Adrift
Two locals’ efforts to quell a global crisis and one refugee’s search for freedom
Cover Story
Adrift
Late last month, at least 700 people fleeing war-torn areas of the Middle East are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea after their boats capsized. It was just the latest horrid chapter in a humanitarian crisis that’s gripped the globe for the last two years amid one of the largest human migrations in…
Key Player
Some of us leap flip-flop first into summer at the first hiss of lawn sprinklers. For the rest of us, zipping up our hoodies in vampiric fear of the sun and denial over the year whizzing by, a little incentive is required. A slice of Key lime pie will help. There is patio seating at…
Good Decisions
Tucked back from the street, its fence camouflaged with peeling fliers, La Chiquita (1021 I St., Arcata), brick-and-mortar counterpart to the taco truck of the same name, is easily missed on the walk past Los Bagels and Wildwood Music. Luckily, there is the smell of steamy tortillas and carnitas to turn your head. A news…
The Bomber
The Crabs get most of the local press, but the summer sun shines on Bomber Field, too. The Humboldt B-52s haven’t got a live band yet but the snack shack platoon is performing this season (Redwood Acres, Eureka). Pay for your entry stamp at the folding table and hook right once inside and find yourself immersed…
Centenarian, Rotarian, One of a Kind: Jim Howard Honored
Today, fellow Rotarians honored Jim Howard — the longest-serving member of Eureka’s Rotary Club, four-and-a-half term Eureka city councilmember, Old Town revitalizer and centenarian — for his service to the community. Howard operated Jim’s Shine Stand in Old Town Eureka from 1954 to 1990, having taken it over from his stepfather W.M. Turk, who opened…
Eureka Woman Released after Thursday’s Manslaughter Arrest, Victim Identified
A 21-year-old Eureka woman arrested last week on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter has been released from jail after no charges were filed against her in the case. The California Highway Patrol arrested Adryan Nicole Pollock shortly after after 6 p.m. on June 16, after she’d allegedly lost control of the 2008 Dodge pickup she was…
Oyster Fest 2016
How is everybody feeling today? If you were at the 26th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival yesterday you might be a little wobbly, a little sunburned, a little tired — maybe all of the above. The sun was out and so was Humboldt (along with a hearty crowd of out-of-towners), reveling in the fruit of…
HumBug: A Day in the Marshes
Last Friday a friend treated me to my first stroll through the Arcata Marshes. Contrary to the preconception the name gave me, I did not need hip boots or have to battle alligators. Although it’s a place well known to local birders, there were few birds to be seen. What I did see were some…
Grand Jury Blasts Behavioral Health Board for Lack of Oversight
The Humboldt County Behavioral Health Board, which is statutorily tasked with oversight of the delivery of mental health services locally, has been largely ineffective, making few recommendations and failing to deliver its mandated annual reports to the Board of Supervisors, according to a recent report by the Humboldt County grand jury. The grand jury is…
Hitchhiker Killed in Rollover Crash
A single car rollover crash on State Route 299 left an unidentified hitchhiker dead on Thursday and a 21-year-old Eureka woman jailed on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. According to the California Highway Patrol, Adrian Pollock was driving eastbound in her 2008 Dodge pickup with her two young children, her husband, a friend and a hitchhiker…
Keeping up with the Kumamotos
Consider the virtues of our local celebrities: Cultivating oysters improves our oceans and its flora and fauna. Their ground shells boost your victory garden. They produce the preferred jewelry of Audrey Hepburn. Without a central nervous system, oysters are likely feeling no more pain than you after those festival drink tokens are spent. The little…
Former HCSO Sgt. Jason Daniels Found Not Guilty
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming has confirmed that a jury found former Sherrif’s Office Sgt. Jason Daniels not guilty of two counts of sexual assault this afternoon. The trial, which lasted six days, stems from accusations dating back to 2013, when the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office arrested Daniels on allegations that he sexually assaulted…
Aggressive Hitchhiker Spotted in King Salmon
It proved to be a pretty epic first kayak trip for Liz Bagnell. Bagnell, a sales consultant for Northwood Chevrolet, had just moved down to King Salmon from Cutten, and set out to get to know her new neighborhood by hopping a kayak for the first time to paddle around the residential channels in her…
You Mad, Brah?
Dell’Arte’s 26th annual Mad River Festival, running June 16 through July 17, is a month-long romp in the Blue Lake sunshine featuring theatrical thrills, foot tapping music and loads of family fun with larger-than-life puppets and performances to dazzle the young and young at heart. This year’s festival is centered on Dell’Arte’s current initiative “The…
Worldly Weed
After Grant Scott-Goforth’s parting shot last week debunking the racist connotations of the word “marijuana,” it seemed only fitting to follow up with another column blatantly pandering to the etymology nerds in our readership. We were initially intrigued by the word “bong,” which, according to an online etymology dictionary, comes from the Thai word “baung,”…
Today
Today early gentle rose-sweetened breeze sneaks by just copying yesterday Aiming recklessly, twilight in its sights whispering nothings of Great Meaning
Bravo, EPD!
Editor: Brilliant! (“Trimmigration Sting,” June 2.) Absolutely brilliant! Nip the problem in the bud, so to speak. Ann King, Eureka
You Missed One
Editor: It was encouraging to see the progress towards more ADA accessible trails in our area (“Slow Roll,” June 9). One that was not mentioned is Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad. It is a work in progress, but they are constructing what appears to be an ADA accessible trail from the Visitor’s Center into…
Pass Eric’s Law
Editor: I write in support of the compelling letter by Larry Hourany calling out Sheriff Mike Downey and his fitness for the job (Mailbox, June 9). The thing that I find so galling about Downey is his continued refusal to acknowledge any responsibility for the tragic sequence of events that led to the murder of…
To Pre, or Not to Pre
With summer almost/now upon us — depending when you read this — it’s no surprise that we’ve got some busy musical weekends upon us. Oyster Festival (technically, Arcata Main Street’s Oyster Festival) is also quickly approaching and we will be presented with loads of O-Fest “pre-parties” and significantly more “after parties.” Whether or not any…
Fair Pay
When it came time to negotiate their new contract, Eureka police officers were ready to play hardball. The Eureka Police Officers Association, the union that represents the city’s rank-and-file officers and dispatchers, had seen its last round of contract negotiations result in concessions. And even after campaigning hard for Eureka’s temporary sales tax increase, Measure…
Chimichurri in a Hurry
Whether you’re throwing beef, chicken, fish or tofu on the grill this weekend, one sauce that works with them all is chimichurri. It’s easy to make and will earn you some culinary cred. Chimichurri is a parsley-based sauce out of Argentina. There it accompanies grilled meats, chorizo and empanadas. There are countless ways to make…
Lassic Peaks, Lassik Band
Straddling Humboldt’s eastern border with Trinity County, the three peaks known collectively as the Lassics on the edge of the Mount Lassic Wilderness make for some fine nearby hiking. First, though, a little about their geology and the eponymous Chief Lassik. Geology: While the shape of the Black Lassic peak is reminiscent of a cone…
Second Stories
Reviews THE CONJURING 2. A sequel is a prickly, contentious proposition. Most, at least in this era, are conceived of a transparent greed and opportunism that throws whatever art and excitement might be on offer into the deepest shade. These examples represent a distinctly American cash-grab ethic, their design promulgated on taking advantage of the…
Homegrown Gazpacho
I spent almost a year living in Granada, Spain. The whole city is filled with gardens. Figs and pomegranates grow as weeds; Mediterranean climate at its very best. And all summer long, we drank gazpacho made from local ingredients. Gazpacho is often called a “cold soup” by gringos, but in Spain it is served over…
