While Humboldt County’s latest — and most deadly — COIVD-19 surge appears to be on the downward slope, the descent is likely to be a slow one that could extend “well into next year,” with occasional mini-surges, according to county Health Officer Ian Hoffman. “Today’s COVID-19 case rates have dropped to the lowest rate they’ve […]
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Brownfield Appointed Public Defender
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today appointed Luke Brownfield to serve as the county’s public defender, overseeing the office that represents individuals accused of criminal offenses who cannot afford an attorney. “With his experience and leadership, we are fortunate to have Luke as the new public defender for our community,” said 3rd District Supervisor […]
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Supes Approve Investigation of Auditor-Controller Allegations
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1, with Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone dissenting, to hire an independent, third-party to investigate allegations of workplace misconduct and delayed payments by the Auditor-Controller’s Office. The closed session vote this afternoon came as the board met to conference with legal counsel regarding anticipated litigation or significant exposure […]
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County Allows Cannabis Growers to Apply for Tax Refunds in Wake of Court Ruling
After a an appeals court ruled the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors overstepped when it “impermissibly broadened the scope” of the cannabis tax voters approved in 2016, the county is beginning the process of refunding potentially millions of dollars in tax payments. In a press release issued today, the county is introducing a process for […]
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Supes Send Letters Seeking Help in TV Programming Standoff
To the annoyance of thousands of Suddenlink customers, access to two local stations – KIEM (Channel 3) and KVIQ (Channel 6) — disappeared Jan. 8 and Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson brought the matter to the attention of the Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday, though the board has no real power over the situation. […]
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Supply and Demand: COVID-19 Vaccination Frustrations Boil with Too Few Doses and Another Curveball from the State
After nearly a year of living with COVID-19, health officials point to the prospect of mass vaccination as the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the beacon leading us to normalcy. But hope and hard reality continue to collide in Humboldt County, where there are simply nowhere near enough vaccine doses to meet […]
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Op-ed: Resolution Recklessly Injects Politics into Local COVID Response
Make no mistake, the resolution being brought before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors tomorrow by First District Supervisor Rex Bohn does nothing but further politicize Humboldt County’s COVID-19 response, undermining our local health officer and exerting undue pressure on local school districts in the process. Bohn has asked the board to consider approving the “Healthy […]
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‘Winter has Come’
The face was fresh but the message was familiar: Humboldt County’s COVID-19 case count is spiking at an increasingly rapid rate and may spiral out of control if residents don’t begin wearing facial coverings fastidiously when out in public. Hours before he would be unanimously voted in as Humboldt County’s new health officer, replacing Teresa […]
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Committee Alleges Problems with Auditor-Controller’s Office Could Cost County $14 Million in State, Federal Reimbursements
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will meet in special session tomorrow morning to discuss what its ad-hoc budget committee has deemed “operational gaps” in the Auditor-Controller’s Office that it contends could result in the county losing more than $14 million in state and federal reimbursements if looming deadlines are not met. “If the county […]
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A Flip in the Second
The Humboldt County Elections Office issued its second post-election report Nov. 13, adding about 10,000 ballots to the ongoing tally and turning the race to be Humboldt County’s next Second District supervisor into an absolute nail-biter. With 10,016 votes counted this far in the race, challenger Michelle Bushnell now leads two-term incumbent Estelle Fennell by […]
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Humboldt Begins Health Officer Hiring Process
Humboldt County has officially begun the process of finding its next health officer, having posted the job opening and set dates for candidate interviews next month. Health Officer Teresa Frankovich, who stepped into the then part-time position in January before the COVID-19 pandemic morphed it into one of the most high-profile, important and intensive jobs […]
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Supes Allocate $600k for Small Business Program
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved allocating an additional $600,000 to the Small Business Restart and Recovery grant program to help provide relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The board recently extended the program to allow nonprofits and special districts to apply for grants in addition to local small businesses. According to the […]