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Hotline overwhelmed as school reopens Del Norte parents call in with many technical questions By David Hayes The Triplicate
School officials expected some hiccups as the student population logged online for the first day of distance learning Aug. 31. However, technical assistance was deluged by parents seeking aid, according to Del Norte Unified School District Superintendent
Jeff Harris. “With 4,000 students on distance learning at the same time, our hotline has been a little overwhelmed,” Harris told the community during his weekly video update Monday, Aug. 31. “In an hour in the morning alone, we had 60 help calls with only four operators on the hotline.” The administration had set up the number 707-464-7005 for parents to call with questions. Harris still encourages its use even after a high call volume the first day. “If you can’t get through right
away, leave a message. Our guys will be more than happy to get back to you as fast as they can, giving everybody individualized attention and information,” he said. Harris told the Triplicate things were going smoother by the end of day two. “I’ve been telling everybody, whether they’ve been teaching 30 years or it was their first day ever, distance learning is new for everybody,” he said. “Basically, as of yesterday, we’re all new teachers. While there was some confusion with questions
coming from families, by and large, yesterday went well. Today was a little bit smoother. We expect to refine and get better as it becomes more routine, more predictable and it will feel as go on more like regular school.” Harris updated the district’s status on providing devices for students to log in to distance learning. He said as of the first day, DNUSD handed out 2,200 district devices, leaving a gap of 1,800 students. He added through donations and families with their own devices, about 400 students are still without devices.
Harris said a big culprit for the shortfall was not receiving orders. The administration ordered 300 Chromebooks back in March and April. Of those, 150 were delivered and another 150 that were “lost in shipping,” Harris said. At end of June and July, the administration ordered another 760 Chromebooks, which were not received by the end of August as promised. “We’re working with that vendor to get them here ASAP,” Harris emphasized. Please see School, Page A5
David Hayes Photos, The Triplicate
Vincent Park, a volunteer from Ocean World, trims high grass in the Battery Point Lookout parking lot during the Pride In Community cleanup event Sept. 2.
Volunteers take pride in keeping the town clean By David Hayes The Triplicate
As Crescent City’s senior park and building maintenance worker, Dustin Loudahl used to have a dozen members on his crew. Loudahl said he takes pride in keeping Crescent City looking its best. “I know everything I do every day makes my granddaughter happy,” he said. But due to personnel cutbacks and departures, now he and a crew of only three are responsible for the upkeep of more than 80 acres around town. However, Loudahl has had help over the last eight weeks — volunteers from Pride In Com-
munity (PIC) group. Del Norte County Supervisor Roger Gitlin said he saw high traffic areas of Crescent City’s streets looking unkempt, with weeds growing unchecked. So he took off his hat as representative of the county’s First District and threw on his volunteer cap to form PIC. “The city has been severely hurt by COVID. I know their staff has been limited, so I let City Manager Eric Wier know I was willing to help,” Gitlin said. Using no public funds, Gitlin put a call for volunteers and the community answered. His PIC group has gotten together every Wednesday, armed with donated string trimmers, shovels and brooms. Eventually, businesses started chip-
ping in sponsorships to the cleanup efforts, including Ocean World, Les Schwab, California Auto Image and Tab Commercial Properties. Among the dozen or so volunteers on Sept. 2 was Matthew Kays, owner of Kays Yard Service. He usually does maintenance at SeaQuake’s property. The restaurant’s owner, Matt Wakefield, asked him to pitch in to help PIC. “It’s a good idea, especially with the city low on money, to get volunteers willing and able to do something,” Kays said while taking a string trimer to the taller grass around Brother Jonathan Cemetery. “It helps keep the community looking better.” Please see Crew, Page A5
Lucas White tears out a clump of ice plant while other PIC volunteers Angie Gitlin and Mario Westphal pitch in to help clean up Beachfront Park Sept. 2.
Fewer COVID-19 cases reported in Del Norte County for week The Triplicate
Del Norte picked up only two new cases of COVID-19 over the past week. As of Thursday morning, the county reported three active cases, 121 inactive cases and one death. There have been three hospitalizations, but none are current. Curry County broke its winning streak on Sept. 1, reporting the first positive case since Aug. 19. As of the deadline for this edition, the county reported two active cases, 19 recovered cases and zero deaths. Both Curry County and Del Norte counties reported increases
in testing over the past week. The week-to-week increase in Curry County was 57, totaling 1354 as of this week’s print deadline, with a total of 1333 negative results Del Norte’s numbers are higher, in part because they included staff and inmates from Pelican Bay State Prison. The week-to-week increase was 285 with a total of 7,310 tests, of which 7,186 appear to have been negative. There has been no change in reporting from Pelican Bay State Prison during the past week. Del Norte County ranks along with eight other counties in California as having “moderate” for
COVID-19 transmission as of a map published earlier this week. “Moderate” is one of four rankings given to the state’s 58 counties. As of Aug. 31, only three counties received a “minimal” ranking, while nine were ranked “substantial” and in the remaining 38 the virus is deemed to be “widespread.” The new rankings were unveiled late last week as part of California’s new Blueprint for a Safer Economy and replace the state’s earlier county watch list. The categories are based upon a few metrics — and will be used to determine which sectors of
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Every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its rate of new cases and positivity. At a minimum, counties must remain in a tier for at least three weeks before moving forward. Data is reviewed weekly and tiers will be updated on Tuesdays. To move forward, a county must meet the next tier’s criteria for two consecutive weeks. If a county’s metrics worsen for two consecutive weeks, it will be assigned a more restrictive tier. Public health officials are constantly monitoring data and can step in if necessary. Please see COVID, Page A7
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California’s economy can open up — and when. Ranking are as follows: • Minimal: Less than one daily new case (per 100k and less than 2% positive tests. • Moderate: One to 3.9 daily new cases (per 100k) and 2-4.9% positive tests. • Substantial: 4 to 7 daily new cases (per 100k) and 5 to 8% positive tests. • Widespread: More than 7 daily new cases (per 100k) and more than 8% positive tests. If a county’s case rate and positivity rate fall into different tiers, the county remains in the stricter tier.
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