The Earth flag appears set to maintain its current third-rung position on municipal flagpoles in Arcata after the First District Court of Appeal recently upheld a local judge’s decision finding that a citizen-led initiative requiring the city to place the so-called “Blue Marble” image in the top spot violated state law mandating the U.S. flag […]
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Posted inEat + Drink
Meals and Bloodmobiles
Traci Palmer always knew giving blood was important; her father has been a lifelong donor, topping out at 14 gallons. But it wasn’t until her sister Tiffany Armstrong, director of donor services at the Northern California Community Blood Bank (NCCBB), gave her a tour of the Eureka facility that the reality of blood shortages hit […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Crabs Fireworks for Fourth of July
After a tough loss to end their series with the Lincoln Potters, the Crabs were back in action Tuesday, welcoming the Marysville Giants. Lefty Miles Oliver got that start and would cruise through the first four frames. The two teams traded zeros until the fifth inning, when the Giants would jump out in front 2-0. […]
Posted inNews
‘This Tax Could Kill This Industry’
A substantial tax hike for California’s faltering legal cannabis market took effect July 1, despite an aggressive industry campaign to suspend the increase that won the support of Gov. Gavin Newsom and other political leaders. The excise tax for weed is 19 percent as of July 1, up from 15 percent — the result of […]
Posted inNews
Huffman: Senate Budget Bill a ‘Betrayal’
North Coast Congressmember Jared Huffman issued a blistering statement calling the budget bill narrowly passed by Senate Republicans shortly before the Journal went to press July 1 a “betrayal,” warning it will have devastating economic, environmental and health impacts. “The Senate just jammed through a scorched-earth reconciliation bill so toxic that it is worse than […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Kokoro Ramen Opens with Comfort
A feathery betta fish painted by muralist Kyle Sanders drifts above the red door to Kokoro Ramen in Eureka’s Old Town (409 Opera Alley). Owner Joe Tan, who can look down at it from nearby Rooftop, where he’s behind the sushi counter most days, has been looking for a place to open a traditional Japanese […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Tips for Celebrating the Fourth of July in 2025
Ambivalence about Independence Day festivities is as old as the holiday itself — bold move declaring all men equal while you’re still running chattel slavery. And genocide. You could say having misgivings amid the parades is traditional. In his 1852 address “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Frederick Douglass noted, “The blessings […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
In Gratitude
This is the 600th edition of the North Coast Journal that I’ve had some hand in publishing as the newspaper’s news editor. It will also be the last. For more than a decade, just about every Tuesday of my life has been consumed with finishing up the week’s paper. It’s been a regular ritual, the […]
Posted inNews
A Place to Stop and Rest
When the Wiyot Tribe decided to leverage its resources to tackle Humboldt County’s housing crisis, it didn’t just start buying land to develop. Instead, tribal officials spent two years listening. “We spent two years studying housing,” says Dishgamu Community Land Trust Director Michelle Vassel. “We went to big events, farmers markets and just asked people […]
Posted inNews
The Man Who Unsolved a Murder
On Aug. 28, 1976, sometime between 7:30 and 8 p.m., a 6-year-old boy named Willie Cook disappeared from the bed of his father’s pickup in Happy Camp, a secluded logging community in Northern California’s Klamath National Forest. Willie’s father, Bill Cook, had been working on his lawnmower at a repair shop in the center of […]
Posted inNews
‘Inflammatory and Prejudicial’
An Alderpoint man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 appears headed for a new trial after a state appellate court recently overturned his conviction, finding a local judge erred in allowing the jury to be presented with “inflammatory and prejudicial” evidence that may have changed the outcome of the case. Jake Henry Combs, who […]
Posted inEat + Drink
What’s Good at Friday Night Market
Eureka’s Friday Night Market festivities are in full swing on the blocked-off streets of Old Town each week (but for the July 4 break). As you weave through the musicians, vendors and performers, here are a few new food stalls to check out. Summer ceviche Arcata Pizza and Deli (APD) has lately branched out with […]