If you are among the estimated 75 percent of Humboldt County residents who have been ignoring a jury summons, the Superior Court may come a calling to let you know your time is up. According to a press release sent out by the court this week, jury services staff have resorted to phoning service skippers […]
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Council Races Take Shape: Stunning Turn in Eureka’s 2nd
City council races throughout Humboldt County are taking shape and a shocking turn has left Eureka Faith Center co-pastor Heidi Messner running unopposed for Eureka’s 2nd Ward seat, which is being vacated by the termed-out Linda Atkins. Both Wells Fargo broker Matthew Owen and former 5th Ward Councilman Chet Albin had submitted papers qualifying for […]
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Jail Adds Suicide Netting to Budget
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will discuss tomorrow whether to add a provision for suicide netting to the Humboldt County jail’s budget. The item comes after a rash of suicide attempts — 12 in 2015 — in the facility, one of which proved fatal. Two of the 12 attempts involved inmates jumping from the […]
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Arcata Police Now Carry a Life-Saving Overdose Drug
Arcata police have become the first in the county to carry Naloxone, a life-saving medication that counteracts opiate overdoses. Officers have been trained by county public health officials to identify and respond to people suffering from an overdose. Equipping officers with the drug and skills to administer is a big step in an ongoing effort […]
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State Conducting Sweeping Investigation of DHHS’s Handling of Child Abuse Reports
The California Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into the the Humboldt Department of Health and Human Services’ handling of reports of child abuse and neglect, and specifically whether it is in compliance with the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act. The origins and goals of the investigation are unclear, but a court document […]
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‘Full Spectrum’: One Way to Attract Doctors to the North Coast
It’s no secret Humboldt County has a doctor shortage. The lack of both primary care physicians and specialists has a variety of causes, and a host of impacts on the community. And efforts to recruit and retain doctors are met with mixed results; the shortage continues, but once in a while, you get a success […]
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Marijuana Group Says it Will Sue County Over Outdoor Cultivation Ordinance
Humboldt County’s newly enacted medical marijuana cultivation ordinance, which goes into effect tomorrow, is already facing a legal threat. The Humboldt Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project (HuMMAP) filed a notice with the county on Tuesday saying that it intends to sue to stop the ordinance. HuMMAP spokesperson Robert Sutherland confirmed the filing with the Journal and […]
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County Simultaneously Releases Budget App, Grim Budget Forecast
The county of Humboldt launched an interactive online budget application Friday aimed at helping residents better understand their government, just as county staff released a fairly gloomy five-year budget forecast. “Open Budget,” the new interactive tool that can be found here, is designed to let folks explore different facets of county spending and revenue collection, […]
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As Supes Move Closer to Marijuana Ordinance, the Planning Commission Expresses Outrage
A new outdoor medical marijuana draft ordinance has been released in advance of next week’s board of supervisors meeting, and it contains the stiffer restrictions on canopy sizes and cultivation in timber lands that supervisors have asked for since their review began at the beginning of the year. It’s a turn away from some of […]
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UPDATE: No Plans for Local Minimum Wage Initiative in 2016
UPDATE: Local activist and former Arcata City Councilmember Dave Meserve tells the Journal that, in the wake of Measure R’s defeat, he attempted to drum up support for a countywide initiative that would immediately bump the minimum wage to $12 an hour, working up to $15 over a three-year period. Meserve says he met with […]
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New DHHS Director Bails Before 1st Day
Kristin Brinks, the county’s new director of Health and Human Services hired last month and slated to begin in January, has decided she doesn’t want the job. Brinks notified the board of supervisors Dec. 1 in a brief, awkwardly phrased letter that she would be declining the position just a couple of weeks after accepting it. […]
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Planning Commission Continues to Slog Through Marijuana Land Use Ordinance
The Humboldt County Planning Commission is in the throes of its third meeting this week to address a proposed outdoor medical marijuana cultivation ordinance. In the course of four meetings in the last eight days, commissioners have heard hours of public comment and talked in depth with county counsel and planning staff in the commission’s […]