FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
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Cowan campaign signs destroyed By David Hayes The Triplicate
This is Lori Cowan’s fifth political run for public office. While used to the slings and arrows of the typical campaign, Cowan said she’s never been maliciously targeted until nearly 50 of her signs were stolen and destroyed Tuesday, Sept. 22. “They signs were ripped, torn, cut up with scissors and discarded,” Cowan said. “I don’t know where most of them ended up. But this was intentional. Someone went out with specific intentions of targeting me.”
Cowan, the incumbent for the runoff election for the Del Norte County District 2 Board of Supervisors against Valerie Starkey, said the news of the thefts quickly escalated between meetings. “I got a phone call from a supporter who said a sign was gone. This happened in the primaries, someone messing around then, too,” Cowan said. “By the time I got out of closed session, I realized this was more than one sign.” Cowan’s phone was lit up with messages informing her all her signs around town had been
removed and some discarded at the end of 5th Street. She said someone even got past an electric fence to access a sign on the McNamara Ranch near Pebble Beach Drive. Cowan added that the only big, vinyl signs that survived were the ones in high-traffic areas near Walmart on Washington Boulevard and Burger King on Highway 101. “I drove around, saw the damage, and broke down and cried,” Cowan said. “I like to think I’m a strong person, but this is a personal attack.” It is also against the law. Cow-
Please see Signs, Page A6
Photo courtesy Lori Cowan
Several of incumbent Del Norte County Supervisor Lori Cowan’s campaign signs were damaged and discarded at the end of 5th Street Tuesday, Sept. 22.
CASA receives surprise donation
By David Hayes The Triplicate
Photo courtesy InciWeb.nwcg.gov
A firefighter from Galice Wildland Fire Module secures the containment lines edge near Goodwish road, Dwight Creek and Almost Heaven off Hwy 199.
Fire was hours from reaching Gasquet
By David Hayes The Triplicate
The Del Norte County Supervisors learned Tuesday just how touch and go the evacuation was for residents of Gasquet Sept. 9. Jeff Marszal, Gasquet district ranger for the Six Rivers National Forest, said officials feared the Slater Fire might have reached that community by noon the day its residents were told to leave their homes. As of Sept. 22, residents in Gasquet and Big Flat are at a Level 1 “be ready” evacuation order Marszal said, adding he expects those orders to be lifted soon. “I’m meeting with the Del Norte County sheriff and fire management officials,” he said. “We’ll probably be lifting that Level 1 considering where we are in the fire.” Marszal informed the Supervisors the Slater Fire started near
Happy Camp on Sept. 8 and burned about 15 miles into Del Norte County by the morning of Sept. 9. It then crossed the Oregon state line, moved along U.S. Highway 199 and entered the Smith River National Recreation Area near Collier Tunnel. Marszal said this prompted emergency officials to evacuate Gasquet at about 6 a.m. Caltrans would also close Highway 199 from Gasquet to the Oregon border as they removed fallen trees and debris near Collier Tunnel. Highway 199 later reopened Sept. 19. Marszal said the fire fortunately hasn’t reached Gasquet. He explained that when the fire entered Del Norte County it got caught up on the Oregon Mountain Road and Knopki Creek areas and has not moved. All available fire resources are concentrated on the Knopki Road area in the south side of the fire.
The Northern Rockies Incident Management Team 2 is now managing the fire’s northwest corner, which includes the California and Oregon sides of U.S. Highway 199. Marszal said on the opposite side of Highway 199, firefighters used dozers to try to contain the fire near Monkey Ridge, protecting transmission lines and a nearby communications site. It has destroyed more than 150 homes in the Happy Camp area and claimed the lives of two people there. In Del Norte County, the fire destroyed two homes on the north side of the tunnel, but the Collier Tunnel Rest Area and the agricultural station were spared from the flames. “This was an extreme fire event,” Marszal said. “It was driven by extreme wind, heat and historically dry fuels. It was a terrible 24 hours for Happy Camp — I used to live there.” According to InciWeb.nwcg.
gov/incident/7173, as of Sept. 23, the Slater Fire remains at about 150,230 acres and is now 24 percent contained. The Devil Fire, which sprang up nearby to the east of the Slater Fire, sits at 7,784 acres and is 18 percent contained. Marszal broke down the amount of area burned by the Slater fire: — 75,000 acres in the Klamath National Forest — 55,000 acres in the Rogue River Siskiyou National Forrest — 12,000 acres on private land, including 5,000 acres belonging to Green Diamond Resource Company — 2,000 acres belonging to the Bureau of Land Management — 4,186 acres in the Smith River National Recreational Area “Because of the unprecedented nature of this fire season up and down the Pacific Coast, we’ve struggled with getting resources
Please see Fire, Page A6
John Mayer lends voice to Del Norte efforts the Northern California coastline marveling at the great outdoors offered in Del Norte County. “There’s a reason people call it escape,” Mayer says in the ad. “You’re slipping the bonds of something. Even if the bond is routine, you’re trying to come back with something you couldn’t have gotten any other way.” Lynette Braillard, founder of LuLish Design that is working with the chamber, unveiled the ad to the Crescent City Harbor District commissioners as part of her presentation on the effect the new Visit Del Norte County, California website (https://visitdelnortecounty.com) has had on
By David Hayes The Triplicate
The Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau are not the only ones trying to attract tourists to the region. Count among the efforts Grammy-award winning artist John Mayer, as seen in a new online Land Rover ad that began running in the Atlantic Sept. 11. In the ad “John Mayer Goest Outside” (https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/land-rover-2020/john-mayer-goes-outside/3424/) Meyer took his Land Rover through Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and along
Photo from Land Rover ad
Musician John Mayer gets a lesson on the redwoods in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park from guide Jenny Hanson. local tourism. “We were not responsible for this, but this is amazing,” Brail-
lard said. “His quotes are right on brand for Del Norte County.
Please see Mayer, Page A6
Christine Slette figures the COVID-19 pandemic has really hurt operating funds for Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Del Norte this year, especially when trying to find a steady stream of volunteers. “Us doing outreach and being able to keep doing that in the community is only based off us having money to do that,” said Slette, now in her 12th year as executive director with the nonprofit. “We’ve worked really hard to do branding and outreach because we have funds. Then like one or two years we have no money.” This is one of the years they’ve gone without. Slette said due to the pandemic, all of their fundraisers for 2020 had to be cancelled, including the Annual Chip in for Kids Golf Tournament, The Chrystal Ball black tie event, the Labor Day Bash at SeaQuake and the Del Norte County Fair Concert. “That’s a good $50,000 to $80,000 that we are not going to be getting this year,” Slette said. Plus, she’s unable to go out and host outreach booths, such as the Family Fair or the Health Hair. But not all is lost in their coffers. “What’s cool is we keep getting random checks, like from Rumiano Cheese or Beth Wilds who was on our board, but now lives in Texas and sent us $200,” Slette said. Then she learned the Pelican Bay Athletic Organization chose CASA as its charity of choice to assist this year. The PBAO is a grassroots organization of Pelican Bay employees, officers and staff with the main goal to give back to youth athletics in the community. This year, the PBAO joined with Pelican Bay food sales program. The program involves inmates by allowed them to order items they wouldn’t normally be able to purchase, mostly from Fred Meyer stores. Food sales for the drive last year raised between $30,000 and $40,000. The PBAO receives a portion of the net sales for its charity donations. “I’m just really happy that they think so highly of the program and want to help support foster kids,” Slette said. However, organizers kept secret until the day of the check presentation how much they supported the program. Jim Holt, PBAO president, said this year was the most the organization had ever raised. Rather than split it between two causes as in the Please see CASA, Page A6
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Saturday Sunday 9:26 AM 10:14 AM 2:33 AM 3:32Elkton AMElkton Elkton 78/55 8:28 PM 9:3178/55 PM78/55 2:47 PM 3:47 PM Coos Bay Coos CoosBay Bay Coquille Coquille Coquille
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