Geraldine Goldberg arrived in Humboldt County on the back of a motorcycle in 1981, soaked to the skin after traveling down from Portland in the midst of a February rainstorm. She fell in love with the place immediately. “I was ready for an adventure,” she says. She found one. Goldberg and her partner moved into […]
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
The Bridgeville Beat
Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy Ben Filippini is 24 years old and just three years out of College of the Redwood’s Police Academy. Beneath the back of his short blond hair, his neck is sunburned a dark red where a tactical helmet and mask did not cover his skin at a recent outdoor training session. He’s […]
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Denied: Appellate Court Rejects Rechnitz Appeal for Change of Venue
On July 27 an appellate court ruled against a second plea on behalf of skilled nursing mogul Shlomo Rechnitz requesting that an upcoming elder abuse and wrongful death civil trial be moved closer to Rechnitz’s home and center of operations in Los Angeles County. The suit is being brought by local law firm Janssen Malloy, […]
Posted inNews
Early Morning Crash Kills Two
Two people traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 101 near Pepperwood died at around 1:50 a.m. when their 1995 Nissan coupe left the road, collided with the guardrail, then a tree and ignited, becoming fully engulfed in flames. The cause of the initial crash is unknown, as is whether or not drugs and alcohol were a […]
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Goodbye MAC, Hello Waterfront Treatment Services
The dramatic debate in Washington, D.C. over the fate of national healthcare policy almost scuttled plans to bring comprehensive addiction treatment to Humboldt County. The July 18 vote by the Eureka City Council to allow City Manager Greg Sparks to negotiate a lease agreement for the property at 139 Y St. formerly known as the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
DEU Do’s and Don’ts
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office wants you to know the circumstances under which it will rip up your weed. On July 11, the agency eradicated 5,491 plants near Hyampom at an unpermitted grow. On June 28, it served three search warrants on a McKinleyville resident, Brent Visser, and reported finding 367 pounds of processed and […]
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Goodbye, Chief
Downstairs at Eureka’s Wharfinger Building, a man is sleeping on a bench next to his bike. Upstairs, the family of Thomas McClain, a 22-year-old Eureka resident shot dead by Eureka Police Department officers in 2014, wait for their chance to step up to the podium and confront the departing chief. But between these two signposts […]
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It’s Watson for the Interim
Steve Watson is not the kind of man who lets things go. Walking down Third Street, past the St. Vincent de Paul cafeteria, he initially passes the group of men who are standing with bikes and dogs waiting for the doors to open with a short greeting and nod. Then he pauses. “I smell marijuana,” […]
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Online Fortuna Fire Comments Spark Controversy
A local fire chief and reporter are in a bit of a standoff over comments left on a blog about the fatal fire that took the life of Martha Ann Robertson in the early hours of July 11. Robertson, 76, was a resident of Royal Crest Mobile Estates in Fortuna, CA and apparently perished due to […]
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UPDATED: Two Killed in Fatal Wreck Near Miranda
2nd UPDATE: The city of Fortuna released a statement yesterday afternoon saying it is “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss” of longtime residents Dennis Wendt and Roger Harwood and stating that the lives of all Fortuna residents “have been forever touched in some way by their generosity and community minded commitment to making our town […]
Posted inNews
Oh, Mercy
The patient lets out a low, chittering growl, a warning. Lucinda Adamson reaches down and lifts him up onto the scale, her thick leather gloves protecting her from the juvenile raccoon’s sharp teeth and claws. She examines the space between the critter’s back legs to confirm his sex, then sets him back into the carrier […]
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Eureka Appoints Watson Interim Police Chief
The city of Eureka announced this afternoon that police Capt. Steve Watson will take over as interim chief upon Andrew Mills’ departure on Friday. Watson, born and raised in Fortuna, returned to Humboldt County in 2005 after serving in the U.S. Army, working as an elementary school teacher and serving as a deputy in Santa […]