This via the EPD’s Facebook page.

Northbound lanes are closed. Avoid the area. If you’re coming north, you probably want to take Herrick.

PREVIOUSLY

• Teamsters Ready to Strike at Cal Poly Humboldt in Two Weeks

###

Members of the Cal Poly Humboldt Teamsters union started striking today over a CSU-wide salary dispute.

The CPH chapter of the Teamsters 2010 has some three dozen members, skilled laborers responsible for maintaining and repairing much of the campus’ infrastructure. About 1,100 other California State University employees are striking this week across the state. They were promised three annual 5% salary raises and salary step increases in 2024 by CSU, but the university didn’t increase the laborer’s salaries in July 2025, citing a contractual clause that allows the university to ignore issuing the promised raises if California’s legislature didn’t sufficiently fund CSU. 

CSU wound up about $144 million short of full funding, but the state offered CSU a short-term, interest-free $144 million loan to help bridge the gap. CSU says accepting the loan doesn’t meet their definition of being fully funded, and offered a one-time bonus instead, equivalent to 3% of each employee’s salary.

Union members say that’s not good enough. CPH locksmith and union steward Phillip Bradley arrived at campus at 4:45 this morning during a hailstorm to picket outside the College Creek Marketplace with other strikers, and he told the Outpost that the main outcome they want from this strike is simply the salary increases they were promised. 

“We’re not asking for anything extra-special,” Bradley said. “We agreed to that contract. We want to keep our word. We’d love it if the CSU would keep theirs.”

“We just want what we were promised,” striking painter Jeff Robinson told the Outpost. “We signed a deal. They call us when they need us. There’s a lot of mechanics and electricians on odd hours, and when things happen they give us a call, give us praise for that, but whenever it comes time for money, we don’t get anything.”

The CSU Board of Trustees also recently removed a cap on their top administrator’s salaries, allowing many of them to increase their base pay to over $500,000 a year. (CPH interim president Michael Spagna earned about $470,000 last year, including benefits.) Union members say that casts doubt on their claim to be underfunded. 

Strikers won’t be working on campus until Feb. 21. Bradley said they attempted to leave campus in good shape before they left, but a water leak in the kinesiology building forced a non-union laborer to cross the picket line early in the morning. Many of the construction workers completing the new engineering building are union members and won’t work this week, but a few aren’t and are still working. 

“Causing an inconvenience for our students is the last thing we want, because our whole purpose is to make this a great environment to learn and grow and live,” Bradley said. “…But part of being a student is becoming more politically aware.”

The Teamsters feel very supported by the community, Bradley said. A few members of other unions have joined them on the picket line, as have a few other residents. He encouraged people to sign a petition backing the union on their website, and also said they had too many donuts and could use some help eating them. 

Donuts aside, everyone on the picket line is eager to get a raise and end the strike.

“That raise means security,” Jefferson said. “I’ve been a painter most of my life, and it feels like we’re always on the back end of catching things. You get caught up — and then things cost more.” 

“Lastly,” he continued, “The administration and presidents of the CSU get massive raises. There’s never an issue with budget when it’s time for them to make money.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Officee:

On Feb. 16, at 10:50 p.m. Humboldt County Sheriff deputies were dispatched to an armed robbery that occurred at the Coast Central Credit Union located at 12700 State Highway 96 in Hoopa.

 Upon arrival, deputies met with the 44-year-old female victim who reported she was robbed while attempting to make a night deposit   The victim stated that a male suspect approached her while brandishing a handgun and demanded money.  A brief struggle over the deposit occurred before the suspect grabbed two bank bags and fled on foot toward the river bar.

The suspect is described as a male adult in his 30’s, approximately 6-foot-1 inches tall, 170 pounds, clean shaven, and brown hair with a light complexion.  He was last seen wearing a black sweater, black pants, light brown boots, and a black bandanna on his face.  

The victim sustained a minor injury to her arm which did not require immediate medical attention.

Deputies, assisted by the Hoopa Tribal Police thoroughly searched the area for the suspect but were unable to locate him.  Surveillance camera footage is currently being collected and reviewed.  Additional information will be release as it becomes available.

This case is currently 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.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Feb. 16, 2026, at approximately 10:00 p.m. Humboldt County Sheriff deputies responded to a residence located in the 2200 block of Wycliff Lane in Eureka for a reported physical assault.   

Upon arrival, deputies located a 47-year-old male victim who reported his nephew, 20-year-old, Felix Yancy Arbaugh physically attacked him.  The victim was actively bleeding and sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.  

 Deputies located Felix Arbaugh on scene, he sustained minor injuries which did not require immediate medical treatment.

Based upon the victim’s statements, injuries and evidence located during the investigation, it was determined that a violent crime had occurred inside the residence. Arbaugh was taken into custody and was transported to the Humboldt County Correctional Facility where he was booked for P.C. 664/187 Attempted Homicide.

 This case is currently under investigation and no further details will be released at this time.  

 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.

Man, seems like it’s been a while since we’ve since this! A weather flurry just came through and dropped ice all over Eureka — so much so that it’s sticking to the asphalt.

Seems like it must have hit Arcata first, judging from the chaos that ensued on the roadways shortly before that.

As always, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on our CHPWatch page for hazards and accidents on the highways as they happen. As of right now the only chain requirements we see are on Highway 199 round about the tunnel.

###

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

###

There were once so many children at Frisha Moore’s Elk Grove preschool that families filled up the waitlist. Now, one of her playgrounds and two classrooms sit empty because one key group of kids has stopped coming.

Dozens of families in recent years have opted not to enroll their 4-year-olds at Moore Learning Preschool & Child Care Center, she said. Instead, they’re putting their children in transitional kindergarten, California’s new public pre-kindergarten grade.

Even though she provides a full day of preschool, compared with transitional kindergarten that lasts only about 3.5 hours, Moore can’t compete: Public school is free. She hasn’t broken even in months and thinks about closing the preschool, “every single day.” That would remove 91 licensed child care spots from the county, including 20 for children under age 2, for whom child care options are particularly scarce.

Transitional kindergarten’s expansion is one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature educational achievements and a key part of his legacy on how California cares for its youngest residents.

Early childhood advocates were delighted when he was sworn into office seven years ago, his arms around his scene-stealing 2-year-old son. The first governor in decades to hold the office while raising young children, he had promised to achieve universal preschool — publicly funded preschool for all families who want to enroll — and expand access to child care for working parents.

As he prepares to leave office he is sure to tout those accomplishments. During his State of the State address to lawmakers in January, he boasted of “the most significant expansion of child care in America.”

“It should be better known,” he told MS Now last month. “It’s not.”

Many advocates say his legacy on child care includes some unfulfilled promises, though the expansions have been substantial. Newsom has nearly tripled funding for subsidized child care and early childhood programs, including state-subsidized preschools and transitional kindergarten, from more than $5 billion in 2020 to more than $14 billion this year.

His administration has funded 130,000 new subsidized child care spaces for low-income families and allowed private, in-home child care providers that receive the subsidies to unionize, which has led to health care and retirement funds for a low-wage, overwhelmingly female workforce.

No move has been more significant than the expansion of a free, public pre-kindergarten grade for all families regardless of income. The grade was available for a limited number of children for about a decade before Newsom’s administration began expanding it to all 4-year-olds four years ago. This school year, it was open for the first time to all children who turned 4 by September.

Despite rocky rollouts in some school districts, parents who have enrolled their children in transitional kindergarten say it’s saved them a year of child care costs — from $9,000 to $24,000 for that age — while better preparing kids for school and even allowing some students to be screened for special education services a year earlier. CalMatters spoke with a dozen parents around the state who said the program was a positive experience for their 4-year-olds.

Melissa Chen and her husband, of San Jose, were paying $1,800 a month to send their son to day care, where she said he struggled to get along with others and hated naptime. Now her 4-year-old is making friends and thriving with an attentive teacher in the Berryessa Union School District, she said. They still pay for an after-school care program on campus, but it’s only about a third the cost of private preschool.

“If anyone doubted that the state was going to be able to stand up an entire TK program in five years, you would never know it from how smoothly it’s gone for us this year,” Chen, an attorney, said.

But the rollout has also come with unintended consequences and destabilized the child care sector, which could make care harder to find for younger children.

Baby cribs at Moore Learning Preschool & Childcare Center in Elk Grove on Feb. 6, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

First: Children play with toys. Last: Ms. Keekee Myers cares for a child at Moore Learning Preschool & Childcare Center in Elk Grove on Feb. 6, 2026. Photos by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

In Los Angeles County, a December UC Berkeley report found 167 preschools closed between 2020 and 2024 — a decline in child care spots that researchers attributed partly to the addition of the public school grade.

Private providers like Moore’s preschool operate with strict regulations and thin margins. The enrollment of 4-year-olds, who need less hands-on care, typically helps cover the higher labor costs of caring for infants, so shifting solely to serving younger children doesn’t always pencil out financially.

Whether Newsom can achieve his ambitious child care goals depends in part on whether people like Moore can afford to stay open.

“He’s done a hell of a lot” to allow more kids to get cheaper early childhood care, said Bruce Fuller, the Berkeley sociologist who authored the LA County report. “He’s also expanded a lot of pieces to the puzzle, without solving the puzzle.”

A patchwork of options

The U.S. has long lagged far behind other developed nations in public funding for child care and early childhood education.

But the benefits of preschool are well-documented, both developmentally for children and economically for working parents. As middle-income families consider leaving California over crushing costs, making it easier to raise kids in a state with a declining child population is savvy politics, too.

Newsom prioritized child care early in his first term, appointing a cabinet member to work on the issue and commissioning a master plan, which recommended universal preschool for 4-year-olds and for income-eligible 3-year-olds.

“It was the first time we really had a governor coming into office that prioritized our issues,” said Donna Sneeringer, director of the Child Care Resource Center in Los Angeles County, a nonprofit that helps families find child care. The center also runs its own preschools, some of them state-subsidized, and maintains a waitlist for low-income families waiting for subsidized care.

Unless they pay for preschool out-of-pocket, a cost that can easily surpass rent or a mortgage payment, working parents looking for child care face a patchwork of options. Low-income families can qualify for subsidized slots at state-contracted child care centers or receive vouchers for private preschool or child care providers. The state also funds preschool centers for kids from low- to middle-income families; federal funds pay for separate Head Start programs that are also income-restricted.

To achieve universal preschool, Newsom boosted some of those programs and more:

• He committed billions of dollars to permanently expanding transitional kindergarten.
• By enrolling more 4-year-olds in public schools, the administration hoped to free up spots for 3-year-olds in other preschools. It spent hundreds of millions of dollars to expand access to state-funded preschools and increased payments for 3-year-olds in that program to create an incentive for centers to enroll them.
• To give parents more child care options, the state has also added about 130,000 subsidized child-care spaces, both in contracted centers and in the form of vouchers, for low-income families with children of any age. That is still short of the 200,000 Newsom promised. Most vouchers go toward paying licensed family child care providers who care for children in their homes and often offer more flexible hours.

Other states have taken a different approach.

In Colorado, all children regardless of family income are eligible for at least 15 hours a week of free preschool the year before kindergarten; they can use it in a public school or at a preschool, day care center or other provider. Vermont and Georgia similarly allow families to choose between local schools and private centers.

Transitional kindergarten instructional assistant Nancy Espino reads a book about crickets to children at Silverwood Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord on Aug. 11, 2025. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

By contrast, California expanded only transitional kindergarten as the free option for all, while the other public options remain limited, both by family income and the number of slots available. In Los Angeles County alone, more than 20,000 families are eligible for subsidized care but haven’t gotten a spot yet, Sneeringer said. And those subsidies usually don’t fully cover costs, making it hard to stay afloat, providers say.

Placing the biggest expansion in public schools was a boon to school districts and the state’s powerful teachers’ unions: It boosted public school enrollment in a time of declining birth rates, leading to increased funding. And with record state budget surpluses during the pandemic, California was able to do it without touching other school funding. The ongoing cost of TK is about $3 billion a year; the state has also put $1 billion toward implementing the new program, including building improvements to accommodate younger kids.

Jessica Holmes, education program budget manager at the Department of Finance, said that approach was the only way to guarantee there would be spots for 4-year-olds statewide, even in areas where private child care providers are scarce.

“One structure that is consistent across the state is the school system,” she said. “Even in the most rural areas, we have schools.”

Holmes spoke on behalf of Newsom’s administration; a spokesperson for the governor declined to make him available for an interview.

Erika Jones, secretary-treasurer of the California Teachers Association, said it has helped families be part of local school communities earlier.

“Public schools are a beacon in the community, you build lasting friendships,” she said. “To start that and have that process from the beginning makes the most sense.”

But critics say the expansion doesn’t give parents enough options.

Middle- and upper-income families who were paying full fees had the most incentive to switch from private preschools to free transitional kindergarten, if it worked for their schedules. Middle- and lower-income families who get off the waitlist for a subsidized spot have more options, while tens of thousands of families remain on waitlists.

The public grade “is an incredible opportunity for many kids to have access to a preschool education,” Sneeringer said. “It doesn’t work for every family.”

Children walk out after a transitional kindergarten class at Silverwood Elementary School in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Concord on Aug. 11, 2025. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters

Many working families need alternative hours that only private child care providers can offer. School districts are required to give any enrolling 4-year-old a spot in TK, but not necessarily at the child’s nearest elementary school if there isn’t enough space, so some parents have been offered seats at schools that are too far. Four-year-olds vary widely in how ready they are for a school setting; some aren’t potty-trained or still need naps.

And though the state has also paid to expand free or low-cost after-school care, school districts vary in how they provide it. Some parents couldn’t enroll their students in transitional kindergarten because they couldn’t get a limited after-care spot.

Nearly 180,000 children statewide enrolled in transitional kindergarten last school year. The Berkeley report on LA County found affluent families may be benefiting the most. From 2021 to 2024 enrollment growth in the county’s wealthiest areas was triple that in the poorest.

Private preschools forced to close

Holmes disputed the study’s conclusion that transitional kindergarten was contributing to private preschool closures, noting that could have been driven by declining birth rates, too. And she said parents in income-restricted programs can choose between TK and certain subsidized providers.

One parent who has benefited from having options is Brittany Jackson, whose 3-year-old son attends preschool at Moore’s center in Elk Grove.

Jackson, a single mom who works an administrative job, was reluctant to enroll him in transitional kindergarten later this year. She worried it’s too early for her son to leave a play-based preschool for more formal schooling, and didn’t want to worry about finding after-school care. Because she receives a state-funded voucher that covers most of her son’s preschool fees, she can afford to keep her son with Moore for one more year.

“The way they speak and handle situations when things come up, it’s very much in alignment with how I parent,” she said.

On a recent Friday morning, Jackson’s son, sporting a Spider-Man sweatshirt, picked flowers with a friend in one of Moore’s playgrounds. Their classmates whirled around them on tricycles, tinsel streaking th

A patchwork of options

eir hair. After playtime, they gathered inside around teacher Kara Hannigan, who read from a picture book and prompted the children to act out each page with dramatic flair.

Moore started the center in 2017, when her own children were young. Her whole family chipped in to outfit the playgrounds and paint brightly colored illustrations on the walls.

Most of the families there are low-income and pay with vouchers, but state reimbursement rates don’t cover all the costs of running the place. She’s reluctant to raise fees on families who can barely afford it, and has instead cut staff, combining 3- and 4-year-olds into one class so she could still fulfill state-mandated adult-to-children ratios. The center is about 40% full. With small business loans unpaid, she can’t even afford to close.

Besides, she said, “this is like my second child.”

Frisha Moore talks with children at Moore Learning Preschool & Childcare Center in Elk Grove on Feb. 6, 2026. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters

Patricia Lozano, director of Early Edge California, an advocate for transitional kindergarten, acknowledged the state must do more to ensure abundant options for all parents and keep private centers like Moore’s open to serve younger children.

One idea is to require school districts to partner with private centers to offer child care outside of transitional kindergarten hours, which some school districts already do. She and other advocates are also pushing Newsom to honor his commitment to fund more vouchers.

Any such proposal would come too late for Shilpa Panech, who owned a preschool for 13 years in San Ramon, caring for children between the ages of 6 months and 6 years.

Panech supported Newsom’s promises of universal preschool. She thought it would look the way it does in other states, where families could choose a free program at school or at her center.

Instead, Panech watched the enrollment of 4-year-olds at her once-full preschool dwindle from 24 to one. She considered expanding infant care, but found the staffing costs and licensing requirements prohibitively expensive. Her family was draining its savings and accumulating debt to make payroll.

Last month, she helped the 30 remaining enrolled families find other day cares, and closed the doors on Panache Enfants. It eliminated 72 licensed child care spots from Contra Costa County.

“Nobody gets into this industry necessarily to make money,” she said, tearing up. “We’re in it because we love the kids and their families.”

By then, Panech had also started a second career teaching elementary school, and had the unique view of watching things unfold simultaneously in local public schools. The TK classes and after-care programs she saw, she said, were “fantastic.”

“I think this was wonderful,” she said. “I think this is something our country needs, our state needs. It’s important for families to be able to afford child care and to be able to go out and work. For private providers, I wish it would have been more gradual, I wish there would have been more opportunities.”

Betty Mahon passed away February 7, 2026 in Eureka at the age of 100 years. She was born in Chowchilla on November 27, 1925. She was raised and attended schools in Burbank. Betty had been a resident of Humboldt County since 1950, living in the Loleta area for 20 years, then moved to Eureka. She married Marvin Mahon in 1945 in Burbank. He was in the Navy attached to the Marines when they met.

Betty has two sons, Fred Mahon (wife Carmen) from Sandpoint, Idaho, and Alan Mahon (Marianne Hutchins) in Eureka. She was a loving, caring and nurturing mother who loved her sons deeply.

Betty was a homemaker and a great cook and baker of cookies, cakes, pies and cinnamon rolls. She was usually at home waiting for her boys (and friends) with some delicious treats at the end of the day after school. Alan’s friend, Tracy Davy, would hang out at the house in Loleta as much as he could hoping for some of those bakery treats. Good family memories!

Betty and Marvin were very close and spent most of their time together playing golf, dancing, pinochle and dominoes in later years until Marvin’s passing on May 22, 2009. They were married 63 years. Betty was his soulmate during his years working on a ranch in Loleta with training horses and general ranch work and later when he was employed by Eureka City Schools.

Betty loved her garden and grew many beautiful roses, gladioli, irises, fuchsias and daffodils. She never learned to drive so after Marvin died, Alan moved back to Eureka from Sacramento to be of help to her and as her caregiver the last six years. Alan, Marianne and Betty would play dominoes frequently until the last six weeks of Betty’s life. She was a very competitive player!

Betty’s mother passed away when she was 17 years old. Betty lived in Burbank with her Aunt Rena during some of her teen years. Her aunt lived across the street from the family home of Debbie Reynolds. Betty was about seven years older than Debbie who became a famous actress and whose movies Betty loved to watch. Her Aunt Rena used to sew shirts for actor Dennis Weaver. These were fond memories of Betty.

Betty’s family includes her elder son, Fred and his wife, and their children, Michael (Shelly) and Maria. Almost 7 years later, Alan was born. Previous daughters-in-law of Betty with Alan are Mickie, mother of Tammi Gyori (Jeremy) and Karen Mahon (deceased 1994) mother of Lianne Bosko and Michael Mahon (Jennifer) and twins, Kristina Sparre (Brent) and Melisa Mahon (Rachel).

Great-grandchildren (Fred): Alexis Mahon-Silva (Drew) and son Jerre, Austin Mahon and Step-great-grandson Chris Reniker (Kabrina).

Great-grandchildren (Alan):

Step-granddaughter Lianne: Quinn Bosko

Step-grandson Michael: Alex Mahon

Granddaughter Tammi: Gabrielle Shera (Andrew); Justis (Camille with Freyja due in May); Elijah (Breana) and children Declan, Oliver & baby in August 2026; Noah (Grace) and children Willow and Lillie); Isaiah; Josiah; Isabelle Yalangi (Artiom); Magdalene; Evangeline; Titus; Genevieve; Gwendolyn; Alexandria and Roman.

Granddaughter Kristina: Bradyn and Kaylee Sparre

Granddaughter Melisa: Jackson and Taylor Mahon.

Betty’s nephews include Dan and Kevin Moore, and Debra (Wiese) Hale.

Betty was preceded in death by her parents Helen Rosana (Shrode) Wiese and Abner Henry Wiese, her maternal grandparents Nettie (Scott) Shrode and Willis King Shrode; her paternal grandparents Sofia Ann (Boda) Wiese and William Wiese; her siblings William (Bill) Wiese and Mary (Wiese) Moore and brother-in-law Keith Moore.

Having reached her 100th birthday, Betty had outlived most of her friends and family. She saw so many changes in the world in her lifetime.

On Betty’s behalf, we would like to thank Tim and Sue Davy for their help and support in the most recent years and also Valerie Ellis, a lifetime friend, for remembering Betty with phone calls and cards on special occasions. We appreciate Alan and Illeen Knapp with their help as needed. We would also like to thank Hospice of Humboldt and Humboldt House Lodge for all of their loving care during the last few weeks. We sincerely appreciate the concern and kind gestures of many others. Your thoughtfulness is very much appreciated.

Preparations are under the care of Sanders Funeral Home and internment at Ocean View Cemetery. Her funeral is scheduled for 2 p.m. on February 18, 2026. Donations can be made to Hospice of Humboldt.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Betty Mahon’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.