Seeking Salvation
‘Living in amends,’ a candidate for resentencing hopes for another chance By Thadeus Greenson
Cover Story
Seeking Salvation
Patrick Harvey, speaking to the Journal from the California Medical Facility, a state prison in Stockton, falls silent for a moment, considering the question about hope. Harvey, who has served 25 years of a 25-to-life sentence, reportedly the first under California’s three-strikes law handed down in Humboldt County, has a tendency to speak quickly over…
Bobbie Jean Coffer October 6, 1960-March 15, 2024
Bobbie Coffer lost her battle with cancer and passed away peacefully on March 15, in her home at the age of 63. Bobbie was born on Oct. 6, 1960, in Fortuna to Robert (Bob) Russell and Beverly Russell. She was the youngest of their three daughters. Bobbie graduated from Fortuna High School in 1978. It…
Hole Food
The doughnuts at Frankie’s NY Bagels (3750 Harris St., Eureka) are doused in an array of glazes to tempt anyone, but that many of the springy treats are vegan is somewhat miraculous. Lime, tamarind and hibiscus sprinkled, anyone? (Tragically, we have yet to make it in time for the crunch-topped créme brûlée before sell-out. And…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, April 24
Speaking of hip hop (and for that matter, an organic, career-length artistic celebration of the fun side of weed) Houston’s screwball master MC, guest star and laid back producer Devin the Dude is posting up at Humbrews tonight at 9 p.m. on a stop on his Whole New Ballroom tour. He might be a few…
Cal Poly Humboldt Closed as Protesters Occupy Building
The Cal Poly Humboldt campus is closed today, as dozens of protesters continue to occupy Siemens Hall, having barricaded its entrances, while calling on the university to divest from entities they say fuel Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in Gaza. “The message from inside is that, first of all, they feel the university is complicit…
Judge Rejects Changing Trans Youth Ballot Measure’s Name
A group working on a fall ballot initiative that would limit the rights of transgender students lost a round in court Monday when a judge sided with the state in its description of the measure. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto ruled that Attorney General Rob Bonta’s title, “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth,” is…
Music Tonight: Monday, April 22
The calendar marks the onward tapping of time, and once again the first days of the working week is capped off with a 7 p.m. installment of Metal Mondays at Savage Henry Comedy Club. Tonight’s fare includes two Midwestern touring bands, Cincinnati’s power-violence crew Slut Bomb and noise violence mercenaries Blackwater Snipers from Chicago. Local…
Music Tonight: Sunday, April 21
Fans of ensemble vocal jazz and pop are in for a treat this afternoon when the Mad River Transit Singers present a matinee performance at Fulkerson Hall at 2 p.m. ($10, $5 children and seniors, free to Cal Poly Humboldt students). The program will include an array of swing and jazz standards, as well as…
Music Tonight: Saturday, April 20
I’m too far removed from cannabis culture to comment on the current street value of 4/20 as a holiday, but I have to imagine it’s been a cycle of diminished returns regarding coolness in the wake of legalization, market busts and gross spurts of venture capital. Like music festivals and world travel, the online cult…
Look Up for Rooftop Sushi
Those of us craning our necks in Old Town can satisfy our curiosity at last. The frankly named Rooftop Sushi is out in the daylight at last (148 E St., Eureka). Slip into the modest entrance on the E Street side of the new building and ride the elevator (a Eureka rarity) to the fourth…
Resentencing, CASA Kids and Freaky Fish
This week we’re looking at the life of Patrick Harvey, an incarcerated man who could potentially be resentenced in Humboldt County. We’re also sharing the story of a volunteer for CASA who’s making time for kids in foster care. Finally, a humorous fish story just this side of NSFW. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on…
Music Tonight: Friday, April 19
I like it when a new group I haven’t heard before drops a line to let me know about an upcoming gig because I am given the chance to see what the music makers (and the dreamers of dreams, per Roald Dahl writing as Willy Wonka quoting the poet Arthur O’Shaugnessy) are up to. But…
Music Tonight: Thursday, April 18
Local guitar playing and soothsaying storyteller Anna Hamilton brings her trio and its blues to the Basement tonight for a free recitation at 8 p.m. I remember her tunes and chatter fondly from the good old days at the Clam Beach Inn (RIP), where she’d take over a corner and fill the barroom with her…
‘Should Come Down Immediately’
Editor: Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Canning has ruled that by state law the Earth flag cannot be flown above the American flag (NCJ Daily, April 11). I am concerned that the city council will honor Mr. Meserve’s request to leave the flag as is until an appeal can be formulated. I fully agree with…
‘Very Troubled’
Editor: I am writing in response to the March 28 article “Military Transport Ships Eying Port in Humboldt Bay.” I am very troubled by the prospect of having “two — and possibly three — 800-foot-long ships in the Humboldt Bay.” I do not find this proposition “exciting,” as Leroy Zerlang, is quoted as saying. It…
‘Most at Risk’
Editor: The Journal and other local media outlets report regularly on local car and truck crashes that seriously injure and kill people (“One Killed, Another Injured in 101 Crash,” posted April 2). The death toll on our streets and roads is a national disgrace. It is a particularly acute problem here in Humboldt County, and…
‘Your Article Urinates into the Wind’
Editor: Our “last best chance” is, and has always been, empowering the people in their own backyards (“Our Last Best Chance,” April 11). Weaning ourselves from “fast-track global destruction” requires ecological humility. Each of us can and must eliminate greenhouse gas emissions to fast-track our children’s survival. By omitting consideration of the most effective alternative energy…
‘We Can Only Hope’
Editor: The shadows do grow long for our species. Perhaps the Gods would be pleased to witness their followers use some of the land and sea to preserve the biosphere (“Our Last Best Chance,” April 11). We can only hope that it is not too late. Fred Summers, Ferndale Related Stories
‘The Big Solution’
Editor: Thadeus Greenson’s coverage of Cal Poly Humboldt’s work confronting the glut of plastic everywhere and in everything now (“Turning the Titanic,” April 11) was an encouraging start. However, at the end of the article was Morgan King’s more important point, I think, that the fossil fuel industry and the plastics industry’s shift of responsibility…
Hot Tomcod Action
Welcome to Washed Up’s Xucation Channel where we present science education in a format that people will actually watch. In this episode, a lady visits a gentleman and we learn about an interesting fish. “Hey handsome, bet you can’t resist these.” While he fails to resist those, let’s discuss the Pacific tomcod (Microgadus proximus). This…
I want…
I want to be A good ancestor To plant seeds for Future generations To harvest I want to leave A foundation For strong community Happy and willing to Work together I want to work For bringing humanity Back to humans Because a good future A strong future Needs all of us Dottie Simmons
‘Very Much Remembered’
In a room packed with Humboldt community members, Charmaine Lawson, dressed in all black aside from red text on her shirt reading “Justice for Josiah,” turned to place her hand close to the image of David Josiah Lawson. After a few moments of silence, she cut the rainbow ribbon in front of the mural honoring…
The Royal Scam
On this year’s 4/20, let’s all take a moment to celebrate the true message of legalizing marijuana in the American way: Commodifying the struggle for freedom against oppression so that a small handful of rich assholes can get even wealthier without the unpleasantness of restorative justice for the millions of lives destroyed by the long…
A Green Dish for Earth Day or Any Day
Thanks to months rich in rainfall, everywhere I look is green: our yard, pastures, parks. My plate is also green, partly because I eat a large green salad every day (“Take Time for Salad,” March 23, 2023), partly because I cannot resist the bunches of glorious leafy greens available at the farmers market. Neat bundles…
An Advocate’s Journey
I’ve long believed volunteering is the best way to get to know a community when you move to a new place. In 2014, I moved to Humboldt and spent my first few years picking up casual volunteer shifts when I could, gravitating first toward community cleanups and zero waste sorting at festivals, then toward helping…
Civil War‘s Victory
CIVIL WAR. I would never call myself a science fiction head, as much for fear of reprisals from within the community as for the sake of accuracy. When the genre works, though, it can deliver vivid, exciting, not-so-thinly veiled commentary on the triumphs and tragedies of humanity as we have known it. Properly executed, it…
‘Cooperatively Caring’
Editor: I voted to fly the Earth flag at the top of Arcata’s flagpoles and was pleased to discover that most voters agreed with that sentiment. Still, in a restful moment several days ago, as I sat and observed three flags fluttering above the Arcata Community Center, I was surprised that seeing the Earth flag…
