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Local News 12 22 25 · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Foreign.
• 0:14
  Speaker B: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Monday, December 22nd and I'm Nat Cardos reporting for KMED. In tonight's news, winter storm hammers Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties. More to come. Redway Community Services District declares conservation level stage for water emergency for Redway. So stay tuned. Those stories and more coming up.
• 0:42
  Speaker C: Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkon, Wailaki, Wiat, Wilkut 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.
• 1:03
  Speaker B: Yesterday a winter storm caused significant flooding throughout Humboldt county, trapping some in their homes and causing a several hour shutdown of both lanes of the Highway 101 near Lolita. Throughout the day, the National Weather Service in eureka observed approximately 2 to 3 inches of rainfall. The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Swift Water Rescue team aided residents in Bayside, Freshwater and Elk river areas as rivers and creeks flooded, trapping motorists in their vehicles as well. KMUD News spoke to Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsel for more information about these efforts.
• 1:32
  Speaker D: So at the Sheriff's office we set aside four, three deputies and a sergeant to be a part of our special services team. And this team is in charge of all of our search and rescues. They're our search managers. They're also in charge of these kind of rescue operations. And so we give them specific training about, you know, how to rescue people in water conditions, whether it's the river or whether it's rising floodwaters or if, you know, they're in the ocean or surf. So we give them that this vital training to assist. And so our Swift Water Rescue team and our special services team and members of our sheriff's posse, our Sarah Search and rescue team were deployed yesterday because there were several residents that have reported that they were trapped by the rising waters of creeks and streams in the bayside, freshwater and Oak river areas. And so we responded with our team and they have small boats that are able to maneuver in and out of these smaller areas that can be launched easily as well as jet skis that are able to go in and out, out and to safely, you know, help evacuate and rescue people, you know, that are trapped in their homes due to the rising waters.
• 2:39
  Speaker B: Yesterday the Sheriff's office received many calls from residents reporting impassable areas and flooded roadways as well as welfare checks for friends and family. The Sheriff's office performed multiple evacuations during the storm with the help of small boats and jet skis as of recording today, Monday, December 22, flooding from the rivers is still affecting roadways and causing multiple road closures.
• 3:00
  Speaker D: Yes. So we had several, you know, a lot of phone calls for impacts to the weather. We had lots of people reporting flooded roadways, impassable areas, as well as people calling us to check on people that they knew were in areas where the waters were rising. So some of the things we did was we did welfare checks on people. Some people wanted a shelter in place. The water hasn't, you know, didn't actually make it to inside their home, so they're able to stay. There were other people that, you know, needed be evacuated because water was coming inside their homes, and we were able to safely evacuate those. So we had three of those evacuations where we had to respond and help people be evacuated from their homes. So we assisted them with our boats and our jet skis. We had people that also didn't heed the warning and started driving in areas that was impassable by their car, and their car got stopped or stuck or swept off the road. And so we had to assist several people with those type of incidents. So that's why we say, please do not drive in areas where the roadway is flooded. And we're actually responding to a call right now in Ferndale where a lady was driving her vehicle in one of the roadways in the Ferndale bottoms right next to the river, and she was trying to make a delivery and her car got swept with the current. And so we're actively trying to rescue her right now. And I pray that we can get to her in time so we can help save her. But. So nothing is worth driving your own life isn't worth it to try and maneuver in some of these flooded roadways, Just go around or come back later. And usually within four to five hours, conditions change within the county and so hopefully the roadways will be passable again.
• 4:49
  Speaker B: The total of damages that occurred over the storm is still being estimated. In Eureka, the high winds from the storm caused damage to Fire Station 3 off of Ocean Avenue from a nearby tree falling on it. It caused damage to a portion of the fence as well as the service drop and natural gas line pipes. K1 News spoke to Nathan Baxley, Battalion chief with Humble Bay Fire, for more information.
• 5:10
  Speaker E: The bull pine has been a notorious neighboring tree that is close to Fire Station 3 at 2905 Ocean heavily leaning towards the station and just got saturated and weighed limbs. This rot in the tree. It came down, took out a portion of the fence, eliminating indest and egress as far as accessing the back of the station. And then it came down. This portion of it came down and took out the service drop, which was tied into also our natural gas lines. As far as the way that the service drop and the natural gas line pipes were mounted to the side of the station. Took out our ability to have utilities, power at the station for our personnel, which also created issues with our communication issues because powering those units is where we hold some of our central mainframes and repeaters for our radios. So we just had to kind of pivot and adjust. And we sent the three folks that were staffed to other engines and just staffed them with four people rather than the three that we normally operate with. And then we just operated as usual. So we responded to calls for service. It wasn't really that big of a deal. It was just making notifications in the end, the community, so that the station will be closed for the next couple days until we can get back online.
• 6:24
  Speaker B: Crews are already working on bringing the fire station back to operational order, with the estimated date for it to be back running being December 24th. Due to this unforeseen circumstance, the station has had to pivot, sending the three firefighters staffed there to other nearby stations.
• 6:40
  Speaker E: Natural hazard that came down in a winter storm, and those things happen. It just happened to us. We usually respond to those types of calls for the community we serve. And this time it took out our own station. So that's the way it goes.
• 6:53
  Speaker B: According to the National Weather Service in Eureka, another storm will be bringing even more rain, up to 4 to 8 inches between today and Friday evening. And a flood watch is in effect from tonight through Friday evening. Additional precipitation amounts of 4 to 8 inches are reportedly possible through Friday. The rainfall from yesterday broke a record for the National Weather Service in Eureka that was set back in 1964. Cayman News spoke to Jacob Boomsma, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Eureka, for more information.
• 7:22
  Speaker F: We still have flood warnings out for the Eel river at Fernbridge. It is still above Moderate flood stage 10am this morning and that is the only river that is still within flood stage as of now. And it's forecast to drop below flood stage. It's already peaked and it's dropping. It should drop below flood stage by this afternoon sometime maybe around 5 or.
• 7:48
  Speaker B: 6Pm There is still a flood warning in effect for Eel river at Fern Bridge, and there are still multiple road closures due to flooding in Ferndale. Another storm system will be blowing in tonight, bringing some strong winds and more rain Del Norte and northern Humboldt counties are expected to see 2 1/2 to 4 inches inches of rain from Tuesday to Friday. Meanwhile, southern and interior Humboldt, Trinity, Mendocino and Lake counties are expected to see more with roughly between 4 to 6 inches of rain.
• 8:15
  Speaker F: Yeah, so we have another system coming in kind of starting tonight and then the bulk of the impacts will be tomorrow morning, afternoon. So that's going to give us another round of heavy rain, a lot of rain in a short amount of time. Generally from tonight through Wednesday morning, we're looking at another 2 to 4 inches of rain in Humboldt County. There could certainly be some small stream and creek flooding, some rapid rises in the rivers as well. It kind of depends where the moisture plume is focused on on to which river will see those rapid rises, but they're not given a lot of time to recede and drain. So as of now, we're not forecasting any rivers to re enter flood stage except the Russian river at Hopland. But that could change if the rainfall is focused within a specific river basin, like with this last system is focused mostly in the Eel and the Mad River Basin.
• 9:16
  Speaker B: Aside from the rain, strong southerly winds are also expected coming in Tuesday night to Wednesday, coming in at approximately 20-40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. There's currently a high wind warning for Mendocino county and Lake County.
• 9:30
  Speaker F: So we have also some pretty strong winds forecast coming in Tuesday night and to Wednesday. Still a little uncertainty on the magnitude, but we could see we have a low right off the coast, California, and these often give us some of the strongest winds that we get. Depending on where that low is focused is going to determine who gets the strongest winds. But we can certainly see some winds in higher end scenarios of upwards of 40, 50 miles per hour. So we're still tracking that. But prepare for some strong southerly winds Tuesday night into Wednesday.
• 10:13
  Speaker B: In light of these winter storms, it's important to make sure you are prepared for emergencies. Limit travel and driving during storms. And if a road looks impassable, it probably is impassable. And it's important to find another route. Here's some advice from Sheriff Hansel, Battalion Chief Baxley and Jacob Boomsma on how to stay safe during the upcoming storm.
• 10:32
  Speaker D: I urge people to prepare. Make sure you have food and water on hand. You know, prepare for the worst. Everyone should always have three days of food and water on hand. If you have a generator, make sure that it is serviceable. Make sure it has plenty of gasoline so you can keep things running and only travel tomorrow if it's necessary. And if there is a flooded roadway, please do not attempt to drive through it. Please go around. Because again, the water is swift and the last thing we need is for people to get their car swept away and then for something bad to happen when it really isn't necessary.
• 11:17
  Speaker E: I would say to avoid those areas. I know that yesterday when I was responding for calls for service, there's a lot of folks out in the Freshwater area and El Capri area. You know, a couple feet of water on the road will push a vehicle off those banks. And they don't, you know, you have never, you know, no idea if there's sinkholes or anything like that from water erosion as they're coming over the road. Go to drive blindly over those roads thinking that you've got, you know, a full set of pickup or you feel comfortable driving across it in a sedan or two wheel drive vehicle, you don't know what you can't see. And just to avoid those areas or find alternative routes and with power lines and wind, you know, same as always. Avoid that as well and call 911. Our police and dispatch will triage that and send the appropriate resources and just avoid the area in general and stay safe.
• 12:16
  Speaker F: Yeah. So if you are someone who experienced flooding in the storm that just happened Sunday, it's very possible that you can experience some flooding impacts. Again, they might not be quite to the same level, but the ground is saturated. We got a lot more rain coming, so prepared for more flooding. And if you're traveling, the mountains will also be getting a lot of rain. So there is increased risk for rock and mudslides as well. So before heading out to travel, check the forecasts and Caltrans. Make sure that your road is passable and open and prepare for travel delays and to drive slowly and safely.
• 13:02
  Speaker B: Cayman News will continue to provide updates and emergency information during these winter storms. Due to this past weekend's storm, Redway Community Services District's water tanks and filtration systems were overwhelmed from the flooding of the Eel River. Due to this, the water supply has been compromised for Redway. And Redway CSD is declaring a conservation level four water emergency from today, from today to the next five to seven days or possibly longer. They are asking residents of Redway to limit water usage to 50 gallons per person per day. K Min News spoke to Cody Cox, general manager for the Redway Community Services District for more information.
• 13:41
  Speaker C: Yeah, so what happened is we experienced extremely high levels. We got to flood stage. Our telemetry showed that we got to 35.5ft. So our natural turbidity unit went up to over 100 NTU. That's the turbidity of the water which isn't allowing us to treat and send the water to storage. Right now we're having difficulties treating the water to a potable standard so that we are able to send that to storage. So right now we currently have 340,000 gallons of storage left. And I need to add that we're also in the middle of a grant that's called the Redway Water Supply emergency water supply and storage grant. And so we're down one tank. We've demolished one tank tank and we're in the middle of building the replacement tank. So right now we only have the one storage tank. So that's the. That's the situation that Redway CSD is facing right now.
• 14:44
  Speaker B: There is a possibility that the water emergency could last longer than five to seven days. And Redway CSD is looking into possibly getting water trucked into the water treatment plant to boost it up to storage. Water for Redway is treated out of the south fork of the Eel river and due to rainfall and flooding, filters were overwhelmed and storage was lost due to backwashing the filters. Cox elaborates further on the issue.
• 15:06
  Speaker C: So we treat out of the south fork of the Eel River. It's conventional treatment. We have a clarifier and disinfectant which is chlorine, and then we have a series of four filters. So right now the filters are loading up very quickly because of the turbid water and we're just. The filters just can't take the load. So we're having to consistently backwash and when you have to consistently backwash, you end up chasing your tail and losing storage. As operators, we have to make that decision to stay static and try to treat the water as best we can. One NTU drops down to a reasonable level, which is below 80 from today.
• 15:48
  Speaker B: Till approximately next Monday. Redway residents can minimize their water usage by taking shorter showers, avoiding using dishwashers and avoiding using any large volumes of water in general. Cayman News will continue to provide updates on water usage in Redway as they are received in national news. Department of justice offering cash rewards for turning in leftists to FBI for domestic terrorism targeting immigrant and trans right advocates. KPFA's Christina Onisted reports a directive by.
• 16:20
  Speaker G: Attorney General Pam Bondi will offer the public money for turning in a broad swath of leftists to the FBI to investigate. Critics are calling it a bounty it's part of enacting President Donald Trump's executive order declaring antifa a domestic terrorist organization. Bondi's Dec. 4 memo is far reaching. It targets immigrant and trans rights advocates replacing white supremacists that were once considered the top domestic threat. It says these domestic terrorists are engaged in violence or threats of violence, including opposition to law and immigration enforcement, extreme views in favor of mass migration and open borders, adherence to radical gender ideology, anti Americanism, anti capitalism, anti Christianity and those who express hostility towards traditional views on family, religion and morality. Bondi's definition of domestic terrorism is also broad, targeting people who engage in antifa related activities like organized rioting, conspiracies to impede or assault law enforcement, efforts to change or direct policy outcomes and Doxxing. It cites the Antifa slogans on bullet casings used to assassinate right wing conservative Charlie Kirk earlier this year as an example of the threat antifa poses. The six page memo released by the Washington Post and Pink News directs the FBI to create a phone tip line to report these radical left wing extremists. It includes lists of actions to report. Like Doxxing, Bondi's memo suggests groups that fall under the government's definition of domestic terrorism would be prosecuted and face a list of charges including RICO act violations, fraud and conspiracy against the United States, which carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison. It also includes more obscure charges that appear to clamp down on the First Amendment, like picketing or parading with the intent to obstruct administration of justice and obstruction or disruption in or on federal property, conspiracy against rights and several fraud statutes. The directive clearly politically motivated after all, President Donald Trump Trump pardoned some 1,000 supporters of his who were jailed for storming the US Capitol, many violently attacking police and federal property to overturn his election loss. But his Justice Department's memo doesn't mention that or them. It mentions the Antifa handbook, whose author fled to Europe after being doxed by right wing groups and receiving death threats in the United States. The memo comes as a new report by the UK's Guardian, citing internal FBI documents finding domestic terrorism investigations into immigrant rights groups in at least 23 regions across the United States. I'm Christina Onnestead reporting for Pacifica Radio KPFA.
• 19:42
  Speaker B: Barbara Lee vs Trump lawsuit over January 6 insurrection goes to court as Trump claims immunity KPFA's Christopher Martinez reports.
• 19:52
  Speaker H: A federal trial court in Washington, D.C. heard arguments Friday in a civil lawsuit against President Donald Trump for his role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Joe Sellers, lawyer for the plaintiffs, spoke to reporters after the hearing.
• 20:06
  Speaker C: This case was first brought in February of 2021. So we are past the four year anniversary or almost to the fourth year, fifth year anniversary, and our clients are looking forward to their day in court as soon as possible.
• 20:19
  Speaker H: The lawsuit was filed by the NAACP and several members of Congress. There have been other lawsuits over the insurrection, but now it's down to this one.
• 20:27
  Speaker C: This is the last of the cases that is challenging President Trump's role in the January 6 riots. So in terms of legal cases, I believe it's the last one that remains.
• 20:44
  Speaker H: Before the January 6 attack, Trump spoke to a crowd of his supporters at the Stop the Steal rally near the White House, after which many attendees marched to the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. More than a hundred police officers were injured while defending the Capitol. Lawyers for Trump argue that he is immune immune from liability because he was acting in his official capacity as president. Attorney Joshua Halpern told the judge, the entire point of immunity is to give the president clarity to speak in the moment as the commander in chief. Plaintiffs lawyers argue Trump was an office seeker who is not entitled to immunity. The lawsuit is called Barbara Lee et al. V. Donald Trump. The lead plaintiff, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, was a member of the House of Representatives in 2021.
• 21:33
  Speaker B: I was sitting on the floor of Congress on January 6th.
• 21:37
  Speaker H: She thanked the legal team and especially the NAACP for keeping the case going.
• 21:42
  Speaker B: Our plaintiffs, myself included, believe that no one is above the law. And I believe the discussion today in court revealed the fact that there are some in this country who do believe that a president could be above the law.
• 22:00
  Speaker H: The lawsuit relies on an 1871 law written to protect people from the Ku Klux Klan. The lawsuit lists as defendants besides Trump, the Oath Keepers Militia and the group Proud Boys. On his first day in office, President Trump pardoned, commuted prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of all 1,500 plus criminal cases. But the civil case against Trump remains, and the plaintiffs say it could be the last chance to hold Trump accountable for the insurrection. Reporting for Pacifica Radio News kpfa, I'm Christopher Martinez.
• 22:36
  Speaker B: In National Native News, Antonio Gonzalez reads today's headlines.
• 22:40
  Speaker I: This is National Native News. I'm Antonio Gonzalez. Before the year's end, President Trump is expected to sign a bill that would give Alaska Native veterans an extension to file for their native allotments. As KMBA's Rhonda McBride tells us, more time is needed to help veterans navigate what they say has been a cumbersome and frustrating process.
• 23:01
  Speaker A: After several failed attempts to get the Senate to pass an extension, the window for Alaska Native veterans to claim federal land was about to close forever. But on December 16, Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan's bill passed by unanimous consent. The Republican senator had tied the veterans extension to three other bills that had bipartisan support.
• 23:23
  Speaker C: Wasn't easy, but we got this done at the buzzer. It's gonna be signed into law. It's gonna go over to the White House, the president's gonna sign this, and we're gonna get to work and get these heroes the land allotments that they deserved.
• 23:36
  Speaker A: Ben O. Cleveland, president of the Alaska Native Veterans Council, has waited for this moment for a long time.
• 23:43
  Speaker C: I felt very happy, content within the heart. We've been battling with the Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans land allotment for over 30 years.
• 23:53
  Speaker A: The extension now gives Alaska Native veterans until 2030 to claim 160 acres of federal land made available to them under a law Congress passed more than 100 years ago. But when the federal program ended in 1971, Vietnam vets missed out because many were overseas fighting the war. An estimated 2,000 veterans are eligible for this program, but as of mid month, only about 25% had filed. Native vets said they had difficulty meeting the deadline due to a complicated process and limited land availability. Cleveland hopes the extension will allow more time to convince Congress to make more federal land available for veterans closer to their homeland. He says they deserve it.
• 24:42
  Speaker C: We've gone through hell, but we went when our country called and we did our duty to the nation and to our people.
• 24:49
  Speaker A: Cleveland says it's a shame politics gets in the way of honoring veterans. But the important thing, he says, is that Congress finally got the job done. In anchorage, I'm Rhonda McBride.
• 25:00
  Speaker I: A Wisconsin tribe is suing the U.S. army Corps of Engineers. As Danielle Kading reports, the Bad River Tribe has filed a lawsuit to overturn a federal permit for a Canadian energy firm's plan to reroute its oil and gas pipeline.
• 25:15
  Speaker J: Earth justice attorney Gussie Lord represents the Bad River Band of Lake Superior, Chippewa. Lord claims the Army Corps violated federal environmental laws when it issued a permit this fall to Canadian energy firm Enbridge. She says the agency failed to adequately review environmental effects of the company's plans to build a 41 mile segment of its Line 5 pipeline around the tribe's reservation.
• 25:36
  Speaker F: They didn't do that in a number of ways, including threat of oil spill, threat of impacts to on and off reservations, exercise of treaty rights and also the state's water quality certification has been challenged by the band and that's not final.
• 25:50
  Speaker J: Enbridge wants to build a new stretch of Line 5 after the tribe sued in 2019 to shut down the pipeline on its lands. Bad River Tribal Chairwoman Elizabeth Arbuckle said the tribe and other communities would, quote, suffer unacceptable consequences in the event of an oil spill. An Enbridge spokesperson said the company's permit is is not yet final, but it plans to defend the Corps upcoming decision in the lawsuit For National Native News, I'm Danielle Kading.
• 26:16
  Speaker I: On Friday, a jury ruled in favor of the native led organization Indian Collective and individual plaintiffs in a discrimination lawsuit against the owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel In Rapid City, S.D. indian Collective will be paid $1, a request made by the organization. I'm Antonia Gonzalez.
• 26:41
  Speaker C: Native voice one, the.
• 26:42
  Speaker F: Native american radio network.
• 26:52
  Speaker B: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer Javier Rodriguez, and thanks to our reporters Christina Onsted, Christopher Martinez and Antonio Gonzalez. Camo News is online and you can find us on camo.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 stretch strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News. Reporting for KMUD, I'm Nat Cardos.