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Today is graduation day at many local schools. Happy graduation day, grads! 

As every red-blooded American knows, this momentous rite of passage, a ceremonial transition from youth to adulthood, is often celebrated with epic acts of unadulterated stoopid fun.

We assume that’s was what happened at Arcata High School this morning, when an apparent joyrider caused the campus to go into lockdown. Parents were notified via email:

Today at break, we had a motorcycle rider race through campus.  The school went into lockdown for a few minutes.  Arcata Police Department (APD) was called and we quickly resolved the situation with their assistance.  APD is following up on some leads.

Sounds like nobody got hurt, which is good. And while the Outpost doesn’t officially condone such behavior, we’ll note that as modern causes for school lockdowns go, this one is pleasantly benign. 

Happy graduation!

(Below, footage from a kid who had the same idea five years ago.)

Tim Jarrells passed away at the home he shared with his partner, Cher Southard, in Westhaven on June 11, 2022.

Born Timothy Norman Jarrells on March 17, 1971, to parents Norman and Mary Jarrells, Tim grew up in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and Hamilton, Ohio, before moving to California. He graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in wildlife management, and while he loved wildlife and being outdoors, he made a long and successful career working as a sound engineer, which was a job — and a community — he loved.

Tim worked for a few years in Hawaii, but almost all of his career in sound was spent working in Humboldt County, a place where he established deep and lasting roots.

Tim also loved music, diving, sailing, college football and above everything else his family. Everyone who knew Tim knew him for his geniality, sense of humor, fearlessness (especially underwater), and generosity. He will be immeasurably missed by his loving parents, Mary and Norm, and partner, Cher, and by his brothers, Tony, Paul, and David, Tony’s family (Gretchen, Isabelle, Owen, and Gabe), Paul’s family (Beverlee and Brittani), and many other family members and friends.

There will be a solstice celebration of life on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Humbrews (856 10th St., Arcata).

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Heaven has gained another angel. With heavy hearts, we sadly announce that our mom, Mary Louise Smith, passed away on June 10, 2022 at the age of 73.

Mary was born in Eureka on September 8, 1948 to Charles Eugene and Norma Hazel (O’Brien) Weeks. She grew up in Blue Lake, where she spent her childhood and teen years. Although she really loved her mom, she was a true daddy’s girl at heart. Everywhere daddy went, she went. She especially loved to go with him to the dairy farm in Arcata, where he was a ranch hand. He would let her help in the ways that she could for a little one, and she cherished those moments. He was there for her every step of the way while she was growing up, and she adored him. He unexpectedly passed in 1973 when she was only 24, and she carried that heartbreak throughout her life. She never got over the loss of her dad. She was also very close with her sister Pat and brother-in-law Earl, and was devastated when they passed as well.

Mom attended grade school and high school in McKinleyville and Blue Lake, graduating from Arcata High School in 1966. While working part time at George Petersen Insurance, she was also pursuing criminal justice and police studies at College of the Redwoods. This is where she met Robert Tuel, who was also pursuing courses in the same field. The two began dating and eventually married in April 1969. They settled in Fortuna, and to them were born two daughters, Michelle Renee and Kathryn Sue. She worked for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office during this time, a job that she really loved. The family relocated to Rio Dell in 1973, and she decided to go a different direction with her career. She sold Avon for quite a long time, becoming well known around Rio Dell as the Avon lady. She & dad also owned their own clothing store in the Redwood Village Shopping Center for a number of years. She really loved her years in Rio Dell with good friends Mike & Mary and Karen & Dale. She especially enjoyed summers spent at Ruth Lake, where the family owned property. Mom was at her most serene there, spending time with the family at the river or lake, sitting among the trees listening to the birds chirping, enjoying a good campfire, and just the quiet peacefulness and beauty of the area. Mary and Bob divorced in 1981, and she relocated to Eureka with her girls. While living in Eureka she worked as a salesperson at Cardoza’s western wear clothing store on F Street, where she became good friends with Nina Cardoza. In 1984 she relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, where she worked as a medical records coder for the Contra Costa County Hospital until her retirement. While living in the Bay Area, she met her second husband, Lawrence Smith. The two married in Reno in 1995, and settled in Vallejo. He passed in 2002, and mom eventually moved back to Rio Dell in 2012.

Throughout her life, she made many good friends who she really treasured: Karen (Buntrock) and Dale Bellach, Lavon (Divine) Leal, Carol (Burns) and Larry Nyborg, Becky (Rylander) and Bob Zacher, Patsy (Baiocchi) and Elmer Leighton, Mary (Christen) and Mike Burns, Betty and Chris Rodgers, and so many others. From grade school to high school, to college and beyond - mom really valued her friendships, and was always happy to visit or talk with them. Her good girlfriends meant the world to her, and she loved them so much.

Above all else though mom really treasured her family, especially her granddaughters Cheyenne and Lily. She always loved to see the smiles on their faces; they were her everything. Mom always valued having family dinners at her house. Seeing her family gathered around the table was something that always made her heart happy. Mom also really loved her pets; she absolutely adored her cat Chloe and her dogs Mocha and Moose.

In her free time she loved visiting with friends, watching her westerns and stock car races every weekend, reading a good romance novel, and tending to her flowers and garden. Yellow, pink, and red roses were her favorites. Yellow held a special place in her heart, as those were also her dad’s favorite.

Mary was preceded in death by her father Gene Weeks, mother Norma (O’Brien) Weeks, sister Patricia (Gaines) Moranda, brother-in-law Earl Moranda, and second husband Lawrence Smith. She is survived by her first husband Robert Tuel, daughters Michelle Tuel and Kathy Tuel, granddaughters Cheyenne and Lily Duncan, nephew Brett Moranda (Tina) and niece Traci Moranda, as well as numerous other nieces and nephews.

We miss our mom beyond measure, but we are thankful that she is at peace now, resting with her beloved dad, mom, and sister. We know that we will see her again when it is our time.

Our family would like to thank the staff at St. Joseph Hospital, the staff at Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, and the staff at Fresenius Kidney Care. We are so grateful for the comfort and care given to mom during these most challenging years.

We would also like to give a special thank you to our dad, Robert Tuel, for the many years of continued friendship, care, and support that he gave to mom over the years. It meant a lot to her, and was appreciated beyond measure. We are so incredibly grateful for him.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Miranda’s Rescue, 1603 Sandy Prairie Rd., Fortuna CA 95540.

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James Walter Koch was born on November 12, 1941 in San Francisco and died in his Briceland home in Humboldt County on May 21, 2022. He was 80 years old.

Jim leaves behind a community of friends in southern Humboldt County whose lives he touched with his generosity. His friends from San Francisco and Forks of Salmon, who knew Jim from way back when, remember his irrepressible enthusiasm for life, his readiness to help at a moment’s notice and his quick and easy laugh. He could light up a room.

Jim was a devoted and loving father; a faithful and steady partner, a highly skilled mechanic; a collector of useful stuff gleaned from San Francisco dumpsters over the course of 60 years. He gave generously of his time and his collection of stuff, from building materials and cookware, to Volkswagon parts and windows.

Jim on occasion loaded his four-speed, 1956 Chevy 20-foot flatbed truck, with a granny transmission (effectively giving that old truck 8 speeds), for bear. Brimming with salvaged windows, doors and other building materials, he chugged along from San Francisco to the narrows of the Forks of Salmon Road in Siskiyou County, with its twists and turns, sheer cliffs on one side and drops of dizzying heights to the river below on the other. On one of those epic trips, his partner, Kathleen Marshall, driving, came grill-to-grill with one of the many logging trucks hauling away the beloved trees the Salmon River community fought so hard to save. Imagine the push me/pull you of Dr. Seuss, and there were two trucks, one new, mighty and powerful, the other its powerful glory days faded, nose-to-nose, at an impasse. Of course, the eighteen-wheel logging truck had the right of way, and as the section of road was only one windy lane typical of back country roads, she had to back that fully loaded 20-foot truck out of the logger’s way. The terrifying first attempt to back up sent Kathleen flying out of the truck insisting that Jim take over. With his typical cocky confidence, Jim leaped into the cab, and gleefully and skillfully backed that sucker up along a few twists and turns of the road until he found a pullout that was barely able to keep the truck on that road, while letting that 18-wheeler by. Those maneuvers were typical of Jim’s capabilities and that adventure, among others, became great story fodder as the years went by.

He loved playing pinochle and hearts, spending many a raucous evening leaping from his chair and slapping those pinochle cards on the table, cackling, “Take that you suckers,” or laughingly conceding his losses. Jim was also an epic, balletic ping pong player, able to put some mean English on those ping pong balls while jumping, stooping and reaching, fiercely volleying with his ping pong buddy Ed Buryn and friends.

The day his son, Jordan, was born transformed Jim. He loved Jordan wholeheartedly from the moment he witnessed Jordan’s birth through the day he died. Jim took Jordan on many an adventure, from hitchhiking on Highway 101 to San Francisco and back, to camping in Hawaii and many a day spent at the river. He helped Jordan and Molly buy their first home in Austin, Texas, where they continue to live. He was proud of Jordan’s accomplishments and delighted in Jordan’s happiness and success. He was overjoyed to be Orion’s grandfather, despite the distance and the family’s inability to travel during the height of the Covid pandemic.

Jim’s most recent, favorite saying was “Of All the Things I’ve Lost I Miss My Mind the Most.”

Jim supported a number of local Humboldt County organizations, volunteering his time and skills over many years. He built a pizza oven used at Reggae on the River to raise funds for Beginnings in Briceland. He supported the Briceland Fire Department, KMUD Radio, the Garberville Community Park and Hospice.

A farewell memorial is being planned for the near future.

Jim Koch was preceded in death by both of his parents, Clelia Koch (neé Napolitano) aged 103, and Harry Walter Koch, aged 97. He is survived by his only child, Jordan Marshall Koch with his wife Molly Shetter and their son, Jim’s grandson, Orion. He is also survived by his long-time partner Katie McGuire of Redway and her children, Sione Shafer with her husband Zach Shafer of Rio Dell, and their children, Berretta (8) and Remington (1.5) who called Jim ‘Grandpa’; and Mika Coursan with his partner Amy Terrones of Redway.

Also mourning his loss is his former partner and mother of his child, Kathleen Marshall, of Arcata.

In the spirit of Jim’s generosity, we, his loved ones, ask that all friends make a memorial donation of any amount, small to large, to be divided equally between KMUD and the Briceland Volunteer Fire Department. Make your donations online at Hafoundation.org/JimKochMemorialFund or send checks to Humboldt Area Foundation, 363 Indianola Road, Bayside, CA 95524. TAX ID#23-7310660. HAF will manage the distribution of the fund.

Jim was well-loved and will be sorely missed.

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Leon Leroy Hamilton
January 13, 1936-April 13, 2022

Leon Leroy Hamilton died on April 13, 2022, at home with family, from complications of pneumonia following a year-long illness. After several hospitalizations, he was very happy to be at home with his wife Sharon, stepson Kevin and beloved dog, Cody.

Leon was born to Roy Agee Hamilton and Doris Loraine Hamilton in McArthur, Calif. He was raised by his father and his stepmother, Diane, alongside two older brothers. Leon grew up living on several ranches the family owned: Treasure Creek Ranch in Bowman, Calif., Hamilton’s Skyline Ranch in Auburn, and Tranquility Ranch in Orangevale.

From a young age music was a big part of Leon’s life, and by the time he began at Auburn High School he’d started his own band. He graduated in 1953, and went on to college at the University of Washington, where he started another band, studied music, and played the violin, piano and trumpet.

In 1957 he married Joyce Ellen McCallum, and they had three children — George Leroy, Pamela Kay, and Gerald Scott. Leon was a wonderful and loving father, and he enjoyed family life very much. He always had time to spend with his children, and he enjoyed everything from a game of catch to an impromptu dance party featuring his own musical stylings on the trumpet. The family enjoyed many summers camping at Wyntoon Park on Trinity Lake. He loved the natural beauty of the Trinity Alps, and he enjoyed fishing, boating, and water skiing. After 41 years together, his wife, Joyce, sadly died from cancer.

Leon’s career with the Humboldt County Department of Public Works spanned forty-one years, where he started with the roads department, then later studied to obtain his professional engineer license in Civil Engineering. In his time with the county, he was involved with the design and construction of every major bridge in Humboldt County since 1964, as well as hundreds of road projects. The County was recognized with an award by the American Steel Institute for the design of the Alderpoint Bridge, in which he was instrumental in the design process. Following official retirement he continued to work for the county as an independent contractor for more than 10 years.

Leon married his second wife, Sharon, in 2006, and they spent 15 loving years together. They enjoyed spending time with each other, attending music events, and traveling to visit family in Oregon, South Dakota, and Colorado as well as various parts of California. With his marriage to Sharon, Leon gained 3 stepdaughters and a stepson, with whom he enjoyed a loving relationship.

Leon played trumpet in many area bands; Dancers Only, Big Foot Stompers, All Seasons Orchestra, Eureka Brass, CR Jazz Band, Eureka Symphony, and The Redwood Dixie- Gators. He will be missed by many local musicians who valued his musical talents and friendship. When not playing music, Leon enjoyed growing beautiful roses and playing senior softball which he continued doing well into his 80’s. He cherished his dog Cody, and his favorite daily activity was taking him on long walks along the Mad River.

A soft-spoken, kind, and truly gentle man, Leon was well loved and respected by family, friends, colleagues, and fellow musicians.

Leon was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Doris Hamilton, his stepmother, Diane Hamilton, his brothers, Gerald and Gaird Hamilton, his first wife, Joyce Hamilton, his son, G. Scott Hamilton, his nephew, Gaird Jr. Hamilton, and his niece, Debra Birch.

Leon is survived by his beloved wife, Sharon Hamilton, stepson Kevin Garside, stepdaughters, Carol Clem, Brenda Bohrn, Kim Pinto, and numerous stepgrandchildren. He is also survived by his son, George (Kristi) Hamilton, daughter, Pamela (Tamara) Hazen, granddaughter, Sydney Hamilton, grandson, Brandon Hamilton, sister-in-law, Patricia Hamilton, sister-in-law, Cala Ross, nephews, John Hamilton, David Hamilton, and Mark Ross, nieces, Julie Reyes and Tammie Clifford, and numerous great-nieces and nephews.

A memorial gathering will be held at Water Pump Park 1 on West End Road on June 26 at 2 p.m. There will be music and a hors d’oeuvre potluck. All who knew and loved Leon are welcome.

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Tuesday’s meeting of the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors brought a bit of good news to groups who haven’t had much of that recently — namely, the local homeless community and the salmon and steelhead populations in a pair of impacted SoHum waterways. They all stand to benefit from grant money that’s soon to be distributed.

Influx of Funds to Address Homelessness

Like countless other communities across the state, Humboldt County has a major homelessness problem. (Don’t worry; that’s not the “news” part of this report.) Thanks in part to a state budget surplus, local agencies will soon have more funds to address this ongoing crisis.

The latest state budget has dedicated nearly $2 billion to the Homeless, Housing Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Grant Program, which is aimed at helping local jurisdictions and Continuums of Care address their most pressing homelessness-related challenges.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Dawn Arledge, executive director of the California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP), told the board that the latest round of HHAP funding represents a $1 billion initiative to support regional coordination and a unified response to reduce homelessness across the state.

The local Continuum of Care, a collaborative, multi-agency endeavor known as the Humboldt Housing & Homeless Coalition, was required to submit a local homelessness action plan. Arledge explained that the local plan has been completed and is ready to be submitted to the California Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council by the end of the month as part of the application for the next round of grant funding.

Humboldt County and its partner agencies are set to receive nearly $5 million, and the state has another $380 million in “bonus funding” available to grantees that meet the goals and objectives of the homelessness action plan.

Arledge said the state wants to see those funds invested in programs and services that follow the housing-first model, including projects offering low barriers for entry into permanent shelter, rapid rehousing, interim shelter and street outreach efforts. 

“They’re also really committed to wanting to find ways for people with lived experience of homelessness to meaningfully engage and inform not just the program planning but implementation as well,” Arledge told the board.

Lots of local organizations are working to address homelessness, she continued, noting that the board of the Humboldt Housing & Homelessness Coalition has identified 15 to 20 funding sources (besides HHAP) accounting for more than $43 million that the county has secured to address houselessness in the last three years.

Darlene Spoor, co-chair of Humboldt County Continuum of Care and executive director of Arcata House Partnership, encouraged the board to support the homelessness action plan and said they can help the neediest local residents “by approving zoning and projects that support the development of housing for people with very low income, safe parking and shelter programs and permanent housing projects.”

Local homelessness activist Janelle Egger urged the board to embrace campgrounds as a means of providing shelter under the housing first model. 

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson, meanwhile, suggested that some of the funding could be used for pre-development work to streamline the process of creating new housing. 

The board accepted the presentation. (No vote was required.) The Humboldt Housing and Homeless Coalition will apply for the grant funding before the end of the month. 

Cannabis Industry Grants

Later in the meeting, the board set about trying to decide how to distribute the first round of grant funding stemming from a 2019 settlement agreement between the county and environmental nonprofit Friends of the Eel River (FOER). 

In the lawsuit, Friends of the Eel argued that the county hadn’t done enough to mitigate the impacts of commercial cannabis operations on local watersheds. Sediment deposits from increased traffic on rural roads have had devastating impacts on the region’s waterways, including Redwood Creek and Sprowel Creek, both of which offer critical habitat for salmon and steelhead.

Per the terms of the settlement agreement, the county is tasked with disbursing up to $1 million in grant money per year, through 2023, to local landowners for culvert replacements and road repairs. Funding for the grants comes primarily from civil enforcement fines and penalties on commercial cannabis operations, and grant funding decisions are made in collaboration with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board. 

For this first round of funding, county staff had recommended approving just two of the 10 applicants — for improvements on Cobb Road, near Dinsmore, and Samuels Ranch Loop Road, along Salmon Creek — for a total award amount of just $138,395. Any unallocated funds can be rolled over for use in future years.

Applicants who weren’t approved this go-round showed up at the meeting to argue their cases.

Before they had a chance, Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell questioned Planning and Building Director John Ford about the reasoning behind staff’s proposed rejections.

“Did we not take into consideration rising costs?” she asked.

Ford explained that CDFW had objected to certain applications because the grant amounts being requested were well above the cost estimates applicants had provided in their Lake and Streambed Alterations (LSA) permit applications. In other cases, he said, the applicants had already completed the work and were applying for grant funding to get reimbursed, which is not allowed under the settlement. 

“We’re just trying to be true to the settlement agreement that was signed,” Ford said.

Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone also spoke in defense of local growers, saying it’s not uncommon for applicants to underestimate project costs when those costs are coming out of their own pockets.

“It’s just human nature … ,” he said.

He also pointed out that costs for materials have risen dramatically recently. 

During the public comment period, the growers and their representatives gave fervent speeches about the merits of their applications and the nobility of their “legacy farmer” operations. 

Several growers addressed the crash in cannabis flower prices and the simultaneously skyrocketing costs of distribution, labor and materials. Others spoke about the sensitivity of their operations and their stewardship of the land. Many urged the Board of Supervisors to reconsider staff’s recommendations and approve their applications, even if the work had already been completed or their applications hadn’t been approved by the state.

The deliberations took a turn, though, with a call from Scott Greacen, conservation director at Friends of the Eel River. He reminded people that this money is not like other cannabis grant opportunities.

“First,” he said, “the funds are not a gift. They’re a settlement between the county and Friends of the Eel River, the purpose of which is to reduce the watershed and fisheries impacts of the cannabis industry. That may be consistent in some situations with helping legacy farmers continue to grow, but that is not their purpose.”

From his group’s perspective, consistency with state and agency requirements is a condition of the settlement agreement.”It’s not okay to fund projects that are already done,” Greacen said. “We are looking for water quality improvements going forward. It’s not okay to fund projects that don’t have all their permits, and it’s not okay to fund projects that misrepresent costs.”

In response to the public feedback, Ford suggested a compromise, of sorts, saying the board could conditionally approve six more of the 10 applications, with the grants contingent upon the applicants updating old cost estimates to match their LSA permits.

Bushnell promptly made a motion to that effect, but Wilson pumped the brakes. He reiterated that this grant program is in relation to litigation, and so Friends of the Eel should probably be considered a partner. 

Ford said he wished he’d had time to consult with the group’s representatives before the meeting, but he hoped they would understand that the county was working with its other partners, CDFW and the regional water board.

After some discussion, Greacen came back on the line.

“I would just reiterate,” he said. “Our understanding of our settlement agreement is that consistency with state requirements and the recommendations of the [permitting] agencies is a specific condition of the settlement agreement. We do not support any additional funding at this point … .”

With that point clarified, Ford suggested a motion to approve the other six applications “subject to further consultation and approval” by the regional water board and CDFW.

“We’ll set up meetings with them,” he said.

Bushnell made the motion and Madrone seconded. It passed unanimously.

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If, for some reason, you’d like to watch any or all of Tuesday’s meeting, you can! Enjoy the whole thing below in video captured and uploaded by our friends at Access Humboldt.

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Press release from the Office of the Auditor Controller:

Last Wednesday, I congratulated Cheryl Dillingham on her successful run for Auditor-Controller and expressed to her my commitment to work with her to ensure a seamless transition. We both understand the importance of the A-C’s responsibility and have begun amicably coordinating and planning for the transfer of power. As I said to A-C-Elect Dillingham, “if it couldn’t be me, then I’m glad it’s [her].”

To the voters of Humboldt County: Thank you for engaging with the election process. While I was disappointed to learn the preliminary results, I remain confident that the Auditor-Controller staff will continue its good work in the interest of the public (voters and non-voters) regardless of who holds the Auditor-Controller title.

To Cheryl: Thank you for joining me in running a clean campaign. I will be more than happy to work with you and support you. You will be representing a department full of brilliant and talented staff who will look to you for leadership and guidance. It has been a tremendous joy for me to work for/with them and trust that you will feel the same. If you support them, then they will support you.

To everyone that voted for me: Thank you! Thank you so much for believing in me and recognizing the successes of my first term. I urge you to continue to advocate for the success and the independence of the Office of the Auditor-Controller and to show support to A-C-Elect Dillingham. A-C-Elect Dillingham deserves a fair opportunity to build upon the improvements we made in the last four years and the encouragement to do so. She will bear the burden of responsibility and will need all of our support to defend and protect the people’s elected Office of the Auditor-Controller.

To A-C staff: As I have always said, “I am a temp worker and my contract as an elected lasts only 4 years. This is your department, and the elected Auditor-Controller works for you, not the other way around.” Remember that.

To County leadership: Be better. Elected or not, you are accountable to the people.

To the press: With great power comes great responsibility. You have the power to inform and educate the people and it is your responsibility to do so with integrity and the truth. Thank you for your time and your efforts.

There is still time left on my term. The work continues.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Karen Paz Domínguez