The following is the editorial appearing in our May 2, 2024, edition. In the week leading up to the moment when hundreds of police officers from throughout the state descended on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus before dawn on April 30 to forcibly remove about two dozen protesters, we heard lots of voices. We heard from the protesters themselves, who said they felt compelled to take a stand for Palestinians facing what they see as an attempted genocide and a humanitarian crisis that seems to grow more dire by the day. We heard from members of the local Jewish community, some of whom expressed so ..read more

The Cal Poly Humboldt Chapter of the California Faculty Association has issued a blistering statement condemning the police clearing of Arcata campus last night that led to more than two dozen arrests, calling it "another dangerous escalation," while North Coast state legislators released a joint statement calling for unity and healing in the wake of the protests. The faculty association, which had already passed a vote no confidence in CPH President Tom Jackson Jr. stemming from his handling of the protests that occupied a portion of campus for a week, strongly condemn the use of law enforc ..read more

Before dawn this morning, more than 100 police officers from agencies throughout the state descended on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus to systematically clear it of pro-Palestinian protesters, some of whom had occupied a portion of campus for more than a week. A university press release issued this morning said the police action was necessary to "restore order" on the campus, which the administration had closed until May 10, and to "eliminate the threat of violence and criminal behavior." Yet a growing number of officials — including local city council members, county supervisors and universit ..read more

The Humboldt County multi-agency Critical Incident Response team is investigating a police shooting of an unidentified male suspect on Fern Street around 10:40 a.m. The man is receiving treatment at an area hospital, as is a 75-year-old woman he allegedly shot prior to being contacted by police. According to a press release, the Sheriff's Office received a 911 call around 10:30 a.m. reporting someone had been shot in the 2400 block of Fern Street. While en route, deputies learned that a white male adult had reportedly walked up to a 75-year-old woman standing in front of her garage with her ..read more

The Cal Poly Humboldt campus is closed today, as dozens of protesters continue to occupy Siemens Hall, having barricaded its entrances, while calling on the university to divest from entities they say fuel Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in Gaza. “The message from inside is that, first of all, they feel the university is complicit because of the campus’ investments with weapons companies and Israeli companies,” said Ryan Connelly, a junior biology major who identified himself as a spokesperson for those occupying the building. “Their conditions for release of the building: Divest, and then we ..read more

A group working on a fall ballot initiative that would limit the rights of transgender students lost a round in court Monday when a judge sided with the state in its description of the measure. Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Stephen Acquisto ruled that Attorney General Rob Bonta’s title, “Restricts Rights of Transgender Youth,” is a fair description of the initiative, which would require schools to notify parents if a student identifies as transgender, ban gender-affirming care for those under 18 and place other limits on students who identify as a gender other than what they were ass ..read more

In response to his daughter receiving a swastika on social media, a California Jewish lawmaker is pushing for a bill that would give school administrators authority to suspend or expel students if they cyberbully fellow students away from school and outside of school hours. But Long Beach Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal’s Assembly Bill 2351 is coming into conflict with California’s recent reforms intended to prevent students of color from being expelled and suspended at disproportionate rates. The ACLU and other social justice organizations oppose Lowenthal’s bill. The bill’s critics told the As ..read more

In a devastating blow to California’s fishing industry, federal fishery managers unanimously voted to cancel all commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California for the second year in a row.  The April 10 decision is designed to protect California’s dwindling salmon populations after drought and water diversions left river flows too warm and sluggish for the state’s iconic Chinook salmon to thrive.  Salmon abundance forecasts for the year “are just too low,” Marci Yaremko, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s appointee to the Pacific Fishery Manage ..read more

UPDATE: Ferndale Police Sgt. Robert Lindgren says the artillery shell that prompted the evacuation of a building and the partial closure of Main Street this morning while the county bomb squad responded was empty. Lindgren also corrected some inaccurate information initially disseminated to the Journal by police amid the dynamic events of the morning. Lindgren says police were notified this morning of a possible explosive ordnance at a book store on Main Street and he responded, taking some pictures of the device to send to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad, which then asked hi ..read more

The Humboldt County Planning Department will soon be suspending the permits of hundreds of cannabis farmers who failed to enter into a payment agreement for owed Measure S taxes by the March 31 deadline, Planning Director John Ford told the Journal. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted in October to give cannabis farmers until March 31 to enter into payment plans for a total of $14.1 million in unpaid excise taxes, and until March 31, 2025 to pay their bills in full. Ford said his department is awaiting a list from the Humboldt County Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office of farmers who ..read more