Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – Humboldt County is sticking with the company that now provides election ballot system equipment, but the chair of the Board of Supervisors has voted against doing so due to timing and cost issues. The Hart InterCivic company was chosen as the county’s voting system vendor by a majority…
Arcata looks at mobile home park protection
Steve Robles Mad River Union ARCATA – As mobilehome owners struggle to stay afloat with rising rents, the City of Arcata is considering the landscape of the market in coming years. The role of mobilehome parks in addressing affordable housing requirements is essential in Humboldt, and an increasing amount of the owners of these sites…
City of Arcata wants housing above shopping center
Steve Robles Mad River Union ARCATA – In order to comply with state rules on developing affordable housing for its residents, Arcata is appealing to local developers to create partnerships that will result in more access. “I just wanted to take the opportunity to put a shout-out to the building community,” said Director of Community…
Supervisors weigh fraud risk
Daniel Mintz Mad River Union HUMBOLDT – After a long discussion, Humboldt County supervisors agreed that there is a risk of fraud in government operations but most couldn’t completely agree that the risk is high. The reform of the county’s Auditor-Controller’s Office figured into the Board of Supervisors’ response to a Grand Jury finding during…
District, teachers still at odds
Michael H. Pazeian Mad River Union MCKINLEYVILLE – The multipurpose room at McKinleyville High School was filled on Oct. 8 with proud and passionate people who love their schools and students. People were in attendance for a meeting of the Northern Humboldt Union High School District Board of Trustees. The main topic was the labor…
Coming to grips with planned power outage
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…