The Humboldt County Growers Alliance and seven local farmers have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent an initiative that would dramatically reshape the county’s cannabis cultivation regulations from appearing on the March ballot. The suit, filed Oct. 11 against Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Juan Cervantes, alleges proponents of Measure A, dubbed the Humboldt Cannabis […]
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‘Demonstrated His Rehabilitation’
During an Oct. 16 hearing with a lot of open questions and uncertainty, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney made one thing clear. “I think Mr. Dinsmore has clearly demonstrated his rehabilitation,” the judge said of Steven Dinsmore, the man he gave a more than 30-year prison sentence back in 2007 after he was […]
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Former HumCo Fair Bookkeeper Indicted for Alleged ‘Ghost Payroll’ Scheme
A federal grand jury has indicted the Humboldt County Fair Association’s former bookkeeper on five counts of wire fraud stemming from an alleged embezzlement scheme that prosecutors believe saw her reroute hundreds of thousands of dollars from the association and another local nonprofit to her personal accounts in 2021 and 2022. Nina Tafarella, who oversaw […]
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Newsom Signs ‘Overhaul’ of Mental Health System
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10 announced he signed the first of a series of bills aimed to transform California’s mental health system. Depending on who you ask, this transformation represents a long overdue humanitarian response — or a worrisome step backward on civil liberties. The governor’s Oct. 10 signature loosens long-standing rules about who […]
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‘In the Interest of Justice’
It’s a Wednesday morning and Steven Dinsmore is in the visiting hallway on the sixth floor of the south side of the Humboldt County jail, talking to the Journal by a two-way phone through a Plexiglass divide. Clad in an orange jumpsuit, small beads of sweat begin to form on his clean-shaven head as he […]
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Transforming Valley West
Arcata City Councilmember Kimberley White has a lot to say about Valley West. It is, she says, one of her subjects. After all, Valley West is the place White has called home for 20 years, the place she set down her Humboldt County roots and raised her daughter, and it’s the focus of her work […]
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Supes Reimpose Cannabis Tax
Humboldt County cannabis farmers have had a brief reprieve from half of Benjamin Franklin’s famous adage that nothing is certain in life except death and taxes, but that will soon come to an end. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Oct. 3, with Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell recused, to resume collecting an […]
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Ghosting the System
College of the Redwoods is facing an enrollment problem — scammers who use bots to submit fake applications, taking advantage of the community college system’s open-door policy in an attempt to sign up for classes and steal financial aid meant for students in need. But it’s not just about the money. These so-called “ghost students” […]
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In Search of Safe Crossing
Sitting in the rec room of the Bayview Heights apartment complex on Eureka’s Fourth Street earlier this month, Robert Lane says he feels like he’s become a prisoner in his own home. Every time he goes out — whether to walk his beloved 13-year-old boxer mix Sadie, or to visit friends — it’s the same […]
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Welcome to NCJ Burger Week!
Join us as we revel in our annual celebration of the hamburger. This year, 31 restaurants from Trinidad to Shelter Cove are participating in the revelry — topping patties with everything from peanut butter to pastrami to kimchi to waffles — to offer up mind-boggling creations. So many burgers, so little time. Is it humanly […]
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Community Effort Keeps Kids Fed
A local program aimed at making sure all Humboldt County school kids have daily access to food is looking for more community support as it struggles to meet soaring demand while facing spiking food prices. Started in 2006 as a pilot project to serve kids at three Fortuna school sites, Food for People’s Backpacks for […]
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‘A Troubling Trend’
The community of Fortuna was jolted Sept. 8 by news that police had arrested two teenagers in possession of handguns, one of whom had allegedly bought the weapon to school as part of an apparent “beef” with another student. The two arrests — hours apart of a 13 year old and a 15 year old […]