An Alderpoint man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 appears headed for a new trial after a state appellate court recently overturned his conviction, finding a local judge erred in allowing the jury to be presented with “inflammatory and prejudicial” evidence that may have changed the outcome of the case. Jake Henry Combs, who […]
Kimberly Wear
Kimberly Wear is the assistant editor of the North Coast Journal.
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Ben Hurd, Whose Christmas Tree Farm Was a Holiday Tradition for Many, Dies at 93
Ben Hurd, who along with his namesake Christmas tree farm was an integral part of cherished holiday memories for generations of local families, has died. He was 93. According to an announcement on the farm’s Facebook page, Hurd passed away peacefully on the morning of June 12. “He was determined to stay in his home […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Condor A7 in ‘Delicate Condition,’ Undergoing Treatment for Lead Poisoning
One of the North Coast’s condors is in “delicate condition” and undergoing treatment for lead poisoning at the Sequoia Park Zoo after tests done during a biannual check of the flock showed A7 had high levels of the toxin. According to a May 9 social media post by the Yurok Tribe — which is leading […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Fatal Morning Fire in Rio Dell
One person died and another was rescued from a house fire this morning on the 1000 block of Riverside Drive in Rio Dell. According to a press release from the city, the Rio Dell police and fire departments responded to the scene just before 7:20 a.m. With “critical” assistance from the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department, […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
‘Too High a Risk’
Eight years after the North Coast’s recreational abalone fishery was shut down due to an unprecedented decline in the population amid a greater collapse of the delicate ecosystem on which the prized mollusks depend, the state Fish and Game Commission is beginning the process to extend the closure another decade. The three commissioners present at […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
DNA Matches Skull Found in 1993 to Missing Trinity County Woman
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced today that human remains found decades ago have been identified as those of a Trinity County woman reported missing in 1987. According to a press release, Hyampom School teacher Kay Josephine Medin was reported missing by her husband Nickolas Medin on Aug. 3, 1987, after he said he returned […]
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Fear and Frustration in Manila
Editor’s note: Be advised, this story covers violent sexual assaults and may be disturbing to readers. During a standing-room-only town hall at the Manila Community Resource Center on Monday, residents voiced fears and frustrations about a proposal to house a man legally deemed a sexually violent predator at a single-family residence in the small town […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
The Real Cost of Eggs
In the runup to the November election, eggs took on an almost mythical status, their price tags acting as both a kind of poster for the Trump campaign and a symbol for Democrats’ perceived inability to speak directly to inflation, the issue we were told most concerned voters. In the election’s final days, the average […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Another Commercial Salmon Season Closure is Expected
The California commercial ocean salmon season is set to be closed for a third year but recreational fishing opportunities, albeit severely limited ones, look likely in state waters for the first time since 2022 under recommendations from the Pacific Fishery Management Council. A final decision is expected from the National Marine Fisheries Service in mid-May. […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Brothers Shot By Police Sentenced for 2023 Crime Spree
Two brothers were sentenced to life in prison today by Humboldt County Judge Steven Steward after being found guilty last month of the attempted murder of a peace officer and robbery, as well as other counts, for a crime spree in Eureka that left several people injured and ended with both men shot by police. […]
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Portrait of a Prairie
About a decade ago, ecologist Joe Hostler set out to better understand how Yurok lands have changed over time in an effort to protect them into the future. What he learned helped lay the groundwork for the tribe’s first foray into grasslands restoration at a project currently underway on 60-acres of a site known as […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Introducing Sequoia Park Zoo’s New Bear Ishŭng
There’s a new bear in town at the Sequoia Park Zoo. The young female arrived on a placement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in mid-March but her public debut is still a little ways off, with the zoo saying in a release that she will first “undergo a typical month-long quarantine period” […]