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Local News 07 31 25 · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Foreign.
• 0:14
  Speaker B: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Thursday, July 31st. I'm Nat Cardos reporting for KMUD. In tonight's news, Orleans Fire Update for today, Del Norte county razor clam fishery reopens after domoic acid decline but paralytic shellfish poisoning health advisory remains in effect. Cal Poly report shows Humboldt's inflation above state national averages, so stay tuned. News on those stories and more coming up.
• 0:43
  Speaker C: Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkion, Hui, Wiat, Wilkat and Kato people. We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection these tribes have to this region.
• 1:02
  Speaker B: The Butler Fire, part of the Orleans complex, continues to burn in Siskiyou county east of Orleans and across the Humboldt county line. The fire is approximately 21,174 acres and 83% contained for the second day in a row there is a red flag warning from 2:00pm to 8:00pm Due to abundant lightning over dry fuels. This will most likely affect the area from Trinity Alps to Etna Summit. In addition to lightning, there is also concern of gusty outflow winds of up to 40 miles per hour coming from the east wind. High atmospheric instability will continue through Saturday. However, Sunday will bring big change as a cold front passes through the area shifting strong winds to the northwest. Evacuation orders and warnings are in place for the immediate vicinity of the fire. For current evacuation status, visit facebook.com siskiyoucountysherriff and facebook.com siskiyouCountyoes Additional evacuation information can be found on Protect that's protect.g-e n a S-Y-S.com Many forest roads and trails in the region are still closed. For updates, check the Six Rivers National Forest website or the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Facebook page. Tune in to KMUD Local News for continued coverage of the 2025 local fire season. The Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has reopened the recreational razor clam fishery in Del Norte county following a recommend from state health agencies that domoic acid no longer poses a significant threat despite the fishery reopening. The Bivalve Fish Health Advisory for Del Norte county issued by the California Department of public health on July 3rd of this year, warning consumers not to consume any sport harvested bivalves including razor clams, mussels, scallops and clams due to dangerous levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning PSP toxins in effect, the razor clam fishery in Humboldt county remains closed due to elevated Levels of domoic acid. KMA News spoke with Christy Yuha, a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine region, about what domoic acid is and how it will affect recreational clamming.
• 3:08
  Speaker D: It's a neurotoxin. It's produced by a fighter algae species called Pseudonychia. There's a variety of species that actually are in this classification, diatom algae, naturally occurring. Some of these species are going to be releasing toxins at certain times of the year. We don't really have seasonality to when this occurs along California's coast, but we've been seeing some spots earlier this year in Southern California indicated also by a lot of marine mammal strandings. And then more recently, we've had our domoic acid closures in Humboldt and Del Norte county for razor clams. The razor clams seem to, they just take, they take it up naturally in the system because they're filter feeders and they actually retain the toxin for a longer period of time. And then unfortunately we've been testing them. Oh, I think the closure in Del Norte had lasted about a year and a half and they just didn't quite sort of remove the toxin until like a new sort of bloom had happened with this species of algae that kept producing the dominoic acid toxins. So it's, it is naturally occurring. And we have. The health agencies. Department of Public Health specifically has volunteers that go out and collect them periodically to make, usually during low tide events to sample and test the tissues for this toxin.
• 4:51
  Speaker B: The razor clam fishery was closed in Del Norte county due to elevated levels of domoic acid in November of 2023. Since then, state health agencies have continued to monitor the domoic acid levels in razor clams, but test results consistently showed elevated levels exceeding the federal action level, which is greater than 20 parts per million. Clams collected in June and July of 2025 from Crescent beach in Del Norte county all had domoic acid concentrations lower than the federal action level, allowing the fishery to reopen. However, PSP toxicity caused by a different marine plankton species continues to be a concern. Juha breaks down the difference between PSP and domoic acid and how they are handled.
• 5:34
  Speaker D: Del Mart just open, but I will just caveat that we did. We were able to sample a bit of some of the razor clams for also paralytic shellfish poisoning. There is a mussel quarantine that happens just kind of a blanket quarantine through California between May and October, May 1, October 31, for the Paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin. It's also produced by another species of phytoplankton and that seems to have more of a seasonality. May through September and then just unfortunately bivalves or mussels collected in the area have shown sort of exceedances of this toxin. So there is a bivalve influencer in place for clams and mussels. But we did test the razor clams. They did not show high enough for this particular toxin. But the domoic acid has cleared. So it's a little bit of a caveat there. We just want to make folks aware of a number that they can call with the CDPH has a biotoxin information line number at 1-800-553-4133. For the latest news on any bivalve shellfish, just shellfish health advisories that are issued by the Department of Public Health because they do continue to monitor these areas, especially when they're under advisory.
• 7:00
  Speaker B: While Del Norte County's razor clam fishery is open, Humboldt Counties has been closed since May 2, 2024 due to high amounts of domoic acid sort of treated.
• 7:10
  Speaker D: As in a county wide basis. Based on locations within the county that have the collections occur. Humboldt county, it still remains closed. We haven't had two consecutive tests taken at least two weeks apart to indicate that the domoic acid has abated. It has to be below a certain threshold in the tissue concentration because you can't, you can't cook or freeze. The toxin remains in the system, in the tissue despite cooking or freezing. So we have to just kind of wait until tests indicate that it's below this federal action level of like 20 parts per million in order to reopen. So Del Norte county, we've had two consecutive tests showing that we don't no longer have the toxin, or at least not as high as before, has abated in Del Norte and we were able to open up the fishery Today.
• 8:11
  Speaker B: It is important to keep in mind that there is a health advisory in effect for psp. It's also important to remember that if you are harvesting, the limit is 20 clams per person according to the current California ocean recreational fish regulations. For more information on shellfish health advisories, you can call the Department of Public Health biotoxin information line at 1-800-553-4133. New research details Humboldt County's inflation rate in comparison to state and national levels. Daniel Mintz reports.
• 8:44
  Speaker E: Cal Poly research shows Humboldt County's inflation rate higher than the state's, but it held steady and falls several percentage points below local wage growth. Humboldt's Consumer price index, or CPI. Its degree of inflation between March 2024 and March 2025 was discussed at a July 30 online meeting of the Community Economic Resilience Consortium. As detailed by Cal Poly professor of Economics Eric Eschker, the county's annual CPI is 4.4%, slightly down from last year's 4.5% level. Some economic sectors had higher inflation rates than others. The rates for medical care and housing are 8.4% and 5.6%, respectively, while transportation and food and beverages are 1.5% and 3.6%, according to the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics. The national average rate is 2.4%. California's CPI for the year is 3.1%. Eschker described the local research's evolution we.
• 10:00
  Speaker A: Started this trying to get a sense of what was happening to prices on the north coast here. And like I said, we've been doing this for about 10 years ago, and then two years ago we made a major upgrade because we said, let's be really serious about this. So we investigated, we said what exactly? We knew what they were doing, but let's try to replicate very precisely what the cpi, what the Bureau of Labor Statistics does. So we doubled the number of prices we collect, and I think we've done a pretty good job of really bumping that up into a better level. I'm not aware of any part in rural America that does this.
• 10:40
  Speaker E: The reports are done by teams of students each year, and the new one collected 529 data points compared to 287 last year on local wage and salary levels. Surveying showed mean hourly wage at $29.51, a 7.5% increase over last year. The median hourly wage was $22.49, a 6.2% increase. Average annual salary is about $61,000, a 7.5% increase. But Escher described the wage data as very limited in terms of the type of jobs we'd collect data for with a limited number of data points. Explanation of why inflation is higher here also needs further study.
• 11:33
  Speaker A: It's not really clear why we're higher. Just if we're higher prices, that's one thing. But what I'm showing the last couple of years at least, is that our inflation rate has been slightly higher. I'm not really sure the nature of that. That's something I'd like to explore. Do I think that's real? I do think that's real, but it's something that maybe in a project coming up we would explore why that might be also compared to the US national rate that was even lower, 2.4%. So we're noticeably higher. And again, it's not just that we're rural, that we have high prices, it's that this inflation rate is the change in the prices from year to year. So, you know, that's something that we can think about.
• 12:17
  Speaker E: This year's CPI report includes something new, reporting on cannabis product prices. The report shows that the overall price of cannabis products pretty much stayed steady in increasing by only 0.2%. Attendees of the meeting included members of city and county governments, consulting firms and non profit groups. There was discussion on the importance of data when evaluating the local economy, making policy on it, and on an individual business level deciding what to pay employees. Eschker advised against over reliance on the local data collection.
• 12:55
  Speaker A: If I am running a business or if I'm trying to get price data for Humboldt county, should I rely on this cpi? And so I think the first answer is no. The standard is what the government puts out. The problem is they're not putting out anything that is Humboldt County. I think the use of this CPI would be to temper your thoughts, to maybe, you know, add extra flavor, some more interest to your thoughts on, you know, the story and what's happening to prices on the North Coast. So if I were an HR in a company and trying to figure out what do I pay my employees, what's happening to wages or what's happening to prices on the North Coast, I'd stick with the government stuff and I'd probably, I'd look at this.
• 13:45
  Speaker E: The local report could be, quote, very useful. He continued, providing a unique Humboldt perspective. For KMUD News, this is Daniel Mintz.
• 13:58
  Speaker B: Turning to Mendocino. Traffic on Highway 101 was snarled following a solo vehicle collision earlier today. Lisa Music reports A food vendor box truck overturned just north of Leggett around.
• 14:13
  Speaker C: 12:45Pm on Thursday, blocking the northbound lane of Highway 101 near mile marker 92.8.
• 14:22
  Speaker B: According to the California Highway Patrol CAD page.
• 14:25
  Speaker C: Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene to assess the situation along with Caltrans.
• 14:31
  Speaker B: Traffic remained snarled for several hours as crews worked to clear the scene. Cayman News spoke with Officer Zepeda of the Garberville Highway Patrol who said, I'm.
• 14:41
  Speaker D: Officer Zepeda of the California Highway Patrol. In Garberville earlier today there was a solo vehicle collision with a box truck on its side, on its left side with three objects. There are no injuries. The vehicle is now uprighted. It's in the northbound lane there's one way traffic control with Caltrans right now and the whole incident should be cleared in about 30 minutes.
• 15:06
  Speaker C: The roadway was cleared around 4pm today.
• 15:09
  Speaker B: Reporting for Cayman News, I'm Lisa Music in state news about 2,400 DACA recipients in California who buy health care through the Covered California program will be dropped from their health plans on Aug. 31 after the Trump administration changed the rules to exclude them from California news Service. Suzanne Potter reports.
• 15:32
  Speaker F: People who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as daca, will be dropped from their covered California health plans at the end of August. The move comes after the Trump administration changed a Biden era definition of lawfully present to revoke health care eligibility for thousands of immigrants. Christine Smith with Health Access California says people only have a few weeks to get medical appointments in before their coverage ends.
• 15:58
  Speaker D: If you're enrolled in Covered California and you're a DACA recipient, the Trump administration just ended your coverage. People should use as much of your health care as you can before the Aug. 31 deadline.
• 16:10
  Speaker F: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services defends the move, saying it will save taxpayers money. Covered California estimates that the change affects about 2,400 DACA recipients in the state who make too much money to qualify, qualify for Medi Cal and have jobs that don't provide health insurance. They can still buy private insurance, but that is much more expensive. People who prepaid for their coverage can seek a refund. Smith predicts this is a blow not just to those who lose coverage, but to the state's health care system as a whole.
• 16:39
  Speaker D: The lines in ers are going to be longer because people are not going to be able to get affordable preventative care. They're just going to get sicker and then end up in ERs. People will overall incur more medical debt. Hospitals will have more uncompensated care.
• 16:54
  Speaker F: The change is nationwide. As of mid July, about 538,000 people in the DACA program across the US are ineligible to enroll in any state based insurance marketplace and are unable to access premium subsidies or cost sharing assistance. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Find our trust indicators@publicnewservice.org.
• 17:19
  Speaker B: In national news. UN holds session on two state solution chief Gutierrez Blast, destruction of Gaza and dismantling of peace in Middle East KPFA's Sophia Rees El Feni reports.
• 17:33
  Speaker C: On Monday, the UN wrapped up its ministerial talks on the two state solution, summarizing key outcomes from eight working groups. The session marked both a Diplomatic milestone and a launchpad for renewed international action toward lasting peace. Co chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, the session consolidated key findings from months of diplomatic discussions on political, legal, economic and humanitarian issues tied to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. There is a general consensus among representatives that Israel's actions in occupied Palestine are in clear violation of international law. They called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire. The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke directly about the systemic factors that have allowed Israel to occupy Palestine.
• 18:27
  Speaker B: Let's be clear. The creeping annexation of the occupied west bank is illegal.
• 18:34
  Speaker D: It must stop.
• 18:37
  Speaker B: The wholesale destruction of Gaza is intolerable.
• 18:42
  Speaker D: It must stop.
• 18:43
  Speaker B: Excellencies. These are not isolated events.
• 18:48
  Speaker A: They are part of a systemic reality.
• 18:50
  Speaker B: That is dismantling the building blocks of peace in the Middle East.
• 18:55
  Speaker C: There was a call for accountability of the Israeli government's actions by keynote speaker Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and a member of Nelson Mandela's the Elders.
• 19:07
  Speaker B: The International Court of Justice advisory opinion clarified that Israel's security concerns do not justify its illegal presence in the west bank and Gaza or the annexation of territory. The stark truth is that the government of Israel has not been held accountable for its violations in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territory. Its leadership enjoys a high level of impunity and measures taken to date have not been sufficient to incentivize a change of course. This cannot continue.
• 19:42
  Speaker C: The UN working groups emphasize that a two state solution grounded in international law remains the most viable path to peace. Several speakers called not just for hollow promises, but for real specific policy commitments to end the conflict.
• 20:00
  Speaker B: Wholesale vagueness about the end game is not strategic, it is dangerous. What is needed is a clear collective affirmation of the two state solution, not as an abstraction but with specific policy commitments. A full end to the occupation Borders based on the 4 June 1967 lines and a sovereign contiguous Palestinian state.
• 20:26
  Speaker C: Groups like Dawn, a non profit human rights organization, warn that while international recognition of Palestine is important, recognition alone will lead to no change on the ground. But a major concern in Monday's session is what will recovery actually look like? A representative from the UN Relief and Worker Agency emphasized that the road ahead is long and relief organizations like theirs need continued support not only to rebuild Gaza, but to strengthen relationships that can make a two state solution a foundation for lasting peace in the region.
• 21:03
  Speaker E: Peace may begin with political agreements, but.
• 21:06
  Speaker B: It can only be sustained through the.
• 21:08
  Speaker E: Realization of human rights and the protection of human dignity through education, health care and social development. UNRWA is a tremendous asset if what we seek is a just and lasting.
• 21:19
  Speaker C: Solution to the question of Palestine and its people. The deliberations on Monday reflected the joint political will to advance towards a two state solution. On Tuesday, the conference will reconvene to hopefully finalize concrete solutions and maintain momentum towards the two state solution. This is Sofia Reisalfeni for Pacifica evening news. KPFA.
• 21:45
  Speaker B: Israel deports last two volunteers from humanitarian vessel Handala KPFA's Lawrence Schmidt reports.
• 21:53
  Speaker F: The last two volunteers from the humanitarian vessel Handela, Christian Smalls of the United States and hate of Tunisia were deported this morning after five days of detention in Israel. That's according to a statement from Ad Dala, the Legal center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. Hey, I'm lawyer Hadil Abu Saleh. I'm a lawyer at Adala Legal Center. Now all the activists who are members of the flotilla are free and the last two activists were freed. Of course, it's important to remember the general frame that we are speaking about the origin of this arrest and to remember that we are talking about an unlawful arrest. No matter what is the narrative that the Israeli authorities are trying to promote, these people are continuously being arrested in international waters. It's important to show support, but also to show knowledge and understanding of this procedure that keeps happening. It's important not to fall into the trap of believing that these people are doing an illegal act. For KPFA News, I'm Lauren Schmidt.
• 23:07
  Speaker B: And in National Native News, Brian Bull reads today's headlines.
• 23:12
  Speaker G: This is National Native News. I'm Bryan Bowles, sitting in for Antonia Gonzalez. The Gila River Indian community south of Phoenix has been grappling with guns and gang violence, largely involving juveniles. The tribe quietly fired its police chief earlier this month, days after a town hall meeting to address the issues. As KJZZ's Gabriel Pietrazio reports, the tribe has refused to explain why.
• 23:37
  Speaker B: The reservation covers about 600 square miles, with many of the tribe's 20,000 members living on it. Complaints have included gang violence and even cartel activity. Gila River Police Chief Jesse Crabtree fielded most of the questions during a recent town hall meeting that ran for six hours.
• 23:55
  Speaker A: We can't police our way out of everything. We need partners from the community, from other departments. Definitely community policing is where we're headed.
• 24:04
  Speaker B: Community members say that just two days later, on July 14, Crabtree was fired despite his name being scrubbed from the department's website. The unannounced departure has not been confirmed by the Valley based tribe, but within a week they had already turned to a familiar name, former Police Chief Tim Chavez, who initially considered coming out of retirement, but later declined due to departmental infighting. It's still unknown who, if anyone, has replaced Crabtree as police chief, with the tribe refusing to answer any questions. For National Native News, I'm Gabriel pieterrazio.
• 24:40
  Speaker G: More than 700 participants, including leaders from the circumpolar north, are gathering this week at Arctic Encounter, an annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska, that included a panel of policy experts from the US and Canada who spent Wednesday morning focused on Arctic security. The conversation covered growing geopolitical tensions and competition, as well as a need for partnerships. And they spoke about how national, personal and environmental security are interconnected, especially for people who live in the Arctic. Mike Srega is a former U.S. ambassador to the Arctic who recently stepped into an interim chancellor role at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
• 25:19
  Speaker E: We cannot forget that for us that live in the north and peoples who live in small communities and large communities, we we're talking about water security, food security, community security, health security. So it's all nested in there. But it's highlighted by obviously our homeland and national security.
• 25:34
  Speaker G: Srega says that one of the big challenges for addressing Arctic security issues is recent funding cuts to research in the US he says that academics and policymakers should better communicate how research is profitable in the long run and crucial for homeland security. Sfriga and other speakers highlighted that a secure north also means functional infrastructure, from deep seaports and warning systems to satellite communications. And speakers agree that policy decisions about the Arctic should go hand in hand with listening to local communities. Sarah Cohen is a deputy head of mission at the Canadian Embassy in the US where she focuses on foreign policy and national security. She says that for Canada, Arctic and defence policy starts with partnerships with Indigenous people in the North.
• 26:19
  Speaker B: You can't have safe people without having a safe environment. You can't have safe people without them having a safe and secure access to a future that is characterized by dignity. In Canada, that's very much also part of our reconciliation with Indigenous peoples as we look to continue that journey, which is very much about truth and also reconciliation.
• 26:37
  Speaker G: Arctic Encounter is running through Friday. It will feature discussions about policy, infrastructure and Indigenous sovereignty. And on this day in 1763, Ottawa Chief Pontiac led a coalition of warriors against attacking British for forces at Fort Detroit in the Great Lakes region. Initially started by 260 British soldiers, the Natives were so successful in repelling their foes that nearby Parent's Creek was renamed Bloody Run. Today the site is now Elmwood Cemetery in East Detroit. This is National Native News. I'm Brian bull.
• 27:14
  Speaker D: Native Voice 1 the Native American radio Network.
• 27:31
  Speaker B: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Patricia Tinkler, and thanks to our reporters, Daniel Mintz, Suzanne Potter, Sophia Reis, Elfini, Lawrence Schmidt, Lisa Music, and Brian Boal. KMA News is online, and you can find us on kmo.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.