Bob McKee doesn’t visit his Tooby Ranch property very often, but the last time he drove out there, the ranch’s grasslands — interspersed with black oaks, white oaks and poppies — were remarkably green for late May. Deer skittered across the dirt and the occasional vulture floated overhead. From a high point on what was […]
Grant Scott-Goforth
Grant Scott-Goforth was an assistant editor and staff writer for The Journal from 2013 to 2017.
Posted inNews
Dumping DOMA
You could be forgiven for losing sight of the Supreme Court’s decision to cast out parts of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) last week. In California, which has followed the public battle over Proposition 8 for nearly five years, the news that gay couples can once again get married was more tactile and […]
Posted inNews
Prop 8 Ban Stands
The U.S. Supreme Court announced this morning a pair of rulings that thrilled gay marriage advocates in California and around the nation. Justices declined an appeal from supporters of Proposition 8 — which banned gay marriage in California after passing in 2008 — essentially upholding a 2010 ruling by a federal judge that found the […]
Posted inNews
Oyster Fest: Mellower, but not a Bust
By noon, Oyster Fest looked positively placid. Not empty, by any means, but no beer lines (!), and more elbow room than a typical Saturday morning farmers’ market. By all accounts the morning was quieter than years prior. A local security guard named Annie manned the entrance to Willow and Libation, one of several walkthroughs […]
Posted inNews
H2-Woes: Klamath Ranchers Told to Shut Off Water
It’s getting hot on the Upper Klamath. This week, the Oregon Water Resources Department began telling ranchers to shut off irrigation; their rights to Klamath basin water are superseded by tribal rights. Klamath tribes fought for decades to determine their rights to Klamath River water were the oldest, and won earlier this year. They were […]
Posted inNews
Nice Wheels
To the giddy delight of every passing kid in Old Town (and a few grown adults, including this writer and a pair of excited female whistlers) Humboldt Bay Fire flexed a little muscle this morning. Pulling up in their dazzling ladder tiller truck, the boys suited up for some rooftop training. The star: The 100-foot […]
Posted inNews
Ruling issued in McKee lawsuit
Sohum developer Bob McKee has been ordered to pay $200,000 in fines to Humboldt County in the culmination of a costly 11-year lawsuit over McKee’s purchase and division of Tooby Ranch near Garberville. The ruling, filed Friday by Humboldt County Judge Dale Reinholtsen, calls for McKee to pay fines for violating the Williamson Act, which […]
Posted inNews
Time to Hang Up the Old Dredge?
It looks like gold mining in California’s rivers is about to get a little harder. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is asking the state to close a loophole in a 2009 ban on suction dredge mining.Fish lovers and gold bugs have been at odds for years. The moratorium, scheduled until 2016, was issued to […]
Posted inNews
Oysters, Beer and Cash
When organizers of Arcata’s Oyster Festival announced they would charge a $10 admission fee this year, people went bonkers. “Elitism!” was the cry du jour. Organizers and supporters pleaded for calm, saying the fee would curtail the festival’s rowdiness and right Arcata Main Street’s listing finances. The ruckus has mostly subsided, but “are you going […]
Posted inNews
Arcata Council Says OK to Oyster Fest Fences and Fees
It’s a go. The Arcata City Council gave the thumbs up tonight for fencing around the Arcata Plaza for this month’s Oyster Festival, which will cost $10 for adults to enter. Mayor Shane Brinton was the only councilmember to vote against the fence, saying blocking off and charging to enter the plaza was “inappropriate.” “I […]
Posted inNews
Intern Unrest
Behind her big wooden desk, bathed in green light reflecting off a rhododendron outside her window, Joy Soll tells business after business that what they want is illegal. “Many employers — if they can get away with it — will try to get unpaid interns,” she said. Soll is the internship coordinator for Humboldt State […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Arkley Center Announces Closure
The Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, the downtown Eureka fixture of dance and symphony, announced it will close for an indefinite period of time. Theater manager Carly Robbins confirmed that the news was handed down from Security National — Rob Arkley’s real estate and investment company — last week, but said any further information […]