UPDATE: Caltrans: Copyright Contract Grants Rights to Artists
UPDATE: The Journal has received clarification from Caltrans spokesperson Myles Cochran on the language and intent of the contract it sent to artists who painted Caltrans utility boxes as part of the Eureka Box Art program in 2018, stating that it in fact grants all control and ownership of the artwork to the artists. While…
After COVID Restricts Contact Sports in Santa Clara County, HSU Provides Space for San Jose State University Football Team to Practice
According to information from the San Jose State Spartans, football players from the University team will travel north to Humboldt State University to practice football. They are barred from practicing in Santa Clara County because COVID restrictions bar contact sports. “Approximately 135 players, coaches and essential support staff will travel to Humboldt State. Costs, such…
Fatal Collision on Herrick Ave
Earlier this morning, California Highway Patrol helped the Eureka Police Department locate a tan Jeep Cherokee as part of a welfare check on its driver, Timothy McTague, Sr., the vehicle and McTague’s body was found at a fatal collision site in the driveway of a residence on Herrick Avenue. When emergency medical personnel responded to the scene…
County Confirms Three New COVID-19 Cases, Reports New Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed three new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county’s total to 512. The county also reported one new hospitalization, bringing the to-date total to 32. Humboldt County remains in the “moderate” category under the state’s four-tiered system, with a test positivity rate of 0.7 percent and 1.2 cases per 100,000 individuals,…
Mental Health ‘Tsunami’ Looms: Can California Prevent a Surge in Suicides?
Celinda Gonzales has a long list of worries: She worries about COVID-19, which recently spiked near the Yurok reservation where she lives in Humboldt County. She worries about the wildfires threatening her remote, forested town, Weitchpec. She worries about gill rot and algae blooms in the Klamath and Trinity rivers, which join together just over…
Unhealthy Air Quality Intensifies as Fires Continue
With smoke from the Red Salmon Complex, the August Complex and the Slater Devil fire combining, an Air Quality Alert is issued today for Hoopa and Willow Creek, and an Air Quality Advisory is issued today for Orleans, Weitchpec, Bridgeville, and Garberville. Eureka (from Rio Dell to Trinidad, along the coast) will have overall moderate…
Police Investigating Fatal Single Car Crash in Eureka
There was a fatal crash on Herrick Avenue west of the Eureka Municipal Golf Course this morning when a Jeep struck a parked Dodge Ram pickup truck. Officers investigating the crash don’t yet know what time it occurred, according to Sgt. Mike Campbell with the California Highway Patrol. Cambell said the victim was driving eastbound…
One New COVID Case Confirmed
Public Health reported one new confirmed COVID-19 case today, bringing the county’s total to 509. Humboldt County remains in the “moderate” category under the state’s four-tiered system, with a test positivity rate of 0.7 percent and 1. cases per 100,000 individuals, according to the state’s data, which was updated today. The statewide level is 7…
Eureka High Wins Top Award
Eureka High School took top honors for its 2019-2020 education program promoting college and career readiness. The school was recently awarded the Career Choices Medal and is one of 35 such distinguished schools to be designated as a Career Choices Medal School. For more on the award, read the press release below: EUREKA, Calif. — Eureka High…
Two Injured During Fight in Eureka This Afternoon
Eureka Police responded to Seventh and M streets at 2:02 p.m. for the report of physical fight between two males. According to Brittany Powell, spokesperson for EPD, “It appears the two males are known to each other. Both received significant injuries and were transported to the hospital.” Powell explained that this is an active investigation.…
UPDATE: August Complex FB Meeting; Smoky Skies Continue
UPDATE: The virtual public meeting for the Slater and Devil Fires scheduled for 6 p.m. has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later time. Smoke-filled skies are creating unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions over much of the region, with some areas expected to see improvements this afternoon while other expected to worsen. Hoopa, Weitchpec, Willow…
Adults, Kids Asked to Play By the Rules as Playgrounds Reopen
Public playgrounds across the state are being allowed to reopen but with adults and children alike needing to use COVID-19 safety practices under guidelines released by the state. Those include anyone 2 or older wearing a mask and keeping a socially-responsible 6 feet of distance from folks who are from other households as well as…
Law Enforcement Looking for Missing Bay Area Woman
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a missing person’s case after a Bay Area woman’s car was found abandoned on a logging road near Korbel. The vehicle, belonging to 75-year-old Betty Baxter Simmons, was found abandoned on Snow Camp Road near Korbel by an employee of a timber company. A search of the surrounding…
Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested
One suspect has been arrested and another identified in the Sept. 16 robbery of a bank in Henderson Center. Nolan Eugene Colegrove, 38, was taken into custody in Arcata on a drug warrant Sept. 25 and Eureka Police served a search warrant on his room in an Alliance Road residence before later arresting him on…
UPDATE: Smoky Skies Throughout the Region; Air Quality and Fire Updates
Air Quality Update: UPDATE: Fortuna and communities in the Eel River drainage as well as Garberville, Shelter Cove, and surrounding communities were added to the list of places with advisories for Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy air quality over the next 24 hours due to fires in the region. PREVIOUS: The National Weather Service has issued…
Providence Eureka House Receives $4.3 million for Homeless Housing
Gov. Gavin Newsom has allocated $137 million in Homekey Awards, $4.3 million of which will go to Humboldt County, states an email sent by a spokesperson for the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Homekey is California’s $600 million program to purchase and rehabilitate housing – including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties…
Eighth COVID-Related Death for Humboldt
Humboldt County has recorded its eighth COVID-19 related death after a resident in their 80s died at an out-of-county hospital, Public Health announced today. There were also seven new confirmed cases since Friday and an additional hospitalization. “Our thoughts are with friends and family members who are feeling this loss,” County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich…
Record High Temperature Set in Eureka
The National Weather Service in Eureka is reporting record high temperature was set in Eureka today at 87 degrees, breaking the previous record of 79 degrees in 1945 and also ties the September and all time record high set on Sept. 2, 2017. Read the full NWS report, that includes a record breaking temperature report…
APD Searching for Suspects in Robbery
The Arcata Police Department is searching for two suspects in a strong-arm robbery who fled in a black Nissan Rogue. According to APD Detective Sgt. Chris Ortega, at about 12:51 p.m., his department received a report of the crime and responded to a motel in the 4800 block of Valley West in Arcata where they…
UPDATE: Blocksburg, Fort Seward, Alderpoint Residents Urged to Prepare Now to Move Livestock, Other Animals
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services is urging residents in the areas of Blocksburg, Fort Seward and Alderpoint to make plans now to move livestock and domestic animals in preparation for a possible Evacuation Order. For questions related to Humboldt County Evacuation Warnings call 707-268-2500. PREVIOUS: Fire officials are warning that conditions are…
UPDATE: SoHum Evacuation Warnings Expanded Again
UPDATE: All communities east of Alderpoint Road, spanning south from Showers Pass Road to Harris Road, and all communities east of Harris Road spanning south from Alderpoint Road to Pipe Creek are now included in an evacuation warning due to conditions related to the August Complex North Zone. According to the Office of Emergency Services,…
SECOND UPDATE: More Areas of SoHum Under Warning, Ruth Lake Under Evacuation
THIRD UPDATE: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services reports an evacuation warning has now been issued for areas east of Alderpoint Road to the Trinity County border and south of Showers Pass Road to Mountain Creek due to rapidly changing fire conditions in the August Complex North Zone. Find the OES map here. SECOND…
North Coast Night Lights: Ray of Beauty at Moonstone Beach
/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} An odd thing happened while out sifting through the coastal night light for a compelling image. The waxing crescent moon had already set and the…
‘Fire Conditions Have Worsened’: Spot Fires on 36
UPDATE: The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office’s alert: “Per the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office and Trinity County Office of Emergency Services, the entire area of Ruth Lake and the area of Lower Mad River Road from Sheriff’s Cove to Highway 36 is now under an Evacuation Order. Highway 36 is now closed to through traffic from…
Humboldt is Heating Up
The National Weather Service office in Eureka is advising residents about a “Moderate Heat Risk” for tomorrow. The NWS website states, “Unusually warm temperatures for the coastal areas are expected Monday with high temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s.” For inland areas, temperatures in the mid-90s to the lower 100s are forecast for…
CDC Releases Halloween Guidelines, Warns Against Traditional Trick-or-Treating
The Centers for Disease Control this week released its guidelines for celebrating Halloween in the COVID-19 era, and they’re surely going to leave some kids disappointed. Probably some adults, too. “Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses,” the CDC’s announcement states. “There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween.” Obviously,…
Blue Lake Rancheria Delivers Food to Karuk Tribal Members ‘Devastated’ by Slater Fire
The Blue Lake Rancheria stepped up to help a neighbor in need this week, delivering more than 10,000 pounds of food to the Karuk Tribe to help its tribal members who have been impacted by the Slater Fire. “Our office of emergency services delivered the USDA food boxes this week to help alleviate needed resources…
Fire Crews Brace for Hotter, Drier Conditions; Wind May Push Smoke to Eureka
The Red Salmon Complex The fire complex burning about 8 miles northeast of Willow Creek has grown by nearly 2,000 acres since yesterday’s report, and now spans more than 110,000 acres of mostly national forest lands and is 31 percent contained. The fire, sparked July 27 by a lightning strike, is burning in Klamath, Six…
Humboldt Surpasses 500 Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed five new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county’s tally past 500 since the pandemic began. In a press release, Humboldt County Deputy Health Officer Josh Ennis reminded residents that the potential for exponential virus growth remains the biggest concern. “What we know is that COVID-19 is going to be here for…
Food for People to Hold SoHum Distributions Tuesday
Due to wildfire evacuations and road closures in Southern Humboldt County, Food for People has rescheduled produce distributions in Redway and Garberville to Tuesday. From 10:30 a.m. to noon, those in need can receive fresh, free produce at the Garberville Presbyterian Church (437 Maple Lane) and from 1 to 3 p.m. at Redway Baptist Church,…
Ford Sentenced in Cannabis Insurance Embezzlement Case
Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Christopher Wilson sentenced John Ford to serve 90 days in jail and five years probation after the former insurance broker pleaded guilty to felony embezzlement. An investigation by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and the California Office of Insurance alleged that Ford contracted with various clients…
EPD Preliminary Investigation: Protester Possibly at Fault in Last Night’s Collision
The Eureka Police Department has opened an investigation into an incident during last night’s Breonna Taylor protest in which a protester was hit by a truck and suffered non life-threatening injury to her foot. “Preliminary findings indicate that the pedestrian may have placed herself in the path of the vehicle at the time of the…
Damp Weather Slows Fires with Drier, Windier Weekend Forecast
Red Salmon Complex The fire complex burning about 8 miles northeast of Willow Creek has grown to 108,244 acres and is 31 percent contained. Light rainfall and moist conditions slowed fire growth, but have also limited fire crews’ ability to conduct firing and burning activities to further contain the blaze. “Fire activity was somewhat repressed…
Air Quality ‘Good’ Throughout Much of Humboldt
Air quality throughout most of Humboldt County has improved substantially, despite fires burning to its east, north and south, the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District announced this morning. According to an advisory issued today, “overall good air quality conditions” are expected today from Rio Dell to Trinidad, in Orleans, Weithpec, Willow Creek and…
Six Rivers, Klamath National Forests to Remain Closed Indefinitely
Six Rivers and Klamath national forests are among nine in California that will remain closed indefinitely due to “unprecedented and historic fire conditions,” the U.S. Forest Service announced this morning. The closures will be reevaluated daily as conditions change, according to a press release. “Right now, there are three large wildfires burning on the Six…
State Route 36 Closed Due to Fire
State Route 36 has been closed due to the August Complex fire, Caltrans District 2 announced this morning. “TRAFFIC ALERT: State Route 36 is CLOSED from the junction with State Route 3 to South Fork Mountain Road (Trinity County) due to fire operations on the #AugustComplex. ETO is dependent on operations and fire behavior,” the…
Protestor Hit at Breonna Taylor Demonstration in Eureka
About 200 demonstrators gathered at the Humboldt County Courthouse on Thursday, calling for justice for Breonna Taylor as part of a nationwide protest one day after a grand jury in Louisville, Kentucky, brought no charges against police officers involved in her March 13 fatal shooting while serving a no-knock warrant at emergency medical technician’s home.…
Seventh COVID-related Death Reported
Humboldt County Public Health reported a seventh COVID-19 related death today and six new confirmed cases, bringing the county’s total to 496. “My heart goes out to friends and family members who are mourning this loss,” County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said a news release. The person who died was in their 60s. Humboldt County…
Samoa School Superintendent Featured in People Magazine, T-S Reports
The Times-Standard is reporting that Lark Doolan, the principal and superintendent of the Peninsula Union School District in Samoa, was spotlighted in an article in People magazine. According to the T-S report, Doolan talks to People magazine about his path to living his best life as a trans man after struggling with intense bullying in his youth.…
SR 36 Likely to Close Tomorrow Morning and Remain Closed Through the Weekend
The August Complex continues to move north and firefighters will likely have to close State Route 36 tomorrow. The California Highway Patrol issued the following statement Thursday afternoon: The CHP is anticipating a closure of State Route 36 from State Route 3 to South Fork Mountain Summit in Trinity County for fire fighting operations related…
House Passes Huffman Amendment on Klamath Dams
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which included the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement Tribal Fairness amendment, led by North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman. The amendment aims to safeguard Tribal communities against further harm to the Klamath River and its ecosystem and to remediate existing problems in…
Red Salmon Complex and Slater-Devil Fire Updates
Red Salmon Complex Fire: 108,165 acres with 27 percent containment. Firefighters are continuing with structural defense work in all active fire areas and burn out operations using drones in the Knownothing Creek area. Today’s report states that upcoming weather is a critical component for firing/burn-out operations. With a high-pressure system moving into some of the…
Attempted Kidnapping in Ridgewood Neighborhood
A Sacramento man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly breaking into a home in an attempt to kidnap his estranged wife and threatening to kill others in the Eggert Road residence if they called law enforcement or tried to stop him. Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Ridgewood neighborhood on a disturbance call around…
Stabbing Reported in Eureka Last Night
A 51-year-old man flagged down an officer near West Third and Commercial street in Eureka about 2:50 a.m. with several stab wounds to the back, according to a report over the scanner. An ambulance took the victim to the hospital. We’ve reached out to the Eureka Police Department for more information on the condition of…
Dark Turns on Country Roads
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME. This country has long suffered from an identity crisis — 2020 has turned it into an outright catastrophe but it was a pre-existing condition going back almost as far as the nation itself. City does not know what to do with Country and vice versa, each population distrusting the other…
Awards and an Invitation
We are elated to announce that North Coast Journal arts and features editor Jennifer Fumiko Cahill won the Association of Alternative Newsmedia’s 2020 award for best food writing, while the paper’s Media Literacy Issue took second place for best special section. The nonprofit association includes nearly 100 member papers throughout the country, including many of…
‘Unacceptable’
Editor: In response to DA Maggie Fleming’s reaction to my letter (Mailbox, Sept. 17); in my encounters with her department I have not experienced the “excellent work” she refers to. In the case of mental competency of an intellectually challenged homeless defendant, although she can’t make a competency determination, when notified that the instrument used…
‘Read on!’
Editor: I was searching the Humboldt County Library catalogue and I found that all these books are checked out, and all have holds: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (the library has two copies with seven holds); Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X.…
The Sound Guys: Edison and Berliner
Fifty years after the world’s first surviving photograph was taken by Nicéphore Niépce in 1827, Thomas Edison did for sound what the French experimenter had done for light: capture it. Edison made his first recording “Mary had a Little Lamb” in December of 1877 and — like Niépce’s original photo — it was crude, imperfect,…
Redwoods are Resilient
Redwoods are resilient, fire can consume their core yet they continue But we are so much more combustible, our lives are made of paper and wood, our memories attached to possessions We can’t imagine our lives without our curated collections And a photograph might be the closest we get to defying impermanence Sarah Brooks
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “It takes a lot of courage to be the same person on the outside that you are on the inside.” Author Barbara De Angelis made that observation. I offer it up to you as a fun challenge. During the coming weeks, you may be strongly tempted to be different on the…
‘Worn Out’
At the Sept. 15 Eureka City Council meeting several things were made clear. The council supports the presence of a syringe exchange program in the city. So does the chief of police. What they do not support is the Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction, as least in its current form, evidenced by a 4-1…
Starting Fresh
A plexiglass barrier suspended from hooks in the ceiling sways just a little as Keaka Roberts-Fonoti zips between the register and the kitchen. A large pass-through window frames her and husband Samasoni Fonoti side by side at the flat-top grill as she gets a takeout box of loco moco ready for the pair of sunny-side…
Cleaning Up the Fall Garden … or Not
My calendar tells me that the Autumn Equinox starts at 6:30 a.m. PST on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Before you get all excited about pumpkin spice season, it’s time to think about planting your fall garden if you haven’t yet and to think about cleaning up the summer garden (or not, but more on that in…
