Welcome to this month’s edition of the CRDN Report. As you read this the students of Del Norte are in the midst of taking their finals so that they can finish off the fall 2012 semester.

After completing the fall semester students will be taking about a month off of school before starting the spring semester Jan, 14, 2013. Staff and faculty will also be finishing off their semester and most of them will take a short time off and then start gearing up for the spring semester as well.

The recent cuts to some of the staff positions at CRDN have been documented already but they won’t affect the quality of education that can be had at CRDN. Speaking of that; there are still classes available for enrollment if you want to take a class or two.

Maybe you never got to finish your degree or maybe you just want to brush up on or learn a few things. No matter what your reason we encourage you to come join us as a fellow student during the spring semester.

There aren’t as many student clubs active on campus this semester as there have been in the past, but the ones that are there have been or are planning on doing some wonderful things.

The Wild Rivers Community Foundation distributed $13,400 to 22 nonprofit organizations in Del Norte and Curry counties Wednesday night as part of its annual holiday celebrations.

“The core of this is to bring every member of the community to the table,” said chairman Kevin Caldwell. “First, to take care of ourselves, and second to partner with our neighbors to make our community work better — a happy, healthy community. That’s where the magic is.”

The foundation seeks to serve the most vulnerable people in the community by soliciting funds for endowments and distributing funds to help the nonprofits.

Most of those who spoke at the Howonquet Community Center in Smith River indicated that, despite a slowly recovering economy, demands are higher than ever before.

“In ’08, the economy was in free-fall,” Caldwell said. “Our funders were freaking out. Their money was disappearing. They had nothing left to give. But the community comes together because everybody does their part.”

District Attorney Jon Alexander, left, with AmeriCorps members Keegan Niland, Jenna Barvitski, Josh Goodman and Radiance Santifer. Submitted

The four young adults serving as AmeriCorps members have been immersed in a trio of area schools.

They are working within a mentoring plan to better prepare students for the workforce by increasing school attendance and reducing disciplinary action.

“These four AmeriCorps members,” said Alexander, “represent the embodiment and legacy of President Kennedy’s call to ‘ask what you can do for your country.’”

How do you celebrate Christmas vacation, Del Norte-style? And if you could make a New Year’s resolution for the entire community, what would it be?

The Triplicate is seeking reader input as it prepares holiday stories to be published Dec. 25 and Jan. 1.

For a story appearing on Christmas Day, we’d like to hear what types of family traditions or fun activities you enjoy after the presents are opened on Christmas morning or on the days off that follow. We’re especially interested in what you might be planning that is Del Norte-related. A walk on the beach or out to the lighthouse? A drive along the river or down the coast? Attach a photo from a previous Christmas if you’d like.

Who says college football bowl games are all about the action on the field?

The sports industry trade publication SportsBusiness Journal produces an annual list of bowl gifts awarded to players, coaches, cheerleaders and other support staff of participating teams. It’s both a reward and an enticement for college football players, and a way to rack up extra corporate support for bowl organizers.

Cody Hoffman, Del Norte High graduate and wide receiver for Brigham Young University, has not missed bowl season in his Cougars career (he’s a redshirt junior) and has reaped the rewards accordingly. On Dec. 20, BYU matches up with San Diego State in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. Members of both teams will receive a Best Buy gift card, a Tourneau watch, a gift certificate for Maui Jim sunglasses and a baseball cap (presumably ordained with the bowl logo), according to SportsBusiness Journal.

House Calls runs every other Saturday. Today’s column is written by Trish Walker, a registered nurse with Sutter Coast Home Care. It is the second in a series about congestive heart failure.

We know that educating patients helps them to follow the treatment plan for heart failure (HF). This knowledge also helps to decrease hospitalizations and ER visits.  

The goal of this article is to teach you how to recognize the changing signs and symptoms of HF, evaluate these changes, and take action. These steps are key in preventing hospitalization.

Hanukkah, Chanukah — however you spell it, it means “Festival of Lights.”

Today marks Day One of of the Jewish celebration, which lasts for eight days.

It recognizes the rededication of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem (also known as the Second temple) during the Maccabean revolt of the 2nd Century B.C. It will end on the evening of Dec. 15.

The celebration is observed by the lighting of individual candles, one for each night of Hanukkah, on a special holder called a Menorah, or Hanukiah. The celebration continues each night, lighting another candle until all eight candles are illuminated. A ninth candle, sitting above the other candles, is called the Shamash.