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Mark your calendars, Ferndale! Caltrans officials are hosting a community meeting on Thursday, March 26 to discuss next steps for repairing — or possibly replacing — your beloved Fernbridge. 

The 115-year-old bridge, nicknamed the the “Queen of Bridges” by the engineers who built her, sustained major structural damage during the 6.4 magnitude earthquake and numerous aftershocks that struck the region in December 2022 and January 2023, prompting numerous short-term closures. Caltrans completed emergency repairs in March 2023 to keep Route 211 open to two-way traffic, but a long-term solution is sorely needed.

Caltrans engineers have come up with several potential solutions to either rehabilitate Fernbridge or build a brand-new bridge. Some alternatives include demolition, which seems to be the least favorable option, according to LoCO Pollz. Let’s take a look at what Caltrans is proposing…

Alternative 1: Rehabilitate the existing bridge at its current width for all traffic. This approach would keep Fernbridge’s iconic arches and superstructure (everything above the bridge bearings) intact, though new railing may be considered in the new design.

Alternative 2: Rehabilitate and widen the existing bridge for all traffic. This alternative would widen each lane from 11.3 feet to 12 feet and add eight-foot shoulders to the bridge. “This option would attempt to preserve the architectural appearance and identity of the structure as much as possible,” as stated in the Notice of Preparation.

Under both alternatives, a temporary bridge would be constructed to accommodate traffic in and out of Ferndale. These alternatives would also require the use of both upstream and downstream trestles during construction, as seen in the figure above.

Alternative 3: Construct a new bridge on a new alignment and rehabilitate Fernbridge for non-motorized use. A new bridge would be built upstream from the existing bridge. The new bridge would have 12-foot lanes, eight-foot shoulders and a pedestrian/bicycle path. This option would not require a detour bridge as Fernbridge would remain open to traffic during construction. 

Alternative 4: Construct a new bridge on a new alignment and rehabilitate Fernbridge for non-motorized use with a modified superstructure. Unlike Alternative 3, this option would replace the superstructure of Fernbridge with a “lighter-weight steel structure or equivalent,” but the bridge would remain intact for non-motorized use.

Under both alternatives, temporary trestles would be built to accommodate construction.

Alternative 5: Construct a new bridge and demolish Fernbridge. The new bridge would have the same dimensions as the last two alternatives, but this option would include “arching design elements reminiscent of Fernbridge” to make up for the loss of the Queen. Again, a detour bridge wouldn’t be necessary in this case because Fernbridge would carry traffic, but an in-water trestle would be built for construction and demolition.

Alternative 6: Construct a new bridge on a new alignment and maintain Fernbridge as a monument. This option is almost exactly the same as Alternative 3, but the existing bridge would not be modified for non-motorized use. 

Alternative 7: Construct a new bridge on the existing alignment of Fernbridge. Under this option, a temporary bridge would be built ahead of demolition. The new bridge would be built in the footprint of Fernbridge with the same design standards mentioned in previous alternatives. Temporary in-water trestles would be built to accommodate construction. 

Alternative 8: No build alternative. Do nothing!

Caltrans engineers will go over the pros and cons of each alternative at the March 26 meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Ferndale City Hall – 834 Main Street in Ferndale. Attendees will have a chance to ask questions and share their two cents on the proposals.

Those interested can submit a formal comment on the Notice of Preparation at this link. The public scoping period ends April 17. More information on the Ferndale Access Project can be found here. 

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Residents of Scotia were under a boil water advisory for six days after turbidity spiked in the water treatment system.

The advisory was lifted Tuesday after operator efforts to flush the system resulted in tests coming back within regulatory limits — but structural problems with old water infrastructure remain.

The state water board is pushing for the district to get funding for infrastructure replacement.

The state Water Board, which regulates drinking water, got involved Wednesday when the Scotia Community Services District (SCSD) reported a turbidity of 16 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) measured at the plant. This is about 50 times above the state’s standard of 0.3 or below.

This level of turbidity, a measure of water clarity, “was really high,” said Barry Sutter, Klamath District Engineer for the water board, prompting an immediate response.

Turbidity in drinking water is a concern, he explains, because some parasites like Cryptosporidium are resistant to chlorination and must be physically removed or treated with UV. He noted regulations surrounding turbidity were tightened after the 1993 Milwaukee Cryptosporidiosis outbreak that affected hundreds of thousands of residents and killed 69.

Humboldt County Public Health is not aware of any illnesses associated with Scotia’s water disruption, a spokesperson told the Outpost in an email.

Within the hour, the water board ordered SCSD to issue a boil water advisory to residents in the district. About 680 residents were told to only use boiled  or bottled water for drinking and cooking.

SCSD was also mandated by the state to keep chlorine residual at 2 parts per million while the notice was in effect.

In a community advisory, the SCSD said complaints about cloudy or turbid water had begun two days before the notice was issued. But levels at the plant were within California State mandated levels until Wednesday, March 4, when turbidity spiked, according to SCSD.

As detailed in a SCSD update, work included inspecting parts of the plant, which the district plans to ultimately replace.

“Filter inspection showed they were working properly. The next step was to drain and clean the sediment settling tank. Our third action was to adjust the treatment processes. As a result, the turbidity level at the Water Treatment plant dropped significantly to California State mandated requirement,” a March 6 update noted.

The issue causing the turbidity was under control by the next day, but due to concern that turbid water was still in the system, operators needed to flush it multiple times, according to Sutter, causing the week-long notice.

Now, the District is reporting to the water board that turbidity is meeting the performance standard below 0.3 (NTU). Tests came back within regulatory levels and the water board lifted the order Tuesday.

Scotia Community Services District believes the cause of the turbidity spike was a filter issue, according to the state water board. Scotia Community Services District staff did not want to comment on specifics at this time.

“The notice has been lifted and the problem has been corrected,” said Steve Coppini, General Manager of SCSD, when asked for comment.

Sutter said old infrastructure failing is nothing new for rural, disadvantaged communities in northern California.

“The filters are so old, they don’t have a lot of the features that new filters have,” said Sutter.

SCSD’s website notes some of the system components were built and installed as early as the 1930s.

Scotia’s water system is considered “failing” by the State Water Board’s Safe and Affordable Funding for Equity and Resilience Drinking Water program. According to Blair Robertson, a spokesperson for the Water Board, the system was designated as failing once the Boil Water Notice was issued.

“A system is considered ‘failing’ when it has an unresolved treatment technique issue, such as relying on unreliable filtration or having an open violation in the State database,” wrote Robertson in an email to the Outpost. 

The water board aims to keep Scotia on the “failing” list for the time being, he said.

“That designation is primarily used to prioritize funding projects – in this case, to replace the old filters with new filters meeting our current standards. The water can otherwise be used normally by the public now that the boil water notice has been lifted,” he said.

Overall, Sutter pointed out the system is using old technology, and  compared to to trying to keep an old car on the road.

He said the operators are doing great considering what they have. 

“We’ve seen old infrastructure fail before, and it fails dramatically, and that’s what happened in this case. So we don’t have a lot of confidence in the filter system. We’re going to do whatever we can to try to help expedite the project,” said Sutter.

The department can help prioritize this system through the Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance.

The Scotia CSD Water Treatment Facility Replacement Project is an endeavor estimated at 3 million dollars, according to the SCSD website. Sutter said in cases like this, consolidation with other systems like nearby Rio Dell is another option.

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Like many youngsters who grew up playing baseball and watching Humboldt Crabs games each summer, Conor Fitzgerald dreamed of making it to the Major Leagues. Unlike most kids, he did — just not in the way he expected. 

Fitzgerald is a cameraman and filmmaker. Since graduating in 2020 with a film degree from the University of Notre Dame he has shot footage for the NBA on TNT, college football on Fox, college basketball for ESPN and most other major NCAA sports, including baseball, golf and hockey. And for the past four years, he has operated a camera for live broadcasts of A’s games.

“So I guess I made it to the majors as a cameraman instead,” he said during a phone interview this morning. 

Fitzgerald. | LinkedIn.

We reached out to Fitzgerald yesterday after finding an online trailer for his new feature-length documentary, “Lou’s Team: The Story of the Humboldt Crabs” (above). As the title suggests, the film examines the 80-year history of the country’s oldest continuously operated summer collegiate baseball team, based right here in Arcata.

After graduating college during the pandemic, Fitzgerald had time to wrap up production and editing on his first documentary feature, “PLUM: A Baseball Life.” It’s a profile of his friend Bill Plummer, who was Hall of Famer Johnny Bench’s backup on the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s. 

“As I was finishing that one up I told myself, ‘That was a lot of work, to do the whole project and edit and all of this. I might not do another one.’”

But then he realized that the Humboldt Crabs were approaching their 80th birthday, and he couldn’t think of any project that really dug into the team’s early days. So he reached out to some friends on the board of directors and other people he’d known growing up, including former Crabs players. The project really took off after he landed an interview with Yankees bullpen coach and former Major League player Mike Harkey, who was on the 1985 Crabs squad.

“Once I got that interview set I was like, ‘OK, I can build around this.’”

Fitzgerald was born in Eureka but spent most of his childhood in Redding, coming back to Humboldt each summer. His mom worked for the Simpson Timber Company and was friends with several Crabs board members, including volunteer treasurer Mary Ellen Barthman. 

These connections helped Fitzgerald secure a few old photos, programs and other memorabilia. Eventually he was put in touch with Maria Briggs, daughter of Crabs legend Lou Bonomini, the team’s co-founder, longtime manager and eventual namesake of the documentary.

Briggs had the goods.

“She has the whole history of the team that her parents kept: the newspaper clippings all the way back to the ‘40s, all the programs, a lot of a lot of old news file photos, some old archive footage. Without what she gave me [the film] would be a fun little project to do, but it wouldn’t be what it is now,” Fitzgerald said.

With a runtime of just over two hours, the documentary includes interviews with many notable former Crabs, including Bob Milano, who would go on to coach college baseball at Cal; Mark Marquess, the first Crabs alum to make it to the majors and, later, a legendary coaching career at Stanford; and former Santa Clara head coach John Oldham, all of whom have since passed away. [CORRECTION: Oldham, not Marquess, was the first Crab to make it to the majors.] 

“I was able to interview them all at their houses and talk for hours about their time playing for the Crabs and sending their college players to play for the Crabs as well,” Fitzgerald said.

His favorite story in the film is that of Jack Fimple, a local Coast Guardsman who, in 1979, attended an open tryout for the Crabs. He landed a spot on the roster, and his standout play earned him an invitation to play college baseball at Humboldt State University. After just one season as a Lumberjack, Fimple was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 29th round of the 1980 MLB draft. He would go on to play for the L.A. Dodgers and California Angels.

Fitzgerald said stories like Fimple’s could help his documentary appeal to an audience beyond local Crabs fans and other baseball diehards. 

“I think it’s those kind of stories that anyone can look at [as] just a good, fun story,” he said. 

Fitzgerald is currently trying to line up a screening at one of Arcata’s movie theaters in early to mid-June. His hope is to host a Saturday matinee sandwiched between the Arcata Farmer’s Market and an evening Crabs game at Arcata Ball Park. 

He’s nearly done with editing the film but said he’s still open to squeezing in some more footage.

“If there is anyone out there who happens to have footage from 1995 or earlier” — whether that’s home video shot by family members of players or old TV news clips — “if anyone does have any old footage, I’ll still take it,” Fitzgerald said.

He can be reached via the “Contact” button on his website, where you can find historical Crabs photos and more information about “Lou’s Team,” among other projects.

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From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Mar 10 and 11, 2026, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team (MET) served a series of three search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into labor trafficking at a state-licensed cannabis cultivation site. Two warrants were served on remote properties in Bridgeville, and one warrant was served on a remote property in Garberville. The Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Cannabis Control assisted in the service of the warrants.

This investigation began on Feb. 20, 2026, when the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) received a call from the Mexican Consulate. Consulate officials were communicating with a victim who reported they were working on a cannabis cultivation site and had been left stranded alone on the property without food and without payment of owed wages.

HCSO MET initiated an investigation and determined the victim was located on a licensed cannabis cultivation site on a remote property northeast of Bridgeville. Deputies attempted to reach the victim but were unable to make contact due to environmental conditions and significant flooding in the area. Assistance was requested from the HCSO Search and Rescue Swift Water Rescue Team.

On Feb. 25, 2026, HCSO MET, with assistance from the Swift Water Rescue Team and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, were able to navigate the flooding and serve a search warrant on the cultivation site. Deputies located the victim and safely removed them from the property. Following the extraction, the victim was immediately connected with support services and resources through the Northern California Coalition to Safeguard Communities.

During the service of the search warrant, MET deputies observed failing, unsanitary, and inhumane infrastructure related to the living and working conditions on the site. Deputies also observed several regulatory violations related to the licensed cannabis operation. Based on the victim’s statements and the conditions observed on the property, investigators identified indicators consistent with labor trafficking.

Department of Cannabis Control investigators were not made available for the initial contact with the victim or inspection of the licensed premises. As the investigation continued, MET determined the licensee was not following state labor laws or worker requirements.

On Mar. 10, 2026, as part of the ongoing investigation at the Bridgeville properties, deputies located a primary suspect connected to the human trafficking allegations. Georgi Tonev, 45, of Bridgeville, was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for violation of California Penal Code 236.1 - Human Trafficking.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Enforcement Team and its partner agencies remain committed to investigating human trafficking and labor exploitation occurring within both licensed and unlicensed cannabis cultivation operations.

This investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information about this case or other cannabis or human trafficking violations is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Mar. 11, 2026, at approximately 2:50 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a report of an individual inside Babe’s Pizza & Pasta restaurant located at 4015 Walnut Dr. in Cutten.  
 
While deputies were responding to the scene, dispatch advised that the restaurant’s alarm company had also reported an alarm activation at the business. 
 
Upon their arrival, deputies met with the business owner.  After conducting an initial investigation, deputies determined the suspects had fled prior to their arrival. Deputies reviewed video surveillance from inside the restaurant and obtained a physical and clothing description of the two suspects.
 
One deputy conducted a search of the area and located two subjects matching the suspects’ descriptions at Redwood Fields.  When the deputy attempted to contact them, the subjects fled on foot.  A brief foot pursuit ensued, resulting in the apprehension of one 16-year-old male.  The second suspect was not located.  
 
Based on the physical evidence located at the scene, deputies arrested the 16-year-old and transported him to the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall where he was booked for the following charges:

• PC 594(b)(2)-Felony vandalism
• PC 182(a)(1)-Conspiracy to commit crime
• PC 459-Burglary
• PC 487(a)-Grand Theft
• PC 148(a)(1)-Obstruct/resist peace officer
  
  

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

PREVIOUSLY:

• One Person Hospitalized With ‘Life-Threatening’ Injuries Following Yesterday’s Shooting in Hoopa; Suspect Remains At-Large, Says HCSO
• Hoopa Valley Tribe Offers $10K Reward for Information Leading to Arrest of Suspect in Tuesday’s Shooting; Emergency Community Meeting in Council Chambers Tonight
• 15-Year-Old Arrested in Connection With Hoopa Shooting, Sheriff’s Office Says; Two Other Teenage Suspects Still at Large

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Mar. 11, 2026, at approximately 8:20 p.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office took 18- year-old William Randolph-Billy Warren of Hoopa into custody without incident after he was located at a hotel in the 1900 block of 4th St. in Eureka. 

Warren was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked on the following charges:

• PC 664/187 Attempted Murder (5 counts)
• PC 182(a)(1) Conspiracy to commit crime
• PC 12022(c) Armed with firearm during commission of a felony

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

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

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The man in charge of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles finally had to face tough questions Tuesday about what his agency is doing to address an increase in road deaths in recent years.

Though he didn’t provide many answers.

DMV Director Steve Gordon told lawmakers that he didn’t know if his agency had the ability to speed up license suspensions, didn’t know if he could get data for lawmakers on how often the agency takes action against dangerous drivers, and wasn’t familiar with numbers – that his agency provided CalMatters just last week – showing the DMV rarely investigates motorists who get in crashes seriously injuring or killing people.

Gordon did, however, assure lawmakers at various times that the seeming lack of details or direct response to questions was because the DMV’s operations are “complex,” “very inside baseball,” and “extremely nuanced.”

“I can follow up in detail with your office,” he told one senator.

Gordon’s grilling came at a state Senate informational hearing jointly held by the public safety and transportation committees. It appears to be the first such legislative hearing focused on DUIs, traffic laws and roadway fatalities in decades.

Sen. Dave Cortese, a Democrat from San Jose, cited CalMatters’ License to Kill series as the inspiration. The project has found that the state of California – led by the DMV – routinely allows dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue to get behind the wheel, where they go on to kill. The series also revealed that California has some of the nation’s weakest DUI laws and courts across the state failed to report vehicular homicide convictions to the DMV.

Legislators this session have so far introduced a dozen road safety bills aimed at addressing the issues and cracking down on dangerous driving. Tuesday’s hearing was an opportunity to press officials, researchers and advocates on these and other possible solutions. For close to four hours lawmakers talked to road safety and legal experts including a judge, a police chief, a prosecutor, a defense attorney and an advocate with Mothers Against Drunk Driving whose own son was killed.

But the senators saved their most pointed questions for the director of the DMV.

During an extended back-and-forth with Gordon, Cortese repeatedly asked why it was so hard for his staff to get basic data from the DMV as lawmakers weigh new DUI laws. Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat from Van Nuys, wanted to know how drivers with 15 offenses can keep their licenses. Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, questioned why the agency can move quickly on things like road tolls, but “puts up a wall” on potential life-saving measures, such as expanding in-car breathalyzers to block drunk driving.

“The DMV, when they feel it’s important, can act quickly. But then there are these other things that seem to be really stuck in molasses,” Blakespear said.

Gordon has avoided talking about the issue in the nearly year since the series launched, declining repeated interview requests and showing no signs publicly that it’s a top priority. In his first public comments, he often dodged questions and said the DMV’s work involves juggling multiple antiquated technology systems.

Gordon said the agency’s driver safety division was not his first priority when he was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019, but that it has since emerged as an area of focus.

“I’ll admit that wasn’t the first team we attacked, because we were worried about lines and Real ID and a bunch of other things that were occurring,” Gordon said. In the three years since, he said the department has begun to update its processes but that “there’s still much more to do.”

Multiple lawmakers pressed Gordon on specific ways the DMV’s systems fail to hold deadly drivers accountable.

Menjivar, who last month proposed a bill to lengthen suspensions for reckless driving, zeroed in on drivers who “slipped through the cracks” while amassing horrifying histories of reckless driving.

Since state law says the DMV “may conduct an investigation” after a fatal crash, she asked why the department told CalMatters it opened only around 3,300 “negligent operator cases” from 2022 through 2024, when state data shows nearly 55,000 fatal or serious injury crashes. Would it help, she asked, if legislators changed the law to say that the DMV “shall” investigate major crashes?

“It’s not a question of a ‘shall’ or a ‘may,’” Gordon said, adding that he could not recall specific investigation numbers on the spot. “I believe we have the capacity we need to investigate every case that comes to us.”

Sen. Jesse Arreguín, an Oakland Democrat who chairs the Senate Public Safety Committee, focused on the case of Kostas Linardos, who drove a three-ton pickup truck at high speed into the back of a sedan in late 2022 after years of wracking up tickets for speeding and reckless driving.

“The case that was in CalMatters yesterday, you know, a toddler lost their life because we didn’t flag this earlier in the process and this person was allowed to drive,” Arreguín said. “We’re talking about people’s lives. That’s what we’re trying to protect here.”

From left, state. Sens. Dave Cortese and Jesse Arreguín co-chair a joint informational hearing on California’s DUI and traffic safety laws at the Capitol Annex Swing Space in Sacramento on March 10, 2026. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

Gordon told lawmakers that his agency is conducting a review to make sure the unit responsible for driver safety is getting all of the information on drivers that it needs to act from other parts of the agency. However, he offered no details and when approached by a CalMatters reporter as he left the hearing Gordon would only say, “we’re not doing press today,” before exiting the building.

In the hearing room, lawmakers continued to listen to horror stories.

Napa District Attorney Allison Haley recounted a recent case in her office where a driver had 13 DUIs. In another, she recalled, a driver killed two people but served virtually the same amount of time as if he’d killed one. Proposed legislation would address these issues, adding prison time for repeat DUI offenders and drivers who kill multiple victims in a crash.

“This isn’t Costco. We don’t want a system where you can kill one person and kill another person — or more — for free,” Haley said. “And that’s currently the situation that we have.”

Other witnesses at the hearing pushed back on the need for stronger criminal sentencing, focusing instead on ways to redesign roads or encourage more proactive substance abuse treatment. Ramping up jail time or other punishment, they argued, may have disproportionate impacts on first-time offenders or poor defendants.

For Tara Repka Flores, none of this is theoretical. She lived through the horror one day in 2019, when she got a call that Alec — a magnetic 13-year-old athlete, meal prepper and her beloved son — was run down on his way to school in Sutter County. He was hit by another school parent who was driving her own three kids to school drunk.

She urged the assembled senators to do absolutely everything in their power to try to save as many families as possible from a similar fate.

“Ignition interlock? Yes. Stronger sentencing? Yes. Accountability for hit and run drivers? Yes,” she said. “Yes to all of it. Stop other people from getting killed.”