Since the COVID-19 pandemic began a little more than a year ago, Humboldt County’s response, from ramping up testing capacity to the now expanding vaccination efforts, has reached $11.7 million. According to a county’s press release, “the state and federal governments have already allocated or committed to future allocations totaling just over $14 million for […]
pandemic
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Meditations for Hitting the Pandemic Wall
As we inch/hurtle toward a year of living with COVID-19 and its attending horrors, those of us not wrapped in the gentle insulation of exactly the right medication (prescribed or otherwise) might be struggling a bit. Who would have thought, other than informed epidemiologists shouting themselves hoarse, that this would have lasted longer than that […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Herd Immunity
We’ve been hearing a lot about the holy grail of herd immunity lately, especially with the introduction of vaccines to counter COVID-19 and a general sense of seeing the light at the end of this yearlong tunnel. As soon as we’ve achieved herd immunity, goes the meme, we’re out of the woods (to mix my […]
Posted inNews
Flash Fiction 2020
Once again, our readers are the writers in the annual contest of narrative brevity judged by a team of story lovers: Booklegger owners Jennifer McFadden and Nancy Short, retired children’s librarian JoAnn Bauer, Eureka Poet Laureate and College of the Redwoods professor David Holper, and myself. The influence of the pandemic is visible here and […]
Posted inNews
Fatigue, Fear and Frustration
If you talk to healthcare providers treating COVID-19 patients at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, the linchpin in Humboldt County’s pandemic response, they all have a story to tell about when the reality of their challenge hit home. For Kristen Beddow, the charge nurse in St. Joseph’s emergency room, it was losing a patient. Beddow […]
Posted inNews
Students Share Their Shots of Pandemic Life
The Humboldt County Office of Education announced the winners of the Pandemic Photojournalism Contest, which saw more than 40 local students participate. The winners are: College: Tehila Horowitz Grades 9-12: Ari Alter Grades 6-8: Avery Packer Grades 3-5: Amaya Teraoka Grades Preschool-2: Indiana Jensen Special award from Ellis Art: Stella Saba View all of the […]
Posted inNews
What You Need to Know About Election Day
It’s Election Day, do you know where your ballot is? No matter the answer, we’ve got you covered, and you’ve got time. As of yesterday, the Humboldt County Elections Office had already received more than 47,000 vote-by-mail ballots, according to Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders. Additionally, Sanders said 1,010 precinct ballots have been cast at […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Comfort Food When There is No Comfort
I made too much Japanese curry last weekend. I chopped the onions, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes while talking on the phone with a friend who is struggling with whether to fly across the country to visit her ailing father. She was calculating the risk of traveling, how she’d manage quarantining before going near her parents, […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Heart of the Beast
It’s midnight and I’m still an hour away for a 12:30 a.m. flight booked just hours before from my home, also hours and worlds away. Another panicked decision, another chance to act with little thought. Like being down at the blackjack table and pulling out the last Franklin in an attempt to see it all […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Zombie Apocalypse
Anyone who’s watched traditional zombie movies knows it’s never really the zombies themselves that kill people. Sure, the relentless but slow-moving and brainless corpses are the mechanism of death, but it’s really humans’ selfishness, panic, stupidity and conflict that always causes them to leave positions of relative safety to imperil themselves and their loved ones. […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Vaccine Mirage?
In theory, a vaccine is simple: It induces the body to create antibodies to a particular virus. When that virus enters the body, the immune system will recognize it and block it from harming the host. Of course, the vaccine itself must be harmless, hence the twin goals of vaccine development: effectiveness and safety. Traditionally, […]
Posted inNews
County Organizations to Invest $120,000 in Child Care Capacity During the Pandemic
Humboldt County Children and Families Commission and Humboldt Area Foundation are investing $120,000 to increase childcare capacity in the county during the pandemic, according to a joint press release issued by the organizations. Eligible childcare facilities may receive between $500 and $750 toward reopening or remaining open, the press release states. Applications are available at www.first5humboldt.org […]