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Here’s the Pumpkin Pavilion entertainment lineup and schedule of events
Get ready for live music, seasonal activities, food trucks, drinks, and more at Humboldt Park October 21-24.
Man critically wounded in shooting at Humboldt Park business
The 31-year-old man was approached by someone he did not know and shot in the chest at 7:20 p.m. Friday, police said.
Questions persist around horse deaths at Humboldt County Fair
The events attending veterinarians said the incidents were ‘bad luck accidents,’ but also pointed to laxness of rodeo regulation versus horseracing.
Six Humboldt Middle Schoolers Get a Week of Hands-On Science at Tech Trek Camp
Local students dusted for fingerprints, built circuits, and studied exoplanets during a STEM camp sponsored by the Humboldt branch of AAUW, with a couple of them already eyeing future careers in…
Science|Business summer reads of 2026
As most people in the European research and innovation policy bubble are going on a well-deserved summer break, we have come up with a list of our favourite books, podcasts and essays from the past year that ask deeper questions about science, technology and politics.BooksPasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation, by Donald StokesIf you haven’t read Pasteur’s Quadrant yet, now is the time. In the EU and elsewhere, we’re living through a period of dwindling faith that curiosity-driven research automatically leads to economic growth and technological progress. Pasteur’s Quadrant, published in 1997 by the Princeton academic Donald Stokes, is the most influential critique of the standard “linear model” of R&D: the idea that new discoveries made in ivory-tower labs get neatly passed on for commercialisation by start-ups. In reality, Stokes argues, practical applications often inspire more theorical lines of inquiry. Of course, we have long known that things are more complex than the linear model, but even today, it’s still often assumed in Brussels discourse. The book is a useful corrective, and is being used now to argue for new types of scientific institutions. David MatthewsThe Weaponization of Expertise: How Elites Fuel Populism, by Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis PattersonAre society’s problems solvable by technical expertise alone? “If only the benighted would listen,” say Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis Patterson, two professors at Rutgers Law School who got frustrated with how scientists and politicians handled public health communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the book, they argue that clichéd mantras about scientific evidence and expertise perpetrated by academics, journalists and politicians have harmed public trust in the very institutions they were trying to defend. Paradoxically, slogans such as “we believe in science,” “follow the science” and “defer to the experts” can fuel mistrust in science, experts and democratic institutions. The authors criticise “condescension” and “technocratic paternalism” in the public discourse and make the case for a more nuanced approach to scientific and expert policy advice that rests on humility, doubt, scepticism and open dialogue. “Most complex social questions in fact revolve around values, not the recitation of unambiguous facts,” they say. Florin ZubascuBreakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan WangIn this book, Dan Wang compares the structural differences between the US and Chinese industrial policies, but raises a very timely question for innovation policy wonks: how can advanced manufacturing know-how contribute to technology-intensive economic growth? Wang says technology has three components: the tools, the blueprints and patents, and the process knowledge. The third component represents the “proficiency gained from practical experience, which isn’t easily communicated and requires years of implementation.” According to Wang, rather than seeing tools and blueprints as the ultimate ends of technological progress, policymakers should see them as milestones in the training of better scientists and manufacturers. Over the past decades, China has amassed “process knowledge” because capital flowed to complex fabrication facilities, while investors in the West have parked their money in capital-light businesses such as digital platforms or chip companies that focus on design. As it turns out, thanks to its oversized focus on manufacturing, China has gained remarkable advantages in the global technology race. Florin ZubascuBaltic: The Future of Europe, by Oliver MoodyWhat can Europe learn from the nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea? Alongside the familiar stories about Estonia's digital transformation, the book examines how the region has used technology, resilience, education, governance and long-term thinking to respond to geopolitical, economic and security challenges. Innovation policy wonks might find fresh perspectives on how innovation can strengthen defence, societal resilience and Europe's capacity to adapt in an uncertain world. Whether or not you agree with all of Oliver Moody's conclusions, the book is a useful guide to a region that is increasingly shaping European debates on security, competitiveness and technology. Goda NaujokaityteThe Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf This book chronicles the wild and adventurous life of natural science pioneer Alexander von Humboldt who at some point in the 19th century seems to have been just about the most famous person in the world. Through scientific expeditions to the Andes Mountains and to the depths of Siberia, von Humboldt contributed a host of discoveries and concepts. During his life he met and formed relationships with historical figures as different as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Simon Bolivar, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Darwin. He is also claimed to be the person in the world with most things named after him, a list that includes an ocean current, a penguin and a region of the Moon. Still venerated in Germany, with numerous scientific institutions named after him, von Humboldt has slipped out of public consciousness in most of the rest of the world. For anyone not familiar with him, this book does a good job of describing his fascinating life. Ole EllekrogCareless People, by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsYou may have heard this referred to as the book Meta doesn’t want you to read. The 2025 memoir from Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of global public policy at Meta, then just called Facebook, includes explosive claims about everything from a toxic workplace culture to how the company worked with advertisers to target vulnerable teens, and the lengths it was prepared to go to in order to break into China. It’s a fascinating insight into how and why the tech company gradually shifted its approach to policy, whether in the US, Europe or Asia. Meta has denied the allegations in the book, and last year won an emergency ruling to prevent Wynn-Williams from promoting it. In response, the author is now suing her former employer. If that doesn’t make you want to read it. Martin GreenacrePodcastsThe Europeans: Europe’s anti-ElonThis podcast is a great choice for a light-hearted dose of European policy and culture news. Most of it has little to do with research, innovation and technology, but this particular podcast features an interview with Mastadon’s founder Eugen Rochko. He talks about his experience running an open-source, federated, European-made social media platform, and leaving it all behind. The conversation, which starts 14 minutes in, gently encourages us to reflect on what kind of technology we, as Europeans, want to make. Goda NaujokaityteSolarpunk and how we escape dystopiaNew technologies are very often taken from science fiction. Alberto Santos-Dumont, inventor the airship, was inspired as a child by the adventure stories of Jules Verne. OpenAI’s attempt to build a personal assistant with the voice of Scarlett Johansson was lifted from the 2013 film Her, completely ignoring the movie’s cautionary message. So if we want better tech, we need to imagine it first. Unfortunately, the state of current sci-fi is relentlessly dystopian, giving inventors precious few ideas or hope. However, a new genre, Solarpunk, which envisages a technologically advanced but ecologically harmonious future, is now taking off. The actual tech the genre imagines, such as permaculture, renewable energy or community repair workshops, while nice, isn’t all that inspiring or ambitious. But it’s a first step towards rescuing sci-fi from its pessimistic Blade Runner rut. David MatthewsEveryday AbundanceLaunched in June, Everyday Abundance is a podcast that tells the stories of the inventions we now take so for granted that we barely given them a second thought. For example, the washing machine, which liberated women from a lifetime “bent over washtubs and washboards.” Or modern dentistry, which ended the reality that “tooth pain was simply part of human life.” Historians of technology, Virginia Postrel and Charles C Mann are very much on the optimistic end of the spectrum when it comes to the capacity of invention to improve human life. Here, they set out their case: if it wasn’t for progress, you might be hunched over a washtub with toothache rather than reading these words. David Matthews‘We will not know what we lost’: Conservation fallout a year after USAID shutdownSince his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been on a mission to undermine science. He slashed jobs at federal agencies, terminated grants in some research areas, took unprecedented control over university affairs and, within hours of his inauguration, suspended the US Agency for International Development. While its initial focus was to administer health and food aid around the world, it had since expanded to conservation projects. The result? Some of these projects were stopped abruptly. In this Mongabay podcast, environmental reporter Michelle Nijhuis tells the story of the EcoGuard conservation programme in Liberia, whose local patrols had helped protect rainforests, monitor endangered wildlife and track illegal threats. From one day to the next, these were left without salaries. Luckily, she notes, the initiative was able to get emergency funding from international NGOs, but its future remains “incredibly uncertain.” Juliette PortalaEssaysThe Mars Delusion, by Henry WismayerWhy is humankind so fixated on establishing a colony on Mars? asks London-based writer Henry Wismayer. From space evangelists promoting Martian settlement as an insurance policy, to billionaire Jeff Bezos, who said humans should settle on Mars “because it’s cool,” the mission is not running short of advocates. However, in this essay, Wismayer reminds us that some critics expect any future Mars pioneer to end up “irradiated, sick, mad and dead.” Scientists have already looked into the possible effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity, and it’s not pretty: muscle shrinking, bones weakening, changes to the central nervous system and other biological modifications to make us all reconsider the journey. “Some researchers have forecast that the future settler, after generations of evolutionary conditioning, will look less like an Übermensch and more like ET,” Wismayer writes. Juliette Portala
Arizona PBS participating in Prescott Back-to-School Health and Wellness Fair
Arizona PBS’ Educational Outreach team is participating in The Humboldt Education Foundation’s Back-to-School Health and Wellness Fair in Prescott Valley.
Our friend Marvin has curated a rigorous entertainment program
Music for the People has become synonymous with Humboldt Folklife Society (HFS). The word “folk” comes from Germanic roots and simply means “of the people.” That certainly defines HFS and its mission as a showcase of local musicians in a community driven display of traditional and roots music for all of us to enjoy.
Entertainment briefs | Humboldt Folklife Festival runs from July 18 to 25 in Blue Lake
July 24’s “Barn Dance” features Lyndsey Battle and Cidermill Stringband at Prasch Hall in Blue Lake, starting at 7 p.m. No experience is needed to attend. Purchase tickets at
Mike Beck appointed to California Ocean Science Trust's board of trustees
State Secretary for Natural Resources named Beck and Cal Poly Humboldt's Eric Riggs to serve on the unique science-policy bridging organization's board, citing their distinguished leadership and deep expertise in coastal climate resilience and marine STEM education.
Local business supports Humboldt Commons
Humboldt Commons, a project in design and development, is the result of community support and years of dedication by Life Plan Humboldt, a grassroots nonprofit formed by local residents who want more choices for aging well in Humboldt…
Cal Poly Humboldt Launches Community Health Degree Aimed at Closing Care Gaps
A new bachelor’s program launching this fall will train students to work as the bridge between underserved communities and a healthcare system that too often leaves people behind.
Entertainment briefs | Wind Ensemble to perform at Cal Poly Humboldt
The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre presents the Cal Poly Humboldt Wind Ensemble Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the Fulkerson Recital Hall on campus in Arcata.
Community Engagement & Town Hall – Southern Humboldt Business Improvement District
“We appreciate the community’s patience as we move through this process. This is new territory for Southern Humboldt, and as a Steering Committee, we are committed to learning the process and…
Entertainment briefs | ‘Dance Visions’ at Cal Poly Humboldt
“The Year to Save the Earth,” a multimedia experience mixing powerful songs and projected images, will be featured May 1 at 7 p.m. at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 24 Fellowship Way off Jacoby Creek Road in Bayside. “The Y…
Plans Advancing For New Health/Workforce Training Hub In Humboldt Park
Updated plans have been revealed for the upcoming health and job training hub at 3446 West North Avenue in Humboldt Park.
Cal Poly Humboldt to Launch Health & Medical Sciences Degree
The United States is facing a shortage of healthcare workers, a problem especially prevalent in rural regions like the North Coast.
Entertainment briefs | Trio performs with Fortuna Concert Series
The Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre at Cal Poly Humboldt will present “Contemporary Music for Percussion” performed by the Cal Poly Humboldt Percussion Ensemble and “Samba of Bahia” performed by the World Percussion Group.
Entertainment briefs | ‘Stampede’ at Humboldt County Fairgrounds next month
Creekside Arts and EXIT Theatre will present “Ali, Cosell, My Dad & Me,” an original play by Michael Bickford, directed by John Heckel and starring Larry Crist, from April 17 to 26 at EXIT Theatre, 890 G St., second floor, Arcata.
Business Sense | The big ‘one’ that won: Humboldt County’s long journey to the Oscars
One day you are trying to bring more films to the Redwood Coast. And the next, you are part of Oscar history. Congratulations Humboldt!
Rangeland Resource Science Students Earn Recognition at 2026 National Competition
Students in Cal Poly Humboldt’s newly accredited Rangeland Resource Science program placed fifth overall in the 2026 Society for Range Management (SRM) student competition and ranked second among U.S
Indigenous mental health leader in California dies in apparent murder-suicide
A 59-year-old Indigenous woman, a well-known mental health advocate in Northern California’s Humboldt County, was discovered dead in an apparent murder-suicide earlier this…
Entertainment briefs | Black Humboldt hosts karaoke party
Black Humboldt is hosting a karaoke party tonight (Thursday) at 9 p.m. at Richards’ Goat, 401 I St., Arcata. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Chicago police warn of 3 business burglaries in Logan Square and Humboldt Park
Chicago police are warning about a string of burglaries last week targeting businesses in the Logan Square and Humboldt Park neighborhoods.
Business Sense | Appreciating Humboldt: Business, community, and Thanksgiving
“I appreciate the idea that we pause and reflect on how, in any year no matter how tough, we have much to be thankful for.”