(AUDIO) Get Out and Play Day

What started out as a community softball game 11 years ago has evolved into an all day event in Eureka promoting people of all ages to GET OUT AND PLAY!

Get Out & Play Day is an annual event hosted on the last Saturday of July to celebrate recreation in Eureka. There are a variety of events and activities taking place at over 15 different locations all over the City of Eureka, and they are all FREE for participants.

Toby in the Morning sat down with Community Service Supervisor Jim Thomas and Community Service Coordinator Catherine Cunningham on KHUM to discuss the ins and outs of this amazing event with a multitude of moving parts.

Happening Saturday July 26th at multiple locations head over to getoutandplayday.com to download the interactive map and passport and be sure to collect your stamps from every location as well as get involved with the amazing raffle drawing sponsored by so many of our amazing local businesses.

###

As plans for the Great Redwood Trail move steadily ahead, the agency overseeing the ambitious 300-mile rail-to-trail project is changing how it handles homeless encampments and illegal dumping on its remote, undeveloped stretches.

Map of the proposed Great Redwood Trail. Click to enlarge.

At its meeting last week, the Great Redwood Trail Agency (GRTA) Board of Directors approved contracts with two community-based organizations — The People of New Directions in Humboldt County and Friend of Boon in Mendocino County — to provide property management and on-the-ground supportive services to people experiencing homelessness on the trail. The groups will actively monitor undeveloped sections of the trail that are not yet open to the public or managed by local jurisdictions.

“This is our first step in actively managing our property and having eyes on the ground for regular monitoring to get a better sense of what’s happening in these remote areas and how we can best respond to it,” GRTA Executive Director Elaine Hogan told the Outpost during a recent phone interview. “We do sometimes get calls from neighbors about trash or someone sleeping in a remote area … that’s why regular property management and monitoring of our land is going to be really crucial moving forward.”

The People of New Directions, a self-described “social enterprise” led by McKinleyville resident John Shelter, employs formerly unhoused people to clean up former encampment sites all around Humboldt. His team is currently focused on rail lines in Arcata and Fortuna.

“We’ve pulled out about 12,000 pounds of trash off the railroad tracks there in Arcata,” Shelter told the Outpost. “Because the railroads have always been private property, it’s been difficult for anyone to do anything [about the garbage there]. People camp on or within the right-of-way of the tracks, but nobody can do anything about it because you have to get a letter from the property owner to get them out of there. In some cases, that’s where people have been storing their trash for years.”

Cleaning up illegal dump sites is the first step, Shelter said, but his ultimate goal is to help relocate unhoused people out of environmentally sensitive areas and into a more stable living situation.

“My heart goes out to the homeless population, and the only way we’re going to solve this is by working together,” he said. “As we clean this up and disrupt their lives, we’ve got to start thinking about where we put them. The whole idea is to get these people out and into an area where people feel more comfortable about working with [service providers]. That should be the end result of all of this.”

Down in Mendocino, Ukiah-based nonprofit Friend of Boon will provide similar services, with a specific focus on a 16-mile segment of trail between Willits in Ukiah.

“We’ve had a lot of issues with dumping just outside of the urban areas with developed trails where people tend to congregate,” Hogan said. “That’s something specific we want to try to address in Mendocino County. … Also, because Mendocino County doesn’t have street outreach teams like Humboldt [does] the contract is [more expensive] because we’re paying for them to have a social worker and a street medicine outreach team to be focused on our property.”

The trail agency’s one-year professional services agreement with Friend of Boon is nearly $126,000, twice as much as its $60,000 contract with The People of New Direction. 

Before signing on with the two local organizations, the GRTA contracted with Lear Asset Management, a private security firm with a long history in the Emerald Triangle. Over the last decade or so, the firm has been hired by private lumber companies to clear protestors from logging sites and assisted local, state and federal agencies in cannabis raids in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. Earlier this year, Lear’s CEO Paul Trouette, was charged with forcibly removing a woman from a town hall meeting in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. 

A recent article by SFGATE’s Matt LaFever highlighted Lear’s controversial history and questioned the GRTA’s motives for contracting with the security firm. LaFever’s reporting implied that the agency’s decision to cut ties with Lear was prompted by SFGATE’s inquiry into the matter, with public records indicating that the GRTA hadn’t issued a request for proposals until after it was contacted by the publication.

Hogan, however, disputed this claim, asserting that the GRTA inherited the contract from the North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) in 2022 after it assumed responsibility for the railroad corridor. She said the shift away from Lear has “been in the works for about a year and a half,” since she took the helm of the agency in January 2024.

“The documentation I found indicates that the [NCRA] started contracting with Lear around 2013,” Hogan explained. “I’m not sure exactly what that looked like, but what the contract indicated was weekly monitoring to prevent people from trespassing, reporting any issues found to the NCRA, and then working with local law enforcement to mitigate any serious issues. And just to clarify, the [GRTA] is the successor agency to the NCRA, right? We inherited all of their contract, all of their property … but we have a completely different mission and approach.”

Hogan and the agency’s board of directors selected community-based groups because they wanted to take a more “human-centered, service-based” approach to enforcement along the trail. GRTA Board Member and Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes told the Outpost that the agency “never wanted people to be mistreated or intimidated by a military-looking outfit.”

“This is something Elaine [Hogan] has been wanting to change for a long time,” Garnes said. “It’s unfortunate that it took this long, but that’s the way these things work sometimes — it always, always, always takes longer than expected. And now we have two companies saying, ‘Let’s do this the right way.’”

GRTA Board Member Jeff Hunerlach agreed, adding that the partnership with The People of New Directions and Friend of Boon will help the agency expand its capacity and better manage the expansive rail corridor.

“Before trail segments open to the public, GRTA’s priority is to manage undeveloped sections of its property to prevent misuse that leads to environmental degradation and begin cleaning up legacy issues left behind by the railroad,” Hunerlach wrote in an emailed statement. 

Reached for additional comment on the matter, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal worried that the community-based organizations wouldn’t be up to the task of patrolling the remote reaches of the trail in Southern Humboldt and Northern Mendocino.

“There’s 10 to 20 miles where [the rail line passes] through private property, and it’s going to be impossible for us to enforce anything along that trail, yet it is going to be our responsibility to do so,” Honsal said. “This is not a good idea. … If they’re really serious about that specific part of the trail, then they should make it a state park and have rangers patrol it. If it’s going to be us, they need to have a deputy sheriff — or two — assigned to the area to make sure it’s maintained and that people aren’t trespassing.”

Honsal said he “loved the idea” of the Great Redwood Trail, but felt the GRTA should reroute the trail to follow along an existing scenic thoroughfare, like Highway 101 or Avenue of the Giants. 

“If someone who needs immediate medical attention, an assault or something happens in the middle of these [remote] stretches, we’re going to have to get side-by-sides or something to get to these areas, because our patrol vehicles will not be able to access those areas,” he continued. “We don’t have a helicopter at HCSO, and the U.S. Coast Guard doesn’t have to do inland search and rescue … because it’s not their area of responsibility. … [The plan] is just poorly thought out, and it’s not really geared toward the safety of the people that use it.”

In a follow-up statement, Hogan emphasized that the board just approved its partnership with the new contractors, adding that the trail agency “is committed to taking a proactive, collaborative approach to ensure safety and accessibility for both the public and emergency responders.”

“At this stage, prior to trail development, we are focused on prevention and active monitoring of the corridor,” Hogan continued. “As the trail develops, GRTA is planning for a higher level of active management. Future plans include building out our own field operations staff to be stationed in the backcountry and trained as wilderness first responders, and creating new partnerships through contracts with local law enforcement agencies and volunteer fire departments. These future agreements will strengthen rural capacity and develop localized emergency response networks.”

The Great Redwood Trail is about 25 percent complete now that the long-awaited Humboldt Bay Trail South project is complete. Want to learn more? Check out the Great Redwood Trail Draft Master Plan at this link.

###

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

###

Dozens of California public broadcasting stations will lose millions of dollars in funding after Republicans in Congress voted to strip them of federal funding, cutting off a vital lifeline in rural communities and limiting access to local news programming in an era of hyperpartisan national media.

While California broadcasters are assuring audiences that they plan to keep their signals running, they also warn that cost-saving changes are inevitable.

Radio and television stations of all sizes across the Golden State say that to survive, they’ll likely be forced to lay off staff and cut programming unless they’re able to make up the losses through fundraising. Their leaders warn that the cuts will disproportionately harm locally produced programs, the most expensive to create but among their most popular content, that inform millions of listeners and viewers.

Republicans have long wanted to cut funding for public broadcasting, arguing such services should be funded by private donors, not taxpayers. Their efforts prevailed when Congress last week finalized President Donald Trump’s request to rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants to National Public Radio, the Public Broadcasting Service, their affiliates and other independent public media creators. All nine of California’s Republican members of Congress voted in favor of the funding cuts.

Now, roughly 35 stations from San Diego to Hoopa in Humboldt County have lost critical funding.

While many public broadcasters remain hopeful that they’ll find ways to endure, all agree the rescission undermines the egalitarian mission of public media – to create a nationwide network that provides access to quality information, stories and music for local communities.

“That has been our superpower,” said Joe Moore, president and general manager of KVPR Valley Public Radio in Fresno. His station lost about 7% of its budget, or $175,000, from the CPB.

“The New York Times doesn’t have the type of investment in Alaska or in North Dakota – or on tribal reservations, bringing local news from these communities – that public radio does.”

Smaller stations whose budgets relied heavily on federal dollars to make ends meet are the most at risk of closure. In Eureka, the community-owned PBS affiliate KEET-TV stands to lose $847,000 – nearly half of its operating budget – due to the defunding of CPB. To survive, all of its funding will need to come from community support, since the station has no institutional backer such as a local college or school district.

David Gordon, KEET’s general manager and executive director, says that as much as he hopes the station will stay afloat even at reduced capacity, he won’t make the same bold proclamation that, “We’re not going anywhere,” like some stations have.

“I can’t guarantee that KEET will be here once the dust settles from this defunding move,” Gordon said. He emphasized that he was speaking for himself and not on behalf of his station.

“I hope it is, and I think there’s a good chance that it’ll survive in some form. But absolutely will it? I don’t know if I can say that.”

Nearby, Mendocino-based NPR member station KZYX was forced to lay off its news director after losing 25% of its operating budget, or $174,000, from the CPB. That means news will include fewer in-depth stories, such as interviews with city council members or county supervisors, said Andre de Channes, KZYX’s general manager and director of operations.

“There isn’t the time to source out those kinds of things,” he said. “So the news gets more like a headline news.”

The station serves roughly 130,000 listeners, including in Mendocino County and part of Lake County. When de Channes first learned about the CPB cuts, he immediately worried about fire safety, since listeners who live in off-the-grid rural areas without access to internet or cell service rely on KZYX for emergency information.

Those potentially lifesaving emergency alerts became a rallying cry for public media providers and their allies as they begged Congress to preserve funding for their stations, especially those in remote, rural areas that also tend to be Republican. Frank Lanzone, the longtime general manager of the NPR-affiliated KCBX in San Luis Obispo, said his station has sometimes been the only on-air source providing emergency information during severe weather events.

“There’s been several times in very bad storms when we’re the only station on the air in our area because of either power outages or people’s generators ran out of propane,” said Lanzone, who has worked in public radio for more than 50 years.

KCBX, which serves about 45,000 listeners from Santa Barbara to Monterey, will lose $240,000 in funding from CPB, about 13% of its operating budget.

“It’s going to hurt the stations and the people that listen to them who need it the most,” Lanzone said. “The most vulnerable, the ones out in the middle of nowhere.”

Local programs are most at risk

Both radio and television station leaders emphasized that local programming – shows that are created and produced in-house rather than purchased from another producer – will be first on the chopping block. To produce locally focused public television programming, stations must invest additional time, money and work on top of the membership dues they pay to be affiliated with PBS, which unlocks a large catalogue of programming that they can air at no additional cost.

For PBS viewers in the Inland Empire, that likely means the loss of popular local programs such as “Inland Edition,” an Emmy-winning weekly half-hour public affairs show, and “Learn With Me,” an award-winning bilingual English-Spanish children’s show, both of which are produced in house by affiliate KVCR.

“The local stuff that’s so important to people is probably the stuff that’ll go away,” said Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR and a former Democratic state senator. The station stands to lose about $550,000 in annual CPB funding, about 6% of its budget.

She emphasized that the station also wanted to preserve its journalism staff – two full-time reporters and one part-time – who have recently focused on federal immigration raids taking place across the region.

“If we’re not here, the Inland Empire is just hearing about what’s happening in Los Angeles,” Leyva said. “We want to know what’s happening in our backyard, what’s happening at the schools around us, what’s happening at the Home Depots around us.”

Large stations and independents suffer too

While larger radio stations such as KQED in San Francisco are better equipped than their smaller counterparts to withstand the blow to their budgets, they too will lose massive chunks of funding that currently fund journalist positions and popular shows. Tony Marcano, who runs a statewide partnership network of 14 public radio stations and CalMatters known as the California Newsroom, said the loss of public funding will require even more collaboration.

“Smaller stations are likely to be more affected, but that doesn’t mean that the large stations are out of the woods,” Marcano said. “There’ll be pain.”

KQED, one of the country’s most listened-to public radio stations and the largest in California, laid off 45 employees earlier this month and lost 10 more from early retirement offers. The 15% reduction came on the eve of Congress passing the budget cuts and is KQED’s third round of layoffs in just five years. Though the station stressed that the cuts were due to longstanding financial challenges, KQED now stands to lose close to $8 million, or about 8% of its revenue.

LAist, the Los Angeles area’s largest NPR affiliate, laid off eight people earlier this year and has slashed 61 positions since 2023. It will lose $1.7 million in federal funding, about 4% of its budget.

The consequences go beyond newsroom staff and programming. The federal government funds repairs to transmission infrastructure and played a role in helping negotiate artist royalty fees on behalf of local stations.

Radio Bilingüe, a Central Valley-based organization that is one of the largest Spanish-language radio outlets and broadcasts throughout the U.S. and Mexico, was in the final stages of negotiations for a $1.1 million grant from the CPB to improve its transmission equipment, which hasn’t been updated since the 1980s. But the funding rollback means it will have to find the money elsewhere, said Hugo Morales, the group’s co-executive director and founder.

“You’re talking about transmitters that are 40 years old,” Morales said. “At some point, it’s going to give out, and we’re going to have to find somewhere else to raise the money for that.”

Morales also made the difficult decision earlier this year to cancel the construction of three additional stations across Arizona and New Mexico that would have primarily served rural communities and farm workers who don’t have access to broadband. The organization and its stations will lose $300,000 in annual CPB grants, roughly 7.5% of its yearly budget.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Radio Bilingüe shared vital information about testing centers, vaccine availability and how to sign up for social services in Spanish and Indigenous languages such as Mixteco and Triqui.

The loss of CPB funding will also jeopardize independent documentary filmmakers supported by the San Francisco-based ITVS, which Congress created in 1990 as an independent service with a mandate to increase diversity and innovation in public media. It received roughly 86% of its budget, $19 million, from federal grants.

ITVS leaders say the group has partnered with hundreds of independent filmmakers to co-produce more than 900 feature documentaries distributed to PBS stations nationwide.

“Public media is a space for all Americans,” said Carrie Lozano, the organization’s president and CEO. “These films are not partisan. They are, generally speaking, films that touch everybody’s lives. They are there in service of the public.”

In anticipation of the cuts, the organization laid off 13 employees in June, or roughly 20% of its staff. Lozano expects roughly 10 films to lose out on funding this year – a big cut from the 20 to 40 feature and short documentaries that ITVS typically funds every year. While the organization is determined to stay afloat, Lozano worries the loss of federal investment will prevent important stories from being told and create a domino effect on the rest of the ecosystem.

“There’s no question that this is a huge blow to the field,” Lozano said, “and to everything that surrounds it.”

Ruby Huck, our beloved “Granny,” passed away unexpectedly on June 17. She was the matriarch of the family, full of stories, quick wit, and sweetness until the very end.

Born and raised in Antlers, Oklahoma, Ruby often shared memories of her childhood, how her mother sewed her dresses from flour sacks and how the family would hitch up the team of horses to a wooden wagon to go into town. Every time she told that story, we’d pause and ask, “Wait… like, actual horses? A wooden wagon?” She’d just smile and say, “Times sure have changed, but memories last forever.” And so they do.

Ruby met the love of her life, August Huck, in 1948, and they were married for nearly 70 years before August passed away in 2012. Together, they built a life rooted in hard work, deep love, and fierce devotion to family. After building their own home and farming in Oklahoma, Ruby and August moved to Garberville, in 1954 in search of better opportunities for their young family. They raised four children Kathleen, Bill, Steve, and David among the towering redwoods, clear rivers, and beauty of Humboldt County. August and Ruby raised their four children on the family compound in Southern Humboldt. The siblings, close in age, shared a childhood full of laughter, adventure, and mischief, forging an unbreakable bond that has lasted a lifetime.

August and Ruby parented with love, patience, and the kind of flexibility that raising kids in the ’60s and ’70s required. It was on this strong foundation that their family grew, tight-knit, loving, and deeply rooted. These bonds have carried through the generations, connecting not only their children, but also their grandchildren and great-grandchildren in lasting, meaningful ways.

Granny and Poppy were a true team, whether raising a family or starting a stubborn logging truck. One memorable example: Poppy’s old ’50s Mac logging truck needed a pull to get going, and Granny, ever the fearless co-pilot in life, would tow him down West Coast Road with their 1960 Corvair. The trick? Build up just enough pressure so Poppy could stop before he ran the Corvair over. Somehow, they always pulled it off. It was chaotic, a little risky, and totally them. Together, they could make anything work and they instilled those independent MacGyver-like problem solving skills into their children and grandchildren. 

Granny was known for her kindness, patience, generosity, and her nonjudgmental heart. A talented photographer and passionate gardener, especially of roses, she also had a legendary green thumb and an unmatched skill for cooking. If it came out of a box, it didn’t come out of Granny’s kitchen. She cooked everything from scratch, always in cast iron, and we’re pretty sure her pans were seasoned with both butter and love. 

Granny and Poppy built not just a home, but a haven. Her children and grandchildren grew up on the family property, wild and free, playing in the woods, coated in dirt, returning at sunset to the sound of Granny ringing her bell. Meals were served at the sturdy picnic table that Poppy built, with dishes like Granny’s world famous blackberry pie making appearances more often than we probably deserved. As much as she loved her other hobbies, her greatest joy was raising her children, and being the best Granny to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Granny and Poppy devoted their time to loving and raising the next generations, offering free childcare, endless snacks, and a warm, safe place where you were always welcome. Summers spent with Granny were the stuff of childhood legend: blackberries to pick, rivers to swim in, and bedtime stories told in that soft southern drawl. We spent entire summers with our grandparents; and when it was time to leave, we would beg our parents to let us stay.

Granny especially cherished the yearly visits from the Texas cousins,  just this past summer, she was surrounded by even more great-grandbabies, squealing with joy and running amock at the family property. She had a special way of making every single person in the family feel important, loved, and completely accepted. Granny created such a special bond with her family that even as adults her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren were always present and loved spending time with her. 

Ruby had a soft spot for the Humboldt County Fair, and she made it a tradition to enter her grandchildren’s creations from pies to photos to jam, just to watch their faces light up when they won ribbons. She was our biggest fan, our constant cheerleader, and the quiet rock who held us all together.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, August, and her dear son David, who was tragically killed at the age of 15 by a drunk driver. While we ache from losing her, we find peace in knowing she is finally reunited with the son she missed every single day.

Ruby is survived by her children: Kathleen, Bill, and Steve. Her grandchildren: Lacey (Trevor), Haley (Cory), David (Jen), Micheal (Leah), Shiloh (Claire), Amber (Keith), and Tyler (Allison), and twelve great-grandchildren who will forever cherish blackberry-stained hands and memories wrapped in her love.

There will be a private burial at Garberville Cemetery at a later date. We would like to extend a special thank you to those who helped Granny remain in the home she loved.

She lived a long life full of love, laughter, and a close knit family. Granny leaves behind a legacy of warmth, grit, grace, and the kind of unconditional love that only a grandmother like her could give. We’ll miss her forever, but oh, how lucky we were to have her in our lives for so long.

###

Melvin (Sam) Roy McCornack passed away in his home June 15, 2025 at the age of 84 years. He was a long-time resident of Humboldt County.

He was well known for his bakery goods and elaborate wedding cakes. Melvin (Sam) and his wife purchased Mi-Mamma’s Bakery on Harris St. about 1969-70. After the closure of the bakery in 1980-81 he went to work for Hans, at Cherry Blossom Bakery in Henderson Center.

He was an avid hunter and loved to fish. He always looked forward to filling the freezer with fresh meat and salmon. Most weekends he could be found enjoying the outdoors and working in his garden. 

He and his wife were married for over 50 years and had five children together; David McCornack, Peggie Illman, Charlene Gift, Leah Fulk and Susie Martin. All which are surviving and living in California and Oregon. 14 grand-children and nine great-grand-children. 

Melvin is preceded in death by his father, Roy McCornack, Mother, Iola McCornack, his older sister, Nivea, younger sister BettyAnn and grand-daughter Karyssa Martin.

A celebration of life service to be announced at a later date.

Mary was born September 9, 1933 to Joseph & Mary Arruda in Eureka. She passed away on July 17, 2025.

She spent many of her childhood years living on the Fort Humboldt grounds with her parents and brothers, Joe, John and Frank. It was in her early teens when she met her future husband, Delbert Rocha Sr., who happened to be best friends with her brothers. Delbert and Mary later married in 1952 and had three children — Janet, Susan and Delbert Jr. Mary was a bookkeeper for various businesses and beside her husband ran dairies in Ferndale and Orland, and finally retiring in Orick.

After retirement they moved to Mckinleyville to be closer to town and doctor appointments. They attended Christ the King for many years until health issues caused her to stay home. She also enjoyed going to the casino on occasion, crossword and word puzzles, craft painting and watching the Game Show Network at home.

Mary passed away peacefully in Fortuna at her residence in Sequoia Springs Assisted Living. We would like to give a huge thank you to the staff there and Hospice of Humboldt for their loving care and support for the past few years.

Mary is survived by her daughter, Janet Rocha, granddaughter Amanda Harpe and grandson Christopher Lyons, along with great-grandchildren Kyndel & Landen Harpe and Gavin & Owen Lyons. She is preceeded in death by her husband Delbert, son Delbert Jr. and daughter Susan.

Per her wishes, no services will be held.

###

U.S. Coast Guard release below:

A Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay aircrew rescued one child from the water near Big Lagoon County Park, California, Thursday, July 17.

Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received a report at 4:06 p.m. of an 11-year-old female in the water from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched an Air Station Humboldt Bay MH-65E Dolphin helicopter aircrew and a Station Humboldt Bay 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew.

California State Parks Lifeguards initially responded to remove the girl from immediate danger in the surf zone to position themselves in safer waters until rescue crews arrived.

The helicopter aircrew arrived on scene at 4:36 p.m. and deployed a rescue swimmer via freefall. California State Parks Lifeguards transferred the child to the rescue swimmer, and the two were hoisted into the helicopter where the aircrew began treating the child for hypothermia-related symptoms.

The helicopter aircrew transferred the child to awaiting emergency medical services personnel for further transport to a higher level of care.