Cover Story
40 Acres and a Permit
Kris Sundeen, who has worked in local real estate for more than a decade, clearly remembers the day he realized the market was about to explode. It was early last summer and he’d just gotten a call from someone with 40 acres in rural Humboldt who was looking to sell and asked what Sundeen thought…
Mac and Cheese Appreciation
We are living in a golden age — golden brown, really — of mac and cheese. Diners, high-end restaurants, bars and food trucks alike all offer their takes on the quintessential comfort food. It’s a dish that contains multitudes: the basic elbow and cheddar, stretchy forkfuls drizzled in truffle oil and duck fat, and deep…
Updated: Victim in Fatal Crash Near Westhaven ID’d
The California Highway Patrol reports that intoxication was a factor in last night’s traffic death of 25-year old Glen A. Roe Jr. The Orick man was in the passenger seat of a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 101 just past Westhaven when the driver, Victor Herrera, of McKinleyville, “failed to negotiate” a…
Yes, Chefs!
Too many cooks in the kitchen? It didn’t look like it on Monday night at the Equinox in Old Town fundraiser dinner. The Humboldt County Office of Education event served up seven courses by a team of neighborhood chefs including coordinator Josh Wiley of Restaurant Five Eleven, where the dinner took place, Liz Acuna of…
Eureka Rotary, Volunteers Go Rogue, Clean up Problem House
What a difference a day, a backhoe and 10 volunteers can make. A couple of weekends ago, the Rotary Club of Eureka organized a cleanup of a long troublesome property on the corner of Summer and Del Norte streets. The place was a mess. A junk car sat in the driveway, almost consumed by piles…
After the Curtain
So you think you can dance? Check out these folks. Under the artistic direction of Emmy-award winning choreographer Travis Wall, the Shaping Sound Dance Company presents After the Curtain, the story of a man fighting to find his creative voice after the death of his one true love. See it Thursday, March 23 at 8…
Logging On
Redwood Acres Fairgrounds transformed into the 79th annual Redwood Region Logging Conference in Eureka this weekend. The sounds of saw mills and chainsaw carvers at work and the whistle of a vintage steam railroad engine keep a large crowd moving among the massive equipment and logging displays. Also available were historic displays, a wildlife show,…
TL;DR: The Cannabis Issue
Busy week? We get it. Here are some highlights from this week’s cover package to get you caught up. Humboldt County’s biggest industry is in flux as it moves from the shadows out into the light. This week, in the Journal’s first ever issue dedicated almost entirely to the industry, we look at various aspects…
HumBug: In the Key of Bee
We’ve finally had three days of warmish weather and the garden is abuzz with the sounds of busy bees. If you listen carefully, you can hear each species with its own pitch and rhythm. There is, of course, the familiar drone of the honeybee and the heavy bass of the yellow faced bumble bee (Bombus…
Alleging Public Defender is Already Failing Clients, Attorney Asks to Fast Track Lawsuit
Eureka attorney Patrik Griego is asking a judge to expedite the process of determining whether newly hired Humboldt County Public Defender David Marcus meets minimum state qualifications to hold the post. Griego, who filed a lawsuit earlier this month challenging the county’s controversial hiring of Marcus, is asking a Humboldt County Superior Court judge to…
Music Tonight – Saturday, March 18
The Mad River Brewery hosts Jenni & David and the Sweet Soul Band at 6 p.m. in the beer garden. As usual, these are free shows. As mentioned above, Wild Otis celebrates the release of Don’t Let Me Fall with a CD Release Party at Redwood Curtain Brewery at 8 p.m. Expect to hear most,…
Humboldt Wine Festival
s tasting wine and cider comparing apples and grapes? Find out at the Humboldt Wine Festival on Saturday, March 18 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kate Buchanan Room ($40). There you can meet local wine and cider makers from more than a dozen Humboldt and Trinity County wineries and cideries, sample their products,…
Sessions: Marijuana Only ‘Slightly Less Awful’ than Heroin
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions tossed some more shade on marijuana this week, adding to growing concerns that a federal crackdown is looming for the $7 billion industry. Speaking about efforts to combat violent crime and “restore public safety” before a group of state and local law enforcement in Richmond, Virginia, Sessions spoke about the…
Music Tonight – Friday, March 17
It’s St. Patrick’s Day and it seems like only a year ago we had our music scene chock full of Celtic tunes. Start off your Irish Appreciation Day at Mad River Brewery with Seabury Gould, who’ll be on for free around 3:30 p.m. for those of you who have already called in sick to work.…
Pot of Gold
Watch performers catch and release at Humboldt Juggling Festival’s annual benefit show Pot of Gold, featuring displays of skill, creativity and entertainment on Saturday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Van Duzer Theatre ($15, $13, free for kids 12 and under). The rest of the festival keeps spinning March 17-19 in HSU’s West Gym…
Kiss Me, I’m Irish (Today)
Sure, Friday, March 17 is a fine time to revel in Irish history and culture. But for most, it’s a reason to get filled to the Darby O’Gills with green beer. They say when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around, everyone’s got a little Irish in them. Here’s where you can toast to that. On Friday,…
Sundberg Selected for Coastal Commission
Gov. Jerry Brown’s office announced today that Humboldt County Supervisor Ryan Sundberg has been appointed to the North Coast regional seat on the California Coastal Commission. Sundberg will be the first Native American to serve on the powerful commission charged with determining the fate of California’s 1,100 miles of coastline. The McKinleyville resident replaces Del…
Music Tonight – Thursday, March 16
Blue Lake has been getting hints of sun here and there through breaks in the fog and rain, so maybe today will be one of those days. Regardless of the weather, The Compost Mountain Boys will be doing their bluegrass thing at Mad River Brewery this evening at 6 p.m. and for free. Two-time Grammy…
Author! Author!
James Faulk and Neil Tarpey, local writers and fellow newsies, share stories from their collected works during Surviving the Times, Saturday, March 18 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the Morris Graves Museum of Art ($5, $2, free for members, children under 17, and families with EBT cards). James Faulk, former Times-Standard city editor and…
Yes, Another Pot Story
I can hear you groaning. Yes, not only is it another local media story devoted to cannabis but it’s virtually an entire issue on the subject. I get it. You’re tired of talking about it. We all are. But whether you smoke shatter on the hour or have never touched a joint, you need to…
Creatures Great and Small
Reviews KEDI. As I age, I see the argument of “cat people” versus “dog people” as an ever more specious one. People will continue to use it to lever their own personal prejudices, of course; such is humanity. But the underlying notion of the innate superiority of one species of furry four-legged thing over another…
Still Standing: The legacy of Women’s Grove
The instant I stepped out of my car and into Women’s Grove, I was hit by the scent of rain-soaked earth and redwood bark — a smell that I will always associate with my childhood. My parents would load us into the station wagon and drive us to this grove, where we would tumble out…
Goodbye, Java
One last meal: egg over easy, with chicken, on kibble. (No need for the meds now.) One last walk: just down the block, with stops for sniffing, on deeply arthritic legs. One last petting: surrounded by four lovers inhaling the scent of fur mixed with tears. Last remembrances of her glory days: Swimmer of alpine…
The Carrot and the Stick
By law enforcement estimates, there are about 10,000 marijuana farms in Humboldt County. About 2,300 of them have applied for the county permits needed to legitimize under local and state laws. Of those, about 400 have gone through the required permitting process by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Of those, about 200 are…
A Singular Solution
The reason Republicans haven’t come up with a credible plan to replace Obamacare over the last seven years is because they’ve never thought it was important for all Americans to have access to health care. “Replace” was only recently tacked onto their dogged, unthinking attempts to repeal when they realized that taking away health insurance…
Culture Change
Mark Rowley has spent just about all of his 62 years in Willow Creek and says he’s never been tempted to move. That is, until now. Why — after having raised two kids and trading one successful business for another — would Rowley consider leaving the valley his family has called home for three generations?…
Stitching Together a Life
It would be a mistake to think of Quilters as a play — rather, it is a metaphor for the lives of pioneer women of the 19th century Midwest. There is no traditional story arc and the only constant in the casting is Marilyn Foote in a masterful performance of quiet strength as Sarah, the…
A Budding Industry
In marijuana country, you get used to not seeing your farmer friends for months at a time as they prepare their sites, tend their plants and deal with the stress of harvest time. But in the past year, thanks to Humboldt County’s compliance program and the passage of California’s Proposition 64, an entirely different group…
Second Skin
Nestled in the back of Mind’s Eye Manufactory & Coffee Lounge in downtown Ferndale, behind the counter where barristas serve up lattes and muffins, lies a wall of windows where customers can peer into a workshop. It’s here that Marc Daniels runs True North Boats, building traditional skin-on-frame ocean craft of the far north. Daniel…
Don’t Let Me Fall
It’s one of those great weekends where we have a chance to hear one of our hardworking local bands draw a line in the musical sand and commit its work into a recorded snapshot of time. All that’s a silly way of saying, Wild Otis is releasing its debut album called Don’t Let Me Fall…
Winter Simmer
Are you tired of talking about the weather? If so, dear reader, I apologise because I really can’t avoid it if I am going to write about soup. As I write, the turgid slurry of chilled wind and water is pounding on the door, paying no mind to my terrier’s need for a walk or…
The Strain Name Game
Quibbling over how we can brand cannabis using Humboldt as a signifier of the sticky icky is not new. In August of 2016 the county launched its track-and-trace program, allowing local growers to stamp their product with proof of origin. In January, state Sen. Mike McGuire introduced a bill that would strengthen existing wording in…
Poetic Praise
Editor: Humble thanks to Ellen Taylor for her remarkable poem “Lilies/ For Rick Park” in the Journal of March 9. I presume the dedication signifies that she was inspired by the villanelle form of my poem of awhile back in these pages (Aug. 18, 2016), “Decennial Villanelle” (every 10 years I write one). It’s a…
Steelhead Praise
Editor: Sean Jansen (“Steelhead Days,” March 9) wrote an excellent article about our magnificent steelhead. I have always said that the only reason God invented salmon was for the steelhead to have something to eat on their way up the river. Denver Nelson, Eureka Editor: I want to share a couple thoughts about the Humboldt…
Blowing Smoke
Editor: President Trump’s Administration (PTA) loves to blow smoke in order to keep Americans from seeing the real truth (“Press Time,” Feb. 23). When Trump lost the popular vote, the PTA supported Trump’s unfounded claim of millions of illegal votes for Hillary Clinton. When photos of Trump’s inauguration showed a relatively sparse turn out, the…
‘Does not Sparkle’
Editor: If you were charged with committing a crime, would you entrust a lawyer who hadn’t been in a courtroom for five years with your defense? The Board of Supervisors is asking indigent clients who rely on the services of a public defender to do just that (NCJ Daily, March 9). The base salary of…
A Newsroom Without Women
I spent #ADayWithoutAWoman at work. Not because I don’t support the cause; I do. But, like many women, striking is not an option at my job. So instead, I’d like to use the platform I have to talk a minute about the women with whom I work and the women who’ve made that work possible.…
‘The Stupidest Thing’
Editor: I wish to go on record as stating that Dave Meserve’s call for a Sanctuary County is possible the stupidest thing I have ever seen in print (“The Need for Sanctuary,” March 9). Do locals realize that, at present, they are already a minority in California? Decades of hard work by the present population…
The Weirdness of English
Last time, we saw how the precursor of English, Proto-Germanic, was an oddball among other languages derived from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) spoken by nomads in present-day Ukraine around 6,000 years ago. Proto-Germanic is odd because its verb and noun forms are much simpler than those found in its sibling PIE tongues. In addition, it uses…
That Dam Breitbart Letter
Editor: “That Dam Breitbart Story” (March 2) was a cogent rebuttal to the assertions made by Chriss W. Street in his Feb. 15 Breitbart News article, which implies that the Klamath dams were built for flood control and claims they will be removed because of Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration and environmental lawsuits. Apparently, Erin Cearley…
