Virginia
passed away after a long, incredibly brave, and spirited battle with
multiple illnesses on January 8, 2022, at the age of 86.
She
was born in Hays, Kansas, into a loving second generation
German-American family. The family moved to Arcata, when she was
very young, after her father answered a newspaper ad and got a job
through the mail working as a refrigerator repairman for Brizzards.
She
met her husband Ken at HSU in 1954, where he was taking graduate
courses after two years in the US Navy. She worked after marriage as
a legal secretary for Mitchell & Henderson in Eureka, and then
for Mahan and Harland in Fortuna prior to the birth of their first
child. Thereafter, she stayed home to raise their four children
until she began to work part time at Kemp’s Nursery in Fortuna,
which she and Ken purchased in the early 1960’s. When they sold
that business in the mid-‘70s, she worked for a number of years at
College of the Redwoods as a secretary for the Police Academy and
then for the dental program. In 1980, she and Ken, together with
their son Todd, opened the Sport & Cycle Stores in Fortuna and
Eureka and she worked there until retirement.
Virginia
loved her family and friends dearly and had many hobbies, including
drumming after she took lessons at the age of 82! She was known by
their many friends as a wonderful hostess and cook, serving her
gourmet “themed” dinners, with corresponding exquisite table
settings. She inherited a love of plants and gardening from her
mother, and could be found outside weeding or potting up new plants
in her greenhouse anytime the weather allowed.
She
and Ken traveled the world-both near and far – extensively, both
with their many friends and family. It was traditional that they take
their children and spouses on some sort of travel adventure yearly
until her heath precluded travel.
She
was a devout Catholic, and said often that if everyone in the world
said the rosary every morning as did she (her “coffee with Mary
time”, as she referred to it), there would finally be peace on
earth. She was a member of The Fortuna St. Joseph Catholic Church,
The Humboldt Botanical Society, The Fortuna Garden Club, and Humboldt
Sponsors.
She
is survived by her children Todd (Toni) Dunaway, Tracy (Penny)
Dunaway, and Debra (Chris) Heckert, and grandchildren Taryn Dunaway,
Brooke Dunaway, Michael Price, and Lani Gauntlett as well as siblings
Norman Barker, Cynthia (Dave) Bibler, Mary Jane (Cowboy)
Finn-Broadwater.
A
private family service will be held at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna.
Donations in her honor may be made to the charity of your choice.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Virginia Dunaway’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Unsurprisingly, Humboldt has its fair share of plein air painters – folks who regularly haul paints and canvases to handsome outdoor places, braving the elements to prop up an easel and capture whatever fleeting scene is before them.
For nearly three years, Cyndy Phillips, a local artist and director of SequoiaSong Publications, has been working to document a slice of all that plein air art in a thick anthology of 36 Humboldt artists. Phillip’s book, “Looking for Beauty: Humboldt’s Plein Air Community Shows why Art Matters,” will be the first of its kind – no other Humboldt-centric anthology of plein air paintings has been published in a book – and looking back on the massive but rewarding undertaking, she hopes others will follow suit and produce more books chronicling the many types of artists who live and work in Humboldt County.
“I’m doing this because I love art, and I love our community. And it feels like it needs to be done,” Phillips told the Outpost.
Phillips – who isn’t a plein air artist herself but has ties to the local plein air community – let her idea sit for a few years until she learned how lacking Humboldt’s artist anthologies arsenal is.
“Why don’t we have a collection like this out there? We have so many painters and so many artisans in our community, why don’t we have more books out there featuring them, so that they become part of the global canon and we have that legacy here for Humboldt?” Phillips said. “That really motivated me.”
With support from helpers around the community, she started the project several months before the pandemic. The artists featured in the book were referred to Phillips by Paul Rickard, a local artist who facilitates a weekly plein air painting group. The 36 artists – including beginners and professionals from many walks of life – submitted paintings to accompany their short essays inspired by the question: “Does art matter in this crossroads of our time?”
And then COVID threw a huge wrench in the project.
A page from “Looking for Beauty: Humboldt’s Plein Air Community Shows why Art Matters”
“The funding dried up, the help dried up, and it became just me,” Phillips said. At times, she was sure the book would go unfinished.
“[The essays] became a founding source of strength for me and the book. During COVID, all the support for the book fell apart and it was basically just me working in a dark room on a computer by myself day after day. I just felt miserable about the project. I wanted to walk away,” Phillips said.
“I needed to hear people tell me why this matters, why art matters. And as the primary editor of this book, I had to read [the essays] over and over and over and proof them and copy edit them, and so they became kind of ingrained in my head. And their words would just replay every single time I thought: ‘I can’t do it anymore,’… I would hear their words and I would keep going. So I thought, if that’s what this is doing for me, who knows who might read this book and be inspired by that and not give up on their dreams and on their goals.”
Now Phillips is steadily working toward releasing the book in April. But printing still hinges on completing a Kickstarter campaign that is now just a few hundred dollars shy of its $12,000 goal, which will close on Jan. 25. (Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing platform; creators only get the money if their fundraiser goal is met.)
The Kickstarter page is where folks interested in owning an extra-spiffy, limited edition version of “Looking for Beauty: Humboldt’s Plein Air Community Shows why Art Matters” can buy it, as well as tote bags and bookmarks adorned with art from the book. The book is itself a fundraiser; half the proceeds will go toward Humboldt’s Annual Paint Out, which is sponsored by the Redwood Art Association.
Additionally, Phillips expects that hardcover versions of the book will be available to purchase from local bookstores and online distributors. And, whether or not the Kickstarter goal is met, a digital version of the book will be available for free to all through Humboldt State’s Digital Commons.
Although the book was often a single-person effort, Phillips was supported by Humboldt’s plein air community, HSU Press, and at least a dozen professionals, she said, including photographer Kristy Hellum and videographers Dean Hubbard, Beau Saunders and Nandi Johannes.
Some artists featured in the book may be nearing the end of their painting careers, Phillips said, and one artist, Rick Tolley, passed away in October.
“This book is just a really honorable way to secure their legacies in the world, in the global canon of artists.”
Some of Humboldt’s plein air artists. | Photo courtesy of Cyndy Phillips
If you’ve tried and failed to find a rapid COVID-19 test locally, to no avail, Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Ian Hoffman says you’re not alone — and with the omicron variant fueling the largest surge in cases to date, things might not get better for a little while.
“We’re certainly not going to have enough tests to get through the omicron surge,” Hoffman said at a press briefing Wednesday. “It is overwhelming all testing across the board. So we might have to prioritize some in the coming weeks.”
That means, ideally, saving those tests for people who are actually showing symptoms, he said. That way they can figure out if they’ve got the now not-so-novel coronavirus or something more benign, like a cold.
Hoffman mentioned the federal government’s website, deployed on Tuesday, that allows each household to order four rapid tests that will be delivered in the mail later this month or early next month.
Hoffman also mentioned the importance of masking during this outbreak, noting that the California Department of Public Health recently updated its “Guidance for the Use of Face Masks” website. There’s a wide variety of masks available on the market. Hoffman said the N-95 or KN-95 varieties are the best options.
Surgical masks provide some protection, though Hoffmans said you may want to double-mask to create a better fit. Even if you only have cloth masks, that’s better than nothing. “It’s just not as good as others that are widely available now,” Hoffman said.
As for this unprecedented surge, Hoffman said we likely haven’t seen the peak here in Humboldt. In fact, we’re probably still a week or two away from the high-water mark, he predicted, and he cautioned that cases will remain high even on the other side of that peak.
And since it bears repeating ad nauseam, Hoffman again reminded the public that vaccination “continues to be the most effective tool against all forms of the coronavirus, COVID-19.”
People who’ve been fully vaccinated and boosted have a much, much lower risk of hospitalization and death.
Sacramento, CA – Today, Senator Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) was named Majority Leader of the California State Senate by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins. This makes Senator McGuire the second highest ranking member of the State Senate and he will be working with the Senate President to lead the Senate in the months and years to come.
“With bold leadership along with the ingenuity and hard work Californians are known for, the Golden State is poised to emerge from this pandemic stronger. That’s why I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with our exceptional Senate leader, Pro Tem Toni Atkins. With Senator Atkins in the lead, we’re bringing forward one of America’s strongest climate action plans, building more affordable housing, increasing our wildfire resilience and advancing solutions to the homelessness crisis – and that’s just the beginning. Yes, we’re living in challenging times, but I’m more energized than ever to work with Pro Tem Atkins and the State Senate to ensure our best days are still ahead,” Senator McGuire said.
For the last three years, Senator McGuire has served as Assistant Majority Leader.
“I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role. And, my top priority will always be the North Coast. We have been through so much together over the last several years – multiple wildfires, floods, extreme drought and this pandemic. Even through our darkest days, we never gave up and we never gave in. Together, we will never quit fighting for the future of the North Coast and the Golden State,” Senator McGuire said.
After the Arcata City Council recently approved a plan to develop a Safe Parking Program, allowing homeless individuals and families to legally and safely park and stay in their vehicles on an industrial site on Samoa Boulevard, the council is now poised to award a contract to Arcata House Partnership (AHP) to operate the program.
City staff released a request for proposals in December and the council will review AHP’s proposal during tonight’s meeting. Considering that, according to the staff report, AHP’s proposal is the only one the city received and it meets all of the requirements, it seems very likely that the council will approve it.
During its most recent meeting, the council authorized City Manager Karen Diemer to sign a month-to-month lease agreement with the owners of the property at 1680 Samoa Boulevard, allowing the operation of the parking program. The site will hold up to 30 vehicles which will be parked inside of a large warehouse structure located on the property. The site already includes fencing along the perimeter, something that Diemer said made the property a good choice, and AHP wrote in the proposal that a security camera will be installed and 24-hour on-site management will be provided for extra safety measures.
AHP’s proposal lists services that will be provided to the residents, including electricity and charging stations, bathrooms, water and meals – continental breakfast every morning and dinner every night, plus snacks or lunch at AHP’s off-site walkup window in Arcata. Mobile showers will be made available when possible through the Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives (AHHA) mobile shower program. Residents will also have access to case management services and AHP will help residents to seek employment, apply for benefits and secure more permanent housing. Residents will also be encouraged to get medical care, including vaccinations for COVID-19.
The proposal also outlines quite a few rules and requirements for staying in the safe parking site. To be eligible, individuals must be “literally homeless” and their vehicle must be operational, registered and insured. No visitors will be permitted on the site and residents are expected to keep their areas clean and free of debris. No open flames are permitted on the site and cooking will only be allowed in approved vehicles, such as RVs that are equipped with safe cooking appliances. Pets are allowed, but they must be vaccinated and well-behaved.
Dealing or using illegal drugs on or surrounding the property will be strictly forbidden, as will weapons, violence and aggression. Residents are also prohibited from “panhandling or solicitation in the City of Arcata while participating in the program,” the proposal states.
AHP says it will conduct weekly reviews, to ensure residents are following the rules. If a resident doesn’t break the rules and is actively seeking more permanent housing, they can be permitted to stay with no end date. Those who are not actively seeking housing will have a stay limit of 28 days. Most of the parking spaces will be reserved for longer term stays, but a portion will be available on a nightly basis, the proposal says.
Finding participants for the parking program will be conducted through outreach, with AHP staff inviting people staying who have been parking and sleeping in their vehicle on the streets or in parking lots around Arcata. There will also be a waitlist with priority given to those who have been on the list the longest. Priority will be given to unhoused people in Arcata, although the proposal states that the program will be made available to homeless people in Humboldt County.
Funding for the Safe Parking Program will come from $685,000 in ARPA funds that the council set aside earlier this year for the program. AHP estimates the total budget to operate the program for one year at $684,992 to cover staffing, rent, services and utilities. The proposal does state that some costs, such as the case management, will be covered by separate grant money. No exact timeline for operating the program was included in the proposal. But assuming that the council approves AHP’s proposal tonight, things will probably start moving forward quickly, since the purpose of establishing this program was to find ways to quickly address homelessness and issues surrounding homelessness in Arcata.
“Although this is a pilot project that will offer safe parking to 30 cars, it will nonetheless be a step towards reducing the negative impact of people living in their vehicle all over the city,” the AHP proposal states. “It will provide a focal point for law enforcement efforts to direct people in need to an appropriate resource, which can help them access more assistance and ultimately may get people on the road to permanent housing.”
The Arcata City Council meets tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 19) at 6 p.m. over Zoom. You can view the full agenda and directions on how to participate here.
The City of Rio Dell has decided it no longer has use for this 1988 Koehring LRT 110, which they refer to as a “mobile war crane” in the subject line of this release they just issued. Do you need this? Details below!
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UPDATE: We reached out to Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp to ask how the city came to possess a “mobile war crane.”
“I believe sometime in the 1990s the city acquired the crane from U.S. military surplus,” he explained. “It has ever since then sat in the [city’s corporation] yard, unused — unused for anything other than a conversation piece.”
Why did the city get it in the first place?
“I think the idea was that it might have some usefulness for Public Works,” Knopp said. “However, that never really panned out. I think it’s probably a learning lesson that just because something’s free through U.S. military surplus, it’s not necessarily something we really need to have.”
But hey, maybe you have something very heavy to lift without being spotted by animals or enemy snipers. Here’s your chance.
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City of Rio Dell release:
The City of Rio Dell is conducting an online auction of surplus property items that ends on Monday, January
31, 2022.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to bid on surplus City property including miscellaneous
vehicles and equipment. The auction will take place online at GovDeals.com, and descriptions of items up for
bid can be found at GovDeals.com/cityofriodell through January 31st.
All items will be sold as-is, where-is, and the City may reject any and all bids. Winning bidders will be required
to submit online payment for items within five days after winning the item and to collect their items within 10
days.
To register to bid on items in this auction, please visit GovDeals.com. Bidder registration is free and open to the
public. For more information, please contact the City of Rio Dell at sanbornt@cityofriodell.ca.gov or call (707)
764-3532.
Press release from the Bergel for Supervisor campaign:
Eureka City Councilperson Kim Bergel will kick off her campaign for Humboldt County Board of Supervisors representing the Fourth District on Thursday Jan 20 at 4:30 at Madaket Plaza at the foot of C Street in Eureka.
In her almost eight years on Eureka Council, Kim has worked diligently to improve the health, safety and quality of life for her constituents. She worked with the Transportation Safety Commission to get Eureka declared a bike friendly community, supported community projects like the Redwood Skywalk at the Zoo and passionately endorsed the return of Tuluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe. She has worked with police and mental health professionals to better serve the community needs through the CAPE, UPLIFT Eureka and MIST, which assist individuals and families in finding jobs and housing.
Kim is dedicated to creating a fairer tax system for cannabis farmers and businesses and finding other ways to better support this legacy pillar of Humboldt’s economy. As a county supervisor she will also continue to show up and voice her strong support for nurses and medical professionals fighting to achieve safer staffing levels and more reasonable working conditions in our hospitals and care homes.
Kim recognizes that many of Humboldt’s upcoming opportunities , including new communication infrastructure, port development, offshore wind energy and the land-based fish farm will need political support as well as strong infrastructure. Humboldt County needs the well-paying jobs and other benefits these progressive projects will provide.
“I show up, I’m out in the trenches, I listen and I am easily accessible. I am passionate about Humboldt and I am passionate about building a better future for all of our citizens.” Kim says. “Let’s build on what’s working and face the challenges together.”
