🌱 Healdsburg Rain, Drought Predictions + Big St. Patrick's Plans

Hello again, neighbors — it's me, Simone, your regular host of the Healdsburg Daily, back from vacation at last! Missed you all thoroughly while I was out. I'm still scouring my sources for everything that happened over the past week, but here's what I've learned so far. Enjoy...

First, today's weather:

Warm and sunny. High: 71 Low: 44.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. After the little-over-quarter-inch of rain we got earlier this week, there should be some more sorely needed wet weather on the way for Healdsburg this weekend, meteorologists say. We're reportedly looking at up to an inch in the hills from Friday through Sunday. "This will definitely be one of the wetter storms we’ve seen so far in 2022," one weather official tells the PD — which doesn't mean much, really, considering what a dry year it's been. But it should be "enough rain to dampen vegetation and temporarily ease concerns about wildfires spreading through dry fuels." Looking ahead at summer, the latest drought predictions from the City of Healdsburg are that "restrictions are likely... but the water supply conditions are somewhat improved from last year. We expect that reductions of 20% (Stage 2) will continue through the summer and fall of 2022." Compare that to a water usage reduction mandate of 40 percent last summer — which we totally knocked out of the park, clocking in at more like 50 percent. City officials also note, though, that all these predictions "may change based on rainfall totals for the remainder of the year." (NWS & City of Healdsburg & Sonoma Water & Press Democrat; paywall)
2. Certainly you've all seen this already, but the free telephone hotline full of pick-me-ups recorded by students from Healdsburg's Westside Elementary School earlier this year has gone out-of-control viral. The adults overseeing the project tell CBS it's getting 9,000 calls per day. Basically, kids recorded one-liners for people to listen to when they're feeling down — including advice like "Dude, live it up!" and "Bro, you're lookin great!" and "We love you" and "The world is a better place with you in it" and, my personal favorite, "Think of groundhogs." In footage from CBS, Miss Jessica, one of the teachers behind the hotline, tells her students: "You guys gave a gift to the world." And in an interview with the station, she says, "Adults support children, but we don't really celebrate how much they support us. And to be able to be comforted by them gives us great hope that maybe we're all going to be okay." You can call (707) 873-7862 to try Healdsburg's viral hotline for yourself. (CBS via YouTube & NY Times; paywall)
3. A big step forward this week for the planned 316-mile Great Redwood Trail stretching from Humboldt Bay to San Francisco Bay, and passing through Healdsburg via the recently finished Foss Creek Pathway. The trail project is now under the jurisdiction of a "new trail-focused agency" called the Great Redwood Trail Agency, instead of the old North Coast Railroad Authority — which was retired just 10 minutes before the trail agency was created, at a pair of state meetings Monday. Healdsburg City Councilmember David Hagele reportedly served as chair of the old agency and will continue as chair of the new one. Our state senator, Mike McGuire, was also a driving force behind the change. At the meeting, he "called the shift in the agency’s name and purpose a 'once in a lifetime transition,'" the Press Democrat reports, "from freight rail toward a pathway that will one day lead outdoor enthusiasts 'through some of the most spectacular landscapes on Earth.'" (Facebook & CBS SF Bay Area & Press Democrat; paywall)
4. Earlier this year, we lost U.S. Air Force veteran and well-known Healdsburg entrepreneur David Sinclair Opperman Jr. at the age of 89. According to his obituary, starting in the mid-1950s, David "worked with his father in the logging & lumber industry in Stewart’s Point/Cazadero, ultimately ending up in Healdsburg, California converting old logging trucks into water trucks with his father. JR described the growth of their business as evolutionary, eventually expanding into buying and repairing used trucks to keep up with the demand for heavy duty equipment." Around a decade in, the family team founded their own business: Opperman & Son. "JR dedicated his life to building the company with the help and support of his family until he retired in 1999," his obit says. And even then, "he continued to stop by 'the shop' a few times a year to make sure everyone was still doing their job properly and to share his wisdom & passion for used truck sales and service with the next generation." (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
5. We also lost Healdsburg resident Richard Alan Smith, better known as Dick, late last month at age 86. After a long and illustrious career in the finance sector, the Brooklyn native, U.S. Army vet and Wall Street big shot moved to town with his wife, Mary Ellen Smith, later in life. "Spurred by native Californian Mary Ellen, he embraced and reveled in their love affair and his second chapter, making a life together that combined extensive travels with a deep rootedness in the Healdsburg community, along with many rounds of golf at Mayacama Golf Club," his obituary says. "After decades of dedication at the office, he took to retirement without a hitch. Asked if he missed work, he spread his arms, gesturing at the rose garden on one side and the cabernet vines on the other, and exclaimed, 'What, are you kidding? I’m the happiest retired man in America.'” (SoCoNews Healdsburg)

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Healdsburg pic of the day:

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Wednesday, March 16

• Healdsburg City Council Special Meeting: Closed Session (4-6PM)
• March Industry Tea at Flambeaux Wine (4:30-6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Bike Ride Out West Dry Creek (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Unified School District Board Meeting, Feat. Consideration to Remove Indoor Mask Mandate (6PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)
• Zumba With Chuy at TCElite Gym (7:15-8:15PM)

Thursday, March 17

• Farm Box Pickup at Single Thread Restaurant (All Day)
• Healdsburg Rotary Presents Green Hair Day at Costeaux Bakery (6AM)
• Healdsburg Running Company St. Patty's Day Morning Run, Feat. Irish Coffees in the Parklet (6-7AM)
• St. Patrick's Day Parade in Downtown Healdsburg (7AM)
• Healdsburg American Association of University Women (AAUW) Spring Forum: "American Folk Music - The Golden Age, 1950-75" (Weekly, March 17-April 21, 10-11:45AM)
• AARP Tax Help at Healdsburg Library (10AM-3PM)
• Pentimento Antiques & Interiors Pop-Up Shop on Healdsburg Avenue, North of Big John's (March 17-20, 11AM-4PM)
• Celtic Concert & Irish Dancing in Healdsburg Plaza (12-2PM)
• Sonoma County Planning Commission Hearing on New Vacation Rental Ordinance (1:05PM)
• St. Patrick's Day Celebration With Free Cider Tasting & Live Music at Wildhaven Sonoma, Feat. 25% Off Reservations for Sonoma County Residents (3PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary March Mini Camp, Feat. St. Patty's Day & Dr. Seuss Themed Recipes (3:30-5PM)
• St. Patrick's Day To-Go Dinner Fundraiser for Healdsburg High School's SkillsUSA Chapter (5-7PM)
• Closing Event for "Small Joys," Young Artist Show at Healdsburg Center for the Arts (5-7PM)
• Sonoma County Government Webinar on New Election Model, "Focusing on Issues of Concern to Voters With Limited English Proficiency" (5:30-7PM)
• Taller de Presupuesto / Budget & Savings Workshop at Healdsburg Community Center (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Annual St. Patty's Day Pub Crawl (6PM)

From my notebook:

• Campo Fina is open on Tuesdays now. (Facebook)
• The Rec Park infield just got a makeover for baseball season. City officials say they "manicured, graded, and leveled" the field earlier this month, adding "10 yards of infield mix with a half-ton of infield conditioner." They also relocated the football bleachers and goal post and "renovated the pitching mound and home plate." (City of Healdsburg)
• There's a free vaccine clinic for dogs and cats coming up this weekend at the Healdsburg animal shelter. (Patch Neighbor Posts)
• Also at our local shelter! A couple sweet Guinea pigs named Nick and Tiki are awaiting their forever home. (Healdsburg Patch)

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That's it for today! See you tomorrow for more.

— 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.