Cover Story
Pet Photo Contest 2022
Morris the cat, Petey from Our Gang, Walter Geoffrey the wailing Frenchie, and now … Boomer from Bayside? You betcha. Joining the ranks of these well-known pet celebs, our furry, feathered, scaly and slimy friends are the stars of our households deserving of diva treatment and their names in lights (or at the very least…
California Counted Its Homeless Population, but Can It Track the Money?
As she headed to her car after two hours of counting and surveying Sacramento’s homeless population, the state’s top housing official acknowledged there is a long road ahead. “We’re building the system, building the capacity, building the data, and communities are rising to the occasion. I know people are really frustrated because they feel like…
Same Sandwich, Different Name at Pile High Deli
Given the changing lineup of eateries lining Broadway in Eureka — with fast food and chain restaurants crowding the corridor — it’s a wonder there were no pile-ups as drivers craned their necks at the new sign for Pile High Deli replacing the old one for Hole in the Wall (1331 Broadway). *Cue the crushing…
As California Expands Medi-Cal, Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants Will Still Be Left Behind
Lucia Marroquin knows what it’s like to wait out pain in hopes that it will go away on its own. She is suffering from kidney stones and may need surgery. But because she lacks health coverage, her first question when she falls ill is always “how much will that cost me?” So when California officials…
Lawrence Watts: 1944-2022
After a two year battle with pancreatic cancer, Larry passed away at home peacefully on Feb. 17, 2022, and is survived by his wife Rosalie of 55 years and four children with their spouses: Jed and Janera Watts, Starline and Mark Pitlock, Mindy and Brad Adorador, and Larz and Summer Watts. Larry is also survived…
Rio Dell Schools Drop Masking Mandate Enforcement, Defying State Order
Well before California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that the statewide order mandating masks in K-12 schools will expire in two weeks, Rio Dell Elementary School District had decided to go its own route. The district’s board voted unanimously Feb. 17 to adopt a policy making plain its schools would not ask any questions of…
California Senate to Introduce Bill Divesting Funds from Russia
A broad, bipartisan coalition of California senators and assemblymembers, including Senate Majority Leader and North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire and North Coast Assemblymember Jim Wood, is introducing a bill that will divest public funds from Russia and Russian-state entities following the country’s attack against Ukraine. “The world is watching the atrocities taking place in…
California School Mask Mandate to End March 12
All students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, will no longer be required to wear a mask indoors at schools and child care facilities starting March 12. Gov. Gavin Newsom and California state health officials issued the order on Monday, nearly a month after they lifted the mandate for vaccinated people gathering in restaurants and other…
High Risk of Sneaker Waves on Saturday
The Eureka office of the National Weather Service is warning of a high risk of sneaker waves Saturday due to a long-period westerly swell of around 6 to 9 feet, with a hazardous beach statement in effect from late tonight through Saturday night. Sneaker waves are large powerful waves that can appear suddenly after a long…
State Threatens Auditor-Controller with $5K Fine for Delinquent Fiscal Report
Facing a threat from the State Controller’s Office sent through the California Department of Justice that it intends to exercise all of its authority under the law — including pursuing a $5,000 against her personally — if Humboldt County fails to turn over a statutorily mandated financial statement that’s more than a year overdue, embattled…
CDC Eases Masking Recommendations, But Not in ‘High’ Risk Humboldt
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has revamped its COVID-19 risk tier criteria, rolling back masking recommendations for much of the country. Humboldt County, however, remains in the CDC’s “high” risk tier, with the agency’s masking recommendation remaining firmly in place locally. The new CDC metrics take into account high national levels of vaccination and…
Food for People’s Eureka Pantry to Move
Delays in construction on Food for People’s Eureka Choice Pantry are forcing the food bank to temporarily move to a new location near Cooper Gulch. The existing location — 2112 Broadway — will close after March 24, and the new location at 1720 10th St., directly adjacent to the Eureka Skate Park and the Cooper…
Feds Release Klamath Dam Removal Environmental Document
The Federal Energy Regulation Commission today released the final draft of its Environmental Impact Statement on plans to remove four hydroelectric dams from the lower Klamath River dams, and proponents say the document confirms the long-touted environmental benefits. “Once again, a thorough analysis by experts reveals dam removal as key for restoring Klamath fisheries and…
Public Health Working to Contain Shigellosis Spread
The county’s Public Health and Environmental Health departments are working to contain the spread of Shigella bacteria gastrointestinal illness after three confirmed cases and two other suspected cases in Eureka over the last month. Officials believe the infection was spread at one or more laundromats and environmental health is working with the Self-Serve Laundromat on…
Public Health Reports Humboldt’s 138th COVID-19 Death
Humboldt County Public Health reported the 138th local COVID-19 death today — of a resident in their 60s. This marks the county’s 16th COVID-19 death of 2022. Public Health also reported two new hospitalizations today. According to a state database, 19 people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including one under intensive care. Last…
Air Pollution Linked to Alzheimer’s
Editor: There is an abundance of scientific literature explaining how air pollution exacerbates, and often causes, a host of medical problems such as asthma, heart disease and cancer. Increasingly now, studies are showing that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is also impacting our brains and is associated with rising rates of Alzheimer’s disease…
‘A Safety Net’
Editor: I forget phone numbers and don’t even try to jump the tennis net anymore. I chop wood and beat back the brambles around our old house along the coast, just south of Trinidad. The prospect of death is not particularly troubling, however I dutifully use a mask, took the time to get anti-COVID shots…
‘Government Welfare’
Editor: There is a time-honored principle of capitalism — it says entrepreneurs must compete in the marketplace. If you start a business and cannot make a go of it (for whatever reasons you may not have foreseen or prepared for), you must turn toward a different way to make a living. You don’t lean on…
Language: 100,000 or 1 Million Years Old?
Seriously! My headline isn’t hyperbole — that’s what linguists are arguing about. This isn’t like the age of the universe, with experts debating whether it’s 13.7 or 13.8 billion years old. Same thing, for most of us. This is a serious, tenfold difference of opinion. If you’re in the “continuity” camp, you believe that language…
Welcome to the Day
For our Bublin Bear To all of you who nest at night, Who wake up late or at first light, Who crawl or swim or take to flight, Welcome to the day! To you who twitter in the trees, Who hang aloft in wafting breeze, Who live and eat among the leaves, Welcome to…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it,” wrote author G. K. Chesterton. Amen to that! Please regard his observation as the first part of your horoscope. Here’s the second part: It’s sometimes the right approach to move in harmony with the…
‘Night and Day’
If you are an able-bodied person in Humboldt County, it is not difficult to get to the beach. But if you use a wheelchair or walker, or are blind, it is a lot harder. Hard enough to effectively keep most disabled people away from the beach, said Alissa Norman, community advocate for Tri-County Independent Living,…
Mike’s Drive Up to Shut Down
Lunchtime is usually busy at Mike’s Drive Up, the low, unassuming wood and brick hamburger joint on Broadway and Seventh Street in Eureka. But today, patrons stand elbow to elbow with their backs to the front windows, holding scraps of hand numbered paper as they wait for their chili dogs, garlic fries and milkshakes. Some…
Growing Old, Humboldt Style
Let’s face it, care homes for seniors do not have the greatest reputation. But perhaps that’s because they’re not run by a belatedly woke and gender-fluid CEO and an events director with chronic stage fright, staffed by a uniquely mismatched minimum-wage couple, and where healthcare needs are met by a doctor who trained with Timothy…
Coho Salmon Eggs and Egress
Years ago, I was standing in an Alaskan stream with a flimsy fishing rod, trying to catch a spawning salmon. I had pedaled about 9 miles from my place of work, one inlet over on the famed Inside Passage, a small plastic bag sitting weightless in the pannier of my bicycle. I had a pocketknife,…
King Count Remains Low on the Klamath
The Pacific Fishery Management Council released its “Review of 2021 Ocean Salmon Fisheries” report last week and the news wasn’t great for salmon anglers, though the numbers are trending upward. In 2021, 53,954 adult Klamath River fall Chinook (KRFC) were estimated to have returned from the ocean compared to the preseason prediction of 62,121. Jack…
A King Falls and theSky Collapses
THE KING’S MAN. As late as 2019 — which is when, if memory serves, the trailer for The King’s Man began to circulate — I could be frequently heard singing the praises of the Kingsman series. To that point, of course, only two movies had been released: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and Kingsman: The…
