A Caregiver’s Final Act
A domino effect of domestic violence claims a beloved community member
Cover Story
A Caregiver’s Final Act
It’s just five days after 60-year-old Sharral “Sherry” McDonald was shot in a quiet Eureka neighborhood in a mother-in-law unit tucked between H and G streets. Her husband and two daughters are sitting in the North Coast Journal office, trying through their grief to convey who she was. She was a caregiver, they say, both…
UPDATED: Local Dialysis Workers Vote Not to Unionize
UPDATE: IWW representative Nathan Irvine reports that the workers ultimately voted not to unionize. “I didn’t really see that one coming but it happens,” Irvine said. “I think people got scared.” “Though we later braced ourselves for a possible defeat, we also remind ourselves that this is just one battle, of a bigger campaign, of…
UPDATE: SoHum Murder Suspect Arrested in Eureka
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reports murder suspect Zach Harrison is being held on $1 million bail after being arrested by the Eureka Police Department this afternoon. The EPD received a tip on his whereabouts at 1:17 p.m. and took him into custody 11 minutes later while he was walking in the back parking…
Updated: Friends of the Eel River Sues the County Over Cannabis
Local environmental advocacy group Friends of the Eel River has filed suit against the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors over its changes in the Cannabis Cultivation Land Use Ordinance. Representatives from the group attended a boisterous May 8 public comment period to voice their concerns about the changes to the permitting process, which they say…
Election Analysis: What History Tells Us About Who Will Take the Fifth
If you’re all aflutter today, opining about who’s going to come out on top in the Fifth District supervisors race, you should probably calm down. There’s a long road ahead. Challenger Steve Madrone shocked anyone who happened to be watching at 12:40 this morning when the final election night report posted, showing he’d erased a…
Bittersweet Opening Weekend for the Humboldt Crabs
Ladies and gentlemen, grab your reusable cups and your Ricolas because it’s Crabs season in Humboldt again. And this season, the Journal will be posting recaps of weekend games in Arcata. The Crabs wrapped up a bittersweet opening weekend, going 1-1 against their rivals of yore, the Corvallis Knights. Friday, June 1: I arrived at…
Election Rundown: A Reformer’s Landslide, a Nail-Biter in the Fifth and What You Missed on Election Night
Tens of thousands of Humboldt County voters hit the polls Tuesday and when the dust settled in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the county had ushered reform into the auditor-controller’s office, handed an incumbent supervisor a third term, picked a judge in a landslide and, well, was still on the fence in a Fifth…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, June 6
It’s another installment of Mad River Brewery’s Pints for Nonprofits, where a portion of the evening’s suds goes for a good cause. This week the beneficiaries are the Osa Interactive Gardens NGO and One Forest, and the featured band is Arcata’s own jazz-mutant hybrid Foxtrot so the tunes will be solid — 6 p.m. is…
3rd UPDATE: Paz Dominguez Grows Lead in Auditor-Controller Race
THIRD UPDATE: Karen Paz Dominguez continued to grow her lead in the auditor-controller’s race with the final election night report, coming in 1,535 votes ahead of Mike Lorig and garnering 54.34 percent of the ballots tallied in the contest to his 45.28 percent. PREVIOUSLY: SECOND UPDATE: The auditor-controller race continues to be close but Karen…
3rd UPDATE: Bass Leads in Fourth District Race, Results Unchanged in Final Report
3rd UPDATE: The race for Fourth District supervisor remained unchanged in the final election report with Supervisor Virginia Bass still ahead with 57.27 percent of the vote while challengers Dani Burkhart and Mary Ann Lyons were separated by one vote at 21.21 and 21.18 percent, respectively. PREVIOUSLY: 2nd UPDATE: Supervisor Virginia Bass was still ahead…
3rd UPDATE: Madrone Takes Slim Edge in Final Election Night Report
3rd UPDATE: In a shocking turn of events, Fifth District challenger Steve Madrone has taken a 33-vote lead in the final election night tally over incumbent Supervisor Ryan Sundberg. Sundberg led throughout the evening, from the early returns through the third election night report, which saw him with a 185-vote edge, but the final return…
3rd UPDATE: Killoran Cruises to Judgeship
3rd UPDATE: In the final election night tally, Lawrence Killoran cruised to becoming Humboldt County’s next superior court judge, taking 65.97 percent of the vote to Lathe Gill’s 33.64 percent, with 17,143 ballots counted in the race. Killoran will take over the seat being vacated by retiring Judge Dale Reinholtsen at the end of the…
A Halo Over Fortuna
Fortuna received an especially spectacular sky show – a solar halo – this afternoon (June 5). A solar halo is “caused by high, thin cirrus clouds drifting high above your head,” according to EarthSky, a science news site. “Tiny ice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere create the halos. They do it by refracting and reflecting the light.…
Interim Chief, Controversial Housing Project Before Arcata Council
The Arcata City Council will consider Wednesday appointing an interim police chief and conduct a public hearing on a massive student housing complex — a controversial project expected to bring in such a large crowd that staff recommends shifting public comment on the item to a special meeting Thursday. While the city is searching for…
Primary Voting Time! Here’s How, Where and Why!
It’s primary season and today is your day to vote! If you’re not sure where your polling place is, click here to find it. If you haven’t sent your mail-in ballot, you can also drop it off there or at the county elections office. Many local elected positions are being filled by incumbents without competition,…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, June 5
Bay Area producer Carly Bond fronts her own band out of Oakland called Meernaa. Staffed with some of the hottest jazz players in the area and featuring Ms. Bond’s very soul-drenched vocals, this is a show worth seeing. Bond and Co. play the Outer Space tonight at 7 p.m. and for $5, the gig is…
A Final Burial of Flight 93 Slated at National Memorial
The National Park Service is preparing to lay to rest the last remnants of Flight 93, which was brought down in a Pennsylvania field rather than its intended target on Sept. 11, 2001, after crew members and passengers — including Humboldt County resident Richard Guadagno — thwarted their hijackers. According to a news release, the…
Music Tonight: Monday, June 4
Karaoke Mondays continue up at Six Rivers tonight at 8 p.m. with DJ Marv. Discover things about your own talents and those of your friends while belting out personal tributes to what we think our favorite songs should sound like. Want to avoid a serious rookie pitfall? Don’t do “Whoomp! (There it is)” by Tag…
HumBug: Oregon Butterflies and Wasps
One good thing about insects as a hobby is there are so many of them and they’re everywhere. The high desert environment of central Oregon is so different from our coastal rainforest it gives opportunities to encounter entirely unfamiliar species. So, I took my cameras on a trip last week. It was easy to add…
Tree Fire Closes 199 Near Crescent City
Editor’s note: This report first appeared on www.kymkemp.com and is reposted here with permission. A fire burning in a tree northeast of Crescent City forced the closure of Highway 199 this morning. The tree was reported to be on fire about 8:09 a.m., according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page. The tree is reportedly leaning…
Huffman Visits Cannabis Farm, Hears About Concerns
Editor’s note: This story first appeared on www.kymkemp.com and is reposted here with permission. With pot prices plummeting, it can sometimes feel as if Humboldt’s economic sky is falling. But on a federal level, the interest in easing restrictions on ganja is growing. North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman visited a smaller-sized cannabis farm Friday in what…
Music Tonight: Sunday, June 3
It’s the second and last night of the Paul Simon Tribute show and tonight’s performance will act as a fundraiser for the Arcata Playhouse, the host venue. It features a talented cadre of local musicians, including Duncan Burgess, Jan Bramlett and Joel Sonenshein, so expect a fun run through the songbook of America’s most prolific…
Gov. Makes Fourth HumCo Judicial Appointment in Past 12 Months
For the first time in recent memory, the Humboldt County Superior Court bench is back at full strength. Gov. Jerry Brown has announced he will appoint Timothy Canning, the 59-year-old court commissioner from Arcata, to the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge John T. Feeney earlier this year. Canning, a Democrat, according to the…
Music Tonight: Saturday, June 2
Singer-songwriter John Elliott plays the Sanctuary tonight at 7:30 p.m. ($10-$25 sliding scale). The Minnesotan-turned-Californian is an independent wonder in an age of corporate music and has forged his own path through an industry that does not generally reward such mavericks. His dusty boots-styled tunes have been heard on television soundtracks and he is well…
Fun in the Sun
June is bustin’ out all over and nowhere as much as Southern Humboldt this weekend. The first weekend in June means it’s time for the Summer Arts & Music Festival — a two-day celebration on the banks of the beautiful Eel River at the Benbow Lake State Recreation Area that’s saturated with music, dance and…
Music Tonight: Friday, June 1
There are a triad of free shows for you tonight for the first Friday of the first summer month. It’s art night in Trinidad and the JD Jeffries Band will be playing at the Trinidad Art Gallery at 6 p.m. Harpist Howdy Emerson is also billed to play and with a name like Howdy, I…
Best of Humboldt Voting to Begin June 4
Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye: The nominating period for Best of Humboldt voting closed at midnight. We’re busy tabulating the finalists in each category and will open up the voting period June 4, at which point you can weigh in on the businesses that treat you like royalty, as well as your favorite people,…
Concerned Community Members Flood Meeting to Discuss Firing of Woman who ‘Put the K in KHSU’
The KHSU Community Advisory Board held its monthly open meeting Wednesday evening in Humboldt State University’s Gist Hall to address community concerns over the handling of issues regarding staffing and station procedures — specifically, the sudden firing of longtime program and operations director Katie Whiteside by KHSU General Manager Peter Fretwell. Fretwell, who was brought…
State Senate Unanimously Passes ‘Great Redwood Trail’ Bill
The Great Redwood Trail is one step closer to reality. A bill by North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire to dissolve the North Coast Railroad Authority and transform the defunct railway from Willits to Arcata into a multi-use trail nabbed a unanimous 36-0 vote on the Senate floor last night. “There is tremendous support for…
Music Tonight: Thursday, May 31
Portland’s Man Repellant plays its first California date on tour tonight at the Outer Space at 7 p.m. ($5). With a smoked-out, low-fi grunge sound, it’s difficult to believe that the band will live up to its name — which sounds like a well-used gadget on the tool belt of Adam West’s iteration of Batman…
Ride Your Pony
Looking for small-town fun where you can eat, drink and brush flanneled elbows with friends all in the comfort of your favorite pair of jeans? Head to McKinleyville this week/weekend for the “tail” end of the 50th annual Pony Express Days. The event, which has already seen a Kick-Off Mixer and outdoor Chili Cook-off earlier…
Vote Sundberg!
Editor: Please encourage your friends and neighbors to re-elect Ryan Sundberg for Fifth District supervisor. Ryan is a self-made man of good character. As a Yurok Indian, he provides a voice for our native American neighbors who are so under-represented in the state and county it is embarrassing. His experience includes private and public employment,…
Vote Lyons!
Editor: I just wanted to voice my support for Mary Ann Lyons for Humboldt County Fourth District supervisor. She is passionate, educated and caring. She has helped me in times of need and has been generous even when it has not been asked of her. Mary Ann is enthusiastic and energetic. I know she can…
Scout’s Honor?
Editor: When Steve Madrone first announced his candidacy for the Fifth District, his listed accomplishments stated he had been a “candidate” for Eagle Scout. Red flag for me. Later it was clarified he was an Eagle Scout. The Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America informed me they don’t keep records locally dating…
Project Muse: ‘Duets’ at Piante Gallery
“Duets,” opening this month at Piante Gallery, presents some memorable examples of the way words and pictures can brush against each other to strike sparks. For the show, gallery director Sue Natzler got in touch with 15 pairs of visual artists and writers who are either Humboldt-based or linked, proposing that they collaborate. Some artists…
Arts Alive!
Presented by Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and performances are held the first Saturday of each month. For more information, call 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org ADORNI CENTER 1011 Waterfront St. Paul Rickard, watercolors. Barbara Saul, pastels. Mark Lazzarotto, oil paintings. AMERICAN INDIAN ART AND GIFT SHOP 245 F St. Artwork, Stuart…
Leaky Springs Trail
I found it Above the Cemetery, Beneath Zipporah’s Pond, Holding its own Against the biomass. Trevor named it Earning that right Hiking the Lost Coast, And all trails known To our strongest hikers. If he only knew What lies ahead In the lines of men Who find their way To ancient waters, Where we all…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Aries poet Anna Kamie?ska described the process of writing as akin to “the backbreaking work of hacking a footpath, as in a coal mine; in total darkness, beneath the earth.” Whether or not you’re a writer, I’m guessing that your life might have felt like that recently. Your progress has…
Few Answers and Much Frustration as Pending Lawsuits, Lawson Questions Stymie Dialogue on Race
With several attendees expressing frustration over a lack of concrete steps coming out of previous events, the May 24 Community Dialogue on Race at the D Street Neighborhood Center was marked by a barrage of questions directed at the two city officials present: City Manager Karen Diemer and City Councilmember Paul Pitino. The questions largely…
A Gubernatorial Pot Primer
When Californians head to the polls Tuesday the cannabis industry won’t be on the ballot but it has a lot at stake. Most notably, the state’s next governor will oversee the implementation of new regulations slated to be rolled out later this year to govern what’s expected to become a $5 billion recreational industry by…
Colorado Brown Stain and Fluoridation
It reads like the sort of detective yarn beloved by BBC viewers, except that instead of the one-hour format, this story took nearly 50 years to unravel. Chapter one began in 1901, when young East Coast dental school graduate Frederick McKay moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was shocked by the prevalence of what became…
Reflections on Black Bear
I never would have written a book like this 50 years ago when we first started the Black Bear commune. We knew we had to keep secrets then. People mostly had only first names and even if we knew their last name it might have been invented. Maybe they were avoiding the military draft. Maybe…
When Han Met Chewie
Reviews SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Every addition to the Star Wars canon has shouldered massive expectations in terms of earnings and the continuation of a mythic narrative that more than one generation feels ownership of. A single stroke of casting, a line of dialogue, might ruin fanboy childhoods, serve up resistance metaphors for our…
The Cat Would Like to Open a Dialogue
Let me start by saying I am here to listen and this is a safe space. I want you to know that and feel comfortable. Maybe you could start by explaining exactly what your problem is. I hope it’s cool if I keep one back leg extended straight up toward the ceiling while we talk.…
Party Like There’s Probably a Tomorrow
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and with it the inauguration of the summer festival schedule begins. The 42nd installment of Summer Arts and Music Festival is happening in Benbow this weekend and, although I will likely not be there, I will be thinking about my erstwhile Southern Humboldt home and the charming people…
Chicken Asparagus Salad for One
It’s asparagus time. Years ago I planted asparagus crowns in the Berkeley community garden where I volunteered. There I learned the storage roots and rhizome of the 1-year-old Asparagus officinalis grown from seed are called crowns. I also learned that in the first year of establishment spears should not be harvested but allowed to grow…
Trinidad Art Nights
Moonstone Crossing 529 Trinity St. Erica Brooks, oil painting. Music by the Mad River Rounders. Ned Simmons Gallery 380 Janis Court (Trinidad Coastal Land Trust) Open Studio with Paul Rickard, landscape watercolorist. Music by Tim Breed. Bring a swimsuit and towel and try out the portable sauna provided by Sauna Surround You. Saunders Park (start…
Vote Madrone!
Editor: Humboldt County’s Fifth District has been my home since 1970. It is a place like no other. I am a professional artist so in addition to being my home, it has also been the source of my inspiration, having a plethora of world-class scenery. To my way of thinking, nothing is more paramount than…
