A fast-moving, wind-driven fire devastates downtown Arcata, destroying at least seven businesses and apartments and causing an estimated $18 million in losses as the community rallies to rebuild, Humboldt County supervisors halt weapons screening at Eureka courthouses amid rising costs and a security standoff, regulators approve nearly 10% profit margins for PG&E as one in five customers struggles to pay power bills, the sheriff’s office uncovers suspected human trafficking and illegal cannabis at a licensed SoHum farm, a new state law forces schools to strengthen protections against sexual abuse by staff and volunteers, rancher Ray Christie sues the county over a SWAT-style 2018 raid and dropped charges, killings hit a 20-year low even as some violent crimes rise, a Ferndale woman narrowly survives floodwaters sweeping her car toward the Eel River, a knife-point robbery attempt rattles a McKinleyville bus stop, an Eureka officer is arrested on suspicion of DUI, Trump officials move to slow Eel River dam removal plans, traffic crashes and enforcement surge across Eureka, protests target U.S. military actions abroad and ICE shootings, city leaders explore police drones while weighing civil-liberty concerns, Eureka pushes back against a state housing mandate it calls unfair, recall efforts fizzle in Blue Lake, year-end media roundups revisit Humboldt’s most defining stories, and positives include historic Klamath River land restoration, a $100K donation saving local reproductive health care, major upgrades coming to Bear River’s Family Entertainment Center, and Sara Bareilles quietly stopping by a beloved Eureka bookstore.

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Humboldt Last Week’s partners:

Belle Starr Clothing, Carter House Inns & Restaurant 301, Frankie’s NY Bagels, Sitka Wine Lounge, Quality Body Works, North Coast Co-op, Beck’s Bakery, Photography by Shi, North Coast Journal, and RHBB.

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369: Downtown Arcata burns, courthouse security scrapped, PG&E profits soar, and Humboldt braces for what’s next