Federal officials today will auction off leases for 583 square miles of ocean waters off California that could lead to the nation’s first massive floating wind farms. The auction — the first on the West Coast — includes five sites in deep ocean waters about 20 miles off Morro Bay and Humboldt County. The leases […]
Government
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By the Numbers: California’s Mild 2022 Wildfire Season
As California emerges from its “peak” wildfire season, the state has managed to avoid its recent plague of catastrophic wildfires. So far in 2022, the fewest acres have burned since 2019. State Emergency Services Director Mark Ghilarducci said California had “a bit of luck” with weather this summer. Although enduring yet another drought year, much […]
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Slashing Greenhouse Gases: California Revises Climate Change Strategy
The California Air Resources Board this week unveiled a new version of its highly-anticipated strategy for battling climate change, setting more ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gases and scaling up controversial projects that capture carbon. If adopted by the air board at its Dec. 15 meeting, the plan would radically reshape California’s economy, alter how […]
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Feds OK Klamath Dam Removal
The Federal Regulatory Commission gave its final nod of approval this morning to plans to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River, putting the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history on track to begin next year. The vote was unanimous. “This moment is bigger than anyone could comprehend,” said Amy Cordalis, a Yurok […]
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SCOTUS Probes Constitutionality of Indian Child Welfare Act
In an hours-long Nov. 9 hearing, the U.S. Supreme Court pressed attorneys about whether a 44-year-old law to shield Indigenous children and families from unjust separations goes beyond the power of Congress to regulate federally recognized tribes. The Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA, was passed by Congress and became law at a time when as […]
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Will This Be the Most Diverse California Legislature Ever?
Leading up to Election Day, advocacy groups were predicting — or at least hoping — that California voters would elect record numbers of women and LGBTQ people to the Legislature. Based on the results so far, it appears that history will be made — and that the state Assembly and Senate will look more like […]
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California Commission Overhauls Rooftop Solar Proposal
The California Public Utilities Commission Thursday released a long-awaited overhaul of its proposal to regulate rooftop solar installations, removing an unpopular new fee but reducing how much utilities would pay homeowners for supplying power to the grid. The revised proposal comes after the CPUC earlier this year abandoned a controversial plan that solar advocates warned […]
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Bongio Ousted in Community Services District Race
UPDATE: Long-time Humboldt Community Services District Director Alan Bongio has lost his bid to keep the board seat he’s held for 24 years. In the final Election Night tally, Bongio finished with 27.55 percent of the 4,174 ballots counted thus far, trailing fellow incumbent Gregg Gardiner and challenger Julie M. Ryan, who finished with 39.55 […]
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Cervantes Holds Slim Lead in Registrar of Voters, Clerk-recorder Race
UPDATE: With the final Election Night tally posted, the race to succeed Kelly Sanders as Humboldt County’s clerk-recorder and register of voters is shaping up to be a weeks-long nail biter. Elections Manager Juan Pablo Cervantes finished the night with a razor-thin advantage, taking 50.63 percent of the more than 14,700 ballots counted thus far […]
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Ranchers Who Tapped Shasta River Face $4,000 Proposed Fine for Violating State Drought Order
California’s water officials plan to impose a $4,000 fine on Siskiyou County ranchers for violating orders to cut back their water use during a weeklong standoff last summer. State officials and the ranchers agree: A $4,000 fine isn’t much of a deterrent to prevent illegal water diversions during California’s droughts. The proposed fine would amount […]
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Cal Poly President Apologizes for Title IX Comments
Cal Poly Humboldt President Tom Jackson Jr. sent out a personal message to the campus community this morning apologizing for comments he made about Title IX investigations during his fall welcome address that some felt were misinformed at best or at worst an overt attempt to silence survivors of sexual assault and harassment. The message […]
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NCJ Preview: Food Waste Recovery, Local Native Art
This week, we’re looking at how Senate Bill 1383, built to help the environment by reducing harmful methane emissions through recycling and food waste diversion, could shake out in Humboldt. We’ll talk about how diverting 20 percent of edible food otherwise bound for landfill can not only help the planet, but those in need locally. […]