Supes Talk Healthcare Forum, Pellet Plant Draft EIR

By Thadeus Greenson on January 14, 2025 at 3:02PM

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors got a preview this morning of the findings of Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo’s listening tour on healthcare provider recruitment and retention, which will be the focus of a community forum later this month. Arroyo, who said she undertook the effort because healthcare delivery is a top constituent concern and something she’s passionate about personally, said she’s spoken to nearly four dozen healthcare professionals, from doctors, nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants to local CEOs, administrators and experts.

Sheriff's Office Investigating Death of Man Found Under Hoopa Bridge

By Kimberly Wear on January 9, 2025 at 1:38PM

‘Exceptional Work’ Allowed Eligible Humboldt Jail Inmates to Cast Ballots

By Thadeus Greenson on January 7, 2025 at 2:11PM

While a CalMatters report last year found that many of the 73,000 or so California residents held in county jails who are eligible to vote face barriers in casting ballots, local officials say that wasn’t the case in Humboldt County in November. When addressing the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors in advance of its certification of local elections results, Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Juan Pablo Cervantes credited the sheriff’s office’s efforts with ensuring local inmates who were eligible had the opportunity to cast a ballot.

St. Joseph Hospital Seeks Dismissal of Abortion Lawsuit, Cites Religious Freedom

By Thadeus Greenson on December 30, 2024 at 3:07PM

Providence St. Joseph Hospital has filed a motion asking a Humboldt County Superior Court judge to dismiss the bulk of the lawsuit brought against by the California Attorney General’s Office alleging it illegally denied abortion services to a local woman, while asking that the rest of the suit be stayed pending a state investigation. The filing concedes none of the facts alleged in the AG’s case, but argues that even if they are true, they don’t provide sufficient grounds to bring the lawsuit.

Ferndale Boy Killed in Fall From Truck

By Kimberly Wear on December 30, 2024 at 9:40AM

Leishman, Former Journal General Manager, Dies

By Thadeus Greenson on December 29, 2024 at 11:00AM

He was promoted publisher of North Coast Journal Inc. and all its publications in January of 2019, though health issues would force him from the job after just eight months. Always one to love sharing the Humboldt County area with others, Leishman then went to work as the executive director of the Humboldt Lodging Alliance, then as a marketing consultant for the organization.

Former HumCo Fair Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty in Embezzlement Case

By Thadeus Greenson on December 24, 2024 at 7:00AM

The former bookkeeper accused of embezzling more than $400,000 from the Humboldt County Fair Association has pleaded guilty to five federal counts of wire fraud. Tafarella, 49, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or both for each count when she’s sentenced at a hearing scheduled for April 30 at the federal courthouse in San Francisco.

HumCo Dairy Farms Not Heavily Affected by Avian Flu State of Emergency

By Anne To on December 23, 2024 at 3:52PM

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in response to Avian Influenza, also known as “Bird Flu,” being detected in dairy cows in Southern California. This comes after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ordered a new national milk testing regimen to better monitor the outbreak at the beginning of the month.

Huffman Tapped for Natural Resources Leadership Position

By Thadeus Greenson on December 17, 2024 at 4:12PM

Huffman previously chaired the Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries, a position he used to hold what many felt was a pivotal 2020 forum on then stalled efforts to un-dam the Klamath River. During the forum, Huffman sharply questioned a representative of PacifiCorp, which owned the four dams that were removed in the largest dam removal and river restoration effort in the nation’s history this year, about the dams’ impact on water quality and fish populations.

Experts: St. Mark’s Violated Tax Law with Election Sign

By Thadeus Greenson on December 17, 2024 at 10:20AM

Experts, however, say none of these things violated tax code language prohibiting nonprofits with tax-exempt status from engaging in certain campaign activity. While the Trump sign was technically on church-owned property, they said it was a political statement made by Bramwell as an individual, unlikely to be broadly seen as a message from the church itself.