For its size, Humboldt’s lucky to have the robust print/online media scene that exists here. A daily paper. A couple of weeklies, including the one you’re reading. Monthly magazines of varying quality. A thriving news website, the Lost Coast Outpost, just hired award-winning news guy Ryan Burns away from the North Coast Journal. That’s just […]
Business
Posted inLetters + Opinion
No Growth
We lost the Emerald Cup. Not just the competition but the whole event. Last year, for the first time, the annual Emerald Cup Competition and Exposition was held here in Humboldt County, and since it launched a decade ago the event had never been held outside the Emerald Triangle — until last weekend. This year, […]
Posted inNews
Rough Waters
Faced with a shrinking pool of funding, local environmental nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper is in the process of dramatically downsizing its organization. The office staff was reportedly laid off recently, and last week Executive Director Jessica Hall learned that she, too, was being laid off. Only Policy Director Jennifer Kalt, whose position has been reduced to part-time, […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Branded
Earlier this month, the Sacramento Bee quoted Humboldt County Supervisor Rex Bohn pushing to promote Humboldt County’s weed cachet post-legalization. “Although he’s no advocate of his county’s most infamous product,” the Bee said, “he is lobbying to make it a brand.” Savvy entrepreneurs have been doing that for years, and not just with the plant […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Here’s What Saturday’s Snowball Drop in Eureka Looked Like
Some folks in Eureka saw flakes of the real deal drift to the ground Saturday, but just try redeeming one of those things for a shopping discount. Photographer Mark Larson was on hand at the Old Town Gazebo and snapped these fantastic shots of parents and kids catching “snowballs” [They’re ping-pong balls -Ed] that had […]
Posted inNews
Project Censored
This year’s annual Project Censored list of the most underreported news stories includes the widening wealth gap, the trial of Bradley Manning and President Obama’s war on whistleblowers — all stories that actually received considerable news coverage. So how exactly were they “censored,” and what does that say of this venerable media watchdog project? Project […]
Posted inNews
Honeydew’s Hangout
For decades Honeydew has been a one-stop town: one stop sign, one school and one store. At the height of the logging boom in the 1950s there was a community center, a church and a service station, but for as long as many locals can remember, the only site for congregation has been Honeydew’s general […]
Posted inNews
UPDATED: Harbor District Board to Consider Acquiring Pulp Mill for Free at Monday Meeting
Update: It’s a done deal. The board voted unanimously Monday evening, with Commissioner Aaron Newman absent, to acquire the former pulp mill. Next comes lining up some tenants and figuring out what to do with all those nasty pulping liquors. Original post: Negotiations have been going on for months now, but it looks like the […]
Posted inNews
Update: Oyster Fest Mess
The $10 Oyster Fest admission fee – which raised the ire of many oyster-eaters and the approval of many others – won’t line the pockets of the Arcata elite, says Arcata Main Street Executive Director Jennifer Koopman. Because of recent financial woes, Koopman said, Main Street needs money to keep Oyster Fest afloat. Not to […]
Posted inNews
Evolution of the Humboldt Brand
Did you read yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle? Yeah, me neither. But Journal Publisher Judy Hodgson did! And she directed us to this write-up on the local marketing campaign known as Humboldt Made. Here’s the key bit: As part of its effort to let the world know that there’s more to Humboldt than weed, the county’s economic development […]
Posted inNews
Wage Hike Proposal Headed to Eureka City Council
Here’s a ray of hope for people working at Eureka’s Taco Bell. Or Wal-Mart. Or any other business* in the city that pays workers as little as the law will tolerate: A petition to boost Eureka’s minimum wage to $12 an hour has received enough valid signatures to be presented to the City Council at […]
Posted inNews
Old Town Carriage Co. Sold
These are the final days of a familiar pair — or pair of pairs — in Eureka. Marty L’Herault, he of the dapper hats and Old Town tales, has finally sold the Old Town Carriage Co. On March 25, he turns over the company, the horses, the rig and all the rest to the mysterious […]