Columns

In 1950: "Because the effects of marijuana produce criminal tendencies in the user, Lt. Nicolini advised his listeners to contact Chief of Police Al Giorgi if they should see anyone with the identifying marijuana cigarettes of brown paper which are sealed at both ends, or if they should discover any strange and unusual plant. By doing this, stated Lt. Nicolini, every citizen can do his part in stamping out the traffic in this vicious plant."

Warmth and water are most always welcome in California. These happy spring flowers, coppery mesemb, Malephora crocea, cheer up spring gardens with wild pops of color, like so many little suns. They are succulents in the ice plant family. Native to Africa, this plant is considered a noxious weed in some areas and a perfect garden addition in others.

When spring is in the air, we hope that local families are thinking about ... coming to Storytime! We have many upcoming events that will appeal to residents of all ages at the Healdsburg Library...

Fun facts: The chances of finding a four-leaf clover are reportedly about 1 in 5,000. Luck is involved. Clovers, or trefoils, can have more than three leaves. Five-leaf clovers are two times rarer than four-leaf, and the most leaves ever found on a clover was 63, discovered in Japan in 2023.

Fun facts: The oldest redwood in Armstrong Woods is the Colonel Armstrong Tree, estimated to be 1,400 years old. The tallest is called Parson Jones, at 310 feet. Sonoma County purchased 240 acres of Armstrong Woods in 1917 for $80,000. It opened to the public as a state park in 1936.

100 years ago, the Tracy-Waldron Fruit Co. Saturday completed arrangements for leasing the Cerri warehouse on the railroad near North street, for a term of years, and will use the entire building as their headquarters for shipping fruit.

San Francisco, the “City by the Bay,” was named after St. Francis, a wealthy, gregarious Italian. The son of a wealthy silk merchant, he was known for his love of earthly pleasures and spendthrift ways. Kind of appropriate for a big-city lifestyle...

The game of pocket billiards started in France. Louis XI had the first table built in 1496. It was an indoor version of croquet, also a French game. Dubbed the “Sport of Kings” when embraced by French aristocrats in the 1600s, its popularity spread as billiard tables became standard fixtures in French cafés in the 1800s.

The Healdsburg Intra-City Bus System is expected to begin carrying its first passengers on March 3, City Manager James Stanfield has announced. The new city mini-bus, which can carry 15 passengers, will operate each weekday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., making five complete circuits of the residential districts within the city. Fares have been set at 25-cents, with a reduced price of 10-cents for the elderly and handicapped.

The Healdsburg Library is not the only local public resource undergoing a renovation this spring. The historic Healdsburg Museum, located ironically in the former Carnegie Library building on Matheson, closed in mid-January and will remain closed until late March or early April for renovation.