A small crowd clustered at the top of the stairs of the Humboldt County Planning Department on the morning of Feb. 26, waiting for the doors to open. In their hands, they clutched land use permit applications for medical marijuana cultivation. “We’ve been gearing up all week for a big day,” said interim Planning Director […]
Grant Scott-Goforth
Grant Scott-Goforth was an assistant editor and staff writer for The Journal from 2013 to 2017.
Posted inNews
On the Waterfront
A hundred or so Eurekans experienced a strange thing last week: A well-attended public meeting — about a major proposed development on a large, key piece of bayfront property — that was nearly devoid of rancor. It’s hard to say what resulted in the unilateral positivity; maybe those “I Like Eureka” stickers are really working. […]
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Sundberg: Pot Tax Will be on November Ballot
Humboldt County Supervisor Ryan Sundberg told KINS Radio this morning the county plans to put a medical marijuana cultivation excise tax on the November ballot. A projection tallied by the interim county administrative officer, Sundberg said, projects the tax earning $2 million in the first year, assuming a $1-per-square-foot fee and 10 percent participation from […]
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Harbor District to Present on King Salmon Dredging Plans
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District is holding an informational meeting on Wednesday, March 2 to discuss its dredging plan for the channels in King Salmon. The district decided in a January meeting that it would dredge the King Salmon main channel, and said in a report, “dredging activities for the King Salmon […]
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John Jaso: Humboldt’s Dreadlocked Baseball Hero Talks Concussions
Humboldt-grown pro baseball player John Jaso is the subject of a fantastic article that came out this week on VICE Sports. In it, Jaso’s former teammate Fernando Perez (a World Series champ and he’s a better writer than me? Sigh) talks with Jaso about playing catcher, diva pitchers, being a Moneyball player and the debilitating […]
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Faith in the System: Arreaga’s Public Defender Reflects on Murder Acquittal
It was an emotional moment in a Humboldt County courtroom this week when Jason Arreaga was acquitted of murder charges stemming from a 2014 double slaying. “He was gripping my hand as hard as he could,” said Heidi Holmquist, Arreaga’s public defender who successfully argued for his innocence. “He was really overwhelmed, as I was […]
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Marijuana Group Says it Will Sue County Over Outdoor Cultivation Ordinance
Humboldt County’s newly enacted medical marijuana cultivation ordinance, which goes into effect tomorrow, is already facing a legal threat. The Humboldt Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project (HuMMAP) filed a notice with the county on Tuesday saying that it intends to sue to stop the ordinance. HuMMAP spokesperson Robert Sutherland confirmed the filing with the Journal and […]
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UPDATE: So Hum Highway 101 Crash Kills One
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office identified the victim in the Feb. 25 crash. Dillon Boots, 27, of Arcata, died of blunt force trauma as a result of the accident. The office is running a toxicology report as part of its investigation into the crash. Previously: A pair of early morning crashes on U.S. Highway […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Roughing the (Joint) Passer
Two football players lost their positions on their team rosters after being busted with weed. University of Kentucky linebacker Jason Hatcher had a pound of weed on him when he was pulled over for speeding on Feb. 22, cops say. The college later announced his dismissal from the roster for breaking team rules. According to […]
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Weigh in on Designs for Eureka’s Waterfront Wednesday at the Wharfinger
Got a vision for the waterfront? Eureka’s Community Development Department has released six sketches of a possible future for the undeveloped bayside stretch between C and F streets. The designs incorporate a variety of ideas the department collected over several public meetings last year, and the city wants feedback from the public on the drawings. […]
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TL;DR: Five Things We Want to See at the Minor Theater
Busy week? We get it. Here are some highlights from this week’s cover story to get you caught up. Earlier this month, the 101-year-old Minor Theater quietly closed, its operator, Ashland-based Coming Attractions, unable to renew a contract with the building’s owner. But quickly thereafter, owner Josh Neff, who bought the Minor and most of […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Sign up, Pay up
It wouldn’t exactly be accurate to say Humboldt County marijuana growers are rushing into compliance. But Humboldtians put their neighbors to shame, out-enrolling other Northern California counties in the state Water Board’s marijuana compliance program. As the Times-Standard reports, the deadline to enroll in the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Cannabis Cultivation Waste […]