Humboldt Bay fire press release:

On 02/28/2021 at 6:08 am. Humboldt Bay Fire was dispatched to a reported structure fire in the 100 block of Harris St. Humboldt Bay Fire responded with 3 Engines, 1 Truck and 1 Battalion Chief.

The first arriving engine reported two vehicles fully involved in the carport of an occupied apartment complex. The carport was located directly beneath the occupied apartments. All residents of the apartment complex had evacuated and there were no civilian injuries.

The fire was controlled in 30 minutes and the fire did not extend into the apartment units directly above the carport but the carport sustained heavy fire damage and both vehicles were a total loss.

While on scene of the initial fire, Humboldt Bay Fire was notified of a second vehicle fire in the 100 block of Grotto St, two blocks away. The fire was isolated to a tire on the vehicle and was quickly extinguished by an EPD officer and Humboldt Bay Fire requested a second alarm due to the suspicious nature of the fires and the potential for further fires.

Approximately five minutes later Humboldt Bay Fire was notified of a third vehicle fire in the alley to the rear of the 2800 block of C St.

Two engines cleared from the first fire and responded to find a fully involved pick-up truck next to multiple residences. The fire was quickly extinguished with no extension to any buildings and the pick-up truck was a total loss.

Given the suspicious nature and timing of the three fires, EPD and Humboldt Bay Fire began searching the area and EPD quickly detained a suspect in the 100 block of Grotto St. shortly after the third fire was extinguished.

The total loss from the 3 fires is estimated at $125,000 and there were no civilian or Firefighter injuries.

Fire Investigators from Humboldt Bay Fire are currently working together with detectives from EPD to process the fire scenes and gather evidence.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank the following cooperating agencies: EPD, City Ambulance, PG&E, Arcata Fire District, Samoa-Peninsula Fire District and the Loleta Fire District for their assistance.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” (Theodore Roosevelt, 1899)

That’s the parachute that slowed the Mars Perseverance rover down from supersonic to subsonic velocities as it entered the thin atmosphere of the planet. Unlike previous missions, this time NASA was determined to record every step of the nail-biting seven-minute descent. For the critical parachute deployment, it had two upward-looking cameras videoing the process, both to acquire data that will be useful on future missions and, well, what great PR! This 1:21 minute video has been shared countless times—here it is again: 

If you view to the end of this clip, Al Chen, Perseverance’s EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) Lead, comments on the red and white pattern of the ‘chute, saying how useful it is to track features of the parachute as it inflates. He then adds, cryptically, “We hope our efforts and engineering can inspire others. Sometimes we leave messages in our work for you to find for that purpose. So we invite you all to give it a shot and show your work.”

It took French computer science student Maxence Abela just six hours to figure it out. In fact it’s pretty simple once you know the system. Note the canopy pattern is divided into four rings, the inner three of which have 80 segments (“gores” in parachutese) each. If you assume that red is 1 and white is 0, the innermost ring reads:

0000000100 0000000001 0000010010 0000000101 0001111111 1111111111 111111111 1111111111

I’ve added spaces between each ten characters because it’s binary code in eight blocks. So the first block has seven zeros followed by a one followed by two zeros, which translates as 4 (reading right to left: 0*1 + 0*2 + 1*4 + 0*5… = 4). D is the fourth letter of the alphabet, The 4 is followed by 1, 18 and 5 in binary, i.e. A, R and E, to spell out DARE. Taken together, the three inner rings read, DARE MIGHTY THINGS, which, if you’ve been watching NASA’s feed, you’ll know is the motto written on the walls of the Perseverance “war room.”

The outer ring took a bit more deciphering, but someone soon figured it out as 34°11’58” N 118°10’31” W, latitude and longitude of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (headquarters of the Perseverance team) in Pasadena. Adam Steltzner, Perseverance’s Chief Engineer, posted this image right after the code had been cracked:

Design, manufacture and testing of the huge—70ft diameter—parachute were vital steps to enable Perseverance to land safely. In less than two minutes, it decelerated the craft from supersonic velocity (940 mph) to under 200 mph. To be sure that the ‘chute wouldn’t tear on deployment (as several other designs had done in wind tunnel tests), the one used for Perseverance was tested repeatedly in the world’s largest wind tunnel at NASA-Ames in Mountain View.

The parachute that brought Perseverance down safely to Mars was manufactured by Heathcoat Fabrics in Tiverton, Devon, England, a provincial town I know well—my Uncle Ted was the Barclay’s Bank manager there during the 1950s. It was nice to see one contribution of the huge international effort that brought Perseverance safely to Mars, ready to start her primary mission: looking for signs of ancient life.

This is how the parachute ended up on the surface:

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(AUDIO) Captain Zippo is Holding Up

It’s been around a decade since Libby Tonning left her New Mexico home to venture west to Humboldt State University to major in marine fisheries. She ultimately obtained her degree, but it was her unwavering desire to work on boats in Humboldt Bay that led her to the role she enjoys now.

“I went down to the marina here at Woodley Island and just kind of hung out on the docks bugging random fishermen, asking for work,” Tonning told the Outpost. “I got laughed at a lot.”

While sheltering in place, Tonning has been working on her drawing skills. She provided LoCO with this self portrait.

On this week’s episode of Humboldt Holding Up, LoCO’s good enough podcast, we trace the story of how Tonning earned the attention of ubiquitous local mariner Leroy Zerlang — who would go on to bestow her with her more well-known moniker, “Captain Zippo” — to obtaining her captain’s license at age 27, to eventually going on to helm the MV Madaket, Humboldt’s beloved historic pleasure cruiser. 

Obviously, due to COVID concerns, the Madaket took 2020 off, but as Tonning explains preparations are underway to get her back on the water for this season. Stay tuned. 

Click the audio player above or navigate your phone here to hear Tonning’s chat with LoCO’s Andrew Goff and Stephanie McGeary. Also, scroll through past Humboldt Holding Up guests below.

PREVIOUS HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP GUESTS:

• Event Planner Alegria Sita
• Food For People Executive Director Anne Holcomb
• AHHA President Nezzie Wade
• Performance Artist Noël August/Tucker Noir
• Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman
• Eagle House Owner Jennifer Metz
• Absynth Quartet Drummer Mike “Tofu” Schwartz
• HACHR Executive Director Lasara Firefox Allen
• Alchemy Distiller Owner Amy Bohner
• Eureka City Councilmember Kati Moulton
• Eureka City Councilmember Scott Bauer
• Ungraceful Ager Barry Evans
• Arcata City Councilmember Sofia Pereira
• HumBrews Music Booker Laurel Weston
• Eureka City Councilmember Kim Bergel
• Film Commission’s Cassandra Hesseltine and Nate Adams
• Marble Maker Topher Reynolds
• Arcata Playhouse Director Jacqueline Dandeneau
• Humboldt Political Junkie Eric Kirk
• Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes
• Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell
• Arcata Food Aficionado Jada Calypso Brotman
• Body Piercer Jackie Silva
• Dick Taylor Chocolate’s Adam Dick
• FUHS Teachers Mark Thom and Inma Thompson
• Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery
• Savage Henry Co-Founder Chris Durant
• Eureka Street Art Festival Organizer Jenna Catsos
• SCRAP Humboldt Founder Tibora Bea
• Gym Owner Tyler Parr
• Six Rivers Brewery Co-Owner Meredith Maier
• Multicultural Skincare Therapist Levia Love
• Annie’s Cambodian Server and Social Worker Joshua Coppock
• Eureka City Councilmember Austin Allison
• HSU Professor Deidre Pike 
• Pastor Bethany Cseh
• Singer/Songwriter Chris Parreira
• Eureka City Councilmember Leslie Castellano
• Arcata City Councilmember Paul Pitino

Marlin Paul “Mike” Larkin passed away peacefully in Eureka at age 92 on January 20, 2021, due to a massive stroke suffered the day before. Mike was born on April 17, 1928, in a farmhouse near the rural community of Bellfountain, Oregon (west side Willamette Valley between Corvallis and Eugene), to Delmar Larkin and Rowena Redmond. He attended various rural one-room school houses (one year riding a horse to school) and high school in Monroe, where he was a sports letterman. Mike was raised on a small dairy farm where, among many chores, he milked cows twice a day by hand (before and after school) and helped deliver bottled raw milk to local customers. He taught himself to play the guitar “sitting in the outhouse” and enjoyed shooting firearms on the open farmlands.

Mike left the farm chores (swearing to never milk another cow) and high school at his 18th birthday in 1946 and joined the Navy. He served with the WWII Navy occupation forces as a storekeeper on the gasoline tanker USS Elkhorn. His ship plied the large river waters of China and coastal ports there and in Japan, Korea, and on many Pacific islands delivering diesel fuel and gasoline supplies. He told stories of exploring Japanese wartime battle emplacements and caves on various Pacific islands, and he brought home a few war-related souvenirs. In late 1947, when his ship had returned from overseas and was moored in Long Beach, Mike was privileged to witness the only flight of Howard Hughes’ massive “Spruce Goose” flying boat transport aircraft. Mike returned home from Navy service in 1948 happy that the dairy farm had been sold. Later, during the Korean conflict, he joined the Air Force Reserve but was not called to active duty. He participated in one of the first area WWII Veteran Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., in 2011. Mike was proud of his county and of his service to his country, and he flew the American flag at home for over 40 years.

After returning from the Navy, Mike lived with his parents in Lebanon, Oregon, and found work in a local sawmill. In Lebanon, he met Elizabeth Ann Blazer, and they were married later in 1948 (last September, Mike and Liz celebrated 72 years of marriage). A few years later, Mike was working as a bookkeeper, and the family was five with Dan (1949), Jan (1952), and Jeff (1953). In early 1956, with the encouragement of a close cousin, Mike came to Eureka looking for better work/wage opportunities. He soon found a good job with the local Caterpillar dealer, Brizard Matthews, and he moved his family to the Cutten Ridgewood Heights area of Eureka where the rents were low. Mike worked in the parts department where his earlier experiences with storekeeping and bookkeeping were put to good use. Later he was promoted to Parts Representative where, for many years, he travelled the backroads of Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity Counties serving construction and logging job site needs for Caterpillar equipment. Mike liked to tell the 1964 flood story of his being the second vehicle behind a PG&E truck in a convoy following a crawler tractor pushing debris aside bringing the first needed supplies via land into Scotia over the Blue Slide Road from Ferndale. After 20 years with Brizard Matthews, Mike partnered with two friends to run B&T Auto Wreckers in Arcata. Several years later, Mike took advantage of a better job opportunity becoming the Purchasing Agent for Arcata Redwood, a job he truly enjoyed, where he stayed until his retirement at age 67 in 1995.

Mike earned his private pilot’s license in 1948 and enjoyed flying small aircraft like Aeronca, Ercoupe, Piper, and Stinson for several years around the Willamette Valley. After some forced landings in farmers’ fields following aerobatic maneuvers, Mike’s fun was tempered by the reality of safety and family responsibilities. The high cost of operating the aircraft certainly also influenced his decision to stop his piloting experiences. Mike always retained his love of aircraft, and never passed on an opportunity to read a flying book or to visit an airport. He even once managed to get a ride on the Goodyear blimp. Mike was very active in family genealogy research, and, especially in the 1960s/1970s, he made significant inroads into his extensive family history in the United States and earlier. Mike was descended from pre-Gold Rush Oregon settlers, from numerous Revolutionary War and Civil War soldiers, and from three Pilgrim families arriving on the Mayflower in 1620. All his life, Mike enjoyed working on, shooting, collecting, and discussing firearms with friends. His father presented Mike with his first hunting shotgun at age 8, he shot trap with the Eel River Trap and Gun Club for many years, he built an extensive personal collection of military arms (he was nationally-known in his specialty), and, for decades, he spent his Saturday mornings at Grundman’s in Rio Dell working on firearms and sharing good times with friends. He liked professional wrestling and attended many bouts when the wresting circuit visited Eureka in the 1950s/1960s – later, he watched bouts on the television. Mike also volunteered with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Posse between the late 1960s and early 1980s participating in various law enforcement and search and rescue operations in the backwoods of Humboldt County. He played the guitar for personal enjoyment all his life until physical limitations intervened in the last few years. Mike was a proud Elk member for almost 70 years, supported the American Legion, and an NRA Life Member.

Mike loved a good joke, and he was blessed with a comedian’s memory where he could tell them for hours on end. His fond sayings such as “finer than a frog’s hair”, “keep a cool stool”, “that’s marvy”, and others permeated his personal interactions. He was a life of the party, he liked people, and people liked him. Over the past several years as his memory faded and his physical abilities lessened, Mike enjoyed the solitude of home and the many re-runs of old programs on cable television. Family visitations always brightened his day.

Mike was preceded in death by his father and mother, his brother Jim, and his nieces Suzanne Trask Kruger and Shelby Trask Peters. He is survived by his wife Elizabeth; children Daniel (Diane), Jan Glenn Belarde (George), and Jeffrey; sister Patsy Trask Ross; nephew Delmar Trask (Candace); grandchildren Rebecca Glenn Del Grande (Mike), Jennifer Glenn Montgomery (Mark), Katie Larkin, Julie Larkin Rosengrant (Andre), Hannah Larkin Gossi (Jared), Emily Larkin Jewell (Brandon), Jason Trujillo (Kelle), and Sara Trujillo Morri (Maurice); great-grandchildren Hailey Del Grande, Alyssa Del Grande, Hayden Montgomery, Morgan Montgomery, Alexis Trujillo, Gabrielle Trujillo, Macy Kibbish, Hayden Morri, and Madelyn Morri.

We, the above listed children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Marlin, would like to thank our mother/grandmother Elizabeth for the wonderful care she has given to our father/grandfather for the past ten years.

Memorial contributions can be made to dementia research or to a favorite charity.

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

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In 2019, the Redwood Coast Energy Authority adopted a goal to deliver 100% clean, renewable electricity to all customers by 2025 and for 100% of that power be generated within Humboldt County by 2030. Richard Engel, Director of Power Resources at RCEA, joins Gang Green to talk about their plans to rapidly increase renewables in our power portfolio. RCEA recently contracted with a new solar farm in Kern County to deliver 100MW of power by 2022 and is working on a residential battery storage program through Swell Energy for local customers to provide consistent, dispatchable power to the grid. RCEA is also joining with other community choice energy aggregators in a new organization, California Community Choice Association, to leverage their combined purchasing and lobbying ability to more rapidly more the entire state towards a renewable energy future.

If you want to get to 100% renewable energy even sooner, sign up for RCEA’s REpower+ Program today.

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” Feb. 27, 2021

REQUIRED READING:

• The California Community Choice Association
• Renewable options from the RCEA
• ”RCEA contracts for 100% of the output of a new 100 megawatt solar project,” RCEA.
• ”Now Enrolling Eligible SGIP Equity Resiliency Customers to the Program Waitlist,” Swell Energy.

To submit a locally-filmed (or produced) video, upload it to YouTube and email the link to News@LostCoastOutpost.com with your name, a brief description of your work and “TRL” in the subject line. Please do not submit videos containing any form of violence, racism, illegal activity, pornographic material, bullying or harassment. Also, no advertisements or duplicated submissions please.

“See You All In Hell” - Mookielaka

Local musician, artist and self-taught animator Jeff Ward sends us this impressive animated music video for his song “See You All in Hell.”

“More Than One Way” - Birdpaw

Birdpaw is a new emo-pop punk band based out of Humboldt County California. This video features a live, garage-band style recording of their song “More Than One Way.”

“‘Elohim’ One that is Many” - NoShogunz:

A high-quality, locally filmed music video by the group NoShogunz.

“This song expresses the connection bridging all gods or goddesses — faith and worship,” the group said. “A conscious effort to help our people heal and unify through breaking the chains of past cycles and stop the violence of religious/political greed and warfare. Countless generations have suffered and died contesting over ideological structures that all lead to “Elohim” — the One that is many. Look into your heart and you will truly know.”

Nikki Dion Metcalf
July 19, 1980 - Feb. 10, 2021

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