Picture a joint where the pool table’s slanted and the jukebox skips. Your Twix just got stuck in the machine and the coin return doesn’t work. Oh, and the coffee’s cold. Nuh uh. Lucky for us, that kind of dilapidation is banished to the imagination ‘round here, thanks to the fine work of nationally recognized […]
Grant Scott-Goforth
Grant Scott-Goforth was an assistant editor and staff writer for The Journal from 2013 to 2017.
Posted inNews
First Liquor Trucks Leave the Pulp Mill
The very rain soaking reporters and government officials at the Samoa pulp mill this afternoon could have overflowed tanks of toxic chemicals near Humboldt Bay, Environmental Protection Agency coordinator Steve Calanaog said, had his agency not installed temporary overflow tanks. EPA bigwigs, Congressman Jared Huffman, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Strike Team and others […]
Posted inNews
Liquor Run
When the undulations of the March 9 earthquake rousted Jack Crider from his sleep, his first thoughts were the Samoa pulp mill; specifically, the nearly 3 million gallons of caustic fluids poised to spill out of old, failing storage tanks and into Humboldt Bay. Those liquors — remnants of the pulp mill’s production days — […]
Posted inNews
And They’re Off
After rumor mongering, plodding, hemming, hawing, and perhaps some behind the scenes prodding, there will be a supervisors race after all. On March 7, former Eureka Councilman Chris Kerrigan announced his candidacy for the county’s 4th District seat via a short speech on the steps of the County Elections Office. Backed by several notable Humboldt […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Just Because You’re Paranoid
Last week your author mentioned that several recent studies indicate marijuana use can cause problems with teenagers’ developing brains, lowering IQs of chronic users during their transition to adulthood. It’s easy to point out that highly successful people have confessed to marijuana use in their formative years — world leaders, captains of industry, artists, actors […]
Posted inNews
There Will Be a Supervisors Race
Fourth District Supe Virginia Bass and 5th District Supe Ryan Sundberg don’t get to put up their feet this this year. Two 11th hour announcements have Eureka pol Chris Kerrigan aiming for Bass’ seat and McKinleyville Pastor Sharon Latour going after Sundberg. Kerrigan announced his campaign on the steps of the elections office Friday afternoon […]
Posted inNews
Eureka Selects Iowa Man as Next City Manager
Eureka, meet your new boss: West Des Moines, Iowa, City Manager Greg Sparks has accepted the Eureka city manager position and is scheduled to start May 1, after a background check is completed. Sparks hit the two key Eureka talking points in a city press release issued today: economy and scenery. “The area has great […]
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The Faces of Obamacare
In many ways, Jude Ehrlich is the face of Obamacare on the North Coast. The good face, anyway. The 44-year-old McKinleyville man never used to have much trouble getting health insurance. He had employee-offered plans until 2000, when he started his own small business and purchased his own policy, which helped cover his treatments for […]
Posted inNews
Free to Go
If you’re let out of jail in the middle of the night 50 miles from home, who do you call? For some, it’s Hoopa resident Brad Marshall’s elderly mom. That’s something Marshall would like to see change. Before a crowd of 100 people last week, he asked the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to reassess its […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Teenage Wasteland
A growing number of studies indicate that marijuana is, like, really bad for the developing teenage brain, according to a recent NPR report. At a point when the brain is streamlining — honing its ability to think critically, make judgments and remember stuff — marijuana use is hindering development. This is not just problematic for grades and […]
Posted inNews
Prairie Creek Scenic Byway Will Close Nights to Prevent Burl Piracy
File under: This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. Newton B. Drury Parkway, that languorous, serpentine, redwood-lined scenic bypass through Prairie Creek State Park, will now be closed dusk ’til dawn because of burl-raiding nincompoops. California State Parks announced the closure — effective Saturday at sundown — as a measure to keep people from […]
Posted inNews
Injunction in Alderpoint Water Lawsuit Denied
Water tank construction will continue in Alderpoint after a judge today denied an injunction against the state’s payments for the project. Eureka-based contractor Mercer-Fraser is suing the Alderpoint Water District over its bidding process from last year. The company said the lowest bidder was unfairly awarded the project. Read about the lawsuit in this week’s cover […]