‘Good Things Happen’

To the Editor:

I had the pleasure of working with Mary Burke when I was chair of the McKinleyville Community Services District Parks & Recreation Committee and Mary served as MCSD liaison to this committee. In my experience, Mary was always prepared, knowledgeable and creative in her work for our community.

Mary is the type of person who can make good things happen.

Mary cares deeply about the environment in our community, and was instrumental in getting the trails, landscape and ecological improvements completed for the Mad River County Park area off School Road. It is a beautiful addition to the beauty of our area.

Mary Burke will be a wonderful representative for District 5 on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and I hope you will join me in supporting her when you vote.

John Kulstad, McKinleyville

EXTRA!

Lucy and the Movable Rock

By Rich Jordan

September 4, 2026

Lucy was a Cornish game hen, and she was brilliant. She came into my family's life in 1982, joining a long line of other non-traditional pets such as hamsters, guinea pigs, assorted birds, and even a tarantula. We always had a cat or three around, and a dog from time to time. I unabashedly admit that I was mo...

EXTRA!

Follow the Dog

By Michele Francesconi

August 28, 2026

The game had no rules except one: follow Duke wherever he led. Each day with Duke, my half-collie and half-German shepherd companion, was a celebration as he led me across the mountain to hidden creeks where I drank icy water with my hands. One morning, the sky turned white — no trail, no tree line, no sense ...

News, September 2026 - Artificial Intelligence

‘Saving Radiance’ or ‘Unbearable Disturbance’?

By Ted Pease

August 26, 2026

Science fiction, Hollywood and pop culture have long speculated — sometimes with fright, sometimes with eager anticipation — on the impacts of technology on human life. Back in 1936, Charlie Chaplin’s “little tramp” viewed industrialization as the dehumanization of society, with humans reduced to cogs on conv...

Columnists, Jennifer Heidmann's Column

ASK THE DOCTOR: Dr. Google

BY JENNIFER HEIDMANN, M.D.

August 26, 2026

If you have taken part in medical care in the last year, it is likely you have encountered artificial intelligence (AI). It is increasingly used to write medical provider notes, sometimes by directly listening in on visits. It is also widely available to lay people and doctors alike to answer questions about ...