Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

William Cody Waldron | Photo via HCSO

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On March 14, 2013, the Eureka Police Department responded to a report of a deceased person found in a homeless encampment near Cooper Gulch in Eureka. The person had suffered extensive burns and could not be positively identified. At the time, the remains were believed to be those of 70-year-old William Cody Waldron.

Investigators collected DNA from the remains and submitted it to the California Department of Justice. A DNA sample from Waldron’s sister was also collected and compared with the remains. Due to the damage caused by the fire, the results were inconclusive.

The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office continued working to identify the remains over the next several years. As DNA technology improved, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) obtained grant funding to use forensic genetic genealogy to help identify unidentified remains.

Evidence from the case was sent to Othram Inc. in The Woodlands, Texas, for advanced DNA testing. Othram scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the subject. Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile in a genetic genealogy search to develop new investigative leads that were returned to HCSO. 

HCSO investigators followed up on those leads and collected DNA samples from potential relatives. The DNA comparisons ultimately confirmed the identity of the deceased as William Cody Waldron, born September 23, 1942.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office recognizes the importance of providing answers and closure to families whose loved ones are missing. We remain committed to pursuing every available resource to help identify missing persons and provide families with the answers they deserve.

Anyone with a missing family member is encouraged to contact HCSO Investigator Mike Fridley at (707) 441-3024 to request an update on their case and ensure family DNA samples have been collected.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Advocates Urge Open Door to Reinstate Youth Gender-Affirming Care After Health Center Cuts Key Treatment

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Ed. Note:  The following opinion piece was written by Dr. Loren Cannon, a Cal Poly Humboldt lecturer and the author of “The Politicization of Trans Identity: An Analysis of Backlash, Scapegoating, and Dog-Whistling from Obergefell to Bostock,” published by Bloomsbury.

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I think most folks are aware that the welfare of transgender Americans has become exceptionally targeted in our politically charged culture wars. While transgender persons have always been marginalized in our country, it wasn’t always the case that there were literally hundreds of pieces of legislation and additional executive orders crafted each year that target trans individuals. It wasn’t always the case the lives of trans persons were the topic of so many political speeches. There was even a time, in recent memory, that trans health care was celebrated in Humboldt County.

I have on my wall an unframed certificate. It is signed by Senator Noreen Evans (2nd District) and reads:

State of California Senate, Certificate of Recogntion

Improving the Health of Transgender People in Humboldt.

Humboldt Health Council,

January 29th 2011.

I am not the only one who received this certificate and I am not referencing it to imply that my participation was any different or any more laudable than other community members who also served. The Humboldt Health Council met with representatives from the Open Door clinic in Arcata and discussed how to serve the health needs of trans persons here in our own community. It wasn’t a revolutionary idea, but at the time many Humboldt trans folks were either denied care or told to drive to San Francisco and try to secure it there.

Then as now, many people don’t have the time or money to travel so far to access health care, nor have the connections in SF to ensure access. Importantly, the “just go to SF” response was more than just impractical, it was ostracizing. It sent the message that the health needs of trans and gender non-binary persons were unimportant, unprioritized and somehow irrelevant to the health care goals of our home county. Those who served in the Humboldt Health Council were thrilled to work with Open Door Arcata to start a Trans Clinic that was intentionally inclusive, and since 2011 the care providers of Open Door have greatly benefited our community. As evidenced by this very dusty certificate on my wall, Senator Evans was also pleased with Humboldt being one of the first rural counties to provide care of this kind.

I am acutely aware that the adage “times change” is certainly as true for our North Coast home as it is in our country more broadly. I am one of few philosophers who write about the current moral, legal and political climate and its impact on transgender citizens. Indeed, scapegoating small populations within a society is not a new tactic, but the intensity of transgender scapegoating happening now was nearly unimaginable a mere 15 years ago, when our efforts to have inclusive health care in Arcata were temporarily realized.

It is from this perspective that I consider accounts that our own Open Door Clinic leadership has decided to discontinue gender-affirming care for new clients who are trans youth (those 19 years old and younger). While the federal government’s agenda is clear, some health care providers have remained steadfast in their commitment to the health of their community. I admit I am disappointed in any acquiescence to the federal government’s pressure.

Timothy Snyder wrote “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.” Much of what he wrote in this very small book is relevant today. His first piece of advice is “Do Not Obey in Advance.” Some call this anticipatory compliance. Obeying in advance sends a message to authoritarian rulers that they can push for more harmful and ostracizing policies. It is health care for trans youth that is being cut today. We have already seen a diminishment of reproductive rights, the rights of our immigrant neighbors, even the right to confront federal officers when they are harming our community members. The rolling back of rights will not stop at trans youth, nor trans adults, nor immigrants. Most importantly, the trans youth of Humboldt County deserve life-enhancing health care, as do all of us. We should not sacrifice the health and wellbeing of our trans youth in these polarizing and misguided culture wars.

Secondly, Snyder reminds us to “remember professional ethics.” Serving the health care needs of all Humboldt county residents is an issue of health care justice. Health care justice means providing care for patients regardless of what identities of race, gender identity, class, ability and gender expression they carry with them through the clinic door. Health care ethics also involve following the most professional research relevant to treatment options. For example, look up the recent Washington School of Public Health Study, that by the Trevor Project, and the reassertion of the American Medical Association regarding the efficacy of trans-inclusive health care. Trans-inclusive health care saves lives and allows our youth the gift of dreaming of a healthy adulthood.

Thirdly, in times like these, Snyder encourages us to “believe in truth.” The anti-trans rhetoric has reached feverish heights, asserting that children are “transitioned at school” and that gender-affirming surgery is a typical treatment of trans youth. Both of these claims, as well as others that disparage the very character of trans persons, are simply false. They are constructed to make us fearful, used as “click bait” for advertisers, and to herd us into a corral of political ideology that only serves to get someone in office and pad their own pockets as a result. The truth is that we should stand together as a community, value all our members and provide the medical care needed to all of Humboldt County’s residents.

Lastly, I understand that there may be a possibility of some sort of remote treatment option for trans youth in our area, given that the Open Door is being slammed shut for some. Let’s not fool ourselves, this option isn’t much better than the “drive to San Francisco” option of years past. Not everyone can access this kind of health care and not everyone thrives when talking to a tiny face on a screen. In-person community medicine is what is needed here, not more screen time for youth or anyone else. Even more worrisome, this kind of care can be shut down overnight. The service will be targeted, closed and our youth will be left out in the cold. Like a power outage, there simply will be no one there. No community, no support, no connection and no care. I am in agreement with many thinkers that have informed my view; nothing takes the place of community support, and nothing ever will.

I implore Open Door to reconsider their decision.

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Neighboring Old Town businesses Five Eleven bar and restaurant and the Pearl Lounge abruptly went out of business Tuesday, according to announcements taped to the windows and messages on their voicemails.

“We want to thank you for all of the support over the years,” the message in the windows reads. “We’re going to miss seeing everyone and are so grateful for all the memories we have, and the friendships we have made along this journey. Thank You Again.”

The Pearl, a craft cocktail bar and late night entertainment venue, was opened more than 20 years ago by Alex Moore, who remains the registered owner. The property, built in 1872 as the Crystal Palace salon, was put on the market more than a year and a half ago. It remains for sale, with an asking price of $1.25 million.

Moore opened Restaurant Five Eleven (often styled simply “511”) in 2012, taking over a restaurant space that was previously occupied by Hurricane Kate’s. The restaurant offered a wide array of upscale menu items, and the attached bar served wine and cocktails. Former chef Josh Wiley developed a loyal following, though he left the restaurant sometime in the past year or so.

Moore and his wife Miranda own Honeydew Farms, which became Humboldt County’s first permitted cannabis cultivation operation in 2016. Its seven-acre size was considered large at the time — by local standards, anyway. But as the industry has gone full industrial scale, with some farms measuring more than a million square feet, both the local weed industry and the larger economy have suffered.

The Moores bought the the 788-acre Lost Coast Ocean Ranch in 2020. (If you’ve driven the Wildcat to Petrolia, it’s the property with the zebras.) Last year, they put it on the market for around $11 million. It remains unsold, and the asking price has been dropped to $9,950,000, according to an online listing.

Fans of 511 and the Pearl expressed surprise and sadness about the sudden closures on social media. 

“Oh no 511 is the perfect restaurant,” one Facebook commenter wrote.

“This is a great loss for old town and our community,” observed another.

An email sent to Moore this morning had not yet gotten a reply at the time this post was published. 

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Local Energy Authority Inks Big Contract With Big Solar Energy Farm; 100 Megawatts of Clean, Green Kern County Solar Power to Flow to Humboldt in 2022
• After a Bit of a Delay, Humboldt’s New Solar Energy Producer in Kern County is Now Operational
• THE ECONEWS REPORT: Where Does My Power Come From?

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Press release from EDP Renewables:

EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) and Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA) today celebrated the completion of Sandrini Energy Storage, a 92 megawatt (MW) / 368 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery energy storage system (BESS) in Kern County, California with the capacity to power the equivalent of more than 22,000 California homes. 

Co-located with the 300 MW Sandrini Solar energy site, from which RCEA is purchasing 100 MW, the BESS project is designed to strengthen grid reliability, support California’s clean energy goals, and help deliver renewable power when it is needed most. The project holds an energy storage service agreement with RCEA for 100% of the battery capacity.

“Sandrini Energy Storage represents an important investment in California’s energy future,” said EDPR NA CEO Sandhya Ganapathy. “Energy storage transforms renewable power into reliable, around-the-clock electricity, ensuring clean energy is available when demand is highest. Projects like Sandrini strengthen grid resilience, support economic growth, and help build a more affordable, dependable energy framework for California.  We’re grateful to work hand in hand with our communities and Redwood Coast Energy Authority to bring Sandrini online.”

“The addition of the Sandrini Energy Storage project to our portfolio supports RCEA’s goals of building new, clean capacity that matches our customers’ energy needs and enhances the generation delivered by Sandrini Solar, while also supporting grid reliability,” said RCEA Executive Director Beth Burks.

Sandrini Energy Storage will generate more than $5 million in revenue supporting local public services and infrastructure — including schools, roads, emergency services and equipment, and parks. During construction, the project supported approximately 50 jobs. In total, Sandrini Solar & Energy Storage supported approximately 250 jobs during construction and will generate more than $25 million in local tax revenue. 

EDPR NA is a leading developer and operator of clean energy infrastructure in California, with approximately 1,230 MW of gross operating capacity across wind, solar, and energy storage powering the equivalent of more than 485,000 California homes. EDPR NA projects in California have delivered approximately $154 million in economic impact across the state, including more than $41 million in revenue for local governments, more than $33 million in payments to landowners, and over 1,090 construction jobs. EDPR NA’s operating portfolio in California includes Lone Valley Solar (30 MW), Rising Tree Wind (198 MW), Windhub A Solar (20 MW), Sandrini Solar & Energy Storage (300 MW + 92 MW storage), and Scarlet Solar Energy & Energy Storage (400 MW + 190 MW storage).

In June, EDPR NA inaugurated Flatland Energy Storage,  a 200 MW / 800 MWh BESS in Coolidge, Arizona. Flatland Energy Storage has the capacity to power the equivalent of approximately 44,500 Arizona homes. 

About EDP Renewables North America  

EDP Renewables North America LLC, its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 61 wind farms, 29 solar parks, four energy storage sites, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 12,900 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 12,300 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent. For more information, visit www.edprnorthamerica.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About RCEA 

Established in 2003, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority is a local government joint powers agency whose members include the Blue Lake Rancheria, Yurok Tribe, the County of Humboldt, and the seven cities within the county. RCEA’s purpose is to develop and implement sustainable energy initiatives that reduce energy demand, increase energy efficiency, and advance the use of clean, efficient, and renewable resources available in the region. For more info, visit redwoodenergy.org. 

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UPDATE, 11:15 a.m.: The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services has lifted evacuation warnings in the following zones:

• HIA-E001-B
• HIA-E003
• HIA-E004
• HIA-E006
• HIA-E014-A
• HIA-E014-C

Evacuation orders and warnings are still in effect on the east side of the Hoopa Valley Reservation. The sheriff’s office urges residents to “remain alert, stay informed, and be prepared to take action if conditions change.”

More information on evacuations can be found at protect.genasys.com.

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Original post: 

Mile Post 18 Fire update from California Management Team 1:

Acres Burned: 7,292 | 40% Contained| Personnel: 2,009

Operational Update: 

Temperatures ranging from 90 to 100 degrees and low humidity spurred active fire behavior, growing the Mile Post 18 Fire to 7,292 acres. Despite this growth, however, firefighters continue to gain the upper hand, outpacing the fire and boosting containment to 40 percent. 

CalTrans opened Highway 96 to one-lane, escorted traffic. Firefighters and equipment remain active along the roadway. Motorists should exercise caution and remain alert to ongoing operations and expect delays up to 30 minutes.

Crews closed the gap between the Oil Springs Road and Mill Creek Road containment lines, making steady progress in tightening control along this critical section of the fire’s eastern perimeter. Firefighters are using extreme caution as they navigate the steep, demanding terrain, where footing, visibility, and heat all contribute to challenging working conditions.

Unmanned aerial systems (drones) with infrared technology will help firefighters detect heat signatures near the fire’s perimeter. While isolated heat signatures have been detected around the fire, the highest intensity was found with pockets of vegetation actively burning in the northern corners of the fire’s edge. 

Wildfires are no drone zones:

Unauthorized drones can force firefighting aircraft to stop flying, delaying suppression efforts, and allowing fires to grow. If you fly, we can’t. Help protect firefighters, communities, and our nation’s landscapes by keeping personal drones away from wildfires.

Weather: 

The stretch of hot weather breaks today, with temperatures returning to seasonal norms in the mid‑70s to mid‑80s accompanied by mild winds. The forecast includes a 15 percent chance of thunderstorms Friday.

Evacuations: 

Evacuation orders are in place for HIA-E002-A and HIA-E014-D. Evacuation warnings have been issued for HIA-E001-B, HIA-E002-B, HIA-E003, HIA-E004, HIA-E006, HIA-E014-A, HIA-E014-C, HIA-E014-E, and HIA-E014-F. 

Closures may change rapidly, so please consult protect.genasys.com for the latest alerts.

Road Closures: 

Closures are in effect for Hostler Ridge Road, Mill Creek Road, and Big Hill Road due to fire activity.

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From the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On August 19, 2026, at approximately 1:42 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a panic alarm at the Shell gas station located in the 1600 block of Central Avenue in McKinleyville.

While deputies were responding to the scene, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center advised that the convenience store had just been robbed and that the suspect had fled on foot southbound on Central Avenue. Upon arrival, deputies contacted the store employee, who provided a description of the suspect. Additional deputies responded to the area and conducted an extensive search; however, the suspect was not located.

Deputies obtained video surveillance from the business, which showed the suspect brandishing a firearm and taking an undisclosed amount of cash from the cashier before fleeing the store on foot.

The suspect was described as wearing a two-tone black plaid jacket, a light-colored baseball cap with a black hooded sweatshirt, a red bandana covering his face, black sweatpants with a white logo on the right front hip, black multicolored Vans-style shoes, and tan leather gloves.

Anyone with information regarding this robbery or the identity of the suspect is asked to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251 or call the Sheriff’s Office Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

Stretching from its headwaters in the forest above town down to its mouth in Butcher Slough, Arcata’s Jolly Giant Creek is only four miles long — pretty short, so far as waterways go, but its importance outshines its length. About half of it is in the city proper, and it functions as a drain, funneling runoff down to Humboldt Bay during the rainy months. Most of that lower half is underground, snaking through Arcata concealed in culverts, and when those rainy months come and the marsh floods, so does the creek. If it coincides with a king tide — a mighty tidal surge that usually occurs a few times a year — then woe be to the Arcatans near the marsh, whose homes sometimes flood. Climate change has the power to make the problem worse. Are there ways to prevent or blunt future floods? Probably, and Arcata’s now about $600,000 closer to getting there.

The California Coastal Conservancy recently awarded $597,000 to the city government to study ways to restore the creek and Butcher Slough and adapt them for climate change, money the city gets to accept later this month. It’s a big project, and this funding will only make up the first chunk of a larger, sustained effort, but it’ll go a long way towards completing the initial research. The city will study the creek’s hydrology and its hydraulics: how it moves and where it goes, where it needs the most work.

Preparing the creek and the slough to handle larger volumes will be a transformative task. Some of the creek may be daylighted, the subterranean flow uncovered and allowed to move above ground, giving it a little room to breathe when the water runs high. 

It might also be moved. According to the conservancy’s notes, the creek could be rerouted away from homes near the Arcata Marsh on South H Street and towards a lake in the marsh instead. The city may also build a berm behind the houses. 

The project will be good for the salmonid species that live in the creek, like juvenile coho salmon, as well as other aquatic species. Daylighting the stream is especially beneficial; more creek above ground means more fish habitat. (They just pass through the culverts.)

The initial phase will take around two years to complete, Arcata’s director of environmental services, Emily Sinkhorn, told the Outpost. City-led construction could start in about five, but there are incentives included in the Gateway plan for private developers to daylight the Jolly Giant on their own property as well. Developers could be allowed to build greater-density projects if they daylight the creek on their properties.

Representative Jared Huffman and Assemblymember Chris Rogers both advocated for Arcata, writing letters to the conservancy that emphasized the stream’s importance. “Efforts like this advance broad goals of supporting resilient rural communities and sustaining viable fish populations in Northern California rivers and creeks,” Rogers wrote. “The proposed project will realize sustainable outcomes by building on recent and ongoing projects and long-range community planning related to sea level rise adaptation.” A member of the city’s Wetlands and Creeks committee called it an “essential” project that will benefit the creek, a “unique and irreplaceable community asset.”

Creating more open spaces is a priority for the city, Sinkhorn said. The creek is a “gem,” she said, hidden right under our feet. 

“This project will really enable the opening of more open space and habitat within downtown Arcata,” she said. “That really matches the values of Arcata…And it’s amazing, that we have salmon and coho coming up from the bay and utilizing these really urbanized segments of both Janes and Jolly Giant Creek. And I think being able to create even more habitat for salmonids has been a priority in the Humboldt Bay region, and is something, that, I think, Arcatans will be excited about as well.”