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Offshore wind developer RWE announced that it has accepted a “settlement” with the Trump Administration. In exchange for abandoning its offshore wind lease off of Humboldt County’s coast, the German energy company will receive $1.22 billion to instead invest in fossil fuel projects. The Trump Administration has reached similar settlements for projects on the East Coast, which are being litigated, and the California Attorney General’s Office has sent the Trump Administration “notices of intent to sue” for other settlements on the West Coast.

What does this settlement agreement mean for the future of offshore wind off Humboldt’s coast?

Matt Simmons, climate attorney at EPIC, and Jen Kalt, executive director of Humboldt Waterkeeper, join the program to discuss. 

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PREVIOUSLY:

• McK Gas Station Held Up at Gunpoint Early This Morning; Sheriff’s Office Seeking Suspect

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On August 20, 2026, at approximately 4:30 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested 27-year-old McKinleyville resident John Davis IV in connection with the robbery of the Shell Gas Station on Central Avenue in McKinleyville, which occurred on August 19, 2026.

Following the robbery, deputies conducted extensive follow-up investigation, including reviewing surveillance footage, conducting probation searches, interviewing witnesses, and collecting evidence related to the incident. Through these investigative efforts, Davis was identified as the suspect. 

Davis was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on the following charges:

• P.C. 211 – Robbery
• P.C. 1203.2 – Violation of Probation

Anyone with additional information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

The year was 1893. A young man of twenty joined a group of friends on a fishing excursion at the Mattole River. Early one morning, he opted for a hike in order to explore the surrounding area. The young man climbed a bluff to observe the view and found himself overlooking the land that he knew would one day be his home. In 1894, when he reached the age of 21, Albert Etter made the journey to Eureka and filed claim to the parcel of land that he and his family would settle — the land now known as the Ettersburg Ranch.

The Ettersburg Ranch in southern Humboldt County provided more than simply a home for the Etter family. Thanks to the Etter brothers, the ranch became a place of enterprise and self-sufficiency, where the industries of timber, agriculture, and livestock played important roles. It was the unique site of an agricultural experimental station, where many varieties of plants were grafted, developed, raised and distributed throughout the world.

Benjamin.

The rich history of the Ettersburg homestead may be said to have begun with the story of one man. Born in Switzerland in 1822, Benjamin Etter came to the United States as a young man and first settled in Missouri. He served in the United States armed forces for the duration of the Mexican War. After the war, Etter received a homestead of forty acres from the government in the area that is now downtown Chicago. He sold the land, however, when, like so many others, he heard the cry of “GOLD!” from faraway California.

According to Leo Etter, grandson of Benjamin, the elder Etter traveled to California by sea, crossing the isthmus of Panama, not an easy journey in those days. From there he found passage on anothership heading for San Francisco.

Etter then went overland to El Dorado County, where he lived and mined gold for some years. In 1854, he traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri to visit family, and there he met and married Wilhelmina Kern, a native of Germany. The newly married couple made their way back to El Dorado County, where they settled in Placerville to raise their family and to continue Etter’s mining operations.

There, Benjamin Etter mined for gold from approximately 1849 to 1870. During this time, Wilhelmina bore seven of their thirteen children (ten of whom survived). The couple’s only daughter, Louise, was born in 1858. The remaining boys were Emil, born in 1861; Jules, in 1863; George, in 1866; William, in 1867; Fred, in 1869; Albert, in 1872; August, in 1875; Francis and Louis, twins, in 1879 and the youngest, Walter, in 1882.

Wilhelmina.

After twenty-one years of mining, Benjamin Etter decided to move his family farther west, to the newly-developing region surrounding Humboldt Bay. Perhaps he had tired of a miner’s life, or perhaps he had, by then, accumulated enough gold to begin a new business enterprise of his own. No doubt the Etters had heard talk of the rich pasture lands and enormous stands of timber alongside an idyllic bay to the west. Whatever the reason might have been, the year of 1870 saw the family settle on some acreage at Coffee Creek, near Ferndale.

During their years in Ferndale, the rest of the Etter children were born and • raised. Benjamin Etter devoted himself to a prospering dairy business, at which all of the children were obliged to work until they reached the age of 21. After that, they were free to strike out on their own.

Wilhelmina Etter and her husband were said to have possessed a great love for plants, for gardening, and for experimentation in growing things. It was their mother, however, who was most influential in instructing her children in gardening techniques. Although all of her children enjoyed the benefit of such instruction, one in particular developed a fascination for the horticultural arts.

For him, it became a lifelong study. Albert Etter has often been referred to as Humboldt’s counterpart to the famed horticulturalist, Luther Burbank. Indeed, Etter and Burbank were not only friends, but fellow scientists as well, exploring similar avenues of plant breeding and hybridizing. Albert Etter eventually pursued the course of his childhood fascination in his extensive experimental work at the Ettersburg Ranch.

Albert was the first of his family to settle the property, a beautiful little valley surrounded by rolling hills. This land was later to be known as Ettersburg. The area was named for the Etter brothers, pioneer sons of Benjamin Etter, who came to the place to homestead, to raise families, and to work the land. Albert was soon joined at the property by his brother August, and shortly thereafter by his brothers Fred and George. The four formed a partnership called the Etter Brothers and thus began the work of developing various business enterprises connected with their land. George Etter purchased a ranch of his own on bordering property (now owned by Lee French). The three remaining brothers then combined their holdings into one large ranch. August and Albert built the first ranch house, a small cabin, in 1905.

Albert.

Albert erected a small platform in the branches of a madrone which he dubbed his “sleeping tree,” and there might have spent many hours planning the future projects that he and his brothers would undertake. The brothers each excelled in a variety of skills, and their combined efforts would help to further their goals of self-sufficiency for themselves and for their families. Soon after homesteading a section of the ranch known as “Grasshopper Ridge,” Fred Etter purchased a sawmill and moved to the Petrolia area in the year 1900, where he operated the mill for the next twelve years.

Leo Etter’s wife, June, recalled a visit by the elder Etter to her family’s ranch in nearby Honeydew immediately following the great earthquake in 1906. Neighbors were few and far between, and a democratic spirit prevailed during times of crisis. The North Coast was not immune to damage by the earthquake, and June recalled that a large rockslide occurred nearby.

Etter’s visit was an expression of concern for the safety of his friends. Leo’s father, Fred Etter, and June’s father, Elihu Lindley, were great friends throughout their lives.

Fred Etter brought his sawmill from Petrolia to the Ettersburg Ranch in 1912. The brothers used the steam-powered mill to develop an extensive lumber business at the ranch. Fred had charge of the woods and mill operations. Timber on the property provided the necessary lumber for many county bridges, for neighboring homesteads, and for all of the buildings that would eventually be constructed at the ranch itself.

In the years that followed, Fred employed between eight and ten millworkers for the ranch’s logging operations. All the hired hands lived at the ranch along with other members of the Etter family. In 1911, Fred Etter traveled to St. Louis, Missouri, to attend the World’s Fair and visit relatives there. It might have been at this fair that he met his future wife, Margaret, and the two were married later that year. Margaret joined her new husband at the ranch, and the following year bore their first son, Leo Etter.

Fred Etter was noted for his skills as a carpenter, and took charge of most of the construction on the ranch. The first of several barns was constructed in 1910. The main ranch house was built in 1914. The two-story structure contained many rooms for family and ranchhands. Decks surrounded the entire house both upstairs and downstairs. The huge downstairs kitchen provided meals for ranch-hands and family. A large pantry and root cellar stocked whatever goods were necessary to feed the many mouths. The house was built entirely of lumber milled on the property.

With the ranch house completed, construction then commenced on the barns, shops, and various other out-buildings. One of these included an apple-evaporating plant, built in 1918. The apple business proved an integral part of ranch life. Close to forty acres were planted with many varieties of apples, most of which were developed through Albert’s experimental work.

The entire family would help with the yearly apple harvest. Leo Etter recalled his uncles, their wives and children, arriving at the ranch for apple harvest. They came from all over the surrounding area: Jules Etter, who lived across the nearby Mattole River; Louis Etter, who resided on property bordering the ranch that is now owned by Lee French; Walter Etter, who homesteaded land on nearby Wilder Ridge; Frank Etter, who lived across Bear Creek in Honeydew; and Emil Etter, also a resident of Honeydew. With the large family working together, many fresh and dried apples were shipped to Eureka through the G.M. Connick and Company, and to the surrounding communities as well. Harvest work at the ranch was not limited to apples, however, and the family worked together during harvests of chestnuts, strawberries and other produce.

A cheese factory was constructed on nearby property and Ed Mixer, a cheesemaker from Switzerland, was hired to oversee the cheesemaking. There were 75 goats on the Ettersburg Ranch at the time, and goats were popular stock for many of the neighboring homesteads. Families from the surrounding areas brought goats’ milk to the factory on a regular basis to be made into cheese. One of Leo Etter’s earliest recollections is that of milking the goats, and then delivering the milk to the nearby factory.

Other livestock on the ranch included sheep, cattle and horses. August Etter had charge of the stock, and much of the farm work and transportation of goods.

Transportation in the early days of Humboldt homesteading was no simple matter. The Mattole Road, once merely a walking trail, underwent expansion and improvement during the early 1870s. This road was an important connection between the southern and northern parts of the county. Although a daily stage began operation between Petrolia and Eureka in 1871, the road south of Petrolia toward Ettersburg was not as frequently used, and therefore not as well maintained. The journey from the Ettersburg Ranch to Eureka was made approximately twice a year in what Leo referred to as the “express grocery wagon.” This wagon was pulled by four horses, and the trip required five days in each direction. These biannual wagon runs were essential to ranch life. Many tools were repaired and replaced, and supplies were purchased.

The eldest Etter, Benjamin, never learned to drive an auto. His grandson, however, recalled some of the early ranch vehicles, the first being his father’s purchase of a 1912 “locomobile” in 1920, which was remodeled to serve as a truck for ranch work. Leo taught himself to drive in that truck at age fourteen. The family purchased a Model “T” in the early 20s, a Model “A” in 1929, and a Chevrolet coupe in 1937.

Some years later, another mode of transportation became a familiar part of the Ettersburg Ranch — that of the airplane. Leo Etter’s love of flying began with an airplane ride he took with his father in 1927. After that ride, he hoped to one day pilot a plane of his own.

Etter recalled his early flight training at Long Beach Airport and his first solo flight at Oakland Airport in “an old open bi-plane.” He received a pilot’s license in 1938 at the Los Angeles International Airport. After serving in the army from 1942 until 1946, Etter returned to the ranch, where he built a hangar and an airstrip for his first plane, an Aeronica Champion. In 1947, he attended school at Cal Aero Tech in Glendale, where he received an aircraft mechanics and engine rating. During 1948 and 1949, Etter managed the airport at Ukiah and received his commercial license and flight instructor’s rating. From 1950 until his recent retirement, Etter managed the airport and flight operations in Garberville, where he provided flight instruction and charter service for the local area.

Much of Etter’s charter work included delivery of equipment and supplies to local logging operations during the fifties. These equipment runs often involved making low passes over a designated logging area to drop supplies. The charter service also served as an air ambulance for logging accidents, a common occurence. Leo recalled flying his uncle, August, to Eureka on frequent trips. August Etter would always marvel at this modern mode of transportation — a trip that once took five days now took only thirty minutes. And once he had flown, the elder Etter never desired any other way to travel.

Perhaps some ofthe more historically important and most noted aspects ofthe Ettersburg Ranch were its agricultural achievements under the guidance of Albert Etter. Many varieties of plants from around the world were cultivated. The produce included peaches, plums, pears, grapes, chestnuts and walnuts, as well as the many acres of apples and strawberries. Albert, together with his brothers, developed, grafted, hybridized and sold many new and experimental varieties of apples, strawberries and other plants.

In 1924, he married Katherine, a young “mail-order” bride from New Jersey. When she arrived, the brothers built a house for the couple adjoining the original first cabin, and adjacent to Albert’s experimental gardens. Katherine Etter eventually took over the job of postmistress for Ettersburg, a position she held for many years, and she resided in that same house all of her life.

In addition to his horticultural talent, Albert Etter had an aptitude for writing. In reference to his own writings about Ettersburg, Albert once commented, “…I will assume all responsibility and take all blame…” On a letterhead from the ranch was printed: “…Ettersburg Experimental Place, Ettersburg, California. Founded in 1894 by Albert Etter. Location: 40 miles from nowhere, in the mountains of Southern Humboldt. My specialty - taking up the study of Nature where the Creator left off…”

One of Etter’s major preoccupations was what he referred to as “…solving the age-old apple riddle: From where did our apples come, and how to breed apples…” Although cultivated for many centuries, Etter felt that the apple had undergone little improvement from the original species.

Over the years, Etter continued to experiment and to develop new, hardier, and climatized varieties of apples. He used the basic premise that hybrid varieties could be used successfully when crossed with pure species or other unrelated hybrids. Varieties such as the “Manx Coddling” from England, and the “Reniette Ananus” from Holland, both small hybrid crab apples, were used to successfully breed other new varieties at Ettersburg. The reason for this success appeared to be that the foreign hybrids were not closely related to any local apple varieties. For example, Etter crossed these very small crab apples with the native Humboldt wild crab apple. The new variety that was eventually produced, was said to be “…464 times as heavy as the mother species fruit…”

Etter introduced angle-worms to the soil for building bacterial content, and providing soil aeration. He also introduced Monantha Vetch, a European variety, to the local area. At first, local ranchers were skeptical, but they soon came to realize the benefits of the vetch as an excellent forage and cover crop for livestock feed and soil improvement.

The cultivation of Monantha Vetch as a cash crop was an important part of the agricultural tasks at Ettersburg. Leo Etter recalled the early thrashing operations at the ranch. The Etters owned and operated their own thrashing machine for use at the ranch as well as for many neighboring ranches. When thrashing time arrived, this work involved many friends and neighbors.

Albert and August were not the only Etter brothers to experiment with plant breeding. Their youngest brother, Walter, became quite interested in apple experimentation and developed a variety he named the “Waltanna”, after himself and his wife, Anna. The Waltanna variety was sold worldwide, and was reported to have been shipped as far away as Australia. Over the years, Albert Etter, and his brother, August, continued their extensive work in crossing and developing many varieties of deciduous fruits. The basic principle of crossing wild species with previously cultivated varieties proved to be successful for much of their experimentation.

As the horticultural experimentation continued, people from around the world grew interested. Fruit growers, plant breeders, agricultural scientists, and those simply interested in the experimental work, wrote letters of inquiry and made frequent visits to the Ettersburg Ranch.

At one time, trees and shrubs from all parts of the world surrounded the ranch house, with many varieties of flowers growing at their bases. Even today, nearly a century later, thousands of daffodils surround the house each spring. A tropical palm and a monkey-puzzle tree grow outside the house, as well. And there is an incredible flowering wisteria plant intertwined and growing up the tree some seventy-five feet above.

The early days of Ettersburg saw the arrival of many new families to the area. The education of local children, both informally at home, and more formally, at a school, was an important concern for these pioneer families. According to Leo Etter, the first Ettersburg School was located near the largest madrone tree for miles around, referred to by local homesteaders as the “Indian Council Tree.” The great tree was alleged to have been the site of council meetings for the regional Indian tribes. Perhaps it was under the branches of this tree that local Indians educated their own children.

The area nearby the tree was chosen as the site for the first Ettersburg School. By 1918, there were approximately twenty children living in the Ettersburg area, and a larger school building was deemed necessary. Fred Etter built the Ettersburg schoolhouse that year on property at the ranch. Fred and Margaret Etter had had two more sons by that time: Cyril, born in 1914 and Bernard, born in 1917. Leo was six years old when his father built the schoolhouse, and he began to attend the school that same year.

The three brothers lived many years at the family ranch. Leo mentioned that logging operations at the upper ranch during the 1950s were managed by his two younger brothers. Cyril Etter resided at the ranch for many years with his wife, Vale, and their son, Mike. Mike Etter continues a family tradition today, residing in a home he built on a section of the lower ranch, with his wife, Betty, and their three children.

The Etter women played a major role in the ranch history. Besides the continual responsibilities of child-rearing and home maintenance, the women cooked for the ranch hands, as well as their own families. Leo recalled that his mother, Margaret, was often joined by his aunts Louise, Katherine and Josephine, in order to have help with the constant chores of cooking, canning, gardening and keeping house for so many. Margaret Etter maintained records of all household and ranch business for some years.

Today, Leo Etter and his wife, June, reside at the family ranch house. Portraits of the first Etters, Benjamin and Wilhelmina, hang in the living room. Besides maintaining the ranch and remodeling the house, Leo gardens, runs sheep, and annually harvests the chestnut trees that his father helped to plant. June Etter has commented, “…it’s not everyone that has the opportunity to come home again…”

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The piece above was printed in the September-October 1985 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Scientists catalogued the highest number of dead marine mammals in over a decade on the North Coast’s beaches last month — almost triple the typical monthly average.

Twenty-eight marine mammals were found dead last month. Researchers usually find 10 in July, Dawn Goley, the director of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program, told the Outpost. Most of them were seals and sea lions, but at least two dead humpback whales were included too. The program has tracked dead marine mammals over a 140-mile stretch of coastline from northern Mendocino County up into Del Norte since 2012, checking out the same spots at the same times to ensure consistency. 

It’s too soon to tell what’s causing the inflation, Goley said, and many of the animals are too decomposed to examine anyway. This year’s El Niño hasn’t gathered enough strength yet to heat coastal waters close to shore, but it’s getting warmer further out to sea. The ocean also sometimes suffers through heat waves, which have become more common over the last five-ten years, Goley said. Boat strikes may have killed some of them. Some may have starved. Researchers don’t have exact data on the amount of living creatures here either; an increased sea lion and seal population, as well as increased boat traffic, might be driving the rate up as well. “But,” Goley said, “Given the magnitude of it, something else, something unique, is going on this year, and I’m sure it has to do with environmental changes.”

Grey whales have died this year at a higher rate than normal as well, Goley said. Some have starved, or become so emaciated they were unable to recover from injuries. There was another spike in grey whale deaths five years ago, so the stranding program and NOAA are working together to determine why they’re starving. It’s a “complicated” issue, Goley said, but there’s likely a human element. 

They’re also paying close attention to the Guadalupe fur seal, which migrates up here from Mexico to feed offshore. Their population is depleted further south, and strandings here could mean trouble down there. California and steller sea lions seem to be doing OK.

Keeping track is difficult, Goley said. If you see a stranded marine mammal on the beach, Goley wants you to contact them, either by emailing marinemammals@humboldt.edu, or by calling 707-826-3650.

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PREVIOUSLY

• 45-Year-Old Man Wanted in Connection With Last Night’s Stabbing in Willow Creek, Sheriff’s Office Says

A man sought by police for an alleged stabbing in January has since been apprehended, but the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office has confirmed it won’t file charges against Cody Sides for the incident in Willow Creek.

A search warrant for the arrest of Sides was active for months after a woman alleged that, as she was refueling her truck alongside State Route 299 on January 8, she was stabbed by Sides. She was taken to the hospital for treatment, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office reported.

A since-removed GoFundMe page stated the woman “sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed into emergency surgery to repair damage to her stomach, colon and pancreas,” according to the Times-Standard.

However, reviewing the case in April, the Humboldt County District Attorney’s Office found insufficient evidence to charge him for the stabbing.

[CORRECTION: We originally stated that Sides was arrested in April, not that the district attorney had reviewed the case then. We’ve corrected that. Apologies.]

“Charges were not filed as there was insufficient evidence to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” wrote Humboldt County District Attorney Stacey Eads in an email, a decision she said was based upon investigative reports submitted by law enforcement.

“Sometimes for cases we review there is probable cause to believe a crime occurred, however, in our evaluation the existence of conflicting statements, lack of corroboration, credibility issues, self-defense or other evidentiary considerations preclude us from being in a position to file charges as there is not sufficient admissible evidence to prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” she explained, noting this determination is always a case-by-case analysis.

Separately from the alleged stabbing, the office has charged Sides in two cases this summer. He was arrested by the California Highway Patrol August 7, and charged last week with firearm and ammunition possession with a felony conviction, plus misdemeanors like possession of a switchblade in a vehicle, possession of burglar’s tools and drug charges. A separate misdemeanor drug case was filed in July.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

His attorney did not want to comment. A HCSO spokesperson did not immediately return an email seeking further information.

Possible Conflict Issues for Hoopa Shooting Defense Attorney

The defense attorney representing one suspect accused of murder for the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Dylan Moon in Hoopa has raised possible conflict issues that could preclude her from representing the defendant. This could mean further delays in the case that has gripped the community.

Judge Steven Steward will decide next week on attorney Rebecca Linkous’ request to hold a confidential one-on-one hearing with him over possible conflicts she said came to her attention after reviewing gang-related evidence from the District Attorney’s office.

Linkous represents defendant William Warren. Along with murder, Warren and co-defendant Tse-Lin Lincoln are accused of assault charges, each with gang-related enhancements that would add additional jail time if they’re convicted.

The unusual request to have the judge review the type of conflicts personally and confidentially was appropriate, Linkous argued, because of the nature of these gang allegations.

Linkous pointed out she holds seven years of experience working on gang cases in another county, and was concerned Humboldt County would be unable to find another attorney with similar experience.

Both defense attorneys are private, and were hired by the county to represent the suspects after both the Conflict Counsel and Public Defender’s offices declared conflicts in the case.

Lincoln’s attorney, Andrea Sullivan, did not have an opinion on the matter.

But prosecutor Roger Rees opposed the private meeting with the judge, called an ex parte in camera hearing.

He argued the meeting serves no purpose but to give legal advice to Linkous, arguing she was seeking a “second bite of the apple” because Judge Lawrence Killoran had previously denied a similar request.

When asked by Steward, Rees confirmed the District Attorney’s office plans to continue with the gang allegations.

Judge Steward said the private meeting “may be appropriate,” but he was unsure today, noting earlier he’d not previously ran into this issue. The matter was scheduled for August 26. The preliminary hearing is also set to be scheduled on this date.

PREVIOUSLY

• One Person Hospitalized With ‘Life-Threatening’ Injuries Following Yesterday’s Shooting in Hoopa; Suspect Remains At-Large, Says HCSO
• Hoopa Valley Tribe Offers $10K Reward for Information Leading to Arrest of Suspect in Tuesday’s Shooting; Emergency Community Meeting in Council Chambers Tonight
• 15-Year-Old Arrested in Connection With Hoopa Shooting, Sheriff’s Office Says; Two Other Teenage Suspects Still at Large
• Another Suspect in Monday’s Shooting in Hoopa Taken Into Custody
• Third Suspect in Hoopa Shooting Surrenders at the Sheriff’s Office
• The Victim in the Hoopa Shooting Has Died
• Teenagers Charged With Murder in Hoopa Shooting
• Arraignment for Hoopa Shooting Murder Charges Set for Friday
• Defendants Plead Not Guilty of Murder in Hoopa Shooting; DA Hasn’t Decided on Death Penalty
• District Attorney Not Seeking Death Penalty for Hoopa Shooting
• The Hoopa Valley Tribe Wants Local Kids to Know That it is There For Them
• Next Hoopa Shooting Hearing Pushed Forward After Motion From Defense
• Hoopa Shooting Proceedings Punted
• ‘Pain and Outrage’: Hoopa Valley Tribe Condemns Temporary Release of Teen Murder Suspects for Ceremonial Purposes

New Wrinkle in Daryl Ray Jones Mental Health Diversion 

PREVIOUSLY

• Judge to Decide on Mental Health Health Diversion of Man Who Threatened Many Humboldt County Schools

After much back and forth over which judge would oversee last week’s mental health diversion hearing for school threats suspect Daryl Ray Jones, a new wrinkle has emerged.

A new judge will be tasked with deciding whether he’ll be diverted into treatment after an appeals court overturned a previous ruling.

Judge Kelly Neel was set to decide today whether Jones would be offered treatment and have criminal proceedings against him paused. But Monday, the court of appeals commanded the Humboldt County Superior Court to overturn a ruling on a motion to disqualify a judge.

Earlier, the DA’s office had used a peremptory challenge to attempt to disqualify Judge Neel. This type of measure allows attorneys to disqualify a judge, without needing to prove or give reason why they believe the judge is prejudiced in the case.

In a previous hearing, Jones’ attorney had pushed back against this effort to disqualify Neel, who has otherwise seen a blanket disqualification by the District Attorney’s office.

Judge Timothy Canning had denied the District Attorney’s Office’s challenge to Judge Neel being assigned to the casee, and she oversaw a hearing last week where a psychologist testified on Jones’ suitability to be diverted from criminal proceedings.

But on August 17,  the Court of Appeals overturned this, according to court records. The Humboldt County Superior Court followed by granting the challenge against Neel, in an order signed by Judge Canning.

Multiple other Humboldt County Superior Court judges have been disqualified from hearing the case, as the threats affected many in the community — the calls included multiple businesses, schools and daycares. Neel’s child goes to a school that received threats, the prosecution said when seeking to disqualify her.

According to court records, the next hearing on the matter will be held Monday. The case will be reassigned to a different judge, according to Canning’s order.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:>

On August 19, 2026, at approximately 10:14 a.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to Tagmeyer Beach in Willow Creek to search for an individual who had been observed struggling to swim in the Trinity River the previous day. The individual’s vehicle remained parked at the location, prompting concern for their welfare.

Deputies responded to the area and began searching for the individual. With assistance from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Special Services Division, deputies conducted an extensive search of the river and surrounding river bar.

During the search, deputies located two deceased individuals in the water. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under investigation and appear consistent with drowning.

The deceased have been identified as 45-year-old Arcata resident Lex Rincon and 18-year-old New York resident Krishna Rincon. Their next of kin have been notified.

The cause and manner of death remain pending. Autopsies are scheduled for early next week.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office extends its heartfelt condolences to the Rincon family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time.

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Crossing the street in Eureka — especially along Highway 101 where traffic moves fast and protected crosswalks are few and far between — can be a nerve-racking experience for pedestrians and cyclists.

Just the other day, watching traffic pass through downtown from the corner of Fifth and F streets while waiting for my turn to cross the street, I saw two vehicles zoom through red lights and another come to a hard stop midway through the crosswalk. A few weeks ago at the intersection of Broadway and Wabash, I saw a vehicle come dangerously close to hitting a pedestrian traversing the same crosswalk where a man was killed earlier this year. I’ve seen countless other close calls — as well as full-on collisions — while driving and walking in Eureka, seemingly more than anywhere else in the county. Why is that?

Data compiled by the Eureka Police Department confirms that, along with Fourth and Fifth streets, Broadway is one of the most dangerous thoroughfares in the county. More traffic collisions happen on Broadway than any other street in the city. In fact, Eureka ranks among the worst in the state for serious traffic collisions across the board, according to data from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

In 2017, Eureka recorded 275 injury and fatal traffic collisions, enough to rank first among 94 similarly sized cities with an average population of 26,100 residents. That same year, the city ranked second for injury collisions involving pedestrians and third for incidents involving cyclists. Between 2017 and 2023, Eureka averaged 240 injury traffic collisions per year, as shown in the table below. (The OTS did not have data available for 2024 and 2025.)

How does Eureka compare to the rest of the county?

Looking at that same time period, 2017 to 2023, roughly one-third of all injury traffic collisions in Humboldt happened in Eureka, though the numbers fluctuate quite a bit from year to year. Data from the EPD shows a notable uptick in collisions during the work week between noon and 8 p.m.

As show in the table below, Eureka’s collision rate is five to eight times higher than that of Arcata and Fortuna, though it isn’t exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, given the differences in population. 

Eureka’s high collision rate is largely attributable to Highway 101. Unlike the county’s six other incorporated cities, the 101 cuts right through downtown Eureka, carrying thousands of vehicles across multiple lanes each day and increasing the likelihood of traffic collisions. 

What can be done to reduce Eureka’s collision rate? It depends who you ask.

Increasing Traffic Enforcement

The EPD has employed numerous tactics over the years to reduce collisions on the city’s main thoroughfares, with some success. 

In 2025, Police Chief Brian Stephens launched a department-wide effort to boost officer-initiated enforcement, increasing traffic stops by 300%. Earlier this year, the EPD launched “Operation Gateway 101,” a collaborative initiative with the city’s public works and code enforcement departments aimed at improving traffic safety and “quality-of-life concerns” along the Highway 101 corridor. The department launched its “Slow Down Eureka!” social media campaign a few months ago to discourage speeding. 

Despite this effort, injury traffic collisions are on the rise. After reporting an 18% increase in injury traffic collisions since the start of 2026, the EPD issued a press release and survey last month seeking public input on improving traffic safety in Eureka.

In a recent interview, EPD Commander Leonard La France acknowledged the uptick in incidents, but told me that traffic collisions are “technically on a downward five-year trend.” Yes, traffic collision reports are up by about 18%, he said, but “criminal” collision reports have actually gone down by 9%.

“Even though we’re on a downward trend, it’s still not good,” La France said, adding that the department’s latest push to reduce collisions is part of its effort to increase proactive policing. “I think we’ve been more vocal about collisions and why we want to stop them [because] we’re getting exhausted by going to injury collisions that are really avoidable. It’s not been happening more; it’s just now we really want to talk about it, and [figure out] how to solve this problem together.”

The vast majority of the city’s traffic collisions occur on the city’s North-South and East-West arterials: Fourth/Fifth, Sixth/Seventh, H/I and Harris/Henderson. As shown in the chart below, Broadway ranked highest for traffic collisions, with approximately 39 incidents recorded since the beginning of the year. 

The nightmarish five-way stop at Broadway and West Wabash, where a pedestrian was hit and killed earlier this year, ranks among the most hazardous intersections in the city, along with Buhne and J, Seventh and I, and Harris and H.

But what’s driving these numbers? And why are collisions so bad in these areas in particular?

“I think a lot of it is distracted driving,” La France said. “That’s one common factor we’re seeing [in our data], and it’s not just people on the phone. … They’re driving a vehicle that weighs thousands of pounds without really paying attention because they’re just getting from point A to point B, and it feels to me that people aren’t taking it as seriously as they should. It’s more like a secondary thing that we do to get from here to there … and I think that’s a lack of insight that we’re seeing.”

“Even speeders,” he continued. “We find people doing 50 in a 30, and we ask why and [we often hear], ‘I just wasn’t paying attention,’ which for some people is probably true because it’s a straightaway on H or I street and they hit the gas, and they just don’t realize that all of a sudden, they’re doing 20 over.”

Intentional or not, if you’re going 20 to 30 miles over the posted speed limit, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in jail, La France said. 

“That to me is beyond reasonable,” he continued. “We had a collision where some guy blew a red light or a stop sign at Fairfield and Henderson going probably at least 50 miles an hour. [He] crashed into a couple cars, injured someone really bad, [and] we charged them with felony [reckless driving]. [He’s] lucky it wasn’t manslaughter.”

EPD’s push to increase proactive policing has led to an uptick in arrests for both driving and non-driving offenses, but has it made a meaningful impact on people’s driving habits?

As La France puts it, “perception is reality,” so if drivers see an increase in police presence, most of them will alter their behavior accordingly. “Some people won’t because it doesn’t matter to them, but I think a majority of people, when they see a cop, they are reminded that driving is a major responsibility.”

To reach a wider audience, La France and his colleagues have taken to posting pictures from the scene of traffic collisions to social media — often accompanied by sarcastic quips and hashtags like #YouCantParkThere, #FelonyArrest, #TogetherWeDriveChange and “LowerTheCollisionRate — to show residents what EPD deals with on a daily basis.

“Like, this is why we’re telling you not to drive like this,” he said. “We’ve got to expand who we’re reaching, but how do we do that? … We have some traffic safety videos coming out, and we’ve talked about doing TikTok videos, but I don’t think we’re there yet, although I do love TikTok. … Can we do some videos that are kind of funny but also serious? And again, how do we do that?”

I asked La France about traffic-calming measures implemented in the city in recent years (bulbouts, roundabouts, speed bumps, etc.) and whether he had noticed any changes in driving habits. He acknowledged that certain tactics can have an immediate effect on behavior — “If your car bottoms out [going over a speed bump] you’ll quickly learn not to do that” — but said it’s hard to determine what will have a long-term, meaningful impact.

“I remember years ago — and I mean years — when the Bayshore Mall had some major issues with people speeding in the parking lot, one [general manager], who isn’t there anymore, just went rogue and put up some speed bumps,” he said. “It definitely changed behavior. … The question is, do you want that severe of consequences for that kind of driving behavior? … There are some good ideas, but is it truly effective? I don’t know.”

Can Traffic-Calming Measures Solve Eureka’s ‘Traffic Safety Crisis’?

For years, the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) has sounded the alarm over the “traffic safety crisis” plaguing Highway 101 in Eureka. The local nonprofit — which “envisions a North Coast region with vibrant local communities where walking, biking, public transit and other socially and environmentally positive modes of transportation are the norm” — believes that traffic-calming measures are the key to reducing collisions.

“We really try to advocate for the types of improvements that have evidence to support their effectiveness, and the most effective interventions in our research are these street design and traffic-calming interventions that provide protected infrastructure for people walking and biking,” CRPT Executive Director Colin Fiske said in a recent interview. “There’s just an abundance of evidence showing that they do improve safety.”

Take bulbouts, for example. These widely hated curb extensions might be inconvenient to some, especially drivers of large vehicles, but research from the Federal Highway Administration and numerous other entities shows that bulbouts improve pedestrian safety by enhancing visibility.

“I think that’s probably why a lot of people find them annoying, because you do have to slow down quite a bit to make a sharper turn,” Fiske said. “But there’s a safety reason for that, which is that there might be a pedestrian, bicyclist or even another vehicle there that, if you’re making the turn too fast, you won’t be able to see in time.”

CRTP’s 2025 report, “Dangerous Downtown Streets,” examined traffic hazards on Fourth and Fifth streets through locally-sourced data and walking audits. The report concluded that high traffic speeds, failure to yield and poor visibility are among the leading causes of collisions involving both motorized and non-motorized traffic. These factors are amplified at intersections without traffic signals or protected crosswalks.

“Participants in the October 2024 walk audits in the corridor generally found the pedestrian experience in the corridor to be unsafe, unpleasant, and stressful, with many concerns about accessibility for pedestrians with disabilities,” the report states. “Particular concerns about safety and accessibility included crossing Fourth and Fifth Streets at unsignalized intersections, crossing side streets and driveways at unsignalized intersections, various sidewalk and curb ramp accessibility hazards, high noise levels, and lack of adequate lighting.”

The report offers a laundry list of traffic-calming measures to reduce hazards along Highway 101, but few — if any — have been implemented. The city recently installed rapid-flashing beacons at several crosswalks, but it’s not clear if those were already planned or constructed in direct response to the report.

Fiske acknowledged that it takes time to source the funding and do the studies needed to address some of these issues, but in the meantime “people are still dying and getting hurt.”

“The frustrating part of doing this work, having done it for about 11 years now, is that things just tend to take so long,” Fiske said. “After we’ve identified that there’s a problem and everyone agrees that something needs to be done, it still takes a decade for there to be anything done.”

The City of Eureka has adopted numerous traffic-calming strategies in recent years. Back in 2018, the city council approved the “Eureka North-South Multimodal Corridor Plan,” which eventually reduced traffic on H and I streets from three to two lanes with a buffered bike lane. A few years later, in 2023, the council adopted a resolution “declaring the importance of complete streets” as part of the city’s commitment to traffic safety and reducing collisions. This led to the construction of 170 new sidewalk bulb-outs throughout the city, as well as flashing beacons at crosswalks and signal reconfigurations at several intersections.

Brittany Powell, a project manager with the city’s engineering department, reported a 20% decrease in traffic collisions on H and I streets since the project wrapped up. Similarly, Powell told the Outpost that signal reconfigurations at Myrtle/West, Harris/S and Buhne/S have “reduce[d] the number of potential conflicts at intersections.”

“The addition of bulb-outs (curb extensions) are proven to slow speeds of turning vehicles and creates shorter crossings for pedestrians,” she added.

Similarly, Caltrans has constructed numerous traffic-calming features along Highway 101 over the past decade through its South Broadway Complete Streets Project, including a pedestrian-activated crossing near Broadway Cinema, separated bike lanes, new transit stops, enhanced pedestrian and cyclist striping, lighting, sidewalk upgrades and a new traffic signal at Hilfiker.

Caltrans, too, has drawn the ire of drivers who feel the projects are unnecessary or even dangerous. Asked to respond to these concerns, Caltrans spokesman Myles Cochrane acknowledged that it can take time to adjust, but said the traffic-calming measures implemented so far have had a significant impact on collisions.

“Caltrans data shows total collisions along U.S. 101 through Eureka have gone down about 70% since 2015. Collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists have gone down about 50% during that same period,” Cochrane wrote via email. The Outpost asked where that figure was sourced, but we’ve yet to hear back. “Since 2015, the state has invested around $50 million in safety and complete streets improvements along U.S. 101 through the city. [Highway] 101 in Eureka belongs to Caltrans; it’s Humboldt’s busiest stretch of roadway, and we’re pleased with the progress.”

Still, traffic-calming measures do have limits. 

“Regarding people entering traffic outside of designated crossings, including situations involving impairment or behavioral health, there’s no single easy answer,” Cochrane said. “Highway features cannot prevent every unpredictable action, and sometimes there’s more at play than how we design things. Caltrans follows the Safe System principle that people will sometimes make mistakes, and the transportation system should have multiple layers of protection, so the consequences of those mistakes can hopefully be minimized.”

“The ultimate goal is zero collisions,” he added, “and we need to keep our eyes on the prize.”

Implementing a ‘Vision Zero’ Strategy in Humboldt  

While the prospect of “zero collisions” may seem like a pipe dream, the Vision Zero Network believes it’s entirely possible. 

[CORRECTION: The Vision Zero Network’s goal is not zero collisions, it is zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries, as explained in more detail below. The Outpost apologizes for the error.]

The Sonoma County-based nonprofit has helped implement advance the Vision Zero Strategy, which originated in Sweden in the 1990s, in dozens of cities across the country. The strategy strives to “eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.” 

The Vision Zero strategy is a departure from the “traditional” approach to traffic safety, commonly referred to as the “Three E’s” — Enforcement, Education and Engineering. Vision Zero advocates argue that the Three E’s are too focused on the individual and perfecting driving behavior. Vision Zero, on the other hand, acknowledges that people make mistakes, and to avoid collisions resulting in serious injuries or fatalities, road systems should be designed to reduce the severity of crashes.

“This isn’t a situation where you can say, ‘oh, let’s just put more dollars into traffic enforcement, and we’ll have safer roads’ because no community is going to have a police officer at every corner,” Leah Shahum, founder and executive director of the Vision Zero Network, told the Outpost. “That’s just not feasible. … And yet, there’s an overdependence or overemphasis on traffic stops being able to solve the problem. … There’s also growing recognition around the country that the idea of overemphasizing traffic stops is not only impractical and inefficient, but it can be really harmful in terms of worsening and exacerbating racial disparities.”

To make a meaningful impact on collisions, policymakers need to employ a multi-disciplinary approach that goes beyond the transportation and public safety sectors, Shahum said. 

“Transportation planners, engineers, police — they should absolutely be at the table, along with public health partners and folks who work in trauma centers and the hospitals, [because] they have the bird’s-eye view of what’s happening,” she said. “[We need] folks from all these different fields … really coming together [to discuss] what works and what doesn’t in their communities. What do we need now most? What do we need more of? What do we need less of? How do we … modernize our road safety efforts to be most effective, most cost-efficient and most equitable?”

Last month, the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) rolled out a series of temporary traffic safety demonstration projects as part of the county’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which is currently underway. Feedback from these traffic-calming projects — located in Arcata, Eureka, Ferndale and Fortuna — will be incorporated into the county’s action plan.

The plan will take some time to develop, but once it’s adopted, it will reshape the county’s approach to traffic safety and inform permanent design decisions to reduce collisions. 

“Road design is a critical element for slowing speeds and saving lives, so we work to identify and fund projects across the region in line with best practices for reducing speed and conflicts between vehicles and vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists,” HCAOG senior planner Stevie Luther told the Outpost via email. “Our consultants are designing a public education campaign that when implemented will encourage safer behavior from all road users, targeted to address specific problems like distracted driving and speeding.”

The public draft is slated for release in October, and a public meeting will follow. The final plan will be reviewed by the HCAOG board in December.

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In Closing, A Plea From a Pedestrian

Getting hit by a car is a jarring and terrifying experience. If you live through it, it will change the way you interact with other vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists for the rest of your life. I would know; I was hit by a car while crossing Highway 101 at E Street on a January night in 2023. 

I had met with a friend earlier in the evening, and I was standing at the corner waiting for the green light. When the signal turned in my favor, I looked both ways and stepped off the curb into the crosswalk. I had made it maybe two steps when I was suddenly pushed to the ground, hitting my head and scraping my face on the asphalt. 

Before I could comprehend what had happened, a gray-haired man with thick-rimmed glasses in a silver SUV pulled up to the curb. He rolled down his window and asked if I wanted him to pull over. My immediate response, which may come as a surprise to those of you who haven’t gone through a shocking and disorienting experience, was to say, “I’m fine!” The man didn’t think twice and continued north on the 101.

As I scraped myself up from the sidewalk, I saw the countdown signal was still going and I dashed through the intersection, rubbing my throbbing cheek. I heard someone near the Starbucks shout, “Hey, are you OK?” 

“I’m fine!”

I didn’t go to the ER that night because I felt fine, which was probably influenced by the concussion. My jaw hurt a little, and so did my hip, which bore most of the impact, but it was probably no more damage than an ordinary fall would do, right? And as strange as it may sound, I was actually embarrassed about what had happened to me.

I went to the ER the next day and was told that, yes, I had a concussion and deep bruising on my hip, and that I had a hairline fracture in my orbital cavity, just below my left eye. Noting too serious, but the attending physician still admonished me for waiting a full 12 hours to go to the ER, warning that I could have had a collapsed lung or internal bleeding. 

Over the days and weeks that followed, I replayed the scene over and over in my head, imagining what could have happened if I had been just two or three steps further into the crosswalk. It took a couple of weeks before I worked up the courage to walk to work again, and when I finally did, I watched the cars around me with a degree of caution and paranoia I had never experienced before. Even still, if a vehicle approaches the crosswalk too quickly, I hesitate before crossing the street. 

While working on this story, I spoke with a lot of people who know a lot more about the topic of traffic safety than I do, but I kept coming back to my own experience and how it has changed my walking and driving habits. Sure, EPD can increase enforcement and the city can build a new roundabout at a problematic intersection, but above all, the onus is on each and every one of us to be responsible and help keep each other safe.