The Shell station on Riverwalk Drive in Fortuna. | Google Street View.
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Some lucky person who was recently in Fortuna — maybe a resident, maybe not! — woke up today a whole lot richer.
We don’t know this freshly minted millionaire’s identity, but the winning ticket from last night’s SuperLotto Plus drawing, worth a whopping $15 million, was sold at the Shell gas station on Riverwalk Drive, according to the official California Lottery website.
Winner winner!
The lucky winner managed to match all five regular numbers, which was good enough to win $32,147, but they also matched the elusive Mega number, making that little strip of paper worth enough to buy the world’s most expensive Formula 1 race car, a Ferrari F2003.
Which brings us to the owners of this particular gas station. Per the rules of the California Lottery, the owner of the Riverwalk Shell station is eligible for a bonus of 0.5 percent of the jackpot winnings, which, in this case, comes out to $75,000.
The Riverwalk Shell is owned by Humboldt Petroleum, which is a subsidiary of the Andretti Group, owned by auto-racing legends Mario and Michael Andretti.
Congratulations go out to the Andretti brothers duo [father and son, oops] for their latest windfall.
Meanwhile, an email from a friendly PR person this morning reminds us to mention that the sole purpose of the California Lottery is to raise supplemental funding for public education.
“This includes more than $142 million for schools in Humboldt County since 1985 and nearly $5 million” in the 2022-23 fiscal year, the email notes.
If you are the lucky winning-ticket holder and would like to get tell us about your plans, shoot us an email! news@lostcoastoutpost.com. We promise not to ask for a loan.
UPDATE, 2:40 p.m.: City of Eureka planning staff lets us know that the original designs for two of the projects, which we published this morning, have since been changed, due to feedback from both funders and city advisory committees.
The new, far more boring designs — the buildings we will actually get — are below. We’ll leave the originals in the text of the article below to remind ourselves of what could have been.
But here’s the new Sixth and M:
And here’s the new Eighth and G:
What a world.
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ORIGINAL POST:
OLD Linc Housing architectural drawings of the project at 8th and G.
Note: Two of the projects covered in this grant — the ones at Sixth and M and Eighth and G — are specifically included in the list of projects that the “Housing for All” initiative, sponsored by Rob Arkley’s Security National company, seeks to stop.
Press release from the City of Eureka:
On August 30, 2023 the California Strategic Growth Council awarded $30.1 million to the City of Eureka and Linc Housing
to support the construction of 90 homes in three affordable housing communities at 8th and G Streets, 6th and M Streets,
and Myrtle and Sunny Avenues, called the Eureka Scattered Site Project. The City and Linc Housing have been working
together on the project since the Eureka City Council approved Linc Housing’s proposal in October 2020, after a Request
for Proposals (RFP) process was completed with the aim of building affordable housing on City-owned parking lots as
required by the City’s 2019-2027 Housing Element to meet State housing requirements. The AHSC funding will be used to
leverage other funding in the coming months to complete the project.
The grant includes funding for amenities at each housing site including short- and long-term bicycle parking, service offices,
community rooms, laundry facilities, and playgrounds, as well as 3 years of no-cost transit passes and five years of no-cost
broadband internet for resident households. The grant also provides over $9.2 million in funding to the City and Humboldt
Transit Authority for significant public transportation, infrastructure and active transportation (bicycle and pedestrian)
improvements, as well as approximately $750,000 in funding for impactful programs, including a workforce development
program with Westside Community Improvement Association, a transportation safety/encouragement program with
Redwood Community Action Agency, and homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing programs with Uplift Eureka.
Community input was essential in shaping the AHSC application, which was submitted on April 4, 2023. From attending
meetings, to submitting survey responses and offering letters of support, the AHSC grant would not be possible without the
community’s input! Below is the final AHSC application scope in written form. You can view the Project Area Map displaying
the various improvements at this link.
The AHSC grant is administered by the California Strategic Growth Council in partnership with the California Department
of Housing and Community Development, and funded from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, an account established to
receive Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds. The AHSC Program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by funding
compact, affordable, infill housing, in conjunction with sustainable transportation improvements. This is the second time
Linc applied for AHSC; the project narrowly missed out on funding during the previous 2021-2022 grant cycle.
This funding will provide the following benefits for all of our community along with a momentous economic boost to our
economy:
Partial construction costs for three affordable housing communities - $20,154,639
We are sad to announce the passing of Joy, the American Guinea Hog.
At 15 years old, Joy was considered quite elderly for her breed and unfortunately in her older years had developed an inoperable mass that animal care staff along with our vets had been monitoring.
Ultimately, as her health declined due to the mass, the decision was made to humanely euthanize. She was surrounded by animal care staff who scratched her belly (a favorite spot of hers) as she went to sleep.
Pigs often have big personalities and Joy definitely knew how to sweet talk, or sass talk, her way around the barnyard - she will be missed.
A man charges his car at an electric vehicle charging station in Burlingame. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMatters
California is eliminating its popular electric car rebate program — which often runs out of money and has long waiting lists — to focus on providing subsidies only to lower-income car buyers.
The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, in existence since 2010, will end when it runs out of money this year. In its place, the state will expand a program next year that provides subsidies only to low-to-middle income residents — those who have more trouble affording electric cars.
The income limits will be much more restrictive. Californians who earn more than 300% of the federal poverty level will no longer qualify for a state subsidy when they purchase an electric car, according to the California Air Resources Board. Currently, that level is $43,740 for an individual and $90,000 for a family of four, with sliding scales for household size.
In comparison, under the existing program that is being eliminated, individuals earning up to $135,000 and joint filers earning up to $200,000 qualified. The rebates for battery-powered cars varied from $7,500 for lower-income households to $2,000 for higher incomes.
“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle.” — David Clegern, California Air Resources Board
Experts say the old program has been a key driver for helping Californians transition to electric cars. But now that the vehicles have become mainstream, the state will shift the emphasis to helping people who can’t afford their high price tags.
“The goal here is not to eliminate options for one group of motorists at the expense of another, but to assist those who’ve been unable to purchase a cleaner vehicle and to broaden and deepen the state’s ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) fleet. We need everyone possible to afford a ZEV, and this has been part of the plan to do that for a number of years,” said air board spokesman David Clegern.
The program called Clean Cars 4 All will be expanded statewide next year; it currently is available only in the five largest air districts. The revamped program will give people statewide who meet the income requirements up to $12,000 to scrap and replace their older gas-powered cars with cleaner alternatives. Those not getting rid of an older car can qualify for up to $7,500 in purchase grants.
Car buyers also may qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 for some vehicles, with income restrictions of $150,000 for individuals and $300,000 for married couples filing jointly.
Bill Magavern, policy director of the Coalition for Clean Air, a Los Angeles-based advocacy group, said the state will “democratize clean transportation” with its more targeted subsidies.
“It is time for (the state rebate) to go away,” Magavern said. “When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.”
But some car dealers worry that ending the rebate for middle-to–higher income Californians might discourage people from buying the cars.
Jessie Dosanjh, president of the California Automotive Retailing Group, a network of dealerships in the San Francisco Bay Area where about 20% of sales are electric vehicles, said the cars are still relatively expensive compared to other options.
Still, he said he understands why the state is shifting its focus to low-to-middle-income consumers.
“As we’re moving into more mass adoption, I think it’s critical to have that income-based structure, because it opens up the market to some people who might be on the fringe, and not be able to afford it due to income limitations,” Dosanjh said.
The average price of an electric car was $53,469 in July, about 18% lower than a year earlier. The industry average for all 2023 cars in July was about $48,300.
“When EVs were considered to be exotic and strange and out of reach for most people, it was important to have this broad-based rebate. But now EVs have gone mainstream.” — Bill Magavern, the Coalition for Clean Air
The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has issued half a million rebates worth $1.2 billion. And the program remains wildly popular, hitting a record 14,000 applications in July, the air board said.
Now its website announces: “Funds for CVRP are nearly exhausted. Applications received on or after September 6, 2023, will be placed on a standby list and are not guaranteed a rebate.”
“While it is disappointing to see the most successful incentive program in history end, the march toward eliminating traditional (rebates) and directing the very limited funding to equity programs has been clear for several years now,” said Steve Douglas, a vice president at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an auto industry group.
The goal: Making electric cars affordable for everyone
For the mandate to succeed, the government has to ensure that people throughout the state, in all income levels, can afford electric cars.
But a CalMatters’ statewide analysis of ZIP codes earlier this year showed extreme disparities in electric car ownership. Communities with mostly white and Asian high-income residents have the state’s highest concentrations of zero-emission cars. In stark contrast, California ZIP codes with the largest percentages of Latino and Black residents have extremely low proportions of electric cars — many with no electric cars at all.
Income seems to be the main driver of the disparities, according to CalMatters’ analysis. Most median household incomes in the top 10 ZIP codes for electric cars exceeded $200,000, much higher than the statewide $84,097.
Dosanjh, from the Bay Area car dealership group, said early adopters were often higher-earning people who worked in the technology industry, or at least technology enthusiasts. But these days he said he sees more people buying electric cars to replace their gas-powered vehicles, rather than having them as novelty and luxury items.
More than 1.6 million zero emission vehicles have been sold in California; one out of four cars sold during the second quarter of this year were zero emissions.
Erich Muehlegger, a professor of economics at UC Davis, said the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project has been “the main workhorse to encourage people to buy zero-emissions vehicles.”
But the rebate program has been subject to inconsistent and inadequate funding, according to CalMatters reporting. Last year the program was flooded with requests for the money, resulting in long waits.
In addition, the various state programs were confusing to Californians. Now they can apply in one place.
“Closing out the (rebate) program has been the plan for some time, and in 2015 the decision was made that when ZEVs reached 16% of new vehicle sales would be the point where that would happen. We let it run longer (25%) just to ensure we had a healthy market,” Clegern said.
“The state concluded that shifting financing to Californians who may have been left out of the ZEV market because of their income is the right thing to do and also deepens the market,” he said.
The program that will be expanded, Clean Cars 4 All, has assisted low-to-middle-income households as well as families who live in what areas designated as “disadvantaged communities,” with low socioeconomic status as well as environmental risks.
The new program will be rolled out with a revamped financing assistance program for buyers.
The money comes from the state’s greenhouse gas reduction fund, which raises money by selling carbon allowances to pollution-emitting businesses, as well as money from the state’s budget.
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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
David Allen Fisch
— known by friends and family as Dave, Papa and Big Fisch — passed
away surrounded by his loving family after a short and sudden battle
with cancer. Dave left an impact on everyone he met and will leave a
large hole in many hearts. He is well known for his involvement in
the community including his advocacy and efforts towards water
accessibility for all, volunteering with the Innovate program,
serving on the Hydesville School Board, and generally encouraging all
young people and entrepreneurs he met to work hard to attain their
goals.
Dave was always
ambitious and did everything to the extreme. He never backed down
from a challenge and took on every role thrown his way. Dave was not
only a business owner, but a pilot, a weekend chef at his restaurant,
a pioneer in the Geoprobe industry, a softball coach, a soccer coach,
a dream home builder, a Civil Air Patrol volunteer, a mentor, a Board
member, a community leader, and a geo-proctologist (water well
driller). His personality was larger than life and matched only by
his tall and comforting stature and always loving heart.
Dave found and
married the love of his life, Chris in 1986 and recently celebrated
thirty-seven (37) years of marriage. They lived and traveled all over
the Country making friends and memories along the way. Dave and Chris
enjoyed seeing the world and having new adventures. They had recently
purchased a motor home to travel with their best friends, Susan and
Leonard Neuman. They had trips scheduled for Puerto Rico in January
and Hawaii in February. Dave was never still and always looking for
the next fun memory making trip.
Dave is survived
by his wife, Chris, father John Fisch (Michaelle), stepdad Jimmie
Newberry, mother-in-law Judith Kochheiser, children David J. Fisch
(Carmen), Melissa Shifflett (Ryan), Anastacia “Staci” Neuman
(Andrew), grandchildren Azucena, Logan, Kendra, Daniela, Brice, and
Arlo, his lifelong friend, Richard Bertolino, and estranged yet
always loved children Christopher and Christine Fisch. He is preceded
in death by his mother, Patricia Newberry, and grandson Gunnar
Neuman.
To honor Dave’s
wishes, no formal services will be held. The Fisch family would ask
that in lieu of casseroles, anyone who knew Dave please share their
favorite “Fisch” stories and photos so that we can create a
memory book of his impact and legacy. Stories and photos can be
emailed to office@fischdrilling.com.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of David Fisch’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Ilene
Theresa Capoeman Colegrove March 22,
1950 – August 31, 2023
Ilene
Colegrove was an enrolled member of the Quinault Indian Nation, as
well as a Tribal Elder. She was born on March 22, 1950, in Aberdeen,
Washington to Stanley Capoeman Sr., and Jacqueline Jean (Simmons)
Capoeman.
Ilene
was a quiet, sweet, humble, creative, and hard-working lady. She grew
up along the Quinault River in Washington state and attended Taholah
Grade School and Moclips High School.
Ilene
was the eldest of ten children. She took on the role of caring for
her younger siblings when she was 10 years of age with the passing of
her mother, and 6 years later after a tragic drowning accident and
the loss of her father and young sister, Ilene fought, to no avail,
to keep her siblings together. Unable to keep her siblings together,
she moved to California.
Ilene
married Lionel Colegrove in August of 1967, and they were near
celebrating their 50th
wedding anniversary when he passed in 2017. Together they were an
enormous influence in young people’s lives. Lonnie was a Ceremonial
Dance Leader of the Me Dil Din Village and worked diligently to bring
back the ceremonial brush dance to that village in the 1970s, Ilene
worked right beside Lonnie and was for years the sole head cook for
the dance camp which is no easy feat even with a host of helpers.
Ilene was Lionel’s right-hand person in everything he accomplished.
He coached girls’ softball, taught young males to play sticks, and
mentored nephews, all whom they both had special bonds with. Ilene
set a prime example for young people to follow with her kind and
gentle demeanor. Ilene wove Hoopa style baskets, made crocheted caps
and Christmas ornaments, created beautiful beadwork, and hand-tool
stamped flowers and designs onto leather belts. Ilene favored
listening to music by Little Big Town and other artists, and
especially liked the song “Girl Crush.” She loved a good cup of
tea and made the best candied apples and popcorn balls for Halloween.
She had a special little furry companion, a dog named Allie.
She
was preceded in death by her husband Lionel Colegrove, mother
Jacqueline, father Stanley Capoeman Sr, sister Freda Lynn Capoeman,
brother Stanley Capoeman Jr, and stepmother Leah Crossguns, maternal
grandmother Theresa Underwood Capoeman, maternal grandfather Joseph
Capoeman, paternal grandmother Edna Lane Ebling, and paternal
grandfather Jack John Simmons.
Ilene
is survived by her sisters; Helen Jones (Dallan), Henrietta Sharp,
Stephanie Capoeman, and Mabel Running Fisher (James). Stepbrothers;
Douglas “Muncie” Osborne, Ramone Osborne, and stepsister; Iralene
Osborne. Numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews,
cousins, aunts, uncles, and other family members.
There
will be a viewing 1-4 p.m., Thursday, September 7, 2023, Paul’s
Chapel, Arcata, before Ilene’s final journey to her homelands.
There
will be a candlelight service 7-8 p.m., Tuesday, September 12,
and funeral service at 10 a.m., Wednesday, September 13 at
Coleman’s Chapel, Hoquiam, Wash.. Graveside will be at Sunset
Memorial, Hoquiam, Wash., and a dinner shortly following at the Taholah
Community Center, Taholah, Wash.
Arrangements
are by Paul’s Chapel, Arcata, and Coleman Mortuary, Hoquiam.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Ilene Colegrove’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Jawan, starring Indian film star Shah Rukh Khan, debuts worldwide (including right here in Eureka) on Sept. 7. | Promotional image.
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On Thursday, a big-budget Bollywood action-thriller called Jawan will premiere in cinemas across India, where the film has seen record-breaking advance sales, and thanks to the persistence of Eureka resident Alpesh Natha, the movie will also be showing at the Broadway Cinema in Eureka.
Natha, who was born and raised in Eureka to parents of Indian descent, has been emailing management of the Oregon-based theater chain Coming Attractions over the past two years, urging the company to bring Bollywood films to the local community — the whole community, really, but especially those who trace their roots back to South Asia.
“The South Asian community in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, it’s more intimate — it’s not like the Bay Area or the big city where there are thousands of people of South Asian descent,” Natha said. This small size binds the local folks of South Asian descent together. “We like to have things for our community that speak our languages,” as Natha put it.
His parents actually moved to Eureka from South Africa in 1978, joining a wave of migration from the Indian state of Gujarat, in particular. During the 1970s and ‘80s, many from this region moved to the United States to open businesses, often going into the hospitality industry.
“A lot of motels in Humboldt and Del Norte are owned by Indians who flocked here during that movement,” Natha said.
Over the past 45 years, Natha’s parents have seen the size of the local South Asian population fluctuate, but the community has remained tight-knit, often organizing its own social events. However, they’ve been lacking for movies on the big screen.
“When we were growing up, Bollywood movies were strictly for people who spoke Hindi,” Natha said. “Now, well … interest has grown among all ethnicities. And now they have subtitles. When we grew up, I don’t remember subtitles. So [now], people who are rusty [speaking Hindi] can watch Bollywood movies and enjoy the language.”
People who’ve never been to Asia can enjoy them, too, he added. “They can learn about the culture in India and see what things are like over there.”
Based in Mumbai, the Hindi cinema industry (nicknamed Bollywood) is a commercial juggernaut, producing hundreds of movies annually, many of which feature elaborately choreographed musical numbers, big-budget action set pieces and state-of-the-art computer effects.
Last year’s RRR, for example, an anti-colonial action drama in the Indian language of Telugu (meaning it’s not technically a Bollywood film, though it bears some similarities), is a maximalist epic that grossed $160 million worldwide and landed on several U.S. critics’ “best films of the year” lists. (It rules, in case you haven’t seen it.)
Hoping to see some of that Bollywood spectacle on local movie screens, Natha kept emailing Coming Attractions. During the COVID pandemic, while the movie industry sputtered, company reps told Natha that they were having trouble get a hold of distributors of Hindi cinema.
One of several posters for Jawan.
“But then, magically, like a month ago, they called and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a movie! Tell your people!’” Natha recalled. Now, he’s hoping lots of locals show up to see Jawan, which promotional materials describe as “a high-octane action thriller” that pits a man out to rectify society’s wrongs against “a dreadful monstrous outlaw who knows no fear.”
In India, big-budget movies are often released around major holidays, when crowds flock to theaters. The release of Jawan, which stars mega-popular Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan, coincides with Janmashtami, a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of the deity Krishna.
Natha hopes Coming Attractions will program its next Bollywood film during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, which arrives in late November.
“So we really need people go come out and watch it,” Natha said, referring to Jawan. “Anyone who enjoys cinema, come out. … Make it successful so the Broadway keeps bringing Bollywood movies here.”
You can watch the trailer for Jawan (with iffy English subtitles) below. The first showing at the Broadway will be on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 11 a.m. with additional screenings scheduled throughout the week.
