Cover Story
Bar Food Crawl
Most of us know all too well the power of beer goggles — how a few drinks can make a stranger or an ex seem far dreamier than in the cold light of sobriety. But what about food? Sure, that braised pork might be enhanced by pairing it with a petite sirah, but after the…
From the Hum: Blackberry Birthday Jam
Tofu! If you’re looking for something free and fun tonight, you’re in luck, because The Hip Joint and The Blackberry Bushes are celebrating Humboldt County soundman extraordinaire and erstwhile Absynth Quintet drummer Tofu Mike’s birthday at the Logger Bar. The Blackberry Bushes are an alt-folk string band out of the Pacific Northwest and bring forth…
From the Hum: Tonight’s Tall Cool Drink of Loopy Juice
As mentioned last week — did you get your tickets yet? — Keller Williams returns to Humboldt with a show tonight at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. Musically, Williams is best known for what he calls “the looping thing.” Machines that are essentially delay units enable Williams to step on a button and sing or play…
Suspects Arrested in Arcata Stabbing Death
Two men and a woman were arrested in connection with the Nov. 25 stabbing death of Douglas Anderson-Jordet in Arcata last night. 24-year-old Sophie Buttercup Rocheleau, 28-year-old Nicholas Benjamin Stoiber, and 35-year-old Juan Joseph Ferrer — all Arcata residents — were arrested without incident, according to an Arcata Police Department press release. APD Chief Tom…
Upper Klamath Tribes, Farmers Announce Tentative Agreement
Klamath Tribes and Oregon irrigators have reached an “agreement in principle” over the long-disputed waters of the Upper Klamath Basin, saying the groups will work toward a common goal of improving fisheries, water quality and agricultural sustainability in the region. Upper Klamath farmers were dismayed earlier this year when the Oregon Water Resources Department ordered…
Brookwood Covered Bridge Saved, For Now
One of Humboldt County’s few wooden covered bridges got a pardon this week, as the county abandoned plans to replace the bridge with a modern, two-lane, concrete or steel span. Maintenance of the existing bridge is expected to cost the county $400,000. The Brookwood Covered Bridge, which crosses Jacoby Creek in Bayside, allows access to…
From the Hum: Black Joe Lewis, tonight!
Whoa, it’s December! And tonight Black Joe Lewis returns to Humboldt Brews. Hot damn. The band’s latest album, Electric Slave (stream it here) was produced in large part by Grammy award winner Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Cat Power, Modest Mouse) and recorded at Church House Studios in Austin. Three of the new tracks were recorded and produced…
From the Hum: For Your Saturday Pleasure
Back to the beat Whether leftover turkey or tension needs working off, tonight offers a fine selection starting with Butch Clancy at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. The Motown native is best known for street dancer Marquese Scott’s performance to his interpretation of Foster The People’s “Pumped Up Kicks” — 78 million YouTube views and counting.…
OB-Gone
By the end of December, there will be just five OB-GYN (obstetrics and gynecology) physicians left in Humboldt County — down from at least 10 just four years ago. And of those who remain, four are older than 60 and only one sees patients in his office full time: Deepak Stokes, 64, who practices in…
Sticky Stigma
How many of Humboldt County’s 134,623 residents are involved in the weed industry? Twenty percent? Thirty? Half? Last week, a pot cop working in the county to our south suggested that the figure is even higher than that. Rich Russell, commander of Mendocino County’s major crimes task force, raised eyebrows and a few hackles by…
Grow Right
Editor: Thank you for exposing the environmental impacts of money grows (“Weed Killers,” Nov. 14). We will appreciate it if you do not confound those with marijuana grows, which are small and responsibly done. We’ll also appreciate it if you will display the bright sides of the industry which have been ongoing locally for 40…
Physics, Schmysics
Editor: There must be some pretty strong marijuana growing in that field where Barry Evans takes his notes. Earth to Barry: There are many more interesting things to look at in Humboldt County than the depths of your own navel. I have to agree with GT Buckley’s opinion about the Large Hadron Super-Collider (“Mailbox,” Nov.…
Big Verse, Small Pond
Editor: Thank you for publishing poetry in the North Coast Journal. It is the first page I turn to when I read your paper. I am astonished at how many extraordinarily talented poets we have in our little neck of the woods. Robin Hodson, Willow Creek Editor’s note: Letters and poems are compiled by…
Holiday Gift Guide
The second installment of the best gifts that Humboldt has to offer. Click to read.
Give Thanks
According to my Facebook friends, November is about two things: mustaches and gratitude. Men, I hope you’ve been able to meet your facial hair goals. With regards to the expressing appreciation theme, here goes: Despite the onslaught of press releases relaying all the crime and horror surrounding us, the fact is, Humboldt County remains a…
Before You Travel Internationally
1. The idea of traveling alone may intimidate you, and indeed you’ll find your wits, endurance and ability to maintain good humor tested. But flying solo offers benefits, too, on a soul level and on a practical one. You can ask yourself: Who am I when not responding to others? Am I the competent hero…
Fieri in the Belly
Even over the phone, you can hear the hair. Guy Fieri is talking about his old job as table-side flambé captain at the Red Lion hotel in Eureka with the same fist-bumping joy he has over a drippy burger on his Food Network show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. “It was the best job. Food is…
Christmas R Toys?
Apart from the deeper meanings, it comes down to: Christmas R toys, right? And not just for children. (Or do I have to give back my Enterprise com badge and Doctor Who sonic screwdriver?) And what’s better than toys that come alive? Among the many shows that play with this idea is Victor Herbert’s 1903…
Comet ISON: Coming Our Way
Predicting whether an incoming comet will be spectacular or not, especially when it’s a first-timer, is a risky business. I got my start writing science columns when the editor of our then-local paper called me in early 1986. “I understand Comet Halley is on its way here, and I’d like a story about what it’s…
Where’s the Fire?
Reviews THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE. I greet this release with markedly lower enthusiasm than, apparently, the rest of the movie-going world. Not that I harbor any ill will toward the franchise; it just doesn’t do a whole lot for me. The furor over the book series passed me by almost entirely, though another member…
And Everything is Going Fine
I last talked with Spalding Gray at Wildberries Marketplace on the afternoon of his last Center Arts performance. I’d had dinner with him in Pittsburgh (along with six or eight others) several years before, where the general conversation was high-spirited — at least until he quietly observed that he couldn’t laugh anymore. He didn’t know…
Annals of Eureka Political Phenomena
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Wicked Mirror!
Speaking truth to vanity We tuck gray hairs Beneath false colors And smooth the creases Of suffering and joy. Wicked mirror! We duck your steady eye Turn sideways This way and that Trinkets of disease We do so love to lie. The mirror of another’s eye Turns politely away Agreeing to pretend with us That…
Small is the New Black
As lovely as it sounds to wake up earlier than a special ops squad and be pressed to the glass doors of a big retailer, only to be hip-checked by some aggressive shopper, there are alternatives to Black Friday madness. You could stay home and relax with a hot cup of coffee and a cold…
Santa Stalking
Are you done with your turkey? Good, because Saaaannntaaaaa! A big guy in a red suit isn’t that hard to find, but you do need to know where to look. Santa starts making the rounds in Humboldt this week, so charge your camera, knock back a mug of hot chocolate and go see a man…
