Category: Far North

In this episode of The NCJ Preview , News Editor Thad Greenson discusses Humboldt’s 13 local revenue ballot measures and updates on the California State University search for Cal Poly Humboldt’s next president. Arts and Features Editor Jennifer Fumiko-Cahill covers Chef Calvosa Olson’s food sovereignty and her workshop at Cal Poly Humboldt which explores Native foodways. Read all this and more in the latest issue of the North Coast Journal ! READ FULL STORIES HERE Ballot Measure Soup ‘Uniquely Unique’ Sara Calvosa Olson’s Indigenous Abundance …

Well, the E-40 show at the Van Duzer Theatre looks to be sold out, but that’s of little matter, as there is an absolute scorcher happening down at the Miniplex at 6 p.m. Set the controls to the violent center of creation, as psychedelic drone rangers Carlton Melton are back in town, and bringing the atom-splitting, world creating energy we all love with flesh-melting devotion. It’s an early gig to accommodate karaoke at 9 p.m., so don’t dawdle, and make sure to check out the groovy and bold as love beauty of local trio Mercury Suckers. And after all is said and done, have a gander at the full moon, the Hunter’s Moon ($10)…

Editor: As Shelter Cove residents, we know firsthand the challenges of living with deteriorating roads. Our rough roads make travel difficult and delay emergency responders. Measure O is crucial for addressing this imbalance. By ensuring that all parts of Humboldt County contribute fairly, we can make sure rural areas like Shelter Cove receive the funding needed for road repairs and reliable 911 services. Supporting Measure O is about fairness and safety for everyone. As proud residents, we ask that everyone join us in voting yes on Measure O – for better roads, quicker emergency response and a more secure future for our rural community. Simy Rajan, Shelter Cove Editor: It takes no convincing to recognize the need to repair our roads — they are in horrible condition. In fact, state data shows that on average, each car owner is spending $900 per year, per car on repairs related to bad roads. Shocks, tires and rims, alignments and more from hitting potholes and rough patches. The question is how to raise funds for road repair. Currently, the limited funds we have for roads goes mostly to

A look at all those local revenue proposals coming before voters When Humboldt County voters fill out their ballots, after they check a box for their preferred candidates for president, senator, member of Congress and state Assembly, as well as those for local school board and city council seats, they’ll wade through 10 statewide propositions. Then, finally, they’ll get to local measures, and there are a lot of them. As voters sift through the 13 local measures on Humboldt County ballots in November, they’ll notice nearly all of them — 12 — aim to increase revenue for local agencies, from fire departments and schools to city and county government. Every voter in the county will face the choice of whether to raise local tax rates, while those in Arcata and Fortuna will have the option to do it twice. A Journal analysis of recent local ballots indicates the county has averaged 7.7 local revenue generating ballot measure per presidential election since 2000, though this year’s dozen eclipses the previous high of 11 in 2016. So why so many? It’s probably due to a kind of

Editor: Stop the flow of U.S. weapons to the Israel and its genocide of the Palestinian people.  Vote for Kamala. As President, she would be free to pursue her own policies and reject Biden’s policies. Will she cut off the arms flow as Reagan did in 1985? Indications are that she will support the Palestinians. She has stated that she supports a Palestinian right to “self-determination.” No other U.S. politician has done so.  She stood up the criminal prime minister of Israel when he addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Rather than preside over the session, she had more important things to do. That move spoke volumes. Harris will respect the American people who, polls show, want a weapons ban. A protest movement will compel Harris to act. Support Palestine, vote for Kamala! John Webb, Trinidad Editor: Those highly qualified persons who worked closest to Trump in his administration publicly say he is unfit and they had to often talk him down from bad decisions. That is all I need to know to disqualify Trump. That wasn’t all I found out about Trump.

The deadline to submit a letter advocating votes for or against specific candidates and measures in the Nov. 5 election passed Oct. 11.

Editor: Please vote to re-elect Heidi Benzonelli and Michael Hansen as board members for the Humboldt Community Services District this November. Both incumbents bring the education and experience required to understand and manage the community’s complex water and sewer systems. Heidi has HSU degrees in engineering and business with focuses on water and sustainability and worked to revitalize an abandoned school that is now the Jefferson Community Center and Park. Michael has an HSU degree in biology and zoology, has been an active member of many water-related organizations, and has considerable professional experience in the water and wastewater fields. Both Heidi and Michael have the needed background to help ensure clean drinking water to the local community and have proven themselves to their commitment to transparency, safety and fairness. Justin Alipio, Eureka…

Editor: About a month and a half ago, our county’s Office of Elections mailed the Official Humboldt County Voter Information Guide. I’m so glad that we Eurekans have this important tool that we can use to make an informed decision about how to vote on Measure F. It provides us with a one-page, in-depth “Impartial Analysis of Measure F by the Eureka City Attorney,” arguments in favor and against the measure, and a rebuttal to each.  This information helped me separate fact from fiction; distinguish between information that is accurate and that which is misrepresentations and misinformation; and identify inconvenient legal and construction cost limitations. Voters need to be aware of the impacts of both approval and defeat off on affordable housing availability and cost — they are substantial and will be felt for years to come. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, this is a matter of immediate concern.  Given what is at stake, all we Eurekans owe it to ourselves, friends and families to take a couple of minutes to carefully read the guides’ Measure F information before deciding how to vote on F. 

Editor: I would like to express my support for Stacy Atkins-Salazar in her bid for re-election to the Arcata City Council. I have known Stacy as a friend and a neighbor for over 20 years. Stacy has always been a problem solver, whether the issue was making our street corner safer with pedestrian blinkers or helping a child get the things they need to stay in school. During her tenure on the city council, Stacy has always had time for conversations about city issues and has not been afraid to tackle the controversial topics. Stacy loves Arcata and supports finding ways to bring the community together. Let’s vote Stacy back in for four more years of making Arcata a safer and friendlier place to live. Mara Segal, Arcata Editor: I am writing to endorse Stacy Atkins-Salazar for re-election to the Arcata City Council. I have known Stacy for several years as we spent time volunteering at local schools and youth sports while raising our children. We also both served on the Arcata school board. Stacy has always had a great affection and commitment to Arcata and

Noni the black bear, whose penchant for balancing on the thinnest branches at the top of the redwoods in the enclosure earned the nickname “twinkle toes” from her caretakers, has died. She was 2 years old. The Sequoia Park Zoo announced her passing in an Oct. 10 social media post, one day after the bear underwent a second emergency surgery in a week due to a constriction from connective tissue that caused substantial damage to her colon. While zoo staff had been “cautiously optimistic about her recovery” following the first operation, during the second procedure, the zoo states, “it was discovered that the trauma to her colon was irreversible, and the organ had been unable to recover.” “Noni brought so much joy to our zoo, and it is impossible to express the depths of our sadness at the passing of our sweet bear,” the announcement states. “These past few days have been incredibly difficult for the zoo team, especially for Noni’s dedicated caretakers, and we appreciate the care and support shown by our community. The loss of a beloved member of our animal family has

It’s the last night for Jenny Scheinman Presents All Species Parade at the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m. This is a love-letter suite of songs for her native Humboldt County, so it behooves us to give this gal a listen, because she is one of the treasures of our home who has broken containment and found an audience the world around. Get your $15-$20 tickets soon, because night one has already sold out…

Perhaps symbolically underscoring the notion that nuclear half-lives are always longer than they seem, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority Board of Directors will once again discuss whether the agency should accept an offer of free nuclear power at its meeting later this month. Last month, the board, acting with some members absent, failed to reach a decision on whether to accept the allotment of free nuclear energy from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo. By default, it seemed the board’s inaction meant it would pass on the state-mandated offer for an allocation of free electricity that is being paid for by all electricity customers in the state, including RCEA’s own. But RCEA Director of Power Resources Richard Engel says that after that meeting last week it was determined that while some board members had seemed to feel a motion needed a majority of the entire board to pass, while only a majority of those present was required. “We believe there was a possibility that if they understood that, they may have voted differently,” Engel says, adding that legal counsel said the appropriate

Hey daddios, daddiettes and all hep-cats in between, it’s Tuesday night, so that means another freebie at the Speakeasy by one of our most talented groups of jazz-bos, the Opera Alley Cats. Music starts at 7 p.m. (what is it with that hour and this week?) and a responsible cocktail or two will only enhance the pleasure of hearing these tunes done right.  …

After being treated to an encore of the Northern Lights in recent weeks, skywatchers in Humboldt County have the chance to view another celestial phenomena in the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. In what NASA describes as a “once-in-80,000-years sight,” the comet will be visible low in the horizon to the west after sunset, with the best likelihood for a sighting set for tonight through Oct. 24 as it makes a close pass by Earth, coming within some 44 million miles. “If the comet’s tail is well-illuminated by sunlight, it could be visible to the unaided eye,” according to NASA. A forecaster with the Eureka office of the National Weather Service caught a glimpse of the comet from the overlook on Bald Hills Road last night, according to a social media post from the agency. “The comet will continue to be visible for the next week or so in the western sky beginning 45 minutes to an hour after sunset. Cloud cover will be the big question, of course, with fog potential for coastal areas,” the post states, adding the region might have a good shot tonight “with

A missing 4-year-old girl was found safe Saturday by deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office after conversations between her father and detectives led to the discovery of her location. Thompson Thompson was reported missing Oct. 9 by her legal guardian after she was not brought back from an Oct. 5 visit with her father Peter Thompson, who the agency reported was “only allowed scheduled court-ordered visitation and does not have any custody rights over his child.” “Deputies responded to the location on Oct. 12 and received the child without incident,” a HCSO news release states. “Thompson Thompson was ultimately turned over to the care of her legal guardians. Decisions regarding the future of the child’s placement will be made through Child Welfare Services (CWS) and Family Law Court.” Peter Thompson had turned himself into the Humboldt County jail on the evening his daughter was reported missing. “Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office detectives worked with in-custody suspect Peter Thompson to identify the location where Thompson Thompson was being cared for,” the release states. “Peter Thompson had previously refused to disclose information about the child’s whereabouts to

Leonard Wayne Davis, of Eureka, California, born in Wilmington, North Carolina, on June 30, 1943, and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, took his final breath on June 22, 2024, in San Francisco, California. Dynamic and intellectually curious with a hunger for life, the decorated Vietnam War combat veteran (Army, 1966-1969) received top honors from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, on the G.I. Bill. He later attended Harvard, followed by an accomplished career in government service and the private sector. His most fulfilling work was volunteering to help fellow Humboldt County area combat veterans secure their Veterans Administration benefits. Len appreciated history, politics and music, and especially enjoyed venturing into obscure music venues, striking up conversations with engaging characters. He is survived by his wife, Ryoko Davis; children Leonard, Alan, Elaina, Marika and Sara Davis; grandchildren Trisha Wright and Sofia Ho; great-grandchildren Troy, Emily and Everly Wright; and siblings George Davis, John Davis, Bonnie Moore, Darlene Knauf, Terri Maldonado and Dee Robinson. In accordance with his wishes, his ashes will rest in places of personal meaning and joy. Often tormented in this mortal coil, his beautiful soul

Here’s an interesting one happening at Humbrews at 8 p.m. Czech group Uz Jsme Doma (“We are home,” according to Google translate) is a mash-up band of punky prog, jazz and Eastern European tones, who have been around long enough to have toured the world and once been considered youthful subversives in their native, well, home. The group will be joined by Free Salamander Exhibit, a group associated with Nyls Frykdahl of Faun Fables and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and therefore sufficiently inscrutable and maddeningly catchy in its madcap approach to music of the children of chaos and creation. In plain terms, don’t sleep on this show, it looks fantastic ($20). 

Sandy was born on July 28, 1944, in Sacramento to Robert and Ida Albert. She sadly passed away on Sept. 19, 2024, at her home in Ferndale with her family by her side. Sandy was raised in Humboldt County. First living in Ferndale then moving to Fields Landing when her dad bought a commercial fishing boat. She graduated from Eureka High class of 1962. Her parents Robert and Ida owned the Argo fishing boat in Fields Landing where they had their crab stand. That is where Sandy and her siblings spent most of their time working and learning how to crack crab. Sandy blew her siblings out of the water by being the best crab picker there was.   Sandy met Don Katri at a very young age while working at a square-dancing event. Later in life they met again in High school which lead to them getting married in July 1963 and later having their three children: Rob, Brian and Kim. They first lived in the Bay Area for the first years of their marriage then they moved and spent the last 37 years

DuffyxUhlmann is an acoustic guitar duo featuring two players from the modern alternative scene, most notably having been associated with Perfume Genius and Hand Habits. They will be joined by local music master John Wood, of Black Keys fame, for a night of some genuinely intense musical frisson. The spot is the Sanctuary, a perfect place for this kind of gig, and in what appears to be a recurring theme this week, the start time is 7 p.m. The sliding scale door price runs $10-$30. Viva…

William Robert Warf (Bill) met Dana, the love of his life, in 2018. They married on July 9, 2022. For six years, they shared their passion for hiking, nature and gardening on 80 wild acres. They lived in the straw-bale, solar-powered home Bill designed and built. Perched above the Pacific Ocean and nestled in trees, Bill remained on the land he loved, with Dana, until the end, as was his wish. Bill was born in Oakland on May 4, 1955, to James Warf and Carolyn Cleland. He grew up in Ukiah and spent many days with his grandfather, McGee, who taught him to hunt, fish, and round up cattle. This experience planted the seed to one day purchase his own plot of land. Bill was a man of substance, his kindness forming the core of his character. He lived by the principle expressed in one of his favorite books, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: “There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.” This philosophy served him well, as

The Miniplex is the place to be tonight if you are looking for the sort of dreamy pop music that makes one gaze down in reflection at one’s navel or shoes. Seattle’s MØAA plays a series of nocturnal submissions designed to make the mind fill in unreal spaces between the buildings of bedsore reality. And local act Petiole is simply superb. Starts at 9 p.m. ($10). I would be remiss in my duties if I neglected to drop a mention about Porch Fest, a novel and lovely idea brought to you by the minds behind Humboldt Hot Air and the Arcata Playhouse. Too many bands to name but I’ll give you the gist: Come to Sunny Brae around noon and wander along the lanes eastward starting around Crescent Way, where you will be treated to front yards full of live music of all stripes. It’s a pure afternoon idyll, so expect things to taper off by 6 p.m. or so, but who knows?…