Cover Story
‘Poke the Bear’
It’s January 19, 2022, and local developer Travis Schneider is getting ready to leave the county — and the country — in a matter of hours. He’s also hoping he can put some permit violations identified during the construction of his family mansion on Walker Point Drive behind him quickly. The county had issued a…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, May 3
If you are in the mood to see a big screen presentation of John Carpenter’s classic Reagan-Era dystopian (I’m being redundant, I know) sci-fi masterpiece They Live, then head over to the Arcata Theatre Lounge at 6 p.m., where $5 will get you inside and $9 will let you leave with a poster. I can…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, May 2
Well, it’s rather quiet today, but with Cinco de Mayo just around the corner, you could do a lot worse celebrating the Mexican Army’s unlikely defeat of the invading French at the Battle of Puebla than by going to the Miniplex, where DJ Pachanguero is holding his regular Latin Music night at 9 p.m. Admission…
Music Tonight: Monday, May 1
It has become something of an emerging Setlist tradition to hand Monday’s event over to the good folks at the Savage Henry Comedy Club, where they have kept the faith for the county’s metal fans by throwing steady shows on this off-night. I’m told by more than a few friends in the service industry that…
Music Tonight: Sunday, April 30
With the Iris Dement show at the Old Steeple looking very sold out, I am going to suggest a more homegrown but no less charming raconteur-ish gig today. Local musician and storyteller Jeff DeMark is presenting his final 3 p.m. matinee performance at the EXIT Theatre of his one- man show Writing My Way Out…
Music Tonight: Saturday, April 29
Originally from Australia, Nattali Rize has made Jamaica her homebase for the better part of a decade, where she has developed her slinky, roots-folk reggae sound. She’s bringing that sound to Humbrews tonight at 9 p.m., where she will be joined by like-minded Jamaican acts Kumar and Minori ($25, $20 advance). If you’re in the…
Veterans Benefit Cornhole Tournament in Fortuna
And now for this week’s event with the best name: Nation’s Finest presents Game of Throws – Veterans Benefit Cornhole Tournament happening Saturday, April 29 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fortuna Veterans Hall/Memorial Building ($50/team, free for observers). With more than 25 teams competing, the throw down is real. The tourney is…
Karuna Matata – Hooves of Hope Fundraiser
More fun is on tap for this weekend. It’s the Karuna Matata – Hooves of Hope Fundraiser, happening Sunday, April 30, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Almquist Lumber Company ($35). This family-friendly event has something for everyone with mobile ax-throwing, lawn games, live music by George Ruth, face painting, balloon sculptures, local wine, cider…
Music Tonight: Friday, April 28
At the Miniplex tonight at 8 p.m., Black Humboldt presents Los Angeles spoken-word poet, rapper, music producer and activist Chris Siders, who will be performing a rap set alongside his opening act ANTIMATRR, before continuing the show with some work from the rest of his oeuvre. This is a developing show with more performers to…
Playhouse Arts Presents Stories from Home
The 17th annual Family Fun Series at the Arcata Playhouse continues this Saturday, April 29 with Stories from Home, an all-original musical production by the performing Playhouse Arts ensemble. Jackie Dandeneau directs, James Hildebrandt custom made the puppets, and performers include Laura Muñoz, Tamekia Jackson and Melanie Schauwecker. Joining them is local storyteller Ernie Albers,…
Music Tonight: Thursday, April 27
It’s Adult Skate Night at the Blue Lake Skate Rink tonight at 7 p.m. Here’s the deal, you show up, toss down $15, and roll around in circles with a bunch of other folks while DJs Goldylocks and East One spin some hot jams. Seems pretty slick to me, but I am a child of…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, April 26
The Exit Theatre in Arcata presents its monthly Something Different variety show with performances by local folk-els A’Okay the Clown, Jesse Jonathan, Jamie Bondage and Jay Brown at 7 p.m. ($8). I like this venue, and I’d like to see it continue its existence above the plaza.
Father, Son Identified as Those Killed in Fortuna Murder-Suicide
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified the two people found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Fortuna on Sunday as Wendell Bott IV, 48, and his son, Wendell Bott V, 20. Fortuna Police Chief Casey Day said police were alerted to the possible murder of Wendell Bott V by a family member who came…
Proponents Stand by Cannabis Reform Initiative, Warn County to Correct ‘Distortions’
Proponents of the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative are standing by their proposal that would overhaul the county’s cultivation regulations if passed by voters next year, saying the county’s analysis of the measure is “packed with factual errors, untruths and distortions.” A county staff report on the 38-page initiative presented to the Humboldt County Board of…
Music Today: Tuesday, April 25
Garage rock trio L.A. Witch plays a free one at the Cal Poly Humboldt quad at noon today. I hope those in charge let the band play loud, as they are very good at that.
Death Investigation Underway After Two Found Dead in Eureka Home
The Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office are conducting an investigation into the deaths of two people found in a residence on the 2700 block of Fairfield Street after officers conducted a welfare check around noon on April 21. A news release states the person who requested the check said they had…
Driver Killed in Solo Vehicle Crash Off the Eureka Waterfront Trail
The Eureka Police Department is investigating a solo car crash last night that left the driver dead after he accessed an area of the Eureka Waterfront Trail near Tooby Road. According to a news release, officers responded to the scene around 11:30 p.m. and located a gray van about 300 feet off the trail in…
Fortuna Police Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide
The Fortuna Police Department is investigating an apparent murder-suicide that left two men dead in a residence on the 2300 block of Newburg Road yesterday afternoon. Police were called to the scene after a “suspected homicide,” with an adult male suspect reportedly armed and barricaded inside the residence, according to a press release. Officers responded…
Music Tonight: Monday, April 24
Here we go again, another Metal Monday over at Savage Henry Comedy Club at 7 p.m. Los Angeles grind band Cancer Christ joins forces with a squad of local acts, including Dead Drift, Mystery Meat and Human Soup Hot Tub, the latter of which wins the ignoble distinction of making me gag every time I…
Music Tonight: Saturday, April 22
If you didn’t get a chance to scope out last night’s presentation by the Eureka Symphony, “Dramatic Fantasies,” then tonight is your last chance. Croatian-American guest violinist Ivo Bokulic brings his prowess to Bohuslav Martinu’s “Rhapsody-Concerto for Viola and Orchestra,” followed by a program that is filled with enticing gems, including Dame Ethel Smyth’s ebullient…
McKinleyville Residents Killed in 299 Crash
Two McKinleyville women were killed Thursday in a crash on State Route 299. According to the California Highway Patrol, they were traveling eastbound toward Lord Ellis Summit in a gray Hyundai Tucson around 12:40 p.m. as a Kneeland resident was driving westbound in a Ford F-550 when the vehicles collided head-on, causing the Hyundai to…
Papaya Lounge Tonight and Saturday at Septentrio
Clear your calendars, friends of the fruity. Two nights of uproariously fun debauchery await you at Papaya Lounge Rumble Royale II: Sloppy Seconds happening Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Septentrio Tasting Room, ($35). Billed as “Pee-wee’s Playhouse meets Absolutely Fabulous,” you can guess the vibe of this adults-only cabaret!…
Earth Day: How Will California Protect Humboldt Bay from Worst Sea Level Rise on the West Coast?
I may not be able to get home in 20 years – not because I’ve left the area, but because the roads to my house may be underwater. I live just a mile from the edge of Humboldt Bay in Northern California, the location of the most rapid sea level rise along the West Coast. …
Music Tonight: Friday, April 21
Two good shows tonight, so let’s not dawdle. At 7:30 p.m. at the Trinidad Town Hall, you can listen to the exotic-yet-dis-tinctly-comforting tunes of Canary and the Vamp, as the band whirls and twirls through the various Tin Pan Alleys of the Naked City in the geography of the Great American Songbook ($10-$20 sliding scale).…
NCJ Preview: The House That Schneider Built and Weekend Entertainments
This week we’re looking behind the scenes of the mess over Travis Schneider’s would-be mansion, from the wild permit violations to the public controversy and why it’s coming down. We’ve also got music, movies and good news for fishermen. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.
Legislators Step in As Trust Erodes Between Community Colleges, California State University Systems
As two California higher education systems continue to feud, lawmakers have entered the equation using a route usually reserved for irate retirees: A strongly worded letter. The matter at hand — the 1,300-student Feather River College in rural Plumas County offering a bachelor’s degree in applied fire management — has become a lightning rod issue,…
Sheriff’s Lieutenant Arrested After Allegedly Pulling Gun During Domestic Disturbance
A Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant has been arrested on charges of brandishing a firearm and making criminal threats during a domestic disturbance in McKinleyville. According to a press release, Lt. Samuel David Williams, 46, turned himself into the jail today after an arrest warrant was issued in the case, which stems from a March…
Humboldt International Film Festival Opens Tonight
Calling all film buffs and cinephiles: The Humboldt International Film Festival gets rolling for its 56th year, April 20-23, with nightly showings at the Minor Theatre ($12 general, free for Cal Poly Humboldt students). The four-night event is the culmination of CPH film students’ call for entries for filmmakers to submit their short films to…
Body of Garberville Woman Recovered from South Fork Eel River
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains in the South Fork Eel River north of Garberville on Tuesday evening. According to a press release, the deceased has been identified as Sarai Anne Combs, 37, of Garberville, though the circumstances of her death remain unknown. An autopsy has been scheduled tomorrow to determine a cause…
Fortuna Man Killed in Single-Car Crash
The California Highway Patrol is investigating a single-car crash in Southern Humboldt that left a 60-year-old Fortuna man dead. At 11:12 a.m. yesterday, the CHP received a report of a vehicle off the roadway, down a steep embankment off Price Creek Road, west of Blue Slide Road. When emergency personnel arrived, they found a 2006…
For the Birds
Editor: Thanks for printing my letter last week about Arcata doing better (Mailbox, April 13). I need to share that I was chastised by two of Arcata’s community ambassadors for my letter because I mentioned that a man with a walker had died on the streets. They asked where I gotten that information and it…
A ‘Sense of Grievance’
Editor: Reading Mr. Silva’s letter of April 13 (“Abandoned and Forgotten”), I was feeling very sympathetic after the first two paragraphs and imagining I’d call Mike and Jim at the state capital, as well as my county supervisor, and plead his case. Then I got to his third paragraph, where he suggested that the lack…
‘Ask the Right Questions’
Editor: Arcata needs to get its priorities straight (Mailbox, April 13). There seems to be a trend infiltrating this small community where, despite a proud local identity, it hands its fate up to entities that don’t seem to care about the people living in it. The Gateway Plan, for example, follows the dubious induction of…
‘What I Wanted to Understand’
Editor: My compliments to Thadeus Greenson for his well-written and informative article (“Undamming (and Restoring) the Klamath,” April 13). I worked peripherally on the early planning stages of this project, and his article was just what I wanted to understand in detail how the project will be implemented. Yantao Cui at Stillwater Sciences produced the…
Passover and Taco Week
Editor: I am not able to eat much in restaurants due to my immune compromised state. So I’m writing this on behalf of those people, like myself, love tacos. It came to my attention that “taco week” (April 6 through April 16) was chosen to exactly coincide with Passover, which started at sundown on April 5,…
Family-friendly Fionas
A bewildered-looking clown walked onto the stage, so I said, “Please welcome marine biology clown Max Winkle to Washed Up Family Science Hour!” “Today we’ll be learning about a sea slug called Fiona (Fiona pinnata), that lives only on floating objects out at sea. And it sometimes washes up on our local beaches riding those…
Godwits
I looked up and there was one low upon the sky. And then three seven twelve. Then too many to count or even see- a torrent flying just beyond my reach. Golden underbellies and outstretched wings turning the blemished sky for a moment into a feathered quilt. Then there were fewer …. fewer nine five…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In English, the phrase “growing pains” refers to stresses that emerge during times of rapid ripening or vigorous development. Although they might feel uncomfortable, they are often signs that the ongoing transformations are invigorating. Any project that doesn’t have at least some growing pains may lack ambition. If we hope to…
Six Years Later
On April 14, one day before the sixth anniversary of David Josiah Lawson’s unsolved killing, Charmaine Lawson stood on the Humboldt County Courthouse steps to once again call for justice for her son. For a several moments, she gathered with about a dozen supporters who were holding up signs, some reading “Stacey Eads Can You…
Color Wheel
Well friends, it’s the beginning of flower season again and I could not be more pleased. I’m talking calendulas, daffodils, trilliums, California poppies (not the band, but they are fine, too). I have an abstract relationship with flowers, in that I encounter them as a cheerful addition to my daily life without choosing to become…
Driving with My Father
To give my brother and his wife a break, I take my 97-year-old, Alzheimer’s riddled dad for a couple of days every month. By mid-morning, I’m stir-crazy and Dad is getting antsy. So, the days go something like this: “Hey Dad, it’s Sunday, how about a drive?” Never mind that yesterday was Sunday and tomorrow…
Jetties Heating Up for Rockfish
The boat-based rockfish season on the North Coast won’t open until May 15 but that certainly doesn’t mean fish tacos can’t be on the menu. The jetties, the breakwater constructed to protect Humboldt Bay, are starting to provide some good fishing opportunities for both rockfish and lingcod. Over the last couple weeks, the North Jetty…
Fresh Blood
THE POPE’S EXORCIST. Most — nearly all — exorcism movies come off as nasty, pale hokum, and for good reason. The Exorcist (1973) towers over all of them, the alpha and the omega, a procedural examination that presents itself without cynicism and without any seeming agenda. It does the essential work of believing its own…
‘Violence and Disregard’
Editor: I was stricken with sadness when I discovered the violent disruption of the Wildlife Sanctuary habitat on an innocent, unsuspecting “first day of spring” walk (Mailbox, April 13). What was once my uplift walk has now become my sorrow walk. What gave me beauty and hope is now the site of my charnel ground…
