The Ripple Effect
Once homeless, once an addict, Kathy Anderson believes her lawsuit may forever change Eureka
Cover Story
The Ripple Effect
A rat scurried into the open, sniffed the charred remnants of some tin cans in a burn pile, then darted back into the bushes. The sunlight filtered through the branches of young, spindly trees to illuminate a sea of trash: broken bottles, plastic cups, strips of tarp, scraps of plastic and paper and discarded clothing…
Conservancy Group Turns to Crowdsourcing for $5 Million Klamath Tributary Buy
The Western Rivers Conservancy has launched an ambitious crowdfunding campaign to purchase a 10,000-acre tract of of land that contains a significant Klamath River tributary. Blue Creek runs into the Klamath River 16 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, just inside Humboldt County’s border before the river flows into Del Norte County past the town…
Stand and Salute
Nov. 11 marks the end of World War I, and a day for Americans to thank and honor military veterans. If you have Veterans Day off from work or have some time on your lunch break, why not do just that? At the Adorni Recreation Center, the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka presents its annual…
HumBug: Look What the Rains Brought
As the seasons change, the macro invertebrate fauna (aka bugs) change. It’s November, and it finally rained at my house. At night when my dogs take me out for a walk I’m finally seeing my long awaited friends, the glow worms. Rapacious slug hunters, these little firefly relatives are usually found on the ground amongst…
Curtis Otto, 1923-2015
Painter and local icon Curtis Otto passed away in his Eureka home yesterday at the age of 92. Since September, his condition had weakened and he was receiving in-home care, according to his wishes. Otto’s paintings spread out in front of his house on E Street were a landmark and curiosity to passersby. He painted…
Eureka Files Opening Brief in Dash Cam Case
The city of Eureka recently filed the opening brief in its appeal of a Humboldt County Superior Court judge’s ruling that the release of a police dash camera video documenting the controversial arrest of a juvenile suspect is in the public interest. In its filing, the city argues that the video depicting the Dec. 6,…
Congressman Introduces Bill to Abort Essure
A Pennsylvania congressman has introduced legislation that would ban Essure, the controversial permanent birth control device that has women across the country complaining of horrible side effects. This week, Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick introduced a bipartisan bill that would revoke the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s premarket approval status of the contraception device and require…
Dolls in the House
Daylight savings is upon us and there’s a noticeable nip in the air. Fortunately, you can brrr less by warming up with burlesque when the Humboldt Burlesque Expo shimmies and shakes the Sapphire Palace from Friday, Nov. 6 to Sunday, Nov. 8 at Blue Lake Casino. Now in its third year, the burgeoning event brings…
Neighbors Want in on Marijuana Zone, Threaten to Sue Arcata
Under the threat of multiple lawsuits, the Arcata City Council decided last night to table its discussion of a Medical Marijuana Innovation Zone. The council had previously brought forward an ordinance adopting the zoning change for the former Humboldt Flakeboard Mill on West End Road (“Area A”), which would allow medical marijuana cultivation, processing, manufacturing…
Marijuana-related Pesticides are Killing Even More Fishers
The rodenticides used on marijuana grows are posing an ever-greater danger to Pacific fishers, according to a recently released study by University of California Davis researchers and Integral Ecology Research Center Director Mourad Gabriel. Gabriel has been studying the effects of pesticide use on the medium-size weasel-like species for several years, and concluded that “increasing…
Fire in the Six
The rains may have started, but locals and top officials of the Six Rivers National Forest met in Orleans recently for a candid look at the summer’s wildfires, especially the Nickowitz Fire, the only large fire in the Forest Service’s Orleans district. It was a meeting with two agendas. The first, the announced agenda, was…
Oh My-o, Ohio
The most prominent ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana in California was announced recently, and the San Francisco Chronicle reports it has strong funding support from many of the state’s mega-wealthy investors, including former Facebook President Sean Parker. The measure is not alone — it joins 16 other decriminalization initiatives that could go before voters…
Wiyot Tribe Responds to “Murder in Arcata”
The Wiyot Tribe has been particularly blessed to work with a large number of extraordinary professional historians, archaeologists and other cultural resource professionals who live and work in Wiyot country. It is well known that the relationship between the Wiyot Tribe and the surrounding communities that have emerged over the past 165 years has rarely…
Humboldt on Tap
This fall, a group of friends have been gathering in Shelter Cove to sample bottle after bottle of “Pacific Rim” beers. Red rice ale. Salt ale. Wheat beer. Citrus and salt beer. Their goal: Choose the six best, and then turn a chef loose to create a five-course meal that pairs each beer with an…
Music & the Ecosystem
Music is like glue. It’s what keeps us together. Try and think back to the last time you went out where music wasn’t involved. Took the missus out to dinner? There was probably forgettable music playing in the background. Got a massage? Remember that gentle major-key harp music with no dominant chords? My point is…
Paying It Forward / Fall Day
Paying It Forward Fragments of verdant spring, scorched a burning orange, careen before the changeling wind. Barely Fall and already the forest floor is littered with returning molecules and all it took to make a leaf. Paying it forward without distinction they all disintegrate. Every leaf in love with the forest floor and the belly…
More from the Bright Side!
Message: Every week, a depressing lead story! I moved to Humboldt County because of the beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, access to the outdoors, inspired art community and educational opportunities. But according to your publication’s cover stories, I now live in a place rife with crime, corruption, pot cultivation, drug addiction and homelessness! You might occasionally…
Might be Copyrighted…
Editor: Saw the latest issue (“Getting Compliant,” Oct. 29), maybe you can change your name to High Times Journal? Dave Ellis, Eureka
Bookish/Lookish
A large video projection plays on one wall across the room from shelves of the props: painted backdrops, small pen-and-ink portraits, objects made from cut paper and a glass bottle with a handmade label. Watching the video feels like stumbling on an educational channel with weirdly imaginative programming. The pacing is stately, the mood is…
In Your Face Online
Editor: It is obvious that many people are concerned and angry concerning the amount of loitering and crime in relation to the homeless population in Humboldt County (“The Pitchfork and the Mouse,” Oct. 22). Many feel that the amount of transients and “tweakers” in the area are creating more crime and are a danger to…
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, phone Eureka Main Street at 442-9054 or go to www.eurekamainstreet.org ADORNI CENTER 1011 Waterfront St. Howdy Emerson, pastels; Paul Rickard, watercolors; Barbara Saul, pastels; Soheila Amin, mixed media. ALIROSE 229 F St.…
Mann-splaining
Editor: I’ve just read the letter to the editor by Paul Mann concerning technology, amongst other things (“Mailbox,” Oct. 29). Not only is he correct in declaration as he asserts the downside of new technology, he inadvertently raises the question: Are we that much better off in a world full of new gadgetry? Reading the…
Poetic Resistance
Editor: Thanks to Allegra Brucker for her soul-arousing poem “Resistance” (Oct. 29). With just 24 carefully chosen words you described how it became possible for us to lose our way and how we can find it again. We needn’t wait until we are compost; the fundamental truth of unity is always here to be tapped…
The Unity of Life
Terrestrial life is a thing, singular. Every shred of life on Earth (two million species we know about, plus maybe another 50 million we don’t) — plants, animals, bacteria, fungi and all the rest — derives from a single organism that began replicating nearly 4 billion years ago. Our ur-ancestor is shown at the very…
It’s History
Editor: Lynette Mullen’s article, “Murder in Arcata,” (Oct. 8) was riveting. Actually, I heard people all over Arcata and Eureka talking about it. What a fine journalist; what a topic to tackle. The article brings to life an era which we would much rather avoid, and Mullen makes it so real. She is a fine…
Sticking to the Recipe
Reviews SCOUTS GUIDE TO THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE. Genre crossovers, particularly with comedy in the mix, are rarely successful, especially in this modern era of cinematic low-bidder manufacturing. Still, I’ve got a soft spot for the formula. I tempered my enthusiasm for Scouts Guide with the knowledge that it would most likely be terrible. The repetition…
The Meaning of Motherhood and the Price of Favors
England has never quite figured out its relationship with post-colonial Africa. “Child” Africa grew up and left home but instead of becoming a well-behaved, younger version of its “parent,” it rebelled and built empires of its own. Those are the consequences personified by the characters in Lee Blessing’s Going to St. Ives, an acutely drawn…
Blowin’ in the Wind
The winter garden brings to mind rhododendrons, dwarf conifers and plants with colorful stemwork like red twig dogwoods. And while these plants form a strong framework from which the rest of the garden can shine, our gray Humboldt winters seem to call out for just a little more than those simpler shrubs can provide —…
