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Donald Trump can continue to control the National Guard in California for the time being after a panel of judges from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined he followed the law in deploying troops to Los Angeles.

The order is the latest in a fast-moving legal saga playing out over Trump’s decision to call up the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the Los Angeles area in response to protests after federal immigration law enforcement agents began worksite raids and arrests two weeks ago. California’s Democratic leadership, led by Gov. Gavin Newsom, has called the deployment unnecessary and illegal.

Their order in a lawsuit filed by Newsom contesting the deployment isn’t surprising; the panel signaled an openness to the Trump administration’s legal arguments during a legal hearing on Tuesday.

In court earlier this week, attorneys from the Trump administration argued the president’s deployment was “unreviewable” by courts.

The appeals court judges disagreed that the decision was beyond the reach of the judicial branch, but found the president had a legitimate interest in protecting federal employees when he called up the troops.

“The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters ‘pinned down’ several federal officers and threw ‘concrete chunks, bottles of liquid and other objects’ at the officers.”

Two of those judges were appointed by President Trump in his previous term.

What happens next could take one of several turns. On Friday a lower court judge, Charles Breyer, will hold a hearing on whether to again return the troops to Newsom through a preliminary injunction.

Trump deployed the troops through a presidential memo on June 7 and cited a rarely used federal statute permitting a president to deploy the National Guard in times of invasion, domestic rebellion or the inability for the federal government to carry out its laws. Trump’s order was for 60 days and technically applied to all of the state Nation Guards in the U.S.

Basically, the battle over whether federal troops can remain in Los Angeles is operating on three parallel tracks — the temporary restraining order from last week, Friday’s hearing and the full merits of the case through a prolonged trial. Technically, the government lawyers for Trump and Newsom can ask for appeals on all three tracks.

For Newsom’s legal team to prevail in Friday’s hearing, they’ll have to clear a higher threshold of scrutiny than they did when they initially won back the National Guard last week, albeit for a few hours. That’s because anyone seeking a preliminary injunction must demonstrate that the merits of their arguments will likely prevail in the full trial.

The appeals court’s decision could influence Breyer’s thinking, legal thinkers said, even if he initially signalled support for the Newsom administration’s arguments.

“It’s kind of hard to disentangle the two processes when we think about how judge Breyer will be weighing” the preliminary injunction hearing,” because a lot of that’s going to be informed by what these higher level courts decide,” said Christopher Mirasola, an assistant law professor at the University of Houston Law Center.

No matter what Breyer does after Friday, it’ll likely quickly go back to the appeals court. And if the appeals court keeps halting the lower court’s orders, Trump keeps the National Guard for the duration of the lower court’s full trial.

Would the Newsom team try to appeal the injunction with the Supreme Court?

On one hand, “why not shoot your shot when you got the opportunity, right?” asked Mirasola rhetorically. But there’s a chance the high court comes back with such a strong opinion favoring the Trump administration that it could “substantively affect how judge Breyer treats the merits of the case.”

Ronald T. Johnson
July 13, 1937 - June 17, 2025

Ron Johnson passed away peacefully after five years of health struggles.

Ron grew up and lived his entire life in Blue Lake. He was a logging truck driver for 53 years, known to all local truckers as “Rabbit Ears.” He worked most of his career for Sierra Pacific and retired after 46 years.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Ilene Johnson; son Wayne Johnson; and his parents Tip and Elsie Johnson. He is survived by his sons David Johnson, Jeff (Leanne) Johnson and Greg (Kristie) Johnson; grandson Dane (Mary) Johnson and granddaughter Kaci Johnson.

We would like to thank Dolores, Emerly, Paula and all others who cared for him with so much compassion and love. Thank you Hospice and Hospice volunteers for their time and compassionate care.

At Ron’s request there will be no celebration of life. Donations can be made to Hospice of Humboldt.

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On June 18, 2025, at approximately 5:36pm, EPD Patrol Officers responded to the report of sexual assault which just occurred. The survivor stated a food service delivery driver arrived at their residence with an order, forced his way into their residence, and made unwanted sexual contact with them. During the investigation, officers located the suspect, 27-year-old Arda Kizilay, who was taken into custody for PC 243.3(a) – Sexual Battery and PC 459 – Burglary. Kizilay was booked into the Humboldt County Correction Facility.

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Press release from the U.S. Postal Service:

BRIDGEVILLE, CA - Road closures and limited access due to active rockslides have impacted delivery services for some residents along Highway 36, Bridgeville in the Little Golden Gate Community. Mail will be temporarily made available for pick-up at the Bridgeville Post Office, effective Friday, June 20.  

Impacted customers may retrieve their mail at the Bridgeville Post Office, located at 24878 State Highway 36, Bridgeville, CA 95526.
 
Mail pick-up times are as follows:
 
Monday-Friday 12:30 – 4:30 p.m.
 
Customers are reminded to please present photo ID for mail pick-up.

Delivery services will resume as soon as it is safe to do so, and access is restored in the area. 

Many retail services including temporary forwards, stamps and more are also available anytime, online at USPS.com.

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Prudence Louise Baker
January 18, 1933 – May 30, 2025
92 trips around the sun, every one on her terms

Prudence Louise Baker, age 92, of Fortuna, left this world on May 30, 2025, after nearly a century of strong coffee, stronger opinions and zero patience for fools.

Let’s be real: if we wrote a boring, buttoned-up obituary, Prudie would haunt us, and probably correct our grammar while she was at it. So in her honor, we offer this tribute full of sass, sarcasm and absolutely no filter. Just the way she liked it.

Born January 18, 1933, in Oakland, Prudie’s family moved to Bridgeville when she was four, and she spent the next 88 years perfecting the side-eye. Known as the “Queen of the Glen,” she held court over Suntan Glen with sharp wit, flawless timing and an eyebrow arch that could stop a grown man in his tracks. 

She was tough. Most people knew not to mess with her, yet her sons apparently didn’t get that memo and were routinely dealt with, verbally, emotionally and occasionally with whatever household item was closest to hand.

She had the soul of an artist and the mouth of someone with no time to waste. A gifted painter, Prudie first expressed herself on canvas before turning to hairdressing, a trade that required the same creativity, confidence and ability to say, “Sweetheart, that’s just not your color,” with a smile. She ran Prudie’s Beauty Spot in the ’70s, then styled hair (and humbled egos) at Hair West well into the ’80s.

Prudie also dabbled in the fine art of matrimony. Twice, in fact, before finally getting it right with Lee Baker. But those chapters gave her four of the greatest gifts of her life, her children. Each one arrived with their own personality, their own story, and their own lifelong role as either recipient or witness of her trademark sarcasm, brutal honesty and fierce devotion. She may have moved on from their dads, but she never let go of the purpose they gave her: motherhood, in all its messy, beautiful chaos.

When she met Lee, it wasn’t just a match, it was a partnership built on laughter, loyalty and a shared love of holding court from behind the bar.

Together, Prudie and Lee owned and operated The Rendezvous Lounge in Rio Dell, a place where the drinks were strong, the stories stronger, and the regulars knew better than to argue with Prudie about the jukebox selection or bad mouthing the Raiders’. She and Lee didn’t just run a bar, they ran a community. Their reach extended beyond the lounge walls to the softball field, where they sponsored the legendary Rendezvous Softball team, aka “Da Vous.” The team proudly decked out in silver and black like her beloved Raiders. Rivals dubbed them “the Evil Empire.” Prudie called them “her boys.” She and Lee were at every game, every cookout and every post-game exaggeration session where last-minute home runs and beer-fueled brawls became part of local legend.

A die-hard Raider fan, she bled silver and black to the end. In her 80s she still showed up, or tuned in, to watch her youngest granddaughter battle through middle-school, high-school and college hoops. And let’s be honest, filters get worse with age, and Prudie’s was about 99% clogged before she ever walked into a gym or public event. She kept score in her head and commentary under her breath… nope, that’s not true, she said exactly what she wanted to say, loudly and directly. As usual.

She also went semi-viral in her golden years thanks to her Facebook antics, where her popularity grew with her sharp and witty responses to her sons. She had a talent for saying exactly what everyone else was thinking, but with better timing and fewer apologies.

She is survived by her children and the glorious chaos they created: Michele Harris of Hydesville, and daughter Alexis; Curt “Scooter” Harris of Redding and his daughters Lindsey, Rachel, and Taylor; Paige Asbury of Carlotta and her children Michael, Matthew, Mitchell, Marcus, and Melissa; Chip Stewart of Knoxville, Tenn., with wife Mary and their children Kendall and Jacob

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Lee (likely holding a cold drink and rolling with laughter at all of this), her parents Mary and Herman Versell, and her half-sister Dorothy Gregg.

For all the laughs, Prudie was the kind of mom everyone hopes for: fiercely protective, wildly supportive, brutally honest and endlessly loving. She taught resilience, independence and how to fire off a comeback at lightning speed. She didn’t always get it right, but she always showed up. She made home feel safe, and her presence, whether in the bleachers, behind a hair dryer, or at the end of a snarky Facebook cameo, made people feel known, loved and never forgotten.

A private family service was held, low on ceremony, high on stories. In lieu of flowers, donations toward burial costs are welcome.

Prudie wasn’t perfect, but she was perfectly herself: hilarious, fierce, honest and unapologetically real. If heaven has some bleachers on the court, or comfy lounge chairs in the grass on the field, she’s already making it known who she’s pulling for, and watching.

So behave and be careful what you say.

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Cathy Linda Paul passed away peacefully, with her husband John by her side, on her 77th birthday, on Monday, May 12, 2025, in Eureka. She was born in Merced on May 12, 1948. She was a guiding light in our lives, a caring and fun-loving wife as well as her husband’s best friend, a devoted mother and grandmother, and a woman who touched everyone who knew her.

Cathy was the only child of George and Katherine Bremer, and they moved often while George was in the Air Force, including stays in Ogden, Utah, and Riverside, California. After George’s retirement, they stayed in Riverside before moving to San Diego and then Hemet, California. Cathy graduated from Norte Vista High School in Riverside and then took classes at San Diego State for several years until she “got fed up with the old-fashioned attitudes of the Home Economics Department.” It was at this time, while Cathy was working at a fabric store in Pacific Beach, sewing her clothes and advising homeowners from La Jolla about fabric for draperies and curtains, that she went with a guitar player when he played at the San Diego Navy Training Center Enlisted Men’s Club, and she danced with a sailor from Kansas. Cathy started going back to the EM Club without the guitar player, and either the sailor swept her off her feet, or she swept him off his. Cathy and John were married on September 14, 1968, and they kept “sweeping” each other for the next 57 years.

Cathy and John moved around the country for the Navy, to Vallejo, California, Idaho Falls, Idaho, Charleston, South Carolina, and back to Idaho Falls, Idaho. In Vallejo and Idaho Falls, Cathy worked for Sears, measuring and selling draperies and window coverings. During the second half of the Navy period, they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl and boy.

After they got out of the Navy, the family moved to Eureka when John went to work for PG&E. Cathy, while taking care of the family, went back to work managing the Discount Fabrics store, and then went to Daly’s Department store, measuring and selling window coverings, as well as supervising the sewing workroom. Cathy always had an entrepreneurial mindset and decided to start her own business. (Not an easy task with two small kids and a husband working shift work at PG&E.) She was determined, so she quit her job and started her own company, The Drapery, specializing in window coverings and interior design work. She also started a drapery sewing workroom in the family’s converted garage, sourced all the industrial sewing machines, employed several seamstresses, and oversaw the production of custom-made drapes that she designed and sold to clients. After several years, Cathy sold the business and equipment to Baker & Stanton and then worked for them selling furniture. Following that, Cathy worked for White House Furniture.

When Cabbage Patch dolls were introduced, Cathy began collecting them and creating clothes for them. She discovered a demand for her doll clothes at local craft bazaars and created nearly a hundred different designs, including those of firemen, nurses, surfers, ballerinas, teddy bears, rabbits, Cub Scouts, Brownie Scouts, and beachwear outfits. She once received a cease-and-desist letter from the Boy Scouts of America because the Cub Scouts’ uniform was too similar. Once Cathy got started in the craft bazaar circuit, she switched to hand-made stuffed rabbits, in dresses with petticoats, bloomers, ribbon, lace, and jewelry. She enlisted her family to stuff hundreds of rabbit bodies.

Constantly reinventing herself and jumping onto the next trend, Cathy decided to attend Frederick & Charles beauty school to obtain her manicurist degree and license. She embarked on a new career, but she found that she preferred to get her own nails done instead of doing other people’s nails, and so she retired.

Cathy is survived by her husband John Paul, daughter Cori Reed (David), son Chris Paul (Amy Leah), grandsons Colin and Cameron Paul, the mother of her grandsons, Darlee Overzet (Eric), and granddaughters Dani and Katie Reed. Cathy was preceded in death by her father, George, and mother, Katherine.

A family graveside service will be held on July 12 at Oceanside Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the charity of your choice. Cathy’s favorite charities were Food For People and the local pet shelters and humane societies.

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Robert Wayne Printy, known by everyone as “Wayne,” was born to Fred and Joan Printy on October 1, 1949, in Eureka, where he grew up attending Lincoln Elementary, Eureka High School, and College of the Redwoods, earning his education. In college, he wrote a thesis on “The Effects of Consuming Too Much Television.”

Exiting college, he became a part of the commercial fishing industry, where he traveled along the coast, reaching Fort Bragg and numerous ports in between. He truly enjoyed being on the water and being outdoors.

Some years later, he welcomed his first child, Andrea Printy, followed by his son, Roben Printy, and his youngest daughter, Melessa Printy-Casson. Wayne owned two boats, one of which he built by hand with his father, Fred. The boat they built was named “Andrea Rae,” and the other was named “The Queen City.”

At times, he would feel adventurous and go on what he would refer to as his “walkabouts,” where he would travel to different states. Wayne not only loved to fish, but he loved hunting and keeping his truck in tip-top shape so he could sit comfortably, cup of coffee in hand, reading his favorite books by the bay.

He passed away due to a sudden illness on May 17, 2025. Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Joan Printy; his youngest sibling, Leslie Sauls; and his grandson, Andrew Bennett.

He is survived by his sisters, Wanda (Ken) Dougherty, Wendy (Jim) Smith, and Billy Sauls; his children, Andrea Printy, Roben Printy, and Melessa Printy-Casson (her three children); grandchildren, Raina (Thomas) Uber and Kayla (Daniel) Rockholt; along with 11 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews; and his very dear friends, Mike (Chun) Watts, Frank McKay, Wayne Watts, Susan Hubbard, and Jim Pell.

Wayne truly loved his entire family.

There will be a celebration of life held Saturday, June 28, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at the Humboldt County Peace Officers Hall, located at 2351 Freshwater Road, Eureka, CA 95503.

Note: Going out Freshwater Road, the driveway is on your left at the third speed bump. Please honor all speed limits.

The family asks for all who knew and loved Wayne to come out, exchange stories and celebrate a wonderful man.