UPDATE, 4:40 p.m.: U.S. 101 has been re-opened from Last Chance Grade to Crescent City, though Caltrans warns travelers that conditions can change quickly.
Photos by Staci Sylvies-Hough, unless credited otherwise.
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Caltrans has announced that U.S. 101 is fully closed in Del Norte County due to downed trees and snow.
There is no estimated time of reopening, as of this writing.
Local travelers have been relaying their experiences on social media. One person said they “just made it through” before the closure. Another was not so lucky and said they might have to sleep in Crescent City tonight, rather than continuing on with their planned travel.
We will update this post when more information is available.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Feb. 22, 2023, at about 7:35 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to investigate a burglary in progress at a residence on the 4300 block of Fieldbrook Road in Fieldbrook.
Nathan David Sain | HCSO
While en route to the residence, deputies received information that the suspects had fled. Deputies located the suspects’ vehicle on Murray Road and conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, deputies contacted two occupants of the vehicle, 30-year-old Nathan David Sain and 33-year-old Kayla Marie Thornton. Inside the vehicle, deputies located numerous items reported stolen from the residence. Sain and Thornton were taken into custody without incident. During a search of Sain upon arrest, deputies located burglary tools.
Kayla Marie Thornton | HCSO
Sain was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary (PC 459/461(b)), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), possession of burglary tools (PC 466) and criminal conspiracy (PC 182(a)(1)).
Thornton was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of burglary (PC 459/461(b)), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)) and criminal conspiracy (PC 182(a)(1)).
Anyone with information about this case 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.
On February 28th
, the City of Eureka will be hosting a workshop to describe and discuss the
approval process and requirements to establish an authorized encampment. The workshop will
include presentations from both the City and Humboldt County about their Emergency Shelter
ordinances and each agency’s conditions of approval to create a shelter space for community
members with tent structures or tiny homes.
The meeting will be hosted in City of Eureka Council Chambers on the 2nd floor of Eureka City
Hall, 531 K Street, Eureka. The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. and will be a public meeting for all
interested community members. After the presentations, there will be an open public forum for
the presenters to respond to comments and answer questions from the public.
Snow on the beach near Manila. | Photo by Jennifer Savage.
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Ask any crotchety old-timer or loquacious longtime local and they’ll tell ya: We ain’t seen this much snow ‘round here for nigh-on 35 years.
It’s true! This morning the Outpost spoke with Meteorologist Josh Wood, who works at the National Weather Service office on Woodley Island, and he said that while the instruments out there have only recorded a quarter-inch of snowfall, some of his NWS colleagues are reporting two inches or more of accumulation in locations around the bay.
Photos submitted by readers confirm this, and as I write these words it’s still falling!
The last time the Humboldt Bay region got this much snow was during the winter of 1989, when even Woodley Island recorded an inch and a half.
Arcata residents might quibble: “But what about 2019?”
Fair point! An uncommonly localized snowfall fell on Arcata and McKinleyville four years ago, briefly turning the Plaza into a winter wonderland and inspiring a few bold souls to snowboard down city streets. Woodley Island saw about half an inch of accumulation that year, but the snow didn’t stick around long once the sun rose — even in Arcata.
The current snowfall has created hazardous driving conditions. Chains or 4-wheel drive are required on Fickle Hill Road in Arcata. In SoHum, chains are required in Whitethorn and Shelter Cove Road; and drivers are advised to carry chains on Alderpoint Road.
Chains are also required on State Route 299 from Lord Ellis Summit to Trinity County. Chains are required on State Route 36 from Post Mountain to Platina.
Stay safe out there, folks!
UPDATE: Chains are now also required on Mattole Road, Titlow Hill Road and Bear River Ridge Road.
Sequoia Park duck pond | Mitch Crispe
Fortuna | Jayne Nordstrom
Rio Dell | Sammie Sisson
Eureka | Ryan Burns
Orleans | Renee Stauffer
Glendale/Blue Lake | Jessica Swanlund
More snow on the beach near Manila. | Photo by Jennifer Savage.
Jose A Felixcastillo
Emily Witt
Inma Thompson
Griffey the dog up Azalea Road in McKinleyville | Teresa Wheat
Local artist Sequoyah Faulk today released an 18-minute documentary called “Humboldt is Home,” which offers an up-close portrait of the county’s ongoing homelessness crisis.
The short film, which features original music produced by Faulk, was financed by a Regional Early Action Planning (REAP) grant from the California Department of Housing and Community Development, administered by the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG).
In a phone interview Wednesday afternoon, Faulk said he hopes the project will let the voices of local people experiencing homelessness be heard so that they can be seen as human beings.
“We all want to see this situation be alleviated,” he said, noting that homelessness is a problem up and down the West Coast. “It’s extremely complicated. Hopefully we can start taking strides toward something helpful.”
At the start of the pandemic, Faulk’s dad, retired Humboldt State University political science professor Daniel Faulk, started building tiny houses, which he hoped to give to local homeless people.
“Turned out that finding a place to put them was a bit of a challenge,” Faulk said. He got involved with his dad’s effort and worked with Eureka City Councilmember Leslie Castellano to find locations for the tiny homes. Eventually they placed a couple at the St. Vincent De Paul site in Eureka.
Faulk started getting more involved in working on local homelessness issues and soon heard about the grant opportunity through the state-funded REAP initiative. The brief said organizers were seeking artists to create multimediaprojects to raise awareness about the housing situation in Humboldt.
Faulk, who started making videos as a kid, using two VCRs to edit footage of him and his friends on their bikes, thought he’d be a good candidate.
“I felt pretty confident that I could pull something off within the parameters,” he said. “I liked that it was [defined as] an art project, so it didn’t have to be too rigid.”
The film features interviews with a handful of county residents describing their struggles to find and keep housing. In one interview, Manila resident Gwendoline Egger talks about her pending eviction from an unsanctioned encampment that law enforcement cleared out last year.
“I got a four-year-old grandson that I’ve got guardianship of, I take care of, and nowhere to go,” Egger says in the film. She was living in an RV parked at a property on Stamps Lane, but when the county moved to clear out the property she couldn’t find anywhere else to take the vehicle, since local RV parks don’t accept older rigs.
“So I have no idea what I’m gonna do,” Egger says. “That’s [the] bottom line.”
Other locals experiencing homelessness — or on the verge of it — describe their efforts to get by from day to day.
“Most of us, I’ll say, try to do our best not to become a problem for the people of the city that want to access all these public places where we end up … ,” California native Ami Mour says in the film. “There just aren’t as many choices as people think there might be.”
Faulk also owns and operates a small recording studio, called Shady Manila Records, and as part of the project he enlisted some musician acquaintances, including a pair of rappers who have experienced homelessness.
In the finished film, embedded above, each of those artists — Gage Anderson, aka AlexanderTheGreatest, and Francis Verges — contributes a verse to the song that bookends the documentary. Faulk said he invited them to share their own experiences through the lyrics.
The song’s chorus was written and sung by local artist Zera Starchild.
“When I said I’m going to produce this song and I’d like you to sing chorus, she got back to me like a day later with the chorus [completed],” Faulk said.
The title of the documentary is taken from the chorus she created.
Fred John Vanni, of Arcata, California, was the first born son of Angelo and Nida Vanni, making his entrance into the world October 28th,1929. Angelo and Nida were long-time Arcata residents who also owned and operated the Arcata Trailer Park for many decades.
After having spent an enjoyable Christmas Eve with family, Fred passed away peacefully on December 26, 2022, at the age of 93.
Fred loved and was proud of his long lived life in Arcata. He was a graduate of Arcata High School. He and his wife Sally, along with their boys, David and Dean, lived at the same house on Beverly Drive from the early 1950’s until 2019 when Fred and Sally moved to Oakmont in Elk Grove to be close to family. Emptying and selling the long time family home was bittersweet.
Fred had an amazing work ethic. He worked hard all his life, from the time he was a teenager.
He instilled this work ethic into his sons and grandchildren, and also loved to share stories of his life.
Fred was the proud co-owner of Arcata Bowl. He, along with his wife Sally, and his brother Don Vanni and sister in law, Barbara Vanni, made the bowling alley and adjacent bar, The Pin Room, a huge success and fixture in town for almost 30 years. Fred also served his country in the Korean War and had many stories to tell of his time overseas. Fred was an amazing story teller!
Fred was predeceased by the love of his life, and wife of more than 67 years, Sally. Sally passed away in March of 2020 and Fred missed her dearly. He is now reunited with her in heaven. Fred was also predeceased by his sister Linda and his brother Don.
Fred is survived by his two sons, David Vanni (Lisa Renee), Dean Vanni (Robin), his sister Donna Fauerbach (Sid), sister in law Barbara Vanni, grandchildren, Tammi Gyori (Jeremy), Ryan Vanni (Melissa), Benjamin Vanni, Steven Vanni, Jason Vanni, and Jonathon Vanni.
Fred liked to boast about his many great-grandchildren, 18 so far, as well as two great great grandchildren! Fred is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and cousins. The Vanni and Dal Porto Clan were and are long time fixtures in the Eureka and Arcata area.
A funeral mass will be held to honor Fred’s wonderful and well lived life on Saturday, March 4th at 10 am at St.Mary’s Church in Arcata. Private graveside service, organized by Paul’s Chapel, for immediate family only, will be held following the mass. Fred and Sally will be interred together at the St. Mary’s Cemetery in Arcata.
Donations can be made in Fred’s name to Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Wounded Warriors Project, or any organization of your choice.
Rest in heavenly peace Fred; we will miss you more than words can express.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Fred’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
HUMBOLDT TODAY: Winter weather causes havoc on Humboldt’s roadways, a pair of Ferndale’s favorite farmers receive a big award, plus LoCO readers were kind enough to send in their snow videos! Those stories and more in today’s newscast with John Kennedy O’Connor.
