Submitted video: Josh Smith

Quite a few people have written in about the helicopter activity taking place over Arcata today. As noted by the LoCO bots, CalFire is dealing with a little wildfire located in dense forest on Green Diamond property a few miles northeast of Arcata. If it becomes more of an issue, we’ll let you know. 

However, what we found interesting in the video submitted by LoCO friend Josh Smith, above, is that this is the closest we’ve seen CalFire’s slick new firefightin’ whirly bird in action. Back in June, CalFire sent out an announcement that we were getting some new aircraft here locally.

From that release:

We are pleased to announce the Kneeland Helitack Base will now be operating the Sikorsky S70i helicopter.  The S70i, or Fire Hawk, is a replacement for the department’s aging fleet of Bell Huey helicopters.  The new helicopter brings a number of increased safety features and operational capabilities. 

LoCO must confess, CalFire was kind enough to invite us to come look at the S70i when it arrived. We failed to make the party. That’s on us. LoCO is sorry. :(

If you’d allow us to geek out on the S70i a bit: ‘Round these parts we’ve grown accustomed to the helicopters equipped with with the ol’ collapsible buckets you’d go and dip in a body of water before heading off to douse your fiery foe. The S70i handles this process a little more gracefully, in our humble opinion. It features a 1,000-gallon external water tank mounted on its belly. To fill it, it extends its retractable snorkel — hell yeah! — into a nearby body of water and gets to pumpin’. (Video example below.) If this website it to be trusted, the S70i can fill its tank in just 45 seconds. Wowowow.

Anyway, to sum up: Yes, there is a fire burning near Arcata, but we’re going to place our bet on our new chopper with the retractable snorkel. We are strong.

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UPDATE: Reader Johnny Kell sends in even more video of the S70i in action. This clip gives some context to the location of this thing. 

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Press release from the Live Art Walls Project:

The Live Art Walls project is calling on the community to help fund this year’s large-scale public art installation, set to take place during the CannaFest festival August 30-31 2025.

Fifty new murals will be painted along the quarter-mile retaining wall at Halvorsen Park, located along Waterfront Drive in the Eureka Cultural Arts District. The wall has become one of the city’s most visible rotating art galleries, featuring work from local and visiting artists of all skill levels. Outside of installation days, the public gallery remains free and accessible, created by the people and for the people. It stands as a visual representation of rich community diversity.

Before artists can start painting, the wall needs to be “buffed” — a process of covering the old artwork with a fresh coat of exterior paint. Organizers say they need 20 gallons of white exterior paint plus basic supplies to prepare the surface.

Community members can contribute in two ways:

• Make a financial donation through the project’s GoFundMe page

• Donate paint directly to the project coordinator

“This project is powered by the community,” said Live Art Walls coordinator Phyllis Barba. “The artists volunteer their time and talent, but we still need the materials to make it happen.”

Live Art Walls operates under the Ink People’s DreamMaker Program. Funds raised will be used directly to prepare the wall for this year’s murals.

Donate or learn more here:

🔗 https://www.gofundme.com/f/transform-communities-fund-live-art-walls

Live Art Walls, active since 2018, is now in its third year of installation during CannaFest.

The annual project has helped position the Eureka Cultural Arts District as a hub for creative expression in Humboldt County.

Cal Poly Humboldt release:

Housing & Residence Life at Cal Poly Humboldt will hold its annual emergency simulation on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 to test campus and community response teams.

The exercise will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 in a residence hall on campus. The simulation will be loud and include participation from Housing & Residence Life, University Police Department, Campus Resilience & Response, Arcata Fire Department, and Arcata Mad River Ambulance. As part of the simulation, passersby may see smoke coming out of a residence hall and actors crying for help. First responders will use emergency radios and campus traffic flow may be affected.

The exercise aims to train housing staff and local first responders on how to respond to a campus housing emergency. The emergency simulation is intended to provide a real-time, realistic experience of an emergency as well as provide the opportunity to test and evaluate a practical plan and practice communication among agencies.

Housing & Residence Life began holding multi-agency emergency simulations in 1986. The exercise takes place each year in August.
For location information, the media can contact (707) 826-3390.

PREVIOUS SIMULATED HELL:

• All Simulated Hell is About to Break Loose at a Humboldt State Dorm
• All Simulated Hell is About to Break Loose in the Eel River Valley
• FAKE WILDFIRE! All Simulated Hell Will Break Out on the McKay Tract Saturday
• BE FOREWARNED: All Simulated Hell Will Break Loose in the Humboldt State Dorms Thursday
• GET READY to SHAKE OUT! At 10:20 This Morning, All Simulated Hell Will Break Loose to Help YOU Prepare for the Big One
• All Simulated Hell is About to Break Loose in Old Town, Because an Earthquake-Delayed ‘Shop With a Cop’ Event is Happening This Afternoon
• LET THE SIRENS WAIL! All Simulated Hell Should Break Loose at 11 This Morning, as the Tsunami Warning System Tests its Gear
• All Simulated Hell Will Break Loose at the California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport Tomorrow Morning
• BE AWARE! All Simulated Hell Will Break Loose in the Cal Poly Dorms Tomorrow Evening
• All Simulated Hell Will Break Out Around St. Bernard’s Today

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

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As artificial intelligence replaces entry-level jobs, California’s universities and community colleges are offering a glimmer of hope for students: free AI training that will teach them to master the new technology.

“You’re seeing in certain coding spaces significant declines in hiring for obvious reasons,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday during a press conference from the seventh floor of Google’s San Francisco office.

Flanked by leadership from California’s higher education systems, he called attention to the recent layoffs at Microsoft, at Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and at Salesforce Tower, just a few blocks away, home to the tech company that is still the city’s largest private employer.

Now, some of those companies — including Google and Microsoft — will offer a suite of AI resources for free to California schools and universities. In return, the companies could gain access to millions of new users.

The state’s community colleges and its California State University campuses are “the backbone of our workforce and economic development,” Newsom said, just before education leaders and tech executives signed agreements on AI.

The new deals are the latest developments in a frenzy that began in November 2022, when OpenAI publicly released the free artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT, forcing schools to adapt.

The Los Angeles Unified School District implemented an AI chatbot last year, only to cancel it three months later without disclosing why. San Diego Unified teachers started using AI software that suggested what grades to give students, CalMatters reported. Some of the district’s board members were unaware that the district had purchased the software.

Last month, the company that oversees Canvas, a learning management system popular in California schools and universities, said it would add “interactive conversations in a ChatGPT-like environment” into its software.

To combat potential AI-related cheating, many K-12 and college districts are using a new feature from the software company Turnitin to detect plagiarism, but a CalMatters investigation found that the software accused students who did real work instead.

Mixed signals?

These deals are sending mixed signals, said Stephanie Goldman, the president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges. “Districts were already spending lots of money on AI detection software. What do you do when it’s built into the software they’re using?”

Don Daves-Rougeaux, a senior adviser for the community college system, acknowledged the potential contradiction but said it’s part of a broader effort to keep up with the rapid pace of changes in AI. He said the community college system will frequently reevaluate the use of Turnitin along with all other AI tools.

California’s community college system is responsible for the bulk of job training in the state, though it receives the least funding from the state per student.

“Oftentimes when we are having these conversations, we are looked at as a smaller system,” said Daves-Rougeaux. The state’s 116 community colleges collectively educate roughly 2.1 million students.

In the deals announced Thursday, the community college system will partner with Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM to roll out additional AI training for teachers. Daves-Rougeaux said the system has also signed deals that will allow students to use exclusive versions of Google’s counterpart to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI research tool, Notebook LLM. Daves-Rougeaux said these tools will save community colleges “hundreds of millions of dollars,” though he could not provide an exact figure.

“It’s a tough situation for faculty,” said Goldman. “AI is super important but it has come up time and time again: How do you use AI in the classroom while still ensuring that students, who are still developing critical thinking skills, aren’t just using it as a crutch?”

One concern is that faculty could lose control over how AI is used in their classrooms, she added.

The K-12 system and Cal State University system are forming their own tech deals. Amy Bentley-Smith, a spokesperson for the Cal State system, said it is working on its own AI programs with Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM as well as Amazon Web Services, Intel, LinkedIn, Open AI and others.

Angela Musallam, a spokesperson for the state government operations agency, said California high schools are part of the deal with Adobe, which aims to promote “AI literacy,” the idea that students and teachers should have basic skills to detect and use artificial intelligence.

Much like the community college system, which is governed by local districts, Musallam said individual K-12 districts would need to approve any deal.

Will deals make a difference to students, teachers?

Experts say it’s too early to tell how effective AI training will actually be.

Justin Reich, an associate professor at MIT, said a similar frenzy took place 20 years ago when teachers tried to teach computer literacy. “We do not know what AI literacy is, how to use it, and how to teach with it. And we probably won’t for many years,” Reich said.

The state’s new deals with Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM allow these tech companies to recruit new users — a benefit for the companies — but the actual lessons aren’t time-tested, he said.

“Tech companies say: ‘These tools can save teachers time,’ but the track record is really bad,” said Reich. “You cannot ask schools to do more right now. They are maxed out.”

Erin Mote, the CEO of an education nonprofit called InnovateEDU, said she agrees that state and education leaders need to ask critical questions about the efficacy of the tools that tech companies offer but that schools still have an imperative to act.

“There are a lot of rungs on the career ladder that are disappearing,” she said. “The biggest mistake we could make as educators is to wait and pause.”

Last year, the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office signed an agreement with NVIDIA, a technology infrastructure company, to offer AI training similar to the kinds of lessons that Google, Microsoft, Adobe and IBM will deliver.

Melissa Villarin, a spokesperson for the chancellor’s office, said the state won’t share data about how the NVIDIA program is going because the cohort of teachers involved is still too small.

Kimberly Biggle Dedini was born in Monrovia, Calif. on June 10, 1980 to Diane and Gil Biggle. Kim was a boisterous, loving, smart kid from the start who could start a conversation with anyone. She was always very active and involved in her community and school including student council, softball, drama and stage crew.

Kim graduated from Monrovia High School in 1998 and left So-Cal to attend Humboldt State University, from which she graduated in 2003. While at HSU, Kim was a coxswain for both the women’s and men’s crew teams while earning her degree and living a vivacious social life. She was known for always having a smile on her face and having the ability to laugh at anything.

She went on to teach at Santa Fe Middle School in Monrovia for 7 years before landing a job at McKinleyville Middle School in Humboldt County allowing the family to move north, which was their dream all along. She taught 8th grade science at MMS for 13 years, enriching every life she touched with her nurturing and inclusive attitude.

At the age of 24, Kim married the love of her life, Erik Dedini. In 2007 they welcomed their first child, Cairo Raine and in 2009 their family was completed when they welcomed Jonah Skye.

Kim was always up for an adventure, taking trips with her friends and family to make all the memories, including summiting Mt. Whitney in So-Cal and Mt. Fuji in Japan.

Kim was not only the greatest supporter of her loved ones, but of pretty much anyone she met. She was an amazing teacher, loving mother, dedicated wife, inspiring friend, caring sister and daughter and one of the best humans ever!

Kim fought a courageous battle against brain cancer, which she was diagnosed with in October of 2023, trying every treatment possible to give her more time with her loved ones. As was Kim’s nature, she kept her positive, bubbly attitude through the entire journey doing her best to make sure there was still fun being had, even through the hard days. After a brave and valiant fight, she passed in the early morning on August 3, 2025 surrounded by love.

We will be celebrating Kim’s beautiful life on Sunday, August 31 at the Loomis home in Fieldbrook from 2 to 6 p.m. Please come by to help us celebrate this amazing human, share a story and a hug. Feel free to email oceanlover20@yahoo.com if you need the address.

Robert “Bob” Wunner passed away early in the morning of July 23, 2025 in Eureka at age 85.

Bob was born in San Francisco, California in 1939. He grew up working after school in the family grocery business with his three siblings in the Marina district. His immigrant grandfather opened the grocery store after the earthquake of 1906 when he was given a gold coin worth fifty dollars.

Bob’s family moved across the Golden Gate Bridge to Marin County when he was in mid-childhood, and it was here that he began to appreciate the natural world. He enjoyed walking in the oak woodlands near his home, and the local Boy Scout Troop provided trips to many northern California natural areas in his formative years. He became an Eagle Scout and mentor to other people interested in nature. The summer after he turned 21, he solo hiked the John Muir Trail between Mt. Whitney and Yosemite, roughly 200 miles. Bob was struck by lighting twice during his hikes.

Bob moved to Humboldt County in late 1950s, where he attended Humboldt State College (Cal Poly Humboldt) and studied Wildlife Management. He spent three years at Lava Beds National Monument as a wildlife park ranger and a fire control aide and another year studying and writing about the flora of lava beds. His studies then took him to Montana Biological Station for graduate studies in aquatic plants. He wrote a paper about the flora of Craters of the Moon National Monument, then moved to Lawrence, Kansas to work on a PhD at the University of Kansas. He studied sunflowers of the prairie grasslands, with a focus on introgressive hybridization in sunflowers. This focus on cell genetics gave Bob a widening understanding of the plant world and insights into the impacts of genetics on the landscapes he visited.

Bob served in the Army Reserves and National Guard from 1963-1970.

After returning to Humboldt County, Bob taught biology at the College of the Redwoods for a year and then began working on watershed rehabilitation and salmon restoration in several northeast rivers and streams: Jacoby Creek, Redwood Creek, and the South Fork of the Trinity River. He enjoyed working with like-minded people who became lifelong friends. He later helped establish Lassics Botanical Area south of Ruth Lake and Del Norte Botanical Area on the Smith River. Bob made a map of the North Coast rivers and streams and a plant guide that covered plants from the seashore to Willow Creek.

Bob always enjoyed writing about his adventures and the people he shared his hiking experiences with. His new book, published in 2025, is called Mountains and Streams: A Backcountry Memoir.

He also enjoyed playing guitar, water color painting and cooking. Bob was a terrible cook and his ideas for what might go well together often scared his friends and family. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a tin of sardines, why not? Most of his scary combos were born out of the idea of not wasting things and thus combining them into a meal, but not always. Bob had a wide range of cooking interests from Tibetan food to macrobiotics to good old spaghetti dinners. He worked hard in his later years to improve his culinary reputation, but it may be one goal he did not achieve.

In the 1970’s, he ground his own flour to make bread on a bicycle mounted to a grinder. He loved hunting for all local berries but had a soft spot for huckleberries. If you were on the trail and camping with Bob, it was coffee with grounds (cowboy coffee) or hot chocolate. He loved camping in any weather and had a tent that you could stand up in with a small wood stove that made you feel you were at home.

Bob’s best friend and sweetheart Emelia Berol adventured with him for the last 25 years and helped him reach his dream of completing his book and many other goals he had.

Bob is survived by his daughters Vesta Wunner and Brook Willow; granddaughter Ella Danial; Godson Nick Wren; siblings Susan Evans and Ronald Wunner; nieces and nephews Saiah Wunner-Myers, Kali Baston, Nathan Wunner, Mark Wunner, Maura Duvall, Mathew Evans, and Andrew Evans; numerous grand nieces and nephews; and other family members, including Linda Borgeson, Emelia Berol, Paloma Rollings, Josiah Cain, Lotus Samual, Anna Marsh, Stephen Derby, Brian Evans, Carolyn Wunner, Suzanne Willow, Alison Murray, and Marcia Wunner.

Bob was beloved by many people in our community and attended Rock Steady Boxing twice a week to get the workout and hang out with his buddies. The program was designed to help people with Parkinson’s Disease. Bob’s family appreciates the boxing teachers who were so dedicated to Bob and the participants and the fellowship of his boxing buddies.

Bob’s family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Tara Kelly for taking Bob to boxing twice a week and on so many adventures into the local wilds and the caring staff at Eureka Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for their care of Bob during his final days. We would also like to thank Redwood Coast Pace and Agape Home Care staff members for their care of Bob the past few years.

No formal memorial will be held although gatherings of all kinds are certain. Honor Bob’s memory by hiking your favorite trail, cooking your favorite meal, picking berries, telling a story by the camp fire to family and friends, or writing a book and sharing it with the world.

Donations to Jacoby Creek Land Trust, the Yosemite Conservancy, or other nature conservancies of your choice can be made in Bob’s honor.

In Loving Memory of Beverly Moorehead
November 27, 1934 – August 4, 2025

Beverly Moorehead, a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and resident of Big Lagoon Rancheria, passed away peacefully on August 4, 2025, at the age of 90.

Born on November 27, 1934, in Hoopa, California, Beverly was the daughter of Thomas and Lila Williams. She attended Arcata High School and grew up with strong family roots and deep connections to the community that she cherished throughout her life.

Beverly was the proud mother of six children: Frank Lara, Dale Lara, Peter Lara, Roger Moorehead, Virgil Moorehead, and Holly Moorehead. She is survived by her sons Dale Lara, Peter Lara, and Virgil Moorehead, and daughters-in-law Kimberly Lara, Pat Moorehead, Loretto Gandolfo and Fran Pederson. She also leaves behind numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins, all of whom brought her great pride and joy.

She was preceded in death by her parents Thomas and Lila Williams, her loving husband of over 50 years Ted Moorehead, her brother Tommy Williams, her sons Frank Lara and Roger Moorehead, her daughter Holly Moorehead and daughter in law Kathy Gilham.

Known for her sharp wit and her gift for storytelling, Beverly had a way of keeping everyone in the loop about the latest happenings—whether it was the neighborhood news, family updates, or the small-town drama that always kept life interesting. Her way of sharing a tale, filled with humor and insight, made every conversation feel like a connection.

She enjoyed daily walks with her little dogs, cherished visits with family, and was a dedicated supporter at the sporting events of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She found great joy in dancing to the Merv George Band and was always up for a trip to the casino to play her favorite slot machines. She will be remembered with deep affection and missed beyon words by all who knew and loved her.

A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 12 at 1 p.m. at 1170 Hiller Road. Burial will follow at Big Lagoon Rancheria, with a reception and food to follow.

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