Cover Story
The Battle of Orleans
It was a warm night in early August, and Todd Raffensperger had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV. Raffensperger has no air conditioning and takes medication that makes him sensitive to heat, so, as usual, the front door was open. When he woke in the middle of the night, it took a few minutes…
A Ballet of the Fog and the Stars (Video)
Work week got you down? Or maybe it’s Humboldt’s seemingly endless feed of grisly news? Whatever it is that’s conspiring against you this Wednesday, push it aside and take a moment to appreciate this beautiful place we call home. Heck, thanks to Eureka’s David Wilson, you won’t even have to get out of your chair.…
Opioid Prescription Rates Falling in Humboldt
While Humboldt County still has more opioid prescriptions than people, the county reports it is making headway in battling what has become a nationwide epidemic. The Humboldt County Department of Human Services reported this morning that the amount of opioids prescribed in the county has dropped by 23 percent since 2010, falling from 1.29 prescriptions…
Hoopa Killing Leaves County on Pace for Record 23 Homicides
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has launched a homicide investigation after a fight in Hoopa turned deadly Friday night, meaning the county has matched a grisly, 30-year-old record with more than three months remaining in the year. Deputies were called to a residence on Shoemaker Road at about 9 p.m. Friday to a report of…
Over the Rainbow
More than 100 participants shared high energy and support as they marched in the 24th annual Humboldt Pride Parade in Eureka on Saturday. The parade went smoothly despite some protest and concern that recent violence may be related to controversy surrounding the Humboldt Pride board of directors. The parade started around noon under a foggy…
HumBug: Like Moths to a Black Light
Last week I wrote about setting up a light trap in my backyard with only limited success. At the suggestion of some folks in an entomological chat room, I tried it with black compact fluorescent lights rather than Coleman lanterns. The old gas lanterns give off a great deal of heat and frequencies in the…
Pride Parades in the Face of Violence, Mounting Tensions
Humboldt Pride got underway in Halvorsen Park this morning but a shadow of violence hung over the event. “Our hearts are heavy after hearing of the violent acts against members of our community,” a post on the Humboldt Pride Facebook page read. “In light of tehse events, we have increased security at (today’s) parade and…
UPDATED: Large Fuel Spill in State Park Amid Crash Cleanup Effort
UPDATE: The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services sent out a press release today with a bit more information about the spill, including that the department doesn’t believe the spill presents a threat to public health and that there’s currently no evidence fuel has entered the nearby South Fork of the Eel River. Find…
Bone Deep
Early evening at Five Eleven, with its azure concrete floor and shining glass tile bar, is a bit like relaxing in rather than beside a very chic swimming pool. On a recent night, adjacent tables were stocked with flat-billed hats, toddlers picking at fancy pizza and older patrons discussed the fine line between appetizers and…
Prelim Set in Infanticide Case
The mother of a baby girl who died after being taken to Mad River Hospital with what police described as severe skull fractures remains in jail on $1 million bail after pleading not guilty to causing the injuries that led to her daughter’s death. District Attorney Maggie Fleming said in an email to the Journal…
Summer Send-off
Wrap up the sweetness of summer at an outdoor gathering with good friends, great food, fun beverages and live music. You’ve got two high-stepping parties in the greenery this week. Pick your pleasure and dress accordingly. First up is Barntini! Martinis in the Barn, the annual benefit for the Jacoby Creek Land Trust and the…
CHP to Hand Off Fortuna Hit and Run Case to DA ‘Soon’
Two months after two 14-year-old girls were killed in a single-car hit and run crash in Fortuna, the California Highway Patrol is finalizing its report for the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office to weigh filing criminal charges in the case. Officer Cy May said the preliminary report is finished and currently being reviewed by CHP…
Let it Ride
We’re cool here on the coast. And what’s cooler than classic cars or motorcycles? It seems like there’s a car show, expo, ride, run, show, shine or swap happening more times on our calendar than in most places. One of the coolest of cool things we do is Cruz’n Eureka. The fundraiser for the Boys…
Ocean Views
In McWay Rocks Big Sur (2013), we view the scene from on high — lean in and a twinge of vertigo might seize you. The diagonally oriented composition yields a striking contrast. The looming headland, with its cloud-like formations of low shrubbery rendered in a wiggly violet line, is balanced by its paired expanse of…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.facebook.com/artsarcata for more information or call 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. September’s featured artists Joyce Jonte (watercolors) and Michael Pearce (ceramics). Wine pour benefits the Breast & GYN Health Project. ARCATA EXCHANGE 813 H St.…
The Cooking Ape, Part 1
Ape. That’s what you’d have thought if you met one of our ancestors two million years ago: short stature, low brow, massive jaw and mouth housing huge teeth, small brain, flared ribs enclosing a big belly, slouching gait, tree-climbing anatomy — all the hallmarks of a bipedal ape. Fast forward to 1.7 million years ago,…
Chicken Soup for the Vegan Soul
Like cooks everywhere, I scan recipes in newspapers, magazines, cookbooks, online. But I also have a private habit I don’t tell many people: If I’m drawn to a recipe in a cookbook in a store, I have been known to scribble down the basic ingredients and their ratios without buying the book. Back at home…
Partners
Reviews HELL OR HIGH WATER opens on a panorama of desolate, dusty West Texas-ness to narrow in on graffiti scrawled on cement: “3 tours in Iraq but no bailout for people like us.” The story is about two brothers whose family home is being foreclosed on by a corrupt bank that sold their now-deceased mother…
Digging Deep
How do we experience a garden? Probably the first thing we notice is the visual aspect — the colors, textures and overall design that appeal to us. We may also enjoy fragrant flowers and plants with aromatic foliage and the scent of newly mown lawn or freshly turned earth. Fruits and vegetables delight our sense…
Vote Smart, and Humane
Sadly, we’ve become a nation of us and them, of who’s better and who’s worse — a nation of frightened and judgmental beings. We can judge others but others have no right to judge us. How enormously sad and backward and inhumane. We blame the homeless for being homeless, yet people working 40 hours a…
Teacher, Teacher
There’s the old saying “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” There’s also a more recent addition: “Those who can’t teach, teach gym.” Leaving that last one aside, I don’t know if the saying is meant to put down teachers — perhaps specifically those damned liberal university professors — but we, as enlightened individuals,…
Addiction
Torn apart and pushed away, I die a little with each new day. Trying so hard to make the right choice, I call out for help but none hear my voice. I fill my body with chemicals on my own accord, Spinning off money I cannot afford. But that’s not the worst part because when…
Bulgarians!
Editor: Bravo Linda Stansberry (“Not Even From Around Here,” Aug. 25). You hit the nail on the head and, sheepishly, I felt that you were talking directly at me. When selling our Mattole Valley property a few years ago, one potential buyer was of Eastern European descent. Gold capped teeth, gold chains around the neck,…
My ‘Yuge’ Election Letter
Editor: This letter is going to be yuge. It’s going to fabulous, definitely the finest letter this newspaper has ever published. Finest letter — you can take that to the post office! I have always been a fabulous letter writer — a yugely successful letter writer. Yugely successful. I have successfully hired thousands of people…
