Cover Stories
Still Wild
An unexpected “staycation” benefit of this pandemic era has been getting to know local locations I hadn’t spent much time visiting. Next time you’re driving in northern Humboldt County, take one of the U.S. Highway 101 bypass exits onto Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway into Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Fifty miles north of Eureka,…
Removing a Monument to a Eugenicist Nazi Collaborator
On June 15, while shooting some of the images of Prairie Creek featured in this issue, photographer Mark Larson came across a team using an excavator to remove a massive boulder from which it pried a plaque. Victor Bjelajac, North Coast Redwoods District superintendent, was on site for the removal of the Madison Grant Forest…
Eureka’s Summer Concert Series Returns this Thursday
Snap open your folding chairs, crack open your favorite beverage and sit back (or get up and dance) to the sweet sounds of live music returning to Madaket Plaza. The Eureka Summer Concert Series kicks off Thursday, July 15 at 6 p.m. with The L.C. Diamonds who play vintage rock, rockabilly, blues and surf music.…
Dell’Arte International Baduwa’t Festival July 14-18
The Dell’Arte Inaugural Guild presents Dell’Arte International’s five-day-and-night outdoor Baduwa’t Festival: A Gathering of the People (formerly the Mad River Festival), July 14-18 at Dell’Arte. The festival, featuring live theater, films, a circus, live music and and the popular Red Light Cabaret, is a collaboration between Dell’Arte, the Wiyot Tribe, Circus Nonsense and local organizations…
Music, Food and Fun at Annie and Mary Day
Oh, Happy Day! Happy Annie and Mary Day, that is. Have fun in the Blue Lake sun with the return of the annual celebration of the historic Arcata Mad River Rail Line on Sunday, July 11 in Blue Lake (free). The family friendly event features a parade in town at 11 a.m. followed by music with the Back Seat…
Hold onto Your Hats, Rodeo’s Back!
Nothing says summer like the return of the Fortuna Rodeo, happening July 11-18. All your favorite events are back including rodeo and junior rodeo action, carnival fun for the kids, Bullfighters Only and Quadiator thrills, and Fortuna’s famous rodeo barbecue. Satisfy your need for steed at the Bulls, Broncs, Bands & Brews, lace up for…
Flamenco Performance Friday at Bayside Community Hall
Click your heels and snap your fingers for the return of Seattle-based flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes, who brings her new work Flores de Verano Flamenco en Vivo to the Bayside Community Hall on Friday, July 9 at 8 p.m. ($25, VIP seating in the first 2 rows $38, VIP seating benefactor $55, students $18 child…
Charmaine Lawson Settles Civil Suit with City of Arcata
The city of Arcata has settled a civil lawsuit brought by the mother of slain Humboldt State University student David Josiah Lawson, whose unsolved killing at an off-campus party four years ago continues to reverberate throughout the community. In the agreement with Charmaine Lawson, the city has agreed to make a $25,000 contribution to the…
Public Health Confirms 6 New Cases, 3 New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed six new COVID-19 cases today, as well as three hospitalizations, including two of residents in their 40s. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed 29 samples with a test-positivity rate of 20.7 percent. According to a state database, six people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, including four under intensive…
Fatal Shooting Suspect Turns Self In
A Trinidad man wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a man who was dropped off at a CalFire station near Orick late last month was arrested today after turning himself in to authorities, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Shaun Patrick McMahon, 49, went to the main sheriff’s office in Eureka around…
Photos: Arcata’s Fourth of July Jubilee
An unusual mix of eager participants took part in the Fourth of July Jubilee Parade in Arcata, exhibiting a lot of pent-up pandemic-era energy as they walked around the plaza. They included giant puppets, a good luck dragon, multiple Kinetic race vehicles, two llamas, dogs up for adoption, twirling dancers of all ages, a decorated…
Public Health Reports Another COVID-19 Death, 22 New Cases
A 51st Humboldt County resident has died with COVID-19, Public Health reported today, while also confirming 22 new cases and one new hospitalization — a resident in their 40s — since Friday. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed 447 samples with a test-positivity rate of 4.9 percent. Over the past two weeks, even as…
Crabs Bring Their Own Fireworks for Fourth of July
There were no actual pyrotechnics at Arcata Ballpark for the Fourth of July but the Crabs bats provided plenty of fireworks over the week for the fans as the team scored 70 total runs. The Crabs started the week off with a two-game set against the NorCal Warriors and came out swinging hard and early,…
NCJ Preview: Parks Gone Wild, a Eugenicist Kicks Rocks and Safe and Sane Fireworks
This week we’re looking at Mark Larson’s photos and tips for enjoying Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, as well as how the parks removed the plaque honoring Nazi collaborator Madison Grant. And as we get ready for July Fourth weekend, we’re talking about how illegal fireworks (aside from being, you know, illegal) can harm your…
Caroline Josephine Kretoski Gainer: 1929-2021
Caroline (Carrie) Josephine Kretoski Gainer was a proud Polish American, West Virginian, sister to eight, mother of four, with an adventuresome spirit and sense of humor that got us all through “thick and thin.” After 14 years of covering for, handling with humor, and challenging us with her dementia, she died peacefully at the age…
County Confirms Five New COVID Cases, Warns of Delta Variant Spread
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed five new COVID-19 cases today after laboratories processed 110 samples with a test-positivity rate of 4.5 percent. No new hospitalizations were reported today but, according to a state database, eight people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, including three under intensive care. Public Health reported yesterday that local health officials see “strong…
Arcata Man Convicted in Fatal Stabbing
A 29-year-old Arcata man is facing life in prison after a jury found him guilty of first degree murder and two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon involving two different incidents in which he approached strangers outside of local bars. The verdict was reached yesterday after a months-long trial, according to the Humboldt…
Breakthrough COVID is Rare in California
About 7,550 out of more than 19.5 million Californians who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 have contracted the disease, a minuscule percentage that provides strong evidence of the vaccines’ effectiveness, according to state data. The breakthrough infections through June 23 amount to 0.039 percent of vaccinated Californians — or one case out of every 2,583…
Public Health Confirms 15 New COVID-19 Cases, Urges Youth to Get Vaccine
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 15 new COVID-19 cases today, as well as one new hospitalization of a local resident in their 40s. Today’s case results came after laboratories processed 263 samples with a test-positivity rate of 5.7 percent. According to a state database, six people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19 locally, including three under…
Newsom Visits Klamath, Talks Drought, Dams and More
California Gov. Gavin Newsom spent some time in a dugout redwood canoe on the Klamath River yesterday while visiting with Yurok Tribal leaders. A Yurok Tribe press release today reports that Chair Joseph James and vice-Chair Frankie Myers took Newsom down a “singularly beautiful” stretch of the river before discussing the ongoing drought, the juvenile…
Arts Alive!
Eureka’s galleries, museums, theaters, bars and restaurants are open once again. However, individual businesses are still taking precautions to keep patrons and staff safe – including the request to wear masks when entering their stores and limiting the number of people inside at one time. ART CENTER FRAME SHOP 616 Second St. New outdoor mural…
The Race to Bring Horse Racing Back to the Fair
The Humboldt County Fair homepage says, “While there are still uncertainties as we move through 2021, plans to have a full fair including horse racing, vendors, carnival, exhibits and livestock is underway.” Come Friday, the fair is just seven weeks away with plenty of loose ends to be tied. At least now there are some…
Tough Go for Eureka King Opener
For at least the past few weeks, there were all sorts of signs indicating salmon were plentiful off the coast of Eureka and Trinidad. But somehow those signs, and the salmon, all but vanished by the time the sport salmon season opened Tuesday. While the majority of boats opted for Pacific halibut, a group including…
Funny Girls
REVIEWS GOOD ON PAPER. I usually don’t like it when comedians make movies because they’re seldom as funny as their stand-up routines. I get that they want to break out of the boxes we have put them in (or they have put themselves in) but it’s never the same. Still, Iliza Shleslinger is by far…
‘Care and Competency’
Editor: Just as I’m finishing my estate plan including a directive for my end of life care, I read your excellent but horrifying article on Dick and Judy Magneys’ cruel treatment (“Calculated Deception,” June 24) by the county’s misnamed Adult Protective Services Department. Not only has an appellate court pronounced APS’ actions “profoundly disturbing” but…
‘Hotspot’
Editor: Ferndale continues to reveal itself as a hotspot for bigotry in Humboldt County and it must end. This week St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church displayed on its marquee, “Hurt by LGBT culture? Healing here” due to the occurrence of Pride Month in the United States. After several instances over the years, this display of…
‘Respect’
Navigating the world as an engineer over the last 24 years has been an interesting journey for me. As a young professional, I spent time keeping quiet. I questioned the value of my input when surrounded by men. County staff recently discounted my “expert” opinion in the June 21 Planning Department staff report regarding our…
On Collin’s Return
I was heartened to see Collin Yeo’s Setlist column (June 24). It is a sure sign things are getting back to normal, and he’s an asset in coverage of the local live music scene. That said, in a near 300 word preamble to the column exclaiming “I’m going to use my words for more light…
Correction
A work of art in last week’s table of contents (June 24, 2021) was misattributed. The outdoor installation piece pictured is by Bernadette Vielbig. The Journal regrets the error.
Summer Puzzles
Summertime and the livin’ is easy. So are some of your summer puzzles; others are a bit tricky. I bet when you see the solution of some of these, you’ll go, “Oh, duh! Of course!” Amazon Interview Question An 80-foot-long cable hangs from the top of two 50-foot-high poles. The center of the cable is…
Battling the Booms
Last Friday night, Eureka resident Jean Scheffler was awoken by several loud explosions that lit up the sky over her neighborhood. The booms were so loud they shook her windows and her dogs began to cower and shake vigorously with anxiety. Scheffler knew, especially with Fourth of July being right around the corner, they were…
Summer Puzzles: Answers
Amazon Interview Question Half the cable length is 40 feet, so the cable must be hanging straight down, i.e. the poles are touching. Live Another Day The outcome of the two tosses will either be the same or different, so they decided on a simple strategy: Tulip will always predict the same (e.g. she sees…
First Farmers’ MarketAfter the Pandemic
After the great silence, we come to the church of blessing. On this sunny Sunday on the plaza, we stream onto the sidewalks quiet and contrite. We listen to the wisdom of the farmers as they tell us of the past year—how much fell sick and died—how much had to be pruned back and burned,…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Columnist Linda Weltner says that there’s a dual purpose to cleaning your home, rearranging the furniture, adding new art to the walls, and doting on your potted plants. Taking good care of your environment is a primary way of taking good care of yourself. She writes, “The home upon which we…
Make Fun, Not Fire
I’m settling back into the swing of things here at the Setlist. It was nice getting feedback from some of you about the return of this little column. Even nicer was snagging some free drinks as a result of my bartender shout-out last week. Free booze is truly the Olympian ambrosia for a gadabout town.…
Breakfast with the Season’s Fruit
During the recent 15 months of isolation, outdoor physical exercise helped me manage my anxiety. I am deeply grateful that I could spend time in the forest, on the beach, on the water. My family in Italy, locked inside their apartment, provided me with a comparison that magnified my gratitude. Usually, I exercise early in…
