North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire joined several of his colleagues in Los Angeles last week to unveil a proposed budget package that would throw more than $2 billion at housing California’s homeless population, the largest in the country. “Whether it’s downtown L.A. on Skid Row, or downtown Eureka, local communities are lacking the funding […]
Government
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Tituses Get $150K in Fair Board Settlement
The Humboldt County Fair Association has settled a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by its former General Manager, Stuart Titus, and his wife Caroline, agreeing to pay the couple $150,000. Describing the lawsuit as “all consuming,” Caroline Titus told the Journal that she and Stuart are happy to put it behind them and move forward. The […]
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Eureka City Council Butting Heads With Staff & Each Other on Homelessness
The restless crowd packed into city council chambers Tuesday night gradually filtered out until only the most hardcore civics enthusiasts remained, as the Eureka City Council meeting was extended, then extended again, stretching until 10:30 p.m. The majority of the four-and-a-half-hour meeting was taken up by public comment on two contentious items: whether or not […]
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Arcata Councilmember Arrested for DUI
Arcata City Councilmember and Third District supervisorial candidate Mark Wheetley was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Thursday night near the Samoa Bridge. California Highway Patrol Officer Cy May said Wheetley was traveling southbound when an officer pulled him over for speeding on State Route 255 near New Navy Base Road. May said […]
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Supes Nix Planning Commission’s Tweaks of Medical Marijuana Draft Ordinance
In a play-it-safe move, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday that it would base its discussion on a proposed outdoor medical marijuana ordinance on the original draft produced by county staff, before it underwent dozens of hours of public comment and was re-written by the planning commission in November and December. When supervisors discussed […]
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Eureka Wants Your Food Truck Suggestions
Dying to eat somewhere a little less brick-and-mortary? Or maybe you’re looking to bring your ramen-burrito fusion to life without the full risk and investment of a restaurant? (Actually, don’t steal that, that’s mine.) The city of Eureka wants to hear from consumers and entrepreneurs about food trucks. Tapping into nationwide popularity for the small, […]
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R.I.P., KBRA
With Congress home for the holidays and hope of legislation to enact the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement coming before the Dec. 31 deadline evaporated, stakeholders will gather for a conference call Monday. But don’t expect another extension or a unified path forward. “No,” said Karuk Tribe Natural Resources Policy Advocate Craig Tucker. “Pretty much, the […]
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Journal Files Response in Police Dash Cam Case
The North Coast Journal filed a reply Monday to the city of Eureka’s appeal of a Humboldt County judge’s order to release video footage of a police officer arresting a juvenile in 2012. In its reply brief, the Journal argues the city has provided the California First District Court of Appeals with no evidence supporting […]
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On the Heels of Blackouts, AT&T Promises Upgrades
It looks like the North Coast’s AT&T customers will be entering the modern era of telecommunications reliability. Next year. In a letter sent to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today, the company said it’s “upgrading the North Coast network to significantly increase the network’s protection against outages or service disruptions caused by fiber damage.” […]
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Eleventh Hour Interims Appointed to County’s Helm
The egress of two major county employees has prompted the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to fill their seats with interim appointments. Cheryl Dillingham will step in as county administrative officer, taking the place of Phillip Smith-Hanes, who resigned this morning to take a position in Kansas. Dillingham has served as assistant CAO since 2012. […]
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Going Back to Kansas, County CAO Set to Resign
It looks like Humboldt County Chief Administrative Officer Phillip Smith-Hanes will be moving on after six years as the county’s chief staffer. Smith-Hanes told the Journal this morning that he has accepted a CAO position in Ellis County, Kansas. If the board of commissioners approves his contract, as expected, at its meeting tonight, Smith-Hanes said […]
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COP 21: The First Week
Editor’s Note: The following is an opinion piece by Petrolia playwright David Simpson, who co-founded the Mattole Salmon Group and currently sits on its board of directors. A climate change activist, Simpson is attending the 21st United Nations Conference of the Parties in Paris and will be sharing his thoughts with the Journal periodically. At the outset of the hugely […]