Category: Far North

When Fraktal and Burningleaf Productions throw a party, you know it’s not just music — it’s a full-sensory takeover. Beats Antique’s signature fusion of electronic beats, live instrumentation and theatrical performances lands at the Historic Eagle House for two epic nights: Friday, March 7, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Saturday, March 8, from 6 p.m. to 1.a.m. ($30-$90). Friday brings Dragonfly, Blancatron and Zero One to fire things up, with Saturday rolling out David Starfire and Suds. Tickets, hotel rooms and VIP packages available. See Eventbrite.com or historiceaglehouse.com for more info…

This week we’re talking about a planned fish market in Eureka and what it could mean for local fishers and people who love seafood. We’re also sharing a spot for traditional Lao noodles and another for Mexican fusion birria ramen. Finally, we’re taking a satirical look at the shifting values of the Republican party. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories. …

Celebrate the power, resilience and creativity of women at the International Women’s Day Celebration, happening Saturday, March 8, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Jefferson Community Center (free). Join Centro Del Pueblo and Humboldt Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom for an evening of culture, community and inspiration. Enjoy dance performances by Cumbre Humboldt, Lao Dancers and EHS Latinx Dancers, live music from the Raging Grannies, good food, a silent auction and immigrant testimonies. Centro del Pueblo Director Brenda Perez will also be on hand to explain the organization and how to support it. 

With a heavy heart, we announce the passing of our beloved son William Shane Hill. Born on Aug. 21, 1970. A little star was born. Who was taken from us too soon on Dec. 4, 2024. He brought immeasurable joy and light into our lives with his kind heart and great smile and endless love. As a child Shane loved to play football. He started at the age of 10 and played two years for the Pirates, then one year with the Orange Jets, and lastly a year for the Cowboys. He excelled in the sport and received MVP. It brought me great joy to watch him make those touchdowns. In the ’80s Shane was doing his thing on the skateboard, then he was into dirt bikes which he was great at both. Shane was a talented guitarist with a passion for music that inspired countless friends and fans. He started playing guitar in his early teens and quickly became devoted to his craft. His bedroom was transformed into a makeshift music studio. Shane’s love for music was contagious, and his infectious laugh could light

The Logger Bar is at it again with a limited run of live theater, this particular stretch going from Tuesday to Sunday. Tonight’s show will be, like every other performance other than the ultimate one on Sunday, at 6 p.m., and will last about an hour. There is limited seating, and tickets cost $23. Oh, and the play is called Logger Legends, Liars and Lookers , so I’d expect a series of vignettes about the various barstool warmers and shitkickers who darkened the doors of this beer hall, gin joint and pressure reliever over its many decades of operation. …

Editor: Dear Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, relevant decision-makers and concerned community members: This letter is in support of using Measure O funding for transit and related services, per the measure language/agreement (Mailbox, Feb. 27). There is the unfortunate misconception by some that a robust transit system would not be useful for Humboldt County. This is false. Transit is as useful as it is available. I and many others voted yes on Measure O so that additional funds would be allocated for transit. That was the agreement in the measure. I and other transit supporters are in favor of using funds for roads, there is no problem there, our roads need maintenance. That said, transit is equally as important. A growing number of youth, students, people with disabilities, non-drivers, working people, seniors, etc., are using transit and that is because our local transit system is improving. There are many people who have never driven and/or do not drive. This occurs for many different and relevant reasons. Therefore, many people either need or prefer to take transit and the numbers are growing! So, decision-makers, please be

Murmurations of wild birds Create poetry in the sky All become one And my joyful tears cry An ode to nature Babies and puppies and kittens too New life, new hopes, new dreams I’m inspired by the continuity of life And I scream An ode to nature Gardens grow providing food to eat From tiny sprouts to full grown vines Amazed by the transformation I sing with astonished mind An ode to nature Suns dare to rise everyday Moons wax and wane across the sky I marvel at stars light years away And I vow to try An ode to nature Doug Carroll…

Thirty minutes. That’s all it took, 66 million years ago, to put the future on track for you to be reading this. Had the Manhattan-Island-size asteroid that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico arrived 30 minutes earlier or later, we wouldn’t be around to unravel the consequences of that mighty collision. We know very little about that huge rock, other than it was rich in the element iridium. This was the telltale clue which established that the catastrophe visited upon our planet eons ago was caused by something from space, not from home-grown volcanoes as had been thought prior to about 50 years ago. Starting in the late 1970s, a father-and-son team, physicist Luis and geologist Walter Alvarez, pioneered studies that gave us the “asteroid impact” theory. Together with a team of researchers, they found iridium in concentrations hundreds of times greater than normal in thin layers of 66-million-year-old sedimentary rock, first in Italy, then in numerous sites worldwide. Iridium is rare on Earth but common in asteroids, so they speculated that the iridium they were finding originated in a massive extraterrestrial object. Around the

Editor: Regarding Thadeus Greenson’s coverage of the St. Joseph abortion case (“Judge Takes St. Joseph Abortion Case Under Submission,” Feb. 20), it seems to me that it is a mistake to call a hospital a “religious hospital” unless it is dispensing religion. Any physician feeling his or her soul is endangered could call in another qualified doctor whose concern is primarily for the life/health of the patient. It is an unfortunate reality that we have very limited medical options here in Humboldt County and it seems something of a luxury to permit any religion’s dogma to decide life or death decisions. Doctors, not theologians, need to be in control of health care; theologians, not physicians, need to be in control of spiritual guidance. To give a patient who is obviously in serious condition “a bucket and some towels” just in case something happens in the car en route to Mad River Hospital, where she has been ejected to, is unforgivable and ought to be criminal. I have long felt that “pro-life” and “pro-abortion” were terms of absolute nonsense. No one is for abortion and no one is

Well, it’s been a wild couple of weeks, and we’ve been hearing from more traditional party members having trouble keeping up with a platform that shifts like a drunk carnie is pulling levers on the ride. After all, not all of us came up listening to this generation’s hateful right-wing podcasts; some of us listened to hateful right-wing radio. We understand it can be tough to navigate these changes when your identity is so strongly linked to a political position in a way that is definitely not identity politics. Let’s go over a few common concerns. As a Reagan-era Republican who remembers the Cold War, I can’t accept snuggling in the lap of a former-KGB authoritarian like Putin. There’s a simple exercise for this. Sit in a quiet place, close your eyes and play Rocky IV from start to finish in your mind’s eye, but replacing Dolph Lundgren as Russian boxer Ivan Drago with the infamously Canadian Michael J. Fox in a pair of maple leaf silk shorts. Canada is the enemy now. OK, but are we really going to abandon Ukraine? Lol, yes. Oh

February’s wet and windy exit is hardly the last we’ll see of chilly weather. Well, fine. The edge of cold and dampness makes hovering over a bowl of hot noodles and broth just a little more pleasing. Ramen has lately popped up on more menus to challenge the near noodle monopoly pho had previously held in our county, but don’t count out the Lao ka piak ($14) at Eureka’s Wok in Wok Out (307 Second St.). You’ll have to bypass the always excellent curry-spiked kapoon noodles beckoning from the menu and for that I wish you strength. Also known as khao piak sen, its freshly made, hand-cut white noodles composed of rice and tapioca flour have a soft, chewy thickness to rival Japanese udon. The starch from those noodles thicken the pale fragrant chicken broth to a lovely silkiness. Comforting as it is in flavor and texture, it’s no wonder Laos is packed with stalls selling piak sen from morning to late at night. The Worasens, owners of the Old Town restaurant, make their broth with garlic and ginger, topped with  handful of chopped green

We really never thought this day would come, and our hearts will never be the same. Jerry Comfort, one of the greatest men we’ve ever known, lived an incredible life to 96 years of age. We will miss him every day, but we are so proud to call him Dad and Grandpa. Jerry grew up in Fortuna, the son of Doc and Dorothy Comfort. He grew up driving his dad to house calls across Southern Humboldt, helping provide medical care throughout the rural region. Jerry met the love of his life, Betty, when he pretended to need help with his homework in algebra class just to have an excuse to talk to the cute girl sitting in front of him. A star athlete, Jerry lettered in five sports at Fortuna High School, earning himself enough points that he could walk Betty to every class, even if it made him late, and still stay in good standing. The high school sweethearts were married when they were 19 and were just as in love on their 74th wedding anniversary. Jerry attended Oregon State University on a basketball

Portland, Oregon’s Rose City Band is a big sound/small stage experience, where founder Ripley Johnson turns the notion of the afternoon backyard jam into a massive landscape of sound, conjuring vast vistas filled with the inscrutable symbols of untamed nature. It’s really gorgeous stuff and a perfect band for a perfect venue like the Miniplex, where they will be setting up shop at 8 p.m. with dreamy tourmates Itasca. Fair warning, this one might sell out, so consider grabbing a $15 advance ticket rather than relying on the $20 door price.

Local wildfire resiliency efforts have already been stymied by federal grant freezes and budget cuts, with some fearing badly needed fuels reductions efforts in vulnerable communities that had been funded and in line to be complete by the onset of severe fire season will not get done. Not yet two months into the second presidency of Donald J. Trump, the North Coast continues to ascertain the on-the-ground impacts of a flurry of executive orders and Department of Government Efficiency cuts. Just last week, the General Services Administration announced a plan to shutter hundreds of federal office spaces across the nation, including the property on Heindon Road in Arcata that houses local National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association offices, and the Bureau of Reclamation office in Weaverville, which runs the Trinity River Restoration Project. Meanwhile, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services has been told that technical assistance providers helping with a local project to address youth homelessness have been fired, making the project more difficult to administer. But a growing local concern is the impacts the

Access Humboldt will host a Sunshine Week event, featuring a panel discussion, an award presentation and reception, at the Eureka Theater from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on March 20. The event — dubbed Illuminate 2025 — is free and open to the community. Organized by Access Humboldt and co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County, the evening is designed to highlight how independent media supports good governance and citizen participation, according to a press release. “We are delighted to once again participate in Sunshine Week,” said Access Humboldt Board President Molly Cate in the release. “Sunshine Week is a nonpartisan collaboration among groups in journalism, civics, education, government and private sectors that ‘shines a light’ on the importance of access to public information and open government.” Access Humboldt Executive Director Christina Marie Jeffers noted in the release that unlike many small, rural communities that have become news deserts in recent years, “the North Coast has a robust information ecosystem of independent media outlets that contribute to keeping the community informed and involved in local government activities and civic life.” The panel will

The Old Steeple and the Eureka Chamber Music Series have come together to present the Balourdet Quartet, an award-winning group of musicians who will be both performing a program of music and curating a panel talk about music, art and freedom in society. The evening’s musical centerpiece is avant garde composer Steve Reich’s “Different Trains,” a piece that explicitly evokes World War II and the Holocaust. 7:30 p.m. ($11)…

Whatever I crave or plan when I walk up to a taco truck so often goes out the order window when I catch sight of a trompo . All that spice-reddened al pastor sizzling and dripping on a vertical spit is nearly impossible to pass up. And in the nighttime glow of the Tacos Don Paco truck, the trompo turns like a lighthouse beacon leading me across a darkened parking lot toward happiness. Owner Jose Escobar, who hails from Mexico City, says he’s partial to the al pastor himself, as well as the alambres. “Maybe everything,” he says. While the street tacos and quesabirria are popular among regulars, the alambres with pork al pastor are a shrewd move (three for $14). Pull your eyes from the mesmerizing trompo and watch Escobar in the window, tossing the meat with onions and peppers on the flat-top grill before blanketing it all with cheese and sweeping it into a trio of lightly browned flour tortillas to be topped with cilantro and onion. The result is the promise fajitas make but never truly fulfill. The birria ramen is another

In deference to different voices and live theatre, I will mention two gigs happening today, Terry Baum’s Lesbo Solo: A Gay History Play at the EXIT Theatre at 3 p.m., and Rebecca McGlynn’s Asexuality: The Musical at the Arcata Playhouse at 7 p.m. Both shows are $20, and might provide a nice counterpoint to the megaton celebrity event called the Oscars that much of America will likely be watching. As a point of personal interest, I must mention that the recently late David Lynch’s ’90s distorted hellhammer flick Lost Highway will be shown at the Arcata Theatre Lounge at 5 p.m. ($8, $12 with a poster).

The Siren’s Song remains open and as long as that remains the case, I will be discussing the gigs there, as we need to hang onto our quirky venues for as long as we can. Once gone, they don’t tend to return, nor does the gap left in their wake ever seem to be sewn up. Tonight’s show is another birthday party, this time for Benji from The Flying Hellfish, who will be joined by fellow rockers Dead Drift, Imperial Destructo and Berk and the Jerx. Quite a line up, and there’s no fee at the door, so when you roll through at 7 p.m., you can fan your bills at the bartenders and support the joint…

David Dale Karr, beloved Dad, PaPa, Brother, Uncle, Cousin and friend to many, peacefully left on his final journey from his long-time McKinleyville home on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025. The youngest of four children born to Robert and Mary Karr, he entered life on Nov. 12, 1957, at Trinity Hospital in Arcata and was a McKinleyville resident for most of his life. Dave always lived his life to the fullest, never giving thought to any potential perils his actions might bring. Later in life, we’re certain his proud fulfillment of 14 years of sobriety and his newly found faith in Jesus gave his family and friends the enjoyment of his company for many additional years. During a recent hospital stay when nursing staff made a comment about Dave’s nine lives, Dave responded, “Oh no sweetheart, I’m on life number 15!” Dave’s greatest joy in life was raising his daughter despite many life-changing events. The births of his three grandchildren added to his joy and he loved them whole-heartedly and in return they truly loved their PaPa. Despite the physical distance, the close relationship that Dave

This week we’re checking back in on a pilot income program in McKinleyville, as well as how Trump’s executive orders are impacting employment and services locally. We’ve also got a recipe for a twist on jambalaya that comes with a soundtrack. Hit subscribe for weekly updates on Humboldt stories.  …