‘Utmost Transparency’
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Cover Story
‘Utmost Transparency’
In the hours and days after the Sacramento Bee published a series of leaked text messages shared between a unit of Eureka Police Department officers, the exchanges were quickly decried as “vile,” “abhorrent,” “egregious” and “profoundly upsetting” by officials and entities ranging from the Eureka Police Officers Association and the then chief of police to…
UPDATE: Coast Guard: Active Search for Missing Father, Son Suspended
UPDATE: The Coast Guard reported Wednesday night that the active search for a father and son who went missing Tuesday after launching a 16-foot fishing boat into Humboldt Bay has been suspended. “Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews, Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay 29-foot Response Boat-Small crews and Coast Guard Air…
Huffman Introduces Bill to Return Land to the Yurok Tribe
North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman on Tuesday introduced legislation known as the “Yurok Lands Act,” a bill that seeks clear the way for the transfer of more than 1,000 acres of ancestral lands back to the tribe from the U.S. Forest Service and redraws the reservation boundary line to encompass that area and others acquired…
Medical Malpractice Deal Could Replace Ballot Measure, Still Raise Monetary Awards
A measure slated for California’s November ballot that sought to raise the cap on medical malpractice awards could be pulled, under an agreement announced today. Instead, a bill will seek to raise the cap for a patient’s “non-economic damages,” or pain and suffering, although in a more incremental approach than the ballot measure would have.…
Police and Prison Guard Misconduct and Bias: Audit Asks State to Step In
Police departments and state prisons aren’t doing enough to identify and punish bias among their officers and the state should do more to combat the problem, a state audit found. The audit, released this morning, recommended that the state Justice Department more regularly investigate how local police departments and sheriff’’s offices handle such alleged incidents,…
Joseph Raymond Copp: 1941-2022
Joseph Raymond Copp was born on November 11, 1941. He passed away peacefully at his home in Reedsport Oregon on February 18, 2022. He was 80 years old. As a teenager Joe could always be found under the hood of a car, and hunting or fishing in the ocean. At 16 he was a deckhand…
On This Day: 30th Anniversary of the Cape Mendocino Earthquake
Editor’s note: Thirty years ago today, a magnitude-7.2 earthquake struck near the coast of Petrolia, shaking the ground with the strongest accelerations ever before measured in California, the first of three strong temblors that would rock the region over 24-hours. To mark the date, the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group today announced a new web page…
APD Investigating Rash of Possible Overdose Deaths
The Arcata Police Department is investigating the city’s fourth possible overdose death since Wednesday. APD issued a press release at noon today with information about the deaths, saying it was intended “to inform community members of recent deaths in Arcata that could be related to the ingestion of dangerous drugs to include fentanyl.” At 4…
Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine Finds a New Home
Since the owner of the building housing Annie’s Cambodian Cuisine in Eureka submitted plans to demolish it and build a Starbuck’s and another chain restaurant in its place, the search has been on for a new spot for the popular family-owned Southeast Asian restaurant. Now, after weeks of negotiation, Annie’s has landed new digs in…
NCJ Preview: Redacted Reports and Piping Hot Pupusas
The Journal finally got the requested report on the investigation into deeply misogynistic, violent and dehumanizing messages sent between Eureka Police Department officers centering on Rodrigo Reyna-Sanchez and Mark Meftah. But its heavily redacted text reveals more about obstacles to transparency than it does about the texting scandal. We’ll talk about what all those blank…
Masters of the Steel Drum at Cal Poly Humboldt
Shake, shake, shake, Senora! Just try to sit still during the CenterArts Masters of the Steel Drum concert Saturday, April 23 at 8 p.m. at Van Duzer Theatre ($30, $15 child). This high- energy percussion concert will raise the roof and the vibe, and we are here for it! Legendary steel drum virtuosos Liam Teague,…
COVID Outbreak Strands NoHum Students in Rome, Milan
A Northern Humboldt Unified High School District trip to Europe has been derailed by COVID-19 outbreaks, leaving some students in locked quarantine facilities overseas and parents scrambling for information amid rising frustrations. “It’s a fucking nightmare,” said Rae Robison, whose son, an Arcata High School student, is on the trip and is currently being held…
Catch Chubritza at Synapsis Tonight
Enjoy an evening of European music and dance at Chubritza Statewide Folk Dance Songs Part 1 happening tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Synapsis ($5-$20 sliding scale). The local supergroup plays traditional folk dance songs from a wide variety of European countries, including Bulgaria, Ukraine, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Albania, Turkey and more. Chubritza will perform at…
Get Your Fruit On! Papaya Lounge Takes Over Septentrio Winery Tonight
Let’s get ready to ruuuummble! The saucy show you’ve been jonesing for is back. Things get fresh and fruity at the Papaya Lounge Rumble Royale Septentrio Winery Takeover, Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23 from 7 to10 p.m. at Septentrio Tasting Room ($30). The “raucous and opulent cabaret set in a seedy lounge run…
Can a Conservative Break Through for California Attorney General?
The last time California voters elected a Republican to statewide office, Gavin Newsom was the youthful mayor of San Francisco, Mark Zuckerberg had just opened up Facebook to non-college students and Donald Trump was a Democratic celebrity tycoon wrapping up the sixth season of “The Apprentice.” That was 16 years ago. Now Newsom is the…
Burl Thieves Strike Humboldt Redwoods State Park
California State Parks rangers are asking for the public’s help to identify burl thieves who recently struck in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, the latest in a rash of incidents involving old growth redwood trees. The most recent damage left a 4-foot by 3 foot by 2 foot gorge in the base of a tree. “The…
Homestead Life
We love our hens most of the time Until in flower beds they mine For tender worms and little bugs Digging up the roots and grubs Uprooting bulbs and killing flowers With their marvelous scratching powers Then I fear I cannot see Why we let those hens run free 🤬 Dottie Simmons
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Marge Piercy writes, “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.” According to my analysis…
APD Chief: Justice for Josiah Hinges on Witnesses
April 15 marked another grim milestone for Charmaine Lawson: the fifth anniversary of the still unsolved killing of her son, David Josiah Lawson. At a vigil held on the Humboldt County Courthouse steps, Charmaine Lawson repeated her vow to never stop seeking justice for her son, as the Arcata Police Department once again issued a…
Rock of Ages
I’ve been reading about and looking at a lot of prehistoric art recently. Maybe when the future looks bleak enough, it’s a survival instinct to look back at the far distant past. Maybe it’s because I’ve been slowly making my way through David Graeber (RIP) and David Wengrow’s excellent 2021 book The Dawn of Everything…
The Pupusa Hustle
In the hallway of Arcata’s Foodworks Culinary Center, a soft pat, pat, pat comes from the open doorway of Pupuseria San Miguel (100 Ericson Court, Unit 110). Inside the small kitchen, past the ersatz counter and behind a prep table covered with containers of masa, cheese and beans, Jorgelina Granados is passing a ball of…
Butch Cornelius’ Surf Art History
You may never have heard his name but if you are a surfer — particularly a surfer of a certain age — you have surely seen Butch Cornelius’ work. Raised alongside elite surfers and surf artists of his day, he brushed against fame yet never really had it. Still, the aesthetic of the former graphic…
In Search of the Marbled Murrelet
Earlier this year, I celebrated a major birthday — well, “survived” is perhaps the better word. It was one of those milestones that falls on the far side of middle-aged, where it’s a lot harder to convince yourself the crackling sounds you hear when you heave yourself out of your cushy recliner are coming from…
Spring Rains a Bonus for North Coast Rivers
With very little rain falling throughout our region from January to March, most of us were already preparing for summer. However, the April showers hitting the coast are providing a second winter. These rains will definitely impact the health of future salmon and steelhead runs, which will likely be stronger a few years down the…
Learning from Our Mistakes
SLOW HORSES. Given that my daily news podcast unloads an avalanche of horror and idiocy most mornings, what I want when I turn to entertainment is a change, something free from cruelty, stupidity and despair. The trailer for Slow Horses — a six-part Apple TV+ original starring Gary Oldman and based on a book series…
‘Hypocrisy’
Editor: This is what the end of the world sounds like: hypocrisy. Hungary doesn’t want Putin to turn off the fossil fuels to their country so Hungary is turning a blind eye as Putin gobbles up Ukraine like jelly beans. The EU is basically footing the bill for Putin’s destruction of Ukraine because the EU…
Vote!
Editor: After more than 40 years as a deputy district attorney, chief assistant district attorney, criminal and civil litigator, and a partner in one of Eureka’s law firms, I have practiced before each and every judge in this county. Although elected judicial vacancies are rare, I must observe that this time around, we are blessed…
Josiah Gregg: PrairieYears
“[In 1839] An unconquerable propensity to return to prairie life inclined me to embark in a fresh enterprise.” Commerce of the Prairies, Josiah Gregg, published in 1844 A large brass plaque outside Eureka City Hall celebrates the Josiah Gregg overland expedition, which “discovered” Humboldt Bay in late December of 1849. Two months later, 43-year-old Gregg…
