Broken Blue Line
Long-simmering resentment in the Eureka Police Department erupts with lawsuits and sleaze.
Cover Story
Broken Blue Line
At an April 2008 special meeting of the Eureka City Council, which was called to review Police Chief Garr Nielsen’s year-old contract, two vastly different depictions of the new chief emerged. Community members voiced support, characterizing him as a forthright and tough-minded reformer who was bringing needed change to the recalcitrant old guard. About a…
One Wild Weekend in August
counties. Humboldt music fans have some hard choices to make when the end of August comes along. The already crowded weekend just got more so with the Dimmick Ranch folks announcing a country music fest called Live on the County Line . That show on Saturday, August 29, features Dwight Yoakam plus Kelly Willis ,…
Humboldt’s housing rebound
The latest numbers on county-wide housing affordability reveal something of an upward trend — in prices, that is, not affordability. According to the Humboldt Association of Realtors, which compiles these figures, the median price of Humboldt County homes sold in May (these things take a while to compile, apparently) rose for the third straight month.…
Humboldt Scores $639,179 from Farm Bill
Humboldt Scores $639,179 from Farm Bill: The Federal Farm Bill includes $54 million in funding for something called the Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI) administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Humboldt County did OK, scoring $300,000 for Western United Dairymen to develop nutrient management plans on dairies in Humboldt and Del Norte counties; $300,000…
It’s Your Forest!
Remember that time you were walking in the Arcata Community Forest and you came upon piles of garbage strewn across the ferny landscape? OK, there was more than just that once. Or the time that unleashed, “Oh, he doesn’t bite” dog leaped at your face, snarling? Remember the poop piles you’ve dodged, the confrontational thugs…
CR in trouble again
This just in from College of the Redwoods CR Receives “Warning” from Accrediting Commission – College Stays Fully Accredited While Addressing Concerns On June 30, the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) notified College of the Redwoods (CR) that the Commission has returned CR to warning status. The ACCJC emphasized that…
Cop Arrested On Goodie Duty
California.” This just in from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office: HCSO Correctional Officer Benjamin Jentry-Rakestraw, 20, of Fortuna, was arrested Friday night around 9:30 “as he attempted to bring heroin, tobacco and other contraband into the jail.” He was on duty. On a tip, Sheriff’s investigators had been watching him for about a month. They’d…
Limit agribusiness – for salmon’s sake
Limit agribusiness – for salmon’s sake: Paul Johnson, fishmonger to the stars, has an editorial in today’s San Francisco Chronicle urging lawmakers to throttle back agricultural water usage to save salmon runs. He delivers a call to action: “At 9 a.m. Tuesday, the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee will hold a hearing on proposed…
On the night of Jan. 27…
1,497 adults and 416 children were homeless in Humboldt County. At least 520 of those homeless adults and at least 86 of the children were unsheltered — they slept in cars, or outside. And the rest? They “spent the night in a shelter, transitional housing unit, motel, clean and sober house, or with friends and…
Joanne sings the Anthem
Joanne Rand sings “The Star Spangled Banner” on the Arcata Plaza, July 4, 2007.
Food Freedom! Laundry Liberation!
Because what could be more liberating than financial independence? Oh, sure, life and liberty and the whole pursuit of happiness thing factor in, but have you priced them lately? Well, I can’t solve your big problems – refusing to save, spending more than you earn, insisting on indulging in those optional treats like education, health…
Stop Signs and Libraries
From Frankfurt to Fortuna, Yerevan to Eureka, a red octagon means "stop." No matter the language, the symbol is universal. Yet compared to ubiquitous circles, squares and triangles, octagons are rare. Other than stop signs, you might find them in hot tubs, fancy dining tables … and the Eureka Carnegie Free Public Library, now the…
Fishy Business
Dell’Arte was basically a mime and comedy school with a summer festival when its fledgling company of players developed their first full-length ensemble work: a script gleaned from fishing trip experiences at a volatile time, plus community input and an obsession with Raymond Chandler novels. They called it Intrigue at Ah-Pah. After outdoor premieres in…
A New Mold
Creative destruction. That’s the term people in the news business bandy about these days in a sort of optimistic pessimism about the state of their industry. It comes out of economic theory that referred to constant change within capitalist systems. Out of this constant change comes a "revolt from within" when you have an area…
Independence Days
First off, get a jump on your neighbors. Don’t wait till Saturday, when "independence" will be so day-before-yesterday. Today — Thursday, July 2 — rush down to your neighborhood fireworks stand, grab a small family pack and wait till dusk. Then go out to your driveway and light up a few to celebrate the 233rd…
Independence and Connections
It was July 4th, 2001, a typical New York summer day, hot, muggy and sticky. I was working at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, just south of Delancy Street, during the week. On my days off, I sometimes went down to the heart of the Financial District in the lower depths of Manhattan. Wall…
Bots and Babes
Previews Opening Wednesday, July 1, is Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, the third in the popular animated series. Scrat the saber-toothed squirrel (voiced by Chris Wedge) may find a love interest beside his prized acorn while Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) unwisely steals some dinosaur eggs. Rated PG for some mild rude humor and…
Locked Out
It’s been two weeks now since St. Joseph Hospital suspended four night shift intensive care unit nurses and a supervisor, and the nurses, their union representative and the community at large still remain in the dark as to what prompted the suspensions. In a brief statement, St. Joseph’s administration offered only that it does not…
Starvation
Sunday at Mad River Beach — a long spit of sand jutting north, where the ocean roars on one side in a continuous pile-up of waves and the quiet river on the other side scallops the edge of the dunes — seemed idyllic. Especially on the river side. Sun. Wind. Birds trilling on the bank…
Arts Alive!
First Saturday Night Arts Alive! Saturday, July 4, 2009, 6-9 p.m. is proudly presented by USBank, with Eureka Main Street and the Humboldt Arts Council. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits, and/or performances are on July 4th from 6-9 p.m. Join us after the 4th of July Festival and before the Fireworks show at 10 p.m.…
Fishing for Advice
Editor: Great to see a cover story on the Marine Life Protection Act (“Two If By Sea,” June 25). The more people know about it, the more people are likely to participate in the process of establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPA). As I emphasized to Heidi Walters, the hope is that through such participation, any…
Damn the Job-Haters
Editor: In response to the re-branding of Humboldt County away from being the pot capital of the world, the marketing folks have missed the point (“Rebranding Humboldt,” June 25). Humboldt does have a reputation as a pot-growing center, but it also has a reputation as being anti-business. Even if pot growing stopped today, most businesses…
Plan Fit or Plan Fat
Editor: Insight into the motivations of the Coalition for Property Rights, discussed in “Town Holler” (June 18), is offered by their treatment of Public Health Office Dr. Ann Lindsay last September, as she offered her recommendations on the General Plan Update to the Board of Supervisors. When she commented that “the way we build the…
Smokin’ Lamb
Here’s something to gladden the hearts of my fellow food nerds: You can easily make smoked lamb bacon at home, and it’s delicious! Lamb is a local product from our own Humboldt fields of green, and in fact the local connection is the only way to get the required cut. Especially if you wish to…
Rest in Peace
Editor: As chairperson of the Eureka High School Native American Club, I wish to express our gratitude for printing the article “Grave Matters” in the North Coast Journal (June 18). The desecration of graves is as old as time itself. No civilization has been immune to the ravages of robbers who wish to profit from…
Lowside of the Road: A Life of Tom Waits
A biography of a self-mythologized character like Tom Waits is a daunting task. The intertwined aspects of his art and public persona can’t be easily pried apart, and part of the attraction such a figure has is precisely that mystique. Former MOJO editor Barney Hoskyns makes a valiant, well-researched attempt, despite the handicap of being…
Nonprofits Needed
Editor: The people working at the local skilled nursing facilities go above and beyond to provide compassionate nursing care to a population of patients in great need (“Immediate Jeopardy,” June 4). My father was a patient at Eureka Healthcare in 2006, a time period covered by the current lawsuit. It was overcrowded (he was placed…
Delivrance
Former Neutral Milk Hotel drummer/percussionist Jeremy Barnes and his partner violinist/violist Heather Trost are true travelers, nomads. The duo, the core members of A Hawk and A Hacksaw, have carved out a circular route from their point of origin, Albuquerque, N.M., to Devon, England, and on to Budapest, Hungary. Yet this doesn’t seem to really…
