🌱 Feral Pigs Gone Wild + Carl's Jr. 'Icon' + Warm Weather Ahead

Hello again, Healdsburg! Let's get you started this Monday with everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

First, today's weather:

Sunny and pretty warm, with a few clouds. High: 70 Low: 38.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. There's a beautiful tribute to Rutilia Perez, the "beloved" face of Carl's Junior in Healdsburg, in the latest issue of the Tribune. The story was inspired by a post last November in the "What's Happening Healdsburg" Facebook community group, recognizing Rutilia for handling a long line of cars, some technical difficulties and a picky order like a "freaking rockstar." Another neighbor in that thread called her "iconic" and told the story of a regular customer, a homeless man, whom she never charged for coffee and "tried over and over to get him into housing." According to the Tribune, when Rutilia, now 50 years old, first started working at our Carl's Junior location 20 years ago, she experienced some hazing and bullying from her co-workers. But she's since risen in rank and has come to love her job and the people around her. "This restaurant has something that I like," she says. "The way people love me is enough." (SoCoNews Healdsburg & Facebook & Facebook)
2. Feral pigs have reportedly been "wreaking havoc" on vineyards, farms and rural backyards in the Healdsburg area lately. From the Press Democrat: “'It’s really gotten out of hand,' said Duff Bevill, a longtime Healdsburg grape grower ... . 'They’re raising hell in agriculture right now.' Looking back 50 years, Bevill recalled planting a 1-acre Dry Creek Valley vineyard with about 500 vines, new stakes and drip irrigation lines only to find two months later all the vines 'popped out of the ground perfectly, row after row.' Last summer, he said, feral swine came up from Dry Creek, a year-round source of water released from Warm Springs Dam, uprooting the plants and tearing up the lawn in his backyard." So local farmers have lobbied State Senator Bill Dodd, a Napa Democrat, to propose a bill that would make it much easier — and cheaper — to hunt the pigs causing the damage. The senator himself has reportedly "hunted pigs on private land near Lake Sonoma," and considers himself both "a conservationist and a duck hunter." (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. The COVID case count in Sonoma County is on a steady decline. Given this trend, the county's restriction on large gatherings — of more than 50 people indoors, and more than 100 people outdoors — is set to expire later this week on Friday, Feb. 11. "The numbers are trending in the right direction, and there are clear signs that we are now past the peak of the winter surge in COVID-19 cases," says Dr. Sundari Mase, the county's health officer. However, she notes that Omicron is still very much a threat and we're not out of the woods yet. The county is still averaging around 100 new cases per day per 100,000 residents — right around where we were at the start of January, at the outset of the Omicron explosion. So "seniors over the age of 65 with underlying health conditions and people who have not yet been boosted or vaccinated" should still "avoid large gatherings and continue wearing masks indoors around people outside their household," county officials say. (Patch Press Release Desk & Sonoma County Government)

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Healdsburg pics of the day, wildlife edition:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Monday, February 7

• Spirit Week at Healdsburg Junior High: Twin Day (All Day)
• Party Bridge at Healdsburg Senior Center (1-4PM)
• Monday Mystery Book Group at Sonoma County Library: Dear Child, by Romy Hausman (2:30-3:30PM)
• Mindful Monday Virtual Yoga for All Ages at Sonoma County Library (4:30-5:30PM)
• Healdsburg City Council Meeting (6PM)
• Healdsburg High School Course Selection Night for Incoming 10th Graders (6PM)
• Healdsburg Chorus Rehearsal (Weekly on Mondays, 6:30-8:30PM)

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)

From my notebook:

• The weather forecast this week is looking crazy warm. Starting tomorrow through Friday, high temps will reportedly be in the upper 70s and low 80s. (NWS & Press Democrat; paywall)
• At tonight's Healdsburg City Council meeting, city leaders will "consider approving recommended allocations for Community Response Grants"; "receive a presentation from the Acosta Latino Learning Partnership, the recommended diversity, equity and inclusion city consultant"; "provide direction to staff regarding the transition of the existing city Reach Code for the 2022 building code cycle"; and "discuss the potential development of a Healdsburg park naming policy." (City of Healdsburg & SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• In the race for Sonoma County Sheriff, current Assistant Sheriff Eddie Engram has reportedly raised more than $90,000 — nearly double the campaign funds of any other candidate. Kevin Burke, Healdsburg's former police chief, has raised $27,375. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A letter to the editor from Jim Walters in the recent Healdsburg Tribune argues that the city's recent move to a "six stage water shortage plan" falls short of real progress. "Nothing was done or has been done about a much needed water storage system, or, new sources of water," Jim writes. "The city council is reacting to a problem instead of figuring out how to solve the problem of a no adequate storage of water system." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• In another recent letter to the editor, this one in the PD, Mary Ann Ciavonne sees "irony" in Healdsburg City Councilmember Skylaer Palacios' claim that she has been "silenced" by the council's vaccine mandate for in-person meetings. "Apparently silencing involves a 17-paragraph article in The Press Democrat, with several direct quotes from Palacios," she writes, adding: "I’m not alone in thinking Palacios has gotten way more attention than she deserves."(Press Democrat; paywall)
• Volunteers are needed for Sonoma County's annual homeless count on Feb. 25. (Sonoma County Government & Press Democrat; paywall)
• Healdsburg neighbor Claudia Sutton just released a "cookbook for Airstream and other RV users called A Moveable Feast, Recipes for Rolling Kitchens." (Nextdoor & RecipesforRollingKitchens.com)
• A young tabby cat named Binks is missing from her home at the corner of Healdsburg and Grant. Here's how to get in touch with her owner. (Nextdoor)

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You're all caught up 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.