Local environmental groups — Northcoast Environmental Center, Citizens for a Sustainable Humboldt and the Redwood Region Audubon Society — have filed their second lawsuit against Humboldt County concerning a controversial cannabis farm deep in the wild Eel River canyon.
Larry Glass of the Northcoast Environmental Center and Mary Gaterud of Citizens for a Sustainable Humboldt join the show to talk about their lawsuit, why this farm is symptomatic of larger failings in the county’s regulation of cannabis, and the politics of cannabis on the Board of Supervisors.
On November 27, 2021, Ronald “Dean” Antonsen, left us for that big beautiful blue sky up above, after enduring the last couple of months with severe health issues, he passed away peacefully.
Born February 23, 1957, he lived his entire life here in Eureka. He was an avid hunter, loved fishing with his dad growing up, and later in life with wonderful friends, he enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing and camping at Ruth and Trinity Lakes. You would always find him and our family at birthday dinners at one of our local breweries or having teppanyaki.
Dean graduated from Eureka High School in 1975 and received his associate of arts degree from College of the Redwoods. He was always repairing vehicles growing up and knew this would be is trade. He worked at Vern’s Auto Repair in High School, then at Old Town Brake, before owning his own business, A & B Wheel, in Old Town. Dean and Ava, whom he loved dearly, kept in touch through the years, were always there for one another, especially the past few years. They decided to marry in St. Joseph Hospital, and a special day it was for them.
He is proceeded in death by his grandparents, Ole and Helen Antonsen and Walter and Marie Nelson, Father Bob Antonsen, sister Sherri Antonsen, Uncle and Aunt John and Joyce Nelson, and Step nephew Neil “Bryan” Hubbard, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Ava “Blackwell” Antonsen, “who loved him more that anything,” mother Anna K. Antonsen, sisters and their husbands, Lori and Jeff Weller and Tina and Neil Hubbard, Uncle and Aunt Carl and Joyce Nelson, nephews and their spouses, Chris Weller (Brandy) and Nick Weller (Emily) and step niece and her spouse Amy Borden (Huna), along with great niece’s and nephew.
There will be a celebration of life at a later date. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Dean’s honor to your favorite charity. We miss you so much Dean and we love you … God bless.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Dean Antonsen’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
James
Lee Kirk February
19, 1951 – November 20, 2021
James
Lee Kirk of Piercy went home to be with his heavenly loved ones
on Saturday, November 20,
2021.
A
truck driver for most of his adult life, James made many friends
along his routes. Everyone that ever met him would tell you the same
thing, that he loved to laugh and would give you the shirt off his
back if he thought it would help you. His laugh, so infectious at
times that you’d have a hard time catching your breath while tears
run down your face. Some of his favorite hobbies included fishing,
camping, running, acting, and martial arts. Back in the fall of 1973
he and his wife Betty took their first Jujitsu class with Sensei Dave
Cook. From that point on, James was hooked, and would take classes
every chance he got. He spent many years at the Jobu Shin Kan Jujitsu
studio in Eureka, learning under a couple of different Sensei’s,
Dennis and Jon come to mind. Before James had to stop attending, he
had achieved the highest level of Brown Belt and was studying to test
for Black. He was so proud of this achievement, and we were all very
proud of him.
James
was an avid runner for many years. He ran in the San Francisco
Marathon on July 8, 2001, raising money for the Leukemia Society. He
also ran the Avenue of the Giants Marathon several times throughout
the years. One of his favorite venues was the Clam Beach Run up in
Trinidad.
James
and his wife shared a love of the arts. They took classes together at
C.R. for several years. He enjoyed sculpting and drawing, while she
enjoyed painting and drawing in different mediums. James also took
acting classes, and landed a supporting role in one of C.R.’s
annual plays in the 90s. In his twenties, he would “play” up
at Lazy L Ranch in Arcata. There was an Old West town where he
was a stuntman, and they would do shootouts and get to be cowboys in
the old prop buildings that were set up there.
James
was adamant that he was born before the famous Cpt. James T. Kirk
from Star Trek, and I can remember pretty much any time I would
introduce him to anyone, the first thing out of their mouth was “Any
relation to?”. It was always a great way to break the ice, and
conversations would seem to just flow from there.
James
was a fun, loving, devoted son, husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He is survived by his wife Betty
Kirk, daughter Sarah Cardoza and her husband Andrew, grandson Romello
Kress, sister Evelyn Gustafson and her husband Brian, brother Robert
Kirk and his wife Pamela, brother John Kirk and his wife Kathy. He is
also survived by numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, bonus grandkids
and great grands. James was preceded in death by his parents Charles
and DaraLee Kirk.
We
will be reaching out with plans for a celebration of life to be held
in the Spring of 2022.
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of James Kirk’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
A
gentle genius who remembered everything about everything: history,
trains, computers, you name it.
He
was born Nov. 7, 1952 and raised in Santa Paula, Calif.
After serving in the Army, he became an airplane mechanic, then a
trainer of mechanics at American Eagle in San Luis Obispo. When that
job was moved to Texas, he transferred to his other favorite subject,
computer technician. He worked for Humboldt Superior Court in the IT
department from 1999 until his retirement in 2014.
Ken
and I met in 1970 at YMCA camp. He was horsey-man and I was the
storekeeper. We have been together since, married in 1972. He loved
trains; believing the world would be better off with more use of
trains – hauling goods and people. He was computer tech to many
friends – there just wasn’t anything he couldn’t figure out.
He
was also an avid reader, especially enjoying Neal Stephenson, Jack
McDevitt and William Gibson. Their fascinating stories really made
him think – he would refer to their stories many times, relating
them to current issues.
Ken
was recently diagnosed with renal cancer that had metastasized to
other organs. He was about to start medical treatment when he
suffered a pulmonary embolism on Sunday November 28, passing away on
December 1.
He
leaves behind his wife Jackie and loving sister, Charlene. He also
leaves three beloved cats: Robin, Emy, and Smudge. They cuddled on
him constantly, enjoying that soft, sweet warmth.
How
can you sum up a person in a short little obituary? He was my comfort
and calm, my other half in every way possible.
He
would appreciate any donation to any worthy cause, but a couple of
his favorites were Farmer Veteran Coalition and North Valley Animal
Disaster Group in Chico, Calif.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Ken Parks’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
Holdridge in a 2017 Sheriff’s Office booking photo.
Brent Holdridge, a 56-year-old Eureka man, has been arrested on federal charges connected with the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
According to a returned arrest warrant — find it here — the suspect surrendered to federal authorities in Alameda County yesterday.
Holdridge was previously arrested on several drug-related crimes here in Humboldt County, and had been scheduled to be in jail at the time of the Capitol insurrection.
According to an affidavit from Special Agent Randall Watts of the FBI’s Fortuna field office, Holdridge was initially tied to the riot via cell phone records gathered in its wake. The records showed a device connected with Holdridge’s number entering the building on that day, and traveling up and over a terrace and into the main building.
Afterward, the FBI secured a picture of Holdridge from the local booking system searched through footage from the day and found several images of a person agents suspected to be him.
Images from the FBI’s affadavit for an arrest warrant.
Agent Watts says he then interviewed the suspect’s probation officer, who told him that Holdridge had been scheduled to go to Humboldt County Jail on a drugs charge out of Arcata on Dec. 5, 2020, but had earlier been given permission to travel to Louisiana to visit his ailing mother. Holdridge didn’t show up for his booking date, and was eventually arrested by the APD in February.
The probation officer identified the person in the Capitol surveillance footage that the FBI had searched as Holdridge, Watts writes, and said that Holdridge had previously admitted to traveling to the District of Columbia for Jan. 6.
According to the affadavit:
During one of his in-person
visits with HOLDRIDGE, which occurred on or about July 28, 2021 outside the probation office
in Eureka, HOLDRIDGE admitted to being present at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
HOLDRIDGE told [the probation officer] he traveled to Washington, D.C. with a friend and was present that day
at the U.S. Capitol. HOLDRIDGE stated he was outside the U.S. Capitol and watched the
activities from there but did not participate in any illegal activity. During that same conversation,
HOLDRIDGE showed Medley multiple photographs (from his cell phone) of his trip to the U.S.
Capitol.
Later, Watts met with Holdridge himself at the county probation office. According to the affadavit, the interview went like this:
HOLDRIDGE confirmed that on January 6, 2021, he arrived
at the U.S. Capitol from the west side and observed the plastic fencing and barricades set up outside
on the Capitol grounds, as well as law enforcement dressed in full riot gear. He stated that when
he arrived law enforcement had begun deploying “tear gas” as people were making their way up
the Capitol stairs and into the building. He refused to answer whether or not he entered the Capitol
building, and stated that he did not steal anything, touch or assault anyone, or damage any property
while he was at the Capitol that day.
I showed him an image, taken from U.S. Capitol surveillance
video on January 6, 2021, of a man standing on the railing of the staircase to the Upper West
Terrace of the Capitol with a flag in his hand. HOLDRIDGE refused to identify anyone in the
photo, but stated that he purchased the flag shown in the photo from a vender who was at the “Stop
the Steal” rally.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Francisco has charged Holdridge with the following crimes:
18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(1)- Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds;
18 U.S.C. § 1752(a)(2)- Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds;
40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(D)- Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building;
40 U.S.C. § 5104(e)(2)(G)- Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building.
The first two charges each carry a maximum sentence of a year in prison, a $100,000 fine and a year of probation, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The latter two carry maximum sentences of six months in prison and a fine of $5,000.
Comes now a YouTuber who goes by the handle of “Bay Area Transparency,” with 147k subscribers, who travels around Northern California getting into arguments with the police, dancing up to the very line of what is legal in order to demonstrate, with his body, that the line exists.
The other day he dropped in on Arcata to conduct what he calls a “First Amendment audit” and to see what kind of fun he could gin up for his loyal fans.
Jackpot! As he films in the Arcata Police Department parking lot, an officer walks out and asks Bay Area Transparency to step to the side while he gets into his patrol vehicle. Our man refuses, on the grounds that he has the right to be there, and to film, and that he is not obstructing the officer’s entry into the car. Several minutes of stupid ensue, during which backup is summoned and both sides try and fail to reach across their rhetorical divide.
Bay Area Transparency seems like not such a bad sort — a little doofy, but earnest. Is he correct about the law? Yes, he is correct. Is the officer being ridiculous? He’s being at least a little bit ridiculous. Are some cops bluff and imperious, sometimes, when they probably have no need or right to be? News flash: Yes.
But is our YouTuber making things better? Is he contributing to peace and amity and the overall happiness level of everyone involved, and of the world at large? Despite his absolutely correct illustration of various laws governing police-civilian interaction, it’s difficult to see the case.
Look at it this way. If a homeless person said, politely, that they’d feel more comfortable if you were to move three steps to the left and you had no reason not to, would you do it? Of course you would. You’re not an asshole. You wouldn’t refuse that small request simply to agitate the homeless person, and then to film the homeless person getting worked up to make some content for the YouTube channel you pretend not to have.
For me, it seems obvious that the unspoken actor in this silly drama is: Guns. The officer doesn’t want his hands occupied with door handles, nor his body in an awkward getting-in-the-car position, while a person acts oddly in front of him. Is this unreasonable? Not completely, especially when you consider that an odd-acting person muttering about cleaning the Mexicans out of McKinleyville opened fire on Arcata police officers only a couple of months ago. (You’ll say that it’s easy for you to tell the one type of odd-acting person from the other. Good for you.)
So this video is a little parable of America in 2021. You have a righteous kid traveling the state to provoke cops for YouTube content — and to teach them lessons about the law, and life! — and you have a cop irrationally (but maybe not completely irrationally?) fearing for his physical safety in small moments as he tries to go about his day. The good guy with the gun must constantly be at the ready to draw, lest the other guy get the drop. Great job, everyone.
For his part, Arcata Police Chief Brian Ahearn put on the hair shirt when the Times-Standard contacted him for the story. “The culture that I’m trying to instill here within the organization is such that we would have managed that contact differently,” Ahearn said, promising a complete and thorough investigation of the incident. “And because we didn’t, it clearly tells me that I have failed.”
As further evidenced by the release just issued by the City of Eureka, we truly can’t have nice things. Read the bummer news below:
On November 29, 2021, around 6:20 a.m., officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to a
report of a commercial burglary at City Hall.
After a full review, it was determined that the suspects were not able to access financial data, the
City’s IT network, historical documents or personnel records during their time in the building. Several
small items were missing however many of these items were recovered elsewhere in the building. City
staff have been working on compiling a list of missing items for the investigation and reviewing video
camera footage.
One of the suspects removed the replica “Lord of the Ring” ring that was gifted to the City by
Nelson, New Zealand, the City’s sister city in 2004. The maker of the ring, Jens Hansen, a New
Zealand based jewelry maker made a limited number of the rings for the Lord of the Ring trilogy and
Eureka’s ring is number 2 of 100.
36-year-old Kenneth Amin Mohamed, of Eureka, was found inside of the facility and arrested on felony
burglary charges.
Eureka Police is actively investigating the burglary and has questioned additional suspects. A $1,000
reward is being offered to anyone who provides information leading to the recovery of “The
Ring”. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Terry Liles at 441-4010 or
tliles@ci.eureka.ca.gov.
LoCO briefly held the power back in 2017, but wisely relinquished it
