News

Greenopia, a research company that puts together "green guides," has declared Eel River Brewing Co. among the saintliest when it comes to green beer production. In a ranking system where four "Greenopia leafs" gains you entry to hopsy sainthood, Eel River earned three. Here's what Greenopia said:

Eel River is a small craft brew that only produces organic beers. This is preferable for the environment because organically grown inputs do not require the usage of hazardous pesticides and fertilizers. Traditional pesticides and fertilizers can lead to eutrophication and ocean acidification. Eel River operates in a building made with recycled and reclaimed fixtures and powers its facilities with 100% Biogas. Eel River also has slightly above average environmental reporting although more environmental metric reporting would be appreciated.

Hey, that's cool.

But the Eel's in some broad, odd company. Greenopia chose "15 of the largest breweries in the world" to rate: Anheuser-Busch, Bison, Butte Creek, Corona, Eel River, Foster's, Guinness, Heineken, Labatt Blue, Molson-Coors, New Belgium Brewery, Sam Adams, Samuel Smith, Sierra Nevada, Tecate.

Not to detract from the well-deserved accolades, but ... Eel River's among the largest breweries in the world? Is it? Just how many breweries are there in the world, anyway? Well, according to Beers of the World's online directory of breweries, there are 4,811. Just a random click onto one of those introduced me to Meantime Brewing Co. in London -- which happens to have been the first British 'Fairtrade' brewer, says the entry. And some commenter on Greenopia's site said what about Brooklyn Brewery which powers its operations entirely with wind.

At any rate, Huzzah to the Eel! Bottoms up to the Blonde! The Triple! The Raven's Eye!

Prop. 8 Challenge: not 'til 2012: After a fierce internal debate among same-sex marriage advocates over when to take the issue back to voters -- 2010 or 2012 -- The Sac Bee is reporting that it'll be the latter/later

building-products.com.

Yes, it's almost a year out yet, but the races for the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors are undoubtedly the top ticket in our corner of the world -- money, power, screaming, dirt -- and so it's never too early to bring the advance intel on the next go-round's fight card. This week's news comes from the Fifth District, the vast, sprawling territory encompassing the northern part of the county, including McKinleyville and everything north and east.

Scoop: Two-term incumbent Jill Duffy (formerly Geist) will not seek reelection in 2010! "When I ran the first time, and when I ran the last time, I said I felt that two terms was long enough to be in this position," Duffy told the Journal Monday.

The news will undoubtedly thrill one of the two big teams on the field -- the progressives. They worked hard to get her elected in 2002, but have since deemed that she has shown insufficient fealty to the cause, and have long been scouting around for a challenger. As in 2002, the big political issue is land use -- specifically, the long-delayed, terminally postponed Humboldt County General Plan Update, which was just around the corner during Duffy's first campaign and is still just around the corner today.

Roughly speaking, the progs and the paleocons, each with their grab bag of allies and defectors, are fighting it out over what sort of development to inflict upon Humboldt County in the next 20 years. In a sort of inversion of the English language, the "progressives" want to mandate slow, controlled growth and the "conservatives" are pushing more toward a laissez faire free-for-all.

With Duffy removing herself from the field of battle, the progs have a better shot at capturing the seat. But which horse will they choose? At this point, one has to assume that they will throw their weight behind the new frontrunner: the many-hatted Patrick Cleary, who enters the arena from center left. Name ring a bell? It should: Cleary is, in rough order of importance, the owner of the Lost Coast Communications radio empire (KHUM, KSLG, "The Point); the chair of the Board of the Directors of the Headwaters Fund, the county's economic development pot o' cash; the head of the Humboldt Folklife Society; the interim general manager of public radio station KHSU; a former Wall Street investment banker; and a mean guitar picker. Stellar credentials, in other words.

But wait a minute -- is he even going to run for the seat? "There are a lot of people who have asked me to consider it, and I am contemplating it," Cleary told the Journal Monday. Decoded: Yes, he is going to run for the seat. If you need further proof, he was quick with a quote about the qualities he would bring to the Board.

"I think what I could bring is an ability to work with people, to cut through some of the posturing and convince people that economic development doesn't mean we are the next Santa Rosa," he wrote us via instant message. Not necessarily words that will set the prog heart a-thumping, but the district itself isn't really as prog-heavy as some others. Politically speaking, anyway, Cleary will be a force to reckon with, as he combines economic street cred, a longstanding business relationship with the politically generous Blue Lake Racheria and a love of banjo music. Downside? The Headwaters Fund has been in the political doghouse of late, and Cleary will undoubtedly be made to taste some of that unsavory meal during the coming campaign.

So who are the cons going to go with? Realtor and superstar triathelete Mike Pigg was a rumored candidate, but he unequivocally took himself out of the picture in a conversation with the Journal Thursday. "Some people look into it as a part-time job; I look at it as a full-time job," Pigg said -- with young kids and the day job, he simply would not be able to put in the time that he would have liked.

Another name often mentioned is Ryan Sundberg, a prominent young member of the Trinidad Rancheria. On Tuesday, Sundberg all but repeated Cleary's words. "I've been asked by people, and I'm considering it right now," he said. "I haven't made any decision whatsoever." he said. This reporter's learned opinion? Sundberg's equivocation was genuine, while Cleary's was coy.

 

up!CRC Orick Mill to Close: The tiny town to our north loses 47 jobs as California Redwood Co. moves to consolidate the Orick sawmill with the Korbel mothership, reports

The State Budget: Still Screwed: Sure, the state budget cuts will be painful, even devastating to many people and organizations. But at least we have a budget, right? Not so fast. As noted in today's L.A. Times, many of the cuts approved by the governor may turn out to be illegal. In fact, a bunch of 'em already have, and the wave of lawsuits might bring the whole thing crumbling down:

In the last few months alone, the courts added more than a billion dollars to the state's deficit by declaring illegal reductions in healthcare services, redevelopment agency funds and transportation spending. ... Lawsuits are one reason most in Sacramento expect a quick collapse of the spending plan the governor signed last month...

Times.Eureka Now!: The Blog: Undaunted by unanimously tepid reviews here on the Blogthing, Ryan "Captain Buhne" Hurley has bloggified his faux-Fox series Eureka Now!. Second ep

HSU today issued the following press release announcing the upcoming "permanent" closure if its Natural History Museum at G and 13th streets in Arcata "due to this year's severe and unprecedented state budget cuts":

Humboldt State University will be forced to close its Natural History Museum permanently by the end of August. The closure is due to this year's severe and unprecedented state budget cuts to the California State University system.

Museum staff were informed of the decision beforehand and volunteers and supporters were being contacted by the campus. A plan for the museum's orderly closing, which will likely extend well beyond the last day of being open to the public, is being finalized.

The decision was made after many months of difficult discussions about the museum's finances and the ability of the university to adequately fund it. It had been perennially underfunded even before the most recent budget cuts. The museum staff had estimated a year ago that an additional $200,000 annually was needed to finance the operation on a sustaining basis.

In a year when major cuts are being made across campus, that type of new funding is not available.

"This is really a shame. Even with all the budget limitations, they've been doing very good work, and have been an important asset for the community." said Steve Smith, Associate Dean of the College of Natural Resources and Sciences, which oversees the museum.

"There were many staff, donors, volunteers and community organizations that strongly supported and partnered with the museum," Smith said. "We really appreciate all they have done. But unfortunately, we are confronted with the most serious budget crisis in the CSU's history, and cuts like this are unavoidable."

He thanked the museum's long-time Director, Melissa Zielinski, as well as the staff, volunteers and donors "for their earnest and unstinting support across many years."

Located in a university-owned building in downtown Arcata, the museum opened to the public in 1989. It offers exhibits and programs to teach community members of all ages about the natural world, and serves as a learning laboratory for Humboldt State students. Decisions about the future use of its building, the museum's collections and related issues are pending.

Estimated savings from the closure are relatively small, about $26,000 annually. The overriding issue was future viability and the challenge of remaining open with inadequate funding. A detailed internal analysis conducted a year ago concluded that the museum "was barely solvent" and could not continue to function as it had in the past. Pending staff departures made the challenge even greater.

The closure of the museum comes as Humboldt State struggles to absorb its share of recent state budget cuts to the California State University system.

The system's state funding has been reduced to $1.6 billion this year. That's nearly $600 million lower than a decade ago, and creates a funding shortfall of $564 million even after the receipt of significant federal stimulus funds.

For Humboldt State, that means a reduction of about $12 million in a $102 million general fund budget. Actions already taken at the system and campus levels to address some of the shortfall include student fee increases, eliminating spring admissions, unpaid employee furloughs, hiring freezes, administrative salary freezes and reductions in equipment purchases.

Additional cuts will be necessary, and students will face elimination of many classes as well as reduced services this fall.

More information about Humboldt State's current fiscal emergency is available at its Budget Office website, www.humboldt.edu/~budget.

 

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki: The Journal's science guy touches on the nuclear bomb this week from a technical angle - here a piece titled "Purpose of Remembering," written by Eric Freed, a Catholic priest who directs HSU's Newman Center, published today in The Japan

For fellow film lovers who, upon discovering the recent closure of Arcata's Video Experience -- supplier of multi-region-code, rare, cult, imported and otherwise snob-pleasing DVDs -- went into a depression darker than Death's robe in The Seventh Seal , don't despair! Your beloved Janus , Tartan and Criterion Collection deluxe edition remastered discs are just moving to Northtown.

La Dolce Video -- that would be, ahem, a Fellini reference -- is set to open this Friday, August 7, at 1540 G Street, former home of Tranquilitea Wellness Center (that would be, ahem, a hippy pun). Word has it that the VX library was sold to an employee, who is apparently betting/hoping that the DVD business won't go the way of the CD industry -- to which I say, "Bravo!"

August is vacation time for Congress and all the Congresspeople are out talking with their constituents -- for the Dems that means drumming up support for Obama's health care plan.

If you've been following the news lately, you've heard about the anti-health care protesters shouting “just say no” at various Democratic Party town hall meetings -- basically striving to disrupt any debate that doesn't go their way.

If you watch MSNBC, you've heard the evidence that these teabag-esque protesters are following a script laid out by Repub operatives and lobbyists for the heath care industry, getting direction from firms like Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks.

So what's a Representative to do? Our own Congressman Mike Thompson has a solution: skip the town hall, well, make the meeting virtual -- over the phone. That way there's no way for shouters to disrupt, at least no way I can think of.  The details came via email from Mike's peeps:

Join a Live Telephone Town Hall Meeting on August 5th
 
WASHINTON - On the evening of August 5th, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) will host a live town hall meeting via telephone to respond to overwhelming interest in the status of health care reform. Participants can ask him questions about health care reform, and the Congressman will respond live for everyone to hear.
 
More information:
 
What: A toll-free telephone town hall with Congressman Mike Thompson
 
When: Wednesday, August 5th from 7-8 p.m. Pacific Time
 
How to join: At 7 p.m. dial (877) 229-8493 and enter the passcode 13293