Final Plaza Concert + Healdsburg Police Log + PG&E Scammers

Hey, neighbors. It's me again, Simone, your host of the Healdsburg Daily — here to tell you everything you need to know about what's happening today in town. Let's do it.

First, today's weather:

Plenty of sunshine, with less smoke than in the past few days. High: 89 Low: 45.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Thank heavens for the Healdsburg Tribune! Instead of reading the 77-page draft of the city's 2021 update to the 2020 Urban Water Management Plan (which we encourage of course, but it's... a lot), you can at least check out this beautiful overview from the Trib. It includes all the main issues raised by Healdsburg water activists, as well as the response from city leaders. The key gripe among locals seems to be that the plan doesn't go far enough in accounting for worsening climate-change conditions and disaster scenarios such as multiple drought years in a row. The plan is currently being revised based on this feedback, and will go "back to city council for consideration in the next two to three months." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
2. Beware of phone, email and text-message scammers pretending to be PG&E reps in Sonoma County. There have been around 2,700 scam attempts reported to PG&E so far this summer across California, the utility company says — and they "have become increasingly deceptive." Scammers often ask their targets for immediate payment to avoid disconnecting electric and gas service. They often target older adults, people who do not speak English fluently, people in lower-income communities or businesses operating during peak hours. Here are some warning signs to look out for. (Healdsburg Patch)
3. Two electrical wires touched due to slack in the power line at Healdsburg and Live Oak avenues near Safeway yesterday morning. Next thing you know, the power went out for more than 5,000 residents in the Sebastopol area til afternoon. PG&E crews have since repaired the faulty line. (Press Democrat; paywall)
4. Fancy new Healdsburg restaurant "the Matheson," located on the plaza next to Copperfield's, will finally open its doors this Thursday. A food blogger from Eater San Francisco tours the space, which includes "an upscale restaurant; a sushi counter; two bars; and a rooftop lounge, resulting in a sort of Choose Your Own Adventure–inspired dining experience." In the words of restaurant co-founder and Healdsburg native Dustin Valette: “The Matheson is an expression of our community, of our passion and dedication not only to our farmers and ranchers, but to our way of living here in wine country.” A la carte dishes will reportedly range from $13 to $38. See all the posh pics here. (Eater SF)
5. The Healdsburg High School football team won their first game of the season last Friday against Fort Bragg, 20 to 14 — and in doing so, "put an end to a protracted, 20-game losing streak." The win is reportedly their first in three seasons. From the Trib: "The victory sets the tone for a new chapter of Healdsburg High School football, which hasn’t had a winning season in eight years." Next, the HHS Greyhounds will face off against the San Rafael Bulldogs this Friday at Rec Park. Last time they played the Bulldogs, the other team more than doubled their score. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

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Healdsburg pic of the day (again):

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Today in Healdsburg:

• Final Day: "Art for Life" Online Auction at Upstairs Art Gallery (12AM-8PM)
• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market (9AM-12:30PM)
• Sonoma County Arts Education Alliance Virtual Meeting for Parents (12:30PM, 5:30PM)
• Virtual Pride Club for Teens at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Crooked Goat Pub Run: Healdsburg Running Company Road Trip to Sebastopol (6PM)
• Final Tuesdays in the Plaza: Petty Theft - Tom Petty Tribute (6-8PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• Beginning today at noon, all 18 national forests across the state of California will be closed for at least two weeks, including over Labor Day weekend. This is "in order to better provide public and firefighter safety due to extreme fire conditions throughout the state, and strained firefighting resources throughout the country,” forest officials say. (Sacramento Bee)
• It's Healdsburg Police Log time again. Last week's log includes a report from a caller saying "75% of the members" at World Gym on Healdsburg Avenue "had their masks around their necks," and a similar report about maskless staffers at the Downtown Bakery; a sighting of "two male students fist fighting and two other boys standing by" on Brown Street; and someone who called the police about a "disturbing trend" of "motorcycles driving through town, intentionally rev'ing their engines and causing a disturbance." That last caller also said the motorcyclists "scare children on purpose when they drive by and then laugh." (Healdsburg Police Department)
• The Gazette goes in-depth this week with everything you've ever wanted to know about "that green stuff in the Russian River." (Sonoma County Gazette)
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Congressman Mike Thompson held a recent roundtable in Santa Rosa "to ask community leaders about what they need to avoid another destructive wildfire." The politicians are now headed back to Washington to advocate for a $7 billion hurricane and fire indemnity program. (NBC Bay Area)
• A golf tournament coming up on Oct. 3 at the Healdsburg Golf Club "is the first after two straight years of cancellations due to COVID and proceeds will benefit all 17 sports programs at Healdsburg High School." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• Great news for local accountability reporting in Sonoma County, a cause close to this journalist's heart! The PD just announced it's "launching a five-person investigative and enterprise reporting team." (Press Democrat; paywall)
• There's a mysterious staffing shortage affecting a "broad spectrum" of businesses across Sonoma, Napa and Marin counties right now. According to the head of Sausalito's chamber of commerce: “People are not applying for jobs. I’m not sure if it is EDD and all the government checks and assistance, or if people are not ready to go back because of COVID and not being vaccinated, or they have moved out of the area. Maybe there is less work force in our area. We are all trying to figure it out." (North Bay Business Journal)
• Today is the last day to "capture and preserve your pandemic stories and memories" online for the Sonoma Responds community archive project. (Facebook)
• A senior Australian cattle dog named Queenie just went missing out Westside Road near Felta. (Nextdoor)
• A pair of best-friend bunnies and a pair of best-friend guinea pigs have both been languishing at the Healdsburg animal shelter all summer. Anybody? (Humane Society of Sonoma County)

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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? You can reach me at simone.wilson@patch.com.