Two people were killed, including a Eureka man, and several other members of a local family were injured in a fiery collision just after midnight on U.S. Highway 101 north of Willits. But a Good Samaritan pulled five injured passengers from the wreckage just before both vehicles burst into flames. Three Eureka residents — identified […]
Fortuna
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Kitchen Held For Trial in DUI Manslaughter Case
Humboldt County Superior Court Judge John Feeney ruled yesterday that there is sufficient evidence to hold Marci Kitchen to stand trial on manslaughter charges stemming from allegations that she was driving drunk when she hit and killed her daughter and another girl in July. Kitchen was held to answer on charges of vehicular manslaughter and […]
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Arcata Council Hopefuls to Take Questions at Forum
The seven hopefuls seeking to fill the remainder of Mark Wheetley’s term on the Arcata City Council are set to take questions at a candidate forum tomorrow at city hall. Three Arcata planning commissioners — Jason Akana, Robin Baker and Judith Mayer — as well as educator Michael J. Hart, Minor Theatre owner Joshua Neff, […]
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Seven Apply to Fill Wheetley’s Council Seat
Seven hopefuls met Friday’s deadline to apply for the Arcata City Council seat left vacant when longtime member Mark Wheetley stepped down earlier this month to become Fortuna’s city manager. The council voted March 1 to move forward with the application process recommended by staff to fill the remainder of Wheetley’s term, which runs through […]
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Wheetley Feted as Arcata Council Moves Forward With Appointment
Now former Arcata Councilmember Mark Wheetley was sent off with a standing ovation and a proclamation honoring the volunteer soccer coach’s 12 years of elected public service at his last meeting on Wednesday. Mayor Susan Ornelas read the accolades for the soon-to-be Fortuna city manager, which described Wheetley as an “easy to work with and […]
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Timeline Proposed for Filling Arcata Council Seat
The nearly two years remaining in Arcata Councilmember Mark Wheetley’s term are set to be filled by appointment in April as he prepares for his last meeting before moving on to serve as Fortuna’s new city manager. The council is scheduled Wednesday to approve opening up an application process, running until March 24, from those […]
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Wheetley Selected As Fortuna’s City Manager
Arcata City Councilmember Mark Wheetley spent the early part of his morning at the River Lodge, waiting in the same room he first interviewed in for what the city of Fortuna announced today will be his new job: city manager. The process came full circle at the Fortuna Chamber of Commerce’s State of the City […]
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Sometimes Voters Just Sit a Race Out
While the latest round of Humboldt County election results didn’t change any outcomes, the numbers do reveal some interesting tidbits about the races voters chose to sit out. Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders said in an email to the Journal on Friday that there are “approximately 5,000 ballots left to scan, which includes […]
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Appeals Court Reinstates Lawsuit in Fatal Fortuna Police Shooting
A wrongful death suit filed by the parents of a Fortuna man was reinstated by a federal appeals court panel Tuesday in an opinion that calls into question the credibility of statements by police officers involved in the 2012 fatal shooting. Jacob Newmaker was fatally shot on March 16, 2012, by Fortuna Police Department Officer […]
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UPDATED: Police Chief: Fortuna High School Narrowly Escaped ‘Terrible Tragedy’
UPDATE: The Fortuna Police Department sent out a press release this evening stating that it has investigated additional reports of violent social media threats since Thursday and found them not to be credible. Since officials thwarted two students’ alleged plans to set off numerous homemade chemical bombs during an all-school assembly Thursday, FPD has been […]
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Fortuna Police Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide
UPDATE: The Fortuna Police Department has identified the deceased as 50-year-old Steve Sisson and 81-year-old Jerry Sisson. No motive has yet been identified in the case. PREVIOUSLY: The Fortuna Police Department is investigating what it believes to be a murder-suicide that claimed the lives of a father and his son. Police were called to a […]
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Volunteer Fire Captain Killed in Fortuna Shooting
The Fortuna Police Department today identified the victim of yesterday’s fatal shooting as Timothy Thomas Smith, a Fortuna resident and captain with the city’s volunteer fire department. He was 42. According to a police department release, an autopsy has been scheduled for later this week. “He has set the example for the department’s motto ‘Always […]