The Faces of Obamacare
The Affordable Care Act’s local stories of success and frustration, and a glimpse at the challenges that lie ahead.
Cover Story
The Faces of Obamacare
In many ways, Jude Ehrlich is the face of Obamacare on the North Coast. The good face, anyway. The 44-year-old McKinleyville man never used to have much trouble getting health insurance. He had employee-offered plans until 2000, when he started his own small business and purchased his own policy, which helped cover his treatments for…
Caltrans to Close 101 North Sunday
Thinking of cruising up to Crescent City this weekend? You might want to reconsider. Caltrans announced Wednesday that U.S. Highway 101 will be completely closed to traffic in Del Norte County just south of the Mill Creek Park entrance from 9 a.m. at least until 5 p.m. Sunday, March 16 as work crews stabilize a…
DUFF Enough
Look at your plans for the week. Not weird enough? Need a bit more gut-punch panic and shock to keep your adrenaline up? The Seventh Annual Druid Underground Film Festival on Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m. should do the trick ($7). Settle down, LARPers. It’s not that kind of druid party. Which is not…
Earthquake and Record Rainfall, Sunday Had it All
Humboldt County got a good jolt Sunday night when an earthquake struck off the coast, west of Ferndale, but the chances of a large aftershock striking the area are diminishing by the minute. Folks throughout northern California reported feeling the 6.8 quake that hit about 10:18 p.m. some 48 miles off the coast. Most reported…
Tonight’s Setlist: Beasts & Babes
Two Wandering Bears and Venatore Media present The Fourth Annual Animal Carnival, with all proceeds supporting the Open Door Clinic’s Literacy Program and Humboldt County’s Godwit Days. Organizers describe the menagerie thus: “For four years now, the animal party has entertained catfish, coyotes, crocodiles and caterpillars from all over the world. We have had car fires…
There Will Be a Supervisors Race
Fourth District Supe Virginia Bass and 5th District Supe Ryan Sundberg don’t get to put up their feet this this year. Two 11th hour announcements have Eureka pol Chris Kerrigan aiming for Bass’ seat and McKinleyville Pastor Sharon Latour going after Sundberg. Kerrigan announced his campaign on the steps of the elections office Friday afternoon…
Tonight’s Setlist: New Folk, Old Folk
Melody Walker and Jacob Groopman return to the Arcata Playhouse on tonight in order to celebrate their new release, We Made It Home. Before meeting in Northern California, Walker and Groopman both grew up surrounded by sound. Walker was the daughter of a blue collar songwriter father and grew up listening to everything from the…
How We Roll
Bowl for Kids’ Sake is on tonight and tomorrow at Harbor Lanes in Eureka, raising funds for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the North Coast. Not ready to share shoes with a stranger? Not even for the children? No problem. You can sponsor a bowler with a donation right here. NCJ will be rolling…
Stabbing Case Still Front and Center in DA Race
Juan Ferrer’s plea deal in the stabbing death of an Arcata man continues to be a huge issue in the campaign to become Humboldt County’s next district attorney. Arnie Klein, a former prosecutor and one of four candidates vying for the seat being vacated by Paul Gallegos, issued a press release Thursday stating he’s been…
Eureka Selects Iowa Man as Next City Manager
Eureka, meet your new boss: West Des Moines, Iowa, City Manager Greg Sparks has accepted the Eureka city manager position and is scheduled to start May 1, after a background check is completed. Sparks hit the two key Eureka talking points in a city press release issued today: economy and scenery. “The area has great…
Tonight’s Setlist: Options Large and Small
Go big Elephant Revival and The T Sisters perform tonight at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. The five members of Elephant Revival claim a deep commitment to certain ideals: community, recognizing one’s place in the flow of the natural world, harmony. These standards influence the band’s blend of folk music, making it an uplifting favorite at…
Hoofing It
Until science proves otherwise, running is good for you. It makes your heart go pitter-patter in a healthy way and it strengthens your muscly-tendony thingies. Healthful propaganda aside, some people actually like running. For fun. Lucky for them, Humboldt is host to more than a handful of competitive runs throughout the year. On Sunday, March…
Reconsider Releases
Editor: I believe the meeting at the Wharfinger on Feb. 26 was a complete hoax and a whitewash of the death of a beloved priest (see “Free to Go,” page 8). If a more rigorous screening system and a thorough risk assessment process had been in place, the murder might never have happened. The minister’s…
Intentions and Indications
Editor: There are only three people left alive who know what happened to Douglas Anderson-Jordet on the night of Nov. 25, 2013: Juan Ferrer, Nicholas Stoiber and Sophie Rocheleau (“Questions, Campaigning Follow Stabbing Pleas,” Feb. 20). Human nature dictates that Juan, Nicholas, and Sophie would say anything they can at this juncture to vindicate themselves…
Hide Me!
Hey McGuinty! My boyfriend is rather rough around the edges — more like jagged. He’s like this wild mountain guy with a crazy beard and an illegitimate income, if you know what I mean. He’s great and all — sweet, strong and attentive, and we have fun together. But I’m afraid we won’t ever be…
Free to Go
If you’re let out of jail in the middle of the night 50 miles from home, who do you call? For some, it’s Hoopa resident Brad Marshall’s elderly mom. That’s something Marshall would like to see change. Before a crowd of 100 people last week, he asked the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office to reassess its…
Dry Times
Things are looking up! Humboldt County isn’t out of the desert just yet, but a wetter-than-average February has the county’s year-to-date rainfall totals looking much more respectable. When the last drops were counted on Woodley Island, the folks over at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tell us a total of 6.09 inches of rain…
Monday, March 10, 1:30 p.m. — Enough!
As I wrote in this column last week, I’ve been having flashbacks. I started as a reporter for the Arcata Union in 1981 covering the perennially contentious Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, my favorite assignment. Once in a while, the county planning commission beat overlapped, too, and, always, politics. After 33 years, I’m mostly retired,…
Grass
March came in with rainbows — yay! — more a unicorn than the proverbial lion. How the month goes out remains to be seen, but how you go out is more easily determined — as the days grow incrementally longer, so your opportunities for entertainment expand. In this week’s Setlist, we present you options both…
Don’t Get All Mushy
Haven’t you had enough mixed spring salad from a tub? You need to see other vegetables. Winter cabbage is so sweet and crisp raw, but come St. Patrick’s Day we’ll be boiling the blarney out of it with corned beef. Even summer’s coleslaws, tasty as they are, tend to cover up the flavor of the…
Teenage Wasteland
A growing number of studies indicate that marijuana is, like, really bad for the developing teenage brain, according to a recent NPR report. At a point when the brain is streamlining — honing its ability to think critically, make judgments and remember stuff — marijuana use is hindering development. This is not just problematic for grades and…
Fortuna’s First Friday Arts Night
is presented by members of the Fortuna business community and is open for all Fortuna businesses to display the work of local artists. Receptions for artists, exhibits and/or performances are from 5-8 p.m. BODY WORKS FITNESS CENTER 1156 Main St. Free fitness day. CORNERSTONE REALTY 1131 Main St. Elaine Gredassoff, watercolors. DAKOTA’S DESIGNS 1040 Main…
Rescue Dog
winter comes for a long time when paws are soft paws that come in touch with the cold, unforgiving ground and living in a world of unmediated expectations, is unsettling for the beast, for the hound he must come around to the fact that life is not what you make it but what it most…
Correction
Last week’s “Week in Weed” contained an inaccuracy: A quote attributed to Brett McFarland should have been attributed to his brother. The story has been corrected online.
King of the World
Stands of manzanita and groves of knobcone and sugar pine grow within sight of the ocean. Redwoods are nearly absent. Golden eagles ride the thermals along the ridges, and you can find rattlesnakes right down to the edge of the beach. All this makes exploring the King Range National Conservation Area a unique experience in…
Non-Stop Takes Off
Reviews NON-STOP. I bashfully admit that this marks my first experience with the recently reminted Liam Neeson as action hero. My impression is that he has thrown himself into this late-career badass period to combat his grief at the tragic death of his wife Natasha Richardson in 2009. I’m not sure whether it’s the workmanlike…
March To-Do List
The dry weather through much of winter has allowed energetic gardeners to get out and complete most of the obvious gardening tasks, but there’s still plenty to do in March. A few final pruning jobs put the wrap on last year’s growing season, and then we get to look forward by preventing spring weeds, protecting…
Water Rip
Editor: So, what if Mercer-Fraser does win its lawsuit against the Alderpoint Water District? (“Boil Order,” Feb. 27.) Will it then proceed to find fault with the second-lowest bidder, further delaying the project while the town’s water tanks disintegrate and costing the district even more in legal fees while its only employee volunteers his time?…
Write Your Lawmaker!
Editor: Thank you for turning a light on federal mandatory minimum sentencing (“Pot POW,” Feb. 27). Readers concerned about mandatory minimum sentencing are urged to write the United States Sentencing Commission, which is accepting public comment on proposed reductions to the drug guidelines. The deadline for response is March 18. Congress established the commission in…
