Temporary recreational crab trap restriction continues More on this, page A9
SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879 www.triplicate.com
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2022
Crescent City, CA
Del Norte County man facing murder charges Stabbing leaves one person dead, one injured BY DAVID RUPKALVIS For The Triplicate
A Del Norte County man is behind bars facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly killed one man and injured a woman last week. Sheriff Garrett Scott confirmed Gabriel Joseph Hughes, 42, was arrested in the case that left Rick Alan Nations, 69, dead and his daughter,
who is in her early 20s, with at least one stab wound. According to Scott, the sheriff’s office was called to the 1500 block of Keller Avenue last Tuesday to reports of a woman screaming and saying she was stabbed. When deputies arrived, they found the woman with a stab wound to her neck. Nearby, deputies found Nations with multiple stab wounds to his body. First
responders gave emergency care to both victims before they were transported to the hospital, where Nations was declared dead. According to Scott, Hughes was staying at a home near where Nations lived on Keller Avenue when he walked up to Nations’ home on December 6 at around 1 p.m. Nations saw Hughes approaching and walked out onto his porch to talk to him when Hughes alleged-
ly attacked Nations with a knife. Nations’ daughter was also injured in the confrontation. After being treated, she was released from Sutter Coast Hospital. Deputies recovered a knife at the scene and took Hughes into custody. The Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office and California Highway Patrol helped process the crime scene.
Gabriel Joseph Hughes
Emergency housing, homelessness discussed by council BY JULIE AKINS For The Triplicate
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After struggling early in the season due to injuries and illnesses, the Del Norte Warriors have shown improvement as they prepare to open league play. The boys have a 4-5 record after a pair of wins in a tournament.
Warriors building momentum ahead of league play Shasta tournament on Saturday, despite missing two key starters through sickness, but lost to St. Bernard’s by a score of 39-31. “We played tough,” said head coach Justin Clifton, whose team dropped to 5-2 with the loss. Jacalyn Gorbet scored a teamhigh 10 points for Del Norte, while Brooklyn Carter finished with nine
BY RAY HAMILL For The Triplicate
It’s been a mostly positive start to the new basketball season for the Del Norte Warriors, who have been busy for the past couple of weeks playing at a variety of tournaments. The girls varsity team reached the championship game at the Mt.
points, Anyessa Bettga eight and Koy-Poh McQuillen five. This year’s team is junior heavy, but Clifton believes the Warriors have the talent and depth to challenge anyone in the Big 5, most notably multi-sport junior Lili Nunez. “I think she’s the best player in the league,” the head coach said of the standout guard. “She led the
league in scoring last year.” Also back and expected to play key roles are four-year varsity seniors Lily Wilson and Gianna Taylor. Wilson plays center and Taylor is a guard and both players, according to their coach, have improved from Please see HOOPS, Page A2
Inmates bring Christmas cheer to Del Norte County THE TRIPLICATE Every year, the incarcerated people that work on the fire crews out of CAL FIRE’s Alder Camp in the Humboldt Del Norte Unit, work as elves for Santa’s Workshop. They build various toys from doll houses, cars, boats, planes, toy toolboxes, gum ball machines, and rocking horses for the underprivileged children of Del Norte County. This year alone, they built 615 toys for the drive. This program is an opportunity for them to give back to the community. Alder Camp has always been involved with projects ranging from fuels reduction, trail maintenance, road cleanup and disaster response, but building the toys has a greater impact
on the offenders because they are helping provide gifts for children during the holiday season. These toys may be the only gifts these children receive this holiday, and the offenders are honored to provide these handmade treasures to the local children. CAL FIRE Alder Camp, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and other cooperators work tirelessly to be part of Santa’s Workshop. CAL TRANS, State Parks, National Parks, and Del Norte Tribal Nations donate the wood used to make these toys. This program is an example of the community coming together during the holiday season for a shared purpose and a common goal, to provide gifts for the underprivileged children of Del Norte County.
INDEX
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Inmates at CAL FIRE’s Alder Camp made 615 toys that will be given to children at Christmas time.
Phone Number: 707-460-6727
Obituaries
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The Crescent City Council will have to deal with emergency housing and homelessness in its housing supply, a more liberal policy around allowing additional housing units on property and assisting a 27-unit senior housing apartment complex. As the State of California continues to prioritize housing for low- and middle-income people while addressing the needs of the unhoused, towns like Crescent City are pressed to comply despite having not a single overnight shelter for the homeless. Councilor Ray Altman pushed back referring to Crescent City as too small when discussing shelter for the unhoused. “I think an emergency is temporary. We’re a small city, are we providing services that may be getting too big for our britches?” he asked his fellow council members. Altman recommended the homeless seek out services and shelter in the county instead. Mayor Pro Tem Blake Inscore disagreed, arguing that Crescent City had failed in its responsibilities to all the members of its community stating that housing is a right. “We have a responsibility to allow a legitimate nonprofit to build a permanent shelter and we haven’t done that.” He also contended that arguments about Crescent City being too small or not having enough buildable land were “inappropriate” and untrue. Inscore stated that Crescent City checked a necessary box to comply with state rules in their housing capacity without ever seriously considered building or allowing shelters to be built. Councilor Jason Greenough agreed saying, “They checked the box and moved on.” He agreed with Inscore, stating that most working people were one paycheck away from becoming homeless and that the city owed them protection, too. Planner Ethan “Red Eagle” Lawt suggested that the council could direct staff to add a public facility zone, come up with a second zoning district or create a special overlay which would allow for such facilities. The council generally agreed that planning documents included in the housing capacity should include the possibility of shelter for the unhoused as well as emergency shelter in case of disaster. The majority directed the staff to
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