Cover Story
Drunk in Public
In the long, hot month of August, as ash fell from the sky, the sun and moon did a brief astronomical dance and the public’s attention darted from national tragedies like Charlottesville and local dramas like the arson and razing of Eureka’s Blue Heron Motel, law enforcement officers in Humboldt County quietly continued to work…
La Vie en Duck Fat
When the erstwhile bistro Zoe’s newly installed wood fire oven went cold, it seemed that once again you could find anything in Henderson Center (coffee, bike repairs, mole, a haircut, a drink, Japanese kitchen gadgets, Lao rice cakes) except a starched white tablecloth. Then Le Monde (2850 F St., Eureka), a French venture by chef Alex Begovic…
Synapsis Studio’s Future up in the Air
A couple of weeks ago, Synapsis Performance Collective, a group of artists, dancers and performers that has been renting a space at 47 W. Third St. in Eureka for the past 13 years, learned that in six weeks, its rent would be doubling from $1,065 to $2,200 per month as of Oct. 1. It’s a…
Back in a Flash
Well, look what’s back again: the North Coast Journal Flash Fiction Contest. It’s time to send your original 99-word story (or fewer, title not included) to our judges for a shot at getting your work in the paper or winning a prize. Email as many entries as you like to fiction@northcoastjournal.com between now and 9…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Sept. 19
More legends from the reggae world are in town this week. Black Uhuru returns to the North Coast and this time at Humboldt Brews. You’ll want to grab a $25 ticket before they sell out. Local band Irie Rockers start out this 10 p.m. show.
County Warns Employees Personal Info May Have Been Compromised
The county of Humboldt just sent a letter to all of its more than 2,000 employees, warning that their personal information — including driver’s license numbers, social security numbers and bank routing information — may have been compromised. According to the letter, it’s unclear how many county employees this affects. In the letter, which is…
Samba Sunday
Sunny warm weather continued for another day for Sunday’s 44th annual North Country Fair on the Arcata Plaza. A large crowd soaked up the sunshine and the high energy created by the Samba da Alegria dancers with their 31st annual Samba Parade. Sunday’s Fair featured another round of live music and dance performances. Attendees checked…
Tastin’ Trinidad
Another fine get-to-know-your-town-and-local-food-producers happening in the northern part of Humboldt is the Greater Trinidad Chamber of Commerce’s Tastin’ Trinidad on Thursday, Sept. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Saunders Park ($20/$5 for kids under 13). There, you can taste samples from Lighthouse Grill, Moonstone Crossing Winery, Ocean Grove Lounge, Bergeron Winery, the Lost…
Music Tonight: Monday, Sept. 18
Sedona, Arizona-based singer-songwriter Brandon Decker comes to Arcata with his band decker (I believe the “d” is supposed to be lowercase) to rock the stage at The Jam. The band just recently release its latest album Into the Red, so they’re on the road and supporting the album across the states. It’s got roots rock,…
Franti Brings the Fire Even As Nihilism Beckons
Michael Franti is enjoying the blessings in between tragedies. When we spoke to the singer-songwriter on Monday, Sept. 11, a forest fire near Missoula Montana had led to some cancelled dates on his current tour with band Spearhead, allowing an unexpected two days at home in San Francisco with his wife and family. His oldest…
HumBug: Autumn is Here
Late in the year, sources of nectar are scarce and those species that depend on it concentrate around the dwindling resource. Wild anise, a few thistles and other small flowers support that insect population and therefore increase an photographer’s opportunities to see species often dispersed over a much larger area, so a short walk along…
All Species Saturday
Event organizers Same Old People were surrounded by a large crowd attending the first day of the 44th annual North Country Fair held on the Arcata Plaza on Saturday — with just one big change in tradition. The Northcoast Environmental Center’s All Species Parade swapped days with the Samba Parade, surprising a lot of attendees…
TL;DR Drunk in Public
Didn’t have time to read this week’s cover story? We get it. Summer just disappeared in a blink and now it’s time to get ready for one of those famous rainy Humboldt winters. If you’d rather spend the weekend winterizing the house than catching up on current events, we put together a quiz from week’s…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Sept. 17
It’s Day Two of the North Country Fair so do that. Local favorites Michael Franti & Spearhead return to Humboldt tonight to perform at the Van Duzer Theater up on HSU’s campus at 8 p.m. On their Love Out Loud Tour, expect the usual positivity, hopeful optimism and socio-political calls for togetherness. Tickets are $66…
Trump Tax Return Bill Moves to Governor’s Desk
The California Legislature has passed a bill by North Coast Sen. Mike McGuire requiring presidential candidates to publicly release five years of tax returns before being placed on Golden State ballots, sending it on to Gov. Jerry Brown and, potentially, putting him in an awkward spot. The bill, which McGuire authored in the wake of…
Local Law Enforcement Leaders Promise to Protect Immigrants
Every pew in the small white United Methodist Church at the corner of Del Norte and F streets was filled on Monday evening, with people standing in the back aisles and sitting on plastic chairs in the overflow room. Many fanned themselves with programs. Spanish speakers wore headsets provided by the Humboldt Area Foundation, listening…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Sept. 16
It’s Day One of the North Country Fair happening in and around the Arcata Plaza so go soak up the sun and the sound of talented local musicians playing throughout the day. Local acoustic trio For Folk’s Sake — who have one of the better band names — are up at the Mad River Brewery…
All Creatures Great and Small at the North Country Fair
Arcata hosts a few festivals each year to which pretty much the whole community turns out. Revelers stream through the plaza’s four corners to spend the day weaving through the crowds, perusing craft and food booths, twirling to music in the closed-off streets, eating, drinking and lounging on the grass. The most colorful of the…
Have a Little Taste at Corks, Forks and Kegs
Pop into Corks, Forks and Kegs. Saturday, Sept. 16, 4 to 8 p.m. Central Avenue, McKinleyville ($40, $35 advance, $30/$25 designated driver). This event’s got legs, how about you? Stroll the streets stopping at locations throughout town to sample some of the area’s best food and drink. This 21-and-over only event features beer/wine and food…
California Indian Days Gathering
The California Indian Days Gathering on Saturday, Sept. 16 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bear River Recreation Center (free admission) is a full day honoring Native American cultures and contributions. See dance demonstrations, arts and crafts vendors, a youth basketball tournament and more. Save room for Indian tacos and/or a salmon dinner.
Music Tonight: Friday, Sept. 15
Today kicks off the recurring annual Beast Please Be Still festival which runs today and tomorrow. Put on by former local Datura Blues member Oryan Peterson-Jones, you’ve got some experimental and mind-expanding music at multiple venues today and tomorrow. Things start off early today at Northtown Coffee at 4 p.m. with Oakland musician Vinnie Byrne…
Moto Envy Show
Hello, Moto. Stop by the Moto Envy Show at Black Lightning Motorcycle Cafe on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 3 p.m. to see who’s zoomin’ what at the bike show, see who’s wearing what at the jacket show and watch the slow race. Listen to live music, visit vendor booths and buy a raffle ticket for…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Sept. 20
Those of you out in the Cream City have a treat tonight courtesy of Inscrutable Rabbit, playing at the Victorian Inn at 7 p.m. tonight. It’s a guitar/mandolin duo comprised of local wavelength rider and mystery of a man Jeff DeMark and stringed-truth teller Marc Jeffares. Pay attention to their shadows and don’t underestimate them.…
No Spoilers: Woodshock’s Red Carpet Evening
On the evening of Saturday, Sept. 9, the line for the red-carpet special screening of Woodshock at the Minor Theatre wrapped around the block. The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission and Minor Theatre co-hosted the catered event for the locals — scouts, transportation crew, extras and more — who participated in the film’s five weeks of…
Beast, Please!
Thursday We should be having some relatively warm — yet sane — weather here on the coast this weekend, which is good for any of you festival goers, but if that’s not enough for you, head over to Blue Lake, where it will be a few degrees warmer. Local blues band the Lost Dogs are…
‘Toward Danger’
Twenty-six-year-old Ervin Eugene Sweat Jr. was wanted on a pair of warrants and facing imminent arrest when he stepped out of a Ford truck and opened fire on police officers, initiating the gunfire exchange that killed him on Sept. 9, Arcata Police Chief Tom Chapman said at a press conference two days later. During the…
Dispelling the Princess Myth
As a child, I wasn’t much for princesses and happy-ever-after fairytales, and most Disney interpretations of princessdom passed me by, so I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to relate to this musical reinterpretation of multiple Disney princess stories. Fortunately, Redwood Curtain Theatre’s production of Disenchanted provides just enough of the saccharine background for…
Losers Rejoice
Reviews IT. Stephen King has a hard time relinquishing creative control of his body of work. He famously hated Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining, saying it left out the moral overtones of its source material. In 1997, King tried to rectify this by collaborating on a television miniseries that starred goofy-haired Steven Weber (’90s…
Correction
The Legal Notices section of the Sept. 7, 2017, edition of the North Coast Journal mistakenly substituted an old Property Tax Default (Delinquent) List from the Humboldt County Treasurer-Tax Collector, when that office had provided us with a current one. The treasurer-tax collector’s office sought to run a new 2017 listing in the Journal but,…
Vexed by Vax ‘Bias’
Editor: I love Linda Stansberry’s writing and have have learned a lot from many of her previous articles. I have to take issue with “Shot in the Dark: With SB 277 fully in effect, parents explore shrinking options” (Aug. 31) because she expresses a clear anti vaccine bias. I would have entitled a similar article:…
‘Vindicated’
Editor: I am Daren’s aunt. I had a strong, close lifelong relationship with my nephew and I loved him dearly (“‘The Hollow Men,'” Sept. 7). For the 20 years he lived in Humboldt County I was his primary point of contact. Daren was a beautiful person with a ready laugh and a warm heart. He…
Follow Houston
Editor: The city of Eureka and Humboldt county government have made many efforts to address homelessness over the years. Though some individuals have been helped, the greater population without homes is still suffering. I consider the American homeless collateral damage of our present economic system. They’ve been driven from the rental market, robbed of their…
Vote Them Out
Editor: Thank you Suzanne Cook for your letter concerning California Senate Bill 562 (Mailbox, Aug. 31). This is such important legislation that would provide all residents of California with “access” to healthcare we all need, minus the co-pays, deductibles and premiums, the cost of which continue to rise without restriction and which demand people choose…
Things Stay the Same
Cody King made a hard decision. The lanky 28-year-old, born and raised in Honeydew, who came of age when CAMP helicopters still buzzed the hills, told himself there was nothing to fear when members of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office pulled up to his gate. This was in 2016 and King had a folder full…
The Name of the Blob
On a beach somewhere, a colorful blob is washing up and ignorant parents are calling it “a jellyfish” in front of the children, who respond, “That’s not a fish, it’s a cnidarian medusa.” Any respect for Mom and Dad is forever stained. Don’t be those parents. Arm yourself with the following. Medusae Your classic “jellyfish”…
‘Overlooked’
Permit me to deliver myself of a considerable amount of pent-up feeling regarding the whole cannabis issue. I’ve seen it all, having lived in SoHum for 45 years. Phase I, the Age of Innocence, when hippies sat naked in the sun with a toke under their skin, thanking God for the wonderful life amidst natural…
Whole Hog
Some time ago, my son approached me with the idea of building our own waterwheel-powered rotisserie large enough to spit and roast a whole pig. Every year he joins a group of friends for a get together at an undisclosed location on the Trinity River and this time he wanted to bring something a bit…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Sept. 14
We should be having some relatively warm — yet sane — weather here on the coast this weekend, which is good for any of you festival goers, but if that’s not enough for you, head over to Blue Lake, where it will be a few degrees warmer. Local blues band the Lost Dogs are on…
