Tag Archives: redwood voice

Domoic Acid Delays Recreational Crab Season in Northern California

Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Map courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Thumbnail photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:

The recreational Dungeness crab season will open beginning Nov. 1, 2025, except in northern California where it has been delayed due to a public health hazard.

State health agencies determined that Dungeness crab in northern California have unhealthy levels of domoic acid and recommended delaying the opening of the recreational fishery in state waters from the California/Oregon border (42° 0.00’ N latitude) south to the Sonoma/Mendocino County line (38° 46.125’ N latitude). Following this recommendation, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham has delayed the opening of the recreational Dungeness crab fishery in northern California. Recreational take and/or possession of Dungeness crab is prohibited in these closed waters.

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Part of Harbormaster’s Salary Will Come From CCHD’s Grants; Harbor Received $1 Million In State Appropriations for Maintenance, Tsunami Recovery

Thumbnail photo by Paul Critz

Crescent City Harbormaster Mike Rademaker said the Harbor District is not going broke, though commissioners were asked to approve an adjustment to payroll expenditures Wednesday in order to balance the budget.

“We have over $15 million in grants to improve Citizens Dock and the seawall,” he said. “That’s going to fund the majority of the work I’m going to do, plus tsunami recovery is going to be funded, that’s going to be paying for a lot of my payroll and it’s going to be paying for maintenance work.”

The Port Infrastructure Development Program grant the Harbor District received from the U.S. Maritime Administration as well as a $1 million appropriation from the California legislature are two of four things keeping the port from going bankrupt, Rademaker said. 

Continue reading Part of Harbormaster’s Salary Will Come From CCHD’s Grants; Harbor Received $1 Million In State Appropriations for Maintenance, Tsunami Recovery

Harbor Recap: Shutdown Delays Grant Process, Commissioners Discuss Lilies, Hazard Plan, Fillet Station

Thumbnail photo: Harbormaster Mike Rademaker and Harbor Commissioner Dan Schmidt attend a tour of the harbor’s facilities in this January 2025 file photo. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Among the items discussed at Wednesday’s Crescent City Harbor District meeting:

Citizens Dock/Sea Wall projects: Construction on the seawall and Citizens Dock is expected to start May 1, 2026. But the federal government shutdown is delaying review of the environmental studies the Harbor District submitted to the U.S. Maritime Administration, Mike Bahr, CEO of Community System Solutions, told commissioners.

The Harbor District is rebuilding Citizens Dock and an adjacent seawall with about $15 million in Port Infrastructure Development Program grant dollars. Bahr, who manages the district’s grant-funded projects, brought two contracts with MARAD to the Board of Commissioners for their review, but said because of the shutdown the administration’s attorneys are furloughed.

Continue reading Harbor Recap: Shutdown Delays Grant Process, Commissioners Discuss Lilies, Hazard Plan, Fillet Station

Crescent City Makes Provisions for Nine Families Impacted By Early End to COVID-Era Housing Program

Thumbnail photo: Members of the former Crescent City Council, the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and the Crescent City Planning Commission break ground on Battery Point Apartments in this Sept. 10 file photo. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

The earlier-than-anticipated end of a COVID-era program will push some families ahead of the line when it comes to obtaining Section 8 housing vouchers.

Nine families are currently being housed through the Emergency Housing Voucher  (EHV) program, which was created in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, Crescent City Housing Authority Director Megan Miller said Monday.

With the program’s funding expected to run out four years earlier than anticipated, however, the City Council, acting as the Housing Authority Board of Directors, approved transitioning those nine families into the Housing Choice Voucher program.

Continue reading Crescent City Makes Provisions for Nine Families Impacted By Early End to COVID-Era Housing Program

Crescent City Creates Plan B For Public Notices if Newspaper Folds

Thumbnail: Dan Schmidt, the Del Norte Triplicate’s new owner, speaks to a city plan Monday to have an alternate available for publishing public notices should Crescent City be without a newspaper. | Screenshot.

Though the Del Norte Triplicate’s new owner felt it was unnecessary, Crescent City councilors adopted a backup when it comes to publishing public notices should the community be without a newspaper.

Dan Schmidt said Monday that he and his wife Phyllis have put a newspaper out every week since taking over the Triplicate about a month ago. They’re currently working on the fifth issue. A month ago the city’s ordinance would have made sense, he said, but the community still has a newspaper of general circulation.

“You don’t need to pretend that it’s going to go away,” Schmidt told the City Council. “I’m going to be here awhile, I plan to, and we’ll keep putting the paper out.”

Continue reading Crescent City Creates Plan B For Public Notices if Newspaper Folds

Hooper Pleads No Contest to DUI With Injury; Plea Bargain Would Reduce Charge To Misdemeanor

Hooper | LinkedIn

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

Randy Hooper pleaded no contest to felony DUI causing injury as part of a plea bargain that would reduce the charge to a misdemeanor if he follows its terms, attorney Keith Morris told Redwood Voice Community News on Tuesday.

Del Norte County’s assistant county administrative officer changed his plea on Oct. 9 and will be formally sentenced in November, said Morris, who prosecuted the case on behalf of the California Attorney General’s Office.

If the judge approves the plea deal, Hooper will be required to finish the Humboldt Addictions Services Program (HASP) for DUI offenders, attend two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, showing proof of attendance, and “obey all laws,” Morris said. Hooper will have six months from Oct. 9 to meet the terms of the plea bargain.

Continue reading Hooper Pleads No Contest to DUI With Injury; Plea Bargain Would Reduce Charge To Misdemeanor

Schmidt Cited For Trespassing at Roger Gitlin’s House; Harbor Commissioner Is Contacting Proponents of Now-Paused Recall Effort

Thumbnail photo: Roger Gitlin (left) and Dan Schmidt (right)

Crescent City Harbor Commissioner Dan Schmidt was ready to go to jail for trespassing at Roger Gitlin’s house on Wednesday.

Schmidt, who last month bought the Del Norte Triplicate from Country Media, Gitlin’s previous employer, wanted to hand over his rebuttal to a now-rescinded recall effort against him. Gitlin wouldn’t answer the door, so Schmidt stayed on the porch for about half an hour knocking and ringing the bell. 

“I guess Roger got tired of me being there so he called the police to have me arrested for trespassing,” Schmidt told Redwood Voice Community News on Sunday.  He said the officer who responded gave him the choice of leaving or being arrested. 

Continue reading Schmidt Cited For Trespassing at Roger Gitlin’s House; Harbor Commissioner Is Contacting Proponents of Now-Paused Recall Effort

Del Norte Seeks $20 Million Grant For Behavioral Health Clinic; Supes Also Support Regional Mental Health Services Project

Thumbnail: Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services employees and their clients commemorated Mental Health Awareness Month with a ceremonial walk to the Flynn Center in May. | File photo by Monique Camarena

Though her department is pursuing the same grant to build a local outpatient behavioral health clinic, Ranell Brown urged supervisors to support a Shasta County project that she says will provide services Del Norte County can’t.

Brown, director of the Del Norte County Department of Health and Human Services, said her department’s application for $20 million in Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) seeks to expand the services Del Norte offers. 

The “True North” Behavioral Health Campus, a collaboration between Signature Health Care, Arch Collaborative and the Shasta Health Assessment and Redesign Collaborative is a more regional project, she said.
“The project includes triage and crisis stabilization and inpatient psychiatric care, residential treatment for children and youth and partial hospitalization and social rehabilitation,” Brown said of the proposed “True North” facility. “It’s a much broader project than what we can do in Del Norte County.”

Continue reading Del Norte Seeks $20 Million Grant For Behavioral Health Clinic; Supes Also Support Regional Mental Health Services Project

Oregon Judge Weighs In On Dispute Between Curry BOC, Sheriff, Sets Trial For Oct. 28

Ward

Thumbnail: An Oregon circuit court judge weighed in on the Curry County Board of Commissioners’ dispute with Sheriff John Ward. | Screenshot

An Oregon circuit court judge has issued an opinion outlining where the Curry County Board of Commissioners and the sheriff stand when it comes to their respective roles.

However, one aspect of the county’s complaint against Sheriff John Ward — whether he’s required to provide “all records, information and supporting documents” to the Board of Commissioners upon request — will be the subject of a trial on Oct. 28.

“Personally, I’m grateful to have this judgment determination in front of us,” Board Chairman Jay Trost told Redwood Voice Community News on Thursday, adding that the opinion may have implications that apply to other communities besides Curry County. “It just provides a path forward in clarifying some of the roles and responsibilities that have been in question.”

Continue reading Oregon Judge Weighs In On Dispute Between Curry BOC, Sheriff, Sets Trial For Oct. 28

Del Norte Supes Weigh In On Salary Placement, Juvenile Custody Issues, Prop. 50

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

Salary Schedule and New Hires: Though she said new employees are welcome, the president of the Del Norte County Employees Association pointed out that the county is establishing a standard when it comes to placement on the salary schedule.

Norma Williams referred to the proposed hiring of four employees at Step C on the salary schedule — items that appeared on the Board’s consent agenda and were approved without comment.

Continue reading Del Norte Supes Weigh In On Salary Placement, Juvenile Custody Issues, Prop. 50