Cover Story
‘Profoundly Disturbing’
Dick and Judy Magney knew his life was drawing to a close when he was admitted to St. Joseph Hospital in February of 2015. The 73-year-old former truck driver was suffering from a series of incurable long-term ailments. His quality of life was waning. Pain had become a constant companion. The couple had prepared for…
HumBug: All Aglow
The other day I received my new ultraviolet (black light) 51 LED flashlight from Amazon.com ($9.99). A significant upgrade from my old one. I discovered that some millipedes glow brilliantly under UV. Outside in the dark it’s like a different dimension in a sci-fi story — the trees are in the same places but everything…
UPDATE: Eureka Council Passes Human Rights Resolution
UPDATED: The Eureka City Council passed a broadly worded resolution last night that delineated the city’s goals and attitudes towards minority groups, women, immigrants and the environment. The Human Rights, Inclusiveness, Environmental Sustainability, Affordable Health Care, and Religious Freedom Resolution, which was brought to the council by City Councilmember Kim Bergel on Dec. 13, only…
King’s Day
On Monday, Jan. 17, a crowd stretching several blocks made its way through Eureka from Eureka Police Headquarters to the Adorni Center in honor of Martin Luther King Day. The march, organized jointly by the Eureka chapter of the NAACP and the Eureka Police Department, filled Third Street with signs and songs. The march ended…
Who’s Whooo in Ferndale
The Ferndale Music Company and the Old Steeple, housed in a historic church at the corner of Bluff and Berding streets in Ferndale, have collaborated with Ferndale Tech to bring you a unique view of the town and some of its flightier residents. The “Owl Cam,” which can be accessed using this link, offers a…
With the Flu Season Here, There’s Still Time to Vaccinate
There’s good and bad news about this year’s flu season. The bad news: It’s here. The good news: The current shot is a close match to the strain that is striking the county — meaning better protection against the flu — and there’s still time to get one, according to public health officials. Humboldt County…
The Return of the California Condor
The Yurok Tribe led a major effort to restore a bird that hasn’t been seen on the North Coast for over a century. The Tribe teamed up with a number of agencies, including PG&E, The National Park Service, U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries and the National Park Foundation to restore the California condor population. “The condor…
Ghosted
Campy black-and-white horror/sci-fi films of the ’50s and ’60s provide just a bit of a fright but mostly ghostly good fun. From William Castle, B-movie mogul and pioneer of the horror movie gimmick (House on Haunted Hill with Emergo! and The Tingler with Percepto!), comes 13 Ghosts (1960), a silly fright fest about a displaced…
HumBug: No Bugs Today
Last week, for the first time in several hundred excursions along the Van Duzen River spanning over 20 years, I saw no bugs. Only the sad remnants of a few abandoned spider webs and a bit of residual leaf damage testified to their existence. Despite a lifetime of experience at picking out tiny critters and…
Curtis Chamber Orchestra
The renowned Curtis Institute of Music, whose alumni includes Lang Lang, Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein, sends its future stars, performing in the Curtis Chamber Orchestra, to the Van Duzer Theatre on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. ($46, $10 HSU). Treat your ears to Mozart violin concertos.
Bowl of Beans Benefit
Warm up with a hot bowl of beans with friends and community at the annual Bowl of Beans Benefit on Monday, Jan. 16 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Arcata Community Center ($6). The benefit for Arcata Recreation and Arcata Elementary School celebrates the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with storytelling and…
Hook Up
Not to brag, but during the winter months, Humboldt County’s gorgeous coastal rivers boast more steelhead than anywhere else in California. It stands to reason that a three-day event held four years ago in Mad River would spawn the three-month, countywide celebration that is Humboldt Steelhead Days, making its run Jan. 1 through Mar. 21.…
‘Bureaucratic Batbrains’
Editor: Taxes seem to be the topic of the day, so folks may want to know that Measure S was, uh, engrossed by the same folks who smoked the marijuana ordinance and its incredibly stinko Mitigated Negative Declaration. I think folks there in the Humboldt County bat cave did not do well in high school,…
Unloaded
Editor: There are many messages in Peri Escardi’s wonderful article (“How to Run,” Jan. 5). But the one I responded to most was the implicit connection between running and the emotional resonance created with one we love. My father loved hunting and, at first (when I was 14), so did I. But after killing my…
Brief Bio of a Leaf
Whitening to recall a snowy day Greening to promote spring Yellowing to store summer sunlight Oranging to reflect a morning glow Reddening to catch the smile of a setting sun Purpling to flirt with evening winds Blackening to return to the root at night A full spectrum of the sunlight A full spectrum of the…
Winter Break Walking Tour
Winter break in a college town is a good time to seek out exhibition spaces that may fly under the radar during busier times. This month, I revisit the art on display at the Humboldt State University Library. Not everyone realizes that paintings, drawings and sculptures mingle with the books that populate the library’s three…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.facebook.com/artsarcata for more information or call 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. “Annual Group Exhibit,” local artists, various media. Wine pour benefits the Breast and GYN Health Project. ARCATA EXCHANGE 813 H St. “Warm Fires,” David…
Over the Moon
Reviews LA LA LAND. There was a moment of breath-holding, a couple of years ago, after Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash (2014) had finished taking the world by storm, leaving the great J.K. Simmons holding an Oscar and, likely, more than a few drum sets gathering dust in garages and back bedrooms. That movie — so competent,…
Extraction Alley?
A strange quirk in city zoning could mean an upheaval for business owners on Eureka’s West Fourth Street. The city’s medical marijuana ordinance, passed in September of 2016, only allows cannabis manufacturing in areas zoned for industrial and light industrial uses. And, according to Rob Holmlund, the city’s community development director, there is only one…
For Two Nights Only!
Thursday If you’ve been holed up since New Year’s trying to stay dry through our winter storms, you’ve got a full weekend of events to check out. You can start out tonight at the Mad River Brewery Tap Room at 6 p.m. for free “alternative folk/rock” tunes from Cygne. Local poet Jerry Martien will get…
Cloudy Sessions
Humboldt County marijuana growers hoping a typo would grant them a reprieve from paying the twice-yearly excise tax overwhelmingly passed by voters in November are going to be disappointed. When 65 percent of county voters passed Measure S, imposing a $1 to $3 per-square foot tax on commercial grows, they apparently missed a potentially crucial…
New Grit
The sweet smell of simmering grits wafts through the kitchen. As they cook, the grits gently bubble, pop and thicken into a golden, luscious porridge. They are made even more heavenly with cream, cheese and roasted green chilies. My grits in no way resemble the first bowl of grits I ate just out of college.…
A Little Thank You
Editor: Thank you so much to the people who put up Little Free Libraries and manage them for the community. And thank you Linda Stansberry for your post and article on local ones (NCJ Daily, Dec. 29). I particularly appreciated reading what kind of items are in demand as that can inform possible donations. I…
Weights and Measures
Editor: I enjoyed Barry Evans’ latest Field Notes (“Crash Blossoms,” Jan. 5). Following the logic of his “ambiguous” solution to the coin weighing problem, you could go one better and do zero weighings; just pick one coin and pronounce it the lightest. This might or might not yield the correct result (in this case, there’s…
Thad Beckman
Roots and blues singer-songwriter and Humboldt favorite Thad Beckman brings his trio (Danny Montgomery on drums and Gary Davidson on bass) to the Arcata Playhouse on Friday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ($15) for an evening of original music. Beckman and his band also support poet Jerry Martien and guitarist Fred Neighbor on Thursday, Jan.…
