‘Still Downhill’
With any abalone season far in the future, the focus is on recovery
Cover Story
‘Still Downhill’
Hopes that shuttering the North Coast’s recreational red abalone season for five years would be enough to reverse the precipitous decline in the mollusk’s population appear to have been overly optimistic. Reopening of the fishery — which seems almost an impossibility any time soon — now depends on a methodical intervention effort to rebuild a…
CenterArts Presents the Peking Acrobats
Get ready for an evening of awe-inspiring family fun with the amazing Peking Acrobats Featuring the Shanghai Circus, Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. at Van Duzer Theatre ($20-$39). Sit right down and behold edge-of-your-seat excitement as professional performers dazzle you with acrobatic feats, trick-cycling, precision tumbling, juggling, somersaulting and gymnastics accompanied by live musicians playing…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Jan. 21
Singer-songwriter Will Sheff, the central figure and sole original member of Austin’s Okkervil River, brings his baroque folk and pop act to the Arcata Theatre Lounge tonight, presumably with a new(ish) cast of backing musicians on deck. Also on the bill is New York City’s mmeadows, featuring Kristin Slipp from Dirty Projectors and Cole Kamen-Green,…
Dancing at the Playhouse this Saturday
And the beat goes on … Saturday, Jan. 21, tighten the laces on your dancing shoes for The California Poppies and Home Cookin’: A Playhouse Benefit Show, happening at 7 p.m. at Arcata Playhouse ($20). Two local bands playing very danceable music for a good cause. We like it. Home Cookin’ plays original tunes and rock…
Music Tonight: Friday, Jan. 20
An all-ages Goth Night at Synapsis, put on by DJ DastBunny, is on the ledger for tonight’s entertainment. DJ Zero One of Radio Clash fame is also onboard for this event, which is an outfit and costume-encouraged affair in an environment that is perfectly suited for the dark theatricality of goth culture. The dance starts…
Weekend Jazz Shows
Couple of great local jazz shows this weekend that you won’t want to miss. Westhaven Center for the Arts presents its Third Friday bi-monthly jazz series, featuring RLA jazz trio and various guests. This Friday, Jan. 20, catch RLA w/Claire Bent at 7 p.m. at Trinidad Town Hall ($10-20 sliding scale). Bent’s powerhouse energy and the…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Jan. 19
I guess his inaugural gig must have gone well because Oryan Peterson-Jones is back at the Humboldt Bay Social Club for a free set of acoustic Americana primitivism at 6 p.m. tonight. Seems like a good spot for his music; hopefully this becomes a regular gig.
Humboldt Sees Another COVID Death
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another new COVID-19 death, a resident in their 70s, since its last report Jan. 11. One new hospitalization was also reported and, according to a state database, nine people are currently hospitalized with the virus locally, including three receiving intensive care. The death reported…
UPDATED: Cal Poly Humboldt Student, Dog Killed, Another Student Injured After Being Struck on an Arcata Sidewalk
A 21-year-old Cal Poly Humboldt student and a dog were killed Tuesday afternoon and a second 21-year-old student was seriously injured after being struck by a pickup truck while walking on the sidewalk along Alliance Road, according to the Arcata Police Department. Cal Poly Humboldt identified them as Camile Nauta, a psychology major from Palmdale,…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Jan. 18
Loathe as I am to promote yet another karaoke night, I have to drop a mention here, as I feel that the Logger Bar doesn’t get enough attention and I certainly haven’t dropped a line about this joint in enough recent columns. So, here’s my endorsement for the evening: Go check out KJ Dustin’s set-up…
Can California’s Power Grid Handle a 15-fold Increase in Electric Cars?
As California rapidly boosts sales of electric cars and trucks over the next decade, the answer to a critical question remains uncertain: Will there be enough electricity to power them? State officials claim that the 12.5 million electric vehicles expected on California’s roads in 2035 will not strain the grid. But their confidence that the state…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Jan. 17
Back from the dead like a risen phoenix after the lethargic paralysis of COVID, the Miniplex is once more hosting Latin Dance Night with DJ Pachanguero. I can tell you that my foggiest memories from the pre-plague times are pleasantly colored by this event, and if you want to partake and make some new memories…
There’s Nothing Clean About Offshore Wind Development Unless California Tribes are Involved
Since colonization began, the impacts of natural resource extraction have devastated Indigenous communities in the United States and across the globe. In Northern California, gold miners inflicted nearly irreparable damage to the Klamath River, the lifeline of my people. Hydropower dams spurred the collapse of salmon runs that sustained us since the beginning of time.…
Music Tonight: Monday, Jan. 16
One of my very favorite Humco bands is playing a gig to kick off its tour of the Pacific Northwest at Siren’s Song Tavern tonight at 7 p.m. Blackplate will be joined by Eureka quartet Dirt Magic in making a bit of sonic magic for the public’s pleasure. My buddy Sean from the first band…
NCJ Preview: Abalone, KHSU and Help in the Storms
This week we’ve got an update on struggling abalone populations and steps toward rebounding. What’s the deal with KHSU? This week we’ve got some information and local opinion on how things are and aren’t progressing in terms of local content, especially during disasters. We’ll share the few details available on the woman found dead in…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Jan. 15
Here’s a nice trifecta with a little bit for everyone on the Lord’s day of rest. First up at 3 p.m., if you are interested in hearing organ music done in the proper setting and by a master, head over to Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka and check out a performance by world-renowned organist Ken…
Music Tonight: Saturday, Jan. 14
My featured show of the week has got to be tonight’s affair at the Arcata Playhouse, where at 7:30 p.m. the music will begin and the good times will roll. I am talking about the album release party for Wild Abandon, a local group whose musical pedigree somehow manages to outweigh the considerable talent of…
Arroyo Taps Lonyx Landry for Planning Commission Post
Newly seated Humboldt County Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo has announced she plans to appoint Lonyx Landry, a STEM advisory at Cal Poly Humboldt, to the county Planning Commission. “Lonyx brings a fantastic skillset to the Commission, with a strong background in education, watershed science and community development,” Arroyo said in a press release. “He…
Reporters Wanted!
The North Coast Journal Inc., publisher of the North Coast Journal, The Ferndale Enterprise, Humboldt Insider and other local publications, is looking to add to its award-winning editorial team. The ideal candidate is a naturally curious critical thinker who can write clearly and compellingly, digest large volumes of information and explain complex concepts and systems.…
Old Steeple Cancels Drag Event over Safety Concerns
Paul and Cheri Beatie, owners of the Old Steeple and Ferndale Music Co., had never had to cancel an event out of concern for violence. But after Pastor Tyrel Bramwell of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Ferndale recently posted the message, “Beware drag show for kids coming to the Old Steeple” on the church’s marquee,…
Where is my Mind
Having taken advantage of the break in the weather to deliver a load of firewood to my dear friend Pat, I am currently basking in the warm sense of accomplishment, or perhaps that’s the after-effect of the sauna I enjoyed with another friend. Either way, I’m feeling pretty fat and sassy at the moment, gorged…
Funded Food Trucks Roll to Trinidad
Co-owner Esmerelda Hernandez and the rest of the Los Giles Taqueria truck crew woke at 5 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 9 to start prep for more than 700 meals — around five times their usual day of sales. But this day, the black and gold truck will be posted up at Trinidad Town Hall, cooking…
The Surprise of Katie Pasquini Masopust’s Capriccio
Now through Jan. 22 at The Morris Graves Museum of Art, Katie Pasquini Masopust displays her mastery of quilting and painting. Infusing her foundation in painting with her expertise in quilting, Pasquini Masopust invites spectators to see through a new and unique lens that at once comforts and stretches the imagination in her latest exhibition…
Arts! Arcata
Celebrate the visual and performing arts in Downtown Arcata during Second Friday Arts! Arcata. We want to welcome all our community members to come out and visit with us for a lively night market of local art displayed in our downtown stores. Thank you for supporting the arts and a vibrant downtown Arcata! More information…
Plant Porn
Now that the ball has dropped, the hangovers have ceased, and the calendar page has turned, it’s time to make those New Year’s resolutions. No, not exercise or eating healthier, though you can do those things if you want. No, I’m talking about your New Year’s garden resolutions! Did you grow anything in your garden…
Steelhead Fishing on Hold as Storms Keep Coming
Relentless storms, one after the other, have steelhead anglers sitting idly by. And that’s about all there is to do at the moment, and in the near future. The only chance to throw a line into anything resembling green water has been on the Smith River. And even that has been hit and miss. Flows…
Babylon Towers
BABYLON. As soon as we saw the trailer, my wife, who plays her cinephilia close to the vest most of the time, said, “I want to see that! It looks like a Coen brothers movie, doesn’t it?” When the time came to commit, though, she was less enthusiastic, (like most of the intended audience). This…
KHSU MIA After Quake
Tuning in to KHSU-FM (90.5) for much-needed emergency information never occurred to me after the magnitude-6.4 earthquake hit at 2:34 a.m. on Dec. 20 or following the Jan. 1 aftershock. I’ve lost interest in listening to KHSU, given the sad status of Cal Poly Humboldt’s public radio station since the administration got rid of all…
‘Frustrating!’
Editor: Here, in this North Coast area of California, we have a very concerning, potentially dangerous, and seldom mentioned nuclear storage facility, located not far from shorelines of several area communities (“44 Feet,” Sept. 15). And, this coastline, where the nuclear storage facility sits, is in a renowned earthquake area. An area, just recently, shaken by a…
Censored!
Editor: I found the NCJ’s coverage of censored news stories (“The Billionaire’s Press Dominates Censorship Beat,” Dec. 22) quite ironic. I’ve been disappointed with the NCJ, feeling that they abdicated their responsibility to question and investigate the policies of the pandemic that weakened society, devastated our economy and suppressed the freedom necessary for human dignity. I…
Donate!
Editor: I gave my first pint of blood 40 years ago in 1983. Since then I’ve given more than 50 gallons of blood, making me what they call a “milestone donor.” Truth be told, I receive more through helping save lives this way, than is ever taken from me. There is a real need for…
Correction
A story in the Jan. 5, 2023, edition of the North Coast Journal headlined ‘A Lot of Trauma’ misspelled Rio Dell Water and Roadways Superintendent Randy Jensen’s name. The Journal regrets the error.
Orion and the Pleiades
Winter nights here on Humboldt’s coast often bring startlingly clear skies, complete with those bright winter constellations our ancestors knew, loved, feared and mythologized. Even from the streetlights of Old Town Eureka, with its confusing medley of ionized mercury and sodium vapors and plain vanilla white LEDs, you can still see Orion the Hunter chasing…
Delighted!
Editor: I have been very critical of the city of Arcata for allowing the homeless to spend nights in frigid weather, some of whom, such as Nancy Barnes and Rick Campos, have actually died (“Death at City Hall,” Dec. 15). We were delighted to hear Mayor Sarah Schaefer announce at the end of last Wednesday’s…
Mountain Winter
Buckets of stars Cast across the frozen snow Glitter on the drive home Dottie Simmons Dinsmore
Shaken, Blustered and Drenched
Already shaken entering the New Year, Humboldt County is now also wind-blown and drenched and, in some cases, in the dark. Humboldt County has seen little respite since a magnitude 6.4 earthquake jolted the region Dec. 20, knocking out power to most of the county and battering Eel River Valley communities. A New Year’s Day…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Nigerian author Wole Soyinka reworked the ancient Greek play, The Bacchae. In one passage, the god Dionysus criticizes King Pentheus, who is supposedly all-powerful. “You are a man of chains,” Dionysus tells him. “You love chains. You breathe chains, talk chains, eat chains, dream chains, think chains. Your world is bound…
