Have a broken lamp that is too sentimental to toss? Is your favorite knife too dull? Is your laptop running slow? Come to the Repair Cafe! By fixing your items, instead of tossing them and buying new, you are not only saving money, you are saving carbon too. Do-gooder and cafe organizer Wendy Ring joins the show to discuss.

The next repair cafe is Sunday, March 15 from 10-2pm at the Adorni Center. Check out future repair dates on Facebook.

Are you a fixer and want to help at a future cafe? Click here! 

###

The Humboldt Standard claimed the Hollywood press described her as “the screen’s most beautiful blonde.” The Standard, in the Monday, February 17, 1930 issue, went on to report:

Gladys Laverty, former Eureka girl who is known to the screen world as Jean Bary, has a prominent role in The Cock-Eyed World, which began a five-day showing at the Rialto Theater this afternoon … she portrays Fanny, the Coney Island girl over which Sergeants Flagg and Quirt have one of their many quarrels. For several years, Miss Laverty played small roles in several productions. Recently, she was signed by the Fox Film Corporation and now seems to be climbing to the top in the film world. At the present time, she is working in “Bright Lights” and “Lilies of the Field.” She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Laverty of this city and is a graduate of Eureka High.

For several days, during the run of “The Cock-Eyed World” at the Rialto, the Standard published eye-popping photographs of Gladys, along with articles detailing her exotic adventures (such as her trip to Hawaii to appear in a Harold Lloyd production), and advertisements shouting “Eureka Girl Makes Hit,” and “Eureka’s Own Star, Gladys Laverty.”

“Miss Laverty has an excellent talkie voice and her performance in ‘The Cock-Eyed World’ will doubtless bring her more prominent roles in future Fox productions,” gushed the February 18, 1930 issue of the Standard.

Gladys Laverty was born in Blue Lake on April 3, 1904, the granddaughter of Blue Lake pioneers Francis (Francois) and Helene Douarin, who had moved to Humboldt from Brittany, France, in 1856.

Gladys’s father, Henry James Laverty, born in New Brunswick, Canada, was the son of an Irish immigrant who moved his family to Arcata when Henry was very young. The Laverty family were mainly woodworkers, but Henry instead learned the trade of barbering. In 1892, he moved from Arcata to Blue Lake, opened a barbershop, and met and married (in 1897) Francois and Helene Douarin’s daughter, Helen. Until 1912, Henry and Helen Laverty lived in Blue Lake with their children, Gladys, Henry (born in 1906 and died May 4, 1989 at the age of 83), Clyde, and Margaret (Peg Billings). Peg was born on December 11, 1911, six days after her father’s barbershop was destroyed in the disastrous downtown Blue Lake fire. (The Ferndale Enterprise reported that although Laverty didn’t own the burned building, he was uninsured for the $200 loss of his equipment and supplies). After a year at a new Blue Lake location, Henry moved his family to a house on Hillsdale Street in Eureka, where he had rented the new barber shop in the Hotel Barnum on 2nd Street, which he operated until he was over 80.

Blue Lake was the lasting influence on Gladys, however, partly due to the nature of the community (a story in the Blue Lake Advocate published at the turn of the nineteenth century said, “Blue Lake is second to none in the county for dancing events, good music, good supper, and a good time”).

And Gladys was certainly guided by talented family members. Her aunt, Ida Douarin Harvey, played and taught piano in Blue Lake. According to Gladys’s niece, Loreen Laverty Eliason, Ida learned her lively style of piano playing by sneaking outside and sitting on the curb to listen to the piano music in the saloons. Ida was also a frequent performer in plays produced by the Wha-Nika club, of which she was a member.

Gladys’s older cousin, Helen Smith St. Louis, who was also born in Blue Lake, taught in local schools where she produced graduation plays, programs, and musicals “(for which she will be long remembered by her students,” according to her March 2, 1961 obituary in the Blue Lake Advocate.

By the time Gladys was eight years old, she, too, was in the Advocate. The April 20, 1912 issue reports that she sang at a program of the Woodmen of the World, and the June 8, 1912 issue tells about her performance at an eighth grade graduation: “Gladys Laverty … sang a couple of sweet songs in her childish voice which pleased everyone.” On October 26, 1912, Gladys was also tapped to sing “I’m the Guy” between acts of a play in which her Aunt Ida acted, put on by the Wha-Nika Club.

Gladys attended Blue Lake and Eureka schools, at some point sharing the same class year (1922) as her younger brother, Henry “Hank” Laverty. (Her other brother, Clyde, died as a youth.) Interestingly, at Eureka High School, it was Hank, and not Gladys, who was the performer. Editions of the yearbook, Sequoia, picture Hank in several productions that appeared as soon as public gatherings were declared safe from the influenza epidemic.

Of Gladys’s high school career, we know little, except that perhaps she was seen as a dizzy blonde, as this exchange in the 1919 Sequoia would indicate: “After explaining for the third time a problem to G. Laverty, Miss Fitzell said — Well, Gladys, is that clear now? Yes, it’s clear enough, said Gladys, only I don’t understand it.” (Miss Fitzell taught French, mathematics, and English.)

Gladys is mentioned again in a fictionalized review of the year’s events in the 1920 Sequoia. ‘Oh yes, the girls!,’ repeated President Rew dreamily, ‘and don’t you remember the next reception given the Freshmen—how the girls danced so artistically the Spanish dance?’ ‘How well I remember,’ meditated Mr. Laverty, ‘it was the Spanish Draw which inspired my sister to become the leading lady in the Ziegfeld Follies.’”

The 1922 Sequoia tells us that Gladys was a member of glee club (1, 2, 4), and track (4). She cannot be identified in the photographs and although the ‘22 yearbook lists her as a candidate for June graduation, there is no senior photo. While the Ziegfeld Follies was a literary conceit, Hank’s riposte wasn’t far from the mark.

Expressly forbidden by her father, Gladys nonetheless left Eureka for Hollywood — either before or shortly after her graduation — with a troupe of actors who had been performing in the county. (Traveling troupes, with such colorful names as “Follies and the Honey Maids,” often played at Loew’s State Theatre.)

According to Eliason, Gladys went with the troupe to San Francisco where she performed “for a short while.” The “short while,” we believe, was perhaps as long as three or four years. At this point, the chronology is confused. Although one online film site (IMDb.com) dates her first film from 1921, all evidence places her in Eureka in 1921. Further, her movie career appears to have begun in 1927, and we find it unlikely that considering her good looks and her youth, she would have had a six-year hiatus between films. Therefore, we are assuming the website dates of 1921 for her first two silents are incorrect, possibly distortions of a “7” for a “1;” we are dating her film career from 1927-1936. [Ed. note from 2026: IMDb seems to have since cleaned up its chronology, casting the above reasoning into some doubt.]

At some point between Eureka and Hollywood, she decided that Gladys was too old-fashioned for a performer and changed her name to Jean. In the confusion of her filmography, her first films are credited to Jean “Lefferty,” and the constant variety of misspellings of “Laverty” in the newspapers annoyed Gladys to the point of changing her name.

Gladys had already had another bit of good luck. While her first film, “What Happened to Father?” (1927), was a silent film and she played in several silents thereafter, she easily made the transition to talkies and was said to have a “great” talking voice.

A Jean Laverty scene in “The Cock-Eyed World.”

During her nine-year career, Gladys was in at least twenty-five movies, including a Mack Sennett silent film (“The Good-bye Kiss,” 1928). She acted with such stars as Theda Bara, Clara Bow, Bela Lugosi, Cesar Romero, Flobelle Fairbanks, William Demarest, Corinne Griffith, Carole Lombard, and Jean Harlow. In “Fugitives,” (1929), Gladys had a substantial supporting role, while Jean Harlow had only a bit part. Loreen Eliason remembers that Gladys loved to tell the story of Jean Harlow’s ermine toilet seats, an implication that she was close friends with Harlow. Given that Gladys knew Harlow before Harlow became a star, this is likely true.

Less likely is another family legend that claims Gladys was responsible for Carole Lombard and Clark Gable meeting and falling in love. In reviewing Gladys” filmography, we found one movie. “His Unlucky Night” (1928) that Gladys (uncredited) shared with Carole Lombard. Gladys was in no movie with Gable. Nevertheless, who’s to know what happened off the set? There was a busy Hollywood night life in those days of flappers and prohibition, and Gladys was a looker. In a review of “Domestic Trouble” (1928), another unidentified clipping (Gladys regularly sent clippings and photographs to her mother, Helen, who saved them, but alas, didn’t annotate them) says: “Miss Laverty … was impressive enough to send sections of the house into heavy sighs every time she moved.”

Loreen Eliason and Aleezz Laiclen say that Gladys gave up her career when she fell in love and married William Muir. We do not know how, where, or even when Gladys met her husband, but we do know that by 1936, when Gladys was making the last of her films, she was 31, an “old maid” by the vernacular of the culture at that time, and. in her last three films, she was listed as “uncredited barmaid,” “uncredited Viole.” and “uncredited chorus girl.” A career based heavily on beauty was fading with her youth.

Bill Muir was a slot machine mechanic for the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Bill and Gladys, who had no children, lived in Las Vegas until Bill retired and they moved to Pismo Beach. There, on September 28, 1973, Gladys died of throat cancer, the sad result of having been a lifelong heavy smoker. Gladys Laverty/Jean Lefferty/Laverty/Bary is buried at Los Osos Memorial Park in San Luis Obispo County under the sole name of Gladys Muir.

###

Herbert Joel Pierce passed away peacefully in his home on February 9, 2026, after a long illness. Born on August 27, 1943, to Richard Errol Pierce and Grace Ilene Pierce in Pasadena, Herb was the youngest of three sons. When he was growing up he went by the name “Joel” (or “Joe”) to his family and friends, and it was only in his teenage years that he started to go by his first name (because, as he put it, he got tired of correcting the high school teachers who kept calling him “Herb”).

From early on Herb was an active, outgoing child who loved the outdoors. In his early 20’s he hitchhiked from Southern California to Alaska and worked in a cannery over the summer. He also spent several seasons working for the National Parks Service as a park ranger at Wind Cave National Park and Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

Herb attended California State Polytechnic College and graduated with a degree in Biological Science in 1970. Shortly before this, in 1969, he married the love of his life, Sally (Skinner). They welcomed their first child, Andrew Joel, in 1970. This was followed by the arrival of daughter Jennifer Lynn in 1972 and son Edward Errol in 1973.

Herb worked as a park ranger for the State of California from 1969 until 1978: first at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego, then at Mitchell Caverns (now known as Providence Mountains State Recreation Area), and lastly at Mount San Jacinto State Park in Idyllwild. In particular, Herb loved the time that he and Sally and their young family spent in the Mojave Desert at Mitchell Caverns, and he spoke about that experience often. As he frequently pointed out, they were “25 miles from the nearest telephone.” (Those who knew Herb can attest to the fact that he loved to meet and get to know people from all walks of life; but he also was perfectly happy being alone amidst nature.)

In 1978 Herb accepted a position as a wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish & Game, and he and his family relocated to Eureka in Northern California. This occupation allowed him the opportunity to work outdoors, which he loved; but it also required him to interact frequently with local businessmen and politicians as he represented the state’s interests on issues affecting wildlife. Herb found that he enjoyed the challenge of working to resolve conflicts between different parties, and he spent time developing his skills at mediation in these years.

Outside of work, Herb spent the majority of his time with Sally and his children. He took his family camping, coached his children’s sports teams, co-led the church youth group, and was always available to play board games, take trips to the park (where often any games that were played were organized and participated in by him), and answer any number of questions from his inquisitive children. He also enjoyed sharing his interests in ornithology and botany with his family; on outdoor jaunts he would often call their attention to interesting birds or plants he encountered.

Herb retired from the State of California in 2001, and with his children grown, he became more involved with various charitable activities. He was a Court Appointed Special Advocate for many years and was also involved in leadership in the United Methodist Church in Eureka. He and Sally took several trips with members of their church to help build homes for people in Mexico and New Orleans. During these years, Herb also worked part time as a Sales Representative for Certified Folder Display Service. This job allowed him to travel throughout the Pacific Northwest and meet and talk to many different people, something that he always loved to do. Sally often accompanied him on these trips. In their retirement, he and Sally enjoyed many activities together, whether it be camping (alone or with their children and grandchildren), taking walks together, or going on the occasional cruise. Herb also greatly enjoyed spending time with his five grandchildren.

Throughout his life Herb always tried to be aware of and thankful for the good fortune he had experienced, and it was important to him to help those who were less fortunate than he was. He always looked for the best in people, and he always tried to be positive and upbeat. If Herb was ever asked how he was doing, he would invariably reply by exclaiming, “Outstanding!” or “Excellent!”

In 2017, Herb suffered a major stroke. This limited his ability to do many things, and he was extremely fortunate to have his beloved wife Sally there to take care of him for the last nine years of his life. Despite the challenges he faced, he did not lose his upbeat outlook (nor his sense of humor). He was greatly comforted in his later years by the time he was able to spend with his children, grandchildren, and other family and friends who all cared so deeply for him.

Herb was especially fortunate that in his last few weeks of life he was able to see each of his grandchildren one last time. He also received significant support from his nephew, Don Pierce (who, as a young man, had spent many years living with Herb’s family in Eureka), as well as from his son-in-law, Bob Coleman, both of whom were with him in his final days.

Herb is preceded in death by his brother Kenneth Arthur Pierce of West Covina, Calif., and his daughter, Jennifer Lynn Coleman of San Diego. He is survived by his wife Sally of Eureka; son Andrew and daughter in-law Jennifer of Trinidad; son Edward of Portland, Oregone; brother Richard James Pierce of La Verne, Calif.; son in-law Bob Coleman of Lake Stevens, Wash.; and grandchildren Cole Pierce, Max Pierce, Marcus Coleman, Madeline Pierce, and Wilder Coleman.

The Pierce family will be having a small family gathering in memory of Herb.

From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Mar. 13, 2026, the victim of the shooting in Hoopa succumbed to his injuries.  The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office will now be seeking charges of PC 187-Murder for all three suspects involved in this incident.   

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest and most heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, loved ones and the Hoopa Tribal community during this difficult time.

The Humboldt County Major Crimes Division is actively investigating this homicide. Anyone  with any information that could assist in this case 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.

###

America’s war on Iran has killed over 1,000 civilians and totally upended the global economy since it started two weeks ago. There is no end in sight — but if two members of the Arcata City Council have their way, maybe it’ll be over a tad sooner. 

The council will consider ratifying a resolution demanding an “immediate end” to the war during their meeting this Wednesday. Councilmembers Sarah Schaefer and Meredith Matthews wanted the resolution added to the agenda, according to city manager Merritt Perry. 

The resolution points out the high cost of the war (almost $1 billion daily), the likelihood of significant, deadly escalation, and the potential illegality of the attacks as reasons they oppose it. It asks that the U.S. ends the attacks, stops supplying weapons to Israel, that Congress invokes the War Powers Act, and that normal diplomatic negotiations resume immediately with Iran.

If passed, copies will be sent to California’s congressional representatives, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth.

“The City recognizes that this resolution is outside of the City of Arcata’s direct jurisdiction and is outside of the normal purview,” reads the staff report. “In light of that, the elected officials are using the platform provided by their office to advocate for measures that minimize violence and promote peace.”

Meredith Matthews did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Humboldt County’s current assessor, Howard LaHaie, is retiring after just one four-year term in office, leaving his elected position up for grabs this year, and two folks have thrown their hats in the ring: 

• Audrey Hanks: The current deputy assessor-valuation, Hanks has worked in the Humboldt County Assessor’s Office for the past 23 years.
• Ben Larson: A mortgage loan officer, Larson has worked in the banking industry, in one capacity or another, for the past 24 years.

County assessors are charged with appraising the value of all property within their jurisdiction. That includes not just real property such as land and buildings but also personal property like business equipment, boats and planes. They maintain ownership records and prepare the annual assessment roll — a master list of taxable property values — which then gets sent along to the Auditor-Controller’s Office.

It’s a real number-cruncher’s job, in other words, one that demands and rewards attention to detail as well as clear communication with the public. 

While the Outpost has yet to connect with Hanks, we did receive an email from LaHaie, who described his deputy as “an excellent appraiser and leader with innovative ideas.”

He offered a full-throated endorsement of her ability to succeed him as county assessor. 

“I know she is committed to serving the community well, while continuing to implement new ideas to make our work more efficient to better serve Humboldt County’s residents,” LaHaie said. “She is more than ready for the job, and I am fully supportive in her running for Assessor.”

In a brief phone conversation this afternoon, Larson said that in his various positions in residential mortgage lending and commercial lending, he’s worked with the Assessor’s Office on various property tax matters on clients’ behalf over the years. 

“I considered becoming a residential and commercial appraiser but elected to stay on the lending side,” he said.

Larson has only reached out to the Assessor’s Office when he’s trying to help a client resolve an issue. Sometimes a client will be confused by a letter they received in the mail or a supplemental tax bill. Other times they’ll wonder why a property they’ve owned for more than a year hasn’t been assessed.

If elected, Larson said he’d work to shorten the turn time on reassessments upon property sales as well as clearer communication with supplemental tax bills and changes of ownership.

“I have a ton of experience in real world — 14 years in the Humboldt Association of Realtors,” he said. “I know a lot of real estate and banking people in the community and a lot of the working-class folks, and I hope I can represent them and bring about whatever changes are possible in a four-year term.”

PREVIOUSLY:

Sheriff’s Office Arrests Alleged Bridgeville Cultivator on Human Trafficking Charges Following Tip From the Mexican Consulate

###

A man accused of human trafficking on a remote cannabis property northeast of Bridgeville was charged by the District Attorney’s office Thursday — a case where the Mexican Consulate got involved and a swift water rescue team was used to locate the victim.

The Humboldt County District Attorney’s office charged 45-year-old Georgi Tonev with human trafficking, a felony. Tonev, a Bridgeville resident, has pleaded not guilty and remains incarcerated on a $465,000 bail, according to court records.

Tonev was arrested Mar. 10 by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office as part of an investigation triggered by a call from the San Francisco Mexican Consulate.

The trafficking victim contacted the Mexican Consulate directly, and “reported they were working on a cannabis cultivation site and had been left stranded alone on the property without food and without payment of owed wages,” HCSO said.

 A regional law enforcement anti-trafficking group that assisted the survivor said consulates reaching out on behalf of trafficking victims is quite rare.

“This is the first time in our experience that the Mexican Consulate has been involved in a local case,” said Summer Hansen, a spokesperson for the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities.

She said this shows trafficking victims are being moved across long distances and end up in remote places.

According to the HCSO press release, the investigation began after the call Feb. 20 and involved search warrants on three properties, including the state-licensed cannabis cultivation site where the victim was found. A swift water rescue team was used to bring the victim across a flooded road, after deputies were unable to make contact earlier due to “environmental conditions and significant flooding in the area.”

Hansen said the survivor’s safety remains their top priority, regardless of the arrest, and the organization will continue to stay in touch and monitor their well being as the case unfolds.

“The survivor was immediately provided with food, water, and a room at a nearby hotel until permanent accommodations could be arranged in the area of their choosing,” said Hansen.

Tonev’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 25, according to court records.

HCSO said the investigation remains ongoing, and asks those with information about the case to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.  Suspected trafficking can also be reported to NCCSC tip line at (707) 441-3031.