Eureka City Schools is confirming that all of the district’s campuses will be closed on the Thursday and Friday before winter break to try to stem an outbreak of the norovirus that closed down South Bay Union School District’s three campuses last week. ECS prepped parents for the possibility yesterday by announcing that absenteeism was […]
Medical / Health
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St. Joseph Nurses Decry Operating Room Staffing, Hospital Pledges ‘Comprehensive Plan’
The California Nurses Association issued a statement this morning indicating that nurses in St. Joseph Hospital’s operating room worked their Friday shifts while formally objecting to what they deem “unsafe staffing” conditions that included a nurse working a 15-hour shift. According to the association, nurses worked Friday in the operating room under an “assignment Despite […]
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Update: South Bay District Closes Schools as Norovirus Outbreak Hits
Humboldt County health officials are warning parents about an apparent norovirus outbreak that struck more than 130 students in the South Bay Union School District, along with several staff members this week. The district announced today that it is closing its three campuses beginning Monday and running through Winter Break. “This precautionary measure will prevent […]
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Bass Announces $4.8 Million Federal Grant, Ramped Up Needle Disposal Efforts at Packed Opioid Town Hall
Speaking before a Sequoia Conference Center packed with more than 250 people for Tuesday night’s opioid town hall meeting hosted by state Sen. Mike McGuire, Humboldt County Supervisor Virginia Bass announced the county has received a $4.8 million federal grant to create a new local opioid help center. The meeting saw presentations from a handful […]
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Eureka Man Calls for Volunteer Action on Loose Needle Problem
“Stop thanking me,” says Brandon Krigbaum. The tall, bearded former wildland firefighter has been picking up and discarding loose needles in Eureka for a month and a half, and has gotten used to congratulatory messages on social media and his voicemail. At the Oct. 17 Eureka City Council meeting, Councilmember Kim Bergel lauded his volunteerism. […]
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TL;DR Drunk in Public
Didn’t have time to read this week’s cover story? We get it. Summer just disappeared in a blink and now it’s time to get ready for one of those famous rainy Humboldt winters. If you’d rather spend the weekend winterizing the house than catching up on current events, we put together a quiz from week’s […]
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Eureka Condemns ‘Heroin Hilton,’ Displacing 20
UPDATE: Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel has informed the Journal via Facebook that she was told the city has offered all 20 or so displaced residents of the condemned buildings the option of staying at the local Motel 6 until Monday, when relocation funds are expected to be made available. The Journal hasn’t yet been […]
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The Smoke is No Joke
If you’ve been (or even looked) outside this weekend, you’ve noticed the air has been thick with visible fog-like smoke. And chances are, depending on your location, you’re feeling the effects in some measure. In a press release, the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District warned of hazardous conditions in Orleans, Weitchpec and Hoopa due […]
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St. Joseph Hospital Fined by the State for Juggling Surgeries
An April 2014 incident in which a surgeon had to leave a hysterectomy to perform an emergency Cesarean section has resulted in a $40,000 fine for St. Joseph Hospital from the California Department of Public Health. In its press release, the CDPH stated “the hospital failed to ensure the health and safety of a patient […]
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Humboldt Resident Contracts West Nile Virus
Humboldt County has its first confirmed case of West Nile Virus in four years, but officials believe the risk is minimal because the infected resident contracted the virus while travelling abroad. The resident was asymptomatic and the virus was detected during a routine blood donation screening, according to a press release. West Nile — which […]
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DA Clears EPD in Hospital Death
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the April 2, 2016 death of Jeremy Jenkins and found that EPD personnel did not contribute to the cause of his death. Police were called to Spring Street at 1:25 p.m. that day to a report of a man “rolling around on the ground,” […]
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Study of NFL Brains ‘Reinforcing’ for Local Concussion Awareness Efforts
North Coast Concussion Program Coordinator Beth Larson said she wasn’t particularly surprised to see the groundbreaking study released last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association finding that 110 out of 111 brains of deceased NFL players were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative disease believed to be caused by repeated […]