SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879
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FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021
Crescent City, CA
State will keep mask rules through June 15 ZACK DEMARS The Triplicate
California will keep its COVID-19 mask rules in place through June 15, state health officials announced this week. The announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a seismic shift in its recommendations, saying those who’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can safely
unmask and disregard distancing requirements in many instances. Following that new guidance, states across the country, including Oregon, updated their own rules to allow the fully vaccinated to unmask in some settings. But California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Monday the state would wait to lift its mandate until June 15, when state officials plan to lift most pandemic restrictions.
“On June 15, California plans to implement the CDC’s guidelines around masking to allow fully vaccinated Californians to go without a mask in most indoor settings. This four-week period will give Californians time to prepare for this change while we continue our relentless focus on delivering vaccines, particularly in underserved communities,” Ghaly said in a statement. For the time being, the state’s
mask guidance still applies, meaning generally face coverings are required indoors regardless of vaccination status and unvaccinated people must mask outdoors where distancing can’t be maintained. “We urge all Californians to get vaccinated to ensure that infection and hospitalization rates remain low across the state and that we can all return to the activities we love,” Ghaly said. Locally, Del Norte County will remain in the red tier of the state’s pan-
demic restrictions for a 15th week. It’s one of just 10 counties which remains in that level of restrictions. The county’s 3.4% test positivity rate and 14.5 cases per day per 100,000 in population are still some of the highest in the state. According to the county’s public health department, there were 29 active cases of the virus in the county as of Tuesday. Please see MASKS, Page A9
California preparing for busy wildfire season KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
Photos by Knox Keranen
This will be Angel Hanson’s second year as Farmers Market manager.
Farmers market moving to harbor KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
The Crescent City Farmers Market will be kicking off in a new location this year, as it moves from its longtime position at the fairgrounds to the Crescent City Harbor. Angel Hanson, farmers market manager, said the move was mainly due to financial reasons, but there were other considerations also, such as the draw of the harbor. “Everybody comes to Crescent City for the harbor. It was the best choice for us right now,” said Hanson. The Crescent City Farmers Mar-
ket is operated by the local nonprofit Rural Human Services, which also runs the county’s largest food bank and the Harrington House women’s shelter, among other projects. When mulling the decision to move, RHS surveyed vendors to get their input. The result was mixed, with about half of vendors preferring the former location at the fairgrounds, while the other half favored the harbor. Paul Madeira owns Ocean Air Farms with his wife Julie Jo Williams. As longtime vendors at the market, Madeira said they have seen many changes over the years,
including increases in the number of vendors and the addition of prepared food. He said the move to the harbor could be good. “I think that there’s pros and cons to this change, the pros being it’s a beautiful location. Not just a parking lot on the side of the highway. It’s representative of our community, and when we get people from out of town, I think it can click really well,” said Madeira. Madeira said he is apprehensive about what the weather will be like so close to the ocean. Nevertheless, he said patrons and vendors will adapt. In addition to the change of
location, the market will look different this year without any Oregon vendors, who are now barred from participating due to a state rule change. Previous participants included Sweet Cron Produce from Kerby, Oregon, as well as Promiseland Farm from Sunny Valley. Hanson said she was disappointed to let go of their Oregon vendors, but she did not want to risk fines of up to $1,000, which RHS would be responsible for. “It could actually close down the market, if the fines and citations are big enough,” said Hanson. Please see MARKET, Page A9
Wild Rivers Market is the go-to for natural foods KNOX KERANEN The Triplicate
When Rick Littlefield bought a little health foods store called Crescent City Health Foods in 1986, the organic and natural foods movement was just beginning to germinate. Since then, the demand for natural foods has fully sprouted, and organic produce has become mainstream with the rise of Whole Foods Market and the ilk. With the expansions in the overall market, Littlefield’s store has also grown. After a couple of moves and name changes, the most recent coming in 2013 when they moved to their current location, Wild Rivers Market stands as the go-to natural grocery store in Crescent City. “Now, it’s really established,” said Littlefield. “I think most people in Crescent City know about us, and they like what we’re doing.” What started as a family operation with three employees has now expanded to three stores and more than 200 employees. Please see WILD RIVERS, Page A9
By Knox Keranen
Wild Rivers Market has grown in size and popularity in recent years.
Go Wild Rivers Coast Guide released Ames recognized for service during World War II AT TRIPLICATE.COM
With the entire state battling an extended drought, State Senator Mike McGuire is preparing for an active fire season on the North Coast. “The era of megafires, it’s here,” said McGuire. “With this drought emergency underway, and moisture levels already at record lows in our forests and in our wildlands, we are looking at yet another tough wildland fire year.” McGuire hosted a remote meeting with the Coastal Conservancy on Monday to address steps the state is taking to bolster wildfire prevention in the region. Among those steps, the state expects to invest more than $1 billion in wildfire prevention and response, as well as hiring more CalFire firefighters and improving emergency communication services. Of the money allocated to state wildfire operations, at least $380 million will go toward prevention efforts, including vegetation management. According to McGuire, the state estimates there are 120 million dead and dying trees in the Sierra and Coastal ranges. In addition to dead and dying tree removal, the state will work with communities to remove brush and create firebreaks — a gap in vegetation around populated areas that acts as a barrier. Two other major fire prevention grants are also available to local governments and fire departments through the state, equaling $280 million in potential funding. Those being the CalFire Forest Health and the Fire Prevention grants. What’s more, CalFire is looking to add 1,200 more firefighters this year throughout the state. “That’s going to mean dozens of additional positions on top of what we had in 2020, on the North Coast here in 2021,” said McGuire. CalFire is updating its firefighting air fleet this year, which is the largest public firefighting fleet in the world, Mcguire said. They will be replacing their 12 Vietnam era helicopters with 12 modern Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters. Additionally, the state is adding seven new cargo planes, which were retired from the Coast Guard. The state also contracts with other fleets during peak fire season. During the meeting, McGuire and Mary Small, chief deputy executive officer at the Coastal Conservancy, fielded questions submitted by the public. One resident asked about improvements in cellular service, which can be unreliable during active fires. McGuire fielded the question. He said a new state law will require telecommunication companies to supply 72 hours of backup power to select cell towers. Meaning, if the power is shut off due to fire risk, cell service will still be online, according to McGuire. He said there is a similar rule for landlines. Another resident asked about how to volunteer to assist with fire prevention in their community. Small recommended getting in touch with your local government or land management agency to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
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