From Friends of the Dunes: 

On the morning of May 29, 700 local students spent their school day being stewards of the coastal dunes during the 20th Annual Kids Ocean Day event at the Mike Thompson Wildlife Area, South Spit of the Humboldt Bay. After spending the day restoring dune habitat and picking up trash, students, teachers, and volunteers formed an aerial art image of a sea otter and bull kelp with the message “Restore Balance.” The aerial art image was designed by Jess Barger and captured by photographer Gabe Adams with help from pilot Justin Gaffney , as well as by Justin Legge via drone. 

Friends of the Dunes, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management’s Arcata Field Office, organized the Kids Ocean Day event, which took place locally as part of the statewide Adopt-a-Beach program, funded by the California Coastal Commission. Kids Ocean Day is a significant day of action and celebration that aims to empower young individuals to become nature heroes. In late May, Humboldt County joined three other locations along the California coast in hosting student-led beach cleanups and awe-inspiring aerial art displays. These events lead up to the globally recognized World Ocean Day, empowering collective efforts to protect and preserve our precious ocean ecosystems.

Leading up to the event, students participate in educational classroom presentations that explore the causes and impacts of marine debris, as well as identify possible solutions. Through these educational presentations, students gain a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship. They also learn about restoration efforts in our local dune systems, instilling a sense of responsibility and the power to make a positive impact. Kids Ocean Day serves as a platform to emphasize the significance of individual choices to “restore balance” in our communities and for our planet.

“This year’s image is a throwback to our first Ocean Day event in 2005, which was the same message: restore balance, with a yin and yang symbol,” said Suzie Fortner, Executive Director of Friends of the Dunes. “Our collaborative work to conserve the natural diversity of coastal environments is, at its core, about restoring balance. Kids Ocean Day is an opportunity for elementary and middle school students to participate in this collaborative effort. Through both the restoration activities and the aerial art design, students from across the county come together to accomplish a goal that we could not achieve on our own.” 

In addition to Humboldt County’s event, Kids Ocean Day events took place in San Diego, Orange County, and San Francisco throughout May. At the four events held along the California coast, over 5,000 students spent a school day caring for their coast by cleaning up litter. In Humboldt County, students clean up trash and focus on removing non-native, invasive plant species to create space for native plants to thrive, increasing biodiversity. A diverse dune is a healthy dune. 

This year, a sea otter and bull kelp were chosen to represent the Kids Ocean Day event in Humboldt County. The sea otter is a keystone species of kelp forests, meaning it plays a significant role in maintaining the health of the kelp forest ecosystem. A historic decline in sea otter populations along the California coast has led to an overpopulation of sea urchins, which in turn decimate kelp forests, resulting in an unbalanced system. Sea otter recovery efforts have brought their population back from the brink of extinction, from an estimated 50 individuals in the 1930s to over 3,000 individuals currently. The recovery of this species has helped restore balance in California’s kelp forests. Although we don’t currently have sea otters in Humboldt County, we hope they may be reintroduced in the future. 

“The students are sending a powerful message about the need to protect and preserve the California coast,” said Annie Kohut Frankel, Public Education Program Manager for the California Coastal Commission. “Their actions have shown us that we can restore our coast and ensure that it endures for future generations. Thank you to all of these incredible coastal stewards!”
Participating Schools included: Alice Birney Elementary, Blue Lake Elementary, Fieldbrook Elementary School, Garfield School, Jacoby Creek School, McKinleyville Middle School, Northern United Humboldt Charter, Seaforth Montessori, Sunny Brae Middle School, Trinidad Elementary, Union Street Charter School, and Washington Elementary School.

Long ago, some bored farmer decided it would be worth his time to try hopping on the back of every animal in the barnyard to see what happened, and someone else decided that that was worth watching, and thus the sport of rodeo was born.

OK, that’s not really how that happened, but reading through a list of rodeo events can make it seem that way. There’s goat tying and sheep riding and don’t-let-the-bull-send-you-flying, as well as about a dozen or so others that don’t fold into a neat rhyme scheme — and two of Humboldt’s junior high schoolers managed to qualify for this year’s national championships, going down in June in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Bull riding is simple: stay on the thrashing 2,000 pound monster trying to get you the hell OFF for eight seconds, and look good while you’re doing it.

“You gotta just keep your feet down,” advised Ferndale’s Layne Avelar, 15, winner of the event at the Junior High State Rodeo in an interview with the Outpost. “Keep them next to your rope. Don’t throw your arms all over the place, or else it’s just gonna throw you off center and stuff. Try to stay square.”

Avelar comes from a rodeo family. His sister competes, and his mom used to as well. His stepdad also used to ride bulls.

He started his high-speed adventures with livestock when he was a little kid. Avelar flung himself onto a sheep one day and hung on as tight as he could while it sprinted as fast as it could. He managed to stay on, and apparently the sheep didn’t mind all that much. 

Besides just riding cows, Avelar trains by using a bucking barrel, a spring-loaded 55-gallon drum that simulates the experience. Getting bucked off and hitting the ground can hurt if the rider is chucked around a bit, said Avelar, but usually it’s not too bad. Sometimes he even manages to land on his feet.

Arcata’s Isabella Brown, 13, took second in the breakaway roping competition, where horse-mounted competitors attempt to snag a calf with a 28-foot-long rope as fast as possible. They’re ranked by the average time of their three attempts. 

Brown also competes in a few other rodeo events: barrel racing, pole bending, ribbon roping, team roping, and goat tying, where athletes simply attempt to tie three of an ornery goat’s legs together as fast as possible after running it down on a horse. Brown has managed to accomplish the feat in as few as 10.3 seconds — but there’s no score awarded if the goat kicks the rope off. Brown practices by taking turns trussing up two nameless goats at home.

It took a ton of literal time in the saddle for her to get to her level of ability. Brown’s stepmother (and rodeo coach) Brandy Brown said Isabella spends most of her day training on her four horses, but neither Isabella nor Avelear really think of the time expenditures as a sacrifice. 

“I like to go to win,” Isabella said. “Because you’re having fun when you’re winning, not really when you’re losing.”

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

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The Trump administration’s latest vow to “aggressively revoke” Chinese student visas could affect as many 50,000 students in California, a population larger than Palm Springs.

Sending those students home would have far-ranging financial impacts. Foreign students not only pay higher tuition than in-state students, but they also feed local economies with the dollars they spend with local businesses. There are intangibles as well: Many of these international students have remained in the US after graduation, with some becoming famous scientists or business leaders.

In announcing the new policy Wednesday, the State Department said it was “putting America first, not China.” The policy comes amid a tense trade war between the two countries. In its statement, the State Department did not specify when it would begin revoking visas or who, specifically, would be targeted, except that it would include “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

California faces a $12 billion deficit in the coming fiscal year, and the University of California and the California State University system could face 3% cuts to their budgets as a result.

The loss of so many international students could make these fiscal problems worse. The UC is “concerned” about the State Department’s decision, said Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the UC president’s office. “Chinese students, as well as all our international students, scholars, faculty and staff, are vital members of our university community and contribute greatly to our research, teaching, patient care and public service mission.”

At UC Davis, more than 3,600 students, or just over 9% of the student body, came from China — the highest of any UC campus — according to the UC system’s Fall 2024 enrollment data. University of Southern California, a private university, had almost twice as many students from China this year. The Cal States and California’s community college system also enroll hundreds and possibly thousands of students from China.

San Jose State has the largest population of international students of any Cal State campus, according to a State Department-funded survey through the Institute of International Education. “This spring alone, we are proud to have approximately 4,000 international students from 88 countries enriching our campus, hundreds of them graduating last week,” said campus spokesperson Michelle Smith McDonald. “Ongoing national events,” such as the State Department’s recent statement, “are raising questions and concerns” for those students.

For one sophomore at UC Santa Barbara, the announcement could create a “huge interruption” in her life, she said.

The student agreed to be interviewed on the condition that she only be identified by her nickname, Huhu, because she fears her visa could be targeted. She said she just signed a lease, which expires June 2026. Like many Chinese students in the US, Huhu didn’t take the Chinese national university entrance exam and instead took the SAT and AP exams in order to study in the US. She said she couldn’t enroll at a Chinese university now, even if she tried.

“We’re also scared about discrimination,” she said. “If we’re in a state where our visa could be canceled at any time, it’s an action that encourages people to discriminate against the international student community.”

In the last few months, President Donald Trump’s administration has revoked visas for thousands of international students across the US, especially those who have participated in campus protests or have disciplinary issues on their records, including speeding tickets or other minor infractions. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also asked US embassies to stop scheduling all new visa interviews for international students, Politico reported.

The administration recently restored some international students’ visa status following orders from federal judges. Court orders have also blocked another effort by the Trump administration to prevent Harvard University from enrolling international students.

But California students are worried these court orders may not last long. On Tuesday, the student government at UCLA issued a resolution calling on the school to provide “clear guidance” about its action plan in the event that Trump targets its international students.

Keya Tanna, a junior from Dubai, was part of the committee that issued that resolution. On Tuesday, she became the international student representative for UCLA’s student government. It’s been a whirlwind, she said. “There’s a deep concern and a sense of fear amongst everyone.”

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

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If Congress moves forward with a controversial proposal to require people to report work hours to keep Medicaid, more than a million of California’s poorest residents could lose their health insurance.

The budget bill that the U.S. House advanced last week includes a requirement that certain adults — largely those under 65 without children or a disability — meet work reporting rules. In California, about a third of them could lose their health coverage, according to an analysis by the research group Urban Institute. Based on 2026 enrollment projections, that’s between 1.2 and 1.4 million Californians.

As Congress looks at Medicaid for ways to help offset the cost of extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, imposing work requirements has increasingly been deemed as one of the most feasible and significant cost-savings actions. House Speaker Mike Johnson told CBS that work requirements have a “moral component” and that people who don’t work are “defrauding the system.”

But health policy researchers and advocates point to New Hampshire and Arkansas, where state-imposed work requirements failed in recent years. Their policies didn’t actually boost employment; they did, however, leave thousands of eligible people without health insurance within a matter of months. Both states have since canceled their work policies. Georgia is the only state that currently has work requirements.

Nationwide and in California, about two-thirds of Medicaid enrollees work, according to the health research firm KFF. Another 29% care for children, attend school or have a disability that would exempt them. But health advocates say the additional red tape to prove employment could be so cumbersome that many eligible people would fall out of the health insurance program.

“You might say you’re combating waste, fraud and abuse,” said Katherine Hempstead, a senior policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a nonprofit health advocacy organization that funds policy research. But “the way you’re going to save money is by people inadvertently or accidentally losing their coverage. The program saves money through mistakes. And that’s not a good way to run social insurance or to run policy.”

Medi-Cal — the California version of Medicaid — provides health insurance to almost 15 million people.

Diana Alfaro, associate executive director of Central City Neighborhood Partners, a nonprofit that helps people enroll in public benefits and services, says some of her low-income clients in Los Angeles who rely on Medi-Cal are employed — but not always in “typical” paying jobs. They are housekeepers, gardeners, construction workers and others who don’t have a regular paycheck or a single employer.

Diana Alfaro, shown at the Central City Neighborhood Partners office in Los Angeles, worries about people who will have trouble documenting work requirements if Congress’ proposal is enacted. Many are housekeepers, gardeners or others without a single employer and pay stubs. Photo by Jill Connelly for CalMatters

So far, it’s unclear exactly what documentation enrollees would need to show if a work requirement is enacted. But Alfaro is concerned that it could be especially challenging for people whose schedules fluctuate or who are paid in cash and don’t receive a pay stub that shows their hours worked. Some enrollees use a copy of their taxes, a letter from their employer or in some cases self-attestation to verify income eligibility when first applying for Medi-Cal.

“Some of them are doing those jobs of gardening or being a nanny or a housekeeper, and so they’re already going to have a hard time getting a letter that certifies the amount of hours that they’re doing if this were to pass,” Alfaro said.

House proposal requires 80 hours a month of work or school

The work requirement proposal is part of President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” which the U.S. House passed last week and is now in the hands of the Senate. All nine of California’s House Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while all Democrats voted against it.

The current version requires certain adults to log at least 80 hours a month of “community engagement,” which could be employment, school or volunteer work. As proposed, the rule would pertain specifically to adults ages 19 to 64 who qualify for Medicaid as part of an expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Pregnant women, parents and caregivers of young children, and people with mental and physical disabilities would be exempt.

Rep. David Valadao, a California Republican who represents portions of the San Joaquin Valley that have some of the highest Medicaid enrollment, told ABC’s Bakersfield affiliate that work requirements are a fair ask.

“For those who are able-bodied with no dependents and you choose not to try to make that effort to go get a job, go to school or volunteer, do something in your community, yeah you’re probably going to be affected by this, but the average person who is working really hard to provide for their family thinks that’s the right thing to do,” Valadao said.

But Rep. Laura Friedman, a California Democrat representing Los Angeles, said it is the responsibility of the government to help people stay safe and healthy, but work requirements would do the opposite.

“They want to make it so hard for you and your family to access care with these onerous work requirements that you say ‘I’m not even going to bother, I’ll just try not to get sick,’” Friedman said during a press conference this week.

Friedman said the proposed cuts and requirements in the House bill would lead to more uncompensated care costs for clinics and hospitals, which ultimately could lead to reduced services for entire communities.

Health navigator Elba Medina, right, works with Carmen Umana to apply for Medi-Cal. Photo by Jill Connelly for CalMatters

As currently drafted in the House bill, work requirements would kick in on Dec. 31, 2026. States would have the option to start earlier.

In addition to the work rules, the House budget bill proposes several other changes, including requiring these enrollees to verify their income every six months, rather than once a year. A separate measure seeks to financially penalize states that offer non-emergency Medicaid coverage to undocumented people, even if it’s with state-only funds, as California does. And less federal funding may force states to reduce benefits or enrollment.

The federal proposals are on top of changes that Gov. Gavin Newsom is already eyeing that could also force people to lose their health insurance. In his most recent budget proposal, Newsom proposed benefit reductions, a premium charge and enrollment freezes for undocumented residents as the state deals with a projected $12 billion shortfall.

All of the proposals at the federal and state level are bound to result in confusion and disruption for patients, Alfaro said.

“Last year we were doing a bunch of promotion around how easier it is to get health insurance,” she said. “And it seems like now we’re going a step backwards.”

The Arkansas and New Hampshire experience

Currently about 5 million Californians with Medi-Cal are eligible because of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. The 2010 health law allowed states to add adults without children or a disability to their rolls. It’s this group of enrollees that would be subject to the work requirements.

The Urban Institute’s estimate of more than a million of them losing coverage in 2026 is based on multiple factors, including trends and experiences observed in Arkansas and New Hampshire.

In 2018, Arkansas became the first state to implement work rules as a condition for Medicaid coverage. The rule applied to adults ages 30 to 49 who had to show 80 hours of work a month. Within six months, 18,000 adults had lost their coverage. In 2019, a federal judge struck down the state’s work requirement.

State lawmakers in New Hampshire said they’d do a better job than Arkansas in rolling out their own 2019 work requirement, but they faced similar challenges. The state had a difficult time reaching enrollees and notifying them about the changes, news reports at the time show. On track to lose thousands of people more than anticipated, the state suspended its rule.

“Based on the experience of other states, even if you spend a ton of energy on outreach, a lot of people just don’t realize what they have to do,” said Nari Rhee, director of the Retirement Security Program at the UC Berkeley Labor Center. “People have a bunch of questions: ‘Am I exempt? What do I have to do?’

“Even in New Hampshire, where they thought they were being gentle about the rollout, people had a hard time getting through (phone lines) to ask questions,” Rhee said. “So you can expect a pretty large percentage of people who could meet the requirements just fine, basically falling through the cracks and losing coverage because they just didn’t know or couldn’t get the information they needed.”

Our carefree, sassy, and loving mother passed away peacefully with her husband by her side on the afternoon of May 26.

Maryhelen Ness was born to Rita and Douglas McConaghy on August 8, 1951, in Youngstown, Ohio. When she was young, her family moved to California, and she grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She was the eighth of twelve children.

In 1975, Maryhelen had her first child, Jesse. In 1977, she met Michael Ness through mutual friends. It was love at first sight, and they married on December 16, 1978, once Michael completed his service in the Navy. They moved to Humboldt County before their daughter April was born in 1980. She then had her third child, William, in 1985.

Maryhelen had been a CNA since she was 18 years old—caring for others was her life’s passion. She held many roles, including EPT, Home Health, and working at several skilled nursing facilities. However, her dream job was working with Hospice. Sadly, a back injury forced her to retire from nursing.

Maryhelen met her best friend, Lori, through Hospice, and they enjoyed taking trips and spending time together. She was always destined to be a grandma. Her favorite color was purple, and she was lovingly known as “Purple Grandma.” Michael and Maryhelen adored spending time with their grandchildren, often hosting sleepovers that lasted two or three days—much to the kids’ delight, who always begged to stay longer.

She took great pride in her Irish heritage and dreamed of visiting Ireland. She fulfilled that dream with her daughter April and cherished every moment of the trip. She also loved traveling to Brookings with Michael, where they spent weekends sightseeing and visiting the beaches. The ocean and dolphins held a special place in her heart.

Maryhelen is survived by her husband of 46 years, Michael; her son Jesse (April); daughter April (Lyndon); and son William (Lisa). She is also survived by her grandchildren: James, Shyanna, Jamie, Myles, Ariana, Liam, and Barrett—as well as several siblings with whom she had lost contact over the years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, in-laws, several siblings, and her very special grandson, Alexander.

We would like to give special thanks to the amazing staff at Hospice. We wouldn’t have made it through these last few months without them—especially her nurse, Bridgette, and the aides. Also, heartfelt thanks to her private caregiver, Makhila, who went above and beyond whenever she could. Thank you to all our friends, family, and neighbors who stepped up to help during this time. We truly appreciate all of you.

In lieu of a funeral, her family will hold a private gathering this summer to honor her.

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

Eleanor Farley, 92, passed away on March 24, 2025, at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna, CA. She was born on October 27, 1932, at her grandmother’s home in Crescent City, CA.

At just four years old, Eleanor’s family settled in Eureka when her father began his career with Arrow Mill Co.

She attended Franklin Elementary School and graduated from Eureka High School, Class of 1950.

Eleanor’s boldness led her to the love of her life when she asked Robert Farley of Ferndale to a Sadie Hawkins dance. After receiving her engagement ring for graduation, the two were married on March 4, 1951.

Ellie began her working career with Pacific Telephone Co. in Eureka, then moved on to Bank of America in Ferndale. But it was her 38-year tenure at St. Joseph Hospital that truly showcased her compassion and dedication. Even after retiring at age 71, she couldn’t stay away—volunteering with the Hospital Auxiliary for over a decade.

Bob and Ellie enjoyed many activities together: Thursday Night Music at the Ivanhoe (at the “Deserved” table), winter bus trips to Reno, dance club, and high school football games. Go Wildcats!

Yet of all her passions, books were her truest companions. An avid reader and collector, Eleanor found solace and joy in reading. Even as dementia clouded her later years, her love for words never faded—she continued reading aloud to friends at the Sequoia Springs Memory Unit.

Eleanor is survived by her son, Kenneth (Ann) Farley of Ferndale; daughter, Laura (Ben) Liu of Ferndale; and daughter-in-law, Joanne Farley of Ferndale. Grandchildren: Jenifer Farley (Will) Nalty of Geyserville; Jason Farley of Garberville; Jeremy Farley of Ferndale; Haley Farley (Brett) Boynton of Ferndale; Jamie Farley (Brandon) DeMille of Fortuna; Kyle (Ashley) Farley of San Antonio, TX; Ryan (Jessica) Farley of Klamath; Heather Liu (Rex) Rigney of Ferndale; and Carson Liu of Ferndale. Great-grandchildren: Ian Nalty of Geyserville; Kalynn Farley of Eureka; Kevin and Kara Ann Farley of Ferndale; Jordan (Ben) Kortus of Ferndale; Blaine (Bri) Becksted of Willow Creek; Kyler Becksted of San Francisco; Taylin and Caleb Boynton of Ferndale; Taryn (Cody) King of Fortuna; Emma and Landon DeMille of Fortuna; Logan and Karah Farley of San Antonio, TX; Taylor, Kadence, Alayna, and Aleeah Farley of Klamath; and Cade, Hana, and Jack Rigney of Ferndale. Great-great-grandchildren: Cooper, Jackson, Walker, and Scout Kortus of Ferndale; Crew and Canyon King of Fortuna; and Ashton Becksted of Willow Creek.

Eleanor is also survived by her sister, Marjorie McKenny of Willow Creek; sister-in-law, Maureen St. John of Tehachapi, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Oscar and Ona (Wilcox) Parks; husband, Robert Farley; sons, Gary and Jeffrey Farley; sister, Helen Parks Farley; and brothers- and sisters-in-law: Irwin Farley, Francis Farley, Norman “Sonny” Farley, Helen Nicholson, Margaret “Margie” Jacobsen, and Phyllis Farley.

The family extends their deepest gratitude to the exceptional caregivers at Redwood Memorial Hospital and the Sequoia Springs Memory Unit.

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

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Dr. George Isenhart on March 19, 2025, at the age of 83, following complications from heart and kidney failure. He resided in Eureka, California, where he was a dedicated emergency room physician for over 40 years.

A gifted musician from a young age, George was an accomplished pianist by the time he graduated from Wenatchee High School in 1960. He went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Washington School of Medicine and proudly served as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Navy, with assignments in Pensacola, Florida, and Okinawa, Japan, over an eight-year period.

After his military service, George and his then-wife, Judy, settled in Eureka, where they raised their five children. He later married Dawn Leek, an accomplished and talented seamstress, who preceded him in death on Mother’s Day, 2019.

George remained musically active throughout his life. He played trombone in jazz bands for decades and was a talented pianist and guitarist with a remarkable ear for music—able to play just about anything by ear.

He is lovingly remembered by his five children: Don, Matt, Andy, Denise, and Angela; and by his four stepchildren: Elizabeth, Lydia, Leah, and Brandon. George was also an active member of two local bands and will be dearly missed by his extended family of fellow musicians.

A celebration of George’s life will be held on June 28 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Moose Lodge in Eureka, California. There will be jazz music in honor of George’s lifelong love of music. Drinks will be available for purchase from the Moose Lodge. All are welcome to attend and share in remembering George’s remarkable life.

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