SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879
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FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021
Crescent City, CA
Supervisors honor healthcare workers Knox Keranen The Triplicate
After the state dropped most COVID-19 restrictions last month, the county is celebrating the local health care workers who led the charge against the virus. During its first in-person meeting since the onset of the pandemic, the Del Norte Board of Supervisors honored Heather Snow, director of health and human services, and other public
health employees, for their work in battling the crisis, including testing, contract tracing and ongoing vaccine efforts. “There’s been many in our public health department and DHHS who have stepped up during the last year and a half, and this board feels it’s extremely important,” said Supervisor Chris Howard. In addition to coordinating testing, tracing and vaccination efforts, Snow kept the public informed with weekly public
statements regarding the virus’ spread at the beginning pandemic. Dr. Warren Rehwaldt was also instrumental in those efforts, however, he recently retired from his position of public health officer. A farewell luncheon was held for Rehwaldt last weekend, and the county is still searching for his replacement. Howard said the impact of public health workers was especially felt in a county with less people than many public universities.
“Our community; we’re small. We are under 28,000 people, but everybody knows everybody. When everybody knows everybody, it’s more than just a community, these are your friends and neighbors you’re talking about providing service to,” said Howard. Despite the celebration, vaccination rates in the county rank remain among the lowest in the state, which could be an issue with the new Delta variant circulating in California, according
to news reports. As of Monday, 32.7% of people in Del Norte County are fully vaccinated, and 37.2% of residents have received at least one dose. The county also reported 12 new cases, totaling 1,514 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and eight deaths. Nevertheless, Supervisor Gerry Hemmingsen was positive about the county’s position. “We’ve got a little ways to go yet, but we’ve made the turn and hopefully things get better.”
Del Norte players among the first to commit to play football at CR By Ray Hamill
For The Triplicate
Photos by Knox Keranen
Raft race returns in Gasquet Rafts of various types gathered at the Gasquet Forks Saturday for the float that ended near the Mary Peacock Bridge.
Knox Keranen The Triplicate
The Gasquet Raft Race has survived the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people from surrounding communities flooded into the small unincorporated place about 18 miles northeast of Crescent City for the 52nd annual raft race Saturday, which was put on hold last year, and is more of a floating costume contest than a race. “Everybody just hangs out and has a good time; floating, shooting people with water guns and the barbeque afterward,” said experienced floater Jeff Simon, who came from
Grants Pass to participate. Nick Hindman and Nick Stevens came from Brookings. As it was their first year participating, they didn’t plan to float very far. “It’s going to be a short ride,” said Stevens. After the long — or short — float, participants flocked to the Gasquet American Legion 548 for live music, craft vendors and a beer tent manned by Port O’ Pints Brewery. The event was created by the Gasquet post in 1969 as a fundraiser for legion’s charitable efforts throughout the year, but it’s free to participate, so all the money the veteran’s
group raises comes from raft race t-shirt sales. Many attendees were sporting t-shirts they had acquired from raft races of decades past. “They’re a collector’s item, we sell out every year,” said Lane Tavasci, assistant event coordinator. Tavasci also said the event has grown dramatically in the past decade. “It’s just kind of the community spirit, most of us are Gasquet neighbors who live up here,” said Tavasci. “I do it because I like giving back to the community.” Jamie Brassard is the post commander at the Gasquet post,
as well as district commander of posts in Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Brassard said the funds from the raft race allow the local legion to assist veterans and their families with food, transportation to doctor’s appointments and accessing their veteran’s benefits, such as health care, which is often bogged down by endless paperwork. “That’s where the American Legion comes in; they go in and get all the paperwork that they need, and help them get everything signed,” said Brassard. Please see RAFTING, Page A2
Digging to piece together history Archeological site near Bandon could put Coquille Indians in area 13,000 years ago By David Rupkalvis The Triplicate
Almost everyone agrees, ancestors of the Coquille Indian Tribe were the first settlers in what is now the Coos Bay-Bandon region of Oregon. What we may be learning is how long the Tribe has had a presence in the area. For the last three weeks, archeology students from Oregon State University have been excavating a site near Devils Kitchen beach in Bandon. The excavation is the fourth time OSU students have worked to learn about the history of the area, and what they have found could be extraordinary. Loren Davis, a professor of anthropology at OSU, said artifacts found at the digs have been dated back 13,600 years. “This is the ancestors of the Coquille people,” Davis said. “That pit in there goes down to 10-feet deep. Down there, we
have radio carbon going back 13,600 years. If that’s true, this would be the oldest archeological site on the coast of North America. We have more work to do.” On Monday, the students and Davis were back at the site, slowly removing soil inch by inch. The slow, detailed work is necessary to find, protect and record any signs of human activity. Davis said the archeology students look for things most people would miss. For example, a rock that looks to most like a rock, could have significance to archeologists because it might show signs of one time being in a fire. Students pulled out several fire rocks, along with charcoal, while excavating the site Tuesday. The whole time a representative of the Coquille Tribe was watching closely. The Tribe wanted a representative nearby to learn and to ensure artifacts were treated Please see DIGGING, Page A9
All Photos by David Rupkalvis
Students from Oregon State University dig through the dirt at Devil’s Kitchen while looking for artifacts related to the Coquille Indian Tribe.
Rower sets off on nine-month journey Four Del Norte Warriors named all-league champions AT TRIPLICATE.COM
The Del Norte Warriors look set to play a big role when football returns to College of the Redwoods next year. Four of this year’s graduates recently committed their future to the re-instated program, which will begin play again in the fall of 2022. Del Norte’s Levi Cox-Cooley, Tanner Forkner, Kaleb Price and Michael Germain were among a group of 22 Humboldt-Del Norte League players to show up on campus to sign their letters of commitment last month. The school’s football program was suspended in July of 2020 for budgetary reasons but was re-instated earlier this year on the condition there would be a greater emphasis on academics and local recruitment. New head coach Jason White was hired in April and has immediately set about adding a big foundation of local players, including the four Warriors, with eyes on adding more Del Norte players. “We’re going to have over 40 (local players) I think, so that will be the biggest local group I’ve ever coached at College of the Redwoods,” said White, who previously coached with the program for a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s. “And I’m excited about that.” The four Del Norte players each received all-league recognition during their playing days for the local high school, and all of them are expected to play a key role at CR. Forkner, who was arguably the best defensive player in the H-DNL this past spring, is expected to have an immediate impact at linebacker. “He’s the ultimate kid you want on your team, and not just on the field. It’s his attitude, his leadership, his effort, his intelligence,” said Del Norte head coach Nick White, who is a brother of Jason. “Tanner, for me, it’s not even close, he was by far the best defensive player in the league.” Jason White expects Forkner to be a leader for the Corsairs and loves the work ethic he has shown. “That guy is just intense and extremely physical. You get every pound out of that guy,” the CR coach said. “That’s the kind of guy you want on your team to set the example for the rest of the program, this is how it’s going to be.” Price was a first-team all-league selection this spring and also plans on playing basketball for the Corsairs beginning in 2022. He will play tight end for the football team, but Jason White likes his versatility and hopes to utilize him out wide as well. “What he really does is give us some flexibility on offense,” the CR coach said. “He has the ability to go up and get the ball, and Please see FOOTBALL, Page A2
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