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Oct. 12, 2000
Then
there was Blanche
![[photo of Blanche Quirino]](news1012-blanche.jpg) When Blanche Quirino says her
home is "nothing fancy," she's not kidding.
The windows are boarded over,
her neighbors' apartments all have different doors. The fence
around the courtyard is crooked. It is a ramshackle mess, but
to Quirino, "It's home to me."
And since she relies primarily
on her monthly $712 Social Security check, she especially likes
the rent -- just $180 a month which includes utilities.
"I moved into this building
in 1972," said Quirino, 89, a Yurok Indian who drove a Greyhound
bus for 40 years.
But in August Quirino and her
half a dozen neighbors at Second and H streets in Eureka received
30-day eviction notices from the building's new owner, Kurt Kramer,
who says the dilapidated building needs to come down and he needs
the lot to provide parking for his tenants in the renovated Vance
Hotel down the block.
The story of Blanche's plight
quickly made the 6 o'clock news.
It's been a long two-month process,
but everyone, including Quirino, has found a home.
First, Kramer offered each tenant
$300 to help relocate. Most tenants took him up on the offer,
but for Quirino and her caretaker niece, who lives in another
unit, finding safe and affordable housing proved to be a lot
tougher.
Every week or two, the Journal
would call to ask how she was doing. Quirino said she was
still there. Once she said, "I'm packing, but I don't know
where I'm going."
The underlying problem is a
shortage of low-income housing, said Gail Lampey of the Housing
Authority of Eureka and Humboldt County.
"There's been a shortage
for a lot of years," Lampey said. "To change it, we
could rehabilitate or build more housing for low-income people,
but there are few sites in Eureka left to build on."
Kramer, a developer, said that
rising building costs associated with the regulation of the construction
industry have contributed to the housing shortage. Newer, more
stringent laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act make
buildings more expensive to put up.
"I can't build an apartment
today for the same price as 10 years ago," he said.
Direct financial assistance
from the government is also scarce. Last month the Housing Authority
opened its waiting list for Section 8 housing assistance for
just 10 days after it had been closed for nearly 3 years to clear
the backlog. Section 8 gives needy families, disabled individuals
and the elderly money to help pay rent. The housing authority
received thousands of applications in that short period.
"We'll have to close it
again for a couple of years to help these families out,"
Lampey said.
Quirino ended up being one of
the lucky ones. She qualified for subsidized senior housing and
has found a new apartment.
"It's all repainted and
everything else, really spic and span," she said, and she
knows how lucky she was. Until she found her new apartment, she
said she considered herself "next to homeless."
Homelessness is not an unlikely
scenario for someone in that situation, said Pamlyn Millsap,
homeless services coordinator for the Humboldt County Department
of Mental Health.
"I see people on the streets
that are basically no different from this woman." She said
the only real difference is the natural "decomposition process"
that takes place when people hit they street.
"And it isn't pretty."
KHSU
turns 40 -- power boost at KMUD
Arcata's public radio station
KHSU turns 40 Oct. 17. By chance the station's birthday coincides
with its biannual membership drive. At the other end of the county
KMUD is in the midst of its "silent drive," a prelude
to its on-air drive in early November.
How important are these pledge
drives?
"Absolutely vital,"
said Charles Horn, KHSU's development manager. "Community
support is the biggest, the most important and the most reliable
source of funding we get."
"Everything else depends
on the money we get from the community," adds Terry Green,
the station's general manager. "All of our federal support
is a match one way or another for community support."
While funding from state and
federal sources has been up and down, community support through
memberships and underwriting has risen steadily.
"It went up significantly
in 1995, the year federal support fell quickly. The community
rallied and kept the station in business," said Green?
The '90s were hard times for
public radio in general. When the Republicans took over Congress
in 1995 funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was
significantly reduced.
"That happened on the heels
of the recession in California and that made it more difficult
for Humboldt State University to provide the same support it
once did," Green said. "Luckily community support went
up quicker than government support went down, so the station's
overall budget grew."
"The highest percentage
of our funding comes from underwriting," said Pamela Parsons,
KMUD operations manager and volunteer coordinator. "It accounts
for about 36 percent of our budget. Next would be our on-air
fundraisers. We do several smaller fundraisers like our coffee
booth at Reggae and a few gigs at the Mateel. But those only
bring in a minimal amount of money."
Both stations receive direct
funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. KMUD gets
$89,000 annually, less than a quarter of its $380,000 budget.
KHSU receives $130,000, about 20 percent of its $660,000 budget.
In addition to CPB money, KMUD
and KHSU have been recipients of other federal funding. This
year, through the Department of Commerce's Public Telecommunications
Facilities Program, each station received grants for equipment
upgrades.
"These are matching grants
which require that part of the money be raised locally,"
said Horn. "In our case it's always been 50 percent. Up
to a certain point the government contributes $1 for every $1
we raise."
At KHSU a $35,000 grant will
go toward equipment that will allow digital storage of pre-recorded
programs. KMUD received a $79,261 grant in 1999 which pays most
of the $90,000 it will cost to replace an aging transmitter and
antenna system on Pratt Mountain.
When complete the upgrade will
boost the station's transmitter power from 187 to 5,500 watts,
providing a clearer signal in hard to reach areas of southern
Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties.
"We'll have a much better
signal," said Simon Frech, the station's technical director
who had just returned from working on the transmitter. "And
it should be done very soon."
The KHSU membership drive begins
Saturday, Oct. 14. To celebrate 40 years on the air, the 40-member-strong
Marching Lumberjack Band will perform live on the air beginning
at 5 p.m. on the show, "Your Saving Grace." There will
be a 40th birthday bash from 3-6 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Arcata Co-op.
KMUD celebrates the end of the
silent drive and prepares to launch its on-air drive with the
annual Howloween Boogie at the Mateel Community Center Oct. 28.
The event features family fun and music by three bands -- Sta-Free
Funk, Tubesteak Jones and Something Different.
To learn more about Humboldt's
public radio stations tune in. KHSU-FM broadcasts at 90.5, at
89.1 for Ferndale/Fortuna, 89.3 Garberville, 99.7 Willow Creek
and on KHSR-FM 91.9 FM Crescent City. KMUD is at 91.1 FM in Southern
Humboldt and at 88.3 up north. Or visit them on the Internet.
At www.kmud.org
you can listen on the web. At www.khsu.org you can make a pledge online.
Home sales
soar
Humboldt County's economy continued
to coast during August, according to figures in the most recent
Index of Economic Activity for Humboldt County, compiled
monthly by Humboldt State University Professor Steve Hackett
and student Deborah Keeth. The Index decreased about 1
percent from July to August, a minor change that reflects the
stable state in which the Humboldt economy has found itself since
January 1999.
While the Index as a
whole has been stable, individual segments of the regional economy
have experienced wide swings -- much to the delight of realtors.
Sales of new and existing homes rocketed to unprecedented levels
in August, with 150 being sold. That's almost 28 percent more
than in July and the highest number since the Index started
keeping track in 1994.
Hackett hypothesized that the
increase might be due to the combination of a healthy economy
and low mortgage rates. He also noted that the national median
home price fell in August to $142,200. The spike in sales in
Humboldt County might be due to the fact that we're still below
that average: The median price in Humboldt County is $137,000.
Graduation
rates slip
It's taking longer and longer
for students to graduate from state universities -- and Humboldt
State is no exception.
Only 7.6 percent of HSU students
who enrolled in 1995 graduated within four years, according to
university statistics. That's down from 9.3 percent for the students
who enrolled in 1994 and 11 percent for students enrolling in
1993.
The phenomenon is neither unique
nor especially alarming, said Sean Kearns, HSU's director of
university advancement. He said that students are spending longer
in college across the country.
It is certainly consistent across
the California State University system. According to a recently
released report, only 20 percent of students enrolled at CSU
campuses are in a position to attempt graduation within four
years. That is not necessarily due to laziness or procrastination,
Kearns said. It has to do with CSU's mission.
"In terms of herding people
through in four years, that's not the CSU philosophy. We're dedicated
to offering guidance to make it through to a degree at a pace
and intensity that they [the students] prefer.
"Working or personal issues
may come to bear on an academic career," he added. According
to the report, 80 percent of CSU students have jobs, 25 percent
have children, and only half receive support from their parents.
Eureka Baking
scales back
The Eureka Baking Co., a bakery
and coffeeshop that had expanded well beyond the confines of
Eureka to serve customers from Fortuna to McKinleyville, will
be closing most of its retail stores.
The family-run business will
continue, said co-owner Andrea Pedley.
"It's strictly amicable.
We've been in business for 12 years and my younger brother, Joseph
(Vellutini), and my mother (Delores Vellutini) and I decided
we wanted to do something else."
Pedley said there was more competition
than in 1988, and that left less room in the market for her family's
company but stressed that there was no ill will and the company
was not being forced out of business.
Pedley's other brother, Vincent
Vellutini, will stay on and run the Henderson Center store in
Eureka. Pedley. Joseph Vellutini and Dolores Vellutini will shift
their activities to property management.
Self-help
in McKinleyville
Owning a home has long been
part of the American Dream, but for many it remains out of reach.
That will soon change for 23 families in McKinleyville.
They will be participating in
an innovative program, called Self-Help Housing, that provides
loans for land and materials as long as the families provide
the labor.
The program is administered
by the Rural Communities Housing Development Corp., a private,
non-profit. The RCHDC secured a $579,650 loan from the state
Department of Housing and Community Development's Rural Predevelopment
Loan Program. The money will be used to buy already-improved
lots near the intersection of Thiel Street and Railroad Avenue.
In addition, $900,000 for building supplies will come from Humboldt
Bank in the form of low-interest loans. And labor will come from
the homeowners themselves.
"It's not easy," said
Tom MonPere, director of housing development at the RCHDC. "It's
a tough program, because it's going to be at least a year of
your life you'll be working on it."
And by working, he doesn't mean
an hour here or there.
"The homeowners have to
be able to put in approximately 40 hours a week."
But the rewards make it worthwhile,
said Teresa Grossi, the loan officer who handled the grant application.
Homeowners learn how to maintain their home while they build
it, gaining the skills they'll need to repair plumbing or electrical
systems. They're also more likely to undertake those repairs,
she said, "If they feel like they have part ownership."
Fourteen of the homes are designated
for low-income families. To be eligible, a family of four must
have an income of less than $29,600. The remaining nine homes
will be for families with even lower incomes. They would have
to have less than $18,500 in annual income to qualify.
The program will be bringing
to McKinleyville what it has brought to other areas of Humboldt
and Mendocino counties. MonPere said his agency has already helped
build 300 houses in the two counties and is always looking for
"both families willing to work and property to build on."
"There is ample money sitting
there" for future projects, said Grossi.
"There are funds available
and we would love to help (more families) out."
Math tutoring
help
Schools across Humboldt County
are showcasing the results of this year's standardized testing,
and many have reason to be proud. Washington Elementary School
in Eureka, for example, increased its Academic Performance Index
from 779 to 833, putting it over the state-mandated target score
of 800.
But not all Humboldt County
students are enjoying such success, and one Eureka teacher is
getting the chance to help those that have the most problems
catch up.
Valerie Gardner has been awarded
a McAuliffe Fellowship, a $39,000 grant that pays her salary
while she researches and writes a program to help the worst performers
in mathematics start learning again.
Gardner, who until receiving
the award was a teacher at Lafayette Elementary School, described
her project as "a balanced program aimed at helping diagnose
where their misconceptions in mathematics are and giving them
strategies so they can use math in computation and problem solving.
It helps them make sense of it all."
The 12-week program will eventually
be implemented at all Eureka elementaries on an after-school
basis.
The McAuliffe Fellowship is
named after Christa McAuliffe, the New Hampshire schoolteacher
who was aboard the Challenger space shuttle when it exploded
in January 1986. Gardner received one of only two McAuliffe fellowships
for the state. Carol Smith, an education consultant with the
California Department of Education, said that the program "taps
teachers' creativity and experience."
"Teachers are out there
with all these great ideas, and they just need a little bit of
funding and time to implement them. This allows them the time
and resources to do a project that's aligned to the state's standards
but is still on the site, hands-on and will help the kids."
Pirate radio
under fire
The station 94.9 Pirate radio
("Pirates of the Radio," Dec. 2, 1999) has come under
increased scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission
in recent weeks, leading to a temporary reduction in broadcasting.
According to a DJ who gave his
name as "Pigpen," the van where the station is located
was visited by FCC agents Sept. 25, 26 and 27. During their first
visit, a citation was given to the DJ on duty and broadcasting
was stopped, but the mobile station was soon transmitting again.
Over the next two days, agents repeatedly tried to convince DJs
to cease broadcasting and were repeatedly successful -- sometimes
for as much as an hour.
No word has been heard from
the agents since Sept. 27.
The station is now on a sporadic
schedule, transmitting from various locations. Pigpen, who did
not give his name because of legal reasons, said, "In a
very physical sense, the FCC has the entire federal government
behind them," so they could probably take 94.9 off the airwaves.
However, Pigpen said the station's
plan is to continue broadcasting.
"What pirate radio really
boils down to for us is the voice of the community. The transmitter
itself (agents) can get if they tried hard enough. But they won't
be able to shut down the voice of Arcata."
Midriff
inspection in Ferndale
Shortly before lunch Sept. 14,
Ferndale Elementary School Principal Kathy Tyzzer walked into
four junior high classrooms and created a controversy. As part
of an attempt to enforce the school's dress code, she asked that
the girls in the class raise their arms over their head and then
bend over to the floor to see if their midriffs were showing.
She then asked boys to show the waistline of their pants to see
if they were appropriately fitted.
The inspection upset several
students, said Sue Brower, whose son was in one of the four classrooms.
"My son was so embarrassed
to see his friends," Brower said. "They were so humiliated."
Brower and others are asking
that Tyzzer be suspended. At a school board meeting Sept. 20,
some parents called for her resignation. The school board has
so far refused both requests and is handling the issue as a personnel
issue -- in closed session.
"My plan was not to embarrass
or humiliate my students," Tyzzer told the Journal. She
said she had received complaints concerning students who had
flaunted the dress code, which says no bare midriffs on girls,
no saggy pants on boys.
"I was trying to enforce
it equitably," said Tyzzer. She disputed allegations that
students requested the inspection be carried out in private,
and said the inspection would cease.
"It's not something I would
consider doing again. It was an errant judgment on my part,"
she said.
Town custodian
endangered
For the past 14 months Garberville
and Redway have enjoyed the benefits of a town custodian, thanks
to the Merchant's Guild Beautification Project funded by local
businesses. The project tackles maintenance tasks like street
cleaning, trash removal and mowing in and between the towns --
but the fund is about dry.
Jeff Varner, who coordinates
the project, announced last month that funds will run out this
month. The work would normally be done by a city, but Redway
and Garberville are unincorporated.
Businesses have paid for the
project to boost tourism and civic pride, said Garberville-Redway
Chamber of Commerce Director Janis Tillery. Although it's hard
for small businesses to come up with the contribution every month,
the project has been very valuable and she hopes it can continue.
"We're just trying to go
month to month right now."
Co-op expansion
complete
The North Coast Co-op celebrates
the completion of the remodel and expansion of the Arcata store
Oct. 14, with a Grand Reopening Harvest Festival scheduled for
11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Planning for the expansion project
began in 1997 and demolition began in July, 1999. The remodel
increased the size of the Arcata store from 11,000 to 18,000
square feet. The expansion includes new office space, the addition
of a juice bar and garden shop, relocation and expansion of Spoons
deli, and space for an expanded selection of grocery items.
The re-opening event will include
a pumpkin carving and dressing contest, product demonstrations,
give-aways and live music.
Instead of a ribbon-cutting
ceremony the formal opening will be marked by the un-tying of
a tie-died bow at 12:30 p.m.
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