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UPDATE, SATURDAY: BSA Troop 47 will handle tree-hauling duties in Fortuna on Sundays, January 5 and 12. More information can be found here.

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Press release from the Scout troops listed below:

Boy Scout Troop 15 and Cub Scout Pack 95 will again be picking up Christmas trees in the Arcata, Eureka, and McKinleyville areas and hauling them to green waste for the community.  We will be doing this on Saturday December 30 Sunday, December 29 and again on Saturday January 4 between 10am and 4pm. [NOTE: This post has been edited to reflect the correct dates.]

Anyone who would like to schedule a pickup should text or call 707-273-1997 or email arcatacubscouts@gmail.com with their name, address, phone number and preferred pickup date (12/30 or 1/6).

This is a community service project for the Scouts and there is no fixed cost to pick up a tree - donations are accepted and appreciated but not required.  All donations will help fund camping and other outings and summer camp for the Scouts.

Robert “Beau” Robbins, March 18, 1964 — Dec. 18, 2024, passed away peacefully, after a long illness. He will be remembered for his uniqueness, his quick wit and his kindness. He loved music and his family and the people who stuck with him and became his family.

He spent the majority of his life in the Humboldt area, growing up in Willow Creek. Beau was always a wandering soul, first running away to the hills of Denny to grow weed, at the age of 16, and from then on he always chose to live life on his own terms. The years after that included traveling and playing music with his lifelong friend, James Forbes. One of the bands they played in together locally was Spud Dogma. He would tell stories of his band opening for the Circle Jerks and the Dicks years before. Many road trips to SF and LA were taken, to play and to go to shows.

Sometimes you could never tell which stories were true or at least heavily embellished, but they always made you shake your head and laugh. Beau worked for the U.S. Forest Service for years, stationed in the Six Rivers District, and was very proud of that. In recent years he could be seen jetting around on his motorized scooter, in the Arcata/Westwood area. He would start many a conversation with people in his travels around the neighborhood, looking like Tom Waits on wheels. He was always the most interesting man in the room and will live on in the stories of those that love him. Those who knew him know that there will never be another like him. We would like to thank his care provider, Jessica McGruder, for her care. She treated him with love and respect, like a family member.

He is preceded in death by his father and mother, Darrel and Florence Robbins, of Willow Creek.

He is survived by his sister Katherine Robbins and brother-in-law Daniel Schneider of Elk Grove, Calif.; sister Cynthia McClure and brother-in-law Chris McClure of Ames, Iowa; sister Amber Van Dunk and brother-in-law Michael Van Dunk of Arcata; nieces Crystal Kirk, Ashley Kirk, Catie Kirk, Alaira Hudson, Constance Hames; nephews Alex Kirk, Xander Jackson, Trey Van Dunk, Raheim Lamb, Aedan Kirk and Albert Hames. A small celebration of life for close friends and family will be planned in the future.

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

Press release from Humboldt Bay Fire:

At approximately 6:15 pm on Wednesday, December 25th, Humboldt Bay Fire (HBF) was dispatched to a reported structure fire on the 3000 block of Jacobs Ave. HBF responded with a first alarm assignment consisting of three fire engines, one ladder truck and a Battalion Chief.

The Battalion Chief arrived on scene first and reported a working fire with black smoke visible from the building, reported missing occupants, and access problems and thus, requested more assistance from neighboring Fire Departments requesting a second and third alarm. Battalion 8104 removed one female trapped by smoke in an office adjacent to the fire building that was becoming overwhelmed with smoke.

Truck 8181 arrived at scene and began to open up the structure and search for occupants. E8115 and E8114 arrived on scene and established a water supply while E8112 began attacking the fire. E8115 located an occupant who had burn injuries and removed him from the structure, transferring medical care to City Ambulance at scene. He was transported to the hospital for medical care. The rest of the structure was confirmed to have no other trapped victims.

Fire control was achieved in approximately 20 minutes. The pre-fire value of the structure was approximately 1.5 million dollars with estimated fire loss totaling $90,000. Fire crews did an excellent job protecting the majority of the interior of the building and contents through aggressive fire attack and salvage work. PG&E responded to the scene and secured the gas and electrical service from the building.The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to thank our mutual aid partners from City Ambulance, Arcata Fire, Samoa Fire, Loleta Fire, and Blue Lake Fire along with the Eureka Police Department and PG&E who all assisted in either the direct fire suppression efforts or providing coverage for the rest of the emergency calls in our area while the fire was being mitigated.

Humboldt Bay Fire would like to remind everyone that smoke detectors save lives! Smoke detectors give you crucial early warning that there may be a fire in your home or business and allots you time to escape. Once you’ve exited a home go to your family meeting place and ensure that everyone has made it out.

Every day people across the country skip medical care because of cost. Those who do seek medical help may end up with a balance they can’t pay off. That debt can hurt people’s credit scores, resulting in long-term financial burdens.

Starting Jan. 1, a new state law will prohibit health providers and debt collectors from reporting medical debt information to credit agencies. That means unpaid medical bills should no longer show up on people’s credit reports, which consumer advocacy groups say is a boon for patients with debt.

Here’s why: While the law will not forgive someone’s debt, by keeping it off credit reports, it might provide some reassurance that a hospital stay or trip to urgent care won’t later affect their credit standing. Lower credit scores usually result in higher interest rates and make it harder for people to qualify for a home rental, a car loan or even employment.

During legislative hearings, the law’s author, Sen. Monique Limón, a Democrat from Santa Barbara, contended that because people don’t choose to have a medical emergency or illness, this type of debt should not count against them. Supporters also argued that medical debt is more prone to inaccuracies because of billing mistakes by health providers and insurers.

The main three credit bureaus – TransUnion, Equifax and Experian — stopped reporting medical debt under $500 in 2023. But most people with medical debt owe far more than that. The national average for medical balance is $3,100, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In California, an estimated 38% of residents carry some type of medical debt; that figure climbs to more than half for low-income residents, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

One key caveat is that patients can only take advantage of this law if the debt is owed directly to a medical provider or collection agency, but not when the debt is charged on a medical credit card or a general credit card.

This new law follows similar ones enacted in a handful of other states, including New York and Colorado. It also mirrors a proposal put forth by the Biden administration to do the same nationwide. However, with a new administration taking over in January, it is unclear whether the federal proposal will go anywhere.

Limón’s office explained that under the law patients have the right to sue a debt collector or provider who reports a medical debt to a credit bureau. Consumers may also choose to file a complaint with the state’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which has authority over debt collectors. Consumers can also file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office.

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Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

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

To understand what happened with the state budget in 2024, you have to go back to 2023.

That year Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats who control the Legislature decided against raiding the state’s roughly $37 billion rainy-day fund despite a shaky fiscal picture. Those dollars came in handy as lawmakers grappled to plug an estimated $56 billion shortfall this year and next.

That the state had a major deficit is partly the fault of flying fiscally blind. In response to devastating storms, federal and state tax collectors extended filing deadlines last year well past the date lawmakers normally finalize the state budget. As a result, the revenue picture was incomplete. Basically, the state spending plan last year assumed more revenue than what ultimately flowed in, all because key data wasn’t available in time.

What are these deficit numbers in context? The state’s general fund budget — spending on schools, health care, prisons, green energy initiatives and more — from July 1 to next June is $298 billion, among the highest ever.. As recently as 2021, the state was spending $270 billion.

How’d lawmakers close this year’s budget chasm? For starters, they pulled $12 billion from the state’s reserves for the next two years. Lawmakers also cut most state agency allocations by almost 8%, eliminated thousands of vacant government jobs and got rid of a handful mid-sized spending programs — savings of $16 billion. Gone was a plan to have the state lend colleges money to build more student housing, $1.1 billion in affordable housing and about $500 million for a new program that would have paid college students to work in jobs tied to their majors.

Other savings came from freezing business tax credits. Then there’s the budget “fund shifts” lawmakers apply to the numbers that move money around to notch savings.

Among the few state programs that actually saw their budget grow? Public colleges and universities, though the University of California and California State University are slated to see those 8% cuts next year, unless the state budget picture improves.

2025 outlook

Revenues so far are higher than what was anticipated — thanks to big gains in the stock market, particularly in tech, and the income tax those investors pay. But the Legislature’s independent budget analysts say all that extra revenue doesn’t mean there’s room to spend more, in part because they’re projecting multi-billion dollar deficits through 2028-29. Plus, so much of what California spends money on now is expected to get more expensive.

Ultimately how much the state decides to spend on its vast array of programs — we’re not the fifth largest GDP in the world for nothing — depends considerably on the stock market and the incomes of California’s richest residents. Capital gains taxes from a hot Wall Street means big bucks for the state’s programs.

A Republican-led White House and Congress with an eye toward tax cuts might spur stocks to soar (though tax cuts often mean federal program cuts). But President-elect Donald Trump’s plan for heavy tariffs and mass deportations of undocumented workers could crimp the economy because of higher inflation and worker shortages.

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

It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the loss of a beloved daughter, sister, mother, wife, aunt, and friend. After fighting cancer for more than five years, Jessica Halley passed away, surrounded by her loving family on September 4, 2024 at the age of 38 years old.

Jessica Marie Rabago was welcomed into the world by her parents, Robert Rabago and Sharon Witters, and her older sister, Emily Rabago, in Fortuna, on June 13, 1986. A “born and raised” Humboldt native, Jessica grew up as an active member in her community.

In 2007, she began what would be a lifelong career at Kay Jewelers in the Bayshore Mall. She became manager of the store in 2011, and received multiple awards and recognition of achievements including Kay Jewelers Training Manager of the year in 2016, and Manager of the Year in 2018. Many who knew and loved her, met her in that store. Everyone who’s known Jessica can attest that while she took great pride in exemplifying excellence in her career, her greatest achievement was her family.

On September 9th, 2013, Jessica married Kurtis Halley at the Witters Family Vineyard. In addition to saying “I do” at the altar, she joyfully said “I do” to a lifetime of being a second mom to her “bonus daughter,” Nevaeh. Together, and with an excited big sister, Nevaeh, Jessica and Kurtis welcomed their son, Calan. Two years later, their second daughter Rilynn was born. While their little family was finished growing, it turns out it wasn’t quite complete. Not soon after Rilynn was born, Jess’s sister Emily welcomed her little girl, Ellie to the pack. The new built-in besties grew up more like siblings than cousins. Both of the Rabago sisters were mother and auntie to everyone. Their family superpower is and always will be loving people as their own.

The Halley family settled in Hydesville, where Jessica poured her heart and soul into everything she did. While she was a remarkable boss and friend, her true motivation stemmed from her desire to create a nurturing home for her babies. Every achievement she chased was birthed from her love for them, and her commitment to give them everything she could. She and her family built an incredible support system, brick by brick. She left this earth surrounded by more love than any one person could fathom. She would want nothing more than to express overwhelming gratitude to everyone who rallied around her and her family during her fight.

Jessica’s legacy is one of love and sacrifice. She fought cancer head on for every last second she could get with her children, here on earth. What kept Jess strong, next to her longing to be with her kids, was her faith. Even in the depths of how unfair this was to her and her family, she never became bitter at her creator or His plan. She leaned into the comfort of knowing that His hands were on her and her family. She never wavered. One of her favorite scriptures is Psalms 46:10; “Be still and know that I am God.” Whenever uncertainty or fear tried to rush in, she was steadfast in her ability to stand still and know that God had her.

Jess lives on in Humboldt, forever permeating these grounds. Not just in the eyes and giggles of her children, but woven through the very fabric of the earth. The ocean breeze carries her breath, and the serenity of the crashing waves is the peace you feel in her presence. The redwoods, having been rooted for centuries, only wish they had her strength. Each one, just like us, stands a little taller having known her. Every bit of sunshine through the fog is her smiling at you on your worst day, telling you everything is going to be okay. The skies are as big as her heart, and the sunsets are only half as beautiful.

Our Jess is forever loved and forever remembered.

The family is hosting a Celebration of Life service on January 11, 2025 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Gene Lucas Community Center —  3000 Newburg Road, Ste. C,  Fortuna CA 95540.

Delores Nason McBroome died Dec. 16, 2024, peacefully in her home. Born July 2, 1948, to Jean and Harold Nason, Delores was the youngest and only daughter of two children. And of course, brilliant!

She graduated in the top 10 percent in her class from Eureka High School in 1966, earning the Bank of America award. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees at what was then Humboldt State College. In 1976 Delores began her stellar career at Humboldt State University as a part-time lecturer in the History Department. Within a few years, she was also appointed to the position of secretary of the History Department. While working full time as department secretary and teaching as a part-time lecturer, she pursued her doctorate at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!)

In 1991, she was awarded her Ph.D and received her tenure-track faculty appointment in the Department of History at Humboldt State University. (Did we say she was brilliant or what?). Her first field was American History, with specialties in California history, labor history and teacher preparation. During her academic career she served as the history department chair and as program leader for Women’s Studies. She also directed the History Day Project for many years. She was the History Department’s representative to the American Indian Civics Project and had many connections with local schools and teachers. All this was just the tip of the iceberg as to the depths of her brilliance. Yes, she taught them all! And was loved by contemporaries, many whom she loved, or respected, in return. She retired at the rank of professor in 2009, but never lost her love of history or reading.

She was a devout Catholic. Confirmed at St Bernard’s Church the age of 14, she carried on her love of church, and caring for others daily. She loved cooking and, of course, creating food, pastries and cookies, which fed her masses and was shared by all those who knew her, especially her friends, who would spend hours laughing and gossiping over coffee, tea and sweets. Cooking with Grandma Dee was a common occurrence, as was a phone call to share a fun new recipe or creative dish. She always had a ready smile, story and laugh to share.

She was married to William McBroome Sr. on June 7, 1981, and in doing so inherited a passel of children. She is survived by her 8 stepchildren, 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and if you want names, we will add four paragraphs here!!

Her memorial will be held at St Bernard’s church on January 25, at 10:30 a.m. (615 H St., Eureka). A reception will be held at the Masonic Hall, second floor, after the service, with light refreshments for any who wish to attend. The address is 517 G Street Eureka.

She is now with her husband, William McBroome Sr., and know she is at peace.

In lieu of flowers, any donations may be given to St Bernard’s church, where she was beloved member of the congregation.