Humboldt Last Week

A fast-moving, wind-driven fire devastates downtown Arcata, destroying at least seven businesses and apartments and causing an estimated $18 million in losses as the community rallies to rebuild, Humboldt County supervisors halt weapons screening at Eureka courthouses amid rising costs and a security standoff, regulators approve nearly 10% profit margins for PG&E as one in five customers struggles to pay power bills, the sheriff’s office uncovers suspected human trafficking and illegal cannabis at a licensed SoHum farm, a new state law forces schools to strengthen protections against sexual abuse by staff and volunteers, rancher Ray Christie sues the county over a SWAT-style 2018 raid and dropped charges, killings hit a 20-year low even as some violent crimes rise, a Ferndale woman narrowly survives floodwaters sweeping her car toward the Eel River, a knife-point robbery attempt rattles a McKinleyville bus stop, an Eureka officer is arrested on suspicion of DUI, Trump officials move to slow Eel River dam removal plans, traffic crashes and enforcement surge across Eureka, protests target U.S. military actions abroad and ICE shootings, city leaders explore police drones while weighing civil-liberty concerns, Eureka pushes back against a state housing mandate it calls unfair, recall efforts fizzle in Blue Lake, year-end media roundups revisit Humboldt’s most defining stories, and positives include historic Klamath River land restoration, a $100K donation saving local reproductive health care, major upgrades coming to Bear River’s Family Entertainment Center, and Sara Bareilles quietly stopping by a beloved Eureka bookstore.24-7 streaming radio: humalt.com features new and timeless rock.Humboldt Last Week’s partners: Belle Starr Clothing, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB. Humboldt Last Week social media:⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook

A viral YouTuber cherry-picks Eureka as “Northern California’s drug capital” while leaving out key context, Walmart eyes Eureka’s empty Kmart site raising big retail questions, former Fortuna councilmember Kris Mobley pleads guilty to stealing more than $500K from a local construction company, Humboldt County is ranked the second riskiest housing market in the U.S., two Humboldt men are convicted in a brutal double murder tied to a gun-and-drug deal, a federal judge blocks Trump’s wind-energy ban potentially saving Humboldt offshore wind, cannabis could be moved to Schedule III as locals debate who actually benefits, supervisors give growers four more years to pay off $13M in cannabis tax debt, EPD ramps up holiday DUI enforcement, Mike McGuire’s food drive smashes records as hunger spikes, a Ferndale dairyman helps launch a $700M regenerative farming pilot amid controversy, Eureka pauses enforcement of its vacant-building ordinance over legal fears, and positives include a Redcrest barrel racer reaching the National Finals Rodeo, Friends of the Dunes securing major restoration funding in Manila, Humboldt-shot film One Battle After Another leading the Golden Globe race, the Film Commission’s outsized economic impact, and locals crafting a cozy holiday playbook for visiting families.24-7 streaming radio: humalt.com features new and timeless rock.Humboldt Last Week’s partners: Belle Starr Clothing, EO Electrolysis, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB.Humboldt Last Week social media:⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook

Ferndale export Guy Fieri suffers a brutal quad tear and emergency surgery after a fall on set, Supervisor Rex Bohn faces a misconduct complaint tied to a tobacco rules dust-up, two Cal Poly Humboldt professors land on TPUSA’s “Watchlist,” Eureka’s Crisp Lounge dispensary closes amid a shrinking cannabis market, EPD pursues a hate-crime warrant after a racist, anti-LGBTQ attack on county security, Eureka lands a $70K traffic-safety grant, Humboldt Clothing Co. exits the Bayshore Mall after 25 years, rancher Ray Christie sues the county over his 2018 case, the sheriff says most body cams weren’t rolling before a fatal Blue Lake pursuit, Sorrel Leaf Healing Center stalls waiting on state funds, leaders warn hunger and homelessness will worsen under shifting federal policies, Eureka weighs a resolution opposing U.S. strikes on Venezuelan boats, Centro del Pueblo’s Thanksgiving action highlights families split by immigration policy, Scotia’s old mill eyes a sale, tsunami readiness gets a lifesaving reminder, and in the wins column: CBS’s Sheriff Country flashes the Eel River Valley, “Orick Rising” aims to reboot a gateway town, green burials in Kneeland get statewide love, Cal Poly Humboldt’s economic impact lands big, Cal Poly Humboldt export and Las Vegas Raider Alex Cappa slides back to guard, Eureka export and NFL free agent Jake Hanson draws late-season interest, former Eureka Logger and NFL star Rey Maualuga heads to the 2026 Polynesian Hall of Fame, Ferndale football chases a state title, and the Shop Humboldt Digital Passport Challenge gamifies buying local.24-7 streaming radio: humalt.com features new and timeless rock.Humboldt Last Week’s partners: Belle Starr Clothing, EO Electrolysis, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB.Humboldt Last Week social media:⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook

Mike Patton teams with The Avett Brothers on AVVT/PTTN and I share a quick review, Eureka’s coffee-and-cannabis drive-thru drops weed and reopens coffee-only in January, Ferndale’s Lighted Tractor Parade tightens rules to bar another fetus display while allowing other religious themes, Humboldt’s DA deems officers justified in a 2024 Eureka hostage-and-knife standoff shooting, the FBI leads a Hoopa-area search in a child-pornography case with no arrests yet, animal-shelter volunteers push back on a new liability waiver as the county says it’s standard paperwork, a new green cemetery in the Kneeland hills offers natural burials beneath trees, Eureka explores a city-run grocery to cut costs and boost access, Eureka puts $30,000 into Food for People and St. Vincent de Paul amid SNAP chaos, state leaders reject a new offshore drilling push off our coast, plus positives: $1M for McKinleyville Community Forest, a Klamath River restoration spotlight on Kelly Clarkson’s show, Sara Bareilles and Brandi Carlile’s “Salt Then Sour Then Sweet,” Backcountry Press’s California Trees wins a national award, and more.24-7 streaming radio: humalt.com features rock with real drums and distorted guitars.Humboldt Last Week’s partners: Belle Starr Clothing, EO Electrolysis, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB.Humboldt Last Week social media:⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook

A real ice rink and expanded holiday fun return to Ferndale’s fairgrounds and Main Street, journalist and teacher Matt LaFever is arrested on suspicion of inappropriate online contact with a minor, Supervisor Michelle Bushnell is censured and removed as board chair, Arcata High coach and MMA fighter Cass Bell is arrested after an alleged late-night streetfight, voters pass Prop 50 to temporarily reshape House districts likely adding five California Democrats as Humboldt’s map links us with Redding and the north state, Mike McGuire launches a bid for Congress in a newly redrawn district while Jared Huffman runs to continue representing us, SNAP turbulence eases as many locals receive November benefits but food banks still face huge need, Eureka is eyeing a trans-sanctuary resolution to protect access to gender-affirming care, Eureka closes the book on the 'Marina Center' and eyes a cleaner mixed-use future on the Balloon Track, nonprofits report nearly $7 million in lost support tied to Trump-era changes, a cautionary tale as AI fabricates an alarming "local story" with fake quotes and events, positives abound with new air routes on the horizon, Hoopa’s Uriah Cheng was named to the 2025 Native All-American Game including NFL partnerships, Halloween weddings it up Ferndale, Pierson’s holiday store spotlights Made-in-Humboldt goods, the locally-shot DiCaprio flick 'One Battle After Another' premieres on digital, and shoutouts to standout seasons across Humboldt sports.24-7 streaming radio: humalt.com features rock with real drums and distorted guitars.Humboldt Last Week’s partners: Belle Starr Clothing, EO Electrolysis, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB.Humboldt Last Week social media:⁠Instagram⁠ / ⁠Facebook