Stepping into the Desserts on Us factory off Arcata’s Ericson Way is like landing on a planet whose atmosphere is mainly composed of caramel. And chocolate. The air inside is so thick with the aroma that it might actually have calories, but nobody seems to mind. On one wall is a whiteboard with dates chronicling […]
economy
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Short Sea Doldrums
Remember short sea shipping, that siren who lured us into a maritime reverie some years ago — a fortune-filled dream in which Humboldt Bay once again had a bustling port, helping to reduce transportation costs, air pollution and highway wear-and-tear? Where goods-laden barges — carrying more than just fuel and wood chips — made regular […]
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Conflicting Reports
Shortly after Sandra Lingle moved to Eureka from San Diego 32 years ago, something made an impression. “I saw somebody walking their dog at 11 o’clock at night — a woman — and I was thrilled,” she recalled last week. To Lingle, the sight reinforced that she’d moved to a safe place, a community where […]
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Paying More Can Pay Off
Here’s one that might be of interest to Eureka voters: Costco has managed to increase profits at the very same time that its top executive is calling for a higher minimum wage, the Huffington Post is reporting. Paying good money and offering benefits like health insurance can reduce turnover and build strong businesses, CEO Craig […]
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Gas Profits? Oh Yeah
Here’s a nice piece of gasoline trivia. In a year when the Natural Resources Defense Council reports that gasoline retailers make an average of around 4 cents a gallon, a broker trying to sell two Arcata gas stations says that they routinely rake in 35 cents a gallon. “Due to high margins in this area […]
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Ancient Study Returns from the Dead [Updated]
UPDATE: On Tuesday the board voted to support the resolution 3-2, with Supervisors Lovelace and Clendenen opposing. Public comment was almost unanimously in support of the resolution, though Harbor Commissioner Richard Marks said he had “some issues” with it and wished it had been brought to the harbor district first. Lovelace and Clendenen said they […]
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Just in Time for Last Minute Shoppers
The New York Times comes out with a scathing indictment of Walmart bribery in Mexico: “The Times’s examination reveals that Wal-Mart de Mexico was not the reluctant victim of a corrupt culture that insisted on bribes as the cost of doing business. Nor did it pay bribes merely to speed up routine approvals. Rather, Wal-Mart […]
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If You Bought a House in August, You Won
“Now is a great time to buy a house,” a Realtor said every single day since the dawn of Realtors. And until The Great American Housing Bubble, they were usually right. Houses were good investments … until Wall Street started using them as tokens in their rigged casino games. The housing market has been out […]
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Report Highlights Local Need for Child Care
Have we mentioned before how badass is the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP)? No? Well, it is. The research center, located on the campus of Humboldt State University, aims to improve the health and well-being of rural people (like us) through the power of data. The center’s previous reports have addressed rural Internet connectivity, […]
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Mega-bank Run Saturday
This Saturday, Nov. 5, has been designated “Bank Transfer Day,” a consumer activism event designed to stick it to the greedy mega-banks that nearly decimated the world economy, only to be bailed out by taxpayers. The idea — which has been claimed by L.A. art gallery owner Kristen Christian, though it was suggested elsewhere much […]
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Bye bye, Kneeland P.O.?
(Photo courtesy of JA Robbins) Heck of a party hubbub up there at the Kneeland Post Office today as neighbors wandered in in trickles and bursts to say goodbye to retiring Post Mistress Bonnie Lee Clark. Today was Clark’s last day — she worked 12 years at the tiny Kneeland outpost and 26 total for […]
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Montel Williams For Humboldt Tourism Commissioner
Yes, yes indeed! Do as the man says and come check out our fat buds! We will hook you up and send you home happy! (Despite what our new hero says, though, you can give the Appalachian Trail a pass.)