Melody Lynn Molver (Presley)
November 20, 1964 - June 20, 2023

Melody was born in Garden Grove, Calif. on November 20, 1964, which also happened to be her parent’s wedding anniversary.

She grew up in Norco, Calif. and was part of 4H as well as she was in the band as a baton twirler. She was a huge animal lover from a young age. She rode horses and raised pigs in her younger years.

In 1981 she met and married her first husband David and had her first daughter Crystal in 1982. In 1984 they moved to Eureka with her brother Mark Presley.

In 1986 she moved back to Southern California to be closer to her parents. She met her husband and the love of her life, Teghe Molver, in 1995. They had their daughter, Cheyenne, in 1999 and were married in 2001. With marrying the love of her life she took on two more kids that she raised and loved with all of her heart — Michael Cruz Molver and Clarissa Sueleann Grimm.

Melody decided after both of her parents passed that she wanted to live in the redwoods so in 2010 she packed up her family and moved to Trinidad, where she happily lived out the rest of her life.

She worked at Cher-ae Heights Casino for many years and many departments. She loved all of the people she worked with and seeing all of her regular customers in the gift shop.

She is preceded in death by her mother Fern Wight, her father Richard Wright, her brothers Mark Presley, Hugh Wright and Ralph Wright.

She is survived by her daughters Crystal Brown, Cheyenne Molver, Clarissa Grimm. Her son Michael Molver, her husband Teghe Molver and her brother Bill Wright.

Thank you all so much for loving my mother as much as her family did and does

There will be a celebration of life on July 20, 2024.

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Carolyn Ann Luis (Cupp)
September 18, 1964 – June 25, 2023

Carolyn Ann Cupp was born September 18, 1964, in Crescent City to Morgan “Bud” and Alice Cupp and she left to be with our lord on June 25, 2023 at the age of 58.

Carolyn grew up in Crescent City and attended Bess Maxwell and Crescent Elk, and then graduated from Del Norte High School in 1982. She enjoyed being a part of the baton and dance group where they were in the fair and parades performing different dances and marching twirling batons. Carolyn was in Girl Scouts and had her mom as her leader for several years. She loved going four wheeling with the family - and oh the stories they can tell, spending time with family playing in the snow, surfing with friends and camping especially at Siskiyou Forks. Carolyn was daddy’s little girl until the day she left us. She became a type 1 diabetic at 8 years old after slipping into a coma for three days. She was told she would never have children or live a full life, but she didn’t let that stop her from living life the way she wanted.

After graduation Carolyn along with her mom and dad moved to Blue Lake, where she started her life as a mother, which she never thought would be possible. She met the love of her life, David Luis, in 1991, and they later married in 1998 and built a life with in Eureka. They celebrated 19 years of marriage before separating and co-parenting as friends. Carolyn worked several different jobs trying to see where she wanted to be, from waitressing at the Pantry to being a CNA in an assisted living facility to in-home health care, working at Winco, Target and being a stay at home mom and later grandma.

Carolyn is survived by her dad and mom, Bud and Alice Cupp, husband David Luis Sr, daughters Terra Cummings (Josh), Jennifer “Jenny” Cupp (Jim), son David Luis Jr (Elizabeth), granddaughters Kaitlyn, Emmalyn, Paige and Kali Cummings, grandsons Jaxon and Radley O’Garey and nephews Ryan and Adam Cupp and numerous Aunts and Uncles, Cousins, in-laws and friends of which there are too many to mention but never forgotten.

She is preceded in death by her brother Walter Cupp, grandson Caleb Cummings, father in-law Elvin Luis, and numerous grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and many others.

There will be a celebration of life on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 2806 Dolbeer St, Eureka, CA at 1 p.m.

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Nearly six years after the the City of Eureka condemned the notorious apartment building across the street from the Shanty on Third Street, long referred to by locals as the “Heroin Hilton,” the building is getting a much-needed makeover. If everything goes according to plan, it’ll soon be converted into a hostel that will welcome travelers to the Old Town neighborhood.

After the building, previously owned by infamous local slum-lords Floyd and Betty Squires, was closed for what the city deemed “unsafe and unsanitary conditions” – including containing large quantities of hypodermic needles, feces, hazardous wiring and plumbing and cockroach infestations – the then-dingy cream-colored building was boarded up. It sat that way for years.

Then, in September 2021, the space was purchased by local nonprofit Westside Community Improvement Association (WCIA), with financing help from the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission. WCIA’s goal is to transform the neglected building into a beautiful boutique hostel and apartment building that will create jobs and promote tourism in Old Town. The name of the new facility will most likely be the Skyhorse Lodge. 

“This is really about reenvisioning and reinventing that corner of Old Town,” Heidi Benzonelli-Buden, president of the WCIA, told the Outpost in a phone interview Thursday. “Once we are operational this [business] will be transformative.” 

The building in 2017 | File photo: Andrew Goff

The WCIA, which aims to revitalize Eureka buildings and neighborhoods while creating jobs and educational and recreational opportunities, is best known for its work on the Jefferson Community Center and Park – a once abandoned school campus that the group purchased and transformed into a vibrant community hub, which holds classes, a bike library, a community garden, child care services and much more. 

A few years ago the WCIA also started a workforce training program, using funding from the California Community Reinvestment Grants Program, which aims to improve health, wellness and economic justice for communities harmed by the War on Drugs. Benzonelli and the WCIA used the funding to create a 13-week construction training program for recovering addicts and formerly incarcerated individuals to help them re-enter the workforce. 

Working with individuals referred from other local work programs or recovery centers, including the Sheriff’s Work Alternative Program (SWAP) and UPLIFT Eureka and Waterfront Recovery Services, the WCIA helps the participants receive EPA Lead-Safe Renovation training and provides them with a paid job under the guidance of a professional contractor. One of the job-training “cohorts,” as WCIA calls them, restored a recovery house on 14th and C Streets. Now the same program is being used to work on the former “Heroin Hilton” on Third Street. 

Auriah Milanes, project manager for the renovation, told the Outpost that his team has already accomplished a lot of work on the building, including restoring some of the windows and ripping out the “nasty stuff” from the inside. There is still a lot of work to be done, but most of it will have to wait until the city has approved the necessary permits, Milanes said.

Until then, renovation efforts will mostly be focused on the building’s exterior. And if you’ve been past the building recently, then you know that a lot of progress has already been made. Roughly six months ago, the building was completely repainted in vibrant purples, with floral designs by local artist Blake Reagan decorating the boards on the building’s facade. For about the last month, Reagan has been working on a large mural (which is almost complete) on the west-facing wall, featuring a scene of wildflowers, grass, blue sky, clouds and a mirror-surfaced orb that reflects the images of the neighboring business the Shanty and North of Fourth and a cloud in the shape of Pegasus, in honor of the Skyhorse name. 

Reagan has previously done murals for the Jefferson Community Center and said he was excited to be approached by Benzonelli for this project, which gives him the opportunity to do what he loves the most: transforming ugly walls into beautiful ones. 

“[We’re] taking what was the biggest blight in Old Town and making it into kinda the coolest building in Old Town,” Reagan told the Outpost, while he was working on the mural earlier this week. 

The WCIA really wanted to prioritize improving the building’s “curbside appeal,” Reagan said, which is why he painted the temporary murals on the boards that cover the front door and windows. Once the new windows and door are installed, Reagan’s art will be moved inside of the building for display, he said. Though Reagan only painted the art and not the rest of the building, he did get to select the shades of purple for the building.

“I figured this building really needed a healing color to come into its new place in our community,” Reagan said. “I looked up and down Third Street and was like, ‘What color does this street need?’ There’s a lot of beige and a lot of gray. I thought, ‘Let’s give this town some color!’ And I think more building owners should be doing that.” 

Once construction is complete, which will likely be at least a year from now, Benzonelli said, the top floor of the building will hold the hostel and have a combination of multi-bed dorm rooms, and three-person private rooms to rent nightly for travelers. Downstairs there will be an ADA-accessible room, as well as a common kitchen, laundry room and community room for guests to use. The building will also hold several apartments for workforce housing – one that will be for the innkeeper and others that can be rented for long-term stays. 

The WCIA’s work-training program will also continue to be utilized to operate the hostel, once it is open. Individuals in the program will receive training in hospitality and customer service and will be given the opportunity to work in various positions in the hostel, including as receptionists, cleaning crew or even as a doorman. (Yes, Benzonelli said that the hostel will have a doorman and will provide a higher level of service than is typical for a hostel.) 

Benzonelli said that the team is really not trying to rush the completion of this project and she wants it to be done right. She is hopeful that construction may be complete by next year, but said that realistically the hostel will probably open in early 2025. For those who want to see the progress, the WCIA is holding an event at the space on Sept. 30. To honor the wishes of the late Richard Evans, who worked with the WCIA, the organization will be auctioning off some of Evans’ art and pieces donated by other local artists. All of the proceeds will go toward Evans’ favorite local nonprofits. 

The event will also be the first time the Skyhorse building will be open to the public since WCIA took it over. And though the project certainly won’t be complete by this September, Benzonelli invites people to come see the progress that has been made and to learn more about the future of this exciting new addition to Old Town and the good work that the WCIA is doing. 

“We have created jobs, opened buildings and invested in the community,” Benzonelli said. “We’re making progress where people matter.” 

Press Release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On July 4th, 2023, Officers with the Eureka Police Department conducted a traffic stop on Raymond Allen Payton (age 31), in 1000 block of Broadway in Eureka. After a multi-week investigation, the HCDTF believed Payton was in possession of large quantities of fentanyl pills and several firearms. Payton is a convicted felon and on felony probation with a search clause.  

Raymond Payton

During the traffic stop, EPD Officers found a loaded .38 caliber revolver and a small amount of fentanyl in   Payton’s possession. When EPD Officers checked the serial number on the firearm it was confirmed to be stolen. Due to the narcotics and the stolen firearm located in Payton’s possession, Agents with the HCDTF and Officers with the Eureka Police Department responded to Payton’s residence in the 200 block of Sonoma St., Eureka, to conduct a probation search. 
 
During a search of Payton’s residence Agents located 600 fentanyl “Perc 30” pills, over a 1/4 ounce of fentanyl powder, digital scales, packaging materials, and a non-serialized .40 caliber handgun.
 
Payton was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked for the following charges:

• 11370.1(A) Possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm
• 29800(A)(1) PC Felon in possession of a firearm
• 25850(A) PC Unlawful possession of firearm on person/vehicle
• 25400 (A)(1) PC Unlawful possession of concealed handgun on person/vehicle
• 11351 HS Possession of narcotics for the purpose of sales       

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On July 6, 2023, at about 4:03 p.m., a Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputy on patrol in the Garberville area conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation near the intersection of Locust Street and Maple Lane.

Deputies contacted one occupant of the vehicle, 52-year-old Massai James Moser.  Deputies learned that Moser was driving with a suspended license. During contact with Moser he had refused to produce his driver’s license and refused to comply with commands to exit the vehicle.  

Deputies placed Moser under arrest for driving without a license and for resisting a police officer.

During a search of Moser and his vehicle incident to arrest, Deputies located a cylindrical tin can containing explosive flash powder, 6.5-feet of green cannon fuse, a clear bag containing ¼-inch ball bearings, 6.5-inch double edged dagger, semi-automatic 22 caliber rifle and ammunition, two grocery bags of commercially concentrated cannabis, and 3.55 grams of methamphetamine.

Moser was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of driving with a suspended license (VC 14601.1(A)), resisting a peace officer (PC 148(A)(1)), felon in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(A)(1)), felon in possession of firearm (PC 29800(A)), possession of a controlled substance while armed with a firearm (HS 11370.1), possession of concentrated cannabis over 1 oz (HS 11357(B)), possession of bomb making materials (PC 18720), possession of a dirk or dagger (PC 21310), and possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377).

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.

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Travis Schneider’s massive, half-built dream home will be demolished. 

That’s the big takeaway from last night’s meeting of the Humboldt County Planning Commission — well, that and the fact that Schneider appeared in person to offer an emotional apology to those impacted by the numerous permit violations he accumulated while attempting to build a mega-mansion in the Walker Point subdivision, atop a hill overlooking the Fay Slough Wildlife Area.

The six members present (with Commissioner Thomas Mulder absent) unanimously approved modifications to a Coastal Development Permit and special permits, which will allow the local developer and business owner to remove the foundation and framing of a structure that dramatically exceeded its permitted size while violating numerous other conditions of the permit.

Senior Planner Cliff Johnson recapped some of those violations while introducing the agenda item. As originally approved in 2018, the permit called for an 8,000-square-foot single-family residence with attached cellar and garage. The structure Schneider framed up was nearly 21,000 square feet. 

Schneider also built an un-permitted access road within a wetland setback area; built a portion of the house within a 100-foot wetland setback; started construction without a building permit; failed to get a required septic permit; and removed vegetation, including native California blackberries, from the wetland area, which is home to a designated archeological site from a historical Wiyot village.

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After learning about some of these violations, the county issued a stop work order on December 27, 2021, and three Wiyot-area tribes — the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria and the Wiyot Tribe — were called in for consultation. [DISCLOSURE: The Blue Lake Rancheria is a minority owner in the Outpost’s parent company, Lost Coast Communications, Inc.]

The project has been mired in controversy ever since, and while Schneider initially expressed optimism that he could resolve the permit violations, his quagmire of permit violations proved impossible to escape. By building inside the 100-foot wetland setback, the project automatically came under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission, whose staff cautioned the county that it wouldn’t take the violations lightly.

“After further review and consultation with the California Coastal Commission, we’ve determined that there is no way for this residence to be permitted … ,” Johnson said at last night’s meeting. 

Facing daily fines of $40,000, Schneider agreed in April to tear down the home and remediate the property to its pre-construction condition. As part of last night’s deliberations, the commission considered a lot-line adjustment between the two parcels on which the project was being built. 

According to a staff report, Schneider intends to convey one of the two redrawn parcels (the larger of the two, at 3.65 acres, delineated in green below) to a land-holding agency for the benefit of the three Wiyot-area tribes.

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Commissioner Peggy O’Neill asked whether the property owner could build a new home on the other parcel in the future. Johnson said yes, though the owner would have to reapply for a new permit.

Prior to deliberations from the commission, Schneider spoke from the lectern, his voice trembling as he apologized and spoke about his intention to “be a positive member” of this community by providing housing to others. 

The video below is queued up to the start of his apology:

Earlier in his comments, Schneider noted that the permit modifications, as written, would require him to perform all remediation work, including removal of the structure and regrading the property, by October 20, which he said would be “very challenging.” He asked for six months after receiving all necessary approvals — or a minimum of five months in the dry season — to complete that work.

Planning and Building Director John Ford said it would make sense for the site to be stabilized during the wet-weather winter months and for Schneider to be given time next year to remove the un-permitted fill material that was brought onto the property.

“I think that’s agreeable,” O’Neill said. “You don’t want to do more damage by working in the wet season.”

The commission agreed to modify the proposed motion, giving Schneider until July 31 of next year to fully remediate the property and requiring him to stabilize the site through the winter. A sentence was later added saying Ford could extend the deadline if there are delays due to “natural circumstances.”

Commissioners Iver Skavdal and Noah Levy both acknowledged Schneider’s apology with appreciation. O’Neill made a motion to adopt the resolution. Skavdal seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Heated Meeting Sparks Accusations of Dishonesty and Discrimination, Opening Rift Between Tribes and Humboldt County Planning Commission
• Despite Silence From Tribes, Mega-Home Builder Optimistic Ahead of Tonight’s Continued Planning Commission Hearing to Address Permit Violation Fallout
• After Rebukes and Apologies for Bongio’s ‘Disrespectful’ Comments, Planning Commission Defers Decision on Mega-Home Permits
• County Supes to Consider Censure of Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio for Inappropriate Conduct
• Bohn Makes the Motion, Supes Unanimously Censure Bongio for Racist Remarks, Move to Remove Him as Chair of Planning Commission
• A Tour Through the Half-Built Dream Mansion of Travis Schneider, Who Remains Hopeful Amid Mounting Permit Problems
• Alan Bongio, Embattled Humboldt County Planning Commissioner, Resigns
• Planning Commission Set to Rescind Permit for Controversial Schneider Home as Developer Prepares to Tear it Down, Remediate Damage to Property

A Bay Area woodworking employee caught COVID on the job and brought it home during the height of the pandemic. His wife contracted the illness and her symptoms were severe – at one point, she needed a respirator to breathe.

But she cannot claim workers’ compensation injuries from the infection, the California Supreme Court ruled yesterday in answer to questions from a federal appellate court, because while doing so would be a moral good, that good is outweighed by the potential flood of litigation that would force businesses to close, tie up courts and send commercial insurance rates skyrocketing.

“Recognizing a duty of care to nonemployees in this context would impose an intolerable burden on employers and society in contravention of public policy,” associate justice Carol Corrigan wrote in the ruling. “These and other policy considerations lead us to conclude that employers do not owe a tort-based duty to nonemployees to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

It was the second major loss for California employees seeking compensation for COVID infections passed to family members. Last year, a longtime employee of See’s Candies lost a workers’ comp claim after she contracted COVID and passed it to her husband, who died.

Workers’ comp is inherently a bargain, Corrigan wrote in a unanimous opinion: Employees get some guarantee that they’ll be paid in the event of an injury suffered on the job, no matter whether they were at fault, and employers get to limit the amount and extent of that compensation.

The question, then, is whether an employer’s duty to protect its employees from injury extends to their families. The court ruled that it doesn’t. But the court left the door open to more lawsuits, ruling that workers’ spouses who contract COVID can still file negligence claims against employers.

The facts of the case are a reflection of the push-and-pull concerning COVID regulations and essential businesses during the first year of the pandemic.

There’s little doubt that Nevada-based Victory Woodworks ignored San Francisco County health ordinances that demanded that employers quarantine potentially infected employees, the court found. Robert Kuciemba was employed at a Victory Woodworks jobsite for about two months when the company transferred a group of potentially infected workers to his San Francisco job site in the summer of 2020. He worked in close proximity to them and was infected.

His wife, Corby, caught COVID from him. She was older than 65, and her condition worsened until she was put on a ventilator. The couple sued, arguing that Victory Woodworks’ negligence led to her illness.

Though the Kuciembas sued in state court, Victory Woodworks had the case moved to federal court, where it was dismissed, a win for the woodworking shop and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which filed briefs in support of its defense.

Victory Woodworks argued that a win for the Kuciembas would have consequences far beyond workplace compensation.

“There is simply no limit to how wide the net will be cast: the wife who claims her husband caught COVID-19 from the supermarket checker, the husband who claims his wife caught it while visiting an elder care home,” the company argued in a federal court brief.

On appeal, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sent two questions to the California Supreme Court. First, whether the California Workers’ Compensation Act bars an employee’s household member’s claim against an employer, and second, whether the employer’s duty to protect its employees from COVID infections extends to the home.

During oral arguments in May, justices on the state Supreme Court voiced concerns that a workers’ comp ruling in Kuciemba’s favor would open the door to an “avalanche of litigation” against businesses.

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