GARAGE SALE SATURDAY ADS & MAPS IN TODAY’S B SECTION
SATURDAY October 5, 2019
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steele family’s
YOUNGEST RACER By David Hayes Staff Writer
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arry Steele recalls when son Dristian was 4 years old and in the preschool Head Start program. The boy’s teacher displayed a laminated poster about goals and dreams. “Dristian’s
(dream) was to be a racecar driver,” said Steele. “We let him run with it and go forward with it.” “It” included earning 2018 Junior Dragster Driver of the Year at Samoa Drag Strip in Eureka. Larry Steele admits the speed bug carried by his Uncle Bert skipped his generation and instead settled on Dristian, prompting a need for speed the preteen embraced in 2016. “One day I was watching TV and my uncle asked me if I wanted to race like that, and I said, yeah,” said Dristrian. “And we
went down to go watch the races. “Then I got in one and I said, ‘I want to do this!’” Uncle Bert was renowned for racing the circle track in Coos Bay back in the ‘80s. These days, he’s best known for his collection of classic muscle cars, particularly the 1968 SS Camaro he rebuilt to win Best of Show at the 2017 “Sea Cruise” in Crescent City. “I’ve been doing cars forever, but (I got) really into it the last 10 or 15 years,” said Bert Steele. His collection has grown over those years to more than 30, stored in his massive garage and shop on the outskirts of Crescent City. “I used to go up there when I was kid, about Dristian’s age, and watch Uncle Bert on the circle track at Redwood Acres up in Oregon,” Larry said. “He built an ’87 IROC and raced it. It was exciting for me be in the middle of that. More Drag Racer on Page A2
Lighting Crescent City not easy, officials say Staff Report
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rescent City resident Dennis Keep enjoys a good evening walk, although he’s noticing an increasing number of flickering – or completely dark streetlights. Keep said he likes his nightly jaunts, but wants his route to be safe and
well-lit. “I’ve reported this before and nothing has happened. Nothing,” Keep said. He said he’s found 17 dead streetlights so far. Other residents are echoing Keep’s concerns. Crescent City Engineer Jon Olson said local residents have been reporting dark street-
lights on almost a daily basis now. Okay, so why haven’t they been repaired? It’s a bit complicated, said Olson. For one thing, the Crescent City Department of Public Works has only two technicians dealing with streetlights, in addition to their other electrical and mechanical tasks.
And Public Works has budgetary constraints, said Olson, which limit the money available for streetlight repairs. Depending on the project, those repairs can cost upwards of a couple hundred dollars per light. So it might take up to three months for the city to make the repairs,
said Olson. Although, he added, that shouldn’t deter residents from reporting failed lights. When a complaint is filed, it’s entered into a workorder database and addressed on a firstcome, first-served basis. That said, the city is going beyond simply More Lights on Page A4
Cost of gas up here ... big time! By David Hayes Staff Writer
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asoline prices in the state of California have leaped in the past few days, reaching an average of $4.05 per gallon - only 7 cents below the highest price paid in five years. That’s according to Gas Buddy, which tracks such things. And it’s even worse in Crescent City, where prices recently have been ranging from $4.09 to $4.35. That’s among the highest prices, on average, in the country. The national average is $2.65 per gallon ... a whopping $1.70 or so difference. Why? For one thing, Californians pay a higher-than-usual sales tax, which recently increased to 47.3 cents per gallon. Lucky for Crescent City residents, they can make the drive to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Lucky 7 Casino in Smith River, where gasoline ranges from $3.17 to $3.29 per gallon. “It’s likely because the (Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation) is not subject to the same federal and state taxes that California residents pay,” said American Automobile Association spokesman Devin Gladden. In previous years, gas prices lowered with the end of summer. That’s when producers turn to cheaper-to-produce winter gasoline. But this year, California’s gas prices have gone up More Gas on Page A5
If there’s a U.S. 199 car crash, count on the Forest Service By David Hayes Staff Writer hen a vehicle crashes on U.S. Highway 199 east of its intersection with U.S. Highway 101, the California 911 dispatcher may decide to contact an unlikely first-responder – the U.S. Forest Service. That’s because the quickest response may not necessarily be available from Gasquet’s all-volunteer Fire Protection District or from the California Highway Patrol. “We’ve responded to a variety of accidents, from the worst type of fatalities you can imagine
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to someone just banging their head or going off the road and they’re fine,” said Duane Franklin, district firemaster for the National Recreational Area. Based at the Gasquet Ranger District office at 10600 U.S. Highway 199, the Forest Service’s volunteer fire crew is the first to respond to wildlife fires within their district. “We’re first-responders for fires, whether it’s lightning or human-caused, in the wildland,” said Al Goughnour, the assistant firemaster. “We don’t respond to structure fires, but we may be called in an assist role for structure or
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vehicle fires.” Said Goughnour: “On Sept. 23, a car went into the river and we got there first. Two people were going too fast and launched into the river and got stuck in the vehicle. Luckily, it was low flow this time of year. “Our guys got there, assessed the situation and kept the people safe until a vehicle tow could get them out and safely up the embankment.” He added that the crew doesn’t respond to vehicle accident scenes without first More Service on Page A5
Forest Service firefighters from the National Recreational Area (left) assist Gasquet Fire Protection District volunteers (right) in vehicle accidents on U.S. Highway 199. Photo by David Hayes.
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