Randy Thrash passed away from cancer surrounded by family at his home on August 31, 2021.

Randy was born on November 14, 1955 to Mary and Calvin Thrash. He was raised in and lived his whole life in Eureka. He attended local schools and began his career with a millwright apprenticeship at L.P. Pulp Mill, following in his father’s footsteps. Randy prided himself on his work ethic and most important was making sure his family was always taken care of. After working more than 30 years at the mill, he retired from there. His semi-retirement allowed him to explore different part-time jobs before working at Waterfront Recovery Services, which he loved.

Randy enjoyed many things, included ranching, riding horses, duck hunting, golfing and baseball. He played baseball his whole life, which also sparked his love of coaching. He loved coaching Babe Ruth. Randy was gifted with a beautiful singing voice and a talent on the guitar. Many get-togethers and family reunions you could guarantee Randy, his brothers, cousins, nephews and son would pull out their guitars and the singing fest would begin. Pure Love. The one thing Randy was most passionate about was his family. He was a good, strong, and caring man. He was always a gentleman and had a willingness to help others; he would always be there to lend a hand.

Randy is preceded in death by his father Calvin Thrash, his mother Mary Thrash and his oldest brother Tim Thrash.

Randy is survived by Balenda, his broken-hearted wife of 44 years, his daughter Melody and son-in-law Damian Sanford, his son Tanner and daughter-in-law Lydia Thrash. He also leaves here on earth his three silly, sassy, beautiful and most precious Papa-loving granddaughters, who loved root beer floats with their Papa, Eliana Sanford, Abigail and Charlotte Thrash. Randy is also survived by four very loving siblings Calva Allen, Donna Robinson and her husband Larry, Michael Thrash, Stan Thrash and his wife Katherine. He also leaves behind members of his wife’s family the Costas and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews which he greatly loved. Last, but not least, is his Annie dog.

In lieu of flowers and gifts the family is asking for donations in his name to Waterfront Recovery Services, 2413 2nd St., Eureka, so that in his passing Randy can continue to contribute to a cause he deeply believed in.

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

Louise B. (Devlin) Waxham
Feb. 3, 1929 - July 15, 2021

Louise Waxham was born Feb. 3, 1929 to Elvis and Thomas Devlin in Hayward, California. She was the youngest of four children. She grew up and attended school in Hayward and San Jose.

While a student at Hayward High School, there was a Sadie Hawkins dance on a Friday the 13th. A friend suggested that she ask Frank Waxham to the dance. Later he wrote in her yearbook that she was “a cute kid”. After Louise finished college and Frank finished his enlistment with the Navy and college, they married in 1950.

A daughter, Carol, was born in 1955. A second daughter, Joan, was born in 1957. The family lived in Sunnyvale and later Los Altos. Both Frank and Louise taught in local public schools.

Louise and Frank loved spending time in the mountains and forests that they loved, exploring many National Parks and other beautiful places. They enjoyed taking their children camping, hiking, cross country skiing and canoeing.

Louise and Frank enjoyed many forms of dancing, making many lifelong friends in the ballroom, square dance and round dance groups they were involved with. They continued to dance with their friends long into retirement.

After retirement, Frank and Louise moved to Colfax, Calif. to be near the mountains they loved. They loved to share their passion for the outdoors with their grandchildren continuing the tradition of camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, and canoeing. The family would often take off for a day filled with adventure. Louise would always pack lunch for the family and help find the best picnic spots with breathtaking views.

Retirement provided Frank and Louise the opportunity to expand their love of travel. They enjoyed traveling to beautiful places all around the world and were able to visit 33 different countries. Of all the places Louise visited, spending time in the Alps while staying in local people’s homes was one of her favorite experiences. The beauty of the Alps along with the kindness and generosity of the local Austrian people resonated with her for the rest of her life.

Louise enjoyed photography and loved taking pictures of all the beautiful places she visited. She had a talent for capturing happy memories with family and would create homemade birthday cards every year for family members filled with all the pictures she had taken.

When Frank’s health started to decline, they moved to Lincoln, Calif. Frank died in 2016 in Lincoln, Calif. Losing the love of her life was very hard for Louise. They had been married for 66 years and Frank meant everything to Louise. Their dedication, generosity, kindness, selflessness, and love for each other was a source of inspiration for her family in their relationships and their marriage became a symbol of lasting love and commitment. After the loss of Frank, Louise decided to move to Fortuna the next year to be close to family.

Louise had a deep affection for chocolate and her daily oranges. She often shared her love of chocolate with her family making gourmet chocolate flourless cake for birthdays or simply bringing some homemade chocolate covered walnuts to family gatherings.

Louise’s health declined slowly. As the end neared, Louise was able to see all her family one last time. Family came from near and far to visit her one last time showing how much of an impact she had on everyone she loved. Louise passed away at home in Fortuna on July 15th, 2021 at the age of 92.

Louise is survived by her daughters Carol Waxham and Joan Dvorak, her granddaughters Marie Dvorak, Anna Ruby Waxham-Blackwell, Lisa Ford, Rachel Fiss, and Dorothy Waxham-Blackwell, and her great grandchildren Kai Adam, Emberly Ford, and Scarlett Fiss.

She was preceded in death by her husband Frank Waxham, all their siblings and parents, and many friends that were dear to her.

More hues for you, Humboldt! Continuing the Lost Coast Outpost’s mission to go overboard on our coverage of local muraling, we must today inform you that much paint has been applied to an uncolorful-no-more building located on Humboldt Hill, of all places. You clearly cannot stop these murals from spreading, people. Give in and embrace ‘em. 

Our newest completed colorful scene now graces the side of the soon-to-open Tecomán Taqueria on Humboldt Hill Road and is the latest labor of local artist Lucas Thornton. Public art fans will recall Thornton is fresh off completion of his collaborative Eureka Street Art Festival entry on the side of the Humboldt County Courthouse, a job he actually tackled in the middle of his work on his Humboldt Hill piece. While the courthouse mural was certainly a higher-profile job, Thornton shared with the Outpost one reason why his latest piece is special to him.

“This is the first mural I’ve ever finished on my birthday,” Thornton said. (Happy birthday, Luke.)

Lucas Thornton next to a character in his latest mural, inspired by Tecomán Taqueria owner Enrique Pérez

Calendar significances aside, Thornton’s latest piece depicts an idealized Mexican plaza that one can imagine finding near Tecomán, Colima, Mexico — that’s the Volcán de Colima in the background. Tecomán Taqueria founder Enrique Pérez told us he sought Thornton out after seeing his piece on the side of the Redwood Art Association in downtown Eureka. After commissioning the piece for his restaurant, Pérez showed Thornton some pictures of Colima, elements of which were ultimately incorporated into the mural’s design. Looking at the finished piece on Wednesday, Pérez was thrilled with how it turned out. 

“It looks awesome, man,” Pérez said. “People have been coming to see it and take pictures of it. I think it’s a good thing for the neighborhood.” 

Thornton estimates that, all told, he spent about five weeks total on the piece and cited his mentor Duane Flatmo’s mural next to Los Bagels in Arcata as an inspiration for its design. He also said he was pleased to have the opportunity to be able to paint something pleasant during such a “dreary time.” 

“It’s kind of like Botticelli,” Thornton said, citing the works of the 15th century Italian Renaissance painter. “His work was done during a plague, but still it’s all bright and colorful and joyous. So that’s kind of what I wanted to do: Paint something happy during a dark time.”

The colorful Tecomán Taqueria is scheduled to open on Oct. 9. More shots of Thornton’s newest work can be found below.

Thornton told us this dog made several visits to the mural during its production. So it ended up a part of it.

PREVIOUSLY: New Owners of Scotia Inn Outline Long-Term Plans, Including Heated Pools, Hot Tubs, Food, Drink and More

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The owners of the Scotia Lodge have released the first visuals of their plans to add an open-air pool deck in between the building’s wings that will include two heated swimming pools, seven private hot tubs and a sauna.

Owners Amy Cirincione O’Connor and her husband Jon O’Connor filed building permits for the project earlier this month.

“We are expecting to break ground on the pool in the spring,” Amy Cirincione O’Connor said. “We don’t know how long the permitting process will take. We’re going to do it In stages: First [we’ll add] one pool, the deck and one of the hot tubs. Then we will continue to build based on funding.”

The remodeled lodge, formerly known as the Scotia Inn, reopened in early July and is now operating at the inn’s previous capacity.

“We had an amazing first month,” O’Connor said. “Opening during the high season was pretty wonderful for us. We opened with eight rooms available and added eight rooms every week [until we reached full-capacity]. It was really fun to fill up that first wing, and the restaurant has been very busy. And now that we’re entering the fall season, we can take a breather and see what our fall menu is going to look like.”

In the coming weeks, the Lodge also plans to host its first wedding since the remodel, and has been booked for a number of holiday parties.

“Our occupancy numbers have definitely exceeded our expectations,” she said.

With their sights now set on adding a pool deck to the property, the couple said that they hope to fund the project through a Kickstarter page that they plan to release in mid-October. O’Connor said the Kickstarter will offer donor incentives like redeemable swimming passes, stays at the inn, rentals of the entire property and more.

Both pools, which will be made from repurposed shipping containers built by the Canadian company Modpools, are expected to be 40 feet long and 8 feet wide. One of the pools will also have an attached jacuzzi and glass siding facing a lawn furnished with lounge chairs. The private hot tubs are expected to be 10 feet by 8 feet in size and placed behind curtained-off cabanas that will have access to the main pools.

“We’re envisioning the [pool with glass siding] being the family pool,” O’Connor said. “The pool up on the deck will maybe be more of a calm environment for adults. Once we get a sense of how the pools are used, we will create adults-only hours.”

Press release from the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

Today, Representative Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced the No Militarization of Space Act, to abolish the costly and unnecessary Space Force. This comes as Congress moves to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that authorizes funding for the Pentagon.

“The long-standing neutrality of space has fostered a competitive, non-militarized age of exploration every nation and generation has valued since the first days of space travel. But since its creation under the former Trump administration, the Space Force has threatened longstanding peace and flagrantly wasted billions of taxpayer dollars,” said Rep. Huffman. “It’s time we turn our attention back to where it belongs: addressing urgent domestic and international priorities like battling COVID-19, climate change, and growing economic inequality. Our mission must be to support the American people, not spend billions on the militarization of space.” 

“The Space Force has quickly become a taxpayer boondoggle that adds layers of bureaucracy and waste to an already-bloated defense budget. Representative Huffman’s legislation would eliminate the Space Force before it’s too late to do so, possibly saving taxpayers billions of dollars in the process. NTU applauds Representative Huffman for introducing this bill,” said Andrew Lautz, Director of Federal Policy at National Taxpayers Union.

“Outer space must be de-militarized and kept as a realm strictly for peaceful exploration,” stated Kevin Martin, President of Peace Action. “The Space Force is an absurd, duplicative waste of taxpayer dollars, and richly deserves the ridicule it has garnered. Peace Action, the largest grassroots peace and disarmament organization in the US, commends and endorses Rep. Huffman’s ‘No Militarization of Space Act’ to abolish the Space Farce.”

“Militarizing space is an unconscionable waste of billions of tax dollars, and it risks extending the worst mistakes of history to the final frontier by inviting conflict and escalation. Americans don’t want more wasteful military spending, which means Congress should pass the No Militarization of Space Act before the Space Force budget inevitably skyrockets,” said Sean Vitka, senior policy counsel for Demand Progress.

“This legislation would put an end to the ill-considered rush into establishing a new military service, the Space Force, and save taxpayers billions of dollars in unnecessary spending. Eliminating Space Force in a year and transferring all authorities and functions back to the appropriate commands of the Armed Forces is the most fiscally responsible thing to do. To be clear, the U.S. must be a leader in space, but creating a whole new service wasn’t going to accomplish that; it was just going to create a costly new bureaucracy,” said Steve Ellis, President, Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Background

The U.S. Space Force was established on December 20, 2019 with enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act – despite the country’s commitment under the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which restricts the placement of weapons of mass destruction in space and banned military maneuvers on celestial bodies. U.S. military spending topped nearly $704 billion dollars in fiscal year 2021 including a staggering $15.5 billion for the Space Force. The Space Force also unnecessarily duplicated much of the existing work within the Air Force including that of Space Command, thereby creating bureaucratic confusion and further waste and risking American and allied national security.

Text of the legislation can be found here.

Huffman was joined in the introduction by Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Maxine Waters (CA-43).

This legislation is endorsed by Taxpayers for Common Sense, National Taxpayers Union, Peace Action, R Street Institute, and Demand Progress.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Sept. 21, 2021, at about 10 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Martin’s Ferry Bridge near Weitchpec to assist the Yurok Tribal Police Department with the report of a burglary suspect being detained by community members.

Rocky Robbins

During their investigation, deputies learned a burglary had occurred at the Yurok Tribe Veterans Cemetery and a nearby wireless tower building that morning, during which the suspect had forced entry into storage buildings, causing thousands of dollars’ worth of property damage, and stealing numerous items.

Employees arriving to work at the wireless tower observed a vehicle traveling near the cemetery with backend damage consistent with the property damages. The employees reportedly followed the vehicle, intercepted it at the bridge and detained the driver, 19-year-old Rocky Ryan Robbins, until peace officers’ arrival.  

During a search of the vehicle, deputies located several of the stolen items, burglary tools and drug paraphernalia.

Robbins was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary (PC 459/461(b)), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), possession of burglary tools (PC 466), vandalism (PC 594(b)(1)) and possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)).

This case is still under investigation.

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.

Firefighters extinguish yesterday’s apartment fire in Eureka. | HBF

 Humboldt Bay Fire press release:

At 4:06 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21 Humboldt Bay Fire crews were dispatched to a structure fire on the 2000 block of Fairfield Street in Eureka.

Multiple calls poured into dispatch informing of an emergency at this location, and additional reporting parties were able to specifically pinpoint that there was a fire in one of the apartments at this location. A total of 7 Humboldt Bay Fire apparatus and 18 personnel responded to the scene.

First on scene, the crew of Engine 8113 conveyed via radio that this was a working fire, smoke billowing out of the upstairs apartment of a complex. Upon entry, the crew was able to isolate the fire to the room of origin and quickly extinguish the flames. Additionally, they were able to close the doors to a second bedroom and bathroom, significantly minimizing smoke damage to those locations. These protective measures go far in helping to salvage uninvolved areas of property.

There were no human or animal injuries as a result of this fire. Damage is estimated at $50,000.00

Humboldt Bay Fire always recommends keeping doors closed as it helps to compartmentalize a structure in the event of a fire. Remember to “close before you doze.”