FIFTH UPDATE: According to a Fortuna Police Department release (see below), Eureka resident Melvin Matthews, 35, was wanted on felony warrants for evading law enforcement and making threats against a police officer, grand theft and possession of a stolen vehicle. He surrendered to the Humboldt County SWAT team after a three-hour standoff. FOURTH UPDATE: The […]
Fortuna
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A Halo Over Fortuna
Fortuna received an especially spectacular sky show – a solar halo – this afternoon (June 5). A solar halo is “caused by high, thin cirrus clouds drifting high above your head,” according to EarthSky, a science news site. “Tiny ice crystals in Earth’s atmosphere create the halos. They do it by refracting and reflecting the light. […]
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Four Local Starbucks Close in Nationwide Training Effort
Four Humboldt County Starbucks locations are closing at 2:30 p.m. today (May 29) for racial sensitivity training as part of a nationwide effort by the company following the highly-publicized arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia store after the manager called 911. In an open letter to customers, the company’s Executive Chairman Howard Schultz […]
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Suspect Eureka Shooter Had Extensive Criminal Record
The man suspected of fatally shooting a woman in Eureka on May 6 before turning the gun on himself hours later in a Fortuna trailer park had an extensive criminal record that included several stints in prison, according to state corrections officials and local law enforcement. Ronald Allen Crossland, 52, is believed to have shot […]
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UPDATE: EPD IDs Victim of Sunday’s Fatal Shooting
UPDATE: The Eureka Police Department has identified the victim of Sunday’s fatal shooting as Fortuna resident Sharral Lynne McDonald. She was 60. According to the press release, the suspected shooter Ronald Allen Crossland, 52, who was later found dead in Fortuna of what police are describing as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, knew McDonald, but […]
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Wheetley Resigns as Fortuna’s City Manager
Just one year after accepting the position, Mark Wheetley has resigned as Fortuna’s city manager. The move came one week after he was placed on paid administrative leave by the Fortuna City Council following his sentencing in a DUI case, his second in less than two years. According to a release from the city, Wheetley […]
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Fortuna Council Places Wheetley on Paid Leave
The Fortuna City Council has placed City Manager Mark Wheetley on paid administrative leave in the wake of his sentencing earlier this week after pleading guilty to a “wet and reckless” charge, his second DUI-related offense in less than two years. “At a city council meeting on March 28, 2018, the city council voted 5-0 […]
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Fortuna City Manager Mark Wheetley Receives Jail Time for DUI
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming confirmed this afternoon that Fortuna city manager Mark Wheetley pleaded guilty to driving involving alcohol (Vehicle Code section 23103.5, also known as a “wet and reckless”) and violation of probation due to a previous DUI arrest. Court commissioner Timothy Canning sentenced Wheetley to three years probation and 15 days […]
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Goldberg Faces 40 to Life After Conviction
Jon David Goldberg will face 40 years to life in prison when sentenced May 11 after a jury convicted him Friday of second-degree murder, with an enhancement for personally using a firearm to kill 42-year-old Tim Smith in September of 2016. After less than two days of deliberations following a month-long trial, the jury came […]
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Body Found Near South Jetty ID’d as Missing Fortuna Man
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has identified the man whose body was found last weekend at the South Jetty near the mouth of the Eel River as Fortuna resident Quincy Tod Mendes. He was 35. Mendes was last seen around 5:40 p.m. on Jan. 21, after he was involved in a solo vehicle crash on […]
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How to Get Involved 101
“How do we get rid of the ‘old boys club?” was the first question posed at Sunday’s Run, Serve, Lead! conference hosted by North Coast People’s Alliance to educate residents about becoming involved in the political landscape. The alliance grew out of the local efforts to elect Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sander to office. The […]
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UPDATE: Fortuna Passes Registration Requirements for Personal Use Cannabis Grows
UPDATE: The Fortuna City Council voted unanimously last night to require residents to register their personal-use cannabis grows with the city. Residents wanting to exercise their rights under Proposition 64 to grow up to six marijuana plants for personal use will now have to pay a $100 filing fee to the city, file a “notice […]