Tag Archives: crescent city

Articles, Crime

Mother, Daughter Ordered To Pay Restitution As Part of Plea Deal In Embezzlement Case, Face Probation And Possible Jail Time

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

A Crescent City mother and daughter are facing probation and up to 60 days in jail after pleading no contest to embezzling between $22,000 and $23,000 from a local cleaning business.

Wendy Malone, 61, and her daughter, 33-year-old Kaitlin Malone–Smith, were ordered to pay about $22,000 in restitution to Corinne Higgins, co-owner of Wen-Cor Cleaning, as part of a plea agreement reached on Thursday. Malone was Higgins’ partner in the business, according to Keith Morris, who prosecuted the case for the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office.

According to Morris, both defendants are ordered to pay the full restitution amount by Dec. 10 or they will be in breach of the plea agreement.

Continue reading Mother, Daughter Ordered To Pay Restitution As Part of Plea Deal In Embezzlement Case, Face Probation And Possible Jail Time →
Articles, Environment, Local Government, Science

Restoring Elk Creek Would Enhance Crescent City’s Ability to Withstand Flood, Tsunami, Smith River Alliance’s Grant Werschkull Says

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Thumbnail: Aerial shot of the Elk Creek watershed looking west toward the Pacific Ocean. | Photo courtesy of Smith River Alliance and Stillwater Sciences

Smith River Alliance Co-Director Grant Werschkull acknowledged that breathing new life into Elk Creek’s wetlands could be an economic boon for Crescent City.

But to illustrate his point that restoring the tidal channels and swales would make a difference during a tsunami or a flood, he pointed councilors to a 2015 New Yorker article about the Cascadia Subduction Zone, the massive earthquakes it is capable of generating and its threat to coastal communities like Crescent City.

“The title is the ‘Really Big One’,” Werschkull said, referring to the article. “Seismologists, the experts that we have, participated in that (article) and it talks about how we are right now at a date when it is timely that it could happen.”

Continue reading Restoring Elk Creek Would Enhance Crescent City’s Ability to Withstand Flood, Tsunami, Smith River Alliance’s Grant Werschkull Says →
Articles, Local Government

Recap: Crescent City Council Has A Vacancy to Fill, Discusses Accessory Dwelling Units, Appoints New Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem

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Thumbnail: Councilor Daran J. Dooley, middle, resigned last month, meaning that his former colleagues are now tasked with appointing his successor. | File photo by Aisling Bludworth

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

Vacancy: Though one member of the public argued for leaving the seat vacant until next year, city councilors directed staff to begin advertising for a replacement for Daran Dooley, who resigned on Oct. 21.

According to City Attorney Martha Rice, the new appointed city councilor would serve until the November 2026 election. At that point, the seat would be up for a vote and whoever won the election would serve until the term ends in November 2028, the city attorney said.

The alternative was a special election that could be done in the spring through mail-in ballots or in conjunction with the November 2026 midterm election, Rice said. The current City Council could also choose to leave the position vacant until November 2026, the city attorney said.

Continue reading Recap: Crescent City Council Has A Vacancy to Fill, Discusses Accessory Dwelling Units, Appoints New Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem →
Articles, Emergencies, Local Government

Greenough Urges Councilors To Reach Out to U.S. Senators To End Government Shutdown

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Thumbnail: Marina MacNeil and Dominique Richcreek, staff members at Pacific Pantry, distributes food in Smith River in this September 2024 photo. Pacific Pantry has expanded its hours in the wake of uncertain SNAP benefits as a result of the federal government shutdown. | File photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Crescent City Councilor Jason Greenough argued that writing to the U.S. senators who represent California, urging them to help end the federal government shutdown wasn’t political.

In response to concerns from his colleague Candace Tinkler, Greenough pointed to the disruption in food stamps, potential impacts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds the Crescent City Housing Authority, as well as federal employees who are going without pay.

“Our senators have both decided to continue to vote to keep the government shutdown,” Greenough told his colleagues on Monday. “So we at least need to have a discussion about communicating with them to hopefully get this fixed if it is still shut down by our next meeting.”’

Continue reading Greenough Urges Councilors To Reach Out to U.S. Senators To End Government Shutdown →
Articles, Community News, Elections

Not Sure Where Your Polling Place Is? The Del Norte Elections Office Has The Answer

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Image courtesy of County of Del Norte, California Facebook page

Voters still have options for weighing in on Proposition 50 if they haven’t dropped their ballot in the mail already.

With only one choice before voters in the statewide special election Tuesday, Del Norte County Clerk-Recorder Alissia Northrup said she has consolidated polling places for the county’s 19 precincts. If people are still not sure where to go, they can visit the Del Norte County Elections Office at 981 H Street, Suite 160 in Crescent City, Northrup said.

For precincts Nos. 1, 2 and 3, the polling place is the Del Norte County Courthouse, 450 H Street in Crescent City.

Continue reading Not Sure Where Your Polling Place Is? The Del Norte Elections Office Has The Answer →
Alerts, Crime

Crescent City Mother, Daughter Charged With Embezzling Money From Local Cleaning Business

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Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Two Crescent City women are accused of embezzling money from a local cleaning business, according to a complaint filed with the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office on July 11.

Wendy Malone, 61, and her daughter, 33-year-old Kaitlin Smith, face charges of grand theft by embezzlement in connection with the theft of “money, labor and real and personal property” valued at $950 or more from Wen-Cor Cleaning.

Smith faces charges of embezzlement by an employee and fraudulent use of an access card, while Malone faces an additional charge of grand theft by embezzlement.

Continue reading Crescent City Mother, Daughter Charged With Embezzling Money From Local Cleaning Business →
Articles, Infrastructure, Transportation

Federal Subsidy Del Norte, Curry Relies On For Air Service Is Extended Till Nov. 18, U.S. DOT Says

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Thumbnail image courtesy of Border Coast Regional Airport Authority

The federal subsidy that allows Advanced Air to serve Del Norte and Curry counties will continue through Nov. 18.

If the federal government shutdown extends beyond Nov. 18, the U.S. Department of Transportation states it will “provide notice to air carriers and communities” in advance, according to a Wednesday notice.

“We’re at the mercy of the system at this point,” Border Coast Regional Airport Authority Director Sean Rosenthal told Redwood Voice Community News. “It’s kind of like starting all over again from the last notice.”

Continue reading Federal Subsidy Del Norte, Curry Relies On For Air Service Is Extended Till Nov. 18, U.S. DOT Says →
Articles, Community News

(Updated) Del Norte Safety Net Mobilizes Ahead of Potential Suspension Of CalFresh Benefits To 3,900 Families

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Thumbnail photo: The FRC of the Redwoods’ Pacific Pantry has set up A Mighty Cause fundraising campaign to prepare for a surge of need should CalFresh benefits be suspended starting Saturday. | Photo courtesy of A Mighty Cause.

Updated at 4:31 p.m.:

Iya Mahan, food program director for the DNATL Community Food Council, said the Emergency Food Task Force has been activated in response to the potential suspension of SNAP benefits for Del Norte families.

Originally created to respond to natural disasters, Mahan said that with nearly 4,000 families that will be potentially impacted the task force is working together to come up with solutions.

“There have been a lot of people who want to get involved,” she told Redwood Voice Community News on Wednesday. “So we are making sure that we’re not duplicating efforts. For the people who want to get involved, I’m having them fill out a form so I can get them to the right people.”

The Emergency Food Task Force includes local food banks, Del Norte Unified School District’s Department of Nutrition Services, the Del Norte Office of Emergency Services and the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services.

For more information on food security resources, click here. Organizations that distribute food resources are asked to click on this link to fill out a short form.

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Original Post:

People are stepping up to ensure Del Norte families don’t go hungry next month, though District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey still hopes this was a “just how-prepared-are-you” kind of test.

After learning that an average of 3,900 families could be without their CalFresh benefits in November due to the federal government shutdown, Starkey said Monday that the community was “mobilizing.”

On Wednesday, she posted on Facebook that the Emergency Food Task Force met to ensure local food banks had the supplies and volunteers necessary to meet the increased need. It’s also coordinating resources with other community partners and churches.

Continue reading (Updated) Del Norte Safety Net Mobilizes Ahead of Potential Suspension Of CalFresh Benefits To 3,900 Families →
Articles, Community News

Cal Fresh Benefits Set to Pause For 3,900 Del Norte Families Saturday, Local Food Safety Net Braces For Impact

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Courtesy Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services

Thumbnail image: Marina MacNeil and Dominique Richcreek, staff members at Pacific Pantry, visited Smith River in this photo from September 2024 with the pantry’s mobile market. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Some 3,900 Del Norte County families could find themselves without their CalFresh benefits by the end of the week, according to Health and Human Services Director Ranell Brown.

The notice that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits will not be issued on Saturday due to the federal government shutdown has a handful of organizations scrambling to address the sudden need. 

Marina MacNeil, food bank director at Family Resource Center of the Redwoods said she’s ordering extra food for the Pacific Pantry while the FRC gears up for its annual holiday drive.

Continue reading Cal Fresh Benefits Set to Pause For 3,900 Del Norte Families Saturday, Local Food Safety Net Braces For Impact →
Articles, Economy, Transportation

Advanced Air Will Fly As Long As It Can If Shutdown Continues Beyond Nov. 2; No Word Yet On Future of EAS Program, Airport Director Says

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

The airline serving Del Norte and Curry counties says it will continue to operate for as long as it can beyond Nov. 2 even if funding for the Essential Air Service program isn’t renewed.

The federal subsidy the community relies on for commercial air service would have been suspended earlier this month if the U.S. Department of Transportation hadn’t secured funding to keep it going through Nov. 2. 

However, with that deadline a little more than a week away, Sean Rosenthal, director of the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority, said he’s yet to receive an update on the program’s status.

Continue reading Advanced Air Will Fly As Long As It Can If Shutdown Continues Beyond Nov. 2; No Word Yet On Future of EAS Program, Airport Director Says →