Relax. Sit back and take a mental meander through what were some of 2011’s biggest stories on Redheaded Blackbelt.  

By far the one that had the most immediate impact to the county (and the one that generated the second most traffic to my site) had very little to do with my words and lots with Kim Sallaway’s amazing photos of the slide that closed 101. See photo above. In fact, with such a wet spring, road closures and slides were big concerns in 2011.  There was the Briceland Rd Closure, slides on private property and the Dobbyn Creek slide which closed roads and in the latter cases threatened homes.

Shelter Cove during the Tsunami

Other natural disasters captured our attention too. On March 11th, there was the Tsunami here, a shallow spinoff of Japan’s disaster, that damaged infrastructure and caused the death of one man. Thanks to Jac Hargrave for his photos of Shelter Cove. They helped me understand what was happening along our coast.

The Ruth fire, while caused by man, was also a disaster to homes and woodland.  The story of my cousin watching her community burn was intense.

Environmental concerns about Caltran’s project in Richardson Grove sparked multiple protests including this one. And concerns about marijuana’s affect on the environment also drew a lot of attention.  Here’s one recent guest post about the subject.

Kristine Constantino, who managed to call 911 while being attacked but ultimately was murdered.

Last spring was marked by a terrible crime. The Kettenpom double murder and assault took place in a neighboring county. A beautiful young couple were brutally murdered and two helpful neighbors were tazed and had their throats slashed.  And there is a lawsuit against the Trinity Co. Sheriff’s Dept over their handling of the affair.

The saga of Aaron Bassler and his involvement in the deaths of two prominent Mendocino men kept the the North Coast on edge for much of the summer.  Here is Skippy Massey’s dissection of the story.

Another violent crime that garnered a great deal of attention is the home invasion robbery in Benbow where masked gunmen broke into a home and threatened the husband, wife and infant child.   The husband was shot though not seriously injured. One man, Hussain Munassar Obad, was arrested and local youth with gangster pretensions are rumored to be involved.

The less brutal but still shocking crime the swept the town of Fortuna is the theft of large sums of money from elderly victims, a veteran, and others by a prominent and respected couple, the Reeves.

Marijuana, of course, is always a big story. The new pot porn page for folk who just like pretty pictures of marijuana is a big hit. And the fictional but authentic stories of SoHumborn continue to be a big draw. The hopeful folk from outside the area continue to flock to stories about getting a job trimming in Humboldt see here for a funny Craig’s List ad and here.

And, of course, the situation with transients/homeless continually troubled the Southern Humboldt community. Here’s just one story.

One of the biggest stories from my point of view was the change from being on my own to being included in the Lost Coast Outpost.   Here’s to a New Year and a new set of circumstances.  Thanks to everybody who commented and contributed.  This blog exists because of you.