Cover Story
Burger Quest
Ask somebody where to get a good burger in Humboldt and you’ll likely get his or her opinion on a place that used to be good but went downhill, a place that’s overrated and the place that’s amazing. Ask somebody else and you’ll likely get the same places in a different order. Let’s not fight.…
Chile vs. Chile: Fortuna Strong
The Fortuna contingent brought it hard this week, forcing us to revise our standards. Two different restaurants produced three very different rellenos, with a spectrum of chiles, sauces and batters. All were delicious, and as such we’ve decided to be more inclusive. There is no black and white when it comes to pepper, cheese, batter…
Fortuna Rodeo 2015
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Reported Drowning in Willow Creek would be Eighth of 2015
The grim toll of this year’s drowning deaths may rise, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s office, which announced in a press release that a 33-year-old Oregon man, Justin Russell Lawrence Bennich, was pulled from the water at Willow Creek’s Kimtu swimming hole after becoming unresponsive on July 4. Chief Deputy Coroner Ernie Stewart said…
Cops for Hire?
Do shoplifters have you wanting an added police presence at your local business? Does that rash of car break-ins have you and your neighbors wishing for a dedicated officer that could spend nights circling your block? Maybe you just don’t like the look of your daughter’s friends and want a little extra security to fend…
The Reluctant Cyclist, part 2
Number of miles ridden: 31.2 (roundtrip) Time traveled: 2 hours: 57 minutes Number of Confederate flags sighted: 3 Number of times actively feared for life: 0 This wasn’t a work commute, but a “fun” ride to the Humboldt County Cornhole Association’s annual tournament. I mention it to show that a.) I am not a complete…
Bombs Bursting in Air
As crackers and poppers — and, yes, a sprinkling of gunshots and mortar blasts — rattled window panes throughout the county Saturday night, Eureka’s professional fireworks display drew rave reviews. The skies were relatively clear, leaving the colorful explosions visible to all in the vicinity who wanted to revel in America’s birthday glow, brought to you mostly…
Fifty Shades of Noir
Those hot summer nights are about to get a little steamier as Rita Hayworth, Gloria Grahame and Gene Tierney set the screen alight this July at the Humboldt County Library as part of the Film Noir Classic Film Series (free). Film noir, the black and white film style featuring dark, shadowy cinematography and tough guys…
Chile vs. Chile: The Fast Food Edition
Expectation is a double-edged sword when it comes to experience: it can both elevate the mundane and intensify the disappointing. Never was this more was this true than with Los Gallos Taqueria at the Bayshore Mall. In case you think we’ve rigged this race, Los Gallos has been a dark horse favorite in the world…
HumBug: That’s No Lady
Male Ladybugs must have a hard time of it. The familiar orange, black spotted beetles are represented by both sexes. Without a great deal of technical knowledge and a good strong hand lens, you’re unlikely to tell the difference. While insects don’t seem to mind what we humans call them, from time to time I have…
Station Down: Frustration Surrounds Humboldt Bay Fire’s Announcement
If you live in the Myrtle Avenue area, you might want to be extra careful with those fireworks today: Help is a little farther away than it was just a few days ago. Humboldt Bay Fire announced this week that Station 4 — located on Myrtle Avenue — will be closed until further notice, a…
Boom
Fourth of July is as American as, well, America. Barbecues, live music, gathering with friends and family, sitting in the grass under the stars watching the sky light up — the loud boom, crack and sizzle of fireworks. So which celebration are you going to? There’s the Fourth of July Jubilee from 10 a.m. to…
The Reluctant Cyclist, part 1
Number of miles ridden: 5.6 miles Time traveled: 25:27 minutes Number of roadkill passed: 2 Number of times actively feared for life: 0 (Note: Before we journey down this path together, please note: If you seek useful, straightforward advice on commuting via bicycle, refer to the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association. Also, if you would…
Crossing Little River
A one-mile extension of the Hammond Trail’s north end took a key step forward recently, but a lack of funding and debate about who would maintain the new trail is holding up the process. The “Little River Trail,” which would extend Hammond Trail from its current terminus at Clam Beach County Park across Little River…
E=mc2
When space is bending, Energy doesn’t matter. Practice gratitude…
#RainbowsForever
Most days I look at Facebook as one of the following things: 1.) a tool for seeing what far-off friends are up to; 2.) a means of communication many of my friends seem determined to use exclusively; 3.) a useful way to glean shows for this here music column. Like, it’s fine, Facebook, but this…
Draft Day
In a trio of bombastic speeches on the Humboldt County Courthouse steps this week, members of California Cannabis Voice Humboldt revealed the final draft of an ordinance that seeks to regulate outdoor marijuana growing in the county. The tone was grandiose. Flanked by 80 or so seeming supporters and a handful of local media, CCVH…
No-Fail Risotto
One evening while stirring arborio rice, I thought of an old friend who is married to an Italian. While the rice simmered, I fired off an email to her: “Molly, I’m cooking risotto. Any special insider tips from your Italian relatives?” No such luck. She wrote back that she didn’t do risotto. “Too much time,…
Cool Contrails
Contrails — condensation trails — those long, thin white streaks of water droplets or ice crystals that form behind jet airplanes, are very cool. Literally. The hot exhaust from a jet engine is mostly carbon dioxide and water vapor, both gases. As the water vapor is exposed to cold temperatures — typically minus 40 degrees at…
This is the Place
In the extraordinary life of Morris Graves, periods of travel in Europe and Asia alternated with extended sojourns in two remote and beautiful coastal regions: Humboldt County and Skagit County, in Washington’s northwest corner. Here and There, organized by Skagit Valley artist Ann Chadwick Reid, explores the repercussions of Pacific Northwest geography in Graves’ art…
First Saturday Night
1. EUREKA INN 518 Seventh St. Music by La Patina. 4. REDWOOD ART ASSOCIATION 603 F St. HumCats street festival art. 5. F STREET FOTO GALLERY at Swanlund’s Camera 527 F St. “Created Images – Five Views,” Hal Work, Bosha Stuve, Donna Rosebaugh, Diane Williams and Pam Cone, digital art. 6. THE LOCAL 517 F…
Trinidad Art Nights
Upper Trinidad SAUNDER’S PARK (start of Patrick’s Point Drive) Dance by Circus of the Elements with Psychedelvis! at 8:45 p.m. Skate Ramps provided by Trinidad Skatepark Alliance. TRINIDAD MUSEUM 400 Janis Court at Patrick’s Point Drive “J.Goldsborough Bruff Sketches,” “Unsheltered, Commercial Fishing out of Trinidad.” Music by Val Leone. TRINIDAD TRADING COMPANY 460 Main St. “The Mulholland Collection,” Nico…
Old Toys Club
Reviews TED 2. To be fair, extenuating circumstances may have contributed to my lukewarm reception of this sequel; I saw it on the tail end of a camping weekend that left me depleted, dehydrated, sunburned and with a cold. So yeah, some of the onus is on me for having a hard time staying awake…
Dog People
Dogs have no respect for social norms. Sure, they can be trained to obey, but they can’t deny their true nature and they don’t pass up an opportunity to do something disgusting or awkwardly hilarious, no matter how embarrassing it may be for their human companions. While dogs are naturally occurring sources of comic relief,…
Go Mediterranean
Colorful yet refined, Mediterranean garden design seems to touch on so much of what’s right in the gardening world today: an emphasis on tough, unthirsty plantings which thrive in our California climate, a nod to the importance of food and edible plants in the garden and an invitation to enjoy that Sunset-inspired indoor-outdoor lifestyle that…
What a Waste
Editor: Thank you for the Week in Weed column by Grant Scott-Goforth. It gives citizens an honest look at issues not covered elsewhere. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels really safe knowing that the sheriff’s department is spending thousands on what could be done by county code enforcement (“Marijuana Notables in the…
Merry Jane
Editor: I attended opening night of the excellent outdoor production of Mary Jane: The Musical III in Blue Lake (“Pride and Politics,” June 25). The onstage band mostly included veterans of the Arcata-based Humboldt music scene; and provided a perfect accompaniment of diverse poignant and original musical numbers, ranging from pop ballads to craft dance…
What’s up, Doc?
Editor: I viewed with dismay the categories for “Best of Humboldt, Round 2” (June 25) and noted orthodontist, optometrist, veterinarian … and 215 physician? No category for physician? Even stoners need a real doctor from time to time. Emily Dalton, Eureka
