Arguments at the county government level don’t get much more fundamental or important than the ongoing debate over the guiding principles in Humboldt County’s General Plan Update. In essence it’s an argument about priorities for future land use. In planning for the next 20-odd years do we want to emphasize environmental protections and productive resource lands […]
Government
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How Much Did EPD’s Free Truck Cost?
Humboldt County’s beefiest new truck was given to the Eureka Police Department gratis by the Defense Department last week. The catch? EPD had to pay to haul the 25-ton truck down here from Fort Lewis in Washington. How much does that cost, you might wonder? $5,500, total said EPD Chief Murl Harpham. The department paid […]
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Not Every Park Is Shut!
Dearest citizens of the U.S. of A., Yes, your national park system units are shut down for as long as your national government is in powerdown mode. Rage against the closures if you must; we’ve heard, back-channel, that some people want to storm Samoa Beach — the portion operated by the Bureau of Land Management […]
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Curtains for the Redwoods
Yep, they’ve shut ’em down, our lovely, looming patches of redwoods within the federal government’s jurisdiction — for who knows how long. Redwood National Park is one of the 401 national parks that closed today, along with numerous other federal outfits, as the federal government powered down after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on […]
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UPDATE: Canceled! Eureka Looks to Ban Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
UPDATE: Scratch all that. Eureka City Councilmember Linda Atkins just called to let us know that the meeting is indeed canceled, as had been rumored and (we were told) debunked earlier today. What the heck is going on? “Hiccups and miscommunications and things,” Atkins said. Criminy. Who’s running this city? Original post: With less than two […]
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Supes Rejigger Guiding Principles Again
At last night’s general plan update hearing, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors once again tinkered with the language of the update’s guiding principles, largely by blending the original language with new versions drafted in June by 2nd District Supervisor Estelle Fennell. Seven more principles remain to be discussed, and those seven contain some of Fennell’s […]
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Supes to Take One Last Look at Guiding Principles
On Monday evening, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will revisit the highly contentious issue of guiding principles in the (on and on and) ongoing general plan update. Back on June 6, as you may recall, the board voted 4-1 to swap out the existing list of 12 guiding principles, which had been developed through […]
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Update: Eureka Manager Bill Panos Submits Resignation
Update: Panos issued a addressing his resignation, writing in it, “I have enjoyed working with the Council and senior leadership team. The City of Eureka has embarked on a new strategy with a reenergized organization.” Previously: Bill Panos — who was hired as Eureka’s city manager last November — has submitted a letter of resignation, […]
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Coastal Commission Gives Conditional Go-Ahead to Caltrans’ 101 Corridor Project
Going against its own staff’s recommendation, the California Coastal Commission this evening voted 9-1 to give a conditional federal consistency determination (translation: a go-ahead) to Caltrans’ proposed project for the 101 corridor between Arcata and Eureka. And that’s not all: The “conditional” part of the approval means that Caltrans will have to address a number […]
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Eureka Names New Police Chief
After a frustrated withdrawal by previous front-runner Michael Johnson, Eureka City Manager Bill Panos today announced that Andrew G. Mills, a former commanding officer in San Diego, is slated to be the next chief of the Eureka Police Department. The Eureka City Council plans to confirm Mills at its Oct. 1 meeting, according to a […]
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Caltrans Commits to Bay Trail
Perhaps nervous about Thursday’s Coastal Commission hearing, Caltrans has agreed that construction on the proposed “Eureka-Arcata 101 Corridor Improvement Project” won’t begin until funding is secured for a bay trail along the same stretch. And it has reiterated a promise to throw in $1 million of its own funds toward the trail. Now, cynics might […]
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Bay Trail Dealt a Blow: Arcata’s TIGER Grant Application Not Funded
Bad news for those hoping to see a bike and pedestrian trail built between Arcata and Eureka: The City of Arcata today got shot down in its application for a $2.7 million grant from the federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. As this week’s cover story mentions, the city — and county — […]