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Local News 10 23 25 · KMUD News

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Foreign.
• 0:14
  Speaker B: Good evening and welcome to the local news. Today is Thursday, October 23rd. I'm Gabriel Zucker reporting for candid in tonight's news. Festival of ultras event on November 2nd celebrates culture. Currently seeking volunteers, Mendocino Public safety Foundation supplies carrying bags for police department in Humboldt County. Multi agency rescue on north jetty in Fairhaven. Stay tuned. Those stories and more. Coming up.
• 0:46
  Speaker C: Redwood Community radio acknowledges that its transmitter sites are located on the unceded territory of the Sinkion, Wailaki, Wail, Wiat, Wilcot and Kato people. We honor ancestors past, present and emerging and acknowledge the ongoing cultural, spiritual and physical connection that these tribes have to this region.
• 1:05
  Speaker B: On November 2, there will be a Dia de los Muertos celebration at old town Eureka square and gazebo starting at 4 and going till 8pm to honor friends and relatives that have passed on. Organized by Somos Medicina Collective. Nat Cardos reports.
• 1:22
  Speaker C: On November 2, the Dia de los Muertos festival of altars will be held at the Eureka Old town square and gazebo. It runs from 4 to 8pm and the celebration is to commemorate ancestors and by honoring life and death and to educate people on the tradition of the celebration. People are encouraged to bring altars and to celebrate friends and family members who have passed and honor their memory. KMA News spoke with Maria Ramirez, a member of the Somos Medicina Collective and one of the organizers of the event. For more information on how it started in Eureka.
• 1:52
  Speaker A: Well, it really got started by two friends. You know, we just felt that there was the need for us to celebrate our ancestors in the places where we come from. You know, many of us have made Humboldt county our home. You know, many people are from this country, many people are from other countries, right? And we all have made Humboldt county our home. There was that need to celebrate our ancestors, you know, our family, our abuelos. And in my personal experience, I became a mother eight years ago and it was very important for me not only to teach my mother's language to my son, but as well to tell him about, you know, his abuelos and abuelas tried the traditional foods and for him to like get to know his family. And it's very, very beautiful to see eight years now have passed and he's the big boy that knows about his abuelos, you know, people that he had never met and that goes to his abuelos in Costa Rica as well as one of his abuelas here from United States, from Kansas. He never met her, you know, but he knows about grandma when he Knows that she likes to paint, that she used to paint, and he knows many things about her because every year we build an ofrenda, we build a family altar where we have pictures of the people that we loved and the people that basically made us, right?
• 3:20
  Speaker C: Celebrating shared tradition in communities is important to cultivate a sense of belonging for people and to continue it through educating younger generations. Celebrating holidays like Dia de los Muertos with the community can keep traditions alive and promote broadening people's worldview. Ramirez elaborates on how important it is to celebrate tradition.
• 3:38
  Speaker A: I feel like traditions in general, you know, from all over the world are very important to cultivate and to learn also, because we are becoming, you know, little by little, more and more industrialized, more, you know, artificial intelligence type, more like Internet outsource, you know, and there is so much knowledge that it becomes lost, you know, knowledge in food, knowledge and practices, knowledge in. In history, knowledge in everything. But I do think that is very important, imperative even to take care of our. To our family, you know, and those traditions and those people who really are where we come from and who we come from, you know, thinking about our abuelos and something that they like to do. For instance, my grandfather was from Costa Rica. He was an ox cart. He had oxen in carts and he would go to the river and get rocks and, you know, he will build his houses. He will, like, grow corn and sugar cane. And as I tell these stories to my son, my son was born here in beautiful Humboldt county, you know, he was born in the forest. And now him and I live in a beautiful cabin in Bayside. And, you know, that connection that he has with nature, when I share with him about his grandfather, he feels very connected to a person that he never knew, to a place that he hasn't been yet, into a completely different reality. Right? The reality of my grandfather, absolutely. You know, the opposite, that my son is leaving now. But it's beautiful to realize that, you know, we are semi. Yes, we are seeds. And as we grow in each generation, we bring part of what made us. And it's beautiful to be able to know that story, to know the history, to know those stories. Beautiful to also have a memory of them as a picture, you know, I have a beautiful picture of my two grandparents in our. In our altar. And my son knows exactly who they are. And that is something that we do every year, you know, together.
• 5:41
  Speaker C: Organizers for the Dia de los Muertos event are currently looking for volunteers to help set up and take down tables at the event, bring altars and offerings, arrange decorations and more.
• 5:50
  Speaker A: First, please do send us an email to humboldt brujasmail.com or look for us on Instagram. You can always send us a message on Instagram or Facebook for Dia de los Muertos Humble or Day of the Dead Humboldt. And those are main source of communication and information for volunteer. We have different kind of job. The one, the most beautiful one is for people to bring their altar, their family altar, so they're always welcome, it's free, is open for everybody. And yeah, so basically you send us a message and we reserve a space for you and we send you an email with all the information that you need to know and certain things, you know, we cannot live our outdoors there all night. Somebody always has to be there. You know, it's a setup and breakdown the same day. There's like just a little bit of information. We encourage people to really bring their offerenda, bring their altar to our event. And it could be small, it could be big. Also, people don't want to bring the whole altar is a lot. Candles, pictures, foods, you know, they can also bring a picture of their loved ones and leave it there for our community altar that is open for everybody. But. Well, I guess that's one part of the volunteer and the other part. We always need people to help us set up and break down. We transform Eureka. I feel like we start early in the morning doing a little bit of Olympieza Olympia, cleaning the space physically and spiritually. You will see a part of our abuelas amigas with their broomsticks, you know, cleaning up every corner of the square. But also we have them with our copal, with our medicine. We're cleaning spiritually. We have prayers in our mouths and in our hearts and in our mouths. We're speaking for good energy. We're speaking to clear out the space and then we start decorating the whole square. So many, many hands are needed for that. We, as the organizers meet really every. I go to beautiful Willow Creek Trinity Farms, shout out to them because they donate their marigolds for us. So we go there early in the morning, we harvest as many marigolds as we can, and we come back to Eureka around 12:00 we set up a beautiful arch at the entrance of the event. That's to welcome the muertitos, that's to welcome our ancestors, welcome our loved ones and welcome the lived ones too. Living dead pass through the arch of flowers. So that's many hands as well. We need for that, for decoration for the Flowers for all the papel picado, all the banners that we set up. We really make a beautiful, beautiful show of culture and tradition in Eureka that I think is very, very important to beautify our cities, you know, especially with art and colors. This event is community made. So yeah, you do need all the help set up breaking down decoration and also bringing your of renditas.
• 8:51
  Speaker C: For more information the email is humblebrujasmail.com that's humble B R U J A-S gmail.com this is Nat Kardos reporting for KMUN News.
• 9:07
  Speaker B: Over the last year, Mendocino Public Safety foundation has been working with local police departments with their initiative Carrying Bags. The goal of this project is to give first responders the means to have good impressions with children they interact with while on duty. Each carrying bag contains necessities including blankets, diapers, small toys and other items to help make children feel safe while interacting with police. According to Mary Chadwick, a board member of the Mendocino Public Safety foundation, the goal of this project is to make police interactions with children easier for both the children and the police.
• 9:39
  Speaker D: The long term goal is to give the officers something to comfort children with when they're in crisis situations. But it's also makes them more relatable to children so children would know if they're in a crisis that officers are someone they can trust to help them out and it gives them a positive feeling about officers in our community.
• 10:01
  Speaker B: With the help of local boy and Girl scout troops, over 100 bags were put together for the initiative and over 90 have already been sent out to multiple police departments in the county.
• 10:11
  Speaker D: When we processed it, we did 110 bags and I have to talk about the boy Scouts and girl Scouts who filled these bags up. I mean they got 110 bags done in 20 minutes at Slam dunk. It was pretty impressive. Quite an assembly line we sent out. There was 91 on my list of each unit because I went to each department, Ukiah pd, Willits pd, Fort Bragg PD and the Sino County Sheriff and asked them how many they needed and they gave me their numbers and so we distributed a couple extra to each entity but the total that they needed was 91.
• 10:48
  Speaker B: The items in the carrying bags are put together through donations from the community. The focus is on items that police can use to calm down children while on duty. This can include blankets, toys and other items children need to feel safe and comforted. Here's Chadwick with more on the carrying bags.
• 11:03
  Speaker D: Well, diapers of any size, you know, that's important. Oftentimes parents have extras because their kid ages out of one size. We'll take those. You know, they don't have to be just brand new packages. They can be packages that they just have. Fleece blanket is another thing that we put in there. You know, the smaller ones that are kind of lightweight. We have small new stuffed animals. We don't want a bunch of used stuffed animals. We need to be careful on that because they need to be new. And then small toy, you know, any kind of small toys like little cars or finger skateboards or baby rattles and stuff like that, we can accept those kind of things too. And they can drop them off at Factory Pipe, which is on Ford Road in Ukiah, or they drop them off at DFM Auto Repair, which is on Mill and South State in Ukiah. And we just added that if they're in Fort Bragg, they can drop them off at the Mendocino County Sheriff Substation in Fort Bragg.
• 11:56
  Speaker B: For more information on the initiative and to donate, the website is protect mendocino.org On October 21, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office deputies, along with the game warden from California Fish and Wildlife and personnel from the Samoa Volunteer Fire Department responded to a report of someone getting struck by a sneaker wave on the North Jetty in Fairhaven, Nat Cardos reports.
• 12:24
  Speaker C: On October 21st, at approximately 3:45pm The Humboldt County Emergency Communications center received a call from somebody reporting that their father had fallen into the water at the North Jetty in Fairhaven due to being struck by a sneaker wave. Deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Special Services Division responded to the scene as well as a game warden from the California Fish and Wildlife and personnel from the Samoa volunteer fire department. K1 News spoke to Aaron Inskip, Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer, for more information on the incident.
• 12:53
  Speaker E: On October 21, 2025 at 3:45pm the Humboldt County Emergency Communications center received a call from a citizen reporting that his father had fallen into the water at the North Jetty in Fairhaven. Deputies from the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Special Services Division responded to the scene along with a game warden from California Fish and Wildlife and personnel from the Samoa Volunteer Fire Department. Once on scene, deputies located a 74 year old male who was breathing but non responsive and was suffering from major head and facial injuries. Based on the statements from the son who was on scene, it was determined that the father was standing on the jetty when he was struck by a sneaker wave which swept him into the water. The son also stated that he was able to pull his father out of the water and back onto the jetty. Medical aid was immediately rendered by personnel on scene due to the nature and severity of wave conditions. The United States Coast Guard helicopter was requested to assist once they were on scene. The victim was loaded into the rescue basket, hoisted into the helicopter and transported to a local hospital to undergo medical treatment for his injuries. And according to sergeant Tony Gomes of the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office Special Services Unit, he was quoted by saying the conditions for the rescue were extreme and a great deal of bravery was shown by all personnel involved and the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the California Fish and Wildlife Department, the Sonoma Volunteer Fire Department and the United States Coast Guard for their assistance during this rescue operation. Our thoughts are with the victim and his family during this difficult time and we will remain hopeful for his full recovery. The Sheriff's Office would also like to remind people to adhere to the warnings from the National Weather Service regarding beach hazards and sneaker waves along the Humboldt county coastline.
• 14:51
  Speaker C: Sneaker waves can occur just about any time of the year, but are most likely to occur between October and April. To identify a sneaker wave, you can watch for periods of calm on the water followed by an abnormally large wave surging far up the beach, sometimes preceded by significant water withdrawal. Sometimes warnings will be issued when conditions are ripe for these waves to surge, so before going to the ocean or beach waterways, be sure to look up water conditions beforehand. For more information on sneaker waves and how to identify them, the website is oceantoday.noaa.gov Fullmoon Pacific Northwest WaveSafe to look up water conditions before going out. The website is ndbc.noaa.gov data forecasts fzus56keka.HTML this is NAT Cardos reporting for KMUN News.
• 15:53
  Speaker B: In State News Clean Energy Group Slammed Newsom's Veto of Virtual Power Plant Bills Public News Service Suzanne Potter reports.
• 16:03
  Speaker F: Clean energy and climate change groups are speaking out against governor Gavin Newsom's recent veto of three bills to advance proposed virtual power plants. The plants would connect devices that store power such as electric vehicles, battery storage units, solar panel systems and smart thermostats so they could send power back to the grid in times of peak energy usage. Ed Smeloff is with Vote Solar, a non profit advocacy group that promotes clean energy.
• 16:30
  Speaker D: Virtual power plants really have the potential to lower the cost of operating the grid. It saves people money by avoiding the need to invest in costly distribution system upgrades, which then gets reflected in people's bills.
• 16:45
  Speaker F: One recent study found that by 2030, virtual power plants could save California consumers between 3.7 and $13.7 billion. Newsom said one bill was too costly and the others would interfere with existing efforts to make the grid more efficient. The big three utilities in California Edison, Pacific Gas and Electric and San Diego Gas and Electric have worked against locally controlled energy solutions, including virtual power plants for years. Kurt Johnson, with a nonprofit called the Climate center, says part of the problem is the way we currently compensate utilities by letting them charge a premium for the infrastructure they build so they have.
• 17:23
  Speaker B: An economic incentive to build as much.
• 17:26
  Speaker C: As possible to meet load growth.
• 17:27
  Speaker B: And so when things come along which.
• 17:30
  Speaker C: Make it possible to reduce the need to build all these poles and wires.
• 17:34
  Speaker B: Like virtual power plants, utilities make less profit.
• 17:40
  Speaker F: The electric power load is growing every year as we build more data centers and move away from fossil fuels. So backers of the three bills say they will continue to work with legislators and state agencies to promote virtual power plants. For California News Service, I'm Suzanne Potter. Find our trust indicators@publicnewsservice.org in national news.
• 18:05
  Speaker B: Democratic Merkley gives marathon 22 hour Senate speech warning of threat to democracy from authoritarian President KPFA's Shania Anderson reports.
• 18:16
  Speaker G: Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley took the Senate floor Tuesday evening to raise concerns about what he describes as a rise in authoritarian tactics in addition to the National Guard's deployment in Portland, Oregon. His address continues a trend among Democrats using extended speeches to highlight government accountability and workers rights, challenging policies from the Trump administration. Merkley now has been speaking for nearly 22 hours and 39 minutes, making it one of the longest marathon speeches in recent congressional history. Merkley warns about the threats to democracy and the state of the nation as we know it.
• 18:57
  Speaker H: Be aware and concerned about a manufactured crisis to expand authoritarian power. That's the position we're in now in the United States of America. Authoritarianism in complete control of the nation with a rubber stamp Congress, a court that's delivering more and more power to the executive, and an executive who has a well planned strategy thanks to Project 2025, to turn our country from a government by and for the people into a government by and for the richest and most powerful people in the land.
• 19:42
  Speaker G: The government shutdown is the second longest in history, surpassed only by one during Trump's first term. The shutdown stems from a standoff between Congress and the White House over funding for affordable health care, with Republicans refusing to negotiate. As a result, hundreds of Thousands of federal workers are unpaid, many struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the effects are being felt nationwide. The Federal Aviation Administration reports air traffic control shortages in many major cities, and TSA employees continue to work without pay. Additionally, Head Start programs and SNAP benefits are also at risk, threatening access for food and health care for millions of families. Small businesses and federal contractors report delays in payments, which are raising broader economic concerns. Senator Bernie Sanders added his remarks on the Senate floor highlighting the urgent need for lawmakers to resolve the shutdown before its effects worsen.
• 20:48
  Speaker H: Nationwide, they are doing phenomenally well, while at the same time 60% of our people, working class people or income people, are struggling to put food on the table, pay for childcare, send their kids to college, pay for the basic necessities of life, pay for housing, et cetera. Billionaire class under Trump never, ever had it so good. And then we got a working class in America struggling to survive. We're seeing now families going to be paying 45, 50%. I say to my friend from Oregon, 50% of their incomes on health care. How do you survive when you're spending 50% of your income on health care? What do you have left for food or for anything else? What the connection is between authoritarianism and oligarchy?
• 21:57
  Speaker G: Despite exhaustion, Merkley remained on the Senate floor after speaking for 22 hours and 39 minutes, falling short of fellow Democrat Senator Cory Booker's 25 hour and 5 minute record set earlier this year. Still, he broke a record for the longest floor speech ever delivered by a senator from Oregon, ending by holding firm support of federal workers and sounding the alarm that tyranny has arrived. For KPFA News, I'm Shania Anderson.
• 22:33
  Speaker B: Democratic Congress members warn of closed clinics and higher health costs as Federal Shutdown continues. KPFA's Anthony Purrazzo reports.
• 22:44
  Speaker I: Democrats in Congress warn that millions of Americans who buy their own health insurance, such as small business owners, farmers and contractors, will start to see large increases in their health care premiums in the coming weeks as tax subsidies under the Affordable Care act disappear. Orange County Democratic Representative Derek Tran explains how this would affect people in his district.
• 23:09
  Speaker H: If these cuts continue, more and more people are going to see their clinics close and their insurance costs go up. Congressional Republicans are asking us to rubber stamp this. I won't do it. I won't sign off on raising costs for families in my district. 35,000 people in my district alone are about to see insurance costs go up.
• 23:32
  Speaker I: Los Angeles Representative Laura Friedman said people in her district would be forced to make drastic choices in what they spend their money on.
• 23:41
  Speaker H: One constituent told me that her premiums could go up $6,000 next year and that she's having to contemplate leaving the area altogether or dropping health care because she can't afford her rent and her premiums. At the same time, people are telling me that they're concerned that they're going to have to skip medications, that they can't afford rent and insulin, that they can't do preventative care anymore.
• 24:04
  Speaker I: Congresswoman Friedman also mentions how other federal policies have compounded problems for small businesses.
• 24:11
  Speaker H: They're entrepreneurs, they're maybe running a hardware store. They're running their own small business. And these are the people that are already struggling with Trump's tariff policies, often raising the cost of materials that they're using for their businesses. Walmart, large companies, target, they might be able to absorb those tariffs, but for our small businesses, it's really, really hard for them. So on top of that taxing policy and taxing them for the products that they're bringing in to run their businesses, now we're hitting them with these huge premium increases that allows them to insure their families as small business owners.
• 24:47
  Speaker I: Oakland Representative Latifah Simon said the cuts in President Trump's big, beautiful tax and spending bill will put rural hospitals at risk.
• 24:56
  Speaker H: 30,000 people in my district alone will.
• 24:59
  Speaker F: See their premiums skyrocket.
• 25:02
  Speaker H: That means a parent choosing between rent.
• 25:04
  Speaker F: And a doctor's visit, a 60 year old couple in Oakland who could see.
• 25:09
  Speaker H: Their premiums literally jump $25,000 a year. So across our state, 28 rural hospitals could be at risk of closing, and that's in California.
• 25:21
  Speaker I: Democratic representatives said rural hospitals can struggle to provide services to people in more remote areas. Democrats and some Republicans are worried that many people will forego insurance if the price rises dramatically. While the tax credits don't expire until next year, health insurers will soon send out notices of the price increases in most states. They go out November 1st. For KPFA news, I'm Anthony Purrazzo.
• 25:53
  Speaker B: In National Native News, Antonia Gonzalez reads today's headlines.
• 25:58
  Speaker J: This is National Native News. I'm Antonia Gonzalez. The Spirit Lake Tribal Council in North Dakota has declared a state of emergency as the federal government shutdown continues. The council declared the emergency this week in response to potential impacts on essential federal programs, including food and heating assistance. If the shutdown continues past October 31, benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, may be paused starting November 1. According to a press release, the Spirit Lake Tribe's food distribution program has already seen an increase in families seeking assistance since the start of the fiscal year. The tribe's also concerned about the uncertainty of other programs, including the Women, Infants and Children, or wic, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or tanf. The tribe's preparing and is encouraging residents to stay up to date on the latest information and contact local resources. President Donald Trump Wednesday approved a request for a federal disaster declaration for the recent devastation caused by the remnants of a typhoon in western Alaska. It wreaked havoc on some of Alaska's most remote communities in the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, according to Alaska's congressional delegation. Trump also announced an initial $25 million in disaster relief funding to cover initial recovery expenses as the state conducts damage and cost assessments, which will result in further federal relief funds. The declaration enables agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to deploy additional resources to support recovery and rebuilding efforts. An Arizona tribe is starting to poll its community members about a name change that could shorten or lengthen its name. KJZ's Gabriel Pietrazio has more.
• 27:47
  Speaker C: The Saw River Pima Maricopa Indian Community is giving its 11,000 members at least seven options to choose from. Write in option do you have a name you would like to see?
• 27:58
  Speaker B: That is not an option listed.
• 28:00
  Speaker C: The tribe has posted audio recordings with explanations both for and against each proposed option on a new website, but no action is supposed to be taken by the tribal council until next year. The new names under consideration are meant to help preserve Otham and P Posh languages. One option is to leave the name as is. Other alternatives seek to replace the phrase community with nation to reflect the tribe's sovereignty.
• 28:28
  Speaker A: Option 3 Salt River O' Hat and.
• 28:31
  Speaker C: Pipaz Nation While another variation adds Djevud, the Otham word for land, one of its sister four Southern tribes than a nation was once called the Papagos, a derogatory Spanish word linked to temporary beans. The tribe officially changed its name in 1986. For National Native News, I'm Gabriel Pieterrazio.
• 28:59
  Speaker J: Ho Chunk Inc. Is addressing a labor shortage among young Winnebago tribal members in Nebraska, training them for jobs intended to help close a continuing housing shortage. It's part of the Legacy Learning Program, which passes on skills from one generation to the next. According to program officials, there's a lack of qualified young men in the Winnebago tribe to take the jobs that are needed the most. Ho Chunk Inc's Janelle Decora says the shortage is especially dire in the construction, carpentry, maintenance and repair sectors and adds that the students are learning more than hands on skills.
• 29:32
  Speaker E: Our legacy learning instructors aren't just teaching those entry level workforce development skills such.
• 29:39
  Speaker D: As flooring, framing, those types of things, but also teaching life skills as well.
• 29:45
  Speaker J: Decora says the program has trained three cohorts of young men. 60% have found jobs in the construction sector. I'm Antonia Gonzalez.
• 30:01
  Speaker D: Native Voice 1, the.
• 30:02
  Speaker H: Native American Radio Network.
• 30:10
  Speaker B: That's all for tonight's broadcast. Thanks for listening. Thanks to our engineer, Dennis Moore. Thanks to our reporter Nat Cardos, Suzanne Potter, Janaya Anderson, Anthony Purrazzo and Antonia Gonzalez. KMUD News is online. 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 royal 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 to reinvigorating local news. Learn more at PressForward News. Reporting for KMUD, I'm Gabriel Zipper.