Category: Far North

Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 43 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county’s total to 2,263. An additional hospitalization was also reported. This week has seen 233 positive tests on the heels of a record 269 last week.  On the vaccine side, the county is moving into the next phase, starting with those age 75 and older. (Read more about the process here.) To aid in the effort, 21 medical professionals were sworn in as disaster health care volunteers by the county. “The state announced it would provide additional doses to expand our ability to reach more people in the various phases,” County Health Officer Ian Hoffman said in a news release. “While we’re waiting for those additional doses to arrive, we are expanding our infrastructure to ramp up operations.” Public Health is also urging all local healthcare providers to sign up to be vaccinated, saying the county can’t move on to its next priority vaccination group until it finishes with healthcare workers, who can sign up to schedule a vaccination through this link. Meanwhile, Public Health, which is having so much trouble contacting some…

The Humboldt-Del Norte Medical Society presented three “Outstanding Contribution” awards to local physicians recognizing their contributions to the area including former Humboldt County Public Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich. Frankovich was awarded the “Outstanding Service to Our Community” award for “her tireless work in coordinating efforts to deal with the COVID pandemic in Humboldt County, educating the public on COVID, advocating for safety measures to mitigate the spread of COVID, as well as her seamless work to build a fantastic team of local physicians at public health.” Frankovich began as Humboldt County’s part-time Public Health Officer last January and on her 41st day on the job she declared a local health emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The part-time position began demanding more as Frankovich spent most of her time answering questions of local news outlets weekly to updating local officials and the community on where the county stands. In September, Frankovich announced her resignation as Public Health Officer and said that her decision didn’t come lightly and that she needed to make good on some promises to her family. On her last day as Humboldt’s…

The Eureka office of the National Weather Service has issued a small craft advisory along the coast due to a series of swells bringing 10 to 15 foot seas through Saturday night. North winds of 6 to 17 mph with gusts up to nearly 30 mph are forecast from Cape Mendocino to Pt. Arena. Those strong north winds are also expected to pick up “across all outer waters” Sunday afternoon into Monday, according to the NWS, prompting a gale watch for gusts up to 46 mph. “Mariners should consider altering plans to avoid possible hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe wind and seas,” the Marine Weather Message states. …

Blingity bling. Don’t miss the newest online exhibit at www.InkPeople.org: The Ink People’s Annual Color Show: Metallic, now through Jan. 30, online. And by metallic, they mean, “Copper and pewter. Steel and chrome. Traps and grills. Silver and gold. The bling and the mirage. The platinum level. The shiny crayons. It’s industry and androids. It’s the future and the past. It’s the color of your skin.” View all the creative designs at the virtual iteration of the Brenda Tuxford Gallery. …

Garberville lost a stalwart watering hole on Sunday when the Blue Room Lounge announced on Facebook it had poured its last cocktail. The bar’s owner did not respond to messages from the Journal but patrons replied to the post with their lamentations.  Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all bars not serving food are currently closed in Humboldt County, which is now in the state’s purple “widespread” risk tier. …

Repeat after us: Rodenticides are bad, bad, bad. Not only do they kill the intended target (rats), but the poison is also often ingested by other wildlife (and pets) in the food chain. There are safe alternatives to your rat problem. Learn more at the Friends of the Arcata Marsh lecture Rat Poison Is Wildlife Poison on Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m. on Zoom (free). Humboldt State University master’s candidate Jaime Carlino, founder of the local chapter of R.A.T.S. (raptors are the solution), a nonprofit organization working to eliminate toxic rodenticides from the food web, presents this program on rodenticide use and its costs to rodent-consuming wildlife species and shares how to manage rodent issues without using poisons. Tune in via Zoom at www.us02web.zoom.us/j/2086720150.…

Humboldt County Public Health confirmed 49 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the county’s total to 2,220. On the vaccine side, the county is moving into the next phase, starting with those age 75 and older. (Read more about the process here.) “We’re vaccinating groups in tandem,” County Health Officer Ian Hoffman said in a release. “We will continue to work with our health care partners to message when and where people can receive their vaccine.” Meanwhile, Public Health, which is having so much trouble contacting some positive cases that it has added an “unknown” designation to its categories of transmission type on its dashboard, is pleading with those who receive a positive test to cooperate with contact tracers to aid in slowing the disease’s spread. Cases in which Public Health is unable to contact the positive case or the person is unwilling to cooperate will be classified as “unknown” moving forward. Other designations are “travel-acquired,” “community transmission” and “under investigation.” On Tuesday, as Humboldt County recorded its 24th COVID-related death and a pair of new hospitalizations, the state moved Humboldt County back into the most…

Humboldt County expects to move into the next phase of COVID-19 vaccine distribution next week, opening the door to anyone age 75 or older to get immunized. During a press conference this afternoon, Health Officer Ian Hoffman said that while state and federal guidelines have changed to include anyone over the age of 65 into this phase of vaccine distribution, Humboldt County is not yet taking that step and is opting to first focus on vaccinating residents 75 and older as quickly as possible. “There’s currently not enough vaccine,” Hoffman said. The vaccine requires a two-dose process, with a second dose administered 21 days after the first. Hoffman said the county currently has about 5,200 vaccine doses on hand — 1,700 first doses and another 3,500 doses that were set aside for people who have already received the first. The county has been receiving about 1,000 to 2,000 doses a week from the state, but Hoffman said he’s been told that number is expected to increase to 3,000 to 4,000 doses next week. But that would still leave Humboldt County short of the volume needed…

The day we stormed the capitol I was out among the trees I saw the weavers weave their web I heard the vultures screech I heard we won not one but both Yet I learned we also lost Our peaches thus cut much the same And greater is the cost The day we stormed the capitol I did not see you there Nor saw you me, of that I’m sure E’en though we both were there E’en though we think we’re us-not-them Our hands still cast our stones They pile up and topple down And mingle with our bones Today we storm our capitol And will till we’re in tune Is the world too much with both of us? At this rate it will be. Soon J. Commander, 06 January 2021…

Editor: “Two Different Ways of Camping,” Terry Torgerson’s Dec. 3 cartoon showed desired campers in expensive motor homes and our neighbors with no place to live except make shift tents. People also live in campers. This is illegal under Eureka’s current camping ordinance and under the proposed ordinance likely to be on the council’s Jan. 19 agenda. The “Camping Permitted Only in Specifically Designated Areas” code allowed then Police Chief Andrew Mills to designate an area near the Bayshore Mall. Council designated parking lots for Betty’ Blue Angel Village and the short-lived sleeping site program. EPD was charged with managing all except the Betty’s. None used normal tenancy rules. This proposed ordinance takes the opposite approach, designating certain commercial areas, most of the waterfront, all city parks and within 75 feet of the center line of any recreational trail as no camping areas. Sleeping on other public property during daylight hours, plus 15 minutes before/after sunset/sunrise is allowed. Besides a few Eureka owned vacant properties, are public properties owned by Cal Trans, the school district and the county. EPD has been called in the past…

The Humboldt County Republican Central Committee and the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee has released a joint statement denouncing the fatal riots at the Capitol last week, calling on the community to stand with them against using violence as a form of protest. “These are extremely difficult and trying times. People fear COVID infection, job loss, business closure, and the stressful uncertainty of a nation pulling itself apart at the seams,” the release reads.  The statement calls for a peaceful transition of power on Jan. 20, when Joe Biden is sworn in as president, saying it is the local chairs “hope and prayer” that Republicans and Democrats “can work together by supporting our long standing traditions of democracy and peaceful expressions of freedom of speech while strongly denouncing violence and destruction of property. “Humboldt County is a special place and together we hope to be an example to the rest of our state on how we can coexist and even work together,” the statement reads. “As tensions continue to run high, we retain our faith in our democratic system of government. Our faith abides in…

UPDATE: Caltrans reports one-way traffic control is in effect on State Route 36 as crews work on clearing the slide debris. Motorists should anticipate one-hour delays. PREVIOUS: A slide closed State Route 36 near Dinsmore last night and there is currently no estimated time for learning and reopening the roadway, according to Caltrans. The slide occurred 1 mile west of Dinsmore just before 10 p.m. “No detours and no estimated time for reopening,” Caltrans posted on Facebook. “We will provide updates as they become available.”…

Editor: So … five people died stemming from the events of Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., and many more have been injured. The People’s House has been breached and desecrated. A crowd of Trump supporters, exhorted to violence by President Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani was responsible. That this would happen was predicted by many over several weeks and months; most notably by Gabriel Sterling, an election official from Georgia, on Dec. 1 as he was thoroughly explaining and debunking disputes point by point. While people died and were injured, Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley persisted in opposing the Electoral College results from Arizona and Pennsylvania. This, in spite of all the recounts, investigations and judicial opinions saying that the election was fair. Claims of fraudulent results, repeated over and over by Trump, his enablers and many Republican members of Congress, were the proximate cause of this debacle. To repeat, five people died and many more were injured. Donald Trump should be removed from office immediately and, with respect, Republicans of all stripes who voted for and supported him should be…

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 metaphors) and normal life can resume. There are, however, a couple of caveats we should keep in mind before we relax our guard, trash our masks and party on. Immunity is the body’s ability to resist pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria. We acquire immunity either through vaccination or through natural immunity, when a person gets the disease and survives. In either case, the body’s response is the same: It manufactures proteins known as antibodies that recognize and destroy the pathogens, leading to both immunity and a check on transmitting the disease to others. While the concept of herd immunity is nearly 100 years old, its role in slowing the spread of disease was only fully recognized in the 1960s with the increasing use of vaccines. The idea is pretty…

A slide closed State Route 36 near Dinsmore last night and there is currently no estimated time for learning and reopening the roadway, according to Caltrans. The slide occurred 1 mile west of Dinsmore just before 10 p.m. “No detours and no estimated time for reopening,” Caltrans posted on Facebook. “We will provide updates as they become available.”…