‘Hope Holds Out Here’
After a divisive four years under Trump, local leaders look back and forward
Humboldt at 699 COVID Cases
Public Health reported four COVID-19 cases today as November’s numbers continue to climb, eclipsing last’s month’s 58 with nearly two weeks left to go. Another hospitalization was also confirmed. Fifty-three cases were verified last week, the most recorded in that time period locally since the pandemic began. So far this month, the county has confirmed…
County Holds Health Officer Interviews
Humboldt County is moving forward with the process of hiring its next health officer, having already conducted two rounds of interviews — including a “final selection” interview Nov. 13. Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey said 18 candidates applied to fill the position. Current Health Officer Teresa Frankovich announced in September that she’d be stepping…
EPD Called for Anti-Mask Costco Shopper Caught on Video, LoCO reports
The Eureka Police Department escorted a woman from Costco in handcuffs after she apparently argued with employees asking her to wear a mask and reportedly grabbing a cell phone out of one of their hands in a Tuesday incident captured on video, Lost Coast Outpost reports. Similar incidents have taken place across the nation despite…
Eureka Council Passes New Camping Ordinance
After nearly two hours of discussion, the Eureka City Council voted Tuesday to pass an ordinance repealing and replacing the city’s camping ordinance, with Councilmember Leslie Castellano dissenting. The ordinance was altered to reflect public concern over perceived criminalization of homelessness, changing the recommended criminal charges for involuntary camping from a misdemeanor to an infraction.…
November COVID Cases Already Double Last Month’s Numbers
Public Health reported nine COVID-19 cases today, pushing November’s numbers to date to more than twice that of last month. One case from October and one of the death’s assigned to Humboldt have been moved to another county. Fifty-three cases were verified last week, the most recorded in that time period locally since the pandemic…
New Deal Brokered to Remove Klamath Dams
Once again, a hard-fought accord to remove four hydroelectric dams choking the lower Klamath River has been resuscitated, a group of stakeholders announced in a press conference Tuesday. The agreement, which is more than a decade in the making and would result in one of the largest dam removal efforts in the world and the…
HCOE, YES Partner with National App to Help Local Community
Showing gratitude for our blessings by sharing with those in need is part and festively-wrapped parcel of the Season of Giving. However, while we shelter in place and practice social distancing, person-to-person giving may not be an option — and many may not know what, where or how to give. Thankfully, there’s an app for…
World’s Longest Fiber-Optic Line Set to Land in Eureka by 2021
The Humboldt Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District board will meet Thursday to discuss approving a lease with RTI Infrastructure to provide a landing for up to four fiber-optic cables, including one touted as the world’s longest. The latter, a project by Trans-Pacific Networks, will link Southeast Asia to the United States, with landfall slated for…
Two Arrested in SoHum Assault, Robbery
Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men for suspected assault and robbery of a 51-year-old Honeydew woman that took place on Sunday, Nov. 15. Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 6700 block of Wilder Ridge Road near Honeydew for the report of an assault and robbery that had just occurred that left the…
Another Round of Coastal Flooding Hits Today
Later this morning and into the afternoon, another round of high tides will hit the North Coast, with up to one-half foot of saltwater flooding expected in low-lying areas, including King Salmon and Jackson Ranch Road in Arcata. The peak of a close to 9 foot tide will occur at 12:24 p.m., according to the…
UPDATED: Eureka City Council to Consider Camping Ban
The Eureka City Council will revisit the issue of camping within city limits tomorrow night as it considers Bill No. 989-C.S. – Camping Ordinance, a repeal and replacement of its current ordinance banning camping in public spaces. The adjustment appears to be in response to the 2019 Ninth Circuit Court case Martin vs. City of Boise,…
Sharp COVID Case Increase Continues
Public Health reported 29 COVID-19 cases since Friday, which meets the county’s single day record set last week. Another hospitalization was also confirmed. That comes after 53 cases were verified last week, the most recorded in that time period locally since the pandemic began. So far this month, the county has confirmed 116 cases after seeing…
UPDATED: Humboldt Moved to Red COVID-19 Tier, Bringing New Restrictions
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Joint Information Center issued a press release on the heels of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement this afternoon that Humboldt is being pushed into the state’s red COVID-19 risk tier, bringing a host of new restrictions. In the release, Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich said that, with Humboldt County’s current case…
Girl Suffers Major Injuries in McKinleyville Crash
An 8-year-old girl was flown out the area for treatment after a head-on crash around 6: 45 p.m. yesterday on Sutter Road in McKinleyville and a 29-year-old Santa Barbara man was arrested on suspicion of DUI, according to the CHP. A new release states William Cromwell was driving westbound while approaching Weirup Lane when he…
UPDATE: Homicide Investigation Into Shooting In Samoa
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the fatal shooting of a McKinleyville man just before midnight Sunday in Samoa as a homicide and is asking for the public’s help. According to a news release, deputies responded to New Navy Base Road near the Milwaukee Memorial and found Perry Zebulon Bailey, 34, suffering from multiple…
Stabbing in Eureka
Eureka Police and an ambulance responded to the Carl’s Jr. at 3160 Broadway about 1:15 p.m. after receiving a report of a twenty to thirty-year-old male who was stabbed. The victim was loaded into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more…
Humboldt Bay Fire Extinguishes Residential Structure Fire, No Injuries
Humboldt Bay Fire extinguished a fire early Sunday morning that caused $5,000 in damage to a home on the 3200 block of Q Street in Eureka. The fire is thought to have been caused by a water heater. There were no injuries to civilians, fire personnel or animals, according to a press release from Humboldt Bay Fire.…
Man Missing Near Manila Beach Found Safe, RHBB Reports
A man who went missing near Manila Beach north of Eureka last night has been found safe this morning and reunited with friends and family. Travis Privat and friends were having a bonfire down by the Manila Beach around 7 p.m. Saturday night. Privat walked a friend back to her car at the Montessori School around…
Second Fortuna High Student Tests Positive for COVID-19
According to a press release this evening from the Fortuna Union High School District, a second student has tested positive for COVID-19. The message from Superintendent Glen Senestraro states neither this case nor the one announced to parents Thursday was transmitted on the high school campus. The school, it says, is following guidance from Humboldt…
Dog Rescued From Eureka Structure Fire
A dog was rescued from a residence on the 3400 block of Christie Street near the Bayshore Mall after an unattended candle is believed to have sparked a fire that caused around $5,000 in damage. No one was home at the time and the dog was not injured, according to a news release from Humboldt…
Another Storm Headed to Humboldt Amid King Tides
Another storm bringing rain and wind is on its way, with up to 50 mph gusts expected in Del Norte County, prompting the National Weather Service office in Eureka to issue a wind advisory beginning at 8 p.m. today and lasting until 4 a.m. Sunday. Friday’s storm ushered in strong gusts across the North Coast,…
Deputy Health Officer Warns County Seeing ‘Unprecedented Growth’ of COVID-19, Will Likely See Increased Restrictions
Just hours before Humboldt County announced it had confirmed the most COVID-19 cases in a single week since step pandemic began, Deputy Health Officer Josh Ennis sat down to answer questions from the media and issued a dire warning. The county is seeing “unprecedented growth” with the virus that, if it continues, threatens to overwhelm…
Yurok Tribe Reports two COVID-19 Cases on Reservation
The Yurok Tribe Office of Emergency Services is reporting that two people on the Yurok Reservation have tested positive for COVID-19. The tribe says it is working with Humboldt County Public Health to conduct contact tracing investigations on the cases, one of which resulted in a hospitalization. The cases do not appear to be linked,…
Student Tests Positive for COVID-19 at Fortuna High School
Amid a record-breaking week that saw 53 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Humboldt County, Lost Coast Outpost is reporting one case has a number of students at Fortuna High School quarantining. According to the post, parents of FHS students received phone messages from school administrators last night letting them know “a student at Fortuna High…
Bushnell Takes Lead in Tight Second District Supes Race with Latest Election Report
The Humboldt County Elections Office issued its second post-election report this afternoon, adding about 10,000 ballots to the ongoing tally and pushing Second District supervisor challenger Michelle Bushnell into a narrow lead over two-term incumbent Estelle Fennell. With 10,016 votes cast in the Second District race, Bushnell now leads by 34 votes, with an estimated…
Five New COVID Cases Cap Record Week of Virus Spread in Humboldt
A day after a record-setting report, Humboldt County Public Health confirmed five new COVID-19 cases today, making 53 this week, the most recorded locally in a single week since the pandemic began. Yesterday’s report — which included results from Wednesday, as well — tallied 29 new confirmed COVID-19 cases. So far this month, the county…
Despite Tax Measure, Arcata Fire Likely Won’t be Back to Full Strength Until 2022
Measure F seems to have passed with an overwhelming 75 percent of the vote, so the question on many minds within the Arcata Fire Protection District is when it will be able to re-open its third fire station. The answer, unfortunately, is not soon. Arcata Fire Chief Justin McDonald issued a press release this afternoon…
Coastal Areas to Expect Flooding This Weekend
With high winds and rain in the forecast, low-lying coastal areas like King Salmon and the Arcata bottoms will see flooding this weekend according to the Humboldt County Emergency Operations Center and the National Weather Service Eureka. According to the National Weather Service Eureka, king tides are expected through the weekend on the coast. NWS…
What Prop. 15’s Defeat Means for California Schools
Voters narrowly defeated Proposition 15, the tax measure that aimed to eliminate decades-long protections for commercial properties – dashing hopes of billions of dollars flowing into California’s cash-strapped public schools and community colleges in the coming years. In the second-most expensive ballot fight this election, Prop. 15 supporters said the measure would help right what they…
NCJ Preview: Post-election Perspectives and Pandemic Wine Tasting
This week we’re looking at how many ballots are left to count in our county and where local elections stand. We’ll also talk about the local community leaders who contributed letters to this week’s paper about the presidential election results and what President-elect Biden’s win means and doesn’t mean to them and us. And how does…
County Announces Record 29 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that 29 new local COVID-19 cases were confirmed yesterday and today — the largest number of cases reported out in a single day since the pandemic began. Today’s cases make 48 reported so far this week and 82 this month, after the county recorded 59 in all of October.…
Six Rivers Forest Fire Restrictions Lifted
The U.S. Forest Service has lifted all Six Rivers National Forest fire restrictions, including Cal Fire’s Humboldt Del Norte Ranger Unit’s Nov. 9 burn ban suspension, due to cooler weather and rainfall coming this weekend. Area closures for the August Complex, Red Salmon Complex and the Slater Fire have been lifted as well with the exception of…
What the Developers Want
Editor: Regarding the comment: “while simultaneously making development of farm and forestlands too easy” (Mailbox, Oct. 29), perhaps the reason is that our county supervisors are doing exactly what the developers want because that is where the big and easy money is! Nick Baum, Eureka Related Stories
Turning the Page
Editor: I have one of those old-fashioned desk calendars that requires one to manually flip the date daily. On Nov. 8, 2016, time stopped and that date has been frozen. That was the date that Donald Trump was named our president-elect. I was not to change that calendar until he was voted out. That was…
Nice Catch
Editor: Adding Kenny Priest’s column (Fishing the North Coast) to your paper was a great move. By doing so, you added to your readership and market. Chad Sefcik, McKinleyville
Clarification
Due to a printing error, the cover of the Oct. 29, 2020, edition of the North Coast Journal did not appear as designed. To view cover as it was intended to appear in print, please visit www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/IssueArchives?issue=18804451. The Journal regrets any confusion the error caused.
On My Corner,November 1st, 2020
My next door neighbor set three boxes out between the sidewalk and her lawn, boxes of apples from her backyard orchard, one of something like delicious one of a rosy-cheeked yellow kind — redolent of sweetness and of Fall — a third of tart, green keepers good for winter pies A man with a backpack…
Purple Baby Boom
Purple surf happens. I’ve seen it only once locally — in July about five years ago. But purple scum on the beach last month could indicate that it had happened again. The phenomenon is caused by a strange, gelatinous, millimeters-long animal called a doliolid. The purple species is Dolioletta gegenbauri. Sorry, but no one has…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Love can’t always do work,” wrote novelist Iris Murdoch. “Sometimes it just has to look into the darkness.” From what I can tell, you’ve been doing that recently: looking into the darkness for love’s sake. That’s a good thing! You have been the beneficiary of the blessings that come through the…
‘Hope Holds Out Here’
In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, which we dubbed “the ugliest and most vitriolic presidential contest in generations,” we reached out to a handful of local individuals and organizations hoping to help start a dialogue about how to heal and move forward as a community. After what feels like four years of division,…
Local Ballot Counting Continues
As this issue of the Journal went to press Nov. 10, a week after Election Day, Humboldt County still had approximately 17,500 ballots left to process — roughly 38 percent of all ballots cast in the election. Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders told the Journal that her office plans to release updated vote…
Rainy with a Chance of COVID
California announced as the Journal went to press Nov. 10 that Humboldt County would remain in the state’s minimal COVID-19 risk tier for the week, one of just five counties in the state to fall into the category as caseloads continue to spike throughout the Golden State and the country. Humboldt County confirmed 34 COVID-19…
Wine Tasting with Friends, from a Distance
Ah, Monday night, the wine tasting night we’ve looked forward to since, well, since the previous Monday night. After all these years, we still can’t wait for our special evening. Normal times would see us arriving at the venue of the evening with smoke from the grill filling the air and sounds of the game…
The Eel River Jockey Club
In my last column I mentioned Rohnerville was once a hub of Southern Humboldt. I did not mean to imply that it still was in the 1960s but certainly it was 100 years earlier. Rohnerville is currently an unincorporated area about 2 miles southwest of Fortuna. The town was originally called Eel River. The Eel…
Storms Will Kick Off Late Run of Fall Kings
The season’s first sizeable storms are bearing down on the North Coast. And that means hard-charging, fresh-from-the-salt king salmon — big and bright — will be making their way up all of our coastal rivers starting this weekend. So, if you see a steady stream of drift boats heading north on U.S. Highway 101, you’ll…
On Paper
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME. Spoiler: We live in trying times. While hopeful news occasionally filters through the hateful noise of late — feels like a first for this year of less auspicious ones — and while some of it has induced an almost palpable unburdening, a lightening of the the spirit, it also…
Relief and Despair
Many of us went into election night looking for a repudiation — an unequivocal electoral avalanche, a stinging rebuke that would erase Donald Trump and Trumpism, allowing us to look back on the past four years of division, vitriol and indecency as nothing more than a blip. A brief mistake. An outlier. Not us. Others…
