Category: Far North

Matthew Michael Moore, 64, of Hoopa, passed away after a long illness on Sept. 11. He was surrounded by his loving family, partner Deb Brown, son Ian Moore and brother Mark Moore. Matthew was born Oct. 11, 1959 in Corpus Christi, Texas, to his Marine Corps fighter pilot father TR Moore and his loving mother Dorella Ward Moore Hostler. He lived many places during his childhood including Texas, Virginia and Colorado. He lived for a time in Colorado in his adulthood before making Hoopa his home for over 40 years. Matthew was a loving father to Ian Michael Moore and partner Deb Brown, both of Hoopa. He was also a loving son, brother and friend. Matthew was a talented artist and loved the outdoors. He loved living on Bald Hills with its spectacular view of the mountains, river and the Hoopa Valley. He will be remembered for his passion for his Native American heritage, his sense of humor and his love of animals. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, his mother Dorella Hostler, his step-father Jasper Hostler Jr., his Aunt Sharon Ward VanPelt

I love a good show at the Arcata Veterans Hall, and tonight’s line-up can’t be beat, especially the headliners. I’m talking about the return of the Bow-Legged Buzzards, my favorite rot-gut country thrashers led by the devil’s own fiddler himself, Phill Irvine. Rounding out the bill are mega-riffsters Ultramafic and Marble Jar, for whom I have lost my notes and, one can say, my marbles. I probably deserve to be beaten like a shit-dipped cur for that last line, but I have no regrets. The gig starts at 7 p.m. because some of the neighbors are land-rich squares and have been since I was a kid getting the cops called on me for reading in the nearby park. Fuck ’em, go have fun and make some noise. Nothing’s free these days, but $10 is well worth it for tonight’s gig. …

Showing good reinvention skills over the decades since its “Dixieland Jazz” start in 1990, the 32 nd  annual Redwood Coast Music Festival in Eureka last week showcased more than 100 sets of American roots music, including blues, swing, jazz, Zydeco, rockabilly, Western swing and country over four days. (See the slideshow below for highlights.) “This year’s festival was a tremendous success,” said Mark Jansen, a member of the festival board of directors and director of bands. “Our patrons were thrilled with the performances, and the musicians were all excited about their shows and moving around to guest into other sets. It’s turning into a showcase for fantastic musicianship. Crowds were bigger, the weather was perfect and there was nothing but smiles all around.” The stages at the Eureka Theater and Adorni venues got makeovers with “artwork that our fantastic local artist Matt Beard has done for us since we began our association,” said Jansen. “His artwork perfectly captures the spirit of our festival and our beautiful north Coast location.”   The event has also developed a reputation as a “dancer’s festival.” And indeed, a large

Noni the black bear, known by her Sequoia Park Zoo caretakers as “twinkle toes” for her habit of perching on the thinnest branches at the top of the redwood trees in her enclosure, has died. She was 2. The Sequoia Park Zoo announced her passing in a social media post today, nearly a week after the young bear underwent emergency surgery due to connective tissue causing damage to her colon. Noni was rushed back to another emergency surgery on Wednesday, the zoo states, during which “it was discovered that the trauma to her colon was irreversible, and the organ had been unable to recover.”  “During her too-short time at the zoo, Noni delighted staff, volunteers, and visitors with her silly antics and goofy personality,” the announcement states. “Noni particularly enjoyed playing in bubbles and splashing in water, and zookeepers often joked about needing to get her a hot tub for the backyard.” The zoo describes Noni as “a truly beautiful bear with a gorgeous coat, long eyelashes, blonde eyebrows, and a perfectly heart-shaped nose that would wiggle as she sniffed out her favorite treats, including

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 4-year-old girl “abducted under suspicious circumstances.” According to a news release, Thompson Thompson was reported missing Oct. 9 by her legal guardian after her father Peter Thompson did not bring her back from a scheduled visitation on Oct. 5. “The father is the last known person to have seen the child,” the HCSO release states. “He is only allowed scheduled court-ordered visitation and does not have any custody rights over his child.” Thompson Thompson, of Hoopa, is described as being 3 feet, 7 inches tall, weighing about 50 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, and was last seen wearing a black floral T-shirt, black pants and cowboy boots. After the child was reported missing, the sheriff’s office obtained an arrest warrant for Peter Thompson and requested a Feather Alert be issued for her, the release states. According to HCSO, Peter Thompson turned himself into the Humboldt County Jail on the evening his daughter was reported missing. He remains in custody, the release states. “The father claimed to know about

It’s a great night to pre-game and tailgate the upcoming weekend, as we have an early evening metal show at the Siren’s Song Tavern at 7 p.m. The line-up consists of Oakland’s Merked, an insanely fast and unrelenting grind-type of act, along with local heroes Kolonizer — the punk band with the delightful pink Barbie font — Gourmandizer and my favorite heavy rippers, Psyop Victim ($5-$20 sliding scale). 

Editor: Kati Moulton serves our city so well. Kati asked our community, how can I be of service and for four years, she has followed through. Kati has held town halls genuinely asking her neighbors, what are your concerns? What are your ideas? She brought your voice into the rooms where decisions are made about your future. Kati is a down to earth, hard-working Eurekan. She is a small business owner in Old Town, an artist and at every opportunity makes our city a more beautiful and welcoming place. Heidi Benzonelli, Eureka…

Editor: It is disappointing to see people abandon the principle of free speech. Their certainty that the government and corporate media are always correct is also perplexing (Mailbox, Oct. 3). Unfortunately, the Democrats’ betrayal of their principles also includes their transformation into warmongers. Harris is clearly the war machine’s preferred candidate. She has steadfastly demonstrated her allegiance to war, no matter how many civilian deaths, or the threat of the mushroom cloud. People don’t matter, only war profits. No wonder Dick Cheney endorses her. The fact that only Trump wants to end our proxy war with a nuclear power, while Harris supports the escalating brinkmanship, is shocking. Harris does not represent you or uphold the principles of the left. If you vote her in now, the Democrats will never run a candidate worthy of your vote. Amy Gustin, Ettersburg…

Editor: We can’t live without clean water. But we can live without malfeasance, sprawling development and cronyism. The former is on your HCSD ballot in the form of Heidi Benzonelli and Michael Hansen. The latter (sigh) in the form of Alan Bongio’s potential comeback. Under the current, respectful, leadership of Benzonelli, our water board directs investments in long-term infrastructure, lower energy use and public responsiveness. Before Benzonelli, Bongio treated HCSD as his fiefdom. Bad for our water system’s future. Good for his suburban sprawl real estate developer network. Bongio was basically run off of this board, as well as the county planning commission, for shady dealing and disrespect. (See reporting in this publication and the Lost Coast Outpost.) Now, he’s trying to make a comeback. Keep incumbents Benzonelli and Hansen. Don’t let Bongio back in. J.A. Savage, Eureka…

Editor: Measure O will increase the County sales tax by 1 percent. Eureka has a 9.25 percent sales tax. Arcata and Fortuna are proposing to follow. If approved, our sales tax in the largest commercial areas in the county would be 10.25 percent, which is among the highest in the entire U.S. The sales tax in Redding is 7.25 percent, Ukiah 8.88 percent, Sacramento 8.75 percent, and Red Bluff 7.50 percent. I won’t be buying my next car in Humboldt County. Measure Z (approved in 2014) adds $12 million to the budget every year and promised to improve roads and public safety. Measure O would add an additional $24 million every year to the county budget. The board is once again giving us vague promises about improving roads and public safety, but there are no limits on how the funds could be spent. Let’s hold the board of supervisors responsible for managing within their current budget, without giving them another huge slush fund to spend recklessly. Vote no on O! Deborah Lynne, Eureka…

Editor: Common sense tells us that the city can’t remove 218-plus off-street parking spaces while adding 282-plus new apartments — and their vehicles — without unintended consequences. A yes vote on Measure F requires off-street parking at current levels, possibly building above these five parking lots, a common practice elsewhere in California. Hundreds of new residents would still park on-street in Old Town/Downtown whether F passes or not since no on-site parking is being required. Imagine the added congestion — the children living there playing in that downtown environment! A yes vote on Measure F means the city must rezone the Eureka City Schools vacant Jacobs Middle School property, allowing new residential development — ECS benefits with more families, students, a higher sales value and the city gains new property tax revenue. Measure F offers added residential options, protects our downtown businesses and our tax-reliant city budget to maintain services. Vote yes on Measure F. Marian Brady, Eureka…

I’ve been trying to make sense of how so many people, some of whom I once considered to be moral, ethical, and generally “good eggs,” as Bertie Wooster would say, can’t seem to take a hard line on the genocide our country is currently abetting in Palestine and now Lebanon. Some things don’t have the nuance you might think is needed to accurately describe them. Genocide is one of those things. So I did what I always do when I’m at a loss. I started reading, specifically, the work of W.E.B. DuBois on the abolitionist John Brown. To call DuBois a writer does him a disservice, as he is one of the greatest minds this nation and planet have ever produced. Likewise with Brown and the term “abolitionist.” He was so much more than that, certainly one of our greatest American heroes. Anyway, if you’ll permit me, I found an excerpt that goes some distance explaining the complacent moral waffling of many of our fellow citizens and leaders: “Their life morality becomes always a wavering path of expediency, not necessarily the best or the worst

Framed by towering, lacy hollyhocks Softly rolling in the morning breeze You tip at the rim of the birdbath Like the teeter totter of my childhood Up and down Narrow tail reaching skyward Then dipping to the deck Again and again And I forget about Gaza and Paris And revel in the moment — Jean Munsee…

Those interested can weigh in on what they’d like to see in Cal Poly Humboldt’s next president during a two-hour forum Thursday with the selection committee. Embattled President Tom Jackson Jr. stepped down in August, retreating to a tenured professor position with the university after five tumultuous years helming the institution. Michael Spagna is currently serving as CHP’s interim president and is contractually prohibited from applying for the permanent position. The California State University Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President will hold the open forum from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the Van Duzer Theatre, though it will also be live-streamed and archived on the university’s Presidential Search webpage. Those attending the event in person do not need to register in order to provide comment to the committee, though those planning to speak virtually are asked to register to do so by 5 p.m. today through the search webpage. The committee comprises CSU Trustees Leslie Gilbert-Lurie, Larry Adamson, Lillian Kimbell, Anna Ortiz Morfit and Jack Clarke, as well as CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia. An advisory committee, which will offer input to

Noni, one of two rescued black bears at the Sequoia Park Zoo, is recovering after undergoing emergency surgery Friday and visitors are being asked to pass by the enclosure quietly while she recuperates in its night house. “This health issue was very serious, and we will keep our community updated about Noni’s recovery,” zoo officials said in a social media post. “She is not out of the woods, but she is a strong, resilient bear.” According to the post, animal care staff first noticed Noni exhibiting abnormal behavior during a routine morning check Oct. 3 and called in the zoo’s veterinarian Jennifer Tavares but after “diagnostics and symptomatic care with no improvement,” the bear was taken to Broadway Animal Hospital. “During the emergency surgery, Dr. Tavares discovered that a piece of connective tissue was compromising the health of the colon. This connective tissue was removed, but Noni’s colon had experienced substantial trauma,” the post states. “However, we are hopeful that her colon will be able to heal.” Tule remains in the main enclosure, according to zoo staff, but “is tending to lounge near the bear

Philadelphia’s Basic is a trio of musicians from semi-underground acts, the most famous of which is probably Chicago’s venerable post-rock band Tortoise. Tonight they are joined at the Miniplex with Eta Corina, a cool-ass duo composed of Ben Chasney of Six Organs of Admittance and Sake violinist Aolani. Don’t sleep on this mid-week heater; it looks like a good blast from the experimental furnace ($20, $10 advance)…

If you are looking for dream pop, some flash and bang, and shoegaze introspection to even the recipe out, look no further than the line up at the Outer Space tonight at 6 p.m. Portland’s Saoirse Dream is making a stop in Arcata on The Quest Coast Tour, joined by Swanskin. Local support comes from two groups, the very fine Petiole and Snow Removal, something we don’t experience all that often down here on the coast (free)…

Editor: As the former owner and operator of a popular family restaurant in Old Town, Eureka, we urge voters to reject “Measure F” Nov. 5. Voting “No on F” removes an obstacle to Eureka’s plans for replacing some parking with affordable housing, benefiting current and future businesses with a larger hiring pool and increased sales from hundreds of additional residents nearby. Affordable, accessible housing increases household purchasing power, increasing demand for products, services and employment, augmented further by not needing a car. With only one public parking space, our restaurant reaffirmed a fundamental lesson of “Business 101:” When providing your best high-demand product at a competitive price, customers will come. Voting “no on F” begins reversing decades of development industry addiction to overstocking “moderate and above” priced housing and its lucrative cycle of foreclosure and resale leaving thousands of local families bankrupt and desperate in a corrupt “boom and bailout” economy. George Clark, Eureka…

If you missed the northern lights that showed up in May, you might get another chance to catch a glimpse of them this weekend. A geomagnetic storm watch was issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for Oct. 4 through Oct. 6. This was announced after two solar flares were recorded by the NOAA on Wednesday and Thursday, one being the largest solar flare since 2017 recorded at X9.0. The flares have produced a pair of coronal mass ejections, an expulsion of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun, which increases the likelihood of the northern lights appearing. The northern United States can expect to see the lights this weekend, and the northern most parts of California could have a chance of seeing the lights, depending on the strength of the storm, according to Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Space Weather Prediction Center who spoke with the San Francisco Chronicle. Geomagnetic storms are categorized from a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (severe), and the upcoming storm is expected to be a G3. Depending on the power of the storm, the likelihood

The Siren’s Song Tavern is hosting the Salon des Refusés, a party of “the refused,” at 7 p.m. featuring returning rock champs The Beer Scouts, Roland Rock, Jimmy Foot and local surf rock mavericks The Starhoppers, fresh off a gig with Dick Dale’s son Jimmy. This looks like a blast and, more to the point, it’s only $10, so who gives a shitsky if anything goes sideways, which it won’t. …

It’s the first night of the Redwood Coast Music Festival, which will be centered around the Adorni Center, with satellite shows throughout the general waterfront neighborhood of Eureka. Too many to name, but tonight’s entertainment includes Dave Stuckey & the Hot House Gang, The Navy Band Northwest, Freshwater Jazz Band, Redwood Dixie Gators and more. Roll by the Adorni Center around 5:30 p.m. to get the full scoop and, despite some inscrutable aspects of the event’s website, I can say that it appears tonight’s tickets run for $40, tomorrow night $75, all four days for $170 if you buy in advance, and $185 if you don’t. Have fun. …