This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. President Donald Trump’s deployment of the military to Los Angeles violated federal laws and his use of the armed forces must be heavily curtailed in California, a federal judge ruled today in a 52-page opinion that inveighed against the president’s belief that he […]
Courts
AG Seeks to Force St. Joseph Hospital to Comply with Agreement in Abortion Case
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office filed a motion June 9 in Humboldt County Superior Court seeking a judge’s order enforcing a stipulation reached in a lawsuit brought against Providence St. Joseph Hospital last year requiring it to comply with state’s Emergency Service Law and provide emergency abortive procedures when they are deemed medically necessary. […]
The Man Who Unsolved a Murder
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. On Aug. 28, 1976, sometime between 7:30 and 8 p.m., a 6-year-old boy named Willie Cook disappeared from the bed of his father’s pickup in Happy Camp, a secluded logging community in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest. Willie’s father, Bill Cook, had been […]
Brothers Shot By Police Sentenced for 2023 Crime Spree
Two brothers were sentenced to life in prison today by Humboldt County Judge Steven Steward after being found guilty last month of the attempted murder of a peace officer and robbery, as well as other counts, for a crime spree in Eureka that left several people injured and ended with both men shot by police. […]
Sheriff Announces ‘Strong Opposition’ to Serial Rapist’s Pending Release
Editor’s note: Be advised, this story covers violent sexual assaults and may be disturbing to some readers. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal released a letter to the community at noon today announcing his “strong opposition” to the proposed release of a man once known locally in the late 1980s as the “Ski Mask Rapist” to […]
Court Tosses Gaza Lawsuit Against Huffman
A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit filed in December against North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman alleging he broke the law when he voted in favor of providing military aid to Israel. About a month after the case was filed, Vince Chhabria, a judge in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, ordered […]
Judge Takes St. Joseph Abortion Case Under Submission
After hearing about 30 minutes of oral arguments this morning over whether he should dismiss or delay a landmark lawsuit from the California Attorney General’s Office alleging St. Joseph Hospital violated state law when it refused to provide a medically necessary abortion, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning took the matter under submission, saying […]
Hearing on St. Joe’s Abortion Case Set
A hearing on Providence St. Joseph Hospital’s request to dismiss large portions of a lawsuit the California Attorney General’s Office filed last year alleging the Catholic-based provider violated state laws by denying a local woman emergency abortion care is set for Feb. 14 in Humboldt County Superior Court. In filings this week, the AG’s Office […]
‘Exceptional Work’ Allowed Eligible Humboldt Jail Inmates to Cast Ballots
While a CalMatters report last year found that many of the 73,000 or so California residents held in county jails who are eligible to vote face barriers in casting ballots, local officials say that wasn’t the case in Humboldt County in November. When addressing the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors in advance of its certification […]
St. Joseph Hospital Seeks Dismissal of Abortion Lawsuit, Cites Religious Freedom
Providence St. Joseph Hospital has filed a motion asking a Humboldt County Superior Court judge to dismiss the bulk of the lawsuit brought against by the California Attorney General’s Office alleging it illegally denied abortion services to a local woman, while asking that the rest of the suit be stayed pending a state investigation. The […]
Eureka Man Sentenced to Life for Brutal, Random Stabbing Spree
A Eureka man who pleaded guilty to stabbing four strangers — two of them fatally — was sentenced to serve four life sentences in prison today by Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Killoran. According to a press release from the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office, Wesley Lee Starritt, 26, had pleaded guilty to murdering […]
St. Joseph, AG Agree to Proposed Stipulation in Abortion Case
The state of California and Providence St. Joseph Hospital have agreed to a proposed stipulation under which the hospital’s care staff will follow the state’s Emergency Services Law by allowing physicians to terminate a patient’s pregnancy when necessary to protect a mother’s health. The proposed stipulation — which does not represent a settlement in the […]
