The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors today declared a local emergency due to the wildfires burning in the region. The August Complex West Zone has prompted evacuation orders and warnings in the Southern Humboldt area as firefighters work to keep the flames out of Humboldt and east of the Eel River. The Red Salmon Complex […]
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County Settles with Counsel for $600K
The county of Humboldt and its long-on-leave counsel have parted ways but Jeff Blanck is not leaving empty-handed after the two parties agreed to a $600,000 settlement, according to reports by the Lost Coast Outpost and the Times-Standard. Read those stories here and here. Blanck was placed on administrative leave by the board of supervisors […]
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Public Health Confirms Four New COVID-19 Cases, Making 88 This Month
Humboldt County Public Health confirmed four new COVID-19 cases today, which on the heels of yesterday’s dozen makes 88 so far this month. In a presentation to the Board of Supervisors this morning, Health Officer Teresa Frankovich noted that while it took Humboldt County 105 days to get to 109 cases, that number had doubled […]
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Public Health: Alder Bay No Longer in COVID-19 Outbreak, T-S Reports
The Times-Standard reports County Health Officer Teresa Frankovich told the board of supervisors today that Alder Bay Assisted Living is no longer considered to be in a COVID-19 “outbreak,” with no new positive cases in 14 days since the last known point of possible exposure. But she also cautioned that the virus is still circulating […]
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New Lease Requires Fair Board to Follow Open Meeting Law, Ferndale Enterprise Reports
The Ferndale Enterprise is reporting that the Humboldt County Fair Association will be required to follow the state’s opening meeting law and the California Public Records Act under a new lease with the county approved by the board of supervisors on Tuesday. Read the full story here. Related Stories
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Supes Back Health Officer’s Push for More Local Control Over Shelter in Place
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this afternoon, with Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson absent, to send a letter of support to the state backing Public Health Officer Teresa Frankovich’s certification that the county meets state criteria to allow some local control over how it moves forward through stage two of the governor’s […]
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Slowing the Velocity
As the Journal went to press April 7, Public Health announced one more Humboldt County resident had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the local total to an even 50. While that number represented a sharp spike over two weeks, with 48 of those positive cases coming over the span of 14 days and 29 of […]
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Supes Talk County COVID Response, Eviction Moratorium and Property Tax Deadline
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors met in special session this morning to ratify Sheriff William Honsal’s declaration of a local emergency in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also heard a variety of staff reports on the county’s response. North Coast Rep. Jared Huffman updated supervisors via teleconference on federal support available and […]
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County Vets Ideas to Fund Green Energy Projects
The county of Humboldt is weighing whether to place a bond or carbon tax measure on the November ballot to fund projects aimed at reducing the county’s greenhouse gas emissions in the face of a global climate crisis. Like other communities throughout the world, Humboldt County is wrestling with how to transition to clean, renewable […]
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The Fighting First
Two-term incumbent Rex Bohn and radio personality Cliff Berkowitz, who cofounded Lost Coast Communications, are vying to represent the First District in this year’s March 3 primary election. Encompassing a sprawling area that stretches from the far reaches of Shelter Cove to the more urban neighborhoods of Cutten, the First District hasn’t seen a contested […]
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An Eclectic Mix
The race to become Humboldt County’s next Second District supervisor has four challengers taking on two-term incumbent Estelle Fennell, collectively offering a diverse set of opinions on where the county is and where it’s going. The March 3 primary will see Fennell, the former executive director of the Humboldt County Coalition of Property Rights and […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Supes Punt on Hemp Ordinance
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Nov. 19 not to take up a hemp cultivation ordinance and indicated it instead intends to extend an existing moratorium for another year. “It seems like prohibition all over again,” mused Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone as the board took up the discussion, which spanned nearly two […]