As crime statistics for 2012 gradually filter in from around the state, gripes about the 15-month-old prison realignment program have begun rising in newspaper headlines and talk show airwaves.

There are two major complaints: One is that crime rose as realignment cut the inmate populace by more than 24,000. The other is that some criminals are being released earlier than before the program began in October 2011, in part because local jails in a few counties are overcrowded.

A typical gripe comes from Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the state’s largest police union. “Our members are terribly concerned that we are allowing people out of prisons who are likely to recommit crimes and victimize the people of our city,” he said in a telephone interview.

He claimed probation departments have lost track of some former prisoners, but could offer no specific examples. “All I have is anecdotal information.”

It turns out that only one of those big gripes has any proven merit: In a few counties, prisoners are often released after serving minimal jail time. But sheriffs and the state Department of Corrections insist the releases never involve violent or sexual criminals and that ex-convicts get the same level of parole and probation supervision they did before.

Crime seem to be more prevalent in Del Norte

I have lived in Del Norte County since 1960 and worked here for almost 40 years. It was such a wonderful place to be in until all this crime and corruption started. I can’t say when, but I believe it has been going on for quite some time now. 

If you read the Triplicate, you will see what I mean. Read the police and sheriff logs, not to mention News of Record. I know that these crimes go on everywhere, but it appears to be so widespread in this small county.

Which brings up another topic I would like to speak about. After dark if you happen to be in the city limits, it is quite bright with all the street lights on. However, if you are outside those limits, it is quite the opposite. The county streets have no lights and most of them are so dark you can hardly see anything. 

Maybe it is a coincidence, but it appears that most of the burglaries and car break-ins, etc., happen outside of the city limits. To me it appears that the city is more financially stable than the county.

What do ya’ll think?

Georgina Larsen, Crescent City

There is a summer project coming up this year.

No, summer isn’t just around the corner, but preparations need to be made ahead of time for this.

The Sierra Service project offers challenging service and learning opportunities for junior and senior high school youth, serving in Native American reservations, rancherias and urban communities.

This summer, they will be coming to Smith River. Once before they came, back in the early ’90s.

Over 350 youth and adult counselors will be here from June 30 through Aug. 10. They will be housed at the Smith River Elementary School, and use the Smith River United Methodist Church to prepare meals.

They will be sponsored through the church and the Smith River Rancheria to find work in our community, from Crescent City to Brookings.

They expect to be doing a variety of building and painting projects, and working with the Fire Safe Council to clear brush from elder’s homes to provide defensible space.

The church will have forms for Home Repair Work Requests. Some of the types of work they can do include some types of weatherization, wheelchair ramps, stairs and awnings, interior and exterior painting, and wall and floor repair.

They will not be able to do plumbing or electrical work, do anything in mobile home parks, or anything that will require a permit.

From the pages of the Crescent City American, February 1930.

Crescent City’s new American LaFrance fire engine arrived in this city on Saturday and after being gone over by mechanics sent along with it, the new firefighting unit was given a thorough tryout on Monday at the corner of Second and E streets.

With three nozzles attached, the new engine demonstrated that it would throw 530 gallons of water per minute, and with such force that it would take three men on each nozzle to hold it. Water was forced 50 feet into the air.

The new equipment is said to be the last word in firefighting apparatus and is thought to be entirely adequate to cope with all of the needs of the city for years to come. 

The old ‘Murphy Building’ is set to be torn down

The old building on Front Street, between J and K streets, is to be torn down. It is one of the oldest wooden buildings in town, having been built over 60 years ago and is known to old-timers as the “Murphy building.”

In early days it was known as the home of the pioneer Murphy family of which the late Judge James E. Murphy was a son.

That the rafters of the building were made out of sapling spruce trees is an example of the crude material used in the building of it.

Is eager for local news

Real story of steer that survived flood of 1964

Regarding my Feb. 12 Coastal Voices piece, I would like to make a correction to the headline, “The real story about tsunami-swept steer.”

The steer did not survive the tsunami of 1964, but did survive the flood that happened in December of 1964. Both were equally devastating, but he did live in Klamath, which was completely destroyed by the flood.

Larry Bush, Tillamook, Ore. 

Services are available or veterans and their family

If you are a veteran, the spouse, widow/widower, or the child of a veteran and need assistance with VA benefits, or VA-provided health care, the Disabled American Veterans organization is here to assist you free of charge.

You do not have to be a member of the DAV to receive our assistance. We are veterans service officers that are trained and certified yearly by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and bonded by the Disabled American Veterans. We can assist veterans and their families anywhere regardless of the state they live in, where they receive their VA health care, or where their claims are being processed.

Editor’s note: The following piece written by former Del Norter Pia de Solenni was originally published in the Washington Times and is reprinted with permission.

Pia de Solenni

In many ways, his decision is a culmination of the years of work to better prepare the leadership of the Catholic Church to engage with a global world. Karol Wojytla was only 58 when he was elected as John Paul II. Possessing a strong intellectual background, he spoke at least 25 languages and was fluent in eight, had communication skills and knew global politics. During his pontificate and more so under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, priests named as bishops were younger than before.

The world has changed significantly, and the church needs leaders who are more agile, supported by the natural endowments of relative youth. In the past, it might have made sense to nominate an older person who had a wealth of experience. Now, we need leaders who have experience and the ability to engage in a world that changes minute by minute.

Many Catholics see the role of the pope as simply a spiritual father who puts out documents now and then, and can be counted on for a blessing and a photo op with the occasional baby.

Yet the pope is responsible for the leadership of the Catholic Church and all the politics that comes with that. The Holy See has diplomatic relations with more nations than any other government and is actively leading Catholics around the world. Canon Law stipulates that the pope must be concerned for every soul in the world. Granted, there are plenty of people who would disabuse the pope of his concern for them. Nevertheless, he does have this responsibility.

CC’s isolated hospital should not be downsized  

Sutter Health’s decision to regionalize (taking ownership of our hospital) would make it easier to turn our hospital into a critical care hospital, and that would be a very bad decision for our community.

Down-sizing to a critical care hospital would be particularly difficult for the needs of our elderly and low-income, especially if transported out of our area.

Crescent City is isolated and needs more and better health care.

Sutter Health as a not-for-profit organization should be concerned more about us and our health care than more profit for itself. Its decision to regionalize is really about money, not health care!

Jackie Simonsen, Crescent City

Grave concerns about hospital regionalization

The talk of “regionalization” and turning Sutter Coast Hospital into a critical access designation is alarming to people living in Del Norte and Curry counties.

Our grave concerns are for the following reasons:

• Reducing the number of beds to 25 (actually 22) would result in patients being transferred to hospitals in San Francisco and elsewhere that would be miles away.

With New York heading the draconian gun control laws  in the country, California legislators  rush impetuously to re-establish California as the trend setter in fashion and absurdity (“Lawmakers mull gun laws: If approved, would be the toughest in U.S.,” Feb. 9).

Of course a complete ban on military “style” semi-automatic rifles is the backbone of the gun-grabbers’  panoply of solutions to what is a far more complex problem. California lawmakers insidiously include semi-automatic rifles that incorporate detachable magazines to prevent quick reloading by a shooter. That ban would exclude a “grandfather” clause, thereby  stripping current owners of all semi-automatic rifles of possession of their long-owned rifles.

Additionally, one of 10 laws being considered is a background check on the purchase of ammunition.

At the federal level, Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s bill would seemingly cover semi-automatic weapons of all descriptions. A provision has even been suggested by a lawmaker whose name I did not record that went so far as to state that he wants to require that all guns be loaded a bullet at a time.

I can see it all now; gun owners of America will be returning to the trusty old flintlock. That has the salutary effect of reviving the flint mining  industry,  thereby creating new jobs!

When will the American electorate come to its senses and begin electing lawmakers with true zeal for the Constitution combined with common sense, or will it?

A long dry spell finally came to an end when the 1959 Del Norte High School football team, under the leadership of coach Tex Gatlin, won the first Humboldt-Del Norte league championship in the school’s history.

The Warriors played their first interscholastic football game on September 20, 1924. That team was coached by Charles Thunen, and they started things off right by defeating Arcata High School at Arcata, 6-0.

The league did not admit Del Norte until a couple of years later due to travel distance. It was a long wait from the mid-1920s until 1959 for the Warriors’ first championship.

The team got off to a
really great start, playing two non-league games, the first against Brookings, which the Warriors won 46-0. Their next non-league game was to be played against Grants Pass High School in Grants Pass. The Grants Pass team was considered to be a powerhouse and was favored to beat Del Norte. The Warriors forgot to listen to the experts and went to Grants Pass and gave the Cavemen a sound 41-7 beating.

This propelled the Warriors into their league schedule with great momentum. I was still a student at Humboldt State so I got to see several Warrior contests, and they were a fun team to watch.

The recent news has certainly been surprising! To hear that the Pope will resign — that hasn’t happened in hundreds of years! But I think we have to give him credit for being willing to step down when he felt he would be unable to continue.

Once again, we will be waiting to see who is chosen to lead — perhaps a younger man who will be able to serve for a longer time.

I have to admit I am not very well versed in the Catholic faith, though many of my friends are of that denomination. It’s things like this that afford me the chance to learn.

Though I grew up Baptist, I now attend a non-denominational church, which I really like. And groups like the Ladies’ Christian Fellowship are just the ticket. The members of the group are from almost every church in town, and some from Klamath, too. Once a month, we enjoy getting together for good fellowship, a speaker and music—and contribute to a couple very worthy causes.

But the nice thing is, though we attend from many denominations, there are no arguments. Those differences are left outside the door. This month’s meeting brought an inspiring message from Pastor Larry Read of New Life Community Church — and an absolutely beautiful song sung by Marilyn Pricer that we won’t soon forget.

• Pre-Easter happenings are beginning, and will increase as we get closer. There is a weekly class at the Crescent City United Methodist Church in the Fireside room on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. The class will study the beginning of the Christian faith, exploring the Holy Land through the lens of the season.