Humboldt County Drug Task Force release:

Mr. Bean | HCDTF

During the month of July 2023, Agents with the Humboldt County Drug Task Force received information that Riley Wilson Bean (Age 29) was selling narcotics in the Eureka area of Humboldt County. Bean was on felony probation for selling narcotics and had a felony warrant for his arrest. 

On July 25th, 2023, Agents with the HCDTF were able to locate Bean in a public area. Bean was accompanied by another individual who was identified as Matthew Robert Williams (Age 31). HCDTF Agents were able to identify Williams from previous contacts and investigations. Williams was also on felony probation for trafficking narcotics and was currently out on bail from a recent arrest. 

Mr. Williams | HCDTF

HCDTF Agents surveilled Bean and Williams as they traveled through the Broadway area of Eureka. Agents observed that Williams and Bean appeared to be making “hand to hand” drug sales with the people they encountered. 

Bean and Williams responded to a large parking lot of a business located in the 600 Block of Harris St. in Eureka. Upon their arrival, Bean entered a vehicle that was occupied by two additional subjects, while Williams stayed on foot in the area. At this time HCDTF Agents and Officers with the Eureka Police Department moved in and surrounded the vehicle that Bean was inside of. Bean was detained without incident.  

As Bean was being detained, Williams fled on foot eastbound towards Spring Street. HCDTF Agents pursued Williams on foot where they eventually caught up to him in the 3000 block of Albee Street. Williams physically resisted as the Agents attempted to place him under arrest. After a short struggle, Williams was placed in handcuffs and secured in the back of an EPD patrol vehicle. 

Once the scene was secure, EPD Sergeant Nantz and his K9 partner Bohdi conducted an “open air sniff” where Bean was located inside of the vehicle. K9 Bohdi alerted to the back seat of the vehicle where Bean was sitting, indicating drugs and/or firearms were present.  HCDTF Agents searched the area that Bean was seated in the vehicle and located ¼ pound of fentanyl, 550 Xanax bars, 10 grams of heroin, 10 grams of methamphetamine, packaging materials, and a digital scale. 

EPD Officer Jones and his K9 partner Bolo conducted an “open air sniff” on Williams’ vehicle. K9 Bolo alerted near the front of Williams’ vehicle indicating that drugs and/or firearms were present. HCDTF Agents searched the vehicle and located an additional 10 grams of heroin. 

Bean was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked for the following charges: 

• 11375(B)(1) HS - Possession of a designated controlled substance fore sales 
•  1203.2 (A) - PRCS Violation
• Felony Warrant 

Williams was arrested and transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked for the following charges: 

• 11350 HS - Possession of narcotics
• 148(a)(1) PC - Resisting/Obstructing a Peace Officer
• 1203.2 PC - Probation violation
• 466 PC - Possession of burglary tools

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

Ground zero.

Press release from the City of Eureka:

The City of Eureka will be performing sewer evaluation work on Myrtle Avenue, starting Wednesday, July 26th through Friday, July 28th, WEATHER PERMITTING.

On Wednesday, eastbound Myrtle Avenue will have one lane closed at West Avenue, southbound West Avenue will have one left-hand turn lane closed at Myrtle Avenue and all southbound traffic onto West Avenue will be closed. Detours will be in effect, and lane closures may impact traffic.

Evaluations in Myrtle between West and Harrison Avenues are expected to last the remainder of the week, with lane shifts but no detours. There will be controlled traffic and detours at these locations, and motorists should expect short delays.

The patience and cooperation of motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians in the vicinity of the work zone is greatly appreciated. The City of Eureka realizes that this disruption is an inconvenience, but repairing and maintaining our sewer collection systems is vital to the health and safety of our residents.

PREVIOUSLY: Groundbreaking Ceremony Celebrates Start of Construction on Humboldt Bay Trail South, Which Will Finally Connect Eureka and Arcata

Buh-bye, rusty railroad tracks | Photos and video: Andrew Goff

Patience! Your much-safer bayside Eureka/Arcata bike commute is coming, people!

Roughly two months after a “ribbon-tying” ceremony marked the beginning of construction on Humboldt Bay Trail South — a long-envisioned, paved multi-use trail connecting Arcata and Eureka mere feet from the shores of shimmery Humboldt Bay — work crews could be seen Tuesday morning pulling up old railroad ties and tracks. 

LoCO safely pulled off the safety corridor and gathered a bit of imagery of the historic work which officials hope will wrap before the end of 2024. Read our previous coverage here and/or scroll down for track demolition. 

UPDATE, OCT. 10: The District Attorney’s office has declined to bring any charges against Mr. Harwood in connection with this incident.

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NOTE: The suspect is the founder of a prominent SoHum business, Redway Feed.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On July 24, 2023, at about 4:16 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a licensed cannabis farm on the 2800 block of French Road in Miranda for the report of an armed robbery.

Harwood.

Deputies contacted an adult male victim with minor injuries as they were responding to the property. The victim told deputies that a former manager of the farm, 49-year-old Thomas Vernon Harwood Jr., arrived at the property unannounced with approximately 10 masked suspects. While there, Harwood reportedly assaulted the victim and detained him in a vehicle on the property. Meanwhile, the masked suspects reportedly stole a large amount of cannabis upon Harwood’s instruction. The victim was able to escape in the vehicle and meet deputies further down the road.

While investigating this incident, law enforcement officers located and detained Harwood nearby. According to witnesses on scene, the masked suspects fled the property in a white Ford pickup truck with concealed license plates. The suspects are described as Hispanic male adults, wearing dark clothing and body armor, possibly in possession of firearms. These suspects are still outstanding at this time.

Harwood was arrested and booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of robbery (PC 211), first degree burglary (PC 459/461(a)), false imprisonment (PC 236) and conspiracy to commit a crime (PC 182(a)(1)).

This case is still under investigation. 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.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the California Highway Patrol for their assistance during this incident.

The community college system is falling short of one of its most important benchmarks: the number of students who transfer to a four-year college or university. It remains well below the system’s own goal, and lawmakers have taken notice.

“Although most students intend to transfer to a four-year university, few do,” wrote a group of state legislators this year as they asked the state to audit community college performance.

Set in 2017, the goal was to increase the annual number of community college students who transfer to the University of California and California State University from nearly 89,000 to more than 120,000 by 2022. In the 2020-21 academic year, the most recent data available, nearly 99,000 community college students transferred to a UC or Cal State.

The Community College Chancellor’s Office responded to questions regarding the transfer goal by forwarding a letter that former interim Chancellor Daisy Gonzales wrote to legislators in March as part of an internal negotiation regarding the audit. In it, she wrote that the goal “has not been fully achieved.”

She wrote that the UC and Cal State system rejected nearly 30,000 eligible community college applicants in fall 2020 — more than enough transfers to meet the community colleges system’s goal. She wrote there was “insufficient capacity” at the UC and Cal State campuses and asked the auditors to include equal scrutiny of those systems, since everyone is mutually responsible for coordinating successful transfers.

However, there are many ways to measure transfer. To get a clearer picture, CalMatters looked beyond the chancellor’s office goal and analyzed the raw number of students who transferred every year, which includes but is not limited to those who transfer to a UC or Cal State. Those numbers are reported by four-year institutions across the country and analyzed by the California Community College Chancellor’s Office. Undocumented students are not counted because they lack a Social Security number.

CalMatters then compared those numbers to the total number of students who, upon starting community college, said they eventually wanted to get an associate degree or transfer. It’s the methodology that most closely aligns with the state’s funding formula, which pegs the transfer numbers to the amount of money a college receives.

Of the students enrolled in a community college in California who said they wanted to transfer to a four-year university, an average of 9.9% went on to enroll at a four-year institution in 2021, the most recent data available.

There are many reasons why students never transfer. The state’s roughly 1.8 million community college students are predominantly low-income, first-generation students of color. Many students, especially older students, must juggle work, children, and for some, even homelessness while attending school.

But certain populations and colleges have a harder time with transfer than others. CalMatters found:

• Students at rural community colleges are less likely to transfer to a four-year university than students who attend school in affluent parts of Ventura County, Orange County, the San Fernando Valley, and Bay Area suburbs like San Bruno, Pleasant Hill, and Redwood City.

• Colleges separated by only a few miles show stark contrasts in transfer rates. In 2021, the most recent year available, the transfer rate at Irvine Valley College was 16.7%, but just 10 miles away, at Santa Ana College, the rate was 5.4%.

• Younger community college students were most likely to transfer, and the rates drop off the older a student gets. In 2021, students over the age of 50 were more than four times less likely to transfer than their peers between ages 20 and 24.

Rural, unprepared students face biggest hurdles

Lassen College has one of the lowest transfer rates in the state — 4.5% in 2021. It’s more than 10 percentage points below the highest performer, Irvine Valley College.

The reason is easy to see, said Roxanna Hayes, the vice president of student services at Lassen College in Susanville: The nearest four-year institution is over 80 miles away at the University of Nevada in Reno.

“It feels like we’re 2 hours from anything…when you come up to Susanville and you look around, there’s no other educational institution besides us.”

“We don’t have the sort of income that other counties have,” Hayes said. “It’s not just getting accepted to school: I’ve also got to live there and afford it.”

Among the community colleges with the lowest transfer rates, 60 percent are rural, and some are hours away from the nearest four-year institution.

Because of its proximity to numerous four-year institutions like UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton, students at Irvine Valley College come to school already familiar with their transfer options, and most students don’t have to move if they want to pursue a bachelor’s degree, said Loris Fagioli, the director of research at Irvine Valley College.

The rural-urban divide is part of the problem, but it can’t explain everything, said Darla Cooper, the executive director of the Research and Planning Group of the California Community Colleges, a separate nonprofit organization that is funded in part by the chancellor’s office. The income of the student body, the focus and “culture” of the school, and even the economics of the surrounding town or city impact the transfer rate at any community college.

In the 2014-15 academic year, Los Angeles community colleges had some of the lowest transfer rates in the state, but that’s because many of its students were coming to community college unprepared, said Maury Peal, the community college district’s associate vice chancellor for institutional effectiveness.

The colleges enrolled those students in remedial courses, which can take years to complete and can reduce the likelihood of graduation. Backed by research that shows remedial classes to be ineffective, a law passed in 2017 and another in 2022 asked colleges to start placing students directly in college-level courses. Pearl said these reforms, plus other efforts like special degrees that guarantee a transfer to a Cal State or UC, have led to an uptick in transfer rates across the L.A. colleges.

West Los Angeles College, for instance, had a 5.4% transfer rate in 2015, among the lowest in the state. But by 2021, it was up to 12.3%, well above the statewide average.

“The fact that it’s improved is something we’re proud of, but it’s still not where we want to get to,” said Jeff Archibald, vice president of academic affairs for West Los Angeles College.

‘Swirl,’ prisons, and ‘transfer-oriented culture’ set schools on different paths

Unlike four-year institutions, which are often singularly focused on bachelor’s degrees for young adults, community colleges offer a range of educational opportunities depending on the demographics in the surrounding towns or cities, which can make it hard to compare one community college to another.

Located in Blythe, a rural town near the Arizona border, Palo Verde College has consistently had the lowest transfer rate of any community college. In 2021, just 1.1% of Palo Verde College students who indicated they wanted to transfer succeeded in doing so — but roughly half of the college’s students are in prison. Other rural colleges with low transfer rates, including Lassen College and Feather River College, also enroll a high percentage of incarcerated students relative to other schools.

Rural areas also come with different job opportunities, especially compared to the state’s highly educated coastal cities, Cooper said.

“Do the jobs where you’re located require a bachelor’s degree?” she said. “Because if they don’t, you’re probably not going to have a lot of transfer.”

In dense urban areas like Los Angeles, students tend to take classes at multiple community colleges, creating a “swirl” in the data that can mask some long-term outcomes, Archibald said.

But disparities still persist, even within the same city. Los Angeles Pierce College and Los Angeles Valley College, which are located in the San Fernando Valley, consistently outperform other Los Angeles community colleges.

The Technology Learning Center building at West Los Angeles College in Culver City on on July 17, 2023. Photo by Julie A Hotz for CalMatters

Pearl said Pierce and Valley College have developed a reputation for preparing students for four-year colleges or universities. He pointed to other Los Angeles community colleges, such as Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, which are geared towards career and technical training.

A 2008 Research and Planning Group report found that a “transfer-oriented culture” was a recurring reason why certain community colleges had higher-than-expected transfer rates. The report also said those colleges had close relationships with local high schools and four-year institutions, along with support services for students.

Although the report was done 15 years ago, the transfer rate patterns have persisted. Many of those schools profiled by the Research and Planning Group in 2008, such as Irvine Valley College, continue to outperform their peers today, according to the CalMatters analysis of recent data.

Community colleges in wealthy areas or those with high-performing high schools have higher transfer rates, too. “We know this with almost all educational outcomes, there is an economic or socio-economic driver behind it,” Faglioli said.

Pearl said Los Angeles Pierce and Valley colleges benefit from “high-performing” charter schools nearby, which can boost transfer rates if community college students start school better prepared.

Why transfer still matters

To encourage colleges to meet the system’s goal of increasing transfers to a UC and Cal State, community college officials put forward a new formula that pegged a portion of a community college’s funding to its outcomes. One of those outcomes is the number of people who transfer to a four-year institution.

But Lizette Navarette, interim deputy chancellor of the community college system, said that community colleges with low transfer rates are not getting penalized.

That’s because the new funding formula also takes into account the percentage of low-income students who meet certain benchmarks for success and the number of students who complete career-oriented programs. Navarette said rural colleges and other schools with low transfer rates have the opportunity to make up any potential gaps in state funding.

Lassen College, for example, received nearly $3 million more dollars last year than it would have under the previous funding formula, despite having some of the lowest transfer rates in the system.

However, the greatest impact of low transfer rates is not on the community college but on the student, Cooper said.

“For most people of color, most people who are low-income, community college is their only way into higher ed,” she said. “Even if what they want to pursue requires a bachelor’s degree, not everyone can go straight to a university.”

Four-year colleges and universities are selective and can be expensive, she said. While some community college students can earn more with a certificate or an associate degree than those with a bachelor’s degree, she said those students are the exception, not the norm.

Airplanes and helicopters in the Aviation Technology building at West Los Angeles College Campus in Culver City on July 17, 2023. Photo by Julie A Hotz for CalMatters

“Everybody wants to bring out Bill Gates,” Cooper said. “He didn’t graduate college….If you can be that, awesome, great, fantastic. But for most people, it’s beneficial for life.”

In the internal letter to the state auditors, former interim Chancellor Gonzales pointed to areas where the community college system has seen significant gains toward its 2017 goals. More students are completing their courses and gaining degrees, for instance.

In general, more students are transferring to a four-year college, according to the CalMatters analysis, which includes upticks in the number of students transferring to a UC or Cal State. But the progress remains less than third of the goal that the chancellor’s office set out to accomplish by 2022.

A spokesperson for the Community College Chancellor’s Office said the system will deliver a new transfer goal “in the coming weeks.”

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Data reporter Jeremia Kimelman contributed to the reporting for this story. 

Adam Echelman covers California’s community colleges in partnership with Open Campus, a nonprofit newsroom focused on higher education.

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

Carvel Robert (Bobby) Hartman passed into the presence of the Lord Jesus on July 17, 2023 at the age of 93, and was reunited with his wife, Gloria. A few years out of high school, Carvel happened to be out driving around one afternoon and saw Gloria walking down the street. He asked her if she needed a ride. They were married four months later on June 21,1950 and were married almost 73 years when Gloria passed away on May 17, 2023.

Carvel was born in Eureka on September 29, 1929 to Henry and Estelle Hartman. He was the youngest of four children. When he was 6 months old, the family moved to Yokum, Texas due to his father’s bout with double pneumonia. When Carvel was 11, the family moved back to Eureka. Carvel graduated from Eureka Senior High School in 1947.

Carvel came to know the Lord as his personal Savior when he was in his late 20’s. He had a quiet faith but it was a strong faith.

Carvel and Gloria had four children: David Hartman, Dennis Hartman, Rebecca Younger, and Randall Hartman.

Carvel was known to be a quiet person, and his family was somewhat surprised when recently he told them that, when he was in his teens, he sang in a boy’s chorus with his brother, Bud, and they performed around the Eureka area. Carvel was a sheet metal worker and excelled at his trade. While in high school, he went to work for the railroad. In 1950, he went to work for Georgia Pacific, which later became Louisiana Pacific. He was employed there until 1983. In 1984, Carvel went to work for (then) Orie and Mac, which later became O&M Industries. He retired from there in 1998, although he worked for them part time for several years after his official retirement. Carvel was highly respected in his work and he especially enjoyed his co-workers at O&M.

Carvel loved his wife and his family dearly and his family has many memories of time spent with him. For many years, he loved watching the 49ers, and Sunday afternoons you would find him watching the games, many times with his grandchildren. There was breakfast out with the family at Stanton’s, Chalet, and Adel’s. Carvel and Gloria bought property at Cook’s Valley in 1992. The family spent many weekends there and a few of their memories of Carvel include shooting his guns, drinking his hot coffee in the 90 degree weather, running Ollie, his tractor, and cutting firewood.

Carvel had many hobbies throughout his life. He was an avid photographer and had his own darkroom when the family lived in Samoa. His love of photography was passed on to his daughter, Rebecca. He was also a woodworker and built the kitchen cabinets in their own house, as well as his children’s. He loved to fish and taught his children and even their friends. His son, Randy, especially remembers time on the river with his dad. Carvel fished many of the rivers in (very) Northern California. Whenever Carvel got together with his brothers-in-law Larry and Jimmy, be it at home or even at a campground, they would often be found working on a car, whether it needed fixing or not.

He was very clever with his inventions. His older sons, David and Dennis, remember as young children wanting a double decker bike to ride, the kind that required a ladder or roof to get onto. Carvel welded two bicycles together and figured out how to hook up the chain and steering and they had great fun.

He was always ready to teach his children and his grandchildren, whether it was woodworking, fishing, tying flies for fly fishing, working on cars, or shooting his guns, among many other things.

Carvel was a constant and faithful husband, provider, helper, teacher and friend… and hummer.

Carvel is survived by his children, David Hartman (Lee) of Eureka, Dennis Hartman (Daphne) of Medford, Oregon, Rebecca Younger (Kevin) of Nampa, Idaho, and Randy Hartman of Topeka, Kansas. He is also survived by his grandchildren, - Kevin Hartman, Gwen Hartman, Sharie Cook, Matt Hartman, Connie Hartman, Angela Hansen, Jay Younger, Jennifer Pearsall, Randy Hartman, Jr., Aubrey Kolbeck, Trisha Delp and Stephanie Bivens. He is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

Carvel was predeceased by his parents, Henry and Estelle Hartman, his brothers, Henry (Hank)Hartman, Warren (Bud) Hartman, and his sister, Gloria Bacheler.

The family would once again like to thank Karen of Visiting Angels for her kind and faithful care of both Carvel and Gloria in the last months of their lives. The family appreciates that David stayed at the house with them and cared for them towards the end.

A Celebration of Life for Carvel and Gloria will be held on August 5, 11 a.m. at First Covenant Church in Eureka. The family hopes that you will come and join them in remembering their parents. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to Visiting Angels, Eureka, CA or Hospice of Humboldt.

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In loving memory of Timothy Harold Handley
March 15, 1966 - July 16, 2023

Tim Handley was taken from us all on July 16, 2023 while doing what he loved - riding his motorcycle on Highway 299. He was a precocious child with sparkling blue eyes and a thirst for adventure from a young age. Tim’s early years were spent in Sunny Brae before his family moved to Eureka, where he attended Zane Middle School and later graduated from Eureka High School in 1984.

Following a brief period of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, Tim returned to Eureka, where he found love, married Katy and became the proud father of Lacie and Mick. Tim’s family grew with Zachary and Andrew, bringing immense joy to his life.

Throughout his life, Tim worked in various local mills, logging companies, and roofing firms. But his true passion lay in the outdoors, where he found solace and happiness. Tim loved his time spent at the lake with his friends and he cherished the moments he spent fishing and camping with his children, creating lasting memories together. His love and enthusiasm for motorcycles drove him to spend many days riding bikes and quads with his boys.

Tragically, Tim’s life was cut short, but it comforts us to know that he was enjoying an activity he cherished most, riding his Harley. Those who knew him will remember his infectious sense of humor and big belly laughs that could brighten the darkest days.

Tim is now reunited with his beloved mother, Linda Handley, and his stepmother, Joyce Handley, who preceded him in death. He leaves behind a loving family to cherish his memory, including his father: Harry Handley, his children Lacie (Mike), Mick (Rochelle), Zachary (Amnisty), and Andrew (Angel); sister: Debbie Bidaburu (Aitor), and stepsisters Bonnie and Jennifer. Vickie Combs and her son Zach held a special place in Tim’s heart for the last 17 years. They were a significant part of his life and they, too, will forever carry his memory in their hearts.

Additionally, he leaves behind cherished grandchildren Malia, Louis, Owen, Waylon, Bennet, Calliope, as well as his nieces Matea and Isabela, and nephew Joseba, and his cousins: Curtis, Mike, and Karen. Countless friends will also deeply feel the void left by his departure.

A service to celebrate Tim’s life will be held on July 29, 2023 at 1 p.m. at Paul’s Chapel in Arcata, followed by a gathering at Redwood Park. We welcome all who knew and loved Tim to join our family in commemorating the wonderful life he lived. Please feel free to contribute food and drink at this gathering. We have also started a GoFundMe if anyone would like to donate to help with expenses.

Let us remember the happiness he brought into our lives and carry his spirit of adventure and laughter in our hearts. May he rest in peace, knowing he was deeply loved and will be sorely missed.

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