As of today, Charles Slert no longer serves on the Crescent City Council.

He announced his resignation Dec. 5, just days after a petition in favor of recalling him was turned in to City Clerk Robin Patch.

While you can’t recall the resigned, the petition signatures were counted: 351 were valid, 84 shy of the requisite 435 needed to put a measure on the ballot.

A change in protocol is under way that will make the California Highway Patrol the lead investigative agency for bomb threats at the Del Norte County Courthouse.

The change will relieve the Crescent City Police Department from some of the duties it has handled while responding to the calls and place the jurisdiction of a state building into the hands of a state agency, said Police Chief Doug Plack.

“Recognizing the lack of resources California Highway Patrol has up here as well as local law enforcement and emergency services, we will continue to work together. It’s just a transference of the primary responsibility,” said Plack.

Faculty, staff say it exceeds expectations

BROOKINGS, Ore. — A year and a half after construction began, Southwestern Oregon Community College’s new Curry Campus is ready to open the doors to students starting Monday.

“Everyone is just excited,” Curry County Dean Janet Pretti said. “It’s more than they expected. Universally, that’s the most common comment I get.

“It feels like a campus. A real college campus,” she said.

California drivers with outstanding traffic tickets that were due before Jan. 1, 2009, can save 50 percent off their bill if they pay now.

As of Sunday,  Assembly Bill 1358  mandates all counties offer a one-time amnesty period that allows drivers to pay a lump sum of 50 percent of the outstanding balance on certain traffic violations to be absolved of the obligation.

Here are excerpts from the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office call logs for Dec. 28–Jan. 3.

Wednesday, Dec. 28

• At 1:19 p.m. a person reported having gas stolen from a vehicle on the 11500 block of Oceanview Drive.

• At 5:25 p.m. a report of a vehicle on its side with a person still inside on U.S. Highway 199 in Gasquet.

• At 9:26 p.m. a report of a man dressed in black riding his bicycle up and down the street on the 2500 block of Maher Avenue.

Here are excerpts from the Crescent City Police Department call logs for Dec. 28–Jan. 3.

Wednesday, Dec. 28

• At 3:45 p.m. a man was counseled for walking on the jetty.

• At 4:35 p.m. a report of a disturbance on the 200 block of F Street.

Recent rains bolster trout on the Smith

Steve McCown clears debris from a pump intake at Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery on Friday afternoon. Del Norte Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

Local fishing guide, Mike Coopman, said Sunday fishing on the Smith River was “stellar.” Coopman’s group landed nine of the 14 steelhead it hooked, including a “double” — catching two fish at the same time.

Other guides expressed similar sentiments about their weekend experience on the Smith, with several boats chalking up steelhead scores in the double digits, according to reports on USAfishing.com.

Tanning beds now off limits to non-adults

Hello 2012.

Goodbye tan teenagers in the dead of winter.

A new state law bans minors from indoor tanning, putting a mid-January glow in adult territory alongside smoking, voting and enlisting in the military.

Previously, indoor tanners 14 to 17 needed parental consent, while those under 14 were prohibited from exposing their young flesh to the deep penetrating UVA radiation emitted by tanning beds, which studies show dramatically increase the risk of skin cancer.