An Alderpoint man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 appears headed for a new trial after a state appellate court recently overturned his conviction, finding a local judge erred in allowing the jury to be presented with “inflammatory and prejudicial” evidence that may have changed the outcome of the case. Jake Henry Combs, who […]
crime
Posted inArts + Scene
Morris the Slug Swiped
Some sticky fingers swiped a beloved banana slug art installation from the Melvin Schuler Sculpture Garden at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. On the night of Nov. 2, after over 800 community members came out for Arts Alive, a heist was carried out to steal Morris the banana slug. “We are devastated by the […]
Posted inNews
Centro del Pueblo Sanctuary Garden Vandalized Again
Centro del Pueblo’s Sanctuary Garden in Arcata has been vandalized again, with the garden’s welcome sign and bulletin board knocked down and the gate, which is usually open and unlocked, locked. Centro del Pueblo team members found the damaged structures Tuesday, Dec. 27, making it the fifth time the garden had been vandalized in 2022. “It’s […]
Posted inNews
Lead Ammo in Poached Elks Could Have Killed Condors
Two elks were killed by poachers using lead ammo in an area frequented by the California condors now flying free in the region, putting the endangered birds’ lives in danger. According to a release from the Northern California Condor Restoration Program — a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks — […]
Posted inNews
Rap Lyrics on Trial: Bill Would Limit Prosecutors’ Use of Words, Music as Evidence
Gary Bryant Jr. exchanged gunfire with a man in an Antioch apartment parking lot on a July afternoon in 2014. Both were struck by bullets. Bryant survived and the other man died. Police said it was part of a string of gang shootings in the East Bay. At trial, prosecutors alleged — and a jury […]
Posted inNews
Centro del Pueblo Holds Vigil Against Hate
Community members gathered at Centro del Pueblo’s Jardin Santuario last night to stand against hate and offer support in the form of notes, candles and speeches for the community’s immigrant population after the garden’s welcome sign was vandalized. The sign was spray painted over in black ink with the words “AMERICA USA” scrawled in red. Centro del […]
Posted inNews
Centro Del Pueblo Sanctuary Garden Sign Vandalized, Vigil Planned
Centro del Pueblo’s Jardin Santuario, a community garden in Arcata that is held as a safe space for immigrants and the BIPOC community to garden and learn, was vandalized last night. Specifically, the welcome sign was spray painted over in black ink with the words “AMERICA USA” scrawled in red. “The defacement of the Jardin’s welcome sign […]
Posted inNews
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 […]
Posted inNews
What to Know About Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State Speech
Even as the coronavirus pandemic finally appears to be receding, Californians are in a funk. They are nearly evenly split on whether the state is headed in the right direction, according to a survey released last month by the Public Policy Institute of California, and gave poor marks to Gov. Gavin Newsom on almost every […]
Posted inNews
Is This Another Way to End California’s Death Penalty?
Instead of outright abolition, opponents of the California death penalty are pushing legislation to limit death sentences. But the blowback to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to dismantle Death Row at San Quentin demonstrates the political risk. Unable to persuade California voters to do away with capital punishment altogether, the movement to abolish the death penalty […]
Posted inNews
Eureka Market Employee Shot During Armed Robbery
Last night, an employee at Harris and K Market in Eureka was shot in the arm during an armed robbery. According to the Eureka Police Department’s preliminary investigation, the suspect, described as a man with a heavy build, entered the store armed with a firearm, confronted the employee and demanded money from the register. When the […]
Posted inNews
EPD Arrests Man for Alleged Sexual Assault of Child
The Eureka Police Department has arrested Jorge Alcazar Vasquez of Rio Dell for the alleged sexual abuse of a child under 10 years old after a months-length investigation. Vasquez is suspected of oral copulation or penetration with a child under 10, sexual intercourse or sodomy with a child under 10 and recurring sexual conduct with a child. The […]