Public Health Confirms 90 New COVID-19 Cases, Four New Hospitalizations
After a state data glitch derailed yesterday’s COVID-19 case count, Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 90 new cases of the virus since Monday — making 261 so far this week — with four new hospitalizations. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 368 samples with a test-positivity rate of…
Nick Frank: 1943-2021
Nicholas Andrew Frank was born in Yokohama, Japan in 1943. With his parents Lou and Irene and his sister Katherine, Nick survived near starvation in Karuizawa during WWII. On July 14, 1947, Nick disembarked in Honolulu as a stateless immigrant, speaking Japanese and English. So began Nick’s interesting life that included being a star Air…
The California Recall: The 2022 Campaign Starts Now
Gov. Gavin Newsom is poised to keep his job after months spent lambasting the recall as a Republican power grab; feverishly fundraising, wooing likely supporters and wrangling fractious progressive activists; sweating the odd, unexpectedly close poll; fusing policymaking and politicking; and calling upon big-name D.C. Democrats to come stump out west. And after all that,…
System Glitch Derails COVID Case Count, Public Health Reports No New Hospitalizations, Deaths
A “data transmission failure” between two state computer systems derailed the local COVID-19 case count today, leaving Humboldt County Public Health “unable to confirm additional positive case reports.” Public Health also noted in a press release that, for the first time in a month, it had no new COVID hospitalizations or deaths to report. A…
Del Norte Sheriff Releases Video of Fatal Police Shooting
The Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office has released body-worn camera footage that shows police officers fatally shooting Robert Anderson on Aug. 25 after he lunged at an officer with a kitchen knife and sprinted toward a woman at the scene. Police who responded to the 911 call on Parkway Drive and Sherwood Lane at about…
UPDATE: Firefighter Memorial on Clarke Plaza Restored
UPDATE: The Fallen Firefighters Memorial statue on Clarke Plaza in Eureka has been restored to its original state with the help of the city of Eureka, Advanced Security Systems and Richard Geisel. “RESTORED: Thank you so much for all the community support and for everyone who helped restore the Fallen Firefighters Memorial Eureka, CA to…
Decision Time: Three Ways the California Recall Election Could Go
For nearly 25 years, Gov. Gavin Newsom rose the ranks of California politics without ever losing an election, buoyed by connections to powerful San Francisco Democrats and a willingness to take risks — like sanctinoing same-sex marriage — that put him at the vanguard of his party. Then came the coronavirus pandemic. The governor’s attention-grabbing…
EPD Texting Investigation Nears Conclusion
Nearly six months after it began, an outside investigation into misogynistic, dehumanizing, vulgar and violent text messages shared between a unit of Eureka Police Department officers appears to be nearing its conclusion. “All interviews have been completed and they are in the process of compiling all that information into a report,” Eureka Police Chief Steve…
Public Health Confirms Another COVID Death, 171 New Cases
Public Health reported this afternoon that another Humboldt County resident has died of COVID-19, while also confirming 171 new cases of the virus and two new hospitalizations since Friday. A state database shows 21 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally — the lowest tally in weeks — with two under intensive care. The slow decline…
Polling error: How One Survey Changed the Newsom Recall Campaign
The panic started to set in for California Democrats in the last week of July. First, there was a UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll on July 27, which showed that likely voters were just about evenly split on whether or not Gov. Gavin Newsom deserves to keep his job. A few days later…
Knob Fire 100 Percent Contained as Hopkins Fire Takes a Toll in Mendocino (with Video)
The Knob Fire, which broke out near Willow Creek, is officially 100 percent contained with all evacuation orders and warnings lifted over the weekend as others in the region grow and a new one started in Calpella in Mendocino County, threatening some 200 structures with others reported to have been destroyed. With fires raging across the…
Sheriff’s Office Launches Death Investigation After Body Found Near Blue Lake
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has launched a death investigation after man was found dead yesterday near Hatchery Road in blue Lake under “suspicious” circumstances. According to a press release, deputies were dispatched to the area at about 11:40 a.m. after someone reported finding a deceased male near a trail off the road. The man’s…
NCJ Preview: The 1935 Timber Strike and One Last Taste of Summer
We’re looking back at Humboldt mill workers’ fight for higher wages against the timber barons amid the Great Depression. It’s a wild tale of picket lines, tear gas, violence police escalation and hung juries that ends with three people killed and a framed Tommy gun at the Eureka Police Department that’s still a bit of…
Remembering Richard Guadagno, Passenger 19A on Flight 93
Editor’s note: Twenty years ago today, at 10:03 a.m., Flight 93 crashed into a Pennsylvania field after passengers and crew members fought back against 9/11 hijackers, sacrificing their lives to prevent the plane from reaching its intended target, thought to have been the U.S. Capitol. One of those passengers was Richard Guadagno, the former manager…
Another Humboldt County Resident Dies of COVID, Public Health Confirms 30 New Cases
An 81st Humboldt County Resident has died of COVID-19, Public Health reported today, while confirming 30 new cases of the virus and two new hospitalizations. Today’s cases make 386 this week and the death of a resident in their 60s is the 31st recorded COVID-19 death locally since Aug. 1. Today’s cases — which were…
State Parks Seeks Public Input on Patrick’s Point Name Change to Honor Yurok Tribe
California State Parks is seeking public input on a proposal to change Patrick’s Point State Park to Sue-meg State Park to honor the original name as used by the Yurok Tribe since time immemorial. “At the formal request of the Yurok Tribe to rename the park, State Parks supports the proposal to change the park…
FOURTH UPDATE: Suspect in McKinleyville Standoff Surrenders
FOURTH UPDATE: A McKinleyville standoff involving an armed Arcata man who was being sought by authorities ended just before 1:30 p.m. after Matthew Dilley surrendered his gun and was later taken into custody. A shelter in place advisory from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office that went out to local residents has been lifted. According to…
California Recall Candidates Stretch the Truth on COVID, Climate Change and More
Everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. That holds true for politicians, including the candidates in California’s Sept. 14 recall election and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Campaigning during a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic and deadly, unprecedented wildfires, their approaches to the state’s problems can vary. But the facts behind some of those…
Sheriff: Police Spent 15 Minutes Using ‘De-escalation Techniques’ Before Fatal Shooting
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said officers had been using de-escalation techniques for 15 minutes with an armed suspect on Mad River Road this morning when he brandished the firearm and was fatally shot. Flanked by local California Highway Patrol command staff and Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn, and standing before a small group of…
Public Health Confirms 115 New Cases, Two Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 115 COVID-19 cases and two hospitalizations. The hospitalizations reported today were of a resident in their 50s and another in their 60s. The county’s COVID death toll stands at 80, with 30 reported since Aug. 1. Today’s cases — which were confirmed after laboratories processed 390 samples with a test-positivity rate of 17.08 percent —…
3rd UPDATE: Man Shot by Police Died at the Hospital
3rd UPDATE: /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} The man shot in the area of Mad River Road and Miller Lane in Arcata this morning by law enforcement responding…
Sheriff’s Office Cautions Arcata, McKinleyville Residents of Wanted Fugitive; Unclear if Shooting in Arcata Related to Search
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is cautioning residents in the North Bank Road areas of McKinleyville and Arcata not to open their doors to strangers and asking motorists not to pick up hitchhikers along nearby highways as they search for a wanted fugitive. According to the HCSO, Arcata resident Matthew Lyle Dilley, 34, abandon his…
In ‘Triage’ Mode, Public Health Shifts Focus of Contact Investigations to Schools
In the face of record case levels and diminished staffing, Humboldt County Public Health is triaging response efforts to focus on contact tracing in schools, skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living situations, as well as continued vaccination efforts, officials announced at a press conference yesterday. “As you are well aware, we are seeing the…
Bill to Decertify Police for Serious Misconduct Clears Legislature
California built up over decades some of the strongest legal protections for law enforcement officers in the country. It’s why a Danville police officer accused of wrongfully shooting a man in 2018 was able to stay on the streets, only to kill again earlier this year. And it’s why officers who are fired for wrongdoing…
About that Recall
Editor: For those hesitant to vote in the recall election, let me point out the Republicans in Texas’ blueprint for governance (“Do You Recall?” Aug. 26). It very well may be repeated here should they prevail. Taking a cue from the Red Chinese government, their strategy is to enable ordinary citizens to “snitch” on their…
Take Climate Action Now
Editor: The recent reports about climate change urgency along with the increase in extreme weather events (fires, floods, hurricanes, drought) could tempt us to turn our focus away and give up in a sense of powerlessness. It is difficult to keep paying attention and to take action when individual action can seem so insignificant. But…
$1 Billion Lost
Editor: As current Eureka City Councilmember Natalie Arroyo campaigns for Humboldt County Supervisor, one of her, one of our, greatest challenges is the debilitated financial situation of governmental agencies. In 2015, Eureka started paying down its pension debt with a $900,000 payment, a yearly debt payment that increased to $6 million in 2021, is currently…
‘A Brutal End’
As the sun crested over a hazy sky on Labor Day, a steady if shallow stream of shoppers ambled into Eureka’s Bayshore Mall from the parking lot. As they went, overlooking the sidewalk between the Boot Barn and the food court, they passed an old, worn copper sign commemorating one of the darker chapters in…
Documenting Resilience
The initial COVID-19 stay-at-home orders in March of 2020 brought out fear and anxiety for almost everyone, sending the barriers between work, home and relaxation crashing down. Seemingly overnight, homes became offices and where people socialized through a computer screen. For parents and caregivers, they also became playgrounds, schools, daycares, after school programs — everything…
Simple Summer Salad
In my most recent article, featuring a side dish made with zucchini, tomatoes and carrots (“Summer on the Plate,” Aug. 5), I wrote that ripe tomatoes mark the official beginning of summer for me and I scoop up old favorites and unfamiliar varieties whenever I see them at the farmers market. My love story with…
Sea to Summit: Salmon Mountain
My alarm went off at 3:30 a.m. I immediately questioned why I torture my heavy limbs and black hole of a mind in this way. Then I remembered that Lizzie Odell was sleeping in the guest room of our small house, and her dad Errin was waiting for us at Freshwater Lagoon. The plan for…
Anglers Enjoy Pacific Halibut Season Reopener
The Pacific halibut fishery reopened Sept. 3 and what a nice little shot in the arm for our local economy. You needn’t look any further than the local boat ramps as trucks and trailers were lined up as far as you could see. The charter fleet was also rejuvenated, with plenty of happy customers filling…
Worth’s Old Math in a Changed World
WORTH. In 2001, New York City might as well have been 1 million miles away from me. In rural Southeastern Washington, that particular September morning was gorgeous, the changing season having begun to dispel the oppressive heat. I was on my way to class, oblivious as usual, and stopped at the student union, for what…
What the Seven Stages of Severe COVID-19 Look Like Up Close
I’m a respiratory therapist. With the fourth wave of the pandemic in full swing, fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, the trajectory of the patients I see, from admission to critical care, is all too familiar. When they’re vaccinated, their COVID-19 infections most likely end after Stage 1. If only that were the case…
The Golden Horde
A virgin carrying a gold nugget on her head could walk unmolested from one end of the empire to another.” — Persian historian Ata-Malik Juvayni (1226-1283) Within 50 years of his death in 1227, the Mongol Empire founded by Genghis Khan grew into a vast, contiguous empire under his four eldest sons, each of whom…
Evacuation List
Family genealogy book All our relations One black bear A flock of towhees Passports We’ll go nowhere without you Herd of deer Pileated woodpecker Tax records Heavy price to pay Mountain lion Douglas fir Gathering an ark Awaiting a new covenant Gray fox Yellow warbler What’s the evacuation plan Chestnut-backed chickadee We can’t leave Wild…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “We need to become more unreasonable but in an intelligent way,” says Aries politician Jerry Brown. Yes! I agree! And that’s especially true for you right now, Aries. To Brown’s advice, I will add this message from Aries fashion designer Vivienne Westwood: “Intelligence is composed mostly of imagination, insight—things that have…
