The Not-So-Peaceful Atom
Bob Rowen accidentally took on corporate nuclear power in the 1970s. Four decades later he remembers what it was like to be Humboldt County’s most infamous whistleblower.
Cover Story
The Not-So-Peaceful Atom
On a summer day in 1969,Bob Rowen, a nuclear control technician at the Humboldt Bay nuclear power plant, realized that for his employer, Pacific Gas and Electric, the bottom line was everything — it was even more important than the community’s safety. It wasn’t the first time Rowen, a burly former Marine, had witnessed safety…
The NCJ Wrap
Here’s a preview of all the scintillating stories and fascinating factoids you’ll find in this week’s paper: On the cover, Heidi Walters comes out of the woods with the California Department of Fish and Game and hits the asphalt running. Walters examines the new role the DFG is playing in urban planning. It’s the perfect…
Tsunami Test: Your Questions Answered
This is only a test. … Yesterday’s California Report features an interview with James Goltz, head of the earthquake and tsunami program for the governer’s Office of Emergency Services. He discusses yesterday’s Tsunami warning test, the first of its kind in the state. Goltz says that “Humboldt county is probably one the most tsunami prepared…
CNN: Thompson Iraq Visit Bought By Iraqi Spy
Remember Rep. Mike Thompson’s visit to Iraq back in 2002, just before the outbreak of hostilities? Remember how it solidified Thompson’s opposition to the war? Um, about that … Muthanna al-Hanooti, a former official with an Islamic charity in Detroit, Michigan, was taken into custody Tuesday night. Hussein’s spy agency secretly paid al-Hanooti 2 million…
Sovereign Immunity: More Blue Lake Rancheria Blues
Yes, the Blue Lake Rancheria is using its sovereign immunity to defend itself again, this time from an angry California resident who sued the construction company that had done shoddy work when building her home, only to realize that the homebuilder had been sold to the tribe. And once again the Rancheria doesn’t seem to…
SN Announces Layoffs
This just in from Security National VP Brian Morrissey: Eureka — Security National Servicing Corporation today (March 24) announced the layoff of 21 employees in their Eureka headquarters and a total of 31 employees companywide, due to a slow down in the mortgage loan servicing business. “We are saddened to let go some very talented…
Willie in SoHum
It’s official: Country music icon Willie Nelson is coming to Humboldt County for a Labor Day weekend show on August 31, produced by People Productions. Willie’s website lists the show as taking place at the Benbow State Recreation Area , and the park is reserved, but if all goes according to plan the show will…
Phil Crandall’s Finest
There’s been some clamoring of late for the Journal to publish its letters online. Folks, it’s coming. Trust me, it’s coming. In the meantime, we’ll give you a taste of how it’ll work by posting a letter we received about this week’s issue. Enjoy! Editor: In Hank Sims’ “Town Dandy” column of March 20, the…
EPA Reverses Prior Decision, Declares Klamath River Impaired by Toxic Algae
In a press release sent out this morning, the Klamath Riverkeepers claim to have won a “major concession” today from the Environmental Protection Agency. In a reversal of their prior decision, the EPA has now designated the Klamath River as impaired by toxic algae. The blue green algae, Microcystis aeruginosa, blooms in reservoirs created by…
Chicken-O-Rama!
They’re heeeeere! At the feed stores. Peeping under heat lamps. Little motherless chicks, small enough to nap in the palm of your hand, just waiting for someone to take them home and love them. And oh, the names of the breeds: One feed store is bringing in Danish brown leghorns, Jersey black giants, gold sex…
See ‘City of Men,’ Quick
Note to readers: This will be my last column until early May as I’m going on hiatus to spend about six weeks in Portland, Ore., where, among other pleasures, I may get to see a greater variety of films. I realize that "hiatus" is TV-speak for "to be canceled at a later date," but hopefully…
Funky As Ever
The Greyboy Allstars first came together 15 years ago at the Green Circle Bar in San Diego, a club that’s now gone like a cool breeze. A DJ who calls himself Greyboy spun funk, soul and boogaloo jazz records there. A scene developed and there was a call for live music. With the help of…
All’s Not Well
With great playwrights and great plays comes great responsibility. All’s Well That Ends Well may not be Shakespeare’s greatest comedy, but it is at least as great as some of his plays that are performed more often. It’s full of ideas and ironies (which may well include the title). The story is rooted in ancient…
Hopeless Endeavor?
It’s a question that’s been nagging the city of Arcata and those who run the nonprofit Arcata Endeavor since the organization formed nine years ago. What’s the best place to offer services for those who are most in need, who don’t have the money for food, who don’t have a place to sleep or bathe…
Rocciata
From time to time, I bump into a memory kind of violently. For a while I am stunned not knowing what has hit me and from where. This rough awakening sometimes occurs with food memories, a possible side effect of my writing about edible things. When it happens, I try to make the memory come…
Inside the Brain of Carl Muecke
Carl Muecke likes his artwork, and that’s refreshing. He’s not arrogant or obnoxious about it, but he really likes what he does, as all artists should. He likes the bright colors, the ideas and the uniqueness of his work. Looking around on the Internet and talking to other artists, he says he’s never found anything…
Full Disclosure
It was an exciting Wednesday afternoon last week, as the crowd of people considering running for supervisor in the Arcata-centered Third District winnowed itself down to just three right at the deadline. The two last-minute candidates we wrote about last week, Lee Ulansey and Chris Lehman, de-candidated themselves right after we went to press. So…
Waiting for Glue to Dry
You may think you’ve built something, but those…
Magnificent Fiend
CD by Howlin Rain American/Birdman As Howlin Rain prepares for an intense year of touring in support of Magnificent Fiend, one cannot help but cheer the developing story of a small-town boy who has gone out into the world and done good for himself. From his days as an English major to his years with…
Jesus Of Cool
CD by Nick Lowe Yep Roc reissue When I first saw Elvis Costello and the Attractions, blasting through a set at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in 1979 during their notorious Armed Forces tour, "Music For Money," the first song off of Nick Lowe’s then-new record, Jesus of Cool, played on the overhead speakers at…
Lust, Caution
DVD, directed by Ang Lee Universal Lust, Cautionis Taiwanese director Ang Lee’s second movie with a comma in the title (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). It’s also his second film about two people cautious to engage in what is ultimately destructive love (think Brokeback Mountain). In Lust, Caution Lee combines the acrobatics of the first film…
Tsunami Terrors
Understanding the nature of tsunamis could save your life. They are usually caused by large earthquakes, coastal or submarine. You could expect timely warning of a tsunami generated thousands of miles away, but if our local Cascadia Megathrust is the culprit, the violent shaking would be your cue to head for the highest ground reachable…
