Press release from Calfire:

With the 4th of July, right around the corner it is important to understand the dangers of fireworks. CAL FIRE Humboldt – Del Norte Unit Chief Kurt McCray would like to remind everyone to have a safe holiday, considering the safety of themselves and those around them.

Every year fires are caused by illegal and unsafe use of legal fireworks, endangering members of the public and first responders. Those responsible for starting a fire due to illegal use of fireworks can be held financially and criminally responsible. Possession of illegal fireworks could lead to fines and jail time.

The use and sale of Safe and Sane fireworks is decided by local governments like city councils or county of boards of supervisors. Permitted Safe and Sane fireworks will bear a seal from the Office of the State Marshal. Be sure to check with your local government for specific restrictions in your area and take all precautions when using Safe and Sane fireworks if they are permitted.

Fireworks Safety Tips:

• Use only State Fire Marshal approved fireworks
• Local ordinances should be verified before purchasing and/or using fireworks
• Always read directions
• Always have an adult present
• Only use fireworks outdoors
• Never use fireworks near dry grass or other flammable materials
• Light one firework at a time
• Have a bucket of water and a hose nearby

CAL FIRE encourages celebrating by viewing a professionally licensed fire work show. For those using their own fireworks, we urge only the use of Safe and Sane fireworks in a manner that provides for the best safety of persons and minimizes the risk of fire.

California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom are poised to enact a package of bills that aim to speed up lawsuits that entangle large projects, such as solar farms and reservoirs, and relax protection of about three dozen wildlife species.

Newsom and Senate and Assembly leaders unveiled the five bills earlier this week as they negotiated the state’s $310 billion 2023-24 budget. The deal ended a standoff over the governor’s infrastructure package, which he unveiled last month in an effort to streamline renewable energy facilities, water reservoirs, bridges, railways and similar projects.

The package of bills will make its way through the Legislature on an accelerated schedule. The bills include an urgency clause — meaning they would take effect immediately when Newsom signs but they also will require a two-thirds vote to pass.

Hearings have been scheduled for committees in both houses today. Debate may largely end up being a formality as the package has already been negotiated by Newsom and lawmakers behind closed doors.

The debate and negotiations focused on how California can speed up major projects that benefit the public while ensuring the environment is protected. The wide-ranging collection of bills take aim at broad swaths of state environmental policies shaping how state agencies approve large projects. For instance, the plan to build the Sites reservoir to add dams and store more Sacramento River water has been stalled for years as it undergoes environmental reviews and engineering planning.

The proposals “are really going to help move the needle on water infrastructure projects that are needed to address the impacts of climate change.”
— Adam Quinonez, Association of California Water Agencies

One of the bills sets a time limit for legal challenges for specified water, transportation and energy projects under the landmark California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which can entangle projects in court for years.

Another gives the state Department of Fish and Wildlife new authority to issue permits allowing species that are designated “fully protected,” such as the greater sandhill crane and golden eagle, to be harmed by similar types of projects.

The compromise that Newsom and lawmakers reached seems to have accomplished what compromises rarely do: Environmentalists who initially criticized Newsom’s package say they are satisfied with the changes, and businesses and water agencies, which have backed the package from the beginning, support the changes, too.

The proposals “are really going to help move the needle on water infrastructure projects that are needed to address the impacts of climate change,” said Adam Quinonez, director of state legislative and regulatory relations at the Association of California Water Agencies.

The changes won over the Natural Resources Defense Council, which had pages of concerns about the potential environmental harms caused by Newsom’s original proposals, such as provisions that might have expedited the deeply divisive Delta tunnel.

“It’s good that it’s resolved, and that it’s better than it was and that the budget was able to move forward,” said Victoria Rome, the Natural Resource Defense Council’s director of California government affairs. “But I would say to accelerate clean energy infrastructure, we have a lot more to do as a state.”

Although the wildlife bill would ease some existing protections, Mike Lynes, Audubon California’s director of public policy, hopes that in practice it would actually increase enforcement. “Ultimately, it really will fall on the Department of Fish and Wildlife to make sure that these are good permits, and that the law is enforced,” he said.

So what’s in these bills? And what impact will they have on infrastructure projects and the environment?

What’s happening with CEQA?

One of the bills, SB 149, takes aim at the often lengthy lawsuits brought under CEQA, which tasks public agencies with assessing possible harms of proposed development. Lawsuits by the public and advocacy groups can entangle projects like housing developments, highway interchanges, and solar farms for years.

The bill would set a 270-day limit for wrapping up these environmental challenges for water, energy, transportation and semiconductor projects. The projects must be certified by the governor by 2033 and meet certain criteria. These could potentially include water recycling plants, aqueduct repair, bikeways and railways, wildlife crossings, solar and wind farms, zero-emission vehicle infrastructure, among others.

In a nod to concerns that this would expedite the Delta tunnel, there’s now an explicit carveout saying that particular water project no longer qualifies for the faster timeline.

There’s a big caveat, though: The 270-day limit only applies “to the extent feasible” — a decision that judges would make.

So will the time limit actually speed up cases? That remains to be seen, said David Pettit, senior attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “I think it sends a signal to the judiciary that the Legislature wants these cases hustled up,” Pettit said.

But in practice, he said, there are other major time sinks for the legal process beyond the length of litigation, such as preparing the paperwork behind an agency’s environmental assessment to create what’s called the administrative record. This is critical ammunition in legal challenges.

“It’s good that it’s resolved, and that it’s better than it was and that the budget was able to move forward.”
— Victoria Rome, Natural Resources Defense Council

Newsom’s original version of the bill sparked a battle over which emails should be disclosed in the administrative record by excluding any internal communications that didn’t make it to the final decision makers. Assembly consultants warned this could allow state agencies to pick and choose which documents to disclose.

Now, under the latest iteration, all emails related to the project must continue to be revealed in the administrative record, and only emails over minutia like scheduling can be excluded.

“The bottom line is most emails that are actually pertinent to the project — not like, ‘How about those Dodgers?’ — they will go into the record,” Pettit said. “That is important, because sometimes people will talk candidly over email in a way that others might not.”

What are the effects on wildlife?

SB 147 would allow projects to receive permits to kill certain wildlife species that are classified as “fully protected.” Thirty-seven species — including the golden eagle, greater sandhill crane, bighorn sheep, several coastal marsh birds, 10 fish and several reptiles and amphibians — are listed as fully protected.

Under the bill, only certain types of projects that are considered beneficial to the public could get the new permits, including repairing aqueducts and other water infrastructure, building wind and solar installations, and transportation projects, including wildlife crossings, that don’t increase traffic.

State and federal Endangered Species Acts would still protect rare wildlife and be unaffected by the bill. But it would alter another, stronger protection under state law: “Fully protected” species began in the 1960s as part of an early effort to protect California’s animals, such as the California condor and southern sea otter. Of those, all but 10 are also listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

Unlike the endangered species acts, which allow wildlife agencies to grant permission to “take” or harm a species, so-called “fully protected” species cannot be killed except in rare cases, such as scientific research.

To obtain the new permits, developers and other applicants would need to show that their plans to compensate for the harm to these species actually improves conservation — a more stringent standard than required by the California Endangered Species Act.

This addresses an enforcement gap: Regulators have little authority to make developers work with them to ensure projects take steps to reduce their impacts on those species. “There’s no hook for the regulatory agencies to demand avoidance and mitigation measures, because they’re unwilling to enforce the laws as written,” Audubon’s Lynes said.

Fish and Wildlife Director Chuck Bonham told a Senate committee that without a permit process to allow harm to fully protected species, project developers are left with little recourse if their projects could disrupt these animals. As a result, “every project proponent faces an unnecessary risk for project planning, financing and construction.”

Three species would also lose their status as fully protected: the American peregrine falcon, brown pelican and a fish called the thicktail chub. The falcon and pelican had been listed as endangered species but are now considered recovered, largely due to the 1972 ban on the pesticide DDT; the chub is considered extinct.

“We certainly don’t want to be reducing protections for pelicans and peregrine falcons, but it’s also understandable to be looking to transition them off the list,” Lynes said.

The latest version overhauls Newsom’s original proposal to scrap the “fully protected” designation entirely, which environmentalists worried would significantly weaken protections for these species. Delta communities were especially concerned, seeing it as one of several moves to push the Delta tunnel project forward by targeting the greater sandhill crane, which winters in the region.

The new version of the bill explicitly says that a Delta tunnel project would not qualify for permits to take the crane or any other fully protected species.

Will this actually streamline projects?

The multi-billion dollar question is will these regulations will actually help California build big things faster.

The Newsom administration said they are critical to bolster California’s chances when competing against other states for $28 billion in discretionary funds from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult if not impossible to draw a straight line that if you pass judicial streamlining, we get the federal dollars here in California,” said Adam Regele, a vice president at the California Chamber of Commerce. “But what it does do is it makes us more competitive.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s Pettit is skeptical that this will in fact streamline lengthy and litigious approvals under CEQA. He pointed to the loophole establishing a 9-month time limit for court challenges only “to the extent feasible.”

“How do we know that this package will actually speed things up? Because I’m not seeing it,” Pettit said.

Newsom’s deputy communications director, Alex Stack, said he couldn’t name any specific projects that would benefit or ones that had been specifically denied federal funding because of California’s existing laws.

But he said he expects the bills to cut the timeline for major builds in California by up to almost a third. That includes for transit projects, wind and solar installations, semiconductor plants and water storage projects like Sites reservoir.

“It’s climate denial to preserve the status quo — to delay these projects is to delay climate action, clean energy, safe drinking water, and put millions more Californians at risk of devastating climate impacts,” Stack told CalMatters last week.

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

Climate activists and retirees have pushed retirement funds in Maine and New York to sell their stocks in fossil fuel companies. The push is called “divestment”, and it’s a move that the University of California has embraced as well.

Now, divestment may be coming to more pensions near you.

The California Legislature is considering a bill that would require the pension funds for state workers and teachers to sell holdings in the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies by July 2031. The bill would also stop the funds from making new investments in those companies starting in 2024.

These pension funds aren’t simple bank accounts, they’re big-time institutional investors. The California Public Employees’ Retirement System has about $459 billion in assets, making it the largest public pension fund in the nation and one of the largest private equity investors in the world according to the agency’s website. When it changes tack, the world of finance takes note.

The California State Teachers’ Retirement System is the second largest public pension fund in the U.S. Together, the two pension funds cover more than 3 million Californians and their families.

Proponents of the bill say it’s important that California put its money where its mouth is, so to speak, on climate policy. Foes of the move say anything that might hurt investment returns should be off the table.

Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS, at the regional office in Sacramento on June 26, 2023. Photo by Rahul Lal for CalMatters.

“We’re not saying the intentions around this are not good,” said Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS, in an interview with CalMatters. “But they’re not coming through an investor lens. It feels like they’re coming through a morality lens. And we can’t use our own personal values, or our personal morals, to be able to decide how we invest the assets of this portfolio.”

Both pensions are underfunded; if either had to immediately pay out all the benefits they owe, they wouldn’t have enough money.

If CalPERS and CalSTRS shed their investments in the largest oil and gas companies, what would it mean for the teachers and state workers counting on their retirement checks?

Why climate activists are pushing for divestment

For some, it would be a relief.

“When I was younger, I was told by the adults around me that I should work toward obtaining a career with the state of California,” said Francis Macias, a state parks employee who called into a pension fund board meeting in March. A member of the advocacy group Fossil Free California, she said those same adults had told her such a job would come with perks like stable hours — and a nice pension.

But now, Macias said, “I feel like I’m living in a nightmare. Every day, I experience great anxiety knowing my hard-earned pension is funding climate collapse.”

The state worker pension fund has an estimated $9.4 billion in energy company investments it would have to divest under the proposed bill, about 2% of the fund. On the list are companies you’ve probably heard of, including Exxon Mobil and Shell, and ones you probably haven’t, such as Ovintiv Inc. and Cenovus Energy. The teachers’ pension fund would have to divest an estimated $5.4 billion, or about 1.7% of its assets.

The bill’s backers include many environmental and climate groups, as well as some unions representing workers who receive pensions, such as the California Faculty Association and the California Nurses Association. But there are other unions, like the California Professional Firefighters and the State Building and Construction Trades Council, that oppose the effort, along with California State Retirees, an organization for retired state workers, and the leadership of the pension funds themselves.

The goal of divestment pushes, climate advocates say, isn’t to directly reduce emissions.

“It’s about calling (fossil fuel companies) out on their immoral activities, and the political consequences of that, which is weakening them politically, so that politicians stop taking their money and politicians stop doing their bidding,” said Carlos Davidson, a retired faculty member of San Francisco State University who receives a pension. He worked on a divestment campaign at the university, and has been involved in the push to divest the state workers’ pension for nearly a decade.

“It is true that divestment does not have direct financial impacts on companies,” Davidson said. “It’s the political effects that really matter. And that is a harder, longer-term, more fuzzy process.”

Davidson lives in Pacifica, off of a combination of his pension and social security benefits.

“I could not have retired and I could not pay my bills right now if I didn’t have my [state] pension,” he said.

What are the costs of divestment?

There’s also a camp that thinks divestment would be a bad move financially. That camp includes the leadership of both pension funds.

At the state worker pension fund, the investment and actuarial teams estimated that if the fund sold off its fossil fuel holdings it would get lower returns on its investments, translating to an extra $327.6 million in costs per year for 20 years for employers, like schools, and state and local governments, to meet obligations to retirees.

The state worker pension fund has divested before — from Iran, Sudan, thermal coal, and more. In 2001, the fund divested its tobacco company holdings, worth about $525 million according to news reports at the time. In the more than 20 years since, that move has translated to about $4.3 billion in lost investment profits, according to a 2022 report from Wilshire Advisors. But some divestments, like those from thermal coal, and Iran, have translated to small gains.

When economists from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland compared the financial performance of investment portfolios with and without fossil fuel company stocks from 1927-2016, they found that divested portfolios “would not have significantly underperformed” during that period.

“It’s not just the oil and gas industry,” said pension fund CEO Frost. “What’s next? Divestment from the airline industry, who uses a lot of oil and gas?” she said. “Pretty soon you get to the point that (the pension) has nothing to invest in” and there’s no way to hit the high investment returns the pension fund is tasked with hitting, she said.

“It’s the political effects that really matter. And that is a harder, longer-term, more fuzzy process.”
— Carlos Davidson, retired faculty member of San Francisco State University who receives a pension

This isn’t the first legislative push for fossil fuel divestment. Last year a similar bill was passed by the Senate, and then died in the Assembly’s committee on public employment and retirement. It might have a better shot this time, thanks to some political musical chairs. Previously, the Assembly’s public employment committee was led by Jim Cooper, an Elk Grove Democrat who was opposed to the Legislature directing state pension funds on how to invest, Frost said. Now he’s left the Assembly, and the committee has a new chairperson, Tina McKinnor, a Democrat from Inglewood.

A complicating factor is that the pension funds have a “fiduciary duty” under California’s constitution. That means that the people overseeing the funds are legally required to invest prudently, and act exclusively to benefit the fund’s members.

Some of the bill’s opponents say that requiring the funds to divest from fossil fuels would conflict with their fiduciary duty to their members, including the California Professional Firefighters, a union.

“Forcing any California pension system to make investment decisions that may harm the fund in an attempt, in this case, to affect global climate policy, violates their fiduciary mandate and puts the retirements of hard-working Californians at risk,” wrote president Brian Rice in a statement.

Already, the concept of fiduciary responsibility is causing legal headaches for divestment efforts. Three New York City pension funds are being sued for allegedly violating their fiduciary duties after they divested $4 billion in fossil fuel holdings.

Ultimately, it’s up to the pension funds themselves to determine whether divesting would conflict with their mandate.

The state worker pension fund hasn’t done a full analysis yet, but, said Frost, “my impression on this is that it would violate the board’s fiduciary duty to do this.”

The bill has an escape clause of sorts, making it clear that the pension funds don’t have to sell off their investments if doing so would conflict with their fiduciary duties. That means there’s a scenario in which the Legislature passes the bill and then the funds say that divesting goes against their responsibilities to the beneficiaries, and nothing changes in practice.

Davidson, the retiree pushing for divestment, says that’s not the outcome he’s expecting.

But it wouldn’t be all bad, he said. What really matters is the politics, and “the vote of the California Legislature to divest is really powerful, and that’s going to get press coverage around the world,” Davidson said. “That is part of the outcome that we want.”

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

Irene Kay Armand was born November 18, 1949, in Paradise, Calif., to Joel and Patricia Pittman and entered her reward peacefully at home on June 19, 2023. Irene was the eldest of nine children between her parents. Irene moved to Hoopa in 1962, living in Jackson’s Trailer court. Irene attended Hoopa Valley High School and worked at the Hoopa Jolly Cone.

Irene met the love of her life through a mutual friend in 1963, John Armand. Irene and John became inseparable and got married in 1966.

Irene graduated from Napa Valley High School, where she and her husband, John, had relocated for a time. After graduation, Irene went to Napa Beauty School and became a licensed cosmetologist. Irene was a hairdresser in Napa, Vallejo, San Pablo, and eventually back in Hoopa. Irene enjoyed hairdressing and maintained her license up until her death.

Irene was a hard worker and maintained employment throughout her life. Irene and John moved to Wisconsin in 1979, where she worked for the Trek Bicycle company. Eventually, Irene and John moved back to Hoopa in 1984, where they resided until her passing.

Irene was hired at Bigfoot Lumber, where she began to learn bookkeeping skills. Irene was a quick learner and self-taught bookkeeper, which became her career. She worked with the Hoopa Valley Tribe until she retired from the Public Utilities Department. Irene loved her PUD crew and especially enjoyed her walks and talks with Mary Biondini.

Irene had a love of the arts and enjoyed drawing and calligraphy. Irene was also very into computers and technology and always made beautiful certificates for the church.

Irene growing up was introduced to the Christian faith and attended church regularly as a child. At the age of ten, Irene gave her heart to the Lord. Irene was a woman of faith. Irene loved the Lord with all her heart and soul. Eventually, God and Irene won over John to the faith, and in 1986, they went into Youth Ministry at the Hoopa Assembly of God.

Irene was invited in 1987 by a group from the church to Japan; this was a life-changing trip for Irene. She often talked about the barriers and how different the plumbing was there. Irene enjoyed her time in Japan, especially with the people from her church.

In 1994 John began pastoring the Hoopa Assembly of God, and Irene was by his side as a helpmate. Irene and Juan didn’t have children of their own, but those that entered the church became their family. Pastoring over a church for almost 29 years in the Hoopa Community has been one of the most remarkable journeys of Irene’s life. (Previously the Assembly of God Church in Willow Creek.)

Irene is survived by her husband, Juan Armand. Irene is also survived by her sister Doris Pittman, brother Brice Rodgers and wife Sandy, sister Cheryl Appel and husband David, sister Terri Ackley and husband Jim, brother Joel Pittman Jr. and wife Lois, sister Holly Pittman, brother Richard Pittman, and brother in law Chester McIntosh and wife Julie.

Irene is preceded in death by her father, Joel Pittman Sr, mother Patricia Rodgers, stepfather Jay Rodgers, brother Phillip Pittman, and brother Douglas Pittman.

Pallbearers: Brian McIntosh, Byron McIntosh, Rodger Sanderson, Wally Morton Sr., Raymond Baldy, Robert Baldy, Raymond Baldy, Riley Baldy, Chago Moon, Antonio Correa, Aaron McIntosh, Brian McIntosh Jr, Gary Riley, Jon Blake II, Rick Sanderson, Chester McIntosh.

We want to apologize if I missed anyone. It was not intentional. Irene loved so many people who were very near and dear to her.

Services will be held at the Hoopa Assembly of God on Tish Tang Road on July 1, 2023, at 11 a.m., with a reception at Pookey’s Park on Loop Road in Hoopa. The reception is a potluck, so please bring your favorite dish.

Irene enjoyed and loved to support Redwood Adult Teen Challenge. If you would like to send donations, please get in touch with Redwood Adult Teen Challenge at info@redwoodtc.com.

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Nancy Jean Sylvies-Simmons
June 21, 1940 to June 6, 2023

Nancy Sylvies-Simmons of Orleans passed away on June 6, 2023. She was born on June 21, 1940 in LA to her Father Eugene Sylvies and her grandparents who raised her Kenneth and Cecil Sylvies. She grew up with her two siblings Kenneth and Carolyn. The Sylvies family later relocated to the Salmon River where Nancy spent the majority of her adolescent years.

Nancy went on to start her own family after she married Jim Horn of Orleans. They made their home on Ferris Ranch Rd. where Nancy remained until she passed. In her home she gave life to her three children; James B. Horn, Paul Horn and Penni Horn. It was there that she raised her children and became our Nana. She devoted her life to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

One of Nancy’s first jobs was working at the fire camps as a cook. She also spent many years working at the Orleans Motel and the Orleans Mining Company where she cooked and waitressed at the same time. Later in life she worked at the Orleans Store where she was well known for her deli work and keeping the shelves stocked with yarn. She also babysat many O-town kids throughout the years and two of her favorite kids were Craig Mullins and Kit McCovey, whom she maintained a friendship with over the years. Up until Nancy passed away she worked for the Karuk Tribe Senior Nutrition Program as the substitute cook and maintained her custodial business at the Forest Service where she worked alongside her longtime friend Charla King.

She was well known for her beautiful yard and flowers and she loved to garden. She took pride in maintaining her yard all on her own. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do, from running the green machine to planting her flowers. Nancy was very creative and she loved to crochet, sew and quilt. She made beautiful blankets, quilts, baby blankets, bags and so much more. She passed her creative talents down to her granddaughters Teresa and Jesika. You would often find Nancy and her handmade art at the local craft fairs alongside her granddaughters.

Nancy had many passions and talents, but being a Mom and Nana was definitely her super power. She took great pride in teaching her daughter Penni about motherhood, cooking, baking and how to keep a home. Nancy passed down her many great qualities including her strength and her fiercely independent personality that always included a dash of SASS. She was caring, loving and nurturing but could also cuss like a sailor especially when she was with her great grandson Dukes. Nancy always made every holiday extremely special. She loved to cook and bake, but the real happiness came from watching the ones she loved enjoy the food she made from scratch. She could bake a pie in every flavor and made everyone their favorite treats. Her persimmon cookies melted in your mouth and everyone loved them. Words are hard to describe what she meant to everyone. She was more than a Mom and Nana, she was also a best friend. She cherished her long phone calls with her oldest son James and looked forward to their conversation. Nancy also looked forward to when her boys would come home to visit her and they also always made time to do the things that were on her to do list.

In January of 2000, Nancy not only had one more grandson, Ben, she also became a great grandma for the first time (Laurence). She always wanted to make sure that she could help in any way. It didn’t matter if it was little or big she always showed up. In 2007, after more great grandsons, Nancy finally got her first great granddaughter, Kalia. Starting In 2009, Nancy took great pride in helping raise Kalia. They say it takes a village to raise a child and Nancy went above and beyond to make sure Kalia never went without motherly love. As often as she could, she came to the local school functions, sporting events and did her fair share of school fundraising for the kids. It was one of the many things that gave her purpose and joy.

Nancy had decided on her 70th birthday that she would be her authentic sassy self and at her age, her opinion was going to be heard whether you liked it or not. She gave her love generously to everyone, but could also put you in your place. Anyone who knew Nancy knew that she had favorites, of course she thought she super secretive about it, but if you were one of her favorites, you definitely knew.

She shared a special bond and relationship with her great grandsons Laurence Mitchell, James “Dukes” Mitchell, Kalia Mitchell and Edward and Apryl Mitchell. They are very fortunate to have spent so much time with their Nana. Nancy also took great pride in helping plan family events and most recently helped plan a baby shower for her newest great-grandson Mettah Mitchell.

Nancy shared a deep connection and friendship with Charla, Travis and Serena King. The family would like to thank them for being there for her, not only as a friend, but also in her time of need. Nancy loved Charla and the kids like they were her own and had no problem letting everyone know just how much they meant to her. She would also want us to mention her favorite nieces that meant the world to her; Crystal Lollich, Patty Underwood and her great-niece Ashley Horn-Liebes.

Walking was also one of Nancy’s favorite things to do. Up until last year, for many years Nancy walked the muddy mile in Orleans and did the 2 mile trek with her walking partner Joanne Rosenbach. She also loved to attend the monthly sewing group in Orleans.

Nancy was survived by her three children James Horn (Nacidee), Paul Horn (Linda), Penni Horn (Mackie). Her grandchildren Louis Mitchell, Teresa Mitchell (Jim), Jesika Sheaf (Kris), Edward Mitchell (Rachael), Ben Nix, Kenneth Horn (Jesse), Jacob Horn (Karissa), Katie Horn, Michael Horn (Selene), and Ben Horn (Amanda). Great Grandchildren Laurence and Dukes Mitchell, Eychkwo and Teyk-tah Moon, Mikah, Karoline and Rebeka Sheaf, Apryl, Edward Jr., Janie and Mettah Mitchell, Hailey and Jasiman Horn, Ella, Weston and Harlo Horn, Drake and Brody Horn, Damion, Madilyn, James and Nicholas Horn, Adan, Andrew and Aero Horn, Kalia, Emilia and Louis Mitchell. Her nieces Cecil, Maggie, Sherry, Shelley, Stacy and nephew Melvin.

She was preceded in death by her father Eugene Sylvies, her grandparents that raised her Kenneth and Cecil Sylvies, siblings Kenneth Sylvies, Caroline Sylvies, her youngest brother Eugene “Bub” Sylvies and her sister in law Marion Lollich.

Honorary persons are Edward Mitchell Sr., Edward Mitchell Jr., Laurence Mitchell, James Dukes Mitchell, James Moon Sr., Ben Nix, Joe Nix, Mackie Nix, Teyk-tah Moon, Eychkwo Moon, Mikah Sheaf, Kenneth Horn, Jacob Horn, Michael Horn, Ben Horn, Travis King and Louis Mitchell.

The family would like to thank Charla King, Rod Johnson, the K’ima:w ambulance crew, the emergency flight crew and all of the Mercy Hospital staff in Redding for all of their help in Nancy’s final days.

Services will be held on July 9, 2023 at 11 a.m. at the Karuk DNR Building in Orleans. Please bring your favorite dish and story to share with everyone.

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Robert “Buz” Stanley Johnson
July 7, 1944 - June 20, 2023

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Robert ”Buz” Stanley Johnson, who entered this world on July 7,1944 and departed from us on June 20,2023.

Buz was born to George and Annie Lena Johnson of Manila,California. His nickname Buz began shortly after crawling — he would make a buzzing sound and was quick, so a nickname after the Buzz Bomb from WWII fit him perfectly.

Buz has a long family history in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties dating back to the mid 1800s. He was a tribal member of Round Valley Indian Tribes, registered Wailaki.

He enjoyed his career in the logging industry. A majority of those years he spent driving logging trucks for Wayne Bare Trucking — beginning in 1974, retiring in 2011. He enjoyed his time there and the friendships he had made.

As a lifelong resident of Humboldt County, he spent as much time as possible outdoors: fishing, hunting and clamming. He could tell you with ease the type of birds, trees or fish that happen to be nearby. He was happiest with his friends, out on a river, the bay or the ocean, or hunting.

A drive through town could take a bit long, as he would list the names of local families and businesses that had once occupied the area, he’d have to wave at all passersby and ask everyone “How’s it goin’?” before moving on his way.

Buz was preceded in death by his parents: George Cameron Johnson and Annie Lena (Parker) Johnson, as well as his sister Kathleen (Johnson) Koskela, and niece Robin Ann Bain.

He is survived by his nieces and nephew Erika, Leah and Atias (as well as their children). He enjoyed his time as a father figure to Vaness and Michele, and the special times as a grandfather to Shaya, Jacobi, Jaxon and Aaliyah.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt appreciation to his many friends, especially those who were more than a friend, but a brother.

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It is with great sadness that we have to annouce the passing of Lynda Sue Brooks (66) on June 20, 2023 at Providence St Joseph Hospital with family by her side.

Lynda was born in Eureka on May 25,1957 to Jim & Donna Montelbetti.

Lynda loved spending time with family and friends, camping, going to the beach watching the waves and sunsets. She loved going to her grandkids’ sporting events.

Lynda graduated from Eureka High School in 1975. After high school she went to work at Lazio’s fish plant in Eureka. Lynda always loved kids from a young age and knew she wanted to care and work with them. She started to work at different daycares through Humboldt Child Care Counsel/Changing Tides for a few years. In 2004 she finally got her dream and opened her own day care, “Building Friendships.” After 20-plus year she had to close due to her declining health.

Lynda leaves behind her husband John Brooks of 37 year,s son Christopher Brooks, brother Mark Montelbetti, sister Julie Williamson, grandkids Dyami & Aliyah Brooks, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Lynda also leaves behind her lifelong friends Sherry Arango and Gail Ellingwood. 

There will be a celebration of life potluck on July 23, 2023 at the house that Lynda and John shared. 

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