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Demonstrators took to the streets of Eureka on Friday evening to fight for the right to access safe and legal abortion. Reproductive-rights activists have mobilized across the country in the last month in response to a leaked draft majority opinion by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito that indicated the court’s intent to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark court decision that guarantees a person’s constitutional right to have an abortion.

A crowd of about 75 people gathered in front of the gazebo in Eureka’s Old Town at 5 p.m. bearing signs that read “My Body, My Choice,” “Keep Abortion Legal” and “Women’s and LGBT Liberation Now” among others.

The Supreme Court is expected to release a final opinion on the matter before its recess at the end of this month, or perhaps even as soon as Monday. The court calendar has “opinion issuance days” scheduled for June 13 and 15, but the calendar does not indicate which opinions will be released.

What does such a change mean for California? Overturning Roe v. Wade could have major consequences for people seeking abortion services outside of the state, but California’s abortion laws will likely become more permissive, not less.

​​Scroll down for more pictures of today’s event.

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UPDATE, Monday, June 13:

Aileen Yoo, a public information officer for Cal Poly Humboldt, sent the Outpost the following statement:

UPD is actively investigating these incidents as repeated acts of vandalism. They have increased patrols and we will pursue the maximum penalty when the people responsible for the vandalism are caught.  Facilities Management is looking into using metal lettering instead of acrylic and changing the installation process to better deter vandalism.Unfortunately, signage is expensive and it’s costing the University thousands–nearly $16,000–to cover the amount of stolen lettering, replacement letters, and labor. If we need to change all the signs to metal letters, it will cost the University at least an additional $12,000.

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ORIGINAL POST:

Over the last week or so, various letters have gone missing from the Cal Poly Humboldt signs located at several different campus entrances and exactly why or how this has been happening is still a mystery.

Several concerned and confused community members have reached out to LoCO or taken the issue to social media, wondering what the reason behind these missing letters may be. Particularly confusing is the seeming randomness of the letters that are gone, leaving behind word jumbles that don’t seem to spell anything — at least, nothing that we can figure out.

In the most recent photos the Outpost has seen, taken by Bob Doran on Wednesday and Thursday, one of the main entrance gates on LK Wood and 14th Street is missing the letters H, M, B, D and T, leaving the sign to read “CAL POLY U OL.” The sign on the west side of 14th and B Streets is missing the letters A, L, P, L, H, M and T, and now reads “COY U BOLD.” The sign on LK Wood and Sunset Ave. is only missing the U and M from the “HUMBOLDT.”

Doran also informs the Outpost that as of Friday morning, another letter has gone missing – the “C” from the main gate on LK Wood.

It seems that the letter removal has been a reoccurring issue. After at least one batch of letters had gone missing, the signs had been fully repaired with all letters replaced, and now many of the letters are missing again.

The Outpost has many questions, as you readers surely do too. Are the letters being repeatedly stolen by the same person or persons? And why? Is this just a pointless act of vandalism? Or is it commentary on the school’s recent transition from HSU to Cal Poly Humboldt? Why had this not been an issue when the signs still read “Humboldt State University”? Are these new letters way too easy to remove? And how much is it costing the school to keep replacing them?

Reached by the Outpost this afternoon, the University was not able to offer much help. Public Information Officer Aileen Yoo said that she and other information center staff will search for the answers to these questions and most likely get back to us on Monday. We will update when we know more.

Until then, be on the lookout for a bunch of giant metal letters. We can only hope that they will turn up somewhere soon, spelling out some sort of hilarious or brilliant message that makes everything clear.

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Natalie Arroyo, candidate for Fourth District Supervisor, may be feeling a bit of relief, wherever she is.

And that’s because the Humboldt County Elections Office just released the first of a series of Friday post-election updates, which accounts for an addition of about 3,600 votes, and Arroyo’s share of the vote actually ticked up a bit — from 50.21 percent on Election Night to 50.83 percent today.

If Arroyo stays above 50 percent, she wins the race outright without the need for a runoff against second-place finisher Mike Newman.

Overall, about 650 ballots with valid votes for Fourth District Supervisor were tallied between Election Night and today.

The other races stand much as they did on Election Night, with DA candidate Stacey Eads, Fifith District Supervisor incumbent Steve Madrone, Arcata City Council candidate Alex Stillman and Superior Court Judge candidate Steven Steward maintaining significant leads. Auditor-Controller candidate Cheryl Dillingham’s percentage increased slightly, so that she currently has over 70 percent of the vote.

Tiffany Hunt Nielsen’s lead over Juan Pablo Cervantes in the Clerk-Recorder/Registrar of Voters race narrowed somewhat. That race seems sure to head to a runoff.

Full election results here.

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After months of behind-the-scenes scheming and closed-door meetings with powerful interests, a shadowy corporation’s bid to export coal out of Humboldt Bay got unceremoniously shot down today by the Surface Transportation Board.

The North Coast Railroad Co. LLC, an opaque corporation formed just last year, had submitted a notice to the federal agency declaring its intent to file an Offer of Financial Assistance (OFA) in hopes of taking over the 320-mile rail line between Eureka and the Bay Area. The apparent idea was to export coal from the Powder River Basin via rail through the Bay Area, up the Eel River Canyon and onto ships in the Port of Humboldt for transport to Asian markets.

The scheme threatened the future of The Great Redwood Trail, a state-backed endeavor to convert the former North Coast Railroad Authority’s right-of-way into a multi-use rail-to-trail project connecting San Francisco and Humboldt bays.

But the company’s attorneys missed the Surface Transportation Board’s May 31 filing deadline by a single day, which was proved sufficient cause for the agency to reject the filing. The agency didn’t even get into the laughable bank statement the company had submitted, which claimed to come from an account with balances in the $15.7 million range — that is, unless you copied-and-pasted numbers that had been inadequately redacted from the statement. Those poorly hidden numbers showed account’s actual balances hovering around the $2,000 mark. 

Reached via phone, Congressman Jared Huffman was delighted with the ruling.

“This is outstanding news,” Huffman said. “I think North Coast residents can breathe a lot easier knowing that this outrageous coal train proposal has been rejected.”

Alicia Hamann, executive director of environmental nonprofit Friends of the Eel River, gave credit to vigorous push-back to the coal train proposal from the local community and lawmakers including Huffman, state Senator Mike McGuire and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla.

McGuire’s office sent out a press release with comments from the senator.

“The North Coast has always known this dangerous project was dead on arrival, and today the Surface Transportation Board confirmed it,” he said in the statement. 

Hamann said she wasn’t so sure. “We were kind of expecting the STB to maybe make an exception in favor of the North Coast Railroad Company,” allowing the bid to move forward despite the blown deadline, she said. “But it turns out that their late filing has been rejected.”

The Surface Transportation Board also rejected a proposal from Arcata resident and frequent LoCO commenter Uri Driscoll, who, under the name “Seeker Enterprises,” proposed converting a couple of short sections of rail line around Humboldt Bay for railbike recreational service.

The agency said Driscoll’s notice “fails to demonstrate preliminary financial responsibility.” His filing said that he had secured a $200,000 line of credit on his home to finance the endeavor, and he offered his retirement account as collateral. The Surface Transportation Board also rejected Driscoll’s bid because he didn’t obtain a current quote for rail steel scrap, as required.

But the agency did not reject a notice from Mendocino Railway, operator of the Skunk Train, which has proposed taking over a 13-mile stretch of line from the Willits area to a spot near Dos Rios, ostensibly to ship gravel. The Great Redwood Trail Agency, formerly the North Coast Railroad Authority, has questioned Mendocino Railway’s financial fitness for such an endeavor, noting that their operations have historically been confined to excursion trains and railbikes. 

Huffman said the STB may wind up rejecting that proposal, too.

“I would not say that the Skunk Train is somehow in a great position now because they didn’t get rejected,” he told the Outpost. “I think you can read between the lines in what the STB wrote, [which is] that they think that the Skunk Train has got some financial viability problems.”

Mendocino Railway has said it intends to be connected to the national rail system, though Hamann said the company may have ulterior motives.

“It seems obvious that they’re trying to bolster their claim to be a public utility, because that would then make them exempt from environmental review and permitting requirements for their development plans in Fort Bragg,” she said.

As for the North Coast Railroad Co. and its coal train ambitions, Hamann said she thinks the company is highly unlikely to appeal the decision. Huffman agreed.

“You know, there are always some ways in which you can challenge an agency decision like this, but it is expensive, difficult and in this case it’s just not going to work,” he said.

But if the company wants to try?

“Good luck with that, is what I would say,” Huffman replied. “If they want to light some coal money on fire pursuing that appeal, I wish them well.”

McGuire said in his press release, “The best is yet to come with the Great Redwood Trail. We’re beyond thrilled to kick off the Trail Master Plan in the coming few months and we look forward to moving this once-in-a-generation project forward full steam ahead!”

You can read the Surface Transportation Board’s ruling here. 

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Aiming to Ship Coal Out of Humboldt Bay, Shadowy Corporation Makes Bid to Take Over NCRA Line
• Sen. Mike McGuire Introduces Legislation Meant to Derail Proposed Humboldt Bay Coal Train Route
• Consultant in NCRA Rail Takeover Bid Says Project Has Been Misrepresented, But Document Reveals Coal Connections and Wiyot Tribe Involvement
• ‘Coal Does Not Align With Our Values’: Wiyot Tribe Executives Say Proposals Did Not Specify Cargo, Council Would Not Support Project
• Huffman, Thompson Pen Letter to Buttigieg Opposing Federal Loans for ‘Disastrous’ Coal Train Project
• Surface Transportation Board Ruling Issues Serious Blow to Annie and Mary Trail Efforts, Opens Door for Coal Train Interests to Make Their Case to Scuttle Great Redwood Rail-to-Trail
• COAL TRAIN NOT DEAD: Shadowy Corporation Files its Paperwork After the Deadline Due to ‘Vacation Travel Delays,’ Hopes Federal Surface Transportation Board Will Give it a Pass
• Great Redwood Trail Agency Uncovers Poorly Redacted Financial Data, Calls Bullshit on Coal Train Interests

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After the Arcata City Council approved eight beautification and community improvement projects for Valley West during a meeting in April, the oft-overlooked neighborhood’s makeover has begun with the planting of five fruit trees in Valley West Park on Halen Drive.

Kimberly White, a coordinator for Comunidad Unidad del Norte de Arcata (CUNA) – a project of local nonprofit Cooperation Humboldt that has been partnering with the City of Arcata to improve the Valley West neighborhood, told the Outpost that the trees include a kinderkrisp apple, a bosc pear, a snow beauty peach, a satsuma plum and a pomegranate.

A pomegranate?! The Outpost was surprised to hear about this seemingly exotic addition, and asked White if a pomegranate tree is expected to perform well in our climate. “That one was gifted to us and we were told it was ‘a hopeful,’” White responded. “But even if it doesn’t ever fruit, it will be a beautiful tree.”

The other trees can vary in how long they take to fruit, usually anywhere between three and 10 years, depending on the variety. White said that during the dry months, the trees will be watered by community volunteers.  

In addition to the planting of the fruit trees, the Valley West improvements include adding a picnic bench and barbecue grill to the park, the addition of several new murals, an open-air flea market (or tianguis), holding free dance classes, weekend theater classes for kids and monthly teen meetups. The projects are being funded by $15,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, allocated by the city.

White said that CUNA and the City are in the process of adding the picnic bench, grill and some new trash and recycling bins to the park and that will be complete very soon. The murals – which will include a mural on the Hallen Drive basketball court and five smaller community murals around the park and basketball court – will also be completed soon, White said.

The Rebound project is getting ready to start painting the basketball court, and local muralist Ben Goulart has already begun outlining his murals, which community volunteers will be asked to help paint.

flyer for Tianguis event from CUNA

The free dance classes and children’s theater classes are also already underway and take place on the weekends at Steps Studio in the Valley West shopping center. The first tianguis market is scheduled for Saturday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Carlson Park on Mad River Parkway.

White said that CUNA is still looking for vendors to participate in the tianguis and encouraged anyone interested to call (707) 633-3867 or email cuna@cooperationhumboldt.com. White said that she really hopes to see lots of participation and attendance at the first event, so that CUNA can hold more of them in the future. White also encourages folks to call or email if they are interested in volunteering to help paint the murals. “No experience necessary,” White said.

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PREVIOUSLY:  Great Redwood Trail Agency Uncovers Poorly Redacted Financial Data, Calls Bullshit on Coal Train Interests

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Press release from Congressman Jared Huffman’s Office:

Today, Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael), U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) sent a letter to Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chief of Section Cynthia T. Brown in support of the Great American Trail railbank and in opposition to other entities who filed interest in taking over the line.

“The complete lack of freight traffic on the line since 1998, high risk, and improbable restoration of the tracks for freight warrants abandonment and railbanking of the line from Willits to Humboldt Bay,” the members said it their letter. “We urge the STB to continue to give the GRTA/NCRA’s abandonment/railbank application full and fair consideration and reject the Notices of Intent to file.”

In the letter, the members called attention to one applicant of particular concern: the “North Coast Railroad Company”, which has proposed using the abandoned rail line to transport coal abroad through the Port of Humboldt.

“It is our understanding that this applicant has no ties to the North Coast of California nor experience with freight rail services but is seeking to haul coal across the functionally abandoned rail line for shipment abroad. Its egregious lack of transparency was further evidenced with its NOI [notice of intent] filing which included a bank statement that was at best misleading and at worst fraudulent. In the bank statement, the viewable beginning and ending balances appeared to be above $15 million. However, under further examination of the documentation, it was discovered that the average rotating balance of the account appears to be closer to $1,000,” the letter states.

In May, Rep. Huffman questioned Surface Transportation Board Chair Martin Oberman about his views on board reauthorizations during a House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing. Rep. Huffman’s line of questioning can be viewed here, and the full committee hearing can be viewed here. In September of 2021, Huffman and Rep. Mike Thompson (D- St. Helena) sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urging him to deny federal funding for the coal train. 

The full letter can be viewed here or below:

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Cynthia T. Brown
Chief of Section
Administration Office of Proceedings
Surface Transportation Board
395 E Street, SW
Washington DC 20423

Re: Docket No. AB 1305X: North Coast Railroad Authority-Abandonment Exemption in Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt Counties, California.

Dear Ms. Brown:

We are writing in support of the Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA)/North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA)’s application for abandonment/railbanking and to express concern related to the Notices of Intent (NOI) to file Offers of Financial Assistance (OFA).

The Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP) has not operated for 24 years since winter storms devasted the tracks through the Eel River Canyon. The line has fallen into extreme disrepair. Geologic instability and slides have destroyed long stretches of track. Indeed, because of landslides the ground that used to support many track segments through the canyon are now simply gone, leaving the tracks hanging in the air high above the Eel River. While the State of California has authorized the use of the NWP tracks south of Windsor for passenger and freight, restoration of rail operations between Willits and Humboldt Bay for freight is clearly not feasible. The NCRA has previously attempted to bring that dilapidated freight rail back to life and failed.

The NCRA estimated it would cost $2.35 billion to rehabilitate the line, which would still remain prone to the exceedingly high maintenance costs it experienced during its former operation. The NCRA is seeking to railbank the tracks from Willits north for the Great Redwood Trail – a major recreation development authorized by the California legislature in October 2021. As a result of that legislation, the NCRA officially transitioned to the GRTA and is overseen by the California State Coastal Conservancy.

Three NOI to file OFA were submitted to take over the line and attempt to block the NCRA’s railbanking application. None of these entities operate freight rail or have engaged in interstate rail activities.

Two entities which submitted NOI operate primarily for tourism and recreation. Both Seeker Enterprises and the Mendocino Railway provide, or are seeking to provide, rail bike excursions. Mendocino Railway also provides passenger rail services; however, these are limited to excursion purposes. Neither the Surface Transportation Board nor Congress intended for an OFA purchasing a line to continue rail service to include excursion rail.

Of particular concern is the NOI submitted by the “North Coast Railroad Company” which was filed late and should be dismissed on that fact alone. This entity has not yet disclosed its identity or its source of financing. It is our understanding that this applicant has no ties to the North Coast of California nor experience with freight rail services but is seeking to haul coal across the functionally abandoned rail line for shipment abroad. Its egregious lack of transparency was further evidenced with its NOI filing which included a bank statement that was at best misleading and at worst fraudulent. In the bank statement, the viewable beginning and ending balances appeared to be above $15million. However, under further examination of the documentation, it was discovered that the average rotating balance of the account appears to be closer to $1,000.

The complete lack of freight traffic on the line since 1998, high risk, and improbable restoration of the tracks for freight warrants abandonment and railbanking of the line from Willits to Humboldt Bay. We urge the STB to continue to give the GRTA/NCRA’s abandonment/railbank application full and fair consideration and reject the Notices of Intent to file. Thank you for your attention to this most important matter.

Sincerely,

[Members of Congress]

UPDATE, 2:25 p.m.: Jerry Rohde, the fantastic local historian, checks in with the following nickname suggestion(s):

In the 1850s, Hydesville was called Goose Lake Prairie.

More recently, I’ve been calling it “Widesville,” since Highway 36 is 102 feet wide through town. The original road was built that wide so that a six-horse team and wagon could turn around in it.

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Remember a few years ago, when Caltrans, in conjunction with the local community, fixed up Highway 299 through Willow Creek? That town looks much nicer now.

Well, now it appears they want to do something of the same thing for Highway 36 through Hydesville, which is a cool town you should definitely check out if you’re new to the area or something, and they’re going to be holding an open house next week to talk about some ideas they’ve cooked up and to see what y’all think of them.

That meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15 at Hydesville Elementary. Can’t make it in person? There’ll be a webcast you can join at this link. See the poster below for more options.

And, please, someone suggest a good nickname for Hydesville. Headline writers need that option because it’s weird to say “Hydesville” twice in the same headline, even if it’s one of those loooooong LoCO headlines we so adore. Thank you!