Press release from Troop 15/Pack 95:

Boy Scout Troop 15 and Cub Scout Pack 95 will again be picking up Christmas trees in the Arcata, Eureka, and McKinleyville areas and hauling them to green waste for the community.  We will be doing this on Saturday December 28 and again on Saturday January 3 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Anyone who would like to schedule a pickup should text or call 707-273-1997 or email arcatacubscouts@gmail. with their name, address, phone number and preferred pickup date (12/28 or 1/3). This is a community service project for the Scouts and there is no fixed cost to pick up a tree - donations are accepted and appreciated but not required.  All donations will help fund camping and other outings and summer camp for the Scouts.

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

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Facing a mountain of lawsuits, California K-12 schools will have a system in place beginning this year to prevent teachers and other staff from sexually abusing students.

A new California law creates an array of measures to educate school staff, beef up reporting requirements and stop teachers credibly accused of abuse from getting jobs at other districts.

The law, Senate Bill 848, goes into effect Jan. 1 and schools must have protocols in place by July. The law applies to all schools, including private schools.

“I’m proud to see this bill move forward. It’s been really personal for me,” state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, the bill’s author, told CalMatters after it passed. “For survivors, this is an important step toward justice.”

Avalanche of lawsuits

The law stems from a previous California law that made it easier for victims to sue school districts and counties. Under AB 218, which went into effect in 2020, victims can file suit until age 40 or even older if they didn’t remember being abused until later in life. That’s led to an avalanche of lawsuits and much greater public awareness of the scope of the problem.

So far, victims have filed more than 1,000 lawsuits against school districts and counties, with some resulting in enormous payouts. A jury in Riverside County in 2023 handed Moreno Valley Unified a $135 million verdict over abuse allegations, and Los Angeles Unified faces more than $500 million in claims.

Overall, California schools face nearly $3 billion in sex abuse claims from former students, according to the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a state agency that helps school districts with financial matters. Some of the incidents occurred decades ago, as early as the 1940s, and some of the payouts have been so large that they’ve led districts to financial insolvency.

School accountability

While the new law doesn’t address the lawsuits, it does institute measures intended to stop future abuse and hold schools more accountable. It requires schools to write comprehensive policies on appropriate behavior, and train students, teachers, coaches and other school staff on recognizing and reporting misconduct. It also broadens the number of staff who are required to report abuse allegations.

Perhaps the most noteworthy requirement is creating a database of teachers credibly accused of abuse. The database, to be administered by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, will be available to schools during their hiring processes. The aim is to stop teachers who’ve abused students from quitting and getting rehired elsewhere, only to abuse more students. Teachers who’ve been cleared of wrongdoing will be removed from the database.

Pérez, a Democrat from Alhambra, said she was inspired to author the new law after reading about generations of abuse at Rosemead High School, which is in her district. She also told CaMatters that she was the victim of a teacher’s unwanted attention when she was in high school.

“There are now dollars and cents being assigned to these cases,” she said in September. “It’s really opened up this conversation about what can we do to better prevent this abuse from happening.”

PREVIOUSLY

• Friends of the Eel River Sues County for Failure to Protect Public Trust by Regulating Groundwater Extractions in Lower Eel
• County Staff Present Groundwater Sustainability Plan for Eel River Valley
• Lawsuit Could Force Humboldt County to Regulate Groundwater Pumping in the Eel River Valley
• Judge Rules Against Nonprofit, Says Humboldt County Has Discretion in Managing Groundwater Extraction in the Lower Eel River Valley

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Statement from Friends of the Eel River:

Friends of the Eel River (FOER) has moved to appeal the Humboldt Superior Court’s September ruling denying our claim that Humboldt County has a duty under the Public Trust doctrine to consider the impacts of groundwater pumping on salmon holding in the lower Eel River.

Friends of the Eel River’s Executive Director, Alicia Hamann, explained the move. “We all understand that we need to use less water in drought years. This case asks whether we all share those responsibilities.”

The case was initially filed October 27, 2022, spurred by preceding years of dry conditions and a lack of any regulation of groundwater use, leading to the lower Eel River near Fortuna going completely dry in both 2014 and 2021. In the ruling issued September 28 of 2025, the Superior Court appeared to misconstrue the continuous nature of the public trust doctrine. 

“The Superior Court basically said the County need only consider public trust impacts in some way, at some point in the year – but not when Eel River salmon are most vulnerable to lowered streamflows, as they clearly are in late summer of dry years,” Hamann noted. “The public trust doctrine must apply year round if it is to mean anything.”

Friends of the Eel River is tasked with seeking recovery for the Wild and Scenic Eel River, its fisheries, and communities. The Eel’s native fish serve a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, but also healthy Tribal cultures and regional economies. Hamann concludes, “We have stood up for the Eel and its native fish for 30 years, and will continue to do so, even against great obstacles and strong opposition.”

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DOCUMENTS

• FOER Opening Brief
• County of Humboldt Opposition Brief
• FOER Reply Brief

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Attempted Rescue Underway Near Ferndale as 72-Year-Old Woman in Vehicle is Submerged to Her Neck in Flooded Field, According to Scanner Traffic

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On December 22, 2025, at approximately 1:05 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call from a 72-year-old woman reporting that she was trapped inside her vehicle after driving onto Fulmore Rd. in Ferndale which was flooded. The caller advised HCSO dispatch that water was rising inside her vehicle, and it was rapidly floating down the road.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene along with the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department, the California Highway Patrol, and a United States Coast Guard (USCG) helicopter. The vehicle was located on Fulmore Rd. north of Goble Ln., and the water was covering most of the vehicle. A local Ferndale resident assisted the first responders by providing a tractor, which was used to transport deputies and emergency personnel to the woman’s vehicle. The Ferndale Fire Department further assisted by deploying a swift water rescue swimmer.

The woman was successfully removed from her vehicle and transported by the USCG helicopter to a local hospital, where she is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office extends its gratitude to the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, the Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department, Cal-Fire, the California Highway Patrol, and the United States Coast Guard for their coordinated response and assistance, which resulted in this successful rescue.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reminds the public to avoid driving through flooded roadways, as conditions can change rapidly and create extremely dangerous situations.

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UPDATE

First District Supervisor Rex Bohn was on the scene, apparently:

NOTE: For more information and a video of the rescue, see our follow-up post here.

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UPDATE, 3:30 p.m.:

Press release from the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department:

A coordinated multi-agency effort saved the life of a 72 year old woman today after her vehicle became trapped in rising floodwaters and began floating downriver near the intersection of Fulmor Road and Goble Lane in Ferndale.

The emergency call reported a harrowing scene: a vehicle swept into the current with the driver still inside. At the time of the initial report, water levels had already reached the woman’s chest, creating a race against time for local first responders.

The complexity of the scene required a massive mobilization of local and state resources. Because the vehicle was unstable and drifting, a diverse group of agencies converged on the riverbank to coordinate the extraction.

Ferndale Fire Department & Eel River Valley Technical Rescue Team (ERVTRT): Provided specialized water rescue personnel.
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office & CHP: Managed scene safety and logistics.

City Ambulance: Staged for immediate medical intervention.
Humboldt County Public Works: Assisted with regional access.
U.S. Coast Guard: Deployed a helicopter for aerial extraction.

Rescue swimmers from Ferndale Fire Department and ERVTRT entered the water to reach the semi submerged car and stabilize the victim.
In a display of community spirit and ingenuity, the Cahill Dairy provided critical assistance. The dairy’s operators utilized their heavy duty farm tractors to assist rescuers in navigating the difficult terrain and turbulent water, proving instrumental in the positioning of the rescue teams.

With the vehicle’s position precarious, the Coast Guard Helicopter arrived on the scene, and a rescue basket was deployed.
The 72 year old woman was successfully lifted from the water and into the aircraft. She was immediately flown to St. Joseph Hospital for treatment and evaluation. While her current condition has not been released, the swift actions of the “boots on the ground,” and those in the air, prevented a certain tragedy.

“This rescue highlights the incredible cooperation between our professional agencies and the local community,” said Chief Rick Nicholson of Ferndale Fire Department. “From the technical swimmers to the Cahill family’s tractors, everyone played a part in saving a life today.”

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UPDATE, 2:42 p.m.:

The woman has been rescued and taken via Coast Guard helicopter to St. Joseph Hospital, according to Ferndale Fire Public Information Officer Jif D’Aguanno.

He told the Outpost via phone a few minutes ago that the 72-year-old woman attempted to cross the flooded roadway, but the water was too deep. Her vehicle “started getting taken away by the tide” and then “floated away.”

Ferndale Fire personnel responded along with the Eel River Valley Technical Rescue Team, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, City Ambulance, a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and the local Cahill family, who contributed two tractors to the rescue effort.  One of those tractors was able to effect a rescue from the vehicle, after which the woman was picked up via a Coast Guard rescue basket, hauled into the helicopter and transported to the hospital, D’Aguanno said. 

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UPDATE, 2 p.m.:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Special Services unit is on the scene conducting a rescue attempt of the trapped motorist, Lt. Jesse Taylor said via email. Taylor added that a Coast Guard helicopter is overhead, assisting with the ground units.

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Original post:

Emergency responders are attempting to locate and rescue a 72-year-old woman who was last seen inside a white SUV, submerged to her neck in a flooded field along the Eel River north of Ferndale, according to scanner traffic.

Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department Chief Rick Nicholson has requested help from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and a helicopter from the Coast Guard. His office is also using a swift rescue boat, according to local resident Caroline Titus.

“He’s done this many times,” Titus said.

The woman called for help at approximately 1:10 p.m., saying she was “floating downstream,” a dispatcher said. She was located off of Fulmor road, near its intersection with Goble Lane, according to scanner traffic.

This news is breaking. We will update when we have more information. The location below is approximate, based on scanner traffic.

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On December 18th, 2025, Eureka Police Department, assisted by the California Highway Patrol conducted a Driver’s License and DUI Checkpoint in the 100 Blk of W. Fourth, (SB US Hwy 101).

The Checkpoint was operational from 6PM – 11PM.

During that time 432 vehicles passed through the checkpoint location.

Of the 432 drivers who were contacted, 22 were sent through secondary screening (or T-Stopped) for suspected Driver’s License violations or for further DUI Screening.

• 13 Field Sobriety Tests were conducted.
• 3 were arrested for DUI.
• 1 Citation was issued for driving without a valid driver’s license.
• 3 Vehicles were towed.

Thank you to the agencies involved: California Highway Patrol and Eureka Volunteer Patrol.

DUI checkpoint locations are determined based on reported incidents of impaired driving-related crashes. The primary purpose of DUI checkpoints is to promote public safety by taking suspected impaired drivers off roads. Funding for this checkpoint was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Press release from Eureka City Schools:

In a ceremonial signing at the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE), the dignitaries of Eureka City Schools, Lafayette Elementary School, Linsen Elementary School, and Taiwan’s Ministry of Education met over Zoom to formalize the relationship. The event began with the recognition of dignitaries from both countries, followed by a performance by the Recorder Choir of Linsen Elementary School.

Principal Quincy Brownfield of Lafayette Elementary School, highlighted the significance of the new partnership. “Though the Pacific Ocean separates our schools, what unites us is far greater than the distance between us. We share a belief in the transformative power of education — an education that connects young people to the world, prepares them to be curious global citizens, and encourages them to learn not only from textbooks, but from one another.

“Last summer, one of our teachers, Mr. Nick Williams, had the privilege of visiting Taiwan through the California–Taiwan Global Classroom Connect program. He returned filled with enthusiasm — energized by the hospitality, innovation, and warmth he experienced in Taiwan. That spark has since spread throughout our school community. Our students now talk eagerly about their peers across the world — peers they already feel connected to through shared learning.”

Mrs. Brownfield concluded, “We are proud to stand with Linsen Elementary School, knowing that together, we can foster learner agency, cultural understanding, and a strong foundation for success in an interconnected world. As we say xiè xiè (謝謝) —, meaning “thank you” — we honor the goodwill and collaboration that have led to this moment.”

Following remarks from representatives of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education and the Principal of Linsen Elementary School, the principals of both schools signed the memorandum of understanding simultaneously. Photos were taken to commemorate the virtual ceremony. This concluded with comments from Jennifer Johnson, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services for Eureka City Schools, expressing gratitude for everyone’s dedication to global education.

For more information regarding global education in Humboldt County, visit https://globalclassroomconnect.org/. Local Educators are also invited to participate in the Global Education Forum on February 28, 2026. Contact Greg Gaiera ggaiera@hcoe.org for registration information, or register at http://tinyurl.com/cgef2026