Cover Stories
Anatomy of a Fire Fight
They were celebrating down in Hoopa when the storm rolled in on a warm, smoky Saturday. It was Aug. 10, in the middle of the annual Sovereign Day celebrations, when the tribe celebrates its independence with a parade, games, a rodeo. It had been a bad air quality day; smoke from the Butler Fire up…
Smoke Hazards Stay Mostly Inland
The lingering smoke that’s been creating some spectacular blood-orange sunsets isn’t posing health issues along the coast, but it has sometimes reached hazardous levels inland, where fires rage. The North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District has set up temporary air monitoring stations in Orleans, Somes Bar, Sawyers Bar, Willow Creek and Hoopa, and they’re…
From the Hum: Tuesday Temptation
Yet another big weekday show takes place tonight in the form of The Slackers, New York City’s self-described “legendary masters of reggae, ska, soul and rock’n’roll” at Hum Brews. In the 22 years the Slackers have been together, they’ve released a lot of albums embodying that sound that seems to go over so well in…
From the Hum: Entertainment Explosion
Pablo Midence of Lord Ellis/Photo by Mark McKenna Tonight is one of those times where you might just want to drop your head in your hands and despair over the sheer number of choices you face on the amusement front. Over in Eureka, art comes alive with artists making awkward conversation with wine-drunk fans, buskers…
From the Hum: See Them While They’re Steel Standing
Tonight at the Jambalaya, the 10-piece Arcata-based percussive wonder Steel Standing celebrates the release of the band’s Kickstarter-funded debut CD. The very stoked band says that the first half of the night will be a “Trini”-dance party — all the best soca and calypso tunes from Trinidad. (Assuming that’s the country and not one of…
From the Hum: ‘War and Peace’ at the Mateel
Tonight, the Mateel presents Immortal Technique and Brother Ali as they kick off their War and Peace tour. On Immortal Technique: He’s Peruvian out of Harlem, he has intense political views that embrace revolutionary activism and my 17-year-old son has been a fan for years now. On Brother Ali: He’s from Minnesota, he brought serious hook…
Water Theft Shuts Down School
Bridgeville Elementary School closed on Tuesday because it didn’t have running water after thieves emptied its entire 20,000 gallon water tank, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday. The press release is below. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE On 09-03-2013, approximately 12:20 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office received a call from the superintendent of Bridgeville Elementary…
Dog Abandoned on Samoa Beach Dies
One of the three dogs found abandoned on Samoa beach last month died Friday. A veterinarian euthanized “Becky,” a black Labrador retriever, after discovering she was bleeding internally from invasive nasal cancer, the Sheriff’s Office reported. Veterinary records gathered by Animal Control indicate Becky had been experiencing symptoms since at least May 2012. “Angel” and “Ginger”…
Illegal, Secret e-Meetings by School Trustees?
School district trustees may have broken the state’s public meeting law by exchanging e-mails about how to handle a plagiarized graduation speech by one of their own, the Arcata Eye and McKinleyville Press reported last week. The emails reveal a group of school board members eager to make the problem go away as quickly as…
Summerfest Yard Sale
When Summerfest fizzled at the last minute on Aug. 16, organizers vowed to refund vendors and pay back disappointed music fans with a free show. On Monday from 12-8 p.m., the Summerfest folks make good on the free music at Humboldt Brews featuring the Rezonators and the Fickle Hillbillies. They’ll also be selling the concert…
Honey Cone
If you’re not going to treat yourself to an ice cream cone when it’s warm like this, you just don’t want to be happy. I went into Living the Dream Ice Cream looking for Dirty Monkey (chocolate, banana and peanut butter) but discovered instead orange blossom honey. It is the ideal end of summer flavor…
Liberate Your Growler
Freedom to enjoy your favorite beer — that’s Wes Chesbro’s (D — North Coast) vision of California. He’s calling for Gov. Jerry Brown to end the persecution against owners of growlers — those 64-ounce beer bottles — who just want a refill. Growlers are an increasingly popular way to get fresh-brewed craft beer home. Even…
Un-occupy the Courthouse
Crews from Humboldt Bay Fire evacuated the courthouse this morning when an elevator motor apparently started spewing smoke into the building. A few Sheriff’s Office deputies waiting outside said they smelled strong smoke on the first floor of the courthouse before the building was emptied. Firefighters found the source of the smoke and were preparing…
The Cat Came Back
Yes, that guy with the hat and glasses is Bobcat Goldthwait, iconic ’80s comedian who starred in Police Academy and once lit the Tonight Show set on fire. If you don’t recognize him, it’s probably because he’s been making the funny behind the scenes in recent years, directing The Jimmy Kimmel Show and his black…
Paddling with Island Flair
Outrigger paddlers take to Humboldt Bay, aboard a smaller canoe brought up from Shelter Cove (left) and the larger, Humboldt-based outrigger (foreground). It’s 7 p.m. on a cloudless Thursday, and Humboldt Bay shines like liquid silver under blue skies. Luke Besmer, a Hawaiian outrigger canoe enthusiast, has assembled a crew of six other paddlers eager…
Jacoby’s Ladder
Editor: Paul Mann’s history of HSU (a special insert in the Aug. 22 Journal) includes some of the merchants who were in Arcata when Humboldt State Normal School opened in 1913. One of the businesses he mentions is “Augustus Jacoby’s Fine Market Store.” I find this a bit peculiar. Augustus Jacoby left Arcata sometime in…
More on that Matter
Editor: One might add to the brain computer comparisons that a computer has no body (“Field Notes,” Aug. 8). Why does this matter, so to speak, given sayings such as mind over matter? Because, first of all, there is no telling where the brain begins or ends, and same with the body. Is it at…
Violent Media Not Harmless
Editor: I appreciated Barry Evans’ columns in previous weeks about problems with the new DSM edition of psychiatric “diagnoses” (“Field Notes,” June 20 and June 27). However, in the Aug. 22 column (“Brains, Minds and Myths”), Evans erroneously implied there are no dangers to young people from violent media. But many studies prove otherwise! The…
Heads Up
The Journal will be closed Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day. And that means early deadlines, folks. Please submit your letters to the editor by noon on Friday, Aug. 30. Please try to make your letter no more than 300 words and include your full name, place of residence and phone number (we won’t print…
In Defense of Sergio
Editor: I found Sam H. Clauder’s full page article, “Cheering the bat-thrower? Really, Arcata?” (Aug. 15) disturbing and ironic. Mr. Clauder attacks the character of Humboldt Crab Sergio Sanchez, and eventually the entire organization and its fans. In 10 years of attending Crabs games Mr. Clauder’s conduct was by far the worst I have ever…
Learning to (Pub) Crawl
Reviews THE WORLD’S END. I think I expected this long-awaited conclusion to the so-called Cornetto Trilogy to alter the cinematic landscape of the summer. While I wasn’t disappointed in it, the film didn’t blow my mind, either. Troubled, perpetual adolescent Gary King (Simon Pegg) cons his boyhood friends into some unfinished business back in their…
Don’t Burn the Forest Service
Editor: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. It is easy to blame the Forest Service in this part of the world since these public lands are the backyard of rural communities (“Lessons in the Ashes,” Aug. 8). Certainly, fire suppression, past clearcutting, and a subsequent backlog of dense stands have resulted in a…
Last Call
Maybe you missed the Rodeo Barbecue. Maybe you missed Hops in Humboldt. Maybe the Mad River Summerfest washout left you one outdoor festival short of a summer. Maybe you’ve just been trapped indoors, growing like a pale, little mushroom without sunlight. Fear not — the So Hum Beer Fest and BBQ Smoke Off is coming…
Back to Style
What to wear on the first day of school? Here’s what some of the newbies at Humboldt State University are working. Check out this first day chic.
Sensed Presences and Heard Voices
I became aware of my guide, who was shrouded in a black monk’s cowl, an hour or so after I lost my bearings and realized I was lost. He — I’m sure it was a “he,” although I never saw his face — walked about 20 feet to my right and just slightly ahead of…
Love, Cell Phones and Facebook
Dear Jess, I fell in love with someone, and he’s now falling in love with someone else. It’s killing me. We dated for a couple years, casually at first, then by the second year pretty seriously. But we have different ideas of what we want for the future when it comes to kids and where…
Just the Ticket
One of the things I love most about Humboldt is how we grow talent. Case in point, Dave Fleschner, former Trinidad resident and Mack High grad. Fleschner lives in Portland, where he plays keys with the Curtis Salgado Band. He also routinely performs around the world, including with such luminaries as B.B. King, The Pointer…
The View from the Chopper
Congressman Jared Huffman came to town this week, along with veteran news anchor Dan Rather and his crew, to get briefed on the unholy clusterfuck that is our rogue marijuana industry. It’s an industry subsidized and metastasized thanks to the artificial price constraints resulting from the War on Drugs. On Tuesday morning, Sheriff Mike Downey…
Weinberg, Fermi and Other Paradoxes
The distance from k = .87 to k > 1 Struck them as “a God-given barrier,” Until they reached criticality And everything changed. Where are they? I am bobbing again In gentle summer waves, Teasing frustrated surfers Pacing Hanalei Bay. I am home. Looking up at Ever-present clouds And endless falls Painting jungle Who cares?
Roman Holiday
Our version of a heat wave is around 75 degrees. Still, who wants to cook when there are lawn chairs to be filled and bocce balls to be rolled? If incoming waves of zucchini and tomatoes (it’s good to have friends in Willow Creek) are keeping you in the kitchen, here are a couple of…
Dan Rather and Jared Huffman Tour Pot Grows in a Helicopter
In this week’s “Week in Weed” column, we chat with our U.S. Congressman, Rep. Jared Huffman, about his latest trip to Humboldt, during which he was briefed by Sheriff Mike Downey about marijuana issues and interviewed by the one and only Dan Rather. They also went for a helicopter ride. Pick up this week’s Journal…
