Name a seafood-themed festival on Father’s Day weekend whose popularity has stretched the boundaries of its small-town infrastructure. Nope, not the one you’re thinking of. Last year’s Trinidad Fish Festival was marred by annoyed drivers, blown fuses and at least one injured drunk. This year, organizers say they’re not only building it better, they’re building […]
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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Seventh Drowning Death of 2015: Don’t Assume a Shallow River is a Safe River
The May 27 drowning death of Brian H. Hone in the Trinity River was the seventh such incident in 2015. Hone, 27, was overcome by the swift current immediately after jumping in, according to the accounts of his two friends. They attempted to rescue Hone but were also overwhelmed and struggled to make it back […]
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Who’s Going to Put Out the Fire? Volunteer Firefighters Aging Out of the Service
The ranks of volunteer fire departments are dwindling for lack of fresh faces. The New York Times reported on this trend last year, citing several factors including a shift from volunteer to career firefighting, lack of time for volunteering and the aging of rural populations. This last factor has had a decided impact on departments […]
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Family: Danielle Bertolini Confirmed Dead
Family members have confirmed that the skull found on the banks of the Eel River this spring belonged to Danielle Bertolini, missing since February 2014. A family member had initially posted the news on the “Help find Sheila Franks and Danielle Bertolini” Facebook page yesterday, but only confirmed with a press release this afternoon. In […]
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Stop. Shop. Robbing is so 2012.
Quirkily-captioned security cam stills of local ne’er-do-wells still flutter above the cold case, but the notorious Stop and Shop — aka the “Stop and Rob” — on Wabash and B streets hasn’t called in an actual robbery for the last three years. Owner Lee Ok Boon was vague about why the store hasn’t lived up […]
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The War on Hippie Christmas
Make no mistake, there is a war playing out on Humboldt State University’s campus. A way of life is under siege. For decades, as the final days of a school year ticked down, one could count on campus dumpsters to overflow with a treasure trove of goods. There were clothes and shoes, jewelry and watches, […]
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From the River to the Streets
While camp sweeps have gotten their fair share of coverage in Eureka, the Friendly City to the south is weathering its own issues related to Humboldt’s homeless. A longstanding camp near Palmer Boulevard, just northwest of city limits, was visited by the sheriff’s office multiple times this spring with an estimated 40 indigents ousted onto […]
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UPDATE: EPD’s “Streamlined” Budget
UPDATE: Chief Mills released a summary of his budget proposal on the Eureka Police Department’s blog. Citing the need to make the department more “streamlined and efficient to fill the vacuum created by laying off PSOs and annuitants”, the workload currently carried by police services officers will be redistributed between officers, technical support and citizens. […]
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“Let It Burn”: Enviros Push for Return to Traditional Klamath Forest Management
Controversy over a proposed salvage logging operation in Klamath National Forest seems poised to leverage the National Forest Service into restoring historic stewardship rights to the Karuk tribe. Environmental groups have accused the NFS of “fast-tracking” the Westside Fire Recovery Project, which was proposed in October 2014 as a response to massive summer wildfires across […]
Posted inStories
Shell Game
We are skidding through the water of Humboldt Bay, the dock of Coast Seafoods receding behind us as we head toward the oyster fields. It’s a crisp morning, with the gray-blue water and navy sky colluding to form a rim of bright silver at the horizon. “Everyone should know what a good oyster looks and […]
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Preparados
La organizadora Renee Saucedo es pequeña de estatura pero se siente su presencia con su pelo grueso y rizado y sus cejas marcadas y expresivas. Frecuentemente se levanta en puntillas para mirar alrededor de la sala con su mano en la cadera. “¿Por qué tenemos licencia de conducir? ¿Es porque el gobernador ama a la […]
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Ready
The Organizer Renee Saucedo is small in stature but commanding in presence, with thick, curly hair and bold, expressive eyebrows. She often raises on to her tiptoes to survey the room, one hand on her hip. “Why do we have licenses? Is it because the governor loves la raza?” The crowd laughs. Almost 30 people, […]