Cover Story
This is What Legalization Looks Like
A quarter-mile down a gravel driveway from the cluster of mailboxes on Washington state’s Vashon Island, past second-growth conifers and bare alders, James Clark’s homestead could just as easily be in Fieldbrook as on this Manhattan-sized moraine lumped in the middle of Puget Sound. Clark is at work on a project that, for the moment…
Old Town businesses relieved suspect in custody
Old Town businesses are breathing a little easier after Eureka Police reported arresting a woman Tuesday night they believe may be responsible for a string of robberies. “My hope is that the rough start to 2014 is coming to a close and we can all move forward in more positive ways from here,” said Astra…
H1N1 Claims Local Man
A local man died in a Humboldt County hospital from H1N1 influenza related complications, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services confirmed today. The man — who has not been identified but officials say was in his 60s — died Monday and also had underlying health conditions, according to a county press release.…
Fieri’s Local Episode Hits the Airwaves
Fieri was here. He filmed. He concurred.
From the Hum: You Thought You Were Staying Home Tonight? Think Again
Tuesday. Yes, Tuesday You’ve got two, count ’em, two gigs to chose from on a Tuesday night. Go figure. First, Wil Blades, San Francisco Bay Area’s first call organist, debuts his new trio at the Jambalaya. Blades has been named in the Downbeat critics poll under “Rising Star” for organ every year since 2006, keeping the…
Supes Call a GPU Element Do-over
The Board of Supervisors voted this afternoon to return a much-debated element of the county’s draft general plan back to the Planning Commission for review — the latest twist in the general plan update saga. After some discussion of state requirements for general plan updates, the board voted 3-2 (with 2nd District Supervisor Estelle Fennell…
Puffery
Let’s talk about your last chicken pot pie. Was it frozen? Be honest. It’s not your fault — those Stouffer’s commercials make their sandy-crusted flying saucers seem like a homecoming, with the family around the table, the rising steam … They never show the lonely person peering into the oven window or the tragic tongue-burn…
Former Yurok Official Sentenced in Embezzlement Case
Former Yurok Tribe Forestry Director Roland Raymond was sentenced to serve three years in federal prison today for his role in an embezzlement scheme that bilked nearly $1 million in federal funds from the tribe. Raymond, 50, faced a maximum of five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single count of conspiring…
Chris Lehman Drops out of the Senate Race
Chris Lehman — the 35-year-old Arcata man who announced his candidacy for the State Senate with vigor last August — said in a press release today that he will abandon his campaign. Lehman launched out of the gate shortly after current Senator Noreen Evans announced she wouldn’t run for the 2nd District in 2014. He…
From the Hum: You Love America, Right?
Oh, sure, it’s Monday night, but you’re a good American so you will go see Whitey Morgan & the 78s at Humboldt Brews. “Who is Whitey Morgan?” you ask. Let me tell you! Whitey Morgan is a honky-tonk artist from Flint, Michigan, where the factories are closed, jobs are scarce and the people are bitter.…
The C-word
Lonnie Bruhn is one funny cripple. He uses that particular c-word shortly after he’s clambered onstage with his cane and/or walker. You’ll get over it. Maybe when he extols the virtues of his tricked-out walker — two words: drink holder — or tells the story of rolling it into a strip club. Bruhn, who always…
Billboard Butcher Strikes Again
A second safety corridor billboard fell today at the hands of a nefarious, saw-wielding advertisement adversary. The nearly 30 billboards lining Highway 101 have been a source of displeasure and controversy for some Humboldt residents for years. Bay views — enjoyed while zipping down the highway in climate controlled automobiles — are spoiled by the loathsome…
Be Careful: 20-Foot Waves
OK, that’s it: We’re calling wrap-it wonder Christo to throw some CAUTION around that big wavy gray danger of a Pacific that’s constantly slavering at our doorstep. Either that or we could simply heed the latest warning from NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard — this time, to beware the 20-foot waves coming our way…
Killing in Trinidad
A 24-year-old man was killed in a Trinidad trailer park overnight following reports of people yelling. Sheriff’s deputies responded to the Hidden Creek Trailer Park around 3 a.m. and found the victim, who has not yet been named. Around 10 this morning, detectives arrested 33-year-old Trinidad resident Larry Clinton Morrow on suspicion of homicide. Officials…
From the Hum: Friday’s Blue Lake Crawl
As mentioned last week, Full Moon Fever — Humboldt County’s excellent Tom Petty tribute band — performs in the Blue Lake Casino’s Wave Lounge. Full Moon Fever features Humboldt musicians nearly as beloved as Petty himself. Piet Dalmolen, Pete Ciotti, Pat Quinn and Jay Forbes join together to offer you a chance to sing along…
Eye of the Tiger
If you’ve already seen Rocky, you know why you have to go see it on the big screen at the Arcata Theatre Lounge on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ($5). If you haven’t seen it, get thee to the ATL. Don’t be fooled by the flag-draped, big-budget sequels or the winking Grudge Match playing in the…
EPD Assault Case Dismissed
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office dropped its nine-month case against Eureka Police Sgt. Adam Laird Friday after prosecutors decided they couldn’t prove the officer used excessive force in a 2012 arrest and attempted to cover it up. “Based on new evidence the people have discovered, we don’t believe we can prove this case beyond…
In Absence
Eureka’s Catholics — and the Humboldt County community at large — was shocked last week when the popular pastor of St. Bernard Church, Father Eric Freed, was found killed on New Year’s Day in the church’s rectory where he lived. Now the church and its parishioners are figuring out how to move on, and, following…
Mile High
Pot is legal. At least, in Colorado it is. By now you’ve heard about the lines outside of dispensaries, the eager pot vacationers, the concerns from Colorado’s premier ski resorts about doped-up snowboarders, the PTSD-suffering Iraq vet’s highly publicized purchase; it’s been a big week for national weed news. Reports say that dispensary owners in…
Remembering Father Eric
Editor: Another of the many facets of our wonderful Father Eric Freed (see “In Absence”) was his desire to produce a translation of my grandfather’s book about being among the first California Japanese imprisoned on the night of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of his superb understanding of ancient to modern Japanese language and…
Schoolyard Blues
Editor: For a school that agonizes over which bathroom transgender students would like to use, I am extremely skeptical that the alleged atrocities actually occurred (“Unequal Opportunities,” Jan. 2). Just because someone says something doesn’t make it so; remember Tawana Brawley? Do these schools have school bullies? Of course they do. I doubt whether there…
Homeless Fictions
Editor: I am a longtime resident of Eureka now living in Burnt Ranch. Our communities’ responses to people who are homeless and the increasing numbers of people living in poverty in a malignant capitalist society reveal a wide gap in our values (“Top 10 Stories of 2013,” Dec. 26). I think this gap parallels the…
Advertise It
Editor: Congratulations to Ryan Burns on his article “No Growth” (“Week in Weed,” Dec. 19). Why the Eureka City Council or the Board of Supervisors cannot see the “green” mine that is at their feet is puzzling. A mine which could help if not solve our area’s economic depression. The “Humboldt” name is known worldwide…
Highlight Reel
Reviews The only new release this past weekend, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, struck me as a depressing way to ring in a new year. Had I not closed out 2013 laid low by pig flu or whatever it was, I might have had the energy to have fun with a bad movie. Instead, I’ve…
Local Color
Arts! Arcata is … Well, it just always is. Arcata has talented artists, supportive businesses and even a fine symbiosis of both in the Arcata Artisans cooperative. HSU’s art major is historically popular, and live music offers cheer in several stores. Despite all this, the event remains Jan Brady to Eureka’s Marsha. Which is all…
Second Friday Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at more than 30 participating locations in Arcata. Visit www.artsarcata.com for even more information about the event or call (707) 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. Betsy Roberts, metalwork; Jim Lowry, photography; John Wesa, paintings and prints; Patricia Sennott, paintings and…
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 …
Can you feel it? No, not the rain in the air, although we’ll be pleased if the forecast at this writing has manifested into a wet reality by the time you read this. I’m talking about the lethargy of the holidays giving way to a renewed sense of things happening, Humboldt. Live music options are…
Straight From the Farm
On a light-drenched afternoon back in October, the pumpkin patch at Organic Matters Ranch on Myrtle Avenue was thickly dotted with pumpkins of various shades of orange and some green Marina di Chioggia squashes, too. Chickens dressed in lustrous feathers tasted pumpkin in front of their coop. Two shiny black pigs enjoyed the sunny weather.…
Two Haiku
The atomic museum, the cries in the heart’s ears, the scent of the lily. On memorial stones, the names of young girls, the tears of the moon. — From The Experience of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima in a Poem, translated by Father Eric Freed
