Cover Story
‘Until the Sun Sets’
Amid the steady din of sea lion barks, bird chirps and crashing surf, a host of federal, state and tribal officials gathered around a fish cleaning table at the mouth of the Klamath River last week to sign a new agreement to remove the four dams that have clogged the river for decades and to…
UPDATE: Pedestrian Killed on Highway Identified
The man killed on U.S. Highway 101 near Herrick Avenue on April 16 has been identified as 27-year-old Latham Paul Daggett Greensfelder from the Petrolia area. His next of kin has been notified, according to the coroner’s office. Previously: Fingerprints of the man killed on U.S. Highway 101 did not turn up any results and…
Bill Aims to Ease Hospital Hiring Restrictions to Boost Rural Docs
In an effort to curb the chronic lack of health care in rural areas like Humboldt County, the state Assemblyman Jim Wood-led Health Committee passed a bill that would give small-town hospitals more freedom to hire doctors. The bill is a response to the difficulties rural areas have attracting and retaining medical providers (as the…
Council Moves forward with Container Community for the Homeless
After an outpouring of critical public comment, the Eureka City Council opted last night to move forward with a proposal to create a temporary homeless living arrangement in a vacant lot on the corner of Third and Commercial streets. In a 4-1 vote, with Councilmember Linda Ciarabellini dissenting, the council amended its shelter crisis declaration…
Angels and Morsels
The parking lot of Siam Orchid (427 V St., Eureka) is packed enough to simultaneously irritate and inspire hope, given the number of businesses that have moved in and out of the spot. Don’t fret; there’s more room in the bright dining room, where a photo of King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit preside over twinkling…
Raised: Local Economists Talk California’s Minimum Wage Increase
Many of Humboldt County’s lowest-earning workers stand to see their lots improve over the next six years, as the California minimum wage increases to $15 per hour. A bill, signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month, will increase the state minimum wage from $10 to $10.50 on Jan. 1, 2017, to $11…
Reel Love
The Humboldt International Film Festival, the world’s oldest student-run film festival, returns to the Minor Theater (reopening for this event) April 20-23 with screenings nightly at 7 p.m. ($5 each night). Humboldt State University students invited independent filmmakers from around the world and whittled 225 submitted shorts from more than 25 countries down to 37…
Korean War Veterans Honored at Weekend Ceremony
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman presented more than 70 local Korean War veterans with medals from the government of the Republic of Korea on Saturday at a ceremony in the Adorni Center. The Ambassador for Peace medals were awarded in appreciation from the people of the Republic of Korea to those who served in the…
Family of Missing Swimmer Seeks Closure
Almost two weeks after he was swept away in the Trinity River, 22-year-old Paul Michael Martin’s family continues to search for answers. Martin and two others jumped into the Trinity River near Tish Tang Campground at about 4:30 p.m. on April 6, and all three were quickly swept downriver in the strong current. One man…
HumBug: Return of the Zombies (and Everybody Else)
It is early April, and the world of insects is finally warming up. I’ve spotted more of the “zombie” flies, paralyzed by fungus, that were cropping up last year in early March (“Zombie Dung Flies,” March 1, 2015). I’ve seen a few snakeflies lately. These used to be included in the order Neuroptera with the lacewings…
TL;DR: Five Things You Need to Know About This Week’s Cover Story
Busy week? We get it, and we’re not judging. Here are some highlights from “Until the Sun Sets” to get you caught up. On April 6, federal, state and tribal officials descended on Yurok Tribal land to ink a new pact to remove four hydroelectric dams that have choked the Klamath River for decades. It…
Mayor Jager Hears Realtors’ Concerns, Vetoes Ordinance
For the first time in 20 years, Eureka’s mayor has vetoed an ordinance passed by the city council. Eureka Mayor Frank Jager sent the council a memorandum on Thursday advising that he is vetoing its April 5 vote to pass an ordinance requiring residents to have their lateral sewer lines — those connecting their houses…
Psychedelic Pizza Hoax Spawns EPD Investigation
In what has to be one of the stranger crime reports in recent memory, the Eureka Police Department is investigating an apparent hoax designed to make a local woman think she’d gotten way more mushrooms on her pizza than she bargained for. On Wednesday evening, a Eureka woman in her early 20s used the Domino’s…
Bullock Pulls Insanity Plea, Faces Life in Prison for Priest’s Murder
Multiple media outlets are reporting that, four days after being convicted of murdering and torturing St. Bernard’s Catholic Church pastor Eric Freed, Gary Lee Bullock has withdrawn his not guilty by reason of insanity plea, against the advice of his attorney. According to reports, with the sanity phase of his trial slated to begin this…
They See You Rollin’
When was the last time you laced up a pair of skates and chased your equilibrium around a rink with disco lights swirling, the beat of your favorite song and a sturdy wall helping you along? If it was back when you parted your hair down the middle, flipped the sides back and tucked a…
Access Humboldt
An outpouring of support for Humboldt’s County’s parks seems likely to stave off any of the drastic changes to the system proposed as the department faces major budget shortfalls for the next several years. Community concern reached a peak late last month, when Public Works Director Tom Mattson presented a report to the board of…
All is Well
Golden hot fields of grasshoppers always one jump ahead, flying hard into high weeds safe from my uncle’s cupped hand and the rusty Bandaid bait can in his vest pocket. Lie low and silent in the high grass. Escape the purpose of fishing poles and hooks. Avoid cold creek water and the wary old trout…
Farmers Marketing
Fertilizer magnates have had a presence in Humboldt County for more than a decade, but other industries ancillary to The Industry are also beginning to bud and flower. Creatives and brand managers are also carving out a niche in the open space between societal acceptance and federal endorsement, finding new and clever ways to sell…
The Fine Line between Angels and Devils
It was in no way planned, but the recent death of Merle Haggard provides an awkward, yet perhaps fitting, opportunity to shine a light on a local band influenced by his “Bakersfield sound.” A cover band they’re not, but Cliff Dallas & the Death Valley Troubadours play what I think they call “Mojave Country Twang”…
Lone Star Cookbook
Barefoot in a cotton dress, the seventh generation of Kneeland’s Lone Star Ranch greets me at the farmhouse door. Named after her great-great-grandmother, 3-year-old Ora Sizemore’s family has lived and worked on this land since the mid-1800s. The journey east to Lone Star Ranch from Eureka takes more than an hour on rough and twisty…
Leave the Bikers Alone!
Editor: In regard to the article “Shot Up and Shut Down” (April 7), I find it to be offensive to the motorcycling community that you chose to put a motorcycle on the cover of your latest issue. In doing so you show the bias that motorcyclists have had to endure for years. Also, it adds…
It’s Not Your Fault
Editor: I just wanted to add some comments related to John Griffin’s interesting letter last week about guilt, insanity and the brain (“Mailbox,” April 7). Neuroscientist Benjamin Libet discovered that it takes about half a second for your brain to generate a conscious thought. By the time you experience a thought it’s already been in…
Seaworthy a Worthy Goal
Editor: The well-researched article “That Sinking Feeling” (March 24) cites a number of issues regarding past and future sinkers, vessels which are derelict by nature of their age, construction and lack of active maintenance. Most of those cited are biodegradable, wood or steel. Irrespective, the vessel’s owners must be held responsible when a hull’s death…
On Task
Reviews THE BOSS. That a sailor-tongued, female-centric comedy not fronted by Amazons should win the weekend over (I’m told) yet another not so super-hero tent-pole attempt is perhaps good news enough. That said comedy should find the right balance of sweet and coarse, remaining heartwarming but consistently funny — if a little predictable—is even better.…
