Jada Brotman & Jack Durham Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – The Arcata City Council will receive an update tonight, Oct. 16 on how the city responded to last week’s power outage and how it can do better during future outages. The council meets at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber, 736 F St., Arcata. The…
How cannabis businesses powered through the blackout
Steve Robles Mad River Union ARCATA – As Arcata’s citizenry held emergency barbecues to use food before it spoiled, in the city’s Cannabis Innovation Zone, businesses struggled to keep thousands of dollars of inventory from doing the same. Most of the companies in that zone offer trimming and extraction services, both of which are time-sensitive,…
County, auditor disagreements on Grand Jury delays response
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – The staffing and security of Humboldt County’s financial accounting are again at issue as the Board of Supervisors considers responses to a recent Grand Jury report. The financial issues led supervisors to hold off on approving responses to a Grand Jury report at their Oct. 2 meeting. The…
First Five: Early childhood care is key to lifelong success
Michael Pazeian Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – One recent Friday morning, Wendy Rowan of First Five Humboldt made a presentation to the Arcata Sunrise Rotary. Her organization’s key message for us is, “For those with an interest in nurturing the next generation, investing in early childhood is the most strategic contribution that can be made.”…
County planners warned about industrial hemp
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Hearing opposition to allowing industrial hemp production, Humboldt County’s Planning Commission appears poised to recommend extending a temporary ban on it. Potential risks to the cannabis industry were highlighted as the commission held a workshop on hemp production at its Oct. 3 meeting. The 2018 federal farm bill…
A deeper look into high school labor dispute
Michael H. Pazeian Mad River Union ARCATA/MCKINLEYVILLE – Last week, students walked out of class in support of their teachers and their labor dispute with the Northern Humboldt Union High School District. I wanted to see and hear from all involved. My main conclusion is there are a lot of truly caring people involved in…
Still no report on Lawson police response
Steve Robles Mad River Union ARCATA – Despite a a claim by National Police Foundation President Jim Burch at an Arcata City Council meeting in August that a report into the investigation into the killing of David Josiah Lawson would be turned over “within weeks,” that hasn’t happened yet. Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer said…
Morning update on power shutoff
PG&E Power Shutoff Wednesday Morning Update County of Humboldt – The Home of the Redwoods Seal In the early hours of Wednesday, Oct. 9, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) activated its Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) protocols, which resulted in shutting off power to parts of Humboldt County. PG&E is reporting that around 60,000 customers…
Update on school closings
From the Humboldt County Office of Education: The following list are confirmed school closures for today: Southern Humboldt USD Big Lagoon School/District Trinity Valley Elementary Fuente Nueva Charter School Pacific View Charter School Cuddeback School/District Coastal Grove Charter School Fortuna Elementary School District Rio Dell School District Trinidad School/District Scotia School/District Loleta School District McKinleyville…
Citizens help plan for Arcata’s housing future
Kevin L. Hoover Mad River Union ARCATA COMMUNITY CENTER – In an attempt to guide the development of its future housing inventory, the city’s Community Development Department last week invited citizens to weigh in on the matter. Arcata’s housing profile isn’t ideal, and even optimistic projections indicate a continuing shortage. With housing-themed music (“Our House” by…