Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

As emergency management agencies across the country observe National Preparedness Month, emergency responders from near and far gathered in Blue Lake this week to talk about a threat that has long loomed over the North Coast: the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

Nearly 70 individuals representing local, state, tribal and federal agencies took part in the Cascadia TsunamiCon, a two-day preparedness training focused on the impacts Humboldt County would see resulting from a significant rupture of the 600-mile-long Cascadia fault, and the tsunami that would follow. This week’s training, which was hosted by the Blue Lake Rancheria and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), featured speakers from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the Redwood Coast Tsunami Workgroup, the National Tribal Emergency Management Council, FEMA and Cal Poly Humboldt.

“Education and awareness are fundamental to saving lives,” said Yvette LaDuke, program manager with Cal OES. LaDuke, who works for the state’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcano Program, presented at Cascadia TsunamiCon about the ways in which individuals, families, neighborhoods, businesses and government officials can work together to prepare and reduce the devastating effects of tsunamis.

Following a day of instruction, participants were able to put the knowledge to action- undergoing a half-day drill simulating a series of scenarios intended to mimic some of the catastrophic impacts of a Cascadia event.

“A big component of emergency management is getting to know our partners prior to an incident through joint trainings and exercises in order to better understand each other’s response capabilities and gaps,” Humboldt County OES Emergency Manager Ryan Derby said. “While a Cascadia event is inevitable, local measures taken to prepare and collaborate with our public safety partners ahead of time helps create a safer and more resilient community.”

This year’s Cascadia TsunamiCon comes after a four-year hiatus and is the result of extensive collaboration between OES and partner agencies, as well as the generosity of the Blue Lake Rancheria to host and fund this important training through their Resiliency Training & Innovation Center (RTIC).

“Preparedness training for any community is critically important, even for our emergency responders,” said Anita Huff, director of the Blue Lake Rancheria’s Office of Emergency Services. “Holding events like Cascadia TsunamiCon provides opportunities for education, networking, and partnership among the many responders and jurisdictions that will need to come together for an effective disaster response.”

Cascadia TsunamiCon comes ahead of the Great California Shakeout, a state-wide community earthquake drill which takes place October 20. As part of the Shakeout, community members are encouraged to “drop, cover, and hold on,” practicing the recommended safety actions to take during an earthquake. During the drill, Humboldt County OES will be conducting a test of Humboldt Alert, the county’s emergency notification system. Residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts ahead of this test at humboldtgov.org/alerts.

To learn more about earthquake and tsunami preparedness, visit: https://rctwg.humboldt.edu.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• After 15 Years, the ‘Humboldt Brewing Co.’ Name is Back in Humboldt Hands, and Locally Produced Red Nectar Ale is On Its Way

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If you’re one of the many folks in Arcata’s Westwood neighborhood who were shocked to discover that you could no longer grab a cup of joe at Mosgo’s Coffee House, the café next to Murphy’s Market on Alliance that recently closed, you’ll be happy to know that the coffee shop will soon reopen under the ownership of a familiar local company name. And it will be even better, because there will be beer. 

The space was recently taken over by Humboldt Brewing Company, as you may have noticed if you’ve passed the signs already hung above the doors. Humboldt Brewing is leasing the space that previously held Mosgo’s, along with the space next door that most recently held Eco-Groovy Deals. The plan is to turn them into a café and on-site brewery, meaning Red Nectar Ale and other famous Humboldt Brewing beers of yore will once again be brewed in Arcata, the company’s birthplace. 

“We want to get back to the Humboldt Brewing Company Roots,” David Ardell, owner of Humboldt Brewing Co. told the Outpost in an interview at the space on Thursday morning. Ardell said that once the brewery is up and running, Humboldt Brewing will be brewing Red Nectar, Nectar IPA and the Hemp Ales for which the company is famous. 

David and his sister, Julie Ardell, co-own Humboldt Brewing Co. and their brother, Andy Ardell, owns HumBrews in downtown Arcata, which, many years ago, was the brewing site for the company. After changing hands and locations a few times, Humboldt Brewing was bought by the Ardell family in 2021 and returned to the Humboldt homeland.

Six Rivers Brewery, which now owns the old Humboldt Brewing equipment, took over production, brewing the famous Red Nectar and a new Smoky Hazy Hemp Ale.  Six Rivers brewer Carlos Sanchez was one of the original brewers of Red Nectar back in the day. (You can read more about Humboldt Brewing’s history here.)

Since the Ardell siblings bought the company they’ve been looking for their own brewing space, and when Mosgo’s closed they knew it was the perfect spot. The owners plan to knock down the wall separating the coffee shop from the next door space and open a  connected brewery and café. They will continue to work with Six Rivers to brew Red Nectar but will be able to expand production to include the other flagship beers and eventually start experimenting with some new brews as well. But it is a pretty small space and they’ll be using a nano brewery system, which includes four fermentation tanks along with the other tanks and equipment. 

“It’s not a big footprint overall. It’s pretty small,” Ardell said. “But it can pump out some beer.” 

A lot of permitting and construction will need to happen before the brewery is up and running, which will probably not be for at least a couple of months. In the meantime, the owners plan to open up the café in the old Mosgo’s spot. This will be a much simpler process, since the space already has the necessary coffee-making equipment. 

As for their vision for the café, the owners want to keep the laid-back vibes of Mosgo’s, which was a popular place for students and other community members to work, study and socialize. Julie said they are planning to expand the food menu, adding a broader range of hot and cold breakfast and lunch options. It still won’t be a full-on restaurant menu, though, because the space does not have a full kitchen. The café will still have the classic coffee and espresso drinks, as well as “mud water” – a coffee alternative made from a blend of chai and mushrooms. 

Of course, they will also serve plenty of beer. Once the brewery is fully up and running they will serve beer brewed on site. Until then, the owners plan to serve their own Red Nectar as well as many other local brews on tap. 

This will be the first time the space will have a license to sell alcohol, which will go into effect mid-October. If all goes to plan, the owners are hoping the café can open and serve food and coffee as early as Oct. 1. But that might be wishful thinking, they said, as there are still a lot of kinks to work out and they really want to make sure that they do this right.

Initially the hours will likely be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. As the business grows, the owners said, they plan to stay open later and even offer live music, open mics and other events.

But the owners wanted to be clear that they don’t want this to become a rowdy spot, and they plan to  keep the hours and the noise levels reasonable. 

“Obviously beer is the focus of the company,” Julie told the Outpost. “But we’ll leave the bars for downtown.”

Jonathan was born on January 9, 1979 in Stanford, California. He left the earth on August 18, 2022.

He was preceded in death by his father Gary Taggart. He leaves behind a wife (Ashley Taggart), daughter (Elizabeth Taggart), grandmother (Betty Owen), mother (Alice Henneberg), sisters (Sarah Kimball and Mindy Taggart), step mother (Mary Helen Brown) and many ​​aunts (Lorraine Taggart, Mara Severns, Jeannie Rice), uncles (David Severns, Greg Taggart, Ed Severns Sr, Holli Jackson, Ray Rice) nieces and nephews (Hailey Kitchen and Owen Kimball) and cousins (Laura Rice, Daniel Taggart, Sean Taggart, Ed Severns Jr., Pecwan Jake and many others) that loved him very much, as he loved and respected them as well (among many other loving family members and friends).

Jon was a dedicated IT professional for over 20 years, spending the majority of that time at the Blue Lake Rancheria. There he met many lifelong friends that he shared a variety of interests and passions with, both at work and after hours.

Jon was a proud member of the Yurok Tribe and loved spending his time out in nature or at his computer— where he taught himself how to create circuit boards and code and program them to make all kinds of amazing devices. Jon sadly completed suicide during a tumultuous time in his life, leaving a wake of pain and heartache in everyone’s lives he touched. If you are struggling, please reach out for help, 988 is a great place to start, as you will be are greatly loved and will be missed, no matter what the difficult thoughts and feelings that your head might tell you.

A private family funeral was held on August 24, 2022. Pallbearers at his funeral were – Daniel Taggart, Sean Taggart, Ed Severns, Greg Taggart, David Severns, Pecwan Jake, Karl Merten, Mike Novak and Peter Krueger. The service was officiated by Lorraine Taggart and David Severns. A celebration of life will take place at a later date TBD.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Jonathan. He now rests peacefully with his father, Gary, in Klamath at the family cemetery on lands they both loved very much.

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

Ethlyn Vera Fish was born to Albert and Marie Fish in Iowa on March 27, 1930 and passed away September 20, 2022 in Fortuna. She moved with her family at a young age to a farm near Toledo, Washington.

She married Dick Chaffee in 1947 in Copalis Beach, Washington. They moved to Oregon in 1949 and to Humboldt County in 1953 and made Rio Dell their home since 1955.

Ethlyn was a devoted wife and mother of three, grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of 12. She had a green thumb and her garden and house plants flourished. She was clever with a sewing machine and crochet hook. She had many collections including books, decorative eggs, fish and souvenir spoons.

She was a charter member of the Rio Dell Church of Christ and taught Sunday School for many years.

One of the highlights of her life was a road trip with Dick to multiple states to visit family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Ethlyn was preceded in death by her parents, and all her siblings: Elton, Erwin, Elma, Emerson, Eva, Esther and Elvira; her husband, Dick; sons Rick and Duane; and longtime friend Betty Shoemaker.

Ethlyn is survived by her daughter Valerie; daughter-in-laws Suzy and Becky Chaffee; grandchildren Sean and Alecia Chaffee, Samantha and Doug Fleenor, Stacey and Isaac Morris, Jenna Chaffee and Dalton Chaffee, Colby and Dana Barrote, Karsten Barrote and Marissa Harlander. Great Grandchildren: Jordan and Aaron Gossard, Ben and Grace Chaffee, Riley Chaffee; Ethan and Paige Cooper, Abby Fleenor, Addie Morris, Blayne and Brooks Barrote, Kallen, Davin and Jaren Barrote and Claira Bowles. And long time friend Linda Shapeero.

Graveside service will be Saturday, September 24 at 10 a.m. at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna. Gathering of family and friends immediately following at Rio Dell Church of Christ .

The family of Ethlyn would like to thank the staff at Fortuna Rehab and Wellness Center for their loving care and devotion.

Betty Marie (Peugh) Sweaney passed away on September 18, 2022. At 88 years of age, she died at home under hospice care surrounded by family and with long-term partner Allen Guiles by her side. She was preceded in death by her parents: Frederck and Mabel Huggins; husbands: Bill Peugh and Max Sweaney; sisters: Laura Elliot and Irene Jackson; and son: Ed Peugh. She is survived by sons: Jerry Peugh, Harold (Cheryl) Peugh, and Bob Peugh; granddaughters: Molly (Matthew) Zdon, Sarah (Dan) Boehm, Katie Peugh and Dana Peugh; and great-grandkids: Rocco, Riley, Hazel, Aubrey, Isaac, Edward and Louis.

She was born Betty Marie Huggins on February 22, 1934 in Eureka, CA and grew up on the Essex Ranch before attending Arcata High School. She then married Bill Peugh and had four sons. She worked in accounting for Redwood Empire Aggregates and was a partner at K & P Ranches. As a life-long member of Odd Fellow and Moose Club, she made a great impact in the community.

A celebration of life is planned for November 6, 2022 at Azalea Hall, McKinleyville from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to a charity of your choice.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Administrative Office:

The County of Humboldt is seeking private defense lawyers to serve as panel attorneys in Humboldt County’s Court-Appointed Attorney Program (HCAAP).

Through this program, private attorneys represent public clients when defendants’ cases cannot be handled by either the Humboldt County Public Defender or Conflict Counsel, primarily due to conflicts of interest, such as when either agency has already represented or currently represents a co-defendant in another case involving the client.

Attorneys who are interested in serving as a private defense attorney with this program must submit an application. The application form is available online by visiting the Humboldt County Court Appointed Attorney Program’s web page.

Once attorneys are approved through the application process, their names are added to a panel, which lists the attorneys available for assignment. Attorneys are then notified when clients need representation and staff works to match attorneys up with cases.

For more information regarding the Humboldt County Court Appointed Attorney Program, including rates and billing procedures, please visit the HCAAP web page the or contact the County Administrative Office  at cao@co.humboldt.ca.us or call (707) 445-7266.

The September episode of The Humboldt Chronicles — the monthly Lost Coast Communications show on all things cannabis — features a news roundup, during which hosts Chuck Rogers and Larry Trask discuss international, federal, state and local developments.

Plus: An interview with Humboldt County Economic Development Director Scott Adair on the precarious state of the industry locally.

Tune in below!