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The City of Ferndale has been abuzz this week — both on social media and in the quaint streets of the “Cream City” — with talk about the message currently posted to the illuminated sign outside St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. 

“Hurt by LGBTQ culture?” the St. Mark’s sign reads. “Healing here.”

The sign has confused some and angered others. 

“I would love to know what the thought behind that was,” one local resident said on Facebook. “Hurt how?”

“I am absolutely disgusted by this,” another commented. “No love, healing or growth was ever built of the foundation of hate.”

Photographs of the St. Mark’s sign received dozens of shares and hundreds of comments on social media, and reactions have been popping up around town as well.

One local business, Mind’s Eye Coffee Lounge, drew a rainbow flag in chalk outside its front door on Main Street and uploaded a photo with the message, “Love will always win.”

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church on Shaw Avenue, just a few blocks away from St. Mark’s, adorned its own sign with an apparent response to their neighboring house of worship. “We welcome everyone!” it reads. “Jesus said all are precious in his sight. Love is always the answer.”

On Wednesday, Our Savior posted a photo of that message to its Facebook page with the caption, “Need we say more!”

While both St. Mark’s and Our Savior are Lutheran churches, they’re aligned with two distinctly different sub-denominations that have opposing views on same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ issues. 

Our Savior belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), a mainline Protestant denomination whose assembly, in 2009, voted to allow gays and lesbians who are in committed, monogamous relationships to be ordained as clergy. Since then, the ELCA has appointed a gay bishop and ordained a trans pastor, and its clergy are allowed to officiate same-sex marriages.

St. Mark’s, meanwhile, belongs to The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), a “traditional” denomination that categorically condemns “homosexual lusts and acts” as profoundly “unnatural.” Members of the LCMS church believe they’re called upon to help such poor souls “to overcome the temptations which beset them.”

“[H]omosexual behavior is contrary to God’s Word and will, and the LCMS seeks to minister to those who are struggling with homosexual inclinations,” the church says on its website. 

The Outpost left voicemails for both St. Mark’s and Our Savior Friday morning. We also sent an email to St. Mark’s and within an hour received the following response from Reverend Tyrel Bramwell:

We received your phone call and email regarding the sign. What questions would you like to ask?

Kindly,

Rev. Bramwell

We sent along a list of questions about the meaning of the message and the community response but by the time this post was published, nearly five hours later, Rev. Bramwell had not responded.

The Ferndale community has been roiled by a number of public controversies over the years. In 2007 a recently arrived psychotherapist was subjected to homophobic interrogations in municipal meetings, and the Ferndale Planning Commission denied him a home occupation permit — apparently due to his sexual orientation. 

In 2011, Ferndale High football players and fans were accused of hurling racist epithets at an opposing team, resulting in the Wildcats squad getting placed on probation for a season.

Last year, a Ferndale couple got mostly positive responses to an anti-racism display in their front yard, but in December, a billboard just outside town reading “Welcome to Ferndale; Hate has no place here” was vandalized to convey the opposite message.

The vast majority of responses in this latest controversy have rejected the message outside St. Mark’s in favor of love and inclusion.

One commenter on the Ferndale Community Page on Facebook suggested responding to the St. Mark’s sign by displaying rainbow flags in town. “Beat hate with LOVE!” she urged. Sure enough, a short drive through Ferndale on Friday revealed a number of rainbow flags flying.

Caroline Titus, editor and publisher of the Ferndale Enterprise, said attitudes in town have changed for the better in the decade and a half since the big kerfuffle over a gay psychotherapist. 

“I am so proud of our community and so relieved that I don’t have to be the one writing editorials and getting threats,” she told the Outpost via phone Friday afternoon. 

A Pride celebration scheduled to begin at noon Saturday got a last-minute change of location. Attendees are now being invited to meet in front of St. Mark’s before marching through town.

“Come in your loudest rainbow attire and with flags,” reads an announcement on Instagram. “Love is love.”

City of Eureka release: 

The City of Eureka is excited to announce the return of the Independence Day fireworks show on the waterfront. While uncertainty about loosening COVID-19 restrictions made it impractical to plan for a large-scale festival throughout Old Town, the City will be taking a few steps to ensure that the public can come out and enjoy the day and, in the evening, view what should be a great firework display.

Throughout the day on July 4th, several streets will be closed to allow the public to mill about and gather together for the festivities. In Old Town, a pedestrian plaza will be set up centered around the Gazebo at Second and F Streets. Second Street will be closed from E to G Streets and F Street will be closed from 1st to 3rd Streets. Along the water, Waterfront Drive will be closed from H Street to the Samoa Boat Launch parking lot, while I Street will be closed from 2nd Street to Waterfront Drive. People are encouraged to use these spaces, plus the Halvorsen Park area, to set up chairs and blankets to facilitate the viewing of fireworks in the evening. Plenty of parking will be available at the Samoa Boat Launch, the 2nd and L Street parking lots, and in the gravel lot at 1st and D Streets.

Please take the opportunity to visit Old Town and the Waterfront, connect with your friends and family, and enjoy the return of the 4th of July fireworks. The show will start at 10:00 PM.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On June 24, 2021, at about 10:52 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the 1200 block of Chapparal Drive in McKinleyville for the report of multiple shots fired and a possible gunshot victim.

Isreal Soria

Deputies arrived on scene and located a 23-year-old male victim with a gunshot wound. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment and is expected to survive his injury. Through their investigation, deputies learned that a male suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Isreal Nathaniel Soria of Crescent City, arrived outside of the victim’s residence on Chapparal Drive and fired multiple shots into the residence, striking the victim.

While investigating, deputies received information that Soria had possibly fled into a backyard on the 1300 block of Silverado Street. Deputies responded to the area and located Soria. He was taken into custody without incident.

Soria was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of attempted murder (PC 664/187(a)), shooting at an inhabited dwelling (PC 246), assault with a firearm on a person (PC 245(A)(2)), carrying a loaded firearm to commit a felony (PC 25800), armed with a firearm in commission of a felony (PC 12022(a)(1)), conspiracy to commit a crime (PC 182(A)(1)) and attempted burglary (PC664/459).

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank all assisting agencies, in addition to the many community members who assisted in providing information, leading to the successful apprehension of Soria.

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.

If your heart broke with the news that there would be no in-person Oyster Festival last year, your grievances may now be alleviated. The 31st annual fest — renamed this year the Oyster Festival Express — will commence tomorrow in hybrid half-swing, the oyster people have decided. 

Rather than occupying the Arcata Plaza, as the Oyster Festival normally does, this year’s celebration will take place a few blocks away in the Creamery District on Saturday, June 26, and will have a virtual element for those uncomfortable with crowds. 

Shoshanna with Arcata Main Street — the nonprofit that organizes the Oyster Festival — told the Outpost she’s thrilled they’ve found a way to celebrate local food, beverages, musicians and artists despite the lingering pandemic, which, obviously, was challenging to work out. 

“The thing I’m most excited about is the spirit of collaboration!” Shoshanna said. “People are figuring things out, they’re being flexible and they’re working with each other.”

The event will begin at 10 a.m. with an art market on Ninth Street, live music in front of the Arcata Playhouse — Latin Peppers at 10:15 a.m, Amber Soul at 11:45 a.m., Grateful Getdown at 1:15 p.m. and Paula Jones Band at 2:45 p.m. — and oysters grilled by Kyle Sterner of North Bay Shellfish. Food trucks and beverage distribution will open at noon in The Pub parking lot. The Oyster Calling Contest will happen at 12:30 p.m., and, after judges zip around the county to taste oysters from 11 different restaurants, the Best Oyster Contest winner will be announced at 3:30 p.m. From 4 to 8 p.m., the fun will continue with more performers at The Pub stage. 

There is just one oyster distributor on-site at this year’s fest — North Bay Shellfish — but dozens of restaurants around the county are participating at their brick and mortar locations, and several of those are in or near downtown Arcata. “We’re letting it be mellow and letting people know that if they love oysters, they should go all over the place to get them,” Shoshanna said.

Organizers will monitor and regulate crowd size, Shoshanna said, but if you are someone who continues to avoid gatherings, do not worry! You can livestream the event at Arcata Main Street’s website or on their YouTube channel. And, if you’d like to cook up your own oysters at home, Arcata Main Street is distributing oyster bundles for pick up at the event. (An element of last year’s virtual fest was a series of oyster recipe videos from chefs around the county, which are still up on Arcata Main Street’s YouTube channel.)

Happy Oyster Fest!

Here there will be oysters Saturday

PREVIOUSLY: 

• HSU Bookstore Moving Just Off Arcata Plaza; Pacific Outfitters’ Arcata Store ‘Succumbs’ to COVID-19
• HSU Rethinks Old Pacific Outfitters Spot, Now Looking at New Downtown Location for Bookstore

Trying this again! After Humboldt State University’s one-time plan to relocate its bookstore to the old Pacific Outfitters space were reconsidered, the school announced today that it would instead take up residence just up the block on G Street in the longtime home of Tri-Counties Bank.

More details in the Humboldt State University release below:

The former Tri-Counties Bank property on the Arcata Plaza will be the new home of the HSU Bookstore.

The property is on the southeast corner of 8th and G streets. Remodeling work will begin soon, with the goal of a soft opening in time for the holidays. There will be a grand opening early in the semester in Spring 2022. In addition to Humboldt State merchandise and books by HSU authors, plans call for carrying branded items from College of the Redwoods, local high schools, and others to create a shared community.

Moving downtown will be valuable for the University and the community. A downtown location will provide numerous benefits that students, community members, and visitors have been asking for.
HSU has been working with the community to find ways for students, many of whom travel from more urban areas, to connect with and feel welcome in the community. The new location will help.

With HSU merchandise, and the ability to hold student and community-centered events like guest lectures and mixers, students will have a welcoming space in the heart of Arcata.

The move also opens up the current Bookstore space, which students have been requesting to use for lounge space, activities, and entertainment. The Bookstore will maintain its current warehouse space on campus for receiving and picking up textbooks, along with handling textbook rentals, and the University is exploring delivering textbooks to students in residence halls. The College Creek Marketplace on campus will continue to sell HSU Bookstore items in the store and expand upon the current selection.

The property was purchased by the Humboldt State University Foundation as an investment and as a service to the campus. It will lease the space and associated parking to the University.

Follett will continue managing the Bookstore, bringing its specially branded HSU merchandise and other items for store visitors.

With deepest sorrow we announce that Joshua Aaron Hindley, age 39, of Ferndale, California passed away on September 09, 2020.

Joshua was born on August 27, 1981. He was a beloved father, son, brother and friend. Josh is missed everyday by his parents, Donald and Kimberly Hindley of Ferndale, CA, son Joshua Hindley, Jr. (aka Grizzly) and his mother Jessica Hindley of Scotia, CA., sister Melissa Bristol, brother-in-law David Bristol, and nieces Hayden and Kamryn Bristol, of Sacramento, CA., his brother Mike Hindley and sister-in-law Jennifer Hindley of Apopka, Fl., nieces Leslie and Reagan Hindley of Tennessee and his loving aunts, uncles, cousins and many great friends, including Doug Edgmon and Mike Verbich.

Josh was an avid sports enthusiast and coach for his son’s sports teams. He loved boating, camping, fishing, hunting, going to Nascar with his uncle and aunt and spending time at his family cabin in Honeydew, CA. Josh was a general contractor, a skilled tileman and extremely hard worker. He was a perfectionist and was always ready and willing to help anyone in need at a moment’s notice with a big charming grin on his face.

Those that knew Josh lost a shining light in their lives that can never be replaced. We know that Joshua is now with his sister Leslie and his brother Justin, and his grandparents George and Elaine Hindley and Nicholas and Ann Gargaetas and is loved in Heaven as much as he was here on Earth.

A celebration of life for Joshua will be held Saturday July 10, 2021 at the Veterans Hall in Ferndale, CA. from 1-5 p.m. for family and close friends.

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

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During a virtual meeting Tuesday evening, the City of Eureka previewed its draft economic development plan and disscussed plans to take over operations from two local nonprofits: Eureka Main Street, a business advocacy group, and the Eureka Visitor Center, currently being operated by Humboldt Made.

The plan has been a topic of discussion for some time, and after receiving approval from the Eureka City Council last week, Eureka Main Street and the visitor center will be consolidated into the City’s economic development department. The City will take over operations on July 1.

[CLARIFICATION: Charlotte McDonald, the longtime executive director of Eureka Main Street, told the Outpost that after her upcoming retirement, the organization will operate without an executive director, and current Assistant Director Amanda Kruschke will become an employee of the City of Eureka. The organization will continue to have a board of directors that will serve in an advisory role for the Eureka City Council and will oversee the Eureka Business Improvement’s funds.]

During Tuesday’s meeting, Bill Prescott, chair of Eureka’s Economic Development Commission, asked about the City’s long-term plan for taking over these agencies and questioned whether city staff has the experience necessary to run them efficiently. [Disclosure: Prescott is general manager of Lost Coast Communications, the Outpost’s parent company.]

“It just seems like that would be something better left in the nonprofit or private sector,” Prescott said during the meeting. “I’m just curious what the plan is to bring all that stuff into the City, which we know is already strapped for resources.”

City Manager Miles Slattery said that many city employees do have the necessary experience. Humboldt Made will continue to partner with the City, he added, though current visitor center staff will be made city employees. Slattery added that, for the time being, the City plans to keep operations of the center as they are, though it may explore ways to improve or streamline operations in the future. 

Slattery argued that taking over operations of Eureka Main Street should simplify operations since a large part of what the agency does is serve as “the middle man” between business owners and the City of Eureka.

City Manager Miles Slattery | Screenshot from Tuesday’s Zoom meeting

Donna Wright, president of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, said she’d been hearing concerns from many local business owners who feel they were left out of the loop about the transition. Slattery said the city has tried to maintain full transparency about taking over EMS but did not feel fully comfortable reaching out to all the businesses while the City was not yet in charge of the agency.

Now that the transition is happening, the City will reach out to each business individually, Slattery said. Following the meeting, the City sent out a press release officially announcing the partnership. You can read the release in full at the bottom of this article.

The main purpose of Tuesday’s meeting was to give folks a chance to learn about, ask questions about and provide input on Eureka’s draft economic development strategic plan. Eureka Economic Development Manager Swan Asbury began by stating the plan’s overarching goal, which is to  “improve the quality of life for Eureka’s residents, businesses, employees and visitors through positive actions to attract, retain and expand businesses within the city.”

The plan is divided into four subgoals: to maintain and create high-quality jobs, build Eureka’s community assets, create a diverse and resilient economy and strengthen the city’s revenue base. Asbury outlined 32 strategies the City plans to implement to reach these goals, including such efforts as digitizing business license applications, creating a website to welcome businesses and connect them with necessary resources, focusing on beautification, modernizing coastal zoning and promoting the area as a cruise ship destination.

Some meeting attendees voiced concerns about the scope of the City’s plan, suggesting that Eureka lacks the resources to carry it out. “There’s a lot of things on this list,” Scott Pesch, member of the Economic Development Commission, said. “My concern is we don’t have enough people power to push them through.”

Pesch also said that he would like to see the City prioritize the website for businesses looking to open in the area, something Prescott also felt should be a top priority.

Larry Oetker, executive director of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, said he would like to see the plan focus more on specific areas of town and would like to see the City prioritize a “blue economy,” preparing the waterfront to “welcome modern industries.”

Eureka City Councilmember Natalie Arroyo said that the City does need to decide which strategies it is going to prioritize and encouraged members of the public to reach out with their input. “This is an awesome plan and I want to know where we’re going to prioritize so we don’t spread ourselves too thin,” Arroyo said.

You can view the City of Eureka’s full Economic Development Plan Update here and email comments to sasbury@ci.eureka.ca.gov by July 10. After public input is taken into consideration, the plan will go before the Economic Development Commission on July 21 and will come before the Eureka City Council for final adoption on Aug. 3. You can view a full video of Tuesday’s meeting here.

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More from the City of Eureka:

Last evening, on Tuesday, June 22 at 5:00 p.m., the City of Eureka hosted a virtual meeting to share a draft economic development strategic plan update, answer questions, and seek public input. A recording of the meeting is now available on the City website, along with the draft document. All citizens and community stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback via email through July 10th.

Alongside these planning efforts, the City of Eureka is also working to reconfigure two meaningful local partnerships. To ensure streamlined deployment of all business support services under the updated Economic Development Strategic Plan, partnerships with Eureka Main Street and Humboldt Made are being reconfigured to better support evolving citizen and organizational needs.

Pending the upcoming retirement of Charlotte McDonald, a long-standing community leader who has led Eureka Main Street (EMS) for 25 years, the City of Eureka’s Office of Economic Development will soon partner with the Eureka Main Street Board to take over the day-to-day administration and programming operations of Eureka Main Street.

Eureka Main Street has been serving the community since 1983, when the Eureka Business Improvement District was first formally recognized, and it has been officially operating under the name Eureka Main Street since 1992. The organization’s mission and focus will both stay fully intact. City of Eureka staff will now work closely with the existing Eureka Main Street Board of Directors to identify, support, and respond to the unique needs of the businesses in this specially designated geography. This change is taking effect July 1, 2021, and corresponds with the start of the next government fiscal year.

“It has been an honor to serve as Executive Director of Eureka Main Street for so many memorable years,” Charlotte McDonald said. “While I am excited to enter this next life phase, I am also deeply pleased that our Main Street businesses will be in such good hands moving forward. Our dedicated board and our City’s talented and passionate economic development staff all share a commitment to serving the important needs of this special business district. I look forward to both watching and participating in their continued efforts moving forward. I consider myself very lucky to be a part of this very special community and, while I will be retiring, I won’t be going anywhere. Eureka is home.”

Additionally, on July 1, 2021, the City of Eureka Office of Economic Development will also begin to directly manage the operations of the Eureka Visitor Center inside the Clarke Historical Museum. Humboldt Made, the organization that currently operates the Eureka Visitor Center, will continue to partner with the City to support economic development but will shift their focus and lend their talents to several new initiatives that better align with their organizational goals and future direction.

As the first in a series of planned new projects, Humboldt Made will receive city funding to provide a week-long intensive marketing and distribution workshop for City of Eureka-based artisans, makers, and business owners next spring.

“I’m looking forward to these planned adjustments to our partnership,” Alanna Powell, Executive Director of Humboldt Made, said. “Like many organizations, we’ve used the last 18 months to restructure, focus, and assemble an impressive team of local creatives, strategists, and marketers to serve not only our membership but also the greater community. It’s been a challenging year for everyone. We’re thankful that the City has been open to helping us position to better provide much-needed support for our artists, businesses, and community during this critically important time. We are proud of the services we provided to those traveling to our area in the last three years and look forward to passing the torch into the capable hands of City staff. Eureka is experiencing a revival. We look forward to continuing to support and play a role in that progress in ways that are more in line with our organization’s core mission.”

“Our economic development team has been working hard and is bringing clear focus on meeting the goals of our citizens,” City Manager Miles Slattery said. “I want to encourage everyone to provide feedback. There is a lot of important momentum building regarding Economic Development in Eureka.”