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.
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.
Thumbnail image shows map of the proposed 58,000-acre expansion of the Smith River National Recreation Area. | Image courtesy of Sen. Jeff Merkley’s office.
More than eight years after the Obama Administration issued a 20-year mining ban for the North Fork Smith River in Oregon, the Crescent City Council reaffirmed its support for legislation that would make that prohibition permanent.
Four councilors on Monday agreed to draft a letter to U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkely and Ron Wyden, who represent Oregon, reminding them that the Smith River is where Del Norte County’s drinking water comes from and that they’ve advocated for protecting its headwaters for more than a decade. Councilor Daran Dooley was absent.
But though Grant Werschkull, executive director of the Smith River Alliance, said such legislation is necessary for the January 2017 mineral withdrawal order to be permanent, he’s not sure if it will be approved this year.
Crescent City Police Chief Richard Griffin credited the purchase of a Cellebrite Forensic Analyzer for being able to help the Curry County Sheriff’s Office track down a Texas man suspected of abusing children.
Appearing before the Crescent City Council on Monday, Griffin said that Curry County Sheriff John Ward had posted a press release to his agency’s Facebook page, thanking Crescent City for helping with the forensics in a recent Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce case.
According to Ward’s press release, he and Sgt. Zane Van Zelf arrested 32-year-old Matthew Arthur Anderson at his home in the central part of Curry County on Aug. 7. Gold Beach Police Sgt. David Vershall assisted them.
From left to right: Former Curry County Commissioner Brad Alcorn, Director of Operations Ted Fitzgerald and current Board Chairman Jay Trost. | Courtesy Curry County
The Oregon State Bar Association has cleared Curry County Counsel Ted Fitzgerald of professional misconduct and told Sheriff John Ward it would take no further action related to the complaint he submitted nearly a year ago.
Curry County Board Chairman Jay Trost announced the outcome of the State Bar Association’s investigation into Ward’s allegations in a press release Wednesday. According to the release, the State Bar informed Ward of its decision in a letter on July 3. Trost said he and his colleagues on the Board of Commissioners wanted to wait until an appeals window had passed before making the outcome public.
Sheriff John Ward
“We’re happy to find a resolution,” Trost told Redwood Voice Community News. “This has been going on since September.”
Friday’s special Curry County Board of Commissioners meeting
Jay Trost and Patrick Hollinger went on the offensive against the chief petitioners seeking to oust them from the Curry County Board of Commissioners.
After spending about 45 minutes of a special meeting Friday touting their accomplishments, Trost and Hollinger went through each petition, taking issue with both the grievances they raise and the individuals raising them.
Trost said he viewed the petition against him, filed by Curry County jail commander Lt. Jeremy Krohn, as opposition to the Board’s “not adhering to a mentality of status quo.”
Thumbnail image courtesy of the Gold Beach Police Department
A Curry County woman is suing the City of Gold Beach and one of its police officers, alleging that the officer, Kenneth Moore, exercised excessive force when he shot her twice during a traffic stop on Jan. 23, 2024.
Sharon Johnston-Corson sustained two bullet wounds in her shoulder, according to the complaint filed on her behalf in the United States District Court in Medford on Wednesday. One of those shots caused a pulmonary contusion and resulted in bullet fragments being lodged inside her left lung.
The complaint also states that after shooting her, Moore pulled Johnston-Corson out of her Subaru and forced her face-down on the ground to handcuff her in violation of Gold Beach Police Department policy stating that “individuals subject to force ‘should not be placed on their stomachs for an extended period of time as this could impair their ability to breathe.’”
July 17th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from Caltrans District 1; Triplicate editor faces scrutiny for bias in wake of harbor commission article; California Congressman Jared Huffman will hold a town hall this Saturday at Lucky 7 Casino’s Tolowa Event Center; Oregon to receive $10.1 million for drug prevention services as part of a nationwide opioid settlement; the Curry County Evacuation Plan Committee is working to improve public safety and disaster readiness; a PSA from CalFIRE on knowing your evacuation zone; tribal youth complete the first 310-mile descent down the undammed Klamath River; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking public comment on their Long Range Transportation Plan; the Pacific Northwest is currently battling 15 wildfires; the ODFW put out the final draft of their 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan; and further updates from Caltrans District 1. 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 Ken Lund via Wikimedia Commons, which has been edited.
July 16th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from Caltrans District 1; quillback rockfish is definitely not overfished; California Congressman Jared Huffman to hold a town hall this Saturday at Lucky 7 Casino’s Tolowa Event Center; Battery Point Senior Apartments are expected to be open for occupancy in October 2025, and applications are accepted starting today; the Curry County Evacuation Plan Committee is working to improve public safety and disaster readiness; a PSA from CalFIRE on knowing your evacuation zone; tribal youth complete the first 310-mile descent down the undammed Klamath River; the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is seeking public comment on their Long Range Transportation Plan; the Pacific Northwest is currently battling 15 wildfires; the ODFW put out the final draft of their 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan; further updates from Caltrans District 1; and updates on the Orleans Complex. 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 Yurok Tribe via their Facebook Page, which has been edited.
July 15th, 2025 – For Redwood Voice Community News, a production of Redwood Voice Youth Media, today’s news: roadwork updates from Caltrans District 1; quillback rockfish is back on the menu; California Congressman Jared Huffman to hold a town hall this Saturday at Lucky 7 Casino’s Tolowa Event Center; a body was found in the Klamath River that matches the description of a missing person; Crescent City receives $2 million to finish the Tolowa Cultural Trail in Beachfront Park; Battery Point Senior Apartments are expected to be open for occupancy in October 2025; Del Norte County Board of Supervisors discuss preparing Bar-O Ranch for sale; an update on the Orleans Complex; and further updates from Caltrans District 1. 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 CDFW/MARE, which has been edited.
Telling the untold stories of Del Norte and Tribal Lands through amplified youth voices.
