OK, so this is too funny...

You know how crude the usual Times-Standard comment threads are? This you've gotta see.

Forget Salzman's My Word"" - we already know he's been calling himself a "Health Care Activiist" for quite some time, (which also fits with the planning stages of the manufactured crisis, we're all gonna die!) - besides being fully predictable, he's too late, the "Public Option" is officially dead.

What am I saying? That he astroturfed the comments thread? ◼ I dunno, read it for yourself.

Bradshaw Prelim continued to Nov. 5

◼ Preliminary hearing in McKinleyville murder case continued
Bradshaw's attorney, Peter Martin, requested a continuance so he could review three large binders full of documents he had received from the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office on Monday.
Martin also requested the District Attorney's Office provide additional evidence, including records of a witness's contact with the Eureka Police Department and a copy of one of the defendant's seized hard drives.

Regulations on small businesses in California have cost the state's economy $492 billion and 3.8 million jobs

◼ Report says regulations hurt state's economy
(09-25) 04:00 PDT Sacramento - -- Regulations on small businesses in California have cost the state's economy $492 billion and 3.8 million jobs, according to a report quietly released by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office this week. Republicans in the Legislature have pounced on the findings and on Thursday called the report the "smoking gun" that proves lawmakers are killing the state's economy through burdensome government mandates. But Democrats and at least one capital think tank are highly skeptical of the accuracy of the findings.
The 84-page report does not specify which regulations were studied and relies on data collected largely by Forbes.

Citing the report, Republicans said the state should suspend implementation of Assembly Bill 32, California's greenhouse gas reduction plan championed by the governor, along with all other new regulations.

"We are protecting ourselves literally to death," said Assemblyman Roger Niello, R-Fair Oaks (Sacramento County), at a Capitol news conference held by Republicans to call for action, including legislative hearings and further study to determine costs, or benefits of specific regulations

7.9 8.3

◼ Magnitude 7.9 - SAMOA ISLANDS REGION Upgraded to 8.3, with Tsunami

◼ UPDATE: Tsunami advisory issued on North Coast after Samoa quake
According to a National Weather Service tsunami advisory, tsunami waves were expected to begin hitting the North Coast shortly after 9 p.m.
The service predicted a 26-inch wave would impact the coast -- with Crescent City being the most vulnerable. On Nov. 15, 2006, a magnitude 8.1 undersea earthquake struck Japan's coastline at 3:14 a.m. Pacific Time, creating tidal surges that started hitting the Crescent City Harbor just before noon and didn't let up until around 8 p.m.
More than 40 years earlier, a large tsunami generated by an Alaskan quake hit the city in March 1964, destroying 29 downtown blocks and killing 11 people.

Now Wednesday and no reports of damage here

Added info: 9/30/14
◼ Earthquakes Data Magnitude 5.0 and Over 2005 - 2014
◼ Seismic Monitor
◼ Quakes - Live Earthquakes Map

Finality, perhaps closure

◼ Curtis Huntzinger's mother wins wrongful death lawsuit
Not that anything can compensate for what he did. But a good thing nonetheless.

Not exactly a Blog

But ◼ Seven-O-Heaven is pretty funny.


No blog feed, so they're not in the Blogroll, but you'll find 'em in the NewsStand in the Sidebar. And they're a regular feature in The Journal, yes?

The HIgh-Times-Standard's busy week

Pot. Pot, pot, pot, pot. Pot. And more pot. Ok. We know you like Pot.

◼ NORML tackles crime and money Where NORML plots how to make their legalization thing palatable.
◼ Artist lends her talents for NORML conference
Am I missing something? Is this a local artist?
◼ Marijuana advocates discuss growing public support for legalization
”You'll be an unmotivated loser, you'll be a slacker, you'll never get anything done,” Belville said about the stoner stereotype. “And that all changed this year.” Really? That stereotype has changed?
◼ NORML talks pot

How pathetic is this?

A request for 72 hours to read proposed legislation is voted down, by Democrats.

◼ Dems block GOP demand for more time washingtontimes.com

Not just a request for TIME TO READ it but a to have a full cost-estimate before they vote on it, turned down.

"The American people are angry that Speaker Pelosi didn't allow the public and their elected representatives to read the trillion-dollar 'stimulus' bill or the national energy tax before they were rammed through the House," Minority Leader John Boehner, Ohio Republican, said Wednesday. "Congress can, and must, do better."

In the Senate Finance Committee debate, Democrats argued that the amendment, offered by Sen. Jim Bunning, Kentucky Republican, was merely an attempt to stall President Obama's top legislative priority.

And there you have it.

Your legislators are not working for you.

Way to get rid of invasive species

◼ Pot goes up in smoke in wildfire above L.A.

Get the whole story - Letter to the Editor

On Aug. 25, 2008 Greg Jennings was killed by a motorist while riding his bike home from work. For reasons that still aren't clear, Alan Bear, the motorist who killed Greg, crossed through the shoulder, and ended up on the grass off the road, striking Greg in the process. Bear repeatedly lied to officers about his passenger, what distracted him, and where he hit Greg. On Sept. 3 Bear was sentenced to one year in jail for misdemeanor manslaughter. At the sentencing, Bear delivered his final blow, blaming the victim for being on Highway 299 on a bicycle.

I can't imagine the pain, sorrow, and repeated frustration Greg's family and friends have been through. The Highway Patrol haphazardly investigated Bear's obvious lies, and as the case was going to trial the investigating officer changed his recommendation from a felony to misdemeanor offense. The District Attorney repeatedly switched staff during the case, resulting in poor follow through with witnesses and their investigation.

What can we learn from this tragedy? The investigating authority, media, and prosecutor often implicitly assign partial fault to the cyclist before they have the facts. Officers at the scene should collect and review all the evidence and witness statements before filing their report. The media should fairly report the facts without innuendo. Finally, the DA must prepare a complete and thorough case for prosecution. If there are holes in the report, they need to find the witnesses, collect more information, and do their best to get the whole story.

Scott Kelly
Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association
◼ Get the whole story

Whitmill jury trial scheduled to begin Sept. 21

Flores' defense attorney Hugh Gallagher announced at the pre-trial hearing Monday that he will file a motion to sever Flores and Whitmill's cases Aug. 31 at the trial confirmation hearing. The trial date was also moved from Aug. 8 to Sept. 21 due to scheduling conflicts and other issues. ◼ Whitmill and Flores trial date delayed
--◼ Legal maneuvers slow case of men charged in 9-year-old's death 9/1/09

Hoopa case update

◼ Hoopa man pleads not guilty

A Hoopa man pleaded not guilty Thursday at his arraignment after he was found driving an allegedly stolen truck connected to a recent shooting death in Hoopa.

Rodney Allen Donahue Jr., 23, faces charges of vehicle theft, impersonating another person, giving false identification to a peace officer and driving on a suspended license. He was appointed a public defender at his arraignment.

The gray Nissan Frontier truck that Donahue was driving on Sept. 11 is suspected to be involved in the death of 30-year-old Nicholas Adam Montoya.

Two men initially found the body of Montoya, near where he'd been living in Hoopa, on Sept. 10, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Montoya was identified through his fingerprints. The Humboldt County Coroner's Office determined that Montoya died from a gunshot wound.

◼ Sheriff: Gunshot killed Hoopa homicide victim

A Tuesday autopsy of a man found dead in Hoopa last week determined he died from a gunshot wound.
Two men initially found the body of 30-year-old Nicholas Adam Montoya, near where he'd been living in Hoopa, on Sept. 10, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office. Montoya was identified through his fingerprints.

Because of the ongoing investigation, the Sheriff's Office is not releasing other details of Montoya's death -- including how many times he was shot, where on his body he was wounded, or what caliber of gun was used in the crime.

◼ Apparent homicide victim found in Hoopa

Is Pot de facto legal?

◼ How marijuana became legal - Medical marijuana is giving activists a chance to show how a legitimized pot business can work. Is the end of prohibition upon us?

Arrest warrant for Donny Ray Best

◼ Sheriff's investigation in Kansas leads to warrant for Trinidad death
A car and two guns have allegedly linked a Tennessee man to the death of a Trinidad resident earlier this month, prompting the issuance of a $1 million Humboldt County arrest warrant on Wednesday.

Donny Ray Best, 52, of Athens, Tenn., was stopped by the Kansas Highway Patrol on Sept. 5 in a green Buick LeSabre registered to Trinidad resident William John Lundy, 59.

Due to suspicious circumstances, KHP requested the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office perform a welfare check on Lundy, who was found dead in his fifth-wheel travel trailer that same day.

The Humboldt County Coroner's Office later determined that Lundy died from a gunshot wound.

Humboldt investigators flew to Kansas to interview Best and collect evidence with search warrants prepared by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, including Best's fingerprints, DNA and his cell phone records, said Brenda Godsey, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office. His clothing was also seized.

”We got a search warrant to take his clothing and have it analyzed to see if there's additional evidence,” she said.

Three guns were also seized from Best's vehicle, two of which have been linked to Lundy, according to the Missouri branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

More Pot-Is-Not-A-Victimless-Crime news

◼ Alleged robbers take prescription drugs, marijuana

Yep, pot growing is a victimless crime

◼ Pot growers poaching on private land Press Democrat
Juliette Brown once roamed freely among the buffalo on her family's sprawling ranch in the rolling pine and oak-studded hills in southeast Lake County.

Now the 11-year-old is forbidden from riding her pony alone in remote sections of the 300-acre ranch owned by her father, Supervisor Rob Brown, and the 80 bison have been slaughtered.

The girl's freedom and the bison are victims of trespassers who set up booby-trapped marijuana gardens and camps on the Browns' land and adjacent properties....

Landowners throughout Northern California are faced with trespassing pot growers who tap their water supplies, pollute streams with chemicals, poach wildlife and create safety worries, law officials say.

“We usually hear from land owners on a weekly basis that are afraid to use their land for fear of running into armed illegal growers,” said Lake County Major Crimes Unit supervisor Sgt. Jim Samples.

Running in threes

Or are there more?
Body in Hoopa
◼ Apparent homicide victim found in Hoopa

Body in Trinidad
◼ Man found in Trinidad RV park identified

Body in Loleta
◼ The truth is in the teeth in Loleta case

This doesn't count the known murders like those of ◼ Garrett Benson, and ◼ Andrew Pease and ◼ Ezra Sanders, or ◼ suspected murder in McKinleyville, or the drug deals gone bad shootings, and home invasion shootings.......

What is the body count for the last 12 months? For this calendar year?

◼ 'I was terrified': Ex-wife takes stand against alleged, would-be Fortuna abductor
The ex-wife of a Hydesville man who held police in a standoff in Fortuna last month began her emotional testimony at his preliminary hearing Friday, describing in detail how the situation unfolded.

Vernon Franklin Curteman Jr., 50, sat in the courtroom as his ex-wife and a Fortuna Police Department officer took the witness stand.

His ex-wife described Curteman as being “in a rage” when he exited her car where he was allegedly lying in wait the morning of Aug. 26. She said she initially noticed something was wrong when she put her coffee in the vehicle's cup holder before getting inside.

”I could smell a smell that wasn't right,” she said.

She told the court that she looked into the back of the vehicle and saw Curteman. She screamed for help and Curteman popped out of the car at the sound of her cry.

After allegedly pointing a gun at her, she said he told her, “You've ruined my life and we're taking care of this today.

Doesn't fit the meme

◼ Mendocino man killed in pot farm dispute
A Mendocino County man was beaten to death early Friday morning over an apparent dispute with his partners in a marijuana farm outside Hopland, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department said.

Emergency medical personnel were called to tend to the injured man on a remote ranch off Highway 175 at about 1:24 a.m. and were treating him when he died, sheriff’s Lt. Rusty Noe said.

...“All we know is this guy was in a dispute with his partners over the marijuana and the water situation, and they beat him to death,” Noe said. “We’re just starting our investigation.”

We remember

Or, we should:
◼ Eight years ago today, our homeland was attacked by fanatical Muslims inspired by Saudi Arabian bigotry. Three thousand American citizens and residents died.

We resolved that we, the People, would never forget. Then we forgot.

We've learned nothing.

Instead of cracking down on Islamist extremism, we've excused it.

Instead of killing terrorists, we free them.

Instead of relentlessly hunting Islamist madmen, we seek to appease them.


Our enemies' work: Ground Zero a week after the terrorist attack.

Instead of acknowledging that radical Islam is the problem, we elected a president who blames America, whose idea of freedom is the right for women to suffer in silence behind a veil -- and who counts among his mentors and friends those who damn our country or believe that our own government staged the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

Instead of insisting that freedom will not be infringed by terrorist threats, we censor works that might offend mass murderers. Radical Muslims around the world can indulge in viral lies about us, but we dare not even publish cartoons mocking them.

Instead of protecting law-abiding Americans, we reject profiling to avoid offending terrorists. So we confiscate granny's shampoo at the airport because the half-empty container could hold 3.5 ounces of liquid.

Instead of insisting that Islamist hatred and religious apartheid have no place in our country, we permit the Saudis to continue funding mosques and madrassahs where hating Jews and Christians is preached as essential to Islam.

Instead of confronting Saudi hate-mongers, our president bows down to the Saudi king.

Instead of recognizing the Saudi-sponsored Wahhabi cult as the core of the problem, our president blames Israel.

Instead of asking why Middle Eastern civilization has failed so abjectly, our president suggests that we're the failures.

Instead of taking every effective measure to cull information from terrorists, the current administration threatens CIA agents with prosecution for keeping us safe.

Instead of proudly and promptly rebuilding on the site of the Twin Towers, we've committed ourselves to the hopeless, useless task of rebuilding Afghanistan. (Perhaps we should have built a mosque at Ground Zero -- the Saudis would've funded it.)

Instead of taking a firm stand against Islamist fanaticism, we've made a cult of negotiations -- as our enemies pursue nuclear weapons; sponsor terrorism; torture, imprison, rape and murder their own citizens -- and laugh at us.

Instead of insisting that Islam must become a religion of responsibility, our leaders in both parties continue to bleat that "Islam's a religion of peace," ignoring the curious absence of Baptist suicide bombers.

Instead of requiring new immigrants to integrate into our society and conform to its public values, we encourage and subsidize anti-American, woman-hating, freedom-denying bigotry in the name of toleration.

Instead of pursuing our enemies to the ends of the earth, we help them sue us.

We've dishonored our dead and whitewashed our enemies. A distinctly unholy alliance between fanatical Islamists abroad and a politically correct "elite" in the US has reduced 9/11 to the status of a non-event, a day for politicians to preen about how little they've done.

We've forgotten the shock and the patriotic fury Americans felt on that bright September morning eight years ago. We've forgotten our identification with fellow citizens leaping from doomed skyscrapers. We've forgotten the courage of airline passengers who would not surrender to terror.

We've forgotten the men and women who burned to death or suffocated in the Pentagon. We've forgotten our promises, our vows, our commitments.

We've forgotten what we owe our dead and what we owe our children. We've even forgotten who attacked us.

We have betrayed the memory of our dead. In doing so, we betrayed ourselves and our country. Our troops continue to fight -- when they're allowed to do so -- but our politicians have surrendered.

Are we willing to let the terrorists win? NYPost Ralph Peters

Parolee allegedly caught with drugs, shotgun

◼ Parolee allegedly caught with drugs, shotgun
A Redway parolee was arrested Wednesday night when a deputy allegedly found four pounds of processed marijuana in his vehicle.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office initially received a report that a wanted parolee was sitting in a parked car at a Redway motel at about 7:40 p.m. The responding deputy recognized Bret Lawrence Swortzel, 31, who was inside the vehicle, and arrested him for an outstanding warrant involving a parole violation, according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

As allowed under the terms of Swortzel's parole, the deputy searched the vehicle and seized four clear plastic bags, each containing a pound of processed marijuana, according to the press release. The deputy also seized a 12-gauge shotgun with a pistol grip and folding stock, as well as live ammunition, from the vehicle.

Swortzel was booked into Humboldt County jail for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm, being armed with a firearm in the commission of a felony, possession of ammunition by a person prohibited from possessing a firearm, possession of marijuana for sale, and a parole violation.

He is expected to be arraigned Friday. He is not eligible to post bail due to his parole status.

Eureka man found guilty of 'lewd' acts with a child

◼ Eureka man found guilty of 'lewd' acts with a child
The jury in a 2007 child molestation case found a Eureka man guilty on one count Thursday, acquitted him on another and was unable to reach a verdict on a third.

Eric Darrell Schwenk, 44, was charged with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts against a minor, reflecting three different incidents that occurred in 2002, said Deputy District Attorney Elan Firpo. The victim was 10 years old when the molestation occurred, but did not come forward until 2007.

The jury vote on the remaining count was lopsided: Nine guilty, three not guilty.

Firpo said she is maintaining the right to retry Schwenk on the remaining count and he will not be sentenced until those proceedings are completed.

”(The victim's family) wanted all three counts, and I wanted all three counts too,” she said. “But he's off the streets.”
With the one guilty verdict, Schwenk could face 16 to 26 years in prison, she said. His next court date is Oct. 20.
Defense attorney Marek Reabis did not return Times-Standard calls by deadline.

The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office and the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office both participated in the investigation, using a pretext call to Schwenk, Firpo said.

During the call, the victim called Schwenk as if to confront him, while the conversation was being recorded by police. The defendant was unaware he was being recorded during the conversation and Schwenk reportedly admitted to the acts, according to court documents.

Schwenk has been a registered sex offender since 1995 for a conviction on molesting two 10-year-old girls in Stanislaus County.

Unclear who is to blame

◼ Charging delay almost leads to release
A Eureka man arrested last week for allegedly holding a woman captive and assaulting her came close to being released from jail Wednesday due to a delay in the filing of charges.

Instead, the Eureka Police Department booked 22-year-old Nicholas TJ Liston on suspicion of an additional charge of kidnapping Tuesday night, giving the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office another 48-hour time period to arraign him, said Brenda Godsey, spokeswoman for the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office.

”It's a way of resetting the clock,” Godsey said.

Due to the holiday weekend, the District Attorney's Office had until Tuesday to charge Liston. But because EPD's report had not yet been delivered, said District Attorney Paul Gallegos, the charges were not filed.

While “there was some representation that it was delivered earlier,” Gallegos said his office received the EPD's report Wednesday.

According to the Eureka Police Department, Liston allegedly held a woman captive for two days starting Sept. 1. He allegedly tied her up -- at times blindfolding and gagging her -- then physically and sexually assaulted her.

yet another POT story, and another, and another

◼ The Humboldt Cooperative plans for the future
How exciting.

◼ Pot initiative enters circulation This one at least is news.

Months ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said it's “time for a debate” on the legalization of marijuana in California. Now, some want to skip the debate and get to the legalization.

Wednesday, the first of three initiatives seeking to effectively legalize marijuana possession, cultivation and sales entered circulation. While there seems to be a rising tide of support for such a state policy change, it remains wholly unclear if any of the three initiatives would garner support from a majority of the state's voters. And, if one does, the potential impacts on Humboldt County are murky.

”Complete legalization would not be good for the Humboldt County economy,” said local attorney and longtime medical marijuana advocate Greg Allen. “But, there's no question that for the state's economy, legalization would be a good thing.”

After years in the background as the state was awash in controversy over medical marijuana laws, the debate over out-and-out legalization in California was thrust forward amid the state's epic budget crisis earlier this year. With the state then facing a projected $42 billion deficit, state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, introduced a bill in February seeking to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana. It was the prospect of new tax revenue -- to the tune of an estimated $1.3 billion, according to the state Board of Equalization -- that seemed to give the idea a foothold.

◼ Search warrants served on suspect grow houses in Arcata
The Humboldt County Drug Task Force and the Arcata Police Department served three warrants on suspected grow houses in Arcata on Wednesday -- including one home within 150 feet of Pacific Union School -- and the task force was zeroing in on two others in Fortuna.

The five residences are separately owned by two individuals, according to task force Agent Jack Nelsen. No arrests were made.
Nelsen said the task force reported finding a total of nearly 300 plants growing in a home on the 3000 block of Janes Road and another on the 3700 block of Coombs Drive near Diamond Drive in Arcata. Those two houses are reportedly owned by Steven Robert Mialocq, who is currently out of the state, according to Nelsen.

He faces charges of cultivation of marijuana for sale, possession of marijuana for sale and maintaining a drug house, along with a possible enhancement because the Janes Road house is located near a school, according to the APD.

The APD said each house had living space converted into marijuana grow rooms and unpermitted electrical modifications.

On the other end of town, the APD was called in for a civil standby by PG&E, which suspected a residence on the 200 block of G Street was stealing power, Nelsen said. The responding PG&E representative found the meter had allegedly been bypassed.

No one responded at the small, one-story home with a peeling facade, but officials reported the sound of fans and the odor of marijuana and the task force was called.

After obtaining a search warrant, task force members loudly announced their presence and that they had a search warrant several times before knocking down the front door around 3 p.m. Inside, a curl bar and a couch were visible from the street.

”It doesn't appear that anyone lives in the house,” Nelsen said after agents made entry. “It's purely for growing and packaging and a crash pad, but no one is living here.

the death appears suspicious w/update

◼ 'Serene' spot near Trinidad the site of suspicious death
For the second time in about a week, the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office has found a body and believes the cause of death to be suspicious.

According to a sheriff's press release, rangers with California State Parks responded to a home on Patricks Point Drive north of Trinidad at the request of the Sheriff's Office, to talk to a “resident” there about a vehicle. While there, rangers found a man dead in the home, the release states.

”Humboldt County sheriff's deputies and the Coroner's Office responded to the residence and established that the death appears suspicious,” states the release.

◼ Man found in Trinidad RV park identified
The Humboldt County Sheriff's Office continues to investigate the suspected homicide of a Trinidad man, identified on Tuesday as 59-year-old William John Lundy.

...Investigators are withholding some of the details of the case to “protect the integrity of the investigation,” said Brenda Godsey, spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, including where Lundy was wounded and if there were signs of a struggle.

So far, witnesses have reported last seeing Lundy alive on Thursday, Sept. 3, Godsey said.

”No one has reported hearing a gunshot yet,” she said.

The Sheriff's Office is also trying to determine if Lundy lived alone in his fifth wheel travel trailer or if he shared his residence.
An arrest in Kansas started the investigation that led to the body's discovery.

The Kansas Highway Patrol arrested a man for felony evasion in Ellsworth County on Saturday. He was driving a green Buick LeSabre that was registered to Lundy in Trinidad with California plates. KHP determined the circumstances were suspicious and requested that the Sheriff's Office conduct a welfare check on the vehicle's owner, Godsey said.

Lundy's car had not been reported as stolen. The KHP was unable to provide details of its case by deadline.

Godsey said the KHP officers were doing “good police work” by following up on the suspicious circumstances and asking for a welfare check.



◼ Trinidad man remembered by friends as a 'sweetheart'
When Dave Cormack heard about the death of an old co-worker, the possibility of it being a homicide was the last thing on his mind.

”I thought it was a health issue,” Cormack said. “When I first heard that it might be murder, that floored me.”
William John Lundy, 59, was found dead from a gunshot wound in his fifth-wheel travel trailer in a Trinidad RV Park on Sept. 5, according to the Humboldt County Coroner's Office.

Lundy and Cormack had worked together for the city of Escondido for about 10 years. Lundy was a “sweetheart,” Cormack said.

”He'd give you the shirt off his back on a freezing day, if he had it,” Cormack said.

Lundy was often living a “hand-to-mouth” existence without much money, Cormack said. Both had lived in Del Norte County for a while until Lundy had some problems at an RV park in Smith River last year. He moved to Trinidad right before Christmas.

Cormack hadn't seen Lundy since then. He still has an undelivered Christmas present for him, a gift he meant to give last year.

Witnesses last report seeing Lundy alive on Sept. 3, and no one in the area reported hearing a gunshot, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office.

After Cormack read about Lundy's violent death, he tried to think of who could have done this.

”I am absolutely drawing a blank. ... ,” he said. “I don't know anybody who would wish him ill will.”

Another confusing aspect of the case is where Lundy's car was found -- halfway across the country, in the state of Kansas.

Officers with the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped a green Buick LeSabre in Ellsworth County for felony evasion, and the car -- with California plates -- was registered to Lundy, according to the Sheriff's Office. Local investigators are currently in Kansas, interviewing the driver to determine how the car got there.

Cormack said Lundy traded a gas-guzzling Ford truck for that Buick because Lundy said “it costs $4 to get out of the driveway” in the truck.

”He paid $600 for that Buick,” Cormack said. “It wasn't worth getting shot for.”

There also wasn't much of value to steal from Lundy's trailer, Cormack said. Cormack was aware of only two valuables -- unused tickets to the original Woodstock concert, and an automatic rifle.

Although Cormack hadn't seen Lundy in a while, Cormack remembers him as a little rough around the edges but also as a man who wrote poetry and painted.

”He was a big, gentle guy underneath,” he said.

◼ Sheriff's investigation in Kansas leads to warrant for Trinidad death

My, my, my.

Michael Shellenberger's little front group has made the big time.

◼ The Apollo Alliance is a project of the Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

With lots of big names on the "Who We Are" page. A far cry from something started out of hole cloth to attract grant money. The activist's scam paid off - almost got a guy into a full on power position too.

A one year sentence.

◼ Man sentenced to one year for bicyclist's death
Hoopa resident Alan Bear pleaded no contest Thursday to his involvement in the collision that killed a Blue Lake bicyclist last year and was sentenced to one year in jail.

More than two dozen family members and friends of 42-year-old victim Gregory Jennings came to court to witness Bear's sentencing. Bear received one year in county jail with three years probation upon his release.

Bear pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, providing false information to a police officer and making an unsafe lane movement in connection with the collision that killed Jennings on Aug. 25, 2008....

...”I express my deepest apologies for what I've done ...,” he said. “It was a tragic accident.”

Bear began to choke up with emotion about halfway through his statement. He said Jennings' death has greatly impacted him.

”I don't sleep well at night and my whole life ... is messed up,” he said....

Five of Jennings' family members and one witness to the collision made statements to the court.
Gregory Jennings' stepmother, Terri Jennings, said she was in court in place of Jennings' mother, who was having surgery that day. Terri Jennings told the court that her stepson was someone people turned to for advice and who “cared about everyone.”

”He was loved beyond description and it's not an exaggeration that it's devastated our entire family,” she said.

Gregory Jennings was a Humboldt State University graduate who became a botanist and built a house that his father designed, Terri Jennings said.

Rebecca Perry told the court she was driving right behind Bear when he struck Jennings. She was with her two children, ages 10 and 7, and her husband at the time. Perry said her children have been traumatized by the experience.

”They have had trouble getting back on their bikes because of this incident ...,” she said. “When we look at the pictures of the first day of school, it brings back bad memories.”

Even when the family's vehicle passes by a bicyclist, the children panic, she said.

Grow house investigation leads to busts

◼ Grow house investigation leads to busts
Six people were arrested and nearly 100 pounds of marijuana was seized in Arcata and in McKinleyville on Tuesday after a two-month-long investigation targeting marijuana grow houses.

Kenneth Dru McCasland, 33; Christopher Lee Robinson, 36, and Paul Eugene Aragon, 24, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and maintaining a drug house, according to an Arcata Police Department press release.

Jennifer Marie Sandoval, 35; Matthew Dunnigan, 28, and Paul Dunnigan, 24, all were arrested on suspicion of possession of marijuana for sale.

McCasland was arrested at his Larry Street residence in Arcata. Officers seized approximately five pounds of processed marijuana, 25 pounds of unprocessed marijuana, nearly an ounce of concentrated cannabis -- or hash -- and $22,000 in cash, according to the press release. Electrical wiring in the home had been modified, officials said.

Robinson was arrested at his residence on the 1300 block of Beverly Drive in Arcata. The electrical system in the home had also been tampered with and was considered a significant fire hazard, officials said. About 25 pounds of unprocessed marijuana was seized along with $12,300 in cash, according to the press release.

Officials said Aragon of McKinleyville and Michigan residents Paul Dunnigan and Matthew Dunnigan were arrested at a residence on the 1800 block of Fir Avenue in McKinleyville.

A 2006 Dodge truck belonging to Paul Dunnigan was found inside the garage and officers reported discovering 38 pounds of processed marijuana inside a hidden compartment in the truck, according to APD. From inside the home, four pounds of hash and $15,000 in cash were seized, officials said.

Sandoval was arrested at a home on the 1000 block of Sunset Avenue. Officers reported seizing four pounds of processed marijuana and $1,200 in cash.

Now let's see what kind of sentences they get.

Station Fire Time Lapse Sunset

Way, Stanko update

◼ Way, Stanko set to stand trial in 2010
John Lewis Way, 30, and James Robert Stanko, 26, are due back in court Oct. 14 for a pre-trial hearing. Way's trial is scheduled to begin March 29, 2010, and Stanko's is expected to get under way on Feb. 8, 2010.
Both men have pleaded not guilty to charges of robbery, attempted robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and murder.

Jason Whitmill update

◼ Legal maneuvers slow case of men charged in 9-year-old's death
The case against two men implicated in the death of a 9-year-old McKinleyville girl during a street race will drag on again due to procedural issues.

Whitmill has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence causing injury and engaging in a speed challenge. Flores has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter, engaging in a speed challenge and participating in a hit-and-run injury.

Whitmill's attorney Glenn Brown challenged his client's second-degree murder charge, but Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Dale Reinholtsen ruled the evidence would support the claim. Brown then appealed to the State Appellate Court, and was rejected.

On Monday, attorney Marek Rivas -- sitting in for Brown -- told the court that Brown is appealing the matter to the California Supreme Court.

A motion by defense attorneys to try Whitmill and Flores separately will also be opposed, said District Attorney Paul Gallegos.

Nicole Quigley's father Ken Quigley said in a phone interview that he's frustrated with the delays in the case, and said he's concerned the appeal to the Supreme Court could upset the tentative trial date set for Sept. 21. He said he does not want to see the trials split, out of concern that it will drag out the case even more.

”We're sick of the delays,” Quigley said. “We're tired of them.”

***
Related:
09
◼ Whitmill and Flores trial date delayed another month 08/04/2009
◼ Whitmill, Flores take District Attorney's deal 12/05/2009
◼ Jury selection begins in trial of Whitmill, Flores 11/23/2009
◼ Whitmill, Flores trial to proceed 11/10/2009
◼ Motion denied to suppress blood sample in Whitmill case 11/06/2009
◼ Whitmill faces murder charge for alleged role in crash 10/15/2008
◼ Quigley family, friends remember 9-year-old Nicole 10/06/09
◼ Nearly one year ago 10/01/2009
◼ Case surrounding fatal crash on Highway 299 delayed 09/15/2009
◼ Too many delays 9/10/09
◼ Legal maneuvers slow case of men charged in 9-year-old's death 09/01/2009
◼ Whitmill and Flores trial date delayed another month 08/04/2009
◼ Evidence, charges unchanged against Whitmill 07/17/2009
◼ Evidence for second degree murder charge? 06/19/2009
◼ Thinking of the Quigleys 05/29/2009
◼ Remember Nicole 05/08/2009
◼ Looking forward: Quigley family watches and waits as case continues 05/17/2009
◼ Defendants in 299 wreck plead not guilty 03/28/2009
◼ Judge holds Whitmill, Flores to answer for 299 wreck 03/14/2009
◼ Wife refuses to testify against husband at preliminary hearing 03/13/2009
◼ Investigator testifies suspect in fatal crash changed story 03/12/2009
◼ Officer testifies about 299 crash at prelim 03/11/2009
◼ Preliminary hearing over Highway 299 wreck continues 03/10/2009
◼ Superior Court delays hearing in 299 crash case 02/11/2009
◼ Broken system 01/23/2009

08
◼ Hug your children 12/03/2008
◼ Vehicular manslaughter suspect has extensive criminal history 11/13/2008
◼ Whitmill-Flores hearing continued 11/06/2008
◼ Street race case waiting on CHP reports 10/23/2008
◼ Authorities seek Mustang passenger for questioning 10/17/2008
◼ Court document: Flores tried to 'subvert' investigation 10/16/08
◼ Whitmill faces murder charge for alleged role in crash 10/15/2008
◼ Authorities arrest driver of Mustang 10/10/2008
◼ New driver named in fatal collision 10/09/2008
◼ Search continues for other driver in fatal crash 10/08/2008
◼ ER Parolee named as driver in fatal collision
◼ TS New driver identified in fatal crash
◼ TS New driver named in fatal collision
TS Update: ☛ TS Police still looking for driver
◼ TS Driver sought: Suspected drag race on 299 results in fatal crash

Note: there were other articles in the Eureka reporter, but none are available online anymore.

Music stops

◼ Berg passes on run for state Senate seat
Heh - from the comments: You think we (the voters) have a say in this? NO. The Democrat big-wigs in Sacramento have already annointed this Evans lady from Santa Rosa as our new representative.

They told Patty Berg to stay out of the way and mind her manners.

This is not a Democracy, this isn't even a Representative Republic. This is a one-party dictatorship of the Democrat party.

That notion is borne out in this and other Town Dandy columns:
◼ Party Men
and for some humor:
◼ http://humboldtmirror.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/berg-career-dead-on-arrival/

Remains in Loleta w/UPDATE - Identified

◼ Skeleton found in rural Loleta
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Brenda Godsey said Monday that a man hired by the landowner to do some cleanup on the property had discovered the skeleton in a burned-out building at about 3:30 p.m.
Humboldt County Sheriff's Office deputies responded and confirmed that the bones were human.

Ch. 3 TV News called the building a church that had burned down 6 years ago.

◼ Investigation into Loleta skeleton focuses on identifying the remains

◼ The truth is in the teeth in Loleta case
Two years after her disappearance, the human remains found near Loleta last week have been identified as those of Stephanie Lee Fowler.

The remains were identified by the teeth -- a forensic odontologist compared Fowler's past dental records with the teeth of the skeleton, said Humboldt County Coroner Dave Parris.

Forensic odontologists are often “the only ones who can make positive IDs,” he said.

Fowler was 34 and a mother of six when she was last seen in 2007, getting into a white vehicle on Eel River Drive in Loleta, not far from where the remains were found. Her family reported her missing May 26, 2007, but had last seen her about a month before, according to a Humboldt County Sheriff's Office press release....

...The body has been sent to Redding for evaluation and Quenell expects to know how she died soon....