Cover Story
‘All Hands On Deck’
A new state law mandating organic waste recycling and the creation of food recovery programs will overhaul the state’s garbage system — changing everything from how residents throw out their trash to how organic waste is recycled and where cities source their mulch — all while reducing emissions of methane, one of the worst climate…
HumCo Confirms Another COVID-19 Death
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another COVID-19 death since its last report July 21. One new hospitalization was also reported and, according to a state database, 19 people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including four under intensive care. The death reported today is Humboldt County’s 152nd since…
Delta Tunnel: Salmon at Risk from Massive Water Project, State Report Says
California’s water agency today released a long-awaited environmental report outlining the details and impacts of a controversial proposal to replumb the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and pump more water south. In the report, state officials said the tunnel project could harm endangered and threatened species, including the Delta smelt, winter-run chinook salmon and steelhead trout. To…
New Police Accountability Laws Up Demands on State Agencies
California Department of Justice agents realized they were short-handed just hours after a Los Angeles police officer shot and killed an unarmed man on Hollywood Boulevard. A 911 caller told police the man was threatening people on the morning of July 15, 2021, waving what appeared to be a pistol in a busy tourist pocket.…
Crabs Stay Hot With Combined No-Hitter
The Humboldt Crabs put together yet another dominating week in the season as both the pitching staff and lineup were firing in all cylinders. The weekend was highlighted by a combined no-hitter from Crabs pitchers Nick Perryman and Eureka local Garrison Finck, which came not even a week after Caleb Ruiz threw his own complete…
When Employers Steal Wages from Workers
Some of the lowest wage workers are getting their livelihoods stolen by their own employers. Employers deny workers overtime premiums, ask them to work “off the clock” or take their tips. In California, workers lost nearly $2 billion from not being paid the minimum wage in 2015, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning…
UPDATE: Both Suspects in Fourth of July Assault Arrested
The two suspects in a Fourth of July assault of a Black man on Eureka’s waterfront in which he reported being called a racial slur have been arrested. According to a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office release, Joseph Bradley Boxell, 20, was arrested July 25 by a deputy who initiated a suspicious vehicle check at 9:42 a.m.…
Millions in Federal Funds Set for Upgrades, Studies at Local Airports
Three Humboldt County airports — the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport in McKinleyville, Murray Field Airport outside Eureka and Rohnerville Airport outside Fortuna — are receiving Federal Aviation Administration funding for studies, upgrades and updates, according to a news release from North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman. The vast majority — $13 million of $16.1 million…
Six Rivers National Forest Activates Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
Stage 1 fire restrictions were activated today by the Six Rivers National Forest due to the ongoing drought and warming conditions. Under the restrictions, campfires can still be made in established fire rings “within designated developed campgrounds and day-use sites only,” according to a news release, but are not allowed in all of the forest’s…
Some COVID Orphans in California Will Get Financial Help
In a small town in California’s Central Valley, a trio of siblings lost both their parents to COVID-19 within two weeks of each other in 2021. Their deaths made the oldest son a pseudo-parent to his teenage siblings overnight and forced the brothers and sister to figure out a future without their mom and dad. …
NCJ Preview: An Organic Waste Overhaul and New Food and Brew Offerings in Arcata
Humboldt County’s trash collection system is about to get a lot more complicated, with a new state law taking effect aimed at reducing climate pollutants and creating a closed-loop organic waste economy. Meanwhile, a new brewery and deli in Arcata is offering up sandwiches and small-batch brews and recently released documents shed new light on…
Centro del Pueblo Holds Vigil Against Hate
Community members gathered at Centro del Pueblo’s Jardin Santuario last night to stand against hate and offer support in the form of notes, candles and speeches for the community’s immigrant population after the garden’s welcome sign was vandalized. The sign was spray painted over in black ink with the words “AMERICA USA” scrawled in red. Centro del…
California Counties Siphon Social Security Benefits from Some Foster Kids
When she was 15 and had been a ward of the courts for half her life, Kristina Tanner learned the cost of her stays in group homes and with foster families was coming out of her own pocket. She had qualified for monthly survivor benefits checks, a Social Security program for children whose parents had died.…
Humboldt Receives Small Allotment of Moneypox Vaccines
The federal government has allotted 20 monkeypox vaccines to Humboldt County in the wake of the recent rapid spread of the rare zoonotic infection, including more than 350 known cases in California, although none have been confirmed locally, according to the county’s Department of Health and Human Services. “With no confirmed cases currently in Humboldt…
State Controller: Investigation Found Short Staffing, Lack of Training, Contributed to Delinquent Financial Filings
The California State Controller issued its long-awaited report from its months-long investigation into Humboldt County’s highly publicized fiscal accounting and reporting problems this morning. The report spans 23 pages, including responses from the county Auditor-Controller’s Office and the County Administrative Office. A press release from the SCO identifies some key findings, including that the county…
Arrested Suspects in Eureka Pursuit, Shooting Identified
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office released an update today on Wednesday night’s pursuit and officer-involved shooting in Eureka, identifying two suspects in the incident that saw shots fired at deputies and stating two of the deputies “involved in this incident have been placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.” The…
Rio Dell Names a New Police Chief
The city of Rio Dell announced today that Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Greg Allen will be the new chief of police, replacing Chief Jeff Conner, who is retiring. “I cannot think of anyone more qualified to lead the Rio Dell Police Department into the future,” Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp said in a…
Centro Del Pueblo Sanctuary Garden Sign Vandalized, Vigil Planned
Centro del Pueblo’s Jardin Santuario, a community garden in Arcata that is held as a safe space for immigrants and the BIPOC community to garden and learn, was vandalized last night. Specifically, the welcome sign was spray painted over in black ink with the words “AMERICA USA” scrawled in red. “The defacement of the Jardin’s welcome sign…
Police Investigating Pursuit, Reported Shootout with Fleeing Vehicle
The county’s multi-agency critical incident response team is investigating a police pursuit yesterday evening that reportedly saw a suspect shoot at officers from the fleeing vehicle and at least one officer return fire before the chase ended in a non-injury car crash at the intersection of Buhne Street and Harrison. No injuries were reported in…
In Appreciation
Editor: Blue Lake’s 54th annual Annie & Mary Day celebration was a rousing success (Calendar, July 7). The sun was out all day, the food was tasty, the car show was the largest ever and vendors offered all kinds of crafts. This event would not have happened if it was not for the hard work…
‘Decorum’
Editor: Cheers to Alan Sanborn (Mailbox, June 16) and David Ross (Mailbox, July 14) for objecting to Jennifer Fumiko Cahill’s use of offensive language in her article. Two voices in favor of decency and decorum. Thank you. Patricia Lazaravich, Trinidad Related Stories
Seriously?
Editor: I’ve noticed some things recently. A dictator has started dropping bombs on civilians in a neighboring country. Women in America have no right to control their bodies. Our President is fist-bumping with a mob boss who has people dismembered. And we are destroying the web of life on Earth. But you know what really…
‘Fascinating Tales’
Editor: Just a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed reading the two articles by Barry Evans (Field Notes, June 9 and July 7). Both were fascinating tales, and to think this has all happened in roughly the last 200 years! This area has a very cool, albeit sad history. … Also…
Correction
A story in the July 14, 2022, edition of the North Coast Journal headlined “Quantifying Impact” contained an error, as Nordic did respond to Journal inquiries about the departures of executives Erik Heim and Marianne Naess from the company. The Journal regrets the error.
‘Responsibility’
The day after his officers combined to fire more than 40 shots on the streets of downtown Eureka shortly before 5 p.m. on a Tuesday amid a chaotic pursuit in 2016, then Eureka Police Chief Andrew Mills held a press conference and pledged a thorough investigation. “Each officer is personally accountable for every round that…
Island Universes, Part 1
“We thus observe, that with each successive increase of optical power, the structure has become more complicated and more unlike anything which we could picture to ourselves as the result of any form of dynamical law, of which we find a counterpart in our [Milky Way] system.” — William Parsons, Third Earl of Rosse, on…
Come On Feel The Noise
We’ve got a lot of great local gigs this week, which is about as good as it gets regarding midsummer Setlists. And many of them are free, which certainly doesn’t hurt with the way things are at present. Despite my own hectic schedule, I was able to catch a few good ones last week and…
Mourning Light
Deep Blues settle into Yellows and Reds Lifting my horizons, While I sip coffee Wandering again Beneath it all… I once complained About the lack of Clear directions From whomever, Until a dear friend Returning from war Enlightened me: “She did the best, She could.” Kirk Gothier
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You are entering the Season of Love’s Renewal. To celebrate, I offer you a poem by eighth-century Tamil poet Andal. Whatever gender you may be, I invite you to visualize yourself as the “Snakewaist woman” she addresses. Here’s Andal, bringing a fiery splash of exclamation points: “Arouse, Snakewaist woman! Strut your…
Ale in the Castle
Built on Arcata’s H Street in 1885 as the former clubhouse for the Knights of Pythian, Pythian Castle has lived many lives and is currently inhabited by multiple clothing shops including a grand-papi of local thrift shops, the Vintage Avenger. But there has been a small restaurant space nestled in among the retail shops that…
Wet and Wild on Woodley
Oh, how I love paddling on Humboldt Bay. When the tide is right, I might visit Indian Slough, where the narrow wandering passageways remind me of tiny lanes I’ve cycled in Wales, my husband Barry’s homeland. In spring, I spot nesting egrets clustered high in the cypresses and schools of sandpipers resting on the mud…
Pacific Halibut Quota Nearly Met
Favorable ocean conditions for a good part of July, along with the closure of ocean salmon, has led to anglers putting a very large dent in the Pacific halibut sport quota. So much so that it could be met prior to Aug. 1, when the ocean salmon season opens back up. The hope was the…
Crimes Fails to Captivate
Crimes of the Future. I suspect the only people ambivalent about the work of David Cronenberg are those who have not seen it. For all the rest, he is a polarizing figure: either a loathsome degenerate or one of the most noteworthy creators working in the medium; OK, maybe both. Matters of taste aside, he…
