In loving memory of Carole Ann Richardson (née McCullough), who was born on March 9, 1941, in the town of Fortuna. Carole departed peacefully on May 6, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.

Carole was the cherished daughter of Manly “Chub” and Mary McCullough, who instilled in her the values of love and loyalty that she carried throughout her life. She was predeceased by her parents, her sister Linda and brother-in-law Mike Mahn, niece Nicole Mahn-Newman; friends Pat DeMarzi, Gloria Grundman and Flora O’Donald. Her memory will forever be etched in the hearts of those she leaves behind.

Carole is survived by her husband, Darrell Richardson. They began their lives together on July 19, 1958, They purchased a home in Rio Dell in 1966 and raised their daughters there. Carole’s daughters, Lorie Walsh (John) and Shellie Richardson, were the light of her life, and she celebrated their every achievement with pride.

A loving grandmother, Carole’s legacy includes her grandchildren: Taylor Walsh (Chuck), Jordan Walsh, Shane Walsh (Carrie), Zachery Richardson, Sara Knapp (Mickey), and Travis Sarvinski (Laura). She also delighted in the joy of her 10 great-grandchildren, who brought endless smiles and laughter into her life.

Carole was a devoted homemaker and a nurturing mother. She enjoyed her role as a cook’s helper in the Rio Dell School Cafeteria, where she worked for 17 years. She lovingly referred to it as her “little” job. She made delicious lemon meringue pies and loved to search for treasures at any thrift shop she came across!

A lover of horses from a young age, Carole cherished her spirited pinto horse, Brandy, who would rear on command, much to her delight. She enjoyed transforming old rocking horses into beautiful carousel ponies.

Carole was a woman of unwavering loyalty and love, never allowing a harsh word about her loved ones. She was very generous and made heartfelt donations to many organizations including Shriners Children’s Hospital and Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

A celebration of Carole’s life will be held at 1 p.m. on June 6, 2026, at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Shriners Children’s Hospital or Tunnel to Towers Foundation or a charity of your choice.

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

Vera Jeanette Steele
March 19, 1939 – May 4, 2026

Vera Jeanette Steele made her final journey home in the early hours of Monday, May 4, 2026, at the age of 87.

A devoted mother of four and beloved grandmother and great-grandmother to more than fifty descendants, Vera leaves behind a legacy built on love, hard work, generosity, and unwavering dedication to family.

She is now reunited with her parents, Ester and Merrill Stephens; her husband Richard Steele, her daughter, Nicole De Los Santos; and her grandchildren, Randy RaeLee Steele, Jared Steele, Joshua Steele, and Craig Tyner.

Vera is survived by her sons, Randy (Kelly) Steele and Jeff (Kathy) Steele; her daughter, Terry (Tucker) Bray; her sisters, Ila Valente and Geraldine (Lenny) Ross; and a growing family of grandchildren — both biological and those she lovingly claimed as her own — great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and loved ones throughout Northern California and beyond.

Throughout her life, Vera was known for her strong work ethic and commitment to serving others. She was a small business owner of Steele’s Grocery, an occasional farmhand, a custodian, a proud CSEA union member, a talented cake decorator, and an avid fisherwoman who spent many days fishing for salmon and steelhead in the Hoopa Valley.

Yet her greatest work was always her family.

“Gram’s” home was a place of comfort and welcome, with an open door for grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless young people in her community who needed a helping hand. From GG-Ma, we learned the value of hard work, how to clean a fish, and the simple joy of sneaking a taste of frosting from the fridge when she wasn’t looking. Most importantly, we learned what it means to show up — to show up for family without asking why, and to help those in need without questioning whether they deserve it.

It is difficult to imagine a world without her. Not because she was unprepared for her journey, nor because she had not lived a full and meaningful life. It is difficult because she was a constant — a steady presence, a gathering place for generations, and the keeper of so many family stories. Her absence leaves a space that cannot be filled, and we know the world shines a little less brightly without Gram in it.

A celebration of Vera’s life will be held on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 11 a.m. at Real Life Church of Orland, located at 1044 Trinity Street, Orland, California.

Immediately following the service, family and friends are invited to join us for a barbecue dinner in her honor. Just as Gram’s home was always open, all are welcome to come celebrate her life and the love she shared with so many.

For questions, please contact Terry at (707) 502-9244.

The days of pondering and studying and vacillation are over! It’s voting time!

Many of you have already voted. Some of you will vote tomorrow, at the deadline. Some of you forgot that you’re supposed to vote and are being reminded of the fact that polls close 27.5 hours from now. (NOTE: Looking to figure out how to cast your ballot? Check this link.)

In any case, you have made up your mind. Or you will have, by the time this poll closes, contemporaneously with the official polls themselves closing. 

So tell us: Who did you end up choosing in the following hot-button races on the Humboldt County ballot?

Press release from the Eureka Police Department:

On June 1, 2026, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Officers with the Eureka Police Department (EPD) responded to the area of Wabash Avenue and Lowell Street following reports of two vehicles driving at a high rate of speed and possible gunfire.

Upon arrival, officers secured the scene and conducted an area canvass, during which multiple spent shell casings were located in the roadway. Detectives with EPD’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) responded and assumed responsibility for the investigation.

Based on witness statements and video surveillance obtained by investigators, it appears a white Porsche SUV was stopped at a stop sign when an occupant of a black Mercedes-Benz or BMW SUV fired approximately six to eight rounds toward the Porsche. Following the shooting, the driver of the white Porsche fled the area at a high rate of speed, with the black SUV appearing to pursue the vehicle.

At this time, investigators have not located either vehicle involved in the incident, and it is unknown if anyone was injured as a result of the shooting. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the EPD Criminal Investigations Unit at 707-441-4300.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• THE TUNNEL IT IS! Caltrans Chooses Mile-Long Underground Option For Last Chance Grade Bypass
• Major Funding Secured for the Mile-Long Highway 101 Tunnel That Will One Day Bypass Last Chance Grade

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Press release from Caltrans District 1:

We’ve reached another major milestone in efforts to remedy a vulnerable stretch of U.S. 101 south of Crescent City which has been plagued by landslides, closures, and costly emergency repairs. Caltrans has completed the Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation for the Last Chance Grade Permanent Restoration Project.

Last Chance Grade is a lifeline for Del Norte County that connects residents, businesses, emergency services, visitors, and goods to the rest of California and beyond.

This milestone brings us closer to a long-term tunnel bypass that will move the highway away from unstable landslide zones and provide long-term safety and stability.

The completion of the Final Environmental Document reflects years of collaboration with tribal governments, environmental organizations, local and regional partners, lawmakers, community members, and technical experts. Together, we’re shaping a safer, more resilient future for the North Coast.

There’s still work ahead such as final design, permitting, right-of-way, technical studies, and construction planning, but clearing this environmental hurdle keeps construction on track for 2031-2038.

You can review the full Final Environmental Document, including responses to public comments, here: https://lastchancegrade.com/app_pages/view/845

Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP) condor B9 recently completed a monumental journey from Orick in Northern California to an area near Medford, Oregon, becoming the first condor to fly free in the state since 1904.

“We have always known that at least one of our condors would eventually travel into Oregon because the state is well within their flight range. We are thrilled it finally happened,” said Yurok Wildlife Department Director Tiana Williams-Claussen.

“We are very excited to see our condors begin exploration of the greater Northern California and Southern Oregon region,” said Leonel Arguello, National Park Service superintendent for Redwood National & State Parks. “Their progress reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in their reintroduction and care, and marks an important milestone for the condor recovery effort.”

In Oregon, the last wild condor was observed in the city of Drain between Eugene and Roseburg in 1904. Before the NCCRP reintroduction effort, the last free-flying condor in Northern California was documented during the early 1900s in Humboldt County.

“It’s been a dream for many Oregonians to see a California condor soar over our state again, and B9’s journey has made that dream real,” said Oregon Zoo director Heidi Rahn. “Historic moments like this show the power of Tribal leadership in wildlife recovery. We’re deeply honored to partner with the Yurok Tribe to help bring this iconic species back to its ancestral range and to support a future for condors in the Pacific Northwest.”

“This is incredible news that we’ve been waiting to hear since the Yurok Tribe began releasing condors in northern California a few years ago. Condors will travel long distances to find new habitat and we knew they would make it into Oregon eventually,” added Oregon Department of Fish Wildlife Director Debbie Colbert. “While this was just a brief visit from B9, we look forward to the day when California condors again call Oregon home.”

Condor B9 (studbook 1268), two years and one month old, was hatched on April 3, 2024, at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho and released into the redwood region last fall. On May 12, 2026, she began the four-day, 380-mile flight from Orick, CA, traveling west east to within 12 miles of Redding, CA before crossing both the northern Trinity Alps and Marble Mountain Wildernesses prior to reaching her northernmost point on this voyage within 8 miles of Medford, OR. On the return trip, she spent one night near Cave Junction before heading down the Smith River corridor, making a detour to Brookings, OR on the coast and arriving back at the facility on May 16. She flew for a total of 80 miles in Oregon and expanded the NCCRP flock’s range by 25 miles north and 35 miles east.

Condors can soar up to 250 miles per day. B9 covered nearly 100 miles each day on her foray into Oregon.

“Young birds, like B9, explore more extensively than adults, which typically remain within a home range established during their juvenile stage. Most likely, B9’s excursion was an exploratory flight to see what’s around her,” said Chris West, the NCCRP Manager and Yurok Wildlife Department Senior Biologist, who has worked with condors for more than two decades. “After they fledge, wild-born juvenile condors join up with other young condors and they teach each other their parents’ territories before settling on a home range. By that time, a young bird will have covered a large geographic area. I imagine B9 will explore more and take other birds with her.”

This is the NCCRP’s second major milestone in 2026. Earlier this year, condors A0 (Ney-gem’ ‘Ne- chween-kah) and A1 (Hlow Hoo-let) established the flock’s first nest and deposited an egg in a hollowed-out cavity near the top of a redwood tree. As is often the case with new condor parents, the egg failed. While the cause is unknown, the failure may have been the result of an infertile egg, inadequate incubation, or a hatching issue. There is a small chance the pair may produce another egg this year, but it is unlikely. However, condor egg incubation success rates increase significantly from the first to the second breeding season. It is possible that the NCCRP will have its first chick next year.

The California Condor Recovery Program is an international multi-entity effort, led by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to recover the endangered California condor by establishing robust self-sustaining populations of condors within their historical distribution. The NCCRP is a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks. To support the Yurok Tribe’s condor restoration work, please visit this link.

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

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In the latest battle over the future of gambling in California, privately run cardrooms notched a temporary victory over tribal casinos when a judge blocked state regulators from banning blackjack at the gambling halls.

The regulations from Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Bureau of Gambling Control threaten to wipe out taxes on table games on which many local governments across California rely.

But whether the state’s 80 or so private poker rooms can keep their lucrative business model — and keep pulling gamblers away from tribal casinos — was hardly settled by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin’s preliminary injunction last month.

At least one former lawmaker says that’s cynically good news for the state’s politicians.

Democrats and Republicans have accepted millions of dollars in campaign donations from the rival gaming factions, as tribes have sought to use the state’s political system to put cardrooms out of the blackjack business.

“It keeps the fight going; it keeps the two very powerful interests caring about what goes on at the Legislature, and therefore it keeps the campaign contributions moving as well,” said Mike Gatto, a former Democratic lawmaker from Los Angeles.

Twenty-seven of the state’s casino-owning tribes have donated at least $15.8 million to current members of state Legislature, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.

Twenty-six of the cardrooms and affiliated companies have given them at least $2.8 million, according to Digital Democracy. Cardrooms are private businesses that host poker and other card games.

Bonta, too, has benefited from the dispute. He is up for reelection this year. Cardrooms have donated at least $244,000 to Bonta since 2012, according to Digital Democracy, compared to $531,000 from tribes.

The lopsided donations from the tribes did not affect the attorney general’s decision to pursue the regulations that were set to take effect this week, said Bonta’s campaign spokesperson, Jonathan Underland. The Attorney General’s Office referred an interview request about the campaign donations to Underland.

Bonta stopped accepting campaign donations from the gambling factions before he began implementing the regulations, Underland said.

“Contributions have never impacted the Attorney General’s decision-making process,” Underland said in a text message.

Dispute over ‘house-banked’ games

Underland cited ballot initiatives that gave tribes the right to negotiate compacts with the state to host Las Vegas-style casino games. The tribes have fiercely defended their exclusive gambling rights ever since. They argue gaming is a lifeline that has helped their historically disenfranchised communities out of poverty.

“California voters made their decision on tribal gaming in 1998, and reaffirmed it two years later,” Underland said. “The constitution is a hard line, and Rob Bonta is committed to enforcing it.”

The tribes contend cardrooms have unscrupulously violated the rules prohibiting anyone but tribes from offering “house-banked” table games including blackjack, the most lucrative.

The card clubs get around the prohibition by contracting with third-party companies that serve the role as the “house” or the “bank.”

These third-party employees typically sit at tables next to the cardroom dealers. The third-party employee plays no part in the game except to collect players’ bets and pay out winnings. The dealers must periodically offer the opportunity for the players to act as the bank. Almost every customer declines. The card clubs collect fees from each game.

Bonta agreed with the tribes that the cardrooms were violating the rules and issued regulations his attorney general predecessors, Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra, started to implement, but never finished.

Darwin’s preliminary injunction found that Bonta’s office likely exceeded its authority by banning the cardrooms’ most popular table games. The ruling is in effect for 45 days. The Attorney General’s Office will argue its case in court on June 30.

A spokesperson for the California Nations Indian Gaming Association didn’t return an interview request.Kyle Kirkland, a Fresno cardroom owner and president of the California Gaming Association, applauded the temporary ruling and believes his industry will prevail.“We are a legitimate industry, we have had decades of lawful operation,” Kirkland said. “We operate legally; we provide incredible support to our employees and our host communities.”

Should the cardrooms win, it would be the tribes’ second legal defeat in less than a year.

Political cash flows in

In October, a Sacramento judge threw out a lawsuit the tribes had filed against cardrooms. It was a test of a 2024 law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed that empowered tribes to sue their rivals. To that point, the tribes had been unable to sue the private cardroom companies for unfair business practices. The tribes are sovereign governments so they lacked legal standing in state courts.

Senate Bill 549 gave the tribes one shot to resolve their dispute in Sacramento County Superior Court. The judge found federal law superseded the one Newsom signed.

The stakes are high outside of casinos since some cities receive nearly half their budgets from cardroom taxes, so a tribal victory would jeopardize money for police, firefighters and other local services.

San Jose officials say that city alone receives $30 million each year from cardrooms, enough to fund 150 police officers or 133 firefighters.

The fight over SB 549 was one of the most costly political battles of the two-year legislative session that concluded in 2024, and gambling entities poured cash into legislative campaigns.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, many of them with large tribal casinos in their districts, pushed for the gambling measure, while a smaller group of lawmakers with cardrooms in their districts opposed it.

The opposing gambling interests donated at least $4.3 million to the Legislature during that two-year session, according to the Digital Democracy database.

The tribes pushed for the bill after spending millions on a failed 2022 sports betting initiative that similarly would have let the tribes sue cardrooms.

Facing what they saw as an existential threat, cardrooms responded to the bill’s introduction with a massive lobbying blitz. In 2023, Hawaiian Gardens Casino spent $9.1 million on lobbying, the second most any company reported to state regulators. Only the international oil giant, Chevron Corp., spent more that year.

After Newsom signed the law, the cardroom industry spent more than $3 million that fall in retaliation against four lawmakers who played key roles in passing the bill.

Three of the targeted candidates lost their re-election, including the bill’s author, Democratic Sen. Josh Newman of Fullerton.

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Digital Democracy engineer Alexis Ramirez contributed to this story.