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Local News 09 18 25 · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Foreign Good evening and welcome to local news. Today is Thursday, September 18th and I'm Nat Kardis reporting for KMUD. In tonight's news, individual arrested for disrupting Arcata city council meeting. Eureka Council overrules police chief approve ex con's car dealership permit. And from shower drains to sculptures, multiple instances of metal theft at Redwood and national state parks. So stay tuned. Those stories and more. Coming up.
• 0:43
  Redwood Community Radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkion, Huaylaki, Wiat, Will 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.
• 1:04
  Yesterday at approximately 6:30pm The Arcata Police Department arrested 36 year old Fresno resident Shane Scott Hagen for disrupting a city council meeting. Kmart News spoke with Luke Scown, a lieutenant with the Arcata Police Department for more information on the incident. Well, there was a council meeting on September 17th at about 6. During that meeting we had one of our sergeants was just kind of present there at the meeting, which is not unusual for an officer to be in the area during the meeting. At some point the city manager, Merrick Curry noticed somebody standing in the back with what he thought might be a Molotov cocktail or at least something that was made to look like that. So a bottle with a rag or something stuffed in the top of it. And the officer was alerted to that. The officer went and investigated that and spoke with the person about it turned out it was, it was a bottle of alcohol. The officer was able to get that person to give over that bottle of alcohol and that person was allowed to go back to the meeting with the intent of, you know, with the thought that that person was just there to watch the meeting. And at which point the suspect, the person there, Mr. Haugen walked directly around the public seating area and up towards the front of dais into the kind of there in between the public area and the city council members and appeared to be going back to the council members. Merritt Perry, the city manager, got in between him and told him to stop. At which point Haugen continued to attempt to push through and then struck the city manager, punching him. The city manager ended up tackling him or pulling him to the ground and a struggle ensued. The police officers arrived and were able to take him into custody. Mr. Haugen, he did have and some of the council members reported seeing what appeared to be the handle of the pistol protruding out from his ve. Turns out it was a nerf gun, a kid's gun, but it did, or a foam dart shooting gun, but the handle of it looked relatively real. He also was in possession of a switchblade or a butterfly knife, which is illegal in California, as well as some drug paraphernalia and pepper spray. He was, he's a convicted felon, which prohibits him from having pepper spray. So he was ultimately arrested for disturbing a public meeting, felony resisting an executive officer, being the police officers and the city manager, which fallen under that as well, along with some other charges regarding the things I had previously just spoke with you about. Hagen was charged with the following felony and misdemeanor charges, disrupting a public meeting, resisting an executive officer with force, assault and battery, felon in possession of tear gas, possession of a switchblade knife, and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was booked and lodged at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.
• 3:52
  A man denied a card room work permit due to having recent felonies on his record, has been given a second chance by the Eureka City Council. Daniel Mintz reports.
• 4:01
  Reversing an action taken by the city's police chief, the Eureka City Council approved a card dealer permit for a man who was convicted of violent felonies, but said he's now sober and determined to be a benefit to the community and his young son.
• 4:18
  Eureka requires all card room employees, not just dealers, to be licensed by the police chief. The chief can deny a permit for numerous reasons, including felony convictions. That's where Sean Paddleford's car dealer permit application ran into problems. In July of 2024, he pleaded guilty to two felony charges, one for domestic violence and the other for assault.
• 4:46
  Now into the first year of a three year probation period after jail incarceration, Paddleford wants to use his experience as a blackjack and poker dealer to gain work and appeared before Counsel at its September 16 meeting to argue his appeal of the permit denial.
• 5:04
  He said he went through six months of residential substance abuse treatment at the North Coast Substance Abuse Council's Crossroads program, followed by the New Life Discovery Project's recovery program.
• 5:18
  Admitting to his past mistakes, Paddleford said he's trying to build a better life and that's where I'm at today.
• 5:25
  I think I got satisfactory grades in school. I'm doing 12 units and I'm still unemployed and when I left New Life, I had put in a lot of work but I was still unemployed. But Mr. Dale Ward was able to let me come to his sober living with the hopes of telling me don't worry about it and keep on doing the best you can do.
• 5:48
  I truly believe that I'm doing the best that I can do with my life right now and I made a change in me, a change the way that I see life.
• 5:58
  I definitely have stopped blaming people, places and things and I take a lot. I take the accountability for my life these days and maybe to some people it comes easy to do that, but I don't think I really have taken accountability for my actions my whole Life. And at 43, I'm finally starting to see some kind of light. Paddleford said finding work is a struggle and even Domino's Pizza denied him due to his record, which he described as devastating.
• 6:28
  He said the owner of Eureka's North Coast Casino is willing to give him a chance and is prepared to hire him immediately. Council members praised Padelford for openly sharing his story, but wanted more details.
• 6:43
  Responding to questions, he said he was drunk when he committed domestic violence against the mother of his two year old son. He was also under the influence when he assaulted a convenience store clerk during a chase. He continued.
• 6:58
  Padelford said he definitely can be in an environment of alcohol and gambling without relapsing.
• 7:06
  He said he'd been denied a car dealer permit twice before, and Councilmember Rene Contreras deloach supported the police chief's action. I'm sorry that you have this process that you know is ahead of you, but it's been barely over a year. So my recommendation would be that we trust law enforcement's recommendation that they've given multiple times in this area and hold off on granting this at this time.
• 7:32
  DeLoach made a motion to that effect.
• 7:35
  But although the city's police chief denied the permit, Council member Mario Fernandez noted the rules allow wiggle room. In saying the chief may deny the permit instead of shall deny it based on felonies, he related his own past experience.
• 7:52
  I can pontificate on my own history.
• 7:57
  I've been on three year probation before felony stop and search for a misdemeanor.
• 8:02
  So I know what it's like to have to wait that out and in that time try and find work and try and do everything right. The fact that you're going through this process where you do have a felony, there's a lot that you're not going to have by right of having that on your record. And so to take one more of these pieces away where you're trying to find employment and, and granted that it sounds like there was the potential there for labor, but we're not all built for that and we might all try to persevere through that. But it comes to a point where it's like, I can't do this anymore. So then where would you be at the end of that? A majority of council members were willing to allow the permit, and council member Leslie Castellano made a substitute motion to do so with the condition that the city be notified if Paddleford violates any terms of his probation.
• 8:50
  The motion to affirm Paddleford's appeal and give him the permit was Approved in a 4 to 1 vote, with DeLoach dissenting.
• 8:59
  In Eureka For KMUD News, this is Daniel Mintz.
• 9:06
  Theft of metal objects at Redwood national and State Parks have been an ongoing issue since January of this year. Items ranging from shower drains to memorial plaques and sculptures have disappeared throughout the parks and national and state park authorities encourage public assistance. KMUN News spoke with Shalaina Da Silva, Deputy District Superintendent of North Coast Redwoods District for California State Parks, for more information about these instances of theft. It's everything from sculptural items and art in the parks to everyday items. So kind of the more high value items are a coast redwood dugout canoe model and a coho salmon model. Both of these items were in the Grove of Titans as part of our interpretive displays. They were created in partnership with local tribal communities and Save the Redwoods League. And then it's also, as I said, commonplace items like shower drains.
• 10:01
  Losing these items are losing public resources. According to Da Silva, for example, a 12 inch bronze coho salmon model was stolen as well as a 20 inch bronze canoe model.
• 10:10
  I mean, I would say all of these items, whether it's something really commonplace like a shower drain or something beautiful and expensive like a coho model, these are all public resources. So essentially these are things that belong to the public here in Del Norte county and also to the visiting public. So when it comes to art pieces like this, this is part of how people experience the wonder and beauty of nature is by being able to interact with these art pieces. It helps inspire people, connect them to n these are stolen, then that experience is diminished once again. Redwood national and State Parks welcome assistance with this issue and encourage people to be on the lookout for these items at metal recycling locations and potential resale locations. Here's Da Silva with more information.
• 10:57
  I think the best thing that people can do is use the tip line that was shared in our press release. We also have Redwood National Park Ranger who can be contacted. If you see anybody vandalizing park equipment, park property, don't approach them, but you can use these phone numbers numbers to share the information of what you saw or if you see any of these items at a metal resale location or anything like that, you can use these numbers to get in touch and let people know. The anonymous Tip line is 707-465-7353 or the number to call Ranger Greg McKisson for reports is 707-498-4362.
• 11:38
  In state news, Governor Newsom touts Prop 50 redistricting plan as polls show growing support KPFA's Kennedy Cuello reports.
• 11:47
  Governor Gavin Newsom rallied with high profile Democrats Tuesday in an online event to promote his redistricting plan, Proposition 50. The plan would add five more Democratic seats in the House of Representatives. It's framed as an effort to level out Texas redistricting plan to give President Donald Trump five more Republican seats in Congress. Trump and Republicans are concerned about keeping Republican control of the House amidst unpopular policies like deep cuts to Medicaid. Newsom notes the GOP is also looking to redistrict congressional seats in Florida and Utah. Missouri has already passed new district maps that eliminate a Democratic House seat. Newsom says the difference with his plan is that he's putting it before voters, which is not being done in Republican led states. This is the first maps in the United States that will actually be submitted to the people themselves. The maps will be on the ballot and it's a temporary response to this emergency, this crisis of the rigging of the midterms and we need to win this at peril.
• 13:00
  That will lose this republic. We'll lose this democracy. It is not an overstatement. Kara Ong Weili, director of Better Choices for Democracy, spoke at a no. 150 press conference where speakers questioned why the map has been redrawn. The way it was separating people of color into different districts and often adding people of color to primarily white districts. In California, redistricting is done by a nonpartisan commission with public input, which she says wasn't done for Prop 50. Whaley says this is just another example of partisan gerrymandering to fix election outcomes. Prop 50 would trade public hearings for back rooms and would trade voters for insiders. This is not what our democracy needs in this moment, so we can't claim to protect voting rights while splitting 114 counties and 141 cities. That's fragmentation, not fairness. Eric Schickler is the co director of the nonpartisan Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He says the proposition is in pretty good shape, polling at 48% support and 32% opposition he emphasizes that Prop 50 is a temporary redrawing of congressional districts and needs to be approved by voters. The redrawn map under Prop 50 would need to go to a nonpartisan districting commission in 2030, where another map would be drawn and it would need to be voted on again. Shickler called the national redistricting battle an emergency with Republican politicians doing whatever they can to stay in power. Right now we're in a very nationalized moment in American politics where the stakes of who controls the House of Representatives are really high and what you're seeing is Republicans trying to take advantage of every possible lever to hold onto the house in 2026 and beyond. And so California voters basically have to decide, well, is this kind of principled preference for commission drawn lines?
• 15:11
  Is that more important than my concerns about, say, having a Democratic House that might be able to impose at least some check on President Trump's actions? Prop 50 will be on the ballot November 4th. California Senator Alex Padilla along with Representative Zoe Lofgren plan to introduce federal legislation to ban gerrymandering on September 18th. For KPFA news, I'm Kennedy Cuello.
• 15:40
  Public comment ends Friday on roadless rule, federal land protections Public News Service's Suzanne Potter reports The public has until tomorrow to weigh in on whether the federal government should strike down the so called roadless rule that protects certain federal lands. The Trump administration wants to open up about 45 million acres of wild lands to logging and road construction. Megan Burzell with the Wilderness Society says this would disturb forests that have no roads but are very popular for biking, ATVs, hiking and fishing.
• 16:14
  If this rule is undone, the management of those places is going to shift from being focused on the recreation experience to more of a timber experience so we can expect to see more new roads built. The U.S. forest Service argues that it needs more roads to control forest fires, but research from the Wilderness Society shows that wildfires are up to four times more likely in areas with roads, often because of the higher risk of sparks or discarded cigarettes.
• 16:45
  California is home to 4.4 million acres of inventoried roadless areas.
• 16:50
  The feds are required to take the public comment into account during the next step, which is the Environmental Impact Statement. Brazell says she hopes the administration will compromise.
• 17:01
  So far, all that's on the table is a complete repeal, so it remains to be seen whether there will be some middle ground offered when the Environmental Impact Statement is released in several months.
• 17:13
  Advocates question the wisdom of building more roads since the Forest Service currently has a $5 billion backlog of road maintenance and has recently lost large numbers of employees to cutbacks. A rescission of the roadless rule would not affect designated wilderness areas, which are protected by Congress. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Find our trust indicators@publicnewservice.org in national news, fired CDC chief Monarres tells senators public health is headed to dangerous place under health secretary Kennedy. KPFA's Christopher Martinez reports.
• 17:51
  Microbiologist and immunologist Suzanne Monarez was fired from her position as head of the CDC after just 29 days on the job. Now she's firing back, warning that the US Is headed backwards on vaccine policy.
• 18:05
  She testified at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, labor and Pensions Committee, where she said she was fired for standing up for science. She took aim at Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He directed me to commit in advance to approving every ACIP recommendation regardless of the scientific evidence.
• 18:27
  He also directed me to dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause.
• 18:36
  He said if I was unwilling to do both, I should resign.
• 18:40
  I responded that I could not pre approve recommendations without reviewing the evidence and I had no basis to fire scientific experts.
• 18:51
  He told me he had already spoken with the White House several times about having me removed.
• 18:57
  Her firing by the White House led to a wave of protest resignations at the cdc, as well as outrage from some lawmakers and not just Democrats. Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana is chair of the Health Committee. He praised President Donald Trump's health policies, but he's also concerned about the firing. The Senate confirms her.
• 19:17
  The secretary said in her swearing in that she has, quote, unimpeachable scientific credentials.
• 19:24
  And the president called her an incredible mother and dedicated public servant.
• 19:29
  Like, what happened?
• 19:31
  Did we fail?
• 19:32
  Was there something we should have done differently? Other Republicans were less sympathetic towards Bonaris, Oklahoma Republican Mark Wayne Mullen said she misrepresented her last meeting with Secretary Kennedy and he claimed he had an audio recording to prove it. But it turned out there was no such recording.
• 19:50
  Monarez was the first CDC head to be confirmed by the Senate, but Democrats had opposed her nomination. Now Democrats are questioning her firing.
• 19:59
  So too is independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. How did Dr. Manarez go from being a public health expert with unimpeachable scientific credentials who had the full confidence of Secretary Kennedy into being a liar and untrustworthy in less than a month? That is quite a transformation. Well, I think the answer is fairly obvious.
• 20:24
  Dr. Maner's was fired because she refused to act as a rubber stamp to implement Secretary Kennedy's dangerous agenda to substantially limit the use of safe and effective vaccines that would endanger the lives of the American people and people throughout the world.
• 20:42
  During the course of the three hour hearing, Monatis warned that the country's public health system is headed to a dangerous place under Secretary Kennedy. And she warned that infectious diseases like polio could be poised to make a devastating comeback if the health secretary and his team continue their public campaign against routine shots. Republican Cassidy seemed to agree. If doctors do not have clear guidance or have a reason to distrust what's coming out of the cdc, they cannot make informed decisions to protect their patients, children, and I would say adults, health is at risk. The CDC's advisory vaccine panel is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss vaccine recommendations. But California, Oregon and Washington have jointly released their own vaccination recommendations because they no longer trust a politicized cdc.
• 21:33
  Reporting for Pacifica Radio News, kpfa, I'm Christopher Martinez.
• 21:40
  Senate Finance Committee Introduces Billionaire Sales Tax in Response to Weak economy, Trump policies KPFA's Anthony Purrazzo reports.
• 21:49
  The Senate Finance Committee announced a billionaire income tax responding to problems with the US Economy, specifically how billionaires aren't paying their fair share while the economy is burdened with increasing problems.
• 22:03
  Earlier this year, a Republican majority in Congress passed the big beautiful bill lauded with tax cuts for the rich.
• 22:10
  More recently, Reports from the U.S. department of labor showed low numbers for job creation. This, combined with Trump's erratic economic policies, including unpredictable tariffs, have created so much uncertainty that businesses are reluctant to hire. The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the week ending September 6 rose by 27,000 to 263,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.
• 22:39
  That's the most application Since October of 2021 and the biggest week to week increase in almost a year.
• 22:48
  Democrat Ron Wyden says the current economic situation is unfair to the country.
• 22:53
  Billionaires, or close to it, are executing a regressive punishment economic agenda that's hitting millions of Americans like a wrecking ball.
• 23:07
  They gave another massive set of tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy and meanwhile the Trump tariffs are a multi trillion dollar tax hike on consumers and businesses in our country.
• 23:19
  Unemployment is up, growth is down.
• 23:24
  Jobs are stagnating.
• 23:27
  The country needs a new economic approach.
• 23:30
  Kristin Kraul, director of Fair Share America, says people around the country are sick of the economy working against them.
• 23:38
  I just spent the last 10 weeks on a bus tour traveling this country from Alaska to Arizona, standing in front of rooms of hundreds and thousands of people. The American public that is fed up about the big ugly law and the consequences on their pocketbooks and their finances, all at expense of giving the rich and corporations more of our hard earned tax dollars.
• 24:04
  People of all different backgrounds, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, know that this game is rigged and they know that it's rigged against them and in favor of the ultra rich. Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse describes the kind of grip the ultra wealthy has over the country's economy.
• 24:21
  Creepy billionaires who have figured out that for a relatively small sum against their great wealth they can pull the strings in Congress.
• 24:36
  They have discovered that they can make back through free to pollute climate policies and through a corrupted tax code, more than they spent to corrupt Congress in the first place.
• 24:53
  The looting and the polluting of our country has now become an epidemic of its own. President Donald Trump has exulted in the attention from some of the world's most successful business people, while the companies are eager to remain on the good side of the mercurial president.
• 25:12
  Earlier this month, President Donald Trump hosted Tech Executives at the White House, showcasing AI research and investments.
• 25:20
  This event highlighted major financial commitments from companies like Meta, Apple and Google. It was the latest example of a delicate two way courtship between Trump and tech leaders, several of whom attended his inauguration.
• 25:35
  For KPFA News, I'm Anthony Purrazzo.
• 25:41
  And in National Native News, Brian Bull reads today's headlines.
• 25:45
  This is National Native News. I'm Bryan Boull, sitting in for Antonia Gonzales. The state of Alaska wants the U.S. supreme Court to decide whether rural residents, which includes many Alaska Native people, should maintain subsistence fishing preference in the waterways of federal lands. Kyuk reports that last month a panel of federal appeals court judges sided with the federal government in its lawsuit against the state over salmon management on the Kuskokwim River. The Fed sued the state after clashes over fish management on the Lower River. In 2021 and 2022, Indigenous groups, including the Kuskokwim Intertribal Fish Commission and the Alaska Federation of Natives, signed onto the case in support of the federal government, which is advocating for a rural Alaska preference. But on Monday, the state asked the US Supreme Court to take up the case, arguing that federal law shows that the state has the authority over its own waterways, even on federal land.
• 26:41
  On Tuesday, the New Mexico congressional delegation and Pueblo leaders held a press conference outside the capitol in Washington, D.C. they urged Congress and the Trump administration to continue upholding protections for Chaco Canyon against oil and gas drilling. KUNM's Jeanette Didios has more. In 2023, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland created a 10 mile buffer zone for Chaco Canyon National Historical park that prevent any oil and gas drilling for 20 years. But with the new presidential administration, the buffer zone is being reconsidered. Among the Pueblo leaders that spoke, Governor of Santa Ana Myron Armijo urged acting Interior Secretary Doug Burgram to visit Chaco Canyon. It's a very sacred place. I've witnessed it. Our ancestors are there when we pray. You can feel it. You can feel it in your body that they're talking to you. They're talking to us. Representative Teresa Ledger Fernandez reaffirmed that Bergman had committed to a meeting with tribal leaders. You told me you were live up to your word, live up to the commitment you made in committee when I asked you. U.S. senator Martin Heinrich discussed a past visit by former Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to Chaco Canyon. He realized as a result of meaningfully consulting with tribal leadership in that place that Chaco Canyon is not a museum.
• 28:09
  It is a living cultural landscape with direct relationships with the Pueblos today. And that's the difference. While Pueblo leaders are committed to preserving the cultural site, the Navajo Nation sued the Interior Department in January in an attempt to reverse the buffer zone to 5 miles instead of 10, noting that it harmed tribal members who depend on oil and gas drilling in the area. For national Native News, I'm Jened Dadios. To offset declining crab and salmon fisheries, communities along Alaska's coast have turned to kelp or seaweed. The Shunak Tribe of Kodiak won a milestone $2.3 million grant to process locally grown kelp. The tribe owns and operates Kodiak Island WildSource, the only seafood plant in town that processes kelp. Its main products are frozen and smoked salmon, cod and halibut.
• 29:01
  WildSource President Chris Senido says since adapting its facility to dry and preserve kelp, it's hard to keep up with demand. Boy, some years it's really a bumper crop. When the lighting is right and the feedstock was good, it really grows well in Kodiak. Senado says the new processing plant should boost the tribe's earnings and diversify the local economy. Senido says when kelp is added to soil, it absorbs water and helps plant withstand drought.
• 29:27
  It also encourages root growth and is a sought after ingredient in the emerging biostimulant industry.
• 29:33
  Alaska Mariculture Cluster. Awarded the grant, it received its funding through the U.S. economic Development Administration's Build Back Better program.
• 29:41
  This is National Native News. I'm Brian bull.
• 29:49
  Native voice 1. The Native American radio network that's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Patricia Tinkler, and thanks to our reporters Daniel Mintz, Kennedy Coelho, Suzanne Potter, Christopher Martinez, Anthony Purrazzo and Brian Bull. KMUNT News is online and you can find us on kmun.org and now streaming on most podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, where you can download our stories and newscast 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 newsema.org are you passionate about your community? Looking to report on what's happening around Mendocino? KMUN News is looking for stringer reporters in the Mendocino area to cover local Mendocino stories that matter. Whether you're a seasoned journalist or just eager to learn, we'll help you get started. You'll get training, support and a chance to amplify real voices from your community. If you're interested, email newsmud for more information. 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.