic About the Future

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of GoFundMe

Jason Turner didn’t have time to see what he grabbed before it exploded.

The father of seven and his girlfriend, Pamala Ganfield, were spending a post-holiday afternoon at the beach north of Crescent City. As they walked along the beach, Pamala picked up some trash, putting it in a pile to retrieve before they left, when something round and shiny caught Turner’s eye.

“We walked close to the water’s edge, there was a little bit of sand over it, but it was fairly close to where the water would get us,” he said. “To me, it looked like a lead sinker with something on it and I thought, ‘Oh, this is going to be cool,’ and that’s the last thing that happened.”

Two weeks after the July 5 explosion at Point St. George forced doctors at U.C. Davis Medical Center to amputate his left hand, Turner is back home in Klamath. He says he’s slowly getting used to his new life, including figuring out how to maneuver a game controller to play Fortnite, but he has a long road of surgeries, doctors visits, occupational and physical therapies ahead of him.

Continue reading ‘I’ve Been In Good Spirits’; Though He’s Still Struggling With the Loss Of His Hand, Jason Turner Says He’s Optimistic About the Future →
Articles, Education, Klamath, Youth

‘This Situation Could Make Us Fail Our Finals’; Klamath Students, Parents Approach School Board, Again, About Late Buses

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Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Skylar Lambeth was blunt — the bus being late 48 times is inexcusable.

The Del Norte High School student said her first grade has suffered and she’s missing “entire units” of history due to the late bus. Her peers could have made similar statements to the school board, she said Thursday, but they rely on the bus to return home.

“I feel Klamath kids have been forgotten about too many times,” Skylar said. “Klamath kids often get seen as lazy and not caring about grades, but that’s just not true. Us Klamath kids have bright futures, but this takes education away from us and that’s just not fair. This situation could make us fail our finals.”

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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.

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Articles, Emergencies, Humboldt, Klamath

Search Continues For McKinleyville Fisherman Who Was Swept Into The Ocean In Klamath

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Thumbnail photo: Maximo Macanas | Photo courtesy of Macanas family

The search continues for a McKinleyville man who was swept into the water near the mouth of the Klamath River on Saturday.

Maximo Macanas was fishing from shore with his family on the south side of the river when a sneaker wave swept him into the ocean at about 4 p.m., according to a message posted on Facebook by Macanas’s family.

Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott said the U.S. Coast Guard brought a helicopter to the area to assist in the search, both on Saturday and Sunday. Macanas was last seen in a black puffy jacket and green waders, Scott told Redwood Voice Community News on Monday.

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Articles, Community News, Emergencies, Klamath, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Ambulance Will Station A Vehicle, Crew In Klamath

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Ambulance

(Updated at 5:07 p.m. to clarify that it was Walter Lara Jr. that helped facilitate a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Del Norte Ambulance to open a station in Klamath.]

Del Norte Ambulance’s operations manager confirmed a statement District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson made earlier this month — the emergency medical provider will have an ambulance and a crew stationed in Klamath.

“We are working with the Yurok Housing Authority on a partnership for securing housing for us on a trial basis of one year while we place one of our four ambulances there,” Charles Tweed told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. “Two people will be staffed in that ambulance at any given time.”

This news comes about two weeks after an independent consultant, EndPoint EMS Consulting LLC, delivered an analysis of Del Norte County’s emergency medical system, finding that Klamath residents often waited up to 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive during an emergency.

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Environment, Gasquet, Humboldt, Klamath, Smith River

Threat Assessment: Trump Administration V. Redwoods

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Assistant superintendent for the Redwood State and National Parks: Shelana DeSilva

Lavina Brooks, a Yurok tribal member, elder, and descendant of the Karuk and Tolowa people posed a pointed question to the panel of Redwood Park conservationists hosted by the local Democratic committee at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds over the weekend.

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“I want to know: From your perspective — or if you’re allowed to give your perspective — how big a threat is the current administration to the parks in Del Norte and Humboldt County.”

Brooks’ question articulated a sentiment present in many minds. The redwood forests of this region are home to some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. Human beings have a long and passionately protective history with this particular classification of tree, including as a UNESCO World Heritage site — the designation for places on Earth that are recognized as having outstanding universal value to humanity, and have been inscribed to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.

On March 1, the Trump administration issued an executive order titled “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production” that set a lot of tree-huggers on edge.

Shelana DeSilva, assistant superintendent for the Redwood State and National Parks, stood up from the table and came forward with the mic.

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Arts & Culture, Klamath, Tribal Affairs, Videos

60th Annual Klamath Salmon Festival

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With the dams on the Klamath River coming down, this year’s Salmon Festival was an extra special event. Join Redwood Voice’s Ethan Caudill-DeRego and Monique Camarena as they explore the Klamath Salmon Festival, The Stick Games, and the river’s exciting renewal process.

If you’d like more information on the salmon festival, you can read more at https://www.yuroktribe.org/salmon-festival.

Credit to Monique Camarena for the video thumbnail.