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“I think one of the things that people don’t think about is how long the produce lasts,” said Janet Ciel, Healdsburg Farmers Market manager. “So you buy from a farmer’s market that was picked that morning or the night before, but when you buy from a grocery store, that same head of lettuce, it’s three or four or five days in a freaking truck before you ever get it to your home!”

After having reached consensus at the fourth public hearing on March 17 that what has been termed Map A best represented the interests of the city in crafting five separate districts, the expectation was that the council would make a final perfunctory review, then move to adopt and accept that finalize the map. Mayor Mitchell had other ideas.

In his bi-weekly City Manager’s Report of April 4, Jeff Kay broke the news that the Bird Bikes program, providing a “micro-mobility” option for Healdsburg residents and visitors, has been canceled well ahead of its expected expiration date in early 2026. “Bird recently notified the City of their intent to terminate the agreement and we regret to announce that the e-bike share program will be concluding its operations in Healdsburg,” Kay wrote.

Since 1989’s Sex, Lies and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh has not only helped revolutionize independent film in the United States, but has consistently found ways to move cinema into blazingly original spaces of storytelling and technical innovation while remaining so prolific that it remains to be seen if he ever actually sleeps.

As Q1 2025 data reveals, Healdsburg’s real estate market is defying conventional wisdom with a 150% surge in luxury home sales while Sonoma County’s high-end market continues to decline. These counterintuitive trends are reshaping our understanding of the local market in ways that might surprise even longtime residents.

100 Years Ago: Arrangements have been made by the amusement committee, Frank Corrick, chairman, with W. F. Warner, a parachute dropper, who will come to Healdsburg for the Fourth of July celebration, and will jump from an airplane with a parachute, beneath which he will float to the earth. 

Jendala Day and Other Events: On behalf of the Utsch family and her friends, celebrate the life, art and positivity of Jen “Jendala” Utsch, long an energy force in Healdsburg. Includes a ceremony at 1pm in the garden and performances by Todd Bugbee’s Dead Roses. From noon to 3:30pm at Villa Chanticleer.

Proposed cuts by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of $500 million to funding for regional hunger relief organizations will stop deliveries to local food banks nationwide, including the Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB). That could mean the suspension of $750,000 in food shipments to REFB alone, and their availability for redistribution to local families.

Those streetside dining areas and tasting rooms that everyone has an opinion about will be given another look by the Healdsburg City Council at the April 7 meeting. The council will evaluate the plan last formalized in January 2023, with an eye toward potential modifications before the end of 2025.

Last year, the girls team had their best season in Clark’s half-decade as a coach, winning gold in the division and bronze in the league. This year, they’re down a couple of swimmers to 11 team members—just under the ideal threshold of 12—but they’ve been holding their own in a tough field.