Elmer Jay Hames
April 8, 1939 – Oct. 16, 2022

It is with a heavy heart we tell of Elmer J. Hames passing. Elmer (my dad) always told me, “If you couldn’t find the humor in any given situation, it wasn’t yours to play with.” He had many such tokens of wisdom and I am grateful he shared them.

He had many occupations in life, held knowledge of many skills, and shared them and his time freely.

He would help folks with out regard to the losses they may suffer. This was evident to those who knew him. He was stubborn when he set his mind to something and there was no swaying him.

He grew up in the Willow Creek area and lived there his whole life. I was going to share many things about my dad’s life here but have decided to share these at his celebration of life at a later date.

Elmer was preceded in death by his parents Jay Buck Hames and Vivian Luree Hames, his brother Delbert Leroy Hames, and his sister Betty Lorraine Hames. His wife Lorraine “Lou” Forbes and many family and friends too numerous to list.

He is survived by his brother Gerald Hames of Port Orchard, Washington; his daughters Ann Tornbom of Bend, Oregon and her two sons, Allison Hames of Mckinleyville and her seven children; grandson Anthony Hames of Bend, Oregon as well as six great-grandchildren. A very special thank you to Patrick Shannon for allowing my dad to stay in his home until his passing — without your emotional and financial support this would not have been possible. And to Kelly who spent my dad’s last day/evening with him quietly talking and comforting him. And all the staff at Six Rivers Medical: Thank you.

A celebration of life is being planned as there will be no services.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Elmer Hames’ loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

PREVIOUSLY:

• HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION: Man Admits to Shooting Victim During Altercation in Willow Creek Early Sunday, Sheriff’s Office Says

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A man arrested for shooting a 17-year-old boy to death in Willow Creek has been released from jail with no charges filed.

Peter Norton, 25, arrested for suspected murder early Sunday morning, was freed Wednesday after the district attorney had not filed charges within the mandated time. District Attorney Maggie Fleming, though she said the investigation is continuing, said it appears the shooting may have been justified.

“The investigation to date includes statements by witnesses to the tragedy who told the investigators that Peter Norton shot the 17-year-old after the 17-year-old male made threats and then held a gun to the head of a female who was present,” Fleming said in an e-mail.

Norton was arrested in the early-morning hours Sunday after he admitted shooting the boy during an altercation at a residence on the 500 block of state Highway 96 in Willow Creek.

“Under California law a homicide may be justified if a person kills someone in self-defense or defense of another,” the district attorney said. “Given the current state of the investigation no charges have been filed.”

Fleming said she notified the 17-year-old’s mother about the decision not to charge Norton, as well as telling her the investigation will continue.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Protesters Disrupt Redwood Pride Halloween Event, Threaten and Harass Ink People Staff

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Press release from the Humboldt County Human Rights Commission:

The Humboldt County Human Rights Commission (HCHRC) has just been made aware of incidents of hate speech and threats of violence against the LGBTQ community. If the alleged attacks or threats are fully credible, and we understand they are, our Commission considers such behavior to be unacceptable and wishes to condemn those involved in such activities. Recently a family-oriented Halloween Party was disrupted in Eureka by a group of people who appear to have had intimidation as their goal. Likewise, a citizen hiking the Hammond Trail found a derogatory sticker attached to a bench.

The HCHRC is charged with eliminating discrimination throughout our county, and we try to call out anyone who attacks the rights of others. As chair, I will place this issue on the agenda of our next meeting, November 3, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. Members of the public are invited to attend and comment on any agenda item. The Commission also operates a phone message line for any questions, comments, or suggestions (707-268-2548). A commissioner will return your call if you leave your phone number. It is an obligation of all members of our society to demand that ignorant and uninformed actions be rejected.

Jim Glover
Chair, Humboldt County Human Rights Commission
707-268-2548 (Voicemail only)

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

The harmful algal bloom advisory for Big Lagoon has been lifted after water quality results from recent sampling showed cyanobacterial toxin concentrations below health advisory thresholds according to the State Water Resource Control Board. The original advisory was placed on the lagoon in August after samples from Big Lagoon tested high for toxins produced by cyanobacteria.

Typically, cyanobacteria or harmful algal blooms (formerly referred to as blue-green algae) warnings come out between late July and early August, coinciding with low flows and sustained high temperatures which may contribute to cyanobacteria growth. As the weather and water cool down in the late fall and winter months, harmful algal blooms are less likely to occur.

The presence of cyanobacteria has been previously confirmed in water bodies within Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties including the South Fork Eel River, Van Duzen River, Trinity River, Clear Lake and Lake Pillsbury. The toxins produced present a risk to humans and their pets.

Most blooms in California contain harmless green algae, but it is important to stay safe and avoid contact with algal mats. If a suspected bloom is observed, please contact the Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Environmental Health (DEH).

It is anticipated that harmful algal blooms will increase in intensity, frequency and duration with climate change and especially in drought years. Individuals living near surface water bodies, or their tributaries can help reduce the potential for harmful algal blooms by properly maintaining their septic systems, limiting the use of fertilizers, and preventing nutrient pollution from entering waterways.

To learn more about cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms, visit the state of California’s website at this link.

For information on conditions occurring within Humboldt County, contact DEH at 707-445-6215 or 800-963-9241. Photos of suspected blooms can also be emailed to envhealth@co.humboldt.ca.us.

Press release from Congressman Huffman’s office:

Today, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) shared the news that The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration awarded $8,016,566.00 in funds to two projects off the North Coast of California through the department’s Port Infrastructure Development Program (PDIP). The awards will provide funds for port maintenance and improvements in Eureka and Crescent City. Rep. Huffman helped secure these funds for his district through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act.

“Communities up and down the coast of California rely on ports and harbors that fuel the economy, but crumbling infrastructure has strained operations and disrupted the global supply chain,” said Rep. Huffman. “Thanks to the investments secured by Democratic colleagues and I in the latest government funding bill, we are seeing major investments in our ports and harbors – all working to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports, and drive electrification and other low-carbon technologies. I’m glad to see our advocacy pay off and have this funding go to such important ports in my district so they can continue serving our region for years to come.” 

Project Details:  

• $650,000.00 for the city of Eureka’s Fishermen’s Terminal dock to replace approximately 40 failing or missing fender pilings on a quay used by commercial fishermen in Humboldt Bay. The Project includes removal of the existing pilings and the purchase and installation of replacement pilings, pile caps, and rub rails. 
• $7,366,566.00 for the city of Crescent City, CA for the construction of a new seawall, the repair and renovation of a seafood packing and truck loading area, the replacement of cargo handling equipment that is currently atop the existing seawall, and the installation of EV infrastructure to power the cold storage trailers used to move seafood products to market.

“Commercial fishermen and the City of Eureka owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Maritime Administration for approving the City’s Port Infrastructure Development Program grant submittal for the repairs at Eureka Fishermen’s Terminal dock.  The planning, building and funding of Fishermen’s Terminal was an eighteen-year cooperative effort between Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and the City of Eureka.  Like other shoreside infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks and utilities, Eureka Fishermen’s Terminal, continues to be a vital piece of waterfront infrastructure serving the West Coast fishing fleet and the economic interests of the Eureka community. This grant allocation will allow for the Terminal to continue to serve the commercial fisherman of the North Coast and the greater Eureka community,” said Miles Slattery, Eureka City Manager. 

“Commercial fishing ports in California are struggling to make ends meet. As a consequence, major infrastructure repair is often deferred indefinitely,” said Crescent City Harbor Commission President Rick Sheperd. “Fortunately, our federal partners at FEMA have recognized the dire need of the Crescent City Harbor and have funded a new sea wall to protect our harbor. The commercial fishermen of Crescent City would like to thank Congressmen Huffman for helping our harbor secure the 7.366 million dollar grant that will help the success of the commercial fishing industry in Crescent City, a fleet that is the largest shrimp producer in California, and which produces over 50% of the Dungeness crab caught in California.” 

The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port. In FY2022, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) appropriated $450 million to the PIDP. An additional $234 million was made available to the program under FY2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Therefore, a total of $684,310,000 of funding was available to make awards under the FY 2022 PIDP grant program. 

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in California, behind only heart disease. This year alone, the state will tally an estimated 189,000 new cancer cases and close to 61,000 deaths.

Yet while patients often need specialists, treatments and the chance to participate in clinical trials, that access is not equitable throughout the state. It typically depends on where they live, and sometimes on their health insurance.

Lower-income cancer patients — and especially those in rural places — tend to fare worse. Studies have shown that patients with Medi-Cal, the health insurance program for low-income residents, are less likely to get the recommended treatment and have lower cancer survival rates compared to people with private insurance.

This disparity is at the crux of a California bill recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom that supporters say will make it at least a little easier for Medi-Cal patients to access cancer subspecialists, treatments and clinical trials.

The new law, which goes into effect in January, requires Medi-Cal insurance plans to “make a good faith effort” to contract with cancer centers recognized by the National Cancer Institute — which often have access to the latest treatments — or other qualifying cancer centers.

Authored by Democratic Sen. Anthony Portantino of Glendale, it was originally drafted to mandate that Medi-Cal plans add at least one of these cancer centers to their provider networks, but negotiations resulted in a scaled-back version, only requiring health plans to try to add a cancer center.

“I think making incremental change has the ability to save lives and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
— State Sen. Anthony Portantino, Democrat from Glendale

The law also requires Medi-Cal plans to notify enrollees with complex cancers about their right to request a referral to any of these centers, even if it’s out of their plan’s network. Whether a patient can be treated at one of these centers, however, depends on whether the plan and the out-of-network provider can hash out a payment deal. This referral notification, supporters say, is critical: Patients can’t ask for something they don’t know is an option.

Supporters say that even if limited, this law will be an important step in helping low-income cancer patients get specialized care.

“I think making incremental change has the ability to save lives and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Portantino said.

Too often patients from underserved communities arrive at these specialized cancer centers very late after their diagnosis, said Dr. Joseph Alvarnas, a hematologist-oncologist and vice president of government affairs at City of Hope, one of eight California cancer centers with a National Cancer Institute designation, and a sponsor of the law.

“The conversation begins with ‘If I could only have gotten here sooner’, or ‘My family and I fought tooth and nail to get here,’” he said.

Alvarnas said that historically, City of Hope used to see more Medi-Cal patients, but that changed as the state has largely moved its Medi-Cal program from a fee-for-service model (in which patients could see any provider who accepted Medi-Cal and the state paid providers for each service rendered) to managed care (considered a more cost-effective model in which the state pays health insurance companies a fixed amount per enrollee).

“In managed care, part of the way that model works is it includes narrower clinician networks and more limited hospital choices,” Alvarnas said. “If you have high blood pressure or you’ve got a condition that can be cared for by many types of doctors, that’s an OK model.

“But when it comes to cancer care, your network of clinicians may not have an expert in leukemia or relapsed myeloma.”

Hospitals sometimes must send some of their sickest patients to cancer centers like City of Hope – as was the case for Patrick Nandy of Whittier. In 2008, during his senior year of college, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow that can progress very quickly. Nandy said that when oncologists at St. Jude Medical Center could no longer treat him, he was transferred to City of Hope, where he participated in a chemotherapy clinical trial and a cord blood stem cell transplant.

“I think about how lucky I am,” Nandy said. “Doctors said two more weeks and I probably would have been gone.”

These are the types of therapies that should be available to all patients with complex or aggressive cancers, but that’s not always the case, Alvarnas said.

A 2015 analysis by the University of California, Davis, found worse outcomes for cancer patients with Medi-Cal compared to people with other types of insurance. Among some of the findings: 39% of breast cancer patients on Medi-Cal were diagnosed at an early stage compared to 61% of those who were privately insured.

The study also found Medi-Cal patients diagnosed with early stage lung cancer had a 48% five-year survival rate, lower than the 65% five-year survival rate for those with private insurance. Medi-Cal patients also were less likely to receive the necessary therapies or treatments for several cancer types.

The law will apply to people with rare or complex cancers, including advanced stage brain cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, leukemia and lymphoma, among others, Alvarnas said. The sought- after treatment and research centers include City of Hope, University of California Comprehensive Cancer Centers, Stanford Cancer Institute, as well as a number of Kaiser Permanente sites and Cedars Sinai’s Cancer Institute.

While the law as passed had no registered opposition, it was watered down during negotiations involving providers, health plans and the California Department of Health Care Services, which oversees the Medi-Cal program.

Health insurance plans initially opposed Portantino’s bill because requiring plans to contract with centers, they warned, comes with new administrative hurdles that could disrupt or delay patient care.

Linda Nguy, an advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, said her organization withdrew its support after the bill was narrowed. “Actually requiring plans (to contract with cancer centers) — that would have brought some meat to the table,” Nguy said. “From our understanding, plans already make efforts to contract with as many providers as possible, but it comes down to a reimbursement issue.”

Medi-Cal, which covers about a third of Californians, pays providers a lower rate than other insurance types. While lower reimbursement rates make the program more cost efficient, low payments can deter providers from participating in Medi-Cal.

“There’s a gulf between coverage and real access, because there is also a focus by the state to make sure that health care costs are somewhat controlled.”
— Dr. Joseph Alvarnas, hematologist-oncologist and vice president of government affairs at City of Hope

The debate over cancer care equity shows the complexities of achieving true access even in a state that has expanded insurance coverage to more people. California is scheduled to become the first state in the country to offer Medi-Cal coverage to all income-eligible people regardless of immigration status. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced that 286,000 undocumented people aged 50 and older had started to receive comprehensive coverage in May. In 2024, California will open the Medi-Cal program to approximately 700,000 more people ages 26 to 49.

“The state has worked very hard over the last decade to improve health care coverage,” Alvarnas said. “The issue, though, is there’s a gulf between coverage and real access, because there is also a focus by the state to make sure that health care costs are somewhat controlled.”

While the bill fell short of what supporters initially aimed for, the work to make cancer care more easily accessible will continue, said Autumn Ogden-Smith, director of state legislation for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, another sponsor of the bill. For instance, how to more easily get a patient into one of these cancer centers if they don’t live nearby is a priority, she said.

“If you pull up a map, you’ll see these centers tend to cover certain areas: San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Davis-Sacramento,” Ogden-Smith said. “We’re going to have to focus on how we get the people in Northern California and in the middle of the state” to cancer centers.

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

Tela Juanita Donahue Lake
May 3, 1959 to October 22, 2022

Tela “Starhawk” Juanita (Donahue) Lake, 63, of Redding, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2022. Youngest daughter and one of eight, she was a member of the Yurok Tribe and grew up in Del Norte County. Tela was a homemaker, author, medicine woman, and Sundancer. She had a love for family: spending time together camping, storytelling, gathering rocks, and at sweat lodge ceremonies. She loved to find agates, go on trips to the high country, and attend tribal events. She could find a four-leaf clover anywhere.

Tela lived her life for her children and grandchildren. She had unmatched spunkiness and sassiness, and kept everyone in the family connected. She was an international traveler who could always bring the fun and unexpected. She will be missed by all who knew her.

Tela is preceded in death by (Aawok) her parents Alveretta Spott-Green and Chuck Donahue; brothers: Baldy, Whisky, and Pergish; sister Marjorie; the father of her children Bobby Lake Thom; nieces: Lovebug, Angel; and nephews: Hoot-Se, Jessie, and Benjamin.

Tela is survived by the love of her life, Kevin Arias; stepdad, Kenny Green; sisters, Phyllis and Gladys; brother, Bobo; children: Chay-gam-em, Moon Raven, Wind Wolf (Delores), and Kanawha (Luna); grandchildren, Angelina, Sierra, Lily, Loyalty, Alexus, Aaliyah, Evalyn, Thunder, and Lance, Jason, Leland, Ada; great grandchildren: Nova and Cela; as well as many, many nieces and nephews, and people she loved.

Pallbearers: Kevin Arias, James “Bobo” Donahue Sr., Wind-Wolf “No Name” Lake, Frank Kanawha Lake, Brian “Eagleboy” Donahue, James “Bull Calf” Donahue Jr., Chris Peters Sr., Delmar “Seagull” Jordan, Roger Buckskin Jr., William Bommelyn III, William Bommelyn Jr., Santee Martin Sr., Santee Martin Jr., and John Donahue (Little John D).

Honorary Pallbearers: Kenny Green, Ron Griffith, Frank Thom, Rick Arias, Ricky Alemania, Chaley Thom, Robert Ray Jr., Phillip Shaw Santmier, Levi Tripp, Erik Barnes, Kagett Donahue, and Chris Hawkins.

On Saturday, October 29: Viewing from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Elk Valley Sovereign Building; graveside services in Requa at 4 p.m. at the family’s plot; followed by a memorial dinner to be held at Yurok Tribal Community Room, Klamath, 5 p.m.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Tela Lake’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.