Goodnight, Korbel
The 131-year-old sawmill near Blue Lake has closed, leaving employees in search of what’s next
Cover Story
Goodnight, Korbel
Jan. 22, 2015. Late afternoon sun brightened the red-blonde bundles of lumber stacked along the fence line and the large, pale-yellow mill sheds beyond. The scent of fresh-sawn wood permeated the air. A bright red truck loaded with more lumber emerged from the shadows into that golden light, squeezing through the narrow concrete frame of…
Shooting Highlights Differences in Local Policies
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the deputy who shot and wounded a suspect during a December car chase today after a shooting review committee found he didn’t violate any departmental policies or procedures. The announcement comes as similar departmental policies and procedures throughout the nation are coming under scrutiny. Deputy Scott…
Mystery and History
It was a perfectly pleasant party (we were told we were in New Orleans). Sure, the ballerina Ykatarina Chislova and burlesque dancer Lydia Thompson seemed out of sorts with each other — Ykat (pining for her dead duke, and not the paranoid live Grand Duke Alexei) calling Lyd (was she in fact a British spy?!)…
Don Clausen Dies
Ferndale native and former North Coast Congressman Don Clausen has died. He was 91. Clausen, a World War II veteran and a Republican who served from 1963 to 1982 in the U.S. House of Representatives, was described in a 2013 Santa Rosa Press Democrat story celebrating his 90th birthday as an ambidextrous baseball player (he…
Fire Breaks Out in Squires Building
February is shaping up to be a bad month for Floyd and Betty Squires. First, last week, the city of Eureka shuttered the couple’s Blue Heron Lodge, arguing the 15-unit building was operating in violation of the city’s problem motel ordinance. Then, early this morning, fire broke out at the couple’s apartment building in the…
On the Klamath dams front
Former Oregon state senator Jason Atkinson has co-produced a new documentary about the conflict between users of the Klamath River and how they finally hashed out the historic Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement to take out four dams and restore salmon and other habitat. The agreement awaits Congress’ approval. The film, by Atkinson and filmmaker Jeff Martin,…
Survey your sins
Ah, the magical storm drain. Alligators live down there, we know, and escapees, and gourmand rats — fantastical beings swimming around in lurksome joy. Plus, of course, all that junk you’ve let wash into it, too: pet poop, cigarette butts, wrappers, caps, oil, chemicals and other detritus that drifts from fingers, drips off cars and…
Wet Socks be Damned
Apparently, it takes more than a little localized flooding to knock the United States Postal Service off its game. Humboldt County has been hit with a healthy dose of wind and rain over the last 24 hours, leading to some rising rivers, downed power lines and flooded streets, particularly in Fortuna and the Eel River…
You and Me…
The Devil Makes Three packed HSU’s West Gym on Wednesday night, stirring an antsy crowd of 1,600 into a leaping, dancing frenzy. The band’s doom-metal aesthetic, combined with its dark and sing-along-worthy Americana stomp music, was far more polished than any of the band’s previous Humboldt County shows, but not overly slick. If you missed…
Fortuna First Friday Arts Night
is presented by members of the Fortuna business community and is open for all Fortuna businesses to display the work of local artists. Receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are from 6-8 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. BARKY DOGZ BATHHOUSE 1041 Main St. Stacey Bigley, handcrafted pet products. CORNERSTONE REALTY 1131 Main…
Life’s a Tango
There is something transformative about dance. When we ignore our inhibitions and give in to the music, laws of time and physics seem temporarily suspended. In this intermediate space, we can explore and uncover those things we hide not only from ourselves but each other. In Six Dance Lessons for Six Weeks, we see this…
Gardening Under the Redwoods
On a visit to Arizona some years ago, the sculptural beauty of the dry landscape was a huge highlight of my trip. Given that, I was taken aback by the sheer number of front yards that featured lush plantings of ferns, fuchsias and lawn. They stood in such stark contrast to the sweeping vistas of…
Standing up for Stansberry
Editor: Gratitude and respect to Linda Stansberry for writing about the exploitation and rape of some women in the local grow culture (“Women in Weed,” Jan. 8). I had no clue that this was going on. Linda followed up her first op-ed with a second one describing the angry and abusive reaction she received from…
Oh, Sit Down Already
Editor: Is Rape the Third Rail? Is Linda Stansberry going to stop writing stupid articles so I can stop writing letters to the editor? Nobody likes perverts, Linda. Crazy people who threaten women that talk about rape are a merely a vocal minority. But your presumption that feminism can control male behavior is ANNOYING! And…
Healthy Gratitude
Editor: This is a thank-you letter for your Health and Wellness Issue (Jan. 22). I am especially grateful to hear about what “Obamacare” funding is doing to help our outrageous homeless problems in the county, and also what the larger picture of access to insurance and doctors is looking like in Humboldt County since the…
I See Your Expert, And I Raise You …
Editor: Unhealthy foods cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other deadly problems. We need a national discussion on nutrition, so I appreciate Judy Hodgson’s recent column (“Obesity, How’d THAT Happen?,” Jan. 22). Judy bases much of her article on the work of Robert Lustig, MD. His recommendations are significantly better than the “standard American diet,”…
Clarification
Last week’s cover story, “How to Die in California” by Melinda Welsh, was a slightly modified version of a story by Welsh that originally appeared in the Sacramento News and Review, where she is a founding editor.
Seed
Dreams encircle falling summer With a whispered cry of “Live” So she bravely picks a flower That is all she has to give Turning toward another hour As the sun turns south again She’ll catch the silver wind ascending She will not stop to ask them “When?”
In Memory, In the Moment
For those who missed the news, please note the passing of former Blue Lake resident and beloved musician Kyle Scott, who died in a car crash Saturday in Alabama (see Blogjammin on Page 8). He was 42. Long time Humboldt music scene aficionados will remember him as frontman of the Jade Stems, as a friend,…
Apples by the Pint
What goes into making hard cider? “Apples and yeast — and love,” according to Humboldt Cider Company’s Darren Cartledge. Well, that and some cash. He and wife Michelle Cartledge, along with fellow co-founder Jamie Ashdon, launched a Kickstarter campaign last fall. In 45 days, supporters donated more than $37,000 and set the fledgling company on…
The Prolific Hermit
“I swear from my very being by what I’m doing,” says John Motian. “You’ve gotta do what you are.” And Motian is a painter. Sitting on a simple twin bed, a glass of wine by his side, Motian is unabashed about a life lived through the end of a brush. Behind a strong Armenian nose…
Bomb Throwers and Bridge Builders
Toward the end of his recent State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama grew reflective about the disillusionment with national politics which permeates Washington as well as the country. He observed in plaintive tones, speaking from the well of the House, “There are a lot of good people here, on both sides of the…
Arts Alive
Presented by the Humboldt Arts Council and Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are held the first Saturday of each month. Phone (707) 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org for more information or to have an exhibit or performance included. 1. EUREKA INN 518 Seventh St. Dance showcase with Debbie Weist. 1a.…
Buying in
The suits are coming! The suits are coming!” That premonition has grown in recent years from a whisper to a peal among some cannabis activists, small farmers and behind-the-curtainists, and the conspiracy theories are true (sort of). No, Phillip Morris hasn’t unleashed additive-laden joints onto the mass market, but venture capital and ensuing corporate structure…
No Jojo Left Behind
If you logged onto your Google Machine anytime during the past two weeks, chances are you witnessed the debut viral video of a floppy-haired Arcatan by the name of Jojo who, let’s just say, has made some poor choices. To us locals, this Jojo character feels as down-home familiar as a thick July fog or…
Good Man
Reviews A MOST VIOLENT YEAR. Almost everything about J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year is familiar, from the muted colors of 1980s New York City — think Instagram’s Perpetua filter — to the unnerving calm of Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac), a heating oil magnate with a lot going on. Even the framing of the scenes…
Claws: UPDATE
Update: Well, blow me down. The winds have kicked up and forced the Crab Festival indoors. Tents are down and both the two-legged and the 10-legged have moved into the Wild Planet Seafood facility right beside the C Street Market Square, where the setup was originally planned. It’s still on from 11 a.m. to 4…
Speaking Up
Take a break from small talk. On Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m., Will Gibson and Billy Tuggle go big with spoken word poetry at the Arcata Playhouse ($12, $10 students, seniors and members). The two are also running a free workshop at 4 p.m. Gibson, whose bio states he was “born from a good…
