🌱 Deadly 101 Crash + PG&E On Trial + Fire Season Already?

Hello, my people! Simone here, your host of the Healdsburg Daily, with everything worth knowing about what's happening in town. Let's get to it.

First, today's weather:

Sunny and super warm. High: 76 Low: 40.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. A fatal, five-car "chain reaction" crash yesterday on the southbound 101 near the Healdsburg Avenue exit closed the freeway for hours and gnarled traffic through the streets of Healdsburg proper. One woman died — her identity hasn't been released yet — and three others were injured in the crash, officials say. The CHP told news outlets that the driver of the pickup that set off the chain reaction, 47-year-old Todd Beth of Santa Rosa, "was traveling at an unsafe speed for conditions as traffic ahead was slowing for roadway construction" on the 101 at the south end of Healdsburg. He reportedly rear-ended two cars, both of which then veered into other cars. On social media, neighbors reported sitting on the freeway for more than an hour while responders dealt with the crash. Others said traffic was at a standstill for long periods in town as well. (Healdsburg Patch & CBS & Facebook & Facebook & Facebook)
2. Beginning today, "a Santa Rosa courtroom will become the next battleground for prosecutors who hope to prove that the 2019 Kincade fire, sparked by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. power lines, was a criminal act by the giant utility," the Press Democrat reports. "Sonoma County prosecutors are pursuing 30 felony and misdemeanor charges against California’s investor-owned electrical utility for its role in the fire, which scorched more than 77,000 acres, displaced nearly 200,000 people and destroyed 174 homes." The Kincade fire was the one that burned homes and businesses along Healdsburg's rural outskirts, including the Soda Rock Winery, and prompted mass evacuations and power outages for days in town. (Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)
3. Speaking of life in fire country: Although it's only February, local fire and weather officials are already starting to warn Sonoma County residents about the growing threat of fire, given all this warm, dry weather with low humidity. From the PD: "A lack of rain and persistent offshore breezes are simply sucking the landscape dry. Humidity levels are dropping and reducing fuel moisture to levels more commonly seen in May or June, which used to be considered the start of fire season. ... Less than an inch of rain has fallen since Jan. 1, and forecasters say the outlook for February so far is continued dry, with unseasonably warm weather and temperatures expected to set record highs later this week. Low humidity is also an issue, with values measured at Cal Fire’s Oak Ridge lookout near Annapolis, 2,000 feet elevation, dropping to 9% late Sunday night and early Monday morning, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Marshal Turbeville said." FYI, Annapolis is in the hills just west of Healdsburg, and Chief Turbeville runs the fire district that protects our area. (Press Democrat; paywall)

Healdsburg pic of the day:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, February 8

• Spirit Week at Healdsburg Junior High: Mismatch Day (All Day)
• Healdsburg American Association of University Women (AAUW) Forum: "Before the Storm - America from 1815-1850" (10-11:45AM)
• Intermediate Duplicate Bridge at Healdsburg Senior Center (12-3:30PM)
• After-School Art Lab at Healdsburg Center for the Arts: Sculpture and 3-D Art (Weekly on Tuesdays, 3:30-5PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Trail Sisters Fitch Mountain Run, With Russian River Tea Company Finish (6PM)
• Community Meeting in Spanish: Affordable Housing at 155 Dry Creek Road / Junta Comunitaria en Español: Viviendas Asequibles en 155 Dry Creek Road (6-7PM)
• Virtual Coding Class for Teens at Sonoma County Library (6-7PM)

Wednesday, February 9

• Spirit Week at Healdsburg Junior High: Wear Pink, Feat. Valentine's Bingo (All Day)
• Technical Assistance Workshop for Cannabis Cultivators at Best Western Dry Creek Inn (8:30AM-4:30PM)
• Current Events Discussion Group at Healdsburg Senior Center (10AM-12PM)
• Virtual Family Storytime Celebrating Black History Month at Sonoma County Library (10:30-11:30AM)
• Strength Training for Seniors at Rec Park (1:15-2PM)
• "What Moves You?" Spiritual Reflection at THE 222 (5:30PM)
• City of Healdsburg Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting (6PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)

From my notebook:

• Quick correction: In the "pic of the day" section yesterday, I misspelled Cynthia Conners' last name as Conors. Sorry, Cynthia! She's the one who took the pic of the wild pig-ravaged garden out Dry Creek Road. She also took the beautiful blossom photo included above. :)
• And another correction from yesterday's newsletter: A helpful reader reached out to remind me that our county health officer, Dr. Sundari Mase, is not in fact a "he" but a "she." Oops! (Inbox)
• Neighbors say a trailer caught fire on Kinley Drive yesterday, but that Healdsburg firefighters "were there instantly, protected the homes next to it... and had it controlled in record time." (Facebook)
• Longtime Healdsburg resident James Hull, who worked as sales manager for Field Stone Winery and spent "many years as a board member and then board chair of the Alliance Medical Center in Healdsburg, a federally funded community clinic serving mostly un-/underinsured farmworkers and families," has passed away. To honor him, you can make a donation in his name to Alliance. (Legacy.com)

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Now you're in the loop for today. See you tomorrow for another update!

— 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.