FRIDAY November 22, 2019
S E R V I N G O U R C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 1 8 7 9 • W W W. T R I P L I C A T E . C O M
Warriors host pivotal playoff game By John Pritchett For The Triplicate
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ay Rook came razor close in 2013. Lewis Nova had a couple of close calls, too. Other
Law on water bills spurs debate By David Hayes Staff Writer
Del Norte High School coaches have had their shots as well. On Saturday night, first-year head football coach Nick White and his Warrior football team will make their bid for a place
in the Division 5 North Coast Section championship game, when they take on Moreau Catholic at Mike Whalen Field. Game time will be 7 o’clock. The game will be broadcast live on KPOD
97.9 FM, with the Warrior Pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. Since 1982, Del Norte has reached the N-C-S semifinals seven times, but has never made the championship game. In
1998, the Warriors lost 13-10 to Marin Catholic. The 2007 Del Norte team came into the semifinals undefeated, but fell to Novato 18-14. The 2013 team came within an extra point of shocking Fortu-
‘KING TIDES’
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rescent City staff and elected officials on Monday were discussing the unintended consequences of a new state law prohibiting municipalities from shutting off water service to delinquent payers. “This really seems like while it’s trying to keep everyone’s water from getting shut off,” said Mayor Blake Inscore, “we’re creating a potentially bigger problem by delaying the requirement they get up to date on their bill.” In debate is SB 998, also known as the Water Shutoff Protection Act, approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September 2018. The act declares that all Californians have the right to safe, accessible and affordable water, and its intent is to minimize the number of Californians who lose access to water service because of their inability to pay for it. Linda Leaver, Crescent City’s director of finance, said SB 998 applies only to residential and not commercial water accounts, and only to service that’s shut off for non-payment. The problem, Leaver said, is that SB 998 places several new requirements on water systems that provide more than 200 service connections, and that the new policies must go into effect by Feb. 1, 2020. To comply, she said, Crescent City must update its municipal code and develop a written policy for discontinuation that in sync with provisions of the act. The bigger problem Inscore had with the legislation is the potential to get low-income customers into a financial hole that’s hard for them to climb out of. “Under 998, customers will owe us 3.5 to 4 months before we can shut them off,” said Leaver. “If they get all the way to 60 days of delinquent status, (and) then (they) request payment options, we have to give them another 60 days. So, they could potentially owe six months.” Yet another problem cited by the city is making wholesale changes to its municipal code for potentially just a handful of delinquents. Mayor pro tem Heidi Kime wanted to know, “How many people are we talking about that run into this issue?” “I can tell you that when we mail out the 10-day notice, we mail out hundreds a month, but almost all pay their bill within that 10 days,” More Water Law on Page A4
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More Warriors on Page A4
Reward offered in search for missing Crescent City man A
This photo shows the 2018 king tides at South Pebble Beach in Crescent City. Photo courtesy California King Tides Project.
PREDICTED HERE FOR NOV. 25-27 Jeremy C. Ruark For The Triplicate
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ince 2010, the California Coastal Commission has engaged citizens in the California King Tides Project, inviting the public to take photos and videos of the higher-than-usual king in low-lying areas. The commission’s education and grant coordinator, Annie Kohut Frankel, said the king tides are one to two feet higher than average tides. “This project allows us to understand what areas are vulnerable to flooding,” she said. “Observing the high tides allows us to see what may flood and what may be
vulnerable over the next decades. “It also helps the public and planners be aware of current and future risks and to follow the sea’s rise.” Frankel said the next king tides watch will be Jan. 10-12 and Feb. 8-9, although high tides are expected along the California coast Nov. 25-27. The highest is expected to be on Nov. 26. “Next Tuesday in Crescent City, high tide is expected at 10:33 a.m. to be 8.27 feet,” she said. “That could give anyone wishing to participate in the January and More Tides on Page A2
Organizers are hoping for a well-lit Thanksgiving By Jessica Goddard Staff Writer
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or 28 years, Thanksgiving has meant “community” for Crescent City residents looking forward to the annual feast with friends, old and new. This year is no exception. An annual free Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be held once more at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds on Thursday, Nov. 28, from 12-2 p.m. And this year, organizers hope the lights will stay on. Power went out last year, thanks to a storm, prompting residents to enjoy a candlelit Thanksgiving feast. Roger Bodenstab, pastor of Crescent City Foursquare Church, and his staff had to scramble to gather spare candles from the church to keep the celebration going. Luckily, the food had already
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na, 21-20. That’s all ancient history to White. He is not even thinking about it. But the recent past? Oh,
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been cooked. “We had to improvise quickly… So, we’re looking forward to the fairgrounds getting a generator at some point,” Bodenstab laughed. For the past few years, the dinner has been co-hosted by Crescent City Foursquare Church, the Del Norte County Fairgrounds and Sutter Coast Hospital. The fairgrounds provide the venue - the main hall - Foursquare organizes the details and coordinates the volunteers, and the hospital cooks the meal. “It is attended by so many,” said Karen Castro, nutrition services manager at Sutter Coast Hospital. “I am happy knowing that families gather together, some of our community leaders and their families, and we also serve some people that may otherwise have not had an opportunity to sit down and eat a hot meal and enjoy that fellowship that
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SATURDAY
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$5,000 reward has now been offered for information regarding a missing Crescent City man. Wisconsin nonprofit Rapid Search and Rescue has announced the reward to assist in locating Norbert A. “Tony” Dantzman. Dantzman, who suffers from dementia, was visiting rural Winter, Wisconsin with his daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and Kendal Smith, for a centennial family reunion when he walked away from his motel room Aug. 30 and disappeared. Search and rescue canines lost his scent along County Highway W. The family suspects someone may have given him a ride, since no sign of him has been found despite extensive searches. A nationwide Silver Alert also has been issued. Dantzman’s granddaughter, Haley Smith of Crescent City, created a Facebook page (Missing Person - Tony Dantzman@bringtonydantzmanhome) to spread the word of her grandfather’s disappearance and provide a locale for updates.
Del Norte Ambulance socking it to cancer
The Community Thanksgiving Dinner serves a traditional meal to more than 600 people. Courtesy photo. comes with this event.” Last year, the organizers fed roughly 620 people - even with the lights going out - and they expect a similar turnout this year. Along with preparing all of the classic Thanksgiving favorites, including pie, the hospital is planning to cook upwards of 40 turkeys. “I have 17 people that work with
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Staff Report
me in the kitchen, throughout the week, so it is a combined effort of all hands on deck,” Castro said. To keep the dinner free, a number of community organizations, including Walmart and the Wild Rivers Community Foundation, are helping More Dinner on Page A3
Staff Report
el Norte Ambulance has extended its Sock It to Cancer promotion through the end of November, which is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Last year during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the company teamed with Bicoastal Media and the Sutter Coast Infusion Center to gather 200 pairs of socks for Del Norte County residents who were undergoing cancer treatment. Del Norte Ambulance general manager John Pritchett said this year’s goal is to top last year’s total. “One of the complaints they hear about the side effects of cancer treatment is how cold their feet get,” Pritchett said. “This campaign is a reminder that the whole community is there for the folks undergoing treatment.” Donations of any new sock - be it ankle, crew or over-theknee – are being accepted by Nov. 30 at Del Norte Ambulance, 2600 Morehead Rd.; the Sutter Coast registration desk, 800 East Washington Blvd.; and Bicoastal Media, 1345 Northcrest Dr.
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