Repairs on the Bay Trail? So soon?

Yes, but it’s not because the thing is caving in, or anything like that. Hank Seemann, the county’s deputy director of Public Works and the point person for all things trails, tells the Outpost that the work — which will take place on Thursday and Friday next week, between Brainard and Bracut — is to make sure the trail meets exacting ADA compliance standards.

The Americans with Disabilities Act says that a trail should have no more than a two percent grade, side to side, which is pretty difficult to achieve when you’re just laying down asphalt with a spreader, Seemann said.

So next week’s work comes after a series of minute measurements along the county’s segment of the trail, and will involve flattening those bits that need flattening.

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Public Works:

The Humboldt County Department of Public Works is in the process of preparing to conduct repair work on the Humboldt Bay Trail on Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5.

The portion of the Humboldt Bay Trail between the Brainard Mill Site and the Bracut Industrial Park will be closed from 7:00 a.m. on June 4 through 5:00 p.m. on June 5 while these repairs are being completed.

Repair work will involve removing and replacing asphalt surfacing to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Localized areas of asphalt will be repaired to ensure compliance with ADA slope requirements.

Trail users are asked to follow all traffic control devices and trail closure signs in the construction area. Thank you for your patience while repair work is in progress.

If you have any concerns or questions regarding this project, please, call 707-445-7448.

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Despite making up one-fifth of the state’s voting population, most Gen Z Californians won’t vote in the June 2 primary, which is stacked with several gubernatorial candidates.

The primary election tees up the ballot in November, which will also host other high-profile races and issues, such as the rest of the executive candidates, as well as propositions like the billionaire’s tax.

Generation Z, or those aged 14 to 29, makes up nearly 21% of eligible California voters, but their historical turnout is disproportionately low compared to the general voting population.

Young voters aren’t necessarily checked out. Rinu Nair, the president of the History and Civic Engagement Club at De Anza College in Cupertino, said that the student club’s meeting on the gubernatorial race drew the most participants of any meeting this year: 20. But students were often disillusioned by each candidate having a history of controversial actions.

“There’s an interest, but also that feeling of, ‘Am I doing what I want to do? Can my vote even make a change?’” Nair said. “(Young people) don’t feel represented in politics but they feel like it’s a duty they have to do.”

In a statewide survey published by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies in May, voters aged 18 to 29 polled similarly to all voters on reasons why they may not vote in the primary election. But a few reasons jumped out in particular.

Of young voters who said they were unlikely to vote, 47% said they are not well-informed enough on the issues and candidates, compared to 38% of total unlikely voters. Another difference was that 31% of young voters said they were too busy, compared to 19% of all unlikely voters.

Cost of living and inflation, healthcare and housing costs are the top three issues Gen Z voters are tracking leading up to the 2026 midterms, according to 2026 survey data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, a nonpartisan research organization based at Tufts University in Boston. Jobs and unemployment and immigration ranked fourth and fifth among survey respondents respectively.

How candidates are – or aren’t – addressing the youth vote

CalMatters reached out to gubernatorial candidate front-runners to learn more about their methods for engaging youth voters. Steve Hilton, Chad Bianco, Tony Thurmond and Matt Mahan’s teams did not respond.

Antonio Villaraigosa said in an interview that he hired a diverse staff of people primarily aged 22 to 26 to help him connect better with youth voters. Katie Porter and Tom Steyer said they have visited many college campuses across the state in an effort to connect with young voters.

Maiya De La Rosa, the president of California Young Democrats, a youth organizing group affiliated with the state Democratic Party, said that Xavier Becerra has visited and formed relationships with more Young Democrats chapters across the state than any other candidate, having visited 30 chapters since July 2025. She said that the organization endorsed him because of that strong relationship as well as his policies.

The California College Democrats, an organization of students that mobilizes around Democratic candidates and advocates progressive policies, similarly endorsed Becerra in March.

“He’s made a really big effort to put college students at the front of his campaign,” said Daniel Guerrero, the organization’s president and incoming senior at UC San Diego. “We believed in his message, and it’s been really rewarding to see everyone else see what we saw in him, especially in the young community.”

Steyer and Becerra have both been using short videos and partnerships with content creators to reach young audiences. Both are caught up in a controversy over content creators allegedly failing to disclose that campaigns had paid for their endorsements. The influencers often posted endorsements without disclaimers that they had been paid.

According to each candidate’s endorsement pages (except Hilton, who does not have one), Becerra has the most endorsements from youth groups – 15 total, mostly consisting of Young Democrats and College Democrats chapters.

Steyer has three youth group endorsements and Thurmond has one. Peter Opitz, a representative for Porter, said she is endorsed by UAW and Teamsters, which contain unions that represent workers and educators in higher education.

A strong social media presence has been integral to reaching young voters – and any voter – in a race where it’s difficult to stand out.

Even so, California Assemblymember Alex Lee, who has endorsed Steyer, said in an interview that he believes social media strategy comes second to good policy, and that Democrats often get criticized for being boring online.

“Zohran Mamdani’s popular not because he’s good at Instagram alone, but because he campaigned on free childcare, housing and a rent freeze,” Lee said, who was 25 years old when he was elected. “You can pump so much money into viral cringe, but it will not resonate with people.”

Seated next to Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra, Tom Steyer speaks during a gubernatorial forum hosted by the California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel in Sacramento on April 14, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

At a televised debate held at Pomona College in April, as candidates squabbled for speaking time, hundreds of students tuned in from a nearby dining hall where the debate was being livestreamed. They giggled at Steve Hilton’s British accent, hollered over the shade thrown on stage and kept a close eye on the crowded field for standouts.

Throughout the debate, as candidates like Villaraigosa directed their responses to “the young students at Pomona,” groans erupted from students watching the livestream. Rising junior at Pomona College Sarah Russo said the candidates’ comments felt overly performative.

“It belittled us and infantilized us,” Russo said in a talkback session with other students after the debate.

Incoming Pomona College junior Alex Benach said no one candidate really stood out. “The whole field of candidates trying to have that viral moment watered [the debate] down,” they said.

Despite the debate being held at a college campus, students attending said that the candidates failed to address key priorities for youth in college, including the job market, AI and federal crackdowns on campuses for alleged anti-semitism and equity issues.

Youth turnout is low, but young voters are hardly apathetic

No matter the kind of election – gubernatorial or general – youth turnout is historically lower than other age groups, said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy at the University of Southern California, a hub for civic and electoral engagement research. In the 2024 general election, 42.5% of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 cast a ballot, compared to 62% of all eligible voters in California, according to a July 2025 report from the center.

While young people do not show up to vote as much as older voters, it’s “not because they’re apathetic,” emphasized Romero. Rather, it is because youth feel disconnected from the political process.

From the 2010 to 2018 primary elections in California, eligible youth voter turnout ranged from as low as 3.6% in 2014 to 17.1% in 2016, according to California Civic Engagement Project data. In comparison, total eligible voter turnout ranged from 18.4% in 2014 and 33.5% in 2016.

Likely voter modeling often shows campaigns that youth voters aren’t worth investing in due to historically low turnout. However, that same lack of investment is what can lead to low youth turnout itself – and create what Romero calls a “vicious cycle” of campaigns failing to engage youth voters because they believe it’s not worth it.

From left, candidates Tony Thurmond, Chad Bianco, Tom Steyer, Steve Hilton, Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, Matt Mahan and Antonio Villaraigosa stand on stage for the CBS California Gubernatorial Debate at Bridges Auditorium on the campus of Pomona College in Claremont on April 28, 2026. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

When they do focus on young voters, candidates primarily target college campuses, usually skewing towards four-year university students, which means non-college goers, low-income voters and people of color are less likely to receive their outreach, according to Romero.

“The political and social context in which young people have come of age has made them not see government as a helpful thing that they have a say in, but rather a government that is not as responsive, gridlocked, and about spewing hate and not serving,” Romero said. “Generally speaking, young people don’t have a lot of positive to look to. They’ve seen only negative.”

Young people also may be more skeptical after seeing such negativity, whereas older generations have memories of a more civil past, giving them the perspective of a government that could function in a non-partisan way.

“Young people are tapped in politically, that’s undeniable,” said Christopher Smith, a student at Evergreen Valley College who attended a Steyer event. “Anybody who claims that is not true is not listening to young people enough.”

Romero suggested that the competitiveness of the race could push more young people to vote, but the turnout would still be unrepresentative of the actual youth population. In the UC Berkeley IGS Poll, 56% of respondents across all age, race and party demographics said that a low youth turnout was a “major concern” for a representative democracy in California.

The UC Berkeley IGS poll also showed that 48% of young voters who said they were unlikely to vote said access to an “unbiased and trusted source of election news” would increase their chances of voting. A quarter of them said more convenient voting would also increase that likelihood.

Andrew Luong, a De Anza College student at the Steyer rally, said he feels that it’s partially on young people to educate themselves and vote. “In the governor’s race, I know young people care about it, but don’t care to learn more about it,” he said.

Among young Democrats, De La Rosa said she has seen youth voter engagement increase “significantly.” She recalled how when she was president of California College Democrats in 2020, phone banking events would turn out about 20 people. Now, in a phone banking event for Becerra, 60 people came.

First: Students fill out ballots at a vote center at Fresno City College on March 5, 2024. Last: Students drop off their ballots at the Price Center at UC San Diego on Nov. 4, 2025. Photos by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local, and Ariana Drehsler for CalMatters

Young progressive leaders say some youth are looking for a candidate to stand up to Trump.

“In a time where young people have been at the forefront of the attacks from the Trump administration, having someone who’s been there and has already gone up to bat to fight the Trump administration is really, really important,” Guerrero said.

Where candidates stand on Gaza, affordability

In April, Steyer made his first stop of “A California You Can Afford” bus tour a few blocks away from San Jose State University, where he made his progressive bid to a majority middle-aged crowd.

A handful of people who appeared below 30 years old were present. That’s not to say young people don’t support him – a Democratic Party poll conducted May 14 through 16 shows he and Becerra both garnered the support of 23% of respondents aged 18 to 34. Meanwhile, 17% of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they still were undecided.

CalMatters spoke to college students at the bus tour, many of whom said that the genocide in Gaza was a moral touchpoint for them.

Nair attended the event to learn more about Steyer. She said that she’s still unsure of who to vote for.

“The fact that he wasn’t willing to take a solid stance on the Gaza question, that was more than enough for me,” Nair said. “I do hold my politicians to a higher standard than some do, and that was enough for me to not feel convinced.”

Smith said that young voters especially care whether a candidate believes Israel has committed genocide.

In exclusive video interviews with CalMatters, eight candidates currently in the race were asked whether they considered Israel’s actions in the war in Gaza a genocide. None of the candidates went that far. Porter and Becerra criticized Netanyahu’s actions, while Hilton simply responded “no.”

In these interviews, CalMatters also asked candidates what is the single biggest thing they would do to make life more affordable in California. Five of the eight candidates said they would focus on combatting high housing costs, primarily with plans to make it easier to build. Hilton and Villaraigosa said they would first bring down the price of gas, while Bianco said overregulation was California’s primary affordability issue.

When asked about their greatest hope for youth in particular, the most common answer among candidates was making sure California remains a state where people want to settle permanently.

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Kahani Malhotra and Chrissa Olson are contributors with the College Journalism Network, a collaboration between CalMatters and student journalists from across California. CalMatters higher education coverage is supported by a grant from the College Futures Foundation.

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Campaign donations are both a measure of popular support and a sign of which candidates special interests believe they can influence. CalMatters analyzed campaign finance data in the California governor’s race. Here are five takeaways on where the money is coming from and where it’s going.

Outside money is shattering records

It’s a record-breaking election when it comes to spending by corporations and special interest groups trying to influence who becomes the next governor.

Outside groups, which unlike candidates can receive unlimited donations, reported spending $79 million so far — more than double the amount spent through the November 2018 general election when Gavin Newsom won his first term.

Billionaire Tom Steyer is the biggest target: A political spending committee called California Is Not For Sale, funded by the state Realtors association, the California Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Gas & Electric and the state’s electrical workers’ union poured $32 million into ads opposing him.

Steyer has vowed to lower electricity bills by challenging PG&E’s monopoly in much of Northern California. He’s also promised to pursue a ballot measure that would raise revenue for public services by requiring more accurate property tax assessments on business properties, a move that could upend the commercial real estate market.

Some of the same groups spending against Steyer are running ads for Xavier Becerra. Those groups — along with organizations representing doctors, contractors and several labor unions — have spent $13 million through PACs to boost Becerra.

Chevron, McDonald’s, dialysis giant DaVita and one of the state’s largest oil drillers, California Resources Corp., are funding one of the largest pro-Becerra groups, with each of them contributing $500,000. Meta and AirBnB chipped in about $1 million each and health insurance corporation Centene, which runs California-based HealthNet, put in $100,000.

Steyer is reveling in the spending against him, pointing to it as proof he’d stand up to utilities and big business. A climate activist, Steyer has highlighted Becerra’s support from Chevron.

The progressive unions California Nurses Association and United Domestic Workers have spent a comparatively modest $1.4 million on mailers and digital media boosting Steyer. Outside groups have also spent $1.8 million opposing Republican frontrunner Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host and British political strategist.

Mahan fizzles out

The second-highest outside spending went to boost Mahan, the San Jose mayor and moderate Democrat who entered the race late to much fanfare from Silicon Valley.

California’s tech billionaires urged Mahan to run and backed him with millions in donations and two independent spending committees. They were enamored with his platform of government efficiency and opposition to new taxes — positions that would shield them from the Legislature’s push to regulate tech and raise taxes on the wealthy.

Donors included venture capitalists Michael Moritz and Brian Singerman, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, Intuit founder Scott Cook, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Los Angeles developer and former mayoral candidate Rick Caruso.

The committees spent nearly $22 million on ads supporting Mahan, significantly more than the $9 million his campaign has spent. But the money wasn’t enough to overcome his significant disadvantage in name recognition as the first-term mayor of a city that doesn’t get much attention. Strategists told the committees’ backers they needed at least $45 million to make a difference.

One of the PACs, California Back to Basics, last week returned $1 million from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings; Hastings cryptically posted on X that he hadn’t asked for the money back. The refund was an acknowledgement that the committee hadn’t succeeded in raking in a final $10 to $15 million the billionaire backers hoped to raise in the last weeks of the campaign, committee spokesperson Matt Rodriguez said.

Steyer spending breaking its own records

Yet despite his opponents’ deep-pocketed donors, no one has matched the $213 million Steyer has spent on his own campaign, allowing him to blanket the airwaves with ads, pay influencers to post videos with him and send billboard trucks to drive around gas stations highlighting Becerra’s Chevron support.

That makes his the most expensive primary campaign in California gubernatorial history, exceeding that of former eBay executive Meg Whitman, a Republican who spent about $94 million in the June 2010 primary — about $142 million in today’s dollars — spending tens of millions more before losing to Jerry Brown in the general election.

Swalwell donors flocked to Becerra

DaVita, the California Medical Association and the California Professional Firefighters Association all supported former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s gubernatorial bid before he dropped out over sexual assault allegations.

They were among the biggest Swalwell backers to quickly switch to Becerra, who has enjoyed surging support from social media and the Democratic establishment.

Small donors made a similar leap. The CalMatters analysis found that after Swalwell dropped out, more than 500 of his campaign donors went on to contribute to Becerra’s campaign. No other candidate received that much support from former Swalwell donors.

Swalwell, who has also since resigned from Congress, continues to use his gubernatorial campaign to pay more than $313,000 to attorney Sara Azari, who is defending him against the allegations. He has also refunded about $250,000 to nearly 50 donors.

Republican Steve Hilton had the most donors

The Republican frontrunner amassed the highest number of campaign donors in the race: more than 20,000. Nearly a quarter of them live outside California.

The former Fox News host seeks to slash state environmental regulations, build housing on undeveloped suburban land and cut income taxes for the middle class. He received a slight uptick in donations after President Donald Trump endorsed him on April 6.

Katie Porter, the Democratic former congressmember from Orange County and consumer protection attorney, had the second-highest number of donors, with more than 15,000.

She also has the highest share of donors outside California, reflecting her relative national fame from her headline-grabbing time grilling corporate CEOs in Congress.

But fundraising stalled for the onetime progressive darling, who touts her reliance on grassroots donors and refusal to take corporate contributions. From April 18 through May 19 she brought in less money than Mahan.

Betty Jean McKinnon, an enrolled member of the Karuk Tribe, was born on December 8, 1946, in Los Angeles to Trella Aubrey and Loren Offield. She passed away on May 21, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family and community.

Although born in Los Angeles, Betty was raised along the Klamath River, where she built lifelong roots and connections. She remained a lifelong resident of the Klamath River region and spent much of her adult life between Yreka and Happy Camp, creating memories and friendships everywhere she went.

Betty was a deeply caring person who loved to laugh, joke around, and enjoy life with the people around her. She was often surrounded by family and friends who shared her love for being silly, teasing one another, and simply having fun together. Betty had a long life filled with stories, memories, and laughter. She loved playing dice and solitaire and was someone who truly enjoyed the little moments in life.

Betty entered marriage at the young age of 16 when she married Carl Steel. During that marriage, she quickly stepped into the role of stepmother to seven children before the marriage later ended in divorce. After welcoming her children, Ricky and Carla, Betty later married Duane McKinnon in the early 1980s and continued building a life centered around family, resilience, and love. Through her marriage to Duane, she became a loving stepmother to Velda McKinnon, Deanna McKinnon, Juliet McKinnon Maestas, Dawone McKinnon, Connie McKinnon, Lare “Toss” McKinnon, and Valerie and Frank Richards.

Betty was a tremendous woman who faced many hardships and obstacles throughout her life, yet she always came out stronger and more resilient. She never let her struggles define her or bring her down. Through every challenge, Betty carried herself with strength, humor, and determination, continuing to care for those around her no matter what life handed her.

She was a woman who could be both outspoken and quietly observant. Known as a woman of few words until she decided she had something to say, Betty never held back from speaking her mind. Her honesty, humor, and strong personality made her unforgettable to those who knew her. Beneath that tough honesty was one of the kindest and most generous hearts. If Betty had something and someone needed it, she would give it without hesitation.

In her younger years, Betty worked as a roller-skate waitress at a root beer shop and later at a train diner, jobs that matched her lively spirit and gave her many stories to share over the years. She loved yard sales, thrift shopping, and shopping until she dropped. Betty enjoyed listening to rock and roll music and loved to dance. She had a way of amusing herself and everyone around her with her personality and humor.

Family meant everything to Betty. She was proud of her family and loved watching the younger generations grow. She was especially known in her younger years for making enchiladas that family still remembers fondly today. Betty was also a wonderful sister who was deeply cherished by her family. Though life dealt her a difficult hand at times, she continued moving forward with resilience and heart. Her family takes comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering and is finally at peace.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Duane McKinnon; her mother, Trella Aubrey; her father, Loren Offield; her brother, Loren Offield Jr.; her daughter, Carla Smart; her stepson, Dawone McKinnon; her nephew, Nakima Frye; great nephew Anthony Gillespie; her niece, Tessa Donahue; and many beloved cousins and relatives.

She is survived by her son, Ricky Offield (Cecilia Arwood); her stepchildren, Connie McKinnon, Lare “Toss” McKinnon, and Juliet McKinnon; her sisters, Bessie Munson, Shirley Clark, and Donna Smith; and her loving nieces and nephews Talonna Marshall (Whits Marshall), Sonia Donahue, Shalayna Offield, Stephanie Sorrenson, Kelly Burns, and Loren “TwoFeathers” Offield.

She also leaves behind many great-nieces and great-nephews whom she loved deeply and was proud of, including April Gillespie, Nicholas Gillespie, Lydia Nulph-Abbott, Lucas Burns, Cassie Burns, Panther Risling, Trella Gillespie, Gladys Dunn, Juni Black, Unchnanna Thom, Helen Thom, Jack Thom III, Yaa-Mitch Jackson, Ashley Donahue, Qosos Drake, Xatimniim Drake, Wallace Marshall, Ishyuux Marshall, Iim’nih Marshall, Ikchaxvaan Marshall, Vanessa Offield, Michael Offield, Marcus Offield, Dakota Offield, Chase Offield, Ketnu Offield, Lennox Offield, Leilanie Dalizon, Nathan Dalizon, Nicholas Dalizon, as well as numerous cousins, extended family members, and friends who will miss her dearly.

Betty’s strength, honesty, humor, kindness, and generosity will never be forgotten. Her memory will live on through the stories shared by family, the music that reminds people of her, and the love she gave so freely throughout her life.

Funeral services for Betty Jean McKinnon were held on May 24, 2026, with graveside services at Aubrey Ranch followed by a potluck meal at the Orleans Department of Natural Resources.

Evelyn passed away May 22 at Redwood Memorial with her family by her side.

She was born and raised in Fortuna on Carson Woods Road. She graduated from Fortuna High. Her brother Andy introduced her to his friend Chuck Ogle. They fell in love, and were married on June 6, 1952. The built their home on the family property on Carson Woods Road. Chuck and Evelyn enjoyed camping, spending time with family and friends, and being involved in their church. Chuck retired from Pacific Lumber, only to pass away several years later at 69 of cancer. Evelyn’s faith and positive spirit kept her going.

She continued serving in her church, assisting in the senior lunch program, & visiting with her cronies at L’s kitchen. In 2025 she moved to Fortuna Rehab and Wellness as she was on oxygen full time. She loved the residents and workers. Her favorite activities were the dice game, bingo, and the balloon game. She loved to win at Bingo, but then would donate the prizes back for some else to enjoy.

Knowing her time was short she made these requests:

• A celebration of life with her church family and loved ones.
• Mike Gibbs to sing her favorite songs, “Victory in Jesus,” and “When I Get to Heaven”
• To be buried along side her beloved husband, Chuck.

In her 97 years of life she had a lot to be thankful for:

Craig and Tammy Hall (Calvary Chapel) and her church family

• Her dearest friends Rita Hefley and Doug Smith (Cowboy)
• Fannette Downie for her care
• L’s kitchen and gang for all the good food and laughter you all added to her life
• Risa, her granddaughter who traveled to see her over the years, and made special memories together
• Fortuna Rehab & Wellness for their loving care and fun times together!

We, Dennis & Doris Miller, her niece and nephew are writing this. We have felt so blessed to have her as our auntie, and neighbor on Carson Woods road. We hope to carry on with her positive spirit, joy and laughter, and most of all a little spunk! We are going to miss your rocky road candy, no one could make it like you! We cannot wait to see you in Heaven, our sweet auntie!

Please join us for Evelyn’s celebration of Life:

Date: Saturday , June 13th
Location: Calvary Chapel, 914 9th Street, Fortuna
Time: 2 p.m.

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

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People from all walks of life gathered at St. Vincent de Paul’s Third Street dining facility in Eureka today for the unveiling of the city’s newest — and perhaps cutest — mural, “Share the Bounty,” a whimsical scene of woodland critters enjoying tasty foods by local artists Blake Reagan and Christopher Dmise. 

The mural, which received grant funding from the Eureka Cultural Arts District, was inspired by the folks who frequent the St. Vinny’s dining hall during Free Meal and features some of their favorite meals, including spare ribs and macaroni and cheese.

“They wanted a bunch of animals eating at the table, sharing food and the bounty, and so we wanted to capture that in the mural,” Reagan said. “I think there’s food all around us, but I think there’s also hunger all around us, and I think it’s easy for us to avoid these situations just by opening your heart and giving a little to people in need.”

The big mural reveal coincided with Unity Day, Uplift Eureka’s community resource fair. The monthly pop-up features local organizations and volunteer groups that work with the city’s unhoused community, but Siena Parish, Uplift Eureka’s outreach coordinator, emphasized that Unity Day is for the entire community. 

Parish

“Unity Day is just a chance for community members to come down [to the dining hall] and really just experience our community here, connect with nonprofits, connect with folks who care and really put our best foot forward. Community works as well as how we treat those who need it most,” Parish said. “To be able to do this at St. Vincent de Paul’s is such an honor. … This is an absolute dream come true.”

“And I will say, I’m happy the mac ‘n’ cheese is on the wall,” she added, referring, of course, to the painted pile of cheesy goodness beneath the window.

Recognize that blue bowl? Hannah Ozanian, Uplift Eureka’s social services coordinator, said it’s a tribute to the late ceramicist Mark Campbell, who used to coordinate the local Empty Bowls fundraiser for St. Vincent de Paul and the Jefferson Community Center.

“We’re grateful to be able to show off this new piece of work that’s brightening up our street and community,” Ozanian added. “This is an important part of town that has sheltered many people for many decades, and this art is representative of our group’s tie to art, community, culture and this bigger idea of beautification throughout Eureka.”

The mural is a part of the You Found It! Festival, a two-month arts festival produced by the Eureka Cultural Arts District. Keep scrolling for more photos!

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Note: This story has been updated with the correct spelling of Father Mike Cloney’s name. The Outpost regrets the error.

Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:

Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) crews responded to a first-alarm structure fire near the 3500 Block of M Street in Eureka shortly after 5:15 am this morning.

Upon arrival, the first arriving unit encountered heavy fire conditions with approximately 40% of the single-family home fully involved. Crews initiated a quick transitional fire attack, rapidly knocking down the bulk of the fire before transitioning to an interior offensive operation. Interior crews conducted a primary search of the structure and achieved a primary and secondary all clear, confirming no occupants were inside. The Incident Commander confirmed through Eureka Police and Fire Dispatch that the homeowner was safely located elsewhere.

Following the fire extinguishment, crews faced challenging conditions due to extensive hoarding inside the residence and conducted a labor-intensive overhaul operation. PG&E responded promptly to the scene and removed the electrical meter, enhancing safety for fire personnel. City Ambulance provided standby medical support throughout the incident. No injuries to firefighters or civilians were reported.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank our dispatchers, PG&E, and City Ambulance for their assistance during this challenging early morning fire. Their quick and professional support helped ensure a safe and effective operation.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Humboldt Bay Fire reminds residents to maintain clear access for emergency personnel around their homes. Keeping ornamental vegetation, personal belongings, and pathways clear can help prevent delays during emergencies and reduce fire risk.