The Fortuna Theater, built in 1938, maintained its structural integrity after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Humboldt County in December of 2022. However, the extensive damage inside the building — caused by a ruptured sprinkler system — left the theater closed with no timeline for reopening. Three and a half years later, its list of […]
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Humbuggery in Humboldt, Part 2
In the 19th century, Americans’ fascination with the occult made fortune tellers and mediums common entertainment at fairs, lecture halls and private parties. Newspapers across the country carried stories of remarkable psychic predictions and spirit manifestations. Journalists also regularly exposed practitioners as frauds, but this did little to temper the faith of true believers. In […]
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Death of 77 Year Old Reported Missing After Hospital Release Under Investigation
A 77-year-old McKinleyville man was found dead this morning, 36 hours after he was reported to have been sent home in a ride service following his release from a local hospital around 10 p.m. on July 7. According to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, James Jaworski’s family said he never made it to his residence […]
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Humbuggery in Humboldt, Part 1
“We have been told that Eureka is the best town for fakirs on the coast and it is a ‘good thing’ as any first-class fakir will testify who has tried it.” — The Daily Standard, March 8, 1900 Though technology has evolved, human nature has not. Like today’s confidence men and women, scammers of Humboldt’s […]
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‘We have to work to keep our freedom’
By noon on June 27, a small group of protesters lined the street in front of the Humboldt County Superior Court. Many held signs criticizing the current administration, calling for the impeachment of President Trump and an end to fascism in America. Palestinian flags, Mexican flags and upside-down American flags signaling distress waved in the […]
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731 Dogs
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal on Monday asked for the public’s patience and assistance as a multi-agency investigation continues into allegations Miranda’s Rescue accepted money to care for animals that were instead put down. This is, he emphasized during a nearly one-hour press conference, a case involving multiple jurisdictions and “many moving parts,” noting “the […]
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Sheriff’s Office: Remains of More than 100 Dogs Uncovered at Miranda’s Rescue, Investigation Continues
After three days of excavating sections of the Miranda’s Rescue property, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on Friday reported finding the intact remains of more than 100 dogs at two dig sites during a multi-agency animal cruelty and fraud investigation. “The 117 intact dogs were in various stages of decomposition. Seventy of the dogs were […]
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Cal State’s Newest Polytechnic Campus Hopes a Rebranding Will Bring Enrollment Gains
This story was originally published by EdSource. Sign up for their daily newsletter. Jonathan Juarez was working in Los Angeles to help support his parents and brother when he decided it was time to finish his bachelor’s degree. Rather than stay local, the 30 year old enrolled at the California State University’s northernmost campus roughly 700 miles […]
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Miranda’s Rescue Under Scrutiny, Part 2
The sprawling landscape of Miranda’s Rescue is open and green, with horse paddocks, barns and white fencing. Outdoor kennels are lined up in squares around grassy expanses. The rescue, which includes president and founder Shannon Miranda’s private residence, encompasses 50 acres of Fortuna farmland, some 20 to 30 acres of it usable, and a good […]
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This Lawmaker’s Proposal Could Make California ‘the Most Secretive State in the Country’
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. In March, Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco introduced a measure that would have made it more expensive for Californians to obtain government records. Amid opposition from transparency advocates and public access concerns from her own Assembly colleagues, though, the Downey Democrat diluted her proposal to […]
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California is Getting Ready to Increase a Health Insurance Tax. Will it Affect Your Premium?
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Legislators this week approved a health tax bill meant to continue critical federal funding for the state’s Medicaid program, also known as Medi-Cal. Their approval comes despite warnings from health industry leaders that the tax, as designed, will raise premiums for privately insured […]
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Local Whooping Cough Case Confirmed
The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services reports a local case of pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, has been confirmed, and is warning people may have been exposed to the illness at four locations this month. Those locations are: Public health officials are monitoring what “may be the beginning of a […]