Each day, it seems, we are made aware of startling new crises in our environment — Mesopotamia’s Fertile Crescent, the “Cradle of Civilization,” has turned, ironically, to dust; the oceans’ depths are garbage dumps; the discovery that nano plastics are truly everywhere, found even in meconium — a newborn baby’s first bowel movement. Each new […]
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Posted inLetters + Opinion
Pension Debt is Devouring Local Services
In the face of the ongoing climate crisis, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors recently voted to urge the State of California to divest CalPERS, the State’s retirement system, from fossil fuel companies to reduce emissions. There is another area of impact regarding California’s retirement system that needs to be addressed: its very significant and […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A Heretic Reflects on Spiritual Compassion
Last month, I happened on an article in the Times-Standard headlined “Pastor Cites Violent Tale” and written by Sage Alexander. The article was about Tyrel Bramwell, the controversial anti-gay pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Ferndale. The article referenced a monthly periodical produced by Bramwell called the Ferndale Fortitude, so I decided to look […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
AutoXpo Was Awesome; It was Also a Symbol of Our Impending Doom
Entering Fortuna’s Main Street from the north during a car-free event, the hustle and bustle is noticeably transformed to a family-friendly ambience with couples, kids, friends and all combinations of humanity. But last weekend’s car-free status contained a loophole allowing entry for more senior automobilus petrolius to the much anticipated Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo. Saturday, the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Foul Ball
If you’re a baseball fan (not a sports fan, a baseball fan) imagine trying to explain to your 10-year-old self that you should be happy because Major League Baseball figured out a way to guarantee you could spend less time at the ballpark. You’d give yourself the finger and speed away on your Schwinn (probably […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
CA Taxpayers on the Hook
The Klamath River begins in Oregon, draining the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, and slices through the northwestern corner of California before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado River begins in Colorado, at the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains, before meandering southwesterly and emptying into Mexico’s Sea of Cortez — if there’s […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
‘The Damage is Real’
On April 19, my work site had a lockdown drill during the afternoon portion of the day. Schools have a minimum of two lockdown drills a year, in addition to monthly fire drills and less frequent earthquake drills. Drills have extremely loud alarms and flashing lights. It is very negatively stimulating. Many of my students […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Earth Day: How Will California Protect Humboldt Bay from Worst Sea Level Rise on the West Coast?
I may not be able to get home in 20 years – not because I’ve left the area, but because the roads to my house may be underwater. I live just a mile from the edge of Humboldt Bay in Northern California, the location of the most rapid sea level rise along the West Coast. […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Hop on a Bike
A middle-aged woman who said she had never ridden a bike in her life, climbed onto the saddle of a bicycle bolted to a stationary stand, curious to try pedaling to power the amplified PA system. The watt meter surged and she smiled. The scene was a Bike Rodeo organized last summer by the Arcata […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Re: Life Plan Humboldt
As a volunteer and board member of Life Plan Humboldt (LPH), it is always great to get questions about the new senior community we are working to build in McKinleyville. It is a complicated project still in development. Recently, a letter to the editor about LPH contained misconceptions and inaccuracies (Mailbox, March 23). One example among […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
It’s Time to Buckle Up
buckle up (verb) Definition: 1) To fasten a seatbelt; 2) to prepare oneself for something exciting or intense. slang Prepare for what is about to happen, such as danger, excitement, trouble, etc. Much attention has been focused lately on housing challenges for future increased numbers of Cal Poly Humboldt students, thanks to the students’ recent […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Cal Poly Housing: A Student’s Perspective
My family was evicted from our Oakland apartment in November of 2018. Since then, I’ve stayed in motels, on church floors, in homeless shelters and dorm rooms. And yet, I consider myself lucky. I’ve never had to sleep on a sidewalk or in a park. On my worst days, I was able to get breakfast […]