The Soeth Files
Local officer’s record includes two shootings, $1.1 million in settlements, mistruths and little accountability
Ding! It’s Round 2, The Best of Humboldt Voting Round
We know you’re a champ. But do you have what it takes to beat the competition? Cue the Rocky theme song, dig deep, and find out if you’ve got what it takes to be the GOAT! Round II, Vote! June 4 – June 30 Winners: Published in the Aug. 3 edition Go to boh.northcoastjournal.com to…
Music Tonight: Friday, May 12
Sonora, Mexico’s Sub Pop Records-signed act Margaritas Podridas is a young group of mostly female musicians who have dipped deep into the well of a genre of early-’90s music called shoegaze. With a heavily treated and distorted guitar tone and introspective, sighing vocals, this group has mastered all the finer points of the form. Tonight…
Music Tonight: Thursday, May 11
The Reverend Horton Heat is an institution among fans of “psychobilly” music, which is a twangy mix of country, punk rock and rockabilly. For nearly 40 years, the Dallas-based trio has been tearing up stages around the world, led by guitarist Jim Heath, whose stage name gives the band its evocative, backwoods revival-preacher vibe. Tonight…
It’s Back! (You Guessed it) The Great Humboldt Trivia Challenge
All right, Brainiacs. This one’s for you. After a few years off (you know why), the Great Humboldt Trivia Challenge is back and ready for hilarity to ensue on Thursday, May 11 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Eureka Woman’s Club ($5 teams, $25 spectators, $5 spectators advance). Humboldt Literacy Project’s fifteenth annual event sees teams of…
Mangoes and Agave in the Central Valley? California Farmers Try New Crops to Cope with Climate Change
In a world of worsening heatwaves, flooding, drought, glacial melting, megafires and other calamities of a changing climate, Gary Gragg is an optimist. As California warms, Gragg — a nurseryman, micro-scale farmer and tropical fruit enthusiast — looks forward to the day that he can grow and sell mangoes in Northern California. “I’ve been banking…
Richard William Evans: 1942-2023
On April 26th Richard William Evans transitioned to the next realm with love, song, poetry, and light, surrounded by friends. Richard was born in Baltimore, Maryland. Starting young, he was always an adventurous music and art enthusiast. His first musical adventure was playing the bugle in The Knights of Pythias Drum and Bugle Corps (see photo).…
Miss Indian World Tori McConnell’s Song of Gratitude
On April 29, 23-year-old Tori McConnell of the Yurok Tribe and Karuk heritage, won the beaded crown of Miss Indian World 2023 at the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born and raised in Eureka, McConnell studied neurobiology at University of California at Davis before switching to a Native American studies major…
NCJ Preview: The Soeth Story and New Flatmo Paintings
This week, we’ve got a story years in the making, tracing how a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy is back on patrol after settling a wrongful death suit, opening fire on a security guard and commanding a police dog to bite an already restrained subject. We’re also checking out local kinetic sculpture and mural legend Duane…
Campground Restaurant Fire Causes $100k in Damage
A vent fire at the Campground restaurant in Arcata broke out around 9:45 p.m. yesterday, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage, according to the Arcata Fire District. When firefighters arrived at the three-story building located just off the Arcata Plaza, they found smoke and flames emitting from the roof ventilation fan, and fire in the…
Rape Crisis Team, Arcata Police Collaborate on Anonymous Reporting System
When calling the North Coast Rape Crisis Team’s 24/7 crisis line to report a drink spiking, callers will now have the option to anonymously forward details to the Arcata Police Department. NCRCT receives 20-plus calls a month regarding drug-facilitated assault, according to Executive Director Amanda LeBlanc. But when asked about recent social media reports indicating…
Photos: Dragging Through Time at CR
After concerns over safety canceled Lost Coast Pride’s family-friendly drag fundraiser, the nonprofit switched up plans to put on an adults-only show at the Ferndale Repertory Theatre. The original family-friendly show finally took place at College of the Redwoods Saturday, April 29, before a packed audience of children of all ages. (See the slideshow by…
The Soeth Files
The moment the dog bit, five officers were on top of the prone suspect. Two knelt atop their legs, another held their handcuffed left arm, one knelt on the middle of their back and the other held their right wrist, struggling to pull the arm back into cuffing position. Then Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy Maxwell…
Sunlight and Systems
Sunlight, they say, is the best disinfectant. It’s an adage we believe in, and one we hope will hold true with the publication of this week’s cover story, which is the product of a years-long Journal investigation into a string of use-of-force incidents involving a single local officer. But the story isn’t solely about him.…
The Infinite Jukebox
Last week we lost Harry Belafonte and early this week, Gordon Lightfoot saw his last sundown. In both cases, there is in my mind a tone of triumph rather than tragedy, as they died at advanced ages, in which living is in itself an achievement. Particularly in the case of Belafonte, who was a four-year…
April Showers Bring May’s Kinetic Artwork
After a long winter, we are almost ready for Humboldt’s favorite Memorial Day weekend event: the Kinetic Grand Championship. As we gear up for the fun at the end of the month, the Epitome Gallery in Old Town is getting the party started with a May-long exhibition of work by the muralist, visual artist extraordinaire…
First Saturday Night Arts Alive
Eureka Main Street presents First Saturday Night Arts Alive on May 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. Our galleries, museums, theaters, bars and restaurants are open late for your enjoyment. ART CENTER FRAME SHOP 616 Second St. Lauren Lester, watercolor landscapes and portraits. ART CENTER SPACE 620 Second St. (Old Piante Gallery). More than 75…
Beau is Afraid and a Little Funny
BEAU IS AFRAID. I’ve long harbored pet theory (borne of petty resentment) about only sons of single mothers. Having observed them at varying distances for the better part of a life, albeit with inescapable preconceptions, I would say this theory is something more than anecdotal; it is still very much the product of an addled…
Windy Conditions Delay Pacific Halibut Opener
The widely anticipated Pacific halibut opener was slated for Monday, but good ol’ Mother Nature had other plans. Ocean conditions up and down the coast were horrible, with gale force winds keeping fleets from the Bay Area to Brookings tied to the dock both Monday and Tuesday. That’s the bad news. The good news is…
‘Cart Before the Horse’
Editor: Two stories last week caused me to wonder why we so often seem to get the cart before the horse. First, look at the police shooting in Eureka and the mayhem resulting from the chase (“Police Shooting Investigation,” April 27). Why do the police engage in chases through residential areas? It almost always ends badly.…
‘Neither Carbon-free Nor Clean’
Editors, I am writing on behalf of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Humboldt Chapter, concerning the Redwood Community Energy Authority’s Community Report insert included in the April 20 issue of the Journal. The BPF has expanded its interest beyond actions promoting peace to include environmental issues. It is particularly concerning that RCEA repeatedly references its supply…
‘Increasingly Repugnant’
Editor: As a student of Cal Poly Humboldt before and after its legal designation changed, I will no longer recommend the university to anyone I know. There is a laundry list of reasons why. Its budget for rebranding alone is more than twice that for hiring new faculty and staff. Its absent president enacts foolhardy…
Rings
…Fifty-two, fifty-three, and fifty-four Are the number of years this young redwood Lived, my son. That’s tragic, yes, but we should Learn from nature how to live. Let’s learn more. Starting at its core, let’s count fourteen rings. That’s when your mom was born. Let’s count two more. One and two. That’s when I opened…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Before forming the band called The Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney performed under various other names: the Quarrymen, Japage 3, and Johnny and the Moondogs. I suspect you are currently at your own equivalent of the Johnny and the Moondogs phase. You’re building momentum. You’re gathering the tools…
