Update 4:59 pm:

Ryder Dschida, a lecturer in Cal Poly Humboldt’s history department and president of CFA Humboldt, said the organization stands in direct opposition to the federal government pressuring universities to cut ties with racial equity groups.

“Since the federal government provides a huge amount of funding for higher education, they use that as essentially a pressure point to make universities remove these programs that honestly have been extremely successful in  getting minority groups into good careers,” said Dschida.

Dschida pointed out many hadn’t heard of the organization before the federal investigation, and said the PhD project was swept up in the buzz of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cuts of early 2025.

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PREVIOUSLY 

Cal Poly Humboldt On Trump Administration’s List of 45 Schools to be Investigated for ‘Race-Exclusionary Practices’

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The U.S. Department of Education announced last month 31 universities across the country agreed to cut ties with the PhD Project, an organization that helps racial minorities earn doctorate degrees, amid a federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination.

This includes Cal Poly Humboldt. A CSU spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday the system had ended its membership in the PhD Project, which was used to “advertise academic employment opportunities,” according to spokesperson Amy Bentley-Smith.

Last year, the federal education’s department’s Office for Civil Rights announced 45 universities including Cal Poly Humboldt were under investigation for partnerships with the nonprofit, alleging it “unlawfully limits eligibility based on the race of participants.”

This followed a Trump Administration directive that aimed to prevent institutions that receive federal funding from practicing so-called Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, alleging they discriminate against White and Asian students.

And two weeks ago, the department celebrated 31 resolution agreements with institutions of higher education. According to the department, the institutions told the department they’d cease their partnerships with the PhD Project.

“This is the Trump effect in action: institutions of higher education are agreeing to cut ties with discriminatory organizations, recommitting themselves to abiding by federal law, and restoring equality of opportunity on campuses across the nation,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in a prepared statement.

In the statement, McMahon said the other 14 universities are in ongoing negotiations with the Office of Civil Rights.

CSU said they’d accepted an invitation from the Office of Civil Rights to “resolve the investigation by conducting a self-review to determine whether there are organizations with whom CSU has a membership or partnership where the organization limits participation by race. CSU has completed that review and is awaiting a response from OCR,” the statement said. 

The spokesperson noted no fines or monetary penalties have been assessed against the CSU.

Bentley-Smith did not respond to an inquiry as to what the results of the self-review were by publishing time, but noted in the statement “CSU complies with all state and federal nondiscrimination laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity in any CSU program or offering.”

According to a CSU press release, the agreement was signed on October 3, 2025.

The partnership itself encouraged Black, Native American and Latino students to get business degrees. The PhD Project said in early 2025, “we opened The PhD Project application to anyone who shares our vision,” and a more recent statement says the organization “remains focused on our mission to expand the pool of workplace talent by developing business school faculty who inspire, mentor, and support tomorrow’s leaders,” according to an email from a spokesperson.

The once little-known program became a target of Trump Administration in an agenda to root out “DEI” in colleges, leveraging the threat of losing federal funding.

The California Faculty Association said the CSU was capitulating to the Trump Administration in a press release on the agreement.

A New Hampshire federal court last month issued a ruling permanently invalidating the Feb 14, 2025 DEI directive.

The American Civil Liberties Union said “the challenged guidance is no longer in effect and cannot be enforced against anyone, anywhere nationwide,” in a press release. The directive was challenged in court early on by attorneys from the ACLU and National Education Association, which obtained a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement in April 2025.

Regardless of the lawsuit, many universities cut ties early on with the PhD Project, according to reporting from the Associated Press.

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

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Advocates for transgender youth vowed to keep fighting Wednesday after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked — at least temporarily — a California policy protecting the privacy of transgender students in K-12 schools.

The court ruled in favor of a group of parents near San Diego who argued that the state’s policy violates their right to religious freedom and due process. The policy barred school districts from requiring teachers to “out” transgender students to their parents, unless the students gave permission.

“The court’s ruling is shocking and alarming,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, which is based in Sacramento. “It’s part of a larger effort by this court and the administration to eliminate any protection for transgender people.”

The case was originally filed in 2023 by the Thomas More Society, a public interest law firm that focuses on religious issues. It stems from a state policy related to students’ privacy rights.

A federal district court judge initially ruled in favor of the parents with children in the Escondido Union School District in north San Diego County, and then the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals paused the ruling while the state prepared an appeal. The parents asked the Supreme Court to lift the pause, which it did on Tuesday. The appeal is still pending before the Ninth Circuit.

‘A watershed moment’

Attorneys for the Thomas More Society called it the greatest victory for parental rights in a generation.

“This is a watershed moment for parental rights in America,” said Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society. “The Supreme Court has told California and every state in the nation in no uncertain terms: you cannot secretly transition a child behind a parent’s back.”

The ruling undermines California’s Safety Act, which bars school districts from adopting “forced outing” policies and was hailed as a major victory for transgender rights when Newsom signed it in 2024.

Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified school board, described the Supreme Court’s ruling as “a massive victory.” Chino Valley was among a handful of districts in 2023 that enacted policies requiring teachers to divulge to parents if a student changes their gender identity.

“The Supreme Court has affirmed what we’ve always known to be true: policies deceiving parents are wrong, and they can not be allowed to stand,” said Shaw, a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. “This win came from brave teachers and parents who refused to stay silent.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged the ruling was a setback.

“We are disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision,” Jordan Blue, a spokesperson for Bonta, said. “We remain committed to ensuring a safe, welcoming school environment for all students while respecting the crucial role parents play in students’ lives.”

California has been on the forefront of transgender rights, especially for young people. The state has existing laws requiring teachers to use students’ preferred pronouns; schools are required to offer gender-neutral bathrooms; and sports teams and clubs must be open to all students. Those policies remain in place.

Still, this week’s ruling was significant, said Jorge Reyes Salinas, spokesperson for Equality California, the state’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization.

“Everyone is heartbroken,” Reyes Salinas said. “Although it’s not surprising. It’s just a continuation of the vile attacks we’ve seen on transgender youth. It’s even more important now that California strengthens its laws protecting trans people.”

Minter, at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, said that the ruling may have a narrow focus, but it sends a chilling message to transgender young people, who already face higher rates of anxiety and depression than their peers.

Minter said the transgender community will continue fighting for their rights.

“Most people in this country do not support what’s happening to transgender people,” Minter said. “We will fight every inch of the way until all people are treated with the basic decency they deserve.”

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

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California Democratic candidates for governor can’t stop talking about single-payer health care — again.

The idea of a government-run universal health care program that would replace private insurance as the sole payer of health care costs faces as many headwinds as ever. It had fallen onto the backburner after Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic lawmakers failed to get it done, with some balking at the $392 billion estimated annual cost.

Health advocates have since turned their focus to the impending Trump administration cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s expanded government health coverage for low-income residents. Even so, the progressive rallying cry of “Medicare for All” has become a staple of Democratic platforms. Few of them offer any specifics on how they would make it happen.

Climate activist and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer was opposed to single payer when he briefly ran for president in 2020, but changed his mind in December. The billionaire candidate told party delegates at their convention last month that because he is not beholden to corporate interests, “I can state the simple fact that we need a single-payer health care system in California.”

Tom Steyer, candidate for California governor, speaks at the California Democratic convention in San Francisco on Feb. 21, 2026. Photo by Jungho Kim for CalMatters

Former Orange County U.S. Rep. Katie Porter endorsed the policy in a video and declared to party delegates that as governor, she would “deliver single-payer health care.” Porter, a longtime single-payer supporter in the past, had declined to commit to the issue last year over feasibility concerns, telling Politico she didn’t think the idea was “realistic in the next couple of years.”

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra have all also said they support it.

Bay Area Rep. Eric Swalwell, who polls show is statistically tied for lead in the race with Porter, Steyer and Republican frontrunners Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco, would focus instead on creating a public option, a spokesperson said, an alternative that attempts to lower costs by creating a state-run plan to compete with private insurance. That model is a more moderate approach because it aims to provide a more affordable coverage option but allows employers to keep their private coverage if they choose to.

Newsom’s unfulfilled promise

Setting up single payer in California would require the federal government’s approval for the state to repurpose federal dollars that currently pay for Medicare, Medicaid and veterans’ health coverage, which the Trump administration would almost certainly deny. It would also likely require a hefty state tax hike, though advocates say it would save the state money in the long run in lower drug prices and administrative savings, and save Californians out-of-pocket costs.

Daniel Panush, a consultant who worked on health care policy in the Legislature for two decades, said those two factors make him believe the perennial Democratic promises to establish single-payer healthcare are usually merely “aspirational.”

“It’s easy to make promises,” he said. “We all want to see the plan.”

Plus, California is in a budget deficit for the fourth year in a row, and its existing public health care programs face immediate peril from Trump administration cuts. More than 500,000 Californians are expected to lose Medi-Cal coverage this year, rising to 1.8 million in the future, and hundreds of thousands of others are expected to lose coverage through the Covered California marketplace after federal premium subsidies expired last year.

Advocates for a single-payer system like Rachel Linn Gish, spokesperson for the consumer group Health Access California, say it’s “inevitable” that it’s part of gubernatorial candidates’ platforms. But she is not particularly hopeful about its short-term prospects. Though advocates want to see single payer in the long term, she said, “we also want to see short-term solutions: how (candidates are) going to start on Day One to protect Medi-Cal, Covered California, coverage for immigrants and LGBTQ care.”

“Sometimes it feels like single-payer is the future health system of California, and always will be,” said Daniel Zingale, a former strategic adviser to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who famously ran on the issue.

During his 2017 campaign for governor, Newsom said Californians had “my firm and absolute commitment, as your next governor, that I will lead the effort to get it done.” The stance secured him the endorsement of the California Nurses Association, but it remains one of Newsom’s biggest unfulfilled promises.

The governor launched a commission in 2018 to study single payer and asked for a federal waiver to allow it, which was a nonstarter with the first Trump administration. Since then, he has passed on supporting any of the nurses’ union’s efforts.

Democratic lawmakers, too, have failed to bring the issue close to his desk, with one attempt flaring out in public in 2022 after Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a San Jose Democrat, couldn’t muster enough legislative support and didn’t want to alienate colleagues by forcing them to take a vote. He tried again in 2024, but lawmakers killed it before it reached the Assembly floor.

Over the past eight years, Newsom has shifted his strategy to instead address “universal access” to health care by providing subsidies for Covered California and gradually expanding Medi-Cal to cover some undocumented immigrants. It has resulted in more than 94% of the state’s residents having health insurance, a practical effect that advocates like Health Access applaud despite their long-term support for single payer.

Nurse practitioner Surani Hayre-Kwan, right, speaks with patient Mary Valesano, left, and her caregiver Georgia Fraley, far left, during an office visit at the Russian River Health Center. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

And Newsom’s administration has made some smaller moves toward single payer, with the governor in 2023 signing a law requiring the state to research the kinds of waivers it would need from the federal government. A public report on the issue was due in November but has not yet been released.

The idea has always put progressive Democrats at odds with powerful private interests such as insurers, hospitals, doctors and the California Chamber of Commerce, which generally opposes tax increases, wants to preserve employers’ choice of insurance companies and doesn’t want the state to spend on “a new, unwieldy government bureaucracy,” said spokesperson John Myers.

Why single payer keeps failing

Now, with Newsom termed out and leaving office at the end of this year, those running to replace him are picking up the same big promises. The same groups are opposed.

“There’s a reason that similar proposals have failed to gain traction in the past: The effort is more symbolic than serious,” Myers said.

Democrats pushing for single payer are unfazed. A spokesperson for Porter did not respond when asked how she would get single payer done despite past failed attempts. As for Steyer, spokesperson Danni Wang wrote in a statement that “he knows the fight won’t be easy” against “Washington politicians and corporate interests that profit from high health care costs.”

Steyer’s campaign supports the policy outlined in Kalra’s bill, which the lawmaker reintroduced this year. The bill would have the state take over the role of private insurance with every Californian eligible for coverage, and require the state to seek federal waivers to help fund the program. As for state funding, the bill states the Legislature will come up with the revenue after the policy is set up.

Kalra has endorsed Steyer along with the nurses’ union. He dismissed criticism that he hasn’t included a state funding source, saying the state must set up the policy before then waiting for a friendlier federal administration to request a waiver to help fund it.

“We can do two things at the same time, we can push back against Trump and the Republican cuts to health care by taking immediate actions to help ensure Californians still have access to health care, and start to chart a path on what we want to see after Trump,” he said.

With premiums rising every year, “it seems like almost a softball when it comes to Democratic politics at this time … to at least sincerely explore the support of it.”

Roxanne “Roxy” Marshall was born to Edward “Fuff” and Virginia “Gin” Marshall on April 5, 1943, in San Francisco. Roxy left this world on February 14, 2026. She was most recently a resident of Hoopa and Willow Creek. Roxy was a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe from the villages of Me’dil-ding and Tse:wenal-ding.

Roxy spent the first nine years of her life living and learning on Francisco Street in the Marina District of San Francisco until her father retired from Central Electric. Her family moved home to Hoopa, where she did a lot more learning and eventually some teaching too. Roxy graduated from Hoopa Valley High School in 1961 and soon welcomed her first child Wendy, with her husband Walt Morton. Exactly two years later they welcomed their second child Wayde. While Roxy spent most days at home raising her children on the river, she eventually got talked into becoming a teacher’s assistant at Hoopa Elementary School, which eventually lead to being in the first class of American Indian teachers to graduate from the Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) at Humboldt State University (now called CalPoly Humboldt) in 1969. Roxy went on to work as the ITEP Student Services Coordinator and started the first shelf of textbooks that eventually grew into the Curriculum Resource Center at ITEP. While working at Humboldt State, Roxy met and eventually married her second husband, Bud Treece.

After their move to Los Angeles County, Roxy began working as a grant writer at the Southern California Indian Center, INC., where she met her lifelong friend Kathleen Bridgeland who was hired as a social worker at SCIC. This is also where Roxy met and married Michael Burgess and soon welcomed Allen in 1984 and eighteen months later Jennifer. Their family settled in Pasadena until 2004. During her twenty years in LA County Roxy continued her work with SCIC, served as the Liaison to the American Indian Community for Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, and eventually returned to working at the State of California, first with the Trade and Commerce Agency, then on to the State Controller’s Office. The change in state agencies is what caused Roxy, Allen and Jennifer to move north to the Capitol in Sacramento, CA where Roxy worked until she retired in 2019. Roxy was known for her dedication to work and made many friends among coworkers, including her good friend Mallory Marsh, who sent Rox a monthly box of See’s chocolates until her last days. After retirement, in 2021 Roxy moved home to Humboldt County, close to her children, grandchildren, cousins and friends.

Roxanne was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) starting out at the Church of the Mountains in Hoopa, Pasadena Presbyterian Church, then eventually Northminster and Westminster Presbyterian Churches in Sacramento. Roxy was active not only on the local, but also regional and national levels of the church. Her participation on national boards and committees in the church took her across the country, and even the globe with fondly remembered trips to Egypt and Puerto Rico. Some of her best adventures were visiting other churches across Indian Country while serving on the national Native American Consulting Committee. She was also employed by the Synod of Southern California and Hawaii and served a term as their Moderator and was very instrumental in developing the Native American Ministry Project in greater Los Angeles County. Even through all the levels of her involvement in the PC(USA) one of mom’s favorite stories to tell was about racing from church to church on the Trinity and Klamath rivers to play piano for the different churches’ services.

Roxy always valued learning new things and enjoying the experiences life brought. This outlook took her on many adventures with children and friends, like trips to NASCAR and Formula 1 races, the Kentucky Derby, backpacking through France, Lakers games, Garth Brooks concerts, and volcano tours on Hawaii. She was always willing to be helpful and participate in her community, starting at a young age with Girl Scouts and in her later years as a member of the South Pasadena Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Roxy was preceded in death by her great-grandparents Laura (Davis) Hostler and John Hoffman, great-grandparents James and Mary Marshall, grandparents Ed “Dad” and Matilda “Mom” Marshall, grandparents James and Annie Conlan, parents Ed E. “Daddy” and Virginia “Mommy” Marshall, brother Walter Ralph Marshall, son Wayde James Morton, daughter Wendy Morton Moon, and grandson Walter Hayes Moon. Roxy was also preceded by her aunts and uncles, Dorcas and Ernest McDonald Jr., Noreen and Lester Latham Sr., Joseph and Eunice Marshall Sr., Joanne and William Eich, as well as Margaret “Peggy” and Walter Lubchenko.

Roxy is survived by her son Allen Burgess, daughter Jennifer Burgess and Justin Childs, her grandchildren Kara Moon, Rosella Moon, Charlie and Cassidy (Lane) Moon, great grandchildren, Pearl Moon, Charlie Hayes and Walter James Moon, Solo and Jack Cruz Sylvia, Paiila Colegrove and Choc Cook. She is also survived by her sister Jennifer and Chuck Singleton, nephews Jeff and Amy Singleton, Brian and Tracy Singleton, niece Kelly Singleton Bartlett, as well as their seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Roxy enjoyed a long and eventful life making many friends and family along the way. We thank all of you who called her cousin, friend and favorite coworker for making her life beautiful. We would also like to thank the nurses and staff at Hospice of Humboldt and Especially You Assisted Living for making mom comfortable in her final days here on earth.

Roxy wished to be cremated and left to rest with her parents at the old summer camp above Me’dil-ding. A memorial gathering & meal will be held at the Hoopa Fire Department Training Room on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 1 p.m. All are welcome to share stories and memories of Roxy, as well as a dessert (what she would eat first), side or salad. Thank you to Carla and Ayers Family Cremation for all your assistance.

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

Matthew Robert Painter
Born: November 16, 1948
Passed away: February 27, 2026

Matthew was born and raised in Grayling, Alaska, a full-blood Athabascan Native from the Yukon River. He grew up in a large, close-knit family with five brothers and six sisters. When he married Sue, he became a father to a ready-made family of five children. Together, they had two more children of their own, making seven children in total. Later, Matthew and Sue opened their hearts and home to four more children: Andy Childs, Sammy Stanshaw, Tommy Carlson, and Anthony Mailelle. Matthew loved his family dearly and was a devoted father and grandfather, always present in his children’s lives.

As a young man, he was sent to boarding school in Anchorage, where he was discouraged from speaking his native language, but he never forgot his Athabascan roots. After finishing school, he served in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier and was part of the crew that recovered Apollo 11 in the Pacific Ocean. After leaving the Navy in 1971, he met Sue, the love of his life, in San Francisco while visiting her brother. Together, they moved to Eureka, where they married and raised their family. Matthew worked as a logger for many years, contributing to various companies, but he spent 25 devoted years as a lumber grader at Arcata Redwood until his retirement.

In addition to his work, Matthew had a passion for carving; he created many beautiful Alaskan carvings, some of which are displayed in the Fairbanks Museum. He was a devoted father, grandfather, and passionate sports fan, always cheering on his children and grandchildren. His warmth, dedication, and love will be deeply missed by all who knew him.

Preceded in death by his mother and father, Delia and William Painter; his son Anthony Mailelle; his grandson Omar Dean IV; and his great-granddaughter Natea Dean-Dowd.

He is survived by his wife Sue and his children: Darla Marshall (Emil), Robert McGahuey, Scooby Sienicki, Susie Astor (Mick), Sunny Joe Allen (Delmar), Misty Painter (Romero), and Matthew Pride. He also leaves behind grandchildren: Matthew Swanson (Sah-Sep), Lonnie Dean (Tashina), Alkenny Dean, Joseph Marshall (Naila), Jude Marshall (Wendy), Monica Marshall, Rachel McGahuey, Bering, Nicole Sienicki, Delmar, Shawn, Alden Allen, Stormy, Robert Woods, Caitlin Watkins, Carissa Gonzalez, and Tasha Painter. Matthew had 47 great-grandchildren and 8 great-great-grandchildren, along with numerous nieces and nephews. His legacy will forever live on in all of them.

Pallbearers: Matthew Swanson, Pride Painter, Lonnie Dean, Al-Kenny Dean, Peter Norton, Robert Woods, Daniel Woods, Calvin Woods, Richard Dean, Omar Dean V, Sebastian Swanson, Jude Marshall, Joe Marshall, Tommy Carlson, Delmar Allen Jr., Bering-C Sienicki, Bradley Painter.

Honorary pallbearers: Emil Marshall, Romero, Mick Sanders, Robert McGahuey, Frank Murdock Jr., Joseph Murdock, Wesley Scott, Dean Painter, William Painter, Alfred Painter, Jason Mailelle, Travis White.

Service details: A viewing will be held on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 11 o’clock at Sanders Funeral Home in Eureka. Address: Sanders Funeral Home, 1835 E St, Eureka, CA 95501, US.

A burial will follow after Sanders at Trinidad Cemetery.

If we have forgotten anyone, please accept our sincerest apologies; the family is going through a lot at this time and deeply appreciates your grace and understanding.

​A fighter to the end, our mother, grandmother, and friend, Jan Anderson, lost her battle with​ ​cancer on February 11, 2026.​ ​ Born November 16, 1938, in Shelton, Washington, Jan was a scrapper from the beginning. The​ ​ youngest of four, she grew up keeping pace with three older brothers in a hardworking family, ​ ​raised in a lumber town, surrounded by relatives. Jan remained close with her family and​ ​ cousins throughout her life.​

After high school, Jan married Bill Swank and landed in Fortuna, where they raised a growing​ ​ family of three busy boys, Allen, Jay, and Chris. Divorced in 1974, Jan found lasting love with​ ​Alfred Anderson, marrying in 1979 and expanding her family to include Kim, Russell and​ ​ Leonard. Al and Jan shared a career in large construction and engineering projects, with Alfred​ ​ in the field and Jan in the office. Their vocation took them to many locations throughout the​ ​ Pacific Northwest and then the Bay Area. Ultimately, they found their way back to Humboldt​ ​ County, where they established a thriving blueberry farm in Honeydew with a loyal following at Farmers’ Markets. After a successful run with blueberries, Jan and Al settled in Redcrest and​ ​ enjoyed fishing out of Humboldt Bay or Shelter Cove, visiting casinos, tending their orchard, ​spending time with family and just being together.​

Jan sorely felt the loss of her husband Alfred in 2012. Following that, Jan lived out the rest of​ ​her days exactly as she wanted: reading, working in her beautiful flower garden, taking trips to​ ​the casino, and visiting with family and friends. Jan passed peacefully at home, under the​ ​watchful eye of her cat, “Skitter,” and a caring network of loved ones.​

Jan was known for her sharp wit and lively storytelling. She loved to laugh and had a way of ​ ​bringing humor into even the most ordinary moments. She was kind and generous with her​ ​affection, especially toward her children and grandchildren, who knew without a doubt that she​ ​loved them deeply.​

Al, Jay, and Russell preceded Jan. Jan is survived by her sons Allen Swank (Melinda), Chris​ ​ Swank (Sabrena) and granddaughter Jessica (great-granddaughter Peyton); step-daughter Kim ​ ​Hinkson (Terry) with granddaughters Kate, Hannah, Jesse, Rachel, and Emily and their families​ ​including 16 great-grandchildren; and step-son Leonard Anderson (Amanda) with grandchildren​ ​ Charlie and Sara and their mother Lynn Anderson, and their families including four ​great-grandchildren.​

Jan’s family and friends will deeply miss her. However, Jan’s laughter, stories, and steadfast​ ​ love will remain as a legacy to us always.

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Eureka city officials have shuttered the Lamplighter Inn on Broadway indefinitely pending an investigation into two deaths at the motel.

Reached for additional comment this afternoon, EPD spokesperson Rachel Sollom told the Outpost that police responded to two separate calls for a suspected overdose at the motel on the afternoons of Feb. 21 and Feb. 26. In each case, responding officers located two victims, one of whom was determined to be deceased at the scene and one who was sent to the hospital for treatment. However, Sollom said there “was no evidence at the scene indicating an overdose” at either incident.

Sollom confirmed the two deaths, but could not comment on the status of the people who were hospitalized. She could not comment on whether the deaths occurred in the same motel rooms or whether the victims were local or from out of the area. 

“There is no foul play suspected,” Sollom said, adding that Humboldt Bay Fire and city personnel closed the motel “due to safety concerns” after the second death was discovered on Feb. 26. “There is currently no danger to the public.”

EPD has not launched a criminal investigation into the matter as of yet. Asked why not, Sollom said, “The reasons [for the deaths] are not unknown, they are not releasable and are not criminal in nature.”

Calls to the Lamplighter Inn this afternoon did not go through.

We’ll update this post when we know more.

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