Best of Humboldt 2021
The pandemic sure dealt us a crummy hand in 2020. A bad beat. Aces and eights. Busted. But we’re not standing pat this year — we’re doubling down on the Best of Humboldt. No bluffing! It’s double the categories, double the winners, double the BEST. The voting round has ended. Winners will be announced in…
Culturally Significant Mvs-yee-se′-ne Site Vandalized
The Six Rivers National Forest is increasing patrols at the culturally significant Mvs-yee-se′-ne— known locally as Pappas Flat —after recent vandalism at the site, including off-roading, racist graffiti and the chopping down of Oregon white oaks in the area, according to a news release. It is, unfortunately, not the first time such incidents have taken…
Public Health Confirms 15 New Cases, 1 New Hospitalization
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 15 new COVID-19 cases today, making 99 so far this week, as well as a new hospitalization. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed 213 samples with a test-positivity rate of 7 percent, bringing the county’s cumulative case total to 3,814. Yesterday, Public Health reported that the federal government had…
Why Millions of California Students Lack Broadband Access
About twice a week, the $9.99 per month internet connection falters. It’s often as Mario Ramírez finally wrangles his kids into their seats — the fourth-grader studies in the bedroom he shares with his 12 year-old sister, who studied in her parents bedroom — in time for virtual class. The screens freeze — sometimes during online…
Public Health Confirms 16 New COVID-19 Cases, Reports Discovery of UK Variant in Humboldt
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 16 new COVID-19 cases today, making 84 so far this week, while also reporting that the federal government has confirmed the first case of the B.1.1.7. variant, commonly referred to as the “UK variant,” in Humboldt County. Today’s cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 176 samples with a test positivity…
Humboldt Stays in the Orange
Humboldt County remains in the moderate or “orange” tier for another week despite a surge in local COVID-19 cases, many of which are tied to an outbreak at a Eureka church. So far this week, 68 new cases have been reported. Last week recorded 130 cases, far outpacing the previous week’s 71, which was itself…
California Loses Congressional Seat for First Time
For the first time in its 171-year history, California’s political voice is about to get a little quieter. After months of delay, the U.S. Census Bureau on Monday released new population estimates for each state. The bad news for California: It loses a seat in Congress, down from 53 House districts to 52. The worse…
Sheriff’s Office Brings on ‘Less Lethal’ Bean Bag Shotguns (with Video)
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is working to have every patrol car outfitted with shotguns converted to shoot bean bags rounds rather than bullets. The guns, which were already owned by the department, are being added to an already existing store of less lethal tools already carried by deputies, such as pepper spray and tasers.…
Public Health Confirms 68 New COVID-19 Cases, Four New Hospitalizations
Humboldt County Public Health reported it has confirmed 68 new cases since Friday, continuing a surge that saw 130 cases recorded last week, the most in a single week since early February. Today’s cases were reported after laboratories processed 559 samples with a test-positivity rate of 12.2 percent. Public Health also reported four new hospitalizations…
HSU’s Student-Run News Outlets and Reporters Win Awards; El Leñador SPJ ‘Best All-Around Student Newspaper’
Humboldt State University’s El Leñador newspaper was awarded the “Best All-Around Student Newspaper” by the Society of Professional Journalists for Region 11, a multi-state competition, at the 2020 Mark of Excellence regional awards. /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Arial”,sans-serif; mso-ansi-language:EN;}…
Cold and Swift: Another Round of Trinity River Releases This Week
Another round of Trinity River restoration flows being released from the Lewiston Dam takes place this week to help improve conditions after another critically dry water year. That means rising and swifter water at a time when the rivers are already running high and cold. Earlier this month, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and area…
Humboldt State Investigation Hazing Involving Softball Team
Humboldt State University officials are investigating allegations of hazing involving the women’s softball team as well as other possible violations of student and athletic codes. The team has been placed on interim suspension, with all activities, including games scheduled for next week, on hold while the investigation is underway, according to a news release. “Hazing…
NCJ Preview: The Toll of Empty Stages, Code Enforcement Piling Up and a COVID Update
In this week’s NCJ Preview, host David Frank and Journal news editor Thadeus Greenson talk about the toll COVID-19 has taken on local musicians, why county code enforcement cases are piling up at an alarming rate and how local COVID-19 case rates are climbing as vaccination appointments go unfilled. Read more about all these stories…
Friends of the Dunes Presents Naturalist Notes Webinar Series
Get to know the diverse flora and fauna of the North Coast. A new web series presented by Friends of the Dunes is a great way to learn about the many plants and animals you encounter while out adventuring. Tune in Wednesdays, April 21 through May 26 from 5 to 7 p.m., for the Naturalist…
Seascape Restaurant Closed Due to Possible COVID-19 Exposures
The Trinidad Rancheria has closed Seascape Restaurant until all employees can be tested for COVID-19 and is warning customers who visited the restaurant last week to get tested after it was “affected” by a “super-spreader event in Humboldt County the week of April 18.” In a press release, Trinidad Rancheria doesn’t identify the source of…
County Officials Talk Vaccinations, Government Reopening and Preparing for Fire Season at Press Conference
A panel of public officials held a press conference this week to update local media on the ongoing COVID-19 response and vaccination effort. The press conference about an hour and featured Board of Supervisors Chair Virginia Bass, Health Officer Ian Hoffman, Emergency Services Manger Ryan Derby, Economic Development Director Scott Adair and Humboldt County Vaccine…
Humboldt Botanical Garden Presents Online Plant Sale
“I have too many plants,” said no gardener ever. There’s always room for more. And now the prettiest garden of all is having an online plant sale where you can pick up plenty. The Humboldt Botanical Garden Plant Sale gets underway online April 25-May 8, offering an array of blooming flowers and native plants. Take note,…
Public Health Reports 20 New COVID-19 Cases, Two New Hospitalizations, Dwindling Vaccine Allocation
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 20 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing this week’s tally to 130, as the county continues to see a steep upward case trajectory. Public Health reported that a significant portion of recent cases have been linked to an outbreak at the Eureka Pentecostal Church and today its Communicable Disease Response Team…
Eureka Church Linked to Surge in COVID-19 Cases
Eureka the Pentecostal Church, the source of a recent surge in local COVID-19 cases, sent out a release today via Public Health urging anyone who was a recent guest at the Hoover Street location to get tested. “Unfortunately, some of our church members have tested positive for COVID,” the church’s message states. “We had gone…
The Clarke Historical Museum Presents a Virtual Tea-Tasting
Curious about cha-no-yu? Get the tea on this traditional Japanese cultural practice at Gateway to Zen: An Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ceremony, on Sunday, April 25 at 4 p.m., online ($30). Harvey II and Holly Harvey, founders of the Horai Center, lead a virtual tea-tasting and Zoom presentation on cha-no-yu (tea ceremony). Participants will…
Blood Bank in Emergency Need of Type O Donations
The Northern California Community Blood Bank has issued an emergency call for donations from type O donors, including those who have never donated before, in the face of a shortage. The Blood Bank is asking folks to schedule an appointment here to come in and donate (from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), or to catch…
38 New COVID-19 Cases, Two New Hospitalizations Confirmed
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 38 new COVID-19 cases today, making 110 so far this week, reporting that the majority have been linked to “a single outbreak associated with one or more super spreader events.” The cases were confirmed after laboratories processed 239 samples with a test-positivity rate of 15.9 percent. This week’s case count…
CSU to Require COVID-19 Vaccines in Fall as Long as FDA Grants Full Approval
The California State University system, which includes Humboldt State University, announced today that all faculty, staff and students who go to a campus this fall will need to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with certain conditions. The requirement is contingent on the federal Food and Drug Administration granting full approval to one or more of…
Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin
“I think that the internet is going to be one of the major forces for reducing the role of government. The one thing that’s missing, but that will soon be developed, is reliable e-cash, a method whereby on the internet, you can transfer funds from A to B without A knowing B or B knowing…
For Love of Earth
When secret places in the forest are crisscrossed full of trails When wild things live in cages and the ocean is bare of whales When the highest mountains are all paved and the Condor is not saved Will human involvements continue to be waived? Have you seen? wild horses in the wild prairies of untamed…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Blogger Emma Elsworthy wrote her “Self-Care List.” I’ll tell you a few of her 57 action items, in hopes of inspiring you to create your own list. The coming weeks will be a perfect phase to upgrade your focus on doing what makes you feel healthy and holy. Here are Elsworthy’s…
Arcata Under Pressure
As the world celebrates Earth Day 2021, local experts warn the historic Arcata dikes holding back Humboldt Bay will be overtopped monthly, possibly in as soon as 30 years, due to rising sea level from climate change. “There is no stopping sea level rise for the next century or next couple of centuries,” said Aldaron…
Piling Up
If Humboldt County departments were backyards, the Code Enforcement Unit would have so much trash piled up that concerned neighbors would call the … well, you get the picture. At a recent presentation given to the board of supervisors, the department offered an alarming picture of just how dysfunctional it has become. Code Enforcement Unit…
Spread the Beans
We made it to April and to the 2021 edition of the Arcata Plaza Farmers Market’s main season, which started the first Saturday of this month. This is always a festive event for me, and this year was no different. While summer produce is not exactly around the corner, I can start dreaming of strawberries,…
Short Ocean King Season Set to Open June 29
Limited by a low-abundance forecast of Klamath River fall Chinook, North Coast recreational salmon anglers will have a little more than a month on the water this season. Management measures were designed to provide fishing opportunity for the more abundant Sacramento fall Chinook while reducing Klamath River impacts. Due to our proximity to the Klamath,…
Anachronistic Fun
As we (mostly) take collective faltering steps toward the precarious and ever-eroding notion of “normal,” with the world changing and remaining the same, and things making less sense the more we think about them, I’ve found myself retreating, for a couple of evenings, to some semblance of what was. It induced a not-unpleasant disconnectedness shot…
Playing On
In the old days, when the band was four people strong and the coronavirus was a distant nightmare waiting to happen, any Wednesday evening would find Good Company at rehearsal, working on new arrangements, practicing harmonies and enjoying one another’s company with a plethora of instruments scattered around the living room. Truly, we were good…
‘Everything I’m Against’
My name is Brett McFarland and I’m writing about Sun Valley’s proposed cannabis project. I’ve been farming in Humboldt county for almost two decades and am proud to call this place my home. Currently, my wife, Julia, and I own and operate Crazy River Ranch, a local organic farm raising grass-fed beef and a variety…
Sea to Summit Part 1: Bald Mountain
We couldn’t all cycle together in April of 2020, obviously. Cycling with a peloton of racers breathing heavily and sprinting uphill was not going to happen. Snot would fly as thighs burned, a dynamic that suddenly carried a novel, dangerous threat that was constantly evolving. We all wondered what the future held in this new…
The Lost Year
Sometime in the first three months of 2020, nearly every musician in Humboldt County played their last live gig. It’s difficult to pin down the exact date of the general venue closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic but St. Patrick’s Day is a good hinge, a pivot point where venue owners and employees had to…
‘Dictators and Fascists’
Editor: The April 8 cover story “Carrots, Sticks and Jabs” was notable for the science it did not contain. Nowhere does it explain the science behind these new and experimental drugs. It only quotes doctors and politicians who want us to get vaccinated. It also fails to mention that the World Health Organization (WHO) has…
But, Science
Editor: Lies have consequences, sometimes predictable, sometimes surprising. The federal government’s refusal to accept the safety of cannabis had consequences. It is hard for some to accept medical advice from a government that allows fortunes to be made from alcohol and tobacco while condemning cannabis. I feel certain that this has contributed to the anti-vax…
