Cover Story
Ghosts on the Tracks
A railyard at night is already a spooky place, and even more so with the fog that’s settled on Samoa and the shoulders of the roundhouse, blurring the riveted and rust-streaked tops of 19th century train cars and tall steam donkeys. An open doorway offers a glimpse of old double-handled saws hanging on a wall.…
Cynthia Gorman Quinsey: 1938-2023
Cynthia Gorman Quinsey passed away Oct. 9, 2023, surrounded by love. Born Oct. 22, 1938, Cynthia was a musician, artist, daughter, sister, wife, mother, grand and great-grandmother, and good friend. A true creative, Cynthia viewed the world through an imaginative and beautiful lense. A deeply caring person, Cynthia shared her love and wit liberally with…
Larry Kenneth Radford: 1953-2023
Larry Kenneth Radford was born on April 5, 1953, in Eureka, California. He unexpectedly passed away Oct. 4, 2023, from a heart attack in Longmont, Colorado. He was the second of seven children. He was proceeded in death by his grandparents Frank and Signe Freeberg, his parents John and Marilyn Radford, his brother Frank Thomas…
Joseph Aaron Oakes: 1982-2023
Joseph Aaron Oakes was born in Los Angeles to Billy and Peggy Oakes, to join his sister Anne. Joseph spent most of his life living in Northern California and Southern Oregon with his life partner of 24 years, Sergio, who preceded Joe in his passing into grace. He now joins the Almighty, along with his…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Oct. 26
Longtime readers might remember my review of The Handshakers’ debut record a few years ago, where I was smitten by the group’s excellent mix of acoustic country and folk songwriting married to superb and tasteful playing (“The Handshakers Find Their Place,” March 21, 2019). Those of you who enjoyed that project will want to listen…
Rio Dell Resident Killed in Crash
A 48-year-old Rio Dell resident was found dead Tuesday in a vehicle located 75 feet down an embankment at the Jordan Creek Bridge on U.S. Highway 101, according to the California Highway Patrol. A CHP news release states emergency crews responded to the scene after a call came in just after 12:30 p.m. reporting a…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Oct. 25
When you hear of an Ennio Morricone score accompanying a wide-brimmed hat wearing, Scotch whisky-guzzling anti-hero, you probably don’t immediately think of the frozen north and a cosmic horror beyond reckoning. That’s OK because I sure do. John Carpenter’s 1982 masterpiece The Thing is possibly the greatest practical-effects sci-fi horror flick ever made. If you…
Spooky Trains, Sketchy Books and Ballot Initiatives
We’re going behind the scenes at the Haunted Rail Tour to see how volunteers put on the show for visitors and raise money for local nonprofits. We’ve got updates on the Humboldt County Fair’s bookkeeper’s indictment by the U.S. Attorney’s office and the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
McKinley Statue Rises Again in Canton
More than four years after being taken down from the Arcata Plaza in the dead of night, the statue of President William McKinley is back on a pedestal again after an Oct. 21 unveiling ceremony in front of the Canton, Ohio, courthouse where the 25th president felled by an assassin’s bullet once practiced law. The…
Photos: A Flotilla of Witches on the Bay
A large coven of witches appeared under the Samoa Bridge on Saturday for the fourth annual Witches Paddle organized by Jody Himango and Patty Costanzo. The Dancing Magickal Witches of Humboldt County offered their lively performance first, before more than 40 witches entered the water on their stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, canoes and an inflatable raft.…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Oct. 24
Speaking of Savage Henry Comedy Club, tonight’s show at 9 p.m., hosted by the venerable Chris Durant, is an exercise in self-incriminating storytelling. The Deposition is all about comedians and other creatives telling true and (potentially) troubling tales from their own portfolio of (mis)adventures. The spectating audience serves as the public arbiter of opinion, as…
Music Tonight: Monday, Oct. 23
Relax, it’s just another Metal Monday at Savage Henry Comedy Club. Tonight’s talent will be NYC D-Beat hardcore band Overdose and local slayers Psyop Victim, Death Doula and Sarcophilus Satanicus, whose members are trying their level best to craft the heaviest sound in the North 707. Kick-off is, as usual, at 7 p.m., $5-$10 sliding…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Oct. 22
Shutups are a stony and explosive pop rock band on the Kill Rock Stars label. Last year’s album I can’t eat nearly as much as I want to vomit is a certified banger. Tonight the group comes to the Outer Space to share the space with locals Makeshift Kink (whose record, Ambulance Eternal I reviewed…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Oct. 21
Barn Fire is Humboldt’s finest honkytonk outlaw country band bar none. The group only comes out of the woods for a few sets a year, so it’s important for any true country fan to roll through and stomp around a bit. This month we’re treated to two gigs, with the Logger Bar’s Halloween show coming…
Dinsmore Remains in Limbo Amid Jurisdictional Questions
Family and friends who’d walked into court yesterday afternoon hoping to see Steve Dinsmore released from jail left disappointed, but not without hope that day may soon come. Dinsmore, who was ordered released from custody in 2022 after serving more than 17 years in prison only to be returned to the jail in August after…
Music Tonight: Friday, Oct. 20
Tengger is a traveling family band with roots in Japan and South Korea. The name comes from the Mongolian language, meaning “unlimited expanse of sky.” Which fits the droning and gorgeous sound castles built by this family of three, including the young son Raai. The group will be making a roost at the Miniplex tonight,…
The Monsters are Here
Halloween aficionados, pace yourselves. This year, Griffin Loch’s Scream-A-Torium takes things to a whole new level of frightful and delightful as it claws out of last year’s confines to take over the Humboldt County Fairgrounds, turning it into a festival-filled Scaregrounds. The spine-tingling fun, which includes three haunted mazes, live music, roaming haunters, food trucks,…
Larry Dean Higgins: 1945-2023
Please join the family for a Celebration of Life Saturday, Oct. 21, from noon to 3 p.m. The Monday Club 610 Main St., Fortuna Larry Dean Higgins, Eel River Wailaki, was born Dec. 6, 1945, in Garberville, California, to Anne Lorraine Hunter and Ed Higgins. He was the middle child between older brother Richard Calvin…
Carole Diane (Rogers) Higgins: 1950-2023
Please join the family for a Celebration of Life Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, from noon to 3 p.m. The Monday Club 610 Main St., Fortuna Carole Diane Rogers Mausa Higgins, a Karuk Tribal member, was born Feb. 3, 1950, to Lolita “Sister” Attebery and James Antone Rogers in Eureka, California. She was the middle child…
‘A Little Research’
Editor: In response to Steve Sandeen’s letter in response to Meg Wall-Wild’s piece (Mailbox, Oct. 12): I, too, was perplexed by Meg’s reference to Prairie Creek’s ancient “deciduous” conifers. I was prompted to do a little research. “Deciduous” means “shed(ding) seasonally or at a certain stage of development.” It’s worth distinguishing between the two halves…
‘Way Worse’
Editor: I hope the mullahs’ call for a day of rage was heeded. The protest against the gay slurs at the county fair was vociferous (“Homophobic Slurs Mar Fair’s Chili Cook-off,” Aug. 25). Hamas is way worse, criminalizing same sex unions. No mention during the day of rage. Iran, the inspiration and support of Hamas…
‘Not Being Blindsided’
Editor: It’s that time again. If you’re thinking goblins and scary monsters, think again. Humboldt County seniors are being inundated with slick ads, mailers and presentations designed to lure them into the private health insurance plans known as Medicare Advantage (MA). (“California Says No to Privatizing Medicare,” Sept. 21.) These plans are fraught with pitfalls…
“What shall we name this newborn war?”
What shall we name this newborn war, how honor its multi-national heritage? Shall we call it “Independence,” after its father, or “Nakba,” after its mother? Maybe “World War,” after its illustrious grandparents? Or will we pluck a date off the innocent calendar, soiling forever the good name of October 7? With what patriotic, pious words…
Growers Seek to Remove Cannabis Initiative from Ballot
The Humboldt County Growers Alliance and seven local farmers have filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent an initiative that would dramatically reshape the county’s cannabis cultivation regulations from appearing on the March ballot. The suit, filed Oct. 11 against Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Juan Cervantes, alleges proponents of Measure A, dubbed the Humboldt Cannabis…
‘Demonstrated His Rehabilitation’
During an Oct. 16 hearing with a lot of open questions and uncertainty, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney made one thing clear. “I think Mr. Dinsmore has clearly demonstrated his rehabilitation,” the judge said of Steven Dinsmore, the man he gave a more than 30-year prison sentence back in 2007 after he was…
All The Old Familiar Places
I’d like to share with you, dear reader, an experience I had recently. For the purposes of this story, I’m going to say that it’s true but you can treat it like the dreamy introduction to Dante’s Inferno or the beginning of a Twilight Zone episode, if that works better for you. I found myself,…
Say Skol to Norseman Mead
Somewhere during the Neolithic period, or likely in a few somewheres across the globe, people figured out how to make mead. Traces of the simple fermented honey drink are found in pottery from all over the ancient world. But the mead you might sample from the fellow with braided hair, Renaissance fair vibes and leather…
Natural Shocks in the Storm of Gun Violence
On the evening of the preview performance of Natural Shocks by Laura Gunderson, the lights went up on the small stage at Exit Theatre revealing semi-haphazardly strewn household miscellany — a catch-all room with a door to one side. Howling wind let me know there was a fierce storm happening outside. A woman entered through…
Good Luck, Ladies
In my (lately frequent) absences, the Editor seems compelled to see and write almost exclusively about horror. I suspect the impetus for this is actually two-fold. Despite frequent, vociferous protestations, the Editor is actually an ardent fan of the genre. But these occasions allow her even more opportunity than the normal, strictly enforced, brigade-style hierarchy…
‘Spare Dell’Arte’
Editor: I submit this letter as a testimonial in response to “Dell’Arte Lays off Staff, Calls for Donations” (NCJ Daily, Oct. 12). I am distressed that Dell’Arte may not reach its 50th anniversary. That place is a core of wonder, laughter and joy that has provided the artist in everyone a home here in Humboldt…
Former HumCo Fair Bookkeeper Indicted for Alleged ‘Ghost Payroll’ Scheme
A federal grand jury has indicted the Humboldt County Fair Association’s former bookkeeper on five counts of wire fraud stemming from an alleged embezzlement scheme that prosecutors believe saw her reroute hundreds of thousands of dollars from the association and another local nonprofit to her personal accounts in 2021 and 2022. Nina Tafarella, who oversaw…
