Christmas music like it used to be, with swing
Now widely known as “The Harlem Nutcracker,” Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn wrote it for Columbia Records, along with film scores and other work. It was met with a sensational reception
Goodbye, Mr. Pinot
Joe Rochioli was one of those people whose chosen trade had an impact far beyond his friends, his family or the town in which he grew up—Healdsburg. He helped start the Future Farmers Fair (still held on Memorial Day weekend), hit home runs for...
Soccer teams tune up for 2026 Redwood league play
This winter’s unsung sports success is the Healdsburg Girls Soccer program, boasting a 5-0 record as 2025 comes to an end. Coach Edgar Gonzales and assistant Brian Saini have found a formula to produce wins on the grass, at home or on the road.
‘Shenkman Letter’ Prompts Overhaul of City Elections
The names on the letterhead strike terror in the hearts of city governments across the state: Malibu-based attorneys Shenkman & Hughes since 2011 have made it their mission to call out local governments in California that elect officers by “at large” voting. Now it's Healdsburg's turn, to split its area into five districts for city council elections. This could be interesting...
Mayor Mitchell Steers the City Council Toward New District Map
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.
New Raven Play ‘Inspired by True Events’
This weekend’s opening marks the culmination of 10 years of research, inspiration and introspection for playwright Francine Schwartz, now 75, along with a lifetime of memories. That decade began in 2014 while she went through family possessions in the family home, cleaning things out because her mother had moved into assisted living...
Track & Field at Montgomery’s Viking Classic
One of the largest track meets in the area took place last weekend at Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa. Known as the Viking Track Classic, the 33rd year of the meet saw more than 60 high school teams show up for the day-long competition on Saturday, April 20.
‘From Africa to Coltrane’ in Schools
At Alexander Valley School on Tuesday morning, Destiny Muhammad filled the new multipurpose room with the ethereal sounds of her harp as over 100 K-5 students listened quietly to an instrument it’s probably safe to say most of them had not heard before: They...
Pizza Week Delivers
After pizza was more or less invented in Naples as a sauced-up flatbread, it took the globe by storm when American G.I.’s returned from World War II, bringing a fondness for pizza that led to a Cambrian explosion of different forms we know now. These include traditional Neapolitan styles, thin crust in New York, Detroit squares, sheet pans and deep-dish variants in Chicago, to name a few. You can find them all in California... and then some.
Harvest: A summer in Healdsburg
This summer has been a season of light and abundance, a time when the land seems to glow from within. From the golden haze over vineyard rows to the bustle of the Saturday Farmers’ Market, I’ve been behind the camera capturing the faces, fields and kitchens that tell Healdsburg’s story...
Arts & Entertainment
Healdsburg Happenings, Jan. 8-20
SINGING AND DANCING! Members of the Young At Heart Theatre rehearse for the upcoming performances of ‘Fosse!’ at the Raven. The education theater group will also present ‘Come Together,’ based around the music of the Beatles, this same weekend.






















