Cover Story
Jack Mays
The ghouls, scalpels clutched in their gnarl-boned fists, hover over the operating table upon which Jack Mays, chest rent open, twists in torture. “After this procedure,” the ghouls gloat, “you’ll live another day and a half!” That’s one imaginary scene for a cartoon that Mays, the revered and feared longtime Ferndale artist and editorial cartoonist,…
Law Enforcement Responds to Jail Policy Concerns
In a meeting organized by local interfaith church leaders, a panel of Humboldt County’s top law enforcement officers addressed concerns this afternoon about the Humboldt County jail’s release policy. Marketed as a general community safety discussion, the meeting arose out of criticism of the jail’s policy to release inmates detained for being drunk in public…
Mills’ Plan for Policing Eureka
In the face of some notable crime rates, new Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills is overhauling the department, instituting a massive reorganization that will change both the way residents interface with the department and how its commanders are held accountable. Mills, who came to the city in November from San Diego, said his plan is…
Tonight’s Setlist: Irish thrills
Irish band Lunasa hits the Arcata Playhouse tonight! This is a serious opportunity to see the festival headliners in an intimate venue. In addition to being fine musicians of the Celtic persuasion, the band members have a sense of humor befitting the theatrical space — when last at the Playhouse in 2012, they took a…
Planning Commission Meeting Canceled
The Humboldt County Planning Commission’s special General Plan Update meeting scheduled for tonight has been canceled due to a lack of a quorum, according to county Planning Director Kevin Hamblin. After last week’s meetings caused quite a stir, tonight’s meeting was expected to be heavily attended. Hamblin said the commission is still scheduled to meet Thursday, which…
From the Publisher: Poking a Hornet’s Nest
Editor’s Note: The following is a column by Journal Publisher Judy Hodgson that will appear in this week’s print edition, which hits streets tomorrow. Don’t miss Marcy Burstiner’s “Media Maven” column in this week’s print edition. Real and potential Brown Act violations are popping up with such frequency now, it’s like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Did…
Doughnut Evolution
Last year, New York City was brought to its knees by the Cronut, a doughnut made from croissant pastry. Let that sink in. It’s taken this long for the flaky phenomenon to make it to Humboldt (not a huge surprise, given the lingering mullets around town), and it’s shown up in the most unlikely place: Safeway.…
EPD Standoff Ends Quietly with Bull Horn
An hours-long standoff in Old Town Eureka with an armed suspect ended peacefully this morning. Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills said his officers were called to Second and C streets shortly after 11 p.m. to a call reporting a gunshot. Mills said a 26-year-old male, later identified as David Geter, was at his residence and…
Walkin’ Turkey
Well, look, there go Jack Lincoln and Leatherface, strollin’ through Old Town. Maybe you’ve met one of these birds before. If not, know this: When you and turkeys do meet, their person — Nick (not pictured) — might encourage you to dance with them. Please, do. We like the free entertainment. And if that sensitive glob below-neck turns…
Eureka Releases CM Search Panelists’ Names
After refusing to do so when asked by the Times-Standard last week, the city of Eureka today released the names of private citizens who will serve on a panel interviewing city manager candidates later this week. The citizen’s panel is comprised of Kurt Kramer, Heidi Benzonelli, Dale Maples, J Warren Hockaday, Jack Crider and Lorene…
Firpo Responds to Plea Deal Critics
The Elan Firpo for District Attorney campaign issued a press release Saturday in response to criticism the candidate has received for a plea agreement she reached in a fatal Arcata stabbing case. “Some decisions are not universally popular,” Firpo states in the release. “It is the job of the District Attorney’s office to make tough…
Trails Vote Kicks Off GPU Firestorm
It seems the Humboldt County Planning Commission has kicked a hornets’ nest. Or, maybe it was just Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace. During its sixth meeting to take up the Conservation and Open Space element of the General Plan Update — recently dumped back into its lap by the Board of Supervisors — the commission…
North Coast Rivers Subject to Low-Flow Closures
Looking to grab your rod and pull a nice steelhead out of a North Coast River? Well, you might want to check with the Department of Fish and Game first. The state Office of Administrative Law recently approved emergency regulations adopted by the California Fish and Game Commission that allow the department to close some…
Sheriff, Eureka Chief to Talk Late-Night Jail Release Policy
The county’s top law enforcement officers and church leaders will meet Wednesday, Feb. 26 to discuss the Humboldt County jail’s policy of releasing inmates late at night, when few services are available to them. The jail’s policy came into question after the high-profile killing of Father Eric Freed and was addressed in the Journal’s cover…
Sandwich Porn
When you name something the “XXX Adults Only Grilled Cheese Sandwich,” you’re making a statement. A reader sent in an email tip about her favorite order at Lost Coast Café and Bakery (468 Main St., Ferndale), and her flustered description of the sandwich read a bit like vintage Penthouse Forum. The first time I ordered…
Tonight’s Setlist: All The Reasons You Should Go Out
Motherlode First and foremost, Motherlode is releasing a debut live CD, All in Good Time featuring DJ Logic, Bill Summers and legendary trombonist Fred Wesley. Drummer Pete Ciotti — whose other bands include Nucleus and Full Moon Fever, and who owns both the Jambalaya and Big Pete’s Pizzeria — sat down along with his very…
Dampened
Editor: The cause of the lack of rain this winter has been occupying my thoughts lately. David Simpson’s piece “Salmon in the Middle” (Feb. 13) was a very welcome supplement to my understanding of the situation. The GOES images of the North Pacific were particularly illuminating. I have not seen anywhere else the connection that…
Ulterior Motives?
Editor: The environmental movement garnished much of its support by instilling the idea that whatever project promoted as “habitat enhancement” or “restoration” would be beneficial to the environment. Since the vast majority of us support the concept of a healthy environment, projects promoted by environmental groups were often given a lot of leeway. Ron LeValley…
Canned
Reviews ROBOCOP. Slick, not too long, a little bit of fun — RoboCop hits a few notes right, but never gets better than its visuals. That the ’80s version remains satirically relevant (and endearing) makes the remake even more hollow. Alex Murphy, a Detroit cop is set up and nearly killed by his coworkers when…
First Cherry Blossoms
Yard sale!—I pull to the curb, duck some low-hanging branches, and voila! Nearly poking me in the eye, the fatal sprig of pink! The usual reaction to beauty, a smile, thoughts of Japan in Spring, a haiku op… But now that I’m looking, just down the block, Two more! They’re everywhere! Where…
The Gender ‘Gatekeepers’
It’s shortly after 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, and Joni Kay Rose is standing in front of the Eureka Department of Motor Vehicles office with sprigs of her gray hair bursting from a light blue knit cap. In one hand, Rose clutches DMV form DL 329, as her other hand fumbles with a lighter, trying…
Third Friday McKinleyville Arts Night
A celebration of local art and artists, music, food and fun. McKinleyville Arts Night is open for all McKinleyville businesses to display work from local artists on the third Friday of each month. For more information, call 834-6460 or visit www.mckinleyvilleartsnight.com. 1. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST AIRPORT 3561 Boeing Ave. “Streetwise,” works by Thomas “Sonny Wong”…
High Finance
Bye-bye bedrolls, buried coffee cans, hollow shaving cream bottles, shoe inserts — proceeds from marijuana can now be deposited in banks, according to recently loosened rules from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Financial Crimes Network. Federal laws previously prevented banks from knowingly doing business with drug dealers. Perhaps feeling icy gazes from the…
Humboldt’s Hidden Treasures
Over an after-work round of brews, healthcare worker Jessica Davis pipes up, “Well, I’m a treasure hunter,” she says, “I look for GPS locations with hidden treasure caches.” She slips out of the room and proudly returns moments later with two jewelry box-sized treasure chests. One contains a miniature mountain lion, smooth chunks of colored…
Haggis Hankerings
Mourn now, ye true lovers of all things Scottish, for you cannot get an authentic haggis in the U.S. of A. This centuries old peasant’s dish, elevated to the fare of lairds and ladies, is made from ground lamb innards (heart, lungs and liver) mixed with oats, spices and suet, then boiled inside said lamb’s…
God’s Sitcom
The structure of Making God Laugh, now onstage at Redwood Curtain in Eureka, is straightforward. A nuclear family of five is presented in four scenes: Thanksgiving 1980, Christmas 1990, New Year’s Eve becoming New Year’s 2000 and Easter 2010. It’s like Same Time Next Year, the family edition. With a crucifix on the wall, the…
A Motherlode of a Week
Dear Humboldt, our local talent bookers have been going a little nuts making sure you have no excuse to stay home. Please read on and plan accordingly. Friday’s bonanza First and foremost, on Friday night, Motherlode is releasing a debut live CD, All in Good Time featuring DJ Logic, Bill Summers and legendary trombonist Fred…
