Cover Story
Ground Breaking
Lisa Rossbacher hiked all around campus on her first day on the job, July 14, as Humboldt State University’s new president, meeting the people who keep the place humming — the sign makers, the plumbers, the vehicle mechanics, the facility managers, the test coordinator, the grant writers, the ID card makers, the librarians, the printers,…
Gets in Your Eyes, Lungs
Every summer it’s the same, it seems: The woods burn, and the smoke settles in heavily over our inland communities. This season, so far, it’s the Happy Camp and July forest fire complexes, and the Oregon fire in Weaverville, clogging skies and lungs — and the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District has been…
Judge Denies Bid To Stop Trinity Water Releases
A federal judge with the Eastern District Court of California today denied a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction sought by Central Valley Project water users to stop extra releases of water from the Trinity reservoir at Lewiston Dam into the Trinity River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation approved those flow augmentation releases last week,…
SECOND UPDATE:Trinity Will Get More Water; Suit Filed
SECOND UPDATE: On Monday, Aug. 25, around 5 p.m., the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority filed for a temporary restraining order in Fresno Superior Court to stop the increased flows. Dan Nelson, executive director of the water authority, said Tuesday that the issue is much the same as last year when his agency and the Westlands…
Eureka Serviceman Dies in Afghanistan
Flags will fly at half mast this week in honor of a Eureka man who died while serving in the Army in Afghanistan last week. Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley, 26, died Friday, Aug. 22, in Gardez, Afghanistan, as the result of a non-combat related incident, according to a Department of Defense new release. The Army…
Joke’s on You
The comedy scene in Humboldt is growing at breakneck speed and the folks at Savage Henry Magazine want to keep that momentum going. The third annual Savage Henry Magazine Comedy Festival ($25 all-festival pass, $3-15 per show) is more than just an extremely long title; it’s also a multi-town, poly-venue comedy explosion that spans an…
Local History… Biker Dude Style
A camera crew made its way through Old Town Eureka today, filming American Ride, a television show that showcases local history. Brooke Redmon, the show’s production manager, said the premise of program is basically to follow Stan Ellsworth, “a big, burly, biker dude” who happens to be a former high school history teacher, as he rides…
Wait a Second… Sunset Magazine’s Dubious Geography
If you saw Tuesday’s edition of the Times-Standard, you couldn’t have missed the splashy, above-the-fold cover feature about Sunset Magazine’s most recent issue featuring Humboldt County on it’s own cover. The hypish piece was “special to the Times-Standard,” and was essentially a story about the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau’s efforts to help the venerable…
Bay Trail North: Funded
The California Transportation Commission this week approved $3.1 million in grant funding for the construction of the Humboldt Bay trail between Arcata and Bracut, possibly paving the way for construction to begin next year. Officials described the grant as a “landmark,” and a major step forward for the long-talked about and debated project. Combined with…
Save Our Post Office, Mail Fans Demand
When Congressman Jared Huffman called a town hall meeting about the post office, who knew so many people would show up? But show up they did, well over 100 Humboldt County residents. From Humboldt Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich to Etsy users, the overwhelming sense among constituents was, “No.” Attendees do not want their mail routed…
Come on, Get Hoppy
Fortuna is far enough inland that the sun beats down just a little harder. On a typical August afternoon, you can run through the sprinkler or take a dip in the above-ground pool. Or on Saturday Aug. 23, you can sample a seemingly unlimited number of beers and ciders, while contributing to local nonprofits at…
Mules, Mistakes and Making Amends
If you picked up the newest issue of the Journal this week, you probably noticed that Center Arts is kicking off its 2014 season tonight, with Amos Lee. You may have also noticed that the Music & More Grid, 8 Days a Week and The Setlist indicate that Gov’t Mule is playing on Sunday, August 24. Pardon our…
A Corporate Omission
Editor: Your otherwise well-documented article on the shifting burden of taxes missed a crucial point as to what is a major factor that inevitably brought us to this situation (“Busted,” Aug. 7). The original intent of Proposition 13 was to protect grandma from being forced out of her house in areas like Palo Alto, where…
In Praise of Stansberry
Editor: My husband and I look forward to any article written by Linda Stansberry. She is a very talented journalist, on whatever topic she tackles. We hope to see her talents shared and recognized in the wider world. “Stoned Love” (Aug. 7) is a great example of her skill, and so touching. She writes about…
Cannabis Quagmire
Nearly two decades after California voters passed a landmark medical marijuana law, there remains no statewide regulatory framework to govern what has now become a $1.8 billion industry. In each of the last three years, the state Legislature has attempted to bring some semblance of order to the chaos that stems from having a patchwork…
College Cuisine
Virginia Woolf once said that one cannot study well, party well or love well if one has not eaten well. Maybe she didn’t say it exactly that way, but you get the point. Yet our student years are often the nadir of our gastronomic Bell curve, a time when haste, thrift and general lack of…
School’s In!
Hi, students! We can tell you’re back because our HSU-related entertainment options just blew up. The fine talent bookers responsible for AS Presents have added DJ Shadow and Dirty Heads with Rome to the fall lineup. Tickets for all this year’s AS Presents shows go on sale Friday, Aug. 22. In related news, let’s start out with a…
The Politics of Water
It was one of those few feel-good moments of unity in Sacramento. After months of wrangling, and with a deadline looming, the Legislature had just combined to vote 114-2 in favor of putting a $7.5 billion water bond before voters in November. Within hours of the Aug. 13 votes, Gov. Jerry Brown was signing the…
The Move
been navigating the shores of my life tied up in those big ropey knots that only true sailors know how to undo these old blinds and curtains are nothing but ruffles of wind on the waves sporting a sheen of sweat (and the shine of salty spray on my tired but satisfied face) it is…
Test Your Science Quotient
Think you know science? Answer true or false: 1. The “Flammarion engraving” (above) dates to the Middle Ages. 2. Between 2000 and 2010, more murders occurred in New York City than in New York state. 3. There are more molecules in a glass of water than there are glasses of water in Earth’s oceans. 4.…
Give and Take
Reviews THE GIVER. The film adaptation of Lois Lowry’s The Giver has been floating around Hollywood for years, always with Jeff Bridges attached. The dystopian young adult novel is a staple in a lot of middle school classrooms and it’s apparently very close to Bridges’ heart. After years of film limbo, the movie finally made…
Before You Get Smashed
1 Drinking is fun. Being drunk not so much. See the line between the two? Blurry, isn’t it? Put down the wine glass and get some water instead. 2. What’s your tomorrow look like? Life is short — do you really want to give up a whole day to being a dehydrated, dark-circled, headachy wreck…
Quality Time and a High Horse
Editor: Regarding the growth and change, etc. for the Journal, (“Growth, Change,” Aug. 7) I would like to say this: I have not always been a champion of some of the stories, changes and changes yet again, however I feel very fortunate to have the Journal. It has made tremendous efforts to be a class…
A Magical Game
Editor: Thank you for your article on gaming stores in Humboldt (“House of Cards,” Aug. 7). An important point on the gaming community and stores are the folks who own/operate and educate the players, especially the young ones. They have great influence. I wanted to give my appreciation for Jesse Williams of Lost Coast Wizards…
