Donald DeHennis
August 11, 1932 – September 22, 2020

Donald David DeHennis of Eureka, aged 88 years, passed away peacefully in his home, Wednesday, September 22, 2020. He was born in De Lancey, Penn., just outside of Punxsutawney, and was the youngest of 12 children.

Dedicated to the Catholic church his entire life, Don considered the priesthood and spent many of his school years at a seminary in Alabama before opting to enlist in the Air Force, where he served four years as a personnel specialist. Following his military service, Don attended Carroll College, in Helena, Mont., and then moved to Northern California. He worked nearly 40 years in the lumber industry as an accountant/bookkeeper. He spent most of his early working years in Red Bluff, where he and his first wife raised their four children, before moving to Eureka in the mid-1980s.

Don and his second wife, Mary (Taylor) DeHennis, who preceded him in death earlier this year, enjoyed traveling and were able to experience a variety of international destinations. These included a transit of the Panama Canal on a U.S. Navy ship, and a trip in honor of his 80th birthday to his father’s childhood home in present-day Slovakia.

In addition to church activities, Don was involved with multiple volunteer organizations throughout his life. He was a longtime member of the Lions Club International, serving as president of the Red Bluff chapter from 1982-1983. He and Mary were also involved with the St Joseph’s Hospital Foundation and were long-time donors to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Don is survived by his children, Janet (DeHennis) Ries, Tommy DeHennis, Andrew “Drew” DeHennis, and Phillip “Skip” DeHennis; grandchildren Christopher DeHennis, Carlos Valentino, and Andrew DeHennis, and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by one sister, Virginia (Jeannie) Frelin, and one brother, Philip DeHennis.

Private family services will be held for Don at St. Bernard’s section of the Ocean View cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made on Don’s behalf to St Jude Children’s Hospital.

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In Loving Memory

Carlos P. Avelar, age 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday November 14, 2020 at Mad River Hospital. He was born January 27, 1937 to Antonio Avelar and Hercilia Piloto-Avelar on one of the islands in the Azores.

Carlos came to the United States in 1966 with his wife and two daughters. He spent 40 years working at the LP sawmill.

Carlos is a loving father, grandfather, and friend.

Carlos is survived by his wife, Maria Avelar; Four children, Filomena Jarvis, Manuela Henry, Armando Avelar, and Lisa Avelar; 10 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, his sister, Lucilia Fraga, many nieces and nephews, sister and brother in-law, Celina and Jose Mendonca and extended family. In loving memory, rest in peace, we love you.

A memorial service will be held Saturday November 21, 2020 at 12 p.m. Paul’s Chapel and following grave site burial at St. Mary’s Cemetery at 1 p.m. Because of COVID-19 for immediate family members; we will be offering Zoom to be able to say your goodbyes.

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PREVIOUSLY: Amidst Statewide Surge, Humboldt County Moved in to Second-Highest COVID Restriction Tier

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In a video released this afternoon by the county’s Joint Information Center, Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich addresses “the dramatic change in the COVID landscape” here in Humboldt County and across the state. 

There has been an unprecedented rise in new cases, with an accompanying rise in hospitalizations, Frankovich says, and the urgency led Governor Gavin Newsom to modify the state’s tier-based regulatory structure, which resulted in Humboldt’s status changing today from the “yellow” tier with the lowest restrictions to the “red” tier, indicating widespread infections.

The county’s case rate has climbed to 4.8 cases per 100,000. Restrictions that accompany the red tier will go into effect tomorrow. The county outlined many of those restrictions in a press release issued earlier today. 

Frankovich reminds people that indoor settings pose the highest risk, especially when people aren’t wearing masks. 

“I can tell you that a lot of our current cases are being driven by travel and by gatherings and the combination of travel and gatherings,” Frankovich says. “So I really want to be clear to people that if we want to be able to keep our schools operational, to keep our business community operational, we have to stop the gathering, and that’s a particularly difficult challenge at the holiday season, but it’s essential to protect our families and our community.”

Project Eureka release: 

Imagine driving along the 101 through Downtown Eureka and seeing beautiful planter baskets and colorful banners hanging from the lamp posts. You notice well-kept landscaping and green spaces along both sides of the street and bright, well-designed wayfinding signage. All of the storefronts are occupied by vibrant businesses, and the sidewalks are full of residents and visitors, taking in the sights. This beautiful corridor makes you slow down and want to explore the city more. This is the goal of Project Eureka - a community-driven, volunteer-powered beautification effort, working to improve the look and feel of the City of Eureka, one block at a time.

The first Project Eureka will focus on one of the most-traveled sections of our city: the 101 corridor through Downtown Eureka (4th and 5th streets between D and H Streets). For many people, this is the only part of our city that they see, and we want to make our best first impression. Fun fact: over 30,000 vehicles pass through this section of our town each day.

We will beautify this corridor by implementing the following projects: hanging lights in the street trees, landscaping green spaces, hanging banners and planter baskets on light poles, replacing worn out trash cans, updating wayfinding kiosks with paint and new signage, refinishing the benches and adding more, cleaning the painted utility boxes, applying window decals with beautiful images to vacant properties, adding new concrete planters, and more.

Above and below: Suggested project donations from the PE website

Why focus on something as superficial as beautification with all of the issues facing our area right now? In fact, beautification has a wide array of benefits that improve cities and the lives of the people who live there. City beautification projects have been proven to build neighborhood pride and ownership, and serve as a base for revitalization. Beautification also improves the well-being of residents, encourages more tourism, increases property values, and attracts new businesses.

We have grand plans for this city, and we need your help! We are now accepting individual and business donations, as well as volunteer sign-ups on our website: www.projecteurekaca.com. Please follow us on Instagram for updates @project.eureka.

This project is coordinated by Jenna Catsos (of Pen+Pine and the Eureka Street Art Festival), and Alanna Powell (of the Eureka Visitor Center, Eureka Friday Night Market, and Humboldt Made). Both coordinators are coordinating as private citizens, not under any organization or the City of Eureka. The mission of Project Eureka is to improve the look and feel of the City of Eureka through community-driven beautification and clean-up projects that enhance the visual experience for visitors and residents alike.

UPDATE, 12:35 p.m.: The Humboldt County Joint Information Center has released a statement on what this means for the county. It has been appended below.

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In an address currently still underway at the time of this writing, Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that amid a statewide surge in COVID-19 cases, several counties — including Humboldt — will move immediately into more restrictive COVID tiers.

 

Humboldt County has jumped up two spots from the least restrictive, or “yellow,” tier into the second-highest (“red”) tier, which indicates “substantial” spread of the virus.

The new designation will require closure or modification of several local business sectors. Perhaps most notably, bars, breweries and wineries must close. Restaurants must move back to operating at only 25 percent capacity. (See full list of regulations here.)

Early in his address, which began at noon, Newsom announced several key changes to the “tier” system, which are one implementation of the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy.”

For one, counties are now expected to institute new restrictions following a change in their tier status within 24 hours, rather than 72 hours as was previously the case. Counties will receive new tier assignments twice a week, rather than once.

California is currently averaging more than 8,000 new cases a day over the last week, according to Newsom this afternoon, and a 4.6 percent positivity rate for all tests. 

As in the rest of the state and the nation, COVID cases have spiked in Humboldt County over the past couple of weeks.

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From the Humboldt County Joint Information Center:

The State of California today moved a number of counties into more restrictive tiers in response to the fastest increase in cases and hospitalizations seen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Humboldt County has been reassigned to the “red” or substantial tier.

The state will require various business sectors to reduce capacity or modify operations, while still following COVID-19 safety measures, including facial covering requirements, physical distancing and sanitation procedures. These requirements are expected to take effect within the next 24 hours.  

This move by the state reflects where the county’s data is today, with a case rate of 4.8 and a positivity rate of 2.0%. Humboldt County Health Officer Dr. Teresa Frankovich said at the current pace, there is concern that the county will move into the more restrictive purple tier soon. “Since the state first implemented the Blueprint framework, they’ve signaled that they could move faster if conditions warranted. Our recent data shows why that makes sense because this virus is moving faster than we have ever seen, and rapid response can help to slow the upward trajectory.” 

“We need to reduce interactions between people who don’t already live together, and we need to do it now. Travel to visit family and friends as well as bringing out-of-town guests into our homes is driving about half of our cases,” Dr. Frankovich said, adding that gatherings occurring indoors between multiple households is contributing “enormously” to case counts.  

Some of the state’s requirements under the red tier include:

• Bars, Breweries and Distilleries – Closed.
• Wineries – Open outdoors only.
• Family Entertainment Centers – Open outdoors only.
• Retail – Open indoors at maximum 50% capacity.
• Shopping Centers, Malls, Swap Meets - Open indoors at maximum 50% capacity; Close common areas; Reduce food court capacity to 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
• Museums, Zoos and Aquariums – Open indoors at maximum 25% capacity. 
• Places of Worship – Open indoors at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. 
• Movie Theaters - Open indoors at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer.
• Hotels and Lodging – Close indoor pools, hot tubs and spa facilities; Fitness centers reduced to maximum 10% capacity.
• Gyms and Fitness Centers - Open indoors at maximum 10% capacity; Close indoor pools, saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs.
• Restaurants - Open indoors at maximum 25% capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer. 

“We simply need to stop traveling and stop gathering, especially indoors. It isn’t safe, and it is impacting our schools and our business communities,” Dr. Frankovich said. “The upcoming holidays need to be single household celebrations if we want to get through this pandemic with fewer hospitalizations and fewer lives lost.” 

To view COVID-19 safety modifications by industry sector, visit this link. For a complete list of requirements in the red or substantial tier, go to this link.  

For the most recent COVID-19 information, visit cdc.gov or cdph.ca.gov. Local information is available at humboldtgov.org or during business hours by contacting covidinfo@co.humboldt.ca.us or calling 707-441-5000. 

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s help for information regarding a homicide occurring last night in Samoa.

On Nov. 15, 2020, at about 11:55 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of New Navy Base Road near the Milwaukee Memorial in Samoa for the report of a gunshot victim.

Deputies arrived on scene and located a male victim with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim, later identified as 34-year-old Perry Zebulon Bailey of McKinleyville, succumbed to his injuries on scene.

Upon further investigation, deputies learned that Bailey had reportedly approached an occupied parked vehicle when someone inside of the vehicle fired multiple gunshots at him. The vehicle then fled the scene.

The suspect vehicle is described as a matte, dark-colored, older model two-door coupe possibly with tinted rear windows. The vehicle may have damage to the driver side window and door.

The suspects are described only as a white male adult wearing glasses and possibly a female adult. No further suspect information is available at this time.

This case is being investigated as a homicide.

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. 

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Dressed in all brown, three men fill their coffee cups, take a seat on the couch and talk about life. It’s more relaxed here than in other places of the facility, with flowers and inspirational quotes spread across the walls. And if it weren’t for the jumpsuits and cell doors, one might forget that this is actually a county jail. 

On Thursday, November 12, 2020, the Humboldt County Correctional Facility (HHCF) and Wellpath held a ribbon-cutting for the county’s newest initiative to address mental illness within the justice system, a Jail-Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) Program for offenders deemed incompetent to stand trial.

“A couple of years ago, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and the Correctional Facility had 20 people who were deemed incompetent to stand trial that were waiting for a place in the state hospital system to go and restore competency,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said. “We had these people languishing in our county jail for up to six months before they could get a space in the state hospital.”

Seeing the overwhelming need for change, Sheriff Honsal brought together representatives from the County’s Department of Health and Human Services and the Correctional Facility in order to brainstorm solutions. The result, a petition to the California Department of State Hospitals for a Jail-Based Competency Treatment Program in Humboldt County.

The HCCF Jail-Based Competency Treatment (JBCT) Program is a satellite state hospital, paid for by the State of California, within the Correctional Facility. The program currently can facilitate six patients, who live within the JBCT unit of the facility and spend their days working with counselors and psychologists in order to restore competency.

Donna Bullard, the program director and clinician for the HCCF JBCT Program, says the treatment is intensive and tailored to the individual. “I spend a lot of time with them each day. We do group therapy twice a day, they see a psychiatrist once a week and they meet with me one-on-one every week. So, we really get to know them.”

A Different Setting

While the unit is housed within the Correctional Facility, it is in stark contrast of what you may see in any other dorm.

“A typical dorm, the inmates are in quads where they sleep in bunks very close to each other. Our [JBCT] inmates have their own cells that were completely remodeled,” said Lauren Elkin, the Correctional Deputy overseeing the JBCT unit. “We remodeled the unit to paint it more calming colors. Instead of your typical plastic chairs, they have couches with pillows. We have music, flowers on the wall and just try to make it seem like a therapeutic environment versus a traditional custodial environment.”

Facility staff have worked hard to make the unit feel more comfortable, with hopes of alleviating some of the mental stress of living in a jail environment, creating a space that is conducive to effective therapy. Deputy Elkin, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, has played a significant role in helping to create the space and carrying out it’s mission. Elkin works with the patients daily, assisting clinicians with their work and helping patients work toward wellness.

“It’s just really inspiring that we are able to work with our Sheriff partners and really transform the jails into a treatment environment for people who need us,” said Emily Mann, JBCT Regional Specialist for Wellpath. “This program does the right thing for all of the people involved and it works. The outcomes are there, we have the data. The program is successful in every county that we have.”

And the patients agree. During Thursday’s ribbon cutting one patient in the program, whose name is being kept confidential for privacy purposes, said, “without JBCT I would be completely lost in the justice system and I have no idea where I’d be at this moment.”

Hope and Healing

While restoring competency may sound clinical, it’s about a lot more that. “At Wellpath, our call to action is to hope and healing,” Justin Searle, Executive Vice President of Wellpath said. “I can’t think of a better embodiment of hope and healing than these programs.”

Clinician Bullard says though the ribbon cutting was held this week, the program has actually been open just over two months. During that time, the program has restored almost six patients to competency.

“Generally, it takes two months or longer just for them to get on a waiting list for a state hospital,” Bullard said. “So being able to treat them in house and have them restored is really rewarding. This represents hope that things can get better. You can treat people who are mentally ill and incarcerated effectively.”

Not only is this a win for the patients to be able to get treatment fast, Sheriff Honsal says it’s a win for the North Coast as the JBCT unit has the ability to accept patients from neighboring Del Norte county should space become available. Sheriff Honsal says the unit has the ability to expand if needed and approved by the state. For now, Sheriff Honsal says, it’s a “start” and stressed the importance of more mental health resources needed for Humboldt County.

“We struggle to find resources to steer people to and our whole social services system is overwhelmed. They need more help. They need more support.” Sheriff Honsal said. “So, this is just one way we can help out with the issue of mental illness in our community.”

Sheriff Honsal says in addition to the JBCT Program the facility will continue working with Wellpath and Humboldt County Behavioral Health to address mental illness and provide more mental health services for all inmates.