Well, wouldn’t you know it? Your President of Positivity just can’t go anywhere without running into some of her do-gooding friends. For example, during this Monday’s woods walk Michaele ran into Lelehnia DuBois and Leslie Castellano who just happen to be promoting the Humboldt Grace Fire Recovery Project, an upcoming online auction featuring “art and Emerald Triangle collectibles, as well as gift cards for local services.” Funds raised will help Emerald Triangle communities affected by recent wildfires.

Go here for more info, and have a great Monday! Ciao Bella!

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Perhaps You’d Like to Explore Previous Mondays With Michaele For Some Reason!

Roger Allen Bibancos
Jan. 13, 1978 - Sept. 23, 2021

The youngest child of Sharon (Rosie) and Augustine (Gus) Bibancos, Roger is a Hupa Tribal member born January 13, 1978, and raised here in Hoopa all his life. He passed on September 23, 2021. Some of his favorite hobbies included hunting, fishing, and spending time with his daughters.

He left us all too soon, and will truly be missed by all who knew him. Roger was the type of guy that if he seen something needed to be done, he would jump right in to get it done. He would often help out by cutting and stacking wood, yard work, or just about anything that needed to be done. He was the guy to ask when every you needed help. He had four beautiful daughters that put a sparkle in his eye. He loved them with his whole heart, and when they were old enough to play sports, you would often find him watching them with the biggest smile. Some of his proudest moments were getting to see his two oldest daughters graduate from high school, and one from college. He would often check in on elders throughout the day to see if he could help out in anyway. He was gifted with the ability to make a person laugh and he will surely be missed.

He is survived by his children, Ruby, Emerald, Jewely, and Diamond Bibancos, along with his forever close friend Misty Knight; siblings Darren V. Randall (Abner), Leonard Bibancos (Super), Dion James Bibancos (Hamster), and Kaylene Bibancos (Kay-Kay); and aunt Mildred Montgomery, and Lauren (Moto) and uncle Willie Houglin; and close friends Linda, Robert and Dianna Masten, nieces and nephews Jessica and Dennis, Erika, Gus, Dion Jr., Brandon, and Lorraine, Robert Jr. Zackary, William, Justy, Pricilla, Hailey, and Olivia.

Roger is proceeded in death by his parents, Sharon (Rosie) and Augustine (Gus) Bibancos; brother Marvin Bibancos; grandparents Josephia and Woodrow Montgomery, Pearl and George Randall; and aunt and uncle Floyd, Russell, Sandra, Carl, Allen, Ester, Dorothy, Tiny, Katherine, Martha, Clarence, and Oliver. The family would also like to thank Connie Flores, Celena Donahue, Linda Bussell, Bessy Ann Bussell, Marilyn Martin and Victor Knight for their support during this time.

The wake was on Wednesday, September 29, at the Assembly of God Church. The funeral was at the Assembly of God Church, followed by the burial at the Randall Family Cemetery. Food was provided at the Assembly of God Church kitchen. Please wear a mask and practice social distancing when possible.

The family would like to thank Food Distribution, Plant Management (Adam Robertson), Paul’s Chapel and the Hoopa Valley Tribe for all their support during this difficult time.

Pallbearers: Clinton Houglin, Augie Montgomery, Paul (Ewee) Donahue, Timmy Bussell, Augustine Bibancos, Rudy Colegrove, Robert Masten Sr., and Philip Donahue.

(AUDIO) Neroli Devaney is Holding Up

Much has been written about Humboldt State University’s controversial decision to dismantle radio station KHSU which left a hole in the lives of both longtime station staffers and listeners alike. The curious loss of a beloved institution, a place where many community members honed their creative voices, continues to spark frustrated online discussion and sadness from those who were invested in it for so long.   

Roughly three years later though, some of the aural energy that once propelled KHSU has found a new home in a former storage space tucked away in the Arcata Playhouse. Humboldt Hot Air is on the air — streaming online, to be clear — featuring voices, shows and spirit that will feel familiar to the KHSU faithful.

On this week’s episode of Humboldt Holding Up — LoCO‘s feisty Zoomin’ laptop podcast — we speak with Humboldt Hot Air project director and DJ Neroli Devaney about her vision for the upstart station and how people can get involved. Topics include: 

• How she came to be involved with Humboldt Hot Air and what it took to get it off the ground
• What she learned about radio from her dad, longtime KHSU host Greg “Vinny” Devaney and plans to resurrect his show “Fogou”
• What kind of shows she’s looking for to fill the holes in HHA’s weekly schedule and how you can pitch her your great idea
• LoCO’s very bad ideas for shows
• More!

Click the audio player above to hear Neroli’s chat with LoCO’s Stephanie McGeary and Andrew Goff and/or scroll the list of past Humboldt Holding Up guests below.

PREVIOUS HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP:

• #68 St. Joes’ James Ladika and Austin Allison
• #67 Eureka Artist Richard Evans
• #66 NCRT’s Calder Johnson
• #65 TV Newsman Dave Silverbrand 
• #63 Housing Policy Specialist Brian Heaton
• #62 Muralists Blake Reagan and Lucas Thornton
• #61 Arcata City Councilmember Emily Goldstein
• #60 Kayak Guide Eric Stockwell
• #59 Eureka City Councilmember Natalie Arroyo
• #58 Wiyot Cultural Center Manager Marnie Atkins
• #57 Humboldt County Growers’ Alliance’s Natalynne DeLapp
• #56 RREDC Executive Director Gregg Foster
• #55 Dell’Arte’s Michael Fields
• #54 Llama Wrangler Keagan Trischum
• #53 Crabs President David Sharp
• #52 Ferndale Organic Dairy Farmers Kristina Radelfinger and Dorice Miranda
• #51 Former Arcata Mayor Alex Stillman
• #50 Cooperation Humboldt’s David Cobb
• #49 Ink People Center for the Arts’ Libby Maynard
• #48 Humboldt Bay Social Co-Owner Amy Cirincione O’Connor
• #47 Musician Lyndsey Battle
• #46 Mad River Brewing CEO Linda Cooley
• #45 LoCO Editor Hank Sims
• #44 Humboldt Republic’s Jason Brandi
• #43 Table Bluff Farmer Hannah Eisloeffel
• #42 Logger Bar Owner Kate Martin
• #41 Teacher/Rapper Zach “Zigzilla” Lehner
• #40 Madaket Captain “Zippo” Libby Tonning
• #39 Event Planner Alegria Sita
• #38 Food For People’s Anne Holcomb
• #37 AHHA President Nezzie Wade
• #36 Performance Artist Noël August/Tucker Noir
• #35 Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman
• #34 Eagle House Owner Jennifer Metz
• #33 Absynth Quartet Drummer Mike “Tofu” Schwartz
• #32 HACHR Executive Director Lasara Firefox Allen
• #31 Alchemy Distiller Owner Amy Bohner
• #30 Eureka City Councilmember Kati Moulton
• #29 Eureka City Councilmember Scott Bauer
• #28 Ungraceful Ager Barry Evans
• #27 Arcata City Councilmember Sofia Pereira
• #26 HumBrews Music Booker Laurel Weston
• #25 Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel
• #24 Film Commission’s Cassandra Hesseltine and Nate Adams
• #23 Marble Maker Topher Reynolds
• #22 Arcata Playhouse Director Jacqueline Dandeneau
• #21 Humboldt Political Junkie Eric Kirk
• #20 Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes
• #19 Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell
• #18 Arcata Food Aficionado Jada Calypso Brotman
• #17 Body Piercer Jackie Silva
• #16 Dick Taylor Chocolate’s Adam Dick
• #15 FUHS Teachers Mark Thom and Inma Thompson
• #14 Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery
• #13 Savage Henry Co-Founder Chris Durant
• #12 Eureka Street Art Festival Organizer Jenna Catsos
• #11 SCRAP Humboldt Founder Tibora Bea
• #10 Gym Owner Tyler Parr
• #9 Six Rivers Brewery Co-Owner Meredith Maier
• #8 Multicultural Skincare Therapist Levia Love
• #7 Annie’s Cambodian Server and Social Worker Joshua Coppock
• #6 Eureka City Councilmember Austin Allison
• #5 HSU Professor Deidre Pike 
• #4 Pastor Bethany Cseh
• #3 Singer/Songwriter Chris Parreira
• #2 Eureka City Councilmember Leslie Castellano
• #1 Arcata City Councilmember Paul Pitino

On Thursday morning, with my coffee warming my hands, I leaned forward while community and tribal members spoke their truth. I could hear the emotional urgency in their voices as they attempted to shorten years of hope and pain into their one-minute allotted time slot. As the California Parks Commission held this virtual meeting, I noticed a shift in each person’s posture. It was like, every time a community or tribal member spoke, the Commission seemed to engage differently, like they were being woven into the story.

This wasn’t simply an agenda item. This affected real people. And the Commission was invited to invest their personhood into this powerful story.

A little over a year ago, a group of Yurok tribal leaders, folks from True North Organizing, and a few white allies, had gathered together on Zoom to work towards changing the name of Patrick’s Point State Park to the indigenous and ancestral Yurok name of Sue-meg. They had sent a formal request to the State for an official name change.

There’s deep importance in a name. Names contain historic recognitions, cultural connections, communal meanings, and a heritage of significance.

This meeting held an opportunity to name and right historic wrongs while creating a new foundation to change names elsewhere. Some names carry the weight of past cruelty and deep injustice that becomes unintentionally celebrated every time a person speaks it out loud.

In regards to the Park, Irish settler Patrick Beegan, claimed that land as his. Stories tell of his murderous violence towards indigenous people where racism, greed, and power dictated and justified his behavior. To keep celebrating his name every time it’s spoken out, perpetuates a violent history against Native American peoples.

True North Executive Director and Karuk tribal member Terry Supahan, wrote how “being cognizant, present, and aware of our shared violent genocidal history, can help all of us to heal and can be a bridge to a stronger collective history.”

This is what it means to be human and to work for the common good. We must name and recognize our violent history and we must work towards repairing the wrongs.

I clicked “unmute” when the Commission called my name. Taking a shaky breath in, I shared part of this prayer for White Allies, in my one-minute allotted time:

Holy Creator who breathed all of life into existence and cares for the very soil we stand on today, when I look up to the hills and ask where my help, hope, and healing come from, I can trust it comes from you, the maker of heaven and earth. You placed the stars in the sky and you know them by name. You surveyed the land and the sea where no borders, walls, claims, or deeds ruled or reigned and you said it was good.

Holy Creator, we took what was good for all people and made it good for some people. People who look like me put up walls and staked claims. We traded souls for deeds, bodies for land, people for property. In your name, we colonized and took. We conquered and killed, heretically claiming it was in the name of God. We attempted at erasing everything that didn’t look pale or European enough, erasing tribal history, erasing children and women and culture until it was whitewashed and falsely renamed. Through genocide, we removed the Creator from the tribes because holiness couldn’t exist in nature. The sacred must be relegated and held in church buildings. 

Oh Holy Creator, you built cathedrals in the trees. Your sanctuary was always across the land. The Spirit has long hovered over waters bringing forth an abundance of love. Your name has long been spoken over the land and into the soil, but we couldn’t hear it because it wasn’t white enough. 

Forgive us for our fear, our pride, our arrogance and self-absorption that infects every encounter with someone different from us. Forgive us of our blaspheme of your name. Forgive us of our insecurity and hatred towards others and towards ourselves. Forgive us for the ways we’ve damaged the earth and poisoned the water.

Holy Creator, may our shame and white guilt no longer allow us the privilege of ignoring another’s pain or the pain of this planet. May we come with less answers, less pride, less power, and instead may we be better listeners and better allies for this holy work. 

And may I finally believe the truth that nothing I have, nothing that I claim is “mine,” no deed, land, human being, or park belongs to me. May we all live open-handedly and humbly surrendered to your great love.

In the Giver of Life we pray,

Amen.

The vote was unanimous and the Park’s name was changed.

Sum-meg State Park.

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Bethany Cseh is a pastor at Arcata United Methodist Church and Catalyst Church. She blogs frequently on her website, With Bethany. 

“Testing is how we end this pandemic without disrupting society.” 

— Dr. Michael Mina, Harvard epidemiologist)

Where we’re at (The bad news)

The G7 represents the seven wealthiest large democracies: US, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. We score last in the percentage of population vaccinated against Covid, plus our death rate is much worse than the other six; the US currently has an average of 0.6 deaths per 100,000 daily while the UK is next with just a third of that. Mainly due to the Delta variant, some 2,000 Americans are dying every day. A couple of weeks ago, the number of deaths from Covid in the US passed a milestone, exceeding the estimated number of Americans who died in the 1918-‘19 flu epidemic, 675,000.

Testing, testing … (Let’s hear it for antigen tests!)

The two most common tests for Covid are: the antigen test (aka lateral flow or RADT, rapid antigen detection test) which can be done at home if you choose (about $12 each), with results in a few minutes; and the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, which has to be processed in a lab, with results available in 24 hours or more. If you get tested at the Wharfinger, you get PCR tested, with the results emailed from the lab in Sacramento one to four days later.

While PCR tests are more accurate, they’re sometimes too accurate, since they can return positive results for someone who was infected several weeks earlier and is no longer contagious. Not only that, but if you’re positive, you’re walking around potentially infecting people while waiting a day or two for your result.

Rapid 20-30 minute antigen tests, on the other hand, identify about 98% of people who are infectious, giving them the news virtually immediately, so they can protect family and friends from the virus they’re carrying.

Europe, including Britain, has far fewer cases of Covid per 100,000 people than the US, which some experts like Michael Mina (above) attribute to the widespread use of easily available and free antigen tests. See this link.

Booster shots (In our future)

Covid-19 isn’t going to go away anytime soon, and most experts say it’ll end up like the flu: every year, you’ll get a shot against whatever new variant has been identified. Fortunately, with the introduction of mRNA vaccines, which can be rapidly designed and manufactured, this will become routine.

Currently, booster shots are available in the US for over 65s who got the Pfizer vaccine, plus anyone 18-65 either with certain underlying medical conditions or who are at increased risk of infection—medical personnel, first responders, etc. What about folks like me who got either the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots? According to the CDC (September 27), “More data on the effectiveness and safety of Moderna and J&J booster shots are expected soon.”

And that’s about where we’re at. Stay safe!

Video and photos: Stephanie McGeary

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Humboldt County Courthouse Saturday afternoon as a part of the National Women’s March, joining rallies and marches held across the country in protest of Texas’s recent ban on most abortions.

Many protesters hoisted colorful, handmade signs, as the crowd chanted “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! That Texas law has got to go!” and “My body, my choice!” Passing cars honked in support, prompting loud cheers from the crowd.

Taking turns on a megaphone, which was wiped with sanitizer between uses, many participants expressed their excitement for the rally’s turnout and their concerns over the Texas law and the current threat to Roe v. Wade. Many even shared their own abortion stories.

“In 1972 when Roe vs. Wade was first legalized, it wasn’t a few months later that I found myself having to have an abortion,” Michele Walford, of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee said from the courthouse steps. “That would have changed my life if I didn’t have that choice and I wouldn’t be the person that I am today…I want every woman facing that decision that I had to face to be able to do it as freely as I could. It meant everything that I could have a safe, legal abortion.”

Several speakers also pointed out that, although it is called the “women’s march,” the issues of abortion justice and reproductive rights affects everyone.

“I had an abortion about four years ago and I’m very, very grateful for the care I got and that I had access and the privilege to get that service when I needed it,” participant Taylor LaRue said to the crowd. “I’d also like to say that not all people who get abortions are women. This is an intersectional issue.” 

The local Planned Parenthood had a table set up at the event and was giving out free condoms, lube and tampons. The nonprofit also had out a jar that was filling up with donations.  Megan Hughes, one of the rally organizers, was happy to see the support for the nonprofit and said she was extremely pleased with today’s turnout.

“What Texas is doing could have an impact on our entire nation and we need to speak up now before it’s too late,” Hughes told the Outpost. “We need to put our money where our mouth is and give our money to Planned Parenthood and to other nonprofits in Texas who are helping the people there get the medical care that they need.”

Scroll down for more pictures of today’s rally.

In a set back to the Two Basin Partnership — which sought to gain control over the two fish-blocking dams on the Eel River — FERC denied a request for a delay by the coalition, damaging their chances at gaining control (and forestalling decommissioning of the dams).

Friends of the Eel River think that this is BIG win for the salmon of the Eel River and dam removal of both Scott and Cape Horn Dam now seems more likely.

Listen to learn more!

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” Oct. 2, 2021

REQUIRED READING:

• ”Regional Coalition Looking to Take Over Potter Valley Project Hits Snag as FERC Denies Request for Extra Time,” Lost Coast Outpost, Sept. 23, 2021.
• ”ECONEWS REPORT: Friends of the Eel River Force FERC to Comply with the Endangered Species Act,” April 3, 2021.