###

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has launched an all-out attack on the offshore wind energy sector, issuing stop-work orders for near-complete projects on the East Coast and canceling hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for other proposed projects, including more than $435 million earmarked for Humboldt County. 

In a recent segment on National Public Radio, climate solutions correspondent Julia Simon speaks with Chris Mikkelsen, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, about how the loss of federal funding is reshaping the district’s plans for a heavy-lift marine terminal that would support the offshore wind project planned 20 miles west of Eureka.

In an at-times emotional interview, Mikkelsen told Simon that the port development project, which was supposed to be shovel-ready as soon as 2026, would “change the economic viability of our community.”

“Now we’ve been on pause since we got the news in August, we’ve been pencils down,” Mikkelsen told NPR. “It very much contributed to the delay.”

On his first day in office, President Trump fulfilled a long-held promise to block new offshore wind development in the United States, issuing a sweeping Executive Order to halt leasing and permitting for new projects slated for the outer continental shelf.

Still, Mikkelsen told NPR he was confused as to why the administration decided to pull the federal grant funding, noting that Trump “really ran on a platform that we’re gonna build back America. That we’re gonna create jobs in rural America. Good, skilled, trained, high-paying jobs.”

With the U.S. backtracking on renewable energy investments, China is now leading the global renewable energy sector. NPR correspondent Anthony Kuhn explains:

In the first half of this year, China built more solar than the rest of the world combined. China accounts for 74% of all large scale solar and wind under construction, according to the nonprofit Global Energy Monitor. … More than a quarter of China’s economic growth in 2024 came from wind, solar and battery technologies, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a nonprofit. Energy experts say it’s too early to know the full impact of the Trump administration’s anti-renewable policies, but in the first half of 2025, U.S. renewable investment fell by 36%.

You listen to the full interview below.

###

The view from the Arcata Plaza might look a little different soon if the Arcata Planning Commission decides to allow clothing and home-good reseller Eco-Groovy Deals to triple their signage on their H Street storefront at their meeting tomorrow.

Their current 20-square-foot sign takes up a small fraction of the 50 by 10-foot façade. If permitted, Eco-Groovy would swap the smaller sign out for a 44-square-foot aluminum sign on the façade. They’d also add another 16 square feet of vinyl signage on the street-level windows. 

The proposed signage meets all of the city’s rules regulating design standards except for its size.

Eco-Groovy needs permission from the commission because the planned 60 square feet of signage exceeds the 20-foot maximum Arcata allows for businesses. The storefront is one of the largest on the plaza; two lots were combined in 2020 to form one 50 by 115-foot parcel, and Eco-Groovy is the only tenant. The planning commission agrees that the current sign on the façade appears “disproportionately small.” 

“The sign’s materials, scale, and placement are consistent with the character of plaza signage,” reads the city’s staff report, “and do not detract from the architectural cohesion of the immediate neighborhood.”

If you’re in the mood to take a walk down Humboldt memory lane this month, you could do much worse than to check out the new season of Rip Current, a podcast written and produced by crime writer Toby Ball and published by iHeartRadio. It rewinds the clock 35-odd years — very odd years — to revisit the Timber Wars, Maxxam’s takeover of Pacific Lumber, the lead-up to Redwood Summer and, of course, the still-unsolved car bombing of Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney.

Your Lost Coast Outpost — who, full disclosure, was interviewed for the project — was pretty skeptical of the thing when it was announced, having pretty strong distaste for the whole “true crime” genre that has taken over all forms of media.

But Ball’s podcast doesn’t rubberneck at acts of violence, as so many of these things do. He goes very deep into the culture of the Emerald Triangle in the late 1980s, from both the hippie and the redneck sides. He has an episode on the Bari’s history as a labor organizer, and another on the Maxxam acquisition. He has a very interesting interview with an architectural historian who talks about the role of North Coast redwood in the building of the West Coast.  

In short, it’s a podcast about local history, and Ball has put in the work. Five episodes have been published so far, and along with historical audio he unearths from the vaults Ball has fresh interviews with a bunch of key people: Mike Geniella, the veteran Ukiah journalist who played a big role in the story; Larry Livermore, the founder of Lookout! Records who was publishing a magazine in the hills above Laytonville at the time; and Crawdad Nelson, the Fort Bragg poet and millworker. Among others.

Highly recommended. Check it out.

UPDATE, 10:19 a.m.:

Curious about the origin and legal implications of the law enforcement agency patches referenced in this press release, we reached out the the Rio Dell Police Department with a couple of follow-up questions. Chief Josh Phinney promptly responded:

We do not know how he obtained the patches. While it is not illegal to possess patches as many collectors do, it is illegal to use Law Enforcement Agency patches to pose as a member of law enforcement.

Agencies with whom the patches belong to have been notified to determine if they have any reported crimes in their jurisdictions that would match this equipment being used in the commission of a crime.

###

Original post:

###

Press release from the Rio Dell Police Department:

On December 7, 2025, Rio Dell Police Department officers arrested Justus Arreguin (DOB 07/17/1995) on the 4100 block of Grizzly Bluff Rd. in Ferndale for an outstanding warrant related to a prior Domestic Violence investigation.

During the arrest, officers observed multiple firearms in Arreguin’s possession. Based on those observations, RDPD obtained a search warrant for the residence and associated property. The subsequent search resulted in the seizure of numerous rifles, handguns, firearm magazines, and substantial quantities of ammunition.

Also located and seized was a tactical vest equipped with multiple high-capacity magazines, a TASER-style device, handcuffs, zip ties, and uniform patches, including a Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office patch and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office patches. These items were taken as evidence pending further review and investigation.

Arreguin was transported and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for the outstanding warrant and the following additional violations:

• 29805(a) PC – Prohibited Person in possession of a firearm
• 32310(a) PC – Possession of large-capacity magazines
• 11377(a) HS – Possession of a controlled substance
• 273.6(a) PC – Violation of a court order

The Rio Dell Police Department would like to thank the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in ensuring the safe arrest of Arreguin. Their support helped bring the situation to a safe and orderly conclusion.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with additional information relevant to this case is encouraged to contact Corporal Landry with the Rio Dell Police Department at (707) 764-5642 or landryc@cityofriodell.ca.gov.

###

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

###

San Jose, the symbolic capital of Silicon Valley, is now ground zero in California’s battle over how to govern the rise of data centers used to power artificial intelligence.

The county seat of Santa Clara is touting its partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric, claiming the city is “the West Coast’s premier destination for data center development.” The investor-owned utility now estimates it has enough capacity in its planning pipeline to push the city’s electricity use to almost three times its current peak.

Those plans are forcing major grid upgrades, PG&E and city officials say, while raising questions about who pays for them and whether the state can keep the power clean.

Panelists at a CalMatters event in downtown San Jose clashed over key issues. They included a local official working with PG&E on the city’s data-center buildout, a tech advocate urging California to seize the economic moment, a Stanford energy expert pressing for a more modernized grid and a utility watchdog skeptical of AI’s promised benefits.

Their discussion centered on how quickly California should move to accommodate new demand, what information the public should be entitled to and how to keep customers from shouldering the cost of infrastructure that may never be fully used.

Proposals to more strictly regulate data center development died in the Legislature this year. Going forward, several state agencies and commissions are expected to take up further discussions, including the California Energy Commission, the Little Hoover Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission.

How much energy will California’s new data centers actually need?

The surge in AI is complicating efforts by regulators and utilities to forecast how quickly data centers will grow and how much power they’ll need. Companies can propose large facilities without committing to build them, the computing demands behind AI are changing quickly and cooling needs vary across the state. These factors make long-term energy needs hard to pin down.

According to the state’s electricity-demand forecast, utilities report that data centers, in planning documents, have requested 18.7 gigawatts of service capacity. That’s enough to power roughly 18 million homes, compared with California’s estimated 14 to 15 million. Regulators don’t expect all of those projects to be built, and assume the ones that do will come online gradually and operate at less than their requested capacity, producing a forecast of between 4 and 6 gigawatts by 2040.

Liang Min, who directs Stanford’s Bits & Watts Initiative, and a speaker on CalMatters’ panel, said that forecasting is particularly tough because companies are rolling out new AI apps — or “application layers,” as he put it — at breakneck speed. They include products like ChatGPT that use large language models. No one knows which apps will take off, and those uncertain bets are driving huge demands on the power grid.

“Right now we’re really struggling,” Min said. “The risk is extremely high in the application layers.”

The Public Advocates Office, an independent consumer watchdog within the California Public Utilities Commission, recently warned that rapid data-center growth could leave Californians paying for billions of dollars in grid upgrades if projects never materialize or use far less power than promised.

“Ratepayers could end up paying for costly infrastructure upgrades that may not be needed for many years – or at all,” the office said in its commentary.

Min said forecasting data-center load is a national challenge, but California will need better tools to keep rates in check, meet its clean-energy targets and stay competitive with states racing to attract data centers and high-paying tech jobs.

Local officials have also begun to grapple with the uncertainty. In San Jose, city energy officials say they are reluctant to procure additional power until they know which projects will actually be built. “We do not want to buy more power than we need,” said panelist Lori Mitchell, director of San Jose Clean Energy, the city’s publicly-owned electricity provider. “That’s job No. 1.”

What are the environmental concerns around the data center boom?

California’s data-center boom is bringing a wave of environmental concerns that state officials are only beginning to understand. Those concerns center on water use, the carbon emissions tied to rising energy demand and the air pollution from diesel backup generators.

Air quality is a particular concern. While back-up generators run only intermittently, their presence is concentrated in a handful of regions. In Santa Clara County, where many facilities sit close together in dense industrial areas, the local impacts could be greater simply because so much equipment is packed into a small space.

Yet the state still has limited visibility into what data centers are doing. Attempts to require more transparency stalled this year amid tech industry opposition. The only measure that became law gives regulators the authority to determine whether data centers are driving up costs — but stops short of requiring environmental reporting.

Ahmad Thomas, CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and another panelist, said his group opposed the electricity disclosure and water reporting measures because they would make California less competitive.

“It’s very hard to see a world where California is at the top of the AI pile if we do not have an approach to data centers that is — at minimum — mildly competitive with other states,” he added.

Consumer advocates say the lack of information leaves communities unprotected. “We certainly think there needs to be more transparency — that’s a good thing,” said panelist Mark Toney, the executive director of the The Utility Reform Network, a ratepayer advocacy group..

Will data centers slow down California’s switch to clean energy?


The rapid growth of data centers could slow California’s clean-energy transition if it keeps the state tied to natural gas. And some of the carbon-free alternative energy sources that could meet their power needs are deeply controversial among environmentalists.

The state has pledged to reach 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045, yet it still depends heavily on natural-gas plants during hot summer days. A recent report by the environmental think tank Next 10 and UC Riverside estimated that data-center carbon emissions nearly doubled from 2019 to 2023 — largely from gas-fired generation — underscoring how even a relatively clean grid may struggle to absorb AI-driven load without higher emissions.

State leaders are making policy shifts as AI demand grows. California this year approved joining a broader Western power market, a move driven in part by new demands on the grid, including data centers. Critics warn the change could expose the state to dirtier electricity from other states and weaken its control over clean-energy rules.

Min of Stanford argues that California will need to rely on options some environmentalists would rather avoid. That includes holding onto existing resources like the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. In a recent report, Min argued the state will also need more “clean, firm” power — resources that can operate around the clock — such as geothermal energy or natural-gas plants with carbon capture.

PG&E agrees. Spokesperson Stephanie Magallon told CalMatters in an email that nuclear power, carbon-capture systems and large solar-plus-battery projects are all options under consideration for powering data centers in its region. But environmental justice critics in California have opposed carbon capture technology calling it unproven tech that risks extending fossil-fuel use.

Mitchell said community choice aggregators can manage new data-center load while keeping power clean and affordable. San Jose’s mix is already 60% renewable, and she said the biggest opportunity is flexibility — getting data centers to shift use off the hottest afternoons so the city can avoid buying additional power.

Will data centers raise your electric bill?


California’s data-center boom is reshaping the fight over electricity bills, exposing a divide over whether these new customers will lower costs — or drive them higher for everyone else.

PG&E argues that adding large users like data centers can lower rates because fixed grid costs would be spread across more customers. It also claims the grid is underutilized on average — operating at about 45% of capacity — although the grid faces real strain during the hottest hours and in parts of the system that routinely run close to their limits. If data centers can be connected in places with available capacity, PG&E argues, they could help spread costs without worsening congestion.

Toney, another panelist, urged the state to slow down, warning that California is planning major infrastructure without knowing which data centers are real or how their costs will land on customer bills.

“I’m worried that we’re engaged in what I call faith-based policymaking,” he said. “The benefits are very speculative, but the costs are very real.”

Some states, said Toney, have begun tightening rules around the growth of data centers. One law in Oregon will require data-center grid costs to remain off household bills. A Minnesota law will give very large data centers their own billing category so regulators can keep their costs separate from other customers’ electric bills.

“This issue of data centers and the connection between affordability and clean energy is of national concern, and California is actually behind on this,” Toney said. “There’s this mythology about California being the leader all the time.”

Isaac James Kibby
February 13, 1996 - Sunday November 30, 2025

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved nephew, Isaac. He was a loving son, uncle, cousin and brother.

Isaac was Karuk, Wiyot, Pitriver and a proud enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe. He also had a large spiritual family who cared for him deeply. He enjoyed dancing with his family and taking part in dance demonstrations throughout the community.

Isaac loved his friends and family deeply. Anyone  who knew him could feel the warmth he carried in his heart. He shared an unbreakable bond with his brother, a connection built on deep understanding, shared experiences and a lifetime of being each other’s closest companion. To his cousins, who grew up alongside him like brothers and sisters, he was the best kind of family: funny, loving, and always there when they needed him. He knew he could count on them the same way.

He was caring, thoughtful, the kind of person who paid attention to others and showed up when it mattered. His humor was one of his greatest gifts; he had a natural way of making people laugh and bringing light into any room.

A talented athlete, he excelled as a high-school wrestler, played football, and kept his love for sports throughout his life. He especially loved playing basketball. Cheering passionately for his favorite player, LeBron James and his favorite football team North Carolina Panthers. Those who knew him knew about his love for Dino Nuggets, Adidas slides, and always keeping his favorite pick handy for his hair. He was also a dedicated gamer who found joy and connection through video games.

One of his happiest recent memories was spending a wonderful week in Oahu with his family, creating moments they will forever hold close.

For 11 years, he worked at Blue Lake Casino, where he formed lasting friendships with coworkers who came to feel like family. The kindness, humor, and steady presence he brought there will be remembered by many.

He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his memory will continue to live on in the hearts of the people he loved and the lives he touched.

He is survived by his grandmother Toddy Thompson; his brothers Isaiah Kibby (Abby Young) and Elijah Kibby; his uncle Jaimoe Kibby (Brandy Kibby); and his cousins, who were more like siblings — Kody Kibby, Faith Kibby (AJ Perez), Hope Kibby (Mettah Kuska), and Jaimoe Kibby Jr. He is also survived by his father Sam Alford; his aunts Melissa Waheneka (Harlen) and Jamaica Kibby; and a large, loving extended family with many other aunts, uncles, cousins, and the Voyles family, whom he cared for dearly.

He was preceded in death by his mother Sarina Kibby; his grandfather Daniel Kibby; his great-grandfather Archie Thompson; his uncles David Kibby, Roger Buckskin, and Timmy Thompson; his aunts Valerie Thompson, Wanda Kibby; his cousins Delmar Thompson, Redsky Rojas, Stormy Rojas, Miranda Thompson, and Shawn Thompson; and his good friend Ramiro Melecio.

Pallbearers:

Isaiah Kibby, Kody Kibby, Jaimoe Kibby Jr., Hope Kibby, DJ Thomas, Lane Voyles, Mettah Kuska, AJ Perez, Ira Thompson, Pete Thompson, Jase Baldosser, Tanner Brittain

Honorary Pallbearers:

Jaimoe Kibby, Willie Thompson, Randy Thompson, Archie Thompson, Faith Kibby, Ed Ben Jr, David Voyles, Virgil Moorehead, Tommy O’Rourke, Sundance Rojas, Gino O’Rourke, Elijah Kibby, Jack Norton, Julian Lang, Alme Allen, Loren Bommelyn, Pyuwa Bommelyn, Jude Marshall, Vincent Feliz, Bmo Colegrove, Kavish Marshall, LeBron James, Darleen Buckskin, Kyree Smith, James Spino, Wes Spino, Anthony Rojas, Isha-Kom McConnell, Ma-Kaych McConnell, Tucker Donahue, Dae’ron Weaselhead, Redsky Waheneka, Harlen Waheneka Jr., Teddy Thompson, Trent Thompson, Will Bear Carlson, Mikey Carlson, Pergish Carlson, Jeremy Thompson, Jose Celio,, Jason Henser, Eli Aubrey, Casey Pederson

Viewing & Services:

Viewing will be held at Awok-Ada Charles Community Center, 190 Klamath Blvd., Klamath, California  Saturday December 13, 2025 from 6-8 p.m. Services will also be held at the Awok- Ada Charles Community Center on December 14, 2025 at 10 a.mac. Everyone is welcome. Following the burial at the family plot in Klamath, we will share food and fellowship back at the Awok-Ada Charles Community Center.

Special Thank You:

Our family extends our deep gratitude to the Yurok Tribe, Blue Lake Rancheria, Country Living Florist, and all the family and friends who have helped send our nephew off in a good way. Thank you to everyone who spent the last several days with our family — visiting, sitting by the fire telling stories, bringing meals, and making sure we were cared for. Thank you to all who kept our family in your prayers. We are forever grateful. Much love and respect.

Our hearts are heavy as we share the passing of James Robert Marshall Sr.

James was born on March 22, 1985 in Eureka. He passed away in Hoopa on November 30, 2025, at the age of 40.

A loving father, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend to so many, James held his family and friends close to his heart. He found peace and joy in the outdoors. At a young age he enjoyed playing basketball, riding dirt bikes and being surrounded by his family and friends. He would surprise his children with loving gestures, providing gifts and companionship.  He was a kind-hearted soul who never hesitated to help others. He lived his life with compassion, generosity, and a quiet strength that brought comfort to those around him. Whether it was offering his time, his hands, or simply his presence, he made sure others never felt alone. He showed his love not only through words but through countless acts of care, laughter, and support. He loved deeply, gave freely, and lived with an honesty and humor that will never be forgotten. To know him was to know kindness.

Though we miss him more than words can say, his spirit lives on in the moments we shared: in family laughter and in every memory of his warm and caring heart. His legacy remains forever in the lives he touched and the hearts that hold him close.

James is survived by his children, James Jr., Joseph and Jessica Marshall. Mother Roberta Marshall (Goobi Perry), Father Jeff Marshall Sr. (Marcell Dwight), Grandmother Jane Marshall. Siblings Jena Marshall (Brandt Hostler), Jeffrey Marshall Jr. (Emilee Marshall), Jacquelene Marshall (Nate Baldy), Alyssa Jackson. Uncles and Aunties, Loren Colegrove, Robert Jackson Jr, Jody Jackson, Lovae Blake, Russell Marshall Sr. (Jeanni Marshall), Julie McIntosh, Jacqueline Alford (Les Alford), Linda Lee, Carrie Turner, Debbie Ulibarri. Nieces and Nephews, Andrew Hunsucker Jr., Poy-we-son Hunsucker, Cassandra Perry, Jaxon Hostler-Marshall, Akeera Marshall, Keylee Marshall, Taneya Marshall, Xavier Lewis, Bryson Lewis, Amaya Lewis, Izaeliya Baldy, Uonashca Parker, Nevayla Jackson, Noah and Novaleigh Ammon. We will be welcoming his first granddaughter in March of 2026.

He is preceded in death by his Maternal Grandparents, Robert Carl Jackson Sr. and Alberta Faye Jackson, Paternal Grandpa, James Eugene Marshall III. Uncles, Jerry Davis, James Jackson. Nephews, Romeo Wes-kwe-loy, Allen and Lane Baldy. Cousins Lawrence Marshall, Peter Stewart and Terrance Davis.

James came from a large family if we’ve forgotten anybody, we apologize.

Wake will be held on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 8 p.m. located at the Jackson’s residents, on Mill Creek Road.

Services will be held on Thursday, December 11, 2025, 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church, on Pine Creek Road/Hwy 96. Following, we will have his last walk from the Church to his Burial at Hoopa Tribal Cemetery.

Reception to follow located at the Hoopa Fire House. We ask everyone to bring a dish to share as we say our final farewells, food can be dropped off Thursday at the Fire House.

Father • Brother • Son • Friend

I am not gone—
I’m just in a different form.
Look for me in your heart and you will find me
in the love we shared
and the memories that stay warm.

When tomorrow starts without me,
don’t think we’re far apart.
Every time you think of me,
I’m right there in your heart.

I live on in my children,
in my family who loves me,
and in every life I touched.
So when tears fall, look toward the heavens—
you’ll feel me near,
smiling down from God’s gentle light.

Pall Bearers:

Jeff Marshall Sr., James Marshall Jr., Joseph Marshall, Jeffrey Marshall Jr., Loren Colegrove, Robert Jackson Jr,. Jody Jackson, Andrew Hunsucker Jr., Poy-we-son Hunsucker, Xavier Lewis, Goobi Perry, Johnny Blake, Whits Marshall, Alex Perry, Denny Colegrove, Rico Tello.

Honorary Pall Bearers:

David Hostler, Joey Montgomery, Isaac Bussell, Richie Nixon, Russell Marshall Sr., RJ Marshall, Ben Marshall, Keenan Stewart, Gordy Stewart, Richie Stewart, Eric Blake, Jason Marshall, Brandt Hostler, Nate Baldy, Bryson Lewis, Jordan Hailey, Lawrence Orcutt, Billy Matilton.