Cover Story
We Travel in a Spiritual Way
Some things are sacred. For the Standing Rock Sioux and the more than 250 tribes who joined them in Cannon Ball, North Dakota, water is sacred. This deep reverence for water is shared by members of the Hoopa, Yurok and Karuk tribes, who have each fought their own decades-long battles to ensure enough clean water…
DA: No Evidence Juveniles Had Means to Pull Off Bomb Plot
The Humboldt County District Attorney’s office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against two 15-year-olds accused of plotting the bombing of a Fortuna High School assembly. “To date, the investigation has yielded no evidence that either juvenile had the means to create an item that could be a hazard — one individual possessed approximately…
McClain Witness: ‘There Was No Reason to Shoot’
Thomas “Tommy” McClain was walking toward Eureka police officers with his hands raised above waist level while navigating a barrage of conflicting commands when he was fatally shot, according to witness testimony today. Nichole Mottern, the wife of McClain’s cousin, who was standing in front of the Allard Avenue home the three shared that night,…
‘It Needed to be Done,’ EPD Officer Testifies in Wrongful Death Trial
The Eureka police officer who fatally shot Thomas “Tommy” McClain testified Tuesday that he stood by his actions and believed he had no choice but to shoot when the 22-year-old reached for what he believed was a gun in his waistband. “I was scared that the gun was going to come out and he was…
EPD Wrongful Death Trial Begins
Eureka Police Officer Stephen Linfoot testified today that he was one of three officers shouting commands with guns drawn in the seconds before he opened fire on Thomas McClain, continuing to shoot as the 22-year-old began falling over and after he hit the ground. “He was reaching for the gun and that’s when I shot,…
Former Trinidad Resident Robert Durst Pleads Not Guilty to Murder
Sometime in the mid-1990s, a quirky man with a mysterious past and proclivity for tall tales arrived in Trinidad, buying a home with sweeping ocean views in the small, secluded fishing village. From this far-flung location — seemingly as removed as possible from his life as the scion of New York’s real estate elite —…
UPDATED: Police Chief: Fortuna High School Narrowly Escaped ‘Terrible Tragedy’
UPDATE: The Fortuna Police Department sent out a press release this evening stating that it has investigated additional reports of violent social media threats since Thursday and found them not to be credible. Since officials thwarted two students’ alleged plans to set off numerous homemade chemical bombs during an all-school assembly Thursday, FPD has been…
Anger, Song and a Group Hug at Arcata’s Anti-Trump Protest
More than 200 people gathered Friday afternoon to march from the Humboldt State University Campus down to the Arcata Plaza and back, decrying the election of Donald Trump as the nation’s next president. The protest remained peaceful throughout, as emotional participants chanted, yelled and sang. Once the march reached the Arcata Plaza, participants gathered around…
45 for 45: A Call for Letters
Anger. Vindication. Fear. Hope. Despair. A flood of emotion has washed over the country in the wake of Donald J. Trump’s stunning Nov. 8 upset to become the president-elect following one of the most divisive presidential contests in generations. In the face of this historic event, and the turmoil that’s followed, we want to hear…
That’s a Wrap
On a night that was defined by a historic national upset, Humboldt County saw a few surprises of its own. In Eureka, Austin Allison — a virtual unknown when he announced his candidacy at the 11th hour just two months ago — toppled community fixture John Fullerton to win a seat representing the 4th Ward…
Eureka’s Anti-Trump Protest ‘Passionate but Peaceful’
A couple hundred people took to the streets of Eureka on Thursday night to decry the election of Donald J. Trump in a protest Police Capt. Steve Watson called “passionate but peaceful.” Protesters gathered at the Old Town Gazebo, marched up to the Humboldt County Courthouse and back over the course of a couple of…
Communal Celebration
November is the time when families and friends gather to give thanks for the bounty of the land and to bask in the feeling of community. It is also Native American Heritage Month and the perfect time for the Northwest Intertribal Gathering and Elders Dinner, an event that honors seniors and celebrates the traditions of…
Ghost Bridge
Though Halloween has come and gone the bridge still sports its ghostly sheets, in place for months now, its four spans still bearing traffic, still standing guard over the Caltrans skiff beached nearby. Come and gone as well are the sunny days for bridge-painting, but the mystery shroud (our local Turin) still ripples in sea-winds,…
Didn’t See That Coming
I finished what I thought would be the final draft of this column early Tuesday since we go to press overnight and hit the streets Wednesday. Then I sat back to watch the election results roll in. I had wanted to write something about our new president and the challenges she would face after a…
On the Road Again
While I’m never fully clear what the “music industry” is comprised of, any professional musician will tell you things have changed on the business end of their profession. The “higher up” one is on the professional music ladder, the more pronounced these changes have been. Decades ago, before there were billions of bands, record labels…
Humboldt on Tap
From the roof of the Eureka Theater, sweeping views clash with a rickety reality. Cracks zigzag through stucco. Failing metal ties are streaked with cobwebs and bird droppings. The decorative whorls that once topped the “E” in “Eureka” lie jagged and rusting, like a giant, broken snail shell. It’s easy to imagine a day, nearly…
Taking a Breather
Itty bitty Briceland has been the stage for a mini- drama over a tiny nursery next to a wee bus stop for small people. A local farmer, who asked not to be named, is throwing up his hands in frustration over the statute in the county’s cannabis ordinance that prohibits outdoor cultivation within 600 feet…
The Traditionalist
Artist George Blake has used needles finer than a hair’s breadth to sew brightly colored songbird feathers into intricate patterns. He has strung bows, carved elk antlers into traditional Hupa spoons and shaped second-growth redwood trunks into dugout canoes. The things he makes document moments in a lifelong encounter with the old ways of believing…
Arts! Arcata
Arts! Arcata is Arcata Main Street’s monthly celebration of visual and performing arts, held at locations in Arcata. Visit www.facebook.com/artsarcata for more information or call 822-4500. ARCATA ARTISANS 883 H St. “November Featured Artists,” Libby George, printmaker and Kris Patzlaff, metal and jewelry artist. Wine pour benefits the Breast and GYN Health Project. ARCATA EXCHANGE…
Kickstarting Life
How did life start here on Earth? Ever since Darwin, scientists have been struggling with that question. (Before him, there was nothing to explain — God did it.) When Darwin posited that species evolved from prior species, he implied there once was a single organism from which all species are descended. We can now say…
Heal Thyself
Reviews DOCTOR STRANGE. I find it hard to get excited about a new Marvel movie and I find it equally hard to leave the theater dissatisfied. Strange’s success comes when it delves deep into the weirdness of its source comic and puts its special effects motor into high gear. It doesn’t break any new ground…
Lying Low in the Garden
What are low-maintenance plants? These are plants that are hardy in your region and adapted to local soil and climate conditions (think native plants); plants that thrive without heavy watering or fertilizing; plants that resist or tolerate insect and disease damage (in our area, primarily slugs and snails, deer, and powdery mildew); plants that require…
“Lollypop Journalism”
Editor: Your lollypop journalism, especially in regard to our local nonprofits, is all fuzzy and warm but I kind of miss your old “facts and functionality” journalism. The glass is half empty then one is a pessimist, the glass is half full then one is an optimist. But there is more to a story than…
Abrupt Halt
It’s 9 p.m., and Anthony, who prefers to be called “Crow,” is helping his friend “Bean” light a camping lantern. “You’re going to blow yourself up,” says Crow. But he leans in all the same to look at the lantern, which is resting on a pallet next to Bean’s tent, taking the lighter impatiently from…
Last Stand on Gang Murder Charge
Nearly two years have passed since 14-year-old Jesus Garcia-Romero was found gasping for breath on the lawn of a Eureka home on a cold and rainy morning one week before Christmas. Soaking wet and suffering from three stab wounds to the stomach, Garcia-Romero died a short time later at nearby St. Joseph Hospital. After a…
Resilience and the Response to American Genocide
In 1867 my great-great grandmother Susie Jack survived a series of massacres that occurred among her Achumawi people in her homeland in a valley located in northeastern California, in what is now Modoc County. Susie made her way toward the Maidu people near what is now the town of Susanville. She eventually married and her…
Remembrance and Reflection
Looking for a place to honor our war heroes past and present, and pay your respects for their patriotism, service and sacrifice? There are a few events happening locally where you can tip your hat this Veterans Day, Friday, Nov. 11. The Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka, in partnership with the city of Eureka, hosts…
