Crescent Fire & Police Chiefs Discuss 4th of July Game Plan – Redwood Voice Community News

June 23, 2025 Redwood Voice Leave a comment

June 23rd, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; the Forest Moon Festival puts Del Norte in People magazine; Crescent Fire explains their game plan for 4th of July fireworks enforcement; a breakdown of Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting; the marine update from Fishing the North Coast; California’s marine protected area network gets the first international certification of good governance in the United States; the Oregon Department of Forestry takes to the skies to monitor forest health; and a proposed California bill may make it a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to wear masks to conceal their identity while performing their duties. 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 Visit Del Norte County via their website, which has been edited.

Community News

Curry Sheriff, BOC Meet In Same Room To Go Over 2025-26 Budget

June 23, 2025 Jessica Cejnar Andrews 1 Comment

_{Thumbnail: Curry County Sheriff John Ward and his staff, Sgt. Synthia Westerman and Lt. Jeremy Krohn, met with the Board of Commissioners on Thursday to discuss the office’s budget. | Screenshot}

A nine-month long stalemate between the Curry County Board of Commissioners and the sheriff’s office seems to have thawed. But while both sides, including Sheriff John Ward, met in the same room Thursday to discuss the 2025-26 budget, their differences continue.

Still, Director of County Operations Ted Fitzgerald said he hopes that they can reach a compromise and decide what role each plays in county government without moving forward with the Board’s petition for a declaratory judgment.

“If we can just acknowledge and accept the role of each party … and realize that cohesion and working together between the two entities is necessary … we’ll be able to deliver services,” he told Redwood Voice Community News following Thursday’s budget workshop, which was the third time both sides met since conflict arose between them in September 2024. “We got to some of the fundamental questions today. We don’t have answers to them yet, but I think we’re on the way to getting them, and the sheriff’s office [has] their concerns that are valid.”

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Community News, In Media Res

KFUG Will Continue to be Del Norte’s Voice, Honoring Founder’s Legacy Under New Leadership

June 23, 2025 Heather Polen Leave a comment

Editor’s Note: Heather Polen, KFUG’s new executive director, penned this In Media Res piece. Polen comes to KFUG with a background in local radio. KPOD’s Bill Stamps Sr. gave Polen her first job when she was just 15 — a six-hour radio show every Saturday — so she knows her way around a radio station. Polen has been involved with KFUG’s Board of Directors starting in 2024 and is helping the station continue Critz’s “dogged insistence that everyone has a voice.”

In a world where the loudest voices often belong to the wealthiest platforms, it’s easy to forget the value of small, independent media, the kind built not for profit, but for people. In Del Norte County, we’re lucky to have two such treasures: KFUG Community Radio and Redwood Voice. These aren’t just media outlets, they’re lifelines for truth, creativity, connection and they thrive because of a community that believes in the power of local voices.

KFUG (that’s K-Fug, and yes, the name alone tells you you’re in for something different) is community radio at its best, proudly quirky, fiercely independent, and deeply rooted in Crescent City and the surrounding region. In an age of playlists programmed by AI and news spun by corporate interest, KFUG is refreshingly real. Its shows are hosted by neighbors, elders, youth, musicians, activists, care providers and people who simply care enough to speak up and share something meaningful.

Here, you might hear a local punk band one hour, and a thoughtful conversation about mental health, housing or education the next. It’s a place where the eccentric and the essential exist side by side — a true reflection of our community’s spirit. KFUG honors every voice, not because it has to but because it wants to. It recognizes that the stories of Del Norte County are worth telling, not despite their rawness, because of it.

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Articles, Crescent City, Law

Crescent City Fire, Police Chiefs Discuss Independence Day Game Plan

June 20, 2025 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

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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Newscast

The Forest Moon Festival Makes It Into People Magazine – Redwood Voice Community News

June 20, 2025 Redwood Voice Leave a comment

June 20th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; the Forest Moon Festival puts Del Norte in People magazine; a breakdown of Monday’s Crescent City Council meeting; the marine update from Fishing the North Coast; California’s marine protected area network gets the first international certification of good governance in the United States; Oregon Governor Tina Kotek seeks to use rainy day funds for wildfire response; gray whale strandings jump in frequency; a group of indigenous youth are some of the first to paddle the restored Klamath River from its source to the sea in over 100 years; Northern California buckles up for an intense summer fire season; and a proposed California bill may make it a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers to wear masks to conceal their identity while performing their duties. 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 the Forest Moon Festival via their Facebook Page, which has been edited.

Articles, In Media Res

An Act of Petty Larceny

June 20, 2025 Paul Critz Leave a comment

The FugHouse is empty this time of day. The sun has yet to rise. I let myself in silently so I don’t disturb my wife who’s still in bed in our house across the driveway from the radio station’s front door. Inside, everything is disheveled. Some walls are bare, computers are gone. Redwood Voice has moved out, though the where and why I’m no longer privy to. I’m sure there’s a reason. It’s been a strange couple of weeks.

Just last month, two Redwood Voice reporters and I went all the way to Los Angeles for a conference and everything seemed fine. More than fine, really. We were gearing up for a slew of youth media programs for the summer; our new antenna mast and hardline lay on the floor of the garage waiting to be hoisted into place. We were nearing denouement with our pending Klamath Promise Neighborhood proposal, which, if executed, would take our organization into entirely uncharted waters, expanding everyone’s role, cementing Redwood Voice’s place as Del Norte’s news source. It was an exciting, if fraught, time to be the director of a nonprofit community radio station with a youth media program at its core.

Then, in a matter of mere days, everything changed. There was board room drama, and relationships shifted with the sudden violence of a strike-slip fault. Though I’m being purposefully vague, ironically, I want to be clear: no one did anything wrong, nothing illegal or immoral or any of those other messy reasons board rooms get dramatic. Everybody acted and reacted according to Hoyle. Everybody except me.

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Newscast

Indigenous Youth Paddle Restored Klamath River From Source to Sea – Redwood Voice Community News

June 19, 2025 Redwood Voice Leave a comment

June 19th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from CalTrans District 1; Juneteenth means federal offices are closed for the day; Crescent City Councilors expand the scope of the downtown master plan despite funding limbo; the Southern Oregon Coast Junior Lifeguard program registration is open; Oregon Governor Tina Kotek seeks to use rainy day funds for wildfire response; law enforcement ran for the Special Olympics; gray whale strandings jump in frequency; a group of indigenous youth are some of the first to paddle the restored Klamath River from its source to the sea in over 100 years; Northern California buckles up for an intense summer fire season; and the Yurok Tribe’s 2025-26 budget is the largest in their history. 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 KOBI5 via their video news report, which has been edited.

Articles, Community News

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

June 19, 2025 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

_{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

June 19, 2025 Jessica Cejnar Andrews Leave a comment

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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Newscast

Downtown Master Plan to Include Lighthouse Cove RV Park – Redwood Voice Community News

June 18, 2025 Redwood Voice Leave a comment

June 18th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from Cal Trans District 1; Crescent City’s Downtown Master Plan will include Lighthouse Cove RV Park with help from an Economic Development Administration grant; local law enforcement come together in support of the Special Olympics Northern California branch; DNUSD’s E3 Program kicks off interviews today; the Junior Lifeguard Program in Southern Oregon expands to Coos Bay; multiple Jedediah State Park fires were intercepted by Cal Fire Humboldt-Del Norte; Cal Fire also acquires new state of the art fire response helicopter; Klamath River Renewal Corporation steers focus towards restoration of priority tributaries; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation gives thanks to the community for participating in Tvm-chaa-me’ Day; the Yurok Tribe sees its largest budget in their history; an adjustment to when Brookings City Council Meetings begin; Oregon Legislatures try to tackle massive funding package for Oregon Public Transportation budget shortfalls; and California lawmakers attempt to legalize a Senate Bill eliminating the sunset clause in the End of Life Option Act. 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 Lighthouse Cove RV Park via CampSpot, which has been edited.

Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.