On the morning of August 22, 2024, the gates of heaven opened and gained another guardian angel when Caterina was reunited with her husband, Francesco.

Caterina was born in Brescia, Italy to Adele Pellegrini and Bortolo Pellini. She grew up alongside her two brothers, Emilio and Tino.

She met her future husband, Frank Stagnoli, while out dancing — a passion they continued to share for over 50 years. They married in Italy, where they went on to have two children — a son, Maurizio and daughter, Giuliana. Together the four of them immigrated to the United States in 1966. They landed in Humboldt County and made their home in Arcata.

Caterina enjoyed growing beautiful flowers in her garden, reading novels and cooking, especially lasagna, polenta, gnocchi, as well as her delicious biscotti and any wild game that Frank brought home. She was a great seamstress, loved doing sudoku puzzles, and of course, she loved ballroom dancing. Her children and grandchildren were her pride and joy. She belonged to the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy and was helpful in participating in events like their Chicken and Polenta Feed.

Caterina showed amazing strength, having survived World War II as a child with her family then leaving behind her family and friends to come to the United States with her husband and small children. She worked hard as a housekeeper, overcame breast cancer twice and lovingly cared for Frank during his illness. She always cared for her family in every way.

More recently she went to live at Timber Ridge, where she was the bingo queen. She was truly happy to live her final years in the company of others and doing the activities they offered.

She will be deeply missed by all who loved her, which include her son, Maurizio (Lisa), daughter, Giuliana, grandchildren, Anthony (Danielle), Bradley (Alejandra), Britany and great grandchildren, Simon, Remy, Vanessa, and Seth as well as numerous extended relatives. She was predeceased by her parents, brothers, husband, Francesco, and daughter-in-law Brenda.

The family wishes to thank Timber Ridge, where she was well cared for.

Arrangements are under the direction of Paul’s Chapel in Arcata. There will be a public visitation held Friday, September 13 from 4-6 p.m., immediately followed by the Rosary at 6 p.m.

Funeral Services will be Saturday, September 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Arcata. Private family interment following the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary’s Church or your favorite charity.

###

What is the most boring and painful part of every election season? What’s the most tedious task that you take upon yourself with every ballot, just to be a responsible citizen of a functioning democracy?

I’ll tell you what it is. It’s learning about the state ballot measures. First you have to cut through the hype to figure out what it is each proposition wants to accomplish. Then you have to try to school yourself at least a little bit on the topic at hand, to at least get some sense of whether what they want to accomplish is good or bad, according to your notions of “good” and “bad.” It’s a chore.

But not this year. This year you and your Lost Coast Outpost and our friends at CalMatters are all gonna get together and figure this stuff out together – live, in person and in communion – over drinks!

I’m calling it “BEER AND BALLOT MEASURES,” though the CalMatters people, who are actually doing the heavy lifting on this thing, have not yet approved that language.

Save the date: This is happening on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Old Town’s lovely North of Fourth bar (207 Third Street, Eureka).

What’s gonna happen at this shindig? Well, CalMatters is going to roll into town next week with tons of study material. At 6 p.m., after we’ve all settled in with our libations, they’ll be handing out non-partisan info on all 10 of the measures on the Nov. 5 ballot. There’ll be Q&A and discussion on each of them, led by people who have done the hard lifting to figure out what they’re all about.

And then more beer! And more discussion! Also, there are rumors that there will be pizza. Stay tuned.

If you are reading this and are 21 years of age or older, you are invited! All you have to do is present yourself at the venue at the proper time, and to come with a curious mind and some funds for your beer.

This is going to be fun as hell, and I hope to see you there. There should be more drinking-and-thinking type of events in the world.

ONCE MORE: Thursday, Sept. 12, 6 p.m., at North of Fourth. Be there!

###

Cal Poly Humboldt’s preliminary enrollment for the fall semester grew by a mere 73 students compared to last year, bringing total enrollment of full- and part-time students to 6,049 and falling well short of the target set by the California State University system.

That means the university will lose a chunk of funding under a CSU spending plan that was announced last year amid systemwide enrollment declines. The terms of that plan say any campus missing its enrollment target by 10% or more will permanently lose up to five percent of its state enrollment funding, which will then be sent to campuses that exceed their enrollment targets.

Cal Poly Humboldt News and Information Director Aileen Yoo said administrators saw this coming.

“While the number of students has been steadily increasing, the University knew that it would not meet the CSU’s enrollment level by Fall 2025,” she said. “We have planned accordingly for multiple years of reductions in CSU funding, taking a conservative approach by budgeting for a headcount of 6,131 students in 2024-25.” 

Cal Poly Humboldt’s target enrollment set by the CSU was 7,603 full-time-equivalent (FTE) students, and Yoo said the university would have needed a total headcount of 8,500 full- and part-time students to reach that goal.

Thanks to its conservative financial planning, the university has a balanced budget for the current fiscal year, according to Yoo, but it looks likely that Cal Poly Humboldt won’t even meet this year’s lowered enrollment expectations, which are a far cry from what was anticipated just a few years ago.

Enrollment at Cal Poly Humboldt was supposed to explode after its conversion into the state’s third polytechnic university, which was boosted by a $458 million investment from the state. A 2021 prospectus predicted that student growth could increase by 50 percent over the next three years, and double in the next seven.

Instead, enrollment growth has been incremental. Rather than growing by half, student numbers have increased by just 5.6 percent over the past three years. And the current numbers are well below the all-time high of 8,790 students in 2015.

This year’s enrollment figure won’t be final until after the add/drop deadlines expire on September 23, so theoretically the number could climb a bit higher. Yoo said more students are returning this year than in previous years, and many incoming freshmen delayed their decisions due to “unprecedented difficulties” applying for federal financial aid.

Around this time last year, Cal Poly Humboldt Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success Chrissy Holliday said in a memo to colleagues that despite the slower-than-expected enrollment growth, the university was still on track reach 11,000 students by 2028.

We have yet to see such a prediction this year. 

###

PREVIOUSLY

• Cal Poly Humboldt? CSU System Encourages HSU to Make Plans to Become State’s Third Polytechnic University
• Newsom Proposes $433 Million to Transform Humboldt State Into California’s Third Polytechnic
• IT’S OFFICIAL: Humboldt State Will Receive $458M for Polytechnic Transformation
• Cal Poly Humboldt Prospectus: Doubled Student Body, Huge New Dorm and Facilities Construction Projects and a Wide Palette of New Academic Offerings On Tap in the Coming Years, HSU Projects
• Cal Poly Humboldt Reports Huge Increase in Student Applications
• College Enrollment Decline Leads to Funding Changes for Underperforming Cal State Schools
• The Lumberjack: Cal Poly Humboldt projected 2,000 more students for Fall semester, yet only delivered 98
• Cal Poly Humboldt Says Effort to Reach 11,000 Students in Coming Years is ‘Still on Track,’ Despite Relatively Flat Enrollment This Year; Next Year’s Budget at Risk
• ‘We Have to Do Less With Less’: Cal State Faces Extra $500 Million Budget Gap

###

[DISCLOSURE: The Blue Lake Rancheria is a minority owner of the Outpost’s parent company, Lost Coast Communications, Inc.]

###

Press release from the Environmental Protection Agency:

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announces the selection of the Blue Lake Rancheria, located within California, for a $11,498,810 Climate Pollution Reduction Grant funded by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda.

The Blue Lake Rancheria’s aptly named “Empowering Tribal Sovereignty: Creating Climate Resilience through Carbon Sequestration” project will combat climate change by expanding a carbon sequestration program for wetland and forest ecosystems. Funding will be used to acquire and restore coastal and forest land around Humboldt Bay that is within the Tribe’s ancestral territory and that is vulnerable to sea level rise, and to restore wetland habitat. This grant will accelerate the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe’s goal of sustainable Tribal sovereignty, while restoring, preserving, and protecting vital ecosystems, combatting sea-level rise, and improving the air we breathe.

“The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants being unveiled today will deliver unprecedented resources to Tribes here in California for local solutions that can provide national examples for how to combat climate change,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “These investments, which deliver on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, will create jobs and reduce the emissions fueling climate change.”

“California Tribes are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, developing their own solutions to reduce greenhouse gas pollution, improve air quality, and bolster climate resilience,” said U.S. Senator Alex Padilla. “I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for providing tens of millions in direct federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to the Blue Lake Rancheria to support their sovereignty and locally led solutions.”

“Tribal communities are on the frontlines of climate change, which has ravaged land, water, and cultural resources. This investment from the Biden-Harris administration will give tribes the resources they need to implement their plans to create a more sustainable future and increase tribal sovereignty,” said U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-2). “I’m glad the EPA selected Blue Lake Rancheria’s innovative project to receive funds I was able to secure as part of the Inflation Reduction Act so they can make their vision a reality.”

After an intensive review of 110 applications nationwide, the EPA selected Blue Lake Rancheria and 33 other highly competitive applications throughout our nation. The selectees, including 31 Tribal Nations, 2 Tribal consortia, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, to implement community-driven solutions to tackle the climate crisis, reduce air pollution, advance environmental justice, and accelerate the clean energy transition.

Thanks to funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, these grants will support the implementation of greenhouse gas reduction measures identified by Tribal and territorial communities. When estimates provided by all selected applicants nationwide are combined, the proposed projects will reduce harmful greenhouse gas pollution by over 7 million metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2050 – equivalent to the carbon dioxide emitted from nearly 1.4 million homes’ electricity use for one year.

Today’s announcement marks the latest investment under this first-of-its-kind, nearly $5 billion Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program. In July, the EPA announced $4.3 billion for CPRG Implementation Grants General Competition selected applicants. In 2023, the EPA provided $250 million in planning grants, which served as the basis for greenhouse gas reduction measures proposed in the CPRG implementation grant applications.

The selected applications will target greenhouse gas pollution from six sectors of the economy with a particular focus on the transportation, electric power, and commercial and residential buildings sectors while spurring workforce development and job creation in Indian Country and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Today’s announcement and ongoing CPRG technical support for planning grant recipients are consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order 14112 on Reforming Federal Funding and Support for Tribal Nations to Better Embrace Our Trust Responsibilities and Promote the Next Era of Tribal Self-Determination. The Executive Order demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s respect for Tribal sovereignty and its commitment to ushering in the next era of Tribal self-determination by directing agencies to reform federal programs for greater autonomy of Tribal Nations over how Tribes can invest federal funding. The Executive Order also directs agencies to make federal funding less burdensome and more accessible for Tribal Nations.

The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program is also advancing President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40% of the overall benefits of specific climate, clean energy, and other federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. 

EPA made its Tribes and Territories Competition selections after reviewing 110 applications that requested more than $1.3 billion in funding. The agency expects to award funds under both the Tribes and Territories Competition and the General Competition later this year once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied.

See the complete list of selected applications.

Learn about the CPRG program.

Acres of Eats, the food truck-heavy, twice-monthly gathering at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, will not be back for any of its remaining 2024 dates. Redwood Acres took to its social media accounts in advance of yesterday’s event to announce the decision. The reason for the sudden end? Not enough “Eats”ers.

“Unfortunately, low attendance has forced the difficult decision to cancel the remaining Acres of Eats events for 2024,” Redwood Acres wrote. “We appreciate your support and hope to see you soon at our fall and winter events! Thank you!”

Redwood Acres’ next big event is Autumn at the Acres, taking place Saturday, Oct. 12, which promises “a perfect fall day filled with shopping, hay rides, delicious food, kids activities, mini pumpkin patch, hot cider bar, and more!” Your attendance would be greatly appreciated. 

UPDATE, 3:26 p.m.:

Providence sent the following statement in response to the union’s press release:

Our goal as Humboldt’s leading health provider is to continue meeting our community’s most pressing needs. We are grateful to the California Legislature and specifically, our local state officials, Assemblymember Wood and Senator McGuire for their support of SB 1119 that led to its passage, and we’re hopeful that Governor Newsom will also be supportive as he considers this bill among thousands of others over the next two weeks. 

The passage of SB 1119 won’t reverse the closure of the ARU at the General Hospital Campus, but it affords Providence the necessary time to decommission the building (to reach seismic compliance) while determining an appropriate use for the space.

Although the unit is closing effective November 18, there are several construction projects that need to take place to be fully compliant with seismic regulations. That work will take us well beyond the upcoming January 1, 2025, deadline, reinforcing our requirement to suspend in-patient rehabilitations services at the General Hospital Campus. 

We have worked collaboratively with the State’s Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) over the past several months to ensure rehabilitation services are available within our community before announcing the closure of the unit.  

We are proud to have found an innovative solution to ensure rehabilitative care remains local in Humboldt through our collaboration with Rockport’s Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center. 

###

###

Press release from the National Union of Healthcare Workers:

Eureka, Calif. — The National Union of Healthcare Workers is calling on Providence to keep its rehabilitation center open, citing a bill awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature that eases seismic requirements for hospitals. Providence lobbied in support of SB 1119, which would effectively waive seismic requirements for two years at the General Hospital campus in Eureka, where Providence houses its Acute Rehabilitation Unit.

The bill, which passed both the Assembly and State Senate last week, could be signed into law by Gov. Newsom later this month. Yet, despite lawmakers acting to provide more time for Providence to achieve seismic compliance so that it can maintain a critical community service in Humboldt County, the hospital chain announced last month that it would shutter the rehab center and move services to a Brius nursing home.

Providence made no mention of the bill in its recent news release announcing the impending closures: 

“Currently, acute rehabilitation services are located at the General Hospital campus in Eureka but due to the state’s mandated seismic (earthquake) structural standards, the General Hospital campus does not meet those standards and will no longer be able to provide inpatient services after 2024.”

“Providence has no reason to close its rehabilitation center, and we call on the company to immediately reverse its decision,” said Kellie Shaner, a monitor tech at St. Joseph Hospital. “Providence just successfully lobbied to buy more time to meet seismic standards only to now claim that it has no choice other than to close medical services that Humboldt County residents have depended on for decades.”

On August 20, 2024 Providence announced its intent to close its Acute Rehabilitation Unit in Eureka. The rehab center provides intensive physical, occupational, and speech therapy services — in addition to wraparound social services — in an inpatient setting and is designed for those who are recovering from critical injuries, strokes, surgeries and diseases. 

Instead of providing the service directly, Providence announced that it would partner with Brius, a nursing home company that has been repeatedly cited by state authorities for patient care violations and controls a monopoly of skilled nursing facilities in Humboldt County. Rehabilitation services would be moved to the Granada Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, which has been fined for failing to self-report abuse. 

Providence’s plan to close its rehab center comes on the heels of its decision to sell its outpatient laboratory services in Humboldt County and shutter its birthing center at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.

“Since taking over for St. Joseph Health, Providence has continued to cut services in Humboldt County,” said Willow Svien, an occupational therapist at St. Joseph Hospital. “As local healthcare workers, we’re determined to keep care in our communities, and we will hold Providence accountable when it puts its bottom line over the needs of our patients.”

###

The National Union of Healthcare Workers represents 19,000 healthcare workers in California and Hawaii, including more than 600 Providence employees in Humboldt County at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka and Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.

Feel like letting the city of Eureka’s Recreation Division know how you feel about their recreational opportunities? Take their survey, open through the end of February.

Recreation division programs include drop-in pickleball, youth basketball, Friday skate nights and more. Check out all the current offerings at this link.

According to Jim Thomas, a community services supervisor, the division launched the survey to get feedback on their current programs and get ideas for new ones.

“The optimal outcome for the survey would be to get input and new ideas on what the community’s needs are from the Recreation Division so we can work towards meeting these goals,” Thomas said.

Go to this link to take the survey.