UPDATE: Vegetation Fire Northwest of Pecwan
A vegetation fire is burning off the north end of Highway 169 and threatening multiple structures near the community of Johnson northwest of Pecwan, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Savona. The call came in about 4:07 p.m., he said. “Aircraft are currently at the scene of a 1/4 to 1/2 acre fire,” he…
One New COVID Hospitalization Reported
Public Health reported no new COVID-19 cases were confirmed today, leaving the county’s total case count at 568, but one new hospitalization has occurred. Humboldt County continues its tenuous hold to the “minimal” risk tier under the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” according to California Department of Public Health data released Tuesday, with a…
Tea Hehe Turns from Festivals to Delivery
One million years ago in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, Alina Alishoev and Lily Gene were running pop-up tea lounges at music festivals and other events around California and Oregon. But with the festivals, still banned under current shelter-in-place restrictions, went Tea Hehe’s self-serve, donation-based business. But Alishoev, who began her journey into teas with a…
McKinleyville Stabbing Under Investigation
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a McKinleyville stabbing that resulted in one man being taken to the hospital, with another claiming he acted in self-defense after an apparent road rage incident on Haven Lane. According to a news release, the suspect contacted the sheriff’s office following the stabbing that took place just before…
Worried it’s Too Late to Send in Your Ballot? Don’t Panic
Less than a week before Election Day and anxiety over the postal service’s ability to ferry voters’ ballots to county election administrators on time has ratcheted up yet again. Back in May, the United States Postal Service’s top lawyer advised voters across the country to put their ballots in the mail no later than 7…
Humboldt Hits Three Weeks in Minimal Tier
Public Health reported one new COVID-19 case today, bringing the county’s total case count to 568. For a third week, Humboldt County remains in the “minimal” risk tier under the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” according to California Department of Public Health data, with a positivity rate of 1.5 percent and an adjusted case…
ACLU Releases Report on Educational Disparities Among Indigenous Students in Humboldt County
The ACLU Foundation of Northern California has released a report outlining the educational disparities Indigenous students face in Humboldt County. “Although roughly 85 percent of Native American students in Humboldt County graduated high school in the 2018-2019 school year, 90 percent of those graduates did not meet entrance requirements for California universities and an overwhelming…
Power Restored to All Humboldt County Residents
The Humboldt Office of Emergency Services has announced that PG&E has restored all power to Humboldt County homes. PG&E had initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff on Oct. 25, because of a Red Flag Warning that began on the same day. Only Southern Humboldt Residents were impacted. PG&E Community Resource Centers have closed. Power has…
Suspect Sought After Arcata Assault
CPR is in progress after a man was hit over the head with a wine bottle about 4:30 p.m. in the 4900 block of Van Dyke Court in the Arcata area, according to the first reports coming over the scanner. The suspect, according to radio traffic from law enforcement, has left the scene on a…
Bicyclist Killed in Eureka Identified
The Eureka Police Department has identified the bicyclist killed Oct. 24 at Broadway and West Wabash as Eureka resident Thomas Burns. He was 67. “Based on the preliminary investigation, it appears the driver of the involved vehicle had the green light at the intersection and was turning right on to Broadway from West Wabash Ave.,”…
SECOND UPDATE: Fortuna Motel Barricade Situation Resolved
SECOND UPDATE: The Fortuna Police Department reports via Facebook that the situation has been resolved and the suspect is in custody. PREVIOUS: Fortuna Police are asking residents in the vicinity of the 500 block of South Fortuna Boulevard between 1st and 2nd Streets to shelter in place. “The department is currently working in active police…
Humboldt Sees 10th COVID-related Death
Public Health reported a tenth COVID-related death and five new COVID-19 cases since Friday, bringing the county’s total case count of 567. The individual who died was in their 80s, according to the county. “We extend our condolences to their family and friends for this loss,” County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said in a news…
Investigation into Major Injury Crash on 4th Continues
A 25-year-old man hit Oct. 22 while attempting to cross the intersection of Fourth and A streets in Eureka remains in serious but stable condition and the 47-year-old driver is cooperating with the ongoing investigation after initially leaving the scene, according to the Eureka Police Department. A news release states the driver, whose name was…
Witches Float: Photos from the Witches Paddle
A coven of witches gathered on Saturday afternoon at the Eureka Boat Basin public boat launch for the inaugural Witches Paddle in kayaks and canoes, and on stand-up paddle boards on Humboldt Bay. The local version of a nationwide event on the last weekend before Halloween headed east on the incoming tide to the the Samoa Bridge…
SoHum Residents May Not See Power Until Tomorrow
The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services reports some areas in the southwest, including Honeydew, Petrolia and Whitethorn, have skirted PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff. A shutoff in Southern Humboldt, however, is currently underway as well as in northeast portions of the county, but communities in the latter are “currently running off of temporary generation…
Shots Fired Arrest in Eureka
A man was arrested early Saturday morning on the 4000 block of E Street for allegedly firing a shot and pointing a gun at another man who had been called to the home by a woman who asked for assistance in leaving. According to a Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office release, deputies were called to the…
Do You Know Where Your Ballot Is?
For the first time, Californians can track their mail-in ballots from the point they’re printed to the moment they’re accepted by their county elections office. Ballot tracking, now available in parts or all of a dozen states, has become a particularly useful option this year, when many voters are anxious about election security. As of…
Replacing Cash Bail: Fairer Justice or Robopocalypse?
California is either about to right decades of inequality between rich and poor defendants by eliminating cash bail, or it’s about to turn over its justice system to robots. The question of what to do about the system that decides whether people should be free while awaiting trial will be determined by Proposition 25. The…
UPDATED: More than 7K in Humboldt Could be Without Power for Days in Looming Shutoff
UPDATE: PG&E has upped its estimate for how many in Humboldt could lose power in today’s Public Safety Power Shutoff due to high winds and low humidity levels creating a fire risk to 7,143 customers. For those being affected, power is expected to start going out between noon and 4 p.m. To look up a…
Fire Updates: August Complex’s Northwest Zone Nears Full Containment
Crews continue to report good news on the fire front, even as blazes continue to encircle Humboldt County. Here’s a quick update on the three fires that have been burning to Humboldt’s east, north and south, as well as the one that sparked yesterday near Carlotta. The Redwood Fire, 102 acres, 80 percent contained CalFire’s…
Eureka Moves Forward with Land Acknowledgement, Police Advisory Board and Affordable Housing Development
The Eureka City Council moved forward this week with including a land acknowledgement at the the beginning of its meetings, unanimously approved the creation of citizens advisory board for the police department and chose Linc Housing, a company out of Long Beach, as the developer for 107 affordable housing units across three city-owned properties. At…
Coroner Called to Eureka Crash Scene
A bicyclist was reportedly killed in a crash on Broadway at West Wabash in Eureka this morning, according to reports over the scanner. The bicyclist collided with a white van at about 10:45 a.m. The victim was partially under the vehicle when the first officer arrived on scene, according to the officer’s report over the…
Watch The Second District Supes Candidate Forum
The two candidates squaring off in a runoff to represent Humboldt County’s Second District on the Board of Supervisors — two-term incumbent Estelle Fennell and challenger Michelle Bushnell — participated in virtual forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on Friday. The forum, which saw each candidate answer questions on homelessness, climate change and mental…
Good Policy or Ballot Blackmail? Union Keeps Taking Fight with Health Industry to Voters
For the second time in as many elections, California voters are caught in the middle of a fight between private dialysis companies and a union with a history of taking its battles to the ballot. The question: Is the union effectively using its power to boost health care and its membership, or is it resorting…
Eureka Bar Owner Decries ‘Selective Enforcement’ After Knowingly, Repeatedly Violating COVID Orders
The city of Eureka has threatened to fine a local venue as much as $5,000 per violation if it continues with a scheduled burlesque and heavy metal show tomorrow night that would be in violation of state and county COVID-19 health orders, which still prohibit live entertainment performances. Eureka Interim City Manager Miles Slattery said…
Update: Redwood Fire at 102 Acres, 50 Percent Containment
UPDATE: According to a release from Cal Fire, the Redwood fire is now at 102 acres and is at 50 percent containment. The fire is located in the Redwood House Road area of Carlotta. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. CalFire is advising residents to stay away from the area because of…
Public Health Confirms One New COVID-19 Case
Humboldt County confirmed one new COVID-19 case today, making 18 this week and a total case count of 562. Under California Department of Public Health data released Tuesday, Humboldt County remains in the yellow or minimal tier under the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” with a positivity rate of 0.5 percent and an adjusted…
Fire Weather Watch This Weekend; Possible PG&E PSPS
The National Weather Service has issued another Red Flag warning for Sunday, Oct. 25 through Tuesday, Oct. 27. Regions are expected to have east to northeast winds of 20 -30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph, with very low daytime humidity and “poor to very poor overnight recoveries.” NWS is advising people to…
APD Arrested Suspect from Last Night’s Pursuit
Officers from Arcata Police took a suspect into custody this morning who was wanted for multiple counts of allegedly breaking vehicle windows and for fleeing law enforcement in pursuit through city streets, out Highway 255, and into a field before fleeing on foot. Officers weren’t able to locate the suspect at that time. However, Sgt.…
Why do we keep voting on this? Exploring Prop. 13’s ‘Tax Revolt Family Tree’
The tax revolt started in California in 1978, but it never really ended. Four decades ago mad-as-hell voters banded together to pass Proposition 13, capping property taxes, slapping a constitutional muzzle on state government and wringing local budgets like a washcloth. The electorate’s anti-tax fever may have broken in the years since, but the legacy…
Felony Hit and Run in Eureka
A person is injured and unconscious but still breathing after a vehicle struck them at A Street on Fourth Street in Eureka and fled about 6:10 p.m. An EPD officer is on the scene with the victim who is still on the road. An ambulance was asked to respond to Code 3 (with lights and…
NCJ Preview: Election Baking, Mountain Lion Mamas and Upscale Climate Refugees
This week we’ve got Nora Mounce (and her son Leroy) on to talk about the history and resurgence of spicy, boozy election cakes. We’ll also get into how climate change, COVID and wildfires combine to impact the local real estate market, as people facing the prospect of rising temps, smoke and remote work look to…
County Confirms Two New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today and also that a previously reported case has been reassigned to another county, bringing Humboldt’s total case count to 561. The county also announced that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control has updated its definition of “close contact” to a COVID-19 case, now…
Local Tribes Sponsor Day of Action for Removal of Klamath Dams
Members of the Karuk, Yurok, Klamath and Hoopa Valley Tribes including different organizations throughout the U.S. are sponsoring a day of action for the removal of the Klamath dams on Friday, Oct. 23, demanding that Warren Buffett, owner of PacifiCorp and the Klamath River dams, keep his promise to remove the four dams. In 2016,…
Robbery at Bayshore Mall
The Eureka Police Department is looking for two white male adults and a woman in a white 2003 Chevy Tahoe after a robbery at the Bayshore Mall around 2 p.m. The vehicle reportedly headed south on Broadway after the robbery. One of the suspects had a knife and the other may have a firearm, according…
Elections Office: A Quarter of HumCo’s Registered Voters Have Already Cast Ballots
Roughly a quarter of Humboldt County’s registered voters have already cast ballots, according to Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders. With the state having pivoted to an all vote-by-mail election and officials having urged voters to get their ballots filled out and in the mail — or one of the official ballot drop boxes located throughout…
Salmon and Anglers Waiting on Rain
In an all too familiar pattern, October is again looking like it will be void of substantial rainfall. Aside from a few weak systems, it seems we won’t see enough rain to put a rise into any of our North Coast rivers or open them up to fishing anytime soon. This is nothing short of…
Lingering Feelings
THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR. As I looked up the offerings for this week, I knew The Trial of the Chicago Seven, the Aaron Sorkin drama about the courtroom aftermath of the protests at the1969 Democratic convention, would be the movie of the moment. The New York Times even published a historical explainer as a…
‘The Very Least We Could Do’
Editor: I agree with Fhyre Phoenix’s suggestion about offering refuge to people who are living with an intolerable degree of smoke (Mailbox, Oct. 8). We here on the coast are so lucky. Our air quality is much better than the air inland. We should be doing something to help. At the very least we could…
‘Concerned’
Editor: There have been various worries relating to voting but I am concerned about the efficiency of our county elections office (“Pandelection,” Oct. 1). Months before the primary, I went, in person, to the election department’s office, filled out the required paperwork to change from Republican to no party preference, turned it in and was assured…
‘Be Kind’
Editor: I am feeling a deep sense of grief for our country (“A Plea for Understanding,” Oct. 15). We should be more civilized and evolved than this. We are living in a realm where there are differences. Differences of beliefs. Differences of cultures. A blend of water and oil living together in one big melting pot. The earth sustains us, deserving…
Vote!
Editor: A vote for Measure A will ensure that the city of Arcata’s trails, parks and open spaces will continue to provide users a healthy natural environment. The citizens of Arcata are extremely fortunate to have had city staff, elected officials and citizen volunteers over the years that have had the foresight to have a strategy…
Every Breath You Take
Other than The Anatomy Coloring Book (you have to be a certain age), I can’t say I’ve paid much attention to my internal organs. Most of the time they all worked fine, so why worry? This lackadaisical attitude came to an abrupt end a few weeks ago when I suffered a collapsed lung — see…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I’ve been told that nobody sings the word ‘hunger’ like I do,” testified Aries chanteuse Billie Holiday. She wasn’t suggesting that she had a stylish way of crooning about fine dining. Rather, she meant “hunger” in the sense of the longing for life’s poignant richness. Her genius-level ability to express such…
Cold Comfort
Humboldt County hasn’t always been well known to the rest of the state, with many Californians placing the northern border somewhere near San Francisco, long unaware one could drive six hours past “the City” and still be south of Oregon. But things are different now. The Redwood Curtain has been lifted. Trinidad has always been…
About that Mountain Lion Video …
Chances are most people have seen — or at least heard about — the now viral video of a Utah man who went out for a run in a Provo canyon on Oct. 10 and ended up face to face with a very angry mama mountain lion. For six tense and profanity-laced minutes, Kyle Burgess…
Election Cake
In the highly charged political culture of the day, hardly a word has been left untagged with electoral rhetoric. Take “patriotic”: the darling of the conservative minority, coopting the red, white and blue, and displays of affection for our incredible yet terribly flawed nation. On the other hand, progressives have claimed “science,” once a benchmark…
Hiking in Place with the Ramblers
The North Coast, with its wealth of natural environments to explore, from mountains and marshes to river trails and redwood forests, is also rich in hiking groups. Recently I checked out one of the oldest: the Ramblers. We met promptly at 9 a.m. at the Ma-le’l Dunes south parking lot on a sunny Monday morning.…
