Cover Stories
Stand Down
To “stand down” in combat is to take a recuperative break from the action. Events such as the North Coast Stand Down, held Oct. 3 through Oct. 5 at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds, offer respite and help for veterans engaged in the battles of civilian life: coping with service-related trauma, homelessness, joblessness and more. The…
Bird’s Eye on the Marsh
We’ll stop at 1,000 feet and circle right,” says pilot David Marshall as we lift off from Murray Field. “There might be a little bit of turbulence.” I’m in the back of a small, four-seater aircraft watching Ellen Land-Weber at work on her newest series of photographs. Clad in blue jeans and a pink V-neck…
Little Sips of Water
This Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 15 and 16, the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District will be hooking up a new connection between its water transmission main and Arcata’s water system. A handful of addresses won’t have water at all, and they’ve been notified already, says the district. The supply line to Arcata, McKinleyville, Eureka, the Samoa…
Korbel Mill For Sale
California Redwood Co., a subsidiary of Green Diamond Resource Co., has put its Korbel sawmill up for sale. “In a recent meeting, company president Douglas Reed told employees it makes sense for the sawmill to be owned or managed by a company that has deep knowledge of Douglas-fir manufacturing and marketing for the California market,”…
One Piece Won’t Kill You
Ramone’s is icing these Dexter-esque desserts for the season. It’s the house chocolate layer cake with seasonal gore. Related Stories
God’s Country
THIS IS MY HUMBOLDT from Ryan Johnson on Vimeo. Humboldt County’s a beautiful place. This isn’t news. But if you could distill days’ full of beauty from scenic vistas throughout the county into a four-and-a-half-minute experience, there would be a novelty factor, right? Well, that’s what local photographer/handyman Ryan Johnson has done. Johnson, who has…
Another Round
Over beer festivals? Yeah, no. Humboldt Beer Week is still going strong, with Blue Lake’s Hoptoberfest taking over Perigot Park on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 1 to 6 p.m. ($30, $25 advance). The Trouble, Squeezebug, Guns and Barrels and Cadillac Ranch are all set to keep you dancing and toe-tapping through the outdoor open-container revelry.…
Unanswered
It’s been more than three weeks since police shot and killed 22-year-old Thomas “Tommy” McClain on the front lawn of his Eureka home and the questions keep coming: What was McClain doing with a very real looking BB gun? Why would he reach for it when being held at gunpoint by the cops? Could police…
Humboldt Tango
Antediluvian high heels attitude lofted to the level of art a glint of steel in an embrace James Dean gone gaucho silver bells at the brim of my black hat a leg flicks past mine gliding over hardwood. — Rick Park
Arts Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations in Arcata. Visit www.artsarcata.com for even more information about the event or call 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. “Artist Collective,” Zak Shea, woodwork; Terri Tinkham, textiles; Kathryn Stotler, acrylic painting. ARCATA CITY HALL 736…
A Little Lower Than the Angels?
When Nicolas Copernicus relegated the Earth from the center of the cosmos to one of several planets revolving around the sun, he let the genie out of the bottle. If our planet didn’t sit at the focus of everything, as Copernicus claimed, then maybe humankind wasn’t quite as exalted as the Psalmist had it: “a…
The Lady Astonishes
Reviews GONE GIRL is one of the best-made movies this year. Its screenplay (which Gillian Flynn adapted from her own juggernaut novel) remains taut, and concise over two and half hours. The convincingly drawn characters are fully realized by a top-notch cast. David Fincher’s (Se7en, The Social Network) direction creates a tense, mesmerizing atmosphere, thanks…
Musical Underground
How about that Arts Alive!? They tend to be well-attended, those events, but October’s was off the charts, partly due, no doubt, to the Santa Barbara-like weather, but also to the high number of particularly beckoning shows. One of the best parts, as always, was the constant musical accompaniment along the streets. Buskers mostly always…
They’re Creepy and They’re Kooky
Some things go together so naturally we don’t even question: cookies and milk or peanut butter and anything. Then there are combos that seem a mite odd at first, but ultimately prove delightful: chicken and waffles. I would place The Addams Family musical firmly in the second category. As someone who grew up on both…
Checking Out
When Santa Rosa resident Gabriel Bronsztein checked his credit card statement recently, he was shocked. There, next to the listing from Arcata’s Hampton Inn & Suites, was a nearly $500 charge from his one-night September stay the week prior. The hotel had charged him a $300 cleaning fee because his room smelled like pot. “What…
Toad in the Hole
My English husband has a love of sausages that I will never fully understand. Same with potatoes: roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, jacket potatoes, potatoes au gratin, new potatoes, potato cakes. Pretty sure Jon would divorce me and marry a potato, given half a chance. Raised in Arcata on a steady diet of tofu, brown rice…
Hard to Swallow
Editor: Your Oct. 2 “Fear vs. Hope” article quoted much opinion but little substance. You talked about Mark Wilson and Dr. Van Eenennaam but not one word about the presentations here by scientists Ray Seidler, Michael Hansen or Ignacio Chapela. There is no gene which increases yield. Traditional plant breeders are leading development of drought…
But Wait!
Editor: I grew up on an organic grain farm in Saskatchewan, and worked for five years as a USDA-contract organic inspector. But I left the organic movement when I realized it was all just a bureaucratic scam designed to propel a political agenda, an agenda focused on banning genetic engineering. The only way organic activists…
Limitless
Editor: While Ryan Emenaker’s editorial (“A False Sense Of Reform,” Oct. 2) was informative and interesting, if a bit dry, it fails to address the critical issue of campaign spending limits. As I have pointed out in a previous letter to the Journal, campaign contribution limits can be fudged in a variety of ways. It…
Run with the Pack
There are so many fun events in Humboldt to which you can’t take your best friend. He always says it’s cool — no, go ahead, have fun — but the guilt lingers. Does he even believe you that dogs aren’t allowed? It’s called the All Species Parade. Not a problem on Sunday, Oct. 12 at…
