Charlotte Joanne (Hackett) Michel was born June 3, 1936 and passed peacefully on June 19, 2026. She was the third daughter and middle child of George William Hackett and Bertha Josephine (McAllister) Hackett. She was a descendent of the Hackett, McAllister, Kemp, Hindley and Roscoe families, early settlers that homesteaded, dairyed and ranched in the Ferndale and Mattole valleys and hills around.
Charlotte spent her childhood in a home that her father built at the very end of Howe Creek Road and where he, his two brothers, her grandfather and their families ranched, with a little dairy, but with mostly sheep at that time. It’s where she learned the value of family and hard work. Each year the family had a large vegetable garden. They worked together when it was time to gather the sheep, having great meals for the men that sheared the sheep, sacking and then shipping wool and sheep to market.
Charlotte attended the one-room Price Creek School, grades one through eight, which at that time sat at the top of a hill on Price Creek. One story told was that as soon as two of the girls got to the top, they dropped their lunch pails and they landed at the bottom of the hill to then needing to be retrieved. Charlotte graduated and then went to what was at that time Ferndale Union High School where she graduated.
Charlotte had several jobs while doing what was the most important one of all for her — caring for her family. She worked at Redwood Memorial Hospital and Crown Redwood Company and others. Her flower garden was beautiful and the best. She was awarded the Ferndale Garden Club Garden of Merit, an award that she was very proud of.
It was at Ferndale High School that Charlotte met her future husband John Michel, uniting not only Charlotte’s family, but John’s large Portuguese family as well. They were later married and then became the parents of four boys: John, Victor, Thomas and Tony. Charlotte’s family then grew to include their spouses: John and Gary, Vic and Colleen, Tom and Cindy, and Tony. The family continued to grow to include grandchildren and great grandchildren, aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.
Charlotte is survived by her sons John, Victor and Thomas; their spouses and families; her brother George and his wife Barbara; her sister Jeannette and their families; her godson David Leonardo; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. She is preceded by her parents, her husband John, her son Tony and her siblings Lorene Tipple and Patsy Walker.
The family would like to thank the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Department, Tom at Ring’s Pharmacy, staff and nurses at both Hospice of Humboldt and the Ida Emmerson Hospice House along with the many others that have helped with their thoughts and prayers. Special gratitude goes out to Erika Brooks who provided loving care and companionship to Charlotte.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Charlotte Michel’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
On July 4, 2026 at approximately 12:38 a.m., an officer from the University Police Department (UPD) was patrolling the area of B Street just north of Harpst Street. Inside the fenced construction area near that location, a male subject was observed waving a wooden stick near a parked Cal Poly Humboldt vehicle. The subject was contacted by UPD and identified as Thomas Jackson Hayes, age 36, of Pierce, Colorado.
Through investigation and Hayes’ own admissions, UPD determined Hayes had entered an unlocked University shuttle vehicle, broken a side window on a separate Transit Connect campus vehicle, and broken a window at the Cal Poly Humboldt parking kiosk in that area.
Hayes was arrested for burglary (Penal Code section 459) and vandalism causing damage exceeding $400 (Penal Code section 594(a)(2).
This case has been referred to the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. Bail is set at $25,000.
Hayes is not enrolled as a student nor associated with the campus. This appears to be an isolated incident with no further threat to the campus.
UPD remains vigilant and dedicated to campus safety and security. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call UPD at 707-826-5555.
The City of Eureka issued the following statement to its social media channels:
We want to offer our sincere apologies to our community for the fireworks happening before the advertised time shared for the 250th Celebration.
Our published schedule listed the fireworks beginning at 10 p.m., as they have historically in previous years. However, there was an oversight in our contract with the pyrotechnics company, and the listed start time was approximately 9:30 PM. Unfortunately, we did not recognize this issue, and we failed to update the contract. We’ve reviewed this process and will ensure it doesn’t happen again.
We know many people planned their evening around the posted time, and we understand the disappointment of those who missed all or part of the fireworks display because of our error. We sincerely regret that experience.
While thousands of people joined us throughout the day to celebrate the 250th anniversary and countless aspects of the event went exactly as planned, that does not lessen the importance of getting the details right. The fireworks display was conducted safely and successfully, but it was not presented at the time we told our community to expect it.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and patience, and we are committed to improving our processes so this does not happen again. Thank you to everyone who came together to make the celebration such a memorable day for our community.
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Original post:
A view of the fireworks from aboard the Madaket. | Screenshot.
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Eureka’s annual Fourth of July fireworks display kicked off about half an hour ahead of schedule on Saturday, causing some families to miss the show entirely. A number of those folks are, shall we say, disappointed.
“Oh, they’re pissed off,” Mayor Kim Bergel said when reached by phone this morning. “That’s not a mayoral term but that’s how they feel.”
Evidence of their discontent has been sprinkled across social media.
“Was very disappointing to arrive on time for 10:00 and be told the show had started early and was over!” one Facebook commenter remarked.
Another was even more distraught. “A highlight in life taken away,” she lamented, adding a frowny-face emoji to emphasize the point. “Try it again. Set a date and a time and do it again (soon). We deserve our fireworks show!!!”
Bergel attributed the premature ignition to a miscommunication among staff and said, “The City is sincerely, sincerely sorry for that.”
The mayor missed the show, too. She said she’d arranged to meet a friend outside the Carson Mansion at 10 p.m. and was walking in that direction when, around 9:30, she started hearing the explosions.
“I was like, ‘No way,’” she said. “By the time I got to the Ingomar Club, they were done.”
Another Facebooker said their family traveled six hours to see the fireworks, adding, “The children are leaving very disappointed because they didn’t get to see anything.”
Describing the mishap as “a huge deal,” Bergel said she’s been reading all of the peeved comments.
“I have seen so many comments, [including] people calling for people to be fired,” she said. “Here’s the thing: People make mistakes. We all make ‘em. We’re going do what we can to make sure this doesn’t happen in the future, but we can’t change what happened. …Just know that we are sorry.”
The city plans to release a statement further addressing the situation later today on social media. We’ll update this post when it gets published.
That’s how many illegal fireworks Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies seized over the Fourth of July holiday.
Illegal fireworks pose a serious fire risk, can cause injuries, and are disruptive to people, pets, and wildlife. Thank you to everyone who chose to celebrate responsibly.
Independence Day has now passed us by, sure, but that doesn’t mean Humboldt’s star-spangled activities are done for the year. Ready or not, Rumble Over the Redwoods is set to make its return to ACV in about a month and today they made a big announcement about an addition to this year’s programming. More in the release below:
Rumble Over the Redwoods is thrilled to announce that legendary country music artist and American patriot Lee Greenwood will join this year’s event as a special guest on Saturday, August 8, kicking off an unforgettable weekend celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
Greenwood will open Saturday’s air show with a stirring rendition of the National Anthem. Following an afternoon of thrilling aerial demonstrations, he will return to the stage for a special closing performance, singing “God Bless the U.S.A.” as a special formation flyover soars overhead.
“Who better to help us celebrate America’s 250th anniversary than Lee Greenwood?” said Air Show Director Dennis Dunbar. “His performance is a great addition to an already incredible lineup and will make this year’s show even more memorable.”
Best known for his iconic hit “God Bless the U.S.A.,” Greenwood has spent decades inspiring audiences across the nation through his music and unwavering support for America’s service members, veterans and first responders.
Rumble Over the Redwoods returns to the California Redwood Coast–Humboldt County Airport (ACV) on August 8-9, 2026. The two-day event will feature thrilling aerial performances, including the Patriots Jet Team, Smoke ‘n Thunder Jet Truck, a special appearance by the Red Bull Air Force, several World War II-era fighters, aerobatic aircraft, skydivers and more.
Tickets are available now at www.rumbleovertheredwoods.com. For the latest announcements, news and behind-the-scenes updates, fans can subscribe to the show’s email list and follow Rumble Over the Redwoods on Facebook and Instagram @rumbleovertheredwoods.
Protesters gather outside the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel in Sacramento on May 21, 2026 to oppose regulations that would end black jack-style games at cardrooms across the state. The state’s cardroom industry recently sued Attorney General Rob Bonta to block the regulations. Bonta was speaking at a CalMatters-sponsored event at the hotel. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez Jr., CalMatters
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This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
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California’s dozens of private gambling halls can continue offering blackjack and other table games after a San Francisco judge ruled last week that Attorney General Rob Bonta overstepped when he tried to ban them.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Darwin ruled that Bonta’s Bureau of Gambling Control didn’t have the legal authority to issue statewide rules severely restricting the games at cardrooms.
The ruling, which followed Darwin’s temporary order in May, is the latest defeat for the state’s casino-owning Native American tribes. They have spent years and tens of millions of dollars unsuccessfully appealing to courts, voters, the Legislature and California regulators to put their only in-state competitors out of the blackjack business.
The tribes contend cardrooms have unscrupulously violated state laws prohibiting anyone but tribal casinos from offering “house-banked,” Las Vegas-style table games including blackjack, the most lucrative.
Cardroom operators say the ruling once again proves their business model is legal. It also ensures taxes that cities receive from blackjack revenues will continue to support local government services and cardroom jobs.
“For more than a year, we have said this case is about far more than gaming — it is about whether the attorney general and his regulators can bypass the Legislature and unilaterally rewrite decades of established law,” Kyle Kirkland, a Fresno cardroom owner and president of the California Gaming Association, said in a statement. “The court delivered a clear answer: they cannot.”
James May, a spokesperson for California Nations Indian Gaming Association, didn’t return an interview request.
Bonta’s office said in an email that officials were disappointed in the ruling and are reviewing their options.
PG&E’s Humboldt Bay Generating Station. | Photo: Andrew Goff
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The following guest opinion was submitted by Dave Canny, vice president for PG&E’s North Coast Region.
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Across Humboldt County, a topic of discussion that often comes up in PG&E’s conversations with our customers and other stakeholders is the importance of growing the local economy while preserving the character of the region.
At PG&E, we believe reliable energy infrastructure is part of that answer. Over the past several years, PG&E has made significant progress to create the conditions for Humboldt County to thrive by expanding energy capacity and supporting new customer connections.
Creating Capacity for What’s Next
In 2022, PG&E identified the need for major electric capacity upgrades in Southern Humboldt to support new customer growth and economic development. Traditional infrastructure solutions carried an estimated cost to customers of approximately $300 million.
Rather than relying solely on conventional upgrades like new power lines or installation of new substation equipment, our teams explored alternatives that combined new technologies with innovative uses of existing infrastructure. The result was a strategic capacity plan to build 10 targeted projects designed to increase system capacity more efficiently and at a lower overall cost.
To date, seven of those projects have been completed, with three more underway. The results are already making a difference for local communities. Several key projects are helping drive this progress, including the completion of substation upgrades in Fortuna, Rio Dell, and Garberville, with additional work beginning this year in Fort Seward. We have also made significant transmission enhancements to strengthen the backbone serving Southern Humboldt. These upgrades are now in the final stages of design and will help support growing energy demand across the county.
Connecting New Customers and Community Projects
Those projects are all about ensuring our system can support new customers connecting to our grid or expanding their operations. Over the past three years, PG&E has connected 711 customers across Humboldt County who otherwise could not have been served without the investments and updates made to our system. Since November 2022:
85 new services have been connected in the Eel River Valley
18 new services have been added in the Bridgeville-to-Alderpoint area, including customers from Bridgeville to Hydesville
23 new services have been connected in the Garberville area
That matters because economic growth depends on infrastructure readiness. Businesses considering expansion or investment need confidence that energy capacity will be available when they are ready to move forward. PG&E evaluates new business applications on a continuous basis and works closely with electric distribution planning teams to identify opportunities to connect customers safely, reliably, and as efficiently as possible.
One recent example is an emergency overnight shelter project in Arcata for Arcata House Partnership, a nonprofit that provides housing, shelter and other essential services for people experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in Humboldt County. Energized in early March, the facility was designed to accommodate up to 40 adult men and women as part of the organization’s transitional housing services.
Importantly, this work is also helping reduce overall costs. By connecting more customers at a lower unit cost, we can make smarter use of existing infrastructure and help keep costs more manageable for all customers.
Delivering with a Local Focus
One of the key enablers of this work is our regional service model, which was established in 2021. PG&E’s regional service model combines local knowledge with statewide resources. Our North Coast team members live and work in the same communities we serve. We understand the unique challenges facing Humboldt County because they are our challenges, too.
Across the region, PG&E is actively engaged in conversations with local governments, tribal partners, business leaders, community organizations, and regional agencies about economic vitality and future development. Safe, reliable and affordable energy is part of Humboldt County’s future, and PG&E is committed to being a strong partner in that work.
