Perilous Plungers Hit the Bay for $30K

Plungers braved the bay in this year’s 22nd annual Perilous Plunge fundraiser for the Redwood Discovery Museum on April 1. Thanks to the rain, plungers were pre-soaked during the event’s opening parade led by the Marching Lumberjacks. Sierra Moore, a guest specialist at the Redwood Discovery Museum, was excited to see the community come together to support the kids. Moore took the plunge with Redwood Discovery Museum staff dressed in Hocus Pocus attire as team Magic Makers.

“We’ve been working on this for months. We have put so much into this, and we have raised over $30,000 for our museum,” said Moore. “This is amazing for us as a nonprofit. We will be able to do exhibits, experiences, and camps for all the kids around here.”

Mayor Kim Bergel took the plunge with team Redwood Coast Montessori Vixens. “We had a killer dance, and we were fabulous. The bay was cold, but it was even colder outside,” said Bergel. “We’ve been jumping for over 10 years now. It’s always a great time raising money for the kids.”

— Ollie Hancock

Arcata House Fire: An Arcata home was a total loss after being consumed by flames the night of March 28 in a blaze that took firefighters from six agencies an hour and a half to bring under control. No injuries were reported, despite an initial report that indicated someone may have been inside the residence on the 4400 block of West End Court, which was 50 percent engulfed when units arrived. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

POSTED 03.29.23

Child Pornography Arrest: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 28-year-old Briceland man on suspicion of manufacturing child pornography and believes there may be additional unidentified victims in the case. After a year-long investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse and internet crimes against children, deputies arrested Sebastion Hockett while serving a search warrant at his home March 30 that reportedly yielded additional evidence, according to a press release. Detectives have identified two minor victims but believe there may be more.

POSTED 03.30.23

Forest Moon Festival: We sense something … a presence we have not felt since the premiere of Return of the Jedi in 1983. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Star Wars sequel featuring the moon of Endor, filmed locally in Del Norte and Humboldt counties, the Humboldt-Del Norte Film Commission is putting on its inaugural Forest Moon Festival June 2-3. The (new) hope is to make it an annual tradition. For more info, see the full story at northcoastjournal.com.

POSTED 04.01.23