Press release from KEET-TV:

With the November 5, 2024, Presidential General Election quickly approaching, the League of Women Voters of Humboldt County has teamed up with KEET-PBS to present two live, in-depth candidate forums. These forums are your chance to hear directly from local candidates and make an informed decision on your ballot.

Both forums will be broadcast and streamed live from the KEET studio in Eureka and from the Redwood Community Radio, KMUD in Garberville. The programs will be available afterward on Access Humboldt and KEET’s YouTube Channel. Community members are encouraged to call in their questions for the candidates to 707-445-0811 during the live forums.

Live Broadcast Schedule:

• Eureka City Council Candidate Forum Wards 2 and 4
  • Date: October 14, 2024

  • Time: 7:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Ward 2 Candidates:
    • Kati Moulton
    • Kenny Carswell

  • Ward 4 Candidates:
    • Thavisak Syphanthong
    • Scott Bauer

• California State Assembly Candidate Forum District 2
  • Date: October 16, 2024

  • Time: 7:00 - 8:00 PM

  • Candidates:
    • Mike Greer
    • Chris Rogers

These forums are a crucial opportunity for North Coast voters to get to know the candidates and their positions on key issues.

Where to Watch and Listen:

• Live Broadcast: KEET-TV and KMUD stations in Garberville

• Replay: Access Humboldt & KEET’s YouTube Channel

• Live Radio Stream: Redwood Community Radio, KMUD
  • 91.1 FM (Garberville)

  • 88.1 FM (Eureka)

  • 90.3 FM (Laytonville)

  • 99.5 FM (Shelter Cove)

Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and engaged as we head toward Election Day. Your vote shapes the future—make it count!

For more information, visit KEET.org or follow KEET on social media for updates.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) needs the public’s help to locate missing person Dylan Stout, age 25, of McKinleyville. Stout was last seen in the Kneeland area on Friday, Sept. 27 around 2:50 p.m. by an HCSO deputy when a pursuit was initiated on a stolen vehicle that Stout was believed to be driving. 

Stout was reported missing by a family member on the morning of Oct. 2, stating that he hasn’t been seen since before a Sept. 27 incident involving a crashed stolen vehicle. On Sept. 27, following a pursuit by HCSO deputies, the stolen vehicle that Stout was driving crashed through a closed metal gate, then continued forward and proceeded to crash into a bank where the vehicle rolled onto its roof. Upon law enforcement’s arrival to the vehicle, no occupants were located. Deputies conducted a search including a specialized K-9, but Stout was not located; he has not been seen since.

Stout in 2022.

As of Oct. 2, Dylan Stout is now the subject in a missing person investigation following the report from his family. A search is being conducted in the Kneeland area, utilizing a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter, HCSO Search and Rescue, ATVs, and drones.

Stout is described as a 6’4” white male adult with blue eyes, red hair, weighing about 220 lbs. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, possibly a sports jersey.

Anyone with information for the Sheriff’s Office regarding Dylan Stout’s possible whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251.

Press release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation:

Today marks the complete removal of the four lower Klamath hydroelectric dams. Kiewit, the dam removal contractor hired by the Klamath River Renewal Corporation to complete the construction elements of the project, has finished all work in the river.

Following the cofferdam breaches last month, a portion of the Iron Gate cofferdam and a temporary river crossing at Copco No. 1 were left in place to provide access to the far side of the river in order to remove diversion infrastructure. With all the diversion infrastructure, temporary bridges, and dam materials now fully removed from the river, the dam removal portion of the Klamath River Renewal Project is now complete.  Restoration and recovery of the river will continue for the coming years.

Together, Copco No. 1, Copco No. 2, J.C. Boyle, and Iron Gate Dams had blocked fish passage and impaired water quality for more than a century. All four were hydroelectric dams that did not provide irrigation or drinking water and were not operated for flood control. Following decades of advocacy, led by area tribes and supported by conservation advocates, commercial fishing organizations, and the States of California and Oregon, federal regulators approved the removal of the dams in November 2022. Ownership of the project was then transferred to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), the organization that was created to oversee the removal of the dams and related restoration of the previously submerged lands.

Copco No. 2, the smallest dam, was removed in the summer of 2023. In January of 2024 the Copco No. 1, JC Boyle, and Iron Gate reservoirs were drained, and deconstruction began in the spring. Massive amounts of concrete, earth, rocks and clay was removed from the river channel as part of the dam removal process. With these obstructions now cleared from the mainstem river, fish once again have access to more than 400 stream miles, including in tributary creeks and streams, of habitat in the upper Klamath Basin.

While the dam removal portion of the project is now complete, work will continue for several years restoring the 2,200 acres of formerly submerged lands. As the reservoirs drained in January, native seed mix was applied to the reservoir footprints. This initial round of seeding was intended to stabilize sediments and improve soil composition. This fall, restoration crews will turn their attention to amending soil conditions and will then perform another round of seeding and planting. Restoration crews will be onsite until vegetation success meets predetermined performance metrics. Restoration work is likely to continue for at least the next several years.

To learn more about the project, see klamathrenewal.org.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Attorney General Sues St. Joseph Hospital for Denying a Woman Emergency Abortion Care

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This week, the California attorney general announced a lawsuit again St. Joseph Hospital’s parent company for denying emergency abortion care to a Eureka woman, Dr. Anna Nusslock.

I live in Ferndale. I don’t know Dr. Nusslock, but I’m so sorry for what she’s gone through. Her story opened my eyes to how my own St. Joe’s story could have turned out differently.

The author and her daughter. Photo: Submitted.

I received miscarriage treatment there in April because a very wanted pregnancy ended on its own at seven weeks and had not passed out of my body by 11 weeks.

Let’s imagine my body’s process had gone just a bit differently. Let’s say the fetus wasn’t going to survive but hadn’t died yet. Let’s say I was bleeding, as happened repeatedly in my last pregnancy with my daughter, who’s now two. 

According to this lawsuit, the hospital policy might have dictated that I try to get myself to San Francisco, perhaps by paying out of pocket for a medical flight (if not too foggy), and risking death on the journey. Or I might have received a bucket and some rags and been told to get myself to Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata.

None of us — urban, rural, rich, middle-class, poor — deserve this indignity. Dr. Nusslock’s story shows that we - women and our loved ones - are not safe, even in a blue state. Stories like hers are being reported all across the U.S. since the fall of Roe v Wade under Donald Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court.

This is why I believe we have to fight as hard as possible for better policies before and after the election — so that this doesn’t become our kids’ future. It doesn’t have to be this way. (If you’re not sure where to start, check out votesaveamerica.com.)

The doctors and nurses who cared for me at St. Joe’s were compassionate and skilled. The hospital policy, as alleged in the lawsuit, is wrong. All across the U.S., policymakers who want to control women’s bodies this way are growing more emboldened by the Republican party (which, by the way, also wants to replace Affordable Care Act’s protections with unspecified “concepts of a plan”).

Please share these stories with anyone, in any state, who needs convincing about the stakes of this election. I know so many of you have your own stories too.

I see Trump/Vance signs at houses in Humboldt County and I wonder, would those people really accept me bleeding out and leaving my daughter motherless? Is that what “pro-life” means to you? What are we even doing here?

I’m not very comfortable sharing my story. I’d rather not have to. I’ve just started my own company and I’m risking loss of potential business.

But I’m angry and baffled. And the stakes are too high.

Thank you, Dr. Nusslock and Attorney General Rob Bonta, for courageously trying to right this wrong at St. Joseph’s.

If you’d like to connect with others in our community who care about these issues (including the closure of Mad River’s labor & delivery unit) — to learn from each other and work to create a safer and more just Humboldt County — please go to this link, where a mutual aid organizing process is underway. 

Tamara Evans found something fishy in the expenses filed by a San Diego contractor for the state’s police certification commission.

Classes were reported as full to her employer, the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, even if they weren’t. Meeting room space was billed, but no rooms were actually rented. Sometimes, the number of people teaching a course was less than the number of instructors on the invoice.

In 2010, Evans reported her concerns about the contract to auditors with the California Emergency Management Agency.

Then, Evans alleged in a lawsuit, her bosses started treating her poorly. Her previously sterling performance reviews turned negative and she was denied family medical leave. In 2013, she was fired – a move she contends was a wrongful termination in retaliation for whistleblowing.

Last week, a federal court jury agreed with her, awarding her more than $8.7 million to be paid by the state.

Tamara Evans sued California’s police credentialing agency after her dismissal in 2013 and 11 years later won $8.7 million from the federal jury that heard her whistleblower retaliation case. Photo courtesy of Bohm Law Group

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, alleged that Evans found governmental wrongdoing and faced retaliation from her employer, and that she wouldn’t have been fired if she hadn’t spoken up.

That’s despite a State Personnel Board decision 2014 that threw out her whistleblower retaliation claim and determined the credentialing agency had dismissed her appropriately.

Evans’ trial attorney, Lawrance Bohm said the credentialing agency hasn’t fixed the problems Evans originally identified. The money Evans complained about was federal grant money, but the majority of its resources are state funds.

“The easier way to win (the lawsuit) was to focus on the federal money, but the reality is, according to the information we discovered through the investigation, (the commission) is paying state funds the same way that they were paying illegally the federal funds,” Bohm said. “Why should we be watching California dollars less strictly than federal dollars?”

Bohm said Evans tried to settle the case for $450,000.

“All I know is that systems don’t easily change and this particular system is not showing any signs of changing,” Bohm said, who anticipates billing $2 million in attorney fees on top of the jury award.

“That’s a total $10 million payout by the state when they could have paid like probably 400,000 (dollars) and been out of it.”

Katie Strickland, a spokesperson for the law enforcement credentialing agency, said in an email that the commission is “unaware of any such claims” related to misspending state funds on training, and called Bohm’s allegations “baseless and without merit.”

The commission’s “position on this matter is and has always been that it did not retaliate against Ms. Evans for engaging in protected conduct, and that her termination in March of 2013 was justified and appropriate,” Strickland said. “While (the commission) respects the decision of the jury, it is disappointed in the jury’s verdict in this matter and is considering all appropriate post-trial options.”

Bohm said the training classes amount to paid vacation junkets to desirable locations like San Diego and Napa, where trainees might bring their spouses and make a weekend out of it while spending perhaps an hour or two in a classroom.

“Why is it that there are not a lot of classes happening in Fresno?” Bohm said. “I think you know the answer to that.”

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

Lloyd Andrew Hughes, a beloved father, professional entertainer, inventor, outdoorsman, tradesman and all-around creative force of nature was born on August 29, 1952 in Colorado. He passed away unexpectedly on August 21, 2024 in Eureka at the age of 71.

Throughout Andrew’s life he wore many hats with grace and skill. From entertaining audiences with his charismatic performances to inventing new gadgets and exploring the great outdoors with an adventurous spirit as well as honing his skills as a tradesman — there seemed to be nothing Andrew couldn’t do when he set his mind to it.

Those who knew him best will remember him as a man who embodied creativity in everything he did. Whether it was through music or artistry or even just in conversation, Andrew had an innate ability to infuse beauty into every aspect of life.

But perhaps what stood out most about Andrew was not just what he accomplished but how he made others feel along the way. He was caring beyond measure, compassionate without fail, kind through thick and thin. His heart overflowed with empathy for those around him and anyone who crossed paths with him felt uplifted by his warmth.

Andrew pursued higher education at San Bernardino Junior College, where he cultivated knowledge that served as fuel for both personal growth and professional success throughout his lifetime.

A celebration of Andrew’s remarkable life will be held on September 28 at the Manila Community Center at 2 p.m., where friends and family will gather together to honor this extraordinary man whose impact reached far beyond himself.

In lieu of flowers or gifts please consider making a donation in memory of Lloyd Andrew Hughes towards causes close to your heart as we carry forward the legacy of compassion that defined him so completely.

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

The search is underway for Cal Poly Humboldt’s new president.

The California State University Board of Trustees is holding an open forum to kickstart the process October 10 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Van Duzer theater on Humboldt’s campus. There’s also a virtual option available.

The board wants people to show up and share what they want the new president to be like. There’s also a survey for thought-sharing as well.

Interim president Michael Spagna took over after the previous president, Tom Jackson, resigned in July. The new president will be announced in March 2025 by the Board of Trustees.

Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:

The California State University (CSU) Board of Trustees is beginning the search for the next regularly appointed president of California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (Cal Poly Humboldt). Michael E. Spagna is currently serving as interim president.

The first meeting of the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President will be held in a hybrid in-person/virtual open forum from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 10, 2024, in the Van Duzer Theatre on campus. During this time, the committee will outline the search process, and the community will be invited to share their preferred attributes of the next president of Cal Poly Humboldt.

The open forum will also be live-streamed and archived on the Cal Poly Humboldt Presidential Search webpage, where individuals may also provide their input via written submission.

Pre-registration is not required to attend and provide comment in person. However, campus and community members wishing to address the committee through the virtual option are required to register in advance on the president search webpage. The deadline to register to speak virtually during the open forum is Tuesday, October 8, at 5 p.m. Confirmed registrants will receive details about how to participate.

CSU Trustee Leslie Gilbert-Lurie will chair the committee. The other trustee members include Larry L. Adamson, Lillian Kimbell and Anna Ortiz-Morfit, as well as Trustee Chair Jack B. Clarke Jr. and CSU Chancellor Mildred García.

Board policy requires the CSU trustees chair to appoint an Advisory Committee to the Trustees’ Committee. The Advisory Committee is composed of representatives from the faculty, staff, students and alumni, as well as a member of a campus advisory board, all of whom are selected by the campus’s constituency groups. Also on the Advisory Committee is a vice president or academic dean from the campus, and a president of another CSU campus, both selected by the chancellor. Both the Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President and the Advisory Committee to the Trustees’ Committee function as one unified group.

Members of the Advisory Committee for the Selection of the President include:

• Daniel Barton, department chair and professor, Department of Wildlife, and Marissa Ramsier, professor, Department of Anthropology (faculty representatives)
• Carmen Bustos-Works, associate vice president, Academic Programs and dean, Undergraduate and Graduate Studies (administrative representative)
• Mara Kravitz and Wysdem Singleton (student representatives)
• Soraya M. Coley, president, Cal Poly Pomona (president representative)
• Betty Chinn and Virgil Moorehead (community representatives)
• Bella Gray, student placements and community engagement specialist, College of Professional Studies (staff representative)
• Daniel E. Sealy (alumni representative)
• Miles Slattery, President’s Advisory Board representative
• James F. Woglom, chair, University Senate

Over the next several months, the committee will review candidates and conduct interviews, with the announcement of Cal Poly Humboldt’s next regularly appointed president made during the CSU Board of Trustees meeting in March 2025.