Forewarned But Still Not Ready
California’s historic drought and what it means in Humboldt
Cover Story
Humboldt’s ‘New Normal’
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors heard a series of dire warnings May 25 about what worsening drought conditions could mean for the North Coast, from catastrophic wildfire to entire communities running out of water and massive fish kills in local rivers. Perhaps most alarmingly, a host of officials who addressed the board warned this…
Humboldt Crabs Back With a Bang Winning First Series
Baseball and beer were back at the Arcata Ballpark this weekend as the Humboldt Crabs were up to their usual winning ways to get the season started taking two out of three games against the visiting Lincoln Potters to win their first series. For the first time since 2019, fans were welcomed back into the…
County Reports Hundreds of Open Vaccination Appointments, Confirms Two New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed two new COVID-19 cases today after laboratories processed 65 samples with a test-positivity rate of 3 percent. No new hospitalizations were reported. The county also announced hundreds of vaccine appointments remain open and it will be holding clinics from 2 to 6 p.m. today at College of the Redwoods, from…
Supes to Discuss Five Cases of Possible Litigation Related to Auditor-Controller
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is slated to meet in a special closed session tomorrow to conference with legal counsel regarding anticipated litigation or a significant exposure to litigation related to five cases of “allegations of workplace misconduct and delayed payments by the auditor-controller.” The closed session discussion is the sole item on the…
Karuk Tribe Declares Climate Emergency
The Karuk Tribe has declared a climate emergency as the Klamath River Basin has seen the worst conditions in history with very low precipitation and a massive fish kill that could result in losing an entire generation of salmon. “This emergency declaration acknowledges the reality that climate change is upon us, and the dangers that it…
Some Pig
Opening the county’s first cannabis consumption lounge without food would have been an opportunity missed. And so the upscale Pig and Leaf truck is installed at Papa & Barkley Social’s patio (4325 Broadway, Eureka), complete with heat lamps and fire pits, on the site of the old Kmart that, I’m told, opened with the fanfare…
Public Health Confirms 38 New COVID-19 Cases, Four New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 38 new COVID-19 cases since its last report Friday, bringing the county’s cumulative case count to 4,232. Four new hospitalizations were also reported. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed 461 samples with a test-positivity rate of 8.2 percent and come after the state announced…
A Bit of Glory on the Plaza
If this Memorial Day weekend has felt decidedly glory-less, with the Kinetic Grand Championship cancelled due to COVID-19 yet again, well, you’re not alone. But a handful of Kinetic diehards took matters into their own hands Saturday, holding the Glorious and Official Unofficially Sanctioned 2021 Kinetic Grand Championship, which featured a handful of sculptures making…
North Coast Night Lights: iPhone 12 Pro Night Mode vs Nikon D750, D850
Before I purchased an iPhone 12 Pro, I was curious about the “night mode” that Apple had introduced in the previous model — how good was it? How would it stack up against my Nikons for the kind of nighttime photography I love so well? The reviews were very favorable, and many included amazing nighttime…
Jury Classifies Scott Eden a Sexually Violent Predator
Today a Humboldt County jury classified Scott Dean Eden, who spent time in and out of prison for two different sexually motivated crimes, as a sexually violent predator under the Sexually Violent Predator Act. According to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s press release, in 1990 Eden was found guilty of abducting a woman from a…
Blue-green Algae Makes an Early Appearance
Anyone visiting lakes or rivers in the region is being cautioned to look out for blue-green algae after the Blue Lake Rancheria confirmed levels of cyanobacteria at two sample sites on the Mad River this week. The samples were collected at a popular swimming location known as Pump Station 4 and downstream of the city…
EPD Captain On Leave Amid Investigation
One of the Eureka Police Department’s two captains has been placed on paid administrative leave. EPD Chief Steve Watson confirmed to the Journal that Capt. Patrick O’Neill is on leave, but declined to discuss why or in relation to what matter, saying he’s legally prohibited from doing so. “The penal code and evidence code prohibit…
Public Health Confirms Six New Cases, One New Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed six new COVID-19 cases after laboratories processed just 24 samples with a test-positivity rate of 25 percent, bringing the week’s case tally to 89. One new hospitalization was also reported. Last week, the county confirmed 127 new cases and eight new hospitalizations. The county announced Wednesday that it is hosting…
Hot Holiday Weekend in the Forecast
Things are going to be heating up this holiday weekend, with inland temperatures forecast to hit the 90s to low 100s in inland areas, including Willow Creek, Hoopa and Orleans, starting Sunday and running through mid-week. “The threat for heat related illness will be elevated Sunday through Wednesday for vulnerable people such as the elderly,…
A ‘Way of Life at Risk’: A Yurok Tribal Member’s Congressional Testimony
The catastrophic drought that is striking the West seems to have gotten the attention of Congress. On May 25, North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman chaired a virtual bipartisan hearing on the status of drought conditions in an area that extends from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Northwest. Huffman is no stranger to environmental issues,…
NCJ Preview: Drought, Humboldt’s High COVID Numbers and Monster Advice
This week we’re looking at how historic drought conditions are hitting the state and our county, and what it means for fires, salmon and daily life for residents amid what may be our new climate normal. And how did Humboldt wind up with the state’s worst COVID-19 numbers? And how can we turn it around?…
Final Curtain Call for Dell’Arte’s MFA Program
According to a press release sent out today, Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre is ending its MFA program, the final performances of which were for its Thesis Festival last week, reviewed here. The professional training program classes, however, will return in the fall. The statement lists financial issues and need to focus on “stated…
Public Health Confirms 13 New COVID Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 13 new COVID-19 cases after laboratories processed 238 samples with a test-positivity rate of 5.5 percent, bringing this weeks tally to 83. Last week, the county confirmed 127 new cases and eight new hospitalizations. The county announced yesterday that it is hosting vaccine clinics today and June 2 at College…
California Residents Eligible to Win Millions in Prizes, Gift Cards for Getting Vaccinated
California officials today announced a new incentive program to get residents vaccinated — the chance for those 12 and up who have received at least one dose to win a grand prize of $1.5 million or cash prizes of $50,000. Ten winners will be selected on June 15 to receive $1.5 million each for a…
Otters Away
Five North Coast Otter Public Art Initiative sculptures were installed at various businesses in Trinidad yesterday on World Otter Day. The otter sculptures will be a part of a 108 otter sculpture scavenger hunt that will span five different counties, including Humboldt, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Del Norte and Trinity counties. The scavenger hunt start date has yet…
Tell Us Your Vaccine Stories, Questions
With Humboldt County Public Health having announced a push to get 75 percent of the eligible population vaccinated ahead of June 15, when the state plans to drop a host of COVID-19 restrictions, the Journal wants to hear from you, our readers. If you’re vaccinated, why did you decide to get the shot? How’d it…
Winning While Losing
Journalism awards — selected by our peers at newspapers throughout the state — are always welcome. By no means are they the goal or the motivation, but once received, it’s a nice affirmation to have a group of judges look at your work and how it stacks up against those of other similar papers throughout…
Finding a System for All
Editor: As a retired Humboldt State University accounting and sustainable business professor, I have explored economic theory and one thing is clear to me — our current model of capitalism isn’t working for all, nor is it helping the planet. Capitalism is just one way in which humans exchange resources and get their needs met (Mailbox,…
End The Filibuster
Editor: The filibuster, an antiquated procedure used to prevent a bill from being brought to a vote, is preventing the U.S. Congress from being an effective third branch of government and should be ended in the Senate. Regardless of your political leanings, we should all want a strong and functional Congress. We have three branches…
‘Killing Off Your Readership’
Editor: Thank you for personalizing the tragic local loss of the pandemic by listing victims in your May 20th issue (“In Memorium”). At the same time, we were shocked and dismayed that on page 4 an advertisement exhorting “Eureka” to “Make it Luckies (Strikes)!” appears in that same issue. The long epidemic of disease and death…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than silence,” declares an Arab proverb. That’s a high standard to aspire to. Even at our very best, when we’re soaring with articulate vitality, it’s hard to be more beautiful than silence for more than, say, 50…
Correction
The story headlined “In Memoriam” in the May 20, 2021 edition of the North Coast Journal included an incorrect age for Charles Irwin Davis, who was 88 years old. Additionally, a story headlined “Trouble at Kneeland Glen” in the same edition misidentified Dan Ehresman’s role at the North Coast Regional Land Trust and included an…
An Honest Conversation
Almost a year after the death of George Floyd and the ensuing national calls for police reform and accountability, a group of Humboldt County law enforcement officers sat with a couple of ex-convicts for a discussion on criminal justice with local youth. For the Humboldt Independent Practice Associations’ Boys to Men support groups, the discussion…
Adventures on the Sesame Train
In the winter of 1974, newly arrived in Vancouver, B.C., I worked as a temp, barely covering my expenses. And with no sense of my professional future, I never worked long enough in any one location to bond with my coworkers. The short, gray winter days didn’t help, either. After work, walking in the dark…
Updated CDC Guidelines on Monsters
Earlier this month when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated safety guidelines, we understand there was some confusion over the changes, especially in regard to conflicts with state regulations. New data is constantly emerging and our organization strives to keep up with the latest recommendations from experts. With that in mind, we’ve broken…
Pedaling as Fast as They Can
Walking into a bike shop in Humboldt, you’ll be greeted by the faint smell of rubber tires that hangs in the air and the clanging of wrenches, but walking over to the bike racks, you’ll likely find them mostly bare. Bicycles and even bike parts have become hard to come by in the pandemic. “Bicycles…
Eureka Boats Finding the Halibut
The weather finally cooperated for consecutive days and the Eureka boats took full advantage. Most of the angling effort was on the Pacific halibut grounds but quite a few boats made the trip south to Cape Mendocino. While the halibut bite isn’t wide open, most of the charter boats are putting clients into limits. It…
The Poverty of Excess
REVIEWS It has been, oh, 14 and a half months since I last went to the movies. The opportunity has arisen, recently, with the advent of COVID-19 vaccines and, before that, a collective denial/resignation/relaxing of the guard due to fatigue, frustration and, in some cases, willful ignorance. But because of the embarrassment of riches brought…
Forewarned but Still Not Ready
When James Brumder and his wife Louise Gonzalez moved into their home tucked up against the mountains northeast of Los Angeles, he applied all his know-how to the task of undoing the thirsty garden they inherited. Brumder, who worked for a commercial landscaping company, pulled up their weedy, unkempt lawn in Altadena and replaced it…
