Valerie June Jenkins, age 69, of Fortuna passed away on July 21, 2023 after a long battle with congestive heart failure and cancer. Valerie passed surrounded by her children and grandchildren with love, dignity and grace.

Valerie was born on January 31, 1954 in Vallejo to Darwin and Juanita Jenkins. Valerie grew up in Vallejo with her two youngest siblings, Jon Jenkins and Saryn Jenkins (Kirk). In her youth she enjoyed many activities but was most proud of playing the flute. In her teen years, she was invited to join the MENSA group, which is an organization of individuals with high IQs, but life had other plans.

Valerie was married and had her first child in 1972. She had wanted to be a teacher. However, being a mother came first. She was an active member of the PTA and had a Brownie troop during her oldest daughter’s younger years. Valerie was very creative and enjoyed making costumes for plays and dances the school would put on, as well as making Halloween costumes and decorations.

In 1985, following a visit to Humboldt County and then having a vivid dream of a piece of property in the area, Valerie moved here. Soon after, she met and fell in love with her three youngest children’s father. She did find her dream property and purchased it. She lived there for a short time but she ended up having to make the very difficult decision to sell it.

Valerie stayed, though, and reinvented herself in Humboldt County. She held a few different jobs but most memorable for her and the community was her time as the cafeteria lady for Fortuna School District. She often talked about how much she enjoyed seeing the children everyday and how much they enjoyed seeing her.

Valerie could be called a walking encyclopedia, with all of the knowledge she had. She could spell and define almost any word you could think of in the English language and probably several in other languages. Valerie was known to love crossword puzzles, she took great pride in finishing each and every one without looking in the back for the answers. Valerie was a “why” person, she wanted to educate herself on everything that she could.

Valerie didn’t always have an easy life, but she was a loving mother to her four children, her son, the youngest of which she gave birth to on her birthday, and always put her family’s needs above her own, with her whole heart. In fact, in 1999 upon hearing that she would qualify as a kidney donor for her youngest daughter, she donated a kidney without hesitation. She would have done that for any of her children, as many times as she could. She made many sacrifices for all her children throughout the years and she was an amazing mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

As a single mother Valerie wore many hats, including being a father. She taught her children all the things a father “typically” teaches their children, including that no role is gender-specific, which made them admire her even more. She made sure that her children had all the tools they would need to be self-reliant and self-sufficient.

Valerie often made time to attend school events and field trips for all of the children, including her grandchildren whom she had a very close relationships with.

Valerie had many struggles throughout her life but always tried her best to maintain a positive, loving attitude. Despite her own struggles with mental health and depression she was always there for her family and friends. Valerie had friendships that knew no bounds of time. Most memorable are her lifelong friends Barbara Gribble, Dawn Kilpatrick and Jackie Guilliams. She had many friends but these women were her soul-sisters.

Yet, in the her last few years she made best friends with her caretaker, Jeremy Thompson.

Even though she did not feel comfortable with a lot of physical affection, she would hug you with her infectious and beautiful smile. Valerie showed people that she loved them in so many other ways. She always offered a sympathetic ear, an empathetic heart and a shoulder to cry on. Being open-minded was important to her, as she wanted others to feel safe and accepted. In her later years, Valerie would often say, “Que Sera, Sera” whatever will be will be.

Valerie is survived by her four children, Shauna English (Johnson) and her husband Zach English, Jessica Peters, Jayne Peters, and Van Peters. Valerie is also survived by her six grandchildren, Saryn, Shakota, Eric, Carter, Valerie and Wyatt as well as her six great-grandchildren, Makylah, Jessica, Destiny, Kota, Zachary and Saryn Marie. She is also survived by her two youngest siblings, Jon and Saryn.

Valerie was proceeded in death by her parents, Darwin and Juanita Jenkins as well as her two oldest sisters that resided in Kansas, Jacquelyn Gardner and Mina Jayne Littrell.

Valerie will always be remembered as a caring and selfless person. Upon her death, as a final act of love and kindness, she continued to give, by donating her body to the medical science department of UCSF, the same hospital where she had donated her kidney over two decades earlier.

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

Carson Winfield Bledsoe was born to Clinton Winfield and Elizabeth Margaret Bledsoe on September 17, 1952 at the Old Trinity Hospital in Arcata. Win and Elizabeth Bledsoe owned a successful stationery store in Arcata that supplied the entire county’s school supplies.

Carson went to Stewart Elementary School, which was named for his great-uncle, Hugh B Stewart. Carson graduated from Arcata High. Carson met his love and best friend Rosetta Hobbs in 1973. They married in April of 1979 and they bought their home in Fieldbrook.

Carson worked at different mills in Humboldt County. He worked at Crown Simpson Pulp Mill for 10 years. Carson had many good childhood friends and collected good friends along the way. They all loved his infectious laugh and generous heart.

Carson and Rosa loved their home in Fieldbrook and lived very happily until the end. With Rosetta by Carson’s side, he died peacefully.

We want to thank The Angels at Hospice of Humboldt for helping us.

A celebration of life will be held at Carson’s Bar and Grill in Fieldbrook on Carson’s Birthday: Sunday, September 17, Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

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

There were a lot of confused expressions on motorists’ faces this afternoon as Eureka drivers turned north onto R Street, headed toward the Samoa Bridges on State Route 255, only to see that the lane had been blocked by traffic cones and signs reading “ROAD CLOSED” and “DETOUR.”

Even more confusing was a digital display sign onsite that said northbound 255 traffic would be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for more than a month — from September 5 through October 9. 

Peninsula residents, Samoa Beach fans and scenic route-takers will all be relieved to learn that that’s not the case, though there will be more closures in the coming weeks. 

After reaching out to Caltrans District 1 for more information, the agency posted the following information on its Facebook page this evening:

Heads up! Periodically over the next several weeks, there will be weekdays when travelers who take Route 255 northbound from Eureka to New Navy Base Road will need to use an alternate route. While in effect, southbound traffic will be permitted in the opposite direction from New Navy Base Road to Eureka.

Following today’s closure, the next will occur on Tuesday, September 12 from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. We’ll post here [on Facebook] about when to expect the next one after that.

Crews are improving the highway via micro-surfacing. Due to the work’s available flagging locations, anticipated traffic queues, and sight distance challenges on the bridges, a northbound closure was determined to maximize safety and minimize delays. Thank you for your patience as crews conduct these improvements.

###

Press release from the Humboldt County Administrative Office:

Samples taken by the Humboldt County Department of Agriculture have been confirmed to be an invasive earthworm species known as the jumping worm (Amynthas agrestis). Jumping worms devour organic matter more rapidly than European earthworms, stripping the forest of the layer critical for seedlings and wildflowers.

Recently, the Humboldt County Department of Agriculture submitted a worm sample to the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CFDA) Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services Division for testing. The sample was taken from a residential garden located in Arcata. 

The sample provided to the CDFA was confirmed to be the jumping worm through DNA testing. This is the first time the jumping worm has been detected in Humboldt County.

Movement of this worm is most likely attributed to the horticultural industry, since on their own, jumping worms can only move five to ten meters a year. Presence of the jumping worm has spread widely in the Northeast and Midwest in the past two decades. The first detection in California occurred in 2019 and was associated with potted plants at a nursery located in Napa County. There have been subsequent detections in Sonoma County in 2022 and 2023. 

The CDFA has labeled the jumping worm as an A-rated pest, meaning it can cause economic or environmental harm if it becomes established in California.

The Humboldt County Department of Agriculture wants the community and nursery industry to be aware of this new pest and to contact the department if you believe you have found a suspected jumping worm.

If you suspect the presence of the jumping worm, please retain a sample, or take a photo of the worm in question and note the location of the worm. To report the suspected jumping worm, members of the public should fill out the jumping worm survey and contact the department at agcommissioner@co.humboldt.ca.us or call (707) 441-5260. 

How to Detect the Jumping Worm

The jumping worm can be distinguished from other earthworms by a milky-white band (the clitellum) wrapping all around and flush with its body near the head as well as its characteristic “jumping” when disturbed. On European earthworms, the band is raised or saddle-shaped and reddish-brown in color and does not wrap entirely around the body.

In nurseries, the presence of jumping worms is likely to be found underneath pots sitting on the ground or on landscape fabric. In forests and gardens, they tend to be near the surface, just under accumulations of leaf litter or mulch. When the top layer of soil is scratched, these worms can be seen thrashing about with an erratic, snakelike movement. One sign of a possible infestation is a very uniform, granular soil created from worm castings. The texture of the soil is often compared to coffee grounds.

The Department of Agriculture is committed to preventing the spread of this invasive worm and will continue to work to educate and assist the public in identifying and managing the jumping worm as needed. 

For more information on the jumping worm, how to detect them or to learn how to keep them under control, please visit the following links:

• UC Master Gardeners of Humboldt & Del Norte Counties Jumping Worm webpage
• Cornell University’s New York Invasive Species Research Institute’s Invasive Species for Homeowners Jumping Worm Fact Sheet
• How To Keep Destructive ‘Jumping Worms’ At Bay WCCO – CBS YouTube Video
• University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Pests in the Urban Landscape: Look Out for the Jumping Worm
• University of Minnesota Jumping Worms Project

For more information regarding the Humboldt County Department of Agriculture, visit the Humboldt County Agricultural Commissioner webpage. 

###

Smith River Complex (via U.S. Forest Service):

Acres: 85,501
Containment: 19 percent
Cause: Lightning
Start Date: Aug. 19, 2023
Resources: 57 crews, 171 engines, 10 helicopters, 4 drones, 18 dozers, 16 masticators, 6 skid steers, 37 water tenders
Total Personnel: 2,528

Current Situation: Firefighters on an aerial reconnaissance mission Monday observed minimal smoke and hotspots on the west side of the Kelly Fire from the state line south to Gasquet. The southern portion of the fire had scattered areas of heat. On the fire’s eastern perimeter south of the Caltrans Idlewild Maintenance Station, most heat was limited to a burning stringer of timber where the fire is creeping downslope to the Siskiyou River.

Several days of minimal fire activity have allowed crews to refine a full-suppression plan that involves using both direct and indirect suppression tactics. Where it is safe to do so, crews have been and will continue to extinguish hotspots directly on the fire’s edge. Elsewhere, they must rely on an indirect suppression strategy, which involves using dozer lines, handlines, roads, rivers, and other natural features to contain the fire.

Crews have been identifying and preparing those containment features—which are as close to the fire as possible—by masticating brush, installing hose and pumps, and widening roads and firelines. As weather conditions allow, they will conduct firing operations from the containment features toward the main fire. This indirect suppression strategy is necessary due to the unsafe, extremely steep, rugged terrain and long times required to transport personnel during emergencies.

Weather and Fire Behavior: Dry, breezy weather will continue through the week. New fires from last weekend’s lightning strikes may become apparent. The incident has an initial-attack crew that can quickly respond to new fires. No significant fire growth is expected on any fire in the Smith River Complex South on Tuesday.

Smoke and Air Quality: Low levels of smoke are expected until firing operations commence later this week. A daily Smoke Outlook that includes air quality information is available here: tinyurl.com/yb29zy6f.

Closures: US-199 is now OPEN to all traffic. However, an 11-mile segment—currently between Sandy Beach (near milepost 21) and Oregon Mountain Road (near milepost 31)—has one-way, piloted traffic control. Delays up to 45 minutes are possible. The piloted segment will expand or contract as crews repair the burned guardrails, clear rocks off the roadway, and remove hazard trees.

Six Rivers National Forest lands, roads, and trails surrounding the Complex are closed (Forest Order No. 10-23-06). The Order and closure map can be viewed on this Six River National Forest web page: tinyurl.com/4atens8c. Evacuations:

Evacuation orders issued by the Del Norte County Sheriff’s Office remain in effect. View the interactive evacuation map online for the most current evacuations: tinyurl.com/yp3d99sr.

• LEVEL 3, GO: Rockland
• LEVEL 2, Get Set: Rowdy Creek/Low Divide, Gasquet, Big Flat/Rock Creek, Patricks Creek Lodge, Little Jones/Washington Flat Residential Areas, Oregon Mountain Road Area, Sun Star
• LEVEL 1, Get Ready: Hiouchi

###

###

Lightning Complex & Redwood Lightning Complex (via InciWeb):

The 19 fires in this incident total 17,551 acres and overall containment is 21%. The nine un-contained fires described below total 15,804 acres. Hog Fire and Lost Fire are in Redwood National and State Parks. All other fires described in this update are in Six Rivers National Forest. Fire managers have begun rightsizing staffing for current fire conditions. Minimal smoke was reported from fires in the Complexes yesterday, but a warming, drying trend beginning today may produce more smoke as fuels on the interior of the fires are consumed. The increase in acreage is due to more accurate aerial infrared mapping rather than actual fire growth.

Hog Fire (0.2 acres) – This new fire was detected on Saturday in the southern end of the National Park. It was an initial attack assisted by the Rocky Mountain team and is not an official part of the Complex. The fire is a lightning strike in a single cedar tree. The burning tree has been felled and the fire is lined and in mop up status.

Lost Fire (722 acres, 68% contained) – Indirect line construction has been completed on the north side of the fire. A portion of the fire perimeter in the northwest corner is too steep and rocky to safely put firefighters in. Backhaul of unneeded equipment is in progress and suppression repair work has begun. An unmanned aerial systems aircraft (UAS) will be used today to search for remaining hotspots using infrared technology.

Pearch Fire (5099 acres, 8% contained) – Crews continue to mop up, secure, and patrol firelines in the southern portion of the fire in Divisions Z and J. Crews are targeting hotspots identified by aerial infrared imagery. No additional firing operations are planned on the fire. The structure protection group continues structure assessments along the Salmon River corridor to the east of the fire in Division Y. The assessments, totaling 284 so far, will be compiled into a product that will be useful to local agencies in the event of any future emergencies. Hoses, sprinklers, and other structure equipment have been deployed in some locations as a preventative measure, and unneeded equipment is being backhauled. A night shift of 5 engines is continuing to work the fire.

Bluff #1 (2033 acres, 26% contained) and Mosquito (2557 acres, 24% contained) Fires – Mastication and chipping on an indirect fireline north of Mosquito Fire is done. A dozer line along a portion of Bean Ridge has been cleaned up, and hand crews completed the line northeast to Highway 96. A combination of masticators, fallers, and hand crews will work on extending the line further north. The east side of Mosquito Fire is contained by direct line along the Cedar Camp Road in Division M. An indirect line has been completed westward from the southeast corner of Mosquito Fire in Division M. Mastication has been completed along an indirect line that runs from north of Bluff #1 Fire, along the west side of that fire, and southward in Division N. Crews are working on connecting the south end of this line down into Bluff Creek and across to the line running west of Mosquito Fire with handline. This should take 3 to 4 days to complete. Four chippers are working to remove slash from the masticated indirect lines, with about four days of work remaining.

Blue Creek #2 (2986 acres, 0% contained), Marlow (1540 acres, 0% contained), and Copper (792 acres, 0% contained) Fires – These fires are being patrolled by aerial resources as weather conditions allow. They are bounded by indirect control lines to the east and south, and significant movement of these fires is not expected.

Monument (2 acres, 0% contained) and Let er-Buck (73 acres, 0% contained) Fires – Due to limited values at risk, the remote, steep terrain and associated safety concerns for our firefighters, and the low probability of success using standard suppression tactics, these fires are being addressed with a confinement strategy. Terrain, natural fire barriers such as rock outcroppings, and old fire footprints where fuels are limited will be used to confine fire growth until season ending precipitation extinguishes the fires. These fires are checked regularly by aerial patrols to ensure they remain within acceptable bounds, and little to no fire growth has been observed.

Weather: A slow warming and drying trend will occur this week. Highs will be in the upper 70s to mid 80s, warming to near 90 by late in the week. Winds will be light from the west. Overnight lows will be in the 40s and 50s. A stable weather pattern will be in place over the next week, with seasonal temperatures and a dry forecast.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On Sept. 2, 2023, at about 10:54 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was contacted regarding a vehicle burglary in the Samoa area.

Two adult female victims told deputies they were alerted to the burglary upon receiving a notification from one victim’s bank regarding an unauthorized purchase. The two women returned to their vehicle on the 900 block of Vance Avenue and found the driver’s front window broken with numerous items missing, including the victim’s bank card. During their investigation, deputies were able to obtain surveillance video of a male suspect who attempted to use the victim’s stolen card at a local business.  

Later that afternoon, at about 2:07 p.m., deputies were contacted by two additional vehicle burglary victims in the Cutten area. The victims told deputies that they had returned to their vehicles at the McKay Tract trailhead near Northridge Road and found both to have been broken into with several items stolen. A passerby in the area was able to provide deputies with a description of the suspect’s vehicle.

Deputies searched the surrounding area and located the suspect vehicle parked along Walford Street, in the county’s jurisdiction of Eureka. Deputies observed a male matching the suspect from the surveillance video standing outside the vehicle. The male, 33-year-old Delmar Wayne Allen Jr., was observed to have shattered glass on his shoulders and injuries to his hands. Deputies contacted two additional individuals associated with the vehicle: 29-year-old Phillip James Lampley and 21-year-old Lila Jacqueline Perry. All three were detained as deputies conducted their investigation.

Inside the vehicle in plain view, deputies observed items reported stolen from the Samoa burglary in addition to drug paraphernalia. Utilizing K9 Deputy Yahtzee, deputies conducted a free air sniff of the vehicle, during which Yahtzee alerted to the presence of a controlled substance. While searching the vehicle, deputies located various prescription pills, drug paraphernalia and ammunition, and recovered the Samoa victim’s stolen property.

During a search of Allen Jr. and his belongings incident to arrest, deputies located burglary tools. Allen was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on three counts of burglary (PC 459/461(b)), possession of burglary tools (PC 466), possession of stolen property (PC 496(a)), vandalism (PC 594(b)(1) & 594(b)(2)(A)) and use of a stolen credit card (PC 484g).

During a search of Lampley, deputies located over 1 gram of methamphetamine and over 1 gram of suspected fentanyl. Lampley was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)) and possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)).

Perry was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance (HS 11377(a)), possession of a controlled substance paraphernalia (HS 11364(a)) and person prohibited in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)).

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.

Delmar Wayne Allen Jr. Booking Photo | Humboldt County Correctional Facility

Phillip James Lampley Booking Photo | Humboldt County Correctional Facility

Lila Jacqueline Perry Booking Photo | Humboldt County Correctional Facility

###

Press release from Providence St. Joseph Hospital:

Ellen Mahoney, MD, medical director of the St. Joseph Hospital Eureka Cancer Program and Join Luh, MD, radiation oncologist at the Dr. Russel Pardoe Radiation Oncology Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, were recent recipients of awards and recognition from their peers in the field of cancer.
 
Dr. Mahoney, who has been a breast cancer surgeon in Humboldt since 2000, was chosen as one of 10 winners in the 2023 Commission on Cancer (CoC) Cancer Liaison Physician (CLP) Outstanding Performance award.
 
“When I became involved in the Cancer Program in the early 2000s, I had no familiarity with the Commission on Cancer (CoC) as a quality program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Cancer Society,” said Mahoney. “But I have since learned to recognize its power to improve the quality of cancer care, especially in suburban and rural areas of the country. It is a true honor to be recognized by this program which has done so much to improve and sustain improvements in cancer care throughout most of the USA.”
 
Each year, the CoC Cancer Liaison Program recognizes outstanding performance by CLPs in their role as the physician quality leaders of their cancer programs. This year, more than 60 nominations were submitted and after careful review of each submission by the CoC State Chair Education Advisory Group, 10 Cancer Liaison Physicians were chosen to receive this award.
 
“Dr. Mahoney has been a trail blazer in the field of breast cancer surgery since her time as faculty at Stanford,” Interim Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer Ranjit Hundal, MD said. “We’ve been so fortunate as a hospital and a community to have her providing clinical excellence and comfort to cancer patients and their families here on the North Coast for over two decades. Congratulations on this much deserved recognition.”
 
Dr. Luh, who has practiced at St. Joseph Hospital since 2007, was recognized by his radiation oncology peers at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) recently for his clinical excellence and was named to the 2023 Class of Astro Fellows. The ASTRO Fellow designation (FASTRO) is awarded based on service to ASTRO and extraordinary contributions to the field of radiation oncology.
 
“Dr. Luh is an exceptional radiation oncologist,” said Hundal. “Along with Drs. Michael Harmon and Dusten Macdonald, they have built a program here at St. Joseph Hospital that is world-class. Dr. Luh is a tireless advocate for his patients and is committed to delivering high quality care in a compassionate and warm manner.”
 
“As a community radiation oncologist, I’m honored to be recognized by ASTRO, and join 28 distinguished radiation oncologists and physicists who have made significant contributions to research, education, and patient care,” said Luh. “This would not have been possible without the support of my practice partners Dr. Michael Harmon and Dr. Dusten Macdonald—both of whom strive to provide state of the art, compassionate cancer care in our community. With the many changes occurring in health care nationally, I am thankful to still be at St. Joseph Hospital’s ACS/CoC accredited Cancer Program in Eureka after 16 years, in my first and only job out of residency training.”