Yesterday, Dr. Josh Ennis, Humboldt County’s deputy health officer, took loads of media questions on the state of the pandemic — and particularly on the recent surge of cases in Humboldt County and nationwide.

Video above, rough transcript below.

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Good afternoon, thank you for being with us today, would you like to start by addressing the community?

Yeah, I’d like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about where we’re at and how the tier framework might be able to adapt to certain situations.

So right now across the state as well as our own county we’re seeing unprecedented growth the volume is of concern but even more than that is the acceleration, so how quickly that volume has taken off. Just two weeks ago we had far fewer cases, on the order of very low single digits per day, and now we have days where we’re consistently in the double digits.

The tier system looks at a couple different things, but one of them that many people can understand, is the case rate, so how many new cases per 100,000 people we see every day. The state looks at that every Tuesday and they’re looking at data that’s 17 to 10 days old, okay so there is a substantial lag in the period of time that they’re looking at, and on top of that, they are looking at that data and looking for increases spanning two consecutive weeks.

So really, movement within the state’s tier framework is two-and-a-half, three weeks later, so naturally you can see if we’ve sped up dramatically during that lag period time, intervention is coming really way too late. So to bring it back home to our own county, the acceleration has been quite dramatic, this prior week we saw that we stayed within the yellow tier by the skin of our teeth and come next week that could look very different when the state looks at our metrics.

I’d also like to mention that within all this framework, within all the guidances, the state has allowed the county the opportunity to exercise some amount of local control, to be more restrictive than the state, and that is something that many folks outside of our own county, in local health jurisdictions, as well as folks even within the state, are discussing given the very concerning trends with acceleration of the cases as well as the volume and what we’re seeing happen across the entire nation that is beginning to threaten some of the health care systems in in many of these other states. 

The Redheaded Blackbelt asks, “Reader-submitted question: Because of the discomfort with the swab test, why is the county not using the spit tube process used by major league baseball and other sports? does this have something to do with the cost of the test?”

First, I’ll just I’ll clarify that there are two different type of nasal tests that are commonly used in our county. One is the nasopharyngeal swab or NP swab for short, and this is the very deep nasal swab. There are some sites such as the Optumserve site that is a state-contracted entity that has their own decision making and so we cannot determine what type of swap they use.

The county, on the other hand, where we can exercise more control or make recommendations to local organizations, has adopted the position of recommending that an anterior nare swab can be used, this is the very front of the nose, it is far more comfortable than that very deep nasal swab. And that is the one that we have generally supported, it’s the one that we accept and compliance with it is far more acceptable than the deep nasal swab.

Now for the spit test, the jury was still out very early on, it seems that it is proving to be reliable enough that you can probably use it. Now, the FDA issues emergency use authorization for these different testing platforms with very specific restrictions to what what type of specimen collection it can be, and I can say that amongst all the testing platforms we have in the county none of them have FDA emergency use authorization for use with saliva, so from a very practical standpoint we can’t use those specimens quite yet, that could change in the future but we do we don’t have permission at this time from the FDA.

The Redheaded Blackbelt asks, “As the holiday season ramps up large gatherings are normal. Can you describe the process that happens if someone calls into the COVID Joint Information Center at 707-441-5000 with a concern about a large gathering they know is being planned?”

So, our JIC is still receiving concerns and complaints about this and I’ll remind folks that this is forwarded on to the appropriate jurisdiction for which they’re received. Ultimately I’m gonna again ask that we maintain some amount of social responsibility here, that people in light of what’s happening across the country, in our county, really question if they need to bring multiple households together, especially across state lines, in a time when we’re seeing unprecedented rates of growth of disease that is truly stretching health care systems.

So again this is about social responsibility to some degree and so I’m asking folks, now is the time to really question if you should be bringing people together and whether the travel that that you’re pursuing in the future, is really worth taking the risk of overwhelming our own local health care capacity. 

KMUD News asks, “What are the chances Humboldt will be required to phase back down into greater restrictions again? Can you predict if and when that could happen?”

I cannot predict it, because throughout the coarse of tracing as well as a case investigation we learn more and more information and it changes something we call the episode date. So cases may fall into one reporting week and then they may get moved into another reporting week and so for that reason, we can only produce best estimates of the data that the state is going to be producing and looking at come each Tuesday.

That being said, with what we’re seeing across the state, is that many counties are being moved into more restrictive tiers. Just last week many of the Northern California counties were in the yellow. This week almost all of them are at least in the orange and some in even more restrictive tiers. I think that it is very likely that we as a county will be moved into more restrictive tier.

Again I’ll note though, that the lag is very significant between what the state framework requires and what we’re actually seeing on the ground. If we had our original alert level system we likely would move well in advance of the state requiring that movement because three weeks late, it is really too late to be intervening. Thank you.

KMUD News asks, “What symptoms are common in patients who more recently tested positive? Has the colder weather altered how COVID-19 affects people?”

The symptoms of COVID-19 span a huge spectrum, asymptomatic at one end, fever, cough, headache, body aches at the at the other end requiring oxygen, ICU level care. I’d encourage you to go on our website and you can actually see what percentage of symptoms folks within Humboldt County have had.

Now I will point out that there is one symptom in particular that seems to be fairly specific to this and that’s loss of sense of smell and taste. Now I’ll use this question as an opportunity to ask people if you are symptomatic, if you have new symptoms that are abnormal that are on that list, you need to act on that, please seek out a test and stay at home until you get those test results. We are seeing far too many people who seek a test at least a week in the symptoms, it takes a few days to get results, and now we’ve lost our opportunity to break that chain of transmission.

So please, if you’re having new symptoms, believe that they’re symptoms, stay at home, get a test and help us to break the chain of transmission. 

The Senior News asks, “Public health officials in the Bay Area are recommending two-week quarantines for people who travel outside their home county once they return. Is that also the recommendation for Humboldt? And what about people traveling into Humboldt from places with higher infection rates, whether another California county or out of state? Should those people self quarantine when they get here?”

So, we are actively revising our own travel guidance and we have yet to release the new travel guidance but I’ll go ahead and say it here. If people travel out of county, if they travel out of state, if they’re bringing people from out of state, we recommend the safest option as a 14-day quarantine. I said this up front, but I’ll say it again. Half of all our new cases are being driven by travel and in most cases it’s travel out of the state. If we look at community transmission as well, that is starting to tick up as well, and so it’s really folks who don’t know that they’re actually infected or don’t know that they’ve been exposed, they’re picking it up in places that we’re not capable of following through contact tracing, and that is the biggest concern to me.

So really ask yourself if you should bring households together, ask yourself if you really need to travel right now. We’re seeing unprecedented levels of disease across the entire country.

The Times-Standard asks, “How many contact tracers does the county currently employ? What is the maximum number of cases the entire tracing team could track in a single day? What daily challenges face the tracing team? How would you describe the public’s willingness to cooperate with tracers?”

Giving an exact number to our contact tracers is difficult because we have a number of folks who volunteer for the position, they come in and out of availability, and so I think I could generalize and say that it’s on the order of low to mid teens at any given time. Above these tracers though you should keep in mind that we have investigators, these are all public health nurses and they typically have a couple tracers underneath them, above them we have what we call task force leaders, they’re capable of doing any amount of investigation and tracing as well, and so we have a fairly large operation at this point.

It’s hard to pinpoint the maximum number of cases that we could track at any one given time and it’s because 50, if they’re all related to community transmission and they’re all individual cases that aren’t related to one another, is very different than 50 that are entirely related to a single cluster. And so it’s really difficult to give a number. I will tell you though that the current volume is a challenge at this time. We are staying on top of it but if case growth continues at the pace it is we may have to consider dramatically reorganizing how we do things.

And we are not alone in this, other counties have done this in a very different way and they have pulled back months ago, but make no question of it — the reason we’ve done so well is because we’ve been supporting intensive investigation and tracing up until this point.

The Times-Standard asks, “Would you recommend Georgia Tech’s COVID risk assessment tool to the public? Do you think the website offers help for people looking to determine risk factors and holding gatherings with the holiday season approaching?”

This risk assessment tool is I think a fantastic resource.

I think what you need to know though is that it, just like our own state’s tier framework, has a significant lag. It’s pulling data that’s made available publicly which tends to have quite a bit of a lag to it. I think when we’re talking about the idea of gatherings during the holidays, people need to know that almost the entire nation has significant burden of disease, we are seeing it tick up faster than it ever has before, and this is now our third wave and this is far more concerning than the prior two when it comes to looking at Humboldt County alone.

So I’d really encourage you to think about whether you should bring those folks from out of the county, from out of state, and whether it is worth taking that risk right now. It is very likely at this point that people coming from elsewhere by virtue of where they live or the convenience of travel may have been exposed to COVID-19 and they may not know it when they first show up.

The North Coast News asks, “With a huge increase in COVID-19 cases this week, how close are we to falling back into the orange tier?”

I think I spoke to this earlier somewhat, the case rate is certainly very concerning and I think it’s very likely that our numbers will fall well within that range, but again because episode dates move, I don’t know that we can say for certain at this time. Thank you.

The North Coast News asks, “If we were to have a large influx in cases what is the emergency room capacity locally how many cases could the county handle at once before our system would become overwhelmed?”

Looking at emergency room capacity is is probably not where we should be looking for talking about health care capacity, but the essence of this question is talking about the health care system.

Our health care system is somewhat of an island here. We have four hospitals across the county and the next nearest are quite a ways away. We’ve looked at how many beds we have across the four facilities, we’ve looked at the ICU beds, the ventilator capacity, and we know that because we’re an island, we have to work hard to make sure we can take care of our own, because when we see a surge in hospitalized cases, it’s very likely that the normal receiving hospitals around us are going to be in similar scenarios. So we really need to work hard to make sure we can manage whatever happens here locally. We’re paying very close attention to this right now.

I would say that our hospital system is well prepared because we’ve had many months to prepare for this and what we are seeing as one of the biggest risks here is our health care workforce capacity. We have enough disease within the community that they are, cases are starting to intersect with some of our health care workers and that is going to impact our ability to be able to grow the number of beds, ICU beds and vented patients that we can take care of at any one time. 

The North Coast News asks, “Do you think the announcement of the vaccine this week led to a decreased caution around preventative safety measures because people were feeling more hopeful?”

I’m not really sure that the vaccine contributed in large part to the decreased caution. I think people are very tired of the pandemic. I think that this has been ongoing with changes in behavior for weeks, and so I would speculate that it had little to do with it.

I’ll remind everyone that the vaccine does not have an expected launch date, it’s going to be in extremely short supply for weeks if not months, so I think that it had very little to do with this.

The North Coast News asks, “What do you have to say to the community about the holiday season with this new increase in cases we are seeing?”

I’ve spoken about this in several other questions, I spoke about it up front, again ask yourself if you should really be bringing together several different households from different areas. We’re seeing that as contributing to driving increases and right now the most concerning features how quickly the growth is occurring. So I know we’re asking for a lot but really ask yourself if now is the time to be doing that.

The North Coast Journal asks, “It seems the virus is currently moving faster in Humboldt County than the tier system engineered by the state to slow its spread. Do you expect Humboldt County to be moved into the orange tier by the state Tuesday and is there a chance it could skip orange and be moved into red due to what seems to be markedly increased virus activity?”

I’ve spoken about the tier system and how there is some uncertainty going into the date that they make the tier level assessment. For that reason i can’t say that we are definitely going to be in one tier versus the other. I’ve already said that i do expect that in the near future we will land more restrictive tiers. In regards to particular colors again it really relies upon the case rates, I only have estimates at this time so I would not be able to give more detail than that.

The North Coast Journal asks, “Based on what you are seeing regarding virus activity locally do you think there are any arguments to be made that mitigating factors support keeping Humboldt County in the yellow tier moving forward?”

I’ve mentioned that we barely eked by, staying in the yellow tier this past week, clearly there’s been a dramatic uptick in the number of cases. Because it’s so different this time around, because like I said, more than half the cases are due to travel or community transmission, each one of those represents a new case that has no relation to any of the ongoing investigations. That to me is much more concerning than anything we’ve seen in the past, and so any argument to potentially stay in the yellow at this point, I think does not have legs to stand upon.

The North Coast Journal asks, “Because of the lag between on the ground conditions and the state triggers for tighter restrictions, are there circumstances you think should prompt counties to proactively implement restrictions beyond what’s under the state’s framework?”

So I think I’ve answered this to some degree, there’s a significant lag to this state’s tiered framework. It’s unable to adapt quite as quickly. Our own county alert level assessment tool prior to adopting the states probably would have seen movement prior then, so yes I think there are circumstances which warrant consideration of moving in advance of the state requiring it.

The North Coast Journal asks, “Currently what’s the state of hospital capacity locally? The state database shows two local COVID-19 hospitalizations with another two suspected. But taking into account all non-COVID-19 hospitalizations as well, is Humboldt County prepared for a potential spike in hospitalizations should one follow this recent increase in cases?”

I’m unsure when the COVID-19 hospitalization data was accessed or pulled, but we have seen at least two more hospitalizations that we reported out yesterday and I’d like to remind folks that we will not see hospitalizations increase for at least two weeks prior to the spike in case counts. And so there’s going to be a lag there. As I’ve mentioned already the hospital system is healthy at this point but we do not have the capacity across the county to absorb a huge increase. We would be reliant upon house hospitals around us to some degree if we had a dramatic increase in cases. I

don’t want to alarm anyone. We have looked at the supplies that are required for caring for the sickest of the sick, that includes ICU vents, sorry ICU beds as well as vents, and we are well within the ability to continue to care for the sick, but if the current trend continues on the order of weeks, just looking at the percentages of people who end up getting sick, who end up in the hospital, that could start to threaten the health care system capacity at some point in the future.

The North Coast Journal asks, “You mentioned Tuesday that our current increase in cases is unlike what we saw in August because that spike was largely attributable to a handful of large case clusters linked to gatherings or travel, while current conditions are seeing many small clusters of cases. How many unlinked chains of transmission or unlinked virus clusters has Humboldt County identified over the past 14 days?”

So to give you a better idea of this I can go back to that number that I’ve already mentioned, the the number of either travel or travel related or community transmission cases, is around 55 percent. To put that in context, if we look back several months, we have not had a number anywhere near that great for at least since very early on in the pandemic. Now keep in mind that very early on in pandemic our numbers were very low, they’re nothing like the volume now. Now that might give you a sense that this is truly different this time, it is spread out across many different sectors, many different settings, we have no one large cluster that’s driving these numbers, it is very different this time.

The North Coast Journal asks, “While test results from the Humboldt County public health laboratory seem to be reported at a consistent flow, it seems there is great variation in how results are reported from corporate laboratories. Can you discuss generally how the county is notified of these results? Do they come in large batches or a steady stream? What is the current lag time between a sample being taken and a result returned? How much variation are you seeing in that lag time?”

When a test is performed in a commercial lab there are a few different ways that we at Public Health can be notified. For Optum Serve we’ve worked a parallel reporting system that’s more direct to us but its fallback is CalREDIE and then for most of these other labs such as say CVS or PALCO pharmacy, we generally receive results through CalREDIE, so that’s kind of the backstop reporting system. Sometimes we’ll notice that there are true data dumps within that system. We may get a flurry of new positives that aren’t really commensurate with the pace of testing, meaning that they’re all concentrated in a short period of time, but they may span you know several days over which those specimens were collected. Currently there’s there’s a big range, it’s between two days and seven days after collection the specimen that we’re receiving the results. In general it’s been about three days and as of yesterday you know many of the specimens were right at that mark, about 72 hours later that we find out about it.

David Elwood Ball was born in Eureka on August 24, 1950, and went to be with the Lord on November 5, 2020 in McKinleyville. Dave was the son of Stanley Gordon Ball and Colleen Rosemary Staff. Dave was full of life and those he touched will remember his quick wit and sense of humor, his love of animals and his generosity and giving nature to others.

Dave attended Franklin Elementary School, Eureka Junior High School, and then to Eureka High School where he graduated in 1968. As a youth, Dave played various sports with many good friends. He participated in track and was a member of the successful 1968 football team at Eureka High School. Sports were a passion, but his family and friendships were most important.

A good part of Dave’s youth was spent at Richardson’s Grove and French’s Camp in Southern Humboldt. These were family vacations but friends were always in attendance, as well. Swimming, hiking, nightly barn dances, and just exploring while getting in to mischief with friends was a big part of the fun. These friendships grew over the years and became lifelong friendships. Duck hunting through junior high school and high school was a favorite pastime. Many of these friends became owners of Volkswagen Bugs and it was a sight to see a bunch of different colored “Bugs” at many of their gatherings such as the first Friday of every month card games. It would be nothing for these friends to load up and take off for Lake Tahoe on a Friday afternoon, arrive late Friday night, play all weekend, and then leave late Sunday to get back home for school or work the next week. If not Tahoe, then to the Bay Area to take in a Giants game on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday. Enjoying the games and other activities the Bay Area had to offer often led to a nap during the second game of the doubleheader before driving home after the game to again prepare for the following week.

In the late 1960s, Dave’s parents purchased an acre of property in Willow Creek, built a home, and eventually added a nice swimming pool. Dave with his family and friends spent a lot of time around the pool. Besides pool games and barbecues, Dave and his friends broke in the Willow Creek Golf Course. Great times were had in Willow Creek.

After high school, Dave went to College of the Redwoods and then on to Humboldt State University. While attending HSU, four of his friends lived in a house in Sunny Brae while attending the university. They attended classes but also had a good time in Sunny Brae. An illustration of this good time was through a picture that Dave shared with others that showed the roommates posing behind empty cases of beer bottles on the front porch. The bonds that Dave made with these friends lasted for the entirety of his life. Whether it be through trips together, playing softball for Dale Edge Construction, or getting together for a nice dinner, Dave’s friendships were important for him.

After graduating from Humboldt State, Dave spent time in Oregon where he became an avid “Ducks” fan. 49ers, Giants, Warriors, and now the Ducks were sports team he followed and pulled for. He also loved the horse races, and this was another friend interaction he was fond of. Of course, it was always better when he won, but regardless, he enjoyed the races in Ferndale, betting on the horses, laughing with his friends, and going to dinner afterward at the Ivanhoe.

Throughout his life, Dave had pets. Dogs and cats were important to him. He loved his animals and cared for them as if they were his children. In fact, they were his children. He had a dog named Peeze that was special for him. It was a short-legged dog that Dave would refer to as a miniature lab. He would get a chuckle when those who he told that to said, “Really?” Family pictures show many instances where Dave is with his animals and many more where he is napping and one of his dogs or cats are snuggled up to him napping as well. They loved him as much as he loved them.

Dave was an avid photographer. He took beautiful pictures of landscapes. Ocean beaches, the redwood forests, and mountain scenery’s and lakes, were a few of the landscapes he captured. He loved these areas and taking photos of them. He ended up giving away more of these beautiful pictures than he sold because he wanted people to have them. A testament to his good heart.

After returning from Oregon, Dave went back to HSU and received his Physical Therapy Certification and he began a career that was near and dear to him. He worked for numerous Physical Therapy Clinics in the Northern Humboldt area and later in Anderson, Calif. It was a passion. He loved being able to help others with their health. He was perfect in this role. He had the demeanor to talk with his clients and gain their trust — a combination of his humor and warm personality. His patients knew that he cared for them and that they were in good hands. He stated many times that his time as the Athletic Trainer at McKinleyville High School were his best times. He generated many friendships with staff at the school and spent time with them at athletic events and other school activities. Even though he was a part time trainer on loan from one of the clinics, Dave was part of the team at MHS. He put in more than double or triple the amount of time that he was being paid for because he cared about what he was doing and wanted to do the best that he could. He was the trainer, but also was a coach at times, a van driver, a counselor, and basically whatever needed to be done. He was a Panther.

But most important were the student-athletes. Dave helped so many student-athletes with their injuries and life issues. He forged friendships, as he always has, that continue to this day. He wanted the best for these young men and women and worked hard for their benefit. He often asked those in the know how individual athletes were doing in their lives. The feelings were mutual. Many of these former student-athletes are forever indebted to Dave for his care for them. One athlete stated, “I don’t even have words to begin to explain the gratefulness I feel in my heart for you. You made one of the worst times of my life something I look at fondly because of all the things you taught me…” Mentoring our youth is an important responsibility. Dave took it seriously and helped make many MHS Students successful adults. They appreciate him for that.

During his time at McKinleyville High School, other good things were happening for Dave. He met his future wife, Kathy, and they were married on June 23, 2002. They shared many of the traditions of Dave’s youth. They were married at Richardson’s Grove. They bought a time share in Tahoe where they spent a lot of time having fun in the sun. He especially liked being on the Lake in Tahoe and other lakes on his Sea-doo. Kathy and Dave traveled to many Giants’ games and enjoyed many of the opportunities found in the San Francisco Bay Area. Traveling in general were favorite times for Kathy and Dave. They spent a lot of time together exploring places they had not been before. They moved to Shingletown for a few years where they enjoyed weather that was different than what they were accustomed to in Humboldt County. Many new friendships were forged and memories made in the Redding area.

Dave and Kathy just enjoyed spending time with each other, with family, and with friends. One of their favorite destinations was the Ivanhoe Hotel and Restaurant in Ferndale. Family celebrations, birthdays, or just a night out with good friends was the norm. Even when they moved to Shingletown, a trip to the Ivanhoe during a visit to the coast was a must. They often said that the Ivanhoe was the best restaurant in Northern California.

Dave and Kathy were a perfect match. They were ideal soul mates for their travels together, but also were a great support for one another during times of difficulty. When their respective families faced adversity, the other was a great support to lean on. When either one of them had their own health issues, the other was a rock. Their love and support were a bond that was a strength for them. Dave served as a supportive son-in-law for Ethel and supported Kathy’s children Nicole and Shana. As seemed to be a theme in his life, he had an affinity for youth. Shana’s children were his grandchildren. When they were mentioned, a smile always crossed his face. Dave was proud of his tee-shirt that said, “My favorite people call me Grandpa.” His family and friends will dearly miss Dave Ball.

Dave is survived by his wife Kathy, his step-daughters Nicole and Shana, her husband Josh, and their children Shyanne and Jacob, Dave’s grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Dan Ball and his wife Moselle, their children Stacey Elliott and her husband Mike, and Darin Ball and his wife Angelina and their sons Jordan and Ethan.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Colleen Ball and his mother-in-law, Ethel Dygert.

Kathy and her family would like to thank Hospice of Humboldt and Timber Ridge in McKinleyville for their care of Dave. He felt comfortable with their assistance.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date when it is appropriate to do so.

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Raldon Fredrick Brown Sr. (Beetle) was born June 23, 1947 in Hoopa to the late Frederick and Dorothy Brown. Beetle passed way November 10, 2020 at the age of 73. He was a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, where he lived most of his life until he moved to Central Point, Oregon to be with his wife.

Throughout his life Beetle enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodcutting, playing co-ed softball, going to hydroplane boat races, doing puzzles and watching sports, especially football, with his friends and family. He was an avid San Francisco 49er’s fan.

He worked as a millworker for many years, and also at the Tismil Gas Station in Hoopa.

Beetle was also a proud member of the United States Army. During his term he served in the Vietnam War.

Beetle was truly an all-around guy who was loved by all, as he was a brother, father, grandfather, uncle and a friend.

Beetle is survived by his siblings, Sylvester (Flabs) Brown, Oscar (O.B.) and Lori Brown Sr.,Katherine (Tuni) and Gaylord (Gunga) Hescock, Doug Brown, Deborah (Debbie) and Matt Moore, and Frederick (Freddy) Brown; his loving wifes, Diane Doty-Brown, Robin Martin-Brown; his children, Raldon (Ralph) and (Mia) Brown, Leanna and (Larry) Martin, Ladonna Brown, Lynnette and (Terry) Wilkie, Arlen, Christie, Kimberly, Ashley & Bruce Brown; stepchildren Donald and Mike Williams, & Eric Doty Sr. Beetle; and his loving grandchildren Travis Brown, Trevor and (Jessica) Brown, Kayla Brown, Kyle and (Callista ) Brown, Savannah an Arlen Brown, Nevaeh Abbott-Brown, James Jr., Joshua, Jacob, Jimmy, Jordan, & Jasmine Marshall, Kendra, Kaylee, Dustin Jr., & Dakota Stotler; step-grandchildren Chad, Christopher, Eric Jr. and TaShanna Doty. However there are a few other grandchildren names unknown , and one great-granddaughter Erica Brown. His nieces and nephews include: Michael, Houston, Oscar, and Naomi Brown, Chris and (Pamela) Heath, Lucy Heath, Bernardine Jackson, Ian Moore, Darcy Brown, and numerous great-nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents Fredrick and Dorothy Brown, his first wife Betty Linder, siblings Wally and Arlen Brown and nephews Joseph Jackson and Waylon Brown.

Beetle’s viewing will be held at Paul’s Chapel: 1070 H ST. Arcata, California 95521 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, November 13,2020

Graveside services: 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 14, 2020 at the Brown’s Cemetery

Honorary pallbearers include:

Denny Kane, George Moon, Leonard Masten, Thomas Masten Sr., Ed Masten Sr. John Marshall, Timothy Casey, Timothy Bussell Sr., Robbie Moon, and Bob Borden.

Pallbearers:

Travis, Trevor, & Kyle Brown, Michael, Houston, & Oscar Brown, Chris Heath, Ian Moore, Bill & Dan McCovey, William (Pecos) Carpenter, Troy (Horse) Branham.

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Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

The Yurok Office of Emergency Services and Humboldt County health representatives are currently collaborating on the implementation of a comprehensive contact tracing investigation, following the confirmation of the first two COVID-19 cases on the Yurok Reservation.

The first case involved a nonresident who is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital. The second individual is experiencing mild symptoms and will quarantine at home for 14 days. To reduce the potential for additional COVID-19 transmissions, the joint contact tracing team is reaching out to a small number of people who have been in close proximity to the two individuals during the last two weeks. They will also be required to quarantine for two weeks. Yurok OES has offered resources to the individuals in isolation. There does not appear to be a link between the cases. In order to safeguard the confidentially of personal health records, the Yurok Tribe will not disclose any further details about either case.

“I would like to thank Humboldt County for assisting us with the contract-tracing investigation. We are working hard to restrict the spread of the virus and keep the community safe,” said Serene Hayden, the Yurok Tribe’s Incident Commander. “It is critically important for everyone to remain consistent in practicing all personal safety measures. I want to remind everyone that COVID-19 testing is available multiple times per week on both sides of the reservation.”

The COVID-19 virus has been circulating in the counties surrounding the reservation since March. The slow spread of the illness on the reservation is a testament to the Tribe’s early activation of the Incident Command Team and the enactment of several safety orders, which are intended to keep the community safe. Yurok Reservation residents’ devotion to practicing all of the recommended personal safety strategies has played an equally valuable role in this effort and is critical to its continued success.

Residents can find up-to-date information about the Tribe’s response to this crisis by visiting Yurokoes.org. Community members in need of assistance are encouraged to call the COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-225-8952.

The Yurok Office of Emergency Services strongly encourages residents to follow all personal safety recommendations:

• Maintain a minimum of 6-feet of personal space from individuals outside of the household
• Always wear a face covering outside of the home (Wash reusable mask frequently, only use single-use masks once)
• Do not attend gatherings large or small, including visiting extended family and friends
• Avoid all contact with anyone exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms
• Disinfect common touch points in the home
• Practice cough and sneeze etiquette (cover your sneezes and coughs with your arm. Wash hands immediately after cough or sneeze for additional protection)
• Perform frequent handwashing – Wash hands every two hours for 20-30 seconds with water and soap)
• If you feel ill, please self-isolate and contact your medical provider
• Reminder: If you feel slightly unwell and have one or more of the common symptoms of COVID-19, it is advised to stay home from work

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From the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On November 13th, 2020 special agents with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force (HCDTF), with the assistance of the Arcata Police Department, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department, and Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office served a search warrant on a residence in the 1900 block of Elm Ave. in Mckinleyville. The search warrant was written for suspected drug sales and firearms violations by the residents. Upon arrival agents detained five people inside the residence without incident.

A search of the residence was conducted. In the master bedroom, belonging to Brittany Bryan (35 years old), agents located a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun with the serial number removed. Also located in the room was approx. 10 grams of methamphetamine, 500 Hydrocodone pills, 100 Tramadol Hydrochloride pills, and a pay/owe sheet. Under a couch cushion in the living room agents located a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm handgun. Agents also located a Remington 870 12 gauge shotgun and a digital scale in the trunk of Bryan’s vehicle in the driveway. Bryan claimed ownership of all three guns. Bryan was transported to the Humboldt County Jail where she was booked for the following charges:

• H&S 113701.1 Possession of controlled substance while armed

• H&S 11351 Possession for sale of controlled substances

• PC 23900 Possession of firearm with serial number removed

• H&S 11377 Possession of methamphetamine

Agents had to force entry into a locked bedroom for a resident that was not home. Agents located a safe in the bedroom and were able to gain access into the safe. Agents located ammunition and approx. 6 grams of heroin inside the safe as well as two digital scales. The resident of this room, Carter Daniels (39 years old) is a convicted felon who is not allowed to possess ammunition. Daniels was not located therefore agents will forward a case with a warrant declaration to the Humboldt County District Attorney requesting the following charges be filed against Daniels:

• PC 30305(a) Felon in possession of ammunition

• H&S 11350 Possession of heroin

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

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The Humboldt County Office of Elections just released its second post-election report, and here’s the big news:

That’s right: Challenger Michelle Bushnell has taken a very narrow 34-vote lead over incumbent Second District Supervisor Estelle Fennell. 

There are still about 12,500 ballots yet to be counted countywide, according to Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Kelly Sanders, so this thing could conceivably flip back the other way before all is said and done. However, the trend is headed in the opposite direction. 

On Election Night, Bushnell trailed Fennell by 239 votes, out of a total of 7,171 ballots cast in the Second District race. Two days later, in the first post-election report, another 998 votes had been tallied and Fennell’s lead had shrunk to less than 200 votes:

With today’s report we got what the TV pundits call “a big dump” of new votes — 1,847 in the Second District alone — and Bushnell took about 56 percent of them. Unless the outstanding votes break back toward Fennell, then Humboldt County will have a new supervisor in the Second District.

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Elsewhere, what do we see? Up in Arcata, where three seats are up for grabs on the City Council, the top three spots remain the same, with incumbent councilmembers Michael Winkler and Paul Pitino on the outside looking in. In a wide field of candidates, Stacy Atkins-Salazar remains the top vote-getter with about 16.8 percent of the total. She’s followed by fellow newcomers Emily Grace Goldstein (14.6 percent) and Sarah Schaefer (13.96 percent). 

Oh, and Measure F, a special tax to fund the Arcata Fire Protection District, is still passing with flying colors, with more than 75 percent approval on a measure that required just a simple majority a two-thirds vote to pass. 

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Likewise in Eureka, the frontrunners remain the frontrunners. Scott Bauer still has more than double the vote tally of his closest competitor in Ward 4, so I think it’s safe to call the race for him. And in Ward 2, Kati Moulton has a quite comfortable 16.8 percent lead over her nearest competitor, Dot Jager-Wentworth. Let’s go ahead and call that one, too.

And Measure H, which would replace the city’s existing half-percent sales tax with a 1.25 percent sales tax within city limits, is going to pass. It’s leading, 66 percent to 34 percent. 

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What else is notable? Longtime Fortuna City Councilmember and far-right conspiracy theory enthusiast Dean Glaser is headed for defeat, with incumbent Tami Trent and former councilmember/challenger Mike Losey way out in front for the two available seats.

Check out a PDF with all the latest results here. 

UPDATE, Nov. 15:

On Saturday evening, Fortuna Union High School District Superintendent Glen Senestraro emailed the following press release:

The health and safety of our students and staff are our top priority.

Fortuna High School is reporting that another student has tested positive for COVID-19. We have had a total of two (2) students test positive this week. These COVID transmissions did not occur at the high school.

Following our mitigation plan, the three classes affected by the two positive cases have been moved to distance learning through the quarantine period. The students and teachers in the affected classes were contacted and are in quarantine. The school is collaborating with Humboldt County Public Health.

The principal has notified the parents of the students in the classes affected by these cases.

We would like to thank Humboldt County Public Health for their swift response and guidance to assure the safety and well-being of our community.

Glen Senestraro Superintendent

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Original post:

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An untold number of students and staff members at Fortuna High School have been told to quarantine and some classes switched to distance learning today after a student tested positive for COVID-19.

Parents of Fortuna High School students learned of the infection Thursday evening from school administrators. Many received a recorded phone message from Principal Clinton Duey, who said administrators were informed of the positive test around 6 p.m. by the Public Health Branch of the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services. 

Phone messages left for Fortuna Union High School District Superintendent Glen Senestraro had not been returned by the time this post was published. Nor had an email to the district office. 

In the voicemail left for parents, Duey says the health and safety of students and staff are the top priority at Fortuna High. The message, which you can listen to below, goes on to say,

This call is to inform you that a student at Fortuna High tested positive for COVID-19 today. … If your child was exposed, you would have already been contacted by myself or Mr. [Dustin] Rossman, dean of students. Some class periods, staff and students have been quarantined and put on distance learning.

While most schools in the county have opted for distance learning or a hybrid between remote and in-person instruction, the public schools in Fortuna and nearby Ferndale have chosen to hold classes entirely on campus, despite objections from some parents, staff members and teachers. 

According to county data, people between the ages of 10 and 19 represent nearly 12 percent of the positive COVID-19 cases in Humboldt County to date. 

Here’s the voicemail from Duey:

Voicemail

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PREVIOUSLY:

• At Emergency Meeting, Fortuna School Board Stands Firm on Decision to Open School Monday
• (AUDIO) HUMBOLDT HOLDING UP: Fortuna High School Teachers Discuss What the First Week of In-Person Classes Has Looked Like