Mailbox

Editor: Sadly, the United States is on track to lose its measles elimination status this year. According to National Public Radio news, the outbreak in South Carolina has hit 847 cases and shows no sign of slowing. Measles is an especially damaging disease because of two factors: it is incredibly contagious, and the complications are […]

Editor: We must defund, not increase, funding for the cruel and illegal ICE. Their intrusion into cities and states without the invitation of the governors of those states is telling. It is only happening in states that President Trump is unhappy with by not bending to his every wish. The recent killings of American citizens […]

Editor: The killing of another innocent Minnesotan by ICE agents in Minneapolis is not just a failure — it is a moral disgrace. No administration that claims to serve the American people should ever tolerate federal operations so reckless that citizens end up dead at the hands of their own government. Yet that is exactly […]

Editor: My heart goes out to Sarah Blackstone-Fredericks (“How to Meditate When the World is on Fire,” Jan 15), with her multiple (17!) moves, and I applaud her for finding peace of mind by creating a safe space wherever she found herself. So while I found myself agreeing with most of her heartfelt essay on […]

Editor: Rex Bohn has been remarkably consistent over the years — in proving beyond a shadow of a doubt his lack of fitness for public service (“Top 10 Stories of 2025,” Jan. 1). How many times has his conduct as a supervisor proven this? And why has he not been censured for similar behavior as […]

Editor: While the recent Arcata fire that destroyed a half block of buildings, businesses, apartments and studios is a terrible disaster, it also has presented an opportunity for the future. As I walked about the rubble, I’m imagining a rebuilding response in downtown Arcata that would create attractive new business spaces and more housing for […]

Editor: “Not Impressed” is how I’ve often felt within the realm of politics. Carol Moné’s letter (“Not Impressed,” Dec. 4) shows that our community isn’t buying the lie we are fed; that our needs simply can’t be addressed. This ruling-class duopoly and its good-cop-bad-cop trope has lost my patience, it seems to have lost yours, […]

Editor:  Is Trump a fascist? Fascism is an extreme right-wing authoritarian government, promoting nationalism and a government with no checks and balances, demands total societal control through a police state imposed gradually or by martial law suspending normal laws and ending freedom and democracy, leaving only dictator Donald and his corrupt appointees to rule our […]

Editor: The last editions of the North Coast Journal (NCJ) capture the contradictions in Humboldt County when it comes to climate change.  Readers who are paying attention to environmental politics will note the contrast between the awareness of climate change articulated in Jen Savage’s excellent article about sea level rise in the Dec. 11 edition […]

PG&E has submitted an application to surrender its license for the Potter Valley Project (PVP), and to remove the two defunct dams in the Eel River headwaters. This is a smart economic move, as the project has not generated electricity for over four years, and what was produced over the last 20 years was less […]

Editor: The four contenders for governor, detailed in the CalMatters article (“They Want to Be California’s Next Governor. Here’s What They’d Do About Health Care, Nov. 20), range in age from 57 to 72. Katie Porter, who didn’t answer CalMatters’ questions, is 51. Other non-respondents were Chad Bianco who is soon to be 59, and […]