Arcata’s a hot mess We are visiting Arcata overnight as we tour areas of California. The Hampton Inn suggested we have dinner in the Plaza area. We were shocked to experience the amount of people drinking alcohol, smoking weed in their vans, begging for money, and just loitering. We did not remain in the area.…
Trinidad Tidings: Seaside village awaits results
Last week’s election left the composition of Trinidad City Council uncertain until absentee ballots are counted. There were six candidates for three positions. Leading the vote count is Mayor Susan Rotwein. However, votes for incumbents Jim Baker, Dwight Miller and challenger Tom Davies are too close to call at this writing. The county election office…
Blue Lake Notes: The award-winning peaceable hamlet
The Blue Lake Museum will have its Pints for Non-Profits event today, Nov. 14 at the Mad River Brewery, 195 Taylor Way, Blue Lake. My apologies in regards to information in my last column. I got the name of the band wrong. The band playing will be Old Dog, and music will take place from…
Letters to the Editor, October 31, 2018
Civility and more in decline In the last few years, our nation increasingly has drifted away from the civility and ethical foundations that have been distinctive characteristics of our national commitment. In particular, it seems that our commitment to human rights is declining in the U.S. The recent example in which the potential economic…
Mad River Union Editorial: Knowledge still matters on the McK CSD
Before asking residents to vote for them to serve on the McKinleyville Community Services District Board of Directors, candidates have a responsibility to do their homework. They need to attend numerous meetings, read the monthly board packets and become familiar with the district’s mission and what it actually does in the community. Of the four…
Letters to the Editor, October 24, 2018
Much-maligned, likeable Bill I like Bill. Bill McKinley, that is, the guy who’s been hanging out in the Arcata Plaza since 1906. People who want him removed try to associate him with various crimes to which he is not connected. He should be removed, they tell us, because in the 1860s indigenous people were being…
Mad River Union Editorial: Vote no on Measure M – bring peace, justice to the Plaza
To understand why the statue of President William McKinley on the Arcata Plaza is problematic, we need to confront some unpleasant truths about our nation’s past and present. Namely, the white supremacy which scarred our past and haunts us to the present day, distorting our society. The European people who colonized America had a blithe…
Mad River Union Editorial: Vote yes on Measure M to save the McKinley statue, honor history
Arcatans can reaffirm their friendly, small-town values and local history by voting yes on Measure M. Doing so overrides the City Council’s peremptory, anti-democratic ruling of Feb. 21 and keep the statue of President William McKinley where it belongs – at the center of our town square. Not the council’s decision The council’s decision was…
Blue Lake Notes: Ready for the Big One?
October is Disaster Preparedness Month. Are you ready? There are so many things that we don’t think about when it comes to disaster preparedness, but there is no time like the present to begin getting prepared. Do you have a disaster plan? Do you have supplies in case you are without power or water for…