Creative Water Source + $1.9M Montage Homesites + Mill St. Crash

Hey, everybody! Looks like we made it to Tuesday. In this edition of the Healdsburg Daily, we've got fire news, water news, development news — all the regulars — and everything else you need to know about what's happening in town today. Here we go...

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First, today's weather:

Mostly sunny with a breeze, much like yesterday. High: 92 Low: 46.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. A man was killed yesterday afternoon when he crashed his red Jeep Liberty off Highway 128 near La Franchi Road, in an unincorporated area just east of Healdsburg's Alexander Valley. "Vehicle off road down embankment," tweeted Sonoma County Scanner Updates, an account that monitors local police scanners. "Entire roadway is blocked. Driver is out of the vehicle. 2 others are trapped inside." CBS later reported that the driver had died and one passenger was hospitalized. The wreckage was cleared and the highway reopened after a few hours. As of Monday night, the driver hadn't been identified yet. R.I.P. (CBS San Francisco & Twitter)
2. The gubernatorial recall election is upon us! Ballots include 46 candidates who are vying for the California governor's job, including 24 Republicans, nine Democrats and 13 others. In addition, Sonoma County voters will decide on whether to recall District Attorney Jill Ravitch and if so, whether one of two write-in candidates — Omar Figueroa or Joe Castagnola — should replace her, as no one filed to be listed on the ballot as a replacement candidate. Here's where to drop off your mail-in ballot or vote in person in Healdsburg. (Healdsburg Patch)
3. Healdsburg city leaders are investigating the possibility of digging "groundwater supply wells" as a backup water source for future drought years. "Upon request of City staff, several proposals were received to determine the feasibility of groundwater supply wells, including permitting and design," officials announced this week. They're now reviewing the proposals. And in other drought planning news: An additional public workshop on the current draft of the 2021 update to the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan will be held on Wednesday of next week. (City of Healdsburg)
4. Mendocino County to the north has been getting rocked by wildfires in recent days, sending some menacing billows of smoke down in our direction. Just after firefighters managed to form a perimeter around the 257-acre Hopkins Fire on the shore of Lake Mendocino yesterday morning, another 7-acre vegetation fire dubbed the McCutchan Fire was reported by afternoon. It popped up in the same spot as last week's Rock Fire on the Sonoma-Mendocino County line — one of the fires sparked by lightning Thursday. Both the county-line fires have since been contained, and the Hopkins Fire was at 30 percent containment last night. Fortunately, right on cue, the new Watch Duty fire information app now covers Mendocino County. (Twitter & Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)
5. There was an "expanded traffic collision" on Mill Street between the 101 freeway overpass and the roundabout late yesterday afternoon, according to the PulsePoint emergency alert app. A neighbor on Nextdoor also reported the street was blocked under the 101 and that "multiple police, fire and ambulance" were on scene. We couldn't find any more information on the crash, but hoping everyone is okay! (PulsePoint & Nextdoor)

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Today in Healdsburg:

• Virtual Meeting: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors (8:30AM)
• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market, Feat. Swing 42 on the Gazebo Stage (9AM-12:30PM)
• Virtual Pride Club for Teens at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Virtual Meeting: Healdsburg Library Advisory Board (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company "Trail Sisters" Run at Shiloh Regional Park (6PM)
• Rotary Club Scholarship Information Night at Healdsburg High School (6PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• The Healdsburg City Council held a two-and-a-half-hour virtual "workshop on local and regional efforts to address homelessness" last night. You can rewatch it here. (Facebook)
• The Foggy River Farm pumpkin patch out on Eastside Road opens for its second year this Saturday, Sept. 18. "We encourage visitors to sign up in advance to help us space out folks, but drop ins are also welcome," the farm says. (Facebook)
• We've got a construction update from Healdsburg city officials on the Mill District's 41-unit affordable housing development at the south end of town, aka the Eden apartments at 111 Saw Mill Circle — "the first portion of a multi-phase transformation of the former Nu-Forest Products saw mill property into a mixed-use district." The apartment building's foundation and "first floor concrete slab" were scheduled to be poured in the wee hours yesterday. "Pedestrian and traffic safety will be closely monitored," officials said. (City of Healdsburg)
• Sonoma County's unemployment rate came in at 5.6 percent in July, an improvement from 5.8 percent in June — and a significant relief compared to June 2020, a few months into the pandemic, when it stood at 10 percent. (Healdsburg Patch)
• Did you know that Healdsburg businesses with old, inefficient water equipment can apply to get fancy new replacements paid for through the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership? (Facebook)
• A sweet senior Pinscher dog was found on Grove Street near Healdsburg Avenue yesterday. He's being held at the Healdsburg animal shelter. (Nextdoor)
• Down in Santa Rosa, the San Francisco Chronicle has the tale of an arson suspect caught by witnesses setting a grassy area on fire behind a shopping mall. They then surrounded the suspect until police came and arrested him. There's no connection between this case and the 15 fires that broke out across Healdsburg in a single night last week, the Chronicle reports — and in fact, no update at all from officials so far on the possibility of arson in that bizarre event. (San Francisco Chronicle via MSN)
• Healdsburg's annual Foss Creek Cleanup is coming up on Saturday, Sept. 25. Here's how to get involved. (City of Healdsburg)
• Not for the faint of heart! Fifth graders in the Healdsburg School's sex-ed class are currently learning about the birds and the bees by dissecting canine reproductive organs courtesy of the Wine Country Veterinary Hospital. (Facebook)
• The first of the "build-ready" homesites in the Montage Healdsburg kingdom — or the first ones we've noticed, at least — just went on the market for around $1.9 million each. For the land alone. (Redfin & Redfin)

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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.

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