Willow Creek
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Culture Change
Mark Rowley has spent just about all of his 62 years in Willow Creek and says he’s never been tempted to move. That is, until now. Why — after having raised two kids and trading one successful business for another — would Rowley consider leaving the valley his family has called home for three generations? […]
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Three Homicide Victims over Weekend
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating three homicide cases this week after two men were discovered dead at a large marijuana grow operation near Hyampom and an August robbery victim died of his gunshot wounds over the holiday weekend. Deputies were called out to the Hyampom scene by the Trinity County Sheriff’s Office on […]
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Weekend Crash Claims 34-year-old McKinleyville Woman
The California Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into a single car crash on State Route 96 near Willow Creek on Saturday morning that left a 34-year-old McKinleyville woman dead. According to the CHP, Stormy Joy McConnell was driving her silver 2000 Nissan Frontier southbound on State Route 96 at about 8 a.m. when, for […]
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Hoopa Man Dies After Weekend Crash
An 82-year-old Hoopa man injured in a Sunday car crash has died, the California Highway Patrol announced today. Christopher F. Colgrove reportedly drove his Lexus sedan head-on into an oncoming pickup truck on State Route 299, east of East Fork Bridge, shortly before noon Sunday. No update was provided as to the condition of the […]
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Reported Drowning in Willow Creek would be Eighth of 2015
The grim toll of this year’s drowning deaths may rise, according to the Humboldt County Coroner’s office, which announced in a press release that a 33-year-old Oregon man, Justin Russell Lawrence Bennich, was pulled from the water at Willow Creek’s Kimtu swimming hole after becoming unresponsive on July 4. Chief Deputy Coroner Ernie Stewart said […]
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UPDATED. CHP: Suspect Attacked Officer with Machete Before Fatal Shooting
Update one: The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has released the name of the person killed: Hoopa tribal member Richard Fredrick Tis Mil Estrada, 17, of Hoopa. Update two: The California Highway Patrol says the officer involved in this incident, Tim Gray, was discharged from U.C. Davis Medical Center today. ——— It was a surprise machete attack that […]
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Birds! Count ’em
You see this little bird? Just chillin’ with her gull thangs? She counts and so do they. Yes, we’re in the midst of the 115th Christmas Bird Count, and birding teams throughout the Western Hemisphere and Antarctica are venturing out to count all the birds they see within a designated sphere. Locally, a couple of […]
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2nd UPDATE: CHP Shoots, Kills Suspect Near Willow Creek
Because of the officer-involved shooting that occurred early this morning, the Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District will shutter all its schools tomorrow, according to Superintendent Jon Ray. “We’re closing because we’ve experienced a tragedy here in our little community, so it’s best for our families to be together,” Ray said, adding that the closure was […]
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UPDATED Highway 96 Open, Fire Almost Out
SECOND UPDATE: Six Rivers National Forest reports that the Sugar Bowl Fire should be 100 percent contained by 6 p.m. this evening, July 28, and fully controlled by 6 p.m. July 29 The road is now open with no restrictions, although motorists “should be aware of potential hazards of rocks or debris rolling down from the […]
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Whopping Exotic Animal Parts Theft
Was someone looking to expand their trophy room? The Sheriff’s Office reports that someone broke into the Wildlife Museum in Willow Creek overnight and stole $750,000 worth of dead animal parts. Among the stolen items: two three-foot ivory elephant tusks, a mounted elk head, a bear skin rug and a kangaroo rug. Apparently someone pried […]
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New Fires in Eastern Humboldt
Lightning sparked fires east of Hoopa over the weekend, adding to the smoke-congested air along the Trinity, Klamath and Salmon rivers. Joining fires in Orleans and along the Salmon River, the latest blaze (called the Corral Complex) started Saturday morning and grew to 375 acres by this afternoon. Lots of fuels and extreme terrain — […]