Cover Stories
‘We Are Not Going Back’
Hundreds gathered in Humboldt County to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, joining hundreds of thousands across the nation in decrying the ruling that abruptly ended nearly five decades of constitutional protection. Until June 24, the 1973 landmark case was widely considered settled legal precedent grounded in the fundamental right to…
After Roe
The constitutional right to abortion in the United States is no more. June 24 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down its landmark Roe v. Wade precedent in a 5-4 decision, ending nearly 50 years of guaranteed abortion access for American women. The historic ruling has been expected since early May, when a draft of the opinion was…
Crabs Fire Up the Bats for Fourth of July
Coming off of a road trip where the team struggled to find wins, the Humboldt Crabs have been blasting their way to wins with strong offense ever since returning to Arcata Ballpark. The Crabs dropped each game on the road, but since coming back have won every game they’ve played in, racking up 67 runs…
Anti-Semitic Flyers Left in Arcata Neighborhood
An Arcata neighborhood was hit July 4 with anti-Semitic flyers bearing the names and faces of prominent Biden administration officials and national media executives, some of whom were depicted with a blue Star of David on their forehead. At least three different flyers were distributed in the Sunset neighborhood near Lincoln and Eastern avenues, not…
Melissa Marie Jensen: 1977-2022
Melissa Marie Jensen passed away on June 11th, 2022, at the age of 45 at her home. She was born in San Andreas, Calaveras County CA January 20th, 1977, but grew up in Sutter Creek, Amador County as a child and young teen. She was a funny little girl and would keep us all laughing…
Robert McKee: 1929-2022
“Someone once asked, who are the three most important men in your life? And I said, I think it was Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, and my father, only in reverse order.” Robert McKee, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, great grandfather and visionary community member died peacefully in San Francisco on January 21, 2022. He was born…
California Cuts Cannabis Taxes to Heal Ailing Industry
California is significantly overhauling its cannabis tax structure, including entirely eliminating a tax on growers, in an effort to boost a struggling legal industry begging for relief. The changes, which were adopted last week as part of a broader state budget agreement, will also create tax credits for some cannabis businesses, expand labor rights within the industry…
NCJ Preview: Post-Roe, Pride and Oyster Fest Fallout
After last week’s U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, we’re talking about what it means for California and how we can fight for reproductive rights for everyone. Linda Stansberry joins us to talk about Ferndale Pride and the folks who are making the Victorian Village more welcoming to all. We’ve got a post-oyster…
New Election Tally, Same Results
The Humboldt County Elections Office released its fourth post-election update today and all the races remain in the same place. In the latest tally, Eureka Councilmember Natalive Arroyo has kept her lead in a three-way race for the Fourth District seat on the board of supervisors above the needed threshold of more than 50 percent…
California Climate Rules Won’t be Undercut by Supreme Court’s Ruling, Experts Say
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today to drastically limit the power of the federal Environmental Protection Agency to regulate planet-warming emissions upsets environmentalists, but experts say it doesn’t necessarily pose a threat to California’s ability to maintain its own stringent greenhouse gas reduction rules. The 6-3 vote in the West Virginia v. EPA decision marks…
Eureka Chamber Welcomes New President/CEO
The Greater Eureka Chamber of Commerce announced today that Nancy Olson will be coming on board as the new president and CEO of the business organization. “We are delighted to have Nancy on our team,” chamber board chair Linda Wise said in a news release. “Nancy has held high level positions with the Los Angeles…
County, Paz Dominguez Reach $100k Separation Agreement
The county of Humboldt and embattled county Auditor-Controller Karen Paz Dominguez have reached an agreement that has her stepping down effective July 1 and receiving a payment of just more than $92,000, including her salary and “payments in lieu of insurance benefits, and a flat amount of $15,000,” according to an announcement. A county news…
Clear Skies for Second Annual Ferndale Pride March
Editor’s Note: Portions of this story originally appeared in The Enterprise’s June 16, 2022 edition. The Enterprise is owned by the North Coast Journal, Inc. Ferndale on a Sunday morning is quiet but not sleepy. Middle-aged couples put in their daily miles walking loops down Main Street, turning on Van Ness to pass the fairgrounds.…
Boom Times
This week’s headline might be a little sarcastic and only half-referencing what will undoubtedly be a spectacular fireworks display on Monday evening. Many people are really hurting and upset right now. It’s hard to look at the disorder in our world and find much hope. As someone who could be referred to as a “geriatric…
Oyster Fest’s Rocky Return
An hour into the Arcata Bay Oyster Festival, the lines for oysters at the Obento stall stretched across the battered grass and under the red and blue striped tent where local food businesses were tabling. The shade was a relief on a sunny day that promised traditional Oyster Fest sunburns, but those in the queue…
First Saturday Night Arts Alive
Eureka Main Street presents First Saturday Night Arts Alive on July 2 from 6-9 p.m. Our galleries, museums, theaters, bars, and restaurants are open. Some businesses continue to require everyone to wear masks and follow other COVID safety precautions to keep patrons and staff safe. Please respect the standards set by individual businesses, be kind…
Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Saving the Humboldt Marten
The Humboldt marten is about the size of a 4-month-old human baby and adorable, with small, round ears, a fluffy tail and a button nose. Don’t let these looks fool you. This member of the weasel family is a voracious predator that fights hard for a spot in the animal kingdom, taking down large rodents…
Pacific Halibut Continue to Chew Up Baits
The halibut bite over the weekend picked up right where it left off, with anglers pulling em’ over the rails at breakneck speeds. Boats were back on the water Saturday following last week’s windy conditions. And the Pacific halibut were ready and willing to take any bait sent their way. It’s been a while since…
The Lives of Women
It would seem I’ve chosen the wrong decade to quit drinking. With apologies to Samuel Clemens, it’s easy: I’ve done it dozens of times. For whatever reason, though, I selected the summer of 2022 to take a longer, less-defined hiatus from one of my longest-standing hobbies. These weren’t conscious factors in the decision, but it…
The Overturning of Roe and What to Do Now
We knew it was coming and still the news launched a million expressions of fury across the media landscape and onto the streets. We’ve known this was coming for years, decades. The steady march of the Republican party as it took over school boards, rallied candidates for local offices, blocked judicial appointments at all levels…
This is Not the Story We Wanted
This week’s Journal is not the issue we planned a week ago. On Tuesday, as the Journal staff read copy on its way to press, it was with the Jan. 6 hearings in the background, with all its attending shocks and scandals, showing us moment by moment how close we came to watching a petulant…
‘Step into Your Power’
Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Roe v. Wade was a massive blow to reproductive rights and a direct attack on the health and safety of women, people with uteruses and basic human rights. This ruling will affect all people, however, Black people stand to be disproportionately impacted by the court’s ruling. According…
Midsummer Puzzle Answers
Here are the solutions to last week’s challenge. If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t peek — go to www.northcoastjournal.com to find the questions online. The Mistake It’s the extra “the.” Pedal to the Metal Infinitely fast. The car needs two minutes to drive two miles at 60 mph. But those two minutes have already…
RE: RE: RE: Unhinged
Editor: First, I have to acknowledge Gordon Inkles as the fine writer that he is (Mailbox, June 23). But he says he missed my alternative to foul language in political debate. My letter listed five good examples of the alternative. Google Hakeem Jeffries or Chris Murphy on gun control, or Taiara Tamminga on biased policing,…
Haying on Saturday
A tribute to KMUD and local radio As BBC expounds on nukes, low-yield Our hay truck lurches as we leave the field. A disc can launch them from the NATO ring Encircling our competitor. It’s spring. Ill-omened, like the dread two-headed calf Are infants suckled by Globemaster jets. And Service suicides are up by half!…
Grand Jury Reports
Editor: As board members of Life Plan Humboldt, we applaud the Grand Jury for recommending steps to accommodate the growing number of older adults in our community (“The Grand Jury Weighs In,” June 23). It is a great time to leverage state funds for affordable housing and the need is critical. And yes, unhoused seniors…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In her poem “Two Skins,” Bahamanian writer Lynn Sweeting writes, “There is a moment in every snake’s life when she wears two skins: one you can see, about to be shed, one you cannot see, the skin under the skin, waiting.” I suspect you now have metaphorical resemblances to a snake…
