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Local News 01 22 26 · KMUD News

• 0:15
  Speaker A: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Thursday, January 22nd and I'm Nat Cardos reporting for KMUD. In tonight's news, Eureka declared as a trans sanctuary city, an opening on the county of Humboldt's McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee and more than $300,000 in college scholarships now available for north coast students funded by PGE co workers. So stay tuned. Those stories and more. Coming up. Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter.
• 0:48
  Speaker B: Sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkion, Wailaki, Wiat, Wilkut and Kato people.
• 0:55
  Speaker A: We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection these tribes have this region. Affirming state law the Eureka City Council has designated the city as a trans sanctuary. Daniel Mintz reports.
• 1:14
  Speaker C: The City of Eureka is now a trans sanctuary city after the City Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring it so. At its January 20 meeting, the council approved a resolution defining Eureka as a sanctuary. Quote from for Transgender People and Gender Affirming Health Care. As noted in it, the resolution mirrors SB 107, a 2022 state law that explicitly prohibits law enforcement agencies from knowingly making or participating in the arrest or extradition of an individual pursuant to an out of state arrest warrant based on another state's law against receiving gender affirming health care in California. During a public comment period, many speakers supported the resolution with MC Chavez saying it shows the city's commitment to human.
• 2:10
  Speaker D: Rights As a queer constituent of this city, I stand here before you as a lived experience. To me the importance of a transgender sanctuary city is a verbal city commitment that this community is a safe space for transgender, queer LGBTQ folk, that this city is committed to the recognition of their livelihoods and it is a valiant stand against the oppressed that is happening in this country today. While it is plausible that there could be conflicts of larger protection towards healthcare professionals or even the queer community living up here on a federal level, which we will cross that bridge as we continue to move along with the current administration that we unfortunately are under. By beginning this process, can we take the necessary steps forward to protect our people and those who provide them with life saving care and continue to have conversations about what that protection looks like as a human being to another human being, I implore you to stand by your community members. It is imperative that we stand together.
• 3:08
  Speaker C: Other speakers said the resolution is a very rare and wonderful thing and a credit to our community and quote, protecting community members rights to healthcare and human dignity is not a niche issue. It's foundational. Pippa Coulter, a Eureka pediatrician, said the benefits of gender affirming health care for children have been thoroughly studied and is safe and effective, despite some states banning it. But two speakers opposed the resolution, with one referring to the Bible's condemnations of homosexuality. A speaker identifying herself as Beth said, it's not possible to change your sex, and urged the council not to approve the resolution.
• 3:57
  Speaker E: The idea that we would ever possibly believe that humans can change their sex because they're uncomfortable in their bodies is the most insane idea that I ever could imagine would happen in modern times. You know, the idea that right now in California, we have boys competing in girls sports at the high school level, at the CIF level. There is now, you know, I don't know. We have no idea of how many boys are taking away scholarships and medals and the safety and the dignity in the privacy of girls in the locker rooms in Eureka. I mean, how insane it is that this city council wants to say that it doesn't matter if you're a girl or you're a woman, that you have to let any delusional boy or man into your space because that's what makes them feel good. That the feelings of men are more important than the safety of women is just an insane idea.
• 4:53
  Speaker C: But the majority of speakers strongly supported making Eureka a trans sanctuary city, as did council members. Some have criticized the council for virtue signaling in this and other resolutions, but council member Mario Fernandez said that's not a bad thing.
• 5:12
  Speaker F: It is virtue signaling because we are giving a statement of our values, and there's only so much that we can do up here from this dais to begin with. And that's why you'll often hear me cite the refrain of like, what is it that we can do for ourselves? What is it that we can do for. For each other? And I will say, at least for me, something that I had posted yesterday as well, with it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, taking from his quotes and putting it into some of my own words. There is an urgent moral need for direct action and civil disobedience against the injustices of our country, and that includes the deportations without due process, the summary execution of protesters, unprovoked military actions. And so we need to advocate for radical justice and be. Be the extremists for love and justice.
• 6:03
  Speaker C: Council member Katie Moulton said it's important to show that the city values its trans and LGBTQ residents, especially trans youths, who she said have a suicide rate seven times higher than the rest of the youth population. After making some mostly Stylistic language changes. The resolution was unanimously approved with council member Rene Contreras deloach absent in Eureka. For KMUD News, this is Daniel Mintz.
• 6:36
  Speaker A: Those interested in serving the McKinleyville area may consider applying to serve on the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee as an opening has become available after Maya Conrad, who served on Micmac for two years, has stepped down. The eighth person committee advises the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on matters related to the community of McKinleyville. Cayman News spoke with Steve Madrone, Humboldt County's 5th district supervisor, for more information about the position.
• 7:01
  Speaker G: McKinnonville is unincorporated. It's 17,000 people. It's unincorporated. So the county of Humboldt, working together with the McKinnonville Community Service District a dozen or more years ago, formed a Micmac, which is a municipal advisory committee. So the McKinleyville Mac, and it works on issues that are outside of what the CSD does. The CSD does sewer, water, parks and streetlights. And so the Micmac takes on other issues in the community and then provides recommendations to the county Board of Supervisors. For instance, for the last six, seven years, we've been developing a town center ordinance for the center of town to create a vibrant retail and residential neighborhood that will house a lot of people. And so they took that on and worked on it for six years to create an ordinance that will help initiate that project. But they work on lots of issues around the community. Like Right now the McKinleyville Middle School on Central Avenue has a lot of concerns about traffic and safety for the families and children. So we're going to be meeting with them in our public works to try and figure out safety improvements that might be able to be supported for that. And we work on the Mi' Kmaq also works on all kinds of multimodal projects to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and other modes of transportation. So it's wide ranging. And like I said, there's advisory to the board of Supervisors.
• 8:25
  Speaker A: Members are selected for the board differently. Three members are appointed by the board of Supervisors as a whole. Three of them are appointed by Madrone himself and two represent the McKinleyville Community Service District. One chosen by the board and one chosen by the general manager, respectively. Board position terms are typically four years.
• 8:42
  Speaker G: Right now there's an appointment open that is a board supported appointment. And it's a four year term. All of them are. And the individual serving there for years, Maya Conrad did a magnificent job, but she has resigned. Make room for others. And so she did two years of the four year term. So this current appointment by the board will be for two more years to fill out that term.
• 9:03
  Speaker A: The committee is responsible for gathering community input and commenting on matters related to county services, including public works, health, safety, welfare and public financing. The committee also reviews proposed zoning and general plan changes that affect the McKinleyville area and makes advisory recommendations to the Humboldt County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
• 9:24
  Speaker G: So if you go to the county's website and you put in the search bar McKinnonville Municipal Advisory Committee, it'll take you to that website and there's an application there and if they have problems with that, they could just contact me. S Madrone, Humboldt ca us and they fill out an application with their resume and then they submit that to the clerk of the board and then we agendize all the applications that we receive and then the board will make a choice on who to appoint to that position. Responsibilities are they meet once a month. I believe it is the fourth Wednesday of the month at 6 o' clock in the evening, usually up at the McKinnonville Municipal I'm sorry, McKinnonville Middle School, sometimes at Azalea Hall. So they meet once monthly. And then they have subcommittees that many of the board members volunteer to be part of, like a multimodal committee or the town center ordinance committee or there's a committee that's exploring incorporation. So there's a number of different committees that Mi' kmaq members can also volunteer to serve on.
• 10:34
  Speaker A: The deadline for applying is 5pm on Wednesday, February 25. Applications are anticipated to be presented to the board for consideration on Tuesday, March 3rd.
• 10:43
  Speaker G: You know, it's a group of eight people that work really hard for the community. It's non paid, there's no stipends for mileage or anything else because it's right there in the community. And like I said, there is responsibilities but they're not overwhelming and it is a great way to get involved in what's going on in McKinleyville.
• 11:00
  Speaker A: For more information, the website is humboldtgov.org 238 McKinleyville Municipal Advisory commit tomorrow at the RID clubhouse in Shelter Cove. The Soham Health Mobile Clinic will be there from 10am to 3pm where members of the community can go get seen for general health and wellness exams, minor illnesses and respiratory concerns, and more. Sohum Health can be contacted at 707-923-3921 at extension 1221. On January 20, Pacific Gas and Electric Company PGE announced that scholarship applications are now being accepted for high schoolers bound for college, current college students and continuing education students with a primary residence in PGE service area in Northern and Central California. The scholarships are created and funded by PG&E's 11 Employee Resource Groups, ERGs and two Engineering Network Groups, ENGs. KMUN News spoke with Megan McFarland, spokesperson for PG and E, for more information about the scholarships.
• 12:11
  Speaker H: So PG and E is very excited to announce that we are funding a total of $300,000 worth of scholarships for students in PG and E's service area. The scholarships range in size from $1,000 up to $6,000. We're encouraging kids to apply. We're looking for students who have a good academic record who give back to their community and need a little bit of extra money for college. We know that times can be hard right now, so any dollar amount helps and we really just want students to come to the PGE website, pge.com and apply.
• 12:47
  Speaker A: ERGs are voluntary employee led groups that are designed to provide support, foster inclusion and offer professional development for employees with shared characteristics or interests. ENGs are similar, focused on building connections, sharing knowledge, and maintaining technical infrastructure for career growth and collaboration. The funds for these scholarships are raised through co worker donations, fundraising events and the company's co worker giving program.
• 13:11
  Speaker I: Yes.
• 13:12
  Speaker H: So what's so cool about this scholarship fund? It is funded entirely from donations from PG and E coworkers and these co workers belong to 13 employee resource groups and employee engineering groups. And these are groups that have different areas of focus. There's a Latino ERG and a Black erg, a disabilities erg, LBGTQ erg. So all of these different topics that each employee resource group focuses on and brings awareness to. And then they all donated. The members all donated money to fund these scholarships. We've been doing this since 1989. They donated a total of $6 million. This year is 300,000.
• 13:52
  Speaker A: The scholarships are awarded annually to help offset the cost for higher education. And ERG and ENG scholarship winners will receive awards ranging from 1,000 to $6,000 for scholastic achievement and community leadership.
• 14:05
  Speaker H: So the criteria is relatively open. We're just looking for students with strong academic performance and kids who contribute to the betterment of their hometowns in some way. It's pretty broad and we want students to apply. We have a variety of different scholarships, so this is the ERG scholarships. We also have STEM scholarships. Science, technology, engineering and math. It's our better together STEM scholarships. I'm actually not sure the deadline for that or if we're doing the push yet, but we kind of stagger them throughout the year.
• 14:41
  Speaker A: The deadline to apply is February 28th. For more information. The website is pge.com in state news report Calls for More California Projects to Remove Carbon Dioxide from the Air Public News Service's Suzanne Potter reports.
• 14:58
  Speaker J: If California is going to slow climate change, experts say we'll need to reduce carbon emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere. So climate advocates are calling for more funding and oversight of carbon dioxide removal, or cdr. A new report from the Climate center divides CDR into nature based hybrid and industrial solutions. Katie Webb with the Climate center says we need to scale up nature based solutions like planting trees and restoring coastal ecosystems.
• 15:26
  Speaker H: Nature based solutions provide so many co benefits with cleaner air, cleaner water. These will act as a stopgap to create resiliency that California communities will need as we continue to see the climate change.
• 15:39
  Speaker J: Hybrid solutions include projects to crush rocks and spread them out to speed up the weathering process which draws down carbon. Industrial solutions could involve direct air capture, which use machines to move air over a material that reacts with the atmospheric carbon dioxide, then separates it for storage. Diane Doucet with The nonprofit Project 2030 says people should participate in upcoming efforts by the California Air Resources Board to develop protocols for carbon dioxide removal.
• 16:08
  Speaker H: What that means is they'll be determining how carbon dioxide removal is measured, verified, monitored and accounted for in a way that really does reduce carbon in the atmosphere. And we want to make sure they're done safely. Somebody's monitoring them.
• 16:23
  Speaker J: The protocol will make it possible for companies that run CDR projects to generate carbon credits in the future. The state has invested close to $9 billion in nature based CDR since 2021, and California allocated 2.8 billion from the state Greenhouse gas reduction Fund to contribute to the effort. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Find our trust indicators@publicnewservice.in national news this.
• 16:52
  Speaker A: Morning, former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee this morning at 10:00am Eastern Time, 7:00am for us here on the west coast, former Special Counsel John L. Jack Smith testified before the House Judiciary Committee about his criminal investigations into President Donald Trump. The criminal cases he brought forward from his probe included Trump's actions on January 6, 2020 in Washington, as well as another case in Florida that accused Trump of illegally retaining classified documents after his first term. In the hearing, Smith told the committee that he has no partisan loyalties and that his investigations found that Trump, quote, engaged in criminal activity, end quote.
• 17:30
  Speaker B: I made my decisions without regard to President Trump's political association, activities, beliefs or candidacy in the 2024 election. President Trump was charged because the evidence established that he willfully broke the law, the very laws he took an oath to uphold. Grand juries in two separate districts reached this conclusion based on his actions as alleged in the indictments they returned. Rather than accept his Defeat in the 2020 election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power. After leaving office In January of 21, President Trump illegally kept classified documents at his Mar a Lago social club and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice to conceal his continued retention of those documents. Highly sensitive national security information was held in a ballroom and a bathroom. As I testify before the committee today, I want to be clear. I stand by my decisions as Special counsel, including the decision to bring charges against President Trump. Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in criminal activity. If asked whether to prosecute a former president based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that President was a Democrat or a Republican.
• 19:05
  Speaker A: Today was the first time Smith testified publicly about these cases. But last month in a closed door interview with the House Judiciary Committee, he gave an eight hour deposition. The transcript of what he said was released on New Year's eve in a 225 page document where it showed Smith defend his decisions in the two now defunct criminal investigations into Trump. During the hearing today, Republicans chastised Smith's actions in the investigation and labeled them as a partisan attack on Trump. During the testimony, Republicans specifically focused on the subpoenas of certain Republican lawmakers phone records and repeatedly referred to it as.
• 19:37
  Speaker F: Quote, spying, end quote, subjects of a conspiracy investigation. Why did Congress, a separate branch that you under the Constitution have to respect?
• 19:49
  Speaker G: Why is it that no one should.
• 19:51
  Speaker F: Be informed, including the judges? As you went in to spy on these people, did you mention that you were spying on seeking records so you could find out about when conversations occurred between the US speaker of the House and the President? Did you inform the judge or did you hold that back?
• 20:10
  Speaker B: My office didn't spy on anyone.
• 20:12
  Speaker A: That was California Representative Darrell Issa accusing Smith's investigation of specifically spying on the speaker of the House. During the hearing, Democrats targeted Trump's alleged wrongdoing and action surrounding the events on January 6, as well as applauded Smith for the investigation and his work. At the end of his questioning, Congressman Steve Cohen questioned Smith to elaborate on why the investigations were dropped and further thanks him for his service Department policy.
• 20:37
  Speaker F: Office of Legal Counsel said if he's somebody's president, you can't bring a charge against them or they can't be held liable. Is that correct?
• 20:44
  Speaker B: That's correct. There had not been a case of this nature ever where someone was elected president with charges pending. And so that was slightly different. So we consulted with public, sorry, with the Office of Legal Counsel, and they determined, pursuant to policy, that the cases needed to be dismissed.
• 21:04
  Speaker F: And you weren't pleased with that, but you had to follow the law and that's what you did.
• 21:08
  Speaker B: We followed policy throughout my investigation. My job was not to set policy. My job was to follow it. And that's what we did.
• 21:16
  Speaker F: I want to thank you for your service. I think you're a great American, and you came out of this as being somebody who people can respect and look up to in a fashion that we should be instilling people's desire to go into justice, to go into law and to go into government. You're an example of the type of person they should follow. I yield back the balance.
• 21:33
  Speaker A: Several former Capitol Police officers that served during January six were also in attendance. And during a recession, there was a confrontation between a person in the audience and one of the former officers. The incident occurred when former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanon was accosted by a member of the public audience. Allegedly, the man appeared to be taunting Fanon and the men got in each other's faces. Fanon had to be held back by another fellow former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunne. Both men were ushered out shortly after. The man taunting Fanon was identified to be Ivan Raichlin, a political operative associated with attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Another notable person briefly spotted in the audience was a founder of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, who was pardoned by Trump after he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riots. During the hearing, Smith was also asked about Trump's pardons for January 6 rioters.
• 22:27
  Speaker B: People, the people who assaulted police officers and were convicted after trial, in my view, and I think in the view of the judges who sentenced them to prison, are dangerous to their community. As you've mentioned, some of these people have already committed crimes against their communities again. And I think all of us, if we're reasonable, know that there's going to be more crimes committed by these people in the future. I do not understand why you would mass pardon people who assaulted police officers. I don't get it. I never will.
• 23:04
  Speaker A: After the hearing, despite being Davos for the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Trump posted on Truth Social calling for Smith to be prosecuted, saying, quote, based on his testimony today, there is no question that deranged Jack Smith should be prosecuted for his actions. He destroyed the lives of many innocent people, which has been his history as a prosecutor. At a minimum, he committed large scale perjury, end quote. This hearing was aired live at 7am on KMUD with summaries from KMUD News. KMUN News will continue to cover live hearings like this as they come in. National Native News Antonio Gonzalez reads today's headlines.
• 23:40
  Speaker E: This is National Native News. I'm Antonio Gonzalez. The Alaska Federation of Natives is pulling out all the stops to block a Safari Club International proposal to reform the federal subsistence board. As KMBA's Rhonda McBride reports, AFN says it's a direct threat to the Alaska Native subsistence way of life.
• 24:01
  Speaker I: Last year, Safari Club International, a sport hunting and fishing group, petitioned two Trump Cabinet members for the review. It asked Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rawlins to address what it calls federal overreach in subsistence management. In December, the Interior Department granted the request and announced a 60 day review called a scoping process. During this time, it will consider the Safari Club's recommendations, which includes a proposal to limit the size of the federal subsistence board to only the heads of five federal agencies. Ben Milott, president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, says this would eliminate public seats, including three held by tribal representatives.
• 24:47
  Speaker A: We've been working for that for a very long time, so we are concerned.
• 24:50
  Speaker F: That any rollback in public member seats.
• 24:53
  Speaker A: Would just weaken our voices. And so for us that is a major threat.
• 24:58
  Speaker I: But beyond changing the leadership structure of subsistence management, the Safari Club calls on federal agency heads when setting regulations to defer to state managers, a move that opponents say would undermine the Alaska National Interest Lands conservation Act, or ANILCA, legislation Congress passed 45 years ago to protect Alaska's rural subsistence lifestyle. John Sturgeon, a leading advocate for the Alaska Safari Club, says this is a fight about fish and game management, not about the rights of rural Alaskans to subsist.
• 25:35
  Speaker C: We have no problem with subsistence.
• 25:37
  Speaker B: We support it. So it's kind of a perceived conflict.
• 25:40
  Speaker A: Because we just think the state of.
• 25:41
  Speaker F: Alaska should be the one that's in charge of subsistence.
• 25:43
  Speaker I: The problem is the state's constitution does not allow for a rural subsistence priority, which federal law mandates. Public comment on the Safari Club proposals closes on February 13th. In Anchorage, I'm Rhonda McBride.
• 25:59
  Speaker E: Indigenous knowledge focus Centers are on their way to Spokane Falls Community College and the Spokane Community College campus on the Spokane Reservation in Washington. As Steve Jackson reports, a grant from Avista Utilities is providing the seed money.
• 26:14
  Speaker C: The Indigenous Healing Environments Across Lifeways or I Heal Centers will hold workshops on skills and concepts related to sustainability of water, land, animals and climate. They'll also include studies related to using plants for food and medicine. Spokane College's tribal relations director, Naomi Bender, says she will seek out Indigenous presenters from tribes in the region, but she says instructors will be careful in what they present.
• 26:42
  Speaker G: Traditional knowledge of plants and medicines, for example, was illegal in the United States.
• 26:49
  Speaker I: And to this day we're very careful about what's actually shared and what's not.
• 26:54
  Speaker A: Because people want to monetize and and want to harm with what knowledge they gain.
• 27:00
  Speaker C: At times, Bender says both Indigenous and non Native students will be welcome at the Iheal centers. She anticipates they'll begin holding workshops in about a year. For national Native News, I'm Steve Jackson, reporting from Spokane.
• 27:13
  Speaker E: Congress recently approved more than $13 million in federal funding for the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M. for fiscal year 2026. This comes after the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate IA's federal appropriation. The funding maintains the institute's current funding level to support academic programs, student services and general operations. I'm Antonia Gonzalez.
• 27:44
  Speaker G: Native voice one, the native american radio network.
• 27:55
  Speaker A: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Dennis Marr, and thanks to our reporters Daniel Mintz, Suzanne Potter and Antonio Gonzalez. KMUD News is online and you can find us on kmud.org and now streaming on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where you can download our stories and newscasts for offline listening during your rural commutes. You can also follow us on social media. If you have questions or suggestions, you can give us a call at 707-923-2605 or send an email to newsmud.org Redwood Community Radio, Inc. Is funded by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News. Reporting for KMUD, I'm Nat Cardos.