Cover Stories
At the Shooting Range
A thin man in a wide-brimmed hat ambles through the swinging door of the Old West Shootery and Supply. It’s a tired old building tucked behind an Italian restaurant on Fifth Street in Eureka. Rust stains drip down the off-white façade. The perimeter of the awning has been hand-painted with little red targets, now…
Confessions of a (Liberal) Assault Weapon Owner
Guns fascinate me, always have. The house where I grew up contained some guns, locked away except for rare, thrilling viewings. I didn’t shoot often in my youth, but I always found it exciting, dangerous and transcendent in its contained chaos. As I’ve aged, and as my politics have become increasingly left-leaning, my interest…
The Gun Issue
It’s hard to imagine what a schoolroom floor would look like, littered with the bodies of 6- and 7-year-olds. It’s hard not to imagine it, to be unable to close your eyes against it. And so, imagining or not imagining, we’re talking about guns again. What should we outlaw, or who should we arm? Congress…
Can We Ban Assault Guns?
In Sacramento this year, state legislators will be trying — again — to craft laws that might truly limit access to the guns of mass slaughter, instead of just inspiring fresh bouts of creativity from gun makers. In Washington, California’s senior senator will ask Congress — again — to try to ban assault weapons, this…
Bad Guys with Guns
Every month, the state of California sends police departments and county sheriffs all over the state a list of the people who just about everybody — including the NRA — agrees shouldn’t have guns. These are people who once did paperwork with the state indicating they have at least one gun. Then, later, they…
Humboldt Gun Sales
In 2011, the first year a county-by-county breakdown became available, dealers sold 2,162 guns in Humboldt County. From January through August of 2012, another 1,414 guns were sold here.
Eureka Inmate Leaps To His Death
Update Jan. 22: The fatal fall brings to 16 the number of inmates who have died in Humboldt County’s jail since 2000, according to county sheriff’s records. Except for 2001, when four inmates died, the annual death rate has ranged from zero to two. A three-year streak of no deaths at all behind bars ended…
How Good Are You At Naming Airports?
If you think you’ve got a snazzier name for our local airport than the current lame “Arcata/Eureka Airport” moniker than speak up now, citizen! In a press release issued today, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors announced it is seeking public input for a new airport name. Send your ideas to nametheairport@gmail.com. One caveat: the…
Who Shot The Ducks?
Somebody with a deep desire to enter the new year with some seriously bad karma blasted the life out of 21 ducks up off Fickle Hill Road. It happened on Dec. 29. Five different ducks species were represented among the dead. The weapon used was possibly a shotgun. And not a one was plucked and…
Fortuna Man Shot at Samoa Beach
Press release from Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office: On 01-15-2013, approximately 7:00 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to a local hospital emergency room to meet with a gunshot victim. When the deputy arrived he met with the 28 year old male victim and his wife, who are…
Stop Having Lots o’ Snow Fun In Kneeland, Jerks
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office sent out a press release this morning to remind Humboldt County residents that neither Kneeland nor its bountiful piles of white joy belong to them. Also, be really careful wherever non-Kneeland place you fools end up. The entire press release follows. Read it now: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has been…
Trying Again on Wave Energy
The latest West Coast foray into wave energy is coming from Newport, Ore.. That’s where Oregon State University’s (take a deep breath) Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center plans a big, “utility scale” test site that will be connected to the electric grid. The thing will be five miles offshore, and will zing its electricity…
A Loleta Divided…
(Click images throughout this story to “biggify” them.) In Saturday’s chilly, pre-dawn hours, supporters of the over 80-year-old Loleta Meat Market gathered, hung signs and set up a table full of donuts for what was scheduled to be a weekend-long protest. But to be clear, the sprinkled pastries they provided were not made by neighboring…
Huffman Giving Away Tix to Obama Inauguration
How cool is our new Second District U.S. congressdude? He jams with rockstars. He sends campaign materials that you can wash dishes with. And now he’s offering us, his constituents, a chance at free tickets to see President Obama’s second-term swearing in ceremony in D.C. on January 21. From his office: WASHINGTON- Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San…
Sandpiper Still in Limbo
A chain link fence surrounds most of Sandpiper Park, the unfinished mobile home park on South G Street in Arcata. The exception is a row of five houses facing the street where work is complete. Only the corner home is occupied. Two more have “sold” signs in their windows, but one of the low income…
Next, a Food Truck?
Update, Jan. 14: The federal goverment will pay just over $1 million a year, to start, to lease its new space at the Airport Business Park, according to the U.S. General Services Administration. The 20-year lease starts at $46.73 per rentable square foot, a rate that will increase over time along with the Consumer Price…
Parsing Pronouns
Editor: I always enjoy Barry Evans’ columns, and am envious of his ability to make even as unpromising a subject as pronouns (“Lord, Is It Me?” Dec. 27) entertaining, especially right after writing a column on hell — a tough act to follow. He’s so right — most of the time. Nobody I know would…
Clarification
An article about the top 10 stories of 2012 (Dec. 27) didn’t capture all the nuances of then-supervisor Clif Clendenen’s position on a proposed East-West rail line. Clendenen was in a 4-1 majority that favored the study of an East-West rail in September, but in December voted against a harbor and economic development resolution that…
New Eureka City Manager
New Eureka City Manager
Satin Dolls and Tommy Guns
A fair portion of what we remember of “The Roaring ‘20s” is based on films of the ‘30s, fast-moving tales full of machine-gun-toting gangsters and scandalously sexy women in satin gowns. At the time, a certain section of the American public was outraged by what was seen as Hollywood’s corrupting influence on moral decency.…
Pain Less
Are we done with New Year’s resolutions yet? No? Here’s an easy one: “I’d like to not hurt as much in 2013.” That’s a no brainer, right? Sure. Humboldtians who live with chronic pain — whether dealing with long-term health issues like diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, chronic pain, etc. — have a no…
“Different but Not”
Sometimes, things that seem to have little or nothing in common on the surface actually end up having more commonalities than differences when broken down into core components. This can be a surprising and informative revelation — one to keep in mind when viewing local artist Victoria Ryan’s new work. Ryan is known for her…
But To Love
Starting Thursday, an ad hoc group of familiar North Coast actors presents the first English language production anywhere of Requiem, a play by Heinrich Liebrecht about his experiences in Nazi concentration camps and afterward. In part — and improbably — it is a love story. Liebretcht’s concentration camp memoir in book form has been called…
Lame Mis …
I don’t usually agree with John Bennett’s film reviews, but he got it right-on with Mis (Filmland, Jan. 3). My daughter was visiting for the holidays, and when I asked her to go with me I got: “No Dad, it’s boring!” I should have listened to her. It was beyond boring. Victor Hugo’s classic has been filmed many…
Reggae Returns Home
It’s official. Reggae on the River is going home to French’s Camp, the bend in the Eel where it all began. Last week the Humboldt County Planning Commission signed off on a new Environmental Impact Report submitted by the Mateel Community Center and approved the nonprofit’s plan for a concert the first weekend in August…
Good Will Fracking
Reviews PROMISED LAND. Without Matt Damon and Frances McDormand in the leads, Promised Land would likely have faded into obscurity already. But both are eminently watchable, and very clever at giving life to the complex inner lives of the characters they play. They’ve each done more demanding work, but McDormand in particular is on…
Collect Myself
The many times With moons and suns spinning slowly I thought I might Collect myself and carry On … They suggested that I Carry on But the moments in the Tall red grass Screamed for the purest Moment … The purest of thought I thought About when my father screamed At me to…
Humboldt Crows
When Chicago-based singer/songwriter JT Nero, leader of the rock/soul/country band JT and the Clouds, started thinking about making a solo acoustic album, he ended up collaborating with his friend Allison Russell, a banjo/ukulele picker and vocalist from the Canadian urban folk outfit, Po’ Girl. Their respective bands had played together over the years, forming…
Put a Berry in It
Before we get started with the next installment of our Year of Cocktail-Themed Gardening, I have an announcement to make. Flavored vodkas are an abomination that should be stricken from cocktail menus worldwide, but particularly here in Humboldt County. I made my round of the bars this holiday season, and I was horrified to…
Arts! Arcata Friday, Jan. 11, 6-9 p.m.
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations in and around downtown Arcata. Visit www.artsarcata.com for even more information about the event or call (707) 822-4500. 1. ABRUZZI 780 Seventh St. Live music. 2. ARCATA ARTISANS COOPERATIVE 883 H St. Mixed media by Elaine Benjamin,…
Homer’s Wine-dark Sea (Part 1)
In Homer’s two epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the phrase “wine-dark sea” occurs dozens of times. Actually, it’s more like “wine-looking” (oinops, from oinos, wine and op-, the root for “see,” as in optic). The phrase isn’t just of interest to scholars of ancient literature, but has attracted an abundance of scientific interest.…
… or Marvelous Mis
Editor: Having picked up the last issue of your paper and noticing the negative spin suggested on the cover for the movie Les Miserables, I immediately went to the review written by John J. Bennett. I feel that everything about his review is misguided. I usually take such critiques with a grain of salt, but…
