Tag Archives: del norte county

Articles, Crime, Law

Del Norte County Sheriff Speaks Out On Randy Hooper Character Reference, Says He Disagrees With How It Was Used

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Thumbnail photo: Randy Hooper’s felony hit-and-run and DUI charges stem from a collision that occurred at Sand Mine Road and U.S. 101 on April 19. | Photo by Heather Polen

Though he provided a character reference for Randy Hooper, who faces felony hit-and-run and DUI charges, Del Norte County Sheriff Garrett Scott said he disagrees with how it was used during an Aug. 26 preliminary hearing.

In an email to Redwood Voice Community News on Aug. 27, Scott said he did not support efforts by George Mavris, Hooper’s attorney, to reduce his client’s charges from felonies to misdemeanors. Scott said he also refrained from using his title when signing the character reference, though he acknowledges that he “inherits the title.”

He said he also took issue with a comment prosecuting attorney Keith Morris made during the hearing, that he was “disappointed that a sitting sheriff submitted a letter.”

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Articles, Community News, Crescent City, Economy, Infrastructure, Local Government

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

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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.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Transportation

Long-Awaited STAA 197/199 Project To Start Construction In The Spring, Caltrans Says

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Thumbnail image: The 197/199 Safe STAA Access project, which includes widening U.S. 199 and State Route 197 in several areas is scheduled for construction starting this spring. | Map courtesy of Caltrans

The likelihood that further litigation will stall a long-awaited project to widen lanes and modify curves on State Route 197 and U.S. 199 is low, Caltrans District 1 representatives told Del Norte Local Transportation commissioners on Tuesday.

The state transportation department expects to solicit bids for the 197/199 Safe STAA Access project in October with proposals coming in between Nov. 4 and Nov. 7, Project Manager David Melendrez said. Contract approval is expected in December and construction will start some time during the spring, he said.

“It is moving forward. It has support from everyone in our district and it also has support from people in Sacramento [at a] pretty high level up there,” Melendrez told commissioners.

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Articles, Infrastructure, Transportation

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

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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 →
Articles, Community News, Education, Transportation, Youth

Despite ‘Making Strides,’ Students Were Nearly An Hour Late To School, DNUSD Transportation Director Says

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Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Del Norte County Unified School District’s transportation director painted as optimistic a picture as he could when describing the first week of school for trustees.

But, though he said things have improved, Chris Armington admitted to cases where students were nearly an hour late getting to school.

“We are making strides to make sure that communications do go out to the parents,” he told trustees on Thursday. “I work with [DNUSD communications director] Michael Hawkins on communicating our shortages and our lates to the community, and we ask parents to assist if they can take their students rather than them being super late.”

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Articles, Education, Youth

DNUSD Recap: Trustees Create Budget Committee, Discusse Science Instruction and Climate Change

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Among the items discussed at Thursday’s Del Norte County Unified School District Board of Trustees meeting:

Standing Budget Committee:  Trustees approved the creation of a formal budget committee with dedicated meetings that will focus on how to be transparent about the district’s financial situation with all stakeholders, including parents.

Coming two months after he and his colleagues approved a 2025-26 budget amid warnings that DNUSD faces a slow decline in revenue and an increase in expenditures, District 5 Trustee Michael Greer said the meetings will be public.

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Articles, Health, Infrastructure, Local Government

Ruth Compound Barriers Will Stay Put; Supervisors Call For Further Remedies To Illegal Dumping, Camping In The Area

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Thumbnail photo: Del Norte County Supervisors on Tuesday decided that K rail blocking vehicular access to an area commonly called the Ruth Compound should remain. | Photo by Heather Polen

(Updated at 7:51 p.m. to correct the spelling of Randy Pincombe’s name)

District 1 Supervisor Darrin Short argued that barriers are part of the solution to curtail illegal dumping and camping in the Ruth Compound, though he said Band-Aid is an apt term for them too.

“Band-Aid” was the phrase District 2 Supervisor Valery Starkey coined in February 2024 when Short initially proposed blocking the area. 

On Tuesday, though she ultimately voted with the rest of her colleagues for the barriers to continue, Starkey asked for statistics on the number of illegal dumpsites as well as the number of deputy patrols in the area. 

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Articles, Community News, Elections, Local Government

Del Norte Board of Supervisors Recap, Aug. 26, 2025

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Thumbnail photo: Members of the Del Norte Sheriff’s Posse raised $10,000 to bring Otis, a 1954 Ford police car, back to the community last month. | Photo courtesy of the Del Norte Sheriff’s Posse

Among the items discussed at Tuesday’s Del Norte County Board of Supervisors meeting:

Supervisors accept “Otis”: Though the vehicle has already been purchased, Del Norte County supervisors officially accepted Otis on Tuesday.

The 1954 Ford police car has been in movies, including the 1996 crime flick “Mulholland Falls,” according to Sheriff Garrett Scott’s staff report. Over the summer, the Del Norte Sheriff’s Posse, the nonprofit organization supporting the sheriff’s office, raised $10,000 to buy the vehicle. 

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Articles, Infrastructure, Local Government, Transportation

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

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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.

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Guest Submission, Opinion

Opinion: Setting the Record Straight on Airport Funding and Responsibility

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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.

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