The dams are coming down but that doesn’t mean the fights over water rights are over. We’ve got a CalMatters update on the situation. We’re also looking into the rather secretive sale of land by the Eureka City Schools and what it has to do with homelessness. Finally, we talked to a family recovering from […]
Politics
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How Laphonza Butler Could Reshape California’s U.S. Senate Race
Laphonza Butler — Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pick to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein — will be sworn in today, making history as the first openly LGBTQ person and the second Black woman to represent California in the Senate. But how long does she want to keep the job? She isn’t saying, yet. “This […]
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Ferndale’s Pride Fight
It’s Pride month and we’re looking at the upcoming parade and events in Ferndale. The protest march and gathering has grown along with vocal homophobic voices in and outside the community, some of which were especially loud as the Ferndale City Council weighed an anti-hate and inclusion resolution. We’ve also got a related satirical piece […]
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Peace Rally for Ukraine
As anti-war demonstrations were held across the country Saturday to coincide with the 20-year anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, several dozen people gathered at the Arcata Plaza to “rally for peace in Ukraine by seeking an end to the war with ceasefire and diplomacy.” Ellen Taylor, the first speaker, reinforced that point by […]
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NCJ Preview: Post-Chinese Expulsion History, Student Housing and Pizza
This week, we’re looking back on how anti-Chinese racism kept a cannery from making money for the Eel River Valley in the 1880s. And as the housing drama at Cal Poly Humboldt grows, we’ve got an update on how the university plans to house incoming and continuing students. We’re also sinking our teeth into the […]
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‘Mandela’ Bill Would Limit Solitary Confinement in California Prisons and Jails
In solitary confinement, a former California inmate recalled, there were two kinds of people: One kind would read books in their cells, exercise and do and re-do crossword puzzles. The other kind would scream and curse, refuse to dress and throw their feces at the walls. The goal in solitary confinement, he said, was to […]
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NCJ Preview: Burgers, Bareilles, Building Barriers and Bongio
NCJ Burger Week is upon us and we’re scanning the menu to see what’s flipping around the county. We’ll get into the free concert Humboldt native Sara Bareilles is playing in Eureka and how her roots have influenced her life and career. Down in Fortuna and Rio Dell, plans for new housing and other construction […]
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Will Women Rule in the 2022 California Election?
A gift or a curse? For Angelique Ashby, running as a “women’s advocate” in a heated state Senate race in Sacramento might be a little of both. Her competitor, Dave Jones, a fellow Democrat, went to court to block Ashby from using that as her ballot designation under her name, arguing that it wasn’t her […]
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NCJ Preview: Nuclear Safety, Zoellner’s Civil Case and Painted Wild Times
Is 44 feet far enough away from Humboldt Bay for spent nuclear fuel rods? We’ll talk about the long-term plans and risks, as well as the 44 Feet group working toward a longer-term solution. We’re also updating on the civil case Kyle Zoellner has brought against the city of Arcata and the twist in the […]
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NCJ Preview: Fire and Real Estate, and a Chili Contender
How will the already stretched Arcata Fire District manage with proposed expansion of Arcata’s population and housing in light of the university’s shift to a Cal Poly? We’ll talk about what the costs and obstacles for keeping people safe. Speaking of Cal Poly Humboldt, we’ve got a story on the university’s high-priced land purchase. We’ve […]
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UPDATE: Planning Director Disputes Developer’s Account as More Permit Problems Arise for Schneider
UPDATE: Planning Director John Ford followed up with the Journal this afternoon after publication of this article to say he’d checked his records and wanted to clarify the timeline surrounding his Jan. 19 conversation with developer Travis Schneider. Ford was adamant that he did not undermine what county planner Cliff Johnson had relayed to Schneider […]
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PlanCo Staff Recommends Approval of Schneider Permit; Documents Shed New Light on Contentious Meeting
A couple weeks after the matter spilled cantankerously into public view, Humboldt County and Building Department staff is recommending the Planning Commission approve the permits necessary to allow a local developer to continue construction of his family home, with some revised conditions, at its meeting tonight. The issue arose after Travis Schneider violated the terms […]