The overdose reversal drug Narcan has saved at least two lives in Humboldt County this month. Over the weekend, Arcata police officers revived an unconscious 29-year-old man with a nasal spray dose in the department’s first use of Narcan since officers began carrying the medication that counteracts the effects of opioids. Earlier this month, librarian […]
Medical / Health
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Medical Marijuana Tax Bill Goes Up in Smoke
The second bill by a North Coast lawmaker seeking to tax medical marijuana has died quietly in the California Legislature, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat is reporting. North Coast Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, had authored a unique bill aiming to tax the state’s booming medical marijuana market that appeared to have widespread support, passing the […]
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UPDATED: Humboldt Dog Tests Positive for Rabies
UPDATE: The 11-month-old dog that was euthanized after contracting rabies earlier this month had undergone its first round of rabies vaccination, which starts at around 3 months old with series of subsequent boosters, and was “legally vaccinated for its age,” said Amanda Ruddy, consumer protection supervisor with the division of Environmental Health. “Of course, with […]
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Rat Infestation Leads to Finger Pointing as Ray’s Leaves Hoopa
A rodent infestation and a nasty public spat over who’s at fault have combined to close the Hoopa Valley’s only grocery store. The problem first crept into public view last week, after numerous complaints to Humboldt County Environmental Health Services regarding a large rat infestation at Ray’s Food Place that left rat droppings, gnawed products […]
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Grand Jury Blasts Behavioral Health Board for Lack of Oversight
The Humboldt County Behavioral Health Board, which is statutorily tasked with oversight of the delivery of mental health services locally, has been largely ineffective, making few recommendations and failing to deliver its mandated annual reports to the Board of Supervisors, according to a recent report by the Humboldt County grand jury. The grand jury is […]
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Right-to-die, Smoking Bills go into Effect Today
As of today, terminally ill Californians have the right — with doctors’ recommendations — to end their lives rather than live out the course of their diseases. The bill, which passed after decades of attempts (and the ongoing work of former North Coast Assemblywoman Patty Berg) was controversial, unsurprisingly. It received Governor approval last year, […]
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Drowning Near Holmes Flat First of the Year
A Fortuna man was this year’s first confirmed drowning victim, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office. Timothy Hatten, 33, was reportedly trying to rescue two children when he succumbed to the current, according to an interview with Hatten’s family on the SoHum blog Redheaded Blackbelt. The children were reportedly pulled from the water by […]
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Arcata Police Now Carry a Life-Saving Overdose Drug
Arcata police have become the first in the county to carry Naloxone, a life-saving medication that counteracts opiate overdoses. Officers have been trained by county public health officials to identify and respond to people suffering from an overdose. Equipping officers with the drug and skills to administer is a big step in an ongoing effort […]
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Human Remains Found on Eel River
A person canoeing the Eel River on Sunday found human remains close to Stafford. Due to their extreme state of decomposition, the coroner’s office has not been able to learn the sex or any other identifying features of the body. Chief Deputy Coroner Ernie Stewart said it appeared the body had been there “quite some […]
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Sorry, Kids: Tobacco Buying Age Hiked to 21, Vaping Restricted
Beginning June 9, you’ll have to prove you’re 21 to buy tobacco. Thanks to a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Jim Wood, California is joining Hawaii as the second state in the nation to raise the minimum age for tobacco purchases. Members of the armed services are exempt. The announcement that Gov. Jerry Brown had signed […]
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Bill Aims to Ease Hospital Hiring Restrictions to Boost Rural Docs
In an effort to curb the chronic lack of health care in rural areas like Humboldt County, the state Assemblyman Jim Wood-led Health Committee passed a bill that would give small-town hospitals more freedom to hire doctors. The bill is a response to the difficulties rural areas have attracting and retaining medical providers (as the […]
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Psychedelic Pizza Hoax Spawns EPD Investigation
In what has to be one of the stranger crime reports in recent memory, the Eureka Police Department is investigating an apparent hoax designed to make a local woman think she’d gotten way more mushrooms on her pizza than she bargained for. On Wednesday evening, a Eureka woman in her early 20s used the Domino’s […]