🌱 Healdsburg Storm Recovery + More Rain Tonight + Businessman Dies

Good day, friends! I'm back after the long holiday weekend with your fresh copy of the Healdsburg Patch newsletter. Let's dive right into what's happening in town, including these stories and more:

• A new storm recovery support center opens in Healdsburg
• A well-known local businessman has passed away in his 70s
• What's happening at our main water reservoir

Today's newsletter is sponsored by CraftWork Healdsburg

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Now, your local weather:

• Wednesday: Mix of clouds and sun, with rain expected in the evening. High: 57 Low: 35.
• Thursday: Frosty in the morning, then mostly sunny. High: 57 Low: 33.

And a heads up from the San Francisco Chronicle about the small storm coming through tonight, reportedly the "final atmospheric river" expected for a while: "The European weather model takes the cold front over the North Bay’s higher elevations around sunset, raising widespread showers. Rainfall rates will likely reach half an inch per hour, potentially raising concerns for another round of ponding and urban flooding. Sections of Highways 101, 12 and 29, including roadways in Healdsburg, Guerneville and small towns in and around Santa Rosa and Napa are at risk. These highways will host rounds of runoff from hillsides as rainfall percolates down their slopes and into low-lying areas." (SF Chronicle; paywall)

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Let's take a quick look at Healdsburg's water supply after these past few weeks of rain. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — the agency in charge of the Lake Mendocino reservoir, our main source of water here in town — shared on Sunday afternoon that "in the past month, the elevation of Lake Mendocino has increased almost 40 feet, and at some point tomorrow, reservoir storage will approach 100,000 acre-feet, a mark we haven’t seen in well over a decade. That's a lot of water!" Here are some more details from the Army Corps announcement: "We are excited by the benefits the lake will now provide in terms of water supply and boating. We also remain mindful to the flood risk reduction our excess lake capacity provides to downstream communities. Starting Monday, we will begin to release some of this water to make room for additional rainfall that can arrive this season. This approach will safely accommodate additional storm inflows, and sustain lake levels for boating and other recreation. Significant high-flow releases of at least 3,000 [cubic feet per second] will be made at the dam. The release is being timed to allow downstream river levels to recede while still allowing for as much time as possible to evacuate water from the dam prior to the next storm. Releases are expected to increase by approximately 1,000 [cubic feet per second] per hour and will be timed to coincide with decreasing river stage at downstream locations." According to The Mendocino Voice, a local paper up in Ukiah, "some have shared concerns that flood control release will deplete these exciting new water levels, reverting to the parched Lake Mendocino residents have grown accustomed to. But the [Army Corps] has said that preserving some water is a priority." (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers via Facebook & Mendocino Voice & msnNOW)
2. Sonoma County government officials and a coalition of local orgs including Corazón Healdsburg opened a popup "recovery support center" for storm victims inside the Healdsburg Community Center over the weekend, along with another one over in Guerneville. They'll be open through at least 7 p.m. tonight; you can call 211 to find out more about the hours and if you're eligible for help. County officials say they opened the centers "in communities most impacted by economic loss from the winter storms" — "an innovative new model to disaster response and recovery that seeks to direct government and nonprofit assistance to people disproportionately impacted by economic losses during the January storms." And the main thing the centers offer is "financial aid and services to people who have not been able to access unemployment and other insurance, paid sick leave or vacation, or other disaster assistance," officials say. "The goal is to direct aid to people who suffered economic losses during the storms, including damage to homes and vehicles; lost wages because of inability to work; lack of childcare due to school closures; and the costs of purchasing fuel and water due to the storm or replacing spoiled food." (Sonoma County Government & County of Sonoma via Facebook & California Office of the Governor via Nextdoor)
3. Vietnam veteran and Healdsburg businessman Byron Hohnstein reportedly passed away last month at the age of 74. As a young man, he served for years in the U.S. Air Force as a jet engine mechanic, which earned him three medals. After returning, he lived in Ukiah and Santa Rosa for a while before moving to Healdsburg with his high school sweetheart turned wife of 52 years, Debbie, in the late 1970s. "They fell in love with an old victorian fixer-upper in Healdsburg that would be the home they raised their four children in," his obituary says. "A self-employed business owner for most of his life, Hohnstein was grateful to work with loyal, hard-working staff at Aamco Transmissions, Transco Transmissions in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg Transmission. Because of his love and joy for all things trucks, his last business was Healdsburg Landscape Materials which he founded in 1998. His first purchase was a shiny, red Peterbilt from Opperman and Son. He was most at home in the cab of that truck crisscrossing Healdsburg delivering material." His family plans to hold a celebration of life at the Villa on Saturday, Jan. 28 — and they're inviting "anyone who knows Byron to attend and remember his life." (Legacy.com)

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Wednesday, January 18

• Teen Anime Club at the Healdsburg Library (2PM)
• "Into The Artic: Photographing Wild Places" Show at CraftWork Healdsburg: Adventurer & Landscape Photographer David Hargreaves Shares His Photos From Greenland, Iceland & Norway (5:30PM)
• Odyssey Wine Academy at Bacchus Landing: Level 2 Certification From the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (Weekly, Jan. 18-Mar. 15, 5:30-7:30PM)
• Healdsburg High School Home Wrestling Meet Vs. Elsie Allen (6PM)
• Healdsburg Unified School District Board Meeting at Healdsburg City Hall (6-8PM)
• Santa Rosa JC Hosts Bilingual Computer Class at the Healdsburg Community Center: "Basic Computers Level 3 / Computación Básica Nivel 3" (Weekly, Jan. 18-Feb. 22, 6-9PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (Weekly, 7-9PM)
• Healdsburg High School Boys Basketball Home Game Vs. Ukiah (7:30PM)

Thursday, January 19

• Healdsburg High School Boys Soccer Home Game Vs. Analy (7PM)
• "Cesar Died Today" Latino Play at the Raven Theater (Jan. 19-21, 7:30PM)
• Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes Live at the Elephant in the Room (8PM)

Healdsburg pics of the day, reservoir edition:

Do you have a great local pic to share? You can send it to me here for consideration in the newsletter. I especially love to feature photos of community members! Please just confirm in your email that you took any pics you're sending, and that Patch has permission to republish them. 📸

From my notebook:

• A very comprehensive New York Times story over the weekend about the chaotic recent storms across California featured a photo of a flooded field in Healdsburg. One neighbor has identified it as "the field at the intersection of hendricks ln and westside rd." (Facebook Groups & New York Times; paywall)
• And Healdsburg's vice mayor, David Hagele, shared an interesting video of "the storm water detention basin by the skatepark at work" on Saturday. "These detention basins play a key role during storm events to divert and relieve water flows throughout the City of Healdsburg," he says. (David Hagele via Facebook)
• Residents in the north Fitch Mountain area say their power went out briefly when a tree fell on a power line during last weekend's storms. (Facebook Groups)
• Wondering how all this rain has affected our local vineyards? Both the Chronicle and the PD talked to Healdsburg winemakers and found that a good drenching can be "actually a good thing for vineyards." (SF Chronicle & Press Democrat; paywall)
• Ticket sales are now open for the second annual Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience — hosted over four days in May by local restaurants, wineries and hotels. Tickets for individual events start at around $100 and go up to $450, while the VIP packages covering the whole weekend run from $2,7oo to a whopping $3,900. Organizers say "a substantial donation from our consumer ticket sales and sponsorships will go to local organizations that are making a meaningful difference in the lives of farmers and their families," including the Sonoma County Grape Growers Foundation, local food justice nonprofit Farm to Pantry and the Healdsburg chapter of the FFA. (Sonoma County Winegrowers via Facebook)
• As of this week, the Elephant in the Room pub in the Mill Street shopping center is now open on Mondays. (The Elephant in the Room via Facebook Groups)
• And starting next week, Costeaux bakery downtown will be open on Tuesdays. (Costeaux French Bakery via Facebook Groups)
• Last week's issue of the Healdsburg Tribune included a great preview of "Cesar Died Today," the new play about "a Mexican-American family hiding secrets from each other" opening tomorrow at the Raven Theater. From the Trib: "Co-writers of the play are Gabriel Fraire and John Fraire, brothers who both live in Healdsburg. Of the two, it’s Gabriel Fraire who is the more familiar presence in town. He first moved to Healdsburg in 1986 and has been a writer and editor ever since, including stints in the ’80s as editor for The Healdsburg Tribune and Windsor Times. He was even named Healdsburg’s Literary Laureate (2014-15). As recently as August, he read from the Gazebo stage for the annual Healdsburg Arts Festival." (Healdsburg Tribune & Raven Theater)
• Five new reserve firefighters just joined the Healdsburg Fire Department after graduating from the JC's firefighter school. (Healdsburg Fire Department via Facebook)
• There's a new landscaping company in town called Inspired Landscapes, located out Alexander Valley Road. "We are a design/build and maintenance company serving Sonoma County with focus on sustainable practices and horticultural expertise," says founder Matt Ripley. (Nextdoor & InspiredLandscapesLLC.com & Google Maps)
• A neighbor says she found "an iPad and small purse sitting on a wall on Healdsburg Avenue" and is looking for the person who lost them. (Nextdoor)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Events:

• Into The Artic: Photographing Wild Places (January 18)
• Add your event

That's it for today. I'll see you right back here 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.

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