Strapped
Eureka police are seizing firearms at a staggering rate. The question it, why?
Cover Story
Strapped
There was the black .45 caliber handgun investigators picked up next to a dead 20-year-old at the scene of a shootout with a California Highway Patrol officer on Q Street. Then, about a month later, there was the loaded AR-15 style assault rifle with high-capacity magazines pulled from under the hood of a Dodge pickup…
Court Doc: Mom is Suspect in Fortuna Hit and Run; Showed Signs of Intoxication
An initial CHP investigation indicated the mother of one of two teenage girls who died after a July 12 hit and run crash was the driver and that she showed signs of intoxication shortly after the collision, according to a search warrant affidavit. “At that point, however, there was no evidence establishing her as the…
In Celebration of National Moth Week
In observance of National Moth Week, I thought I’d mention a few of our unusual local mothy residents. Together with butterflies, moths comprise the order “Lepidoptera,” roughly translating to scale wing. A good rule of thumb to distinguish between the two is that butterflies have thin antennae terminating in a club shape, while moths (with a…
Eureka ‘Evaluating Options’ After Court Ruling
The city of Eureka is “evaluating its options” with regard to this week’s appellate court ruling that it must release a police dash camera video capturing the controversial arrest of a 14-year-old suspect. In its published opinion released late Tuesday, the California First District Court of Appeals ruled that the video in question cannot be…
City of Eureka: Pick Up Your Stuff
On Tuesday night the Eureka City Council voted 4-0, with councilmember Kim Bergel absent, to approve a Storage of Personal Property Ordinance that will allow the police department to tag, then bag property left on city land. The ordinance comes as a response to recent issues with people leaving items behind after staying in designated…
Stop, Drop and Roll
Stop wondering what you’re doing this Saturday, drop a few dollars in your pocket and roll out to the Mattole Grange, July 23 for the 27th annual Roll on the Mattole from noon to midnight ($25, $20 students/seniors, free for kids 12 and under with an adult). The Roll is a full day in the…
Attorneys: Fortuna Mom Standing by to Surrender in Fatal Hit and Run Case
Just hours after the California Highway Patrol sent out a press release asking for the public’s assistance in locating a Fortuna woman named a person of interest in last week’s hit and run crash that left two teenage girls dead — including her own daughter — her attorneys sent a letter to the CHP maintaining…
Arrest Video Can’t be Kept Confidential, Appellate Court Rules
A Eureka police video depicting the arrest of a 14-year-old suspect can’t be considered a confidential personnel record and must be released to the public, an appellate court has ruled. The court’s unanimous decision upholds a May 21, 2015 ruling by Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Christopher Wilson, who granted a Journal petition seeking release…
Fins, Fenders, Carbs and Chrome
Every fourth weekend in July, Fortuna transforms into a city of nostalgia as hundreds of hot rods, classic cars and auto aficionados fill its streets, park and venues. Gear up, gear heads. The 26th annual Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo — three days glass-packed full of cars, cruises and old-fashioned fun — is here July 22 through…
A Fond Farewell, a Warm Welcome
If you take a gander at our staff box this week, you’ll notice some changes afoot here at the Journal. First, you’ll likely notice something missing. Assistant editor/staff writer Grant Scott-Goforth has moved on after more than three years as an award winning reporter and photographer here at the Journal. This is a sad day…
Of Ectoplasm and Narcs
Reviews Ghostbusters. I would love to write an impassioned defense of the new Ghostbusters. I would find it deeply satisfying, both as a fan of the original and as a person who, hating few things in this world, passionately hates misogynistic Internet trolls. But there are mitigating factors, first and foremost: the movie itself. The…
The Naked Truth
This week’s Republican National Convention was marked by the appearance of 100 naked women holding mirrors, a photography project by Spencer Tunick. Tunick has positioned the naked bodies of people in 70 different photoshoots across the world. In a statement prior to the RNC, Tunick said, “By holding mirrors, we hope to suggest that women…
A Midsummer Checklist
If you’re anything like me, this is the time of year you live for. The garden is popping, flowers are blooming, and there’s more zucchini than you know what to do with. I could make this a very short column and just say: Relax! Take a nap in the sunshine and eat some berries. You…
Camels and Blowholes
The surf scene up here is unique. There is so much more that goes into a session in Humboldt County than in a daily check of different beaches along the California coast. The water is colder, the ocean angrier, and the sea life much more abundant and a little less friendly. If you want to…
Poor Show
Editor: Publisher Judy Hodgson begins her column “Maybe Next Year (July 14),” “I think we can all agree that last week was a particularly bad week for news” — then says she was in Austin, not Dallas. A bad week for news?! It was a tragic week for humanity! Shamelessly exploiting the heinous murders in…
True Ward? I’ll Pass
Editor: First, what the U.S. Census calls “race” I prefer to think of as ancestry. By this definition the current ancestry of Eureka is just about 80 percent white. If our city council is in fact 80 percent white, I would not be surprised (NCJ Daily, July 14). Second, according to the 2010 Census, there are…
Summer Stock
Your summer zucchini will shine in these two soup recipes perfect for a cool North Coast summer evening: sopa de calabacitas y elote, Mexican zucchini corn soup, and Peruvian caldo de gallina, chicken soup. The creamy zucchini corn soup was inspired by a gorgeous one I ate many, many years ago in Cuernavaca, Mexico. I…
A Fistful of Appreciation
A couple of music festivals are now behind us with the Folklife Festival and Northern Nights having just wrapped up. But with upcoming festivals on the horizon such as the Roll on the Mattole and the Reggae On the River festivals, we don’t have too much time to relax and put our feet up before…
The Text Trail
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is sending some of its leadership staff to tolerance training due to a text message scandal that’s come to light in the wake of the sexual assault trial of former Sgt. Jason Scott Daniels. A jury acquitted Daniels, 43, of a pair of sexual assault charges on June 16 that…
