On most days, California lawmakers deliberate, debate and decide bills out in public for every Californian to see. Aug. 11 was not one of those days. In simultaneous marathon hearings, the appropriations committees in the Assembly and Senate rattled through hundreds of bills in a single discharge of rapid-fire legislating. Many proposals lived to see […]
Medical / Health
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Public Health Set to Vaccinate Those at High Risk from Monkeypox
Humboldt County Public Health will soon begin vaccinating people at high risk of contracting the monkeypox virus, the county announced today. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified those at a higher risk as people who are gay, bisexual, transgender and cisgender men who have sex with men or transgender women who meet […]
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UPDATE: New Evacuation Zone, Hazardous to Unhealthy Air Near Six Rivers Complex as Fire Continues to Grow
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services has announced a new Evacuation Order due to the Six Rivers Lightning Complex fire in the HUM-E063-B zone south of Willow Creek but states there is “no immediate threat to Willow Creek proper.” The OES also announced that zone HUM-E057 has been downgraded to an Evacuation Warning, […]
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Six Rivers Fire at Nearly 11k Acres: New Evacuation Warning Issued, Fire Personnel More than Doubled
The Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire threatening communities along the Trinity River is now just under 11,000 acres and remains at 0 percent containment, according to today’s update. The complex, which initially comprised 12 fires sparked by lightning before dawn on Aug. 5, is now down to five active fires due to the “aggressive initial […]
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California Monkeypox Response is Bumpy, but Builds on Some Lessons from COVID
Hundreds waiting hours for a monkeypox vaccine only to be turned away. Residents taking to social media to detail struggles getting diagnosed and treated. State and local leaders demanding federal action. Emergency orders declared. At face value, these details paint the picture of a country and state in crisis, struggling to apply lessons learned from […]
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First Case of Monkeypox Confirmed in HumCo
Humboldt County Public Health has confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the county after a resident contracted the viral infection. According to a press release, the resident is doing well, self-isolating at home and appears to have had no close contacts locally. Monkeypox, a rare zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus, which is in […]
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Public Health Reports Two More COVID Deaths
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another two COVID-19 deaths since its last report July 28. Five new hospitalizations were also reported and, according to a state database, 15 people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including three under intensive care. The deaths reported today were Humboldt County’s 153rd […]
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Buckle Up for a Busy Month in Sacramento
Welcome to the final countdown. Today, state lawmakers will reconvene in Sacramento after a month-long summer recess — during which some traveled abroad on trips funded by special interest groups that lobby them on various issues — for the final, frenzied month of the legislative session. Legislators face an Aug. 31 deadline to determine the […]
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HumCo Confirms Another COVID-19 Death
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another COVID-19 death since its last report July 21. One new hospitalization was also reported and, according to a state database, 19 people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including four under intensive care. The death reported today is Humboldt County’s 152nd since […]
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Some COVID Orphans in California Will Get Financial Help
In a small town in California’s Central Valley, a trio of siblings lost both their parents to COVID-19 within two weeks of each other in 2021. Their deaths made the oldest son a pseudo-parent to his teenage siblings overnight and forced the brothers and sister to figure out a future without their mom and dad. […]
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Humboldt Receives Small Allotment of Moneypox Vaccines
The federal government has allotted 20 monkeypox vaccines to Humboldt County in the wake of the recent rapid spread of the rare zoonotic infection, including more than 350 known cases in California, although none have been confirmed locally, according to the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. “With no confirmed cases currently in Humboldt […]
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National 988 Mental Health Crisis Line Up and Running
The national 988 hotline launched over the weekend, giving those experiencing or witnessing a mental health crisis just three numbers to dial to be connected with intervention services without being routed through a police dispatcher. The new number, which takes the place of the suicide prevention hotline, is part of a national effort to overhaul […]