A Jury of Their Peers
Teen Court offers a second chance for teens to set their records straight
Cover Story
A Jury of Their Peers
On a recent Thursday afternoon, two teenagers appeared in court after taking responsibility for minor offenses they committed in separate incidents that brought them into contact with law enforcement. While an official hearing, this one diverged from standard proceedings in several ways, most markedly in that the teens’ peers filled the roles of counsel and…
David Ralston 1946-2024
After a long battle with dementia, David Ralston passed away peacefully at the age of 77 in the early morning of July 28. Born in Orange County, David moved to Humboldt County close to 50 years ago where he worked as a carpenter and contractor on many homes and businesses in the local community. David…
Klamath Salmon Festival Turns 60, Celebrates Elders
Driving north in the rain from Arcata early Saturday morning, the prospects for the 60th annual Klamath Salmon Festival didn’t look good. But by the 9:30 a.m. start of the parade, the rain had stopped, the sun came out from behind the clouds and this year’s festival celebrating tribal elders (because the event was turning…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Aug. 22
Chris Chandler is a storytelling poet who travels the country sharing his passionate plaudits, observations, condemnations and condolences about and for this mad world. He is joined by multi-instrumentalist Paul Benoit, and together the two weave wonders from the heart and guts from the leaking belly of the American Dream. I watched some of their…
Sequoia Park Zoo Says Sad Good-bye to Sumo, the ‘Original Red Panda’
The Sequoia Park Zoo today announced Sumo, one of the original red pandas to call the Eureka facility home, has died at the age of 15. According to an announcement on the zoo’s Facebook page, Sumo’s passing was “not entirely unexpected due to his advanced age” — the species’ typical lifespan in the wild is…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Aug. 21
Here are two great shows in Arcata within walking distance of each other. Unfortunately, they both start at 7 p.m., and no one I know walks that fast, so you’ll have to pick one. Over at the Arcata Playhouse you will find Fog Holler, a bluegrass quartet of young, very talented musicians from across the…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Aug. 20
It’s a quiet Tuesday, which is a great time to remind you of one of our regular hidden gem events, The Opera Alley Cats doing their jazzy thing over at the Speakeasy at 7 p.m. Bring some cash to tip the band and the bartender if you happen to imbibe.
Photos: NCJ’s Best of Humboldt Party
The Journal’s Best of Humboldt party at the Arcata Theatre Lounge Aug. 10 featured a little music from Best Vocalist Elle Penner, a little comedy by Best Stand-up Comedian Shannon Foster, local trivia hosted by our publisher Melissa Sanderson and plenty of celebration among the winners. Blessed as we were with good company and good…
Comedy Tonight: Monday, Aug. 19
Savage Henry Comedy Club presents Medicine, a show by host and producer Jane Alexandria, where a group of local comedians is encouraged to “grin and bear it” by telling stories of personal trauma and ameliorating the horror with laughter. Starting at 9 p.m., and for only $1 to get in, you can come hear all…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Aug. 18
Local swing jazz/pop duo Swingo Domingo will be playing for any and all daytrippers who roll into the Fieldbrook Winery. Starting at noon, the music is technically free, but seating and refreshments require a reservation and a bit of moolah, menu items depending. Enjoy.
NCJ Preview: Teen Court, Jacobs’ School Update, and Asia’s Best
On this week’s episode of the NCJ Preview, news editor Thadeus Greenson talks about digital editor Kimberly Wear’s story on teen courts and offers an update the Jacobs middle school deal. Arts and features Editor Jennifer Fumiko Cahill also talks about the new Asia’s Best grocery store in Fortuna. Read all this and more in…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Aug. 17
Indie pop band with local connections and roots The Ian Fays have been making music since the early ’00s, putting the group well-situated to claim a mantle of authenticity in the genre. Lending further credence claims of uniqueness are the duo leading the act, identical twin sisters Lizzie and Sara Fay, whose sound is accompanied…
Tavern 1888 Closing, for Sale
After a year of renovation to open and nearly two years as a popular Eureka dining spot, Tavern 1888 in the Eagle House is closing. According to a press release from owners Jenny and Tim Metz and Rebecca and Tammy Rex, the new American restaurant will serve customers through Aug. 31, and is for sale.…
Comedy Tonight: Friday, Aug. 16
Kate Willett is a New York comedian whose career has been defined by the micro-meeting-the-macro, as a lot of her humor revolves around her personal life and its evolutions as the country and planet have descended into madness over the last several years. She first came onto my radar with an affectingly honest essay four…
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright
A year ago this week, I was standing over the corpse of my dad on a bright morning, trying to manage my shock while working out the correct order of people and professional agencies to call. I was surprised by this shock for a couple of reasons. His death was expected — he had an…
Asia’s Best Brings a Pan-Asian Hub to Fortuna
At roughly 8,500 square feet, the newly opened Asia’s Best grocery store in Fortuna (727 S. Fortuna Blvd.) can be a little overwhelming in a county accustomed to small Asian food shops with narrow aisles, much less a town formerly without any Asian food stores at all. To the left, pallets of drinks are stacked…
Obon Drums and Dancing
After Japanese shakuhachi flute music by Rick Kruse, the Rev. Rinban Gerald Sakamoto, minister for the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, returned this year to bless the opening of the third annual Humboldt Obon Festival on Sunday afternoon. The program shared traditions of Obon, a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors coming to earth…
Humboldt Cannabis Wins Big at the State Fair
For 170 years, the California State Fair has been highlighting the state’s best agriculture. From cheese and wine to vegetables and livestock, competition over who produces top goods is fierce. Beginning in 2022, California made history by including something new in fair competition: cannabis. With this 2024 season, officials made history once more in creating…
New Movies of a Bygone Era
CUCKOO. Even from its opening frames, this struck me as the kind of living relic that will (or should) reward some horror nerd, years from now, who discovers it without foreknowledge or judgment. Which is an admittedly reductive way to address a movie that in real time yields its own rewards, conflicting though they might…
VTY, Not Rob Arkley
We were taught long ago that if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are pretty good it’s a duck. The old adage came waddling back amid news late last week that AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC, pulled out of the controversial $6 million property exchange agreement it’d reached with Eureka City Schools…
‘A Full Understanding’
Editor: Few people in this country knew that Palestine existed. The narrative has always been about Israel and the need for a homeland. We’re a small group, “Shine a Light on Palestine,” that wants to share the little-known reality that Palestinians have lived under since 1948. We’re planning to show a series of documentaries at the…
‘They Were Summoned’
Editor: A letter writer decries the police response to the protests at Cal Poly Humboldt. It wasn’t the police’s idea, they were summoned. I’m fairly sure if you asked them a solid majority would have preferred not to be thrust into that position. There was also a call to de facto defund the police. How quaint.…
‘Big Issues’
There are big issues around banning abortions and contraceptives (as in the Republican Project 2025) that are not being fully discussed (“Huffman Talks Project 2025,” July 18). How much love can a woman give a child she can’t afford or doesn’t want? What about growing up as an unwanted child? What about the effects of…
‘Downstream’
Editor: I am glad the author of this article enjoyed her long walk in the Headwaters Forest (“Hiking in the Headwaters Reserve,” Aug. 8). We downstream upper Elk River residents living along the North and South Forks of Elk River are forced to live without quality water from the river, without security in our homes,…
‘Overelaborate and Rather Stupid’
Editor: So, now we learn that Arkley, I mean “AMG”, has decided he doesn’t want to buy the Jacobs middle school property for $2 million over market after all. Who could have seen that coming, eh, since AMG (does that stand for “Arkley Most Glorious?”) always seemed so sincerely interested in developing affordable housing there. But seriously, AMG’s plan…
From Mars Believer to Skeptic, Part 2
Continuing from last week, here’s more on why I think talk of exploring and colonizing Mars is a boondoggle at this stage. Water is going to be a Big Deal. Actually, obtaining liquid water on Mars will be a snap compared to the moon, where it’s been compared to extracting moisture from concrete. But it’s still…
Jimmy Considers Dendrology
The trees in my hometown are tall. And old. So old and so tall they attract tourists. Tourists look up. We look down. We know the real action is far below their fancy boots. We understand what’s at work: the far-reaching intricate pattern, ancient roots crisscrossing the darkness somewhere near the water table, anchoring everything…
Eureka City Schools’ $6 Million Jacobs Deal is Dead
The Eureka City Schools Board of Trustees voted unanimously in closed session Aug. 8 not to extend the escrow period for a $6 million property exchange agreement with a mystery developer in advance of a deadline the following day. On Aug. 9, the developer, AMG Communities-Jacobs, LLC, released an unattributed statement announcing it had “decided…
‘We Gotta be Somewhere’
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s message on homelessness in recent weeks has been clear: The state will no longer tolerate encampments, and cities shouldn’t either. Californians who live on the streets, as well as the outreach workers who support them, say they’re already feeling the difference. Places where someone used to be able to pitch a tent…
