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SERVING DEL NORTE COUNTY SINCE 1879

www.triplicate.com

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13, 2021

Crescent City, CA

Protesting against California’s vaccine mandate Knox Keranen The Triplicate

Demonstrators gathered outside Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City on Monday to protest the state’s vaccination mandate for healthcare workers. Last week, the California Department of Public Health became the first state public health department in the nation to mandate vaccines for health care workers, including those in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, clinics, doctor’s offices

and other places. According to the August 5 order, health care workers must show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 by Sept. 30 or get a medical or religious exemption. Anna Holmes is a nurse at Sutter Coast — she also was a co-organizer of the demonstration outside the hospital on Monday. “It’s not anti-vax, that’s not our purpose. Our purpose is that it’s a choice; to choose what you want put into your body,” said Holmes. Please see VACCINE, Page A9

Photos by Knox Keranen

A registered nurse at Sutter Coast Hospital, Anna Holmes (left, center), co-organized a demonstration outside the hospital on Monday to protest the state’s vaccine mandate for health care workers.

Del Norte schools ready for upcoming school year Knox Keranen The Triplicate

Photos by Knox Keranen/The Triplicate

Above: Tristan Smith took first in the Tuff Truck races this year, but many competitors posted fast times. Below: New this year, the pit bike race was a popular event. Pit bikes are miniature motorcycles typically made for children or teens.

Volunteers bring demolition derby to life Knox Keranen The Triplicate

After cancelling last year due to COVID-19, the Del Norte County Fair drew in huge crowds over the weekend. Some of the largest crowds came out for the Demolition Derby, Tuff Truck and pit bike races on Sunday. Tristan Smith, owner of Tallan’s Tires, has been helping to put on the auto events at the fair with his two brothers for the past seven years. Despite breaking an axle shaft during his lap, Smith also won this year’s Tuff Truck race with a time of

31 seconds. Nevertheless, Smith said he was more excited about how quickly a team of volunteers was able to put together the track at the rodeo arena. “A lot of people don’t know, we built this track right after the rodeo on Saturday. So, this track was built in less than one day,” said Smith. “It’s great to see the crowd, we just put it on for the spectators to have a show and everyone else has a blast doing it.” Other volunteers who helped out with auto events this year included Jager Stone, Jason Barholomew and Darren McCulloch.

The Triplicate file photo

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley addresses a crowd during a town hall in Bandon in 2019.

Merkley continues fight to lower drug prices By DAVID RUPKALVIS The Triplicate

Several months after he announced a bill to lower the price of prescription drug costs, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley believes he may have a way to get the bill through Congress. During a celebratory meeting

on the 56th anniversary of the day Medicare was signed into law, Merkley said his proposal to mandate drug companies only charge Americans what they charge in the other countries was not moving much in the Senate. “Not surprisingly, with their Army of lobbyists, my bill hasn’t made it very far yet,” Merkley

said. “But with the Build Back Better reconciliation, we are going to make one of the biggest investments in American families and take that on.” Merkley proposed legislation, the End Price Gouging for Medications Act, several months ago. The bill would require drug companies to charge Americans

Rower sets off on nine-month journey. Firefighters stop Redwood Fire at six acres. AT TRIPLICATE.COM

no more than the average price charged in eight other countries. Merkley said the bill is needed because Americans often pay much more than individuals in other developed countries. “There is no reason why here in the United States peo-

Please see DRUGS, Page A3

For 18 months now, Superintendent Jeff Harris has led the Del Norte Unified School District through an ever-changing environment due to COVID-19. With the 202122 school year just around the bend, Harris said the district has learned one important lesson from the pandemic. “We learned not to trust when somebody says, ‘this is what you’re going to do,’ because we are always planning for the next worst thing,” said Harris. The head of Del Norte schools sat down with the Triplicate last week to discuss reopening and potential COVID-19 guidelines for the upcoming school year. But first, he described what the beginning of the pandemic — March 9, 2020 — was like for him. “I went down to Sacramento with a bunch of other county superintendents, we went to the governor’s conference room; he came out and he said, ‘there’s a cruise ship parked in the harbor, and there are some people who have COVID-19... But, I guarantee you, schools are not going to shut down. There’s nothing you guys have to worry about.’” “That same week, there was an executive order that said schools should be shutting down,” said Harris. Will students and staff be required to wear masks? “What we are looking at right now is, masks are required for all students when they’re indoors. Masks are required for all adults whenever there are students present. Outdoors, masks are currently optional. When students are gone, and we only have our staff left, only our unvaccinated staff will have to continue to wear masks.” Will vaccines be mandatory for staff? “We are not mandating vaccines for staff or students. The state has not yet passed a law that says we have to, and until the state does, we won’t.” “Staff members can self-certify whether or not they’ve been vaccinated. We are not collecting vaccine information from staff or from students.” How will testing work for students and staff? We are not required by the California Department of Public Health to provide surveillance (weekly) testing. For anybody who is symptomatic, we do have testing at our nurse’s station, or there are local testing facilities that they can go to, and we do ask that they get tested.” What happens when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19? Please see SCHOOLS, Page A2

INDEX Crossword................................................A3 Crossword Answers..................................A8 Classifieds................................................A6

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