Our epic quest to find Humboldt County’s best chile relleno got underway this week, with gustatory explorations on Tuesday and Thursday. Our criteria for a good relleno? Stem in, naturally. Poblano pepper or nada. Good ratio of batter to cheese to pepper, with no one aspect reigning supreme. And whatever the Spanish version of je […]
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.
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Humboldt Celebrates Love
“When I was seven years old my mother told me that sooner or later the United States was going to have to recognize gay marriage. I am 78 now. I have been crying and laughing all morning.” Ginger Olsen has been with her partner Diana Livingston for 22 years. They married in the State of […]
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Wildlife of Old Town
Eureka Police Department’s Animal Control Officer, Rob Patton, escorted an unwanted guest from Ramone’s in Old Town on Friday morning. The bushy-tailed varmint had been curled up beneath the pastry counter for an undetermined period of time, only to be noticed by a barista coming in for her mid-morning shift. As customers and staff watched, […]
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Homeowners Allege Firefighters in Saddle Fire Endangered Lives, Property
A backburn lit by an incident team on the Saddle Fire reversed direction on June 12, jumping the county road to burn 150 acres of private land and threaten the lives of three Hyampom residents. “We asked them not to light the backburn,” said Jennifer Lance, whose husband, Richard Collins, beat the blaze away from […]
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Discipline Disparities
The Eureka City School District has released a comprehensive report detailing actions it will take to address allegations of discriminatory practices against minority students. In January, the district settled a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Youth Law, which alleged the district practiced disciplinary bias against minority students, […]
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UPDATE: The Dogs Are Alright, Eureka City Budget Passed
UPDATE: Suzie Owsley is going through old files at the Problem Oriented Policing office in Eureka, organizing for whoever steps in once she and the rest of the team move on. Owsley is one of eight police services officers with the Eureka Police Department whose position was eliminated in sweeping budget cuts passed by the […]
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Five Lessons from the Redwood Run
1. It’s not what it used to be. This according to veteran biker Craig “Sundog” Barnette, who pulled a sour face at the paltry array of bikes in front of the bars in Garberville. “There used to be hogs up and down this street. Now it’s a ghost town.” Nonetheless, local bartenders said they made […]
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A ‘Good’ Year
Speculation is stock-in-trade during fire season. Rumors don’t spread, exactly, but grow apace with the high grass watered by late spring rains. The state of the season is monitored with the same weather eye of a lookout watching the horizon for lightning strikes. As they did last year, hotshots check their gear, contractors gas up […]
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Welcome Back Wailaki: An Extinct Native Language Rebounds
There is no hello in Wailaki. The traditional greeting, “en tchong, en tchong shun da” translates to “Good, good my friend.” The language, part of the Athabascan linguistic family and spoken originally by Native Americans in the Eel River Valley, has been considered extinct for close to 50 years. Now, thanks to the efforts of […]
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Dancing with the Dems
Local Democrats gathered on Sunday for “Chicken By the Sea,” an annual fundraiser for the party. Hands were shaken, photos taken and chicken grilled to tender perfection, but the real action didn’t start until the dessert auction, with Sen. Mike McGuire calling. Bids for pies and pastries started at a cool $40 and quickly skyrocketed […]
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CALFIRE Academy: Drama, Trauma & Baby Dolls
CALFIRE’s third and final seasonal firefighter training of the year took place last week at the Hilkfiker Training Site. What are they training for? Everything. Literally every scenario that might require their response, from a burning school bus to running up six flights of stairs in full protective gear. On the day we visited, returning […]
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UPDATE: Eureka City Council Chambers Packed for Budget Drama
UPDATE: A second budget meeting, held last night, explored options to preserve funding for public safety, according to an article in this morning’s Times-Standard. Council Member Melinda Ciarabellini suggested halving funding for Eureka Main Street and the chamber of commerce and cutting funding entirely for such organizations as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the […]