In Loving Memory of Stanley Daniel Stevens II March 25, 1985 – Oct. 9, 2025
It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Stanley Stevens, a devoted husband, loving father, cherished son, brother, and uncle. He left this world on Oct. 9, 2025.
Stanley was a man of deep loyalty, strength, and heart. He proudly served his country with honor and dedication through his six years/ SRG E5 /Army, embodying the true spirit of service and sacrifice. His commitment to the military and his fellow servicemen and women was matched only by the love he had for his family.
When he wasn’t serving his country, Stanley found peace and joy in the outdoors. Hunting wasn’t just a pastime — it was his way to connect with nature, reflect, and share meaningful time with those he loved. Whether in the woods at sunrise or telling stories around a campfire, he brought warmth and laughter wherever he went.
Preceded in death by Grandma Amy, Grandpa Etcyl, Grandma Lloyce, Grandpa Duane, Grandpa Shermon, Grandma Dorothy, Grandpa Clide, Grandma Penny, Uncle Shannon, Uncle Chuck,Aunt Lenore, Uncle Bryan.
He is survived by his loving wife, Emily Stevens; his 5 children, Elizabeth, Lolah, Weston, Duane, Derick; his dad Stanley Stevens, mom Sharold Stevens, mother Paula Fulcher; and his siblings, Dorothy Stevens, Tisha Hanson, Lenore Weber, Spencer Stevens, Sidney Stevens. He will also be deeply missed by many nieces, nephews, and friends who were blessed to know him.
Stanley’s legacy of love, courage, and devotion will live on through all who were fortunate enough to be part of his life. Though our hearts ache, we find comfort in knowing he is at peace and his spirit will forever guide us.
A service to honor his life will be held on Oct. 26, 2025 at 1 p.m. at Bull Creek cemetery. Take South Fork Honeydew off ramp. Turn right and follow out to cemetery. A celebration of life and potluck will be held at the Veterans Hall in Fortuna immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to veteran’s organization.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Stanley Stevens’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Born January 25, 1941 in Milwaukee, Wisc. to parents Alonzo Joseph and Jeanette Marie (Guilbault) LaFlame, and departed on October 8, 2025. She was the youngest of three siblings. Her sister Mary Janice (LaFlame) Boyd Proctor, brother Alonzo Joseph LaFlame Jr., brother in-law James ‘Jim’ DeMoss, and ex-husband Richard ‘Dick’ Ross Jones are since deceased.
She is survived by her son Robert ‘Bob’ Ross Jones, daughter in-law Beth (Turner) Jones, and grandson Owen Ashby Jones; sister in-law Patricia LaFlame and sister in-law Sone (Jones) Piper; nieces Lisa LaFlame, Cindy (LaFlame) Justice, and Karin (Piper) Harmon; nephews Mark Piper and Bill “Billy” Boyd.
Her family moved to Southern California when she was still in high school. She graduated from Hollywood High in 1959 with the likes of Linda Evans and Stephanie Powers. She met her first and only husband on a blind date and they were married shortly thereafter in 1961. She and Dick loved to take road trips to places like Las Vegas and Virginia City.
They adopted their only child at six weeks old in 1966, while living in a small apartment in Glendale, Calif. They relocated to Bakersfield, Calif. shortly after in pursuit of Dick’s career as an embalmer and funeral director. She had a variety of odd jobs, including working the switchboard at Three-Way Chevrolet and doing hair at the funeral home. Unfortunately after her initial debilitating injury in the early seventies, she endured a countless series of surgeries throughout the rest of her life, most of which revolved around multiple fusions of her spine. In spite of these setbacks she was a model of vitality.
She was a devoted wife and mother and helped to raise Great Danes. Their travels became largely consumed with showing dogs until they divorced in 1980. Afterwards, she and her bestie Shirley Hall, also recently divorced, hit the town like they had a new lease on life. They spent many a night whooping it up and two-stepping at Trouts or one of their favorite spots in Morro Bay or playing bingo. She eventually settled in with a new bunch of friends like Breck and Carl, with whom she happened to share a birthday, who she’d hang out with at the piano bar in the old Padre in downtown Bakersfield.
She relocated to Arcata shortly after her grandson ‘Owie’ arrived in 2006, and lived out the rest of her years there.
“Nana,” as she came to be known by many of those closest to her, was loved for her open heart and adventurous spirit. She even inspired a rousing chant of “Bob’s mom rocks!” that can still be heard every year around the campfire at Mike & Bob’s Easter Xtravaganza. She had an uncanny way of making friends with the most unlikely people, like Patty and Melissa in Bakersfield, or Beverly and Kay in Arcata, all of them notably younger than her — with the exception of Carl — and maintaining those ties until the end. She also had the curious ability to get the better of a slot machine, after which she’d always share her winnings with whoever she was with. She maintained a winning attitude in spite of her various afflictions and was a wealth of moral support to those she loved. Our worlds will never be the same without her.
As she was a great lover and defender of animals. Please give to your local animal shelter in lieu of flowers. A special thanks to her caregivers at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, Hospice of Humboldt, and Timber Ridge in McKinleyville. There will not be a memorial service but a local celebration of life will be announced.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Yvonne Jones’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Michael Shaun Dolan,
affectionately known to most as “Shaun,” was loved just as much
as “Milt” or “S.D.” left us much too soon on Monday, July 28,
2025. He was born on April 14, 1965, in Washington, D.C., and grew up
in Columbia, Maryland. Shaun had passions for sports,
music, and spreading smiles. He loved the Grateful Dead, The Meters,
The Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Redskins.
Shaun attended
Atholton High School before graduating from St. Vincent Pallotti High
School. He excelled as both a baseball and football player. He
continued his athletic journey at Salem University on a partial
baseball scholarship. After college, Shaun’s adventurous path
took him to Ocean City, Maryland. He made his way to Eureka via Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lake Tahoe and San
Francisco. Shaun’s web of love and friendships spread far and
wide.
Shaun found
his true calling in the music industry. His talent for booking and
promoting musical acts was invaluable to many bands who appreciated
his hard work. From George Porter of the Meters, Melvin Seals of the
Jerry Garcia Band, and many others. Perhaps one of his
best-known accomplishments was the “Las Tortugas” festival,
hosted at the Evergreen Lodge near Yosemite National Park.
Shaun is
survived first and foremost by his daughter, Avery, who was the light
of his life and the pride of his heart. He is also survived by his
sister Erin Leishear and stepbrothers, Bob Newman and Scott Hildreth,
and countless friends.
Shaun will
be remembered as a beloved father, friend, teammate, mentor, coach,
umpire, and presence at many community and musical gatherings.
Whether on the sports field, enlivening the Medieval Fair, or dancing
with you at a live show, Shaun’s presence brought people
together and filled every gathering with warmth and laughter. His
wide circle of friends is a testament to his generous spirit and
irrepressible humor.
Shaun’s
family and friends invite all who knew him to remember his vibrant
spirit — with music, laughter and stories shared in his honor.
A
celebration of life/memorial will be held on October 18, 2025, at the
Septentrio Winery Barrel Room, beginning at 12 p.m., for close
friends and family. There will be a fundraising celebration,
including music for all, starting at 6 p.m.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Shaun Dolan’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Pickleball has been sweeping the nation for the last few years, growing bigger and bigger and bigger as more people get out there and find their places on the ever-growing number of courts.
But where to pickleball in Humboldt? What’s the scene like at those spots?
Until now, we lacked a comprehensive all-in-one guide to answer these questions. But no longer! Now steps forward YouTuber @Junnyinthesun — a very friendly, welcoming narrator — to show you what’s happening at each of Humboldt County’s pickleball spots. Did you know they’re even pickling it up down in Shelter Cove?
Junny makes use of beautiful video, some of which was shot by Friend o’ the LoCO Rowdy Kelley, and all of which shows a surprisingly huge number of people getting down on courts around the county.
You no longer have any excuse to not pickleball.
And join the Humboldt County Pickleball Facebook group, which includes awesome fun memes, scene reports from traveling Humboldt County pickleballers, video of someone playing glow-in-the-dark pickleball at nighttime at a local court and — true to pickleball’s reputation as the most community-minded of all pastimes — local ballers offering big ups to one another for their successes off the court, or GoFundMe links for pickleballers who have suffered setbacks.
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[CORRECTION! This story originally implied that Kelley shot most or all of the footage in the above video, when in fact he only shot a bit of it and Junny shot the bulk of it. Sorry, Junny!]
A county spokesperson emailed the following statement:
This is an important issue for the county; however, it is an ongoing legal matter, and we are committed to preserving the integrity of that process. For that reason, the county is unable to provide further comment on this subject to the press at this time.
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Original post:
West façade of the Supreme Court Building. | Photo via the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear a case arguing that Humboldt County landowners have a right to a jury trial when facing civil penalties for alleged violations of the county’s cannabis code.
In a statement that accompanies the petition’s denial, Justice Neil Gorsuch says that the case presented a poor vehicle to consider the fundamental constitutional question at issue: namely, whether the Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial should extend to state-level proceedings, including county code enforcement matters.
The case in question is Corrine Morgan Thomas, et al. v. Humboldt County, California, et al., a federal class action suit originally filed three years ago. The plaintiffs are a group of Southern Humboldt property owners, represented by the libertarian Institute for Justice , who allege that Humboldt County’s cannabis code enforcement practices are illegal. Specifically, their claim argues that the county levied exorbitant fines for alleged weed violations — in some cases by the prior owners of their properties — without giving them due process.
A federal judge dismissed the case in May 2023, noting, in part, that none of the plaintiffs had actually paid any of the proposed fines and that, furthermore, the county’s code enforcement regulatory framework “expressly provides for full-fledged judicial review after the conclusion of the administrative phase of the proceedings.”
However, a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the dismissal late last year, finding that Humboldt County’s system of administrative penalties and fees may conceivably violate the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines.
While none of the plaintiffs have paid such fines, the appeals court found that the threatened penalties caused plaintiffs emotional and psychological distress,and that they had to spend money to abate and/or challenge the alleged violations. But the appeals court upheld the lower court’s dismissal of plaintiffs’ Seventh Amendment claim that they were deprived of a jury trial, citing as precedent the 1916 case of Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad Company v. Bombolis, which holds that the Seventh Amendment’s right to a civil jury trial does not apply to state courts.
That precedent is exactly what the Institute for Justice was hoping to get overturned by the highest court in the land, and their petition garnered support from some heavy hitters on the political right, including the Cato Institute and the Buckeye Institute, both of which filed amicus briefs urging the Supreme Court to overturn Bombolis — as did Steven Calabresi, co-chairman of the Federalist Society, which has spent decades helping to pack the federal judiciary (including the Supreme Court itself) with right-wing appointees.
In a press release issued this morning, the Institute for Justice said its case will continue at the lower court level.
“The question of a civil jury trial was just one of the multiple ways that Humboldt’s code enforcement system violates the constitution,” the firm said.
Lead attorney Jared McClain added, “The Supreme Court’s decision not to take this case doesn’t change the fact that Humboldt’s scheme of crushing ordinary people under massive penalties for minor code issues is still unconstitutional—whether the fines are brought before a jury or not. We’ll continue fighting to stop it.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court may well be willing to overturn the Bombolis precedent if a better-suited challenge comes along. In his statement regarding the Humboldt case, Gorsuch describes that case as “something of a relic” and says its lingering presence on the books “not only leaves our law misshapen, it subjects ordinary Americans to a two-tiered system of justice.”
The Outpost reached out the the county this morning to request a response to the Supreme Court’s decision but has not yet heard back.
You can read Gorsuch’s statement on pages 18-21 of this document.
The future site of the pop-up roundabout at Hiller Rd. and McKinleyville Ave. | Image via Google Street View.
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If you’ve driven through McKinleyville in the past week or so, you may have noticed Public Works staff doing some prep work for a big road improvement project on Hiller Road. That’s the Hiller Road Quick-Build Project, which aims to test out traffic-calming measures on Hiller Road — between McKinleyville and Central avenues — before moving forward with permanent construction.
The project includes a temporary roundabout at the intersection of Hiller Road and McKinleyville Avenue, as well as buffered bicycle lanes, new signage and public art murals.
More information can be found in the following press release from the Humboldt County Department of Public Works.
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The Humboldt County Department of Public Works is thrilled to announce that work to install the Hiller Road Quick-Build Project, aimed at improving safety on Hiller Road between the intersections at McKinleyville Avenue and Central Avenue, is ongoing in McKinleyville.
Preparation work to install this temporary project began on Sept. 25 and the project installation is expected to continue through the end of this month and in November, weather permitting. As part of this project, local artists will be painting murals on Hiller Avenue.
A quick-build project is a fast, temporary way to make streets safer for everyone as they help clam traffic and protect pedestrians. Quick-builds are not meant to be permanent but are often used to test design ideas for future, long-term safety improvements to roads. The quick-build pop up in McKinleyville includes installing temporary bike lanes, rubber posts to protect the bike lanes, a temporary roundabout with speed humps, signage and crosswalks and public art murals.
Background
The Hiller Road Quick-Build Project is a partnership between the Humboldt County Public Works Department and McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee (MMAC) to test out road safety design features, gather community feedback and add some color and creativity to Hiller Road, between Central and McKinleyville avenues, in McKinleyville. It is the first quick-build project of its kind by Humboldt County’s Public Works Department, thanks to road improvement funding provided by Measure O tax dollars.
Additionally, Public Works and the MMAC have partnered with Sea Goat Farmstead and Folk School to bring colorful murals to the quick-build. Funding for the project’s murals will be provided by generous community donations.
“This project really came about after the community raised concerns about safety along this stretch of road in McKinleyville,” said Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone. “I’m excited to see this project move forward. It will allow us test road safety improvements, gather community feedback on the design and showcase the work of our talented local artists. I’m thankful for every community member who has helped make this project a reality.”
This project is not a part of the McKinleyville Town Center Project. The Hiller Road Quick-Build Project was developed after years of studies focused on improving travel safety in McKinleyville for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and individuals who use mobility devices. Since 2019, Public Works and the MMAC have discussed safety issues on Hiller Avenue, first identified in the McKinleyville Middle School Walkability Assessment and later reaffirmed in the 2023 McKinleyville Multimodal Connections Project.
The Hiller Road Quick-Build Project tests several of the recommendations made in these assessments in addition to featuring murals painted by local artists Ben Goulart, Gina Tuzzi, Toad and Soren Richards. The murals will be arranged to help calm traffic, improving safety for all road users while adding beauty to Hiller Avenue.
“We’re thrilled to see the Hiller Road Quick-Build Project come to life after years of community engagement on safer routes for walking and rolling,” said MMAC Chair Mary Burke. “I would like to thank Public Works for bringing this opportunity to MMAC and our partners at Sea Goat Farmstead and Folk School who helped us incorporate public art into the project. By testing these road safety measures and adding artwork to Hiller Road, we’re making McKinleyville safer and more vibrant for everyone.”
What to Expect
Work for this project is currently taking place along Hiller Road between Central to McKinleyville avenues. Humboldt County Public Works has finished removing paint on Hiller Road to prepare it for the quick-build pop up installation. Next steps include installing temporary bike lanes, rubber posts to protect the bike lanes, a temporary roundabout with speed humps, signage and crosswalks and the murals.
Road work is anticipated to continue this week through Thursday, Oct. 16 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The murals are currently scheduled to painted on Friday, Oct. 17 through Sunday, Oct. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Community members are invited to stop by, walk along the route and see the artists in action while Hiller Road is transformed into an outdoor art gallery. Finally, the temporary roundabout installation is expected to take place at least two weeks after the murals dry, sometime in November.
All work for this project will be conducted as weather conditions allow. Work may be delayed or rescheduled due to rainy weather conditions. Residents are encouraged to drive slowly and follow all directions and traffic control devices within the project area. On the days of scheduled work, travelers should expect delays as one-way controlled traffic will be in place for safety purposes.
Once installed, the quick-build is expected to last for three months and up to one year.
Share Your Input
Once fully installed, community members will be invited to share input on the Hiller Road Quick-Build Project via an online survey. Additionally, Humboldt County Public Works will install a sign near the intersection of Hiller Road and Central Avenue, allowing community members to scan a QR code and share input on the quick-build project and how they feel about it.
Public input received will be reviewed and feedback from the community will help inform future road designs. More information regarding the public survey will be provided once the project is installed.
For more information about the Hiller Road Quick-Build Project, please call 707-445-7421.
Stay Informed
Humboldt County residents are encouraged to sign up to receive text and email alerts regarding county road conditions, including upcoming projects, road closures and chain requirements. Residents can sign up at humboldtgov.org/RoadsUpdates. By planning ahead and staying informed, you can minimize stress and make your travel experience more enjoyable.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
The
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) Major Crimes Division (MCD)
is seeking the public’s assistance as part of an ongoing
investigation involving a missing person last known to be in the
Southern Humboldt area in August 2023.
With
the 2-year anniversary of John’s disappearance upon us,
investigators are asking anyone who may have seen or had contact with
John Starr Vang, age 36, around mid-August 2023 to come forward. John
is described as a Hmong male adult approximately 5’2”, 165 pounds
with black hair and brown eyes. John was reported missing by his
family and loved ones in March of 2024 and was believed to be working
on a marijuana grow at a rural property in the Panther Gap area near
Honeydew in the Southern Humboldt area during the time of his
disappearance.
As
part of this effort, the Sheriff’s Office is also attempting to
identify three adult Hmong females (shown below) who were seen in the
company of John at the Walmart in Eureka on August 14, 2023. The HCSO
is also attempting to locate a Hispanic male known only as Mateo who
used to work with John on the same farm. These individuals may have
important information that could assist in the investigation.
Anyone
who may have interacted with John during the summer of 2023 or who
may have knowledge of individuals residing or working in the Panther
Gap area of Southern Humboldt during that time is urged to contact
Investigator Buihner with the HCSO Major Crimes Division at (707)
445-7251 and reference case number 202401065.
