HUMBOLDT TODAY: The Humboldt skies provided all sorts of exciting imagery in the last 24 hours; we open a time capsule found in the ruins of the departed Lloyd Building; plus, robberies galore! Those stories and more in today’s online newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.

FURTHER READING: 

• (VIDEOS) A Look Back at the Astounding Hour of Weather We in the Humboldt Bay Area Got Last Night
• Victim’s Dog Allegedly Foils Home Invasion Robbery in McK Last Night; Two Suspects Wanted, Sheriff’s Office Says
• House Fire Near Arcata Elementary Renders Residence Uninhabitable
• Sheriff’s Office Seeks Two Suspects in Late-Night Armed Robbery on the Samoa Peninsula

HUMBOLDT TODAY can be viewed on LoCO’s homepage each night starting at 6 p.m.

Want to LISTEN to HUMBOLDT TODAY? Subscribe to the podcast version here.

Lightning! Hail! Waterspouts!

At around 7 p.m. last night, after a relatively pleasant day, the heavens around Humboldt Bay opened up and unleashed an astounding amount of chaos. As you can see from our CHP Incidents page, the roadways were immediately impacted with traffic collisions up and down 101. Your reporter happened to be pass by what looked to be a very bad two-vehicle collision on a hail-covered 101 through Arcata; thankfully, it appears that no one was seriously injured.

But the hail was the least of it. As seen in the video above, the air also crackled and popped with a freak lightning storm. Instagram user @dariusone seems to have captured the moment a bolt struck a tree outside his McKinleyville home:

But even weirder than the lightning, which was weird enough, were the dual waterspouts that formed over the ocean and were visible from Fields Landing and King Salmon, pictures of which many readers were kind enough to share with us. Here’s a video sent be a reader:

And then, almost as quickly as it came, the weather went away. Or moved on elsewhere. Or whatever weather does.

So what happened? Ryan Aylward, meteorologist with the National Weather Service on Woodley Island, confirmed to the Outpost this afternoon that the freak storm was, in fact, a freak. Though we’ve had lightning along the coast this year, we haven’t had it in quite the quantity and intensity that struck us last night.

Basically, what happened is a particular combination of factors that caused all the phenomenon observed. There was a low-pressure trough parked offshore. There was a pocket of cold air trapped up high, at altitude. There were conditions of “lift” — winds pointed upward — which can happen for various reasons. And then that little storm passed by and tripped all those switches.

As far as human impacts go, it was the hail shower that Aylward was the most concerned about. That much hail falling over a short period of time can mess up the roadways really quickly, and he wished to remind people that it’s best to take preemptive measures if you see weird weather forming ahead of you.

“I’m happy that it sounds like the accidents, there weren’t any really bad injuries,” Aylward said. “Just remember to take it slow if there are really dark clouds ahead.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On April 17, 2023, at about 9:18 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 1600 block of Fischer Avenue in McKinleyville for the report of an attempted armed robbery.

Deputies contacted one victim at the residence. According to the victim, two unknown males reportedly entered the home through an unlocked front door. One of the suspects brandished a firearm at the victim and demanded money. During this interaction, the victim’s dog reportedly ran at the suspects and chased them out of the residence. The victim was not physically injured during this incident.

The suspects are described as follows:

• Suspect One: Male approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, slim build, light-complected, wearing a tan hoodie with fur around the hood, a ski mask, black gloves and jeans.
• Suspect Two: Male approximately 6 feet tall, slim build, light-complected, wearing a black hoodie with fur around the hood, a ski mask, black gloves and jeans.

The suspects are possibly driving a vehicle with a loud, V8-style engine.

This case is still under investigation. Anyone with information about this case, the suspects or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539, reference case number: 202301796.

Photo: Arcata Fire.

Press release from Arcata Fire:

On April 16, 2023, at 12:09 P.M. firefighters from the Arcata Fire Protection District, Humboldt Bay Fire, Blue Lake Fire, and Westhaven Fire responded to a reported residential structure fire on the 2500 Block of Baldwin Street in Arcata.  

The first arriving firefighters found a single-story home with smoke coming from the rear and eave line of the structure. Arcata Police Officers had confirmed that all people were out of the structure. Some of the occupants were trying to re-enter the structure, reportedly, to rescue four dogs still inside.  

Firefighters immediately entered the smoke-filled structure and located a back bedroom that had fire in it. Other arriving firefighters were able to enter other portions of the home and located two dogs that were still inside. The dogs were removed and secured with a neighbor. None of the dogs showed signs of smoke inhalation.  

Firefighters had the fire controlled in about 15 minutes. Due to the large accumulation of personal belongings throughout the house, it took firefighters approximately one hour to ensure that all hot spots had been extinguished. Humboldt Bay Fire and Westhaven Fire covered the Arcata Fire District during the incident.  

The house sustained an estimated $75,000 in damage. The Red Cross was contacted to assist with lodging as the house was deemed uninhabitable. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but does not appear suspicious at this time. There were no injuries to firefighters, civilians, or pets at this incident.  

The Arcata Fire Protection District wants to remind everyone, if you ever experience a structure fire, get out and stay out for your safety. Thirty-three percent of injuries to civilians at structure fires result from the civilian trying to re-enter the fire or fighting the fire. 

Passed away on March 15, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family and friends after a very long and valiant fight with cancer. He was 72.

Bill McCarthy was born on December 8, 1951 in Sacramento to William Joseph McCarthy and Joyce Elaine Anderson.

He graduated from Burbank High School in 1970. Bill worked from the time he was 14. He was the vice president/co-founder of Wild Planet Foods, which was established in 2005. He retired due to his illness in March of 2018.

He has lived and traveled all over the world and always lived life to the fullest. He was loved by all. He enjoyed Harley-Davidson, hunting, fishing, all types of music, sports and was an amazing cook and foodie.

Preceded in death by his brother Randy Thomas McCarthy, who passed on Aug. 17, 2019. Survived by his son, Sean Kelly McCarthy and sister Stacey (McCarthy) Medinas; his stepdaughter, Athena Rogers; grandchildren Ronan Abram McCarthy, Virgil Zink, and Autym Jones; his beloved nieces and nephews Sara Dawn Higgins, Jacob Yadao, Jackson Medinas, Collin McCarthy, and Riley McCarthy; and his Loving Partner Joyce Hill.

Celebration of Life will be held on April 29 from 2-5 p.m. at the Eureka Elks Lodge 445 Herrick Ave, Eureka. In lieu of flowers please donate to California Cancer Crushers P.O. Box 3654 Eureka, Ca. 95501. cancercrushers@gmail.com, 707-498-7231.

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A wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend passed away at home, surrounded by her loved ones, March 10, 2023 in McKinleyville.

Billie was born December 4, 1934 in Oklahoma to Elmer and Emma Campbell. She was one of four children.

Billie moved to Bakersfield, California with her family when she was a young child.

Billie married the love of her life, R.V. Hillegeist, in 1950. Billie and R.V. started their family shortly after and eventually settled in Humboldt County. They raised their three children — Kit, Julie, and Paul — in Kneeland. In the late 1970s their final move was to Mckinleyville.

Billie’s life revolved around her family. Billie’s joy in life was having her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren around her. She would host Sunday dinners, holidays and family get-togethers at their home.

R.V. and Billie enjoyed many years together camping, hunting, fishing, gardening and visiting family in southern California. Most of all, Billie enjoyed being a grandmother. She was known as Grandma Billie to so many. She loved having her grandchildren over and spending time with them.

Billie is preceded in death by her parents Elmer and Emma Campbell, husband R.V. Hillegeist, son Wayne Keith (Kit) Hillegeist, two infant daughters, and sister Shirley Coinner, and many extended family.

Billie is survived by her daughter Julie and son-in-law Kenny Turner; son Paul and his wife Lynn Hillegeist; grandchildren Jess Turner-Kirkpatrick and her husband Michael Kirkpatrick; Justin Turner; Kyle Turner and his wife Jennica; Troy Hillegeist and his wife Dani; and Matthew Hillegeist; great- grandchildren Bailey, Jack, Dean, Presley, Elias, Brielle, Aubrey; loving sister Dana Armer; and brother Archie Campbell.

Billie’s family would like to thank P.A.C.E and Agape. A very special thank you to cargivers Jennica, Dani, Iris, Cherly, Susie and Rhonda. The family appreciates you more than you’ll ever know.

There will be a small service for immediate family later this summer.

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HUMBOLDT TODAY: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office releases stats chronicling last year’s exploits; a Humboldt County Supervisor tours a fish farm in Denmark; plus, Cal Poly Humboldt has a new Dean of Students. Those stories and more in today’s online newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.

FURTHER READING: 

• Sheriff’s Office By the Numbers: County’s Law Enforcement Arm Releases its 2022 Annual Report, With Scads of Charts and Graphs About Every Aspect of its Operations
• Supervisor Arroyo Will Take Us on a Photographic Tour of Nordic Aquafarms’ Denmark Fish Farm During Tomorrow’s Humboldt County Board of Supervisors Meeting
• California Lawmakers Want to Know Why Billions in Spending Isn’t Reducing Homelessness

HUMBOLDT TODAY can be viewed on LoCO’s homepage each night starting at 6 p.m.

Want to LISTEN to HUMBOLDT TODAY? Subscribe to the podcast version here.