From the pages of the Crescent City American, January 1928.

Jim Musick was chairman of the day at Kiwanis Wednesday noon, Jan. 28, when the club met for its weekly luncheon, and had City Clerk G. Fletcher Dodd as his guest who gave the main talk of the day.

Mr. Dodd has been searching the early records of Crescent City through the minutes of the council proceedings away back in 1855, when the town was first established. Mr. Dodd told of ordinances that had been passed which to us, whom we call modern, are truly laughable.

Cutting back on Medicare why I won’t vote for Obama

I’ve been a Democrat all my life and grew up hearing how the Democrats help the low- and middle-class people.

Obama believes he should have a second term since he’s done so much for us. I have to agree, he’s done too much from my point of view such as cutting back on our Medicare benefits, putting the squeeze on the House of Representatives to cut back more so now my monthly, secondary medical expense has gone up.

The cost of living has increased so badly that when I walk into my bank to purchase cashier’s checks, I have to pay $5 for each check when they used to be free.

Sitting on the floor, I lifted the swollen, purple foot from the basin of warm water into the towel on my lap. I gently patted it dry, then soothed the aged tissues with Vaseline and loving touch before working a clean, soft sock on and repeating the process with the other foot.

We talked softly, the man and I, and our inability to understand each other’s words didn’t hamper our ability to communicate at all. Soaking feet is often a good way to begin caring for an elder with dementia. In a world that no longer makes any sense at all, there’s nothing threatening about a smiling woman on the floor at your feet. Besides, feet are almost always in worse shape than any of the rest of the body and it gives the caregiver a good assessment opportunity.

Allowing co-ed access to sports in schools would wreak havoc

Short of designating the machinations of the “progressive” mind as unstable, I’m bereft of any explanation even approaching logic. Just when I think I’ve heard the absolutely zaniest reports on actions and new laws proposed by elected officials in Sacramento by which we, the citizens, will be impacted, I am floored by the devolving direction in which California is being led, pushed and bullied.

A recent proposed amendment to the California Education Code under section 221.5 is one such example of which I am astounded.

Editor’s note: CRDN Report appears every four weeks.

As I write this, College of the Redwoods, Del Norte is in the middle of its winter break. Winter break this school year runs from Dec. 17 to Jan. 13, although the first day of on-campus classes isn’t until Jan. 17. The staff didn’t get quite that long of a break and the campus was open as of Jan. 3.

With classes not in session and students not on campus, the student-run clubs at CRDN don’t usually have anything going on during this time other than perhaps some planning about what they are going to be doing next semester.

We were all very lucky that Friday morning last March — all except Dustin. If it had been a high tide when the surges hit our coast we may have seen more casualties and certainly more damage. But with the tsunami of 3/11/11, fortunately, just one life was lost.

Just one. For Jon Weber that is no consolation, I’m sure.

Thoughts on teen health and gays in history

I felt compelled to respond to  Barry Wendell’s Jan. 5 letter, “Gitlin seems to want to save the state from public health,” in which he commented on my Jan. 3 Coastal Voices piece, “Too late to save Golden State?”

Here are my positions:

I do  believe teenagers should not be deprived from cancer skin care or veneral disease protection. The child’s parents should be advised.

I do believe any disease should not be allowed to go untreated if the means of curing the ailment is available.

 I do strongly believe parents should be in the loop and notified if their 12-year-old daughter is about to undergo a life-changing surgery such as an abortion.

I also believe one’s sexual orientation, heterosexual or homosexual should not be part of any social science curriculum. It matters not to me that Thomas Edison was or was not a heterosexual. I simply want to know that he invented the light bulb.

Roger Gitlin

Crescent City

Del Norte County’s public schools are not as good as they can be, but educators and community members are taking important steps to change that.

The shortcomings have been well-documented, the desired improvements well-spoken and the possible models for reform well-researched.

By next fall, plans call for versions of education reform that have worked elsewhere to be implemented here. That will likely include a heavy emphasis on professional learning communities — in which instructors collaborate in a more organized fashion on what to teach and how to teach it — and some possible forays into individualized learning that blurs the lines between grade levels so that students are grouped more by ability than by age.

Ihope that everyone reading this column has had a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know I sure did.

I spent my two weeks of vacation on Whidbey Island in Washington state visiting my wife’s side of the family. Now I am back to doing something else I really enjoy –– writing about the Warriors.

Just before the Christmas break I was substitute teaching at the high school. This is something I really enjoy. If anyone has any questions about the character of the vast majority of our youth, you only have to be around Del Norte High School students for a short time. I find that most are polite and respectful and a real joy to work with.