🌱 Big Rig V. Hydrant + New School Rules + Healdsburg Hit And Run

Well hello there, Healdsburg! Simone here, per usual, to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days. Hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend. See you on the other side...

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Partly sunny. High: 67 Low: 38.
• Saturday: Mostly sunny. Warmest day of the weekend. High: 70 Low: 40.
• Sunday: Mix of clouds and sunshine. High: 64 Low: 35.
• Monday: Partly sunny again, and cooling down. High: 58 Low: 34.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. The fire hydrant in front of the Rotten Robbies gas station on Healdsburg Avenue started shooting a disturbing amount of water into the air early yesterday afternoon, according to a couple different readers who sent me photos. Local real estate pro Stacey Bernd — who, full disclosure, also helps sponsor this newsletter! — said that a big rig truck "took out" the fire hydrant while exiting the gas station. Another local, Phil Workman, reached out to say he spotted the Healdsburg Fire Dept. responding around 1:30 p.m. And Dana Halverson, who works at Rotten Robbies, wrote on Facebook: "That poor guy that ran into the fire hydrant... he felt so embarrassed. Didn't make the wide enough turn... I didn't see it happening as I was helping a customer but I definitely heard the loud bang." She said it took responders "about 20-25 minutes to get the water off." (Inbox & Facebook)
2. The City of Healdsburg just launched its much-anticipated "interactive budget simulation" tool for residents to play around with as city leaders set their two-year budget between now and April. The tool allows you to "adjust revenues and expenditures and provide your thoughts and comments on each City department’s budget," the city says. "These are your tax dollars, please take a moment to share with us how you would like to see them spent!" (Facebook & City of Healdsburg)
3. You may see some smoke rising from the west this afternoon. That's because there's another six-acre prescribed burn today on Chemise Road, out West Dry Creek. According to the Northern Sonoma County Fire District, which protects the land surrounding Healdsburg: "The burn will begin at 10am and we will stop lighting fire by 2pm. This will be the 5th prescribed burn we have conducted on Chemise Rd. These burns, combined with work completed by our Fuel Reduction Crew are creating a shaded fuel break. This shaded fuel break from the edge of the 'Walbridge Fire' burn scar down Chemise Road will hopefully stop or slow the spread of future wildfires above the Dry Creek Valley." District officials say they've staged "over 500 acres of prescribed burns since November 1, 2020, and have manually treated over 600 acres since November 1, 2018." (Facebook)
4. There was some more drama on the 101 just north of Healdsburg this week, when a suspected drunk hit-and-run driver rear-ended a Jeep, flipping it, and then fled to his house in Healdsburg, according to the CHP. This all went down around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday near Limerick Lane. Officials tell the Press Democrat that Healdsburg resident Phillip Rea, 29, got out of his vehicle briefly to "somewhat check on" the guy in the flipped Jeep — who was later taken to the hospital with "minor injuries" — but then left the scene. From the PD: "Witnesses reported the man’s license plate to authorities, who then went to his house in Healdsburg where they questioned him. The man was 'a little combative when we were trying to contact him at the house,' [CHP spokesman David deRutte] said. He said the man refused a sobriety test and a breathalyzer test, but investigators believed he was under the influence of alcohol." Rea is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon. (Press Democrat; paywall)
5. The Healdsburg Unified School District just updated its COVID guidelines at local schools. While masks are still required indoors, other rules have been softened, according to the Healdsburg Tribune. Students and staff no longer need to wear masks outdoors, and there are no more "minimum physical distancing requirements," the Trib reports. Meanwhile, required isolation time for those who test positive is down to five days. Also: The school district "will no longer be required to regularly update individual school site plans for addressing COVID-19." Read more about the updates here. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

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Healdsburg pics of the day:

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This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, February 18

• Funeral Service for Dennis Campos at St. John's the Baptist Church (12PM)
• Intermediate Ukulele at Healdsburg Senior Center (12:30-2:30PM)
• Rummikub at Healdsburg Senior Center (12:30-3PM)
• Ping Pong Play at Healdsburg Senior Center (1:30-2:45PM)
• Drop-in Mah Jong at Healdsburg Senior Center (1:30-3:30PM)
• Healdsburg Library Storytime for Older Kids (K-2) & Great Backyard Bird Count Kickoff at Giorgi Park (3:30PM)
• Derek Irving Rockabilly Duo Live at Coyote Sonoma (5:30-8:30PM)
• Zumba With Chuy at TCElite Gym (7:15-8:15PM)
• The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Raven Theater (7:30-9:30PM)

Saturday, February 19

• Healdsburg Running Company Kortum Trail and Red Hill Run, Feat. Goat Rock Meet Up With Northern Lights Surf Shop (8AM)
• "Read to a Dog" at Healdsburg Library (11AM-12PM)
• Celebration of Life for Roger Dormire at Healdsburg Community Church (1PM)
• Ceramics Class at Healdsburg Center for the Arts: Beginning and Continuing Handbuilding (1-3:30PM)
• Healdsburg Animal Shelter Fundraiser: "Tune It Up to Help a Pup" at Ernie Ball Strings in Cotati, Feat. Puppy Kissing Booth (1-4PM)
• Live Music by Mimi & Gabe Pirard at Spicy Vines Winery (3-6PM)
• Live Jazz at Hotel Healdsburg: Carlos Henrique Pereira Trio (5-8PM)
• Annual Crab Dinner at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery (5:30PM)
• Interactive Light Display at the Healdsburg Plaza: Musical Light Experience (6-8PM)
• Ken Wilson's Rock Lobster Party at Coyote Sonoma, Feat. The Unauthorized Rolling Stones (5-11PM)

Sunday, February 20

• Matinee: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) at the Raven Theater (2PM)
• Campfire Music at Wildhaven Sonoma: Chris Todd (7-9PM)

Monday, February 21

• Quilted Collage Class at Healdsburg Center for the Arts (Feb. 21-22, 10AM-4PM)
• Stanley Lombardo Performs The Return of Odysseus at THE 222 (7PM)
• Raven Players "ScripTease" Public Reading at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts: "Betty and Edith and Sue" (7PM)

From my notebook:

• Since Monday is a holiday, next week's regular Healdsburg City Council meeting will be held Tuesday instead, at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Agenda items include the affordable housing project proposed for the lot behind Big John's, the "Villa Chanticleer operational transition," budget stuff, road stuff, garbage stuff and more stuff. (City of Healdsburg)
• Heads up: The folks at Dry Creek Peach are warning customers that their "drycreekpeach" Instagram account was hacked earlier this week. "Someone, not us, has taken control of the account and... we do not have access to our prior or current posts," the owners said yesterday. "They have started posting today with crypto trading information. This is not us, we have nothing to do with cryptocurrency trading. Please unfollow this site and we will let you know when we have created a new peach Instagram account." (Inbox & Facebook)
• On a more positive note, the Dry Creek Peach farm "is in good shape and we are starting to bloom," the owners added. "Hoping for a good 2022 peach season." (Inbox & Facebook)
• Healdsburg police say they're looking for two "credit card fraud suspects" — a man and a woman who allegedly "used a stolen credit card at Walmart in Windsor." Here's what they look like. (Facebook)
• There's some nice new art to check out at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts. "Come in to see all the new items!" the center says. (Facebook)
• Healdsburg's spacious Paul Mahder Gallery also just launched a cool feature where you can take a virtual tour of the gallery online. Use it to glide through the halls of their current Tarot-themed exhibit, "Journey to the Tower." (Facebook & MailChimp)
• The PD published a super comprehensive directory this week of Sonoma County's largest nonprofits, including six in Healdsburg. They are, in order of budget size: Dry Creek Foundation Inc, a "private foundation supporting mainly wildlife conservation"; Alliance Medical Center, a "community health center serving low income residents of Healdsburg and Windsor"; the private Healdsburg School; the Healthcare Foundation of Northern Sonoma County; the philanthropic John Jordan Foundation; and Wine Road Northern Sonoma County Inc, which "increases awareness of Sonoma County Wine Country through education and marketing." (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Valette restaurant in Healdsburg makes Sonoma Mag's "top 10 picks" for Sonoma County Restaurant Week. "Expect four courses to knock your socks off" next week, the magazine says, "including a honey-brined pork porterhouse or charred Japanese eggplant falafel." (Sonoma Magazine)
• And Bodkin Wines in Healdsburg makes Thrillist's list of the eight best "black-owned wineries and wine labels to support across California." (Thrillist)
• The Healdsburg Library is hosting Dungeons & Dragons meetups for teens on Wednesday afternoons from 1:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. "All supplies provided." (Facebook)
• There's a pretty awesome-looking "marine mammal seminar and seal watch training" happening tomorrow in Jenner, out at the coast. And it's free! (Healdsburg Patch Calendar)
• The Healdsburg High School classes of 1990, 1991 and 1992 are having a "combined 30th class reunion" this coming July 30 at the Villa Chanticleer. You can buy your tickets here. Organizers also say they're "still actively searching for classmates, so if you know of anyone who graduated during these years, please spread the word!" (Facebook & HHS1990.com)
• Reminder: The community members trying to keep Healdsburg knitting shop and community gathering space Purls of Joy up and running need your support. (GoFundMe)

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— 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.