News

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...

There’s a tradition in the news biz, at year’s end, of retracing all the major stories that unfolded during the 12 months prior. It feels like a healthy exercise—an opportunity to zoom out and let the bigger picture sink in, free from the frantic 24-hour news cycle (or, weekly in our case). It’s also a great reminder, though small-town life can seem humdrum, that we’re surrounded at all times by modern-day lore and legend...

A narrow stretch of Sunset Drive overlooking Villa Chanticleer, which has been called out by its residents as a potential hazardous location in an emergency, experienced a real-time test last Friday morning when a contractor’s pickup truck suddenly caught fire, sending flames some over 20 feet into the canopy of the wooded neighborhood...

The City Council’s informal decision on Dec. 16 to adopt a five-district, selected mayor format for city government in the redistricting process drew immediate reactions from several community members, who felt the decision was made unnecessarily quickly and short-circuited public discussion of the options. Here are a few of their comments:

While the role of the mayor in Healdsburg is largely ceremonial—to chair meetings, issue proclamations and be the city’s public face—it is not entirely so. With the imminent elimination of the at-large election of City Council members to accord with the 2002 California Voting Rights Act, the role of the mayor could become much more important...

Healdsburg ophthalmologist Dr. Gary Barth has dedicated a significant portion of his life and career to restoring sight to those in dire need, particularly in developing countries. Barth, together with BBH Eye Foundation and partners, has helped restore sight to more than 200,000 individuals in Southeast Asia since 2019.

When a dying oak tree branch was removed, the tree worker climbed down from the ladder and asked the owners if they were trying to kill the tree. “He then pointed out drilled holes on the side of the trunk facing our neighbor’s house, originating just over the height of the fence. These holes were overflowing with, according to our tree expert, a form of herbicide intended to poison and ultimately kill the tree.”

The new proposal was to expand the formula-free zone one block further into the Downtown Commercial district. McDowell showed a map where a red line marked the border of the proposed formula-free zone; it surrounds most of seven city blocks adjacent to the Plaza, marking a significant expansion of the prohibition zone.

Healdsburg’s Russian River Railroad Bridge is the sole remaining example of a steel Subdivided Warren Truss bridge on the former line of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Built in 1901, the bridge has three spans supported by four concrete piers, a steel deck and superstructure on both sides of a single track. What does SMART plan to do with it?

For four long, wet days in Healdsburg last week, historic rainfall totals and quickly rising Russian River and Foss Creek waters hopped their banks, flooded streets, caused road closures, led to a small mudslide on Fitch Mountain and flooded at least one home in town.