Profit and Pain
Local skilled nursing owner pays his own companies millions as patients suffer at understaffed facilities
Cover Story
Profit and Pain
On Monday, Sept. 25. California Gov. Gavin Newsom formally rejected Assembly Bill 2079. Authored by Assemblymember Jim Wood, the bill would have required skilled nursing facilities to spend a minimum of 85 percent of revenue received from MediCal and private payers on the direct care of residents. A.B. 2079 was a response to the rampant practice…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Nov. 30
Multi-instrumentalist Grahame Lesh, son of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, has become a dependable figure in the Dead-adjacent jam scene. Tonight at Humbrews, you can catch Midnight North, the band he fronts, as the group supports its newest release, There’s Always a Story to Tell. Along for the ride is RIVVRS, whose sound falls squarely…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Nov. 29
Indie rock star Doug Martsch is bringing his influential band Built to Spill to Arcata tonight, for an 8 p.m. gig at the Arcata Theatre Lounge ($34). Having remained consistently popular both live and in the studio for the better part of three decades, there’s a better-than-decent chance the band’s gig tonight will sell out,…
Music Tonight: Monday, Nov. 28
Tucson, Arizona’s Lenguas Largas is an experimental, art-rock garage band with a custom sound that mixes electronic flourishes with DIY, lo-fi production, jangly guitars and sing-song vocal harmonies. Kind of a cool trick, actually. You can catch these desert creatures over at the Siren’s Song Tavern tonight at 8 p.m. As I have no idea…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Nov. 27
It’s your last chance to head off to see the Wizard. Which wizard? Why the wonderful Wizard of Oz. I once read that L. Frank Baum’s masterpiece is unique among fantasy works because while there are plenty of women in positions of power, (including some rather famous witches named for the cardinal directions), there is…
E.T. at the E.T. (Eureka Theater)
Turn on your heart light and let it lead you to the Eureka Theater for a special showing of the 1980s classic Steven Spielberg film (with iconic scenes filmed in Del Norte County) E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m. ($10, $5 for children 12 and under). Nothing beats watching E.T.…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Nov. 26
Jamaica’s legendary albino emcee and toaster King Yellowman will be posting up at the Arcata Theatre Lounge tonight at 7 p.m. His appearance altered by jaw cancer surgery, Yellowman still cuts a truly unique figure among the few living veterans of the island’s OG dancehall scene. Expect catchy hooks and ribald lyrics about everyone’s favorite…
Music Tonight: Friday, Nov. 25
It’s a Black Friday tradition among certain lefties to sit out this monstrous bacchanal of capital by not spending any money. And while I understand that urge, I also have a belief that where you spend your cash is what matters. I would have been dropping mine ($5), at the door of Synapsis at 7…
Bayside and Humboldt Holiday Markets Kick Off
Now that we’re stuffed with stuffing, the joyful hunt is on for that perfect gift this holiday season. With makers’ markets and pop-up shops welcoming us in with delicious scents and warm tidings, you’re sure to find that one-of-a-kind present right here at home. The third annual Bayside Holiday Market, featuring more than 30 artisans…
Last Weekend to Catch Main Stage Humboldt’s The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz, Thanksgiving’s unofficial holiday classic, beloved by kids and adults alike, continues its run at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 26, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. ($17-$42). This stage adaptation presented by Main…
Latest Election Results: Cervantes Takes the Win, Earth Flag Appears Ready to Fly High
With around 1,000 or so ballots left to count, the Humboldt County Elections Office released its third post-election report today that pretty much cements races across the county. With no real changes overall, the two big flips — the Ward 3 seat on the Eureka City Council and the Earth flag measure in Arcata —…
Laytonville Resident Killed in 101 Crash
The California Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal collision in the southbound No. 2 lane of U.S. Highway 101 near Myers Flat on Saturday afternoon. According to a CHP release, a Toyota 4Runner heading northbound just before 4 p.m., driven by Beatriz Diaz-Rodriguez, struck a Subaru Impreza driven by Zora Culps head-on. “For reasons still…
Multiple Dogs in Cutten Die from Possible Poisoning
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the deaths of several dogs in Cutten. Within the span of one week, five dogs have apparently been poisoned in the neighborhood of Excelsior Road in Cutten. According to a sheriff’s office news release, multiple dogs have died after reportedly exhibiting symptoms associated with poisoning. A preliminary investigation…
Lead Ammo in Poached Elks Could Have Killed Condors
Two elks were killed by poachers using lead ammo in an area frequented by the California condors now flying free in the region, putting the endangered birds’ lives in danger. According to a release from the Northern California Condor Restoration Program — a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks —…
FBI Takes on Fair Association Embezzlement Investigation
The investigation and possible prosecution of a 47-year-old woman accused of embezzling from the Humboldt County Fair Association and a Eureka nonprofit are being taken over by federal agencies, according to Ferndale Police Chief Ron Sligh. Nina Tafarella, 47, was arrested Nov. 15 by Ferndale police at Bear River Casino on suspicion of embezzling more…
Sunny Skies for Holiday Week but Sneaker Waves Possible Turkey Day
The sun is forecast to shine across the region for Thanksgiving holiday week with temperatures warming up in the next few days, especially inland. The coast will see mostly cloudy to mostly sunny skies over the week (although there is a slight chance of showers Tuesday) with highs in the high 50s to low 60s,…
NCJ Preview: Skilled Nursing and Feeding Those in Need
This week we’re looking into issues in our local skilled nursing facilities — understaffing, lack of care — and how their owner’s business practices play into the problems while making big profits. We’re also talking about the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Facility in Eureka, and how the small staff and volunteers are feeding folks…
Election Results Update: Fernandez Pulls Ahead in Eureka, Earth Flag Measure Gains Ground
With another 9,614 ballots counted, some leads widened while others shrank slightly, but overall the votes fell along the same lines as election night. The notable exceptions was the Ward 3 race for the Eureka City Council and a Earth flag measure in Arcata. Meanwhile, Juan Pablo Cervantes strengthened his lead over Tiffany Hunt Nielsen…
Slashing Greenhouse Gases: California Revises Climate Change Strategy
The California Air Resources Board this week unveiled a new version of its highly-anticipated strategy for battling climate change, setting more ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gases and scaling up controversial projects that capture carbon. If adopted by the air board at its Dec. 15 meeting, the plan would radically reshape California’s economy, alter how…
Condor A6 Joins Growing North Coast Flock in the Wild (with Video)
After several tries, A6 — the last of a second cohort of California condors that arrived in mid-August as part of the Yurok Tribe-led effort to return the endangered species they hold sacred and know as prey-go-neesh to its historic range — is now flying free. The eighth of the massive birds with a nearly…
Feds OK Klamath Dam Removal
The Federal Regulatory Commission gave its final nod of approval this morning to plans to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamath River, putting the largest dam demolition project in U.S. history on track to begin next year. The vote was unanimous. “This moment is bigger than anyone could comprehend,” said Amy Cordalis, a Yurok…
All Cats Are Gray
I’d like to think that I have my cats fairly well trained. They are scared of birds and the road, two fears I have worked hard to instill in them since they were little kittens because a) I won’t be allowing bird murder in my home and b) they are asphalt-colored and if one of…
A Hot Meal at St. Vincent de Paul
On a bright but chilly Monday morning in November, a handful of people are already waiting on a sunny patch of sidewalk across from the blue St. Vincent de Paul Dining Facility building at 35 Third St. in Eureka. At 11 a.m., the door will open to a dining hall with a high-ceiling, color-block cafeteria…
Self Definition in My Black Is …
Now through Dec. 3, nine local artists showcase their unique expressions of Black identity at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Reese Bullen Gallery. The exhibition My Black Is … centralizes Black and brown bodies in an academic institutional gallery setting, a context that can be dominated by white people, and presents an array of media, styles, energies…
Fall in the Garden
Now that we’re finally getting some much-needed rain, it’s time to take stock of what to do in order to either have a fall garden, or prep your garden for the spring. You can do either or both (or nothing, if you’re just over all that). It’s not too late to plant your garlic, onions…
Sport Anglers Netting Plenty of Crab
Despite some pretty drastic changes to the sport crab fishing regulations, jumbo crabs in good numbers are now starting to fill the hoops and rings of sport anglers. Between rough ocean conditions and a steep learning curve on how the new hoops and rings fish best, the sport season started a little on the slow…
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Carries On
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER. In this widely anticipated sequel, director Ryan Coogler faces the impossible task of honoring the legacy of recently deceased global hero Chadwick Boseman, while directing not only a cast of grieving actors, but also meeting expectations of Marvel movie fans. In this context, the movie becomes an enigmatic embodiment of grief…
One Year, Five Emperors
The current state of the nation is as bad as I’ve seen it in my lifetime. Threats to democracy abound, from the Capitol riot (aka “legitimate political discourse,” according to the GOP) to gerrymandering to SCOTUS extremism and all the rest. Of course, this isn’t the first time that good government has been threatened. We’re…
Peeling an Apple
Is how I remember you — in a single turning coil, or in scraps too uneven to hold together, and always feeling the blade moving beneath the skin where it would draw blood if the edge cut through. Jennifer Fumiko Cahill
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Virginia Woolf wrote a passage that I suspect will apply to you in the coming weeks. She said, “There is no denying the wild horse in us. To gallop intemperately; fall on the sand tired out; to feel the earth spin; to have — positively — a rush of friendship for…
Marking a Milestone
When Arcata voters cast their ballots to fill two open seats on the city council in the November election, they probably weren’t thinking about making history — again. Long known for being on the cutting edge of progressive politics — the college town made national headlines back in 1996 after seating the country’s first Green…
‘A Breaking Point’
On Nov. 14, the Cal Poly Humboldt Academic Senate officially sent university President Tom Jackson Jr. a resolution it had passed unanimously a week prior in support of sexual assault survivors and noting his recent comments have “led to additional harm and a feeling of distrust.” The Nov. 8 resolution is the latest fallout from Jackson’s remarks during his…
