Del Norte County COVID Cases level By ZACK DEMARS The Triplicate
Del Norte County remains in the red tier of virus restrictions, according to the latest COVID-19 data. The county’s case rates have slowed slightly from highs reported earlier in the month. As of Tuesday, the county was reporting 30 active cases in the community, compared to 57 a week prior. In total, 85 cases were reported in the county between March 30 and April 12.
Those rates have allowed Del Norte County to remain in the red tier of virus restrictions for another week after venturing close to the threshold to return to the purple tier the week before. Under the current framework — which changed earlier this month, allowing the majority of the state to move beyond Del Norte County into the orange tier — the county will still need to see declines in cases before it can advance through the restriction levels.
To do that, the county will need to report a weekly average of fewer than 6 new cases per 100,000 in population and a test positivity rate below 5% for at least three weeks. On Tuesday, the county was reporting just under 26 new cases per day per 100,000 population, and a 4.6% positivity rate. Also on Tuesday, the California Department of Public Health announced a pause in administering the Johnson & Johnson version of the vaccines, under guidance from
federal health authorities. “Today, the CDC and FDA have recommended a temporary pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine out of an abundance of caution,” Dr. Erica Pan, state epidemiologist, wrote in a statement Tuesday. “Of over 6.8 million doses administered nationally, there have been six reported cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot with symptoms occurring 6 to 13 days after vaccination.” The pause will last until fed-
Tattooing for a good cause
eral officials review the vaccine and provide additional guidance, according to CDPH. Anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine should report severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath to their healthcare provider if they occur within three weeks of vaccination. “California is following the FDA and CDC’s recommendation and has directed health care providers to Please see CASES, Page A3
Tolowa Dunes fights back By KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
Members of the North Coast Rape Crisis Team and tattoo artists of Fine Line Design stand together with survivor Rhonda Martinho.
By KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
A tattoo your mom would approve of? Fine Line Design Tattoo & Piercing is inking for good by donating the proceeds of select tattoos to the North Coast Rape Crisis Team during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Artist Shaugn McEvoy was in the process of inking an “iron heart” on Rhonda Martinho when the Triplicate showed up to Fine Line. Martinho said the fresh ink on her shoulder represents survival. “My kids were molested, and if it wasn’t for the rape crisis team, I don’t know how we would have made it through. They saved my life,” said Martinho.
The NCRCT is a nonprofit dedicated to the many needs of survivors — offering a 24/7 hotline, emergency response care, advocacy during the court process, counseling for survivors and their family members, among other services. They also speak at local schools and events to spread awareness, and teach self-defense classes for women. Kira Morse of the NCRCT said
Photo By Knox Keranen
sexual assault and abuse can go unnoticed in rural areas like Del Norte, and survivors may not know that there are resources available to them here. “I’ve personally lived here my whole life, and I didn’t know NCRCT existed until I applied… It’s so hush-hush, it’s so taboo, nobody talks about it, so there’s none
Raffle raises money for local nonprof-
Please see TATTOO, Page A2
Photo by Knox Keranen
Co-owners of Fog Bank Clothing Company, Tommy Burley and Joe Hanks presented a check from proceeds of their fundraiser with Olive Wood Designs to Christine Slette, executive director at CASA, on Friday. Bigfoot was also in attendance.
By KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
In true Del Norte fashion, two local businesses — Fog Bank Clothing Company and Olive Wood Designs — teamed up to create a raffle to fundraise for the nonprofit, Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, of Del Norte. Contestants purchased $5 raffle tickets at Fog Bank Clothing Company for a chance to win two painted wood art pieces, handmade
by local artist Vanessa Duncan of Olive Wood Designs. All proceeds went to CASA of Del Norte, which assists in-need and at-risk children in the juvenile court process by providing trained volunteers to advocate in the child’s best interest. The fundraiser brought in a total of $3,750. Fog Bank Co-owners, Tommy Burley and Joe Hanks, presented an oversized check to CASA on Friday. Fog Bank’s mascot Bigfoot was also in attendance. Burley said he appreciates all the work
CASA has done in the community. “The kids are our future, and they’re mental well-being at those young ages sets them up for the future, so the more kids we can make sure are on the right path at a younger age, the better off we will be as a community,” said Burley. While Duncan was not there to present the check, her art raised the money. She said when Burley presented the idea for the fundraiser with her pieces as a prize, she was all for it.
“Hopefully the raffle brought more awareness to the work done by the dedicated staff and volunteers at CASA. Fog Bank picked a great organization to donate the money to and I hope we can do another raffle some day,” Duncan wrote in an email to the Triplicate. Olive Wood Designs is on Instagram at https://www.instagram. com/olive.wood.designs/ and Fog Bank Clothing Company is located at 275 L St. in Crescent City.
Invasive plants beware; the Tolowa Dunes Stewards are after trespassers of all kinds in the Tolowa Dunes State Park, including English Ivy, Scotch Broom and English Holly. Most recently, the stewards were hunting Scotch Broom — a bush native to Europe with distinct, bright yellow flowers. Scotch Broom can grow up to 10 feet tall and individual plants can produce up to 10,000 seeds in a season, meaning it can easily choke out native plants like the Tolowa Coast Wallflower — a short, yellow flower which could be endemic to this region, said Sandra Jelabek, organizer of the Tolowa Dunes Stewards. Jerabek said removing invasive plants is an opportunity to balance the area, and to correct past mistakes. She cited the 1853 Yontocket Massacre, the killing of hundreds of native Tolowa people at the hands of European settlers. “I feel when we remove European plants from this, we are righting a little bit of the wrong that happened here, just a little bit,” said Jerabek. “Look at this place, it was ranched and logged. The recovery is mostly native, and pristine, and so wonderful.” The Tolowa Dunes Stewards is a rotating group of volunteers whose mission is to conserve and protect the Tolowa Coast, while educating the public about the plants and wildlife in the area. Stephen Gibbs is listed as a “volunteer extraordinaire” on his business card, but the group has given him a different title, “Broomslayer.” Gibbs said he joined the group for the exercise and stayed because of the quality of the people. “I had been going on 5-7 mile hikes everyday just to get out of the apartment. Now, I’ve got something different to do, I don’t go on as many of those hikes,” said Gibbs. “The people that come out are the best, they are salt of the earth, green people, and they’re great.” The Broomslayer’s weapon of choice? An Uprooter — a heavy tool designed for uprooting shrubs and other big plants like Scotch Broom. The tool has a jaw mechanism which clamps around the mainstem of the plant, once it’s locked on, the operator uses their body weight to push down a lever, forcing the plant out of the ground — roots and all. Made in Grants Pass, Oregon, Gibbs said the tool is great for removing small to medium sized broom bushes, but the larger ones are too big for the jaws to grip, so they are simply sawed off at the base. Once an area is cleared of invasive plants, native ones have a chance to move in, which is already happening in areas the stewards and other groups have cleared, however, more invasives also have an opportunity to crop up in those Please see DUNES, Page A2