Clearing the Marsh
Fires, shelters and a lawsuit in the last days of the Devil’s Playground
Cover Stories
Eviction Day
Smoke and dust filled the air, a helicopter circled overhead and the crunch and crash of heavy equipment disrupted a serene morning on the edge of Humboldt Bay as Eureka Police and work crews razed the homeless encampment behind the Bayshore Mall. The scene was, perhaps, a long time coming. The area known as the…
‘A Place That Absorbs Lost Souls’
“It’s not a healthy place for people to be,” says Erin Powers-Taylor, after receiving word that a man living in the PalCo Marsh has fallen ill, and that several wounds on his arms have abscessed again. Powers-Taylor has volunteered as part of the group Friends of the Marsh for almost a year, working with homeless…
Adequate Shelter?
The city of Eureka should be relieved local attorney Peter Martin didn’t have time to gather more plaintiffs. One week prior to the city’s May 2 dispersal of about 100 homeless people living in the PalCo Marsh area behind the Bayshore Mall, Martin filed a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of 11 of the…
Fuzzy Numbers
On April 26, there were approximately 113 people living in the Palco Marsh behind the Bayshore Mall. The night of May 3, there were believed to be none, at least by official tallies. So where’d all those people go? The largest single group of them went to the parking lot at Third and Commercial streets,…
Local Conservationists Ask FLOTUS to Dance
Hey, Michelle Obama, have any plans for May 20 and 21? That’s when three members of our local Fortuna California Conservation Corps will be in Washington, D.C. to help celebrate the National Parks Service centennial with a nature-inspired dance. And, yeah, they want you to join in. The BioBlitz Dance came about as part of…
Remains Found at Cuneo Creek Park Identified
Human remains found in Cuneo Creek State Park in 2014 have been identified by the county coroner’s office as those of a Mexican citizen, 31-year-old Luis Eduardo Raya. The Journal originally broke the story here. (Heads up: the original story includes a photograph of the remains.) While the press release says the remains were identified…
Bullock Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Priest’s Slaying
Multiple media outlets are reporting that Gary Lee Bullock has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Jan. 1, 2014 murder of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church pastor Eric Freed. A jury convicted Bullock, 46, of Redway, last month of a host of charges, including first degree murder, torture, residential…
Keeping Up with the Smiths
The weather has been a lot nicer lately, giving us a little taste of summer and leaving us itching for a good, old-fashioned, outdoor festival. Fortunately, the good folks at the Blue Ox Historic Village and School hammer one out each May. This Saturday, May 7, the village welcomes the coming of summer with its…
A Celebration of Life for Lucille Vinyard
The “Mother of Redwood National Park,” a woman who once gave a funny, irreverent interview to the Journal about activism, widowhood and Ronald Reagan’s predilection for makeup, Lucille Vinyard, is being honored at Humboldt State University on Sunday, May 22. Vinyard, who passed away in December, a day after her friend and fellow activist, Susie…
Selling out to Big Soda
It was with incredulity that Journal staffers gazed on a slender green can of caffeinated pop dressed up in gaudy packaging that arrived last week. There, in front of us, was a piece of bona fide swag. A well constructed box with a green ribbon pull, embossed lettering, and printed with a somewhat ominous countdown:…
Reminder: Humboldt Bay’s Entrance is Unpredictable and Dangerous Due to Shoaling
The dangerous shoaling off the entrance to Humboldt Bay, which the Journal reported on in April, remains of great concern to the sheriff’s office, which sent out a press release today reminding boaters of the shallow waters and hazardous new breaks the sediment has caused. Army Corps of Engineers dredging is scheduled to start in…
Don’t Swat the Small Stuff
To bee or not to bee? That is the question. Our fuzzy friends have fallen on tough times lately. Bees are pretty darn important in the grand scheme of things and it appears our need and greed may be killing off the little buggers. Thanks to environmentally conscious social media circles, laypeople are learning how…
Sorry, Kids: Tobacco Buying Age Hiked to 21, Vaping Restricted
Beginning June 9, you’ll have to prove you’re 21 to buy tobacco. Thanks to a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Jim Wood, California is joining Hawaii as the second state in the nation to raise the minimum age for tobacco purchases. Members of the armed services are exempt. The announcement that Gov. Jerry Brown had signed…
The Power of an Image
I happened to see the cover of the April 14 issue of the Journal on a newsrack on my way to breakfast with my oldest son. We were so excited to see four of this area’s young women standing proudly in traditional regalia during the Klamath dam removal ceremony. It isn’t often you can see…
Contour Lines
Radiate outwards in countless dunes Lifting scorched badlands, built by decades Of changing weather and threatening skies. This covering has served me well. Wrestling with childhood friends, Embracing faintly removed lovers, Holding incinerated remains Waiting to rest with stars. My fingertips follow their paths, Circling endlessly in the plain Between elbow and wrist – A…
For Those About to ________, We Salute You
If you’re in a band, or lucky enough to read press releases for a living, you quickly come to the conclusion that labels or categories of music are often underwhelming. When you try to explain to your friends or parents what your band’s music is like, it’s not easy to capture what you think is…
Trinidad Art Nights
Shuttle Service available with several pick-up and drop-off locations throughout town. BERGERON WINERY 359 Main St. TBA MOONSTONE CROSSING 529 Trinity St. TBA. NED SIMMONS GALLERY 380 Janis Court. Featuring paintings by the late Ned Simmons. Presented by the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust. SAUNDER’S PARK (start of Patricks Point Drive). Open drum jam at 6…
Show-off
Editor: Marcy Burstiner, head of the Humboldt State University journalism department — head — thinks the word “demonstrate” is too fancy and “show off” is preferable (“Media Maven,” April 28). A ninth grade reading level is too challenging. In the interests of diplomacy, I will say no more. Jada Brotman, Arcata
Not What I Meant
Editor: I hate to complain, but the caption for my letter to the editor last week (April 28) gave an inaccurate impression of it. “It’s Easy Being Green” is certainly not what I meant! Huge change is never easy, and huge change is what it will ultimately take to allow 7 billion people to live…
The Force is Strong with This One
What exactly is a POP-up gallery? Well, think about the legendary Scottish village Brigadoon, which only appeared for one day every 100 years. Malia Penhall and Matt Jackson’s MM POPup Gallery, returning to Arts Alive! this month, operates in much the same manner, only on a more accessible annual schedule. This year the gallery, named…
Bay Ball in Board’s Court
There’s a showdown looming for the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, which will be asked by planning staff to temporarily expand the allowable uses of 118 properties around Humboldt Bay zoned as coastal dependent. The staff recommendation recently came before the Planning Commission, which expressed a variety of concerns before declining, with a 5-1 vote,…
Cannabis in the Centennial State
The Colorado Department of Public Safety released early findings on the effects cannabis legalization has had on law enforcement, commerce, health and juveniles. The study, mandated as part of the 2014 initiative decriminalizing recreational marijuana use in the state, is bracketed by a series of caveats. It’s not comprehensive; many of its statistics are self-reported.…
Arts Alive!
Presented by Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and performances are held the first Saturday of each month. For more information, call 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org ADORNI CENTER 1011 Waterfront Drive. Mental Health Awareness Month art exhibit. Paul Rickard and Barbara Saul. ALIROSE 229 F St. Susan Strope, floral paintings. AMERICAN INDIAN…
Cash, Plastic or Bitcoin?
When he encountered the Great Khan’s paper money in China around 1260, explorer Marco Polo was astonished at the ready acceptance of what we now call “fiat money,” i.e. currency established by the government (from Latin “fiat” = it shall be). He wrote, “All these pieces of paper are issued with as much solemnity and…
Nine Lives
Reviews KEANU. Right off, there is something conceptually funny about grown men going to great, life-threatening lengths just to find — and fight violently over — a cat. And for anyone still with me after that sentence, as well as those on the fence, the involvement of Michael Keegan-Key and Jordan Peele gives this movie…
Tackling Weeds Organically
If there are any certain things in life, they’re death, taxes and weeds (and perhaps that more of our favorite characters will be killed off in the next season of Game of Thrones — pretty sure we can count on that, too). Though spraying with Roundup might seem a simple solution, funding Monsanto and dumping…
