Tag Archives: crescent city

At Greenough’s Request, Crescent City Council Observes Moment Of Silence For Charlie Kirk

Kirk | Author: Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Thumbnail photo: Screenshot

(Updated at 2:56 p.m. to clarify that Greenough served as Crescent City Mayor in 2021 and 2022.)

Before asking his colleagues to observe a moment of silence for his death, Crescent City Councilor Jason Greenough said he modeled his leadership style on fallen right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk.

“I have struggled with this all week, that in a country where we value our freedoms so much, that someone would be willing to kill another human being for their opinion,” Greenough said Monday. “And I know when I was mayor I pushed that every single person that stepped up to that microphone would have their time to bring their mind and their thoughts and their beliefs to us.”

Stumbling a bit over his words, Greenough, who was Crescent City mayor in 2021 and 2022, recapped the events that led to Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The city councilor also praised Kirk for his practice of going onto college campuses and engaging youth in “civilized debate” and said his killing was despicable.

Continue reading At Greenough’s Request, Crescent City Council Observes Moment Of Silence For Charlie Kirk

CCHD Debate Over USDA Loan Continues; Board Rejects Nehmer’s Appointment To Ad Hoc Committee

Nehmer | ccharbor.com

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Crescent City Harbor commissioners rehashed whether one of their colleagues acted outside her scope for the second day in a row at a meeting that culminated in raised voices and a recall threat from the public.

Ultimately, a motion to appoint Annie Nehmer as one of two commissioners on an ad hoc committee related to renegotiating a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan failed Wednesday with three of her colleagues casting no votes. 

Their decision came ahead of a third special meeting that had been scheduled for Thursday but has since been canceled. Nehmer’s censure and removal from her vice chair position was on the agenda.

Continue reading CCHD Debate Over USDA Loan Continues; Board Rejects Nehmer’s Appointment To Ad Hoc Committee

Though Taken Off The Agenda, Potential Censure of Annie Nehmer Dominates CCHD Special Meeting

Nehmer

Thumbnail photo by Amanda Dockter

Linda Sutter urged Gerard Weber to call the police on Tuesday, refusing to leave the Crescent City Harbor District’s special meeting until she had her three minutes to speak.

Stepping to the rostrum after Weber, the CCHD’s chairman, told the public to stick to items that weren’t on the agenda, Sutter addressed the potential censure of one of his colleagues when he stopped her.

“We should not talk about items that are on the agenda,” he said.

When Sutter protested, pointing out that she is speaking about Harbor District business and accusing Weber of disrupting her right to free speech, Weber called a halt to the meeting. 

Continue reading Though Taken Off The Agenda, Potential Censure of Annie Nehmer Dominates CCHD Special Meeting

Animal Rescuers Wonder Where Pets Will Fit In At New Homeless Shelter, Micro Village

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte County; Above, Camp Berry founder Rhonda Berry says that of the 150 puppies she’s rescued in about a year 80% of them have come from the homeless encampments. | Photo courtesy of GoFundMe

Gloria Bobertz says she understands that for some people struggling with homelessness, their dog is often their only friend.

She doesn’t think they shouldn’t have pets, but after nearly 20 years working as a behavioral health specialist for Del Norte County, Bobertz, who’s now retired and works with cadaver and search and rescue dogs, said she’s seen the conditions some of these animals are in. She said she had a particularly hard time with a litter of puppies she brought to Camp Berry in July

“They were starved,” Bobertz told Redwood Voice Community News. “I don’t know what they were given to eat, but I can tell you it smelled so rotten. And just the look in their eyes — how can you do this to another living creature?”

Continue reading Animal Rescuers Wonder Where Pets Will Fit In At New Homeless Shelter, Micro Village

Crescent City Takes First Step On Long Path Toward Revitalizing Its Downtown

Thumbnail image courtesy of Crescent City; YouTube video by Heather Polen

Karen Betlejewski choked up a little when she described her dad’s impression of Downtown Crescent City as a 40-plus year resident returning home after being away.

“He said, ‘I wanted to cry,’” she told a gathering of business owners, elected officials and other stakeholders with interest in the downtown area.

Betlejewski, who manages the Del Norte County Historical Society’s museum and says “she’s into old,” said she enjoys shopping in Downtown Crescent City and she loves the people. But the vacant buildings make the area look sad.

“You know that it just needs help,” she said. “And I would like to see that.”

Don Arambula agreed. The project manager, principal planner and urban designer for Portland-based Crandall Arambula PC presented a preliminary assessment to Betlejewski and about 80 other residents on Wednesday.

Continue reading Crescent City Takes First Step On Long Path Toward Revitalizing Its Downtown

Roundabout Not Likely To Be Funded For Elk Valley Cross Road, U.S. 101, Caltrans Says

Thumbnail photo: Caltrans officials and Del Norte Local Transportation commissioners discussed safety improvements to the intersection of U.S. 101 and Elk Valley Cross Road. | Image courtesy of Google Maps

Though acknowledging that a roundabout would help reduce the number of collisions on U.S. 101 at Elk Valley Cross Road, it’s unlikely Caltrans will receive the funding to construct it, Safety Investigator Clark Davis said.

Davis told Del Norte Local Transportation Commissioners on Tuesday that they agreed with its assessment that the collision rate at the intersection exceeded the state average. But with most of those crashes involving drivers that aren’t seeing the approaching traffic behind the car they’re trying to avoid, there isn’t much Caltrans can do, Davis said.

“We can’t make the cars invisible,” he said. “The best we can do is improve some signing and some delineation, which is what we’re planning to do.”

Continue reading Roundabout Not Likely To Be Funded For Elk Valley Cross Road, U.S. 101, Caltrans Says

CCHD Board Looks To AI For Help With Meeting Minutes

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

A month after they approved minutes dating back to January, Crescent City Harbor commissioners decided artificial intelligence might make compiling those records easier on staff.

The discussion came after the Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved minutes from a special meeting on Aug. 13. The minutes from Crescent City Harbor District’s most recent regular session, which was also held Aug. 13, were not included in Wednesday’s consent calendar, something Commissioner Annie Nehmer pointed out.

“We shrank it down to just the action minutes so it was more manageable and it still seems to not be manageable,” she said, adding that the Del Norte County Grand Jury had concerns about meeting minutes being unavailable to the public.

Continue reading CCHD Board Looks To AI For Help With Meeting Minutes

Del Norte Supervisors Extend Line of Credit To Airport Authority Due To Cash Flow Emergency

Thumbnail photo courtesy of Andrew Goff

With one of their colleagues conjuring up images of plane vs. elk collisions on the runway, Del Norte County supervisors authorized a line of credit that will allow the local airport authority to weather a cash flow emergency.

It’s an emergency tied to three grant-funded projects that are currently underway at the Del Norte County Airport. According to District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard, the emergency represents an oversight on the part of the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority and its former airport director Ryan Cooley.

Howard, however, pinned much of the blame on Cooley, who in 2023 had secured contributions from the joint powers authority’s member agencies to help to meet a 5% match tied to the $8 million Federal Aviation Administration grant-funded runway rehabilitation project.

Continue reading Del Norte Supervisors Extend Line of Credit To Airport Authority Due To Cash Flow Emergency

Opinion: Setting the Record Straight on Airport Funding and Responsibility

Thumbnail image courtesy of flycrescentcity.com

Cooley | LinkedIn

Submitted by Ryan Cooley

During the August 26 meeting of the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors, several comments were made regarding the fiscal management of the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority (BCRAA) during my tenure as Airport Director. Some of these remarks placed the blame for current cash flow challenges squarely on my shoulders. With respect, I feel compelled to respond—not to spark a flame war, but to clarify the record and to ensure the community understands the factual issues at stake.

Inherited Projects and Financial Conditions

When I assumed the role of Director in November 2021, several major projects were already in progress. The grant for the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) vehicle and ancillary gear had been secured by my predecessor, and the rehabilitation of Runway 18-36 was already moving through the preliminary design phase, with grants awarded for both preliminary and final design. I was to see the design through to completion and apply for the construction grant. I also secured the required 5% local match—nearly half a million dollars—which was provided collectively by all members of the Joint Powers Authority that make up the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority, ensuring every partner participated in funding the project.

Continue reading Opinion: Setting the Record Straight on Airport Funding and Responsibility

Three Children Are Safe After Law Enforcement Arrest Male Suspect Following Hours-Long Standoff

Thumbnail photo: Law enforcement with the Crescent City Police Department, Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office, Pelican Bay State Prison’s CERT Team and others secure the scene after an hours-long standoff ended with four children being taken into protective custody and a male and female suspect arrested. | Photo by Heather Polen

Four children are in protective custody Monday evening after officers from multiple agencies engaged in a standoff with a 50-year-old man that lasted more than seven hours.

Three of the youngsters, ages 1, 2 and 4, were in the Crescent City apartment with Robert William Thraen when officers responded to the area to conduct a welfare check at about 10:30 a.m., Police Chief Richard Griffin told Redwood Voice Community News. 

Griffin said they were able to get the children to safety and arrest the suspect after he decided to have his officers break the window to open the front door — a technique he called a breach and hold. 

Continue reading Three Children Are Safe After Law Enforcement Arrest Male Suspect Following Hours-Long Standoff