Cover Story
Banned
When Mohammad Maleki finally arrived at the small Turkish hotel room down the road from the airport, he put down his luggage — which held a bag of Iranian pistachios he’d bought for a professor — and crashed onto the bed to sleep. He didn’t know it yet, but that small brown room down the…
Back to the Shack
Surfside Burger Shack (445 Fifth St., Eureka) looks more or less the same — like a colorful, well-used surfboard with a few dings in it. Walking in off the street, you might not guess it’s under new ownership. After a deep inhale, you might just think the place is back on its game after a…
UPDATE: CHP Reports Three Fatalities in State Route 299 Crash
Second Update: The CHP has confirmed that 3-year old Aubrey, the Woods’ daughter, has succumbed to her injuries. Update: The CHP has confirmed the name of the passenger in the Chrysler who died in the crash as 53 year old Janine Elaine Orcutt of Hoopa. Previously: The California Highway Patrol is reporting two fatalities — including an…
Not Guilty Plea Entered in Fatal Stabbing of 19-Year-Old HSU Student
The 23-year-old McKinleyville man accused in the fatal stabbing of Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson pleaded not guilty to murder and a related weapons charge at his arraignment today. A preliminary hearing for Kyle Christopher Zoellner is set for May 1, District Attorney Maggie Fleming stated in an email to the Journal. His…
Share Your Stories About The Two Days That Shook Humboldt
With the 25th anniversary of the Cape Mendocino earthquake coming up next week, the Journal invites our readers to share their memories of those two days in 1992 when it almost felt like the earth would not stop moving. The magnitude-7.2 temblor followed by a series of strong aftershocks, including a 6.5 and 6.6, caused…
HSU Athletics May Tie University to Pepsi Contract
Meredeth Garrott walked up to the front of the room. All administrators, students and community member’s eyes fell on the environmental science major as she read aloud the Humboldt State University graduation pledge. She said if the students are held to the pledge, then the institution that teaches them should be, as well, and partnering…
APD Seeks ‘Valuable’ Witness to Fatal Stabbing, Releases More Information
The Arcata Police Department is continuing to urge witnesses to Saturday’s fatal stabbing of Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson to come forward and cooperate with the investigation. “The reality is a 19-year-old young man lost his life and it’s terrible and tragic and horrific and I think if anyone has evidence or information,…
Music Tonight – Tuesday, April 18
UPDATE: Despite the information we received from Charles Lloyd’s management, Lucinda Williams will not be taking the stage tonight with the sax legend. Sticking with the Van Duzer, Charles Lloyd & the Marvels will be on the stage tonight at 8 p.m. A jazz giant, Lloyd has played saxophone with many of the greats. Let…
Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival
Gone birdin’. The Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival arrives April 19-25 with events happening around the county and at the Arcata Community Center (see www.godwitdays.org for schedule/pricing). The annual festival features nearly 100 field trips, workshops and lectures, as well as a free bird fair with vendors, artists, live birds of prey and family…
Witnesses Sought in Fatal Arcata Stabbing
The Arcata Police Department is looking to interview everyone who attended the house party where a 19-year-old Humboldt State University student was fatally stabbed early Saturday morning. “Sometimes people are witnesses without really knowing they were witnesses, so we’re doing our best to reach out to and speak to everyone,” said Arcata Police Chief Tom…
UPDATE: Eureka Postpones Vote on Temporary Shut Down of Visitor’s Center
UPDATE: A city council vote on whether to temporarily shut down the Eureka Visitor’s Center has been postponed until May 2 to allow Mayor Frank Jager and City Manager Greg Sparks to attend the meeting. Previous: The Eureka City Council on Tuesday will consider temporarily shutting down the visitor’s center after the Greater Eureka Chamber…
UPDATED: Early Morning Blaze at Hoopa High School
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office sent a press release with information about a later fire, found at 10 a.m. the same day, that was confirmed as an “intentional act of arson.” That fire, at the Hoopa Tribal Fisheries building, self-extinguished and caused only minor damage to the building. Previously: Three structures at Hoopa Valley…
Cannifest Destiny
Attending Cannifest at Redwood Acres was clearly a high point of the weekend for a large crowd in attendance on Saturday. The “sustainable agriculture” event, billed as “Humboldt’s manifest cannabis festival and trade gathering,” was quite a contrast from the recent Logging Conference also held at Redwood Acres. It was a look into the rapidly…
Music Tonight – Monday, April 17
Recently wrapping up the sold-out Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Tour, Arlo Guthrie comes up the road to visit us here in Humboldt. On the road with his band Shenandoah (comprised of Terry A La Berry, Steve Ide, Carol Ide and Abe Guthrie), Arlo’s Running Down The Road Tour brings some of his favorite cuts from…
Humboldt International Film Festival
The Humboldt International Film Festival, the world’s oldest student-run film fest, turns 50 this year. Nicely done. Returning to the restored Minor Theatre on April 19-22 ($5 each night), the festival showcases independent filmmakers’ works from around the world. Don’t miss a special Humboldt International Film Fest: Throwback Thursday event April 13 at 7:30 p.m.…
HSU Students Take on Pepsi
Humboldt State University students are fighting administrators plans to sign another contract with PepsiCo, Pepsi soda’s parent company. The current five-year contract ends June 30, which will be the third contract in the last 15 years. On Monday, there will be a public meeting — attended by students, administration and the PepsiCo task force —…
HumBug: Dragons and Fairies
On a recent dry day, I took my camera out to the garden and got what may be technically the best dragonfly photograph I have gotten. A member of the mosaic darner group, named for the mosaic pattern on their abdomens, the California darner (Rhionaeschna californica) is one of the first dragonflies to be seen…
HSU Student Fatally Stabbed Amid House Party Fist Fight
A stabbing in Arcata early this morning left a 19-year-old Humboldt State University student dead. Details are scant at this point, but the university issued a press release this morning reporting that the stabbing occurred off campus and is being investigated by the Arcata Police Department, which has a suspect in custody but is still…
Music Tonight – Saturday, April 15
Local blues and R&B band the Lost Dogs are up at the Mad River Brewery around 6 p.m. and playing for free. As mentioned above, former local songstress/storyteller/Morning DJ Lila Nelson is in town to play music for the first time after her time abroad. With folky roots and insightful and oft-times whimsical lyrics, she’ll…
Brett Watson Selected as New Arcata Councilmember
Small business owner Brett Watson will join the Arcata City Council on April 19 after being unanimously selected by the other councilmembers following last night’s candidate forum. He will serve out the remainder of Mark Wheetley’s term, which ends in December of 2018. After 12 years of public service, Wheetley stepped down in March to…
Music Tonight – Friday, April 14
Arts Arcata is upon us and as of press time, the weather should be non-rainy. That means you can stroll around the Arcata Plaza and soak up the myriad of local musicians and bands vibrating the air. If art + Arcata ain’t your thing, perhaps check out local rockers Wild Otis at the Mad River…
Egg Scramble
It’s that time of year when kids dressed in their springtime best swarm grassy lawns, searching for little pastel pods filled with chocolates, jelly beans and other sweet stuff. So where can your little peeps snatch Easter eggs or pose for photos with the bun of the hour? They’re all happening this Saturday, April 15…
Music Tonight – Thursday, April 13
You can get your pre-Arts Arcata game on tonight at the Redwood Curtain Brewery, which is celebrating its seventh anniversary with local indie-grass powerhouse The Absynth Quartet. The band will be jamming away around 8 p.m. and all for free. Celebrate good local beer with good local music.
High Times
With two weed-centric events coming up, this is going to be a busy week for some folks and an extremely chill one for others. First, there’s Cannifest, “Humboldt’s Manifest Cannabis Festival & Trade Gathering,” happening Saturday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at…
The Fear: Karaoke
Fear is exhausting. Constantly fighting, flying or freezing leaves me with nothing but fatigue. Everyone has fears and phobias, but I have so many: heights, drowning, clowns, abandonment, failure, Ferris wheels, horses … the list goes on. When I say I’m tired of living in fear, I’m not speaking metaphorically. It’s time to face a…
Untitled
The moment It presented itself So clean Naked Black sky One star A gift just for me I grabbed it Stuffed it in my pocket Took it home Chewed grinded to the bone Savored Woke up With no regrets Just a million ideas
Points of Egress
Not long ago, I found myself in the recently renamed California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport, looking at art. Perhaps you haven’t given much thought to the airport as arts venue — me neither, until my delayed luggage turned into an occasion to contemplate works of art on display as part of the Redwood Art…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.arcatamainstreet.com or call 822-4500 for more information. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. April featured artists: “Dogs,” Diane Sonderegger, high fired stoneware and porcelain sculptures, and Patricia Sennott, monotype prints and watercolor paintings. Wine pour benefits the…
There and Back Again, a Musician’s Tale
We here in Humboldt are lucky. It’s easy to forget but deep down we know that. We live in a rural part of the state that’s hard to get to and have a low average median income for a family of four compared to much of the rest of California, if my memory is correct.…
Dinner with an Old Friend
Short of a meal with an old friend, cooking a recipe from an old friend is the next best thing. A couple of weeks ago, I called Hoa, whom I met when we were at University of California Santa Barbara, to ask for her recipe for fried rice with lap xuong, or Chinese sausage. “You…
Farmer to Farmer
The Buckeye Conservancy, a local nonprofit that represents large landowners in Humboldt County, has released an official position paper on the cannabis industry, censuring the “commercial farming, production and marketing of federally illegal marijuana in Humboldt County, and/or its neighboring counties.” The paper, published last month, continues to say: “We realize that the voters of…
Let’s Talk About Rex
Humboldt County First District Supervisor Rex Bohn just really doesn’t seem to get it. Now, I qualify that claim since we haven’t had a chance to have a good, old fashioned on-the-record interview with Bohn because, as a matter of personal policy, he doesn’t talk to the Journal. So Bohn has declined our requests to…
Bad Sea Rising
As our climate warms, one of the more under-recognized consequences for future generations is global sea level rise (GSLR), especially considering that nearly 4 billion people on Earth live within 100 miles of the coast. In this and the following column, I’ll try to answer some questions I keep hearing, starting with the obvious ……
Cringeworthy
TONI ERDMANN. I pride myself on an appreciation of bizarre cinema, from camp to cult to psychedelic to oddball. It’s not that I’m steely — plenty of genre films leave me unnerved or nonplussed. I cannot claim to understand Mulholland Drive or have particularly liked Holy Motors; nor are the charms of a blockbuster or…
Glow and Flow
An impressive variety of 11 choreographed pieces with 50 dancers compose Luminescence, the Humboldt State University Dance Program’s spring concert. The production is the culmination of original student and staff work, crafting choreographies, costuming, staging and lighting. Modern, jazz, hip-hop, contemporary and other dance styles are included in the many interpretations performed. Luminescence is a…
Gone to Potter
Editor: Your feature about the potters, Shannon and David, is a fine story (“Containment Strategy,” March 30). I was leafing through a copy of the Journal while having lunch in Arcata, looking for a crossword puzzle. The photo of the lidded jar caught my attention, as a former ’60s potter, and I read your review…
Women Needed
Editor: What we have learned from the Trump administration is that we need leaders who are smarter, more experienced, hardworking, inclusive, compassionate, more helpful in their communities, less militaristic, enthusiastic about having quality health care for all, for better education, affordable housing and universal childcare. In other words, we need more women leaders. Every election…
Magic Mike
Is it hot in the Arcata Theatre Lounge? Or is it just Magic Mike playing on Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m. ($5)? Channing Tatum stars as a waxed and wistful exotic dancer with aspirations outside the club in Steven Soderbergh’s comedy/drama/two-hour bachelorette party. Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer also star/drop trou.
