FOAM Otter Lecture
What’s new with Humboldt State University’s Citizen Science river otter study? Tune in for an update with HSU graduate student Karlee Jewell at Merging Citizen Science and Art: A Year in Review + A Year Ahead on Friday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. Jewell will share project updates and findings, and talk about her graduate…
Public Health Confirms 14 New COVID-19 Cases
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 14 new COVID-19 cases today, making 95 so far this week. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 259 samples with a test-positivity rate of 5.4 percent and come after the county confirmed 138 cases last week as a part of a recent surge. Officials are pointing to the…
Pedestrian Killed in Hoopa Crash
A man died Sunday after being struck by a vehicle driving south near Airport Road in Hoopa. According to the California Highway Patrol’s preliminary investigation, Virgil McLaughlin Jr., 29 of Hoopa was walking in an unknown direction on Tish Tang Road near Airport Road when a 2019 Nissan Altima driven by Jerome Pollara hit him.…
Aaron Charles Jackson: 1985-2021
Aaron Charles Jackson, of Eureka, Cali fornia, passed away suddenly on Sunday April 4, 2021. Aaron was born on June 4, 1985 at Mad River Hospital Arcata, California to his parents Judith and Jerry Jackson. Aaron was raised in Eureka, and named after his grandpa, Charlie Marsh, whom Aaron was very fond of and close…
Public Health Confirms 18 New Cases, Two New Hospitalizations as HumCo Stays in Orange Tier
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 18 new COVID-19 cases today, making 81 so far this week, as well as two new hospitalizations, while California announced Humboldt remains in its orange COVID-19 risk tier. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 204 samples with a test-positivity rate of 8.8 percent and come after the county…
Protect the Otters
Sequoia Park Zoo will continue to mandate masks for guests who are 3 years old and older on the grounds that some animals, like the adorable river otters, are more susceptible to contracting the COVID-19 virus. In a video tweeted by the zoo, keeper Ruth Mock talks about why they wear masks and why guests…
Public Health Confirms 63 New COVID-19 Cases, Four New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that it has confirmed 63 new COVID-19 cases and four new hospitalizations since Friday. The new cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 538 samples with a test-positivity rate of 11.7 percent and come after the county confirmed 138 cases last week as a part of a recent surge. Officials…
California Staying the Mask Course for Now
California’s mask mandate for indoor settings and crowded outdoor events will remain in effect until at least June 15. Mark Ghaly, California Health and Human Services secretary, made the announcement this morning in regard to last week’s interim recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that stated vaccinated individuals no longer needed to…
Bear River Triple Murder Suspect Returned to Humboldt
The Loleta resident accused in the triple murder of a family at a home on the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Reservation has been returned to Humboldt County more than three months after being arrested in Utah. The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office states in a social media post that Mauricio Johnson, 19, arrived…
NCJ Preview: Summer Camps, Vaccine Supplies and Oyster Fest
The Journal’s annual Summer of Fun issue is out now, with plenty of COVID-19 adapted fun to occupy the kids. On the news side, we’ve got the tale the rush to get vaccines to Humboldt in the wake of a missed shipment and how we ended up with a glut of vaccines in time for…
Public Health Confirms Another COVID Death, 26 New Cases
Humboldt County has lost a 42nd resident — a person in their 50s — to COVID-19, Public Health reported today, while confirming 26 new cases, making 138 this week. The cases were reported after laboratories processed 272 samples with a test-positivity rate of 9.6 percent. Officials are pointing to the local presence of the B.1.1.7…
$433 Million Proposed for HSU Polytechnic
During today’s revised budget proposal presentation, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he’s proposing $433 million for Humboldt State University’s transformation into California State University’s third polytechnic university. “I am a big supporter of Cal Polys. We have two; we want to create a third. And that’s the significant investment: $433 million,” Newsom said. “We’ve been working with…
Mask Mandate Still in Effect in California
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made interim recommendations Wednesday about relaxing some safety protocols for fully vaccinated individuals, California state law on mask wearing still takes precedence. Currently, the California Department of Public Health and CalOSHA require that masks be worn in all indoor settings and at crowded outdoor events, according to…
Ken “Rotch” Rothschiller: 1947-2021
Throughout his life, the artistic sensibility of Ken “Rotch” Rothschiller manifested in many forms, Rotch was best known, and beloved, for being Humboldt County‘s first surfboard manufacturer, shaping and glassing beautiful, functional surfboards that were invariably works of art. A longtime resident of Manila, Rotch was born in Klamath Falls, Ore. His family moved to…
Redwood Sky Walk Opening Delayed
The soft opening of the Redwood Sky Walk at the Sequoia Park Zoo, originally scheduled for tomorrow, is being delayed due windy conditions in recent days. “While the Redwood Sky Walk has been specially engineered to withstand many adverse weather events, the structure is attached to living trees. Because of the many natural and manmade…
County Allows Cannabis Growers to Apply for Tax Refunds in Wake of Court Ruling
After a an appeals court ruled the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors overstepped when it “impermissibly broadened the scope” of the cannabis tax voters approved in 2016, the county is beginning the process of refunding potentially millions of dollars in tax payments. In a press release issued today, the county is introducing a process for…
Public Health Confirms 45 New COVID-19 Cases, Another Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 45 new COVID-19 cases today, making 112 so far this week, and reported another new hospitalization. The cases were reported after laboratories processed 288 samples with a test-positivity rate of 15.6 percent. This week’s cases come amid a recent surge that saw 86 confirmed last week and a combined 267…
HSU and CR Commencement Ceremonies This Weekend; HSU to Honor Yurok Spiritual Leader
Congratulations to all Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods graduates! The schools will be celebrating their graduates at this weekend’s commencement ceremonies both in-person and virtually. Although CR’s in-person graduation ceremony was canceled due to COVID-19, the college has opted to hold a virtual ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday via Facebook Watch and…
Rags to Riches
When a handful of officials at the forefront of the county’s COVID-19 response sat down to a virtual press conference May 5, they made clear Humboldt County was at an inflection point. In sharp contrast to the rest of the state, local case numbers were ballooning, with the county having confirmed 267 new cases —…
Choose Your Own Oyster Fest Adventure
In the middle of planning for its annual Arcata Bay Oyster Festival last year, the folks at Arcata Main Street made the bold shift to a virtual event. With the March declaration of shelter in place and a spring of gradually climbing COVID-19 case numbers, most festivals here and across the country were canceling. But…
Summer of Fun 2021
General & Multi Activities Bilingual Theatre Workshop. Thursdays, 9 a.m.-noon. Redwood Raks World Dance Studio, 824 L St., Arcata. Presented by HC Black Music and Arts Association. info@hcblackmusicnarts.org. www.hcblackmusicnarts.org. Camp Cooper. June 14-Aug. 6, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Cooper Gulch Recreation Center, 1720 10th St., Eureka. Environmental education-based, application-based summer camp for qualified families. Free lunch…
Restoring Sumêg Village
A hike at Patrick’s Point State Park north of Trinidad always appeals to me, given park access to Agate Beach, Ceremonial Rock, Wedding Rock’s ocean viewpoint and the excellent Rim Trail. But if you go now, you can see work being done at Sumêg Village by a crew of Yurok Tribe members using traditional methods…
Wind Continues to Hamper Offshore Angling
It’s been a very quiet start to the saltwater season, especially for boats looking to head offshore. The north wind has been prevalent for almost two weeks, letting up just enough to allow boats to venture outside Humboldt Bay for a couple days. Trinidad, Shelter Cove and Crescent City have faired slightly better in terms…
Easttown and Down
MARE OF EASTTOWN. Given the velocity at which I jettisoned myself from my own beat-down East Coast hometown full of salt-rusted cars and muddy yards, it’s a little surprising how drawn I am to the world of Easttown. The grim, fictional composite of Pennsylvania towns in which HBO’s detective miniseries takes place is south of…
‘Shameful’
Editor: In October of 2019, the State of California enacted Senate Bill 313, a circus ban preventing wild animals such as tigers, lions, elephants, bears and monkeys from being used in circuses. However, this law did not ban the use and abuse of these same animals for publicity stunts and other inhumane “acts” for human amusement. This week, Tag (a Kodiak bear) was “hired”…
‘A Sign’
Editor: If the members of the Pentecostal church in Eureka, and the greater religious community in general, have been waiting for a sign from God as to the need to get vaccinated and practice safe distancing and mask wearing, then, prayers answered! The 40-plus cases of COVID-19 they brought home to Humboldt County, which have…
‘Not Enough’
Editor: Your article reprinted May 6 from The Counter and titled “Crisis on the Klamath” by Jessica Fu contains a factual error. It states: “Every year, a coalition of tribal representatives, fishermen, and community and environmental advocates sets catch limits on salmon in the region in order to maintain long-term viability.” While the groups mentioned participate in the…
Clarification
The article headlined “This is a Race” in the April 29, 2021, edition of the North Coast Journal used vaccination figures from the Humboldt County COVID-19 dashboard, which pulls data from the CAIRs reporting system, indicating Hoopa had one of the lowest per-capita vaccination rates in the county. However, data provided by the tribe after…
Correction
The article headlined “Sharing the Frybread Love” in the May 6, 2021, edition of the North Coast Journal misspelled the name of Beck’s Bakery owner Rhonda Wiedenbeck. The Journal regrets the error.
Bull Kelp vs. Bullshit
Climate change-related shitstorms are not funny. So if you came here for humor this week, you’ll have better chances reading the crossword puzzle. I know someone will say, “But there’s no actual shit falling from the sky, so global warming is a hoax.” That’s fine, but I’ll even let doubters choose the type of shit…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In one of her poems, Emily Dickinson tells us, “The pedigree of honey / Does not concern the bee; / A clover, any time, to him / Is aristocracy.” I suggest you be like Dickinson’s bee in the coming weeks, my dear Aries. Take pleasure and power where they are offered.…
