Dancing on Hum Nuke’s Grave is Strictly Prohibited
Lessons learned during decades covering nuclear power and, now, its aftermath
COVID Misinformation Plagues California’s Indigenous Speakers
Ismael Patia and his family arrived at a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in downtown Fresno on a recent Saturday afternoon. His decision to get vaccinated had been a difficult one. But he finally was persuaded by an interpreter who talked to him in his native language, Mixteco, and eased his fears. “I’ve been hearing about people…
Public Health Confirms 10 New COVID-19 Cases, One New Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 10 new cases today, along with one new hospitalization. Today’s cases — which make 156 so far this week on the heels of 118 confirmed last week — come after laboratories processed 312 samples with a test-positivity rate of 3.2 percent. After recording a test-positivity rate of 10.1 percent in July —…
Winged Warning: Migrating Birds Hit Hard by California’s Drought
It says something about the complexity of California’s water crisis that there are so many actors in the state’s water wars, all clamoring for more. Nature, alone, is silent in this fight, relying on others to speak on behalf of the welfare of wildlife and waterways. Across the state, biologists, farmers and hunters are lending…
Curtis ‘Curt’ Allan Wood: 1946-2021
Curtis “Curt” Allan Wood passed away October 25th, 2021, after a long battle with Parkinson’s and prostate cancer. Curt was born Sept 12, 1946, to Everett and Elaine Wood. As a 5th generation Southern Humboldt County native, he was a great local historian, often telling stories about ranching, logging and, of course, the 1955 and…
Public Health Confirms 75 New COVID-19 Cases, 1 New Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 75 new cases today, along with one new hospitalization. Today’s cases — which make 146 so far this week on the heels of 118 confirmed last week — come after laboratories processed 120 samples with a test-positivity rate of 62.5 percent. After recording a test-positivity rate of 10.1 percent in July —…
Power Outages, School Closure in Gusty Storm’s Wake
Hundreds of Humboldt County residents remain without power this morning after a storm carrying strong winds blew through the region last night. One of the largest outages, according to the PG&E outage map, is in the Dow’s Prairie neighborhoods behind the airport in McKinleyville, where residents are slated to see their lights turn back on…
SECOND UPDATE: All Clear at Suspected Bomb Scene
SECOND UPDATE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has given the all-clear at the scene. #finalupdate Suspicious device rendered safe, not found to contain explosive components. Residents may return to normal activities. K Street will be opening shortly. pic.twitter.com/TuZ8GMPT2r — HumCoSO (@HumCoSO) November 9, 2021 UPDATE: One building at Third and L streets, near where a…
Marilyn Louise Barnes Van Deventer Goodwin: 1939-2021
Marilyn Louise Barnes Van Deventer Goodwin passed away peacefully on Oct. 23, 2021, at Seaview Rehabilitation and Wellness Center at the age of 82. Known as Mary Lou to her friends, and Lou Lou to her grandchildren and employees at Eureka Florist, she lived her life in service to her community. Mary Lou was born…
As UN Tackles Twin Climate Threats, California Struggles with Them, Too
Nations around the globe this month have pledged to tackle two thorny and critical threats to Earth’s climate: methane, which is the most potent planet-warming pollutant, and widespread destruction of forests. Both of these are major contributors to climate change that California has tried — yet struggled — to address. More than 100 countries inched…
Public Health: Another COVID-19 Death, 71 New Cases
Public Health reported today that another local resident has died of COVID-19, while also confirming 71 new cases of the virus and three new hospitalizations since Friday. Today’s report comes after Public Health confirmed 118 new cases of the virus, with four deaths and 10 hospitalizations last week. New countywide masking and quarantine orders, meanwhile,…
Storm Alert: Wild Winds and Snow to the East
It’s the calm before the storm this Monday morning, with a strong front expected to swoop in this afternoon bringing strong winds and rain and, in higher elevations of Trinity County, a cold front will deliver snow. A wind advisory is slated to go into effect at 2 p.m. today. The strongest winds are expected…
Elmer Eberhardt: 1925-2021
On the beautiful, sunny afternoon of October 16th, Elmer Eberhardt took his last breath at Hospice House in Eureka, CA, after some brief medical issues. He celebrated his 96th birthday just one month prior to his passing. Elmer was born a first generation American in Bayard, NE, on September 14, 1925. His parents, Heinrich (Henry)…
Heading for Charlie Moon Way
This summer during the Eureka Street Art Festival, artist Dave Young Kim painted a mural depicting a Mandarin duck and Ben Chin, the first Chinese American to open a business in Eureka in 1955, 70 years after the mass expulsion of Chinese people from the town. That mural, emblazoned with the word “hometown,” stands in…
NCJ Preview: Nuclear Legacy, a Police Chief Retires and Brewing Cider
The Humboldt Bay Nuclear Power Plant has been decommissioned at last. But that’s not where the story, or its lasting environmental impacts, end. We’ll take a look at the history and future of the plant and its waste products. And what does Eureka Police Chief Stephen Watson’s retirement announcement mean for a department plagued by…
Public Health Announces 25 New COVID-19 Cases, New Quarantine Order
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 25 new COVID-19 cases today but reported no new hospitalizations. Today’s cases make 118 recorded over the past week, with four deaths and 10 hospitalizations. Public Health also announced that Health Officer Ian Hoffman has issued a new quarantine order that will go into effect Monday. The new order requires…
Phillip Nicholas Buihner: 1951-2021
Phillip Nicholas Buihner was born April 10, 1952, and passed away Oct. 2, 2021, at age 70 from metastatic prostate cancer. He was home, surrounded by family and loved ones. Phil was born in Marshalltown, Iowa, and moved to Eureka as a boy. A graduate of Eureka Senior High, Phil spent his life in service…
Some Coastal Flooding Possible Today, Saturday
A combination of higher astronomical tides and southerly winds are increasing the chances of some areas seeing minor coastal flooding around Humboldt Bay in the late morning and early afternoon today and Saturday. Today’s peak, nearing 9 feet, is forecast for 12:17 p.m. A coastal flooding advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 1…
Get Ready to ‘Fall Back’ this Weekend
It’s that “fall back” time of year, again. At 2 a.m. Sunday, daylight saving time comes to an end. And, once again, North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman is working with his Republican colleague Buddy Carter of Utah on a bipartisan bill that would allow states the option of staying on daylight saving time all year.…
Public Health Confirms 13 New COVID-19 Cases, Two Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 13 new cases of COVID-19 today and reported two new hospitalizations. The county also announced that a new masking order — which lifts the mask mandate outdoors as of Nov. 8, but “strongly recommends” the practice in crowded areas — will take effect Monday. The order also outlines benchmarks the…
Dancing on the Hum Nuke’s Grave is Strictly Prohibited
I’m a busy little atom! I split myself in two! I multiply as many times As I have jobs to do! In summer, winter, spring or fall I’m ready every hour: Just push as switch And watch me zip With light or heat or power. Reddy Kilowatt, a nuclear industry mascot, who first appeared in…
‘Bittersweet’
After nearly a quarter-century in policing — the last 16 years in Eureka, with the last four as chief — Eureka Police Chief says he’d been thinking a lot about the need to step back, to focus on family and shift gears. “Originally, I’d planned to wait longer and do it sometime in the next…
(Wild)Crafting Community and Hard Cider
I never would have called myself a wildcrafter before moving to Humboldt. The sprawling suburbs of Southern California’s desert valley where I grew up weren’t exactly foraging-friendly. But once you move here, nature has a way of enrapturing not only the curious, but the hungry and thirsty, too. I spent my first few years in…
First Saturday Night Arts Alive
Presented by Eureka Main Street. Our galleries, museums, theaters, bars and restaurants are open once again. However, an emphasis on COVID safety precautions to keep patrons and staff safe requires everyone to wear masks indoors and outdoors during the event. ART CENTER SPACE 620 Second St. Featuring various artists. BELLE STARR 405 Second St. Christina Anastasia, artisan…
Running Your Own Race
The virtual 5K has been around since long before COVID. It’s a pretty simple idea, if you think about it. In this day and age, when you can have a robot vacuum automatically clean your house every day, or order all your groceries on an app and have them delivered to your car, why are…
Sport Crab Season is a Go
One of the most popular fisheries on the North Coast almost didn’t happen. It was a tense few days waiting to hear if the California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife would delay the sport Dungeness crab opener due to presence of humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles, and the potential for entanglement from trap gear. Turns…
Going Where the Fun Is
ANTLERS. If it feels like this movie has been a long time coming, you are not alone. When an actual release date appeared on the calendar, I assumed my eyes deceived me, believing it came out months, if not years ago. This is partially down to COVID fatigue, as are so many of my recent…
Every (Oxygenized) Breath You Take
If you’ve seen those heart-wrenching photos from India of long lines of people waiting to get oxygen cylinders refilled, you’ll appreciate the benefit of personal, portable, oxygen concentrators. Especially during the COVID crisis, oxygen is at a premium. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, reduces the ability of cells lining the lungs from functioning as…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Are you still hoping to heal from psychological wounds that you rarely speak about? May I suggest that you consider speaking about them in the coming weeks? Not to just anyone and everyone, of course, but rather to allies who might be able to help you generate at least a partial…
