This week’s cover story, called “Queasy Eats,” is the result of a months-long investigation by HSU students enrolled in an advanced reporting class taught by Asst. Professor (and the Journal‘s Media Maven) Marcy Burstiner. The issue is on the streets now and will be online tomorrow morning. But this here feature is so cool that we […]
Health
Posted inNews
Human Rabies Case in Willow Creek
A Willow Creek resident has tested positive for rabies. That’s about the extent of information released so far by the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC informed local public health officials of the diagnosis this afternoon. The infected animal has not yet been identified, according to a press release from the county […]
Posted inNews
Humboldt, the 45th Most Healthy County in the State
It’s counterintuitive, what with our clean ocean air, our outdoorsy fervor and our preponderance of brewer’s yeast-eaters, but Humboldt County residents’ health ranks in the bottom quarter of the state, according to the second annual County Health Rankings, released today by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. There’s a […]
Posted inNews
In the Paper Today
Today’s Journal cover story, “Probing Tools,” takes aim at a slice of a complex issue: How federal and state regulators are working to reduce the incidence of medical errors, especially those that could affect health or safety of patients or medical staff. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Arial} Here is the story […]
Posted inNews
Smart Meter … or Electromagnetic Death Pod?
Will PG&E’s SmartMeters make you sick? Critics of the devices — which are currently being installed throughout the state — say they’re hazardous because they emit electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) and radio frequencies (RF) in sufficient quantities, they claim, to cause nausea, headaches, dizziness … even brain tumors. Last week, citing such fears, the Marin County Board of Supervisors […]
Posted inNews
Thompson Lands $9.8M For Open Door Clinic
Health care reform is coming to town: Congressman Mike Thompson today announced that Open Door Community Health Centers will receive $9.8 million in federal funding to build a new facility in Eureka. The money stems from the federal Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in March and is aimed at curtailing insurance industry abuses and expanding coverage […]
Posted inNews
The Mad As Hell Doctors Are Coming
When TV newscaster Howard Beale stands up in the 1976 film Network and yells, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” it propels him into the role of a proselytizing demagogue — a half-mad sage who dares to speak the truth about a hypocritical and irrational world. His manic […]
Posted inNews
Whole Foods Yanks Kombucha
Whole Foods is pulling the fermented tea known as kombucha off its shelves, according to the Associated Press. And it’s not because the yeasty bacterial tendrils swimming about in this beverage, to which some attribute magical properties, make it look like a Snapple that’s been sneezed into all day. No, apparently the fermentation process can produce […]
Posted inNews
Visual Blight or Gateway to the Future? (updated)
It took a Eureka ad hoc committee a year to draft “Wireless Telecommunications Facilities,” an ordinance that seeks to regulate the placement of cell phone towers within city limits. But it took only 30 minutes of public testimony to set it back at least another month. “We asked for an ordinance to protect the residents […]
Posted inNews
HSU Nursing Program Resuscitated
Humboldt State University’s Nursing program will not be eliminated as had been recommended by the Academic Senate in the face of dramatic budget cuts. Instead, HSU President Rollin Richmond announced this morning that he will enact recommendations from Provost Robert Snyder to restructure Nursing — in part by reducing admissions from 60 to 40 students per semester […]
Posted inNews
Omega-3 Pills Looking Fishy?
For years we’ve been hearing that omega-3 fatty acids are good for our increasingly fatty asses. That’s still true, so far as we can tell. (Well, they’re for heart health, technically.) But when delivered via certain over-the-counter supplements, these beneficial fish oils may be accompanied by some nasty toxins, according to a lawsuit filed earlier […]
Posted inNews
Another Swine Flu Death
From the Humboldt County Public Health Office: A Humboldt County woman who tested positive for H1N1 Influenza died this morning in a local hospital. The resident, in her mid-50s, was reported to have no underlying medical conditions that would have exacerbated her illness. To protect her privacy, no additional information about her case will be […]