Deaths at Chemawa
Researchers publish a website detailing deaths at the Oregon school, including children from Humboldt
Public Health Confirms 68 New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 68 new COVID-19 cases today, with no new hospitalizations reported. The new cases were reported after laboratories processed 288 samples with a test-positivity rate of 23.6 percent. Since Oct. 21, local vaccinators have administered 918 addition doses of COVID-19 vaccine, public health reported, with 475 additional residents becoming fully vaccinated.…
Watson to Step Down as Eureka Police Chief
Eureka Police Chief Steve Watson announced his sudden retirement today. He will leave the post at the end of November after serving for four years. In a city announcement, Watson says the decision comes with a “feeling of bittersweet peace” as he move onto a new chapter in life after 24 years in law enforcement,…
Guilty Plea Entered in Bear River Triple Murder Case
The 19-year-old Loleta man who fatally shot three people — including a 16-year-old girl — at a home on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation in February pleaded guilty today to three counts of first degree murder in a plea deal. Mauricio Johnson, who was 18 when the crime was committed, will…
Public Health Confirms One New COVID-19 Hospitalization, Four New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported one new COVID-19 hospitalization and four new cases today, while also reporting that nine cases have been removed from the county’s cumulative case tally because they were found tube from another jurisdiction, previously reported or not a confirmed case. The total number of Humboldt County residents who have tested positive…
Photos: Witches on the Water
Participants in the second annual Witches Paddle on Saturday afternoon were invited by organizer Jody Himango to “wear your best witchy water outfit to artistically express the power of women while celebrating Halloween.” But those who showed up in the blustery weather under cloudy skies faced the power of Mother Nature and possible cancelation of the event. “This…
Eureka Schools’ Michael Davies-Hughes Tapped as County’s Next Superintendent
The Humboldt County Board of Education voted after a marathon special session this evening to appoint Michael Davies-Hughes as the county’s next superintendent of schools. Davies-Hughes will take over for Superintendent Chris Hartley, who has held the post since March of 2017 when he took over for Garry Eagles but has announced he will step…
Public Health Confirms 51 New COVID-19 Cases, One Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 51 new COVID-19 cases and one new hospitalization since its last report Friday. The case tally — which comes after the county saw 164 new cases of the virus confirmed last week — comes after laboratories processed 466 samples with a test-positivity rate of 10.9…
No Official Connection Determined in Blue Lake Homicides; Investigation Continues
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reports that investigators have not “officially determined a connection” between the homicides of two men whose bodies were found one month apart in similar parts of Blue Lake but states the investigation is continuing. Both of the men, according to the HCSO, were “known to live a transient lifestyle.” On…
Humboldt’s Rough-and-Tumble Weather Continues with Heavy Rain, Rising Rivers, Dangerous Surf
Heavy rains combined with high tides are expected to cause flooding in low-lying areas, including parts of Cannibal Island Road and Camp Weott Road, with the Eel River expected to hit monitor stage around 2 a.m. Monday before hitting a high of 18.5 feet around 8 a.m. Flood stage is 20 feet, according to the…
Time to Dial it Up to 10 for Local Phone Calls
The days of seven-digit dialing for local calls in the 707 area code — as well as 81 others across the country — came to an end today. From now on, the 707 will need to be included. Why? Well, it’s because parts of those areas use “988 “ as the first three digits of…
NCJ Preview: Native Boarding School Deaths, COVID Update and More
As the U.S. and Canada face a reckoning over the abuse of Indigenous children in their forced boarding school systems, researchers in Oregon have been working to document the deaths of children at the Chemawa Indian School. Some of those children were from here in Humboldt County. We’ll talk about the effort to bring their…
Danielle Renee Wight: 1987-2021
Danielle “Danni” Wight left this world unexpectedly at her home in Arcata, California, on Oct. 7, 2021, at the young age of 34. She was born in San Francisco, California, on Sept. 19, 1987, prematurely at 4 pounds and 9 ounces to Sandra Dennon and David Wight. Danni, as known by friends and family, spent…
Inside the Fossil Fuel Divestment Movement at Cal State
Ethan Quaranta seeks out nature when he needs to heal. He picked up that habit on annual family trips to Lake Almanor, where his great-grandmother grew up. There, on hikes, kayak rides, and in conversations about his family’s history, the 21-year-old California State University Monterey Bay student developed a passion for keeping spaces like the…
Watson Releases Statement Saying He is Entering a Rehab Program
Arcata Councilmember Brett Watson issued a statement this evening saying he was entering “a 30-day residential rehabilitation program to focus on depression and personal issues.” Watson, who was replaced as mayor at a special meeting earlier this week, states that he informed the council and staff on Oct. 11 that he intended to step down…
HumCo Records Another COVID-19 Death, 33 New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported another local COVID-19 death today, while confirming 33 new cases of the virus and two new hospitalizations. The case tally — which brings the count’s total for the week to 164 — comes after laboratories processed 493 samples with a test-positivity rate of 6.7 percent. After recording a test-positivity rate of…
North Coast Otters Art Initiative Raises $300,000
The North Coast Otter Art initiative, which saw more than 100 otter sculptures scattered throughout five North Coast counties, has raised $300,000 that will support continued otter research and student internships at Humboldt State University. The initiative led by wildlife professor Jeff Black began in 2019 with the hopes of launching the initiative in 2020,…
Public Health Reports 10 New COVID-19 Cases, Two New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health reported 10 new COVID-19 cases and two new hospitalizations today. But the low case tally — which brings the count’s total for the week to 131 — comes after laboratories processed just 19 samples with a test-positivity rate of 52.6 percent. After recording a test-positivity rate of 10.1 percent in July —…
Arcata Council Casts ‘No Confidence Vote’ After Removing Mayor for ‘Alleged Behaviors’
The Arcata City Council voted unanimously Wednesday evening to remove Brett Watson from the position of mayor and followed up the decision with a no confidence vote in his ability to serve as a councilmember. Watson was not present “due to personal reasons,” according to Stacy Atkins-Salazar, who was selected to serve as mayor until…
‘An Honor and a Privilege’
Editor: Only one in every four women has an abortion during her reproductive life. The most common reasons cited for seeking an abortion are that having a child would interfere with education/work/career goals, would affect the ability to care for other dependents; or would increase financial and/or emotional stress; being reluctant to bring a child into…
More, Please
Editor: Jennifer Fumiko Cahill, please keep writing (“Candy Corn Doesn’t Care if You Hate It,” Oct. 7). Love your columns and love your wording. And used to love candy corn. Dave Rosso, Eureka Related Stories
Protect the Wolves
Editor: When gray wolves were restored to Yellowstone, our country began the process of restoring a decades-old wrong. In the years that have since passed, wolves in the Northern Rockies have begun to recover. But recent actions by Montana and Idaho that seek to kill up to 90 percent of the wolves in their states,…
Deaths at Chemawa
Charlie Feister, a citizen of the Klamath Tribes, was a runaway from Chemawa Indian School when he was shot dead in 1907 while trying to steal food from a store in Chemawa, Oregon. A short article in the Weekly Chemawa American student newspaper describing the incident fails to mention that Charlie was 11 years old…
Searching for Bertie
For Tim McDonald and Julie Geary, schoolteachers from the Los Angeles area, a July road trip up the coast with a stop in Arcata to see friends from his Humboldt State University days, was both a first and a last chance to get away after a year hunkered down and before the new school year.…
Cooking While Traveling
I love summer in Humboldt County for a number of reasons, including the amazing produce our farmers bring to the markets and the fog that keeps us cool (“Get Out into the Fog,” Aug. 26). Hence, I usually enjoy my favorite season in my favorite place. This year, however, after almost two years of not…
Sea To Summit: Grasshopper Peak
The general consensus among most cyclists is that once you ride Grasshopper Peak in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, you can check it off your bucket list and not repeat it. But that’s not how it went for me. Earlier in the summer I had joined some friends to climb 10,000 feet in one day, which…
Big Storms to Kick Off Coastal King Season
The season’s first big storms are bearing down on the North Coast and they look formidable. And that means fresh-from-the-salt king salmon — big and bright — will make their way up all of our coastal rivers starting this weekend. If you see a steady stream of drift boats heading north on U.S. Highway 101,…
Nobody Wants to Hench Anymore
Like a lot of business owners, the pandemic forced me to put projects on hold. People weren’t traveling to the kinds of international tourist attractions I typically obliterate with a giant laser and they weren’t going to fancy galas I could flood with mind-control gas. If I’d seen the toilet paper hoarding coming, I could…
Unfair
THE STARLING. Fans of Melissa McCarthy will know that she does both comedy and drama. The Starling (on Netflix) is the latter, so if you were expecting to see her do things along the lines of talking through a mouthful of food, belly-flopping or adopting six dogs all at once, you’ll want to check out…
Utilize Indigenous Knowledge to Prevent Wildfires
We need a dramatic shift in our efforts to curb wildfires in California. Instead of reacting to wildfires, we need to utilize the knowledge of Indigenous people on managing the land. When it comes to fire prevention, the wisdom of Indigenous tribes like the Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa and Wintun is unparalleled. Indigenous knowledge and connection…
Don’t Shoot the Physicist!
Today, hundreds, if not thousands, of theoretical physicists the world over are trying to find the holy grail of physics, a “theory of everything” (or TOE for short) that explains and links together all physical aspects of the universe. More concretely, a successful TOE would connect the two theories on which all physics depends: general…
Dubious
Editor: It is shameful that it remains unclear how many county employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 (NCJ Daily, Oct. 14). If Sheriff William Honsal “believes people should get vaccinated” then he should require it of his staff. His is not the only department facing a staffing shortage, and it’s been proven over and over around the…
Sounds of Autumn
No rain for days, feeling hopeful Wind at my back, timing my stride Fallen brethren all around, but eying the holy grail There it lies, perfectly convex veined and crisp A slight lateral movement, audibly scraping concrete Anticipation rising, three steps, two right foot conducts And the crinkled chorus ensues Garrett Snedaker
‘Treasure’
Editor: The article on the refurbished Eureka Theatre, aided by the astute writing of Gabrielle Gopinath, well describes this Moderne architectural civic treasure (“Moderne Beauty,” Oct. 14). One that deserves the support of the community post pandemic. John Dillon, Eureka Related Stories
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Even the wisest among us are susceptible to being fascinated by our emotional pain. Even those of us who do a lot of inner work may be captivated and entranced by frustrations and vexations and irritants. Our knotty problems make us interesting, even attractive! They shape our self-image. No wonder we…
‘Bigots and Bullies’
Editor: In reference to the article by Thadeus Greenson about the hiring difficulties of the Eureka police department, I believe the solution to the hiring dilemma for the police is pretty simple: Police salaries should be increased by a considerable amount (“Help Wanted,” Oct. 7). But only if police departments henceforward refuse to hire bigots and bullies.…
