Cover Story
Making It
What does Humboldt Made mean to you? You’ve likely seen the logo on grocery store displays and the soft focus videos produced several years ago celebrating the county’s vistas and lovingly crafted small business products. So, you shop local. And there’s a chance your neighbor is one of the more than 100 Humboldt Made members.…
Eureka Symphony Announces 2015-2016 Season
The Eureka Symphony recently announced its 2015-2016 season, “Experience the Greats” — a theme offering renowned composers and guest artists. There are five performances scheduled including a season opener, the popular holiday concert and a season finale. Nestled in the mix is a performance “dedicated to the contributions made to film by great composers, with such…
Shell of a Good Time
The 25th annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival filled the plaza and plenty of bellies this past Saturday. The sun was out, the bands were swinging and the lines at the more than 50 booths snaked in all directions. When the judging was through, Sushi Spot took home Best Raw Oyster again, Folie Douce won Best…
HumBug: Artful Dodgers
Today, faced with the humdrum task of taking old stuff out to the compost bin, I grabbed a camera on the off chance I might see something more interesting than rotten potato peels. Flying low and fast, dodging between grass stalks and tangled branches was a Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia). With their dark wingspots, agile…
Re-Christening the Golden Rule
“Hey hippie” was the tongue-in-cheek greeting on the electronic sign giving directions to the turn off on the Samoa peninsula to the Zerlang & Zerlang Boat Yard on Saturday, June 20. This was the first hint that the launching ceremony of the rebuilt sailing vessel Golden Rule was going to be a special mix of…
Wildlife of Old Town
Eureka Police Department’s Animal Control Officer, Rob Patton, escorted an unwanted guest from Ramone’s in Old Town on Friday morning. The bushy-tailed varmint had been curled up beneath the pastry counter for an undetermined period of time, only to be noticed by a barista coming in for her mid-morning shift. As customers and staff watched,…
Homeowners Allege Firefighters in Saddle Fire Endangered Lives, Property
A backburn lit by an incident team on the Saddle Fire reversed direction on June 12, jumping the county road to burn 150 acres of private land and threaten the lives of three Hyampom residents. “We asked them not to light the backburn,” said Jennifer Lance, whose husband, Richard Collins, beat the blaze away from…
Down to Shuck
Seems like only yesterday locals were rending their garments over the Oyster Festival. But with no fence and no fees, what’s to get worked up over anymore? Oh, you’ll have to take a stroll to get around the bar row barrier, but that just ensures you’ll be drinking with the truly dedicated. Out on the…
Mad World
Humboldt County is blessed with an abundance of creative enterprises. Those who say there’s nothing to do here and that you need to hit the city for any (ahem) high art haven’t yet discovered our thriving arts and theater scene. Humboldt offers world-class performance and expression, much of it inspired by and featuring the area’s…
Up a Tree
Chris Sharma (kind of a big deal among people who scale things, mostly rocks) filmed a climb up a redwood tree in Sequoia Park last month. The renowned climber, who hails from Santa Cruz, spider-monkeyed his way up the 600-700-year-old, fire-scarred trunk with his bare hands, a lead rope and no other gadgetry. You can…
Humboldt on Tap
Ari Friedman grins down at the cherries behind the bar at Dead Reckoning Tavern in Arcata. It’s a wide smile, stretching the corners of his dark mustache and crinkling his eyes. Pluck, twist, plop. Mangled, meaty cherries, freed of stems and pits, fill a wooden bowl as Theo Brown tinkers with the contraption beside them.…
Climate Change 101
In my last column, I discussed the confusion around the terms “global warming” and “climate change:” Global warming, the change in average surface temperature, is just one aspect of the major change in Earth’s climate caused (according to the best science available) by our reckless burning of fossil fuels. When coal, natural gas and oil…
Back from Extinction
JURASSIC WORLD. As I’d been watching advertisements for it for more months than I care to remember, I figured Jurassic World would be a big deal; I had no reason to believe it would become the biggest deal of all time. By now we all know about the miles-wide swath of destruction it has wrought…
Humboldt Homegrown Tomatoes
In a foggy, temperate climate, most of us know the drill: Start seeds indoors in early spring and use grow lights if you have ’em. Plant in fertile soil with plenty of space in mid-June. Trellis, water, prune and pray and maybe, just maybe, get some homegrown tomatoes before the rains come again in September,…
County is Best for Strays
Editor: As director of the Humboldt Spay/Neuter Network, I would like to commend the Eureka City Council for its wise decision to maintain the contract with the Humboldt County Animal Shelter. The city of Eureka does not have the facility or staff to operate its own animal shelter, and attempting to do so would be…
Pension Envy
Editor: I’m sick and tired of people laying blame at the feet of unions for all that ills government and budget shortfalls. Reader Joshua Kinch opined recently that “pensions are draining our social network of resources” (“Mailbox,” June 4). Did Mr. Kinch sleep through the year 2008, when the financial industry almost crashed our economy,…
Not so Rosy on Woodley Island
Editor: Recently, the Journal reported on the Harbor District’s request to change the zoning at Woodley Island Marina to permit the district to develop the upland area for non-water dependent uses (“Eyes on Woodley Island,” June 11). It was appalling to read the gross misrepresentation contained in the quote from Rob Holmlund, Eureka’s community development…
Third Friday McKinleyville Arts Night
Presented by members of the McKinleyville business community and is open for all McKinleyville 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. Call (707) 834-6460 or visit www.mckinleyvilleartsnight.com for more information. 1) CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST AIRPORT 3561 Boeing…
Discipline Disparities
The Eureka City School District has released a comprehensive report detailing actions it will take to address allegations of discriminatory practices against minority students. In January, the district settled a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Center for Youth Law, which alleged the district practiced disciplinary bias against minority students,…
No Fish
Here I am again Silhouetted on wet sand. The ocean is furiously Boiling in white caps, As I cast another shrimp Dreaming of Red Tails. Flanked by sandstone Holding tight to fossils No longer dining Along the Lost Coast. Isolation is best served On endless horizons, With a dash of sea salt Teasing our palates.
Take Me to Church
The city of Arcata has declared victory in its war on the megawatt. In a June 16 press release, Environmental Services Director Mark Andre announced that the city’s High Energy Use Tax, implemented in 2013 to discourage indoor marijuana grows, has paid off the $600,000 it cost for Pacific Gas and Electric to incorporate the…
Summertime
Saturday is Oyster Fest — yum — see elsewhere in the Journal for full details on that fun time. I will note that The Official Afterparty takes place at Jambalaya with Roister and Free Rain, and is sure to be a super funky show given that Roister boasts Zappa alum Tom Fowler and Ray White,…
