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Local Tribes Support AG’s Effort to Continue CWS Monitoring
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our local tribes have announced they are “vigorously supporting” an effort by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to extend third-party monitoring and other provisions of a 2018 court ruling that found the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and Department of Health and Human Services were not in compliance with the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. In a joint press release, the tribes pushed back strongly against the county’s statement late last month that Becerra’s request to continue third-party monitoring of its agencies reflected “the state’s desire to waste taxpayer money on unnecessary consultants and monitors.” “This is about more than money, it is about the safety of our kids,” Wiyot Tribal Chair Ted Hernandez said in the release, which was co-signed by the Yurok Tribe, Trinidad Rancheria and Bear River Band of
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the Rohnerville Rancheria. “We’re talking about children, the quality of their lives and the future of our communities. While the county purports that improvements have been made, when it comes to the safety of local children, not much has been changed since the court ordered settlement was announced.” In the release, tribal leaders agree with Beccera’s contention that while the county has updated policies and procedures on paper, they have not been effectively put into practice. “Unfortunately, the County’s actions and comments demonstrate a continued lack of understanding of DHHS’s failures and underscore the need for continued oversight to best protect children who are suffering or at risk of abuse in Humboldt County,” said Wendell Freeman, the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria’s Tribal Council treasurer, in the release. “The third-party compliance monitors
Fatal Fire: One person was killed over the weekend after a travel trailer parked on a Carlson Drive property in Manila caught fire. The individual had not been identified before the Journal went to press Tuesday night. POSTED 1.9.21
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King of Tides
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Shore birds find a perch amid the morning peak of the Jan. 11 king tide, looking south over Humboldt Bay toward the Samoa Bridge and the old mills on the Samoa Peninsula. Photo by Mark Larson
have played an essential role in improving the agencies’ response to cases of child abuse and neglect by proactively identifying issues and assisting with development of solutions to the problems outlined in court-ordered settlement.”
Feeling Crabby: With the long-awaited completion of price negotiations, the local crab fleet was gearing up to set their pots starting Jan. 14 in order to wait out rough seas off the coast, including a gale warning earlier in the week. POSTED 1.11.21
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The court had been scheduled to take up Becerra’s request Jan. 15 but the county has requested the hearing be continued to Feb. 9. — Thadeus Greenson POSTED 1.7.21 Read the full story online.
Historic Bust: The Humboldt County Drug Task Force announced the seizure of 4 ounces of fentanyl this week after a monthlong investigation, noting it was the largest confiscation of the drug that killed at least 11 local residents last year in the task force’s history. POSTED 1.12.21
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Digitally Speaking
They Said It
Comment of the Week
The number of planets — Saturn, Mercury and Jupiter — that grouped together last week for a “triple conjunction” just a few weeks after Saturn and Jupiter came together to form the “Christmas Star.” POSTED 1.8.21
“We have a long road ahead of us. Let’s work together instead of pushing so much anger, hatred, and violence.”
“It breaks my heart to hear that a wonderful place has so many new cases.”
— Facebook post by the Humboldt Democratic Central Committee after the front window of its office was broken out and items inside vandalized amid the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol . POSTED 1.7.21
— Reader gloriapower on the Journal’s website on a Jan. 11 story about 93 new COVID-19 cases being reported that day. POSTED 1.12.21
northcoastjournal.com • Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021 • NORTH COAST JOURNAL
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