The Hidden Palace
Resurrecting Franz Bernau’s mural in Ferndale’s Church of the Assumption
Cover Story
The Hidden Palace
Franz Bernau was 37 years old when he first set foot in the United States, arriving Sept. 1, 1888, on the steamer Amsterdam, which sailed from Rotterdam in the Netherlands and docked at the Castle Garden immigration center on Manhattan’s Battery Park waterfront. Three years later the painter traveled to faraway Humboldt County. His head…
‘Not Like it Used to Be’: Why Mazzoti’s Eureka Shut Down
Peer through the darkened windows of Mazzotti’s in Old Town and you’ll see the chairs have been upside down on the tables long enough to gather yellowed leaves from the hanging plants. Eventually the furniture will come out and the sign will go down, but Mazzotti’s isn’t coming back — at least not here and…
Arcata Council Advances Revised Village Housing Project
Arcata’s The Village housing project is not dead, the City Council decided last night with a unanimous vote to reconsider the newly revised development proposal. The project will go through three more review hearings before moving forward: one with the Arcata Planning Commission and two more with the council, including one focused on vacating St.…
Splash and Dash: Photos from the Clam Beach Run
As the starting time of 12:30 p.m. approached for the 54th annual Trinidad to Clam Beach Run Honoring Ford Hess on Saturday, Feb 2, a rainbow emerged over Trinidad. The weather forecast had predicted continuing rain but the sky cleared nicely just in time for the runners and walkers in the 3-, 5.75- and 8.75-mile…
Eureka Moves Forward with New Marketing Approach
The Eureka City Council voted unanimously last night to take a markedly different approach to attracting tourists by putting its $370,000 in annual marketing funding out to bid, potentially ending its decades-long funding relationship with the Eureka-Humboldt Visitors Bureau. For decades, the city has contracted with the bureau — formerly the Humboldt County Convention and…
SECOND UPDATE: 4.4 Quake Hits East of Blue Lake
This morning’s earthquake was a magnitude-4.4 that struck east of Blue Lake, according to the USGS. The 10:23 a.m. temblor follows a swarm of quakes that have hit off the coast since Friday while two more unrelated seismic events occurred in Cutten on Monday. The largest of the swarm was a magnitude-4.5 that hit on…
SECOND UPDATE: 101 Reopened With Traffic Control (Video)
UPDATE: Caltrans reports that U.S. Highway 101 is now open with one-way traffic control in place, which will continue into tomorrow “due to damaged pavement.” PREVIOUS: A 62-year-old Willits man suffered minor injuries this morning when his tanker carrying a full cargo of fuel hit a bridge rail on U.S. Highway 101 north of Leggett…
North Coast Night Lights: Reflections from Trinidad
I opened the camera’s shutter and waited. It was already high tide and I didn’t expect any waves to reach me. When I had arrived half an hour earlier, I’d set up where the small waves coming in across Trinidad Harbor lapped nearly at my feet. I’d taken a few photographs from there but the…
SECOND UPDATE: Tanker Crash Closes 101 North of Leggett
SECOND UPDATE: Caltrans reports via tweet that not much has changed at the scene on U.S. Highway 101, which is closed north of Leggett due to an overturned truck that is leaking fluid, leaving travelers with the only option of using Interstate 5. [UPDATE] Hwy 101 remains CLOSED north of Leggett in Mendocino County due…
Music Tonight: Tuesday, Feb. 5
Front Country is a bluegrass quintet from San Francisco that operates as a sort of chamber ensemble dedicated to the precision of the form. It plays the Arcata Playhouse tonight at 8 p.m. ($18, $16 for Humboldt Folklife Society members). Expect deft multi-vocal harmonies and deft instrumental fireworks to punctuate the evening’s performance.
“This is a Load of Barnacles”: SpongeBob Super Bowl Backlash
Over the last several months, more than 1 million people signed the Change.org petition to honor Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob Squarepants, with a performance of the aquatic cartoon anthem “Sweet Victory” during the Super Bowl halftime show. The 57-year-old Humboldt State University graduate died in November of last year after battling a neurodegenerative…
Rain, Hail, Snow Expected Throughout the Day
Winter is here, bringing snow and hail throughout Humboldt County this morning, with more expected in inland areas. A colder storm will drop snow levels from 1,500 feet down to 500 feet above sea level throughout the day. Areas around Kneeland are expected to record 5 inches of snow through tonight, with coastal snow showers…
Newsom’s Move: Not Yet Health Care For All, But Health Care for More
It was way easier for candidate Gavin Newsom to endorse single-payer health care coverage for everyone than it is now for Gov. Newsom to deliver it. Yet hardcore advocates say they’re pleased with the moves he’s made thus far — even if it may take years to come to fruition. “This is a governor that is…
Music Tonight: Monday, Feb. 4
Hawaiian reggae band The Green travels from the eternal sunshine of its native Oahu to play the Mateel tonight at 9 p.m. ($29, $25 advance). Filling out the bill of island grooves will be Filipino/Hawaiian singer and American Idol alumnus Eli-Mac as well as Fia.
HumBug: Bees and May-bees on the Willow
The pussy willows are just starting to bloom along the river and, being pretty much the only game in town, they’re attracting the early birds of the insect world. Bumblebees, adapted to cool weather, were out and defending their territory by circling around me at a dizzying pace. These are the next generation of queens…
Cheer for the Rams But in California High Schools, Fewer Kids are Playing Football
If the Golden State has a rooting interest in the Super Bowl on Sunday, it won’t just be because the Los Angeles Rams will be on the field. Roughly one player in six on the Rams’ and New England Patriots’ active rosters is a product of California high schools. Year after year, California has churned…
Music Tonight: Sunday, Feb. 3
The Temporary Resonance Trio of Terrie Baune, Carol Jacobson, and John Chernoff — who play violin, cello and piano respectively — present a matinee performance fundraiser for the Eureka Symphony at 3 p.m. at the Eureka Women’s Club. Today’s repertoire includes a trio by Brahms as well as the trio number four (opus 22) by…
How French is the Dip?
In the long list of things we call French — like fries (probably Belgian), toast (the Romans were already onto it by the fifth century) and manicures (possibly French but unconfirmed) — the French dip sandwich is a low-key champion. Is it French? No, it is not. Except in its soul. Hailing from Los Angeles…
California Lawmakers Negotiating Law Aimed at Reducing Police Shootings
Jamilia Land walked out of a meeting in the state Capitol feeling optimistic that 2019 may be the year California changes the law to try to reduce the number of people killed by police. It’s personal for her. Land is a family friend of Stephon Clark, the unarmed man Sacramento police shot dead last year…
Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats
The Chinese Golden Dragon Acrobats return to the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. to dance, twirl, flip and wow audiences young and old alike ($29-$39). The dazzling 21-member troupe from China’s Hebei Province presents a spellbinding theatrical performance of skill and beauty perfect for the whole family.
Music Tonight: Saturday, Feb. 2
The Alibi is hosting a metal show tonight. Areal stoner band Ultramafic provides the local support for Oakland’s black metal act Carrion Bloom. The time is an hour before midnight, and the cover charge is a mere $5. Viva.
Arcata City Council to Mull Revamped Village Project
The Arcata City Council will consider a revamped proposal for a large student housing project next week, with Community Development Director David Loya saying he expects the council to make a “go-no-go” decision on the project. Loya and city staff presented a revised plan for The Village at a public meeting Wednesday, about five months…
Tarana Burke
Civil rights activist and advocate Tarana Burke created the Me Too movement a decade ago, born out of her desire to help those who have survived sexual assault and sexual harassment. She shares her story, as well as the impact and direction of the movement on Sunday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Kate…
Music Tonight: Friday, Feb. 1
It’s the two-year anniversary of the opening of the all-ages safe and sober venue Outer Space and the crew is throwing a show. Beginning at 7 p.m. you can catch a diverse variety of local acts including the music collective 4 The Masses, loose and chunky punk band Wet Spot, indigenous activists Sarah Torres and…
HSU Hopes to Open New Nursing Program in 2020
Humboldt State University is looking to hire a director for its new nursing program, which the university hopes to have up and running by the fall of 2020. In a press release today, the university announced that efforts to create a new bridge program — which will allow working nurses and those who have recently…
Acorn to Oak
We love trees and allegories here in the land of tall redwoods and idealists. We’re dreamers, poets, environmental stewards and veterans. And we are fortunate that a sweet tale that speaks to all these identities makes its way to the Arcata Playhouse for our enjoyment and enrichment. The Arcata Playhouse Family Fun Series opens its…
Trinidad to Clam Beach Run
It’s just cold enough outside for one of Humboldt County’s favorite traditions: running through the redwoods, splashing through Little River and greeting the wet, wild waters of the Pacific Ocean. The exhilarating Trinidad to Clam Beach Run honoring Ford Hess gets underway Saturday, Feb. 2 at 12:30 p.m. in Trinidad ($45-$35). The Marching Lumberjacks, a…
Music Tonight: Thursday, Jan. 31
There’s a free jazz show tonight in The Basement, a venue beneath the Jacoby Storehouse that may or may not also have been a certain long-standing and well-regarded Italian restaurant. Come down at 8 p.m. and have a drink and a nosh and check out the smooth sounds of RLA Trio.
Correction
George Clark, of Eureka, writes in to correct his letter from last week, “It’s Greed,” which ran in the Mailbox section of the Jan. 24 edition. Clark clarifies that airline travel isn’t the largest source of CO2 emissions in the United states but is the single best way for individuals to reduce their carbon footprints,…
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. Maggie Draper,…
Fruit Trees and Mint Patches
As winter wraps us in her chilly embrace, here on the home farm we are totally jazzed about the winter planting season. Cold weather brings plants into dormancy, creating an opportunity to introduce new additions, such as fruit trees and edible shrubs in the mint family (Lamiacea). Winter rainfall generously irrigates and softens the ground…
Old Haunts
We’ve all been there. You’re a middle-aged “retired” (read, talentless) dancer, furtively packing to leave your husband for the umpteenth time, trying to convince your brother this one will stick while he blathers on about his fleet-footed fiancée. Oh, you haven’t? In that case, you may not identify with the setting of Ferndale Repertory Theater’s…
Classic Revival
Reviews STAN & OLLIE. Chefs, even impassioned eaters, will often credit their grandmothers with the inspiration to pursue their passion. I only got to know my paternal grandmother; she wasn’t much of a cook. She was, however, a devout comedy acolyte eager to share the tenets of her beliefs. And so my younger brother and…
Another Trump Tirade
Editor: Another tirade on Trump (“The Grifter in Chief,” Dec. 27)? How many has the NCJ run this year? Three, four? By the time we hit “good reporting is vital and thankfully something that still thrives,” the shakes hit and damn near threw me off my chair. From Trump’s first day in office with the…
The Doctor Who Dosed a Preschooler
The Medical Board of California has revoked a Hollywood doctor’s medical license after he prescribed a 4-year-old boy cannabis cookies to treat “episodes of uncontrollable behavior and temper tantrums.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, the board also found that Eidelman is just a really bad doctor. That second part shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who…
Stand up for Tourism!
Editor: With Netflix setting Humboldt County back about 50 years, I’m concerned that the Eureka City Council is considering removing the $400,000 utilized by the Humboldt Convention and Visitors Bureau (NCJ Daily, Jan. 17). This is a problem because the bureau is focused on advertising the redwoods and the natural wonders of our beautiful county.…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Here are your fortune cookie-style horoscopes for the next five months. FEBRUARY: You’ll be invited to make a pivotal transition in the history of your relationship with your most important life goals. It should be both fun and daunting! MARCH: Don’t waste time and energy trying to coax others to haul…
Shut Down Meat, Not Government
Editor: This is in response to the article on the difficulties of being vegan (“Drag Me, Vegans,” Jan. 17). JFC, I love your wit, humor and razor sharp analysis of all things and I feel your pain. However, consuming animal products at the level and the way we do is killing us and our planet.…
Common Egrets
Great wings spread Feathering west winds, While grey clouds loom Beyond all horizons. These are dark days Yet still, you fly Battling the elements While the rest of us Just watch.
‘No Money, No Labor’
Lynn Kerman, Eureka Editor: Contrary to Trump’s vow to keep government shut until he gets wall funding, the government is not shut down. What is happening is that government workers and the Coast Guard are working without pay. Being a union worker in my years of employment, it is incomprehensible to me how workers will…
Native > Useful
Dennis Ohligschlager, Eureka Editor: In his letter to the NCJ, Mr. Driscoll suggests that he adheres to a mistaken belief that there is very little difference environmentally between non-native and native plants (Mailbox, Jan. 24). The research of scientists, such as Douglas Tallamy, the author of the book Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain…
‘At Least a Dozen’
Editor: I’d like to amplify some of Thad Greenson’s information in his Jan. 24 cover story, “We’re Coming Home.” The article indicates that not only Tuluwat but also two other Wiyot villages were attacked in the same night. If we expand the time frame from one night to five days, a total of at least…
Getting out the Count
Offering hot chili and coffee with a friendly smile, Jennifer Solis sat at a table in the Applebee’s parking lot surveying Eureka’s homeless population as part of the biennial Point in Time Count. With a soft voice, she began inquiring about their demographics, substance abuse issues, mental health and where they had slept the night…
This Wheel’s on Fire
Local fuzzy Americana quartet Hollow Down began the year on the road with a plan to tour the United States in their beloved home and bus, bringing their vibrant live gospel to the masses. Last week that dream was destroyed when the rig in question went up in flames on a lonesome stretch of State…
Together for a New Year Feast
Chinese New Year is around the corner, falling on Feb. 5 this year. To celebrate the Year of the Golden Pig, my southern Chinese family’s tradition is to have savory rice ball soup the night before, whereas the northerners like to have dumplings. The soft little balls made from glutinous rice flour symbolize closeness and…
Salt: Emily Silver and Holly Sepulveda
Since it opened on F Street last year, the nonprofit gallery Canvas + Clay has been staging exhibitions that approach arts programming in novel ways. Canvas + Clay is affiliated with the Eureka Studio, a fine arts center for people with developmental disabilities and the gallery’s two-person exhibitions pair studio-affiliated artists with established locals. Salt,…
Music Tonight: Wednesday, Feb. 6
It’s hump day ladies and gents, so once again please come one and all over to the Logger Bar for another free installment of the Everything Goes Open Mic curated by Mo Hollis. The title says it all, so if you want to play Bach on a nose flute or grab a buddy to re-enact…
