Putting Heads Together
The North Coast is a leader in concussion research, but can awareness change an old-school sports ethic?
Cover Story
Putting Heads Together
It was Labor Day weekend and Alex Yeoman was skidding across the waters of Trinity Lake on an inner tube. Alex was a 16-year-old junior at Arcata High School, a three-sport athlete with a soaring grade-point average who never missed school. On that fall afternoon, Alex hit a funny hop, went flying, caromed off his…
The Expanding World of Geoglyphs
A loose definition of geoglyph might be: “a large artificial figure on the earth’s surface which is much easier to appreciate from above than from the ground.” To which one might add: “made by mostly unknown people for totally unknown purposes.” The most famous set of geoglyphs, the Nazca Lines in southern Peru, has been…
COP 21: The First Week
Editor’s Note: The following is an opinion piece by Petrolia playwright David Simpson, who co-founded the Mattole Salmon Group and currently sits on its board of directors. A climate change activist, Simpson is attending the 21st United Nations Conference of the Parties in Paris and will be sharing his thoughts with the Journal periodically. At the outset of the hugely…
Grinchmas: Toys for Tots Sign Vandalized
Determined thieves may have ruined Christmas for some little girls and boys this year. Dale Bridges, the paymaster for Toys for Tots, reports that the flashing signs his organization rented to encourage donations have been vandalized twice, with four industrial batteries having been removed, cables cut and a tire deliberately punctured. He estimates the financial…
Hot Bird: Public Sculpture Theft in Eureka
Somewhere between the night of Thursday, Dec. 3 and the following morning, someone pried one of the enormous metal birds off Jack Sewell’s “Following Current Events,” the kinetic sculpture at the C Street Market Square. The birds, made of 1/4-inch-thick aluminum, are positioned between 11 and 15 feet up, with wingspans of 5 1/2 feet. …
UPDATE: Supes to Discuss Marijuana Grower Registration Program
UPDATE: County planner Steve Lazar has released the draft medical marijuana cultivation ordinance that county supervisors will look at next week. Click on the pdf for details on the permit tiering and other regulations recommended by the planning commission. Also included is a letter in support of the recommendations penned by commission Chair Robert Morris…
Santa on the Plaza
Organizers of Arcata Main Street’s Lighting Ceremony on Friday evening were greatly relieved by the mild weather. The kick-off event for the Season of Wonder & Light drew a large crowd of adults and children to the Arcata Plaza. Fueled by cider, cookies, candy canes and mandarins, the crowd listened to Donald Forrest’s dramatic reading…
HumBug: Walking on Water
A quick flick of movement across a calm spot on the water brought a water strider to my attention. Although they might resemble spiders with their with spindly legs and dark bodies, they are actually members of the order Hemiptera (half wing) or “true bugs.” Their remarkable ability to skate so adroitly across the surface…
HSU’s New Provost was Controversially Ousted from Last Admin Post
Humboldt State University’s next provost will arrive on campus in January with a fair amount of baggage from his last stint as an administrator, for which he’s remembered as either a rogue dean or fierce equality advocate, depending on whom you ask. Alexander Enyedi, who’s hire was announced by HSU President Lisa Rossbacher Dec. 1…
Make Money off Your Problems
Did your booboo leave you and take the dehumidifier you went 50-50 on? Want to get your deposit back from Floyd Squires? Fugly haircut got you down? Take your problems to Southern California, to court and to the bank. Okay, it’s not going to be an actual court, with an actual judge. It’s going to…
Draft Klamath Legislation Drops Dam Removal, Includes ‘Poison Pill’ Land Giveaways
Oregon Congressman Greg Walden released a draft of long and eagerly anticipated Klamath legislation Thursday but it quickly drew the ire of local stakeholders. Legislation is desperately needed to salvage the historic 2010 Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, which saw diverse stakeholders come together in a compromise aimed at resolving the decades-long Klamath water crisis and…
Theater Kids
Sometimes the craft we experience this time of year isn’t of the yarn and wreath variety, but rather that of staging, scene and Stanislavsky. Theater students from two area schools — Dell’Arte International and Humboldt State University — have dug deep and brought forth their best and it’s time to give them props. Cue the…
Warren: Guilty on All Counts
UPDATE: After just a couple hours of deliberations, a Humboldt County jury convicted Jason Warren of all counts. The jury foreperson wept as the court clerk read off the verdicts in the case: guilty of the deliberate, premeditated murder of Dorothy Ulrich; guilty of the deliberate, premeditated murder of Suzanne Seemann; guilty of the attempted…
Got a Light?
Brace your elves, the holiday season is upon us. Things are about to get a lot more merry and bright as towns throughout the county flip their switches and light their menorahs. O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches? Well, let’s have a look. Thursday, Dec. 3 from 5 to 8…
To Seal and Destroy
When Elise Gerhart chose to attend local businessman Rob Arkley’s 2013 forum on homelessness, she knew that she might go to jail. Gerhart, then a Humboldt State University student, had been arrested by the Eureka Police Department during protests before. The arrest on Sept. 18, 2013 was no different — she was handcuffed, booked and…
The Gift of Life
The Gift of Life Comes unwrapped, With no soft edges Coarse and grimy Stinking to High heaven. Hopes and Dreams Go up in smoke As we disrobe Breaking glass in Smoldering embers. Baby cries, Never leaving Hearts unbroken Desperate for Everything new.
The Sonic Time Machine
A few days after Thanksgiving, I was with a friend and fellow musician listening to some music that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t new to me, but let’s just say it had been a while since I last heard it. (I won’t get into it, but let’s just say it was obscure enough…
Speed Ceviche
Ceviche (pronounced seh-vee-chay), is a dish that can be found along the Latin American coast from Mexico to Peru. Regional variations in the ratios and types of ingredients included in a “proper ceviche” translate to slight differences in taste and texture depending on the country you visit. Two ingredients that are always key to a…
A Czar is Born
The hunt is on for California’s marijuana czar (or czarina), with a whole new branch of state government waiting to be shaped by his or her hands. Medical marijuana legislation recently signed by Gov. Jerry Brown will establish a new Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulations under the Department of Consumer Affairs. (Depending on how you…
Hate to Burst your Bubble…
Editor: Thanks to Barry Evans for the nice piece on General Relativity (“General Relativity, 100 Years On,” Nov. 19). He has it right except perhaps for one part that may well be changing as of late. He states (and this has been the generally accepted view for the last 100 years) that “the space-time fabric…
A Letter of Appreciation
Editor: I have yet to agree with John Bennett’s movie reviews and I rely on his critiques to make sure I see those films that he does not recommend as I generally enjoy them with great enthusiasm. His last two reviews are classic examples (“Deep Down,” Nov. 19). The 33 is a very well-directed film…
My Precious!
Metalpoint drawing is unforgiving. This technique involves inscribing specially prepared paper with a stylus tipped with a soft, usually precious metal like silver, platinum or gold, so that a trace of the metal is left on the surface. The fine point allows for the incision of astonishingly delicate, precise lines. Lines cannot be easily erased.…
Arts Alive!
Presented by Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and performances are held the first Saturday of each month. For more information, phone Eureka Main Street at 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org. A TASTE OF BIM 613 Third St. Artist TBA. ADORNI CENTER 1011 Waterfront St. Howdy Emerson, pastels; Paul Rickard, watercolors; Barbara Saul,…
Champs
Reviews CREED. Writer/director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan last collaborated on Fruitvale Station (2013), which signaled their arrival as talents to watch. Creed bears out that hypothesis, showcasing their ability to find humanity and heart in a story while producing something genuinely entertaining. No small feat, either, to have accomplished this within the…
Rollicking Through the Redwoods
If you’re looking to inject a little magic into the holiday season, Li’l Red in the Redwoods would be a fine place to start. Based on the classic Little Red Riding Hood folk tale, this production draws on myriad sources from around the world, including the cultures and traditions of the multinational cast. The “Little…
Armchair Gardening
While our recent rains have been welcome from our drought-ridden perspective, they do make it more challenging to get out and actually, you know, garden. Walking on the wet ground can compact soil, and there’s nothing like weeding under a tree when a stiff wind blows, knocking huge droplets of water down the back of…
