DNT 101919

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STUDENT CULINARY COURSES HEAT UP INTEREST on Page 3

SATURDAY October 19, 2019

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UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Lowest in 30 yrs.

The top industries employing residents of Del Norte County are local government, education and health services, leisure and hospitality, and Pelican Bay State Prison. Graphic by Jessica Goddard.

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By Jessica Goddard Staff Writer

he unemployment rate in Del Norte County in 2018 and 2019 was the lowest the county has seen in more than 30 years. And it’s been receding significantly in the last seven years, according

to a report by the Federal Reserve Economic Data. “When I started at the Workforce Center (in 2007), during that time to maybe 2009 to 2010, that’s when we saw a large percentage of unemployment. Slowly, it’s going down to a little over 5%, which is the lowest I’ve ever seen in Del Norte,” said

Christy Hernandez, who manages the Del Norte Workforce Center. Statistics from the Employment Development Department of California show that unemployment so far this year for Del Norte County is

More Jobs on Page A5

SURF’S UP

waves can be hazardous for some,

(dangerous) fun for others

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By David Hayes Staff Writer

hen the National Weather Service issues beach hazard warnings, as it did this week, alerting beachcombers to “northwesterly swells resulting in increasing surf heights,” the interest of another subculture is peaked. According to Tom Tyrrel, co-owner of Local Boys Surf & Skate Shop along with his wife, Shirin, regional surfers consider the smaller waves breaking onto the summertime shores of Crescent City beaches to be ideal. But come the end of September, a whole new season rolls in for surfers in the know. “Everyone knows along the West Coast, from Mendocino to Washington, that now through next summer is a good

time to get wet and catch a good swell,” Tyrrel said. But while a beach hazard warning promises surfing waves as high as 20 feet, that doesn’t mean conditions are ideal. Especially since the weather service warnings are given when there are high risks of “sneaker waves” - larger, dangerous ones that can suddenly appear in a chain of more innocuous waves. That’s why Tyrrel said surfers seek secondary forecast information, such as found on the website www.magicseaweed. com. The site offers a detailed look at conditions at South

Beach, just southeast of the harbor, describing South Beach as the main break of Del Norte County: “A wide, flat, expansive beachbreak near the Crescent City Harbor right alongside Highway 101. The north end of the beach is the most sheltered and blows offshore during north winds, so it’s a good place to go during springtime and between winter More Surf on Page A2

Conditions were less than ideal Wednesday for surfing off the beach near Battery Point Lighthouse after a beach hazard warning. Photo by David Hayes.

Car crash claims life of highly regarded tackle shop and charter boat personality By Andy Martin For The Triplicate

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prominent local tackle shop worker from Brookings, who spent years working at tackle shops and charter offices in Santa Cruz, recently died in a car accident in the Smith River Canyon. Roland Robertson, 67, and his passenger, 44-year-old Travis Lea, were found dead Oct. 15 in Robertson’s battered Mazda pickup truck 60 feet down an embankment off U.S. Highway 199 near Gasquet, just north of Patrick Creek Lodge. The truck is believed to have been over the side of the winding road for several days before a California Department of Transportation worker discovered it in a heavily wooded area. The cause of the accident is unknown. Robertson worked at

George Morrison (standing) and Roland Robertson of Brookings show a 44-pound king salmon caught Nov. 3 from the Chetco River while fishing with guide Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. Courtesy photo. the Chetco Outdoor Store in Brookings. He was well known in the fishing commu-

INDEX Crosswords................................................ A5 Crossword Answers ....................................B7 Calendar.....................................................B1 Classifieds............................................B3 - B6

nity in southern Oregon and northern California, both for his local fishing knowledge

and for his stories of working on charter boats in Santa Cruz, where he had worked for Shamrock Charters. Robertson had a strong following of anglers from the Bay Area who fished the Chetco and Smith rivers with local guides. They would always make a point of visiting him at the Brookings tackle shop while in town. “Worked many days with him at Shamrock back in the day,” said Brett Shaw of Santa Cruz. “I learned a lot about fishing from him. Many people can say the same thing. The memories are endless.” “Caught a lot of fish with the man,” said Steve Throop of Santa Cruz. “A lore more because of him.” “I used to really enjoy talking about surfing with Roland,” said Brookings fishing guide Jack Hanson. “As a young man, he was a pretty

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damn good surfer from the Santa Cruz region.” Robertson moved to Brookings from Santa Cruz, and lived at the At Rivers Edge RV Park, next to the famous Morris Hole on the Chetco. Anglers would call him daily to find out how many fish had moved upriver the previous evening near his home. His expertise in albacore tuna fishing allowed the shop where he worked to become the headquarters for southern Oregon tuna fishing. He also was an accomplished boat and shore salmon and steelhead fisherman. Customers sought his advice on the best-color Spin-N-Glo to use, or best brine to use for salmon trolling. Andy Martin is a full-time river guide and saltwater boat captain with Wild Rivers Fishing and Brookings Fishing Charters, LLC.

CAROL HUNGERFORD PUBLISHER

You want syndicated features W

hen we purchased the Del Norte Triplicate and the Curry Coastal Pilot on July 1, I hit the decks running. Making decisions like crazy, many of which had been long delayed. From visiting with people in the community, it seemed clear their overwhelming preference was for strong news coverage of the local area, news they couldn’t get anywhere else. Knowing that, one decision I made was to focus our energy, resources and budget on just that – local stories. But to do that, and still ensure our newspapers would be financially sustainable over the long run, we needed to stop running costly syndicated features – thousands of dollars a year - so we instead could hire a larger reporting staff and still keep the budget balanced. Plus, without those costly More Features on Page A5

Protocols in place for crises By Jessica Goddard Staff Writer

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el Norte High School students and families experienced a scare Tuesday afternoon when the school went into lockdown after students reported a possible gun on campus. As law enforcement rushed to the scene, the More Protocols on Page A6

TIDES MONDAY

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