Greetings Villagers, I’m sure this missive must come as a surprise. No doubt you have heard the distant wails echoing from my cliffside castle laboratory and wondered if I, Professor Ballantine, was preparing to unleash another ungodly experiment upon the populace. Or perhaps you thought — or hoped — that some misfortune had befallen me […]
Linda Stansberry
Linda Stansberry was a staff writer of the North Coast Journal from 2015 to 2018. She is a frequent contributor the the Journal and our other publications.
Posted inNews Blog
Humboldt County Fair Faces Another Tough Year
While the books for the 2026 Humboldt County Fair are not yet closed, initial reports paint a bleak picture. Total paid attendance was down by about 1,000 tickets, and total admission revenue was down by approximately $14,310, a decrease of about 6 percent from 2025. CEO Moira Kenny, reporting to the Humboldt County Fair Association […]
Posted inFront Row
Not Cozy
Murder mysteries are an inherently weird concept. I say that as someone who reads them, writes them and loves them. I say that as someone whose family history includes homicide. It should feel perverse to get excited by the promise of a “good mystery.” Maybe this is why the genre has not proved to be […]
Posted inScreens
“Obsession” is a Hard Watch, Hard Recommend
OBSESSION. Stephen King once wrote that many of his best stories started with a “What if?” What if vampires invaded a small New England village? What if a bullied high school girl turned out to have supernatural powers? What if the person you love suddenly loves you back, and that turns out to be the […]
Posted inScreens
‘Undertone’ Underwhelms
UNDERTONE. In the photograph Mary Todd Lincoln sits laden in the heavy black garb of formal Victorian mourning, with only her round pale face and clasped hands visible. Behind her is the transparent form of her deceased husband, his spectral hands on her shoulders. This photograph was one of many staged by infamous “spirit photographer” […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Race Dates for 2026 Humboldt County Fair Still in Question
The California Horse Racing Board deferred approving race dates for Northern California fairs this morning, voting instead to hold a special meeting on the item in February. The vote came after more than an hour of discussion and comment on the agenda item, a proposal by Bernal Park Racing Management Co. to conduct 19 weeks […]
Posted inOn the Table
Two Bags of Apples
Doing what you can with what you have I am a perfectionist. A lot of the things I want to do don’t get done because I am afraid I won’t do them perfectly. This is why I don’t have a few dozen of my own novels on the bookshelf: I instead put my prodigious imagination […]
Posted inSeriously?
Our Daughter Amantha
Attn: Milton G. Burg Junior High Principal Samantha Summers Re: Fair Accommodation Standards for all students, possible litigation Dear Principal Summers, I’m writing to you today to document our family’s struggles over the past few months to obtain a fair and equitable education for our child, your student, Amanthania BloodRoseoftheHeath Anderson. A copy of this […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Humboldt County Fair to Hold Town Hall
With horseracing in the far back stretch as an option for entertainment, the Humboldt County Fair board and staff are seeking input from the public on what to do next. A town hall is scheduled for Monday, June 9, at 7 p.m. in the fairgrounds’ Turf Room. HCFA CEO Moira Kenny cautioned the board during […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Still No Racing Decision, but Fair Will Seek Meet Dates
February’s regularly scheduled board meeting of the Humboldt County Fair Association included an announcement from Junior Livestock Auction Chair Mandy Marquez that the committee has added three new members (Lee Chamberlain, Charlie Anderson and Breanna Cahoon), a decision for revised fair dates that will allow for the possibility of an open show and a report […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Fair Board Violates Brown Act in Deciding Fair Dates
The Humboldt County Fair Association violated California’s open meeting laws when deciding to advance a seven-day fair calendar during closed session Feb. 18. The amended fair dates — which will see the fair start Aug. 16 and close Aug. 24 — were formally approved by the board at its regularly scheduled Feb. 24 meeting after […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Checking in with the Best Friend of an Amateur Detective Who Stumbles onto a Murder Everywhere She Goes
I guess I should have acted surprised, but when I saw Macy standing over the body sprawled in the snow, the fifth body in as many weeks, I was justifiably annoyed. Like, wow, that charming young ski instructor was blackmailing the resort’s accountant, and that’s why the ski lift malfunctioned, sending him to his death? […]