‘Organizational Failures’
Report details the missteps, errors and leadership void that crippled the Lawson homicide investigation in its first 72 hours
Photos: Mister Cister Wins the Mr. Humboldt Crown
On Saturday, Feb. 29, after a grueling rounds of Q&A, swimsuit, talent and formal wear competition, hosts Johanna Nagan and Andrew Goff crowned a new Mr. Humboldt: Mister Cister. The blue-wigged champion’s costume game was strong, with an inflatable Squidward headpiece for the beach, a sparkly white evening gown and a series of layered outfit…
Not to Worry: Training Exercises will be Putting More Coasties in the Air
If you start seeing a lot more Coasties in the air, not to worry. Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay will be increasing flights over the area for two weeks in March as part of annual training exercises and evaluations, according to a release. There will be a “significant increase” in flights around Eureka’s Murray Airfield,…
UPDATE: Bohn Cruises, Fennell Faces a Possible Runoff and Everything Else You Need to Know from Election Night
Humboldt County voters heavily supported a pair of incumbent Humboldt County supervisors on Election Day, while leaving a property tax assessment to fund one of the area’s largest fire departments hanging in the balance. In the First District, Supervisor Rex Bohn, a two-term incumbent who has held his seat since taking over in 2012 for…
First District: It’s Bohn in a Landslide in Final Election Night Report
FINAL ELECTION NIGHT REPORT: Incumbent First District Supervisor Rex Bohn has breezed to re-election, taking 65 percent of the votes tallied thus far. While an unknown number of ballots remain to be counted in the race, Bohn has dominated throughout and now holds a 1,900-vote lead over challenger Cliff Berkowitz, who’s taken 35 percent of…
Second District: Fennell Lead Shrinks with Final Tally, November Runoff Possible
Final Election Night Report: In the final Election Night tally, incumbent Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell fell back to the pack slightly and it now seems very possible she will end up in a November runoff with challenger Michelle Bushnell. In the final tally, Fennell finished with 49.92 percent of the vote — just shy…
One Year Ago: Two Sisters Lost in the Woods Found After Frantic Search
One year ago today, Sheriff William Honsal walked up to a makeshift podium to say the words so many had been waiting to hear for two long days: “Good afternoon,” he said. “I’m pleased to report that we’re all witnessing a miracle today.” With that came the announcement that the two lost Carrico sisters —…
Got Geese? (or Otters?)
Those who braved the pre-dawn cold Sunday to venture down to the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Loleta were treated to the sight of thousands of geese taking flight as a part of the Aleutian Cackling Goose Fly-Off. The annual event, also dubbed “Sunrise at the Refuge,” allows people to enter the refuge before…
Humboldt County Resident Cleared of COVID-19 Virus
The Humboldt County patient who tested positive for COVID-19 no longer has symptoms of the virus and has been released from isolation, according to a press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. The patient met all the conditions for clearance required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and…
NCJ Preview with Access Humboldt
This week: What went wrong in the Arcata Police Department’s investigation of David Josiah Lawson’s stabbing? A 66-page independent report finally has answers about organizational failings and racial bias. Also, we’re diving into Filipino food at the Asia’s Best Market. Find out what we’re loading our baskets with from coconut bread to instant noodles.
Stretch Out
I’ll keep this brief because I really stretched out in my ekphrastic music writing this week and I don’t want to test your patience. It’s a brand-new week, a new month dawns, my birthday is just around the corner (next Thursday for anyone thinking about buying me a rideable war bird, black market Gundam suit…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): You may sometimes reach a point where you worry that conditions are not exactly right to pursue your dreams or fulfill your holy quest. Does that describe your current situation? If so, I invite you to draw inspiration from Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), who’s regarded as one of history’s…
10 Items or Fewer
Swing behind Sacred Heart Church at 2085 Myrtle Ave. and you’ll find Asia’s Best market tucked in its back lot. You’ll also likely find Feda Ignacio, who owns the store with her husband, Juancho, behind the counter and ready to guide you through the packed shelves of Asian food products and the cold room stocked…
Time is Many Notes,All Played at Once
Just as time is a somewhat fluid concept in James Joyce’s Ulysses, so it is in Steven Dietz’s hauntingly moving 2015 play Bloomsday, now in production at Redwood Curtain Theatre. Bloomsday is celebrated in Dublin every year on June 16 — the day on which Leopold Bloom, the central character in Ulysses, wanders the streets…
The Power to Disappoint
Reviews The inverse of the formidable power of movies to surprise, vex, confound, titillate and excite us lies in their capacity to disappoint. We know enough about the tricks, the history, genre and all the rest to have arrived at expectations. We have seen what can be done on the big screen and know what…
Justice for Josiah
In our collective years covering crime in Humboldt County, a hard truth we’ve come to realize is that justice is rare — even rarer in a courtroom. The criminal justice system is a misnomer, as the very best it can deliver is protecting the community from a perpetrator while giving them a very limited chance…
Payouts in the Park
As the Journal went to press Feb. 25, the city of Rohnert Park was set to approve nearly $1.5 million in payments to settle multiple lawsuits alleging its police force conspired to steal cannabis and cash during illegal traffic stops. The settlements include $287,500 to be paid to Huedell Freeman, a cannabis farmer based in…
Protect Wildlife Habitat
Editor: Everyone recognizes “homelessness” as one of Humboldt’s most pressing issues. So why the quotes? Because there’s an entire homelessness issue that’s being swept under the duff, as it were, and exacerbated by short-term actions to deal with the other one. I’m talking about wildlife homelessness. There’s virtually nowhere left on earth unaffected by our species,…
Setting the Record Straight
Editor: Regarding David Holper’s Feb. 9 letter to the editor, he states, among other inaccuracies, about Rex Bohn: “How about someone who has repeatedly said that he built Redwood Fields in Cutten, even when that story isn’t really true (it was former Supervisor Stan Dixon who did that, by the way).” This statement is totally…
Railroad to the East
Humboldt has surely seen its fair share of far-fetched schemes: huge bladders full of Mad River water to be towed to Southern California; buoys to harness wave power for electricity (“Wave Power,” Oct. 23, 2008); a stuffed animal museum; an aircraft carrier tourist venue. One of the more venerable boondoggles, dating back more than a…
Klopp Lake 1/31/2020
A midwinter sun through the clouds doth peek; White egrets decorate a tree, at rest. Shore birds and ducks on the water, seek, Food as they dive and bob in their quest. Buds on a branch portend early spring And give one a sense of hope and gladness. Evoking such a desire to sing, Rather…
The Quandary of North Coast Schools Medical Insurance Group
Local school district employees from teachers and secretaries to bus drivers and janitors are raising concerns about their healthcare insurance, which might be undergoing some major changes. The majority of Humboldt County’s classified full-time school employees are covered under North Coast Schools Medical Insurance Group, a joint powers authority (JPA) that pools monthly premiums to…
‘Organizational Failures’
The commanding officer who oversaw the first steps in the Arcata Police Department’s probe into the April 15, 2017, stabbing death of David Josiah Lawson had no specialized training in crime scene management or homicide investigation. The officer tasked with photographing the crime scene used a point-and-shoot camera, had been working in law enforcement less…
