California State Parks release:

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park campground, visitor center, and day-use area will be closed until June 25, 2025, due to the full road closure on Highway 36. The closure is located .5 miles west of the campground entrance and is a result of an active landslide. Campground reservations will be canceled and refunded through ReserveCalifornia. North Coast Redwoods District leadership are reminding the public to stay away from the area for safety purposes. Cheatham Grove is not affected by the road closure as it is located west of the landslide.

California State Parks will apprise the public about the estimated facilities reopening as soon as the assessment and road re-opening plan is determined by Caltrans.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• (AUDIO) Ike Sperling, Fourth Grade Spelling Bee Champ, Drops By KHUM to Celebrate the Big Win

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When we last checked in with Ike Sperling, the Jacoby Creek fourth-grader who currently reigns as Humboldt’s top speller, he was prepping for the Scripps National Spelling Bee back in the Washington D.C. area.

Well, Scripps has come and gone. Did it go exactly how Ike hoped it would go? Not exactly. 

But as he recently told KHUM DJ Toby Tullis, who holds down the KHUM Kids beat from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on your airwaves every morning, several important life lessons were learned, and you can expect even more formidable performances from Ike — not only in spelling, but in other walks of life too — in years to come.

The audio and transcript of their conversation can be found below.

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

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Gov. Gavin Newsom had a fleeting win against President Trump last week when a federal judge handed down an order that would have halted Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles. Within hours of that decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals suspended the ruling, allowing the troops to remain under Trump’s control.

Today, the appeals court is scheduled to pick up where it left off in Newsom’s challenge to Trump’s order.The narrow focus of the hearing — and the expected order from the judges sometime this week — has massive implications for California. Namely: Can Newsom reclaim command of the National Guard against Trump’s wishes?The tenor of the legal arguments is fierce, mirroring the growing intensity in the quickly devolving relations between Trump and Newsom.

Last week, Newsom likened Trump to “failed dictators.” Trump’s legal team’s arguments “are terrifying,” Newsom’s team wrote to the panel of judges overseeing the hearing today.On Sunday, Trump denounced “radical left Democrats as “sick of mind” who “hate our country” on social media. “We must expand efforts to detain and deport Illegal Aliens in America’s largest Cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where Millions upon Millions of Illegal Aliens reside,” he declared.

The arguments will play out in front of a three-judge panel, two of whom were appointed by Trump and one by former President Joe Biden, a Democrat.This isn’t the only hearing that’ll determine who gets control of the 4,000 guard members Trump deployed since June 7, after protests in the Los Angeles area erupted in response to federal immigration officers raiding work sites and arresting individuals they say are in the U.S. without authorization. Those protests were in full force over the weekend.

On Friday, the lower court judge who initially sided with Newsom’s lawyers is expected to hold a hearing on whether to issue a preliminary injunction blocking Trump’s deployment of military personnel, including the Guard, to Los Angeles. For Newsom’s legal team to prevail in that hearing, they’ll have to clear a higher threshold of scrutiny. That’s because anyone seeking a preliminary injunction must demonstrate that the merits of their arguments will likely prevail in the full trial.But while the hearings this week and last are occurring before different judges in different courts, the arguments are similar. Trump’s team says there’s rebellion in the streets. Newsom’s team says local police can handle protesters and that sending in federal forces further inflames tensions.

Trump’s lawyers say this isn’t even a subject the courts can weigh in on, since the president has full discretion on when to use the military. Newsom’s lawyers — and the lower court judge, Charles Breyer — say “that argument fails.”The attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice who are representing Trump have so far argued that the president was in his right to order the National Guard under the law that he cited last Saturday. Trump wrote last week that “incidents of violence and disorder” occurred in L.A. in his message to call up the National Guard. His lawyers continue to maintain that the Los Angeles protesters represented “a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority” of the U.S. government — the very language in the law that permits a president to federalize a state’s National Guard.

Much of this week’s hearings rests on what powers the president has under that specific federal law. But Trump hasn’t invoked the full suite of his legal powers to send in the military to California. That would mean triggering the Insurrection Act, which would permit the armed forces to act as law enforcement. Presently, the National Guard is supposed to protect federal property and officers.That’s why Newsom’s legal team tossed in a footnote in their argument to the appeals court that even if the National Guard isn’t returned to Newsom’s control, Trump should still be blocked from having the Guard perform “law-enforcement activities beyond the protection of federal buildings and personnel at those facilities.”The White House legal team also argues that contrary to what Newsom’s team says, a president under this federal law doesn’t need the formal approval of a state governor to call up the National Guard.Lawyers from the California’s Department of Justice who are representing Newsom argue that only once before has a president invoked this law to call up the National Guard; President Richard Nixon did so in 1970 to deliver the mail during a U.S. Postal Service strike.

The National Guard in the Nixon era stepped in to effectively replace the 200,000 workers who were withholding their labor. But in Los Angeles, thousands of law enforcement from local and county agencies patrolled the streets during the protests and arrested hundreds of people, Newsom’s lawyers wrote. There’s no shortage of law enforcement to quell the pockets of unrest in Los Angeles, they wrote.

According to a Trump filing, “the crowd of protestors outside the federal building on June 6 that prompted the initial federalization order …had fully dispersed within about four hours of LAPD’s arrival,” Newsom’s legal team wrote in a filing Sunday.

“As the district court found based on the record evidence, the circumstances here do not remotely amount to a ‘rebellion or danger of a rebellion,’” Newsom’s legal team wrote.

In Loving Memory of Beverly June Westman (Larsen)
June 7, 1931 – June 13, 2025

Beverly June Westman, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family. Born on June 7, 1931, Beverly lived a joyful and purpose-filled life rooted in love, service, and gratitude.

She married Harold Westman on June 27, 1954, and together they raised three children: Jeffery (Bobbi), Jennifer (Eric), and Tom (Anna). Beverly was a loving grandmother to Sheila (Wes), Tori (Mike), Gerald, and Thomas (Jessica). She was also a proud great-grandmother to: Kayla, Isaiah, Brooke, Logan, Sierra, and Jamison. Beverly earned her degree in education from Humboldt State University and went on to teach elementary school at Peninsula Union Elementary School in Samoa. After retirement she taught at Glen Paul School in Eureka. Her devotion to her students and passion for teaching left a lasting impact on generations of young learners in Humboldt County.

Beyond the classroom, Beverly was a dedicated community member who volunteered at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. She was also an avid horsewoman and active member of the Northern California Horsemen Association and the Back Country Horsemen Association Redwood Unit. Beverly’s deep love for horses led her to ride in the Reno Cattle Drive three times, take part in an Icelandic horse riding event, and enjoy countless other horseback adventures throughout her life with her daughter and friends. At an inspiring 82 years old, Beverly completed the Buffalo Round Up, becoming one of the oldest participants to do so.

Beverly and Harold shared a deep love for adventure, traveling across the United States in their camper, including unforgettable journeys through Canada and all the way up to Alaska.

A graveside service will be held for family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to the Back Country Horseman of California Redwood Unit, bchredwoodunit@gmail.com or to a local charity of your choosing.

Harold and Beverly were deeply thankful for their life together with family and gave all glory to the Lord for His many blessings. The Westman family also wish to express heartfelt gratitude to the many neighbors and friends who have become like family over the years.

Sincerely, The Westman Family

Graveside Service
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 02:00 PM
Ocean View Cemetery
3975 Broadway St.
Eureka, CA 95503

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Linda Lee Sanders, age 71, passed away peacefully on May 31, 2025, at 5:59 a.m. in Eureka, Born in Modesto, California, she moved to Fortuna at the age of 9, where she spent the rest of her life touching countless hearts.

Linda was a crafty, generous soul who truly lived by the phrase “give the shirt off your back ”— and she often did. She never met a stranger, opening her heart and home to anyone in need. Whether it was picking up hitchhikers and bringing them to Thanksgiving dinner or making friends wherever she went, Linda’s warmth and compassion knew no bounds.

Her laughter, kindness, and fierce spirit brought together a circle of friends so large, it defies counting. She was a light in every room, and her absence will be deeply felt by all who knew her.

Linda is survived by her loving daughter Tonya Sharp, and her sons Dustin Corderio and Kenny Pires, her sisters Debra West , Sandra Allen , and brother Jack Sanders, and stepdaughter Glenda Sowvlen (oden), her seven grandkids and two great-grandkids, countless nieces and nephews . She is also remembered with deep affection by her chosen family and dear friends Tim Bayless, Amanda Koontz, Pam Buckley, Cassie Campbell, Jeanie Olson and so many more.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Faye Sheets, and her brothers Vernon Sanders, Jerry Brennan, and Loren “Peewee” Vanhoorebeke.

A celebration of life will be at Sequoia Park July 20 2025 at 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. Please, if you can, RSVP at lindasmemorial@gmail.com. Its going to be a potluck — have food as well . All who knew and loved Linda are welcome to join in honoring the beautiful legacy she leaves.

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David Leo Phillis,79, passed away peacefully at home in Arcata on March 25, 2025, surrounded by his family. Dave was born in Waterloo, Iowa, moving to Lakewood, California at the age of six where he grew up with his siblings, Janie, Connie, and Mike. After earning a business degree from Long Beach State in 1970, he followed his passions north to Humboldt, enrolling in art and music classes — two lifelong interests.

When Dave took an interest in something, he fully immersed himself. His passions included family, sports, gardening, music, and art. He brought a can-do attitude and an artistic touch to everything he did - be it home renovation, gardening, cooking, photography or the art of simply emptying a paint can.

Dave was known for his unassuming manner and ever-present, wry sense of humor. To be a friend (or even a doctor) of Dave’s, a shared sense of humor was essential.

Sports was an ever-present through-line in Dave’s life, from sandlot baseball and pick-up basketball as a young boy in the 50s, to many years of coaching the youth of Arcata and McKinleyville. In his early Humboldt days, he especially enjoyed playing beer league softball for the North Bay Grease, where he was notoriously christened “Dave the Rave”. His first coaching gig, which was with a women’s softball team (the “Lardettes”), became life-changing when he met Cathy (aka Stretch). They soon married and welcomed two sons, Corey and Morgan. He was a devoted husband and father… a true family man. He coached not only his own kids but a whole generation of Humboldt youth in baseball, soccer, and basketball. He loved the camaraderie of a team and found deep joy in teaching skills that built confidence and character well beyond the playing field.

Dave was a talented gardener nurturing trees from seeds, tending his bonsais and propagating almost all his plants from cuttings. Gardening without fences on Fickle Hill is no easy task as deer, moles, slugs and bears all visit with their own agenda. He waged these battles with the same zeal and lack of success as the gopher-obsessed groundskeeper from Caddyshack.….so yep cursing could occasionally be heard. However, the garden was truly his happy place and source of joy. After a long day of toiling in the garden he loved to feed the birds, watch the squirrels frolic and just relax on the deck admiring the beauty.

Though not a performer Dave was an avid guitarist, playing daily oftentimes for hours on end. After the birth of his granddaughter Kira, he took up songwriting, composing songs for and about her. Nothing pleased him more than watching his grandchildren, Kira and Miles, dance to his strumming. He often remarked that they were the absolute best therapy and that no medicine could provide the lift and happiness that the time spent with them provided.

Amazingly, amidst all his passions Dave did find time for a day job. If you spent time in downtown Arcata, you may remember him from Bubbles, where he spent a 35-year career. There, again, he enjoyed being part of a team. Although he often hid out in the back or at the lab he especially enjoyed it when a customer turned out to be an old friend or full grown, now adult, former little leaguer who stopped in to catch up. His dry wit, curiosity, and steady presence helped keep him connected to the Arcata community.

Dave lived a rich, full life marked by love, laughter, and quiet creativity. He will be remembered for his gentle heart, sharp wit, and unwavering dedication to the people and passions that defined him.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ellis and Faye Phillis, brother Mike Phillis, and sister Connie Yopp. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Cathy Phillis; sister Janie Erwin (Bill); sons Corey Phillis (Alison Collins) and Morgan Phillis; grandchildren Kira and Miles Phillis and numerous nieces and nephews.

He will be deeply missed.

Friends are invited to join us to celebrate Dave’s life at 1 p.m. on July 6th at Septentrio Winery in Arcata.

Press release from the City of Arcata:

You and your four-legged friends are invited to celebrate the completion of the Valley West Dog Park at a Ribbon Cutting ceremony on Wednesday, June 18th!

For many years, the City of Arcata has heard from the community about the need for an off-leash dog park. Now, the Valley West Dog Park has been completed and is ready for action! The park features a fenced area for off-leash dogs, a doggie drinking fountain and a bench/ADA access pad.

To celebrate the completion of Arcata’s new off-leash dog park, a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held on Wednesday, June 18 at 4:30 p.m. All community members are invited to come to the celebration, especially those with a furry friend eager to try out the new space! The park is located at 1340 Hallen Dr. in Arcata.

Funding for the Valley West Dog Park was made possible by the City of Arcata’s General Fund. City Parks staff led the development of the park amenities and equipment while Miller Farms Nursery assisted with the fencing.