On August 9, 2022, at approximately 1505 hours, a white Chevrolet pickup truck driven by Sherrie Keener was traveling southbound on US-101 north of SR-271. A white/blue Hino Box Truck, driven by Phoebe Paiva, was stopped off the west road edge facing east, preparing to enter southbound US-101 south of the Chevrolet. Sherrie Keener drove the Chevrolet from the southbound lane of US-101 over the solid white edge line onto the shoulder of US-101 striking the left side of the Hino Box Truck. Both vehicles came to rest off the west shoulder of US-101. Pavia sustained no injuries from the crash. Sherrie Keener sustained major injuries and was transported to St. Joseph Hospital for medical care. Both juvenile passengers sustained major injuries and were transported to St. Joseph Hospital for medical care. Michael Keener sustained moderate injuries and was treated at the scene. Sherrie Keener placed under arrest and then released to the hospital due to her injuries.
The California Highway Patrol would like to thank Garberville Fire Protection District, Cal Fire, and City Ambulance for their response and assistance. The crash remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol – Garberville Area.
Sherrie Keener is being charged with 23153(f) CVC – Felony DUI of drugs resulting in injuries to another person.
Dalet Access Labs center of operations at the Fairhaven Fire Station | Images submitted by the Humboldt County Office of Education
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The tiny, unincorporated area of Fairhaven recently became one of the coolest places to live in Humboldt, after the community was provided with access to free high-speed internet as a part of a statewide competition designed to help improve broadband connectivity throughout California.
The project – a partnership between Bay Area company Dalet Access Labs, the Humboldt County Department of Education (HCOE) and the Samoa Peninsula Fire District – was completed as a part of the California Digital Divide Innovation Challenge, a competition with a $1 million prize launched by the California Department of Education (CDE) in 2021 to help bridge the state’s digital divide, especially among students and families that were impacted by the switch to digital learning during COVID.
The CDE challenge required that participants work with students experiencing a lack of connectivity, either due to barriers of affordability or infrastructure. According to a press release from the Humboldt County Office of Education, Fairhaven was selected to participate because the area has not consistently had internet service available and many children in the community were not able to participate in distance learning during COVID.
“We wanted to create a solution that could become a model for the rest of rural California and the world,” Colby Smart, assistant superintendent of HCOE, said in a press release. “We created what’s called a ‘low latency mesh network’ that addresses two issues in Humboldt County: The high cost of broadband internet and the availability of broadband internet.”
One of the antenna nodes
Odion Edehomon, founder and CEO of Dalet Access Labs, said that the internet service went live on July 1 and offers all the residents of Fairhaven internet with impressive speeds of up to 600 or 700 mbps. Edehomon added that the network operates completely on solar power, which charges batteries that can keep the power running 24/7.
“The network is very transformational,” Edemon told the Outpost in a recent phone interview. “We built it as a critical infrastructure – meaning if all else fails, if PG&E decides, you know they are going to turn the power off over the next 20 years, the network will be the only thing that works, because we built it as an off-grid network.”
The Samoa Fire District’s Fairhaven station was selected as the base of operations because of its proximity to the homes in Fairhaven. From the fire station the network signal is sent out to five antenna nodes installed on the roofs of houses scattered throughout the community, providing service to the 78 homes in Fairhaven.
One of the biggest challenges, Odion said, was figuring out where to install the nodes. Because Fairhaven is located in the coastal zone, permitting for new infrastructure can be a very complicated process, sometimes taking years to allow for new infrastructure. Because this project needed to be completed within the allotted time frame for the CDE challenge, Edehomon said the company decided to work with homeowners to install the nodes on their houses, rather than installing new poles in the ground. This allowed the company to avoid the lengthy permitting process. Not too surprisingly, the homeowners were amenable to the idea. Who wouldn’t be, if it would get you superfast internet for free?
At this point, you might be feeling pretty jealous of the residents of Fairhaven. Internet service is known to be pretty unreliable in many parts of Humboldt and you’re probably wondering, where the heck is my superfast internet that operates off the grid?
Map showing the service area in Fairhaven. The red dot is the fire station and the blue dots represent the antenna nodes
Well, not to worry. Edehomon has big plans to expand service throughout Humboldt County in the coming months and years. The company is already in the process of expanding its infrastructure to Samoa, which should come online by next month, Edehomon said. After that, the service can expand to Manila, then Eureka, Arcata, McKinleyville and beyond. Edehomon said the Dalet Access also plans to offer service to all the local Tribal Nations.
As Dalet Access Labs expands its infrastructure to more areas, Edehomon said, those using its internet service will also have access to open roaming. This means that your high-speed internet connection will travel with you, similarly to cell phone service, and you can use your network on your devices anywhere that has the infrastructure in place. No longer would you need to buy a cup of coffee to use the WiFi at a cafe.
Of course, the service will not be free for everyone. Fairhaven is receiving free service as a part of the CDE challenge, which will be over at the end of August. But Edehomon said that the high-speed service is very affordable and people can expect to pay $80 monthly for the same speed Suddenlink would charge $120 for. For the community of Fairhaven, Edehomon said that CDE is planning to subsidize the cost of service, so that it can continue to be affordable for Fairhaven residents after the challenge is over.
As far as the CDE challenge goes, the winner will be announced at the end of this month and Edehomon feels very confident that this project – which far exceeded the minimum criteria – will win. Edehomon said that his company didn’t just enter this competition to win $1 million, but also to help bridge the digital divide and ensure that rural and underserved communities have access to the technology they need to thrive in the modern world.
“A country like us, as wealthy as we are, the state of our infrastructure is very poor,” Edehomon told the Outpost. “So when you go into communities like Fairhaven, mostly underserved communities all over this country – they are always the last to get any good technology. So for us, we’re doing it the other way around. We prefer the bottom up approach. Why don’t you take this good technology to those that need it most?”
Photos of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex from Inciweb.
Approximately 703 residences and 100 commercial buildings in Humboldt County are currently threatened by the Six Rivers Lightning Complex — a group of six lightning fires covering 10,781 acres to the north and south of Highway 299 near Willow Creek.
Amanda Munsey, spokesperson for the fire’s incident management team (Incident Management Team 11), told the Outpost this afternoon that the fire remains 0 percent contained. However, firefighters anticipate some level of containment in the coming days.
“[Firefighters] are optimistic that they should get containment on the map soon,” Munsey said.
A map of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex. | Inciweb
Incident Management Team 11, comprised of the U.S. Forest Service and Calfire, stated in its daily fire update that the complex is actively threatening communities along the Trinity River.
“Primary areas of focus are the communities along the 299 corridor, Waterman Ridge, Friday Ridge Road, and Ammon Ridge,” Incident Management Team 11 stated. “Evacuations continue around Willow Creek, Friday Ridge, Salyer and Trinity Village. Additional fire growth could impact communities and residences along Route 1.”
The growth of the Bremer Fire north of Willow Creek.
Approximately 1,245 firefighters are currently assigned to the complex, and are carrying out individual strategies to contain each of the six fires.
On the Bremer Fire, burning directly north of Willow Creek and east of the Trinity River, firefighters are working to develop control lines and protect a threatened cell tower that provides communication services to the Willow Creek area.
Firefighters forecast that winds will push the Bremer Fire — and the Waterman fire burning northeast of Willow Creek — toward residences in Salyer Heights, Willow Creek and Trinity Center.
Firefighters anticipate that the largest fire growth will occur to the west and south of the Oak, Ammon and Charlie Fires burning well south of Highway 299 and west of the Trinity River.
Growth of the Campbell Fire burning southwest of Willow creek.
On the Campbell and Ammon Fires, firefighters are working to complete dozer lines to halt the anticipated growth. Fire retardant has also been dropped in the Ammon Ridge are in an effort to keep the fire north of Ammon Ridge, south of Waterman Road, east of the FS-1 road and west of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest boundary.
“Most of the smoke production has been coming from [the Ammon Fire],” the Incident Management Team stated. “Areas south of this fire are hot and dry. Yesterday firefighters saw increased fire activity when good clean air from southwest winds presented. This area is not expected to be as active today.”
Growth of the Ammon Fire burning south of Willow Creek, parallel to Humboldt Bay.
Warmer, drier weather and up-canyon winds are expected to create more hazardous fire conditions in the Quimby Creek area. Fire conditions in the fire’s northern zone, meanwhile, are expected to be less severe due to higher humidity levels.
“Overnight, hard work by firefighters, in combination with high humidity, kept fire growth to a minimum,” the Incident Management Team stated. “Higher humidity is expected today on the northern end of the fire and there is not a lot of anticipated movement today.”
Today’s smoke conditions. | U.S. Air Quality Index
According to the U.S. Air Quality Index, today’s air quality is “hazardous” to “very unhealthy” in the Burnt Ranch and Hyampom areas. Conditions are also “unhealthy” in Willow Creek. The air quality in Hoopa and Coastal Humboldt remains “good.”
An evacuation shelter has been set up at Trinity Valley Elementary School at 730 Highway 96 in Willow Creek. A shelter for evacuated animals is also available at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds at 1767 Pine Creek Road in Hoopa.
No structures are reported to have been destroyed in Humboldt County at this time. The number of threatened and destroyed structures in Trinity County is unknown.
The Six Rivers Lightning Complex at sunset. | Inciweb
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On August 8, 2022, at about 10:14 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 3800 block of Little Fairfield Street, in the county’s jurisdiction of Eureka, for the report of an assault.
Deputies arrived in the area and located a 74-year-old male victim with serious injuries. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment. While investigating this incident, deputies received information regarding three additional assaults involving a suspect with a similar description occurring between the incident location and the 600 block of West Harris Street. During one of these assaults, the suspect reportedly physically attacked a patron of a nearby business, then fled with the victim’s groceries. All four of these assaults are believed to have been unprovoked instances of violence.
Deputies searched the surrounding areas and located the suspect, 24-year-old Dylan James Roberts, walking in the area of Burrill and Hiller Streets. Roberts was taken into custody without incident.
Roberts was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of robbery (PC 211), assault (PC 240) and battery (PC 242).
Later that day, while in custody at the Correctional Facility, Roberts physically attacked a cell mate and vandalized a cell. He was booked on additional charges of assault (PC 240), battery (PC 242) and damage to a jail (PC 4600).
This case is still under investigation and additional charges may be requested as this investigation progresses. If you witnessed or were a victim of any of these assaults, please contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, reference case number 202204073.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On August 9, 2022, at about 4:10 p.m. Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a business on the 1600 block of Central Avenue in McKinleyville for the report of a possible arson.
According to the reporting party, a female suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Amber Robina Adams, was observed setting a small fire outside the building. The fire reportedly quickly went out and did not cause substantial damage to the business.
While investigating, deputies received information that Adams was at a business nearby. Deputies located Adams and took her into custody without incident.
Adams was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of arson (PC 451(b)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)).
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.
Conceptual image showing Nordic Aquafarms’ planned facilities on the Samoa Peninsula. | Image via County of Humboldt.
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Last week, the Humboldt County Planning Commission unanimously voted to certify the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and issue a coastal development permit to Nordic Aquafarms California, LLC, a subsidiary of Norway-based Nordic Aquafarms, which intends to build a 766,530-square-foot recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility on the Samoa Peninsula.
After the decision, we reached out to a number of leaders of local environmental organizations who have criticized the project to ask for their responses. To a person, they deferred commenting until after meeting yesterday morning to discuss the matter. Yesterday evening they emailed a joint media statement, which we’ve published below.
Asked if they plan to appeal the Planning Commission’s decision to the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jennifer Kalt replied via email, “We’re still contemplating that question.”
Below is the media statement, which was sent on behalf of Humboldt Baykeeper, Northcoast Environmental Center, Coalition for Responsible
Transportation Priorities, 350 Humboldt and the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC):
On Thursday August 4th, the Humboldt County Planning Commision approved a conditional
permit for the proposed Nordic Aquafarms project and certified the project’s Environmental
Impact Report (EIR).
Our organizations—Humboldt Baykeeper, Northcoast Environmental Center, Coalition for
Responsible Transportation Priorities, 350 Humboldt, and EPIC—have engaged with the
proposed Nordic Aquafarms from its inception. The project, unprecedented in size and design,
has rightfully drawn critical attention.
While the project has the potential to negatively impact the environment, our organizations have
not opposed it because redevelopment of the existing site would require remediation of a
contaminated former pulp mill site, which we see as beneficial to the community and the
environment. Instead, our organizations have focused our efforts on working with Nordic to
improve the project by reducing the impacts.
Our engagement with the project over the past
three years has led to some improvements, including:
Commitments to purchase renewable
energy for the project;
More monitoring of ocean waters near the effluent discharge;
Employee commute programs to help reduce the greenhouse gas impact of 100+ employees
driving single-occupancy vehicles to the site.
Although we were successful in getting these improvements, there remain significant
unresolved issues that we intend to continue to address, including greenhouse gas emissions
related to fish feed, increased truck traffic and associated safety, coastal access and tailpipe
emissions impacts, and the impacts to the aquatic environment from the bay intake and ocean
discharge.
Our organizations will continue to exhaust all opportunities to improve the project
through the Coastal Commission and the Regional Water Quality Control Board, as well as
seeking voluntary improvements to the project with Nordic.
The recent reorganization of company leadership and the fact that Nordic California LLC has
split from its parent company, coupled with the fact that Nordic CEO Bernt-Olav Rottingsnes
was quoted in July 2022 saying, “I think it is fair to say the banks still think it is too early to lend
to land-based fish farming,” make us increasingly skeptical of Nordic’s financial ability to pull off
a project of this magnitude.
Although Nordic claims that this technology is tested, they have yet
to embark on a project of this size. Nevertheless, our organizations will continue to push for
improvements and resolutions to the outstanding issues as long as the project continues to
move forward.
An Arcata man was sentenced this morning to 13 years in state prison for stabbing and attempting to kill a homeless man who was asleep on an Old Town street.
Judge Kelly Neel handed Tory Tasi Parker Mamea the maximum term of nine years for the attempted murder of Timothy Edward Hansen. Mamea received an additional three years for causing great bodily injury and one more year for using a knife.
Jury selection for Mamea’s trial had begun when he accepted an offer to plead guilty, with the benefit being that the prosecution was no longer calling the attack premeditated. In California premeditated attempted murder carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Mamea stabbed Hansen multiple times on Sept. 24, 2020. He died later, but from other causes.
Judge Neel reprimanded Mamea today for his crime, questioning his motive and asking whether he had thought about the impact on his own family. Seven people supporting Mamea were in the courtroom audience. One of them was holding a baby girl.
Neel also pointed out Hansen was already in terrible circumstances, living on the street.
“How much worse can it get?” she asked.
As part of his agreement with the prosecution, the 29-year-old Mamea agreed to give up all credit for the two-plus years spent in Humboldt County Correctional Facility.
When Mamea was arrested about six weeks after the stabbing, Eureka police said they had conducted an extensive investigation, relying on video surveillance and witness statements, to identify the suspect.
Just eight days before he stabbed Hansen, Mamea was arrested for suspected drunken driving, his second arrest for that offense. And four months before the stabbing, Mamea was charged with misdemeanor battery on a spouse or cohabitant.
Deputy District Attorney Trent Timm handled the case for his office, with Deputy Public Defender Casey Russo representing Mamea.
