“Chet” Chester James Branum Jr., age 75, passed away suddenly July 28, 2022 in Eureka.

Chet was born to parents Chester and Ophelia Branum, on September 13, 1946 in Berkeley. Graduated from Richmond High School in 1964 where he played varsity football in both his junior and senior years. Chet enlisted to the United States Navy his senior year of high school. He attended Fire Control School in Great Lakes, IL. When he graduated, he received his orders to shore duty in Vietnam. On his return home to San Pablo, Chet was greeted with his green Mustang Fastback. He graduated with his Associates Degree of Science and Electrical Certification from Contra Costa College in 1969. Chet began working at AIRCO Temescal in Berkeley. He went on to become a distributor for Interstate Batteries, which lead him to Eureka, where he retired in 2005.

Chet was the loving husband of 26 years to his wife, Kathi Branum, “the worlds best Dad” to Jennifer and Amy Branum, Amy Schimansky and Grant Sooter. A fun loving grandpa to his four beautiful granddaughters, and a great-grandpa to one great-granddaughter. Always an adoring son, a loyal brother, a caring uncle and special friend. A true blessing to all who knew him.

From an early age Chet created many lifelong friendships and memories. Camping trips on the Navarro River, abalone in Mendocino, deer and duck hunting, and salmon fishing on the Sacramento River. He had a passion for Harleys, fast cars, NASCAR, country music, guns and wood-working. Chet was an active member of his parish and Knights of Columbus. He lived a life to be proud of and lived it to the fullest. Chet was his happiest at home in Bayside with his wife Kathi, their dog “BG” and a cold beer in hand. He was a man filled with many talents, integrity and ever so humble. A true man of honor.

Until we meet again, you will live in our hearts forever.

God. Family. Country.

A memorial mass will be held October 1, 2022 at 9:45 a.m. Rosary 10:00 a.m. Mass at St. Bernard’s Catholic Parish, 615 H Street, Eureka. (Enter on side door between St. Bernard Church and the Parish Hall.) Reception following at the Parish Hall.

In lieu of flowers, you may honor Chet by donating to his favorite charity, Tunnel to Towers, or to St Bernard’s Catholic Parish.

###

The obituary above was submitted by Chet Branum’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Press release from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex management team:

INCIDENT INFORMATION

Unified Command: Six Rivers National Forest, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, Trinity County Sheriff, and Humboldt County Sheriff.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

The Lightning Complex Fire is currently 16,924 acres with 15% containment. 1,810 personnel are assigned to the incident. USFS, CAIIMT 11 and CAL FIRE continue to work closely together in a unified command with a full suppression strategy to protect homes and other structures, communities, crucial infrastructure, and important wildlife habitat.

Last night fire activity was minimal, with occasional spot fires along the southern edges of the Ammon Fire and southeastern edge of the Campbell fires that firefighters quickly contained. Crews completed several successful strategic firing operations and improved control lines using dozers and handlines to remove fuels. All control lines are holding well.

“Although we had some fire spotting near some of the corners, our crews were able to quickly contain them,” said Incident Commander Chris Fogle. “All the line we’ve put in so far has continued to hold well, and we’ve been able to close some critical gaps.”

Bremer Fire

Today crews will continue to secure, hold, and improve the control lines created yesterday along the western edge of the fire to keep it away from the community of Willow Creek.

Waterman Fire

Crews will hold and improve the control line along Lone Pine Ridge and Waterman Ridge to prevent fire spread into the Hoopa tribal jurisdiction.

Campbell Fire

Crews will continue to hold and improve the Waterman Ridge system along the south side of the Ridge Road after the strategic firing operations were conducted in the area yesterday. Firefighters are working to keep the fire from the communities of Trinity, Salyer Loop, Salyer Heights and Hawkins Bar.

Ammon Fire

Firefighting crews will continue to improve primary control lines to keep the fire west of the O-6 Road, north of Ammon Ridge Road, and east of the O-1 Road. Today crews will reinforce the holding line along the southeast corner near the Six Road off Ammon Ridge and along the Friday Ridge System near the southwestern edge of the fire.

WEATHER

Warmer, drier weather is expected to increase fire activity today, especially during the afternoon. Smoke will limit visibility during the morning. Aerial firefighting support will be deployed when visibility permits.

EVACUATIONS

An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for zone HUM-E063-B, south of Willow Creek. Residents in this zone should evacuate now. There is no immediate threat to Willow Creek proper.

The EVACUATION ORDER for Zone HUM-E057 has been downgraded to an EVACUATION WARNING. Residents who live in this zone may begin to return home with caution but should remain ready to evacuate again at a moment’s notice. Be alert to outstanding dangers upon return, including debris in roadways, gas leaks and hot embers.

An EVACUATION ORDER remains in effect for zones: HUM-E032-B, HUM-E056, HUM-E057, HUM-E058, HUM-E061, HUM-E063-A, HUM-E063-B, HUM-E077-B, and HUM-E077-C.

An EVACUATION WARNING remains in effect for zones: HUM-E032-A, HUM-E062, HUM-E064, HUM-E076-B, HUM-E077-D.

The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:

• Seeley McIntosh Road at Country Club Road
• Patterson Road at Raga Hills Road
• Friday Ridge Road at Forest Route 6N06

Highways 299 and 96 are currently open but remain impacted by fire behavior.

Due to a large presence of fire personnel and machinery working to build containment lines for the Ammon Fire, residents are asked to limit travel on Titlow Hill Road/Route 1 in zones HUM-E052 and HUM-E062 to essential traffic only.

To find the latest evacuation information go to Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services () or Trinity County Office of Emergency Services (). For an interactive map of evacuation zones visit this link. To sign up for alerts visit this link.

If you are under an evacuation warning, take the necessary steps to be ready to leave.

EVACUATION CENTER

Trinity Valley Elementary School
730 Highway 96, Willow Creek, CA 95573

ANIMAL EVACUATION CENTER

Hoopa Rodeo Grounds
1767 Pine Creek Rd., Hoopa, CA 95546
Phone: (707) 492-2851

The Hoopa Rodeo Grounds has several single pens and larger pens for whole herds. Call directly if you need directions or help transporting your large animals. They cannot house sheep, goats, poultry, or small animals, but they can potentially help arrange for temporary foster placement. If you can foster, please reach out regarding your availability and capacity.

ROAD CLOSURES

State Route 299, State Route 96, and Route 1 remain open to through traffic. Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for state highway closures. The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:

• Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane
• Country Club Road at Kimtu Bridge
• Friday Ridge Road at Hwy 299

SMOKE

Heavy smoke and strong inversions continue to affect the health of those who are not yet evacuated. Please check https://www.ncuaqmd.org for air quality resources.

PREVIOUSLY: State Park Ranger Found Unconscious in Patrol Car With Beer Between His Legs (PHOTO)

###

California Highway Patrol press release:

On August 12, 2022, at approximately 7:11 PM, a gold Toyota Tundra driven by Tyson Young was traveling southbound on US-101, south of Dora Creek. A maroon KIA Sedona, driven by Joe Kencke, was traveling northbound on US-101, south of the Toyota.

The Toyota crossed over the double yellow lines into the northbound lane of traffic directly into the path of the KIA, resulting in a head on collision. Upon investigation, Young was determined to be under the influence and was placed under arrest for felony DUI for causing injuries to another person. Tyson Young sustained major injuries and was transported to Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital for medical care.

Rebekah Kencke sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Jerold Phelps Community Hospital for medical care. One juvenile passenger sustained major injuries and was transported to UC Davis Medical Center for medical treatment. Joe Kencke and the other two juvenile passengers were uninjured. 

This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the California Highway Patrol - Garberville Area.

In the fall of 1960 I was just getting used to living away from home, taking my first engineering classes at the University of London, when the verdict came in: Lady Chatterley’s Lover was not obscene, and therefore couldn’t be banned from libraries in the UK. Three decades after its author’s death, Penguin Books risked their reputation and bank account when they published an unexpurgated cheap paperback edition of LCL in November 1960 — all 200,000 copies sold out on the first day. Until then, it was pretty much a given that in Britain, any book with “fuck” and (especially) “cunt” was obscene and therefore couldn’t be sold cheaply. Book publishers got around the law by either selling expurgated versions (“Wanna do coitus, luv?”) or by pricing daring French novels (oh, those Frenchies…) out of the reach of “the common man,” whose morals could be perverted by explicit words on the printed page.

The book itself, beyond its explicit use of a few four-letter words, is an easy and poignant read. D.H. Lawrence’s last novel, it was written in the late 1920s. It’s the story of doomed love between Lady Connie Chatterley, married to a man (Sir Clifford) paralyzed from the waist down from a WWI injury, and Oliver Mellors, their gamekeeper. For me, the message is that love stemming from the mind is rarely enough, and that physicality completes love. (Of course, reading it now, it comes over as an anachronism: the few British institutions that survived WW1 didn’t make it past 1945.)

I’m reminded of this reading a recent piece in the New York Times about increasing attempts at book-banning in the U.S. which, it claims, “…have grown in the U.S. over the past few years from relatively isolated battles to a broader effort aimed at works about sexual and racial identity.” The main battlegrounds, apparently, are public libraries. While school boards have the power to demand that “undesirable” books be pulled from students’ reading lists, the same students, now alerted to which books they shouldn’t be exposed to, will (duh) head down to their local libraries. And that’s where the real battles are being fought these days, between community leaders — town and city councils, pastors and the like — and librarians.

Most, perhaps all public libraries in this country have adopted the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read statement. A couple of excerpts: “The freedom to read is essential to our democracy… Most attempts at suppression rest on a denial of the fundamental premise of democracy: that the ordinary individual, by exercising critical judgment, will select the good and reject the bad. We trust Americans to recognize propaganda and misinformation, and to make their own decisions about what they read and believe. We do not believe they are prepared to sacrifice their heritage of a free press in order to be “protected” against what others think may be bad for them. We believe they still favor free enterprise in ideas and expression…” And therefore “There is no place in our society for efforts to coerce the taste of others, to confine adults to the reading matter deemed suitable for adolescents, or to inhibit the efforts of writers to achieve artistic expression.”

The real issue with banning a book from a library is that the instigator of the ban is making that decision for everyone. Fortunately, here in Humboldt, our County Library has been subject to very few attempts at banning any books: “We haven’t really seen much of that here — a couple challenges here and there, but it’s been a few years since the last (knock wood),” according to one library insider. But, seeing as how books have been banned pretty much forever — Gutenberg’s Bible was only one in a long history of censorship (by the Vatican, in this case) — we should stay awake to the possibility it could resurface here. These days, it’s LGBTQIA+ topics that most offend those who would ban books.

BTW, I’m happy to report that The Catcher in the Rye (consistently a book-banning target for “offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group”) was required reading when I was, I think, 15. And if you want a primer on what might happen if the idea of banning books really took off, I recommend Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.

As of Saturday morning the Six Rivers Lightning Complex — a group lightning fires to the north and south of Highway 299 near Willow Creek — has grown to 15,232 acres. The good news is that, despite Friday night being the driest so far since the fires started, crews have managed to finally bring the fire perimeter to 12 percent containment. 

Update the unified command of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex:

INCIDENT INFORMATION
Unified Command: Six Rivers National Forest, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, Trinity County Sheriff, and Humboldt County Sheriff.

CURRENT CONDITIONS
The Lightning Complex Fire is currently 15,232 acres with 12% containment. There are 1,641 personnel assigned to the incident. USFS, CAIIMT 11 and CAL FIRE continue to work together in a unified command with a full suppression strategy to provide protection for structures, impacted communities, crucial infrastructure, and important wildlife habitat.   

Last night in the area west of the Bremer Fire, firefighters performed firing operations using dozer and handlines to remove fuels to protect homes. Crews will continue to monitor and patrol the fire to look for threats to control lines.

On the northwest side of the Waterman Fire, crews conducted successful firing operations off Waterman Ridge. Today fire crews will focus on holding the Four Road, aka Waterman Ridge Road, to provide protection for the communities of Salyer Loop and Salyer Heights.

On the Campbell Fire, resources are working to keep the fire from the community of Trinity by maintaining the fire line constructed earlier along Waterman Road.

On the west side of the Ammon Fire, crews constructed dozer line and will continue working in the area today to construct handline. In the southeast corner near the Six Road off Ammon Ridge, crews successfully contained spot fires last night. They will continue to focus on this area today, establishing control lines. Firefighters will also continue to improve confinement lines along Ammon Ridge today. To the west side on Friday Ridge Road, firefighters will continue to work along the Friday Ridge system.

Fire activity is expected to increase today with lower humidities and shifting winds. Aerial firefighting support will be deployed when visibility permits over the Campbell and Ammon areas.

EVACUATIONS 
An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for zone HUM-E063-B, south of Willow Creek. Residents in this zone should evacuate now. There is no immediate threat to Willow Creek proper.  

The EVACUATION ORDER for Zone HUM-E057 has been downgraded to an EVACUATION WARNING. Residents who live in this zone may begin to return home with caution but should remain ready to evacuate again at a moment’s notice. Be alert to outstanding dangers upon return, including debris in roadways, gas leaks and hot embers.

An EVACUATION ORDER remains in effect for zones: HUM-E032-B, HUM-E056, HUM-E057, HUM-E058, HUM-E061, HUM-E063-A, HUM-E063-B, HUM-E077-B, and HUM-E077-C.

An EVACUATION WARNING remains in effect for zones: HUM-E032-A, HUM-E062, HUM-E064, HUM-E076-B, HUM-E077-D.
The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:
·         Seeley McIntosh Road at Country Club Road
·         Patterson Road at Raga Hills Road
·         Friday Ridge Road at Forest Route 6N06

Highways 299 and 96 are currently open but remain impacted by fire behavior.

Due to a large presence of fire personnel and machinery working to build containment lines for the Ammon Fire, residents are asked to limit travel on Titlow Hill Road/Route 1 in zones HUM-E052 and HUM-E062 to essential traffic only.

To find the latest evacuation information go to Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services (https://humboldtgov.org/2383/Current-Emergencies) or Trinity County Office of Emergency Services (https://www.trinitycounty.org/OES). For an interactive map of evacuation zones visit: https://community.zonehaven.com/. To sign up for alerts: www.humboldtgov.org/alerts.   

If you are under an evacuation warning, take the necessary steps to be ready to leave.   

EVACUATION CENTER Trinity Valley Elementary School 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek, CA 95573

ANIMAL EVACUATION CENTER   Hoopa Rodeo Grounds 1767 Pine Creek Rd., Hoopa, CA 95546 Phone: (707) 492-2851 The Hoopa Rodeo Grounds has several single pens and larger pens for whole herds. Call directly if you need directions or help transporting your large animals. They cannot house sheep, goats, poultry, or small animals, but they can potentially help arrange for temporary foster placement. If you can foster, please reach out regarding your availability and capacity.

ROAD CLOSURES   State Route 299, State Route 96, and Route 1 remain open to through traffic. Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for state highway closures. The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:
·         Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane
·         Country Club Road at Kimtu Bridge
·         Friday Ridge Road at Hwy 299

SMOKE   Heavy smoke and strong inversions continue to affect the health of those who are not yet evacuated. Please check https://www.ncuaqmd.org for air quality resources.

Obi Kaufmann, naturalist and best-selling author, joins Gang Green to talk about his new book, The Coasts of California: A California Field Atlas. Like his previous best sellers, The Coasts of California explores the Golden State’s wild places in a way only Obi can, through hundreds of watercolor paintings and maps, woven together with philosophy and lyrical naturalism.

Obi also has a new podcast — shameless cross-promotion here — called Place & Purpose, where he and co-host Greg Sarris, Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, explore deep questions of purpose and belonging.

Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy this far-ranging conversation.

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” Aug. 12, 2022.

Cory Anthony Cassevah
August 7, 1999- August 1, 2022

Cory Anthony Cassevah, 22, died in his sleep on Monday August 1.

Born to Sedona Bowser and the late Lawrence “Bud” Cassevah, Jr on August 7, 1999 in Sacramento.

Those who knew Cory remember a vibrant outgoing and giving person who cared about the needy and struggling. Cory had no fear and a thirst for life. His quirky smile always preceded his mischief and fun-loving actions. He grew up in the Methodist Church in Rio Linda, Calif., Hermiston, Oregon and Woodland, Calif., demonstrating an eagerness to learn, He spent his teen and young adult years in Eureka.

Cory is survived by his mother, Sedona Bowser, step-father Jason Bowser, siblings BJ Cassevah, Becky Steffens, Connor Bowser, a foster brother, four step-siblings and many others from his very large blended family.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, August 20 at 2 p.m. at the Woodland United Methodist Church, 212 Second St., Woodland. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to an addiction recovery charity of your choice in honor of Cory.