Earlene Fisher, 77, passed away in her home in Eureka on March 16, 2025. She was born on October 15, 1948 in Arkansas, the fourth of five children of Pauline and William Cox. She is survived by her sister Linda Ferdick of Merced, her nephew William Ferdick of Merced and numerous other nieces and nephews throughout the U.S.

Earlene and her family moved frequently throughout Earlene’s childhood and in Planada, California, Earlene met and married her first and only love, Jerry Fisher, who had recently been honorably discharged from the army after service as a Ranger in Vietnam. The young couple settled in there and owned and operated a number of liquor and video stores for many years.

Earlene and Jerry fell in love with Humboldt County and decided to move to Eureka. In Eureka, they ran a Rental Property Service for many years until Jerry became ill and they sold the business so Earlene could care for him. Jerry died in 2012 from Agent Orange complications after 48 happy years of marriage.

For many years after Jerry’s death, Earlene managed the North Coast Standdown, helping veterans and their families by providing support, information and basic services. She also volunteered for many years at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center, where she made many friends who will sadly miss her.

Earlene was a light in the lives of all who had the privilege of knowing her. Her journey on this earth was one marked by love and compassion. Her passing has left a void in the hearts of her family, friends and the many whose lives she touched. We ask that you remember her not for the way her life ended, but for the way it was lived and for the impact it had on those who had the privilege of experiencing her generous and caring nature. You will be missed, Earlene!

A celebration of life will be held at a future date.

Anyone wishing to make a donation in Earlene’s memory might consider Hospice of Humboldt or the Senior Resource Center for their donation as well as any charity of their choice.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Earlene Fisher’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 heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Jennifer S. Lenihan, a beloved daughter, sister, mother and grandmother. She was born on November 19, 1967, and passed away on January 24, 2025, after a short battle with cancer. Born in Petaluma, she resided in Eureka for the past 48 years.

Jenny attended Alice Birney Elementary, Jacobs Junior High, and Eureka High School. She worked in dietary services at Granada Wellness and Rehabilitation for many years, where she formed lifelong friendships. Her family is forever grateful to her Granada family for their willingness to provide comfort care if needed during her final days.

Jenny loved camping, spending time in Trinity Village swimming and relaxing, and taking spontaneous road trips. But more than anything, she cherished time with her family.

She is survived by her mother, Jeannette Lenihan; her daughter, Aimee Lenihan-Moorehead (Andrew Williams); her grandchildren, Aliana, Adaline, and Benjamin; and her longtime boyfriend, John McElroy, along with his daughter, Sarah, and grandson, Malikhi. She is also survived by her siblings and their spouses: Kathy Antongiovanni (Paul), Liz Greene (Gary), and Becky Beam (Rob); her nephews, Michael, Jeffrey, Matthew, James, and Dominic; her nieces, Allison and Kayla; as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, great nieces and nephews. Two of Aimee’s siblings, Charlie and Kristina, held a particularly special place in Jenny’s heart.

Jenny was preceded in death by her grandparents, William and Elsie Hess and Raymond and Beverly Peterson; her father, Jeramiah Lenihan; her sister, Victoria Lenihan; and her nephew, George Foty.

The family would like to express their deep appreciation to Jenny’s Palliative Care Team for their compassion and kindness during this difficult time. We also extend our gratitude to the doctors and nurses at Providence St. Joseph Hospital who cared for her in her final days. A special thank-you to Cancer Crushers as well.

A Celebration of Life is planned — please reach out to the family for details. A private interment will follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the charity of your choice.

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Press release from Sequoia Park Zoo:

EUREKA, CA – Early last week, Sequoia Park Zoo quietly welcomed a new American black bear (Ursus americanus) to the Zoo. Placed at Sequoia Park Zoo by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), this adult female will undergo a typical month-long quarantine period before gradually being introduced to the rest of the habitat and the Zoo’s male black bear.

“We are excited to bring another bear to our Zoo family,” says Amanda Auston, Animal Curator. “As with all new animals, we will work hard to ensure a smooth transition for her - and our boy Tule, of course!”

American black bear, Tule, has been thriving at Sequoia Park Zoo since May 2023, when CDFW placed him at Sequoia Park Zoo after determining that he was unsuitable for release to the wild. Every year, state and federal agencies must find placement for a small population of animals, and organizations like the Sequoia Park Zoo play an important role in providing permanent homes and care for these animal ambassadors while educating the public about wildlife and the environment.

The Bear and Coyote habitat at Sequoia Park Zoo opened in 2023 with generous funding from the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, and we continue to be deeply grateful for their partnership and support. Bear River has chosen the name “Ishŭng” (pronounced “Ee-shung”) for the newest resident of the habitat.

“The word is the action of one eating,” explains Josefina Frank, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Council Chairwoman. “In this case, and with the name ‘Ishŭng,’ it means ‘she likes to eat.’”

Ishŭng came to the Zoo at a weight atypical for a bear of her frame, sex, and species, and animal care staff are developing a nutrition and activity plan that will help her reach a healthy weight and body condition.

“She’s a beautiful bear,” reports Jim Campbell-Spickler, Zoo Director. “And seems very sweet. We are happy to be on this journey with her and thankful to California Department of Fish and Wildlife for placing her with us.”

Sequoia Park Zoo has been proudly accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) for over 25 years and is committed to the highest standards of animal wellbeing, conservation, and education. The Zoo currently cares for over 150 individual animals representing more than 50 diverse species, including non-releasable native wildlife like eagles, bears, and owls. We care for these animal ambassadors while encouraging guests to responsibly live alongside wildlife and the environment.

Animal care staff will monitor the health and comfort of Ishŭng while she becomes acclimated to life at the Zoo, and we look forward to providing updates as we get to learn more about her personality and preferences. Observant visitors may be able to catch a glimpse of her during quarantine, and we ask guests to make her feel safe and comfortable by remaining quiet and calm around the habitat.

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The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday provided a bit more breathing room to local cannabis cultivators who might otherwise be down to their last gasps.

Growers who are delinquent on their Measure S cultivation taxes had been given a deadline of March 31 to square up their bills or face permit revocation. After that deadline was established, nearly a year and a half ago, more than 400 permit holders entered a payment plan with the county, while a couple hundred others failed to do so.

Early in the hearing, Planning and Building Director John Ford ran down the numbers: Out of 1,861 current permit holders, nearly two thirds (1,228) have paid all of their Measure S taxes. Another 423 have entered payment plans and made some or all of their payments. The remaining 210 permit-holders owe taxes and have yet to enter a payment plan with the county. Their permits have been suspended, though not yet revoked.

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If the board had stuck to its guns, it could have sent all 600-plus delinquent growers into the suspension and revocation process. But as they’ve done several times before, the supervisors bestowed mercy on the county’s struggling weed farmers.

At the end of a public hearing that included emotional testimony from the public and from Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, the board voted 4-1 to give the 210 most delinquent growers just a few extra days — until next Friday, April 4 — to make at least one payment and enter a payment plan.

The board offered a lengthier extension to the rest of the tax-delinquent growers, giving them until the end of this year to pay all Measure S taxes due in order to avoid suspension and possible revocation.

During the public comment period, more than two dozen growers and their advocates urged the board to show leniency once again.

“Think about the jobs that will be lost if you decide to revoke or suspend,” said Thomas Mulder, a licensed farmer and Bushnell’s appointee on the Humboldt County Planning Commission.

A grower who spoke by phone without offering his name said he’s made 11 Measure S tax payments despite some major business setbacks.

“In 2021 I had some sales lined up,” he said. “We sold the product to a licensed distributor who basically never paid us. It was a pretty heavy hit.”

Galen Doherty, owner of Whitethorn Family Farm, said the wholesale cannabis market is “worse than it has ever been,” and he described Measure S as an “onerous burden” on small, independent cannabis businesses. He urged the board to extend its payment deadline.

“Forcing farmers to pay these outstanding balances in full at the beginning of spring, when all of the startup costs for the year are coming in, is directly taking food off our tables and money out of our pockets when we need it most,” Doherty said.

Farmer Craig Nejedly asked for the deadline to be extended by another year, saying, “I feel like I’m being penalized for going all in on legal cannabis.”

Huckleberry Hill Farms owner Johnny Casali said that while he doesn’t personally owe any Measure S taxes, and while there are “quite a few farmers that don’t ever intend to give you a dime,” he believes the small farms of Humboldt County are worth preserving if at all possible.

Natalynne DeLapp, executive director of the Humboldt County Growers Alliance, urged the board to look at the faces of the people who’d shown up to the meeting. “These people are real people,” she said, “and they have given everything. And they’re asking for a chance.”

The normally stoic Ford agreed with this sentiment, saying that’s what makes enforcement actions so difficult. 

“Some of the people who are represented here, you know, you work with them over time, you fall in love with them,” Ford said. He added that the board may soon want to consider some policy changes, perhaps making it easier for locals to get a micro-business license allowing them more flexibility in growing, packaging, distributing and other facets of the business.

The board then set about debating how to proceed, with Bushnell asking her colleagues to consider the 210 most delinquent permit-holders first. The board was in general agreement that this group had gotten enough leeway.

Bushnell said this situation is heartbreaking for her personally. She watched the heavily cannabis-dependent Southern Humboldt community go from thriving to “nothing.”

“I’m born and raised there and have seen lots of transitions down in Southern Humboldt,” she said, citing the prior boom-bust cycles of cattle, timber and fishing. “But this transition, how devastated the community is, I’ve never seen.” Later, Bushnell mentioned that her own Garberville clothing and shoe store, Boot Leg, is failing and she needs to close it.

She also said it’s about more than just a job for the people involved in the industry. “Farming for a lot of folks is their dream,” Bushnell said. “It’s their lifelong dream, and they, they — it’s who they are.”

Madrone, meanwhile, said he and many of his constituents are concerned about fairness, considering the 1,200-plus growers who’ve paid all that they owe.

“So if we give all kinds of extensions to people who either haven’t done anything or made one payment or whatever, where’s the fairness in that?” he pondered. He later said he’s in favor of offering extensions but wanted them to be “measured.”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo said she feels deeply for those who are struggling as well as those who’ve paid all of their Measure S taxes. “So we’re between a rock and a hard place,” she said. Arroyo tossed out another proposal entirely — one involving multiple deadlines and percentages — but the notion failed to gain traction.

Bushnell wound up making a motion to set a new deadline of Dec. 31 for all delinquent growers except the 210 who’ve yet to enter a payment plan. Those folks have until next Thursday to come in and make at least one payment in any amount. The others who owe Measure S taxes must pay their full bills by the end of the year to avoid suspension and possible revocation.. That deadline will be firmly enforced, she vowed.

Arroyo noted that this is basically the same deal offered to tax-delinquent growers last time around, in October of 2023, but said she’s willing to give them one more shot.

Madrone cast the lone dissenting vote.

Decent Audit Reports

It wasn’t long ago that Humboldt County’s fiscal reporting virtually exploded in a hot mess of blown deadlines, fierce infighting, state investigations and multiple lawsuits. By contrast, Tuesday morning’s presentation of the Fiscal Year 2022-23 audit reports marked a return to auditing’s ideal state: boring.

Brianne Weise, a partner with the external auditing firm of CliftonLarsonAllen, delivered the reports remotely, explaining that her firm’s job is to issue an “audit opinion” on the county’s financial statements. What you don’t want in these scenarios, if you’re the one being audited, is a “finding,” much less a “substantial finding,” which is auditor-speak for “You fucked up.”

In recent fiscal years such findings have been rampant in the Humboldt County government, but this week’s report card was much improved. 

“The financial statements of the core county, I’ll say, are unmodified, which is effectively a clean opinion,” Weiss said.

However, her firm identified two “material weaknesses” in its financial statement audit — much less worrisome than a “deficiency” or (gasp) a “serious deficiency” but not ideal, either. One was related to a discrepancy in the reporting methods employed by an outside fire protection district, an issue that Weise and Interim Auditor-Controller Mychal Evenson believe can be remedied soon. 

The second “material weakness” concerned mis-filed receivables, including about $5 million in cash receipts that should have been recorded in 2023 and about $16 million in property tax receivables that was recorded in “custodial funds” — where assets are held for outside agencies — rather than in the general fund. Fifth District Supervisor Steve Madrone later asked if this meant the county is less deep in the hole financially than previously thought and was told no, the money was just misfiled, effectively.

“I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much effort management is doing to get this resolved and going forward,” Weise said. “So I do see a lot of improvement, despite the fact that we still had a finding.”

Weise also pointed out that the county maintains more than 120 government trust funds. “And while this in itself isn’t a problem, we just think that it increases the risk of human error, certainly when you’re doing transactions to and from those funds,” she said.

The county also faces a “significant risk” in accounting for its large volume of receivables from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), including some awards that are quite old.

Board Chair and Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell thanked Evenson and his predecessor, Cheryl Dillingham, for keeping things running smoothly. Madrone noted that the county is nearly caught up on its financial reporting and echoed Bushnell’s gratitude. “I really think you and your staff deserve a lot of thank yous from us as a board, from everybody in the county for the hard work that’s been done,” he said.

The board voted unanimously to receive and file the audit reports.

Child Welfare Services

Earlier in the meeting, in honor of Social Worker Appreciation Month, the board received a staff presentation on the county’s Child Welfare Services program, which operates under the Department of Health and Human Services. This program was the subject of a state investigation nearly a decade ago, with the county ultimately agreeing to make sweeping changes in the program.

CWS Director Amanda Winstead delivered the presentation alongside members of her leadership team. They focused their presentation on the work they’ve been doing around the Indian Child Welfare Act, or ICWA. With approximately 30 to 40 percent of the program’s casework involving Native American families, Winstead said program managers acknowledged years ago that they need to do more to meet that population’s specific needs.

“It’s been a big learning curve, and we’ve had some bumps, and we’ve skinned our knees here and there along the way,” Winstead said. “But we have now an ICWA program that is shaping up to be one of the best in the state, and something to be very proud of here in Humboldt County.”

Program Manager Kim Schneider said staff in the program’s child abuse and neglect reporting line has processed more than 3,200 referrals over the past year, adding, “On any given day in Humboldt County, there are approximately 100 investigations of child abuse or neglect underway.”

Program staff told the supervisors that whenever a child’s Native American tribal enrollment is verified, CWS remains in partnership with the tribe throughout the investigation’s involvement with the family. And when it comes to a tribe’s sovereign rights, “We are committed to deferring whenever possible,” one manager said.

After the presentation, a woman who identified herself as Kiana pleaded with the board about the plight of her own family, saying she’s been alienated from her four kids, including two “ICWA children,” since shortly after moving here from Utah in November.

“I am a good, good mom,” she said, her voice trembling. “And now my children don’t even know me.”

Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson made a motion to receive and file the CWS report, and he acknowledged that, “None of these systems are perfect.”

Organizational Change-em-up

Toward the end of the roughly eight-hour meeting (when you include closed session), Human Resources Director Zachary O’Hanen delivered a report about a possible way to change the county’s management structure to have certain county departments report to the county administrative officer (CAO), rather than to the Board of Supervisors directly.

O’Hanen said there is “no clear industry standard on the reporting structure of counties in California when it comes to their appointed department heads and their CAO [or] CEO.” However, he went on to say, “We are actually the outlier on some level, in that all of our appointed department heads report to you as a board.”

The board discussed the pros and cons of giving the CAO more authority, with current CAO Elishia Hayes saying it might make sense to have a subset of county department heads — those whose departments the board isn’t “heavily involved in” — report directly to her in order to make decision-making, feedback and discipline more nimble.

“I think that this is a model that the agency could benefit from, that your board could benefit from [and] I could benefit from in my ability to maneuver and influence and manage the organization,” Hayes said.

Wilson said he leans toward the CAO model and suggested having all departments whose heads aren’t independently elected, besides Public Works and Planning and Building, report to the CAO rather than the board. Arroyo said she’s receptive to that idea, though she’d like the board to retain hiring and firing authority in departments reporting to the CAO. (She also said the Department of Health and Human Services should still report directly to the board.) Madrone agreed, though he added that the county needs to improve its models for progressive employee discipline.

But Bushnell said she’s reluctant to cede authority to the CAO, especially if someone other than Hayes were in that role. She would worry about the executive being less than forthright, “and so that that is scary for me, to think that I’m the one that’s held responsible for someone else’s decision making process.”

O’Hanen said that, given the board majority’s interest in reorganization, he would work with Hayes to develop a proposal for an appointed department head reporting model, to be considered at a future meeting.

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If you’re so inclined, you can watch the entire meeting (minus closed session) below.

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CORRECTION: This post was corrected from an earlier version that mis-stated the nature of the Dec. 31 Measure S tax deadline and misspelled the names of Mychal Evenson and Brianne Weise. The Outpost regrets the errors.

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You know that broken lamp that’s been sitting in the corner of your garage for the last decade? You know, the one with the busted pull chain and persnickety cord your college roommate gave you? Yeah, that one. Do you think it might be time to get that thing fixed?

What if I told you there is a place you can go to have your lamps rewired, your vintage denim mended, your bicycle tires patched, your weed wackers restrung and your great-grandmother’s heirloom necklace soldered — all for free?

Sounds too good to be true, right? Not so! On Sunday, April 6, volunteers and staff with Arcata’s Recreation Division will host the first Humboldt Repair Café, a free event at the Arcata Community Center where people can take their broken stuff (electronics, clothing, jewelry, furniture, crockery, small appliances, etc.) to be repaired by local fixers. If you can carry it, chances are, they can fix it. 

“The rule is it has to be small enough that you can carry it in by yourself,” volunteer coordinator Wendy Ring told the Outpost. “We won’t be able to take in refrigerators and things like that. We’ll have a retired electrician to work with smaller electrical appliances. We also have some IT specialists to help people with their computers. We have experts at putting fancy patches on clothes and another person for bicycle repairs. This is our first Repair Café, but we have quite a variety of people!”

Image: Repair Café International Foundation

The upcoming event is part of an international movement, which originated in Amsterdam in 2009, to combat “throwaway culture,” promote sustainability and teach people practical repair skills. “We just bring our skills and fix stuff together,” Ring said.

“The Repair Café movement is trying to change consumer culture and say, ‘No, we can’t just throw things away because they don’t just disappear,’” she continued. “This is a way of making the things that we have last longer and teaching people how to fix things by watching our volunteers as they’re doing repairs. It’s also community building, which is something that we really need right now.”

While the event is free, volunteers may request a donation if they need extra materials for repair. In some cases, it may take volunteers a little longer to diagnose the issue and get the parts needed for the fix.

“If we don’t have the part on hand, we may ask you to come back next month,” Ring said, adding that she hopes to host the event once a month. “Sometimes, it’s going to be a multi-step repair. We do have some people who have 3D printers who will be able to make parts for people. … We’ll also have little handbells around, and when a repair is made, we’ll ring the bell and have a mini celebration.”

Asked what she would be taking to the Repair Café, Ring said she has a Kindle that needs fixing, some clothes her dog has chewed on and a jacket with a broken zipper. “I put a collection of beautiful beach pebbles in my jacket pocket, and I’ve never been able to unzip it,” she said. “That was a year ago. I can sew a little bit, but I can’t do zippers!”

Cullen Groom, recreation supervisor for the City of Arcata’s environmental services department, is helping to support the program on behalf of the city, which is allowing the Repair Café to use the community center’s senior room free of charge.

“[The city] is always looking for new ways to engage with the community through events that bring people together and help make those connections,” Groom told the Outpost. “This is another way to teach people there are a lot of ways to reduce, reuse, recycle and repair. It’s really awesome to hear the enthusiasm from our volunteers who are passionate about showcasing their skills and being able to bring that back to the community.”

Most volunteer slots have already been filled, but people interested in participating can sign up for the monthly event at this link. The group is also looking for specific tools. If you’ve got some to spare, contact the city’s recreation division at rec@cityofarcata.org.

The inaugural Humboldt Repair Café will be held in the Senior Room at the Arcata Community Center on Sunday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

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Fortuna, tangled up in blue.

This website is a vast and mysterious place, full of all sorts of nooks and crannies that most of you never visit. Most of you probably don’t even know they exist. Take the court calendar, for example. Or the weekly felony warrant list. Etc.

Though you don’t know or care about these features, you might be surprised to learn that each of them has their own set of daily devotees. Therefore, when Fortuna switched up its public-facing crime maps to a new system last month, breaking the Fortuna section of our Patrolled feature in the meanwhile, we started getting emails. And more emails. And yet more.

These people were understanding but firm. Bring it back!

So many people wrote that I find it worthwhile to make this announcement to the community at large, rather than email each of them individually. Fortuna Patrolled is once again fully operational! Here is yesterday’s report. Here is today’s, already filling up in something close to real time.

While we were fixing that, we realized that it would be easy to add Cal Poly Humboldt’s University Police Department logs, too. So we went ahead and did that. Here’s yesterday’s UPD patrol logs. Learn which restrooms were found to contain graffiti!

Thanks to everyone who wrote in, spurring us on to get this done. And thanks to you, too, for your patronage.

Next we’ll see if we can fix the Hazmat bot.

Eureka Police Department press release:

Since the night of March 25, the Eureka Police Department and allied agencies are actively investigating a series of stolen vehicles and carjackings. The suspects involved in these crimes are reportedly armed with firearms and have brandished them at victims. At this time, these incidents appear to be related. Various Hyundai and Kia models are being targeted.

As reported by National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), Hyundai and Kia models “make up the majority of the list of most-stolen vehicles.” If you own a Hyundai or Kia, contact your local dealer to see if you qualify for a software update, an ignition cylinder protector, and/or steering wheel lock.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), here are some vehicle theft prevention tips:

• Do not leave your keys in your vehicle.
• Close and lock all windows and doors when parked.
• Park in well-lit area.
• Never leave valuables in your vehicle.
• Use audible and visible alarm devices.
• Install immobilizing-type devices which prevent the bypassing of a vehicle’s ignition system.
• Install Vehicle Recovery Systems to assist in locating your vehicle if stolen.

If you have information, please contact EPD’s Criminal Investigation Unit (CIU) at 707- 441-4300.