BoatSmith volenteers clean up Smith River .......................................... A2
HLF raises $50,000 for library home delivery program ............................... A10
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FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 2022
Crescent City, CA
Oregon man talks about life in Ukraine during war ‘If I have to, I’ll die here’ By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate
The first time he was in a war zone, Kurt Kimble volunteered to serve as a member of the U.S. Army. He never imagined when he returned from Iraq, he would be facing war again. But the longtime North Bend, Oregon, resident is facing that exact scenario as he works to protect himself and his family in Ukraine. Kimble grew up in North Bend and graduated from North Bend High School, only leaving when he joined the Army. He returned to North Bend after he left the service and raised his family in the area. Three years ago, he was facing tragedy in his life after his wife died, and with the blessing of his son and daughter, he decided to take a job in Ukraine. “Three years ago, I decided to come to Ukraine to help teach the Ukrainian military and police IED awareness and first aid,” he said this week. “Shortly after I arrived, I made some friends and a company asked me to come work for them.” Kimble later fell in love with a Ukrainian woman and remarried, taking in her daughter as his own. Kimble said life in Lviv, Ukraine has been mostly good, but he started feeling apprehension grow about a month ago. “When Russia and Belarus were holding what they called exercises,” Kimble said. “I’m a
former military man, and when they were bringing thousands and thousands of troops to the Ukrainian border, I thought they were going to advance further into Ukraine.” In Lviv, which is in western Ukraine about four hours from the Polish border, the ongoing war was just starting to be felt as of Monday. “We’ve had a couple missile strikes and lots of air raid sirens,” Kimble said. “Today, we got word that Belarus is bringing up troops to the north. A lot of Russian troops came across the Belarusian border.” As word of a war began unfurling in Ukraine, Kimble planned to escape, but reality stopped those plans. “We had planned on leaving,” he said. “We were able to obtain a visa for my wife. The day the embassy decided to close in Kyiv, they had to cancel my daughter’s visa appointment. They basically said go to Poland, but the problem was you had to have a visa to get in.” Poland is now accepting Ukrainians without visas, but Kimble said for now he and his family are waiting it out. Over the weekend, he pounded out stainless steel to make what he called basic body armor. During a video call with The World, he showed around his house, where all the windows are taped over Please see UKRAINE, Page A2
Contributed by Kurt Kimble
Kurt Kimble works to turn stainless steel into body armor as he tries to protect his family in Ukraine.
Delightful concert coming to Smith River on March 11 By Stephanie La Torre Special for The Triplicate
Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness continues its Performance Series with award-winning duo Sundae + Mr. Goessl, on Friday, March 11, at 7 p.m., at the Tolowa Event Center, in Smith River. While some label their style as “Vintage Pop” and others deem it “Cowboy Jazz,” there’s one adjective that everyone can agree on: delightful. Sundae + Mr. Goessl features award-winning vocalist Kate Voss (Earshot Magazine’s Vocalist of the Year, two-
time Seattle-Kobe Vocal Jazz Princess) and virtuoso guitarist, Jason Goessl. This charming wife/husband duo have a style all their own and incorporate humor, vintage style, nostalgia, and serious musicianship in their act. “We love bringing back the sounds from a by-gone era, and spreading the joy of music like Johnny Appleseed,” says Voss. The duo have been in the business of delighting audiences across the United States for the past six years, while they have released six albums and performed over 1,000 shows together. In addition to her many awards
as a vocalist, Voss studied under Greta Matassa, and she’s had many opportunities to sing across the United States. Sundae often surprises her audiences with a melodica solo and with ten years as a piano instructor under her belt, it is quite a treat. However, she proves most delightful and captivating when she injects her verve into these Golden Age songs, and JazzTimes notes, “Her voice nails the authenticity of this era.” Mr. Goessl (Jason Goessl) was born and raised in a small village in eastern Wisconsin and became Please see CONCERT, Page A2
Contributed photo
Curtis Bartley grapples in the NCS championship, where the freshman finished fifth in the 132-pound bracket.
Historic season for the Warriors on the wrestling mats By Ray Hamill For The Triplicate
It was an historic season on the wrestling mats for the Del Norte Warriors, who clinched a boys and girls H-DNL championship double for the first time ever. The league title was the third straight for the boys team, and it likely would have been four straight had the H-DNL awarded a 2021 championship during the pandemic, while the girls ended Eureka’s recent dominance with their first-ever H-DNL pennant as a team. Both teams followed that with
strong showings at the North Coast Section championships one week later, with Savannah Williams placing third in her bracket and advancing to the CIF State Championships. Williams, a third-year senior who is graduating early this year, won four of her five matches at the section tournament, with her only loss coming against Nhu Tran in the semifinal round. All four of her wins were by pin. “She had a really good tournament,” head coach Clinton Schaad said. Please see WRESTLING, Page A3
Contributed photo
Award-winning duo Sundae + Mr. Goessl will be bringing their one-of-a-kind concert to Del Norte County on March 11.
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Obituaries.................................... A9 Crossword................................... A3 Classifieds................................... A5 Crossword Answers.................... A6 Weather..................................... A10
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