A certain local weekly publication has again instituted its annual ritual, inviting submissions for its Flash Fiction competition. The rules are simple: submit up to three pieces of fiction, none exceeding 99 words (excluding title), by November 8.

To inspire you (or not), here are some of my own entries from past years, one of which actually made it to publication – you can guess which. Please, regular commentators to GOU, you know you can write. This is your chance for fame and glory! Go for it!

The Goddess and Me

I woke with Astarte. “My God!” I cried.

“Not god, goddess,” she replied, “Phoenician goddess of fertility.” I must have looked puzzled. “You know, sex.”

“Wow,” I said. “I’m not used to waking up with Astarte. I usually just drift into consciousness. Did we, um…?”

She frowned and her eyes narrowed. “If you don’t remember, you don’t deserve me.” And disappeared.

Oh well, easy come, easy go. I’d always fancied myself as a bit of a Romeo, although I hadn’t had any luck with the ladies. Until now. Sleeping with a sex goddess! It’s a start, eh?

Popularity

When WasBeans coffee shop instituted its “all-topless” policy, the corner hangout became the go-to spot for bored urbanites looking for excitement. Sales doubled. The owners worried that all the extra traffic would damage the new floor, so customers were now asked to remove their footwear at the door. Sales trebled! Soon a local church was holding its Sunday morning gatherings there. It was too much for the little cafe, and a sign appeared in the window, to be copied endlessly, if not with complete understanding: “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”

No Cuts!

“No cuts! No more cuts!” I pleaded.

This whole business had hurt far too much, and now I felt wounded and vulnerable as I looked into the steely eyes of my tormentor.

“You knew the rules. Now you want to be treated as a special case.”

I couldn’t argue. I’d gotten myself into this, it was time to accept responsibility. “OK,” I whispered. “Go ahead. Cut if you must.”

I watched as my darlings fell under her stern hand. “There, there and there.” I winced.

“And…yep, we’ve got you down to 600 words.” My editor smiled her pitiless smile.

Untitled #99

This is perfect, having a limit of just 99 words, because often when I start I have no idea of my word count and tend to go way over since I get lost in some idea or other and forget who I’m writing for or indeed why I’m writing, which can be a real problem, especially when I’m writing for publication and – I read this somewhere – you’re supposed to keep in mind the whole time who your audience is, which in my case I don’t know, I can only guess which sort of makes the whole thing academic and

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Gearing up for his swearing-in just a few days from now, to-be Humboldt County Superintendent of Schools Michael Davies-Hughes shared his plans with the Outpost this week, bringing students to the forefront of the conversation again and again, question after question.

Davies-Hughes was appointed to the position by the Humboldt County Board of Education in a 3-2 vote at a special meeting Monday, following the mid-term departure of Chris Hartley, who recently accepted a position with California Collaborative for Education Excellence as a deputy executive director. Davies-Hughes, current assistant superintendent of educational services at Eureka City Schools, will be sworn in on Nov. 2. 

“I feel blessed that I love working with kids,” said Davies-Hughes, who began his career as a seventh-grade teacher almost 30 years ago. Since then, he’s bounced around the globe, earning degrees and credentials from universities in California, Massachusetts and Wales (where he’s from), and teaching several grades in California and El Salvador. 

“I really felt drawn to be able to try to have more of an impact on a larger scale,” Davies-Hughes said. He left the classroom to become a school site administrator and eventually held district-level positions, including superintendent at McKinleyville Union School District prior to his current position at ECS, where he oversees programs from kindergarten to adult school. “I feel like it’s been pretty well-rounded.” 

Davies-Hughes has a long list of short- and long-term goals in mind for Humboldt’s education systems. He wants to explore expanding existing career and technical education opportunities, maybe by pursuing more partnerships with local businesses, for instance. 

Of course, a lot of his thoughts concern COVID’s immediate and long-term implications for education. A huge ongoing priority is keeping Humboldt’s students and school staff safe as the pandemic continues. 

“As a county office, our responsibility is to support schools through this pandemic, making sure that we’re removing the barriers so students can be safe in their learning,” Davies-Hughes said. He’s also thinking about making sure that the few students who are off campus, learning by independent study, are getting an education as high-quality as possible. 

“So there’s the here-and-now-living-in-a-pandemic focus. But then I also have to think about: what can I do to help my colleagues, to help the districts [and] see beyond the pandemic?” 

One piece of looking forward is addressing interrupted learning, or learning loss, a concern that has been on educators’ minds since early in the pandemic, which is, unfortunately, coming to fruition. 

“One of the struggles that our educational leaders are having in our districts, and then our teachers are having in the classrooms, is: How much time do we spend on trying to make up this learning loss that has occurred? So we want to push the academics, we want to push the standards, to make sure that our students catch up — while at the same time recognizing that our students, many of them, have experienced significant trauma, and social-emotionally, they may not be as ready to learn as we want them to be.”

Davies-Hughes wants to balance out academics with students’ social-emotional needs and physical health — both of which are productive avenues to bettering academic outcomes.

Likely coming later in Davies-Hughes’ term (assuming he keeps the position, as it’ll be up to voters in the June 2022 statewide election) will be post-COVID budgetary issues. 

“It’s an interesting time, because in education historically, what we’ve looked at is the impact of budget cuts, right?” Davies-Hughes said. “We’re kind of in the opposite position right now, in that we have this influx of state and federal monies that have come into the coffers of school districts, this infusion of funds to help us through this pandemic.”

By funding everything from filtration systems to extra staff, emergency funds installments have been crucial for schools during the pandemic. But they’re one-time funds, which means educators will soon be facing tight budgets again in some more-or-less distant future. 

“To what extent are we going to be able to sustain the programs and the personnel when this one-time money runs out?” Davies-Hughes said.

“We need to be responsible stewards of the resources that we have now while also planning to be responsible stewards for the resources that we will have — or the lack of resources that we may have — in the future. Because we can’t just come to a fiscal cliff and go, ‘Ah! We didn’t plan for this.’”

The pandemic highlighted one issue in education that’s at the forefront of Davies-Hughes’s agenda. He’s thinking about equity — specifically, differentiating between equity as a thing to strive for and equity as a factor to apply to all things. 

“What we’ve seen through this COVID pandemic is that we have to pay attention to making sure that all of our students have what they need,” Davies-Hughes said, “which doesn’t mean that everyone gets the same thing, right? Because that’s not what equity is about. Equity is getting people — getting students, in this case — what they need, and some need different things than others.” 

Davies-Hughes calls equity the core of the work ahead. 

“My stance on the equity work that we need to do in schools is that it becomes embedded, that equity work becomes embedded in everything that we do — that we look through all our work with an equity lens — rather than equity being something separate.”

Education can be a great equalizer, Davies-Hughes said. “But if we’re not careful, we can also exacerbate those inequities that already exist.” He thinks he can leverage resources at HCOE to help districts with equity work, through things like rigorous and relevant professional development. He hopes people in all areas of education will keep leaning on each other and helping each other post-COVID. 

“What I’ve learned and experienced through this COVID is that when we’re in the depths of challenges, and adversity, like a pandemic, it has the power to bring people together, because now we rely on each other more than we have before.” 

He hopes it lasts.

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Until recently, most people probably wouldn’t have paid a second glance to the small Eureka alley bound by E and F and Fourth and Fifth streets. Many people had no idea that it was once the center of a bustling and vibrant Chinatown or that the Chinese people who lived there were forced to leave during the Chinese Expulsion of 1885.

Now — thanks to the efforts of the Humboldt Asians & Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI) and its Eureka Chinatown Project — the historic alleyway is getting the attention it deserves and, pending the approval of the Eureka City Council during its next meeting, will soon officially be named “Charlie Moon Way” after a famous Chinese immigrant who remained in Humboldt County when Chinese people were being forced out.

The project first came before the council at a meeting May, during which the council voted to waive the fee for naming the alley. Since then, Project Coordinator Brianne Mirjah told the Outpost, the Eureka Chinatown Project has considered a few different names, including the Toisanese word for “Chinatown.” Mirjah said the team members settled on “Charlie Moon Way” because they wanted to focus more on the people that were there than on the place itself. Moon’s story shines a light on the fact that not all Chinese people left Humboldt in 1885 and that, although the story of Chinese Expulsion is tragic, for some it is also a story of triumph.

“The more we learn about the expulsion, the more we learn that [the Chinese people] were incredibly resilient,” Mirjah said in a recent phone interview. “After they had faced this incredible discrimination, there were still people who resisted and Charlie Moon is sort of a local legend of someone who stayed.”

During the time of the expulsion, Moon worked on Bair’s Ranch in Redwood Creek. The story, Mirjah explained, goes like this: One night a mob showed up to take Moon to the ships that were deporting Chinese immigrants, and Moon’s employer, Fred Tom Bair, would not let the mob take Moon. “[Bair] said something like ‘you can take Charlie, but you’ll have to go through me and my shotgun,’” Mirjah said. Moon was an integral part of the Bair family, Mirjah added, and he continued to work on the ranch until a fairly old age.

Moon was often referred to as “the last Chinese man” or “the only Chinese man in Humboldt County,” although he was not actually the only Chinese person who stayed in Humboldt after the expulsion, Mirjah said.

The Eureka Chinatown Project was able to gain permission to use Moon’s name from his family, some of whom still live in the area. Moon married Minnie Tom, a local native woman of the Chilula tribe of Redwood Creek, and the two raised eight children and lived out their days in Humboldt and Trinity Counties.  Yolanda Latham, Moon and Tom’s great-great-great granddaughter told the Outpost that today there are descendants of Moon in seven or eight different Native tribes.

Moon. | Photo provided by Yolanda Latham

Latham said it is an honor to have the alley named for her great-great-great grandfather. Though she didn’t know him, she remembers the stories her grandmother would share about him. Latham’s grandmother was very proud of their Chinese heritage, Latham said, something that was not always easy. Latham said her family experienced a lot of discrimination throughout the generations and she has read text that referred to her great-grandmother and her siblings as “half-breeds.”

Latham said she greatly appreciates the efforts of the Eureka Chinatown Project to spread awareness about the history of the Chinese in Humboldt and the Chinese Expulsion, which she had never learned anything about in school.

“HAPI really brought attention to the history of Chinese people here that really has been overlooked,” Lathum said. “ I only knew about it from our oral history, from my grandmother. The textbooks are so dismissive. They miss a lot of native history, Asian history, Black history.”

Latham added that she hopes projects like these can also help her family heal from some of its historic trauma and can help open up the conversation about the racist episodes of our past and the racist attitudes that persist today.

“There’s a lot of healing happening that needs to go on for the next few generations,” she said. “This is one tiny step in the right direction.”

Assuming that the council approves the name, the street sign will then need to be designed and sent to print. Mirjah is not exactly sure what the timeline will be, but she is hoping to hold some sort of naming event near the Lunar New Year on Tuesday, Feb. 1. That time is not only significant because it is the Chinese New year but also because it is near the anniversary of the Chinese Expulsion, which began on Feb. 7, 1885.

In addition to the alley name, the Eureka Chinatown Project will include the installation of wayfinding signs, which are in the process of being printed and will be installed in the City’s informational kiosks along Highway 101 near Old Town. A large, colorful mural celebrating the history of Chinatown was also added to the alley during this year’s Eureka Street Art Festival and the group is working with Coast Central Credit Union to install a memorial monument in the Coast Central parking lot.

Mirjah said that she has been surprised and pleased with the amount of support the Eureka Chinatown Project has received, adding that the project, which started with the simple intention to put up a plaque acknowledging the history of Eureka’s Chinatown, has grown to include so much more.

“With this project we’re really seeing a lot of folks from different parts of California, people from other Asian organizations reaching out,” Mirjah said. “We hope that this [project] will be an example of a way to honor our ancestors and the history of the land we’re on.” 

The Eureka City Council will discuss the alley name at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. You can view the full agenda and directions on how to participate here.

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CORRECTION: This originally stated that Latham was Moon’s great-great granddaughter and his been changed to reflect that she is his great-great-great granddaughter. The article also misstated the name of Moon’s employer who defended him with his shotgun and has been changed. The Outpost regrets the errors. 

CORRECTION TO THE CORRECTION: It turns out that Latham is actually Moon’s great-great granddaughter, not his great-great-great granddaughter. Man, this family history stuff is hard to keep track of!

“Take My Hand Precious Lord…”

It is with sadness we announce the passing of Richard Earl (Dick) Johnson in the early morning hours of October 7, 2021. He had many health challenges over the past few years.

He was born on July 19, 1936 in Olympia, Washington to John Earl and Dessie Ellen Lind Johnson.

Dick enjoyed following the San Francisco Giants and the 49ers. He was a #1 fan of his grandson, Nathan, who played football for the Fresno State Bulldogs. He never missed a game on TV and was lucky to have attended a game in person. He was present at most of the grand kid’s sports events, concerts and birthday parties. He always took time to write poems for family and friends.

Dick loved water skiing with friends and family, especially Herb Neely, and taught many how to ski at Trinity Lake – he loved it. He also loved to cut wood, hunt with close friends and sing in the church choir. Dick sang for 56 years with the Humboldt Harmonies Barbershop organization, singing right up to the last week of his life. He wrote “Community Comments” which aired on KINS radio for 41 years. He loved Brian and Angie and their crew. A favorite pastime included crossword puzzles and playing cribbage with close friends. Dick was active in Calvary Lutheran Church from age 15 through 85. He helped build the church, served on the church council and assisted Pastors with Sunday services.

Dick graduated from Eureka High School in 1954 and participated on several reunion committees. He attended Humboldt State for two years and then went to meat cutting school. He began working for Norris Market as a bag boy at age 15, working his way up to meat cutter and grocery clerk until he retired in 2001. He loved working in grocery stores because he liked the comradery of the employees and customers and learning new jokes which he loved to share. He never left a doctor’s office without telling one or two jokes, or bringing them his famous oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies.

Dick had many knee surgeries documented by his license plate “6 Knees”. He was a cancer survivor and was on dialysis for kidney failure for approximately 4 years.

As a father, Dick was a teacher of values, honesty and hard work. He loved Christmas, gathering on Christmas morning with his family, singing Christmas songs and eating the traditional huckleberry pancakes. AND, don’t forget overseeing the traditional Swedish Potato Dumpling dinner on New Year’s Eve. He truly was a wonderful father, grandpa, brother and husband; we will miss him dearly.

Dick is survived by his wife of 41 years, Andrea K. Johnson, son Richard (Rick) Johnson (Nancee), daughter Terra Lynn Madsen (Jim), stepdaughter April Kay McGowan (Ken), grandchildren Brendan James Madsen, Jenna Michele Madsen, Nathan Thomas Madsen, Madeline Claire McGowan, Seth Aaron McGowan, brother Donald Johnson (Lou), sisters Diane Ellis (Greg) and Sandra Burroughs.

Dick was preceded in death by his father and mother, Earl and Dessie Johnson (Zebu), sister Debbie Foster and brothers-in-law Dennis Burroughs and Gary Foster.

A big thank you to Doctors Mathew, Sheeshas, Zagone, Taylor, Gambino and Iverson and their staff, Mad River Home Health and their caring staff at Mad River Hospital and the wound Clinic; nurses and techs and staff at Fresenius Dialysis. Thank you also to the doctors and staff at Humboldt Orthopedics, St. Joseph Hospital nurses and doctors and the Emergency Department staff at St. Joseph’s. Last but not least, thank you to Hospice of Humboldt.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 1 p.m. at Calvary Lutheran Church. Attendees will be required to follow Covid guidelines, wear masks and practice social distancing.

Donations can be made to Calvary Lutheran Church, Humboldt Harmonies or a favorite charity.

Patricia Mae Patterson, 93, of Eureka, passed away on October 27, 2021 at Frye’s Care Home in Cutten.

Pat was born January 31, 1928 in Eureka to Everette and Pearl Raley.

She graduated from Eureka High School in 1946. She married her first husband, Richard J. Woods, on August 20, 1949 and had two children with him — Linda M. (Ron) Stockwell and Donald R. (Traudel) Woods. Following Richard’s death, she later married George (Pat) Patterson. She was involved in The Eureka Emblem Club, VFW Ladies Auxiliary, American Clipper RV Club, Eureka Singles Dance Club and was a member of the United Methodist Church.

Throughout her life she enjoyed traveling in many forms. Following their retirement, she and Pat travelled around the country in their motorhome. She was always game to join travel adventures with friends and family members, including a trip to England and several cruises. She served as a volunteer at the American Cancer Society’s Discovery Shop in Henderson Center, for over 30 years.

Pat is preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, her siblings (Beverly Weismantel and Franklin Raley), one great-granddaughter (Kyla Anne Baile­­­­y) and special friend James Hale.

Pat is survived by her two children, three grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, one great-great-granddaughter, and numerous nieces, nephews, loved ones and friends.

A private family burial is being held at Ocean View Cemetery. For those wishing to make donations in Pat’s memory, please consider the American Cancer Society (Cancer.org) or charity of your choice.

The family wishes to extend our sincere gratitude to Frye’s Care Home and Hospice of Humboldt for their exceptional care of our loved one.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Don Duclo’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

Press release from the District Attorney’s Office:

Dare

Today, Judge Christopher Wilson sentenced 59-year-old Mark Alan Dare of Humboldt Hill to the maximum term of 46 years to life in prison for sexually abusing children. The sentence follows from a trial in October 2020, in which a Humboldt County jury found Dare guilty of sexual abuse against multiple children between 2007-2012. 

Following the trial, Dare’s court-appointed attorney Russ Clanton brought a motion for a new trial, claiming that his former attorney Marek Reavis provided inadequate assistance at trial. Judge Wilson denied the motion earlier this month. 

During the sentencing hearing, survivors Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 addressed the court and spoke to the consequences of Dare’s crimes and his lack of remorse. They, along with the District Attorney’s Office, requested the maximum sentence for Dare. 

The District Attorney’s Office would like to acknowledge the tremendous strength shown by the survivors of Dare’s crime and their supporters. Deputy District Attorney (DDA) Whitney Timm stated that it was a privilege to see the courage and resilience they displayed throughout the lengthy proceedings. Their willingness to come forward has made our community safer and encouraged others speak out. 
DDA Timm received assistance from District Attorney Investigator Steve Dunn, District Attorney Victim Witness Advocate Caitlyn LaHaie and DDA Carolyn Schaffer.  

PREVIOUSLY

• Local Man Arrested on Several Child Molestation Charges, Sheriff’s Office Says
• Jury Convicts 58-Year-Old Humboldt Hill Man of Multiple Sexual Offenses Against Minor Children

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Watson

Also today, Judge Lawrence Killoran sentenced Brandon Watson to 37 years to life in prison, the maximum allowable sentence, for the murder of Peter “Bo” Triantos, and for felony assault on Antony Bessellieu-Hill and Brian Edwards.

The case arose from two separate incidents in which Watson approached strangers at a bar, started a fight with them, and ultimately stabbed them; a Humboldt County jury found Watson guilty of the crimes on July 1, 2021. (See press release from July 2, 2021 for more information about the crimes HERE.)  

The sentence includes: 25 years to life for the first-degree murder of Mr. Triantos, an additional 1 year for using a deadly weapon to commit the murder, and 11 years for the assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury to Mr. Bessellieu-Hill and Mr. Edwards.  

Mr. Triantos’ parents, Pete Triantos and Mimi Chambers, addressed Judge Killoran prior to sentencing and read letters from additional family members. Mr. Bessellieu-Hill and Mr. Edwards were also present for the sentencing.

Under current California law, because he was convicted of murder, Mr. Watson will serve every day of his sentence.

PREVIOUSLY:

Here’s your chance to say goodbye, Humboldt. It might feel like LoCO has done nothing these past couple weeks except bear witness to the final days of Sugar Bear, our locally sourced, holy and sacred white fir tree that will soon bring holiday joy to our beloved lawmakers in D.C. We continue that tradition today, while also telling you to get your butts down to the gravel lot at the foot of Eureka’s D Street where a wake for Sugar Bear is being held until 6 p.m. today.

This will be Eureka’s only chance to view the giant, Popemobile-esque glass encasing your tax dollars helped bring into existence. Come enjoy it. Quickly.

Earlier today, the Wild Rivers Outpost’s Jessica Cejnar was in Crescent City to document Del Norte’s mourning. 

Tomorrow, Sugar Bear will lie in state on Main Street in Willow Creek from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and then at the River Lodge in Fortuna from 4 p.m to 6 p.m. 

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Congress’s Demand for Tribute From Our Local Life-Giving Forests Has Been Fulfilled: ‘Sugar Bear’ the 84-Foot White Fir Will Serve as the 2021 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
• HEY, FIFTH GRADERS? Would You Like to Be an Official U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighter? Write an Essay!
• ‘Sugar Bear,’ the Local 84-Foot White Fir Selected to Be This Year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, Will Be Sawed Down Live on Facebook Later This Month
• Federally Mandated Sacrifice of ‘Sugar Bear,’ a Majestic Tree, Moved Up to Saturday Due to Bad Weather, and It Could Be Argued That it is Your Duty to Watch the Facebook Livestream
• Treasured Local Star Sara Bareilles Shows Love for ‘Sugar Bear,’ the Fir from the Six Rivers Forest that Will Be This Year’s U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree
• WATCH LIVE: Majestic Six Rivers National Forest Tree ‘Sugar Bear’ Being Cut Down to Fulfill Its Destiny
• (VIDEO) ‘SUGAR BEAR’ is Dead. Long Live ‘SUGAR BEAR’