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Monday, September 18, 2023
New Details Released in CHP Officer's Fatal Shooting of a Suspect Near Hoopa
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Mon, Sep 18, 2023 at 6:24 PM
According to a news release, the officer was with a HCSO deputy monitoring traffic near the 12700 block of State Route 96, south of Legion Way, when they observed a silver Jetta with several vehicle code violations, including a broken windshield, and the CHP officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop around 7:30 a.m.
When the driver failed to pull over, the release states, a short pursuit ensued to Mesket Lane, where the Jetta stopped at a turnout and the driver fled down a trail into a nearby residential and wooded area with the California Highway Patrol office in pursuit, which ended in a “violent confrontation” around Alameda Way.
“The specific details of this confrontation remain under investigation; however, initial evidence indicates the officer deployed a taser during this altercation, striking the man,” the release states. “An officer involved shooting followed and the man sustained multiple gunshot wounds, succumbing to his injuries on scene. The officer sustained serious head injuries and a bite wound as a result of the confrontation and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.”
The deputy, who followed the pursuit “from a distance,” according to the release, arrived at the vehicle still occupied by two women, who were “detained, questioned and released as part of this investigation.”
The release states that the Humboldt County Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT), led by the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Division and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, was activated in response and a preliminary investigation indicates the individual was not in possession of weapons “defined by the Department of Justice as ‘deadly’” at the time of the shooting.
“Under Assembly Bill 1506, all incidents of an officer involved shooting resulting in the death of a civilian armed with specific weapons must be investigated from inception to conclusion by the California Department of Justice’s Police Shooting Investigation Team (CaPSIT),” the release states. “The goal of the CaPSIT program is to produce the most comprehensive, thorough, accurate and timely investigation possible. As a third-party investigator, this team serves to add increased transparency in the officer involved shooting investigation process and ultimately submits its findings to the California Attorney General for review.”
A CaPSIT team arrived at the scene around 6 p.m. Sunday, the release states, and investigators reported finding “a loaded firearm, drug paraphernalia and an open container of alcohol” in the vehicle.
The name of the individual who was shot will be released following an autopsy, which is still being arranged, according to HCSO.
Monday, September 11, 2023
Remembering Richard Guadagno, Passenger 19A on Flight 93
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Mon, Sep 11, 2023 at 1:23 PM
One of those passengers was Richard Guadagno, the former manager of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, who was flying home from his native New Jersey, where he’d been attending his grandmother’s 100th birthday.
As part of an interview with the Journal five years ago, Diqui LaPenta, who was his girlfriend at the time, said one of the best ways to honor his memory is to visit the refuge or just "appreciate where we live and do everything you can to protect the natural beauty."
The following is the full story on Guadagno from the Journal's Sept. 13, 2018 edition.
September is an especially difficult month for Diqui LaPenta. On Tuesday, she marked 17 years since her boyfriend Richard Guadagno was killed amid the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. His birthday will soon follow.
Guadagno was just two weeks shy of turning 39 when he died, believed to be one of the passengers and crew who stormed the cockpit of Flight 93, bringing the plane down on an empty field rather than its intended target, thought to have been the U.S. Capitol.
The pain of his loss is evident as LaPenta recalls their time together, her voice raw with emotion as she talks about the man she knew and once thought she might marry.
"It's a blessing to have loved so deeply to hurt so much," she says. "No, it's something you don't get over, but you get through it. Over and over again, you get through it."
The two had begun dating in March of 2000 and although Guadagno liked to say the two met at Clam Beach, which she says is technically true, that's really where they saw each other for the first time after becoming acquainted via online personals.
It was a doggy walking date, LaPenta says, he with his black German shepherd and constant companion "Raven" and she with her Australian shepherd mix "Aiki."
They had a great deal in common, including a love of animals and backgrounds in biology. He managed the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and she's a professor at College of the Redwoods and the associate dean for Math, Science, Behavioral and Social Science.
The plan had been to spend a couple of hours together but they decided to go out for brunch and she knew almost immediately their connection had the makings of something special. "It was him in his truck in front of me and I saw him reach over and he kissed Raven and I was like, 'I could love that man,'" LaPenta recalls.
After that day, they were rarely apart.
Soon they'd settled into a comfortable routine, making dinner together nearly every night, watching The Simpsons and spending weekends with their cherished dogs.
It wasn't a rut, LaPenta emphasizes, they were simply happy. They spent a lot of time enjoying the region's natural beauty, often traveling to the Mendocino coast, she says, noting that they were model dog owners who were careful to never take their canine duo on trails or other areas where dogs were not allowed.
The couple took the trip of their lifetime together in August of 2001, journeying out to the Big Island, where pictures show the two smiling as they posed together in front of a cascading waterfall.
"He wasn't a fan of flying," LaPenta says, "but he really wanted to go to Hawaii. So, we went."
Then came Sept. 11.
Friday, September 8, 2023
Sheriff's Office Releases Names of 3 Dead in Apparent McKinleyville Murder-Suicide
Posted By Thadeus Greenson and Kimberly Wear on Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 2:26 PM
They have been identified as Kimberly Anne King, 62, and Kip Kari King, 58, who resided in the home with Max Gerald Hunt, 81, the boyfriend of Kip King’s deceased mother.
Hunt is suspected of shooting the married couple before killing himself.
“As this case is still under investigation, we are unable to disclose additional information regarding motive or circumstances surrounding the incident,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Samantha Karnes said today in an email to the Journal.
The three are believed to have been dead for at least a week but likely longer, she said.
According to previously released information, deputies responded to the residence on the 1400 block of Marty Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Monday on a welfare check after one of individuals missed an appointment and could not be reached.
The HCSO noted in a Wednesday news release that several suicide prevention services are available, including the following 24-hour hotlines: Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988, press 1 for veterans. Ayuda en Español: 988. The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 and the 24-hour Behavioral Health Crisis Line at (707) 445-7715 or toll-free (888) 849-5728.
For a list of additional resources, click on the link here for Suicide and Violence Prevention Resources for Service Providers in English and here for resources in Spanish.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Find the Wednesday release below:
CA Lawmakers Want to Tax Guns and Ammo
Posted By Lynn La/CalMatters on Fri, Sep 8, 2023 at 9:53 AM
On Thursday:
Gun tax: After years of failed efforts, the Legislature sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a measure to tax firearms and ammunition to fund gun violence prevention in California, CalMatters’ Alexei Koseff reports.
Assembly Bill 28 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, a Woodland Hills Democrat, would impose an 11 percent excise tax on retailers and manufacturers for sales of guns or ammunition. Modeled on a similar federal levy for wildlife conservation, the tax could bring in an estimated $160 million annually for violence intervention programs, school safety improvements and law enforcement efforts to confiscate guns from people who are prohibited from owning them.
- Gabriel, to CalMatters: “We’ve passed a lot of good gun safety laws. The data shows that we have a lower gun death rate here in California than we do in other states. But this was one of the big things that was still out there.”
Lawmakers unsuccessfully pursued sales or excise taxes on guns and ammunition — which face a higher two-thirds threshold for approval — half a dozen times over the past decade, some of which never even got a hearing.
That made Thursday particularly momentous for supporters. In the morning, Gabriel and several Assembly colleagues watched a lengthy floor debate in the Senate from the back of the chamber; Democrats narrowly approved AB 28 over the objections of Republicans, who said businesses would simply pass the cost onto customers, an unfair burden for sports shooters and hunters who frequently buy ammunition. After a final vote in the Assembly hours later, Gabriel was bombarded with congratulatory hugs.
“I’m going to cry. I’m going to cry. What a journey,” said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat whose husband leads the gun control organization Giffords.
The bill now goes to Newsom, who has until Oct. 14 to sign or veto. Though he has been a vocal proponent of adopting more gun safety laws in California, a spokesperson for Newsom declined to comment on the measure.
Workplace retaliation: Alejandra Reyes-Velarde of CalMatters’ California Divide team reports that in a victory for labor activists, a bill is headed to the governor desk that would require employers to prove they are not retaliating if they fire, demote or cut the hours of workers who have lodged workplace complaints against them.
The Assembly passed SB 497 on a 45-15 vote. The bill would mandate the California Labor Commissioner’s office and state courts assume employers are illegally retaliating if they take certain disciplinary actions against a worker who in the prior 90 days has made a wage claim or a complaint about unequal pay.
“California has some of the strongest workplace and equal pay protections in the country,” said Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the San Jose Democrat who presented the bill on behalf of Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas, the Los Angeles Democrat who authored the bill. “However, our strong workplace protections are meaningless if workers are too afraid to speak up when their rights are violated.”
Employers will be able to rebut the retaliation assumption by showing to the labor commissioner or courts that there is a legitimate, non-retaliatory reason for the employee discipline, Kalra said.
Noise pollution: Meanwhile, Newsom is signing some noteworthy bills. Thursday, he announced his blessing of a measure to remove noise pollution from the list of potential environmental harms that can block housing. AB 1307 was authored by Assemblymember Wicks after a court ruling this year that halted a UC Berkeley student housing project under the California Environmental Quality Act.
- Newsom, in a statement: “California will not allow NIMBYism to take hold, blocking critically needed housing for years and even decades.”
This article was originally published by CalMatters.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Humboldt Wildlife Center Puts Out 'Code Red' Call for Help
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Thu, Sep 7, 2023 at 12:37 PM
In an update this week, Monte Merrick, HWCC and Bird Ally X director, said the only wildlife hospital on North Coast is running critically low on funds to continue the work that gives injured and orphaned animals — from fawns and foxes to racoons, skunks and swallows — a second chance at life in the wild, describing the situation as "code red."
Serving an area from Mendocino to Oregon and east to Weaverville, just a few months after moving into the new Manila location in April, the center had taken more than 750 animals.
“I hate to say that we are desperate, but truly without support now, we won't be able to pay our bills, we won't be able to keep our lights on, we won't be able to buy the food our patients need, we won't be able to respond to calls for help for wild animals in distress,” Merrick stated, sharing several success stories from the summer, including that 20 of 24 nestling and new fledgling swallows that made their way to the center have been released to fly free while two others remain in under care.
Read more about the work of the center in the 2017 Journal cover story "Oh, Mercy" here and in a recent Get Out column here. Find out how to help here and here.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
California COVID Cases are Increasing, Again. Here’s the Latest on Boosters and More
Posted By Kristen Hwang/CalMatters on Wed, Sep 6, 2023 at 10:30 AM
It’s a familiar story by now, but one that has become perhaps more confusing with time because of changing public health recommendations, new vaccine boosters and our evolving understanding of the virus.
There’s no reason to panic, state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said, with population immunity at high levels.
“Over the course of the last three-and-a-half years, we’re fairly sure everybody’s been exposed or vaccinated at least once, or exposed and infected whether they knew it or not,” Pan said. “There’s thankfully a lot more immunity overall.”
The test positivity rate has been growing steadily over the past two months, increasing about 8 percentage points since July to a 12.5 percent seven-day average. That’s a higher positivity rate than last winter’s surge, although testing data has become less reliable as access decreased and testing rates plummeted. But wastewater surveillance networks confirm what the testing data suggests: COVID-19 infections are on the rise across California.
The second indicator of COVID-19’s comeback — hospitalizations — is also trending upward. The number of daily new hospital admissions increased more than 87 percent since the start of summer.
The Labor Day holiday will surely fuel more transmission and hospitalizations, but hospitals are nowhere near the brink of collapse that previous surges threatened. The uptick in cases is not having a “dramatic impact on hospitals” so far, California Hospitals Association spokeswoman Jan Emerson-Shea said.
Still, public health experts recommend people take the typical precautions to prevent a serious outbreak: vaccinate, mask and isolate.
“Some people are very terrified. Most people are not thinking about (COVID-19) at all. The right answer is somewhere in between,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF Health. “At the minimum we have enough tools to have individual protection without having mandates.”
If you’re wondering what the latest uptick means, you’re not alone. Here are answers to common questions.
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Super Blue Moon Set to Rise
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, Aug 23, 2023 at 12:10 PM
According to NASA, so-called blue moons — and the accompanying phrase “once in a blue moon” — come about because the moon’s lunar cycle runs just shy of a regular month.
“So, eventually a full moon will happen at the beginning of a month, with enough days left for a complete lunar cycle,” NASA’s skywatching site What’s Up states. “When that happens, we get a blue moon.”
But this month, the phenomena brings a little something extra special. It’s happening when the moon is closer to Earth — since the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle.
“At its closest point, called perigee, it's 14 percent closer than at its farthest,” the NASA post states.”About three to four times a year, the full moon phase happens to coincide with the moon reaching perigee, and we call that event a supermoon. While it technically appears a little bit bigger (and a tad brighter) than the average full moon, the difference is not super noticeable to the eye.”
Having a blue moon and a supermoon coincide — and hence the super blue moon — “occurs about every 10 years, on average,” according to NASA, which notes “the time between any two occurrences can vary from two months to two decades or more.”
So, here’s to clear skies for this month’s super blue moon.
Monday, August 21, 2023
CA Officials Respond to Tropical Storm Hilary, Ojai quake and Wildfires with the Possibility of More Lightning in the Forecast
Posted By Lynn La/CalMatters on Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 1:35 PM
On Sunday afternoon, the tropical storm made landfall in the northern Baja California peninsula, with wind speeds over 60 miles per hour as it barreled northward across Southern California’s coastal cities and pushed inland, swamping parts of the desert in knee-deep flood waters. Though Hilary had been downgraded from a hurricane, officials early today continued urging residents not to underestimate the damage it could bring — including flash floods, mudslides, thunderstorms, strong winds and power outages.
The storm is the “wettest tropical cyclone in state history” according to Newsom’s office, and the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. The National Weather Service issued what it termed “life threatening” flash flood and tornado warnings, the Navy pulled its ships out of San Diego’s harbor, Death Valley National Park shut down, and public schools in Los Angeles and San Diego announced they would close today, with plans to resume classes tomorrow.
The state deployed 7,500 personnel in Southern California — including 3,900 Highway Patrol officers and 2,000 Caltrans workers — to aid local communities, and it dispatched resources for swift water rescue teams in high-risk areas.
- Newsom: “There’s an old ancient curse that loosely is translated to, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ It’s certainly interesting times — tornadoes, lightning strikes, I’ve got CalFire worried about wildfires…. I walked out of the Office of Emergency Services in San Bernardino, check my phone and learned about an earthquake.”
A tropical storm is a rare problem for California, particularly in August. The state has been historically protected from hurricanes because of its cold Pacific Ocean ocean currents, a wind pattern that pushes out major storms from the mainland and a downward air flow. But as The Los Angeles Times explained, “an unusual set of weather patterns” and warm ocean waters (“essentially hurricane fuel”) enabled the tropical storm to take shape. The last time California experienced a tropical cyclone was 1939, when one made landfall near Long Beach and claimed nearly 100 lives on land and at sea.
Tropical Storm Hilary serves as another watery test for Newsom. Earlier this year, when devastating floods upended thousands of Californians, the governor said the state would provide relief to victims who did not qualify for federal emergency relief, namely undocumented residents. Months after his promise of “rapid response,” his office announced $95 million in assistance for those flood victims.
How the state will handle similar cases in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary remains a question.
Just hours after Hilary made landfall, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake rattled the Ventura County community of Ojai and its nearby region. Though no significant damage was reported, the two simultaneous events prompted internet-goers to dub Sunday a #Hurriquake.
And in a challenge more typical of California in August, on Saturday the 3,000-acre Deep Fire forced residents and resort-goers to evacuate in Trinity County, and the National Weather Service issued a warning in Eureka for elevated fire weather conditions caused by lightning strikes.
The South Fork Complex, comprising four fires and a combined 950 acres burned, with a priority on the Pilot Fire being "to prevent any runs up to the PG&E KV transmission line that supplies electricity to Eureka and surrounding communities on the coast, according to today's update.
"In some ways this is an easier fire to fight as there is no recent fire history to create snags that complicate safety issues for firefighters," the update states.
The Six Rivers Forest Complex, with seven fires, has burned 4,435 acres in areas of Hoopa and Orleans and closed portions of Redwood National and State Parks.
More on the storm: Although a Fox News-televised political debate between Newsom and his conservative political foil, Ron DeSantis, looks less likely to happen, the Florida governor did reach out on Saturday.
- DeSantis, on X (formerly known as Twitter): “In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake — we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can.”
Newsom did not immediately respond, but Politico reported that “California officials said they appreciated the offer of support.” Governors routinely offer one another disaster assistance, of course. Yet DeSantis, running for the Republican presidential nomination, no doubt is also aware that this state is home to more than 5 million registered Republican voters (nearly a quarter of the voting populace).
(This is an abridged version of the CalMatters newsletter What Matters with additional information added by the Journal.)
Repairs to Grandstands Ready By Humboldt County Fair Time
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 10:11 AM
But the repairs — including the installation of metal supports around the structure — crossed the finish line on time Aug. 11, a little more than a month after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved the up to $1 million to shore up damage from the Dec. 20 earthquake, with county and fair officials joining those involved in the project Aug. 14 to mark the milestone.
The Humboldt County Fair, which opened Aug. 17 and runs through Aug. 24, but is closed today, generates an estimated $5 million in economic activity for the region.
While the state completed a preliminary assessment shortly after the magnitude 6.4 rocked the Eel River Valley, hitting Rio Dell particularly hard, Humboldt County personnel also inspected the grandstands at the request of the Humboldt County Fair Association.
“Based on the initial inspection of this facility and others, the county authorized funding to retain a structural engineering firm, KPFF, to perform in-depth analysis of structures, including the grandstands on April 18,” according to the county.
After the Humboldt County Fair Association Board received a June 26 briefing from county Public Works Director Tom Mattson on the draft report, which concluded the grandstands were unsafe for the public to use, the fair association reached out to the county for assistance.
A special board of supervisors meeting was called for three-days later, at which Mattson told supervisors that the inspection determined the roof could fall in the event of another major earthquake and a 66-foot "fall zone" around the structure needs to be cordoned off, leaving two main options: a temporary stabilization at an estimated cost of $1 million or a "controlled failure" of the roof.
In the end, the supervisors voted 4-0, with Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson absent, after what board Chair Steve Madrone described as a "robust" discussion that included questions about whether the board should allocate the funds during a difficult budget year and the responsibilities of the fair association — which manages the fairgrounds under a lease with the county.
The funds — essentially a loan — will come from the county's 2020 finance plan, which County Administrative Office Elishia Hayes recommended at the meeting, saying those monies were immediately available and earmarked for infrastructure projects.
The county and the fair board have entered into an MOU, pledging to work together to come up with a reimbursement plan for the funds, which are only providing a temporary fix to the damage caused during the December earthquake, with the county stating in background materials for the Aug. 14 event that “it is unclear whether the state and/or federal governments will provide funding for this disaster-related expense.”
Thursday, August 10, 2023
California Water Agency Under Investigation for Discriminating Against Tribes, People of Color
Posted By Rachel Becker/CalMatters on Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 11:16 AM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by tribes and environmental justice organizations that says the the water board for over a decade “has failed to uphold its statutory duty” to review and update water quality standards in the Bay-Delta.
“It’s pretty bad when California Indians have to file a complaint with the Federal Government so that the State doesn’t violate our civil rights,” Gary Mulcahy, government liaison for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, said in a statement.
The water board has allowed “waterways to descend into ecological crisis, with the resulting environmental burdens falling most heavily on Native tribes and other communities of color,” the complaint says.
The groups also said the state agency “has intentionally excluded local Native Tribes and Black, Asian and Latino residents from participation in the policymaking process associated with the Bay-Delta Plan,” according to an EPA letter to the state dated Tuesday.
Jackie Carpenter, a spokesperson for the water board, said the agency will cooperate fully and “believes U.S. EPA will ultimately conclude the board has acted appropriately.”
“The State Water Board deeply values its partnership with tribes to protect and preserve California’s water resources. The board’s highest water quality planning priority has been restoring native fish species in the Delta watershed that many tribes rely upon,” Carpenter said in an emailed statement.
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