On January 27, while gentle rain tapped on the window, Bill, surrounded by family and friends, quietly, peacefully drew his final breath and slipped away from us.

S William Peer was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania to David and Betty Rose Peer on the 28th of July 1951. He was raised in nearby Jeannette, along with older sister Diane and younger sister Donna. The surrounding woods and creeks were a playground for him in those early years. His love of the outdoors would be with him a lifetime.

After high school graduation in 1969 he headed south to Salem, West Virginia and attended Salem College, graduating in 1973 with a B.S degree. He remained in the area working with local and state social service agencies for the next 10 years. An urge to wander set in and he left to explore the southern Atlantic and Gulf coasts, settling in Key West with a job at one of the many guest houses there. Being a tourist town, he met many people from all over the world. After several years, the need to wander came again and he headed north to Boston, landing a job with the state social services agency. He was later hired by FedEx as a delivery driver. His route was in downtown Boston, and anybody that has ever driven there will know you need great driving skills and patience, which he had.

The lure of warmer weather called and after 10 years in Boston he headed south again, this time to West Palm Beach with a transfer from FedEx. After the move he took a part-time job at a neighborhood bar where he met many locals. Finally, in 1994 he bought his first house, a 1925 Spanish Mission style, in one of West Palm’s oldest neighborhoods. Gardening was his passion and he embraced all the tropical plants growing in that climate. His entire property was a tangled, tropical wonderland. A natural fit for Bill was to become involved in the neighborhood association where he organized and promoted their annual garden tour. It was a great success and continues to this day.

Bill and Steve began their journey together there. After several trips to the Bay Area and Sonoma, Bill decided it was time to introduce the love of his life to the real redwoods in Humboldt County that he had experienced on an earlier trip. So, on the next excursion to California, they headed north, left highway 101 at Weott and drove the Mattole Road ending in Ferndale. It was a magical introduction to the area, and they decided then and there to relocate. It took several years but in 2013 the big move from Florida happened. Together they created a fascinating home and garden in Humboldt.

Bill loved living here, exploring its wild nature and meeting what feels like lifelong friends. He soon became involved with the Eureka Heritage Society, joined the board, and happily volunteered long hours in the gardens at the Annie B. Ryan House. It was his passion project, and home away from home.

Bill felt strongly about community involvement and served on the Humboldt Grand Jury and as precinct captain for many elections. He was loving and direct, focused and fun. He enjoyed people, big events, British murder mysteries, books, travel, digging in the dirt, and exploring this beautiful place we call home.

He is survived by his husband Steve Tate, sisters Diane Bradford and Donna Wooldbridge, niece Monika Bradford and nephew Ryan Zabielski, many close friends, and best pup Paxy. We all have lost a piece of our heart with his passing.

Below are some thoughts and memories of Bill from family and friends –

• You are in my heart forever.
• I will miss you calling Steve “Sweetie”.
• Goodbyes are not forever, are not the end; it simply means I’ll miss you until we meet again.
• With talent, skill, charm and grace, he made the world a better place.
• He made good things happen.
• Leader, Intelligent, Fun, Good conversationist, Dependable, Caring.
• When this astonishing couple arrived on our shores, we couldn’t believe our, and Humboldt County’s good fortune! Bill’s first appearance at the Annie B. Ryan house was an injection of brilliant energy. He inspired us and always will.
• He leaves behind a lifetime of memories and a legacy of love, touched more lives than he ever realized and will forever be in my heart.
• He had the ability to interact with difficult often obnoxious people at the Garden in a respectful, gracious way. Very productive.
• I always admired Bill’s passion for the commitments he made.

Thank you to the nurses, aides, doctors, and other staff at Providence St. Joseph Hospital. Their care is appreciated more than they may know. We are fortunate to have them as part of our community.

A memorial will be announced at a later date. If you wish, please consider a donation to The Eureka Heritage Society and join them at one of their preservation-focused events. Lastly, stroll through the Annie B. Ryan Gardens at 1000 F Street. May you find the peace there that he did.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Bill Peer’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

It’s been an eventful day in the eternal battle to keep your Humboldt County restaurants safe and pest-free, with inspectors issuing closure orders to not one but two local facilities — one in Eureka, the other in Arcata.

Both will stay shuttered until their issues have been rectified, at which point they may emerge from their chrysalises. 

The Subway in the Uniontown Shopping Center

At 12:45 p.m. today, an inspector from the Humboldt County Health and Human Service’s Division of Environmental Health paid a visit to the popular submarine sandwich chain’s downtown Arcata location, and that inspector did not like what was found.

To wit: Sewage backing up into the facility.

It might not be quite as bad as it sounds. The inspector noted that the backup was from “floor sinks and drains.” The inspector promptly issued a shutdown notice, saying that the facility may reopen when it has unclogged all drains and sanitized all surfaces.

• Read the inspection report here.

UPDATE, Thursday, 4:54 p.m.: You may once again Eat Fresh in Uniontown. The closure notice has been lifted. Read the reinspection report here (PDF).

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Guatemayan Yum Yums

A different sort of health hazard was discovered at the popular Eureka eatery just over an hour later. That hazard was: Cockroaches. Many cockroaches!

An inspector noted “a live adult cockroach on the counter adjacent to the microwave in the food preparation area.” Several more were found underneath a sink. Dead cockroaches were found, as well as what were euphemistically referred to as cockroach “droppings.”

Obviously, this cannot stand. Guatemayan Yum Yums is required to sanitize the entire facility and contract with a pest control service before reopening.

• Read the inspection report here.

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We will update when the restaurants in question are cleared to reopen.

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PREVIOUSLY: Three Humboldt County Funeral Homes Abruptly Close, Just Months After Employees Unionize

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After abruptly closing last year due to financial turmoil, Sanders Funeral Home and Humboldt Cremation & Burial Services in Eureka have reopened under new ownership. Both businesses are now being operated by Bryan Carnahan, the ten-year owner of Goble’s Fortuna Mortuary, and Joel Casillas, owner of Casillas Funeral Homes in the Coachella Valley.

Carnahan — a 45-year veteran of the death care industry and current owner of several mortuaries throughout Northern California and Oregon — told the Outpost that he and Casillas finalized the purchase of Sanders in September, though he chose not to disclose the sale price. Humboldt Cremation is being leased due to its location within Ocean View Cemetery. The pair chose not to buy Paul’s Chapel in Arcata, deciding instead to consolidate operations with Sanders. 

After several months of renovations, both businesses are now accepting new clients.

“The building Sanders is in was in such disrepair, I was scared to buy it,” Carnhan said, noting that the Victorian-era building was built sometime in the late 1800s. “I talked to my best friend [Joel Casillas] … because he’s really good with repairing buildings, and that’s not my forte. I said, ‘I don’t want to buy it without you supervising the repairs,’ and he agreed.”

Reached by phone this morning, Casillas, who was en route to Arizona to return a decedent to their family, said most of the work has already wrapped up and the exterior painting should be done in the next couple of weeks, depending on the weather. “The interior [of the building] still needs a little work,” he said. “We painted the interior chapel, and everything is looking good.”

When the previous owner, Pennsylvania-based businessman Guy Saxton, suddenly shuttered the three mortuaries last April — months after some of his employees formed an independent union — Humboldt County was left with just two options for local funerary and cremation services, impacting operations at Goble’s Fortuna Mortuary and Ayres Family Cremation in Eureka. 

“When he closed, it was like: Boom, closed. We had about a week’s warning,” Carnahan said. “It got so busy at Goble’s that we almost couldn’t handle things. … We were just running wild [and] putting in too many hours. Now that Sanders is open, everything has settled down. We’ve hired more staff, including Joel’s sister and brother-in-law.”

Carnahan noted that prearrangements made through Paul’s Chapel will be accepted at Sanders. 

In an interview with the Outpost last year, the previous owner said he chose to close the mortuaries because they “were just hemorrhaging money with no reasonable prospect of ever becoming profitable.” 

At the time of our interview, Saxton said the three businesses were losing between $20,000 and $40,000 per month. He attributed the dramatic loss in revenue to the nationwide shift from “traditional” burials (the body is embalmed and buried in a casket, often with an accompanying ceremony) to more cost-effective options like cremation, which is often thousands — or even tens of thousands — of dollars cheaper than full-service ceremonies.

Asked if he was concerned about operating a funeral home that was allegedly “hemorrhaging money” last year, Casillas remained optimistic. “We’re just grateful that we’ve been given the opportunity to take over.”

“We deal with cremation and, worldwide, that’s what’s happening, but I think we’ll be OK,” he continued. “I think it’s gonna be a good opportunity for us, and I think the people in Eureka and the Humboldt area deserve good service, so that’s what we’re there to do.”

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Eureka Books owner Solomon Everta says his favorite part of any given day is getting to talk to people about books.

“But I actually don’t get to do a lot of that because I’m the owner of the store,” he told the Outpost during an interview last week. The responsibilities of business ownership tend to keep him occupied in the back of the building most of the time — paying bills, researching better insurance rates, etc.

So when it comes to gauging customer demand, Everta listens to his employees, “because they know more about what our customers want,” he explained.

And what do they want? Well, manga, for one thing. When Everta purchased Eureka Books from local doctor and book collector Jack Irvine nearly four years ago, the store had a relatively modest inventory of the Japanese comics and graphic novels. 

The store’s selection has grown significantly over the past few years. Following the advice of his employees, Everta started buying more titles from customers who came in with “huge collections” of used manga and graphic novels. (Eureka Books, like its neighboring bookstore up the block, Booklegger, buys and sells used books, though Eureka Books’ ground floor is mostly occupied by new titles.) 

Soon, one bookshelf of manga and graphic novels became two. Then three. Then five.

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“It has been very successful,” Everta said. “So successful that we’re at the point of thinking that it could really use its own space.”

That’s the main motivating factor behind the bookseller’s new business venture, Omnibus. Located at 117 F Street, diagonally across the Old Town Gazebo from Eureka Books, the new store will carry not just manga and graphic novels but also role-playing games, related pop culture items (including films) and illustrator-focused art supplies.

For the tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG), Eureka Books will be collaborating with the owners of Dandar’s Boardgames and Books, whose store burned to the ground during the catastrophic Jan. 2 fire in downtown Arcata. 

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Eureka Books, of course, is located in the historic J. Lowenthal Building (aka “the J-Lo”). An Elizabethan/Corinthian structure built in 1879, it is among the city’s most recognizable landmarks. (Everta suspects that it’s the second-most-photographed building in Eureka, after the Carson Mansion.)

But the nearby Antonsen/Snug Building — the soon-to-be-home of Omnibus — is no slouch in the historical department, either. With Italianate architecture featuring tall, narrow windows and an overhanging eave, the 1890 building, like the J-Lo, is a registered Eureka historic landmark. (Once home to the Snug Saloon, the building more recently hosted a yoga studio and a children’s clothing store.)

Unlike the J-Lo, though, it has storage space, which was another big motivating factor in Everta’s new endeavor. 

“Even though Eureka Books is pretty big, it’s full,” Everta said. As far as he knows, his store is the only bookseller in a 300-mile radius whose owner will make a house call to pick up a large collection. This past fall, Eureka Books acquired a 5,000-volume library, which required Everta to rent two new storage units, on top of the pair he was already renting to house previously acquired collections. 

So, Omnibus (which is defined as a collection of multiple works published in a single volume — a format especially common among comics and manga) will house its own specialty stock as well as overstock from Eureka Books. Employees of the two stores will communicate with each other and walk back and forth to give breaks to coworkers or use the Antonsen Building’s kitchen facilities during their own breaks. 

“It’s all part of one business,” Everta explained. 

The planned partnership with Dandar’s, meanwhile, reflects Everta’s political convictions, which are oriented toward worker-owned cooperatives and economic democracy. Eureka Books supplies the books you’ll find for sale at both the Arcata and Eureka locations of the North Coast Co-op. It also has a partnership with Eureka City Schools — Alder Grove Charter School in particular — and Everta said, “We’re very much open to working with all of the schools in Humboldt County to be the place where they order books from.”

Such institutional buying power is an important means of supporting independently owned bookstores, which are often overlooked in favor of the ease and convenience of mega-corporate behemoths, Everta observed.

“If you’re working an institution, it’s easy to just get online, go to Amazon [and] order the things you want,” he said. “But there are a lot of folks in those institutions now who are becoming more aware and are realizing that they are the people propping up those large, horrible institutions like Amazon, which are really destroying our culture and our society.”

He contrasts Amazon’s merciless capitalism with the generosity of Dr. Irvine, who gave Everta “a really good deal and good loan terms,” allowing him to purchase the building after cashing in the retirement funds he’d accumulated from working a decade for the U.S. Forest Service. Irvine also “basically worked for free for the whole pandemic” to keep the store afloat. Eventually, Everta hopes to bring his own employees into the ownership circle.

“So we’ll see who on staff is up for the challenge and wants to join in,” he said. “But, yeah, that’s where I’m headed, which is why I do so much work.”

With a bit of self-deprecation, he adds that recruiting workers into partial ownership of an independent bookstore “may be relegating them to a life of poverty, because they are not known for being lucrative.”

But for Everta, the endeavor is clearly meaningful. He recalled that the bookstore’s unofficial tagline, which dates back to original owners Carlos and Marilyn Benemann, is, “Find your story at Eureka Books” (a play on the famous exclamation by Archimedes). He sees Omnibus as another avenue for local residents to do just that.

Everta is grateful to live in a community that shows so much support for independent bookstores, but he said that support shouldn’t be taken for granted. 

“In order for you to have bookstores in your community, you have to go to the bookstore and buy books,” he said. “But it’s not something like, you do it and you’re done. The community has to continue to do that and to teach the next generation that this is what we do.”

Omnibus is scheduled to open March 7. 

Press release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On Feb. 17, 2026, the Humboldt County Drug Task Force, along with the assistance of the Eureka Police Department, the Humboldt County Marijuana Enforcement Team, the Humboldt County POP Team and the Blue Lake Tribal Police Department executed Search Warrants on 57-year-old Charles Kenneth Groves and 50-year-old Gabriel Zachariah Giraud at their residences in Eureka. The search warrants authorized the search for controlled substances, specifically methamphetamine and fentanyl, and evidence that the controlled substances were possessed for the purpose of sales.

Groves was contacted while walking to his vehicle at the Blue Lake Fuel and Fun. A search of Groves and his vehicle revealed he was in possession of a loaded short barrel shotgun, a loaded .22 caliber handgun with suppressor, a bullet proof vest, 16.5 grams of heroin and 7.4 grams of methamphetamine. Packaging materials for controlled substances were also located at Groves’ residence.

Giraud was contacted at his residence. Giraud was found to be in possession of over 11 ounces of fentanyl, 16 grams of heroin and items used to sell controlled substances. Giraud was in possession of over $13,000 in US Currency believed to be proceeds from drug sales and was seized in accordance with asset forfeiture procedures.

Both Groves and Giraud were placed under arrest and transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where they were booked for the following charges:

Groves:

• HS 11370.1: Possession of Controlled Substance while Armed (Felony)
• HS 11379: Transport/Sell Controlled Substances (Felony)
• HS 11378: Possession of Methamphetamine for Sale (Felony)
• HS 11351: Possession of Heroin for Sale (Felony)
• PC 29800(a)(1): Convicted Felon in Possession of Firearm (Felony)

HCDTF is requesting the District Attorney’s Office file additional charges on Groves for:

• PC 33410: Possession of Silencer (Felony)
• PC 30605: Possession of Assault Weapon (Felony)
• PC 31360: Possession of Body Armor (Felony)
• PC 30305: Felon in Possession of Ammunition (Felony)
• PC 33215: Possession of Short Barrel Shot Gun (Felony)
• PC 21510: Possession of Switch Blade Knife (Misdemeanor)

Groves is a convicted felon.

Giraud:

• HS 11351: Possession of Fentanyl and Heroin for Sale (Felony)
• HS 11366: Maintaining a Drug House (Felony)
• PC 148(a): Obstructing/Resisting Officer (Misdemeanor)
• PC 12022.1(b): While Release from Custody on Felony

Giraud committed these crimes while he was out on bail from his previous Humboldt County Drug Task Force case in which he was arrested for selling fentanyl.

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Bad Crash on Northbound Broadway Just Coming Into Eureka

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Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On February 17, 2026, at approximately 12:41 p.m., Eureka Police Department (EPD) Patrol Officers responded to multiple reports of a GMC truck driving recklessly southbound on Broadway.

While officers were en route, the GMC reportedly collided with a Hyundai on the 4400 block of Broadway and rolled onto its side.

Upon arrival, officers located three involved vehicles. The GMC and Hyundai sustained major damage, while a third vehicle was side-swiped and sustained minor damage.

The driver of the GMC, who appeared to be experiencing a medical emergency, was extricated by Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) personnel and transported to a local hospital. The driver of the Hyundai sustained major injuries, was extricated by HBF, transported to a local hospital, and later airlifted out of the area for further medical treatment.

The following facts are currently known:

• The GMC was traveling southbound on Broadway and was reported by multiple parties to be driving recklessly.

• The Hyundai was traveling northbound on Broadway.

• The GMC crossed into the northbound lane and collided with the Hyundai. The GMC came to rest on its side.

• Both drivers had to be extricated by HBF personnel.

At this time, based on information gathered thus far in the investigation, intoxication or intentional reckless driving do not appear to have been factors in the collision. This incident remains under active investigation. Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information that may assist investigators is urged to contact FTO Sheldon at (707) 441-4060, ext. 3339.

EPD and HBF would like to thank the community members who rendered immediate aid to those involved in this collision. EPD also extends its appreciation to Caltrans and CHP for their assistance with traffic control and to the City of Eureka Public Works for their support in clearing the scene.

UPDATE, 9:30 a.m.: Reopened, for now.

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Above: The live LoCO traffic map. If the highway is still closed at the time you’re reading this, there will be a stop sign visible on 299.

Says the CHP:

The weather is continuing to beat SR-299. CHP is closing SR-299 from the Blue Lake Scales to Mile Post Marker 33 due to snow, falling trees and power lines, and disabled vehicles. We urge the motoring public to avoid the area and we will provide updates as the situation changes. Thanks for your cooperation and assistance.