The public’s right to access government information is constantly under siege across the United States, from both sides of the political aisle. In Maryland, where Democrats hold majorities, the attorney general and state Legislature are pushing a bill to allow agencies to reject public records requests that they consider “harassing.” At the same time, President […]
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Posted inEat + Drink
What’s Good? Lao Noodles and Birria Ramen
Piak Sen Weather February’s wet and windy exit is hardly the last we’ll see of chilly weather. Well, fine. The edge of cold and dampness makes hovering over a bowl of hot noodles and broth just a little more pleasing. Ramen has lately popped up on more menus to challenge the near noodle monopoly pho […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Burn, Baby, Burn
When Mavis Muller found herself in Arcata last year, she knew she had landed somewhere special. A renowned basket weaver, storyteller and installation artist — as well as a self-described “migratory artist” — Muller leaves her Alaskan nest during the fall and travels south for several months. While on the road, she exhibits her work […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
A GOP FAQ
Well, it’s been a wild couple of weeks, and we’ve been hearing from more traditional party members having trouble keeping up with a platform that shifts like a drunk carnie is pulling levers on the ride. After all, not all of us came up listening to this generation’s hateful right-wing podcasts; some of us listened […]
Posted inNews
There’s a Fish Market Splashing into Eureka
Something fishy is moving from the Woodley Island Marina’s docks across the bay to Eureka’s Madaket Plaza, where Humboldt County will have its first fisher’s market, starting in May or June. Ashley Vellis, owner of Ashley’s Seafood, has been brewing up the idea of a local fish market since late 2019 and is now partnering […]
Posted inNews
‘In Exile’
Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads is asking a superior court judge to resentence Patrick Harvey, reportedly the first local person sentenced under California’s three-strikes law, and order him released from custody. The recall and resentencing motion is the first filed locally under a prosecutor-led resentencing pilot project initiated in 2021 and argues that resentencing […]
Posted inNews
‘Breathing Room’
A year has passed since a group of local residents first began receiving payments from a guaranteed income pilot program aimed at providing them with financial support during the crucial months before and after having a baby. Since then, more than $1.4 million has been distributed to 150 recipients living across the county through what’s […]
Posted inNews
‘It’s Just Chaos’
Now a month into the second Donald Trump presidency, we’ve seen a daily barrage of headlines documenting executive orders, funding cuts and layoffs, though how those are trickling down to the North Coast has been hard to decipher. Journal attempts to get hard numbers of local federal employees fired and local funding streams frozen or […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Big G’s Jambalaya Balls
Some families pass down heirlooms — my family passes down recipes. I come from a long line of Sicilian Louisianans, a people who know a thing or two about bold flavors and good food. My great-great-great-grandfather fled Italy in the late 1870s, coming through the Port of New Orleans, where he laid the foundation for […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Tale of Two Tails
Note: Names have been changed to protect the privacy of embarrassed furballs. On a chilly Sunday morning we noticed a young couple pacing up and down as they scanned for something. “Our cat is missing,” they said. The distraught couple were camping at Clam Beach and their kitty, whom I will call Pretty Boy, went […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Blue-winged Warblers, 2025 and Personal Bests
There’s something uncanny about birding in 2025. The Humboldt birders have hit the ground running this year. Everyone in my feathered circle is out there with single-minded dedication, chasing rarities, putting in long hours day after day, birding like there’s no tomorrow because — well, let’s not go there. I’ll admit I’m not a huge […]
Posted inNews
Winners of the 2025 NCJ Pet Photo Contest
If aliens come to Earth to decide whether they’re going to vaporize the planet, our best move as a species is to show them our pet photos. For here, preserved in the snapshots of snouts and tails, is the best of us. Our pets are both the vessels into which we pour our unconditional love […]