🌱 Big Drought Update + Cash For Cans + New Fire Boss, Truck

Hi all. It's me, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Daily — back in your inbox with everything you need to know right now about what's happening locally. Enjoy this sizzling hot weekend edition of the Daily, and I'll see you on the other side...

First, your weekend weather:

• Saturday: Sunny and hot. High: 97 Low: 56.
• Sunday: Mostly sunny. High: 95 Low: 56.
• Monday: Mostly sunny again. High: 91 Low: 55.

Shoutout to the awesome local businesses who keep this newsletter running:

• Have you stopped by Amy's Wicked Slush near Memorial Bridge lately? Amy's has Slush in glorious flavors like root beer, mango, and orange cream and soft serve in flavors like Cupcake, Blueberry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Can’t decide? Get the Split — half-slush, half-soft serve layered up like a parfait! Do yourself a favor and stop by ASAP.

• Looking to buy or sell a luxury property in Sonoma County? Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s International Realty is a local firm with global reach that specializes in luxury real estate, vineyards, wineries and land in Sonoma County. Healdsburg's Sotheby's: local expertise, deep market knowledge, and a passion for the community. Whether buying or selling, it pays to work with the best. Call Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s at 707-433-4800.

• Looking to rent in the Healdsburg area? Stacey Bernd at Healdsburg & Artisan Sotheby's International has lived in Sonoma Co. for 48 years and been in real estate for 30. She knows the market the way only a local can. Thinking of listing a property for rent? She can help with that too. Contact Stacey and work with Healdsburg's best.

• Considering a fire-safe metal roof or siding for your home? Metal Roof Company has specialized in metal roofing and wall panels in the North Bay area for nearly 30 years. They work with homeowners, architects and general contractors on everything from single-family homes to commercial installations — and take pride in getting the job done right. To see a gallery of projects or to learn more, visit Metal Roof Company today or email metalroofcompany.com@gmail.com.

Click here to get your business featured in this spot.

Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Drought conditions and water use restrictions in Healdsburg have been milder so far this year than last, according to recent updates from city and county officials. All in all, Healdsburg has gotten almost double the rain during our current "water year" (starting last October) as in the one before, county experts said at a recent "drought town hall." And the Lake Mendocino reservoir, where we source most of our water (by way of the Russian River), is reportedly twice as full as it was at this time last year — although it's still well below 2020 levels, and is only 61 percent as high as the target. Right now the people of Healdsburg are under "Stage 2 water restrictions." These ask that we use 20 percent less water than in non-drought summers past, but still allow for three days of irrigation per week. We've apparently been following the rules: Healdsburg city leaders announced last week that "as a community, our water consumption was 32% less for the month of June compared to the 2017-2019 average," and thanked residents for staying vigilant. Some more good news: The City of Healdsburg, as well as other private properties and farms who get their water from the upper Russian River, are part of a new state program called "the Upper Russian River Voluntary Water Sharing Agreement" that just launched this month. According to CNN, it will give participants "a more flexible alternative to mandatory cutbacks of their water rights" — as opposed to the "all or nothing" curtailments we saw last year. You can read more about this program in the CNN report. (Sonoma County Government & Sonoma Water & City of Healdsburg & CNN)
2. The Healdsburg Fire Department just got a new second-in-command and added a new ladder truck! Mendocino County native and longtime Healdsburg resident Lance Macdonald is stepping into the role of "Fire Marshal/Division Chief" after the last person to fill the role, Linda Collister, retired back in April. Lance will be reporting straight to our top fire chief, Jason Boaz. He previously served as a reserve Healdsburg firefighter but has been working for the Novato Fire District for the past few years. "Since Lance has lived in Healdsburg for the past 17 years with his wife Emily and their 8-year-old twins Emmett and Elenora, he wanted to be able to provide service in the community where his family resides," our city manager announced in a recent newsletter update. And "as Fire Marshal/Division Chief, Lance will now play a key role in the management of our Fire Department, with special emphasis on fire prevention activities." As for the department's shiny new ladder truck: The city manager reports that it "offers a tighter turn radius and the ability to reach higher locations than the vehicle it will be replacing, resulting in enhanced ability for our team to keep the community safe." He shared a pic of Healdsburg firefighters pushing the new truck into the station on Grant Street, as per tradition. (City of Healdsburg)
3. The city's new fire hire is joined by two other big emergency- and natural disaster-related roles added this month. First, we now have an official "Emergency Response Coordinator" on staff. That role will be filled by a woman named Kelsey Carreiro, who the city says "has six years of experience as an Emergency Manager in the Air Force and holds a bachelor’s degree in Disaster and Emergency Management." And second, in the utility services department, someone named Terra Sampson has been hired to serve as a "Utility Conservation Analyst." She has "over ten years of experience in natural resources conservation and sustainability and has previously worked on energy and water efficiency programs," city officials say. "She is excited to work with Healdsburg residents on conservation programs." (City of Healdsburg)

Healdsburg pics of the day, wildlife edition:

Want one your pics featured in the Healdsburg Daily? Send it on over. Please just confirm in your email that you took the photo, and that Patch has permission to republish it 📸

This weekend in Healdsburg:

Saturday, July 16

• Garage Sale in Parkland Farms, Featuring Household & Yard Items (8AM-1PM)
• Healdsburg Saturday Farmers Market, Featuring Tour & Ceremonial Dance From Corazón Healdsburg (8:30AM-12PM)
• Yard Sale on University Street (8:30AM-3PM)
• "Mammoth" Yard Sale on Fitch Street, Feat. Musical Instruments, Tools, Art, Clothing, Pottery & More (9AM-3PM)
• Back to School Donation Drop-Off Event at the Healdsburg Community Center (July 16-27, 9AM-5PM)
• Vintage Poster Pop-Up at Hammerfriar Gallery North (July 16-17, 11AM-5PM)
• "Shifting the Lens" Culinary Series at J Vineyards & Winery, Featuring Chef Jenny Dorsey (July 16-17, 11AM-6:30PM)
• Nicole Marden & David Gray Live at Truett Hurst Winery (11:30AM-4:30PM)
• Due Ruscelli Vineyards & Tom Ribbecke of Ribbecke Guitars Present: Acoustic Guitar Duo Teja Gerken & Doug Young Live in the Oak Grove Amphitheater (3-8PM)
• 1st Annual Healdsburg Wrestling Club Poker Tournament at the Villa (5-10PM)
• Wetzel Family Estate 60th Anniversary Dinner at Alexander Valley Vineyards (5:30-8:30PM)
• Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Game Vs. the Novato Knicks at Rec Park (6PM)
• Social Impact Summer Dinner at Jordan Winery (6:15-9:30PM)
• Sacramento Band Love Mischief Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)
• DJ Dance Party at Coyote Sonoma (8PM-12AM)

Sunday, July 17

• Yard Sale on Johnson Street (8AM-12PM)
• "Día de Familia y Salud" at the Children's Museum in Cloverdale (11:45AM-2:45PM)
• Women in Conversation Experience on the Luther Burbank Center Lawn (12-4PM)
• Sundays in the Plaza, Featuring Live Music by Bluegrass Band Muleskinner Stomp (1PM)
• Corázon Healdsburg & AVFilm Present: Spanish-Language Screening of "Minions: The Rise of Gru" at the Clover Theater in Cloverdale (2:30PM)
• First Indoor Concert at the Elephant in the Room Since COVID Hit: Crowbot Feat. Spike Sikes, KC Mosso, Steve Pile & Levi Miller (9PM-12AM)

Monday, July 18

• Summer Art Camp for Kids Aged 6-9 at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts: "Comics + Characters" With Teacher Justine Mendoza (July 18-21, 8:30AM-12PM)
• "Camp Twoweekaway" Summer Camp at the Healdsburg Community Center Nursery School, Feat. Camp Songs, Crafts, Games & More (July 18-21, 9AM-1PM)
• Healdsburg Senior Center Presents: Sonoma Marin Cheese Trail Tour & Lunch (9:30AM-3:30PM)
• Summer Art Camp for Kids Aged 10-17 at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts: "Murals and Street Art" With Teacher Asherah Weiss (July 18-21, 1-4:30PM)
• Healdsburg Police Host Community Discussion on Proposed Automated License Plate Reader System / Discusión Comunitaria Sobre los Lectores de Placas Automatizadas (English 5:30PM, Español 6:30PM)
• Healdsburg City Council Meeting (6-11PM)

From my notebook:

• A new airline is officially in action at the Sonoma County Airport! It's called "aha! Airlines," and it will run flights between Santa Rosa and Reno, Nevada. There was a big celebration on Thursday for their inaugural flight, featuring a person dressed in a giant, mascot-style Snoopy costume. (Sonoma County Airport via Facebook & Sonoma County Airport via Facebook)
• Some more background from the city on the new recycling kiosk that just opened in the Healdsburg City Hall parking lot, which will give you money for your old beverage containers: "Several years ago, most of the locations accepting the California Redemption Value (CRV) beverage containers were shut down. Recognizing this shortage, The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) offered grant funding to fill this need. In partnership with Zero Waste Sonoma and the United Cerebral Palsy of the North Bay’s Petaluma Recycling Center the City successfully received funding for a two-year pilot program." (City of Healdsburg)
• There was a quick, hot fire in the wee hours yesterday at a sawmill along the 101, a few miles north of Healdsburg. "By the time fire crews arrived, a 100-by-200-foot section of bark debris and a stack of logs 15-feet high were in flames," the PD reports. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A reader emailed to remind me that the Healdsburg Senior Center serves (incredibly inexpensive) lunch on Mondays and Wednesdays, and brunch on Fridays, for the whole community to enjoy. It's called "The Bistro on Matheson." You can check out the Bistro's rotating menu here. Looks pretty great! (Inbox & City of Healdsburg)
• Healdsburg's strict rules against using natural gas sources in new construction are featured in a Business Journal story on other nearby towns and counties considering similar restrictions. A handy sidebar in the story lays out our current rules. (North Bay Business Journal; paywall)
• Someone lost their "mini drone" to the wind while playing with it in Badger Park a couple nights ago. Has anyone spotted it? (Nextdoor)
• Also: A female Catahoula dog just went missing out Chalk Hill Road, and her owner is worried someone might have stolen her, because a neighbor "found her collar hanging on a tree." (Facebook Groups)
• Keep your eye out, too, for this pretty gray cat who recently wandered away from home on Grant Street. (Nextdoor)

That's all for now! I'll be back in your inbox next week with more.

— Simone Wilson

About me: I was born and raised in Healdsburg, CA, where I was the editor of the Healdsburg High School Hound's Bark. I have since worked as a local journalist for publications in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York City and the Middle East. I'm currently a senior product manager for Patch.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Healdsburg Daily? Contact me at simone.wilson@patch.com