Cover Story
Subdividing Humboldt
Bob McKee doesn’t visit his Tooby Ranch property very often, but the last time he drove out there, the ranch’s grasslands — interspersed with black oaks, white oaks and poppies — were remarkably green for late May. Deer skittered across the dirt and the occasional vulture floated overhead. From a high point on what was…
Stillman Out, Strehl In on NCRA Board After Bizarre Meeting of Mayors
In a meeting filled with passionate arguments, surprise twists and dark insinuations, Arcata City Councilmember Alex Stillman had her appointment to the board of directors for the North Coast Railroad Authority rescinded this afternoon by the same body that appointed her in May. And after some confusion, a vote, more confusion and two re-votes, she…
The More You Know: Free E-books Available at HumCo Library
Did you know you can check out e-books from library? The service has been in place since last year, and Victor Zazueta, the library director, is now confident enough in the program that he wants everyone to know about it. The Humboldt County Library provides free e-books and digital audiobooks for checkout and download anytime,…
Win a Date with Rex Bohn and Mark Lovelace
Well, lunch anyway. As if you needed another reason to show up for the Back on Their Feet benefit to assist with medical bills for Bob Doran and Jessica McGuinty (8 p.m. on Thursday, July 25 at HumBrews!), now this supes n’ sandwich lunch is on the auction block. Make your bid and you could…
Judge Denies Ranchers’ Bid on Upper Klamath Water
Ranchers facing water shut-offs in the Upper Klamath Basin lost a bid to keep their water rights intact while they appeal a state decision that granted Klamath Tribes senior water rights earlier this year. Klamath Falls Judge Cameron Wogan declined to put the state’s recognition of tribal rights on hold, the Associated Press reports, because an appeal could take 10…
Catch a Glimpse of the Baby Red Panda
She doesn’t even have a name yet, but she’s already been on television. The closed-circuit cameras and monitors are up and running at the Sequoia Park Zoo, so zoo visitors can see inside the den of the new red panda cub. The four-week old cub is healthy and growing steadily. See full press release and…
Fuel for the Fire: Kickstarting El Pulpo Mecanico
If you were out for Arts Alive! last October, you probably stood in the orange, propane-powered glow of El Pulpo Mecanico, Duane Flatmo’s 25-foot tall, truck-mounted, scrap-metal octopus that shoots flames from its head and moving tentacles. It’s hard to miss. El Pulpo is hitting the road for Burning Man again this year, and Flatmo…
Reggae on the River Videos: Vote Now
Here they are, reggae fans: the official entries in the Journal’s Reggae on the River contest, in which we award four four-day passes to the creator of the most original and creative video of 29 seconds or less. We have 10 entries posted below. Don’t forget: We are including reader response in our deliberations, so…
Update: Au Revoir, Avalon
Avalon Back Open … Sort of. In a phone conversation earlier today, owner Beverly Wolfe stated that “Avalon is not open, but it’s not closed.” That is, it’s not open with its regular hours, at least for now. Due to issues with the restaurant’s liquor license, Wolfe says Avalon cannot be closed to the public…
Fish Story
When a great white shark bit Scott Stephens in the waters near the North Jetty last October, he punched the beastie to get away (“Details Emerge about Gruesome Shark Attack,” Oct. 30, 2012). Maybe you heard about it? It was like a movie. And now it is a movie. Local Filmmakers Night presents Great White…
Your Guide to Winning Free Reggae on the River Tickets
As we announced earlier this week, the Journal is giving away four (4) four-day passes to this year’s Reggae on the River festival. Yup, straight givin’ ’em away. Like, for free. All you have to do to enter is record a video of no longer than 29 seconds, upload it to the Internet and send…
Coastal Commission’s Disapproval of Indianola Interchange Could Be Good for a Bay Trail
Eureka-Arcata trail advocates may soon have a new ally in Caltrans, after the Coastal Commission dealt a blow to Caltrans’ safety corridor plans in a report the commission released at the end of June. Caltrans’ preferred plan (it has come up with six alternatives) included an interchange at Indianola Cutoff, a signal at northbound Airport…
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Officer Fired After Alleged Assault
A deputy with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was fired late last month after he allegedly kicked a sleeping inmate at the county jail. The officer, named Sean O’Brien, also allegedly directed racial slurs at inmates on numerous occasions, according to a June 24 inter-office memo. The memo, which was sent by Sheriff Mike Downey,…
Get Your Folk On
To paraphrase Tupac, I didn’t choose the folk life, the folk life chose me. If you’re in the life, this is your week. The Folklife Festival is on, starting with the kickoff show on Saturday, July 13, at Mad River Brewery, featuring Pilot Rock Ramblers and Chris Parriera from 5-9 p.m. On Sunday, Annie and…
History Lesson
Hey, folks! I know we’re in the thick of summer and Barry Evans’ Field Notes is probably about as academic as you want to get, but this week’s music highlights call for a little history review, beginning with a particularly epic year in the late 1970s … The year punk exploded 1977: EMI fires the…
What Happened to You, Johnny Depp?
Reviews THE LONE RANGER. Johnny Depp used to be one of the most charming and versatile actors in Hollywood. Nowadays he’ll occasionally show up in something interesting (Public Enemies, The Rum Diary). But even these late-period highlights demanded little more than his rakish charm and tried-and-true oddball swagger. Instead of stretching his range he’s tied…
Number of the Beast
Quick, what’s the sum of the numbers on a roulette wheel? You could add 1 to 2 to 3, all the way up to 36 — or you could note that 1+ 36 is equal to 2 + 35, and so on, all the way up to 18 + 19. That’s 37, 18 times over,…
Why Object?
Editor: Same-sex marriage? (“Star-Spangled Rainbow,” July 4.) What kind of mental images does this concept provoke? A majority of California voters viewed this union in a negative way as they passed Proposition 8. My question is why? Granted, there are people who object to any marriage that does not involve a WASP couple. For example:…
Mission Not Accomplished
Editor: I write to note that the article “Strawberry Rock: Mission Accomplished?” (July 4) fails to take the necessary hard look at the environmental and economic costs associated with the ongoing clear-cut industrial forestry operations of Green Diamond Resource Company (ex-Simpson). In this sense the NCJ failed in its mission to fully inform our community…
Yes, Trees
Editor: It does seem “somewhat out of kilter” that here in Northern California, where forests make up a huge percentage of our landscape, our cityscapes are, for the most part, devoid of trees (“Trees Please!” July 4). I moved to the North Coast from Coronado, an island city across the bridge from San Diego. Originally…
A New Light
Editor: I first met Michael Guerriero in 1980 (“Artbeat,” July 4). My wife, Zula Belle, had arranged for him to show his serigraphs to several of our friends at our home in Trinidad. As the reception was winding down Zula Belle told me we were buying the Trinidad Clam Beach picture. This was a view…
Marimba Bummer
Editor: After the glowing article on the marimba festival (“Marimba!” June 27), we made a point of showing up when the doors opened for Ms. Zeltsman’s concert at 7:15 on Friday. A milling crowd around the box office and a lot of grumbling greeted us — the venue was sold out; in fact it had…
What Rural Consensus?
Editor: Mary Carr writes (“Mailbox,” July 4) that the supes properly “updated” the guiding principles of the General Plan by cutting out any language supporting “increas[ed] restrictions on resource land subdivisions,” “developing affordable housing,” or “discouraging low-density residential conversion of resource lands,” etc. She claims that language — originally added in 2004 to reflect the…
Straightening the Hairpins
One of the best ways to spend a summer day is on a drive from Arcata to Redding via State Route 299. Travelers are likely to see birds of prey circle overhead, as small cumulus clouds drag across a blinding blue sky, and a flurry of wildflowers, redwoods and oaks rush by on either side.…
KEET Bard Defends
Editor: The Damsel Distress’d: (in response to “Inside KEET,” June 27, from a KEET employee.) Why this thrust of the envenom’d lance? An uncomfortable torque of the under pants? Would a knight of good renown Kick a man when he is down? When jousting in the local lists, Some decided hits — and some he…
Heir Dresser
The Heir Apparent, now onstage at Redwood Curtain in Eureka, is based on a French farce written by Jean-Francois Regnard in 1708. This version is a free adaptation in English rhyme by contemporary American playwright David Ives, who previously adapted comedies by Corneille and Moliere. He adapted this play for the Shakespeare Theatre Company in…
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Neil Gaiman is a charmingly bizarre combination of Roald Dahl and Edgar Allen Poe. He has gained rock star status as a writer in the hipster/nerd crowd, penning popular episodes of Doctor Who, winning repeat Hugos and Nebulas, and gaining a Twitter following that boggles the mind. Gaiman’s imagination produces fantastically dark and quirky stories…
Sweet Spinning Wheels
Believe it or not, art and skating go hand in hand. Ever seen a skate video? Someone had to film and edit it. Those decks the kids skate on? Flip a few over and you’ll be surprised at the diversity and vivacity of their graphics. Graffiti is an important element too, and its rebellious, aggressive…
Fortuna Rodeo 2013
ISSUU Direct Link
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 (707) 822-4500.ABRUZZI 780 Seventh St. Live music. ARCATA ARTISANS COOPERATIVE 883 H St. Jeff Langdon, conceptual artist. Jeannie Fierce, paints with wool.…
The Fungus
A source of nourishment, appeasing hunger primal as the smell of damp earth. A charming sight, toadstools like houses of mice in children’s movies. A parasite, leeching the life out of frogs, and bats, and whales. An abstract sculpture, impossible to understand.
A Real Slice of Humboldt
It takes a very specific kind of curiosity to be out on Humboldt Bay at 8 in the morning just to see oyster beds, and on June 11 that curiosity was on full display when nearly 40 people boarded the Madaket for the first of a series of tours being put on by the University…
Updated: San Francisco Company Looking to Grow Oysters in Humboldt Bay
Update: The Harbor District approved Hog Island’s permit and CEQA documents at Thursday’s meeting. Still not burned out on oysters? Well, you’re in luck! The Bay Area Hog Island Oyster Company is eyeing Humboldt Bay as the site for a new oyster hatchery. The Humboldt Bay Harbor District will vote on whether to grant Hog…
