For the first time in recent memory, the Humboldt County Superior Court bench is back at full strength. Gov. Jerry Brown has announced he will appoint Timothy Canning, the 59-year-old court commissioner from Arcata, to the seat vacated by the retirement of Judge John T. Feeney earlier this year. Canning, a Democrat, according to the […]
Dale Reinholtsen
Posted inNews
Two Local Attorneys Vie for Humboldt’s First Contested Judgeship in Decades
On June 5, Humboldt County will see its first contested judicial election in 20 years, when voters will choose either Lathe Gill or Lawrence Killoran to fill the seat retiring Judge Dale Reinholtsen has held for 21 years. The election is a crucial one, as judges wield tremendous power over the citizenry of Humboldt County. […]
Posted inNews
Squireses’ Properties? Going, Going, Gone?
The city of Eureka originally selected Santa Monica-based attorney Mark Adams to help bring more than two dozen properties owned by Floyd and Betty Squires up to code. Now he’s hoping to see them auctioned off — and he intends to buy them himself. If that were to happen on the scheduled Nov. 27 sale […]
Posted inNews
Man Sentenced to 52 years to Life in Arcata Shooting
Two months after being convicted by a jury of second degree murder, Billy Joe Giddings, 38, was sentenced today to 52 years to life in prison for the death of Arcata resident Trevor Mark Harrison in a marijuana deal gone wrong. Another defendant, Robert Louis Huntzinger, was acquitted but still faces charges in unrelated cases. […]
Posted inNews
Neighbors Successfully Sue the Squireses
Residents along a stretch of G Street say they had one main goal in mind when they grouped together to take Eureka’s most notorious landlords to court: They wanted their neighborhood back. Conditions at two buildings owned by Floyd and Betty Squires on the street had continued to deteriorate, becoming magnets for drug activity and […]
Posted inNews
Judge Dismisses Murder Charge in Slaying of HSU Student
Update: The city of Arcata released a statement that is copied in its entirety below the original post, as are statements from Humboldt State University and the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office. Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Dale Reinholtsen ruled this afternoon that there is insufficient evidence to hold Kyle Christopher Zoellner to stand trial on a […]
Posted inNews
AG: No Criminal Charges Against HumCo Judges
The California Attorney General’s Office has decided not to pursue criminal charges against a pair of Humboldt County Superior Court judges accused of submitting false affidavits to the state in order to receive their salaries. The office’s review of the case — conducted at the request of Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming — spanned […]
Posted inNews
HuMMAP, County Headed to Court
According to an email from Robert “Woods” Sutherland, spokesperson for the Humboldt Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project, the group is filing a lawsuit today against Humboldt County, alleging the county violated a settlement agreement the two entities signed June 29. HuMMAP is alleging that the county violated the terms of their settlement, which called for the […]
Posted inNews
UPDATE: Judge Allows Budget Motel Evictions to Proceed
UPDATE: In a ruling filed this afternoon, a Humboldt County Superior Court judge has given the city of Eureka the green light to condemn the Budget Motel. The motel’s owner, David Kushwaha, had asked the court to intervene and stop the city’s forced eviction of his tenants, which was initially scheduled to happen this morning, […]
Posted inNews
TL;DR: Five Things You Need to Know from This Week’s Cover Story
Busy week? We get it, and we’re not judging. Here are some highlights from “Judged” to get you caught up. Two respected local judges were recently thrust into the glare of the media spotlight when the California Commission on Judicial Performance publicly admonished them for failing to decide their cases on time and, perhaps more […]
Posted inNews
Fair Association Ordered to Pay $45K in Attorney Fees
A local judge has ordered the Humboldt County Fair Association to pay more than $45,000 in attorney’s fees to a Davis lawyer who successfully represented Ferndale Enterprise Publisher Caroline Titus in her public records lawsuit against the association. Titus filed suit in April seeking access to the association’s financial records after multiple requests under the […]