Cover Story
The Flower Dancers
The Hupa women’s coming-of-age ceremony (Ch’iwa:l) lasts for three, five, or 10 days and is held after a girl starts menstruating. The ceremony is a public celebration that includes specific practices and ritual guidelines for the young girl. This ceremony is particularly important to the Hupa people, as it was thought that the girl’s behavior…
UPDATE: CHP IDs Eureka Man Fatally Struck on 101 North of Herrick Ave.
UPDATE: The California Highway Patrol has identified the man fatally struck on U.S. Highway 101 Aug. 4 after apparently running into traffic as Eureka resident Raymond Severns. He was 29. PREVIOUSLY: A 29-year-old man was fatally struck on southbound U.S. Highway 101 north of Herrick Avenue last night after apparently running into the path of…
Eureka Council Moves Forward With H and I Street Changes, Cannabis Lounges
The Eureka City Council voted last night to move forward with reducing the number of lanes on H and I streets, establishing an advisory committee on needle exchange and directed staff to bring back a proposed ordinance for cannabis lounges. Council members selected the first of three options for creating traffic calming measures on two…
‘Realistic’ HSU Emergency Drill Could Get Loud Tonight
Humboldt State University is warning that things could get loud this evening when Housing and Residential Life conducts an emergency response drill on campus. The simulation scheduled for 6 p.m. will include participation from the University Police Department, the Arcata Fire Department, Arcata Mad River Ambulance and the Campus Emergency Operations Center. “Passersby may see…
TSA Chief Backs Away From Stopping Screenings at Smaller Airports
The head of the Transportation Security Administration has told The Hill that security screenings will remain in place at all airports after a series of media reports about an internal proposal that suggests shutting down the procedures at select sites. Administrator David Pekoske’s statement comes one week after an agency spokesperson said no decision had…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, August 8
Vancouver party band 5 Alarm Funk returns to Humbrews tonight at 9:30 p.m. for an evening of uncomplicated dance music ($10). If you enjoy horn-heavy music played by the kind of dudes who have a knack for sticking their tongues out and making the “shaka” hand while posing for photos and who wear cowboy hats…
Now Entering Babylon: Reggae on the River with High Times
“Every time I get high/ Babylon falls.” It was late Friday afternoon at Reggae on the River and the first live musical act on the lineup was just getting started. Hempress Sativa, born Kerida Johnson in Kingston, Jamaica, was performing with her band the Unconquerebels. At the mic, the self-crowned Hempress shone in a Rastafari…
Trump’s Fire Tweets Decried as Congressional Delegation Urges Disaster Declaration
With the Mendocino Fire Complex — an explosive combination of the River and Ranch fires — now officially ranked as the largest in California’s history at nearly 300,000 acres, a congressional delegation sent a letter today urging President Donald Trump to declare a major disaster in Mendocino, Lake and Napa counties. The move would free…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, August 7
London’s Omega Tribe was founded in the early 1980s during the heady days of anarcho-hardcore and post-punk. Reformed and touring in this decade, it’s joined by Los Angeles’ classic ’80s “stenchcore” act Apocalypse tonight at the Siren’s Song at 8 p.m. (price TBA). Along for the ride is Anaheim’s antifascist crust punk group Life Once…
EPD: D Street Deaths Appear to be a Murder-Suicide
The deaths of two people found in a D Street home on Friday night appear to be a murder-suicide, according to the Eureka Police Department. Officers responding to a welfare check call around 8 p.m. forced their way into the residence on the 3200 block where they found a man and woman dead. Both had…
Crabs Season is over and Everything is Garbage
Well, folks, it’s over. Humboldt’s best summer distraction has come to a close and now we are all forced to confront the empty misery of our Crabs-less existences. No more heckling, no more Crusty, no more dynamic renditions of “Go Big Red,” no more band at all! Baseball has abandoned Arcata, not to return for…
Cannabis Lounges, Lane Changes to H and I on Eureka Council Agenda
The Eureka City Council will consider Tuesday giving direction on potential regulations for onsite cannabis consumption as well as alterations to H and I streets to make the thoroughfares more bike and pedestrian friendly. A staff report asks the council to look at framework options for establishments that could allow the consumption of cannabis in…
Music Tonight: Monday, August 6
Cameron Stallones is a masterful mixologist of all things bright and beat-driven from early surf rock to classic reggae. Under the moniker Sun Araw he makes echoplex magic where once stood only disparate genres and imposing musical sanctions. I like the tunes I have heard on his Bandcamp page and his Drag City records releases,…
TSA Proposal Looks at Cutting Smaller Airport Screenings
An internal Transportation Security Administration proposal floats the idea of eliminating security screenings at 150 small-to-medium sized airports across the country as a cost-saving measure, according to agency documents first reported on CNN. The network’s story states that “the internal documents from June and July suggest the move could save $115 million annually, money that…
Music Tonight: Sunday, August 5
A few years ago I went down a rather unpleasant rabbit hole — or was it a tornado vortex? — and read up on the mind-shattering amount of abuse and tweaked out misery Judy Garland endured at the hands of studio heads, producers and even castmates while playing the rather innocent role of Dorothy Gale…
EPD Investigating Possible Double Homicide
The Eureka Police Department has launched a homicide investigation after finding two dead in a residence in the 3200 block of D Street. Officers responded to the residence shortly after 8 p.m. yesterday for a welfare check call. After getting no answer, the officers forced entry into the residence, where they found the two dead…
Zootini
Smooth your feathers! Zootini, the zoo’s biggest fundraiser Saturday Aug. 4, will be swinging from 5 to 9:45 p.m. at Sequoia Park Zoo ($100, includes dinner, souvenir martini glasses, free first drink). Sip cocktails, dine, dance and enter a raffle to win cool animal encounters. Plus, an appearance by guest auctioneer State Sen. Mike McGuire.
Artsy Flea
Time to spruce things up around the house or garden? Looking for original and whimsical collectables? Head to the Artsy Flea happening at the Morris Graves Museum of Art Saturday, Aug. 4 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (free entry). Browse through vintage items, sculptures and assemblages, photos, paintings ceramics and more. Proceeds benefit Humboldt…
Music Tonight: Saturday, August 4
Fela Kuti-inspired afro-funk act Lovebush plays a free show at 8 p.m. at Siren’s Song tonight after Arts Alive. Meanwhile, an hour later across the bay, you can join fuzzed-out wonders Hollow Down along with Dirt Magic and The Tweeners at the Jam for an evening of rock and pop and roll and then more…
Fire Whirl in Carr Fire Reached 143 MPH
A fire whirl — similar to a tornado — that occurred in the Carr Fire near Redding on July 26 had maximum winds in excess of 143 mph, according to an initial analysis by the National Weather Service and Calfire. The column of fire produced by “intense rising heat and turbulent winds” was equivalent to…
Bridge Linking Scotia and Rio Dell Reopens
The Eagle Prairie Bridge that connects Rio Dell and Scotia reopened today just in time for Wildwood Days after a four-month closure for repainting. As detailed in the July 5 North Coast Journal cover story “Just Across the Bridge,” the shut down pushed many Rio Dell businesses to the brink at the height of the…
Wildwood Days
Looking for something the whole gang can enjoy this weekend? Head to Rio Dell for a heap of family fun at Wildwood Days happening Aug. 3-5. The Rio Dell Volunteer Fire Department’s annual fundraiser includes a car cruise, soap box derby, kids’ talent show, penny scramble, street dance, music festival featuring The Scotia Band, barbecue,…
The Hitch is Back
Known for his voyeuristic camera angles, startling imagery and issues with icy blondes, Alfred Hitchcock is considered one of the most influential filmmakers ever. See why when another round of films from the Master of Suspense returns to the Eureka Theater for August’s Summer of Suspense. The series gets underway with Rebecca (1940) on Friday,…
Rollin’ on the River
Reggae on the River returns to French’s Camp Aug. 3-5 for more camping, music, food, festivities and floatin’ on the Eel River ($85-$225). With an uncertain future looming, the event was saved for 2018 when High Times Productions and the Mateel Community Center teamed up to keep the annual iconic reggae fest alive. With High…
Music Tonight: Friday, August 3
There’s a free vinyl dance party going down on the Arcata Plaza today at 2 p.m. Come on down to the palm tree-shaded square to hear some wax tracks spun by the likes of Skinny Pepperwood, Dub Cowboy, DJ Goldylocks and Devstep. Five hours later over at the Outer Space you can join Los Angeles’…
NCJ Editor Nabs National Awards
The North Coast Journal’s own Jennifer Fumiko Cahill got some national recognition this week. At its annual newspaper contest awards ceremony over the weekend, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia announced that Cahill, our arts and features editor, finished second in the Food Writing category and received an honorable mention in Best Columns in our circulation…
Wildfire Smoke Likely to Impact Air Quality
Parts of the North Coast, including Orleans and the Hoopa, Van Duzen and Mad River areas, may experience periods of unhealthy air quality conditions today and this evening due to wildfires. According to the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District, winds coming from the northwest will help disperse the smoke from the Carr Fire…
‘The Elephant in the Room’
Editor: I walked into the KHSU Community Advisory Board meeting last night and was told that the man with his back toward the community was (Humboldt State University Vice President for Advancement) Craig Wruck. He remained with his back to us, speaking to the CAB members until one of the community mentioned that they are…
‘Save the Eucalyptus’
Editor: I am a recreational cyclist. A couple of times a week I ride back and forth on the trail that begins near the skate park on Sunset, passes through Arcata and the marsh and ends beside the bay near Bracut. It’s a delightful ride as many of us know. A couple of times I…
‘Working Toward Peace’
Editor: The entire Democratic party has gone berserk, including Representative Jared Huffman (“In The Wake of Helsinki,” July 26). Instead of trying to influence policy on rampant environmental destruction, military expansion, increasing income inequality, effects of drug war, etc., it is expending its entire resources trying to drag down the president. Huffman accuses Trump of…
‘Greed and Cluelessness’
Editor: Two hundred years ago, Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that the power to tax is the power to destroy. Unfortunately, this is what’s happening currently in Humboldt County. Until recently, cannabis was considered a criminal enterprise. Now governments at all levels have become among its major stakeholders because of their taxing and regulatory power.…
Two-Faced Summer
All of this happens before. Misty mornings, Where trees, hills and chance skies Trace soft lines against The long edge of summer, Glistening perfectly, On stale afternoons Before evening rises again, Bathing us in its long, quiet pause. . None of this can be undone. The daily rhythm, Pulsing softly, Then snapped, While heat furrows…
Nothing’s Impossible
Reviews MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT. Whether or not we need more missions impossible remains the subject of debate. Despite the retention of stars Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames, and the audacity to weather two decades and produce six (!) installments, the franchise exists primarily to outdo the other tent-poles with stunt sequences and gadgetry. And,…
Music Tonight: Thursday, August 2
It’s the inaugural show of RampArt skatepark’s three-day heavy music festival Vert & Distort. 6:30 p.m. ($8 one day, $20 for the full Monty). Some of the featured acts include Snob from the U.K., Norway’s Negativ, Judy and the Jerks from Mississippi, as well as a host of local blasters, including Unholy Oriface, The Cissies…
Dead or Alive
Beetles, Weevils and Dragonflies A recent walk along the Van Duzen River yielded a couple of interesting things. The only dragonfly I saw was a flame skimmer (Libellula saturata). This is the brightest orange dragonfly I know. I rarely see this species; I suspect they travel through my area just stopping to catch a quick…
Living Walls
One of my favorite things about it is the way I am going to be able to use the inherent features of the wall to my advantage,” said Ashland-based street artist XAVI. He was talking about “Living Wall,” the mural he will be painting on the side of the Rodeway Inn in Old Town Eureka…
Portrait of the Wizard as a Young Man
Myths and legends can hold more truth than any history book, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the 12th century monk who first wrote down the story of young Merlin, the boy who became his own legend and mentor to the great King Arthur Pendragon. The latest retelling of this many-layered story, The Legend of Young…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I predict that August will be a Golden Age for you. That’s mostly very good. Golden opportunities will arise, and you’ll come into possession of lead that can be transmuted into gold. But it’s also important to be prudent about your dealings with gold. Consider the fable of the golden goose.…
Arts Alive!
Presented by Eureka Main Street. Opening receptions for artists, exhibits and performances are held the first Saturday of each month. For more information, call 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org. 707 BAR (formerly Steve and Dave’s) First and C streets. Barry Evans photography. Music by Dr. Squid. A TASTE OF BIM 613 Third St. Susan Strope,…
Brave New World
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit has been busy. Over the course of about a week, the unit reported serving a dozen search warrants in southern Humboldt County, resulting in the eradication of more than 46,000 cannabis plants and the destruction of more than 1,400 pounds of processed weed. Working with the California…
Trinidad Art Night
For more info visit www.trinidadartnights.com FORBES AND ASSOCIATES 343 Main St. “Modern Amulets by Ay Su Jewelry,” Haylee Corliss, jewelry. MOONSTONE CROSSING 529 Trinity St. Lynn Niekrasz, oil painting. NED SIMMONS GALLERY 380 Janis Court (Trinidad Coastal Land Trust). Premiering the second “Plein Air” show depicting landholdings from Little River to Big Lagoon, featuring 20…
Altered States
While I enjoyed catching what is certainly the best set by The Tweeners I have ever seen last night, I am lamenting the fact that the venue — Blondies — serves only beer, cider and wine. Eschewing the first two as I always do, I was left with white wine for my evening’s pleasure. This…
Eureka Weighs the Future of its Nonprofit Needle Exchange Program
It was the most pointed question in a meeting full of them. Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel looked at Humboldt Area Center for Harm Reduction Programs Coordinator Jessica Smith and board treasurer Rachel Waldman, leaned into the microphone and gave voice to a rumor — an allegation hurled on a social media platform without a…
Meet Kohlrabi
It is hard to pass by a basket of kohlrabi without stopping. Pale green or purple, this vegetable naturally attracts your gaze with its bulbous enlarged stem. The name kohlrabi comes, via German, from the Italian cavolo rapa and literally means turnip cabbage. It is not a turnip, though, but a cultivar of Brassica oleracea,…
