‘Rid me of this troublesome priest’
How the Santa Rosa Diocese shuffled a quarter of its accused clergy to Humboldt’s parishes and their children
Cover Story
‘Rid me of This Troublesome Priest’
Earlier this month, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa took an unprecedented step — for the church, anyway — releasing a list naming 39 of its priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors. The North Coast began publicly grappling with predatory clergy earlier than most communities — the arrest of Rev. Gary…
Local Beefcake: Photos from the Mr. Humboldt Pageant
Once again, the Arcata Theatre Lounge hosted the annual Mr. Humboldt Pageant in all its hirsute and hilarious splendor. With talent, swimwear, formal wear and “cougar calling,” the competition was a nail biter, coming down to finalists Mr. Queer and Mr. Lumberjack. In the end, the beard and buzzsaw won out and Mr. Lumberjack walked…
Death Investigation in Eureka Near Hikshari’ Trailhead
Law enforcement is investigating after a man was found dead after 2 p.m. today in a heavily vegetated area near the old Tallow Works not far from the Hikshari’ trailhead off Herrick Avenue in south Eureka. Law enforcement and Humboldt Bay Fire responded to the scene and the coroner has been called. Nothing appears suspicious…
North Coast Night Lights: Grandmother Rock
It was nearly dark when I arrived at the Trinidad Head parking area. Sunset gazers had seen the sun set some 45 minutes earlier and were heading for their cars when I struck north up the beach. Night was descending and in the waning light I could see the footprints of the evening’s activity in…
MCSD Taps Barsanti for Board Seat
The McKinleyville Community Services District has a new board member. Last week, the board appointed Shel Barsanti, a certified public accountant who served as auditor for two smaller community services district, to the seat that came open with the resignation of George Wheeler, who stepped down for health reasons. In her letter of application, Barsanti…
UPDATE: Wind Gusts Could Reach 50 MPH This Afternoon, Slide Closes 36
UPDATE: Caltrans has updated that State Route 36 is open to one-way controlled traffic. PREVIOUS: Humboldt County will continue to see rain, wind and mountain snow for the next week, according to the Eureka office of the National Weather service, which reports a forecast of “multiple rounds” of an “active and wet pattern.” A wind…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, February 13
The Scott Pemberton Band is a Portland, Oregon, trio fronted by a man who effortlessly mixes genres from funk to jazz to grunge while playing ace licks on a guitar with no strap. At first blush, this seems insane but it allows Scott to play the instrument holistically and as a much more versatile machine.…
Storm Update: Flood Watch for SoHum, Eel River; Wind Advisory on the Coast
The Eureka office of the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the Humboldt and Mendocino coasts from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Wednesday as another storm system rolls through the region bringing “heavy rain, gusty winds, and mountain snow.” Flood watches are also in effect for Southern Humboldt and Mendocino County…
Love it or Hate it: Valentine’s Day Suggestions
Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love and romance that dates back hundreds of years. Once associated with the martyrdom of various Christian saints, as we well know, it is now one of the biggest grossing holidays of the year, propelled by sneaky, sneaky marketing. For most of us, Valentine’s Day is complicated. It can…
UPDATE: Winter Weather to Continue with Rivers Expected to See Rapid Rises
UPDATE: The Eureka office of the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the Humboldt and Mendocino coasts from 8 p.m. Tuesday to 3 p.m. Wednesday as another storm system rolls through the region bringing “heavy rain, gusty winds, and mountain snow.” Flood watches are also in effect for Southern Humboldt and Mendocino…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, February 12
It’s Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. A lot of weight comes with the hagiography of any historical figure who belongs to the ages. Many of them are not angels. Who is? If you aren’t reading Gore Vidal’s excellent book about the 210-year-old president, I suggest you take the day off with live music because nothing’s doing on…
This is Going to Hurt a Little: Photos from the Inked Hearts Expo
The 10th annual Inked Hearts Tattoo Expo at Blue Lake Casino hosted 35 tattoo artists and other vendors last Thursday through Sunday. Organizers Ted and Amy Marks brought in a familiar line up of tattoo artists, including Liz Cook, Lisa Hower, Tye Harris and Liz Venom, among others, as well as a good mix of…
Harbor District Approves Lease for Massive Fish Farm
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District today approved a 30-year lease with Norwegian company Nordic Aquafarms to build a massive fish farm at the former pulp mill after hearing concerns the deal was ushered through without public review. The plan is to build a land-based aquaculture facility that would eventually produce some 25,000…
Drug Task Force Record Streak Continues with Loleta Bust
The Humboldt County Drug Task Force continued its record streak Sunday with the seizure of 12 pounds of heroin stashed in a hidden compartment during a traffic stop in Loleta — believed to be the largest one-stop confiscation in the county’s history. Two men — Carlos Cota-Alonso and Edgar Barragan-Castano — from Sonora, Mexico, were…
Photos from Humboldt’s Big Snowfall
Well, that was a lot of snow. In case you were locked away with the curtains closed during a social media fast, Humboldt saw between 1 and 8 inches of snowfall late Saturday night. The roads were treacherous and power went out in some areas but folks around Humboldt also captured the beauty of this…
Fatal Single-Car Crash Near Benbow
A 63-year-old man was killed last night when he lost control of his car and crashed into a tree on U.S. Highway 101 near Benbow. According to the California Highway Patrol, the man — whose identity isn’t being released until his family can be notified of his death — was traveling southbound shortly before 9…
Music Tonight: Monday, February 11
Brothers David and Rene Pacheco cut their teeth in the psych band Thee Commons, which was a vehicle to showcase the multitude of sounds they were inspired by growing up in East L.A. Now the boys have expanded their sound from the cumbia acid rock of yesteryear to a full-blown carnival soundtrack waltz of glory…
HumBug: Darkling Beetles and Mosquitoes
The sound of the rain had stopped and I was all ready to go out and capture a photo of the spider that eluded me the night before. I got all loaded up with cameras and gear, dressed for the cold, went to the back door, turned on the light and there was a world…
Massive Fish Farm Proposed for Pulp Mill Site (Video)
The Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District and Norwegian company Nordic Aquafarms are set to formally sign a lease Monday for the development of a massive fish farm at the former Samoa Pulp Mill. According to the harbor district, the project will include “the removal of all remaining deteriorating buildings and unutilized infrastructure” at…
UPDATE: Snow Day! And Why You Should Stay Off the Roads, if Possible
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services reports that 8,000 customers are without power across the region as of 11 a.m. Below is the OES’ latest report on the status of local roadways: State Route 36 is closed at Alderpoint Road in Bridgeville due to downed trees. Chains required between Bridgeville and Dinsmore. U.S.…
Music Tonight: Sunday, February 10
Willy Tea Taylor is a singer/songwriter and raconteur who hails from a cattle family in the San Joaquin Valley. He plays a type of well-crafted folk that is personal and witty while punching in unexpected places lyrically. He plays The Arcata Playhouse tonight at 8 p.m. with support from Sam Chase, who is a good…
UPDATED: Winter Storm Could Bring Snow Down to 500 Feet This Weekend
UPDATE: The winter storm is hitting the region today, with the Eureka office of the National Weather Service describing deteriorating conditions over Berry Summit. Caltrans is reporting that chains are required. For the most up-to-date conditions, visit Caltrans’ QuickMap website. Conditions deteriorating over Berry Summit (2670ft) on Highway 299 in Humboldt County. Chains or snow…
Mr. Humboldt Pageant
Swimwear, formal wear, talent, oh my. Grab your gals and your pals for the Mr. Humboldt Pageant, the silliest, spoof-iest all-male pageant fundraiser this side of the Rockies. See who takes home the crown on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Arcata Theatre Lounge ($29). Be Stihl our beating hearts.
Russian National Ballet
As a rare treat for North Coast dance lovers, the Russian National Ballet comes to the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts to perform the classic ballet Swan Lake on Saturday, Feb. 9 at 8 p.m. ($29, $56). Founded by principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet, Elena Radchenko, this 40-plus dancer ensemble brings one of…
Music Tonight: Saturday, February 9
The Mr. Humboldt Pageant is very likely sold out tonight so I am going to assume that I am writing for the hoi polloi on the other side of the velvet rope at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. For starters, did you know that Cypress Hill is in town? Well, they are and will be playing…
New Funding Sought for Last Chance Grade
More funding could be coming to the help fix the 3-mile-long stretch of U.S. Highway 101 in Del Norte County known as Last Chance Grade in the race to ward off the billion dollar economic loss a catastrophic failure could cost. Connecting California’s northern coastal reaches to the rest of the state, the roadway is…
What California’s ‘Nonbinary’ Gender Designation Will Cost Teen Drivers
In a little-noticed side impact of California’s 2018 law granting drivers the option of listing their gender as nonbinary, California’s Department of Insurance has decreed that auto insurance companies can no longer grant breaks in insurance rates to teen drivers who are female or charge young men more. Outgoing Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones, in one…
Laura
A Manhattan detective thinks of Laura (but not in the Christopher Cross way) while he investigates her murder … and falls in love with her in the process. Starring Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney. Noir enough? See for yourself when the Eureka Theater presents Friday Night Noir: Laura (1944) on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.…
Music Tonight: Friday, February 8
Austin, Texas-based act Grivo is playing at the Miniplex tonight at 9 p.m. ($7). The Holodeck Records-signed trio has a loud and slow sound that’s reminiscent of Cocteau Twins instrumentally and a McGruff the Crime Dog vocally. They are good and worth your attention. Patch cable extraordinaire Ensemble Economique provides local support with reverb and…
Buzzworthy
Feeling inspired (one way or the other) by shirtless Adam Levine? Have an inkling of what you’d like etched into your skin? Some of the best tattoo artists in the industry will be gunning for you at the Inked Hearts Tattoo Expo happening Feb. 7-10 at Blue Lake Casino & Hotel ($10 single day, $30…
Steps Made to Protect the Klamath Spring Run Chinook
A first step in protecting Klamath–Trinity spring run Chinook as a separate species took place this week with the California Fish and Game Commission making the fish a candidate for an endangered species listing in the state. According to a release from the Karuk Tribe and the Salmon River Restoration Council, a final decision will…
Stay Glassy
Marble mania is back! The second annual Humboldt Marble Weekend comes knocking Feb. 7-10 with fun outings for all ages. The event, which saw hundreds hunting and gathering last year, features a Marble Makers Ball, an exhibit at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds and a massive marble hunt throughout the county. Things get rolling Thursday, Feb. 7…
Music Tonight: Thursday, February 7
It’s the day between Hump Day and the end of the working week so here are two jam adjacent shows to help carry you home to the weekend. ALO — also known as Animal Liberation Orchestra in longform — is a quartet of groovy, noodling, tour-meisters who are signed to Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. If…
Huffman Appointed to New Congressional Climate Crisis Committee
North Coast Representative Jared Huffman has been appointed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve on a new Congressional committee formed to address the devastating effects of climate change. “Communities in my district on the North Coast of California are already feeling the impacts of climate change, including warming and acidifying oceans, drought, and devastating wildfires,”…
Untitled
Whenever someone says that history is a lie, I think about the scar that runs the length of my scalp; I think about the crow who died in my hand. I think about the time that I let the screen door slam and pinched my sister’s index finger flat. History, they say, is written by…
Above the Noise
Blackplate’s debut on the Brooklyn-based Muddguts label is called Every Day is Sadderday and that is exactly my least favorite thing about the album. Not for any personal flaw or poverty of meaning, but simply because everything else is so strong on this album that it seems like a professional prerogative to find a crack…
‘Too Bad’
Editor: It’s wonderful that Rick Brennan reads the NCJ (Mailbox, Jan. 31). Too bad he believes Fox News, et al. Kathryn Murray, Crescent City
‘Not the Media’s Fault’
Editor: While I applaud the NCJ’s policy of presenting a balanced Letters to the Editor section (“Another Trump Tirade,” Jan. 31), it is always discouraging to read another instance of Orwellian thinking. How can any intelligent person deny the reality of what they see and what they hear? We have the tape of Trump bragging…
The ‘Daydream is Over’
Editor: The Women’s March is conflicted by difficulties among the organizers (“Overhwelmingly White,” Jan. 10). Anyone deeply involved with any social or political movement has seen the internal competitiveness. I doubt organizers of this march were racists. Competition is always to force power relations. Competition is part of the deep sickness of Western culture and…
Stem Rises
Lack of dedicated exhibition space poses a challenge for area artists, particularly students and recent grads. In the case of Humboldt State University photography students Elijah Howe and Jake Langston, deficit became a spur to creativity. In search of a space where their work could be seen, Howe and Langston founded a new photography journal…
The Cold Rain and Snow
In ancient Greece, the Corybants were the dancing priest celebrants of the cult of the northern goddess Cybele. They were characterized by an armed and seemingly unchoreographed dance of wild flailing dedicated to their Phrygian patron. Eventually, the word corybantic came to mean inconsistent and wildly unpredictable behavior. As I write this, I can say…
Destroyer and Velvet Buzzsaw
Reviews DESTROYER. Few, I think, would fault Nicole Kidman for taking a break once in a while, resting on her laurels, even, after working at breakneck speed for 35 years, usually appearing in at least two movies a year. Instead, she continues to work and challenge herself, increasingly taking on roles that challenge the audience’s…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.arcatamainstreet.com, Arts! Arcata on Facebook, or call 822-4500 for more information. ARCATA ARTISANS GALLERY 883 H St. Betsy Roberts and Kathryn Stotler, artwork. Wine pour benefits Bayside Community Hall. ARCATA EXCHANGE 813 H St. Richard Stockwell,…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Climbing mountains has been a popular adventure since the nineteenth century, but there are still many peaks around the world that no one has ever ascended. They include the 24,591-foot-high Muchu Chhish in Pakistan, 23,691-foot Karjiang South in Tibet, and 12,600-foot Sauyr Zhotasy on the border of China and Kazakhstan. If…
Atonement
While the Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandal has been widely known and reported on the North Coast going back 25 years, the Santa Rosa Diocese’s recent release of a list of 39 accused priests illuminates the systemic nature of the problem. These were not the isolated incidents of a few bad actors. As you’ll…
James Dyson’s Electric Car
“Anyone who can convince people to part with $400 for a hair dryer knows a thing or two about marketing.” — Steve Hanley, CleanTechnica James Dyson built 5,127 prototypes before releasing his innovative “say goodbye to the bag” cyclone vacuum cleaner onto the market in 1983. Since then, you’ve no doubt dried your hands on…
Bad Looks
You may have seen some breathless, excited headlines cross your social media feeds Super Bowl weekend exclaiming that the big game would feature (or had featured) the first cannabis ad in its history. If you’re more of headline skimmer than a reader, I’m here to harsh your mellow. As we reported in these pages Jan.…
Folie Douce’s New Flavors
After a 30-minute break and a glass of dark iced tea following lunch service, Reda Salhi was back at the prep counter, sharpening a chef’s knife with a steel. Satisfied, he began chopping dried apricots, prunes and onion for a duck tajine from Folie Douce’s (1551 G St., Arcata) new dinner menu. His smooth head…
