Dennis Domijan was born in Fontana, California on July 22, 1964. He grew up and lived in Southern California until he, his wife and daughters traveled the California coast in 1994 landing in Willow Creek. 

Dennis was a man of honor, integrity and compassion with the most jovial spirit, and is cherished by family, friends and many community members. Everyone remembers him for his big cheery smile, his laughter, willingness to help others, kindness, generosity and industriousness. He carried a genuine heart of gold and is well known for being a great guy; he truly was an irreplaceable, one-of-a-kind man. He was always easy to talk with, laugh with, great with words and listened with empathy. For those who didn’t know him that personally, you likely knew him as your mechanic, given his 30+ years of dedication and service to keeping people mobile for work, travel, commutes and driving throughout these beautiful mountain communities. He enjoyed music, hunting, traveling, beach days, accomplishing projects and most of all spending time with his wife, girls, family, friends, dogs and God, ensuring to make memories that last a lifetime time and beyond. His kind-hearted spirit and unforgettable smile are the legacy that he leaves us with. Through his demonstration of actions, may we all always be kind, help each other, forgive and reserve judgment. 

At the age of 61, on September 6, 2025, Dennis passed unexpectedly and swiftly with dignity while doing what he loved - hunting, enjoying God’s beauty in the mountains and being in serenity. Let his memory be a blessing to us all and may we never forget his smile, laugh and spirit.

Dennis Domijan is survived by his wife and best friend of 43 years Deborah Domijan, his oldest daughter and son-in-law Jennifer and Joshua Agne, his youngest daughter and son-in-law Julieann and Dennis Bieneck, granddaughter Robyn Weiss, grandsons Rhiland Weiss and Royce Bieneck, his loving mother Doris Domijan, brothers Frank and Jeff, his pups -  Honey and Velvet and extended family including nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews and cousins who all love and miss him dearly. He is preceded in death by his father Frank Domijan and grandparents. 

We would like to thank Trinity Alps Funeral Home for their empathy and handling our loved one with care. 

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for continued prayers, kind thoughts and support from the community, reflecting the spirit of care that Dennis shared throughout his life.

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After months of advocacy by pro-Palestinian protestors, the Arcata City Council voted last night to publish a letter urging CalPERS to withdraw its investments from companies profiting from “weapons manufacturing, human rights violations, for-profit prisons, and immigration detention centers,” and to use that money in more “ethical and socially responsible” ways. 

They also adopted a resolution asking for “Immediate, safe, and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid” into Gaza.

“CalPERS has the opportunity to lead by example and align its investments with values of justice, equity, and responsibility,” the letter reads. “We urge you to act promptly and responsibly.”

About 25 people showed up to the special meeting of the city council, with another 20 or so on Zoom. Demonstrators have been calling on Arcata’s City Council to divest from CalPERS for almost two years, and last month were part of a group that shut down several city council meetings. The city council did adopt a resolution calling for a general end to war in the Middle East in March of 2024.

City councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar said at a city council meeting last month that she’d written a resolution advocating for the free and unhindered flow of aid into Gaza, and that it’d be on an upcoming city council agenda. Councilmember Meredith Matthews said at that meeting that she did not support a proposal to withdraw Arcata’s pension funds from CalPERS because of the fiscal harm it might cause the city and the employees whose retirement packages are bound to it, but this letter instead simply puts the onus on CalPERS.

Eureka’s city council approved a similar letter last month, although they were more explicit about the relation to the “genocide of the Palestinian people.”

In a phone call today with the Outpost, Arcata Mayor Alex Stillman said she didn’t know if adopting the resolution and sending the letter would satisfy people, but hoped it’d do something to bring Arcata together. 

“I hope it makes a difference for people in Arcata,” Stillman said. “…We took action. Some people will be happy; some people won’t.”

Many are not. DivestHumboldt said the city council “needed to change” and they would keep pushing for a more targeted approach. The council received many emails telling them they were going too far, and many emails from residents who said the letters and the resolution didn’t go far enough.

“I support Arcata sending this letter with one important change requested: please be explicit in stating that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians (as agreed upon by all major human rights orgs scholars, and international courts),” reads one. “Using only language of “humanitarian disaster”, human rights violations”, and ‘famine’ obscures the underlying issue: Israel’s intentional and ongoing genocide, ethnic cleansing, and forced starvation of Palestinians and illegal occupation of Palestine.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

In May 2023, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation into an individual suspected of possessing child pornography. During this investigation, the suspect was identified as Matthias Alexander Wilberger of Eureka. On June 30, 2023, Matthias was arrested for PC 311.11(a) – Possession of Child Pornography. During a subsequent interview, Matthias admitted to possessing the discovered material.

Following his arrest, investigators obtained a search warrant to conduct a forensic download of his cellphone. The examination revealed a large quantity of additional images and videos of child pornography. While any child pornography is disturbing, the content discovered on Matthias’ phone was especially graphic and horrifying. Due to the amount and nature of the material, Matthias’ charges were amended to:

• PC 311.11(c)(1) – Possession of Child Pornography more than 600 images
• PC 311.11(c)(2) – Possession of Child Pornography involving sexual sadism and masochism 

On December 13, 2023, Matthias pled guilty to both charges. On January 26, 2024, he was sentenced to five years and eight months in state prison. However, the Judge suspended execution of the sentence, placing Matthias on probation. As part of his probation, Matthias was ordered to register as a sex offender, complete a sex offender treatment program, and serve 365 days in the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

 

On July 12, 2024, after serving 168 actual days, Matthias was released from custody.

 

On May 22, 2025, during an unannounced sex offender registrant compliance check, a Sheriff’s detective contacted Matthias at his residence. During the compliance check, the detective examined Matthias’ cellphone and located material that violated the terms of his probation. Matthias was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for violation of probation.

 

On June 18, 2025, Matthias appeared in Humboldt County Superior Court, admitted to the probation violations, and pled guilty. On September 16, 2025, Superior Court Judge Neel imposed the original sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.

 

IMPORTANCE OF COMPLIANCE CHECKS:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office routinely conducts sex offender registration compliance checks. These checks are a vital public safety function that ensure individuals required to register as sex offenders follow all statutory requirements. Compliance checks verify that registrants are residing at their reported addresses, maintaining current and accurate personal information, and adhering to restrictions imposed by law.

 

The successful completion of these compliance checks enhances public safety by:

• Confirming accurate records in the sex offender registry
• Identifying and addressing violations or non-compliance
• Strengthening community trust through proactive monitoring
• Deterring offenders from attempting to evade registration requirements

This case demonstrates the critical importance and effectiveness of these compliance checks conducted by law enforcement agencies throughout Humboldt County.

 

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to also recognize the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office for their dedication and hard work in prosecuting these difficult cases. 

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Attention, Costco Wholesale members of Humboldt County! After a grueling two-month hiatus, your favorite corporate food court is back in business.

We’ve spent weeks eyeing the mysterious polythene construction cocoon wrapped around the renovation site, desperately wondering whether the legendary Kirkland Signature ¼-lb. all-beef hot dog and 20 oz. soda deal would maintain its suspiciously cheap price tag upon reopening. The answer? Yes, dear reader, the hot dog combo is still one of the best deals in the nation at just $1.50, plus tax. 

(A quick bit of trivia: The famed hot dog combo has resisted inflation since Costco introduced it to its food courts in 1984, one year after the wholesale retail giant opened its first location. How ‘bout that?)

To commemorate the long-awaited return of the food court, which reopened to customers on Monday, your Lost Coast Outpost went on a little lunchtime outing to check out the new digs. Please, join us for a hot dog!

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When I arrived at the Eureka Costco with my colleague Andrew Goff about a quarter past noon on Monday, the food court buzzed with excitement. 

I counted at least two dozen people in active munch mode, while another dozen eagerly awaited their orders near the food counter, which is now situated around the corner from its previous location at the front of the store. Gone are the days of waiting for your greasy little snack in that high-traffic thoroughfare between the food counter and front-end registers. Now, you can place your order at one of four self-serve touchscreen kiosks and wait for your food without being trampled by other shoppers.

As I ordered my $1.50 hot dog at one of the touchscreens, I wondered whether the hot turkey and provolone sandwich was a new item or if I had seen it before. (I’m still not sure, honestly.) Other than that, all menu items and prices appear to be unchanged. 

(While I’m at it with the parenthetical thoughts, perhaps I should mention that this post is in no way sponsored by Costco Wholesale or Kirkland. I’m just having a little bit of fun, okay?) 

After ordering, I tried to find a place to sit among the crowded tables. No dice! All of the tables — including the stand-up only high-tops — were taken by other lucky customers. I dodged passing shopping carts and found a place to stand near the coffee grinding station.

About 90 seconds later, an enthusiastic employee called out, “Order Number 706!” I scampered to the counter, flashing her my receipt as I claimed the empty cup and bare hot dog. As I turned toward the soda dispenser, I realized I had almost forgotten one of the most critical components of the food court transformation: the highly anticipated switch from Pepsi to Coca-Cola products. 

After grabbing a Coke, I made my way to the condiment station where, as per usual, I put way too much mustard on my hot dog. PRO TIP: While I’m not usually an onions-on-hot-dogs kind of gal, if you ask nicely, the food court will hand over a little ramekin of diced onions upon request. You’re welcome!

A small table cleared after I finished dressing my coveted ‘dog, and I found myself seated next to a wholesome group of men sharing a pepperoni pizza. 

As I unwrapped the brown paper swaddling from my lunch, I pondered the umbrellas emblazoned with “KIRKLAND SIGNATURE 100% ALL BEEF HOT DOGS” that shielded some of the picnic-style tables from the fluorescent lighting overhead. After taking a couple of bites, an employee sweeping the seating area asked, “How are those first hot dogs coming out?” 

“Great!” I exclaimed, attempting to shield my mustard-covered face with my mustard-covered napkin. I asked if the food court was as busy as expected for opening day. “I just got here at 12:15,” she said. “It’s been busy, but we’re not slammed. It’s moving a lot faster now that we’ve got more space in the back.”

After we finished our lunch, we peered through the windows into the pristine industrial kitchen and watched an employee prepare a Chicken Bake for the oven while another went to town stretching pizza dough across a circular pan. One of them smiled and waved at us. 

And there you have it, folks! The newly remodeled Costco food court is just a streamlined, shinier version of its former self. Now go get yourself a hot dog.

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Press release from Redwood National and State Parks:

Redwood National and State Parks plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns this fall in the prairies and oak woodlands of the Bald Hills east of Orick, California. The prescribed fire season in the parks begins in late September, as weather conditions permit.

This year fire will be used as a management tool in seven specific burn units in the Bald Hills: Ganns Prairie, Upper Dolason, Lower Dolason, Lower Elk Camp, Upper Lyons, Lower Lyons, and South Boundary. The units combined are approximately 1,021 acres.

For thousands of years, Yurok, Tolowa, and Chilula people managed prairies, oak woodlands, and some coastal areas that are now within the parks with periodic fire to keep them open. Intentional burning provided grazing and hunting areas for elk and deer, maintained important resources like tanoak trees and various basket weaving materials, kept trail and travel corridors open, and lessened the prevalence of parasites like ticks in the prairies. 

Early European Americans who later ranched these same lands continued the practice of broadcast burning until it was outlawed by the state in the 1930s. Since then, many of the prairies and oak woodlands have become encroached with Douglas fir and other conifers which can eventually eliminate these important plant communities.

The park’s Fire Management Plan provides for the use of fire to restore natural and cultural processes, manage exotic plants and conifers encroaching into prairie and oak woodland plant communities, and to educate the public about the role of fire in the parks. Since the early 1980s, the parks have successfully used prescribed fires to achieve these objectives.

If you are in the parks over the next couple of months, there will likely be additional activity and equipment on and near Bald Hills Road. Smoke may linger on the roadways and traffic control may be in place. Please be cautious for your safety as well as that of the fire crews.

Additionally, California State Parks North Coast Redwoods District will support prescribed burn efforts in other portions of the Redwood National and State Parks including Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Parks.

For further information, please contact James Scott at (707) 496-0258.

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PREVIOUSLY

• The Water District Will Have to Temporarily Shut Down an Important Main Soon, but They Aren’t Expecting it to Affect Customers
• Tomorrow’s the Day of No Water Main! Everything Should be Cool, but Maybe Go Easy on the Wet Stuff

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A mechanical failure during last week’s emergency repair work to a damaged Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) transmission pipeline caused chlorinated water to spill into Janes Creek, resulting in the death of more than 250 fish, including trout, sculpin and Coho salmon, according to district staff.

Contractors for the HBMWD had almost finished repairing a major water transmission line last Tuesday evening when the spill occurred, according to General Manager Michiko Mares. She explained that a temporary pipeline had been installed to drain chlorinated water from the pipe as part of the disinfection process that’s performed prior to bringing the transmission pipeline back into service. The temporary line ruptured, causing roughly 13,500 gallons of chlorinated water to flow into Janes Creek over a 15-minute period, Mares said.

District employees promptly notified the appropriate regulatory agencies, Mares said, including the California Office of Emergency Services, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Humboldt County Division of Environmental Health, which serves as our region’s Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA).

“We’re required by law to notify the state whenever there’s any discharge to a water body that could be characterized as hazardous,” Mares said, adding that HBMWD is working closely with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to analyze the extent of the environmental impacts. 

Stephen Gonzales, a CDFW spokesperson, told the Outpost by phone that one of that agency’s environmental scientists responded to the scene of the spill — near Coombs Road in northern Arcata — and saw “a couple dozen” dead Coho salmon, about 200 dead trout (mostly cutthroat) and roughly 40 dead sculpin. CDFW’s investigation is ongoing, and the tally of dead fish could rise, Gonzales added.

“Fortunately, this year has been a really big population of Coho, so that is why we’re seeing a lot of these fish affected,” Gonzales said. He also explained that while such spill of chlorinated water are initially deadly for fish, the chemical is quickly diluted by water, so there should be “no ongoing dangers to these animals.”

The district had retained engineering contractor firm GR Sundberg to perform the work necessary to fix the leaking transmission line, which serves as a backbone of service to customers in the greater Humboldt Bay area, including residents of Arcata, Eureka and the Samoa Peninsula.

“As you can imagine, after working nearly 24 hours straight, staff was very disappointed,” Mares said. “… It’s very unfortunate, and it’s certainly not what we wanted to have happen. But these things do happen, and we were able to restore our transmission water line, which is very important to the entire community.”

The district gratefully described repair workers as “water heroes” and thanked its regional partners once the project had been completed without any interruptions to service.

Mares said the HBMWD is now working closely with regulatory agencies including CDFW and NOAA Fisheries.

Nearly three-quarters of California public high school seniors applied for federal financial aid this year, soaring past last year’s figures by 11 percent and giving further indication that California’s efforts to get more students to apply for federal grants are paying off.

This time last year about 307,000 high school seniors completed a financial aid application. This year, that number is around 340,000. The California Student Aid Commission that oversees college aid in the state released the information today. In 2023 a slightly higher share of seniors completed aid applications — about 74% to this year’s 72.7%. In 2024, the figure was 64%.

“We must take a moment to reflect and celebrate this achievement for California’s future,” said Daisy Gonzales, the commission’s executive director and who formerly led the state’s community college system, said in a statement. “With more high school seniors applying for financial aid, we can expect our higher education segments to serve more students.” A spokesperson for the commission, Shelveen Ratnam, said Gonzales and other commission executives were unavailable for an interview today.

A 2021 state law required high schools to ensure their seniors complete financial aid applications. Neglecting to complete the application denies students the ability to receive $22,000 or more in state and federal financial aid in their first year of college. Last year the commission conducted market analysis to understand why parents and students do not apply for aid. Among the answers: families were skeptical that aid can actually be free.California is expected to spend about $2.9 billion on student financial aid in 2025-26, a major reason why more than half of California residents do not pay any tuition to attend the state’s public universities.

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Data that the commission shared with CalMatters also shows that more students whose parents don’t have lawful immigration status applied for federal financial aid than last year. Somewhat surprisingly, this year’s figures surpass those from 2023.

The revelation for now rebuffs worries that the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown would prompt more college students to leave federal money on the table to try to protect their parents.

About 64,700 high school seniors from so-called mixed-status families completed a Federal Application for Financial Aid, or FAFSA, in 2023 by the Sept. 2 deadline. In 2024, the figure dropped to just under 60,000. This year, it jumped to over 69,000.

The commission’s numbers capture the number of students who applied for state and federal financial aid in the spring to attend four-year universities and students who applied by Sept. 2 to be eligible for aid to attend community colleges. The decline in 2024 is attributed to major technology issues with a revamped FAFSA that blocked tens of thousands of students whose parents lacked Social Security numbers from completing the aid application.

Unlike federal aid applications, California’s own Dream Act application does not share user data with federal agencies. The vast majority of students complete the FAFSA, though in recent years the commission has suggested to students in mixed status households that it may be safer to apply for just state aid. Other nonprofits focused on college access gave similar advice. Roughly 3.3 million Californians live in mixed-status households, including 1 in 5 children under 18, according to 2021 data from Equity Research Institute, a USC research group.The California Dream Act Application gives students access to state tuition waivers and several thousand dollars in other grants, but FAFSA is the only way for students to also receive federal student loans and the Pell grant, which can provide more than $7,000 a year to low-income students.

The student aid commission and its financial aid support partners hosted more than 1,200 workshops on completing financial aid applications this year and trained over 16,000 professionals to help students apply for the aid.

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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.