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Make sure to unmute the above video for the enthusiastic call from the play-by-play announcer. And below you’ll find the breathless press release from Humboldt Athletics:

ARCATA, Calif. – In a moment that will be etched into the annals of Lumberjack Arena, Kalib LaCount hit a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to lift Cal Poly Humboldt to an electrifying 80-77 victory over Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday night. The dramatic win marked the Lumberjacks’ first triumph over the Coyotes since February 16, 2019, snapping a seven-game losing streak in the series.

“It took the entire 40 minutes to get this one across the finish line, but I am very excited for our players and fans,” stated head coach Chris Tifft. “San Bernardino fought and clawed to get back into the game, but we found a way to stay focused just long enough to get the exciting win on our home floor. Our guys will remember this one.”

Game Recap

The Lumberjacks (7-5, 3-4 CCAA) came out firing in the first half, shooting an impressive 61.5% from the field. Led by LaCount’s 22 points—a career-high—and a stellar 21-point performance from Rob Diaz III, Humboldt built a 42-36 halftime lead.

Cal State San Bernardino (11-5, 4-3 CCAA) battled back in the second half behind a game-high 26 points from Evan Oliver and a dominant 23-point, 13-rebound double-double from Nic Welp. The Coyotes tied the game multiple times but were unable to take the lead.

In the final moments, with the game tied at 77 and the Coyotes poised for overtime, LaCount took control. As the clock wound down, he launched a deep shot from just inside half court, sending the Lumberjack faithful into pandemonium as the ball went through the net.

By the Numbers

• Kalib LaCount: 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals, including the game-winning buzzer-beater.
• Rob Diaz III: 21 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, and 4 rebounds.
• Kyle Frelow: 14 points and 8 rebounds, anchoring the Lumberjacks in the paint. He also had 3 steals and 2 blocks defensively. 
• Humboldt shot 51.0% from the field, including a solid 72.7% from the free-throw line (24-of-33).
• The Lumberjacks scored 22 points off turnovers and dominated the fast break with 28 points.

Streak Snapped

Thursday’s win ended a seven-game losing streak to the Coyotes, dating back nearly six years. The last victory came on February 16, 2019, when Humboldt also triumphed in front of a raucous home crowd. Up Next

The Lumberjacks will look to carry their momentum into their next matchup against Cal Poly Pomona this Saturday, January 11, at 3:00 p.m. in Lumberjack Arena. Fans are encouraged to come out and support as the Jacks aim to extend their two game winning streak. It is also Youth Day, so the team will be signing post game autographs for all kids in attendance. 

For more information on Cal Poly Humboldt men’s basketball, please visit humboldtathletics.com, download our mobile app, and follow us on all social media platforms. 

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Here’s another angle of the game-winner:

Press release from the City of Arcata:

Looking to offset upcoming travel or purchase local gifts for the environmentally-conscious friends and family? Consider the gift of carbon offsets from the Arcata Community Forest!

Thanks to a partnership between the City of Arcata’s Environmental Services Department and the Climate Action Reserve, anyone can invest in ecologically based, sustainable forestry and protect the climate by purchasing local carbon offsets. The City once again has forest carbon offsets available from the Arcata Community Forest’s Jacoby Creek Forest Tract and Sunnybrae Forest Tract. The City anticipates having even more carbon credits available later in 2025 following a stringent reverification process with the Climate Action Reserve. The City would like to remind residents to reduce carbon emissions when they can, and offset when they can’t!

For $37 per metric ton (or $35 each when buying 10 or more), greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will be reduced equivalent to a round-trip flight from SFO to JFK or driving a midsized car 2,000 miles. Give the eco gift that keeps on giving to the whole planet! Buying offsets from the Arcata Community Forest helps to grow large, old trees and pays for carbon sequestration for the long term — that’s 100 years or more!

For more information on reducing greenhouse gases with carbon offsets, go to climateactionreserve.org/. To buy Arcata Community Forest carbon offsets, visit the City’s webpage to download and fill out a purchase form at cityofarcata.org/710/Carbon-Sequestration-Other.

For any questions or to learn more about the City’s forest carbon offsets, please call the Environmental Services Department at (707) 822-8184 or email the department at eservices@cityofarcata.org.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Jan. 7, 2025, at around 10:30 p.m., the Bear River Police Department requested assistance with a possibly armed individual causing a disturbance and refusing to leave their facility.

Deputies arrived and met the Bear River Police Department Chief and hotel security staff. Bear River Police requested assistance from the Sheriff’s Office to remove the subject that was causing a disturbance and trespassing. Deputies confirmed that the subject refused a lawful order to leave and reportedly told Bear River Police that he was armed with a firearm. Deputies and Tribal Police worked together to locate and contact the subject in the hallway of the hotel. They observed the male subject still causing a disturbance in the hallway and banging on hotel room doors. The subject was initially not following commands, and he attempted to speak to someone through a closed hotel room door. Deputies and officers continued to speak to the subject, and he began yelling as he reached for his pocket. Deputies ordered him to stop and demanded that he follow their commands. The Deputies and Tribal Officers subsequently moved in and forced the subject against the wall and took him into custody without further incident. No firearm was located on the subject.

The subject identified himself to the deputy as “Bradford Harris,” but it was later determined that his actual name was Brad Nutley, 24, of McKinleyville. Nutley was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for violation of trespassing, PC 602(o), and giving false identification to a peace officer, PC 148.9(a).

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.

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As we settle into the new year and prepare for what will hopefully be a peaceful transition of presidential power, your ever-curious LoCO has been wondering what’s next for Humboldt’s burgeoning offshore wind industry and the port development project that will support it. 

At a press conference at Mar-a-Lago earlier this week, President-elect Donald J. Trump promised that “no new windmills” would be built in the United States after he takes office and insisted that wind turbines kill whales, although scientists have said there is no evidence to support such claims. So, what does that mean for the floating offshore wind project planned 20 miles west of Eureka?

To learn more about what’s to come in 2025, we reached out to Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Development Director Rob Holmlund for an update on the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

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LoCO: It’s been a while since we’ve heard a progress report on port development and the offshore wind projects slated for the North Coast. What’s the Harbor District been up to lately?

Rob Holmlund: Well, the possibly unsatisfying answer is that we’re up to the same thing we’ve been up to for the past year. This is a big project, so none of our fundamental plans have really changed. We’re deep into the permitting and design process, so there’s nothing fundamentally new to share but there’s plenty of activity going on. That’s the short answer.

LoCO: Is the Harbor District concerned about the incoming presidency? President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to kill offshore wind energy projects “on day one” of his presidency. What is the industry doing to prepare for the change in leadership and what does it mean for the projects planned for our coastline?

Holmlund: The state of California has goals to produce 25 gigawatts of offshore wind [energy] by 2045, with or without the federal government. … There’s a whole portfolio of renewable energy projects – solar, onshore wind, offshore wind – that the state is actively working on to have 100 percent clean electricity in the state by 2045. Offshore wind is just a part of that, but it’s a really important part. … Our offshore wind project will proceed in support of the state’s [renewable energy goals].

Another thing to think about is the East Coast. On the West Coast, we have these two lease areas – one off the Humboldt coast and one off the Morro Bay coast – but there are literally dozens [of lease areas] off the East Coast – from New England all the way down to Virginia – that are actively involved in permitting, in the early planning stages or have wind turbines in them already. The East Coast has been doing this for years. … Prior to the first Trump administration, there was a lot of activity on the East Coast for offshore wind. It slowed down a little bit during the Trump administration, and then picked back up during the Biden administration. So I think it’s safe to assume that something similar will happen during the second Trump administration. … He may not be supportive, but I don’t think that will lead to a complete elimination of the offshore wind industry. We still have the state of California pushing really hard.

LoCO: One of the first things that comes to my mind is potentially limited access to federal grant funds. Could the Trump administration limit access to federal funding for offshore wind energy projects?

Holmlund: Well, we right now, we have somewhere in the range of $455 million in grants from the state and federal government for the [port development] project, and those grants are pretty well secured so it’s difficult to imagine any of them being retracted. And I don’t know that [the district] is immediately counting on more federal funds in the next four years. It’s a big project and we can definitely use some help, but I think we’re pretty well set, at least for the next four years.

LoCO: As I understand, the district has until September 2026, to secure the matching funds needed to match the $426 million Department of Transportation grant that was awarded last year. Any progress there?

Holmlund: The matching funds have to be non-federal, which is helpful for this conversation. The state of California passed the Climate Bond [Proposition 4] this past November and … somewhere in the range of $800 million is earmarked for offshore wind port terminals. That will be a good source to provide a match to the federal grant. We’re also looking at a number of other state opportunities and, ultimately, the private sector is going to have to invest.

LoCO: When you say private sector, are you referring to offshore wind developers?

Holmlund: It could be offshore wind developers, it could be OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) or any number of businesses in the offshore wind industry. It could even just be private financing. There’s a lot of options that we’re currently exploring.

LoCO: Shifting back to the heavy lift marine terminal project, I understand the District recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Port of Long Beach to collaborate on port development. Can you describe what that collaboration will look like?

Holmlund: The MOU with the Port of Long Beach, which also includes the State Lands Commission, is really formalizing a partnership that we’ve had for well over a year. When I was talking earlier about the state’s goals for offshore wind, if you crunch those numbers … and you look at the average, estimated size of each wind turbine, you’ll likely need somewhere in the range of 1,600 wind turbines to be assembled and deployed into the ocean in the next 20 years. We’ve got about five years before we’re going to be putting any in the ocean while we construct these projects. So, when you’re talking about assembling 1,600 of them in 15 years, there’s no way our project could do that alone and there’s no way that the Port of Long Beach’s project could do that alone either. 

The Port of Long Beach has a project very similar to ours but it’s about double the size. … We were actually ahead of them in the planning process, so we’ve been sharing some of our design concepts, environmental analyses and stakeholder strategies. As they started catching up, they started sharing their work with us and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s formalize this.’ A lot of people say that Long Beach and Humboldt are competitors … but really we’re not. Both of our projects are needed to get to the state goal and we are actively collaborating on a weekly basis.

LoCO: The district’s partnership agreement with Crowley Wind Services expired in March of last year. At that time, the district said Crowley would continue to support the project in one form or another. Is Crowley still working with the district on the port development project? Does the district plan to issue a second request for proposals (RFP) anytime soon?

Holmlund: We don’t have a formal relationship with Crowley currently. Like a lot of companies associated with offshore wind, we consult with them periodically and ask for their feedback on designs. … We did release a solicitation of interest (SOI) to companies that may be interested in responding to an RFP to operate the project site, and we got dozens of responses. Really, we were just seeing what kind of interest [there is] in operating the site or being involved in the project in the future. We’re using the [SOI] as the basis for developing an RFP, which we will likely release later this year and begin the process of identifying an operator.

LoCO: The district received criticism from North Coast tribes and others for its decision to enter into an exclusive right to negotiate with Crowley due to the company’s track record. Some also felt the district entered into the partnership too quickly. It sounds like the district has learned from that experience and is moving through the process more carefully. Can you speak to that?

Holmlund: [The Harbor District is] under a different leadership, and we’re approaching things differently. At this point, we’re meeting regularly with seven different tribes. We have a committee of aquaculture businesses, a committee of fishing businesses, a community advisory committee and a technical advisory committee, all of which include regular, everyday citizens of our community. So, we’re working really hard to understand the interests of various stakeholders and we will involve a number of different people in the process of … selecting an operator.

LoCO: Thank you for taking the time to provide an update on the project. Is there anything else you’d like to add or share with our community?

Holmlund: Sure. We regularly update our website and there are literally dozens of technical studies that are available to the public to review on there. I imagine you’ve already seen the YouTube videos that we’ve done, but those are still available. … There’s going to be more meetings and a lot more information available to the public over the next 12 months, so now’s a good time to get engaged in the project if you haven’t already.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Harbor District Announces Massive Offshore Wind Partnership; Project Would Lead to an 86-Acre Redevelopment of Old Pulp Mill Site
• Offshore Wind is Coming to the North Coast. What’s in it For Humboldt?
• ‘Together We Can Shape Offshore Wind for The West Coast’: Local Officials, Huffman and Others Join Harbor District Officials in Celebrating Partnership Agreement With Crowley Wind Services
• Crowley — the Company That Wants to Build a Big Wind Energy Facility on the Peninsula — Will be Opening Offices in Eureka
• Harbor District to Host Public Meeting Kicking Off Environmental Review of Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal Project
• Humboldt Harbor District Officials Talk Port Development As Offshore Wind Efforts Ramp Up
• County of Humboldt, Developers Sign Memorandum of Agreement in a ‘Momentous Step Forward’ for Offshore Wind Development on the North Coast
• Harbor District Responds to Crowley Controversy, Commits to the ‘Highest Ethical Standards’
• LoCO Interview: The Outpost Talks to Crowley Executives About Recent Allegations of Misconduct, Port Development on the Samoa Peninsula and the Company’s Future in Humboldt
• Harbor District Board of Commissioners to Discuss Proposed Offshore Wind Terminal Project, Lease Agreement With Crowley During Tonight’s Meeting
• (UPDATE) Huffman Announces $8.7 Million Federal Grant Toward Offshore Wind Port Development
• Harbor District Commissioners to Discuss Extended Partnership Agreement with Crowley Wind Services During Tonight’s Meeting
• WHOA: Rep. Huffman’s Office Teases $426 Million Federal Grant for Offshore Wind Terminal, to be Announced Tomorrow
• (PHOTOS) The Biggest Federal Grant in Humboldt History? Huffman, Assorted Worthies Gather on Woodley Island to Celebrate $426 Million in Infrastructure Funding for Offshore Wind
• At a Two-Day Conference in Eureka This Week, North Coast Tribes Advocate for ‘Meaningful Engagement’ With Offshore Wind Developers, Federal Regulators
• Crowley Wind Services’s Partner Agreement With the Harbor District Will Expire Without a Lease, Leaving Future Relationship Unclear
• (VIDEO) See What Wind Turbine Assembly Would Look Like on Humboldt Bay, Courtesy of This Presentation From the Harbor District
• Did You See That Big Ship in Humboldt Bay Last Week? That’s the Vessel Mapping the Seabed and Collecting Data for Offshore Wind Development

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By Mikhail Zihnshteyn and Yue Stella Yu

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No deficits. A “modest” surplus. Almost $17 billion more in revenue than planned.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office is scheduled to formally lay out its vision today for how California should spend its considerable bounty, a total budget of $322 billion — projected to be the second largest state spending plan ever.

In a preview of his proposal, Newsom told reporters Monday that the state budget’s main tranche of cash, the general fund, will rise to $229 billion in 2025-26. That’s about $10 billion more than what his office and lawmakers predicted last June and roughly $17 billion more than what’s in this year’s budget.The fiscal outlook is far rosier than the pall that hung over California last year when lawmakers and the governor scrambled to plug a more than $46 billion budget hole. In June, they struck a deal to cut $16 billion in spending, delay another $3 billion in funding for various services and draw a total $12 billion from the state’s rainy day fund for two fiscal years.

“Last year, we endeavored to make this year’s budget a non-event,” Newsom said during a Monday press conference.

While much of this budget plan will change before it’s finalized between Legislature and the governor by late June, the January budget is often seen as an opening statement of fiscal values and a political starting point for negotiations between Newsom and the leadership in the Senate and Assembly.

Even with a projected revenue increase, Newsom acknowledged Monday that California’s fiscal outlook is still uncertain, in part due to the state’s brewing conflicts with the incoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal disaster aid from California, which is facing one of its most destructive wildfires this week. While outgoing President Joe Biden has approved Newsom’s request for a major disaster declaration — allowing the state to tap into federal funding and assistance programs — the state could still need more federal disaster funding under Trump’s administration. In October, Newsom told Politico he planned to establish a state fund for disaster relief in case Trump does withhold federal funds.The economic impact of the ongoing Los Angeles-area fires alone is estimated to be at least $135 billion, increasing its earlier estimate of around $50 billion. That’s based on damage caused to homes, cars, businesses and lost economic activity, said Dan DePodwin, senior director of forecasting operations at AccuWeather. A spokesperson for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services said it’s too soon to calculate the cost of the fires to the state.

Additionally, state lawmakers are planning to spend more money on “Trump-proofing” California, including $25 million to the Attorney General’s office for legal expenses.

Newsom’s budget proposal includes $17 billion in reserves. But, he cautioned, the state may decide to set aside more money because of the economic uncertainty his administration anticipates from Trump’s trade and immigration policies.He’s also sticking to last year’s deal with the Legislature to pull $7.1 billion from the state’s main reserve account — even though his office projected on Monday that revenues are up by $16.5 billion more than planned.Those higher revenues are more than double what the Legislative Analyst’s Office projected in a November report, though that office and the governor’s budget wonks regularly arrive at somewhat different conclusions about the shape of the budget and economy.

Newsom said earlier this week that his administration has been tightening spending, including by eliminating 6,500 vacant positions. By eliminating those positions, the state saves $1.2 billion, Newsom said. Last year Newsom and lawmakers said eliminating various vacancies would lead to $1.5 billion in savings.

The state budget is actually hundreds of accounts filled by the bonds voters approved; taxes, licenses and fees that support specific programs; and the general fund, by far the largest coffer of cash lawmakers use to approve spending on a wide array of programs, such as hospitals, prisons, the court system and education.

It’s the general fund that is typically the focus of budget deals between the Legislature and the governor.

Federal funds, which this year add more than $150 billion in spending in California on top of the state budget, overwhelmingly flow to health insurance and social services for low-income residents, plus smaller infusions of cash to K-12 schools, universities, workforce development programs and transportation.

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

About 800 incarcerated firefighters are battling the unprecedented fires raging across Southern California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. They join thousands of firefighting and emergency personnel who have been dispatched to respond to multiple fires throughout the Los Angeles area.

California’s incarcerated firefighters have long provided critical support to state, local and federal government agencies in responding to various emergencies, including wildfires and floods.

Over 1,800 incarcerated firefighters live year-round in minimum-security conservation camps, also known as “fire camps,” located across 25 counties in California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Those numbers have dwindled in recent years due to a declining prison population.

“Wildfires are a constant and formidable challenge for California, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations’ conservation fire camps remain dedicated to supporting the state’s response,” said Jeff Macomber, secretary of California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in a statement to CalMatters on Wednesday. “The work of our incarcerated firefighters and staff is an essential part of this effort, and their commitment to protecting lives and property during these emergencies cannot be overstated.”

The corrections department compensates incarcerated firefighters anywhere between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, depending upon experience. During active emergencies, the Cal Fire pays incarcerated firefighters an additional $1 per day, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Over the course of three fire seasons, Princess Griffen fought more than 30 fires. The 32-year-old, formerly incarcerated firefighter was based at the Rainbow Conservation Camp, which has since closed, when the Woolsey Fire in Malibu broke out in November 2018.

“At camp, when it got windy, we would sleep with our boots on,” she said. She and her crew of 14 were deployed for two weeks. “It felt like you were doing something that mattered instead of rotting away in a cell,” she said.

Griffen paroled in July 2019. Today she lives in Inglewood, where she owns a tattoo shop. She pursued a career as an entrepreneur because she knew firefighting would require more time away from home. But for incarcerated firefighters who want to continue the work upon their release, Griffen says it’s difficult to get hired.

“They look at our education like it doesn’t count,” she said. “For people who have found some kind of purpose or solace within firefighting, there needs to be a pipeline that goes straight from the prisons to firefighting. I’d urge the government to give inmates a second chance, considering that they are fighting these fires for pennies – risking their lives for pennies.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

On the evening of January 3, 2025, Natalia Botelho Avelar slipped away peacefully in the company of her daughters, Helena and Paula.

Natalia was born on February 10, 1936, in the parish of Santo Antonio, Sao Miguel, Açores. She was the second of seven children, Constantina the eldest, and João, Manuel, Antonio, Eduarda, and José following.

In those years, life in the Açores was difficult and families made the most out of the very little they had. Wanting better opportunities for his growing family, Natalia’s father moved them to Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel, the capital of the Açores archipelago where they had more opportunities to study and work.

Having already finished her studies and loving to work with her hands, Natalia quickly found employment at an established embroidery house. Artisan quality hand-embroidery works were vital to the island’s economy and rooms filled with skilled artisans quickly turned out luxurious embroidered linens to be exported all around the world. In addition, Natalia and her older sister became seamstresses and between the embroidery work and making garments for others, they added to the family’s income to help feed the increasing number of mouths to feed.

With the assistance of mutual friends, Natalia met a handsome young man, José Maria Avelar. In search of better opportunities himself, he had come to Ponta Delgada (from the island of Flores, Açores) to apprentice as a tailor. Two young dreamers, they learned they had much in common; they loved to dance, they loved the movies, they loved fashion, they were both gifted at sewing, and they dreamed of big adventures.

On April 30,1961, they were married and by 1962 they had emigrated to the United States. Due to paperwork delays Natalia wasn’t able to travel to the states with her husband, so they spent the first several months of their marriage apart. José Maria traveled ahead and settled in Arcata, CA where he found work in the timber industry and had some family members nearby. Natalia arrived in Arcata on April 5,1962 expecting to find the Hollywood Hills, red convertibles, and Rock Hudson of her dreams but instead, found 1960s Arcata. Although it took some adjustment, Natalia quickly acclimated and fell in love with the rural charm of the small town life. For those who knew her best, they will remember her often exclaiming “There’s no place like home!”

Big adventure brought them to a new country where they didn’t understand the language, or the customs and it left them feeling isolated and yearning for connection with familiar community. Natalia and José Maria began attending St Mary’s Catholic Church and became actively involved at the Arcata Portuguese Hall, ingraining themselves in the fabric of the local Portuguese community, celebrating the traditions and festas that tied them, and others across Humboldt County, together.

They soon began volunteering for both and over the years spent thousands of hours giving of their time, talents, and helping where they could. It was during this time they made life-long friendships and cherished memories. They both studied English and learned the US government’s fundamentals and proudly became naturalized American citizens, Natalia in 1967 and Jose Maria in 1970.

They worked hard, made sacrifices, and the following year were able to purchase their own home and soon after, a new car. They put down roots and had their first child, Helena. They lived modestly but always made fun out of very little. Short trips to nearby destinations, picnics nearly every Sunday during the summer, fishing on Mad River beach, long and lazy Sunday drives to gaze upon beautiful homes and gardens while the car radio blasted, exploring the beauty of the HSU campus on foot, and photos taken on the then immaculately manicured Arcata Plaza; it was all fun. They also traveled further away, making their first trip back home to the Açores in 1972.

In 1975 they were blessed with their second daughter, Annapaula. This completed their family and they were able to build a lasting place in their community.

They never lost the love to travel and explore. They vacationed with friends and family to Reno, Lake Tahoe, and all over California and later they traveled through western Europe, Canada, took several cruises, and made many trips to the east coast to visit with family.

Natalia worked in various jobs in the early years and when her eldest daughter was five and ready to attend school, she stayed home to run the household. Natalia demonstrated her love for others with her gifts of hands and heart. She sewed all of her children’s clothing as well as her own, organized and worked hundreds of bake sales, and she was a fantastic cook and baker. A delivery person fortunate enough to deliver on a baking day would be sent off with a loaf of Portuguese sweet bread or bag filled with cookies.

Years later Natalia went to work for Holly Yashi Jewelry where she worked for over 22 years. She loved her job, the many friendships she made, and all the fun that was had while working there. Natalia retired when her granddaughters, Ava and Sophia Walton, were born. She cooked for them, made them frilly dresses, played with them, and she and José Maria helped raise them while their parents, Paula and Jeff, were at work. Ava and Sophia were the brightest and most precious jewels in her family crown and she will now be their special angel.

In September 2019 Natalia suffered a stroke that left her in a wheelchair and without the ability to do the things she loved the most. Typical of her personality she made the most of her situation and while life became more isolated due to her stroke and then the pandemic, she and José Maria found a new way to live. It was quieter and less active, but it was a sweet time spent reminiscing about their lives together, dreams realized, their adventures, and all the fun they had together and with their friends. They felt they had done pretty well for a couple of young dreamers who traveled from two tiny islands in the Atlantic to an unknown country with little more than the clothes on their back and a few dollars in their pockets.

Natalia was preceded in death by her parents, João and Constantina Botelho, and two of her younger brothers, Antonio and José. She leaves behind her husband of nearly 64 years, José Maria Avelar, who took such beautiful care of her. He tended to her every need over the last five years, and we are forever grateful to him for his loyalty and selflessness. Daughters, Helena Avelar and Annapaula Walton (and husband Jeff) and Granddaughters Ava and Sophia Walton, and her remaining siblings Constantina Medeiros, João (Filomena) Botelho, Manuel Botelho, and Eduarda (Januario) Pereira, including many nieces and nephews, and their spouses and children.

For most people who only knew Natalia in passing they’d think of her as a quiet woman with a lovely, warm smile. For her inner circle, they knew she was hilarious and known for her zippy one-liners. Natalia leaves an immeasurable void, but our hearts are filled with gratitude that her passing was peaceful and she’s now free.

Funeral mass will be held Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 11 a.m., St Mary’s Catholic Church, Arcata. Private interment to follow.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Natalia Avelar’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.