Cover Stories
The Big Gift
In the small lab of the Northern California Community Blood Bank, swift hands process and package blood, plasma and platelets while machines shake, spin and freeze the small bags of bodily fluids. This lab next to St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka is the heart of North Coast blood distribution. Here, the workers take in raw,…
Blood Brothers
The first time Dennis Ellsworth gave blood, he really just wanted to have a good time. It was back in the 1970s, when he was in the Navy, and he and some fellow sailors had the bright idea that they’d get drunk faster if they donated first. It may have worked, since he can’t recall…
Star Light, Star Bright — Perseid Meteor Shower on Its Way
Technically, meteor showers aren’t rare. Every year, a handful of large showers comes through like clockwork, continuing their orbits in a mathematically predictable fashion. And stray chunks and dust hit the Earth’s atmosphere daily. Some of this debris brightens a sliver of sky for a fraction of a moment before disintegrating, but a significant portion…
River Rising
The Trinity and Klamath rivers are going to get colder, higher and faster next week when the Bureau of Reclamation increases water flows from the Trinity Reservoir. The release is expected to help another strong run of returning chinook salmon in the Klamath, hopefully preventing the spread of disease that contributed to a fish kill in…
St. Joe’s Names David O’Brien New President
David O’Brien, MD, a former Eureka family practice physician, has officially been given the job of president of St. Joseph Health — Humboldt County, which includes both St. Joe’s and Redwood Memorial hospitals. In a press release issued yesterday, O’Brien, who received his bachelor’s and medical degrees at U.C. Davis, said he’s happy to be…
Arkley Lawyers Threaten Journal With Restraining Order
The letter arrived late last week, printed on the letterhead of Mitchell, Brisso, Delaney & Vrieze, LLP, attorneys at law, and its warning was dire. “The North Coast Journal’s continued attempts to contact Mr. [Rob] Arkley … border on civil harassment.” Signed by attorney Russell S. Gans, the letter was addressed to Journal Publisher Judy…
Michael Johnson Withdraws Candidacy for EPD Chief Job [UPDATED]
UPDATE: City Manager Bill Panos just returned our calls and said that while he can’t comment on specifics, the search for the city’s next police chief “is taking a little longer than we thought. But we’d rather be really thorough in our determination.” So thorough, in fact, that Panos said, “We have in place probably…
Power Outage in Eureka
UPDATE: Just after 10 a.m., it came back on. No official word yet on the cause of the outage. The power went out for more than 3,000 PG&E customers in Eureka this morning, It remains out in Old Town, and PG&E officials say it’s expected to be fixed sometime after 10 a.m. So if by…
Shakin’
4.5 says United States Geological Survey website. That’s preliminary and could be adjusted later. Did you feel it?
More Pot Busts, More Environmental Damage
On the heels of Wednesday’s discovery of nature-abusing, industrial-scale marijuana grows, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, along with a handful of other agencies, allegedly discovered more environmental crimes at two pot grows yesterday while serving a pair of search warrants. According to a press release, officers found multiple illegal stream diversions, un-permitted grading and buildings,…
The Stuff of Legend
Arcata has some characters, all right. And evidently it always has — even before it was Arcata. From Wiyot tribe and the days of the Wild West to pioneering farmers, builders, tie-dyed idealists and immigrant shop owners on the plaza, Arcata is a town of fascinating folks. Easy to forget in the age of Pot…
Unhealthy Air Warning Issued
Fires in Southern Oregon and Eastern Humboldt County are choking Northern California with smoke. Air quality alerts were issued today for Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity Counties. The North Coast Air Quality District declared air unhealthy in Willow Creek, Orleans, Forks of Salmon and Burnt Ranch. “People are recommended to restrict any outdoor activity,” the…
Hands On
Have you been online too long? Are you starting to get that 10-inch stare and a swollen smartphone thumb? Maybe it’s time to get away from the glow of a screen. You know, make something. Maybe go outside. Spend time with actual people. No, Words with Friends doesn’t count. Kick off Arts Alive! early and…
Deputies Find Dead Animals At Marijuana Grow
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Deputies and other law enforcement agents found and eradicated a marijuana grow yesterday morning. Along with 8,473 marijuana plants, they found a dead fisher at the site. Fishers are currently being reviewed as candidates for the endangered species list. At a separate event on Monday, agents found 7,521 marijuana plants at a…
Arcata Named 17th Hippiest U.S. City by … a Real Estate Blog?
Talk about your dubious honors. A real estate blog called Estately has published a list of U.S. cities that provide “ideal habitat for the next generation of flower children.” And Arcata, our local bastion of hula hoops, sophomore dreadlocks and puppies on ropes, landed at No. 17. But dude, check this out. Even though that’s…
Hops Tickets on Sale
Tickets for the annual Hops in Humboldt beer festival on Aug. 24 in Fortuna’s Rohner Park are now on sale through the Hops in Humboldt website and at the Local Beer Bar on Fifth Street in Eureka. Hop to it — they’re $35 pre-sale instead of $40 at the gate. Unless you need to roll…
About That Speech
Editor: I rarely write letters to the editors of newspapers but Dan Johnson’s “apology” (“Media Maven,” July 25 and this week’s “Blog Jammin’,” page 10) has prompted a response. I find his arrogance appalling. His using his giving back to the community as an excuse is in fact inexcusable. I give back in my own…
Claim Questions
Editor: It’s reassuring that the city doesn’t cave in to every threatened lawsuit (“Staking a Claim,” July 25). But I wonder how many claimants are paid to go away. A most prominent example being a former county counsel who walked away with $289,000 of our taxpayer money. And we never were told what that was all…
Bus Tales
Editor: I enjoyed the article “Another One Rides the Bus” (July 18) and would like to add my experience. Six years ago I gave up owning a car, just to see if I could kick the habit. It went better than I thought and the benefit I hadn’t counted on turned out to be lots…
Support Prisoners
Editor: We should support the prison hunger strike (“Blog Jammin’, July 11) going on in California right now! Those who do not know any better scoff at their demands and coldly state “let them starve” but we need to wake up to the deplorable realities of the prison system in our country and in our…
Tooby Ranch Troubles
Editor: Regarding “Subdividing Humboldt,” July 11: My wife’s family has farmed on the Oxnard Plain continuously for 127 years, one of the longest family-owned farms in Ventura County. Twice we faced the potential that this excellent farmland was in jeopardy, first during the Great Depression, and second, by the ever encroaching industrial development on the…
GPU Grab
Editor: While I am appalled and dismayed by Estelle Fennell’s attempted hijacking of the General Plan (“Publisher,” June 13) I am even more disgusted that all but one of the other supervisors supported her audacious power grab. Ms. Fennell’s rewriting of the guiding principles for the county general plan is a slap in the face…
Fortuna’s First Friday
Find art, music and fun in downtown Fortuna on the first Friday of every month, 6-9 p.m. Artists interested in participating should contact contact fortunadowntown@sbcglobal.net. 1. DAKOTA’S DESIGNS 1040 Main St. Featuring acrylic, oils, and photography. 2. EEL RIVER BREWING COMPANY 1777 Alamar Way. Local sign maker and singer/song writer Alan Chilton. 3. FORTUNA ART…
Correction
Last week’s story “Central Valley Irrigators Threaten Lawsuit” (in Blog Jammin’) contained an error. Regina Chichizola is the communications coordinator for the Hoopa Valley Tribe.
Trinidad Art Night
1. Trinidad Trading Company 460 Main St. Luka Hey, acrylic paintings featuring contemporary Buddhist art and landscapes. Original Songs by Tim Breed. 2. WindanSea 410 Main St. Midori Angelica Designs, jewelry. 3. Trinidad Museum 400 Janis Court “A Contribution to Prayer,” photographs of Native Americans of the Northwest by Lee Taylor Walashek and J. Goldsborough. Guitar…
‘Saw a Bunch of Amazing Music’
Things are happening, Humboldt. Are you still indecisive about checking out a live show? Maybe you’re tired? Long day at work? So many options on Netflix? Well, here are a few reasons to rally and head out: 1. Going out to see bands often lifts you out of yourself. Not only does an inherent excitement…
Come and Play
Hope arose from marsh paths egret-eyed and scraggly — stilt runs. Whistle stops, parcel drops, destination bugged. Prime that ordinary ooze, American coot. Oh, see? Can you say? I try evolution, airy terns in revolving dour mood indigo waiting until some marbled God-wit kites my cin- namon(g) teal…
Angst on a Waterslide
Reviews THE WAY WAY BACK. The title refers to the backward-facing third-row seat in a station wagon, which is where our protagonist, 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James), sits sullenly in the movie’s opening scene. It’s a clever, not overly precious metaphor, and a neat encapsulation of this story’s tone and intelligence. Writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim…
Hesse Fit
Suppose you’re an edgy but also starving New York performer, concocting scripts allowing you to impersonate various movie divas but in genre B-movie stories with vibrant titles like Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and Psycho Beach Party (which then actually becomes a B-movie). But after writing the book for a failed musical, you are told by…
Prime Number Cicadas
The cacophony by the lake in western New Jersey was deafening. Which was louder, the voices of my 30-odd family members at our biennial reunion, or the din of millions of cicadas? Both groups were noisy, but the cicadas, making up for 17 years of celibate residency in holes in the ground, were the loudest.…
Co-op Conflict
Management and employees of the North Coast Co-op are locked in the most contentious labor negotiations they’ve had in years, and each side is grasping for leverage with the tools at hand. For management that means enlisting the help of Bradley W. Kampas, managing partner of the high-powered law firm Jackson Lewis, which specializes in…
First Saturday Night Arts Alive!
Presented by the Humboldt Arts Council and Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are held the first Saturday of each month. Phone (707) 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org for more information or to have an exhibit or performance included. 1. EUREKA INN 518 Seventh St. Lauren Cogan Jones, mixed media. 1a.…
Randy Spicer: The Near and Far
Standing too close to an oil painting by local artist Randy Spicer can be somewhat confusing. Smudges of ebony and cream smash together above forceful streaks of brick, olive and eggplant. Dashes of ochre, fuchsia and lime dart about. Inches from the canvas, the shapes elude meaning, their abstract edges seemingly thrown together without purpose.…
Sadie’s Bad Trip
At 3:43 a.m. on a Sunday I am sitting on the sofa in the dark, flanked hip-to-hip by Sadie and Stella, our two Labradors, who joined me when the monkeys woke me up, as they do most nights. The monkeys are an image from a yoga instructor named Cynthia, who told her students to tune…
Train Talk
Editor: As noted in Ryan Burns’ excellent article (“Run Out on a Rail,” July 25), Dave Tranberg is legal counsel to the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG). I believe that this relationship is one of the major causes behind the whole Mayors’ City Selection Committee (MCSC) affair. For background: Through an old arrangement with…
