« Police Vehicle Rams Utility Pole in Fortuna, Causing Power Outage in the Neighborhood Car Burglary Suspect Arrested in Blue Lake After Quick Investigation, Sheriff’s Office Says » Fish and Wildlife Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plan to dramatically downsize the federal government has placed a bullseye on an Arcata field office that houses roughly two dozen 85 full-time employees of agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries and Redwood National Park Following the first wave in a massive purge of federal employees carried out by the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) the administration now plans to close more than 2 million square feet of office space being used by the Department of the Interior which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs The General Services Administration’s (GSA) lease-termination list includes 1655 Heindon Rd a 25,500-square-foot office building off Giuntoli Lane According to a former federal employee who spoke on condition of anonymity the office’s lease is scheduled to be terminated at the end of September Congressman Jared Huffman, who represents the North Coast and serves as ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, slammed the Trump administration’s plans in a press release issued Friday: The Arcata office building is owned by Larry and Lisa DeBeni Larry DeBeni was reluctant to talk about the particulars before making some phone calls to get more information about the plans but he confirmed that he and his wife have been informed about the office closure plans “It makes us sick to our stomach to think about these people losing their jobs or being displaced from the community,” DeBeni said.  In memos and press releases Trump has boasted of having a voter mandate for his sweeping federal reforms but DeBeni said this is not what most people signed up for “This is extremely disheartening — absolutely devastating for the country Referring to the local terminations specifically It’s just cruel — especially when it comes from the richest men in the world The Outpost has spoken with several off-the-record sources who said local employees of the National Weather Service and NOAA Fisheries were terminated late last week Both agencies responded via public affairs officers who emailed identical statements: “Per long-standing practice we are not discussing internal personnel and management matters.” According to Huffman’s office, the GSA plans to close 164 offices across multiple states. The full list, which you can download by clicking here includes 25 offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Geological Survey locations and 33 National Park Service facilities Huffman’s comments on the lease-cancelation plan continued: The impact on Bureau of Indian Affairs offices will be especially devastating struggling to meet the needs of Tribal communities who face systemic barriers to federal resources Closing these offices will further erode services like public safety and housing assistance—services that Tribal Nations rely on for their well-being and self-determination The National Park Service will lose space for boots on the ground at national monuments and parks they manage kneecapping their ability to protect public safety and provide recreational access This is nothing short of a direct attack on working people and the communities they serve the federal government keeps local businesses afloat and ensures families have stable jobs While the Trump administration demands a return-to-office GSA is shutting those offices down—eliminating jobs The most vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of this reckless decision and if they think we’ll stand by and watch it happen [CORRECTION: This post initially understated the number of federal employees working at 1655 Heindon Rd Join us for a 12-hour food drive Friday, 6am to 6pm, in Redding or Chico. Help stuff a RABA or B-Line bus at Les Schwab with food donations! LIVE UPDATES3 people dead due to apartment fire in Arcata late Monday nightby Veonna King — Three people died in an apartment fire in Arcata on Monday night the Arcata Fire District (AFD) announced in an update responded to a report of three people trapped in a burning multi-unit apartment complex in the 2500 block of Chestnut Place "Units arrived at the scene and found a multi-family apartment building with one of the occupants completely involved first floor and second floor with heavy fire," said Arcata Assistant Chief She says she saw the whole thing happen as she went live on Facebook Unbeknownst to what was happening inside the building which was sad because that baby had a life," said Lewis Arcata Police Department did confirm that three people did die but they are not releasing details about the victims at this time the fire department located three victims that were fatalities in the fire," said Arcata Police Lieutenant Todd Dokweiler and also a member from the Arcata Fire District and we have ruled that it's going to be an accidental fire it is not suspicious in nature," said Peabody Officials are waiting for an autopsy to be performed on the victims before more information will be released Named after legendary college basketball coach Pat Summitt the venue in Arcata serves as both a creative hub and a gathering place for women's sports fans fostering connection through shared experiences “There’s something powerful about watching women’s sports with a community that truly supports them Seeing that same energy come alive at The Summitt has been incredibly special,” Cartier says Cartier believes in the power of shared experiences This belief stems from her time at Cal Poly Humboldt where she discovered the value of creative exploration and community Cartier was drawn to Humboldt because of its natural beauty and the Humboldt International Film Festival —  the world’s oldest student-run film festival — solidified her decision to switch majors The Film program at Humboldt emphasized hands-on learning with strong roots in experimental and analog filmmaking and other techniques that shaped her understanding of the medium Cartier witnessed the film program’s shift from analog to digital filmmaking She values that Humboldt continues to embrace both traditions today.  Faculty played a pivotal role in her development as a filmmaker Professors like John Heckel pushed her and other students beyond their comfort zones while staff members like Art Zipperer and Glen Nagy provided technical guidance Cartier also worked as an equipment technician assistant at what is now the Film Center at Gist Hall gaining hands-on experience with filmmaking tools and equipment resourceful filmmaker that seeked to push the boundaries of her craft while at Humboldt.  she embraced Humboldt’s creative community One of her most memorable experiences was hosting a multimedia event at a firehouse in Samoa This experience broadened her perspective and cultivated her adventurous approach to life.  “Humboldt teaches you to trust your exploration,” Cartier says “Even if people don’t totally understand you she pursued graduate school despite initial doubts.  but that’s why you have mentors—people who push you,” she says This led her to the European Graduate School a university renowned for its advanced intellectual inquiry and inventive approaches in art where she studied under renowned thinkers and artists These experiences reinforced her commitment to challenging norms and using art and philosophy as tools for change in places like the Summitt “The very most special thing that I've experienced with The Summitt is witnessing the connections made It’s an intrinsic connection,” Cartier says.  Cartier continues to push boundaries and foster creative communities She embodies the resourcefulness and innovation she honed at Humboldt Cartier joined Cal Poly Humboldt as a film lecturer in 2013 and now teaches full-time and continues to employ conceptually driven approach that has greatly influenced her artistic vision “One of the things I love about teaching here is when students see ‘Dr.’ on my nameplate and realize they can go for it Seeing students trust themselves and embrace their full potential is really cool.” Cartier says It gave me space to figure out what I wanted out of life That’s what I want for my students—to know they can figure it out « (AUDIO) Ike Sperling, Fourth Grade Spelling Bee Champ, Drops By KHUM to Celebrate the Big Win OBITUARY: Brad Thorton, 1949-2025 » A picture taken in one of the to-be-repaired mobile homes in Arcata Arcata’s program to help mobile home owners repair their houses has begun.  The Manufactured Housing Opportunity & Revitalization Program (MORE) pays for mobile home repairs if the homes are in a mobile home park and owned by someone making less than 80% of Humboldt’s median income Contractors hired by the city do the work.  The program focuses on repairing violations of health and safety codes as well as improving ADA accessibility.  Arcata announced the program last year after being given a $3 million grant to fund the project by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.  Arcata’s Director of Community Development David Loya gave an update at the city council meeting last night highlighting some of the success the program has achieved mobile homes are an important resource for people who don’t have enough money to buy a home or rent one and this program is helping alleviate much of the burden on residents two of the issues repaired in two different houses were ceilings riddled with holes and a bathroom floor so spongy the occupants never filled the bathtub up out of fear it would collapse under them plenty of mold-related issues to clean up as well Two homes were in rough enough condition that they qualified to be totally replaced.  Arcata will be able to repair this aging housing stock increasing the amount of high-quality housing available in the city,” Loya said Nicholas Brichta,  one of Arcata’s Community Development Specialists He told the Outpost he was glad that they were starting to fix up the homes that needed it the most Brichta also said that the program is still accepting applications especially if their house was cited for a code violation “It’s been a lot of work making sure everything is set up correctly,” Brichta said “There’s a lot riding on this program for people ARCATA, Calif. — Three people died in an apartment fire in Arcata on Monday night the AFD said crews got the fire under control they said firefighters began searching the apartment where they found three dead victims RELATED: Firefighters extinguish fire inside apartment in Arcata late Monday night Officials said the Humboldt County Arson-Fire Investigation Unit and APD have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire The identities of the victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin Anyone with questions related to the fire is encouraged to call AFD at 707-825-2000 To report errors or issues with this article please email the editorial team — Seven candidates are competing for three open seats on the Arcata City Council in the upcoming November election Stillman and Atkins-Salazarresponded to inquiries about their candidacies Schaefer and Serna provided video responses ATKINS-SALAZAR: "I am a transportation planner I have over five years of experience serving as a City of Chico commissioner which has prepared me to conduct public meetings and weigh public input to make decisions that benefit my community I have worked as a transportation planner for over six years which provides me with a background in policy I served on the board of Butte Environmental Council I've also been a consistent advocate in my community and at City Council meetings for renters' rights These experiences have taught me so much and have helped me build relationships in my community." STILLMAN: "I have had a great deal of experience as a locally elected official in the City of Arcata I have been instrumental in creating the Marsh protecting Arcata’s historic build environment and stopping the freeway at 4 lanes instead of 6 I have served Arcata for 18 years during the last 50 years of living here." ATKINS-SALAZAR: "My experience as a planner and my age are notable differences between me and many other candidates including my opponent My work as a transportation planner provides me with the background necessary to prioritize making our streets and roads safer and better for everybody My age (29) allows me to see the perspectives and struggles of young people in our community and is balanced by my many years of experience in government and community service." STILLMAN: "I have experience from the past which bodes well with being a forward thinker with progressive ideas for a better Arcata." ATKINS-SALAZAR: "Our most pressing issue is homelessness followed by deteriorating and unsafe streets and roads but the root issue is a lack of political will to make progress that benefits the people of Chico Our City Council majority has shown that their priority is to appease the corporate interests who fund their campaigns and political action committees by approving developments like Valley’s Edge and meeting in secret We need leaders who will put effort toward making our community better My plan to solve this starts with getting elected alongside other grassroots candidates supported and funded by our community Together we can work with our shelter providers to identify near- and long-term solutions to homelessness including establishing an immediate outdoor shelter site to move people out of public spaces into and reducing barriers to affordable housing." STILLMAN: "Housing affects all aspects of life I have been working on housing for all solutions It takes a long time to get a building built I want to move the industrial sites forward for more economic growth." ATKINS-SALAZAR: "In my first year in office I plan to make a noticeable impact on decreasing homelessness while laying the groundwork for fixing our core streets In my first 30 days in office I plan to meet with City department leaders and staff to gain their ideas and learn about current priorities and upcoming issues within the City I intend to start the conversation on my most urgent campaign priorities including agendizing a public discussion on priorities for addressing homelessness In my first 90 days in office I intend to meet with community organizations to establish good relationships to identify priorities for improving traffic safety and to agendize removing barriers to building infill housing Within 90 days I intend to begin working proactively with shelter providers on establishing a managed outdoor shelter so that within a year it can be up and running." STILLMAN: "Review our goals and make sure we are on the path to achieve them." ATKINS-SALAZAR: "I agree with the voters of Chico deciding to overturn Valley’s Edge and affordable infill growth that benefits our community’s core I disagree with the City’s decision to attempt to leave the Warren v Chico settlement agreement without a plan in place to address homelessness This decision will only lead to more homeless people sleeping in our parks STILLMAN: "I agree with the Gateway Area Plan for future housing I do not agree with removing all parking on K Street Believe an alternative is to make L Street the major bicycle thorough fare." ATKINS-SALAZAR: "I have been endorsed by the following organizations: Butte County Democratic Central Committee Planned Parenthood Northern California Action Fund Chico Green Cities Coalition and Chico Smart Growth Advocates The following organizations have contributed to my campaign: Butte County Democratic Central Committee Butte County Medicare for All and Chico Green Cities Coalition." To report errors or issues with this article please email the editorial team « Judge Orders Trump Administration to Immediately Rehire Thousands of Fired Workers; Affected Humboldters React California, Other States Sue to Halt Massive Layoffs at U.S. Department of Education » The Arcata school district is cutting at least eight jobs next school year including at least one full-time elementary school teacher as part of an effort to reign in a $1.1 million budget deficit School district board members voted on Monday to eliminate positions district-wide Funding for several of them (much of it COVID-related) has lapsed Arcata Elementary School is also dealing with lower enrollment rates than in previous years; about 60 fewer students are enrolled there now than are normally enrolled historically Costs for special education have also increased said Arcata’s superintendent Luke Biesecker in an email to the Outpost or a more intense degree of assistance coming out of the pandemic though Biesecker thinks they may be returning to pre-pandemic levels.  Besides Arcata’s elementary school losing a teacher the board also decided to stop funding positions for one full-time education specialist Some of these jobs aren’t currently staffed and some of them aren’t needed next year Cutting these positions will save the district about $360,000 total however; Beisecker said there was a chance the district might get some state grants and some federal funding might come through it will fund a school psychologist position “Although the reductions listed above are painful we continue to have amazing educators and programming,” Beisecker wrote in an email to the Outpost He also highlighted the small class sizes at AES and the paraprofessional support they all get.  Some parents aren’t happy about the changes.  “These cuts will all directly impact the quality of education that the children get,” said a parent in a letter to the Outpost “They are proposing cutting only the people who actually work with children.” He pointed out that many administrative staff made over $100,000 a year “I understand that hard choices need to be made in the budget if incomes can’t cover costs - but it is completely unreasonable that there are zero cuts or salary reductions to the district staff,” the parent wrote “Asking the educators and support staff to bear 100% of the cuts goes against the mission of the schools and district Everyone thinks *their* job is the most important but it’s frankly embarrassing that the superintendent would even be willing to say out loud that his office is more important than all the people directly responsible for helping children.” [The Outpost would like to clarify that Beisecker did not literally say he was more important than other district staff.]  Read Monday’s Arcata School District Board meeting agenda here. A previous version of this article stated the budget deficit was $1.3 million and that eight people were losing their jobs several of those jobs aren’t currently being staffed EUREKA, Calif. — Some Tesla owners in Arcata discovered threatening flyers on their cars, stating they need to trade or sell their vehicles by Wednesday "We just need to protect our community and our property obviously we are vigilant and our number one goal is protecting our community and our property of the property of the people who live in the community," said Arcata Police Department On-Duty Watch Commander Several of the Tesla owners described the flyers as scary and threatening with messages saying they would face consequences if they didn't sell their cars The Arcata Police Department said they are unsure what the alleged consequences would be if the owners did not comply with the threats "We are vigilant in knowing that these threats have been made and we are extra patrolling the vehicles the people that have been have made the reports," said Groszmann APD is advising Tesla owners to be careful where they park their cars and to be aware of their surroundings at all times saying they are taking the appropriate steps to find the suspect or suspects who are responsible for the threats that would be good to park your vehicle in a secured location if there are security cameras have those obviously on your vehicle and then also to report any suspicious activity," said Groszmann APD says this is an active investigation and they encourage everyone in the community to report any suspicious activities as soon as possible The phone number to contact APD is 707-822-2424 and the Anonymous APD Crime Tip Line can be reached at 707-825-2558 « [UPDATE: Found] Eureka Police Issue ‘Silver Alert’ for a Missing 70-Year-Old Woman OBITUARY: Sandra (Beatty) Cox, 1943-2025 » you may see your water rates go up — but your total water-related bills will likely stay about the same but basically it stems from a recently approved $12 million steel waterline replacement project that would fix 33,600 lateral feet of old water main So to ensure that the wastewater fund is still well-funded and can still function the way it’s supposed to the city has to repay the “loan” from the wastewater fund with interest tacked on That initial $3.5 million will become $4.35 million with the interest added That’s a long process that involves finishing some research on the rate itself informing rate-payers about the potential increase The earliest it may happen is January of 2026 Miller said the city council has directed the city to do whatever possible to keep the rates low which could include lowering wastewater fees or charging a lower rate to lower-income customers It’s unlikely that the total you’re paying for your bills will change too much.  « (UPDATING) ‘Bomb Cyclone’ Prompts Flood Watch for North Coast Communities; High Wind Advisory in Effect OBITUARY: Jessie Wayne Stanfield, 1947-2024 » An employee at Tofu Shop Specialty Foods slices blocks from a fresh slab a local institution and staple of the region’s natural food scene since the heyday of the back-to-the-land hippie movement will close permanently by the end of the year Tofu Shop founder and owner Matthew Schmit in 2018 owner and founder Matthew Schmit confirmed that he plans to retire after next month nearly 50 years since he and his then-partner opened an artisan tofu shop in Telluride Schmit opened his tofu shop in Arcata as a takeout deli and small-scale manufacturing facility “We are going to be operating through the end of the year and then I will be closing down the shop,” Schmit told the Outpost “Things are just kind of new and happening.” According to the company’s website Schmit’s interest in local food systems inspired him to help found a food co-op in rural Colorado That’s where he was introduced to “the art of organic tofu making,” the site says.  The Tofu Shop operated as a deli-manufacturing combo for a dozen years but in 1992 it became one of the founding businesses in Arcata’s Foodworks Culinary Center the company has focused on growing its manufacturing and wholesale business.  Tofu Shop products displayed in a cooler at the Eureka Winco “In 2002 we were able to qualify for local financing and built this building we’re in right now,” Schmit says in a 2018 video produced by Eureka Natural Foods the Tofu Shop was producing up to 250,000 pounds of tofu a year and its organic product line has expanded to include dozens of products including a variety of smoked and flavored tofu in various degrees of firmness And the products aren’t just sold here in Humboldt County They’re available in grocery stores and natural food shops across California and up into Oregon plus they’re served in roughly 50 restaurants Schmit remains fascinated with the history of tofu from its origin in China more than 2,000 years ago through its adoption by western vegetarians in the 1970s as a healthy meat substitute it’s much more than that,” he says in the video below “It’s been around for thousands of years and that’s really where its real power and the source of its vitality comes from.” the Arcata High School football team captured their first state championship following a 27-21 victory in overtime against Portola Arcata residents came together to celebrate the Arcata High School’s football team's first-ever state championship victory it's just amazing,” said Arcata High School Football Head Coach all these guys have worked so hard to get to where we are right now and it is great all around The team had a warm welcome home after defeating Portola in Southern California over the weekend Celebrating a remarkable season for the Arcata Tigers football team Not only did they win the North Coast Section Championship they also took the NorCal Regional Crown and the Division 6-AA State Championship "It means a lot to the school and to the community I have been going to the games for four years now because my daughter is on the cheer team and just to see their growth has been amazing and they just battled it out this year,” said Arcata High School Secretary “I don’t feel like anything came super easy they just had nothing but determination and grit." The Tigers rallied from a deficit in the second half The game went into overtime where the Tigers' defense defended well Junior Quarterback Luke Lemke's third-down run and touchdown sneak-in overtime sealed the game "It was my first game ever in overtime my whole life so it was great when Magers called the play so it was exciting stuff," said Lemke Congratulations to the Arcata Tigers football team for bringing a State Championship to Humboldt County « HOWL IN! College of the Redwoods Would Like to Solicit Your Thoughts About Changing the College’s Mascot OBITUARY: Mary Dias, 1941-2025 » Arcata’s city council will decide if they will approve new inclusionary zoning measures for future housing developments after passing a motion to introduce an ordinance at last night’s city council meeting.  The idea behind inclusionary zoning is pretty simple: when a new apartment complex is built some percentage of those units must be priced less than they’re worth on the open market and reserved for low-income tenants It’s an unfunded mandate; the property managers take a hit on the investment.  the ordinance requires all new housing developments with 60 or more units to rent 3% of their units to very low income households and another 10% for moderate income households How much the rent actually costs can change annually and is determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee The planning commission originally recommended that the limit be set at 30 units but the city council wound up deciding it would be 60 after a compromise was made with Mayor Alex Stillman Stillman (who is the owner of Stillman Rentals a local property management company) was against inclusionary zoning but voted for it after meeting somewhere in the middle with the other city council members Stillman was worried about the likelihood of developers building more Arcata housing if they were going to be forced to house some people in below market-rate units.  Arcata used to have inclusionary zoning requirements until 2014 Most inclusionary zoning prior to 2012 was subsidized by the city’s Redevelopment Agency Several planned projects were killed because they weren’t financially viable without the subsidy The old requirements were much lower; inclusionary zoning kicked in at five units.  There are concessions for affected developments such as allowing them to use cheaper appliances and build larger buildings Arcata’s city council members hope it’ll be a way to battle gentrification and make resident’s lives a little less expensive without resorting to anything drastic “If we’re not going to use a mechanism like inclusionary zoning to put more of an onus on developers and the ones who are coming into (or already are) in our community to build housing [to] share in that burden of housing our community members then we need to find a different mechanism,” councilmember Sarah Schaefer said “Whether that’s some people up here’s favorite word — ‘rent control’ — or more aggressively pursuing land trusts or having more publicly owned properties so we can actually have real public housing,  especially in a time where there is a great concern that we might see a drying up of federal and state funding for housing Because that is not a priority of our current administration and I think that’s why it’s essential to have a mechanism like this in place to make the free market step up.” « Students Call on California Colleges to Protect Campuses From Immigration Enforcement More and More Humboldt County Students Will Get Guaranteed Admission to Cal Poly Humboldt, Following New Partnership With Fortuna, Ferndale and Northern Humboldt High Schools » 3:15 p.m.: Arcata High briefly went on lockdown for the same reason 11:15 a.m.: Grant Elementary School in Eureka is also now on lockdown multiple readers have reached out to alert us to additional threats made to local schools The parent of a child at Trinidad Union School tells us they received a message from the school stating “Trinidad School has been placed on a “shelter-in-place” lockdown We will not be able to let you on campus.” A few minutes later they received the following update from the school: There is a person who has been making threats to multiple schools this week.  They called our school and threatened to come.  No one is on campus and the sheriffs are on their way to check the campus.  In addition to Sunny Brae and Trinidad School Arcata Elementary School was also temporarily placed on lockdown precautions Arcata School District had this to say about that incident: Arcata Elementary was placed on lockdown a few minutes ago due to an anonymous phone call threat Police responded and have determined we can end the lockdown We understand that some families may want to pick up their child Please come to the front office in an orderly fashion We will continue to track the school lockdowns as we become aware of them.  Sunny Brae Middle School was placed on lockdown for a short period Arcata School District just posted the following alert: Sunny Brae was placed on lockdown this morning just prior to the start of school due to an anonymous phone call threat The Outpost will update if and when more information does become available.  « LA Will Need Workers to Clean Up After Fires. It Can Be a Dangerous Job KIEM Sold Again! The Christian Cowboys Have Sold the Local NBC and CBS Affiliates Down the River; New Owners Say They are Big Believers in the Local Mission » Arcata City Manager Merritt Perry gives his state of the city address trails and buildings all over Arcata are coming in the following years said speakers at the Arcata City Council meeting on Wednesday and yesterday’s State of the City Address.  Several of the most significant include the Sunset Avenue Interchange Project, which will turn three intersections along Sunset Avenue into two roundabouts. City manager Merritt Perry said Arcata received a $15 million RAISE Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation last week to build it a 3.5 mile path built on an old railroad bed traveling from West End road through downtown Arcata and into the marsh will begin construction this year and finish in 2026 It’s a project that’s been decades in the making and involved reading original land deeds from the 1800s written in longhand cursive.  “This is going to be incredible,” Perry said taking all of their pieces all the way to the extent and beyond city limits The graph the Community Development Department shared at the city council meeting Cal Poly Interim President Michael Spagna (left) and VP Michael Fisher (right) address the crowd officials from the Community Development Department said that their efforts to build affordable housing were going well having met their goals for building “very low” and “moderate” income housing and coming five units short of meeting their goal for “low” income housing only 48% of new units for “above moderate” income housing had been built.  Cal Poly Humboldt’s behemoth Craftsman’s Mall project is also projected to open this fall semester three months ahead of schedule said associated vice president Michael Fisher Fisher emphasized their efforts to connect the project to the rest of Arcata and said the Annie and Mary Trail would be a big part of that There’s also hope it’ll open up some more single-family homes in Arcata.  “This is a project that will be exclusively housing students but as we all know there’s a lot of single-family homes that are tied up in the rental market right now,” said Community Development Department director David Loya at the council meeting “It’s possible that this project could have an effect on loosening some of that up for single-family ownership.” The project also being renamed the “Hinarr Hu Moulik” (pronounced hi-NAD HU ma-LEEK) which according to Fisher is the Wiyot name for the project.  Another new building in the works on campus is the Housing which will have dining options and freshman-only housing Fisher also said that the Campus Apartments dorms are slated to be destroyed this summer. The dorms are famously moldy and unpopular and their demise has been on the docket for several years.  “That usually gets a lot more applause on campus making sure that we can replace our older housing stock with more safe ARCATA, Calif. — The Arcata Police Department has reported that several Tesla owners in the city discovered suspicious flyers on their vehicles during the week of February 3. The flyers implied a threat, urging Tesla owners to trade or sell their vehicles by Feb. 12, 2025. In one instance, a flyer was accompanied by a brick left on a vehicle's windshield, bearing the message, "No Nazis in America," police said. The Arcata Police Department stated that it is aware of similar activities occurring in communities across the state and is actively monitoring the situation. Authorities are urging anyone with information to contact the Arcata Police Department at 707-822-2424 or anonymously via the APD Crime Tip Line at 707-825-2558. LIVE UPDATESArcata man arrested after shocking hatchet and car ramming attacks in Eurekaby Ashley Harting — An Arcata man was arrested for attempted homicide charges on Jan after two separate but equally shocking incidents occurred in the city of Eureka the Eureka Police Department (EPD) said that they received reports of a man who was standing in front of a business in the 600 Block of West Harris when he was attacked by a man with a hatchet and struck multiple times on the his head and upper body EPD said that the victim was chased by the suspect in the parking lot before escaping The victim ran inside of a nearby residence Police said that when they arrived at the scene the victim was being transported to a local hospital Witnesses told police that the suspect had driven by the business honking his horn and yelling before fleeing the scene This allowed the witnesses to gather identifying information of the suspect vehicle police witnessed a large pickup truck driving eastbound on 5th Street EPD said that the truck continuously rammed into the Subaru causing the car to swerve on 5th Street before eventually crashing the vehicle into the Red Lion Pub parking lot The driver of the Subaru exited the vehicle telling police that the driver of the truck was trying to kill him EPD said that the victim told police that the suspect had been following them and ramming into them for several miles The suspect was placed under arrest at the scene EPD said that the truck matched the description of the suspect vehicle from Friday's assault incident a hatchet was located on the rear floorboard Police said that the suspect in both incidents was identified as 42-year-old Carl Stover of Arcata Stover was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for attempted homicide reckless driving and assault with a deadly weapon — Firefighters extinguished an apartment fire off Roberts Way in Arcata late Monday night crews responded to the scene and found the apartment well-involved officials said crews worked to bring the fire under control witnesses told The Northstate's News that they saw two people being transported to the hospital The Arcata Fire District said the Humboldt County Fire-Arson Investigation Unit was asked to assist with the investigation of the cause and origin of the fire To report errors or issues with this article, please email the editorial team CA — After 35 years of serving the community of Arcata the Plaza Grill will be closing its doors and then transforming into the new Cuban-American fusion restaurant called Havana Located on the third floor of Jacoby's Storehouse in Arcata Havana will officially open its doors for the grand opening on Oct Owners Shona Baum and William Gonzalez have been operating a renowned restaurant in the capital city of Cuba for the last eight years They say they are excited to bring their authentic cuisine to the Northcoast this fall The owners say this Cuban-Californian fusion is something Humboldt County residents have never experienced before allowing customers to come try their cocktails crafted by world-renowned mixologists while hitting the dance floor Chef Asa Maguire has worked around the world in kitchens in New York City Mixologist Yosvany Gonsalez is a world-class bartender who has spent years making cocktails in Las Vegas "The Plaza Grill owners Bill Chino and Chris Smith released a statement in part saying: "As for the opening of Havana we couldn’t be more excited to have such a unique restaurant coming to fill the space The owners and team are wonderful people and we know that local foodies will love what they have to offer.” Make sure to follow Havana on Facebook or Instagram for the latest announcements on the opening or any new items coming to the menu « ‘No Way, Not Possible’: California Has a Plan for New Water Rules. Will It Save Salmon From Extinction? Here’s Why U.S. Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay Has Been Wrapped in Plastic for Weeks On End » A belated congratulations to the Arcata High Tigers who won the Division 6-AA state championship over the weekend As usual, Ray Hamill of HumboldtSports.com has the full story on what he declares the greatest night in Arcata sports history His coverage highlights the exploits of quarterback Luke Lemke The junior scored three touchdowns and was named player of the game “For much of the night there was little to separate the two schools neither of which ever led by more than one score and each of which always seemed to find an answer when they needed it,” Hamill reports Down in Orange County, home of the Portola Bulldogs, it was a different story. This “tough loss” brought an end to what OCSportsZone.com calls the “best season in school history.”  « THE ECONEWS REPORT: What Gives You Hope? TO YOUR WEALTH: Christmas, Giving and the Why Behind Your Wealth » A bird’s eye view of “Sand Island” from Google Earth Have you ever noticed that little island out in the middle of Arcata Bay it’s pretty easy to miss — only visible from the water’s edge when the sea lions sprawl on its shores.  submitted by Blue Lake resident Jack Malast asserts that most Humboldt County residents are oblivious to the island’s existence “I believe it requires a name because it is a relatively untainted area of wilderness on the Humboldt Bay,” Malast wrote in the proposal “Having a name would give people a little bit more of a reason to remember it Renaming a geographical feature is a lengthy process Before the proposal is submitted to the U.S a federal employee has to get feedback from local stakeholders “Basically everyone I received feedback from thought the naming proposal should be denied,” Jeffrey Ferguson a navigation manager with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Coast Survey “That is the recommendation I made to the NOAA rep to the U.S most of the people Ferguson spoke with said the little patch of land has always been referred to as Sand Island and felt it should stay that way.  “I’m not particularly supportive of the idea,” longtime fisherman Ken Bates wrote in an emailed statement to Ferguson “The Sand Island that we are referring to in North Humboldt Bay is a human-constructed artifact of sand and small gravels dredged from the channel adjacent to the Arcata Long Wharf back in the 1800s … All of the oyster companies have referred to this artifact as ‘Sand Island’ and … [it] is also the name used by the duck hunting community.” Bates added that “skates are a rarity” in Humboldt Bay “I don’t see how the name ‘Skate Island’ would be particularly descriptive of this place … why don’t we just keep the local name and call it Sand Island?” Humboldt Harbor Safety Committee Chair Leroy Zerlang agreed bird watchers and even the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office have called the bit of land Sand Island “for a very long time.” “The little island is known as Sand Island and has been … as long as I can remember and I’m old,” Zerlang wrote in an emailed statement to NOAA “I would say it is Sand Island and should remain Sand Island.” Ferguson made a recommendation to deny the proposal to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names which met for its quarterly meeting on Dec The committee agreed to forward Ferguson’s recommendation to the U.S Board on Geographic Names for a final decision the official board could decide not to take my recommendation,” Ferguson noted and would be passed to the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names for agreement or for the CA Board to argue they want to override the National recommendation.” Who cares about naming a patch of sand in the middle of the bay “NOAA typically cares most about names that appear on our nautical charts,” Ferguson said “We want to avoid a name change causing confusion to mariners.” though it’s not clear when the board will make a decision — A fire erupted on Friday morning at "Skin by What's Her Face," a day spa located on 9th Street in Arcata no one was inside the building at the time of the blaze A Mission Linen employee detected smoke and heard the alarms before rushing across the street to alert firefighters at the Arcata Fire Station the blaze was confined to a single room and is believed to have been accidentally caused by an unattended heating pad Arcata Fire praised the Mission Linen employee's swift actions stating that the individual "undoubtedly prevented major losses to the community by alerting them in time." « (UPDATE) Eureka High School on Lockdown, Cites ‘Security Concern’ OBITUARY: Diana Harris Cooper, 1955-2024 » Arcata’s city council will decide tomorrow if the Arcata & Mad River Transit System will be completely merged with the Humboldt Transit Authority AMRTS and HTA have had a working relationship for a while AMRTS contracted HTA to do all of their vehicle maintenance and provide parking HTA started running and staffing all of AMRTS’ routes The city council decided to transfer all of AMRTS’ assets to the HTA back in January This final resolution makes it official.  AMRTS has been its own independent department since its founding in 1975 but Arcata managed to keep the budget small by employing their drivers part-time and running the buses only on limited hours according to a staff report from tomorrow’s city council meeting Arcata “does not have adequate staffing resources to implement cost-effective operation of the A&MRTS on its own.” The decision is also in large part due to the high cost of insuring a fleet of buses — about $70,000 a year paid to the California Transit Indemnity Pool Arcata will no longer have to pay that premium if it isn’t running AMRTS HTA and AMRTS both have a “mutual desire to maximize the efficiency of regional transit services,” according to the agenda and feel that the simplest and most cost-effective way to make their services better is simply just to fold AMRTS completely into HTA 12 vehicles will become HTA property on May 1 state and federal transportation funding that originally went to AMRTS will instead go to HTA « Appeals Court Reverses Dismissal of Class Action Suit Challenging Humboldt County’s Cannabis Abatement Penalties, Sending the Case Back to District Court OBITUARY: Nicholas Kaleo-O-Alii Liegl, 1983-2024 » Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office: Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to several incidents involving shootings along roadways in the county two individuals were involved in an altercation inside Toni’s 24-Hour Restaurant the dispute escalated as they drove northbound on Highway 101 Shell casings were later recovered on Central Ave suspects shot at a victim’s vehicle while both vehicles were driving on Highway 96 in Hoopa following a physical altercation involving several adult males that occurred near the Hoopa Modular Building One 23-year-old male sustained non-life-threatening suspected gunshot wounds to the chest and side area was taken to a local hospital for treatment was taken into custody and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for an outstanding warrant for battery with serious bodily injury (PC 243(d)) was also taken into custody and booked for assault with a deadly weapon in McKinleyville for several reports of a possible drive-by shooting in the area that came from a dark blue or green SUV 10 bullet casings were found on Walnut Ave Connections between the incidents and involved parties are being considered based on details gathered so far in the investigation Some of the witnesses were reluctant to provide details regarding these incidents Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539 « Biden Let California Get Creative With Medicaid Spending. Trump Is Signaling That May End ‘Brighter Days Ahead’: Locals Rally to Save the Historic Fortuna Theatre » but it is true; the promise is good — too good — but it is real; the promise is there for the taking there for the brave and the curious and the handy anyone that emails the right address and doesn’t ask for more than they deserve can get the gift of life.  What is probably the largest free seed distributor in the world is based out of Arcata They offer 687 varieties of just about every vegetable some are harder to come across than gold in a river The man behind FreeHeirloomSeeds.org is also the owner of the Arcata mineral store Stone Spirits (although he’s closing it to focus on the seeds) he posted a sign on the outside of the storefront saying he’d give a free strawberry plant to anyone who came in and asked for one and the masses swarmed in to take the plants and buy gems Reeves gave away an estimated 15,000 strawberry plants.  It was an excellent way to get people in the store but there’s more to it than that for Reeves.  “After years and years of formulating all of these plans to help our society and help guide humanity to be more in harmony with our ecosystem,” Reeves said “I just felt like I had to do something in some kind of material way that was measurable.” Reeves wanted to expand the strawberry giveaways to more stores but keeping the plants alive for longer than a couple weeks was difficult and he also thought that putting the burden of taking care of thousands of strawberry plants in a store would be too hard It wasn’t too big of a deal for him (he’s been gardening since he was a kid) but it’s simple for people without a green thumb to kill them.  He landed on plant seeds as a solid alternative he spent $300 on 30 different types of plant seeds and found more out in the wild old strains of plants that aren’t usually grown as commercial crops Reeves started giving them away at his store most comprehensive free seed service,” Reeves said There might be somebody out there that’s giving away more in terms of volume than us…There’s a few groups that give away specific seeds for but there’s not really anybody doing what we’re doing.” Reeves said he has given away more than 300,000 packs of seeds Reeves suggests that people who want seeds send $10 for every 15 packets of seeds they request That’s roughly the amount he needs to break even If someone requests a lot of seeds and doesn’t donate about half of the people asking for seeds donates when the serious gardeners are ordering dozens of packets of seeds to prepare for the upcoming growing season The donations also pay for a few full-time employees who help package and send out the seeds the post office is just down the street.  The Facebook group Reeves created in 2020 to share heirloom seeds is a few hundred people shy of 155,000 members They post paeans to Earth’s glorious bounties and requests from other seed-sharers for varieties like “pink lemon blueberry” and “snowball improved cauliflower” and “iso pawpaws,” thousands of people trying and failing and succeeding at turning bare patches of soil and leftover scraps into something delicious and nourishing.  He moved to Arcata from the Midwest in 2008 to sell his gems and he’s closing the store so he can focus on the seeds He and his wife and two kids spent a couple years living in a retrofitted school bus before being forced to move off of the land they were parking on They spent COVID in the bus out on the streets Vandals broke into the store and destroyed windows and stole gems Now he’s closing the store and mortgaging his house to fund the purchase of a farm in Ferndale so he can grow more of the seeds he’s going to give away which is also time-consuming and laborious.  some TikToker mentioned FreeHeirloomSeeds in a video and they were totally inundated with requests None of the other people packaging the seeds showed up but Reeves decided to stick it out and worked a series of 20-hour days to deliver thousands of orders What kind of world are they gonna have?’” Reeves asked And it’s not only just the struggle to survive but I believe the world could be so much more beautiful and so much more fun and we could all be a lot happier if we just did some things that benefited one another instead of just constantly living for ourselves.” The store today is about equally divided between space for seeds and space for gems and space for two wild-haired kids to run around grow their own plants and try making teas out of cilantro and snacks out of raw mustard shoots but Reeves has dreams beyond even this and the farm FreeHeirloomSeeds is also a mission of conservation Rare breeds of fruits and vegetables frequently go extinct and sharing their seeds is an easy way to ensure that happens less and less Reeves wants to start a local seed bank to preserve more of those and make it even easier for people to grow their own plants Reeves believes that a focus shift from buying produce produced by a globalized economy to a more local one would be better for everyone.  “You go into the grocery store and you look and see carrots from Colorado,” Reeves said Go buy a jar of artichokes; they’re probably from Argentina or something Despite the huge diversity of seeds on the website there are a few heavy-hitters that people tend to order over and over again like butter crunch lettuce or Cherokee purple tomatoes He hopes that in Ferndale they’ll be able to produce seeds that are normally fairly expensive only because no one is growing them like a multi-colored Echinacea that can retail for a dollar a seed but are super easy to grow Many of these varieties offer less commercial value or aren’t suited to a modern palette but are valuable parts of history in their own right.  “These are seeds that can be produced like no problem,” Reeves said “I can say that [getting thousands of orders] is surprising or whatever because we recognized the need from the beginning Anybody can do something good for their community We’ve been struggling against homelessness the whole time while we did this — it’s not necessarily been easy — but it’s very gratifying what I’m trying to say is: If you try to make a difference « Warrant Requested For Suspected Eureka Fentanyl Dealer After Raid on Two Homes Yields Massive Haul Eureka to Host Congressman Huffman Town Hall This Weekend » Photo: Dan Berger Photography The folks over at Recology are over the moon at the fact that one of their own — Zac Ramsey who has worked Arcata routes for more than 20 years — has been crowned as the nation’s Regional Residential Driver of the Year by the National Waste & Recycling Association The award was announced earlier this week the first with a great joke on a rough and cold Monday morning and he has always loved his 6,000 customers like family,” according to testimony submitted by Linda Wise a former general manager of local Recology operations Recology Humboldt’s current general manager tells the Outpost that besides being an incredibly stand-up human he enjoys the fact that Zac hauls trash from every home in Arcata making him an essential if sometimes anonymous part of the fabric of the city “He services all residential trash cans for every home in Arcata each week but I just think it’s awesome that he dumps all those people’s homes and nobody knows it’s just one dude.” Ramsey will officially receive his award at a black-tie gala at Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau Resort in early May. Click here for tickets has been awarded 2025 Driver of the Year by the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) in the Regional Residential category The NWRA Driver of the Year awards recognize waste collection professionals for their commitment to safety and community engagement. With more than 150,000 waste collection drivers nationwide and companies from every state competing He has worked in the industry for 23 years.  “Zac has dedicated his life to our industry,” says Linda Wise former General Manager of Recology Humboldt County “He places his customers’ needs and those of his team first.”  says Zac’s special bond with the people of the community was made apparent in the heartfelt letters many residents wrote in support of his Driver of The Year candidacy. When not at work Zac helps coach youth baseball teams.  and thank you for all that you do for your community The “Recology Chaser” YouTube channel contains an enormous amount of raw footage of Ramsey and his colleagues at work LIVE UPDATES3 family members killed in house fire relatives ask for communities support by Veonna King — Three people died in an apartment fire in Arcata on Monday The fire took the lives of mother Sarah Chance and her one-year-old granddaughter Sophia Micheals She describes what she remembers from that tragic day and I could see the reflection of the flames from my peripheral vision and my nephew was out there saying his whole family was gone," said Campbell According to Arcata Assistant Chief Wayne Peabody The family says the community's support has been felt people can donate to several GoFundMe's "They can find all of those legitimate gofundmes on my personal Facebook page Shawna Chance Campbell," said Campbell To donate, you can visit Shawna Chance-Campbell's Facebook Page to see all the GoFundMe's