Releases on the Trinity River to Significant Increase Flow This Week
Restoration flows will begin tomorrow, April 16, on the Trinity River to help improve conditions after another critically dry water year. A flow schedule based on the expected amount of water available to support salmon restoration efforts on the Trinity River is brought forward by the Trinity Management Council each year. This week’s two-day schedule…
APD Renews Call for Witnesses as Fourth Anniversary of Lawson’s Death Approaches
As the fourth anniversary of his death approaches, the Arcata Police Department is once again calling on witnesses to step forward in the April 15, 2017, stabbing of Humboldt State University sophomore David Josiah Lawson. In a joint public service announcement Chief Brian Ahearn recorded with Lawson’s mother, Charmaine Lawson, they urge witnesses who may…
Public Health Confirms 13 COVID-19 New Cases; 30K Residents Fully Vaccinated
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 13 new COVID-19 cases today, with one case removed after it was found to be a duplicate, making 54 positive cases this week and totaling 3,572 countywide cases. The cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 321 samples. Public Health also announced that 30,444 county residents have been fully vaccinated, which represents 22.4…
Fish and Wildlife: Don’t Take the Fawns (with Video)
Fawn season is here and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is reminding the public that mother deer after hide their young in tall grass or brush, at times for hours, while out foraging. “It is a very common mistake to believe a fawn has been abandoned when it’s found alone, even if the…
Public Health Confirms Seven New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases today, making 42 so far this week and bringing the county’s cumulative case count to 3,560. The cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 196 samples with a test-positivity rate of 3.6 percent. Last week, the county announced it is opening vaccine eligibility to all local residents…
The NCJ Reader Survey is open for your input!
The North Coast Journal wants to hear from you, dear readers. Take a bit of time to answer a our survey so we know what you like (and also what you don’t like) in NCJ. It will take less than 10 minutes to complete. And when you do you’ll be entered into a drawing to…
UPDATE: Feds Pause Administration of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine, HumCo Follows Suit
UPDATE: Humboldt County Public Health has announced that it will follow federal recommendations and immediately pause administration of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Further, Public Health urges anyone experiencing severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath within three weeks of getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to contact their health care provider.…
HumCo Fentanyl Overdoses Coming at “Staggering” Rate in 2021
Humboldt County is in the midst of a surge of fentanyl-related overdose deaths, alarming local officials who have long braced for the powerful opioid’s impact on the North Coast. Fentanyl has accounted for nearly 50 percent of Humboldt County’s alcohol and other drug (AOD) deaths so far this year, with five overdose deaths logged in…
Public Health Confirms 35 New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 35 new COVID-19 cases since Friday — more than were confirmed all of last week — bringing the county’s cumulative case count to 3,553. The cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 644 samples with a test-positivity rate of 5.4 percent. Last week, Public Health confirmed…
Hoopa and Karuk Tribes Get Millions in Affordable Housing Grants
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has granted more than $90 million to 24 Native American Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs) across the nation, including the North Coast’s Hoopa and Karuk tribes, to support new housing construction, housing rehabilitation and critical infrastructure projects. The Hoopa Valley Tribe received $5 million, while the Karuk Tribe…
‘He’s Not Forgotten’: Vigil Planned for David Josiah Lawson
David Josiah Lawson’s mother is intent on both making sure Humboldt County never forgets his name and giving back to the community that has embraced her, echoing her calls for justice. Lawson, a 19-year-old Humboldt State University sophomore, was fatally stabbed at an off-campus party April 15, 2017, in a case that remains unsolved with…
Art Share April Activities with CNPS
The North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s 2021 Wildflower Show goes virtual this year, hosting creative, interactive and informational opportunities to appreciate wildflowers all month long during April. On now, enjoy activities such as viewing Little Free Wildflower Art Galleries that will pop up at businesses and homes around the county, leaving…
NCJ Preview: Back in Orange, a Grim Anniversary and Taiwanese Treats
We’re going over what Humboldt’s move back into the orange COVID-19 risk tier means and how the local vaccination effort is going. And as we approach the fourth anniversary of David Josiah Lawson’s stabbing death, we look at its reverberating impacts. Finally, we’re eagerly anticipating a couple of restaurants set to open with Taiwanese specialties.…
Muddy and Metal Mashup
Local coffee purveyor Muddy Waters Coffee Co. has a fan. Last year Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett’s people reached out to say he’s been ordering the coffee online and wanted to collaborate. Muddy Waters owner Chris Nicholas, who’s been running the business on his own since the pandemic started, was up for it. Enter brand-man. Hammett’s…
County Records Lowest Weekly COVID Total in Months, Reports 11K Vax Doses Coming Next Week
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 10 new COVID-19 cases today, making 32 this week — the lowest weekly case tally since October — while also reporting that the county is slated to receive more than 11,000 vaccine doses next week, by far the largest weekly allocation to date. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed…
Stinky Corpse Flower Blooms at Humboldt State
Things are getting a bit stinky at the Humboldt State University greenhouse, where a corpse flower — with a bouquet like rotting flesh — is in bloom. While the odor may be off-putting, the aroma does its job in attracting the plant’s pollenators: dung beetles, carrion flies, and other scavenger insects. But don’t get your…
Humboldt Opens Up COVID-19 Vaccines to 16 and Up
Humboldt County residents who are 16 years and older can now get in line for a COVID-19 vaccine, moving them up before the state’s April 15 date for widening eligibility. Those interested can sign up on the state’s My Turn site. “We are so thankful to those members of our community who waited for their…
One Lucky Cat: Fortuna Fire Comes to the Rescue
Do firefighters really rescue cats from trees? In Fortuna, yes, they do. A team from the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department came to the rescue of a wayward kitten that became stuck this morning. According to a Facebook post, Capt. Kyle Kertscher along with firefighters Riley Cameron, Myles Borgelin, and Alan Agnone worked together to retrieve…
Vaccine Passports in California? Answers to Your Questions
Now that more than 7.5 million Californians have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, the Newsom administration has set a goal of reopening the state’s economy by June 15. So what does the state plan to do when it comes to proving that people are vaccinated? State health officials said Tuesday that verification of immunization or…
SoHum Girls Streaming Live from the Arcata Playhouse this Saturday
Listen up, live music lovers — David Ferney at Arcata Playhouse has some news. “The Arcata Playhouse is back with live music. We are now doing live-streamed shows at the Arcata Playhouse with our new video system and have two shows coming in April,” Ferney says. (Remember, baby steps lead to dancing steps.) The first…
Five New COVID-19 Cases Confirmed, County Still Has Open Vaccination Appointments
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed five new COVID-19 cases today, while continuing to urge residents to sign up with the state’s My Turn vaccine registry and fill hundreds of open local appointments this weekend. The five cases were reported after laboratories processed 156 samples with a test-positivity rate of 3.2 percent. The county’s cumulative case…
Crabs to Play Ball for Limited Crowd with Locals on the Roster
The Humboldt Crabs have announced their return to the field June 4, with three local players on the roster. Willamette University infielder Ethan Fischel, Bethel University utility man Aidan Morris and Umpqua Community College pitcher Caleb Ruiz, who all hail from Eureka, will among those taking to the field this summer. As for how many…
Weekly Zoom Series about the Eel River Watershed Starts this Week
The Eel River Recovery Project is hosting weekly Zoom meetings about the Eel River Watershed from April 9 through May 28. “Eel Zoom” is a new, happy-hour-timed presentation (bring your own beverage) on topics of interest about the Eel River watershed. Presentation topics include fish population trends, Sacramento pikeminnow management, flow, salmon parks, forest health, salmon run trends,…
COVID-19 Vaccine Doses Currently Available, SoHum Health has Extras Today for Walk-ins
Need a COVID-19 vaccine appointment? According to the county’s Joint Information Center, there are currently hundreds of doses available Friday through Sunday for those who are eligible by signing up on the state’s My Turn site. The option does not apply to those who have already received a first dose and are awaiting their second…
Flights to Hollywood Burbank Airport Coming this May
Humboldt County’s regional airport, the California Redwood Coast Humboldt County Airport (ACV), in McKinleyville will now be offering flights to the Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) through Avelo Airlines beginning May 19. “Avelo’s announcement is further evidence of the recovery of the airline industry and, more importantly, the desirability of the Redwood Coast as a destination,” …
Pucker Up for Another Home Cooking Recipe Winner
Well, this is embarrassing. Last week we only shared two of our three winners for the NCJ Home Cooking Recipe Contest. Were we a little distracted by Tiffany Bullman’s cream puffs? Perhaps. Did we want to keep Cheri Swan’s recipe for Meyer lemon sweet rolls for ourselves? Maybe. But our sponsor Eureka Natural Foods chose…
Corrections
The photo of David Holper that ran with the online story “A Pandemic Poetry Reading with Laureate David Holper” posted April 4, 2021, was taken by Eric Furman. The Journal regrets the credit omission. A brief in NCJ Daily in the April 1, 2021 edition of the Journal about Humboldt County Public Health recruiting volunteers to help…
Life as a Beach
I woke up this morning to find that I’m no longer human. I’m a beach! I’m a dynamic beach with large surf breaking over me. The waves erode the large dune that used to be my beer belly, and when the tide recedes, the dune is replaced by a flat gravel bed. And just beyond…
Fun Fungi
When hiking on a forest trail if duff is wet, and light is pale, late fall and winter, early spring, then comes the fruit that fungi bring. They pop from snags and fallen trees through dung and duff, new forms are teased, and inside each, protected there grow spores that someday take to air. Some…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Author Susan Sontag defined “mad people” as those who “stand alone and burn.” She said she was drawn to them because they inspired her to do the same. What do you think she meant by the descriptor “stand alone and burn”? I suspect she was referring to strong-willed people devoted to…
Carrots, Sticks and Jabs
Beginning April 1, all Californians 50 and older became eligible to get their coveted COVID-19 vaccine — including one politically imperiled 53-year-old governor. Gov. Gavin Newsom celebrated this latest benchmark by getting a well-publicized jab himself, thus marking the beginning of the end of what has been a particularly thorny political challenge for the administration: How to…
Four Years Later
Next week will mark the fourth anniversary of the fatal stabbing of David Josiah Lawson, a 19-year-old Humboldt State University sophomore whose still unsolved killings left fissures throughout the local community. Lawson died early in the morning of April 15, 2017, after he was stabbed multiple times — including once to the heart — amid…
Small (Hot) Plates on the Way
Hot Plates Coming Through at Nori Passersby have been either celebrating or scratching their heads at the sign for Nori (761 Eighth St.), heralding another sushi place joining Tomo and Sushi Spot on the Arcata Plaza. But according to its owners, the soon-to-open restaurant in the downstairs spot where Salt Fish House started out before…
Godwit Days Starts Flapping
My first introduction to bird watching on Humboldt Bay came on a guided April walk years ago offered by the Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival. We paused at a viewpoint at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary and, to my amazement, looked out at tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds feeding on the exposed…
Rockfish Are Snapping at the Jetties
The boat-based rockfish season on the North Coast is still three weeks away but that certainly doesn’t mean rockfish can’t be on the dinner menu. The jetties, the breakwater constructed to protect Humboldt Bay, are currently providing some excellent rockfish action. Over the weekend, the north jetty was the place to be for black rockfish,…
Rumbles, Riffs and Riders
GODZILLA VS. KONG. On the rarest of occasions, one receives an unexpected gift; something one would not have chosen for oneself, or even considered as a potential source of joy. Such, for me, was the arrival of Godzilla vs. Kong. We all knew it was coming and most were ready to receive it with adulation…
My Friend Charmaine
We can never know ahead of time, who or what may change the course of our lives. Charmaine Lawson brought three beautiful children into this world. David Josiah was her first born. Anthony and Chloe followed. A single mom, she wanted her children to do great things and they were each making her proud. On…
‘Stand Up to Hate’
Editor: On Sunday, March 21, Humboldt Asians & Pacific Islanders (HAPI) in Solidarity hosted a vigil, “Love Over Hate,” to honor and remember the victims of the tragic Atlanta shootings (NCJ Daily, March 25). This peaceful, thoughtful and loving walking vigil was held on the grounds of the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (HUUF) in Bayside.…
