Helen Maudlin Kelley was born in Fortuna on July 17, 1924. She entered heaven on March 3, 2026 at the age of 101. She grew up in Fortuna and graduated from Fortuna High School in 1942. She stayed in touch with her high school friends and attended many class reunions throughout the years.

Helen was an enthusiastic league bowler and enjoyed many years at the lanes. She proudly displayed trophies from those long ago bowling days. She worked various jobs during her life including several years at Kelly’s Jewelers in Arcata. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior in 1990 and became a member of the Eureka Nazarene Church. She was involved in the Senior Adult Ministries enjoying fellowship and many activities. Crocheting blankets for babies and baking pies for first time visitors were an important part of her ministry. Mom was known as the church “hugger.”

Helen enjoyed spending time at family gatherings. She shared her birthday month with great-granddaughter Casey, and loved celebrating with her. She loved strawberry ice cream, jigsaw puzzles and keeping her mind sharp doing word search and crosswords. She also loved cats and was given the name Kitty Grandma by her great grandchildren.

She is survived by her son, Bob Giacomini and wife Carol; son-in-law, Don Clogston; stepdaughter, Susan Roberts, and her grandchildren and their families; Carri Fabbri (Brett), Travis Jackson (Tiffany), Tami Potterf (Steve) and many extended family members who loved her dearly.

Helen was preceded in death by her father Albert Maudlin, mother Lucile Maxwell, husband Jack Kelley, daughter Gayle Clogston, and grandson Michael Giacomini.

The family would like to thank everyone for their love and prayers during this time. A special thank you to Hospice of Humboldt for their excellent care and compassion.

A private family graveside service was held at Ocean View Cemetery.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Helen Kelley’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Bruce Emerson Hancock
October 5, 1937 - March 5, 2026

With sadness, love, and profound gratitude, the family of Bruce Emerson Hancock announces his peaceful passing at his home in Yelm, Washington, on March 5, 2026. Bruce leaves behind a legacy of lifelong honor, service, kindness, and selflessness.

Bruce was born in Ogden, Utah, to Victor and Edith Hancock, and he was the youngest of 8 children. He married Afton Mae Honing in 1953, and they had five children - Dean, Denise, Annette, Wayne, and Dale - before moving to California in 1967.

Bruce and Afton settled in Eureka, where he became a well-known businessman, owning an Allstate office for several decades. He was a lifelong and devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a tireless volunteer for the American Cancer Society, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the organization for cancer research and patient support. After Afton’s passing in 1989, Bruce was married to Diane Darrow in 1994 until her death in 2026.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Edith Hancock; his wife of 36 years, Afton Mae Hancock; daughters Annette Hancock and Denise Mae Lavigne (née Hancock); son Dale Jay Hancock; stepson Erik Dunphy; his second wife of 31 years, Diane Darrow Hancock; and his siblings Dean, Dewayne, Cliff, Norman, Thelma, Harlan, and Mary.

Bruce is survived by his sons Dean Ray Hancock and Wayne Bruce Hancock; his stepdaughter Kimberly (John) Gaivin; grandchildren Sara Lynn Lewellen, Jacob Bruce Hancock, Kristie Marie (Isaac) Asuncion, Kyle Dean Hancock, Nikki Annette (Bruce) Wilkerson, Leshele Adele (Jeff) Mielke, and Dale Jay (Erica) Hancock II, as well as 23 great-grandchildren.

Bruce will be remembered for his life of adventure and service to others. He was a business owner, a bull rider, a pilot, a traveler, a writer, even a rodeo clown for a time, but nothing was more important to him than his church and his family. He held the hands of countless others as they left this earth to be with Jesus, and now he is resting in the arms of the Savior, reunited with loved ones in the kingdom of heaven. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:23)

Bruce will be interred at Ocean View Cemetery. Services will be at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eureka on March 26, 2026, at 11 a.m.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Bruce Hancock’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Leo Herman Langer III
May 7, 1940 -January 3, 2026

With very heavy hearts, we share that Leo Herman Langer III passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026, in Santa Rosa, after a short illness. He was surrounded by his wife, children and faithful dog, just as he would have wanted.

Leo was born and raised in Eureka, the oldest of fifteen children born to Agnes and Leo Langer. Being the big brother to fourteen younger siblings meant he learned early how to lead, protect and pitch in. Hard work and looking out for others came naturally to him. He attended St. Bernard’s High School, where he formed values that stayed with him throughout his life.

He proudly served in the United States Navy, which sparked his love of travel and adventure. After his service, Leo worked as a surveyor and saw more of the world than most of us ever will. While working in Guam, he met Reyza, the love of his life. From that point on, everything they built together was rooted in faith, family and love.

Leo was happiest outdoors. Camping in his trailer, breathing in fresh air, and, lately, walking at Spring Lake Regional Park with his dog Bruno by his side were some of his favorite things. He was steady, strong and someone you could always count on. He didn’t need the spotlight — he just quietly showed up for the people he loved.

We’ll be gathering in Eureka to celebrate Leo on April 18th at 10 a.m. at Ocean View Cemetery, followed by lunch at the Eureka Elks Lodge. Family and friends are invited to join in celebrating his life and sharing memories.

Leo will be missed more than words can say, but we’ll carry him with us — in stories, in laughter and in love, he gave so freely.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Leo Langer III’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

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Danielle “Dani” Burkhart, who spent a tumultuous six months working for the City of Blue Lake last year, has submitted claims for damages against the city over a number of alleged labor code violations, including whistleblower retaliation, improper demotion and unlawful termination. 

Burkhart. | LinkedIn.

Burkhart was hired in February 2025 to be the city’s finance manager but soon thereafter got appointed acting city manager following the abrupt departure of Amanda “Mandy” Mager. (Burhkart’s claim letter says Mager was fired by the newly elected city council; the council itself has described the decision as mutual.)

The claim letter, submitted by L.A.-based attorney Bryan J. Lazarski, says that as acting city manager, Burkhart’s top priority was to bring the city into compliance with state housing law by submitting a long-overdue updated housing element with state housing authorities. 

“Ms. Burkhart, for her part, had numerous communications with city councilmembers urging their compliance with state law, but City Council at all times appeared intent on evading compliance by rejecting and delaying actions taken,” the claim letter states.

It goes on to allege that Mayor John Sawatzky and other councilmembers routinely violated the city code’s “division of powers” provisions by giving orders directly to employees, rather than going through the city manager, and by ordering Burkhart herself around outside the confines of city council meetings.

Last July, Burkhart submitted a memorandum to City Council raising serious concerns about certain councilmembers’ “unprofessional” conduct. Meanwhile, she was being made to work 60-plus hours per week, with no days off, in violation of state labor laws, the letter says.

It further alleges that the council broke California’s open meetings law, the Ralph M. Brown Act, when it hired Jill Duffy to replace Burkhart as interim city manager, and that when Burkhart sought to lighten her workload by resigning from the additional city clerk duties she’d been assigned, Duffy retaliated by accusing Burkhart of insubordination, disrespectful behavior and going AWOL.

“No specific examples of any of these things were provided, and it appears to be nothing more than … pretext and retaliation,” the attorney’s letter says

Burkhart is seeking financial damages in excess of $10,000 and plans to sue in Humboldt County Superior Court if the city fails to act within 45 days of the notice.

Current Blue Lake City Manager Jennie Short is recommending that the city council reject the claims. The matter is on the consent calendar for Tuesday’s City Council meeting. 

Press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka will begin a new parking management program using the Passport Parking mobile app on April 1, 2026, in certain Downtown and Old Town parking lots.

The system allows residents and visitors to pay for parking by phone, replacing traditional meters in those locations. This is the same system currently used by Cal Poly Humboldt for its public parking.

This new program is part of the City’s effort to better manage parking resources. It implements recommendations from the 2022 Old Town & Downtown Parking Study, which identified the need to modernize our parking management and improve parking turnover in high-demand areas so customers and visitors can more easily find parking near businesses.

Parking in participating lots will cost $1.10 per hour and will be enforced from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Sunday and holidays will not be metered.

New signage will be installed throughout participating lots, with instructions for downloading the app, locating the correct zone, and starting a session. The app sends reminders before time expires and allows users to extend sessions remotely.

Parking permits for Downtown employees and eligible residents will continue to be available, offering longer-term options for regular parkers. Businesses are encouraged to make employees aware of the Downtown Employee Parking Permit Program, which allows employees to park without paying hourly meters through an annual permit.

Information about parking permits, eligibility, and application steps is available on the City’s parking page at this link..

Residents, employees, and visitors who frequently park in Downtown or Old Town are encouraged to review program details and download the Passport Parking app before the April 1st launch.

Information, including a parking lot map and instructions for using the app, is available here.

More details of the circumstances that led 51-year-old Shawn Kolpak to be arrested and accused of the brutal attack of a 75-year-old man in the Arcata Community Forest came to light on the second day of his preliminary hearing.

A judge Friday found there was enough evidence to continue proceedings against Kolpak, but downgraded one charge from aggravated mayhem to simple mayhem, both violent felonies related to bodily disfigurement with different jail times if convicted.

Kolpak was held to answer on the attempted homicide charge, as well as enhancements for causing great bodily injury and Spenceley’s age.

Kolpak previously pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution argued the evidence proved Kolpak was responsible for seriously injuring the man by beating him in the face with his fist — pointing to injuries on the knuckles of Kolpak’s left hand, his fixation on and frustration with a person he thought was taunting him by moving sticks around in the forest, and inconsistencies in his story. Deputy District Attorney Roger Rees argued he was intentionally deceiving police during questioning.

Meanwhile, Deputy Public Defender David Celli argued the prosecution offered a “very fragile daisy-chain” of evidence, and said an animal attack or a fall hadn’t fully been ruled out. He pointed to a lack of witnesses to the attack and a lack of physical evidence — including a confirmed weapon.

Testing results for two pieces of evidence remain pending. The Arcata Police Department is awaiting a DNA test for drops of blood found on a jacket police believe Kolpak was wearing that day. The department is waiting on fingerprinting results for a metal water bottle a K9 unit alerted near the crime scene.

Judge Kaleb Cockrum said the weakest part of the case is the “means,” or how the man was attacked.

“There is room for additional information,” he said, one way or the other, and noted there were other possibilities.

Meanwhile, 75-year-old Bill Spenceley remains unable to speak, in the ICU at a UC Davis hospital after serious head injuries sustained in the Jan. 30 attack on Trail 5 of the Arcata Community Forest.

The second witness Rees brought to the stand was Celeste Villarreal, an APD detective who investigated the attack on Spenceley.

She said Kolpak was initially identified as a person of interest due to a phone call he made to APD reporting a person stacking sticks in the forest. She also noted an open case where Kolpak is accused of assaulting a different man in the face in McKinleyville.

After further questioning of Kolpak, she found him to be fixated on a person that was apparently stacking sticks. While being questioned on the attack, she said he would spontaneously bring up “stick guy,” a man he described as matching the description of Spenceley.

Previously, a friend told police that Spenceley would often move sticks off the trails.

Kolpak had a routine of walking in the area of forest daily early in the morning in the area near where Spenceley was found.

Villarreal said Kolpak believed stick guy was “playing games with him” including stalking and taunting him. Early in the mornings, he described seeing a headlamp light and believed stick guy was following him. Kolpak dropped brown paper napkins in the forest and believed stick guy moved them near the sticks to taunt him; brown paper napkins were found by police near the scene.

His feelings about the stick guy, over the course of a three-hour police interview, ranged from comical, to frustrated and angry. He acknowledged having anger issues but told police he wasn’t angry enough to do anything to stick guy. But Villarreal believed his frustration over the stick guy was deeper than he let on, due to him bringing him up repeatedly.

She testified medical personnel told police it was unlikely Spenceley’s injuries were caused by a wild animal or a fall.

Villarreal said during treatment at the UC Davis Medical Center, a Dr. Pahm told her his injuries were unlikely to be caused by a fall, with a single injury in the back of his head and all others on his face, without other injuries from a fall.

He had some thoracic spinal fractures, but doctors were unable to determine if the fractures were new or old.

Dr. Pahm believed the injuries were caused by blunt force. Police noted the victim’s clothing was not torn and the injuries were concentrated only on his head, something the prosecution argued was inconsistent with a wild animal attack. Medical workers similarly found it unlikely to be an animal attack at Mad River Hospital where he was taken before being airlifted due to the severity of his injuries.

The victim had no defensive wounds.

A key part of the prosecution’s argument were the inconsistencies in Kolpak’s stories when being questioned by police.

He told police he avoided the route where Spenceley was found that day. He claimed to have avoided a side trail leading to where Spenceley was found due to crime scene tape. But Villarreal testified she hadn’t yet put up the tape at the time he claimed to have turned around. When confronted with this he changed his story and said he went in the evening around 5 p.m., but again, Villarreal said this was after police had taken down the tape, around 4 p.m.

“He knows where the crime occurred because he’s the one who did it,” argued Rees, later.

Kolpak told police he tripped on sticks that day, when asked to explain the injuries on the back of his hand. Villarreal cast doubt on his claim to have injured his hand slipping on sticks while carrying a cup of coffee, pointing to the instinctual reaction to catch yourself with the palm of your hand.

With Kolpak believed to be right handed, his attorney, Celli questioned why his left hand would be injured. Instead, Rees argued that Kolpak held the victim with his right hand and beat him with his left.

During closing arguments, Celli emphasized it remains a question whether a crime was committed. He pointed to lacerations on Spenceley, and argued there was a lack of evidence proving it was done by a human and not a mountain lion.

He cast doubt on the doctor’s familiarity with animal attacks and called the testimony to be stricken; but Judge Cockrum kept the testimony on the record while considering the full picture of evidence.

Celli also noted the pair had no previous altercations, with Villarreal testifying the pair would say short greetings to each other on the trail.

Rees countered by asking how a wild animal would gently lay the victim down on the ground, without a trace, and emphasized there was probable cause Kolpak committed the crime.

Video surveillance found Kolpak leaving the place he parked his van to sleep outside of Redwood Capital Bank around 7 a.m., and he told police he walked in the park that morning. Police spoke to people who frequent the area, but nobody confirmed they saw Kolpak that day.

Judge Cockrum agreed there remained an identification issue, but said there was probable cause to hold Kolpak to answer to the charges. He pointed to evidence that put Kolpak in the area, alongside his known pattern, his call to police, and his “paranoia” surrounding the activities of “stick man.”

Cockrum sought to reduce the mayhem charge as aggravated mayhem requires intent to disfigure.

An arraignment on information is scheduled for April.

PREVIOUSLY

• Preliminary Examination Begins for Man Accused of Attempting to Murder 75-Year-Old Arcata Man in Community Forest
• 51-Year-Old Man Arrested for Attempted Murder in Redwood Park; 75-Year-Old Victim Airlifted Out of Town

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Yes indeed, Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former U.S. secretary of state, senator, first lady and presidential candidate, flew in to Humboldt County over the weekend and attended an event at the Requa Inn up in Klamath.

The Outpost had heard just the faintest rumors that she might be headed our way but was unable to confirm it last week. On Friday we got an email saying she’d flown in to ACV from SFO under a fake name.

“Secret service SUVs came and picked her up on the tarmac,” our tipster said.

Today, The Historic Requa Inn posted photos from the visit to its Facebook page:

You may recall Clinton’s prior visit to Humboldt, more than four years ago. Turns out she and daughter Chelsea were here to visit Yurok Chief Justice Abby Abinanti for an Apple TV documentary series called “Gutsy.”

This time around, Clinton again met with Judge Abby and others from the Yurok Tribal Court. She was joined by personal friends Anna Deveare Smith (a renowned playwright, actor and professor) and Susie Buell (entrepreneur, businesswoman and progressive political donor).

Want more photos? Amy Bowers Cordalis, a Yurok Tribal member and activist for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration, posted the following highlight reel to Instagram: