The State of the Grange
A legal battle divides the brothers and sisters of a 149-year-old fraternal institution
Cover Story
The State of the Grange
On Dec. 14, 1934, the meeting hall where the Mattole Grange held events burned to the ground due to an unattended woodstove. Grange members rallied the community, collecting funds and promises of labor, and obtaining a tract of land for a permanent hall. By July of 1935, Mattole Grange #569 had risen from the ashes.…
What’s Humboldt Funding? Wrecks, Pets and Murder on the Internet
If you’re looking for evidence of Humboldt’s generosity, anecdotes alone usually suffice. We have an abundance of local non-profits, volunteer organizations and do-gooders, both in and out of the limelight. Every weekend, offers a dozen different opportunities to dance, pun, sculpt or drink for a good cause. But what about those of us who don’t…
Orleans Woman First Road Death of 2016
A 24-year-old woman traveling on State Route 96 yesterday morning was the first road death of 2016. Drugs and alcohol are suspected to be a factor in the collision. Neither the woman nor the 2-year-old also in the car were restrained by seatbelts. The woman died as a result of her injuries; the infant was…
Little Detail in State Homeless Housing Proposal
North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire joined several of his colleagues in Los Angeles last week to unveil a proposed budget package that would throw more than $2 billion at housing California’s homeless population, the largest in the country. “Whether it’s downtown L.A. on Skid Row, or downtown Eureka, local communities are lacking the funding…
Tituses Get $150K in Fair Board Settlement
The Humboldt County Fair Association has settled a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by its former General Manager, Stuart Titus, and his wife Caroline, agreeing to pay the couple $150,000. Describing the lawsuit as “all consuming,” Caroline Titus told the Journal that she and Stuart are happy to put it behind them and move forward. The…
Arcata Councilmember Arrested for DUI
Arcata City Councilmember and Third District supervisorial candidate Mark Wheetley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Thursday night near the Samoa Bridge. California Highway Patrol Officer Cy May said Wheetley was traveling southbound when an officer pulled him over for speeding on State Route 255 near New Navy Base Road. May said…
Oasis
January can be a bit of a desert for entertainment. But this week the Arcata Playhouse saves parched theater fans, hosting the international, award-winning play, A Day in the Desert, showing Jan. 8 at 4 and 8 p.m. and Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. ($20, Playhouse members $15, youth $10). The musical, mime/clown theatrical collaboration…
Supes Nix Planning Commission’s Tweaks of Medical Marijuana Draft Ordinance
In a play-it-safe move, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday that it would base its discussion on a proposed outdoor medical marijuana ordinance on the original draft produced by county staff, before it underwent dozens of hours of public comment and was re-written by the planning commission in November and December. When supervisors discussed…
Getting Better
Congratulations, you’ve survived the “holiday season.” My apologies to those that didn’t survive. For the rest of us, our extended families have left town, our Christmas trees are dying and we’re broke. Sure, the kids liked their presents, but that will fade in a few more days, leaving us to wonder why the hell we…
Bara Brith
Way back in the aughts, in bonny Scotland, there existed for one shining year possibly the Greatest Band Ever. I was fortunate enough to be part of this swell international gang, known as Yay Us!, which consisted of myself, two Tasmanians, a Scot and a Welsh woman. One of our greatest hits heard us all…
Tick, Tock
The Fortuna City Council voted unanimously Jan. 4 (with Councilmember Linda Gardner absent) to approve the first reading of an ordinance banning almost any medical marijuana activity, including cultivation for personal use, within city limits. The city already has a ban on medical marijuana dispensaries on its books, but the expansion of the prohibitions, City…
Iconoclasm Spasm
The past year was a rough one for public art in these parts. The summer months saw at least three public sculptures destroyed by vandalism. Those artworks, installed at Eureka’s C Street Market Square by Humboldt-based sculptors Robert Benson, Malia Penhall, and Benjamin Funke, were either lost or damaged beyond repair. Now “Following Current Events,”…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations in Arcata. Visit www.facebook.com/artsarcata for more information or call 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. “Best of Show,” Joyce Jonté and Dana Ballard, paintings; Libby George and Patricia Sennott, print making; Jim Lowry, photography; and Betsy Roberts, metalwork. ARCATA…
Haters
Reviews THE HATEFUL EIGHT. Looking back on my lukewarm (pardon the pun) response to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I wondered if it was me, more than the movie, that had let me down. The promise of a Star Wars that could return me to the bygone feeling of discovery and wonder that movies used…
Golden Omission
Editor: Perhaps NCJ should have published “The Top 11 Stories of 2015.” Near the top of your list (“The Top 10 Stories of 2015,” Dec. 31) should have been an event of international significance: the relaunch of the Golden Rule on June 20. Peaceniks and sea-dogs from across the country and from across the decades…
Movie of the Year
Editor: John J. Bennett left out several great movies from 2015 (“Filmland,” Dec. 31). Bridge of Spies was possibly the best of the year. Grandma and Room were two other greats not mentioned by Bennett. I agree with him about Spotlight and will have to catch up on some of his others, but I won’t…
Mirror, Mirror
Editor: Barry Evans (“Field Notes,” Dec. 31) perpetuates a common misconception by stating that a mirror reverses left and right. If that were true, up would be reversed with down. Actually, a mirror inverts back to front. When you face north, your image faces south, and thus appears to be left-handed. Don Garlick, Fieldbrook
Hope for the Homeless
Editor: Over 30 years ago, my wife and I built a home in Humboldt. We went on to have careers in the community and have happily paid our taxes and voted in every election, knowing that we were blessed to live in a place that offered fresh ocean air and natural beauty, but also thinking…
Some Controls Necessary
Editor: First, I don’t own a gun nor am I opposed to the ownership of guns (rifles and shotguns) by people who enjoy hunting (“Tipping Point?” Dec. 10). However, I am uneasy and don’t understand several things related to guns. Why is a license not required to own a gun and why is it not…
Look Both Ways
Following a terrible year for countywide traffic deaths, Eureka is continuing its push to make its streets safer. In August, the city produced a transportation safety action plan, a collection of data, goals and priorities to lower the number of collisions in city limits. To do that, the city needed to look at car crashes.…
Cray Cray
Crayfish, mud bugs, swamp lobsters or crawdads — call them what you like; these little crustaceans are as delicious as they are abundant in freshwater along the North Coast. I look forward to every autumn and winter for the abundance of fungi, wild greens, shellfish, and yes, a seasonally strong and impressively sustainable sweet swamp…
