Tag Archives: del norte

Articles, CC Harbor, Local Government

CCHD Makes Formal Brown Act Commitment On Behalf of Their Finance Committee; Attorney States Board Wasn’t Admitting To Wrongdoing

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Thumbnail photo by Gavin Van Alstine

Though one member said that such a statement would imply wrongdoing, Crescent City Harbor commissioners last week agreed to issue a formal commitment that their finance committee would comply with the Ralph M. Brown Act.

This unconditional commitment is in response to a cease and desist letter Davis attorney Paul Boylan sent to the Crescent City Harbor District on behalf of his client, county resident Linda Sutter.

The July 14 letter alleges that the CCHD finance committee met without providing public notice and failed to conduct open meetings. It states that the district’s finance committee denied the public the opportunity to comment and record their meetings and failed to keep a record, according to an Aug. 27 report from the district’s attorney, Ryan Plotz of Mitchell Law Firm.

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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. 

Continue reading Ruth Compound Barriers Will Stay Put; Supervisors Call For Further Remedies To Illegal Dumping, Camping In The Area →
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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Articles, Crime, Local Government

Judge Denies Motion To Reduce Del Norte ACAO’s Hit & Run, DUI Charges; Hooper Allegedly Had 0.198 BAC, CHP Officer Testifies

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Thumbnail photo by Heather Polen

Hooper | Courtesy LinkedIn

After viewing video footage from Elk Valley Casino and hearing from the alleged victim in the case, a Del Norte County Judge denied a motion to reduce hit and run and driving under the influence charges against County Administrative Officer Randy Hooper from felonies to misdemeanors.

During a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, Judge Karen Olson said it would be up to the people to decide whether the charges against Hooper should be reduced. 

“[It’s] not in the interest of justice,” Olson said. “Accountability and justice go hand-in-hand regardless of how many Board of Supervisor members or sheriffs you know. This is not a core issue of the case. Reducing charges may occur in the future, but that is on the people.”

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Articles, Crescent City, Crime, Emergencies, Law

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

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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. 

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Articles, Community News, Emergencies, Klamath, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Ambulance Will Station A Vehicle, Crew In Klamath

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Del Norte Ambulance

(Updated at 5:07 p.m. to clarify that it was Walter Lara Jr. that helped facilitate a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Del Norte Ambulance to open a station in Klamath.]

Del Norte Ambulance’s operations manager confirmed a statement District 5 Supervisor Dean Wilson made earlier this month — the emergency medical provider will have an ambulance and a crew stationed in Klamath.

“We are working with the Yurok Housing Authority on a partnership for securing housing for us on a trial basis of one year while we place one of our four ambulances there,” Charles Tweed told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday. “Two people will be staffed in that ambulance at any given time.”

This news comes about two weeks after an independent consultant, EndPoint EMS Consulting LLC, delivered an analysis of Del Norte County’s emergency medical system, finding that Klamath residents often waited up to 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive during an emergency.

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