The dumb future is now! A Tesla Cybertruck was spotted tooling around the county in the last couple days — see above for the reader-submitted clip of the cubist machine zooming its way toward Rio Dell. 

Update your brain! New shapes are coming for your roadways! 

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear sister and friend, Margaret “Peggy” Ellen Andrews, saxophonist/musician, on October 19, 2023 from a valiant struggle with brain cancer.

Peggy was born on July 10, 1953 in New Britain, Connecticut, to Robert and Ronnie Andrews. From early on, she was precocious, creative, inquisitive and an inherently bright child. An avid book reader with a vivid imagination who absorbed stories and information like a sponge. She made friends easily throughout the years and managed to keep those connections thriving despite the many changes that occurred in her life.

Peggy graduated in 1971 from Woodrow Wilson Senior High School in Middletown, Conn. and spent several years in Connecticut before moving out west to the Bay Area, where she began her journey as a self-taught saxophonist. She eventually settled in Southern Humboldt County in Northern California, and for over 40 years she lived on Duty Ridge Rd, better known as “the hill,” in Ettersburg. It is here where she finally found a sense of belonging, community and happiness while also developing deep sustaining long-term friendships.

During this time, she continued to expand upon her musical career which included performing in numerous local area bands and in different genres: Orchestre Sabrosita, Las Malandras, The Razers, Moo Moo & the Creamers, Mud, Sweat & Tears, Rod Deal & the Ideals, Bluethorn, and The Garberville Town Band and she also did some composing and coproducing for Bluethorn. Some of her fondest memories were of the live iconic early 1990’s performances with The Ideals during Reggae On The River which can still be viewed online. She also spent some time tutoring band students locally. Personally, her real interest in music was jazz. She found such joy in its melodies and complex compositions. It spoke to her in ways that other genres could not and became a cornerstone of her musical identity.

For several years, Peggy had attended Jazz Camp West in the Bay Area where she’d spend a week rubbing elbows with, learning from, and collaborating with many other skilled musicians while she further honed her craft.

Peggy had a decades long loving relationship with KMUD Community Radio having been involved from the beginning of its inception. She was a radio programmer, and was a successful fund raiser believing strongly in its mission of community service. For more than 25 years she hosted a monthly eclectic jazz program and amassed a devoted following of listeners. Peggy was known for exposing her audience to different and sometimes more obscure artists and delighted in audience feedback she’d receive on program choices.

She was an accomplished gardener and successfully grew just about every vegetable you could think of. In addition, she grew flowers and particularly loved sun flowers and lavender. People from all over were often drawn to her – she was engaging because of her great sense of humor, her relentless interest in and caring of others, and her unique ability to connect with all she met on a real personal level. Being around her somehow allowed your inner child to emerge, and boy was it fun … Peggy was someone you always remembered and who made a distinct and lasting impression. She lived her life on her own terms, (recently dubbed “Queen Of Free” by her brother Chris which tickled her) was rebellious by nature and was generous to a fault. No matter what came her way, she remained lovingly and fiercely devoted to her family and her many friends, and was deeply emotionally available on many levels. Besides that, no one else could give a bigger and better bear hug.

For many years, Peggy made annual week plus trips to the east coast to visit family and friends. During this time, she would stay with her mother which further strengthened their understanding of one another and their unique bond. During the last two visits she ever made, Peggy spent some time caring for her mother. She eagerly and proudly filled that role with both kindness and empathy. Throughout the years, she always remained close and connected to her family and her east coast friends in spite of the physical distance.

She was a passionate animal lover for her entire life and was quite knowledgeable about many animals. She deeply loved all her pets which over the many years included cats, dogs, monkeys, an iguana, birds, turtles and tropical fish. During her life on the hill, she was a consummate champion of the downtrodden and as a result, several homeless cats and at least one dog sought her out sensing a kindred spirit and most of them eventually became part of her family. She was a nature lover and believed strongly in protecting the environment. She was self-taught on technology easily navigating computers and she even built a computer. Very independent to the core, she worked on car engines and systems. She demonstrated remarkable resiliency and determination in spite of all the many hardships she endured. Although we can’t imagine a world without her, she made an indelible mark by helping us see the goodness in and around us. We will always think of her as that impressionable and whimsical person who loved robots, science fiction, video games, Shark Week and could belt out a melody on her saxophone like nobody’s business. We will miss her eternal optimism and her perpetual childlike wonder of the universe.

Predeceased by her parents, Peggy is survived by three siblings: Christopher Andrews of Manchester, Conn.; Laura Colker (Hank) of Pittsburgh, Penn.; Eric Andrews (Jeannie) of Sherman. Conn.; her beloved three cats Windsor, Thomas and Henry; countless loving friends, and several cousins.

A special thank you to UCSF Department of Neurology, Eureka Rehab and Wellness, and Jerold Phelps Skilled Nursing Facility for your kindness, compassion and care during the last months of Peggy’s life. We also want to thank Paula Bartholomy who was a tireless and loving advocate and close friend throughout Peggy’s illness and life. In addition, we’d like to thank her many other friends for their love, visits and all kinds of support during this time – you know who you are. We are so grateful to all of you. Peggy spent her remaining days trying to regain strength, connecting with family and friends while she also earlier on had developed newly acquired insatiable appetites for both chocolate and mashed potatoes. Her final days were peaceful.

A celebration party of Peggy’s life will be planned in the community by her devoted friends in the future. Details will be announced when known.

Donations in Peggy’s memory can be made to:

KMUD Community Radio Inc, PO Box 135, 1144 Redway Dr, Redway, CA, 95560 or Miranda’s Rescue, 1603 Sandy Prairie Rd, Fortuna, CA 95540.

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Donald L. Comstock, 88, died on September 25, 2023 at St. Joseph’s Hospital with his children by his side. Donald was born November 1, 1934 in Crescent City to Albert “Don” Comstock and Mary Lou (Gunst) Comstock and was the oldest of three children.

Donald was raised in Greenville, Calif. and spent summers at his grandparents’ ranch in Orick. After graduating from Greenville High School in 1952, he went on to earn a degree in Civil Engineering from Santa Clara University. He attended SCU on a football scholarship and belonged to ROTC; graduating as a 2nd Lt in the Army.  He completed Basic Training in Texas and fulfilled his military service at Ft. Lewis, Wash. Never wanting to be far from his family’s ranch, he moved back home to Orick where he became a part time dairy farmer with friend Bob Kring until the ’64 Flood. He would milk the cows in the early morning then drive to his job at CalTrans in Eureka. He met his wife, Karen Vanderpoel, in Orick when a CalTrans coworker set him up with her cousin who was visiting for the summer. They were married for 25 years and although their marriage ended, their friendship remained until her death in 2019. They raised their family in Eureka.

Donald had a 30-year career with California Division of Highways in Eureka, beginning as a surveyor and later retiring in 1992 as Senior Transportation Engineer for District 1. Over the span of his career at CalTrans, he surveyed the Oregon Mountain Tunnel and was part of the design team on the Elk River Overpass and Redwood Park Bypass among many other transportation projects in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. After retirement, Donald would hook up his fifth wheel and spend weeks in Arizona for Spring Training. He often took his fifth wheel on long road trips to Wymoning, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and Washington to visit family and friends. He cherished lifelong friendships with many of his high school classmates, never missing a chance to see them at class reunions. He loved the trips to Hawaii with his daughter and her family. He was very active in his grandkids lives, attending soccer games, swim meets and most Holiday celebrations. However, his favorite place to be was on the ranch in Orick. He could often be found tinkering in the shop, cutting wood or atop his Kubota mowing the lower fields to golf course standards.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Albert “Don” and Mary Lou Comstock, and former wife, Karen Comstock. Donald is survived by his son, Doug Comstock (Orick); daughter, Kim and husband, Matt Smith (Loomis); grandkids Luke and Brooke Smith; sister, Betty Sailors (Covington, Wash.); brother, Robert Comstock (Mollala, Wash.); cousin Donna Sinclair (Prescott, Ariz.); sisters-in-law Linda Vanderpoel (Roseville), Lorainne Heck and Sandra Vanderpoel (McKinleyville); and brother-in-law Kenny Heck (Blue Lake); as well as his beloved nieces and nephews.

We will be having a private celebration of life at a later date. We will hold you in our hearts until we can hold you in our arms in Heaven, Dad.

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Joe passed away gently September 5, 2023 succumbing to Parkinson’s. He was born to Minyard Barnett and Lottie Cason Barnett October 7, 1943 in Nevada, Missouri.

His father was an evangelical Baptist preacher. They moved to Eureka when Joe was eight years old.

He was a hard worker. As a young kid, he started with a paper route and then advanced to obtain a commercial fishing license working on The Dory. At 16 he also started as a food clerk at Purity market. He worked 44 years in the grocery industry, mainly for Safeway, where he retired as the manager of the McKinleyville store. He spent most of his vacation time hunting, camping and commercial fishing, having purchased a vessel himself, the TJ, named after his kids.

Joe married Waletta Haywood in 1961 and had two children, Tina Marie Barnett (Anaya) and Joseph James Barnett Jr.

Later in life he married Margie Carol and they retired together in 2003, allowing them to spend more time with family and friends hunting, fishing and cutting lots of firewood.

Joe truly enjoyed spending time with his co-workers and friends. They were very dear to him. They and his family will miss him very much.

He has left behind his wife, Margie Carol and Tina Anaya, Joseph Barnett Jr., Tosha Martins-Bowling, Amber Guerrero, Carolyn Barnett, Cassandra Barnett, Jesse Bowling. His great-grandkids are Kaylee, Carson, Taven, AJ, Scarlett, Aaron.

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Have you seen the giant whale in the middle of the street in Old Town? Don’t worry, we’re not talking about a real whale. It’s a large, colorful mural on Second Street, between F and G Streets. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to check it out soon, because it won’t be there for very much longer. 

The whale mural was done as a collaboration between three local artists, Blake Reagan, Kyle Sanders and Chris Dmise, who painted the piece on Second Street as a part of the Eureka Friday Night Market last week. The process was relatively quick for this particular mural, with the artists starting on Friday, Oct. 20 at about 3 p.m. and finishing up the piece at 7 p.m. that night, all while blasting whale songs while they worked.  

Blake Reagan told the Outpost today that the whale is a humpback and is about 75 feet in length, larger than an actual humpback whale, which generally grow to be somewhere between 45 and 60 feet long. 

But this beautiful, majestic creature will not be gracing our Old Town street for very long, as the City of Eureka is planning to repave the street. Brian Gerving, director of the public works department, said that he was not entirely sure when that portion of street would be torn up, but that work on the Old Town streets is expected to resume this Thursday, so the whale could be gone as early as this weekend. 

Raelina Krikston, coordinator for the Friday Night Market, told the Outpost that she asked the artists to paint that section of the street to provide some “vibrancy” on that block, which is closed off for the market, but didn’t have any vendor booths set up there. Because the street was slated to be repaved, it was incredibly easy to get approval from the City to paint a mural there. The artists were also well aware of repaving plans, and were happy to paint the piece, even knowing that it would be temporary. 

Krikston said that the project was a great success — many people stopped to watch the artists paint on Friday night. She’s hoping that this project will help encourage the community and the City to think about adding murals to surfaces other than walls. She also hopes to have more opportunities for live, public art at future Friday Night Markets. 

“It was a good opportunity to bring it all together and we were lucky enough to have support with the market,” Krikston said. “People really enjoyed it…We could maybe do it every week.”

Eureka police currently have a block of B Street closed off between Cedar and B 14th streets as they figure out what to do with a person who fled from a bail agent, apparently into a house on the block.

Sgt. Jonanthan Eckert tells the Outpost’s Ryan Burns, at the scene, that at the moment police are simply making sure that the suspect can’t escape the scene while they figure out what to do next.

Avoid the area. It might get more active soon.

Press release from Coast Central Credit Union:

Coast Central Credit Union President/CEO James T. Sessa announced that its Board of Directors has approved $150,000 in grants to 20 local organizations through its Community Investment Program’s fall round. A total of 112 non-profits had requested $1.5 million, a new record for the 15-year-old program. Coast Central also supports its communities through sponsorships and college scholarships for a total of $650,000 this year throughout Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties. Additionally, Coast Central employees contribute 5,000 hours annually in volunteerism.

Fall 2023 recipients include:

Humboldt County

• $25,000: Food for People; emergency response vehicle
• $15,000: Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives; hygiene products & showers
• $15,000: Alderpoint Volunteer Fire; new PPE equipment
• $8,500: Willow Creek Volunteer Fire; new rescue rope system
• $6,880: Cumbre Humboldt; swim lessons for Latinx children
• $5,220: North Coast Rape Crisis Team; cell phones for survivors
• $5,000: Pacout Green Team; hygiene items, socks, and services
• $5,000: Ferndale Police; new radios for emergency response team
• $5,000: Humboldt Domestic Violence Services; food gift cards for survivors
• $4,000: Blue Lake Fire; new CPR equipment
• $3,000: Humboldt County CERT; first aid supplies for emergency response
• $2,600: HCAR; yard equipment for developmentally disabled work crew
• $2,500: Providence St. Joseph Hospital; gas cards for cancer patients
• $2,000: Friends of the Dunes; environmental education gear for children

Del Norte County

• $12,000: Del Norte Junior Livestock; new animal pens for children showing
• $5,000: Del Norte High Soccer; new goal posts and nets for boys and girls teams
• $4,800: Fort Dick Fire Protection; new emergency lights for fire trucks

Trinity County

• $15,000: Coffee Creek Elementary School; new generator
• $6,500: Trinity Jr. Wolves Youth Football & Cheer; uniforms
• $2,000: Hayfork Community Center; warm weather clothing for youth

“The tremendous increase in requests this round clearly demonstrates the challenging times our community organizations are experiencing,” stated Sessa. “We are grateful to our volunteer Board of Directors for approving our current level of giving and to our members who directly support these organizations through their loyalty.” The spring round of grants opens February 1 at coastccu.org/community/community-giving.

Coast Central Credit Union is the largest member-owned financial institution in the area, with $2 billion in assets, over 77,000 members, and operating 11 Member Services Branches throughout Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties, including McKinleyville, open six days a week and Bayshore Mall, open seven days a week. Additionally, members have access to a network of 30,000 free CO-OP ATMs nationwide. Individuals who live or work in any of these counties may be eligible to bank at CCCU by applying at coastccu.org/join. More information is available at coastccu.org and on Facebook and Instagram.