Category: Far North

The Earth flag’s future at the top of three municipal flagpoles in Arcata is in question after a judge found this week that voters there “do not have the power to exempt” the city from following state laws mandating the U.S. flag fly above all others. Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning’s ruling on Measure M comes a year and a half after the citizen-led initiative directing the placement was approved in the November 2022 election with a final vote of 3,051 to 2,781, with around 52 percent having cast ballots in favor of putting the Earth flag on top. Canning noted the principle question under his consideration at the request of the city was whether Arcata voters could impose the change through the local ballot measure process. “There may be very strong policy reasons to fly the Earth flag above the national flag, as Measure M sets forth, but those policy reasons are insufficient to excuse the city from complying with mandatory state law on flying the national and state flags,” he wrote in the April 2 ruling. “The court finds and declares

We all love a good local band showcase, don’t we, folks? Tonight’s line-up spans the rock-to-punk pipeline, with a quartet of groups who all have names that sound like minor Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle villains: Pit Junkies, Marvin the Fly, Something Wicked and The Goons. The action happens at the Siren’s Song Tavern after 7 p.m., with a $5-$10 sliding scale…

The Alley Cats, also known as the Opera Alley Cats when they play the Speakeasy on that street, are a fine jazz group of varying size depending on who is up for the gig. However large or small, these cats know their stuff, and provide an excellent cool jazz atmosphere for the lucky folks in the venue. Tonight’s roost is the Basement, where, at 8 p.m. you can hear the cat’s meow (free). …

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Editor: The mandates article was well done and makes it clear that California is not on track to meet the challenges of handling the destructive and massively expensive consequences of the extreme weather (NCJ Daily, March 21). The challenges relate to keeping our state from burning up, overheating and being washed away and flooded by extreme rainfall or by a rising Pacific Ocean. Then there is our food production/security, our ability to keep construction affordable and people exposed to increased climate risks, etc. The article shows the prevailing view that the “state” is responsible for reducing emissions and the high costs of weather damage. That view points to other participants not getting the goals met; who are the mysterious “we” or the less well defined “they?” As in, “they” need to increase …. Let’s be clear. Dealing with meeting climate change goals means changing anything to do with our use of fossil fuel (and creating cement), most of which is used by people or for the benefit of people. At this point the “state” does not know how to do all of what needs to

Baby, I sang Guthrie for Guthrie in a psych ward in ’61 Ode to the times, the times gone bye…Oh the times, they’re always a-changin’. Back then, a penny was worth something. Now, we just keep ‘um to smash ‘um Don’t think twice but time never stands still Yeah, now I cover Coldplay, and tour with Willie Nelson Let me die in my footsteps…look out the window an’ I’ll be gone… And life is hard, but loving is harder Nickels break a dollar/make change/and I’m a-travelin’ on… By Amelie L. P…

The sight of someone smoking a cigarette in costume is shocking to those of us who have been conditioned by every stage manager — some even threatening our lives should we disobey. My shock faded when I found out the man I saw outside the theater was not an actor, but 5th and D Street Theater’s tech board operator Ron Bishop, who’d dressed up for North Coast Repertory Theatre’s newest production of Twelfth Night. I immediately knew this production would be special — when people behind the scenes are inspired to join in on the Shakespearean shenanigans, it’s a good sign — and I wasn’t disappointed. The play was written in 1601 so if you aren’t familiar with the plot by now, just go see it. It is a classic comedy: girl disguised as a boy falls in love with a boy who is in love with a different girl who is loved by another boy who was tricked by mischievous court folk with a letter (there’s always a letter). Naturally, it ends with marriages and reunion. It also drips with the bawdy double entendre and hilarious

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE. For a giant lizard, Godzilla has evolved. At this point, his multiverse timelines are overlapping, with reboots from Japan and the U.S. passing each other at the box office, Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One finishing its acceptance speeches just as Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire hits theaters. The 1954 original Japanese Godzilla retains its intensity and power, with its grim warning about nuclear technology. Filmed less than a decade after Hiroshima and Nagasaki were leveled by atom bombs, it captures unrest among a bitter and frightened citizenry, the inadequacy of the government, and the horror of familiar sirens and new destruction raining on a country still in tatters. Rescue comes not in the form of tanks but self-sacrifice. The 1960s began decades of lighter, friendlier, even goofier rubber-suited Godzilla meant to charm children and sell toys rather than provoke. (Tread lightly on these googly-eyed romps, for you tread on my youth.) Over the years, Toho and other studios kept a steady stream of kaiju movies coming in various degrees of seriousness, including a

You can’t miss the bright blue Jamwagon food truck with its red lettering announcing pitas, gyros, hummus, falafel and fries (1631 Central Ave., McKinleyville; updates on Facebook). And good thing, too. (Sidebar: Is McKinleyville’s Central Avenue, with its Indian takeover days at the Taqueria Martinez truck, Auntie Hao’s and now this Greek street-food operation, becoming the spot to cruise food trucks with big flavors?) Instead of the usual heavy toppings, the Jamwagon’s loaded fries take a refreshing turn for the Mediterranean ($6, plus $1.50 for chicken/$3.50 lamb). Doused in creamy, garlicky tzatziki sauce, its mild tartness coupling with chunks of feta cheese, they come topped with chopped tomato and slices of charred peppers, the light bitterness of which you may find yourself hunting for at the bottom of the container. Lamb shawarma comes well spiced with cumin among others, but not masking the wonderfully juicy lamb tucked in a soft, thick Greek pita warm from the grill ($11.99). The tang of tzatziki lightens the heavy flavors along with feta, raw onion, tomato and cucumber. (This is a good time to remind you of the importance

Eureka City Schools appears to have violated more open meeting and public records laws in its handling of the former Jacobs middle school property exchange than previously known, the Journal has learned via a new batch of public records disclosed in response to the paper’s request. While the Journal already reported that the district erred in not listing on its meeting agenda the specific address of the property the district would be acquiring through the agreement — which has the district giving 8.3 acres of its long-shuttered middle school campus to AMG Communities-Jacobs LLC, a newly formed corporation, in exchange for two small residential units on I Street and $5.35 million in cash — recently released records document another violation of state sunshine laws. In putting together the agenda for the Dec. 14 ECS board meeting, district staff included two separate items regarding the property exchange. The first was a closed session discussion that listed negotiating parties as AMG and the California Highway Patrol, which had long sought the site and reportedly had a $4 million purchase offer on the table for the property. That

Foster kids often miss out on Little League or music lessons. That’s one of the consequences of changing homes, or living with a family on a tight budget. Now California has a new plan to give them opportunities for the kinds of extracurricular activities that can build character and community.  It’s included in a proposed revision to how the state pays for foster care that’s intended to make more money available to high-needs kids. Youth advocates are especially enthusiastic about the funding for extracurricular activities, which would come in the form of a monthly stipend of at least $500.  “These kids are always underfunded,” said Brian Blalock, senior directing attorney at the Youth Law Center. “And especially when the kids are with grandma and the kids are with relatives, often on fixed income. It’s where we most want these young people as a system, and as a consequence, grandma’s maxing out credit cards to keep the grandbaby in basketball and dance and tutoring.” The California Department of Social Services put forward the proposal last month, as part of a restructuring to the state’s foster care

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a single vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 101 north of Fernbridge on Sunday that left one man dead and another with major injuries. According to a news release, emergency personnel arrived just before 5 p.m. to find the overturned Ford F150 truck down the side of an embankment and actively burning. The 19-year-old passenger, identified as Jozef Borges, was able to exit the vehicle and was taken to Providence St. Joseph Hospital with major injuries. The 59-year-old driver, John Borges, was fatally injured. Both are from Tracy. “It is unknown what caused the Ford to travel off the roadway, however, impairment is not considered to have been a factor at this time,” the CHP release states. The CHP extended its condolences to the family and thanked responding agencies for their assistance. The crash remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to call (707) 822-5981. …

Lindsay Lou is an alternative bluegrass and Americana artist whose journey of musical development took her from Michigan, the state of her formative years, to Nashville, the spiritual center of the Great Country Sound that might be more mythical than solid these days. What isn’t debatable is her considerable talent at songwriting, singing and strumming, whether solo or supported by the top-level musicians she has attracted throughout her career. Ms. Lou is playing at Humbrews tonight at 8 p.m., supported by similarly minded songster Jay Cobb Anderson, known outside of his solo work as a member of Portland bluegrass band Fruition ($20)…