Cover Story
Cannabis and Conflict
As the Board of Supervisors readied to hold a Feb. 1 public hearing to consider providing millions of dollars in tax relief to local cannabis cultivators pushed to the brink of insolvency by a plummeting wholesale market, the Humboldt County Growers Alliance broke the news on its Instagram page. Just minutes before the meeting was…
Public Health Reports Another COVID-19 Death
Humboldt County Public Health reported today that the county has confirmed another COVID-19 death since its last report March 16. The county also reported today that seven previously reported hospitalizations and three previously reported deaths have been removed from the county’s cumulative tally “after they were determined to be from another jurisdiction or not COVID-related.”…
Drug Task Force Investigation Leads to Record Fentanyl Bust
A months-long investigation led to the seizure of 15,000 “30” fentanyl pills this week, the largest bust of the powerful opioid in Humboldt County’s history, according to a news release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force. Three men were arrested Tuesday after drug task force agents, with the assistance of the Humboldt County Sheriff’s…
It’s Only A Test: Tsunami Warning System Drill
The annual Tsunami Warning Communications Test takes place tomorrow (Wednesday), giving local emergency officials the chance to tryout the local warning system and residents an opportunity to learn more about the ways those same officials will be getting out the word if a distance-source tsunami is heading to Humboldt’s shores. The drill is scheduled to…
State Unveils Long-awaited Standard for Drinking Water Contaminant
On Monday, California proposed a long-awaited standard for a cancer-causing contaminant in drinking water that would require costly treatment in cities throughout the state. Traces of hexavalent chromium are widely found in the drinking water of millions of Californians, some naturally occurring and some from industries that work with the heavy metal. The proposed standard…
One Seat, Six Candidates: Arcata City Council Race Makes a Special June Ballot Appearance
A former mayor, a consultant, three previous candidates and a Cal Poly Humboldt student are all seeking a single open seat on the Arcata City Council, making for a crowded field on the June ballot. The top vote-getter of the six candidates — Chase Marcum, Humnath Panta, Dana Quillman, Edith Rosen, Alexandra Stillman and Kimberley…
The Collapse of Community College Enrollment: Can California Turn it Around?
After community college enrollment collapsed in late 2020, California lawmakers last year gave the system of public two-year colleges $120 million to help stem the tide of departing students and bring them back. So far, progress has been uneven. Through last fall, just 17 of California’s 116 community colleges have seen the number of students…
Mercury Rising: Higher Temps Expected this Week
With the arrival of spring comes some warmer temperatures this week. The coast is forecast to see a partly cloudy day with highs in the high 50s to 60 degrees on Monday before moving on up to just about 70 degrees on Tuesday amid sunny skies. Inland, areas like Hoopa and Garberville will see the…
NCJ Preview: Cannabis Issue Rundown, Redwood Curtain’s Next Act
Our annual Cannabis Issue runs the gamut from local government to CBD mocktails. We’ll break down this week’s stories, including Michelle Bushnell’s recusal from voting on a cannabis tax measure and what makes a conflict of interest. We’ve also got recipes for cannabis-infused drinks, spiked with THC, CBD and terpenes as an alternative or enhancement…
John Lee Lyons Celebration of Life
A celebration of life will be held for John Lee Lyons on April 2, 2022, at 2 p.m. at Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (24 Fellowship Way, Bayside, CA 95524. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served after the ceremony. Please dress comfortably and wear a mask.
Teresa Danielle LaPietra: 1985-2021
Teresa Danielle LaPietra came into this world on the evening of September 23, 1985, in Orange, California. She left our world suddenly and unexpectedly on the morning of December 14, 2021. Teresa lived her first 4 ½ years in Orange and in 1990 she and her family moved to Humboldt County. Teresa attended St. Mary’s…
Local Artists Donate Work for Ukraine Relief Project
Humboldt County artist Lynn Niekrasz is spearheading a campaign to help the people of Ukraine by offering local art to people who donate to relief efforts for Ukraine. More than 30 artists from Humboldt County and beyond have created art with a theme of sunflowers and are donating that work to this project. The sunflower…
Quake-Up Call: Tsunami Drill in Manila
Heads up, Manila. A tsunami drill taking place tomorrow is going to make for a noisy morning, with sheriff’s deputies and Arcata Fire Department trucks making their way through neighborhoods there while sounding hi-lo evacuation sirens. To be clear, this is only a drill. “Humboldt County is prone to a variety of natural and human-caused…
Hollow Palm Opens at Dell’Arte
If you missed the Butoh performance last weekend at Dell’Arte, you’ve got another chance to see that style of theater this weekend as Hollow Palm opens Friday, March 18 at 8 p.m. at the Carlo Theatre with a Saturday, March 19 performance at 8 p.m. as well ($15). “Hollow Palm is a kaleidoscope of new…
Short-term Fixes Won’t Really Solve California’s Teacher Shortage
Daniel Poulos worked as a custodian for Castro Valley Unified School District for 12 years. He became a familiar face at Redwood High, a school for at-risk youth, where he made sure the classrooms were clean and the lights stayed on. But in 2017, he got the chance to become a history teacher with the…
Regulatory Relief?
The long-feared mass extinction event for Humboldt County’s cannabis farms might finally be upon us. Ross Gordon, the policy director for the Humboldt County Growers Alliance, says while the county had 905 licensed farms on Oct. 27, only 721 remained as of Feb. 28 — a reduction of 20 percent in just four months. The…
Decent Season Ahead for Ocean Sport Salmon Anglers
Even though ocean abundance forecasts have increased over the prior year for both the Sacramento River and Klamath River Fall Chinook, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) is taking a precautionary approach to the 2022 ocean salmon seasons. When the PFMC released its ocean sport salmon season options March 14, there was a mix of…
Turning Red‘s Inner Panda
TURNING RED. Getting prepared for date night by changing into pajamas, cleaning my bedroom/cave and assembling the pre-bought junk food to watch a movie on TV is turning me into a huge bear, too. In the new Pixar animation feature offered by Disney, Turning Red reminds me to close my eyes, control my emotional eating…
Fascism 101
I’ve never been much of a history student, but lately I’ve been reading up on fascism, prepping for a course I’ll be delivering through Cal Poly Humboldt’s OLLI program for people 50 and older. Here are the basics of what I’ve learned. Much of this is from Robert O. Paxton’s The Anatomy of Fascism. Lest…
‘The Wrong Direction’
Editor: Among the many downsides of drive-thrus, one that receives relatively little attention is their contribution to air pollution and climate change (“Eureka’s Appetite for Fast-food Chains,” March 10). Any driver who pays any attention to fuel efficiency knows that idling wastes gas. On average (depending on engine type), an hour of idling consumes 0.7…
‘Love to Live’
Editor: Regarding the Gateway Project, I would love to live in one of the proposed buildings, and the higher up, the better for amazing views (Mailbox, Feb. 10). Remember, a multi-story building needs only one foundation and one roof, so that should help to keep the per-unit cost down. The plan is to have restaurants and…
Some Coming Attractions
If asked to share one thing for which Humboldt County is best known, most would agree: Our dark skies provide excellent night sky viewing and photographic opportunities. But who would also think of outdoor cannabis? Yet it is an actual thing, I hear. And evidently, the two subjects work well when mixed together, like two…
Impact
Their picture was on the front page of the New York Times A loose pile of bodies on pavement. The eight year old daughter looked like she was taking a nap Perhaps dreaming of the little dog the article said still barked from a backpack A blond-haired son curled next to the mother, her eyes…
Sea to Summit: Horse Mountain
My alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I questioned again why I torture myself with these brutal awakenings. My sluggish thoughts were grumpily resistant to starting the day until I took my first sip of tea and remembered I’d get to do one of my favorite things: ride my bike. I was ready, in…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Singer, dancer, and comedian Sammy Davis Jr. disliked the song “The Candy Man,” but he recorded it anyway, heeding his advisors. He spent just a brief time in the studio, finishing his vocals in two takes. “The song is going straight to the toilet,” he complained, “pulling my career down with…
Rise of the Cannabis Mocktail
Two long years ago, the pandemic ushered in an era of uncertainty. In the beginning, housebound folks in isolation and essential workers alike flocked to the only certain pleasures we had: food and drink. The powers that be eased restrictions and soon, alcohol to-go was pouring out from those restaurants able to stay open and…
Cannabis Strains for 2022
Diesel Diesel. Now that gas prices have you buying a shotglass of fuel at a time, the petroleum fragrance of the exponentially intensified terpenes of this inbred plant will hit like pricey perfume. Let it take you back to simpler times when you could bitch about the price of gas without feeling guilty for complaining…
Clint Rebik’s Legacy of Kindness
The celebration of life for Clint Rebik at Blue Lake Casino’s Sapphire Palace on Dec. 4, 2021, was a lively one. The venue was packed with masked attendees from his hometown in Brawley, family, colleagues from Cal Poly Humboldt where he was the registrar, old friends from his blackjack dealer days and an ensemble cast…
