Cover Story
Oh, Mercy
The patient lets out a low, chittering growl, a warning. Lucinda Adamson reaches down and lifts him up onto the scale, her thick leather gloves protecting her from the juvenile raccoon’s sharp teeth and claws. She examines the space between the critter’s back legs to confirm his sex, then sets him back into the carrier…
Summer Checklist
We need a term for the sudden panic at the start of August when we realize summer is finite and we have not yet had all the fun. It was this wave of recreational anxiety that led us to Lighthouse Plaza (180 Lupin Drive, Arcata) for mini golf in the shadow of a Bunyon-esque lumberjack.…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, July 26
Jazz again tonight at the Mad River Brewery; tonight from the RLA Jazz Trio with Paula & Don. Same gig as last night, 6 p.m. and free.
Paint the Utility Box You Want to See in the World
Before you tag that utility box for free, consider getting paid $500 by the city of Eureka to do a mini-mural. A new program called Eureka Box Art! (somebody loves those exclamation points) will pay individual artists or groups to paint boxes of varying sizes around town to both beautify the mundane blocks of metal…
UPDATED: State Route 36 Crash Kills Mad River Man
UPDATE: The victim of the fatal collision has been identified as Joseph Daniel Westcott, 43 years old, of Mad River, CA. Previously: A 43-year-old Mad River resident was killed around 6 a.m. today in a head-on crash with a fully-loaded log truck while he was driving a Honda Civic in the wrong lane of State…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, July 25
Jazz will get you through the first half of this week at the Mad River Brewery Tap Room in Blue Lake. Tonight you’ll find jazz guitar and vocals courtesy of Blue Lotus Jazz for free and at 6 p.m. It’s all ages so bring the kiddos down, just keep them away from the adult beverages.
AG Revives Program to Seize Assets Without Charges or Convictions
Advocates of civil asset forfeiture reform had a few choice names for U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions — among them “drug warrior” and “forfeiture fanatic” — when interviewed for a Journal story “The Trump Card” back in March. There were also predictions that forfeitures would skyrocket under the influence of the former Alabama senator and…
HumBug: Ow! The Lady Stings
I usually discourage folks from bringing me insects since I do not actively collect, but when my son told me he had what he thought was a very fuzzy, wingless wasp, I was delighted. While it might not be politically correct to stereotype red heads as fiery, you might want to give this ginger girl…
Music Tonight: Sunday, July 23
The JD Jeffries Band will be at the Trinidad Artists Market at noon today. The band has a relatively new lineup with JD on guitar, Devin Paine on lead guitar, Teri Lockhart on bass and her son Korry on drums. Check ’em out for free this noon and afternoon.
Online Fortuna Fire Comments Spark Controversy
A local fire chief and reporter are in a bit of a standoff over comments left on a blog about the fatal fire that took the life of Martha Ann Robertson in the early hours of July 11. Robertson, 76, was a resident of Royal Crest Mobile Estates in Fortuna, CA and apparently perished due to…
Music Tonight: Saturday, July 22
Jenni & David and the Sweet Soul Band bring their funky blues to the Mad River Brewery at 6 p.m. and for free. I’m a Blue Laker, and can vouch for the ability to hit the river, soak up the sun, dry off and head to the brewery for a cold one and some food…
Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo
It’s time for Fortuna’s shiniest event, the Fortuna Redwood AutoXpo, which rolls into town July 21-23 (free to spectators) and has been doing so since 1990. Classic car aficionados flood the streets of Fortuna for three days of vintage and classic cars, trucks and tractors, plus a full tank of other fun events. Here’s what’s…
UPDATED: Two Killed in Fatal Wreck Near Miranda
2nd UPDATE: The city of Fortuna released a statement yesterday afternoon saying it is “deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss” of longtime residents Dennis Wendt and Roger Harwood and stating that the lives of all Fortuna residents “have been forever touched in some way by their generosity and community minded commitment to making our town…
Humboldt Bay Critter Crawl
Want to watch brave souls swim cold Humboldt Bay for a good cause? Then head to Woodley Island Marina for the Humboldt Bay Critter Crawl on Sunday, July 23 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (free to watch). This benefit for the North Coast Marine Mammal Center features a short course (0.7 mile) swim near the opening…
Music Tonight: Friday, July 21
The country-rock sounds of Cadillac Ranch are yours for the hearing at Mad River Brewery at 6 p.m. and for free. Good Company returns to Cafe Mokka at 8 p.m. bringing their Celtic tunes to your ears while you sip hot chocolate or a cappuccino while digging the enchanted frog ponds. This one’s free and…
Lost Coast Kennel Club Dog Agility Trials and Barn Hunt
We’ve all seen the YouTube clips of dogs doing agility runs. Energetic pooches running, jumping, weaving through obstacle courses and looking like they’re having the doggone time of their lives. It’s high-energy fun and it’s happening right here at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds at the 13th annual Lost Coast Kennel Club Dog Agility Trials and…
Eureka Gem Faire
Check out all that glitters at the Eureka Gem Faire, Friday, July 21 from noon-6 p.m., Saturday, July 22 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, July 23 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds ($5 weekend pass). Massive amounts of gemstones, beads, crystals and more at manufacturer’s prices await you. Find your treasure.
Music Tonight: Thursday, July 20
Although the Folklife Festival is now behind us, that doesn’t mean you won’t have plenty of opportunities to hear from bands that you caught during said festival. If you heard The Compost Mountain Boys during the Bluegrass and Beyond night of the festival and were looking forward to hearing them again, tonight’s your night. Head…
Stay Grounded
Can we all slow our collective roll just a little bit? I know weed is now legal in the Golden State, with new businesses and products popping up at a Whack-A-Mole pace, but some of us are clearly getting a bit carried away. This is a notion that’s been nagging at me for some time…
Smoked Monkeyface
It was 1994, and I was 10 years old and hungry. It’s not as if there was no food in camp. We definitely had hot dogs and beans and such, but I never was too much into that kind of camp cuisine. My dad, Hunter, was always a champion of catch-and-cook meals. In fact, when…
Poke Pole Fishing
The gentle ebb and flow of the northern Pacific Ocean whispered in our ears as we spent the night on the sands anticipating the morning’s fishing foray. Checking the tide tables the day before, I knew a minus-1.58 low tide was predicted for the following day at 7 a.m. Now, I love to fish, but…
Stop and Hear the Roses
It’s not often that I’m impressed with the trajectory of humankind. I wonder if we’ve hit a plateau and just can’t biologically evolve in any significant relation anymore to the technology we’ve created. The quantity of experience, and the quantity of stimuli that surround us in the 21st century is really mind-boggling, if we take…
Hero Immerses, Big Sick Shines
The Hero It seems I’ve written fairly frequently of late — probably too frequently — about the bright possibility of hope dispelling the corrosive recent mists of cinematic mediocrity and failure. Even as we are bombarded with rival comic book adaptations and YA sob-fests and whatever else the ones behind the big desks decide can…
Trade Winds
Another gray morning Treetops shake Vultures rise, Circling endlessly Riding trade winds Higher than a kite! R Bloomin Orchard Bristles with fruit Blessed by rains Held far too long In changing climate Made of Vultures Past…
In Remembrance of the King
Editor: Seeing your Bluesman on the cover (“Buddy’s Blues,” July 13, 2017) took me back to a time when my wife and I ran a record store in G’Ville. Muddy Waters passed and we wrote this obituary, after a few words from the man himself. Muddy first. “When I sing the blues, when I’m singing…
Eclipsed, Again
Editor: Next month, much of the USA will experience a total solar eclipse, one that many have called a “once-in-a-lifetime event.” What you may not know is that we have experienced one eclipse this year already, this one having just been completed in Washington, D.C., where the moon of denial had been obscuring the sun…
Correction
A story in the June 13, 2017 edition of the North Coast Journal headlined “Off the Top” incorrectly stated Maria Martinez’s place of employment. She works for a skilled nursing facility in Marin County. The Journal regrets the error. Related Stories
Siren Song
When an earthquake that struck a string of remote islands off Russia was revised up to a magnitude-7.7 on July 17, the National Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami advisory for parts of Alaska. Several updates were sent out over the next hour from the remote monitoring post in Palmer, Alaska, until readings came in…
Annie at the Arkley
She promised us there’d be sun and, boy, have we had some! Hear little orphan Annie belt out the “eternal anthem of optimism,” Tomorrow, in the musical Annie, presented by Main Stage Musicals, Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 23 at 2 p.m. at the Arkley Center for…
