100% Humboldt

Send us Fan Mail Tired of boom-bust promises that never land? We sit down with Eureka City Manager Miles Slattery for a frank, fast-moving look at what actually gets built, what stalls out, and how we change the rules so progress sticks. From a scrappy surf-kid past to a data-first public leader, Miles lays out how the Bay Trail moved from vision to miles of waterfront access—and how that same bia...

Send us Fan Mail Humboldt County has a way of making every big question feel personal. When an industry rises, families build their lives around it. When it falls, the whole community feels the aftershock in jobs, housing, nonprofits, and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s possible here.  I’m joined by Jennifer Budwig of Redwood Capital Bank, a fourth-generation Ferndale local who’s about...

Send us Fan Mail What if the way we move our bodies could change how we move a city forward? We sit down with artist-organizer and Eureka Councilmember Leslie Castellano to explore how dance, art, housing, and transit can pull a fractured community back into rhythm. From Florida’s Gulf Coast to Humboldt’s dunes, Leslie traces a path that runs through Tai Chi, contact improvisation, and the foundin...

Send us Fan Mail A missing hiker. A cold night. A single clue: the faint scent left on a car’s gas cap. That’s enough for Jan Friedrichsen and her K9 partners to turn uncertainty into a plan—and a plan into a save. We sit down with Jan, commander of Humboldt County Search and Rescue and a CARD-certified evaluator, to unpack how volunteer teams mobilize fast, work with the Sheriff’s Special Service...

Send us Fan Mail What if the bravest moment isn’t the day you celebrate sobriety, but the day you walk through the door to detox? We sit with Jamaica Bartz, executive director of Waterfront Recovery Services in Eureka, to unpack what medical detox looks like, why alcohol withdrawal can be more dangerous than people realize, and how trauma-informed care changes outcomes. Jamaica’s not speaking from...

Send us Fan Mail What makes a small town strong? For Becky Giacomini, it starts with ranch gates, school doors, and hospital halls—and a promise to show up. We dive into Becky’s journey from Southern California to the Eel River Valley, where she met her husband at a rodeo, grew potatoes into chips, raised a family, and spent 30 years in education before stepping into community leadership full time...

Send us Fan Mail A bottle pops, and so does a life story. Rosa Dixon joins us to share how a childhood on a Tennessee commune shaped her instinct to collaborate, how New York City sharpened her operator’s edge, and how a frightening misdiagnosis led her to build Raised Gluten Free—now a national brand with 18 products in 7,500 retailers. From pies at the farmer’s market to private label partnershi...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder who keeps local voices on the air when big media moves on and broadband eats cable? We sit down with Access Humboldt’s executive director, Christina Jeffers, to explore how a PEG station—public, education, and government—safeguards free speech, broadcasts full civic meetings without edits, and gives anyone in the community the tools to make radio and TV. Christina’s st...

Send us Fan Mail What if the safest street is also the one that moves the most people with the least stress? That’s the question we chase with CRTP’s executive director, Colin Fiske , as we unpack how Humboldt can move beyond car-only thinking and build streets that actually serve the way we live. From Arcata’s trail links to Eureka’s most dangerous corridors, we connect policy, culture, and desig...

Send us Fan Mail A 115-year-old ferry shouldn’t be the heartbeat of a modern waterfront—but the Madaket is exactly that. We sit down with fifth-generation Humboldter and tug captain Leroy Zerlang to chart how a tiny passenger boat outlived an entire ferry fleet, helped launch maritime careers, and still carries school kids at the same price set decades ago. From cabinet shop to wheelhouse, Leroy’s...

Send us Fan Mail A statue that seemed to smile on its way home. A hidden cabin that vanished overnight. A police log so human it reads like a short story. Our 100th milestone conversation with editor Kevin Hoover is a tour through Arcata’s past, present, and near future—told by someone who has walked every street, sat through the 7 a.m. meetings, and printed the town’s heartbeat onto shrinking pag...

Send us Fan Mail What does it take to make wood sing? We sit down with Marimba One founder Ron Samuels to follow the arc from a Humboldt State spark to an Arcata workshop that supplies universities, symphonies, and soloists worldwide. Ron shares how an early encounter with African-style marimba led to years of hands-on experimenting, nights in woodshops, and the hard-earned knowledge of how to tun...

Send us Fan Mail Roses blooming in February changed everything. That’s how Dr. Keith Flamer knew College of the Redwoods would be home—a place where Marine Corps grit and Jesuit heart could fuse into a people-first campus that serves Humboldt with purpose. In a wide-ranging conversation, we trace his path from Chicago’s west side and brand management at Kraft to graduate work at Gonzaga and two de...

Send us Fan Mail Some conversations change how you see your neighbors. This one does. We sit with longtime educator and advocate Nezzie Wade to explore why Humboldt County’s per-capita homelessness ranks among the highest in the country and what can actually move the needle: community-first design, small-scale villages, safe parking, and dignity-forward services that meet people where they are. Ne...

Send us Fan Mail A fight that ends in a handshake. A rural theater that sells out in Los Angeles. A historic bar that becomes a stage. Michael Fields joins us to trace a life built on place, grit, and the belief that the best stories come from the people right in front of you. We start with his leap from Jesuit classrooms and Vietnam-era protests to the San Francisco Mime Troupe and the early days...

Send us Fan Mail A small stage can change a whole town. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with Jackie Dandeneau , the executive artistic director behind Playhouse Arts, conductor of the Blue Lake Community Choir, and one of the community builders shaping Arcata’s creative life. We swap stories about saving a venue, turning it into a citywide arts engine, and how a Tuesday night show can fee...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wonder how we might bridge the seemingly unbridgeable divides in our society? David Frank's journey from East Coast political science graduate to Humboldt County media advocate offers a roadmap worth exploring. Growing up in a household where defending your opinions and understanding opposing perspectives was expected at the dinner table, Frank developed skills that woul...

Send us Fan Mail Step into the extraordinary life journey of Brett McFarland, a musician whose path from Midwest farming to Humboldt County outlaw country is nothing short of cinematic. This deeply moving conversation reveals how Brett's search for a fresh start brought him to Northern California's emerald triangle, where he established himself as an organic farmer before becoming entang...

Send us Fan Mail Forget everything you thought you knew about rural healthcare. In this eye-opening conversation, Michael Keleman, CEO of Providence Health Serving Humboldt, shatters the "medical desert" stereotype by revealing how metropolitan-level medical care exists in this coastal Northern California community. Having worked for healthcare giants including Stanford, Kaiser Permanent...

Send us Fan Mail What if the parenting strategies that worked perfectly for one child completely fail with another? In this illuminating conversation, Tom Rector reveals why understanding a child's unique genetic makeup and personal memories is crucial for effective communication and connection. Tom shares his remarkable journey from a 22-year-old contractor to the owner of Thomas Home Center...

Send us Fan Mail How do you survive when your captors view you as nothing more than a commodity? Jeff Woodke's answer is both heartbreaking and inspiring. After dedicating 27 years to humanitarian work among nomadic tribes in Niger, Jeff was violently abducted by terrorists in 2016. For six and a half years, he endured unimaginable conditions – kept outdoors, frequently chained, moved constan...

Send us Fan Mail Behind the ornate Victorian facades of Old Town Eureka lies a shadow world of untold stories—tales of remarkable women who wielded significant economic power yet remain absent from our history books. Local historian Lynette Mullen stumbled upon this hidden narrative during the pandemic while researching an empty parking lot on Eureka's waterfront, uncovering the story of a ch...

Send us Fan Mail Larry Goldberg's life story reads like an adventure novel, spanning from protest movements in 1970s New York to pioneering renewable energy and internet infrastructure in Humboldt County. This wide-ranging conversation reveals how a philosophy major from Queens found himself sailing a square-rigger through the Caribbean, studying at Jerusalem's Holocaust museum, and even...

Send us Fan Mail What if the secret to fatherhood isn't found in parenting books but in knowing who you are and what you truly value? Scott Hammond, author of "Everyday Dad," joins Pete Ciotti on The Grit Podcast to explore how intentional parenting transforms both fathers and children. This candid conversation cuts through parenting platitudes to address the real challenges modern...

Send us Fan Mail John Ash's remarkable journey unfolds like a masterclass in reinvention. Born in Vallejo during WWII while his father served overseas, John's early years in Detroit's golden era—when Motown was thriving and the city bustled with over two million people—laid the foundation for his adaptable spirit. When directionless after high school, John's photography hobby b...