The Trinidad City Council is scheduled to hold a special council meeting tonight to consider adopting a special COVID-19 moratorium on short-term rentals (STR). Trinidad is considering the moratorium as the city continues to see tourism despite the county moving to the state’s “widespread” COVID-19 Risk Assessment Tier. The adoption of the moratorium could impact […]
Tourism
Posted inNews
‘Crawling in the Right Direction’
Late last year, Sheriff William Honsal walked into a community meeting his staff had set up in Willow Creek to hear from cannabis farmers who’d become increasingly concerned about a rash of sophisticated robberies at grow scenes in the area. Gangs of armed men had held up a number of farmers at gunpoint after scouting […]
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Eureka’s ‘Moonshot’ Program Aims High
In an effort to draw new businesses and industries into Eureka, the city is taking a giant leap with the so-called “Moonshot” program, the basic premise of which is thinking big — really big — when it comes to drumming up interest. The idea is to set aside possible limitations and start “shooting for the […]
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‘A Comedy of Errors’
When the city of Eureka took the bold step in February of putting out a request for proposals for a lucrative marketing contract — one that for decades had been given to a single organization — the request itself outlined a bold vision. Referencing the council’s 2018 strategic visioning session, the request noted that the […]
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Eureka Council Rejects Humboldt Made’s Proposal, Moves Forward with Virginia Marketing Firm
Meeting in closed session on the heels of recent revelations that staff had materially misrepresented the extent of issues with Humboldt Made’s proposal to provide marketing services for the city, the Eureka City Council voted this evening to direct the city manager to negotiate the $370,000 annual contract with the other finalist, Eddy Alexander, based […]
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Julie Benbow Tapped to Head Visitor’s Bureau After Supes Extend Contract
The Humboldt County Visitors Bureau’s board of directors has named Julie Benbow as the tourism organization’s interim executive director. Benbow steps into the role Tony Smithers held for decades until his unexpected death in January. And the board’s announcement comes on the heels of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors’ unanimous vote Tuesday to extend […]
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Eureka Moves Forward with New Marketing Approach
The Eureka City Council voted unanimously last night to take a markedly different approach to attracting tourists by putting its $370,000 in annual marketing funding out to bid, potentially ending its decades-long funding relationship with the Eureka-Humboldt Visitors Bureau. For decades, the city has contracted with the bureau — formerly the Humboldt County Convention and […]
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UPDATE: Eureka Mulls Changing Course on Tourism Spending; Visitors Bureau Warns of Dire Consequences
UPDATE: In the wake of the death of Tony Smithers, the Eureka City Council today pulled an agenda item scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting to consider withdrawing its $370,000 contribution to the Eureka-Humboldt Visitors Bureau. PREVIOUS: The city of Eureka is considering drastically changing its approach to attracting tourists — and their dollars — to the […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Tourism Bureau Takes ‘Separate but Equal’ Approach to Cannabis Businesses
As they sat huddled around banquet tables arranged in a U shape, tensely nibbling the remnants of a catered lunch in the conference room of Eureka’s Red Lion Hotel, the Eureka-Humboldt Visitors Bureau Board of Directors voted last week to welcome cannabis businesses into their midst and to use them to market the county to […]
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The Redwood Coast is Lonely Planet’s Best in the U.S. 2018
If you’re old enough to have traipsed around unfamiliar turf hauling a hefty Lonely Planet guidebook, this win will taste even sweeter: The go-to travel guide/app publisher has named California’s Redwood Coast the No. 1 domestic travel destination on its 2018 list. Lonely Planet picks its top 10 with the help of editors, contributors, researchers […]
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Clarke Museum May Make Room for Welcome Center
UPDATE: The Eureka City Council approved the proposal. Previously: The Eureka City Council is set to vote tomorrow night on whether to authorize City Manager Greg Sparks to negotiate with local nonprofit Humboldt Made to operate a visitor center that will take up the main room of the Clarke Museum, at Third and E streets. […]
Posted inStories
The Craftsman
“Here’s a cool thing. I just figured it out,” confides Eric Hollenbeck, sitting on a worn chair next to a scavenged 1960s Double Star potbelly stove. “You know that saying, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?’ Well, what does that mean?” He coughs a deep, smoky cough and continues. “Does it make you physically […]