Stray
How the Hoopa Valley exemplifies the gaps in Humboldt’s animal control services
Cover Story
Strays
On the morning of the puppy rescue, Shannon Townsend gets unwelcome news: The veterinarian is not coming. Townsend says a few unhappy words into the phone, takes a deep breath and puts her van, which smells of dog and bleach and patchouli, in gear. We are headed east toward Hoopa, where the “neuter scooter” was…
Humboldt Hits Grim Mark: Suicides at Five Year Peak
The recent death of a 30-year-old man from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head brings the county to 40 suicides in 2015, its highest mark in five years, surpassing its 2012 total of 37, according to numbers from the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office. It also places Humboldt County at nearly three times the California…
PalCo Marsh Update
Two nights of battering storms had given way to a clear Wednesday morning when Erin Powers-Taylor and Kim Bergel met in the north parking lot of the Bayshore Mall. Powers-Taylor, a volunteer with the Friends of the Marsh Group, which serves a free meal for the marsh homeless every Friday, handed Bergel, a Eureka City…
Two Years After Molestation Conviction, Littlefield Waits to Hear Fate
More than two years after a Humboldt County jury convicted him of 11 child molestation charges, Timothy Floyd Littlefield is still waiting to learn his fate. But word of what the future holds for Littlefield could come any day now, as the California First District Court of Appeals has heard oral arguments in his case,…
Humboldt’s 23 Percent Voter Turnout Not as Dismal as it Sounds
It’s official. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors certified the county’s election results this morning, making official what’s long been known: Harbor District incumbents Pat Higgins and Greg Dale have each won four more years on the board. In the final tally, 23.28 percent — 13,897 — of Humboldt’s registered voters cast ballots in the…
Yurok Tribe Mourns the Death of Troy Fletcher
Troy Fletcher, the longtime executive director of the Yurok Tribe and one of the initial linchpins in the original Klamath Basin Restoration Agreements, died unexpectedly Friday after suffering a heart attack. He was 53. Fletcher was locally renowned for being a fierce advocate for the tribe and the Klamath River, but was also widely respected…
Attitude of Gratitude
The holiday season is upon us faster than you can say “hashtagredcup.” Store shelves are already ravaged for green beans, fried onions and canned pumpkin, like the days before a huge storm hits town. And a storm is coming, isn’t it? It’s the kind that shows up on your doorstep bearing sweet potatoes and unsolicited…
Names Released in Recent Road Deaths, Heavy Fog a Factor
Heavy fog is being blamed for the death of a 43-year old McKinleyville woman, Cassandra Rogers, who was crossing U.S. Highway 101 northbound on foot when she was struck by a vehicle driven by Dorvin Valgene Phillips, 80, also of McKinleyville. Rogers was wearing dark clothing and apparently went unseen by Phillips until it was…
HumBug: Scaly Protection
The order of butterflies and moths, Lepidoptera, gets its name from Greek words meaning “scale wings.” Like a mosaic, those scales make up each species’ distinctive markings. Listed in the literature are a number of ways those minute scales contribute to the animal’s well being. As a layer of insulation on their body, they help…
Welcome to Humboldt: New DHHS Director Says She’s “Excited”
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors announced this week that it’s made a hire to head the county’s largest department, the much-beleaguered Department of Health and Human Services. Kristin Brinks, currently the deputy director of Community Services for the El Dorado County Health and Human Services Agency, will take the reins from Phillip Crandall in…
UPDATE: Panda Found
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department announced this morning that Masala, the 18-month-old red panda on the lam from the Sequoia Park Zoo since Thursday, was found last night and returned to the zoo safe and sound. From the EPD’s Facebook announcement: “Masala is home safe! From Sequoia Park Zoo Manager Gretchen Ziegler: For those who…
Jacks Win in First Postseason Since 1968
The Humboldt State University football team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament today after beating South Dakota’s Augustana University in a raucous game with back-and-forth offensive thrills. Augustana returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, quieting a full house of Jacks fans, but HSU quickly answered, and the teams went…
UPDATE: Zoo Seeks Volunteers for Panda Search Party
2nd UPDATE: The Sequoia Park Zoo is looking for volunteers to join a search party that’s going to set out tomorrow to find Masala, the 18-month-old red panda that escaped from its zoo enclosure Thursday. In a press release, the zoo asked that volunteers show up tomorrow at 8:30 or 10 a.m. at the zoo…
Firefighter, Residents Injured in Suspected Hash Lab Explosion
A firefighter and two residents were injured after an alleged home hash lab exploded yesterday afternoon. Humboldt Bay Firefighters responded to the 1200 block of Freshwater Road around 4 p.m. to find a “well-established fire” in the attic of a one-story home. Three people were rescued from the structure, and two of them were sent…
GMO Salmon Spawns Huffman’s Ire
Congressman Jared Huffman is not having the fish. According to a press release, Huffman is “deeply concerned” about the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of genetically engineered salmon. He cites the engineered salmon’s potential to damage wild salmon populations, ecosystems and the fishing industry, as well as the lack of labeling requirements for producers. The…
Inkling of Autumn
The peer-run Ink People Center for the Arts provides area artists with space, resources and support to create and perform. This week, its multi-talented members bring you Autumn Delight, a variety show featuring all manner of splendor and magnificence at Redwood Raks World Dance Studio, Saturday, Nov. 21 from 8 p.m. to midnight ($15 to…
Red Panda Escaped from the Zoo
Masala, a young red panda, is missing from the Sequoia Park Zoo and thought to be in the Sequoia Park forest. City staff and the Eureka Police Department are searching for her. Gretchen Ziegler, zoo manager, said staff got a report late this afternoon from “someone in the community that they saw a red panda…
Two Sentenced for SoHum Slaying
Two men accused of the 2008 robbery and murder of a San Francisco man in Southern Humboldt were sentenced in federal court this week. Ryan Carroll and Robert Lee had both reached plea agreements with prosecutors in July stemming from the slaying of 35-year-old Reetpaul Singh Rana during an attempted robbery on Dyerville Loop Road,…
The Real Shit Will Rip You Up
For those of you that have been reading this column in weeks past, you’ll be familiar with the reoccurring themes: Out-of-town talented musician is coming to Humboldt, check them out; or, local — and starving — musician is still here, check them out. This column will focus on the latter. Humboldt is terribly lucky to…
Goodbye, Granola
Malaysians start their day with coconut rice wrapped in banana leaves. Egyptians prefer slow-cooked fava beans in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. In Myanmar, the traditional breakfast is fried rice with peas, whereas a normal Japanese breakfast is also rice, but with fish and pickles. As this global snapshot attests, the act of breakfast,…
A Wino’s Confession
For years I’ve made my living peddling junk food at the entrance to the Co-op. I pull open my shabby overcoat to reveal a lining festooned with Snickers bars, M&M’s, Hi-ho’s and whatnot. Some of the workers are among my top clientele. I keep rooms (with live-in maid) in Blue Lake, …
General Relativity, 100 Years On
One hundred years ago, on Nov. 25, 1915, 36-year old Albert Einstein made history when he redefined gravity in his fourth and final lecture to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin on “The Field Equations of Gravitation.” In a word, or at least an equation, Einstein proposed that Gαβ = Tαβ. That’s it ……
Deep Down
Reviews THE 33. It is certainly time for the wider distribution of movies directed by women, and for movies with roles for Latino actors. This is an example of both. Unfortunately, it works better as a symbol than it does as compelling entertainment. As much as I value earnestness in real life interactions (within reason),…
Homeless Lessons
Editor: The letter in last week’s Journal by Rick Brennan (“The More Things Change,” Nov. 12) was one of the ugliest I’ve ever seen in this paper. It was a bigoted rant and since most bigotry is based in ignorance I’d like to share some facts with Mr. Brennan. One in 15 Americans lives below…
Oh, Mitochondria
Editor: Barry Evans (“Field Notes,” Nov. 5) concisely describes Earth’s amazing “Unity of Life.” But NASA’s “Tree of Life” omits some vital connections between its divergent branches: Our mitochondria evolved from an engulfed aerobic bacterium related to Rickettsidae (unrelated to vitamin D-deficient rickets). Chloroplasts in plants then evolved from an engulfed photosynthetic Cyanobacterium. We owe…
McKinleyville Arts Night
Presented by members of the McKinleyville business community, McKinleyville Arts Night is open for all McKinleyville businesses to display the work of local artists. Receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are from 6-8 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. Call 834-6460 or visit www.mckinleyvilleartsnight.com for more information. CALIFORNIA REDWOOD COAST AIRPORT 3561 Boeing…
A Running Start
The Humboldt County jail has always had doors, but officials are hoping a $20 million state grant will keep them from revolving. Sheriff Mike Downey announced last week that the state approved funding to build a multi-use addition to the county jail that will connect inmates with services during their incarceration. The funding will be…
Speedin’ for Weed
The Humboldt County Planning Commission has been in the throes of a series of meetings over the last few weeks to address a proposed outdoor medical marijuana cultivation ordinance. In the course of five meetings in the last two weeks, commissioners have heard hours of public comment and talked in depth with county counsel and…
‘Escalating Behavior’
Twelve days before Richard Dean allegedly stabbed a 52-year-old man to death in his Arcata apartment, unprovoked, a restraining order was issued against the 18-year-old in Hoopa Valley Tribal Court. “This court finds by clear and convincing evidence that Richard Dean has untreated mental health issues compounded by substance abuse,” states the order, which forbids…
