Reflections in the Emerald Cup
Cultures collide as an industry in transition celebrates harvest
Cover Story
Reflections in the Emerald Cup
A few days before the Emerald Cup, Casey O’Neill, the proprietor of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, was feeling confident. Well, maybe not confident about his chances of winning a trip to Jamaica, the cup’s top prize for marijuana bud — he was going up against more than 650 other entries of California’s premier pot,…
Friendlyish
Those nice people up at Humboldt State University are giddy over being voted the 12th friendliest college in the whole dang nation (in a survey by Niche.com). ’Course, they’ve got nothing on those Cougars in Provo (the No. 1 friendliest) nor Cougar brethren in Rexburg, and apparently no Lumberjack could hope to out-smile a good many…
The Interview in Fortuna
While corporations may cower before North Korean hackers, Fortuna will not yield. A revised movie schedule that reached the Journal after press time for the Dec. 25 edition includes showings of The Interview at the Fortuna theater starting on Dec. 25. Sony, reeling from a cyber attack, originally pulled the film from theaters after receiving…
UPDATED. CHP: Suspect Attacked Officer with Machete Before Fatal Shooting
Update one: The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has released the name of the person killed: Hoopa tribal member Richard Fredrick Tis Mil Estrada, 17, of Hoopa. Update two: The California Highway Patrol says the officer involved in this incident, Tim Gray, was discharged from U.C. Davis Medical Center today. ——— It was a surprise machete attack that…
Birds! Count ’em
You see this little bird? Just chillin’ with her gull thangs? She counts and so do they. Yes, we’re in the midst of the 115th Christmas Bird Count, and birding teams throughout the Western Hemisphere and Antarctica are venturing out to count all the birds they see within a designated sphere. Locally, a couple of…
Up with the Sunrise
There are some who swear by a greasy breakfast for a hangover. But what if it’s already past the dreaded 11:00 a.m. cutoff by the time you roll out? No worries — you can still catch the sunrise at Surfside Burger Shack (445 Fifth St., Eureka). The Sunrise burger, that is ($7.95). Humboldt grassfed with…
County Homicide Total a 30-Year High
Humboldt County has seen more homicides within its borders this year than in any stretching back nearly 30 years. This morning’s officer-involved shooting fatality brings the 2014 total — with 13 days left in the year — to 16 homicides. According to statistics provided by the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office, that’s more than in any…
2nd UPDATE: CHP Shoots, Kills Suspect Near Willow Creek
Because of the officer-involved shooting that occurred early this morning, the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District will shutter all its schools tomorrow, according to Superintendent Jon Ray. “We’re closing because we’ve experienced a tragedy here in our little community, so it’s best for our families to be together,” Ray said, adding that the closure was…
Assorted Nuts
You can’t just have one. The next wave of holiday dance performances is upon us with a trio of Nutcracker ballets to choose from — or chain-watch, depending on your stamina. On Saturday, Dec. 20, armies of chignons march toward you on tiptoe from three directions. You know the story: girl meets boy/decorative kitchen gadget,…
After the Flood
A trio of commemorative events mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 flood that devastated Humboldt County. Whether you were there or you’ve only heard tell, don’t miss hearing from historians and locals that are sharing the depth of their knowledge and memories over the next week. (See the Dec. 4 cover story “When the…
Splash Some Water on Your Face
Editor: Your story on the flood was of course fascinating (“When the Waters Rose,” Dec. 4). What was disgusting was that you ignored the back story. Within a few days after the flood the timber companies ran full-page ads saying “Oh no, it’s not our fault!” They lied. They had filled the rivers with enormous…
Homeless Not Hopeless
Editor: Commenting on “It’s Time for an Opportunity Village,” by Jim Hight, Nov. 6, and the “AHHA Talks Housing for the Homeless” blog post by Linda Stansberry on Nov. 17: I attended both the Nov. 17 Woman’s Club meeting and the follow-up on Dec. 6 at Jefferson Community Center. As a 40-year Democrat now completely…
Consciousness: Magic or Meh?
You’re sitting opposite your friend Susan and you see her glance down and notice a stain on her blouse. You immediately know pretty much what’s going on in her head from her expression, her attempt to hide the stain, your prior knowledge of her. Somehow, you’ve attributed awareness of the stain to Susan. According to…
Third Friday McKinleyville Arts Night
A celebration of local art and artists, music, food and fun. McKinleyville Art Night is open for all McKinleyville businesses to display work from local artists on the third Friday of each month. For more information, call 834-6460 or visit www.mckinleyvilleartsnight.com. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST AIRPORT 3561 Boeing Ave. “Women’s Work,” art by Elizabeth Berrien, Lynn…
Walking on Water: No Faith Required
Looking out at the bay from the Eureka boardwalk, I could barely believe my eyes. In the mist I saw a figure walking on water. He looked mythic, out of biblical times. Could all those Sunday School stories be true, after all? That was a few years ago, and I soon learned the name for…
Promised Lands
Reviews THE HOMESMAN. Conventional Westerns are scarce enough these days, but a bleakly comedic road movie with a female protagonist is unique. In the Nebraska Territory sometime before the Civil War, Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) has managed to build and maintain a successful farm and homestead without the aid of a husband. Despite her…
On the Lost Coast
There is a crack between day and night that is not cold nor loaming dark. A place for brutal beasts to rise up like myth and greet us. If we are not careful we will not hear them sing. If we are not careful we will fall prey to the pretty picture of elk at…
Numbers game
Compared to other Californians, we Humboldters are twice as likely to live in a mobile home. Proportionately, there are also more military veterans and disabled people among us, and a whole lot more government workers. We’re less educated and make less money than our fellow Californians. Perhaps consequently, a staggering percentage of us are struggling…
Where Have All the Flower People Gone?
Why do activists flock to the Emerald Cup, as Tim Blake tells the Journal in this weeks’ issue? It crosses my mind — somewhat pessimistically, I will admit — that marijuana activism is relatively easy. It’s not a difficult position to take, that weed is a relatively harmless drug. It doesn’t take a leap to…
Orange Salad
The holidays remind me that I grew up elsewhere. I enjoy watching children working at their gingerbread creations, but I don’t have my own personal experience. While I have no urge to recreate familiar Italian traditions wholesale, I like to pay homage to my roots, even it it’s just with a dish on the table.…
The Match Game
Let me share with you a heartwarming tale of the season. A couple Mondays ago, three bands were scheduled to play at the Jambalaya. All the bands were there, ready and waiting. A sizeable crowd had turned up. The only problem (as the story was relayed to me) was that something was wrong with the…
Pot Lockout
Editor: Are you freaking kidding me? California Cannabis Voice Humboldt’s idea to conveniently acknowledge that the 10,000 (CCVH’s number) illegal marijuana farmers should reap the benefits of their flaunting of current laws (rather than jump in and change them first) by getting some first dibsey’s of growing permits (“The Revolution Starts Here,” Dec. 11), thus…
