Stephen Howard Emmes
Born April 7, 1949, died October 17, 2025

Stephen (Steve) Emmes loving husband, loyal son, talented artist, woodworker and active community member died at his home in Olga on Orcas Island. Steve is survived by his wife, Lynn Emmes, brother Ken, and children Emery and Merry and his grandchildren Carter and Madeline Emmes.

Born in Pasadena, Steve was the oldest of two sons born to Ina Mae (Scottie) and Emery Emmes. Steve’s father, Emery, was a High School wood working teacher and his mother a Registered Nurse. Emery was an influential model for Steve and taught him basic wood-working skills. Steve took these skills to new heights in an extraordinary career as a wood artist and sculptor of furniture, cabinetry, toys, lamps and other practical but beautiful wooden items.

Steve moved to Arcata in 1966 to attend Humboldt State University (now Cal Poly Humboldt). He met fellow student Helen Wetherell and they married in 1978 and had two children, Emery and Merry.

Steve completed a bachelor’s degree from HSU majoring in psychology but was never destined to be a psychologist. After graduation he worked as a truck driver, handy man and contractor before opening a wood shop to begin his wood working career.

Steve’s strong parental/family commitment was demonstrated in 2001 when Merry was diagnosed with leukemia at age 19. Although, divorced, Helen and Steve shared their support cooperatively of Merry by living part time in San Francisco for months while her disease was being treated. Merry survived but was permanently affected by the chemotherapy medications.

In 2003 Steve met his new wife-to-be be as they were discussing a business matter in Eureka California. Steve was a contractor/cabinet maker at that time and Lynn was the manager of the Jo Ann Fabrics store in Eureka. Their romance was sealed a few years later when they were married in Steve’s shop, a converted barn.

In 2006 Steve and Lynn moved to Orcas Island and became full time caregivers for Steve’s parents. Living in a small house with two aged elders in a new community was a challenge. Steve began work right away at the Island Hardware store to earn money and be able to build a large wood shop on his parents property. He completed 95% of the 2500 square foot building by himself. Lynn worked at a rental business in East Sound. Both were compassionate caregivers until the deaths of Scottie in 2008 and Emery in 2013.

In their new home Steve and Lynn soon became active community members and leaders. Steve was not only a wood worker but an experienced, enthusiastic sailor. He learned his sailing skills from his father. Steve learned quickly and became a passionate lifelong sailor. Steve served on the Board of the Wooden Boat Society and was a frequent participant in weekly sailing races in Westsound. Also Steve and Lynn joined the Orcas Island Yacht club, for which Steve’s father had served as Commodore.

After the death of Steve’s parents, Lynn and Steve became more active in Olga. Over time, Steve became President of the Olga Community Center, serving the Center for many years. Steve also became a member of Orcas Island Art Works, selling his functional creations there.

Olga Days, celebrated annually in July, has been the main community/cultural event for this coastal hamlet. This event is also a fund raiser for the Olga Community Center. Steve and Lynn have been the principal organizers of Olga Days for many years. Without their energy and leadership Olga Days would not be such a successful, popular island event Stephen (Steve) Emmes, artist, loving and committed husband and father, brother/friend, cabinet maker, kind, generous, loyal hardworking man, you are and will be sorely missed. May you rest in peace knowing you have lived well and are loved by many.

There will be a celebration of life for Steve at Mad River Grange, 110 Hatchery Road , Blue Lake on January 31, 2026 from 2-6 p.m. Finger food and beverages will be served. His remains will stay in Humboldt County.

For info about the celebration of life contact his son Emery at emeryemmes@gmail.com or 707-502-6168.

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Many local residents have been horrified by the news coming out of Minneapolis, where thousands of federal border enforcement agents have hunted down undocumented immigrants, clashed with protesters and fatally shot residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti. 

Many such residents showed up to Eureka City Hall Tuesday afternoon for the latest quarterly meeting of the city’s Board of Community Oversight of Police Practices (COPP), an advisory body to the city’s police department established in 2022. 

Fifteen residents addressed the board during the 30-minute public comment period at the outset of the meeting, with all but one seeking details about how EPD officers will response if agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) descend upon our own community.

Several speakers characterized ICE’s recent activities as domestic terrorism rather than law enforcement. 

“They are terrifying our people,” said one woman, who identified herself as a member of the anti-authoritarian group Indivisible. She said her children have Hispanic last names and wondered aloud whether they might be taken to a detention center and terrorized.

“In my lifetime, I have lived through many national disasters, but this is the worst that I could ever imagine,” said Kris Well, a speaker who said she spent her career working in health care. “People are dying in U.S. concentration camps unseen, and people are being executed on our streets for all to see.”

Several folks asked for specifics about what training EPD officers have had and whether they’d protect local residents from ICE agents if necessary.

“I’m asking for communication on what EPD expects of community members to keep ourselves safe,” said local nurse Brian Terry, who, at 37, is the same age as both Good and Pretti.

While the speakers had nothing but scorn for ICE, several of them made a point of commending EPD for protecting protesters during recent well-attended anti-ICE demonstrations at the county courthouse. A woman named Krista Boardman, for example, praised the city’s Crisis Alternative Response Eureka (CARE) program while encouraging the department to build trust with migrant communities. 

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Members of the COPP board said they shared the concerns and opinions of public speakers. Board member Lawrence Giventer, in a prepared personal statement, described the thousands of federal agents in Minneapolis as a “militia” that often dresses in “military-like costumes” with helmets and face masks.

“They are armed with and readily use lethal and less than lethal munitions, including handguns, chemical irritants and various grenades … ,” he said. “They act with impunity, violently profiling, targeting and assaulting men, women and children without reasonable suspicion, probable cause or judicial warrant.”

These agents should not be considered law enforcement, Giventer said, because real police officers are “vetted, educated, well-trained professionals [who are] supervised and accountable to local and state elected officials and courts.”

Fellow board member Raul said it’s important for the community to have more information: “Has there been discussions as to, if there are incidents in Eureka, what could EPD do? What might their response be? Or how they would expect to behave?”

Unfortunately for those seeking specific responses, this ICE discussion was not on the meeting’s prepared agenda, which meant city officials couldn’t do any deliberations on the matter. However, City Manager Miles Slattery made some general comments.

Eureka Police Chief Brian Stephens.

“EPD is trained on all instances, as well as anything related to public safety, and this would be a public safety issue, and they’ve been trained on that,” he said. “We have been in discussions about putting out some information, which will likely happen. We’re going to still discuss it internally and we’ll put out that information.”

Slattery said there will be more information coming to the public in the near future. 

A board member asked whether city leaders could take recommendations based on what they’d heard over the course of the meeting, and Slattery noted that COPP is an oversight board rather than the type of government body that can provide policy direction.

“But we’ll definitely be addressing this issue as best we can,” he said.

You can watch the full meeting below.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Jan. 28, 2026, at approximately 12:17 a.m., the Humboldt County Emergency Communications Center received a report of a physical assault that occurred at a residence located in the Campbell Field Housing Complex in Hoopa.  The reporting party advised that 45-year-old Phillip Donahue of Hoopa struck an individual in the head with a garden tool.

 While deputies were en route they were advised that emergency medical personnel were on scene with the victim.  Upon arrival, responding deputies met with the 40-year-old victim and obtained his statement.

The victim reported he was helping a friend retrieve some belongings from Donahue’s residence when Donahue approached him from behind and struck him on the side of the head with the garden tool.

The victim sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Deputies searched the area for Donahue and were unable to locate him.

During their investigation through witness statements and physical evidence, deputies developed the probable cause to arrest Donahue. A county wide bulletin was issued for the arrest of Donahue on charges of PC 245(a)(1) Assault with a Deadly Weapon.

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.

This weekend, Friday through Sunday, is shaping up as one massive fundraiser for businesses and residents affected by the Jan. 2 fire in downtown Arcata that leveled several businesses and left several more people homeless.

There is a massive and growing list of Arcata businesses that are pledging some portion of their revenues to fire recovery throughout the weekend. If you’re on Facebook, you can find a gargantuan, disorganized and ever-updating list of such businesses at this link. If you’re not on Facebook, you can check the not-so-complete or dynamic list at the Chamber of Commerce. But probably wherever you go in Arcata you’ll easily find a participating business.

[PSST! Some other Humboldt people are calling for a one-day general strike this Friday — no work, no school, no spending — in solidarity with other such calls around the nation. You will have to consult your conscience as to whether there is an exemption for this good, local cause.]

The centerpiece of the whole weekend is a huge three-day benefit concert at HumBrews, with dozens and dozens of local music acts. (Look for a poster at the bottom of this page.) Our colleagues at radio station KHUM-FM are going to be very active at this thing — DJ Toby Tullis is hosting for a couple days on one or more stages, which DJ Jordan Dobbins will be broadcasting live from the event on Saturday afternoon.

Want a preview? Check out Toby’s conversation with event organizer Brian Swizlow and Shelley Ruhl, the owner of HumBrews, at this link.

On Sunday, the city Arcata Chamber is putting on a HEROES PARADE to honor first responders. The parade will take place on and around the Arcata Plaza from noon to 1 p.m. 

Want more detail on this thing? KSLG-FM DJ Dale Cooper — another colleague! — talked with parade organizer Amy Bohner and Arcata Fire Chief Chris Emmons on the radio the other day. Here’s audio of that:

Amy Bohner and Chris Emmons on KSLG

SATURDAY SCHEDULE:

HumBrews Main Stage:

12:50-1:20: Harmonic Howl
130-2:00: Bigfoot County
210-2:40: Claire Bent & Citizen Funk
2:40-3:00: DJ Pressure
3:00-3:30: Big8
4:30-5:00: Naive Melodies
5-10-5:40: Down & Dirty
5:45-6:15: 42 Bux
6:25-6:55: The Mystery Lounge feat. Flo J Simpson, NacOne, Zig Zilla plus DJ Just One
7:05-7:35: Bump Foundation
745-8:15: RAMHTP
8:15-8:25: Humboldt Rockers
8:30-9:00: Object Heavy
9:10-9:40: Checkered Past
9:50-10:20: California Poppies
10:30-11:00: The Undercovers
11:00-11:40: DJ Just One
11:40-12:20: Rufkraft
12:20-1:00: Scribz

HumBrews Window Stage:

12:00-12:45: Soul Party/Goldylocks
1:00-1:45: Sarah Torres
2:00-2:45: Dead On
3:00-3:45: Zach Alder
4:00-4:45: Lyndsey Battle
5:00-5:45: A Banjo Makes Three
6:00-6:45: JeffKelley
7:00-7:45: Rich LaPreziosa
9:20-10:05: HotFoot

SUNDAY SCHEDULE:

HumBrews Main Stage:

1:30-2:00: The Rough Cuts
2:10-2:40: Uncredible Phin Band
2:50-3:20: Mark Sailors & Friends
3:30-4:00: Jesse Mills Band
4:10-4:40: War Möth
4:50-5:20: MSB
5:30-6:00: Soul Trip
6:10-6:40: The Mighty Dynamites
6:50-7:20: Jacki & The Jollies
7:30-8:00: Irie Rockers
8:10-8:40: Rooster McClintock

HumBrews Window Stage:

1:00-1:30: Oryan Peterson-Jones
1:30-3:00: DJ Riggs
3:00-3:45: Kray Van Kirk
4:00-4:45: Layla Dias
5:00-5:45: Moonstone Ramblers
6:00-6:45: Los Chicharrones
7:00-7:45: Free Limitless Energy

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday walked through a detailed 2026 legislative platform, fine-tuning goals for the county’s lobbying efforts in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. While doing so, supervisors and contract lobbyists outlined the lay of the land: big budget deficits for both the county and the state and a national political landscape that’s rife with uncertainty. 

This is an annual task, the drafting of legislative positions, and while it can be tough to make plans on such unstable footing, the board managed to articulate priorities around health care, housing, climate resilience, cannabis and emergency services. 

The platform, drafted by county staff and hired lobbyists, lays out Humboldt County’s positions of support or opposition on various state and federal bills and establishes a standing wish list for funding allocations.

HR 1 and the Safety Net

Much of the board’s conversation centered on HR 1, aka President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which will shift costs and workloads onto counties by tightening eligibility rules for such programs as SNAP/CalFresh and Medi-Cal.

Karen Lange, a state-level lobbyist with the Sacramento firm of Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer and Lange, warned that counties will be forced to do “more with respect to qualifying people for services” with no new resources, while also facing the return of medically indigent adults (meaning uninsured low-income folks) to county responsibility.

A federal lobbyist, Joe Krahn with Paragon Government Relations, referenced the potential for another government shutdown in the wake of the recent killings of ICU nurse Alex Pretti and Renée Good by federal border agents in Minneapolis.

“There are congressional Democrats are looking to pull out the Department of Homeland Security funding separated from other bills and trying to extract some policy changes within that, and some congressional Republicans are pushing back on that,” Krahn said. “So there’s a lot of back and forth on the budget.”

Supervisors repeatedly described HR 1’s impact as “very serious,” with Third District Supervisor and Board Chair Mike Wilson making a pointed elaboration. Referring to the Trump administration, he said, “Their attacks on rural America [are] just insane.”

He cited cuts to services related to health care, food subsidies, transportation and more and said, “The impacts to people in rural communities — in terms of infrastructure and funding for the things that keep our life and civilization together — is under attack, and it’s just terrible.”

Health, Housing and Homelessness

Deputy County Administrative Officer Sean Quincey outlined a specific list of the county’s top legislative priorities, many of which relate to health and human services. He specifically mentioned:

• Protecting funding for permanent supportive housing and homelessness programs,
• Securing state and federal funding to hire more eligibility workers,
• Protecting funding for indigent health programs,
• Preserving and fully funding Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Round 6, 
• Supporting policy fixes to avoid federal and state cost shifts onto local government, and
• Maintaining Medi-Cal coverage for vulnerable residents.

The county’s public health lab emerged as a top project, with callers urging supervisors to rank it first on both state and federal earmark lists, citing a “bleak” outlook for local health care capacity.

Climate, Cannabis and Timberlands

Another major plank of the county’s legislative platform, on both the state and federal levels, is advocacy for improved climate resiliency. Just last month the county adopted its long-awaited Climate Action Plan, setting greenhouse gas emissions thresholds. Quincey said the county is requesting additional tools for reducing such emissions.

New to the county’s platform this year is formal opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling, a stand deemed necessary given the Trump administration’s stated plans to open up West Coast lease areas for that purpose.

At the same time, the county is pushing to keep aggressive timelines for offshore wind development, which Quincey framed as a major economic and climate opportunity despite “federal headwinds.” (No indication whether or not that pun was intended.) He noted that efforts on this front will require a lot of staff time, but those efforts are not eligible for federal funding under any existing programs.

In terms of cannabis, which Trump has moved to reschedule, the platform supports the long-delayed Appellations of Origin program at the state level. Ross Gordon of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance and the Origins Council called it a “significant economic development opportunity” for Humboldt County farmers if backed with financial and technical support from the state.

The document also seeks clarification on the definition of commercial timberlands. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone said this clarity is crucial for supporting volunteer fire departments. He also noted the importance of emergency response services on all local highways, including 299, 101, 96 and 36.

In terms of specific budget requests, known as earmarks, Quincey identified three at the federal level: 

• $5 million for a new public health lab,
• “Complete Streets” improvements to Redwood Drive in Garberville, and
• Coastal stabilization and engineering work for Scenic Drive near Trinidad.

State budget requests mirror that list while putting offshore wind capacity-building at the top of the list and seeking $700,000-$800,000 for a document digitization project for the Planning and Building Department.

Wilson emphasized the county’s opposition to state legislation that expands state discretion over billboards at the expense of local control, and Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo voiced her support for the addition of that stance in the platform. 

Supervisors signaled broad support for the platform and directed staff to make minor additions, including clearer support for public transit. Arroyo made the motion to adopt the platform; Wilson seconded. The motion passed 4-1, with First District Supervisor Rex Bohn casting the lone dissenting vote. He didn’t explain his reasoning.

Measure S Officially Repealed

Yes, the board indicated that it repealing the county’s commercial cannabis tax three months ago, but an additional hearing was required to effectuate that decision. 

Madrone asked a question that many others have raised: “I had always understood that only the citizens could actually repeal this, because it was a citizens-based initiative. … So are we actually repealing this? Or are we just sort of setting [the tax rate] at zero until somebody changes it again?”

Deputy County Counsel Joel Blair Campbell, who was sitting next to Quincey during this part of the meeting, explained that the original language of Measure S granted the board the power to “repeal any or all” of the chapter, and that the tax could later be re-enacted so long as the amount doesn’t exceed the original rates. 

“Maybe a helpful way to think about it is: Measure S is not repealed, because the voters enacted that, but the ordinance and the county code — the chapter — is repealed,” Campbell said.

Bohn said he liked having the word “repeal” in there. “It’s for future boards to know how serious we were about it,” he said as he made a motion to make the repeal official. The motion was adopted 4-0, with Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell recusing herself. 

New Planning Commissioner, Same as the Old Planning Commissioner

Lorna McFarlane, past and future planning commissioner. | Screenshot.

Lorna McFarlane, a senior environmental scientist with Caltrans, has been serving as an at-large member of the Humboldt County Planning Commission since March 2024. The board recently shortened term lengths for at-large commissioners to just two years, so McFarlane’s term was up.

County staff posted notice of the pending vacancy. However, no one but McFarlane herself applied. 

Thankfully, everyone seems satisfied with her performance on that deliberative body. Addressing the board, she said she learned a lot in her first term and on multiple occasions came up with solutions that resolved disagreements among other commissioners. 

Wilson said he’s “very, very happy” with the work she’s done. Bohn motioned to re-appoint her. The rest of the supervisors voiced support, and the vote was unanimous.

PREVIOUSLY

• Meet Cal Poly Humboldt’s Next President, Richard A. Carvajal, Who Grew Up Here
• Interim Cal Poly Humboldt President Michael Spagna Thanks Campus Community and Welcomes His Successor

Cal Poly Humboldt’s last two presidents both quit after five years — one went into consulting, the other into hiding — but CPH’s brand-new president Richard Carvajal told the Outpost on Friday he was staking his claim. 

“I will finish my career here, whether it’s one year or 21 years,” Carvajal said. “I hope it’s not one. I hope it’s a lot longer. This is where I will end my career, because it’s a place that I want to truly make better.”

Though he spent 15 years of his career in Georgia (enough to give his voice a hint of twang), Carvajal’s not a stranger to the area. His family moved to Eureka during early childhood, then Hydesville and Carlotta. They moved when Carvajal was in middle school, but Humboldt impressed them. Carvajal said he “dreamed” about coming back when he was a kid; his mother cried when he told her he’d been made the president. He’d expected to finish out his career in Georgia, but felt compelled to accept the offer — he didn’t want to pass up on the chance to participate during a historic time for the university.

He was unable to answer questions about what specific changes he hopes to implement at the university and how’d they’d affect the county, but he said that was because he didn’t come into the job with an agenda and had only been back in Humboldt since Jan. 9. He spent only four of those days working. (We also only had 15 minutes to chat, so the ability to ask detailed follow-up questions and answer them was limited.) Carvajal said that he wanted to hear opinions from his staff and other well-informed people on the issues facing the university and Humboldt County, as well as what they loved and what didn’t need changing. Their answers will determine what he decides to focus on. 

Carvajal said he watched this 2024 forum, in which students and community members told the CSU’s board of trustees what kind of qualities they wanted the next president to have, several times.

“What I heard people consistently saying was that in an ideal world, they wanted someone who loved and appreciated and knew this place,” Carvajal said. “Of course, they wanted somebody who knew how to do the job… I think it uniquely qualifies me, because I come in on day one with a unique and sincere appreciation for what makes this place special.”

He was able to paint some broad strokes, emphasizing his commitment to improving both STEM and humanities programs. Keeping graduates around is also important, he said, for starting businesses and employing workers that will keep the economy afloat. He’s heard from people who are excited for CPH’s Healthcare Hub, excited to have more nurses and engineers around, excited to see the investments the state and local communities have put into CPH pay off.

But the main point Carvajal made was simply that he loves Humboldt. He spent the day after he returned in the redwoods and at the beach. He’s enjoyed going out and meeting people at basketball games and donut giveaways, and plans to be seen often; he got a shoutout at the State of the City, ate with the College of the Redwood’s President Keith Flamer, attended some student club meetings, got some hiking trail recommendations and fishing trip invitations. 

“I love being here,” he said. “I can’t tell you the number of people who have said to me, ‘Welcome home.’ I can’t tell you how much that means to me…This is very, very personal to my family, that we’re here. So I want folks to know that it matters to me. This is very special to me. I want to dive into this work, because I want to make this place that helped make me me even better.”

UPDATE: Oopsie doodle! The original version of this post was an old press release that the Fortuna Police sent out accidentally, and which we did not notice was old. Apologies.

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Press release from the Fortuna Police Department:

On January 23, 2026 at approximately 12:55 AM Fortuna Police Department Officer conducted a vehicle investigation on two suspicious vehicles occupied by adult male subjects in the 700 block of S. Fortuna Blvd.

As a result of the investigation Maxwell Elliot (age 30) of Fortuna was found to be in possession of over 20 grams of suspected Methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm caliber handgun on his person.

Elliot was taken into custody and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charges:

• PC 2900(a)(1) – Felon in Possession of Firearm
• PC 25850(a) – Carry Concealed Loaded Firearm in Public
• PC 1203.2 – Violation of Probation
• H&S 11370.1(a) – Possession of Controlled Substance While Armed
• H&S 11379(a) – Transportation of Controlled Substances

The Fortuna Police Department remains dedicated to maintaining a safe community and we appreciate our observant dedicated officers and all the work they do.

If you observe suspicious or suspected criminal behavior in Fortuna please call and report it. We can be reached at (707)725-7550.