Cue Blues: Redwood Coast Music Festival is Canceled
With Humboldt County and the rest of the state of California under a shelter-in-place order, the board of the Redwood Coast Music Festival has announced that the 30th annual multi-day, multi-stage event that takes over Eureka every May is canceled. Ticket holders can get refunds by emailing accounting@redwoodjazz.org but the board, which has already scheduled next year’s…
Public Health Announces Five More COVID-19 Cases Today
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Humboldt County doubled today after five additional positive tests were returned, bringing the total to 10, Humboldt County Public Health announced. A day after announcing that two members of a group that had recently returned from international travel had tested positive, the department announced today that four additional…
County Sets Up COVID-19 Compliance Tip Line
Humboldt County has set up a COVID-19 compliance tip line for residents concerned about certain business operations or gatherings in the community that do not appear in line with the shelter-in-place order. Essential businesses include grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, hardware stores, car repair and supply shops, delivery services, restaurants with to-go orders, banks,…
UPDATED: Watch Huffman’s COVID-19 Town Hall
UPDATE: North Coast Congressman has posted video of last night’s town hall meeting on COVID-19 to his Facebook page. We’ve embedded it below. PREVIOUSLY: North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman has announced he will host an “online ‘shelter in place community town hall” on Tuesday from 5 to 6 p.m. “In compliance with shelter in place…
SECOND UPDATE: County Announces Fifth COVID-19 Case
SECOND UPDATE: A fifth person has tested positive for COVID-19, health officials announced, but no further information was immediately released. According to officials, more details about the case will be released tomorrow. Read the full release at the bottom of the story. UPDATE: A fourth case of COVID-19 related to the travel group has been…
Centro del Pueblo Radio Centro Via Access Humboldt
En el dia 19 de Marzo del año 2020, el Centro Del Pueblo grabó el programa Radio Centro para residentes hispanos del condado de Humboldt en el estudio de Access Humboldt. El enfoque de programa fue en punto de lo que es el coronavirus, y como residentes pueden responder y cuáles recursos pueden utilizar. Pueden…
Public Health Looking for Info on Passengers from Three Flights
Public Health is asking individuals who flew on three specific flights between March 16 and March 18 to self-isolate due to possible exposure and contact the office if they become ill with COVID-19 related symptoms, which include cough, fever and shortness of breath. The three flights are: United Flight No. 5827 from Los Angeles to…
Newsom Announces ‘Soft Closure’ of Parks, Beaches
Following a sunny weekend when Californians flocked to beaches and hiking trails despite a government order to stay home, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday a “soft closure” of state parks to curb the spread of coronavirus. While not completely blocking access to natural open spaces, the governor’s action immediately closes parking lots at many state parks…
Public Health Officer Urges Vigilance to ‘Improve our Odds’
Humboldt County Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich stressed the importance of social distancing and sheltering in place in a video sent to local media Monday afternoon, even as the county Public Health lab reported no new cases of the COVID-19 virus. “The whole point of us all making this sacrifice is it improves our odds,”…
Water Policies Amid COVID-19 Differ Across Humboldt County
Water suppliers across the region — from local cities to community service districts — are suspending shutoffs for nonpayment in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting widespread business closures. Local cities that provide the service, including Arcata, Eureka, Fortuna, Rio Dell and Trinidad, all have postponed the practice, as have the McKinleyville…
With COVID-19, California’s Economy is in Uncharted Territory
Social distancing may be good for public health these days, but it isn’t good for the California economy. As the coronavirus pandemic forces millions of residents to cancel dates and travel plans, retreat from social life to shelter in place, key cogs of the state’s economic engine are grinding to a halt. That’s an unprecedented…
Newsom, PG&E Strike Deal to End Company’s Bankruptcy
In the middle of a pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on Pacific Gas and Electric Corp.’s $57.65 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan Friday, after winning shareholder concessions and governance changes that he declared would be “the end of business as usual” for the state’s largest utility. The company agreed to a number of changes, notably…
Committee Formed to Help Local Businesses Navigate COVID-19 Impacts
A handful of local organizations have banded together to form the COVID Economic Resilience Committee, which will focus on supporting local businesses through the pandemic. More specifically, the committee is aimed to coordinate the delivery of “critical information, resources and services to local businesses experiencing economic injury” and is comprised of representatives from the North…
Public Health: 38 More COVID-19 Tests Today All Negative
The Humboldt County Department of Public Health announced that its lab has tested samples from 38 additional people for COVID-19 since yesterday’s report and all came back negative. Yesterday Humboldt County confirmed its second positive COVID-19 test in someone who had recently traveled to a “high-risk” country, with officials saying there is no evidence of…
Open Door Announces Changes, Explains COVID-19 Efforts
Open Door Community Health Centers sent out a trio of press releases today announcing a variety of changes at its clinics, including that staff is currently evaluating all scheduled appointments to determine which can be rescheduled to a future date in an effort to reduce pressure on the local healthcare system and potential COVID-19 exposure…
Confusion Reigns as Families Tackle COVID-19 Homeschool
Mornings this week have started as always for Ray Ortega and his second-grade daughter: They wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, and prepare for their day at school and work. Except, this week, the classroom is their Sacramento home office, and the teacher is Ortega, who, with his wife, is juggling his job with homeschooling…
Tip the Band at Bandcamp and Do Some Virtual Busking
Humboldt music fans can still support some of the local bands and musicians they love, even as the bars and venues that host them stand closed. Take for example the grinding sounds of Ultramafic, local talent our Setlist columnist Collin Yeo once referred to as “space-bong lords.” You can find a slice of the band’s…
County Confirms Second COVID-19 Case, Community Transmission Not Believed to be a Factor
Humboldt County has confirmed its second case of COVID-19 but it was found in an individual who had recently traveled to a high-risk country, and officials do not believe community transmission was a factor. “Our thoughts go out to this individual and we wish them a full recovery,” County Heatlh Officer Teresa Frankovich said. “We…
Local Schools Have Distributed 20K Meals Since Closing
Humboldt County schools have combined to distribute nearly 20,000 meals since being forced to shutter to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. According to a press release from the Humboldt County Office of Education, the meal distribution programs have seen the demand for meals grow daily since the closure. The distribution programs, many of…
DA Warns About Price Gouging Amid COVID-19 Shelter in Place
While no cases have been reported in Humboldt County, District Attorney Maggie Fleming issued a warning today against price gouging in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak that has the state sheltering in place. It is illegal to raise prices on needed products, such as food, medical supplies, gasoline and building materials, by more than…
Shelter in Place Order is ‘Law of the Land;’ Here’s What it Means
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal would like to remind local residents that the shelter-in-place order that Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich authorized early this morning is “the law of the land” and mandatory. The order is a legal order issued under California law; violating it is a misdemeanor offense punishable by a fine, imprisonment or…
Local Tribes Notify Residents to Shelter in Place
Local tribes are also issuing shelter-in-place orders like those in effect in Humboldt County and across the state in response to the COVID-19 outbreak that has gripped the nation and the world. The Wiyot, Hoopa Valley and Yurok tribes notified members yesterday, asking those living within their respective tribal boundaries to limit time out in…
Covered California, Department of Health Care Services Open Special Enrollment Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Amid the COVID-19 national emergency, Covered California and the California Department of Health Care Services have united to ensure state residents losing employment will have a clear pathway to insurance through Medi-Cal or through Covered California. According to a press release, Covered California opened enrollment to any eligible uninsured residents who need health coverage. Anyone…
Northern California Community Blood Bank Seeking Healthy Donors
As more people are staying indoors due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Northern California Community Blood Bank is losing opportunities to collect blood and has a critically low supply. The blood bank is seeking healthy donors to visit their local blood bank to donate. The Eureka Faith Community Center is holding a blood drive Thursday,…
Local Schools to Remain Closed at Least Until April 10, Statewide Shelter Order Issued
Just hours after Humboldt County issued a mandatory shelter-in-place order, Gov. Gavin Newsom made it statewide in an effort to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 virus. Newsom’s move is an unprecedented step aimed at controlling an outbreak of the pandemic that will have dramatic impacts on the world’s fifth largest economy. This afternoon, following…
Public Health Officer Explains Shelter in Place Order
Humboldt County Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich explained at a press conference this afternoon that the shelter-in-place order taking effect locally at midnight tonight is a response to changing COVID-19 conditions elsewhere and “not because there is a significant change in our own community.” “I’m issuing this order right now because of the changes that…
Gov. Newsom Signs Executive Order Protecting State Assistance Programs
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order March 18 to protect “safety net services” amid the COVID-19 outbreak by extending eligibility re-determinations for California residents receiving certain services. Under the order, Medi-Cal health coverage, CalFresh food assistance, CalWORKS, cash assistance for immigrants and in-home supportive services eligibility is extended for 90 days, meaning that those…
Food for People Asking Community for a Helping Hand
Food for People announced today it is looking for a financial helping hand from the community after facing devastating damage to its main building, as well as food losses amid a higher demand for services in the wake of the coronavirus. The nonprofit is “struggling to find solutions” after its Eureka headquarters sustained $80,000 in…
Watch Live: COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place Order Press Conference
Courtesy of Access Humboldt.
UPDATED: County to Issue Shelter in Place Order, Effective at Midnight
Humboldt County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich has scheduled a press conference this afternoon at which time she will announce an order directing local residents to shelter in place beginning at midnight tonight in an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The news conference will be live streamed here. Counties from the Bay…
Access Humboldt Scores (Temporary) Free Internet for Students in Disconnected Households
With schools throughout Humboldt County having been shuttered to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Access Humboldt is trying to bridge the digital divide. At least temporarily. The nonprofit reached out to Altice-Suddenlink, which agreed to offer households with students in its service area that don’t currently have internet access free broadband for 60 days. At…
What You Need to Know
With the COVID-19 landscape changing minute-by-minute, here’s a quick rundown on some of the basics, including what symptoms to look for, whom to call and where to look for more information, as well as what financial assistance is available if the virus impacts a person’s business or ability to work. What to watch for: According…
This is Very Real
As the full reality of the COVID-19 pandemic washed over California and the United States the weekend of March 14, prompting virtually all Humboldt County schools to shutter indefinitely and Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask all bars, breweries and wineries to do the same, reactions were decidedly mixed. While most Humboldt County residents likely fell…
Drastic Change
On March 11, Humboldt County Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich sat behind a small table in a downtown Eureka conference room and calmly explained that she had declared a local health emergency in response to the COVID-19 virus, describing it as a proactive step that would free additional resources and increase coordination between state, local…
Phone Calls, Online Payment Encouraged as Government Offices Adjust to COVID-19
Local cities, school districts, the county and state agencies are changing the way they do businesses due to the coronavirus, including closing to the public and/or curtailing direct interaction with staff. With the COVID-19 situation constantly shifting, here is a roundup of basic information on operations across the region as they stand on March 18.…
5.2 Earthquake Hits West of Petrolia
An earthquake struck about 8 miles west of Petrolia shortly after 3 p.m. today with a prelmimarny magnitude of 5.2, rattling much of Humboldt County. We’re trying to field reports to see if there was any damage. Let us know in the comments what you felt where.
Puff, Puff, Don’t Pass
Whatever you do, you cannot pass the dutchie to the left hand side. People love to get high. And people love to to do it socially. Those are just inescapable facts. When it’s time to celebrate, they’ll roll one up and pass it around. When the stresses of life come cascading down and it’s time…
‘Covfefe-19’
Editor: Let’s not be too hard on our commander in chief for his slow response to the corona virus pandemic. Administration health experts warned him of the looming dangers of COVID-19. President Trump assumed they were warning him about Covfefe-19, which, as everyone knows, is an inert gaseous substance with little adverse consequence. John Dillon,…
‘Crawling in the Right Direction’
Late last year, Sheriff William Honsal walked into a community meeting his staff had set up in Willow Creek to hear from cannabis farmers who’d become increasingly concerned about a rash of sophisticated robberies at grow scenes in the area. Gangs of armed men had held up a number of farmers at gunpoint after scouting…
‘Wishful Thinking’
Editor: Ms. Brown writes: “… science has known there are more than two sexes for decades …” (Mailbox, March 5). However: Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, (1956) defines sex: as: 1) “One of the two divisions of organisms formed on the distinction of male and female; males or females collectively. 2) The sum of…
The Sturgeons Suck
Like a lot of you out there, last week came at me pretty hard and fast. As a member of the “gig economy,” which is shorthand for the reduced circumstances that almost everyone under 40 has to live in so that three men can own more wealth than more than 150 million Americans, I am…
A Disservice’
Editor: Once again, Humboldt County’s majority spoke loud and clear in the 2020 primary election … they didn’t vote (NCJ Daily, March 5). According to the latest tally from Humboldt County’s election department, 57 percent of registered voters abstained. However, according to the most recent Census estimates (2018), 68 percent of Humboldt County’s “citizens of…
Free Will Astrology
We interrupt your regularly scheduled horoscopes to offer insights about the virus-driven turning point that the whole world is now experiencing. As you’ve probably guessed, all of us are being invited to re-evaluate everything we think we know about what it means to be human. I refer to this unprecedented juncture as The Tumultuous Upgrade…
Six Feet of Dining Separation
A server makes her way to the end of the bar with menus in hand, announcing to the trio of women waiting there, “Sorry but we are out of rice.” “Rice and hand sanitizer,” quips one woman, and they all laugh and sigh. On Thursday, March 12, Oberon Grill is looking a little empty just…
Raptors at Chapman’sGem and Mineral
Since childhood, dinosaurs have held a fascination for me. If dinosaurs roamed the earth today, my photo stories would probably be about them or, perhaps more likely, about dinosaurs at night. Alas, they are exceedingly rare and opportunities to photograph them are few and far between. Until recently, I’ve had more luck photographing meteors. I…
