Kimberly Wear

2 days ago | northcoastjournal.com | Kimberly Wear

An Alderpoint man found guilty of first-degree murder in 2023 appears headed for a new trial after a state appellate court recently overturned his conviction, finding a local judge erred in allowing the jury to be presented with "inflammatory and prejudicial" evidence that may have changed the outcome of the case. Jake Henry Combs, who claimed self-defense, was sentenced to 50 years to life for fatally shooting an acquaintance, Trevor John Earley, 25.

1 week ago | northcoastjournal.com | Kimberly Wear

click to enlarge Ben Hurd, who along with his namesake Christmas tree farm was an integral part of cherished holiday memories for generations of local families, has died. He was 93. According to an announcement on the farm’s Facebook page, Hurd passed away peacefully on the morning of June 12. “He was determined to stay in his home until the end and he did!” the post says.

1 month ago | northcoastjournal.com | Kimberly Wear

click to enlarge One of the North Coast’s condors is in “delicate condition” and undergoing treatment for lead poisoning at the Sequoia Park Zoo after tests done during a biannual check of the flock showed A7 had high levels of the toxin.

1 month ago | northcoastjournal.com | Kimberly Wear

At approximately 7:17 a.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025, the Rio Dell Police Department and Rio Dell Fire Department responded to a report of a residential structure fire on the 1000 block of Riverside Drive. Fire crews from the Rio Dell Fire Department, with critical assistance from the Fortuna Fire Department, were able to contain and extinguish the blaze before it spread to neighboring homes, preventing more extensive damage.

1 month ago | northcoastjournal.com | Kimberly Wear

Eight years after the North Coast's recreational abalone fishery was shut down due to an unprecedented decline in the population amid a greater collapse of the delicate ecosystem on which the prized mollusks depend, the state Fish and Game Commission is beginning the process to extend the closure another decade.