Bergel’s official portrait via the City of Eureka.
Kim Bergel, an instructional assistant at Eureka City Schools and a member of the Eureka City Council since 2014, plans to run for Humboldt County Supervisor next year, potentially challenging current Supervisor Virginia Bass in the Fourth District.
“I am really excited to build on the experience I’ve already had with the city,” Bergel told the Outpost via phone this afternoon. “I want to be a voice for the City of Eureka and alleviate some of the burden as far as mental health services.”
Bergel said people began asking her about a year ago whether she was interested in running for the Fourth District Seat but she needed time to think it over, evaluate her own motives and consider where she’d best be suited.
Last week, at a gathering of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee, she announced her intention to run for county supervisor.
“I feel like I’ve been really innovative in my time on the council,” Bergel said. “I’m dedicated and I work hard. That in combinations with the relationships I have built, I think we can come up with some outside-the-box solutions.”
She sees a need for new approaches to issues surrounding some of Eureka’s transient residents who suffer from mental health problems. “Business owners are inundated with this stuff day in and day out,” she said. “It’s time we continue to look at new ways to tackle this problem.”
We say Bergel could “potentially” challenge Bass because the incumbent Fourth District supervisor has yet to announce whether she’ll run for re-election.
Arroyo’s nascent campaign is in an awkward limbo at the moment thanks to the county’s in-progress redistricting effort. One of the three draft maps released to date would excise a big northwestern hunk of Eureka from the Fourth District and, somewhat bafflingly, tether it to the Arcata-centric Third District via the Samoa Peninsula. Arroyo’s house falls squarely within that big hunk, and of course her candidacy is dependent on Fourth District residency.
Bergel said her home is safely within the confines of the Fourth in all draft maps. Regarding the potential of a head-to-head matchup with her co-councilmember she said, “I think you’ll probably see one of the most civil races you’ve seen in a long time.”
This prediction of courtesy recalls the 2018 election season, when eight of the 12 candidates for Eureka city government — including both Arroyo and Bergel — convened an odd press conference outside City Hall to address “dirty campaigning” from some or all of their challengers. The specifics were somewhat vague.
Asked what else she’d like to accomplish as a supervisor, Bergel said working with St. Joseph Hospital would be a big goal.
“When I’m hearing stories of mental health patients staying in the ER for four days — there’s gotta be a solution that we as a community can come up with,” she said. “There’s just a lot of burden put on a lot of places that I think we should shift.”
She plans to officially launch her campaign with a kickoff event sometime next month.
“I look forward to working with the community to work through some of these issues that have been troubling us for a long time,” she said. “I think together we can do a lot of things, and we will.”
The only other supervisor up for re-election next year is Steve Madrone in the Fifth District. Local realtor Larry Doss recently resigned from the Harbor District and moved from Eureka to Orick with the intention of challenging Madrone.
The primary election is scheduled for June 7 of next year.
UPDATE, 10/19: EPD says all clear: “Update to October 18, 2021 press release on missing person, Randy Shibler. Shibler was located and is safe. Thank you for helping to get the information out.”
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Original Post: Eureka Police Department press release:
Randy Shibler, 61, of Weott
The Eureka Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 61-year-
old missing male, Randy Shibler. EPD took the missing person’s report on October 12,
2021 after friends said he has not returned to his home in Weott, CA in several weeks.
Shibler was last seen in Eureka on September 21, 2021.
Shibler is a white male, 61 years old, 6’1”, 190 lbs, blue eyes, mostly bald, and has a gray
beard. He was last known to be wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with a slug graphic.
Anyone with information regarding Shibler’s possible whereabouts is asked to contact
the Eureka Police Department at (707) 441-4044 or the nearest law enforcement
agency.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Oct. 16, 2021, at about 11:20 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 12800 block of State Highway 254 in Myers Flat to investigate a residential burglary.
According to the victim, a female suspect was captured on the victim’s home surveillance system entering the residence multiple times on October 11 while the victim was out of town. The victim reported to deputies that a large amount of cash was missing from the residence upon his return.
In reviewing the surveillance footage, the victim was able to identify the suspect as a cohabitant of the victim’s landlord. The female, identified as 33-year-old Dorothy Lucas, was located and contacted at a nearby residence. Inside the residence, deputies located a speaker which was found to have also been stolen from the victim’s residence.
During their investigation, deputies learned that Lucas had taken a key to the victim’ residence from the landlord without permission and gained unauthorized entrance into the residence to commit the burglary.
Lucas was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of first-degree burglary (PC 459/461(a)).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Some of the Southern Humboldt residents swindled by former county building inspector Patrick William McTigue were in court this morning to watch him handcuffed and led away to spend a year behind bars.
This morning Judge Kaleb Cockrum sentenced McTigue to 365 days in jail and two years of formal probation. McTigue must pay restitution to all of his victims and was ordered to stay 100 yards away from them and their properties.
In exchange for McTigue’s plea to three felonies — one count of soliciting a bribe as a public official and two counts of grand theft — the district attorney agreed to drop about a dozen other felony charges involving numerous victims.
Deputy District Attorney Steven Steward said the prosecution’s two main goals were achieved. All victims will be compensated for their losses, and McTigue will never again hold a position of trust.
McTigue bilked people out of thousands of dollars with two scams: He told some people he would expedite their marijuana permits, for a price, and he convinced others to invest large sums in a non-existent marijuana business in Sacramento.
Deputy Public Defender Casey Russo argued against a jail term, saying McTigue has already suffered enough. He is working two jobs and he has agreed to pay restitution, Russo said, and a jail term will mean he’ll lose his employment.
“He’s been publicly shamed, with his story being in the media,” Russo said, “and he’s been ostracized in the community to the point where it’s almost impossible for him to find work.”
Russo pointed out that McTigue, at 50, has no previous criminal record.
Steward responded that McTigue should be jailed, and it should be today.
“Mr. McTigue, who was in the employment of the county, defrauded multiple individuals out of their money over a period of many months,” he said. “He was in a position of trust.”
Steward said jailing McTigue immediately “could serve as a warning to others not to do what he did.”
Not only did McTigue defraud people, some victims told the judge today, he bullied and threatened them as the criminal case proceeded.
Jesse Genaro said that as recently as two months ago, McTigue confronted him at the Ace Hardware store in Fortuna. Genaro said McTigue was his football coach, and he’s known him most of his life. He said McTigue’s crimes were premeditated, and he’s disappointed that more than a dozen felonies were dismissed.
“And then for him to go around threatening me and the other victims for something he did,” Genaro said.
Victim Jeremy Kurtz, who owns a water business, told Cockrum that McTigue came to him one day asking for a pallette of water to donate to kids with cancer. Kurtz said he was more than happy to do that, “only to find out a month later that he was claiming the business was his.”
McTigue sat at the counsel table with Russo this morning, listening to the statements from people he bilked.
“This man,” Kurtz said of McTigue, “is a danger to society.”
Kurtz also said Humboldt County has not taken responsibility for its employee’s crime. He wants restitution to be paid through the county, because he never wants to see McTigue’s name on some “minimal” check.
Victim Timothy Roscoe, who lost $30,000, said McTigue was a longtime friend of his. He feels like McTigue “is getting off scot-free.”
“I believe the DA could have proved all those (felonies).” Roscoe said.
He said McTigue also has threatened him.
“He’s a narcissist and a habitual liar.” Roscoe said. Although he is owed $30,000, “I’d rather see him in jail for a year.”
Roscoe said he sued McTigue in civil court and won, but then McTigue declared bankruptcy and he received nothing.
Lacey Amaral and her husband, Richard Amaral, invested $50,000 in McTigue’s bogus business.
“He lied about everything,” Lacey said. But they trusted McTigue as the county building inspector and gave him the $50,000 “on a handshake and a promise.”
When the Amarals began asking for the written contract McTigue had promised, the threats began. Lacey said she was so fearful of McTigue she stopped taking her young child for walks. She insisted her husband install an expensive home-security system.
McTigue took more than their money, she said.
“He stole peace of mind, trust and faith in people.”
McTigue also made a statement, saying how sorry he was. But he denied making threats.
“I’m a hardworking man and I have absolutely never ever caused anybody any problems,” he said. “I’ve never ever made threats to anyone.”
McTigue said he and his family “have lost everything. I’m willing to do anything to make it right. And again, I am so sorry.”
Cockrum, before he passed sentence, said there was a lot to balance. On one hand, McTigue is 50 years old with no prior record. Then again, there were numerous victims and a large amount of money was involved.
“The most egregious factor is it erodes public trust,” Cockrum said.
There will be hearings scheduled later to discuss restitution.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Oct. 15, 2021, at about 7:42 a.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the Trinidad area observed a vehicle reported stolen out of Crescent City traveling on Scenic Drive.
Deputies conducted a felony traffic stop on the stolen vehicle and found two individuals inside. The driver of the vehicle, 34-year-old Bradly James Klimper of Crescent City, was detained and searched incident to arrest. During a search of Klimper, deputies located over 1 gram of methamphetamine.
During a search of the vehicle, deputies located drug paraphernalia determined to belong to the passenger, 28-year-old Chelsey Diane Albers of Hoopa. During a search of Albers’ belongings, deputies also located Suboxone strips.
Albers was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)) and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription (BP 4060), in addition to warrant charges of petty theft (PC 488).
Klimper was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a stolen vehicle (PC 496d(a)) and possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)), in addition to warrant charges of make/pass a fictitious check (PC 476), possession of a billy club (PC 22210), possession of a switch-blade knife (PC 21510), driving with a suspended license – prior conviction (VC 14601.2(a), driving without insurance (VC 16028(a)), driving with a suspended license (VC 14601(a)), and probation violation (PC 1203.35).
Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
A segment from North Coast News’ last broadcast on Friday before the ransomware attack.
A ransomware attack against telecommunications giant Sinclair Broadcasting Group may affect future broadcasts from local ABC news affiliate North Coast News TV and its sister station KRCR in Redding.
Sinclair stated in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing today that the cybersecurity attack was discovered on Saturday, and that the company was still in the early stages of its investigation.
“On [Sunday], the Company identified that certain servers and workstations in its environment were encrypted with ransomware, and that certain office and operational networks were disrupted,” the filing states. “Data also was taken from the Company’s network. The Company is working to determine what information the data contained and will take other actions as appropriate based on its review.”
North Coast News Director Nazy Javid was unable to comment on the situation. However, both North Coast News and KRCR released statements on social media yesterday, informing viewers of “technical difficulties” — a phrase used by many Sinclair stations affected by the cybersecurity attack.
The Outpost reached out to the General Manager of Sinclair’s Northern California stations Teansie Garfield to learn if North Coast News or KRCR broadcasts would be affected today. The Outpost has not immediately received a response.
“While the Company is focused on actively managing this security event, the event has caused — and may continue to cause — disruption to parts of the Company’s business, including certain aspects of its provision of local advertisements by its local broadcast stations on behalf of its customers,” the Sinclair filing states. “The Company is working diligently to restore operations quickly and securely.”
A crowd of around 50 or so people, including many parents and children, gathered in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse Monday morning to signal their opposition to vaccine mandates.
With the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” blasting through a Bluetooth speaker, the crowd collected approving honks from passing motorists and waved signs sporting slogans such as, “Too Soon — My Child, My Choice,” “You Can’t Comply Your Way Back to Freedom,” and “Nothing Warrants the Removal of Medical Choice.”
The demonstration comes on a day when thousands of parents statewide are opting to keep their children home from school in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s announcement that the state would mandate vaccination for students who fall in the FDA’s approved grade spans. California is the first state in the nation to enact such a requirement.
