California Prune Promoters Pick the Packers
Old-timers in Healdsburg remember that, come harvest time, it wasn’t the smell of fermentation from winegrapes that wafted over town, with its promise of a better vintage, but another smell: that of sun-drying prunes.
“You could smell it everywhere—and you either loved it or you...
Film: Brief and to the Point
Formerly residents of Sebastopol, Pamela and Kirk Demorest moved to Nevada County last year to take care of family matters, but that hasn’t lessened their commitment to presenting the best Healdsburg Short Film Festival they can. It starts Friday, Sept. 27...
Measure O Defeat Shows Split City
When the sound and the fury, the smoke and the flames dispersed, Measure O went down to a definitive defeat, roughly at a 60-40 split. Clearly this was not what the Healdsburg City Council intended when in June they rationalized themselves into putting it on the General Election ballot.
Trains and Boats and Automobiles, Oh My!
Steve Castelli, a model car enthusiast and drag racer, had a toy vehicle collection that was legendary; with the assistance of his daughter, Tina Castelli, the Healdsburg Museum assembled these mechanical wonders, "a tribute not only to Steve, but to forward motion itself.”
What is the Brown Act?
A recent article in this paper made reference to the Brown Act, and it warrants explanation what exactly that is. Most people have the correct understanding that it relates to government transparency, to ensure that public business is conducted in an open and transparent...
City Settles Inclusionary Housing Fee Lawsuit
Last last month the City of Healdsburg reached a settlement with a local couple who challenged a required $20,000 inclusionary housing fee for a new house and ADU on their residential property. The settlement, for $35,000, puts a temporary end to a legal challenge of the City of Healdsburg’s inclusionary housing fee policy.
Amy’s Wicked Slush to Close Memorial Beach Shop
Amy Covin, who parlayed a life-long affection for Boston-style “slush”—a fruity ice confection with drizzles, sprinkles and playful attitude—into a Healdsburg dessert destination, announced over the weekend that she would be closing the flagship shop in early September.
“I think we outgrew this facility the...
Abel De Luna: ‘A dream I didn’t think I would have’
Mayor Evelyn Mitchell said it best. “Through this naming process, the council came to better understand Mayor De Luna’s legacy and his impact on our community. It also became clear this facility had become an extension of his legacy with the many services it provides to our residents.”
Greyhounds Grapple with Bigger Schools
Weight classes have a meaning, and a strategy, although judges today are pretty strict in their weight calls. The technology of measuring weights is so sophisticated these days, there are few if any ways to “nudge” the scale. “So if you go to a competition and you step on a scale, and you are a 10th of a pound over, you are disqualified” in the weight class, Scott Weidemier said. “There’s no leeway. They’re all digital scales these days, that are certified every year.”
The trouble with texting :)
Who hasn't been tripped up by the slip of a finger while texting with family or been infuriated with ducking autocorrect? Who hasn’t mistakenly wished for the death of their grandfather in a text chain with a sibling and then found themselves exploring options for doing so? That's the premise of 'The Burdens,' the play now on stage at The 222...
Arts & Entertainment
Mexican hero becomes a family legend
Local drama takes another step forward with the next play at the Raven, 'Who Will Dance with Pancho Villa'? But the production, which opens on Jan. 22 for an eight-performance run, is hardly new. Gabriel Fraire and his brother John wrote it over 30 years ago; it had its first off-Broadway performance in New York in 1994.






















