Beach by Beach
How a lecture and a teen’s broken beer bottle inspired the world’s largest coastal cleanup event
Cover Story
The Humble Humboldt Roots of the World’s Largest Coastal Cleanup Event
When you stand on the Earth’s surface, it seems infinite, a place beyond dimension. A human is less significant than an ant fallen into the mid-Pacific. Nothing. From space our world is less expansive. Those are often the youthful perspectives when one appraises the future. Nothing seems so fraught with possibilities, yet enmeshed with such…
HumBug: Locals Among the Invaders
Finding myself with an uncommitted day and the Himalaya berries in season, I went blackberry picking along some of my favorite logging roads. I did OK but the best part of the day was wandering through patches of Queen Anne’s lace, cat’s ear, pampas grass, Scotch broom and bird’s foot trefoil. One and all thriving…
North Coast Night Lights: South Fork Bridge, July 2018
Built in 1910, this old railroad bridge crosses the Main Fork of the Eel River just upstream of the confluence with the South Fork Eel River. I’m not absolutely certain what to call the bridge, having seen it variously called “South Fork Bridge,” “Dyerville Train Trestle” and “Dyerville Bridge.” It is part of the old…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Sept. 12
[iamge-1] Peace-seeking, world touring, fiddle playin’ Phoebe Hunt brings her country-smoked (with incense) group Phoebe Hunt and the Gatherers to Ferndale this evening to perform songs from her latest release Shanti’s Shadow. Consisting of songs about redemption through suffering and meditation and the release of pain, her set will appropriately be going down in the…
Amid Controversy Over New Policy, KHSU Volunteer Tried to Thwart Studio Move
Humboldt State University is on alert after a KHSU volunteer apparently tried unsuccessfully to convince the station’s engineer to sabotage its looming move to a new studio location on campus in order to “stick it to” the station’s general manager and a university vice president. In an email sent shortly after 9 p.m. on Sept.…
Sheriff’s Office IDs Man Found Dead on SoHum Road
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man whose body was found on Bell Springs Road in Southern Humboldt earlier this month as Ricardo Galvez-Calleja of Mexico. He was 54. According to a release, an autopsy conducted on Sept. 8 did not determine an immediate cause of death. The case remains under investigation and…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Sept. 11
Native Nashvillian-cum-denizen-of-Franklin, Kentucky, Rayland Baxter — who, rumor has it, writes tunes in an old rubber band factory — plays a sort of strutting and soulful rock ‘n’ roll that comes across like a smoothie of equal parts Yardbirds, Replacements and Big Star. He can be found with his band tonight around 8:30 p.m. at…
SECOND UPDATE: Structure Fire Impacting SR 36, One-Way Traffic Control in Place
UPDATE: According to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Savona, State Route 36 now has one-way traffic control in place and many resources have been released. PREVIOUSLY: A section of State Route 36 is being closed as firefighters respond to the report of a structure fire that is spreading into the vegetation along the roadway near…
Music Tonight: Monday, Sept. 10
Blues-tinged surf rockers from the cold Oregon coast Pigasus Trio return to the Siren’s Song tonight at 8 p.m. to team up with local indie R&B act James F and the Blackbirds for a night of analog fun. It’s Monday night in early September and the cover’s only $5. What do you have to lose?
Update: I-5 Back Open
Update: Caltrans reports Interstate 5 has reopened between Redding and Mount Shasta. UPDATE: I-5 between Redding and Mt. Shasta is OPEN. Travel is reduced to one lane in each direction for approximately 17 miles. Motorists are asked to drive with caution, obey all traffic control operations and be patient. Lengthy delay. FLAMMABLE VEHICLES ARE NOT…
Flight 93 “Tower of Voices” Memorial to be Dedicated Today
Encircled by trees and rising above a sprawling Pennsylvania meadow brimming with wild flowers, the 93-foot Tower of Voices is being dedicated today in memory of the 33 passengers and seven crew members who died aboard Flight 93 amid the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Each of them — including former Humboldt Bay National…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Sept. 9
The Jam continues its Sundaze electronic dance music series with a curation by Moontribe Collective’s own eminent DJ Ben Annand. Providing local color on the 1s and 2s will be Marjo Lak and Derek Watts. The fun starts at 9 p.m. and the door price is $5 until 10 p.m., when it bumps up to…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Sept. 8
Pin Ups on Tour is a traveling burlesque variety show that recreates a 1940’s- style USO show, complete with vintage costumes, dancing and music. Its aim is to raise money for wounded veterans and performers will be shaking a leg at the Arcata Vet’s Hall at 6 p.m. tonight. There is a dinner at 6…
I-5 Remains Closed as Delta Fire Grows
Interstate 5 remains closed for a nearly 50-mile stretch as the Delta Fire continues to spread, now standing at nearly 25,000 acres with zero containment. Caltrans is reporting there is no estimated time for the state’s major artery to reopen and the closure is backing up traffic on alternative routes as motorists seek ways around…
UPDATE: Crash Closes 101 North of the Peg House
One-way traffic has been set up after an accident closed both lanes of U.S. Highway 101 north of the Peg House between Leggett and Confusion Hill for a little over an hour. According to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page, a large truck with a trailer struck a tree about 7:16 a.m. Traffic was backed up…
Trinidad Coastal Land Trust 40th Anniversary Beach Gala
Enjoy a buffet dinner, entertainment by the Sandfleas and Circus of the Elements Fire Dancers, margaritas, beer and wine at Trinidad Coastal Land Trust 40th Anniversary Beach Gala. Sunday, Sept. 9 from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Merryman’s Beach House ($50). Plus, elegant raffle and auction items. All go to support coastal access and trail…
Ferndale Concours on Main
Picturesque Ferndale is about to get even prettier when more than 100 collectible vehicles line up on its historic Main Street for the third annual Ferndale Concours on Main, Sunday, Sept. 9 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (free). A very classy event. We concur.
Music Tonight: Friday, Sept. 7
Outstanding Italian psychedelic duo Father Murphy is on its last tour ever so there is a once-in-a-lifetime show going down at the Miniplex tonight at 9 p.m., when that tour touches down in fair Arcata. The group has earned raving rants of acclaim from past tour coevals like Jarboe and Xiu Xiu. If you like…
UPDATE: Delta Fire Explodes in Size: Closure of I-5 Impacting SR 299
UPDATE: CHP in Redding posted on Facebook that there is currently no estimated time for Interstate 5 to reopen, reiterating that the agency understands the importance of the roadway but public safety is its No. 1 priority. “At this time, we do not have an estimated time of opening. There are several debris in the…
(Fund) Raise in a Barn for Kokte Ranch
Make hay to the barn party in Bayside — Barntini! Friday, Sept. 7 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Kokte Ranch and Nature Preserve ($35, $30 advance, includes food and one drink). This one’s for the 21 and up crowd. Raise money (and the roof!) at the fifth annual event that benefits local beloved organizations.…
Rotary’s All-You-Can-Eat Fish Feed
Stuff your face on petrale sole, oysters, calamari, salmon, tuna, cod, coleslaw and bread at Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka All-You-Can-Eat Fish Feed Saturday, Sept. 8 from 5 to7 p.m. at The Elk’s Lodge ($35, $12 for kids 12 and younger). The no-host cocktail bar opens at 4 p.m. The evening benefits the Rotary Club…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Sept. 6
In the interest of bringing you different options for your evenings, I feel compelled to inform you that there’s a new, informal house venue show series near downtown Arcata called Concerts at the Crib. Tonight at 8 p.m. you can catch award-winning Nashville-based Americana and folk duo Mare Wakefield and Nomad as they come through…
In Praise of Diverse Views
Editor: Thank you for printing the letter from Rick Brennan, “Manipulated” on Aug. 30, 2018. I appreciate having an articulate writer with views differing from many of your readers showing up in your paper. It is refreshing. Thank you. Minnie Wolf, Eureka Related Stories
‘Vatican City’
Editor: As a 20-plus-year KHSU volunteer, I have served in various capacities, including as a member of Peter Fretwell’s hiring committee (“Static at KHSU,” Aug. 30). At no time did Craig Wruck inform the committee we were hiring a “change agent.” This is not an unimportant detail for a hiring committee, but one Mr. Wruck…
Localize Your Impact
Forty years ago, a young couple lobbed a rock of altruism and hope into the middle of the pond that is Humboldt County. Decades later, the ripples from Joe Abbott and Ann Morrissey’s actions in 1977 continue to reverberate, having grown into something beyond their wildest youthful imaginations. They started small. In this week’s cover…
Excellent Simulations
Suppose this whole mess is just a simulation? Wildfires, Trump, Mars rovers, vaping, dreams, sex, God, you, me, everything — all a digital creation of some far-in-the-future kid playing with her Xbox. You know what teens are like; they get bored easily and destroy what they’ve made before starting over. Max Tegmark, the Swedish-American cosmologist,…
Biking the Humboldt Bay Trail
I used to ride my bike from Eureka to Arcata and back a couple times a week but since I no longer have a regular date in Arcata, I haven’t had a chance to test the new Humboldt Bay Trail along the U.S. Highway 101 corridor. Now with this NCJ assignment, I have just the…
Flesh and Fury
A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN. I left A Prayer Before Dawn feeling like I’d been beaten to a pulp in a Thai prison, but I mean that as a compliment. Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s 2017 drama, written by Jonathan Hirschbein and Nick Saltrese, and starring Joe Cole, is based on a memoir by Billy Moore, a Liverpudlian boxer…
Reefer Madness and Bongzilla
BuzzFeed News published a groundbreaking report Aug. 28 that the Trump administration has secretly formed a committee of federal agencies to combat growing public support for marijuana and portray the drug as a national threat. Dubbed the Marijuana Policy Coordination Committee, the clandestine group includes 14 federal agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration working under…
Trinidad Art Night
FORBES AND ASSOCIATES 343 Main St. “Reflections on Acrylic,” Desne Holland, acrylic paintings. HEADIES PIZZA AND POUR 359 Main St. Antoinette (Toni) Magyar, acrylic paintings. MOONSTONE CROSSING 529 Trinity St. Lynn Niekrasz, oil paintings. NED SIMMONS GALLERY 380 Janis Court (Trinidad Coastal Land Trust) Premiering the 3rd and final ‘Plein Air’ show depicting landholdings from…
The Bird and the Brine
I have the best chicken recipe for you all. But before you start on this journey, you must have experienced the trial and error of making a bad chicken. Failing is part of really understanding how to make an incredible roasted chicken. Now, what do you consider a good piece of chicken? We all have…
Road Warrior
I am posting this edition of the Setlist from the road, having joined up with the herds of holiday travelers to celebrate the end of summer by driving for a ghastly amount of time to a faraway place. And while I am not towing a boat or driving an absurdly sized RV, I am nonetheless…
Sunrise 12/5/16
I open the curtains to a pale pink sky pull on my coat slip into shoes carefully descend the few steps out my door I capture the rising sun casting shadows on the clouds and shiver as ice covers cars and rooftops inside I am grateful for the warmth say a small prayer turn back…
Marci Kitchen Jailed Until Sentencing in DUI Manslaughter Case
On the eve of a hearing to determine if she should be taken into custody pending sentencing in her vehicular manslaughter case, Marci Kitchen surrendered her bail bond and voluntarily committed herself to the Humboldt County jail Sept. 3, forfeiting what may have been her last night as a free woman for some years. Max…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Now is an excellent time to feel and explore and understand and even appreciate your sadness. To get you in the mood, here’s a list of sadnesses from novelist Jonathan Safran Foer: sadness of the could-have-been; sadness of being misunderstood; sadness of having too many options; sadness of being smart; sadness…
Big Pharma Getting the Axe
Related Stories
Corrections
A story in the Aug. 30, 2018 edition of the North Coast Journal headlined “Get Out of Jail Free” included an inaccurate title for Humboldt County Public Defender Marek Reavis. Also in the Aug. 30 edition, the story headlined “Static at KHSU” incorrectly summarized a June vote taken by the KHSU Community Advisory Board. The…
Car Hearts — Cruz’n Eureka Rolls Into Town
It’s the quarter-century anniversary of an event for the quarter-mile loving set. Yes, it’s been 25 years since the first Cruz’n Eureka rumbled to life. The benefit for Boys & Girls Club of the Redwoods arrives in style Sept. 6-8 in Old Town. The good times roll Thursday, Sept. 6 with the event kick-off Poker…
