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U.S. Congressman Jared Huffman sometimes arrives in a classic Volkswagen Bus. I was at an event for work last week and a bunch of us were quipping Jared might arrive in a black SUV with super-tinted windows. The dude showed up in a classic old VW. You have to appreciate him surprising you yet staying entirely on-brand.
You can now check out Humboldt Last Week transcripts on our website. One of the major upsides is you’ll be able to get teasers of upcoming episodes throughout the week. You can check out TLDR local news summaries for the podcast now at humboldtlastweek.com/tldr
Eureka’s $30M for housing projects includes two projects Arkley’s “Housing For All” initiative is seeking to block. With this funding, the City of Eureka is looking to build affordable housing in three spots along with bike parking, community spaces, and free internet. However, a 2024 initiative sponsored by Rob Arkley and others seeks to preserve parking and would likely hamper these efforts. *** Housing funding press release / Journal analysis / ”Housing For All” website
Scott Hammond has debuted a new podcast called 100% Humboldt. You may know Scott for his insurance work and maybe you’ve seen his smiling face occasionally at HealthSport. In 100% Humboldt, he’s been interviewing locals. Guests so far include lawyer Zach Zwerdling, Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsal, and chocolatier Adam Dick. Scott — I look forward to taking you up on your guest invite down the road! *** Buzzsprout
A student named Madelyn from Cal Poly Humboldt suffered serious injuries on campus when she was hit by a car while crossing the street. She’s in the ICU with a long recovery ahead. *** GoFundMe
Invasive “jumping worms'' have been found in Humboldt County. The state qualifies them as "A-rated pests'' as they’re pretty harmful to plants, flowers, and the environment. They have a white band near the head and well, they jump when disturbed. If you see one, please nab a photo and the location and say something to the Humboldt County Department of Agriculture. *** Press release via RHBB A young man mysteriously went missing 27 years ago and investigators want help. Scott Paul Hayes was a 19-year-old when he vanished in 1996 on a trip from Humboldt to visit his girlfriend in Southern California. His truck was found by the highway near Redcrest, a witness gave him a hand, he was apparently seen acting strange at a motel in Rio Dell, and since then nobody’s heard a peep from Scott. *** Press release via RHBB An apparent double-murder suicide was discovered in McKinleyville several weeks after the fact. Officers checked on them after one of the three missed an appointment. A man and woman, 58 and 62, were found along with an 81-year-old man. They were all living together and related by marriage. *** Press release including mental health resources via RHBB A Fortuna lottery ticket reportedly won $15 million before taxes. The winning ticket was sold at the Shell station on Riverwalk in Fortuna. The Shell will also reportedly get $75,000 for selling the ticket. Who’s the mystery winner? *** Times-Standard Sara Bareilles' Waitress: The Musical is headed to theaters nationwide on December 7. The Broadway show was filmed in 2021 with the Eureka export writing and starring. *** Hollywood Reporter
Blue-green algae is a current concern at the river here in Humboldt County. It can be harmful to people and dogs and shows up in freshwater spots as greenish scummy stuff on the water's surface. Officials recommend avoiding the stuff. *** Press release
Cal Poly Humboldt once again received acclaim from The Princeton Review. The Arcata university was ranked in the top 79 colleges in the western part of the US. *** Press release
When Ferndale export Guy Fieri was in town he helped raise a good chunk of money for Fortuna High. A ticketed lunch raised over $9,000 for the high school culinary program and $7,000 for the boy's basketball team. Guy also apparently shared some kitchen advice with students. The celebrity chef and Food Network star is again getting positive headlines for his charity work following flak from Jack White and others for posing in photos with Donald Trump. *** Times-Standard
Humboldt County has a new proposal for Airbnb and Vrbo in unincorporated areas. You can learn more at a Wednesday Zoom meeting. They're thinking no more than 2% of houses in the Humboldt Bay area from Scotia to Trinidad can be short-term rentals. *** Times-Standard
High Times has now covered the battle between the local cannabis industry and a 2024 ballot initiative. The Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative aims to limit the size of pot farms, cap the number of permitted farmers in the county, and add more regulation to the industry. Critics say the initiative could discourage responsible farming and render the legal cannabis market unviable in Humboldt County. *** High Times
Eureka export Sara Bareilles is participating in a concert fundraiser for Joe Biden. September 18th’s Broadway for Biden event also includes Josh Groban and Lin-Manuel Miranda among others with tickets ranging from $250 to $7,500. Bareilles, a Grammy winner, put on a free show for Eureka last year. *** Deadline
A locally exported drummer reached over a billion YouTube streams with ‘The Reason.’ The LA alternative rock band Hoobastank features Arcata High grad Chris Hesse on the drums. In the video for the 2004 single, they try to save a lady who keeps getting hit by a car. *** Billboard
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