Cover Story
Welcome to NCJ Burger Week!
Join us as we revel in our annual celebration of the hamburger. This year, 31 restaurants from Trinidad to Shelter Cove are participating in the revelry — topping patties with everything from peanut butter to pastrami to kimchi to waffles — to offer up mind-boggling creations. So many burgers, so little time. Is it humanly…
Movies Tonight: Wednesday, Oct. 4
It’s midweek in the beginning of the spooky month, so why not go and catch a big screen presentation of a slightly macabre and murderous musical? I am talking about the 1986 Frank Oz-directed iteration of The Little Shop of Horrors, starring Rick Moranis as the nebbish florist Seymour, who finds himself in thrall with…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Oct. 3
The Siren’s Song Tavern is hosting an interesting gig tonight at 7 p.m. The Secret Emchy Society is an Oakland-based, queer roots and country act that dabbles in the darker side of honky tonkin’, murder balladry. I don’t have a lock on the door price, but I’d suggest you give these folks a try regardless,…
Music Tonight: Monday, Oct. 2
Yet another Monday packed with metal over at Savage Henry Comedy Club at 7 p.m. This week’s offering is heavy in favor of the power violence genre, with touring Tijuana act Hong Kong Fuck You joining forces with local acts Grug!, T.I.C.K., and The Groomers. As always, this all-ages show is $10, and you need…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Oct. 1
Minneapolis rapper Prof is rolling through town again, once more appearing at the Arcata Theatre Lounge with an ensemble package of talent in tow, this tour’s been given the moniker “The High Priced Shoes.” Whatever that means is up for you to decipher; I’m here to share the details. Doors are at 7 p.m., you…
Mel Berti: 1936-2023
MEL BERTI CELEBRATION OF LIFE Oct. 29, 2023 – 1 p.m. RIVERLODGE, 1800 RIVERWALK DR. FORTUNA, CA Melvin John Berti went to Eternal Life on July 23, 2023, at the age of 84. Mel was a Fortuna native, born and raised in Fortuna. He attended Fortuna schools and has spent much of his life involved…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Sept. 30
The world of music runs not on the headliner alone but on their secret weapon. You can call them the hired gun, the sideman, the multi-instrumentalist, but the job really all shakes out to be the same thing: they can play almost anything, on almost any instrument and make it sound good. The late David…
Ferndale Rep’s Spooky Movie Series Kicks off Saturday with The Invisible Man
We are on the cusp of spooky season with October imminent and many favorite classic and soon-to-be classic horror and Halloween films set to dominate TV networks and streaming services. But how wicked would it be to watch them on the big screen with a group of like-minded fans? We’re in luck. Ferndale Repertory Theatre…
Music Tonight: Friday, Sept. 29
Unless you acted far in advance and managed to snag some tickets, the sold-out Thundercat show at the Van Duzen is not in your cards tonight, friend. Don’t sweat it though, the Miniplex is putting on a banger at 9 p.m. San Francisco’s warm, electro-tinged chamber pop act Healing Potpourri is in the house, and…
Open-Air Poetry Reading with David Holper
Even money you don’t have enough poetry or fresh air in your life right now. Get both on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. at 4007 Cedar St. in Eureka, where David Holper will be reading from his new book of poems Language Lessons: A Linguistic Hejira. Bring a lawn chair and settle in for…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Sept. 28
I’m going to suggest a nix on the big venue shows for tonight and instead juice the Adult Skate Night at the Blue Lake Roller Rink. I don’t have a dog in this hunt myself — I’ll be out of town celebrating my partner’s birthday in the wilds of the Great Northwest — but I…
Suspect in Fatal Eureka Stabbing Surrenders
A woman named as the suspect in the fatal Aug. 2 stabbing of her roommate at a residence on the 100 block of W. Sonoma Street turned herself in today, according to the Eureka Police Department. A news release states Eureka resident Destinee Grace Rhamy, 20 — who had been wanted in connection with the…
Theater Tonight: Wednesday, Sept. 27
The EXIT Theatre is once again hosting its monthly variety performance, The Something Different Show, hosted by local clown Shea FreeLove. Tonight’s events kick off at 7 p.m., and will feature 2023 Dell’Arte grads Alice Irvin, Grayson Klages and Damla Ari. Eight dollars gets you a seat in the applause section.
CHP Officer, Suspect in Fatal Hoopa Police Shooting Identified
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office today identified Neil Johnson as the CHP officer who fatally shot a suspect in Hoopa on Sept. 17 and identified the man killed as William Burrell Nelson, 43. An autopsy determined Nelson’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the chest. According to the news release, the California Department…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Sept. 26
Wahid is a Los Angeles-based duo that plays a syncretic blend of Greek and Turkish music spanning from the ancient world through the Ottoman Empire and into the early 20th century jazz and blues age of pre-war Europe. The result is a deeply human sound birthed in essence by the marriage of the frame drum…
Carriage House to Open in Arcata
Over the phone, chef Rochelle Burgess says she wasn’t looking for a restaurant gig after the abrupt closure of her former post, the Angelina Inn, in Fernbridge. Her work as a personal chef was going well enough and she wasn’t eager to work for someone else again. But after a friend tipped her off to…
Huffman, Citing Rio Dell, Asks FEMA for more ‘Flexible, Equitable’ Access to Disaster Aid
North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman questioned the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency about inadequacies built into the disaster relief program Sept. 19, specifically citing the recovery struggles in Rio Dell as an example of how the system is failing smaller, rural communities in the wake of natural disasters. While thanking FEMA Administrator Deanne…
Music Tonight: Monday, Sept. 25
Two venues, both alike in dignity, (in fair Humboldt, where we lay our scene), from ancient grudge to break new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. (Author’s note: There are two gigs happening at 7 p.m., so you have to pick a side.) If you are a shoegaze and dreampop loving Montague, then…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Sept. 24
Speaking of sun and stars, here are two events for your Sunday that cover the domain of each (let’s not get pedantic and point out that our sun is indeed also a star, because you know what makes that holy exploding orb stand waaaaay out from its fellows in the lives of us earthlings). First…
Bow & Arrow Circus Presents Pink Floyd-inspired Dark Side of the Circus
Someone once said that you don’t just listen to Pink Floyd’s classic album The Dark Side of the Moon, you experience it. And if you haven’t experienced it yet, or it’s been a while, or you have yet to experience a psychedelic circus show intricately choreographed to it, then you’re in for a treat this…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Sept. 23
Timbata is a local septet that specializes in Afro-Cuban music, as well as the many rhythmic derivations from the Caribbean and beyond. Tonight, this group, which has put in the time playing to many happy people under sun and stars, will be hitting it up at the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m. Just thinking about…
Burgers, Backpacks, Media and Weekend Recs
Grab some napkins — it’s NCJ Burger Week! And speaking of food, local nonprofit Food for People is calling for your help feeding kids in need. We’re also looking at why a local arrest blew up on right-wing media outlets. Finally, pick up some tips on local art and music shows this week, and what…
Get a Taste of the Deep South at Swamp Stomp
Who’s your crawdaddy? Find out at The Swamp Stomp, billed as a “family event bringing a taste of the Deep South to Humboldt County,” on Saturday, Sept. 23, from 1:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Park by Fat Anne’s (164 Dinsmore Drive) in Fortuna ($30, $20 kids 11-16, free for kids 10 and under). See…
Sip of Summer Hard Cider Festival Tomorrow
Life’s hard. Ergo, so should your cider be. If you’re in this camp, or if you just love a daytime festival in the park for a great cause, get your ticket to Sip of Summer 2023, taking place Saturday, Sept. 23, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Rohner Park ($30, $60 VIP, $10 nondrinker). The…
Can this Plan Fix California’s Insurance Crisis? What You Need to Know
A week after negotiations to rescue California’s floundering home insurance market stalled out in the Legislature, the state’s top insurance regulator put out his own rescue plan that effectively amounts to a trade for the state’s major insurers. Under proposed regulations Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Thursday, major insurers will be required to cover a…
Arrest Made After Fatal Hit and Run at Richardson Grove
A 57-year-old Carmichael man was killed and a Leggett man arrested after a hit-and-run crash on U.S. Highway 101 near Richardson Grove State Park on Wednesday. According to a California Highway Patrol press release, the 67-year-old Carmichael man was walking from a trail on the west edge of the roadway south of the park entrance…
Music Tonight: Friday, Sept. 22
Everyone hip to the deal of living in Humboldt knows our county magically balances a relatively mild-yet-diverse climate with an approximation of four distinct seasons. This is a rarer thing than one who is used to this way of living might readily acknowledge, so I am always in favor of celebrating a new season. A…
Humboldt Latin Dance and Music Festival Kicks off Tonight
Celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Latin America at the fourth annual Humboldt Latin Dance and Music Festival, happening Sept. 21-24 in the Creamery District (ticket price varies, see website). Brought to you by Humboldt Latin Dance Collective, the festival offers a variety of workshops in salsa, bachata, zouk and Cuban dances taught…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Sept. 21
I’ve long been a fan of larger ensemble groups playing traditional or genre music. I am thinking of the country swing sounds of the mini orchestras that famously back-up singers like k.d. lang and Lyle Lovett, or the large tropical pop groups that were the sonic palette of composers like Sergio Mendes and Henry Mancini.…
‘Touched a Nerve’
Editor: Thank you to Jere Bob Bowden for his Sept. 7 column entitled “Hope.” The piece touched a nerve for me, and I suspect for others, as well. In a world that is spiraling out of control, a common reaction is to just remain silent and hope it all passes, while inside a gnawing anxiety…
A ‘Wonderful Tribute’
Editor: Thank you all for including Marisa’s wonderful tribute to Sam Armanino (“Field Note for Sam,” Sept. 14). It’s been hard to read what happened but this was a beautiful piece that really summed up his adventurous spirit and goofy personality. Natalya Estrada, Arcata Related Stories
‘Be Involved’
Editor: Hear ye, hear ye! If you haven’t heard yet, the city of Arcata is making major changes in the proposed 2045 General Plan to enable and encourage development of high-density housing. This may well affect you and your neighborhood. Proposed are five to seven-story buildings in the 138-acre Gateway area (from Samoa Boulevard to Alliance Road, and including…
‘Vaping as an Alternative’
Editor: I was interested to read the letter by Ellen Golla in the recent mailbox (“All Wood Smoke is Toxic” Sept. 14), as over a decade ago I had done a significant amount of reading on the topic of the combustion chemistry of vegetable matter, albeit my interest was in a combusting material other than…
It’s Coming
Autumn is flying in On the wings of banded pigeons Gathering as they do As the days grow shorter. It’s ripening With apples, pears, and blackberries Fragrant in the late summer heat. It sings out With insects in the warmth Of night chasing the Golden glow of a Harvest sunset Below the horizon. Autumn is…
Community Effort Keeps Kids Fed
A local program aimed at making sure all Humboldt County school kids have daily access to food is looking for more community support as it struggles to meet soaring demand while facing spiking food prices. Started in 2006 as a pilot project to serve kids at three Fortuna school sites, Food for People’s Backpacks for…
Another Vintage
Things sound scarier, sadder or sexier in French. Take, for example, the mid-century jazz standard “Autumn Leaves.” Every pianist in America from that era had a crack at that tune, from the block-chord, frenetic mania of Bill Evans’ version to the over-sweetened hit by Roger Williams. The original French composition was called “Les Feuilles Mortes,”…
The Future is Now
On the heels of the COVID pandemic, many of us wonder what comes next for us as humans on planet Earth. We have seen — and continue to see — big changes with technology, our environment and beyond in recent years. Looking at our impact on our planet and how we live with it is…
Equinoctial To-Do and Native Plants
As we approach the autumnal equinox, there are plenty of things to do in your garden. Sure, the calendar says that summer is coming to an end, but we often get some of the nicest and warmest weather in September and October here on the coast. What things should you think about as the days…
Poirot’s Ghost in A Haunting in Venice
A HAUNTING IN VENICE. I am both an Agatha Christie fan and philistine, coming to her stories second hand, via my mother’s avid reading and BBC productions. Drinking tea with jam and toast beside my mother on the sofa as we watched, Belgian dandy Hercule Poirot became and remains my favorite of Christie’s detectives. Christie…
A Culture War’s Collateral Damage
In case you missed it — and unless you follow “news” websites of a certain political persuasion, you likely did — a story out of Humboldt County made national headlines last week. And if you missed the coverage, we’ve probably got you wondering what story was deemed so noteworthy or important that it pierced the…
California Says No to Privatizing Medicare
On Sept. 7 an unheralded piece of legislation passed 30-6 to put California unequivocally on the side of protecting traditional Medicare. Assembly Joint Resolution 4 requests President Biden to eliminate Wall Street profiteering from Medicare via a new program, ACO REACH. REACH is an invention by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) that…
‘A Heroic Act’
Editor: I want to bring attention to the “community member” who may have saved many lives by coming forward with information that a 15-year-old Eel River Community School student planned to arrive at school with weapons to deal with a dispute between that student and another (“A Troubling Trend,” Sept. 14). It takes courage to speak up…
