Dishgamu Humboldt
A groundbreaking, Wiyot-led effort to heal and rebuild while putting land back in Native hands takes root
Cover Story
Dishgamu Humboldt
Just about everywhere she looks throughout Humboldt County, Wiyot Tribal Administrator Michelle Vassel sees need. There’s a lack of well-paying jobs and rampant food insecurity. There’s a lack of skilled trades labor and affordable housing. And for the Wiyot people, who lived in approximately 20 village sites scattered around Humboldt Bay before first contact, Vassel…
Two Chances to Catch Pato Banton Next Week
Reggae star Pato Banton and his band the Now Generation are making the rounds in Humboldt this week offering two all-ages, family friendly shows. Catch the good vibes first on Monday, July 19 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Mateel Community Center (free, donations welcome). Then find the fun at Forever Found in Eureka as…
Photos: Annie and Mary Day Joy
Lots of people showed up for Blue Lakes’s 53rd annual Annie and Mary Day on Sunday, reflecting their willingness to be out in a semi-post-vaccination world, as well as the draw of a small-town parade, a line up of vintage vehicles in the Bill Nessler Car Show and a music and crafts fair in Perigot Park.…
Summer Celebration Fundraiser at Redwood Discovery Museum
Take the kids to the Redwood Discovery Museum for its Summer Celebration Fundraiser on Saturday, July 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. located outside in the museum parking lot. Kids can explore what the museum has to offer by checking out museum exhibits and participating in hands-on activities, plus enjoy huge bounce houses to…
Rodeo Thrills this Weekend in Fortuna
Clear your calendars, rodeo fans — two of Fortuna Rodeo’s most popular events are raring to go this weekend. First out of the gate is the crowd pleasing Bullfighters Only/Quadiators show on Friday, July 16 at the Fortuna Rodeo Grounds ($25, $15 under 12, $40 VIP arena seating). Gates open at 5:30 p.m. to see these…
HumCo Records 53rd COVID-19 Death
For the second day in a row, Public Health is reporting that another Humboldt County resident has died with COVID-19, while also reporting 12 new cases and another hospitalization. The county’s 53rd COVID-related death — and the third this month — was a resident in their 60s, according to a press release. Today’s cases make…
Trinidad Asks Residents to Curtail Water Use As Creek Runs Low
The city of Trinidad is asking residents to curtail water usage amid drought conditions, as Luffenholtz Creek — the city’s sole water source — has seen flows decrease steadily since June. “This year’s drought is steadily approaching the peak severity of the last one,” said Richard Clompus, who serves on the Trinidad City Council and…
HumCo Records 52nd COVID-19 Death, 16 New Cases
A 52nd Humboldt County resident has died of COVID-19, Public Health reported today, while confirming 16 new cases of the virus and one new hospitalization. “Since the beginning of July, the county has recorded two virus-related deaths,” a press release states. “Last month, seven deaths were recored, the same number as January 2021 and the…
HSU’s Polytech Push Receives $458 Million from State
Humboldt State University’s polytechnic push will receive a historic $458 million investment from the state that will fast track new (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) academic programs, building renovations, upgraded laboratory spaces, additional student housing, expanded broadband and renewable energy research capacity. “This historic investment will be transformational for our institution, and it will revitalize this…
Love for Local Restaurants
Restaurants and their workers helped get us through the last year. The Journal wants to hear about the ones closest to your heart and share your appreciation in the upcoming Menu of Menus. Shout out your gratitude, letting us know which restaurant meant the most to you with a brief explanation of why in the…
Marianne ‘Billie’ Ryan Huber: 1927-2019
Marianne Huber passed away on May 15, 2019. She was born on Nov. 24, 1927 in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Springfield, Illinois. After graduating from Ursuline Academy, she went on to study nursing and anesthesia at St. John’s School of Nursing in Springfield. She worked as an anesthetist in hospitals throughout the…
Oscar L. Huber: 1931-2020
Oscar Huber died on Dec. 25, 2020, after a brief battle with COVID-19. He was born near Muleshoe, Texas on March 11, 1931. Following Oscar’s graduation from high school, he enlisted and served with honor in the U.S. Air Force. He went on to attend San Diego State College, earned a degree as an engineering…
Public Health Confirms 28 New COVID-19 Cases, Two Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 28 new COVID-19 cases since Friday after laboratories processed 334 samples with a test-positivity rate of 8.4 percent. Two new hospitalizations were also reported, including a resident in their 40s. According to a state database, five people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, including two…
Crabs Sweep the Week Despite Injuries
The Crabs have kept the train rolling through the halfway point of the season, picking up another five wins this week to bring their current record to 22-5. The team put up another impressive scoring performance for the week, scoring 65 runs to make it their second consecutive week putting up 60 or more. The…
Arcata Seeking Applicants to Fill Council Seat
Anyone interested in filling the Arcata City Council seat left vacant last month after Mayor Sofia Pereira stepped down to become the county’s Public Health director has until July 19 to apply. At a June 24 special meeting, the city council opted to move forward with an appointment rather than hold a special election to…
Pearl Harbor Sailor to be Buried in Eureka Next to Twin after Identification
Nearly 80 years after Navy Radioman 3rd Class Earl M. Ellis died on board the USS Oklahoma during the attack on Pearl Harbor, the man from Hope, Arkansas, will be laid to rest next to his twin sister at Ocean View Cemetery on Thursday with full military honors. A graveside service will take place at…
NCJ Preview: Land Trust Goals and Soul Food on Wheels
Can a land trust fix what ails Humboldt? The Wiyot Tribe and Cooperation Humboldt are going to find out. We’re looking Wiyot-led Dishgamu Humboldt and its plans to address housing, job training and returning land to Indigenous ownership. We’re also talking about the Razz-Ma-Tazz soul food truck bringing African American home cooking traditions to Eureka.…
Lawsuit Alleges Eureka Police Used Excessive Force During George Floyd Protest
A local woman has filed a federal lawsuit against the county of Humboldt and the city of Eureka, alleging police officers violated her constitutional rights when they shot her with less-than-lethal projectiles as she peacefully marched while protesting the May 25, 2020, murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. In the suit filed…
Arcata Denounces ‘Acts of Hate and Violence’
Arcata City Councilmembers this week denounced recent “acts of hate and violence” after someone cut down a tree adorned with rainbow flag ornaments and a “Love Joy Peace” banner, which had been placed in support and solidarity after the destruction of a LGBTQ+ flag displayed at the same community garden site. Both acts took place…
Public Health Confirms 26 New COVID-19 Cases, Adds Vax Clinics to Schedule
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 26 new COVID-19 cases today — making 61 this week — after laboratories processed 201 samples with a test-positivity rate of 12.9 percent. No new hospitalizations were reported today but, according to a state database, seven people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, including two under intensive care. Public Health…
Airport Microgrid Project Breaks Ground
Construction is underway on a microgrid at the county’s regional airport in McKinleyville that will boast a number of firsts when it becomes operation later this year, according to a Redwood Coast Energy Authority news release. Not only will the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid be the first 100 percent renewable grid with multi-customers but it…
Public Health Reports Seven New COVID-19 Cases, 55% of Eligible Residents Now Fully Vaxed
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases today after laboratories processed 242 samples with a test-positivity rate of 2.9 percent. The county also reported that one previously reported hospitalization has been removed from the local tally after it was determined that while the patient had COVID-19, the virus wasn’t the reason they were…
Charmaine Lawson: Settlement ‘Blood Money’ Means ‘Nothing,’ Focus is on Justice
Charmaine Lawson still hasn’t cashed the $200,000 check that came as a part of her settlement agreement with the city of Arcata. She says it took her four days to even open the envelope it was mailed in and it has now sat for weeks atop her son’s urn. Filed in November of 2018, the…
EDD Fiasco Takes a Surprising Turn
Just how dysfunctional is California’s unemployment department? Apparently so dysfunctional that Bank of America, which since 2010 has had an exclusive contract with the state to deliver unemployment benefits through prepaid debit cards, wants to end the contract — even though the Employment Development Department just renewed it for another two years. The news, first…
‘Evidence is Very Clear’
During a June 30 Humboldt County Public Health COVID-19 press conference, Health Officer Ian Hoffman reiterated one message: If you’ve been waiting to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, now is the time to get it, especially with the rising cases of COVID variants. “The first I’ll say is that emerging evidence is very clear, the vaccines…
Into The Great Wide Open
As I write this, I am nursing a mild sunburn and what I increasingly suspect is carryover of inebriation from a day of patriotic drinking and grilling. Such is the nature of things but I have to say these are mild wounds compared to the pleasure I had of having people around and feeding them…
A Little Razz-Ma-Tazz
On Juneteenth, the silver Razz-Ma-Tazz Soul Food truck sits parked between the Southside Mike’s BBQ and Taste of Bim trucks with a small crowd in front and a handful of young people running orders to patient customers. The fryer was down and the crew had to cook some 200 pieces of marinated and coated chicken…
Sea to Summit: Trinidad
Sara and I are very different. The first time I met this gorgeous woman was at 2 a.m. in a wide pasture after a birthday party that was quite a celebration. She was almost silent and I didn’t think much about it. More time went by and Sara came to Costa Rica with three other…
Reliable Rockfish Catches Keeping Fleet Afloat
With an early closure of Pacific halibut and a slow start to our salmon season, the one steady fishery at the moment is rockfish. From Shelter Cove north to Crescent City, limits of quality rockfish and ling cod have been the norm. In a season with not much left to fish for, they’ve been a…
Retro Dread Redux
REVIEWS FALSE POSITIVE. To dispense with it at the outset: Yes, Rosemary’s Baby (1968) is part of the conversation. It has been for more than half a century. It arguably invented — or at least created a lasting identity for — mainstream American horror movies and, in so doing, created its own ripple-effect of sub-genres…
Demand for an EIR
Editor: Humboldt County appears hell bent on approving massive projects like the mega cannabis grows and the (proposed) fish factory. In every case, citizens and environmental groups have been clamoring for environmental impact reports (EIRs). So why is it that the county is so reluctant and unresponsive to the concerns of its constituents in demanding…
The Cost of Cannabis Carbon
Editor: The huge cannabis operation in Elk River installed industrial size electrical service indicative of a large carbon footprint, which is likely the norm for Humboldt County regulated operations. Unfortunately, the planning process failed to establish carbon emission standards to weigh the emission levels in comparison with sun grown cannabis by small family operations, and…
Happy Endings at Vista Point
After paying a second nighttime visit to this vista point in two years, I can safely say that a dull nocturnal moment rarely passes at this viewpoint looking up the Eel River Valley. I had come to the spot precisely two years before to make some nighttime photographs, and on both occasions the comings and…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Joshua Jennifer Espinoza writes, “i name my body girl of my dreams / i name my body proximity / i name my body full of hope despite everything.” I love her idea that we might give playful names and titles and descriptors to our bodies. In alignment with current astrological…
