SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879 Crescent City, CA
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024
All the Pieces of the Puzzle Fit…
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Ramshackle Mental Health Building on Williams Drive is coming down
BY ROGER GITLIN Country Media, Inc.
Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, when it seems
nothing is happening, all of sudden, whoosh!! Everything happens. Del Norte County owns property on Williams
Drive. Plans call for the dilapidated mental health structure to be razed and the site to be utilized for homeless and transitional
housing. Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors approved the site located at 206 Williams Drive to be the home for the, as yet,
to the Dept. of Agriculture totaling almost $290,000 eventually was settled via installment payments to the Federal government. Joint Powers economic efforts have been virtually nonexistent. In a related Closed Session item, community watchdog Linda Sutter alleges malfeasance in a lawsuit filed in Superior Court. Sutter states, “Everyday Tri-Agency remains open, it is in violation of the California Brown Act. The JPA has no budget, no office, no staff. Tri-Agency is a waste of public funds.” Sutter alleges nearly $40,000 has been spent on legal costs / attorney fees between 2018-2020. The current Tri-Agency
Authority is comprised by City Councilor Ray Altman and Mayor Blake Inscore, Supervisor Chris Howard and Board of Supervisors Chair Dean Wilson, and Harbor Commissioner Wes White who is the current chairman of the Tri-Agency JPA. These five elected make up the Tri-Agency Economic Development Authority. Last Summer, under considerable scrutiny and discussion, all three member agencies voted to continue Tri-Agency. Each Governance agreed to fund the JPA, accordingly: • Del Norte County $70,000. • Crescent City $30,000. • Harbor District Please see Tri-Agency, Page 8
unnamed housing facility. At the Monday City Council Meeting, Crescent City Fire Chief Kevin Carey requested the City
allow a controlled training burn for his staff and invited area first responder agencies to observe and Please see BUILDING, Page 11
Is Tri-Agency on Life Support? BY ROGER GITLIN Country Media, Inc.
The Tri-Agency Economic Development Joint Powers Authority (JPA) held a meeting May 2, for a discussion and possible action to recommend to member agencies to terminate the Authority pursuant to the JPA. The three agencies which comprise Tri-Agency are the City of Crescent City, County of Del Norte and the Crescent City-Del Norte County Harbor District. The bone of contention apparently is the prioritization of wind power development. Or is it? Tri-Agency has experienced a tumultuous past. Accumulated debt incurred
Courtesy logo
Beleaguered agency kicks the can down the road
City of Crescent City, County of Del Norte, Crescent City Harbor District
Man’s Best Friend…Zuko is DNSD’s Best Tracker BY ROGER GITLIN Country Media, Inc.
Last week, Del Norte K9 Deputy Lucas Brittain and
Courtesy Photos
Law Enforcement on site in drug-related arrest.
Suspect Christopher James Swain
Zuko were patrolling the area off Seashore Drive after receiving reports of suspicious drug-related activity. Deputy Britrain noted an individual walking in the area identified as 37 year old Christopher James Swain. The individual is wanted in connection with multiple felony crimes in Del Norte County. Before Deputy Brittain could make contact and arrest Swain, the suspect fled on foot and Deputy Brittain was unable to give chase immediately. Assisting law enforcement arrived in the
area and K9 Zuko went to work. Besides being the deputy’s best friend, Zuko is a specially trained, State-certified tracking canine. Within short order, Zuko tracked the suspect to a home on Shorecliff Drive. A perimeter was established to contain the suspect, search warrant was obtained from the Superior Court and Swain was arrested on evading arrest. The suspect has been detained in the Del Norte Jail, on parole hold felonies. Del Norte Probation is reviewing violations with
no bail available. Assisting the DNSD were the CHP, District Attorney’s Office, National Parks Law Enforcement and the Pelican Bay CERT Team. Center to this happy ending story, the arrest with the expert skills of Zuko, protected deputies and the community. Recently, Wal-Mart Crescent City donated $4000 to benefit the Del Norte K9 Program. Zuko, man’s best friend and the Department’s best tracker.
Palestine Protests Displayed along 101 in Crescent City BY ROGER GITLIN Country Media, Inc.
Free Speech and peaceful demonstrations were prominently displayed this past Sunday on U.S. Highway 101 at the Fairgrounds in Crescent City. Both sides of the highly emotional October 7th terrorist-identified Hamas-Israel war expressed their 1st Amendment right to peacefully assemble. Separated by just a few yards at the northwest corner off the Fairgrounds, both the Palestinian and Israel support groups respected the presence of each other with no physical contact, Courtesy Photo
Zuko tracker-extraordinaire
Please see PROTESTS, Page 2
INDEX
Phone Number: 707-460-6727
Opinion
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Community Calendar Classifieds Crossword Answers Crossword Puzzle
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