100% Humboldt

Send us Fan Mail Toby Tullis talks through the winding path that brought him to Humboldt, from Bay Area roots and restaurant work to radio, digital marketing, and a life built around community. He gets into sobriety, parenting, spirituality, and the way this place changed how he things about work and home. It's a conversation about starting over, staying busy, and trying to keep a little room for what matters. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us Fan Mail Scott Hammond sits down with Solomon Everta for a conversation rooted in Old Town Eureka, local business, mutual aid, and the kind of community life that only makes sense when you’ve actually lived here awhile. Solomon talks about coming to Humboldt from East Bay, finding his footing through work and activism, and eventually becoming the owner of Eureka Books. They get into the recent expansion into Omnibus on Snug Alley, why independent bookstores still matter, and how a bookstore can be more than retail. For Solomon, it’s about stories, yes, but also about listening, relationships, and giving people a place to feel part of something. He reflects on Food Not Bombs in Arcata, the reality of poverty and housing insecurity, downtown parking debates, worker ownership, and why Humboldt needs more community-minded thinking and less hierarchy. This episode also wanders through local history, the North Coast arts scene, parenting, and the weirdly urban pleasures of downtown Eureka life. It’s a thoughtful, local conversation with someone who sees books not as escape from community, but as one way back into it. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us Fan Mail Humboldt needs good jobs, a stronger tax base, and a plan that doesn’t depend on the next boom saving us. I sit down with Peggy Murphy, the County of Humboldt’s Economic Development Director, to get specific about what economic development really looks like on the ground: helping local businesses stay open, building a workforce pipeline, and making sure we’re not “buckshotting” our limited time and money across a hundred disconnected ideas. We talk through the cannabis industry boom-and-bust with clear eyes. Peggy explains how legalization brought heavy regulation, stacked licensing, and real supply chain costs that crushed margins right as the market got oversaturated. That leads into Project Trellis, a cannabis business support program created because cannabis still can’t tap federally funded Small Business Development Center services. If you’ve ever wondered why whole towns feel different after an industry contracts, this part connects the dots. From there we zoom out to the long game: industry studies like Project Rebound, aligning business attraction with workforce development, and using tools like the Samoa Peninsula Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District to make sites build-ready. We also hit broadband as economic infrastructure, why “ultra-rural” communities get misunderstood by state and federal decision makers, and how tourism marketing can focus on longer stays without trying to overrun the place we love. If you care about Humboldt County economic development, workforce training, remote work, small business growth, and sustainable industry, you’ll hear what’s possible and what’s in the way. Subscribe wherever you listen, share this with one person who cares about Humboldt’s future, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send a text 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 bias for action is shaping housing, transit, and the city’s approach to homelessness. We get specific about why Eureka struggles to grow: legacy “coastal dependent industrial” zoning that blocks modern light industry, a small population base, and institutions allergic to risk. Then we talk solutions. A new transit center will anchor regional buses, Amtrak links, and ground-floor services under 51 new homes. Microtransit will offer $2 trips across town via app, with an Old Town circulator on the table to ease curb crunch. An automated parking structure is under study to deliver capacity where it counts. We also confront the parking myth with real data—summer peak studies show downtown lots below 50% capacity across a month, even if Friday Night Markets feel slammed. Housing gets the reality treatment too. With RHNA pressure rising, Eureka put public land in play, navigated Old Town pushback, and traded sites to protect businesses while keeping momentum. The result: 302 of 332 required affordable units already funded. On homelessness, the city pairs low-barrier options like Bayside Village with embedded mental health teams, rapid rehousing, and job pathways, acknowledging that compassion works best with accountability. If you care about smart growth, transit that connects, and rules that fit today’s economy, this conversation is a blueprint. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Humboldt, and leave a review with the one policy you’d change first—we’ll feature the most thoughtful takes next week. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send a text 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 to step into the bank’s president role as John Dalby transitions to CEO. We talk about what community banking actually looks like on the ground: staying independent, making loans with local context, supporting nonprofits, and keeping money circulating in Humboldt County instead of leaking out. Jennifer shares how mentorship and a well-planned leadership handoff can protect culture while still pushing the organization forward. From there, we zoom out into the Humboldt County economy and the hard realities behind “boom and bust.” We dig into remote work, Cal Poly Humboldt’s expansion, housing affordability, and why rising costs drive more demand at places like the food bank. We also revisit Jennifer’s Pacific Coast Banking School thesis from 2011 that estimated cannabis contributed about $1.2 billion annually to the local economic base at its peak, and what it means now that production and prices have dropped so sharply. We close with service and legacy: Rotary, local giving projects, and why donating blood matters more than most of us realize. Subscribe to 100% Humboldt, share this with someone who cares about the North Coast, and leave a review with your take: what should Humboldt build next? Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send a text 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 founding of Synapsis—each step teaching her to listen, share weight, and build momentum together. We dig into why art isn’t a luxury but a survival skill in a time of noise and division. Leslie shares how the Ink People’s new permanent home will bring a gallery, youth classrooms, a recording studio, and a youth-run coffee shop under one roof—giving teens real tools for creativity, workforce skills, and belonging. We talk fiscal sponsorships for 90-plus projects, music mentors who help young bands record, and the power of spaces that make it easy to show up and make something new. Then we get practical about the city we want to live in. Leslie lays out a grounded vision: mixed-use blocks on Wabash, ADUs that add both homes and homeowner equity, and small parklets that spark street life. We unpack the funded Eureka Transit Center—transit hub below, workforce housing above—plus microtransit on-demand, better bike storage, and faster connections that make buses a real option. Parking pressures, data-driven thresholds, and when a garage makes sense all get honest airtime. Along the way, we celebrate vinyl’s tactile joy, live shows that bond strangers, and the kind of “calling in” that turns critique into learning. If you care about rebuilding the commons—where neighbors meet, create, and move—this conversation offers both heart and a roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Humboldt, and leave a review telling us: what would you build first? Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 Services, and blend K9 skills with tech like drones, UTVs, and real-time mapping to bring people home. Jan walks us through the anatomy of a modern search: triage from the first ping or 911 call, building sectors, deploying trailing dogs to lock direction of travel, and sending area dogs to sweep for any live human. She explains the difference between trailing and area work, why recertification every two years keeps teams sharp, and how human remains detection brings closure when outcomes turn tragic. We talk mental health first aid—keeping found subjects warm, fed, and calm—and why most rescues hinge on quiet judgment more than heroics. The conversation also zooms out to community. Jan’s Humboldt story runs from Cal Poly Humboldt days to land trust projects and a life lived close to the marshes and trails. She shares a multi-day search near the McKay area that rallied multiple counties, lessons from a difficult river recovery, and a leadership style shaped by service over spotlight. For hikers, families, and civic-minded listeners, this is a clear-eyed look at how K9 search science, volunteer grit, and local generosity save lives in Humboldt County. If this resonated, support Humboldt County Search and Rescue at HumboldtSar.org, then subscribe, share with a friend who hikes, and leave a review so more neighbors can find their way to the show. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 a distance. She started using at 15, cycled through jail and warrants, and hit a point where meth wasn’t a party—it was maintenance. Her turnaround is honest, messy, and deeply human. We break down the nuts and bolts of treatment: screenings, individualized protocols from nurses and a physician, and 24/7 monitoring that makes the first days safer and more bearable. From there, most clients move into 30, 60, or 90 days of residential treatment to rebuild routines, learn relapse prevention, and reconnect with genuine community. We also talk straight about fentanyl: uneven potency, xylazine contamination, and why “safer” methods like smoking can still be fatal. Harm reduction isn’t a slogan; it’s life-saving literacy paired with medical care and clear boundaries. The heart of this conversation lives in identity and small beginnings. Jamaica shares how trauma sits beneath many addictions, why group therapy and outside referrals matter, and how everyday joys—movies, quiet nights, volunteering with youth—can replace the high with something steadier. If you want to support, Waterfront needs hands and hearts to help maintain sober living homes—painting, siding, and practical upgrades that keep people stable after treatment. Ready to hear a no-bullshit, big-hearted guide to recovery in Humboldt? Press play, then subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more people find real help and real hope. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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. We talk about the cultural fabric of Fortuna, Ferndale, and Rio Dell—how dairy and cattle families fuel youth programs, FFA chapters, and the fair’s sale day. Becky breaks down why Humboldt’s ag roots matter to everyone, not just ranchers: they form a resilient network that keeps kids engaged, supports local businesses, and rallies neighbors when floods and fires hit. She shares a powerful mentorship lesson from the late Don Brown—enjoy the beauty here, bring the check not the casserole, and leave a legacy that lasts—and how that advice still guides her work. Healthcare sits center stage as Becky explains Women for Wellness, a member-led giving circle that funds critical equipment and education for Redwood Memorial and St. Joseph. It’s philanthropy with results, turning pooled donations into bedside improvements that touch thousands. We round out the conversation with Humboldt favorites—Centerville Beach, Russ Park, Seagrill, Benbow—and a candid look at FOMO, JOMO, and the boundaries that keep volunteers energized. If you care about rural community building, local healthcare, and the grit behind small-town resilience, this conversation will stick with you. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves Humboldt, and leave a review to help others find the show. Then tell us: where will you show up this week? Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 partnerships with Walmart and Sprouts and a recent Target launch, Rosa breaks down the unglamorous math of scaling food: distribution hubs, shared kitchens, and community support that makes the difference between a hopeful idea and a healthy company. We also go deep on Humboldt Made—what it actually does for local makers, why Friday Night Markets fund the mission, and how storytelling inside grocery stores helps shoppers discover the people behind beloved products. With new Headwaters backing, we’re taking a Humboldt row to Natural Products Expo West, putting Maka Pierogies, Jersey Guy Scoop, Nomolina Pesto, and Shroom Shots in front of the buyers who can change a company’s trajectory. Rosa explains how to prepare for trade shows, turn a single email into a regional launch, and keep wins circulating here at home. Then crisis hits close to home. The Arcata fire destroyed seven businesses and threatened the historic downtown. Within 48 hours, more than 50 community leaders aligned on roles, relief, and fundraising—PG&E pledged $50,000, banks and the university followed, and a committee is forming to assess needs and distribute funds. We lay out simple ways to help: show up for the porch-party fundraiser weekend, spend with neighboring shops, and lean into the Choose Humboldt app and articles that make supporting local easy and fun. Along the way, Rosa shares a personal health reset—losing 70 pounds, lifting heavy, and finding daily discipline—and the legacy she hopes to leave: wake up trying to help, support, and love. If this resonates, share the episode with a friend, subscribe for more Humboldt maker stories, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 story is a ride: theater and stunt acting in Los Angeles, a decade in an ER, bold creative development in Sacramento, and now leading a small but mighty team that treats transparency and storytelling as public goods. We dig into what Access Humboldt actually does—five cable channels, a low-power FM station, and a programming approach that elevates citizen creators alongside government coverage—and why it matters more as algorithms shrink attention spans and national outlets chase hot takes. Christina explains the money puzzle: franchise fees were designed to compensate the public when cable used shared rights-of-way, but as telecoms shifted services to “broadband,” funding eroded. The stakes are concrete: fewer resources for distance learning, fewer hands to staff meetings, and fewer doors for new creators to walk through. And yet, the solution is close to home—local support, smarter partnerships, and programs like Boltfest, a year-round short film incubator that takes ten-page scripts to a real red carpet. Along the way, we talk identity, belonging, and why self-expression fights isolation. Christina’s Burning Man stories aren’t about shock; they’re about permission and generosity—the same spirit she brings to Access Humboldt. If you care about open government, rural education access, or seeing your neighbors on screen instead of in the comments, this conversation will give you a map and a reason to act. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves local media, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Want to keep community media alive? Donate, volunteer, or pitch a show idea—then tell us what you’d make first. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 design into a practical roadmap for change. We start with the wins: the Annie and Mary Trail segment tying Cal Poly Humboldt to Arcata, Bay Trail momentum, and the promise of the Great Redwood Trail from Eureka to College of the Redwoods. Then we get into the systems thinking. Protected bike lanes don’t just help cyclists; they reduce car crashes. Real bike boulevards slow and thin traffic so families feel safe. Walk audits expose blind spots on Fourth, Fifth, and Broadway, where most serious injuries cluster. And when callers demand more lanes, we talk induced demand—why congestion returns—and its lesser-known counterpart, traffic evaporation, which helps road diets and roundabouts work. Culture counts, too. “Motonormativity” shows how we give cars a moral pass we’d never grant elsewhere. Helmets help, but the lasting fix is street design that prevents crashes. Equity threads through everything: kids, elders, and low-income neighbors bear the brunt of fast arterials. The answer is closer homes, jobs, and services—think downtown housing over a transit center—plus a connected network so no trip requires braving a hostile block. Quick-build pilots with paint and posts prove ideas fast and make long-term projects smarter. If you care about safer crossings, reliable buses, protected lanes, and lively downtowns, you’ll find concrete steps and local examples you can act on today. Listen, share with a neighbor, and tell us: which street should get a road diet or protected lane next? If you’re enjoying the show, follow, rate, and leave a review—your feedback helps more people find conversations that move communities forward. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 path is a tour of Humboldt Bay’s grit, humor, and stubborn devotion to its working water. We dive into the Madaket’s rebuild after the Coast Guard said “fix it or retire,” the hands-on shipwright work that stretched from six months to two years, and why the boat’s continuous certification since 1910 makes it a rarity on the West Coast. Then we widen the lens: harbor cruises that reach the old Arcata Long Wharf, oysters and wildlife in Arcata Bay, the quiet power of the Skywalk and Carson Mansion on visitors, and a simple truth—tourists love this place. So why no bayfront hotels, few waterfront restaurants, and not enough space where the view can pay the bills? Leroy lays out a clear plan: invest in hospitality where it belongs—on the water—and build a destination Maritime Museum in historic Samoa. The working side matters just as much. Fishing’s been battered by closures and uncertainty, and boats are leaving. The fix is practical: ice, cold storage, repair space, reliable docks, and respect for the people who keep the waterfront alive. Along the way, we relive shipwrecks you can still see at minus tide, and the improbable rescue of the Golden Rule, a peace boat restored after years in Leroy’s yard that sailed to Hawaii and back. It all points to a shared vision Bonnie Gool championed: make the bay our front door, not our back door. If you care about Humboldt’s future, this conversation brings the map and the compass. Subscribe, share with a bay-loving friend, and leave a review with the one change you’d make first for our waterfront. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 pages week after week. We dig into how Cal Poly Humboldt is reshaping the region, from a $5.05 million purchase of Sun Valley Floral Farms to the ripple effects on housing, small business, and a bolder 15‑minute town vision for Arcata and McKinleyville. Kevin weighs promise against pressure, naming the culture and capital a campus brings while calling for planning that keeps neighborhoods livable, walkable, and resilient. Climate change raises the stakes as sea levels press toward the bay’s edge, and a new data center and undersea cables force fresh questions about digital infrastructure, local benefit, and trust. Along the way, Kevin shares the craft and chaos of building a paper from scratch, the ethics behind a beloved police blotter, and why profiles of “regular exceptional” people still matter more than any viral clip. We trade notes on the stages and makers that make Arcata hum—from CenterArts trios that fill a room like orchestras to Playhouse Arts’ role in knitting a district from creativity—and we get personal about best days, worst days, and the music he’s composing late at night in Logic Pro. If you care about local news, city planning, sea level rise, university growth, or simply how a town tells its truth, this one’s for you. Press play, then tell us what story surprised you most. If you enjoy the show, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so more curious neighbors can find us. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 tune a bar so that overtones line up, resonators breathe, and a melody stays clear even when the room is alive. We dig into the craft behind the music: arches carved into the underside of bars to shape harmonics, resonators adjusted with precision plugs to balance warmth and brightness, and modern tooling—custom extrusions, injection-molded interfaces, and CNC machining—used not to mass-produce, but to stabilize frames and protect tone. Ron breaks down the differences between marimba, vibraphone, and xylophone, and how thoughtful engineering can make an eight-foot, 300-pound instrument feel responsive under the mallets. Along the way, we swap listening notes, from Bach’s cello suites on marimba to jazz vibes and a Rolling Stones classic that quietly features the instrument you didn’t know you knew. The conversation turns to sustainability with a breakthrough: a synthetic alternative that finally sounds like true rosewood. After years of R&D, player tests, and careful sourcing, the team unveiled material that keeps lines articulate without the harsh ring that plagues other substitutes. It’s conservation through acoustics, a practical path for schools, ensembles, and touring artists who need consistency and conscience. Grounded in Humboldt County’s creative network—engineers from Yakima days, artists, and builders—Ron’s shop also invests locally with school tours and concerts at the Arcata Playhouse. If you love craft, sound design, and the human stories behind great instruments, this one’s for you. Hit play, subscribe for more conversations with builder-founders and artists, and leave a review telling us your favorite marimba recording or the question you want us to ask Ron next. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 decades leading CR through change with transparency, humor, and resolve. We dive into the big pivot shaping community colleges: meaningful careers that don’t require four-year debt. Dr. Flamer lays out why CR’s future is anchored in healthcare pathways and skilled trades—nursing, allied health, welding, construction technology, aquaculture, and climate resilience. These programs move students into well-paying jobs faster, strengthen the regional workforce, and create stackable on-ramps for first-generation learners and working adults. Along the way, we talk student housing, a new PE and field house, upgraded athletics, creative arts improvements, and the Del Norte healthcare education center—projects designed to turn access into persistence and graduation. Policy and funding challenges are real, but they’re met with open books and decisive collaboration. Dr. Flamer walks us through balancing budgets without cutting opportunity, building partnerships with local industry and elected leaders, and keeping equity, inclusion, and community engagement at the center. Post-pandemic lessons—flexible online learning, tele-services, smarter scheduling—are now tools for long-term success. And beneath it all is a personal ethic: love people first. That’s the leadership that connects CR to Humboldt’s fabric, sends students seamlessly to Cal Poly Humboldt when it fits, and holds space for respectful disagreement as the community grows. Come for the story, stay for the playbook: practical steps to build programs that pay, campuses that belong to their neighbors, and a legacy defined by service. If this conversation resonates, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway—we read every word. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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. Nezzie's story threads from Catholic schooling and decades of teaching sociology to co-founding Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives (AHA). Along the way, she lays out a clear diagnosis: California’s housing targets are chronically underbuilt; income thresholds exclude those in crisis; and institutional models struggle to support people who’ve been surviving outside for years. The alternative is both humble and powerful—mutual aid as infrastructure. Think tiny house villages that function like neighborhoods, with roles and support baked in, not imposed. Think safe sheltering that invites participation and grows stability. We also spotlight AHHA’s mobile shower program: a custom trailer with ADA access that’s delivered more than 7,000 hot showers and services to 16,000+ guests across Eureka, Arcata, and McKinleyville. It’s a blueprint for practical compassion—hygiene, food, clothing, and referrals—built on local donations and grit, not red tape. Nezzie makes a direct ask: partners with land near transit, donors willing to seed operations and simple utilities, and listeners ready to help turn proven concepts into living spaces. If you care about Humboldt, housing, or humane policy, this conversation gives you facts, context, and a path to act. Subscribe, share with a friend who cares about solutions, and leave a review with one idea you’d support locally—land, funding, or time. Your voice helps build the village. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 of Del Arte. Michael walks us through the big experiment: a rural training center paired with a professional touring company that took original work from Blue Lake to the Bay and on to LA. The turning point arrives with a piece on the Fish Wars that rockets them onto critics’ lists, packs houses for months, and proves that bold, locally rooted storytelling can travel. Along the way, we get the road lore: the car that fills with smoke from the inside, the Boston bar where every backstage crew eats, and the Greek restaurant that quietly keeps a company alive. Then we come home to Humboldt. Michael explains how an Irish playwright inspired him to turn the Logger Bar—Humboldt County’s oldest continuously serving bar—into a creative venue where you can sip a pint while the band kicks up a live, local show. Logger Legends celebrates the talkers, the lookers, and the lovable liars who give a town its voice. We celebrate Eric Hollenbeck and the Blue Ox through Radio Man, a production that left hard-bitten men wiping their eyes. And we look forward: the riverfront, the levee, new gathering spots, and a call for leadership that favors distinctive local spaces over bland, copy-paste development. If you care about community theater, rural arts, Blue Lake history, or how a bar becomes a civic living room, you’ll find a lot to love here. Hit play, share it with someone who loves Humboldt culture, and leave us a review so more neighbors can find these stories. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 feel like church when the room leans in. Jackie takes us from a farm near Jasper to national theater tours, radio drama in Vancouver, and eventually to Blue Lake, where the Arcata Playhouse became home base. We dig into how the Playhouse grew beyond performances: writing the City of Arcata’s strategic arts plan, placing artists in schools, and creating Our Space, an arts-and-wellness program for houseless neighbors that restores dignity through making. When KHSU went dark, the community lit a new signal—KHHA 94.7 LPFM—broadcasting from a converted storage unit with big spirit and a local-first roster that keeps Humboldt’s voices on the air and in your earbuds. We share favorite shows and why they hit so hard, from an all-women mariachi band filling the room with new songs and new neighbors, to intimate sets where the audience becomes the magic. Jackie’s lens is clear: gratitude is a balm inside pain, justice is the work of designing belonging, and succession is generosity in action—handing over the reins so a legacy no longer depends on one person. We close with what’s ahead: holiday pantomime chaos, porch festivals, poetry in the marsh, line-dancing fundraisers, and how to rent the Playhouse when your crew needs a seasonal home. If this resonates, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves local arts, and drop a review. Your support helps more people find the creators, venues, and programs that keep Humboldt connected. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!

Send us a text 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 would serve him throughout life. "My parents always expected us to be able to converse intelligently and defend our opinions and then kind of pivot to understand people that disagreed with us," he explains. This foundation in civil discourse shaped his approach to media and community engagement. After arriving in Humboldt County in 2004 as a caregiver for a friend, Frank quickly put down roots, bartending at Plaza Grill and Abruzzi for over a decade before joining Internews, an international media nonprofit. His passion for policy analysis and community dialogue led him to host shows on KMUD and Access Humboldt, including "You Are Here" and "Redwood Wonk," where he explores local manifestations of national issues. What makes Frank's perspective particularly valuable is his commitment to being a bridge-builder. As a former delegate to the California Democratic Party, he positioned himself as an observer of the schism between establishment and progressive wings, using his media platform to share insights with the community. Rather than stoking division, he focuses on creating spaces where people can listen to each other and work toward solutions. Frank identifies three critical issues facing Humboldt County: healthcare access, climate-related concerns (including wildfire and insurance challenges), and broadband connectivity in rural areas. He advocates for community forums that bring together academics, policymakers, and residents to address these challenges collaboratively. "We can solve problems locally, we address problems locally, we lead by example as citizens here in our own community," he asserts. Ready to join the conversation about building a more connected community? Follow Frank's shows and initiatives as he continues his mission to fight "the good fight" through civil discourse and community engagement. The path to healing our divisions might just start with a conversation in your own backyard. Support the show About 100% Humboldt with Scott Hammond Humboldt County CA USA is the home of some of the most iconoclastic, genuine, and interesting folks in the world. We are getting curious about the movers, shakers, and difference makers in Humboldt County CA-Home of the giant redwoods, 6 Rivers, and the vast Pacific Ocean. We will discover what makes people live/evolve in the beautiful, diverse, isolated, and ever-changing North Coast of California 100%! Listen in and learn what it is to be 100% Humboldt! Find us on You Tube, Linked In, Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok!