For the curiously aware of Humboldt County…
By Skippy Massey
Humboldt Sentinel
40 YEARS OF BUSINESS TOSSED CURBSIDE: Despite numerous negotiations and political bickering, the Arcata Community Recycling Center’s (ACRC) Board of Directors voted to cease all operations by January of 2012. ACRC is officially DOA and its 35 employees were tossed out the window as collateral damage after the awarding of the recycling bid contract by the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) to a competing Willits company. The dollars and sense didn’t add up for ratepayers– nor did the ongoing clash of wills between HWMA director Jim Test and ACRC director Mark Loughmiller. “ACRC has been around for 40 years, but they priced themselves out of the market,” Test said. ACRC, believing otherwise, is suing the waste authority.
HUMBOLDT OCCUPATIONS CONTINUE: Defying oncoming rain and frost, occupiers weather on after 27 days and nights. Occupy HSU has 10 student campers sleeping on the Quad. Occupy Arcata, with 10-15 demonstrators, has moved its encampment quarters from the Arcata Plaza to the Arcata City Hall lawn staying one step ahead of numerous complaints. The Arcata Eye gives us the latest chapter in true Hoover style reporting the humps and lumps taking place there.
In Occupy Eureka, 15 occupiers are holding down their narrow patch of sod with tents and a makeshift kitchen– despite the ‘No Camping’ signs drilled into the Courthouse lawn early last Thursday morning and a phalanx of 6 officers reportedly staring them down from across the street the night before.
It was reported by witnesses that independent news media were denied access to the Occupy Eureka protest last week leading to the verbally abusive and hostile exchange of words by activist Kim “Verbena” Starr. Starr’s agitating actions and temper were later disapproved of as not being representative of the demonstrators and “not condoned” by the Occupy Eureka General Assembly when the censorship complaint was brought forward the following day.
Eureka Police Department officers were dispatched to US Bank this Wednesday in response to a report that protesters in dark clothes and masks were causing a disturbance by shouting and banging on the bank’s window with a big stick. Officers found the activists a few blocks away, protesting outside Bank of America and Chase. Rumors are circulating on good authority the protesters’ days are numbered: overnighters occupying the courthouse lawn will soon be evicted in short order by the long boot of EPD, perhaps by the time you read this. Nonetheless, the local Moveon.org chapter is organizing its members to support the Occupy protesters with a rally at the County Courthouse, Saturday from 1-4 p.m.
SHENANIGANS, VANDALS, AND BAD JUJU SCANDALS: Wanton acts of destruction by different Halloween hooligans struck several Fortuna cemeteries, shattered a plate glass window to swipe the historic 70 year old Milk Can trophy from Ferndale High School, and thoroughly trashed the Arcata Plaza. In the latter situation, “hundreds of Halloween revelers” left behind broken bottles and shards of glass, spews of vomit mixed with mounds of trash, trampled flower beds, condoms, whippets, human excrement, and a plastered McKinley statue covered in painted graffiti. 51 garbage bags, 3,000 pounds of trash, 40 staff hours of work cleaning up the aftermath. Lordy. With damage estimates of $30,000, the reckless revelry has become increasingly worse over the past 3 years. Arcata Police responded to 100 calls, arrested 30 people, and attended to 7 medical incidents of over-intoxication, head injuries, and one man who drunkenly jumped from a roof breaking his ankle. Police Chief Tom Chapman said, “The level of disrespect for the community is astonishing. The combination of alcohol and a costume gave some a sense of drunken stupidity and lawlessness.”
SUPER SIZE ME: While the amusingly puerile Humboldt Mirror pines that bigger is better for Big Boxes, the minions, the homeless, and us, the SoHum Parlance II blog tips us off to an entirely different take regarding the voracious appetite of Ukiah’s Walmart. Proposed plans call for a nearly 50% square foot addition, expanding the store’s hours to 24 hours a day seven days a week, and creating the sales of distilled spirits, a vision care center, and a medical clinic. The expanded section of food items planned will “rival the selection at grocery stores.” The siphoning of customers from local businesses is expected to lead to the closure of 2 other food stores nearby. The final Environmental Impact Report will be heard November 9— just in time for Thanksgiving.
While some may rejoice that McDonald’s McRib sandwich is temporarily back tingling local culinary tongues, you may not want to know what’s in it: not exactly what one considers meat. Is it bad for you? Let’s put it this way. It’s not good for you. With a total of 70 ingredients, the McRib is a complicated mess. The bun alone contains 34 components, including among other chemicals, azodicarbonamide: “a flour-bleaching agent most commonly used in the manufacturing of foamed plastics like gym mats and the soles of shoes.”
It’s also no proprietary secret that The Journal reports on the public concern of GMOs in ‘Just Label It,’ noting that “…90 percent of Americans support the labeling of foods that contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs)… a right that more than 50 other nations, including China and Russia, protect with mandatory GMO labeling. The glaring disconnect between America’s celebrated democratic ideals and the FDA’s refusal to budge on GMO labeling may be about to crumble…” We believe in better living through science and Big Boxes– and those beguiling flavor chemists toiling away in New Jersey labs.
BUILDING BABYLON BY THE BAY: Venom meets vigilance in the snakepit of Humboldt County planning? Just why do people hate Kirk Girard?
Open Door Community Health Center has broken ground building their new $10 million facility in Eureka. Hospice of Humboldt is fundraising for their proposed $11 million project comprising administrative offices and an end-of-life care facility. While Wild Planet Seafoods is slowly moving into their new digs at Eureka’s waterfront C Street Market Square following millions of dollars spent by the City of Eureka Redevelopment Agency, Kurt Kramer Properties labors on into a second year reconstructing the formerly beloved Old Town Bar and Grill building that fell apart during the 2010 earthquake.
Eureka City Councilman Mike Newman related this week one of the important and final environmental hurdles has been cleared by the State Lands Commission enabling CUE VI to begin cleaning up the Balloon Track. Mr. Newman also assured us that “cleaning up the Balloon Track has been happening all along” and we’ll soon see results in short order. The rest of the council remained curiously silent.
Time to go green? True, the gleaming, out of place, multi-million dollar College Creek apartment complex gracing the southwest corner of the HSU campus is finished and ready for occupancy– but no parking spaces were planned or created accommodating the 430 new student residents.
Caltrans is crashing headlong into obstacles and an uphill battle presented by the Eureka City Council, the Board of Supervisors, and Jacobs Avenue businesses over their proposed $23 million Safety Corridor Improvements. Caltrans is proposing shutting down most of the Highway 101 medians between Eureka and Arcata. Opposition was voiced by local businesses complaining they were being leaned on to accept the safety plans– or else have their customer access to Highway 101 cut off. Councilmember Linda Atkins suggested simply enforcing traffic speed limits along the corridor would eliminate the need, expense, and problems proposed. The Caltrans spokesman was flummoxed when asked to respond.
The collapsed roof of Eureka’s St. Vincent de Paul building is being repaired in the nick of time for the rainier-than-normal season expected. You’ll remember the collapse was caused by a pile of debris left behind by the Roof Doctor company. We notice the new repairs caused by the old repairs causing the collapse are being done by… McMurray and Sons roofing company.
LAST SNIPPETS: Kym Kemp is amazing in her SoHum marijuana topics du jour. Check out her latest buzz regarding the recent Dinsmore bust involving 39 arrests and the surprisingly quick slap on the wrist plea agreement for the kingpin of the $1 million, 400+ pound, Hydesville grow and bust merely 10 days after his arrest.
Tuesday, November 8 is an election day: voters will watch the drama unfold on the boards of a 6 school districts, 4 community service districts, and one mysterious Resort Improvement District in Shelter Cove that doesn’t like questions from the pesky press. Speaking of ducking the press, Eureka School Board voters are reminded of incumbent Judy Anderson’s no-show for a televised public debate forum. Candidate Susan Johnson took the time to show up and address issues.
9 members of Congress, including Mike Thompson, sent a letter to the White House asking for the current crackdown on medical marijuana to end.
Jewels, gems, shiny things, and fossils: the Annual Gem and Mineral show is shining at Redwood Acres this weekend.
Pink Martini plays this Saturday, Jackson Browne Sunday, and Wild Flag Monday at HSU Center Arts.
KMUD’s Battle of the Rock Bands is set for this Saturday, November 5.
You can support local business, find a good bargain, provide quality educational programming all at once: Public Broadcasting Television KEET-TV’s fundraising auction and list of $60,000 in gifts is happening November 7-10 and 14-17, from 7:00-11:00 pm. Ask for KEET’s “2 for 1” card of merchant discounts thrown in with your winning bid or membership.
Mattole Restoration organizations are planning a roundtable discussion November 18 related to the restoration of the Mattole watersheds.
Comfortably numb and always sold out: House of Floyd’s flawless tribute to the one and only Pink performs at the Arkley Center Saturday the 19th.
Eastern Humboldt’s Redbud Theater has announced its November production dates for ‘Academia Nuts.’
$10 gets some family time outdoors and a tree: christmas tree permits are available for sale by Six Rivers National Forest through December.
Humboldt is fortunate having an array of great local blogs of notable merit. Ernie’s Place is home to the wit, wisdom, and history of long time Garberville native Ernie Branscomb. Ever the de facto community leader covering a number of wide topics, Ernie has branched out of the dust, mud, and blood taking your opinion and solutions for the good, the bad, the ugly, and the things needing change through his new website for making Garberville a better place.
HUMBOLDT EVENTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LISTINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND:
FRIDAY November 4
SATURDAY November 5
SUNDAY November 6
I feel like I just ran through a pile of the week’s newspapers while glancing at the computer screen…! Whew, what a romp.
Glad you’re enjoying the new feature — I’m very appreciative of Skippy’s contributions.
Charles, where did you get the quotes above from Councilmember Newman? Was there an interview that I missed?
I didn’t get the quotes — Skippy did. I wasn’t at the Eureka City Council meeting this week, so I’m not sure if it was mentioned there.
Arcata Comm.Recycling Ctr.Too bad the ‘Board’ (corporation, corpse/dead/no responsibility) didn’t bother to demand the ORIGINAL wet-ink, signed Promissory Note. No Note, no loan. But then, banks don’t lend money.
Humboldt Occupiers should by now ALL be at H.S. This is World-wide knowledge. Map at: meet-up.com/occupytogether/
Paragraph 5: ‘courthouse lawn’ This is ‘slavespeak.’ There are no courts. Do you see any justice happening there? Just Us. The Administration Bldg. has a truckload of PERSONS who are paid by ‘We the People’ to administer the US INC’S bankruptcy. The United (past tense/dead) States is not a landmass. It’s a corp., owned by a private, foreign corp/IMF. Bottom line:gov’t employees are born here and working for a foreign jurisdiction. That my friends, is the definition of traitor. True, 90 some percent are clueless of this. THEY’RE just ‘doing THEIR job.’ The definition of job is:(1627)to carry on private business for private gain.
Super Size Me: anyone one of us shopping at WalMart is directly supporting the prison industry (America’s largest).WalMart buys PRISON BONDS.
Ah, Kirk Girard. You mean the Kirk Girard who in every ‘Public Notice’ states that,”if this project is challenged” that HE passes authority to the FEDS. jurisdiction? Guess what Kirk baby, YOU have no authority! Authority cannot be delegated. We the People, AND ONLY We the People grant authority. YOU, Kirk Girard, were hired, NOT elected.
I meant, ‘job’ definition-to carry on PUBLIC business for private gain.
Hey Charles and blog world! I’m a recyclables sorter here at the Arcata Community Recycling Center. Charles, I am going to be filming a small documentary about the employees affected by this closure. It won’t have a political slant. I just want the jobless employees to get some public recognition and possibly out there for a job. I’m having a friend of mine professionally edit it for me. If I produce it, will you air it for me? I have a cool new camera stabilizer I want to use. You have my facebook Charles.
That sounds great, Chris. I’m quite certain Access Humboldt would air your documentary — just burn your DVD when it’s finished and pay them a visit behind Eureka High School.
Kym, Charles, DC, Chris, and Linda– thank you for your comments. This is a a work in progress and all feedback and suggestions are sincerely appreciated. Thank you, everyone.
More information for DC @7:59, and interested others:
Councilmember Newman made his 2 minute comment during his opening report of the November 1, 2011, Eureka City Council meeting. You can listen to it here (courtesy of Access Humboldt and the Internet Archive)– at 12:16 minutes in:
http://www.archive.org/details/AH-ecc_11-1-11
Mr. Newman said he traveled to the State Lands Commission Board meeting the previous week with City Manager David Tyson to present ‘anything they might need.’
This was for a $526,000 ‘settlement’ from the State Land’s tidelands that would be the ‘next step for the CUE VI, better known as the Balloon Track, to begin their development there. This is the next step for the cleanup of that parcel of land… and I’m glad to see it go forward,’ he said.
Mr. Newman said the settlement was passed unanimously by the Eureka City Council on October 4. The $526,000 will go into the city’s Humboldt Bay Fund for the ‘bay, harbors, construction and piers planned around the bay’ that will be discussed at a future (council?) meeting.
Mr. Newman added, ‘this is the next step necessary for the Balloon Track to go forward’ and the ‘interim remediation– cleanup– is still going on’ at the Balloon Track but now the final, main cleanup can start. ‘Although it doesn’t look like much is going on there, much has been happening beneath the surface… and it is progressing forward at this time,’ he said.
Yours truly is unclear how $526,000 of settlement money going into the Humboldt Bay Fund for bay improvements is to be used for CUE VI’s benefit, or more specifically, for the ‘development and cleanup’ of the Balloon Track parcel as Mr. Newman stated.
Perhaps someone knows the answer to this.
Excellent reporting.
I recommend inserting additional, brief, references to quotes, routine follow-ups to past reports, (the settlement money would be a great start!), and include a few words describing who you are, although, with writing this good, without sugarcoating, and obviously without fear or favor in reporting the good, bad, and ugly inherent in every story, “anonymous” would suffice!
Looking forward to your next report.
Bravo!