Catch and Release
Proposition 47 is keeping addicts out of jail, but will it help them into treatment?
Cover Story
Catch and Release
It’s the morning of Dec. 2, 2014 and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is having one of its dry discussions about how to weigh in on pending state and federal legislation until First District Supervisor Rex Bohn veers off script to lament California voters’ recent passage of Proposition 47. Having taken effect the day…
Name Those Pandas
UPDATE: With 202 of 645 votes, Cini and Masala (Nepalese for sugar and spice) edged out 10 other possible names for the red panda twins at the Sequoia Park Zoo. Now we just have to figure out which one is which. PREVIOUSLY: In July, our red panda family expanded again with a pair of twin…
Bye, Bye, Baby
Giants fanatics are clamoring to the waterfront, trying to find purchase in the muddy slope to get a glimpse of the champions’ three World Series trophies. Well, actually, it’s pretty pleasant out, and, despite a line that wraps around the block, people are in good spirits. Get down to the Adorni Center by 5 this…
Victory Lap
Kids today don’t get it. They think the Giants bring home a new set of World Series rings every other year. But lifelong fans know better, having endured the years of lonely Octobers, hundred-loss seasons, the brutal winds of Candlestick and cruel sweeps punctuated by acts of God. No, kids, it wasn’t all animal nicknames…
Enter HSU’s Head-Bangin’ Chief
Donn G. Peterson, Humboldt State University’s new California-born, fresh-from-Florida police chief, was sworn in on Jan. 5. Buried in the “welcome-aboards” and “glad-to-be-heres” of the university’s press release was a thrashin’ fact about the new chief: he’s a “huge fan of Metallica.” Does that mean the University Police Department will stop enforcing noise complaints? Will…
It Takes Two
The word “tango” conjures up scenes from Hollywood films. What self-respecting spy gets to the end of a movie without at least one prowl across a swanky dance floor with a femme fatale in a glittering high-cut dress? But that’s just a watered-down pantomime. The dance as we know it comes from Argentina’s bars and…
UPDATE: Cutten Homicide Victim and Suspect IDed
The victim of Thursday’s homicide and his alleged killer have been identified. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office says Ryan James Robinson, 22, of Rio Dell, was shot to death after an argument with 32-year-old Judson Allen Stiglich. They apparently knew each other. From the sheriff’s office: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested, Judson Allen…
Um, Ryan?
Editor: I opened the Journal last week to find a column that accused the city of Eureka of trying to murder homeless people by drowning them in a tsunami (“Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!” Jan. 1). This was in no way what the council discussion was on Dec. 16. In fact, we were exploring many ways…
Stargazin’
Editor: I highly enjoyed Barry Evans’ column on Orion last week (“Orion, Hunter of the Winter Skies,” Jan. 1). The recent reboot of the Cosmos series has me turning my eyes to the skies more often and they always find their way to Orion. The column reminded me that once I dreamed of being an…
That Smarts!
Editor: I read your article on the smartest people in Humboldt County with interest, but what started out so interestingly with Elizabeth Berrien turned into the usual litany of male figures here in Humboldt (“The H Factor,” Dec. 25). With all the smart women in Humboldt, it was a great disappointment that at least four…
Clarification
The Journal failed to fully explain the message of last week’s cover. The illustration, penned by Joel Mielke in response to Father Eric Freed’s killing on Jan. 1, 2014, is a Chinese character for “love.”
Correction
The Journal misspelled tarot reader Carolyn Ayres’ name in last week’s story “Humboldt’s Fortune.” Who could’ve predicted that?
Maggie’s Method
After living in office limbo for several weeks, Maggie Fleming took over the District Attorney’s office at the beginning of the year. Fleming spent much of the last year planning ways to improve the office. On Jan. 2, she sat down with the Journal to discuss some of her ideas and the immediate actions she’ll…
Adventure Club
Kayaking. Pan drumming. Blacksmithing. Beer tasting. Glassblowing. Laughing yoga. Ziplining. In Adventure Club, the escapade is limited only by price and the imagination of the planner. Outings are monthly, with the date and time announced a few weeks before, but the exploit itself remains unknown until the last minute. That’s because the very purpose is…
Baby, You’re A Star
Sure, sure, we’ve got some bands playing as the year’s momentum picks up, but what about you? What about your chance to shine? Let’s take a second to look at where and when you can go and place yourself on stage in front of an audience ready to adore you. (We can’t promise that last…
Matsutake Madness
Matsutake mushrooms are the truffles of Japan. The fall arrival of the dusky fungi, artfully displayed in wooden boxes on sprigs of pine, like high-end shadow boxes, is marked by a frenzy and the abandoning of fiscal reason: A small handful of premium matsutake can run you over 8,000 yen, or $100. This is a lot…
Women in Weed
Trim bitches. Grow hos. Potstitutes. If you know what those terms mean, you know that our county’s most prominent industry has what politicians call “a woman problem.” But it’s probably not the problem you think. There’s something that raises our collective hackles about a woman gaining the favor of a rich man by dint of…
In Dreams
To soothe my mind, and rest my soul For all those things I can’t control A dream I seek to travel from A life that has unraveled some ‘Tis sleep I chase, yet short to find For falling to, is choice of mind Of matters which, subconscious’ strife A nervous twitch is proof of life…
Perfectly Imperfect
Settling onto a wooden stool, artist Lauryn Axelrod relaxes her shoulders and breathes in slowly. Exhaling, she clears her mind and dips her fingers into a bowl of water. Beneath her, a small lump of clay whirrs quietly. She leans forward and presses into the spinning mass, feeling it push against her frame, letting the…
The Gambler’s Longshot
Reviews THE GAMBLER. Popular opinion holds that The Gambler, a remake of a 40-year-old James Caan vehicle with the same title, is Wahlberg’s all-in (pardon the pun, I can’t promise it’ll be the last) bet on Oscar gold. On paper it looks like a ballsy, odds-against bet (see?). In the plus column, there’s a tuned-up…
Step Right In
In a classic wedding photograph, bride Brittany Powell and her husband, Lyndon, are posed standing under a shady tree outside the River Lodge in Fortuna. She wears a stunning white gown, a strand of pearls and drop earrings, while he dons a classic gray suit, purple tie and a corsage that complements Brittany’s bouquet. “It’ll…
