Cover Stories
Trouble at Kneeland Glen
To the left of the gravel road entrance to the Freshwater Farms Reserve — 74 acres of marshland, working pastures and trails — Kneeland Glen Farm Stand’s little shop is nearly camouflaged by the vines and shrubbery growing up to its green rooftop. The entrance, too, is obscured by flowering branches on one side and…
‘They Can’t Breathe’
Small museums and private institutions that accept federal CARES Act money or other stimulus funds could be forced to relinquish thousands of Indigenous items and ancestral remains now in their collections. Under the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, museums or other institutions that accept federal funding must compile an inventory of…
Kinetic Sculpture in Place Gears up this Saturday
We’re getting closer to the day we can all cram onto the plaza for Memorial Day weekend glory. But this year, we celebrate the spirit of Kinetics while staying safe at home. Grab your favorite beverage and tune in for Kinetic Sculpture in Place, happening Saturday, May 29 at noon on the Kinetic Universe YouTube…
Take a Trip to the Tidepools
Explore, in person, the colorful and diverse tidepools in Trinidad at Seaweeds and Invertebrates of the Intertidal Zone Walk on Saturday, May 29 from 8 to 10 a.m. Join Allison Poklemba and Michelle Kunst for a fun tidepool experience at Old Home Beach. As COVID-19 precautions are in place, reservations are required. Secure your spot…
RCEA Applauds North Coast, Federal Offshore Wind Development Agreement
Redwood Coast Offshore Wind, a partnership between Redwood Energy Authority and Ocean Winds and Aker Offshore Wind, is applauding the agreement between California and federal officials that will advance the state’s development of offshore wind energy generators, including at a potential site off Humboldt Bay. “We are committed to proactively addressing climate change while ensuring…
Public Health Confirms 13 New Cases, Two New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 13 new COVID-19 cases after laboratories processed 173 samples with a test-positivity rate of 7.5 percent, as well as two new hospitalizations. Today’s cases bring this week’s tally to 70. Last week, the county confirmed 127 new cases and eight new hospitalizations. The county also announced today that it will…
Happy World Otter Day!
Happy World Otter Day! The Sequoia Park Zoo is celebrating by spending time with their otters Toby, Etu and Takoda today, while the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce is gearing up to display its North Coast Otter Art Initiative otter sculpture. The North Coast Otters Art Initiative (including a fundraiser and scavenger hunt of 100 plus otter…
Sheriff’s Office Fielding Rash of Illegal Target Shooting Reports on the Eel
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents that target shooting on the Eel River bar near Fernbridge is illegal under county code after fielding a rash of reports about shooting activity in the area with the potential to harm people and livestock. Back in July of 2018, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors passed…
Redwood Curtain’s Going to St. Ives Returns via Zoom for One Night Only
Lee Blessing’s Going to St. Ives was originally performed on stage at Redwood Curtain Theatre in 2015. Now, through the magic of Zoom, the original cast returns for a one-night-only performance on Thursday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ($5-$10 suggested donation). Professional jazz singer, Bay Area performer and Humboldt State University alum Juanita Harris, and…
Bert Donald Miller: 1960-2021
Bert Donald Miller, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, Loleta
California to Advance Offshore Wind Development Off Humboldt
An agreement between California and federal partners will advance the state’s creation of offshore wind energy developments thus advancing the state’s clean energy goals and economic growth. Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, White House National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl to announce…
Public Health Confirms Seven New Cases as HumCo’s Infection Numbers Fall to State’s Worst
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed seven new COVID-19 cases today after laboratories processed 73 samples with a test-positivity rate of 9.6 percent. Today’s cases bring this week’s tally to 57, after Public Health reported yesterday that 50 cases, one new death and four new hospitalizations had been confirmed since Friday. Last week, the county confirmed…
Catching a Glimpse of the ‘Super Flower Blood Moon’ Lunar Eclipse
While the forecast calls for patchy fog in many areas of Humboldt County, it might be worth an early morning wake up call Wednesday to try to catch a glimpse of the “Super Flower Blood Moon” during a full lunar eclipse. Totality will occur between 4:11 a.m. and 4:25 a.m. on the West Coast. The…
Long Delays at Last Chance on Hold During the Holiday
Two-hour delays at Last Chance Grade on U.S. Highway 101 in Del Norte County will be put on hold for the Memorial Day weekend, according to Caltrans. Between Friday and Monday, drivers can still expect 30-minute delays and one-way traffic controls at the section of roadway located south of Crescent City. The normal wait periods…
Humboldt Records 43rd COVID-19 Death, 50 New Cases, Four New Hospitalizations
A 43rd Humboldt County resident has died with COVID-19, Public Health reported today, along with 50 new cases of the virus confirmed since Friday and four new hospitalizations attributed to the disease. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 472 samples with a test-positivity rate of 10.6 percent and come after the county confirmed…
NCJ Preview: COVID-19’s Local Casualties, the Privilege of Vaccine Access and the Future of a Farm Stand
On the anniversary of Humboldt’s first COVID-19 death, we’re looking back on the people we lost with glimpses of their lives gleaned from obituaries and interviews with family members. We’re also talking about the vaccines we now have access to — a live-saving option those lost didn’t have — and what it could mean if…
Photos: Lupine Bloom Boom
Despite the ongoing drought, Mother Nature delivered this month on the long-anticipated “super bloom” of lupines along Bald Hills Road in Redwood National Park. It’s been at least four years since the last large display of lupine appeared on the hills 18 miles east of the intersection withU.S. Highway 101 north of Orick. The lupine…
Beans, Linguiça to go in Ferndale
Take a Sunday drive to Ferndale, take in its green pastures and Victorian architecture, then take home a hearty dinner of beans, linguiça, salad and bread from the Holy Ghost Celebration on Sunday, May 23 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Ferndale Portuguese Hall (donation). Donations help the Portuguese Hall with repairs and operating…
Adult Mental Health Crisis Center Slated to Open Next Year
A new program for adults facing mental heath crises is expected to be up and running next year after the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved the Department of Health and Human Services’ request to establish and run a sub-acute facility earlier this month. Round-the-clock care will be provided at the center, with the aim…
Public Health Confirms 12 New Cases as California Readies to Lift Many Restrictions Next Month
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 12 new COVID-19 cases today, making 127 for the week, as well as two new hospitalizations. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 177 samples with a test-positivity rate of 6.8 percent and come after the county confirmed 138 cases last week as a part of a recent surge.…
Redwood Sky Walk Grand Opening Events Set
A series of special events are planned for the June 4 weekend to officially mark the opening of the Sequoia Park Zoo’s Redwood Sky Walk, including a forest bathing session and special talks. Some, including the grand opening ceremony, are invitation only while others, such as a yoga class and the “Old Growth, New Adventures”…
Remote-A-Baga Returns
Screen Queens are at it again. Catch all the inzanity of the Remote-A-Baga Ball 2021 on Saturday, May 22, when queen contenders show us what they’ve got as they vy for the title of Rutabaga Queen 2021. The event will be streamed live on the Kinetic Universe YouTube channel and features recorded silliness in the…
Dell’Arte Presents Baduwa’t Festival: A Gathering of the People
Dell’Arte International announced today its Mad River Festival has undergone a transformation — one that seeks to honor the ancestral land of the Wiyot Tribe on which the school resides, as well support the tribe’s work to revitalize the Wiyot language, Soulatluk, by renaming the annual event. The Baduwa’t (original name of the Mad River) Festival…
Public Health Reports 20 New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 20 new COVID-19 cases today, making 115 so far this week. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 162 samples with a test-positivity rate of 12.3 percent and come after the county confirmed 138 cases last week as a part of a recent surge. Officials are pointing to the…
Humboldt County Officials Talk Reopening and Mobile Vaccine Clinics
Yesterday, Humboldt County Public Health held a press conference with Health Officer Ian Hoffman, Emergency Operations Center Operations Chief Sofia Pereira, Humboldt State University Director of Risk Management and Safety Services Cris Koczera and Joint Information Center spokesperson Meriah Miracle to update the public on the county COVID-19 response and answer reporters’ questions. Here are…
Rio Dell Man Suspected of Child Sexual Assault Arrested, Police Ask Other Possible Victims to Come Forward
The Rio Dell Police Department found photographs of girls and women at the residence of a man arrested this week on suspicion of child molestation and rape of a minor and is asking potential victims or anyone with information to come forward. Daniel Lloyd Sanchez, 43, was arrested on May 17. “We are hoping that…
Adaptation and Survival
REVIEWS THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD. I put a lot of stock in Taylor Sheridan. His screenplays for Sicario (2015), Hell or High Water (2016) and Wind River (2017) — the last of which was his directorial debut — describe a reverence, healthy fear and morbid fascination with the New American West. His work encompasses…
Loss and Privilege
As Humboldt County passed the somber anniversary of its first COVID-19 death on May 17 — marking a year that saw at least 42 local residents die with the disease — we sat awash in a swirl of emotions. First, there’s the incalculable loss. This was felt most acutely as we talked to the friends…
Post-Capitalist Sincerity
Editor: In response to Mr. Dillon’s recent reaction (Mailbox, April 29) to Cooperation Humboldt’s recent Post Capitalism Conference, I submit the following thoughts. First, economics are for everybody. The word “economy” literally means “management of the household,” and that’s something we’re all engaged with to one degree or another. Economic systems are created by humans.…
‘Do Better’
Editor: I hope you’ve heard it already. … Very poor image of the diversity of humboldt on the cover (May 13). All white people? Ouch! You can do better. Celine Pele, McKinleyville
‘Do It for the Rest of Us’
Editor: Hooray! We now have COVID-19 protection for children ages 12 and up. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency authorization to the Pfizer vaccine, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends that it be used (“Rags to Riches,” May 13). While children who contract COVID-19 do not get as ill as…
How They Got Here: Panama
They came from all over, hoping to get rich, 300,000 of them between 1848 and 1855, changing California forever. Word of the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in January of 1848 (“The Gold Bug,” Dec. 3, 2020) got out slowly, and most of the prospectors that first year — a few thousand at most…
Sam Sung
My MacBook Air Does not care What Sam sings, Validating nothing I care about. So, I carry on with My Sam song, Never connecting To all the Apple Temptations Beyond Eve. Kirk Gothier
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries playwright Samuel Beckett wrote the play Waiting for Godot. At one point in the tale, the character named Estragon suggests it might be possible, even desirable, to “dance first and think afterwards.” In response, the character named Pozzo says, “By all means, nothing simpler. It’s the natural order.” With that…
In Memoriam
On May 17, 2020, Humboldt County lost its first resident to COVID-19. Over the ensuing 12 months, at least 41 more would die with the disease, part of a national reckoning that’s now claimed more than 583,000 lives, leaving almost no one untouched by the loss and the grief. With the grim anniversary approaching and…
Dare You Enter The Cauldron of Destiny?
I strongly recommend you do because you’ll find live theatre within. After more than a year of online performances, the Dell’Arte graduating MFA class of 2021 is going out in a style truly their own, with four original works under the umbrella title of The Cauldron of Destiny. That is the great joy of the…
‘The Definition of a Disaster’
The climate crisis looks different in different places but on the Klamath River, it looks like scores of baby salmon floating dead in the shallows. With the Klamath Basin facing historic drought conditions, a crisis is unfolding in slow motion, day by day, on multiple fronts as the various entities that depend on Klamath water…
Coach Leonard Casanova’s Lucky Roll
My old man grew up a couple years behind the Casanova brothers on the outskirts of Ferndale in the early 1900s. All through my growing up my dad admired them both, even though Johnny Casanova was no longer alive. When he talked about Johnny, my dad would tear up and get shaky. Leonard Casanova was…
Eureka Boats Finally Get Offshore
After sitting on the sidelines watching the wind blow for nearly two weeks, boats fishing out of Eureka were finally able to make their way to the halibut grounds Monday. The fishing was decent but the sample size was small as only a handful gave it a go. Gary Blasi of Full Throttle Sport Fishing…
