

Cover Story
Introducing Cal Poly Humboldt
It’s official, Humboldt State University is now California Polytechnic University Humboldt — Cal Poly Humboldt, for short — the California State University system’s third polytechnic and the only one in Northern California. It’s a change that promises to transform the campus and the surrounding community. “Cal Poly Humboldt will be a polytechnic for the 21st…
Public Health Reports Another COVID-19 Death, One New Hospitalization and 122 New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported another COVID-19 death today, while also confirming 122 new cases of the virus and one new hospitalization locally. Today’s cases come on the heels of 1,055 confirmed last week, which were down from 1,779 the week before, as the recent local surge fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant appears…
Warm Weather Expected to Hit New Highs Today, Tomorrow
Unseasonably warm temperatures today and tomorrow are expected to set new highs for the date, according to the Eureka office of the National Weather Service. “Record or near record high temperatures are forecast for Eureka, Crescent City and Ukiah on Wednesday and Thursday,” the office reports. On the coast, Eureka is forecast to hit 70…
Is This Another Way to End California’s Death Penalty?
Instead of outright abolition, opponents of the California death penalty are pushing legislation to limit death sentences. But the blowback to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to dismantle Death Row at San Quentin demonstrates the political risk. Unable to persuade California voters to do away with capital punishment altogether, the movement to abolish the death penalty…
Locally Filmed The Sky Is Everywhere Premieres Friday
The Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission announced the premiere of the entirely-filmed-in-Humboldt movie The Sky Is Everywhere on Apple TV+ this Friday, Feb. 11, along with a coinciding red-carpet event at 5 p.m. at the gazebo in Old Town, Eureka. The event at the gazebo will feature a red carpet, lights and a ribbon cutting by…
Public Health Confirms Another COVID-19 Death, One Hospitalization and 35 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported another COVID-19 death today, while also confirming 35 new cases of the virus and one new hospitalization locally. The county also reported today that 35 previously reported cases of the virus were removed from the county’s cumulative count, leaving it at 18,192 cases confirmed through the duration of the pandemic.…
Humboldt to Lift Mask Mandate, Following State’s Lead
When the state of California rolls back its COVID-19 mask mandate next week, Humboldt County will follow suit, Health Officer Ian Hoffman told the Board of Supervisors this morning. Hoffman said the county plans to rely on testing, ventilation and vaccination efforts moving forward, adding that with the Omicron surge easing, county public health will…
California Plans to Update School Mask Rules
California appears to be on the brink of what could be one of its most dramatic shifts in COVID policy since the pandemic began nearly two years ago: changing school masking rules. State health officials announced Monday that they are working with “education, public health and community leaders to update masking requirements at schools to…
Steven James Parr: 1964-2022
Our beloved Steve, husband, father, son, brother, died suddenly and unexpectedly on his daughter’s birthday. Steve was a larger than life person who cared about everyone and was there to help whether you were family, friend, co-worker or stranger. He was generous to a fault. He was a conduit of the goodness of the universe.…
Richard Louis Thompson: 1938-2022
Richard was born Louis Richard Theos in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Martha Smart (Vernal, Utah) and Louis P. Theos -Theophilaktopoulos-Theophilou (Kalavryta, Greece). From the time he was a baby, he was raised by his mother and his maternal grandparents Paula Margarette Schreiber and William Haines Smart. He was later adopted by his stepfather Benjamin…
Arcata City Council to Meet Wednesday on Filling Upcoming Vacancy
The Arcata City Council is scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss options for filling the seat of Vice Mayor Emily Goldstein, who announced last week that she will be stepping down to focus on her family’s medical needs. Her resignation is effective March 1. The city council has three main choices to fill Goldstein’s upcoming…
Public Health Confirms Another COVID-19 Death, 336 New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health reported this afternoon that it has confirmed 336 new cases of COVID-19, as well as two hospitalizations and one death, since Friday. Today’s cases come on the heels of 1,055 confirmed last week, which were down from 1,779 the week before, as the recent local surge fueled by the highly contagious…
Supes Move Forward with Cannabis Tax Relief
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors is moving forward with providing local cannabis farmers some tax relief after a flooding of the wholesale market sent prices plummeting in recent months. The board voted 3-1, with Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell having recused herself due to a potential financial conflict of interest and Fifth District Supervisor…
California Will Reward Volunteering College Students with Aid — but Spend Half the Money on Overhead
A new California program to financially reward college students for volunteering has drawn national attention — but less than half of its budgeted money is going to actual student aid. The California Volunteers College Corps program, backed by $159 million in mostly state money, promises to award up to $10,000 to 6,668 low-income students who…
NCJ Preview: Cal Poly Humboldt Plans, Feeding Lao and Hmong Families
What does the shift to Cal Poly Humboldt mean beyond a run on HSU hoodies? We’ll break down the infrastructure, curriculum and housing impacts on the university, the city of Arcata and Humboldt at large. We’ve also got a story on how Hmong and Lao community members are working with Redwood Coast Regional Center and…
California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris Resigning, Prioritizing Family
California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris — who brought awareness of the reverberating impacts of childhood trauma to the highest levels of state government — will be pausing her professional career to spend more time with her family, she announced Wednesday. “I have always felt drawn to public service, so being able to serve during…
Public Health Confirms Another COVID-19 Death, Three Hospitalizations and 142 New Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed another local COVID-19 today, as well as 142 new cases of the virus and three new hospitalizations. Today’ cases — which make 1,055 confirmed this week — come on the heels of 1,779 confirmed last week. In total, the county saw 6,438 new cases of the virus confirmed locally in January…
Arcata Mother Dies After Being Struck in Crosswalk
A young mother who likely saved her child’s life by pushing the toddler out of the way before she was hit by a car while they were walking in a crosswalk on St. Louis Road just before 1 p.m on Jan. 22 has died and an investigation into the crash is ongoing, according to the…
Joan Emilie Schirle: 1944-2022
Joan Schirle died on Feb. 1, 2022, at 4:10 p.m.. at her home in Blue Lake, California. She was an acclaimed independent actor, director, playwright, teacher, and deviser and was the Founding Artistic Director of Dell’Arte International (DAI) joining the company in 1976. A pioneer in establishing the concept of “Theatre of Place” and ensemble…
Arcata Vice Mayor Goldstein Stepping Down to Focus on Family
Arcata Vice Mayor Emily Goldstein announced last night that she will be stepping down from the city council seat she was elected to a little more than one year ago to “focus on the health of my family.” At times growing emotional, Goldstein said the decision was “really hard” but the “energy and time I…
Public Health Confirms 96 New COVID-19 Cases, One Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 96 new cases of COVID-19 today, making 913 so far this week, as well as one new hospitalization. Today’s cases come on the heels of 1,779 confirmed last week. In total, the county saw 6,438 new cases of the virus confirmed locally in January — a number that equates to…
Targeted Universalism: A Solution for Inequality?
One in five Latinos in California live in poverty, the highest of any demographic group. Black students trail all other racial and ethnic groups in reading and math proficiency. And Native Americans are worse off today, with an average life expectancy eight years shorter than a decade ago. Despite a suite of well-intended policies aimed…
One Arrested After Arcata Homicide
Arcata police arrested a 50-year-old man on suspicion of murder last night after a fatal assault near the footbridge connecting the Cal Poly Humboldt campus to the area around 17th and G streets in the city. According to a press release, police responded to a report of a physical altercation in the area around 5:30…
Singing Poly Wolly Doodle
Related Stories
The Third Kingdom
We all know the plants and animals are extraordinary in Humboldt, but the kingdom of fungi is probably the most prolific. Edible, medicinal, psychoactive or deadly, there are many varieties of each. Some, though, are just unbelievably strange looking. Until the middle of the 20th century, fungi were placed in the plant kingdom. The separation into its own…
Periodic Table
Nothing subatomic Can hold a candle To the gatherings We once shared, Around tables set To welcome friends With the only bond That really matters. By Kirk Gothier
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries actor Bette Davis said that if you want to improve your work, you should “attempt the impossible.” That’s perfect advice for you right now. I hope to see you hone your skills as you stretch yourself into the unknown. I will celebrate your forays into the frontiers, since doing so…
Moving Up
State Sen. Mike McGuire recently gained a new title — majority leader — which takes him up a rung on the Capitol ladder to the second-highest-ranking position in the California Legislature’s upper house. The Jan. 19 appointment by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins also marks the first time in 30 years that a North…
Looking Out for Each Other
A little after 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, the curb of Alice Birney Elementary School in Eureka is lined with boxes of food: sweet rice, fish sauce, leeks, eggs and tied bags of greens. Sacks of rice are piled on a pallet and cases of Mama noodles stack up shoulder high by the fence. A…
Noises Off! Hits the Mark
For the first show since shuttering its doors two years ago due to COVID-19, Ferndale Repertory has staged playwright Michael Frayn’s popular farce Noise Off. It’s an ambitious choice — the plot is complicated, the dialogue is demanding; missed lines or uneven timing could easily derail the comedy of errors. Fortunately, the cast, under the…
Parched January Could Lead to River Closures
North Coast river levels have fallen from their December glory after an extremely dry January. And February, at least through the first couple weeks, isn’t looking much better. This extended dry period could lead to fishing closures on several North Coast rivers. Back in December, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to extend low-flow…
Kondo-ing Your Queue
GETTING CURIOUS WITH JONATHAN VAN NESS. Digital Streaming Services need Marie Kondo. Imagine how satisfying it would be to hear the sound of crumpling paper as you dispose of Dexter: New Blood in the bin where the last season of Game of Thrones went. Or else, neatly packing your sentimental ’80s sitcoms that are deeply…
‘More Information’
Editor: I agree that many people are tired of wearing masks (Mailbox, Jan. 20) but the writer didn’t give us enough information to make a good decision. I want more information, such as the relative populations between the U.S. and Sweden; rates of visitors to the country; vaccination rates; general health and nutrition; healthcare and…
‘As a Victim …’
Editor: In your recently published article about the 840 new cases of COVID-19 in Humboldt County (“Public Health Confirms 840 New COVID-19 Cases, Three Hospitalizations,” posted online Jan. 18), you linked to an article written by Calmatters and published by the North Coast Journal and other California newspapers on Jan. 8 called “Unboosted: California COVID-19…
Local Staff, Please!
Editor: Congratulations to our state senator, Mike McGuire, for his appointment as the Senate’s majority leader (NCJ Daily, Jan. 27). He is a hard worker with great ideals, some of which he has been able to put in place. But should we be worried that he no longer has any staff in his Eureka office?…
‘Heed This Advice’
Editor: The loss of Hunter Lewis is a tragedy for his family, friends and community (NCJ Daily, Jan. 6). He was a talented young man with a lot of promise in his future and his loss is felt by all. I sincerely hope that such a tragedy can be avoided, so, as a longtime ocean kayaker, I…






