In a play-it-safe move, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday that it would base its discussion on a proposed outdoor medical marijuana ordinance on the original draft produced by county staff, before it underwent dozens of hours of public comment and was re-written by the planning commission in November and December. When supervisors discussed […]
environment
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“Let It Burn”: Enviros Push for Return to Traditional Klamath Forest Management
Controversy over a proposed salvage logging operation in Klamath National Forest seems poised to leverage the National Forest Service into restoring historic stewardship rights to the Karuk tribe. Environmental groups have accused the NFS of “fast-tracking” the Westside Fire Recovery Project, which was proposed in October 2014 as a response to massive summer wildfires across […]
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Everyone’s on Board with Regulation
“If you put marijuana on the agenda, they will come,” whispered the ghosts of old policy makers. And, lo, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board listened. At a packed meeting this afternoon, the board discussed its proposed regulations for Northern California cannabis cultivators. It was the second time this week, following the board […]
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McGuire Proposes Comprehensive Medical Marijuana Bill
Pot’s on a lot of minds in Sacramento these days. Our own state senator, Mike McGuire, announced on 4/20 that his proposed medical marijuana bill was approved unanimously by the Senate Business and Professions Committee. The bill would create a Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation under the state’s consumer affairs department, which would “license and […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Leave Your Mark on Ocean Night
If you were hot to see Wiremark, as the Journal had erroneously named tonight’s Ocean Night film, tough. The actual title is Watermark, and it’s a painterly exploration of how humankind has shaped and been shaped by water. In California, the vast, manmade All-American Canal diverts water from the Colorado River to urban centres. In India, […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
That Juice Tax
It’s been seven months since Arcata’s excessive electricity tax went into effect, and the threat to residential growers’ bottom lines seems to have sent most of them packing. The results are drastic. In the year or so between city residents’ approval of the tax and implementation, the number of houses using “excessive” energy dropped from […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
GMO Spider-Corn:
Say what you will about 3rd District Humboldt County Supervisor Mark Lovelace but the guy is driven to combat climate change. Lovelace warmed up to voters in the early 2000s by accomplishing community forest preservation in the Arcata area. Meanwhile, during his 2008 campaign for supervisor, Lovelace practically exhaust-ed himself addressing the combustible issues surrounding […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
How Green Is Your Weed?
Is your purple kush green? Not its floral tint, but its environmental hue? Actually, back up a second. Can you say with certainty that it’s purple kush? Where was it grown? Indoor or outdoor? What fertilizers and pest controls were used? A trapping of black market weed is that it’s difficult to trace with much […]
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How Green is Humboldt?
As the world readies to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, it seems a fitting time to take a good, hard look in the mirror. Yes, Humboldt County, home to towering redwood trees, flowing rivers and a magnificent coastline, was green before it was cool. It’s a place where folks outfitted their homes with solar […]
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First Liquor Trucks Leave the Pulp Mill
The very rain soaking reporters and government officials at the Samoa pulp mill this afternoon could have overflowed tanks of toxic chemicals near Humboldt Bay, Environmental Protection Agency coordinator Steve Calanaog said, had his agency not installed temporary overflow tanks. EPA bigwigs, Congressman Jared Huffman, members of the U.S. Coast Guard Strike Team and others […]
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Dry Times
Things are looking up! Humboldt County isn’t out of the desert just yet, but a wetter-than-average February has the county’s year-to-date rainfall totals looking much more respectable. When the last drops were counted on Woodley Island, the folks over at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tell us a total of 6.09 inches of rain […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Teenage Wasteland
A growing number of studies indicate that marijuana is, like, really bad for the developing teenage brain, according to a recent NPR report. At a point when the brain is streamlining — honing its ability to think critically, make judgments and remember stuff — marijuana use is hindering development. This is not just problematic for grades and […]