Healdsburg Zombie Walk + Lake Sonoma Salmon Exodus + STS Flights

Good morning, people of Healdsburg! Simone here with a fresh copy of the Healdsburg Daily. You may have noticed I've been sending the Daily a little later in the day recently — curious to hear if that still works for you. Or anything else you want to tell me about your experience! Reach out anytime.

First, today's weather:

Heavy haze until late afternoon, when some sun should peek through. High: 91 Low: 55.

FYI, There's an air quality alert in effect due to smoke in the air from wildfires across NorCal. Also: Yesterday's red flag alert, which warned of optimal conditions for a fire to break out, stays in effect until 3 p.m. today.

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. As expected, the City of Healdsburg is seeking an exemption to the state's current ban on diverting water from the Russian River, based on the "basic health and human safety needs" of its population. They haven't gotten an answer yet, according to the Tribune — and it's still unclear whether residents will be subject to additional water-use restrictions at the household level later this summer. Meanwhile, state and county regulators strongly suspect that some private landowners along the river from Lake Mendocino down to Healdsburg are still siphoning off some water. An engineer for the county tells CBS: "There’s probably still some surface water diversions going on that shouldn’t be, based on looking at the stream-flow gauges along the Russian River.” (SoCoNews Healdsburg & CBS San Francisco)
2. Our local population of endangered coho salmon are likewise feeling the squeeze of the drought. In an "unprecedented" move, thousands of juvenile salmon threatened by the increasingly warm waters of their Lake Sonoma hatchery were trucked "nearly 50 miles south to a student-operated hatchery at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma" yesterday. Be free, young fishes! (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. Care to weigh in on one of the big housing developments currently being planned in Healdsburg? Freebird Development is inviting neighbors to a community meeting this Saturday morning at Barbieri Park in Parkland Farms, where everyone can opine on their plan for a future affordable housing project at the end of Parkland Farms Blvd. at the Montage Healdsburg site. "These are great meetings to get informed & share feedback with the developer & their consultants," Healdsburg City Councilmember David Hagele says. (Facebook)
4. Bad news for California wine giants like Gallo, and possibly great news for small local wineries and breweries living in the shadow of the Gallos and Anheuser-Busches of America. A new, sweeping Biden Administration review of "companies that have gotten too big at the expense of competitors and consumers" will reportedly include the behemoths of Big Booze and Big Ag. Biden "seeks to increase competition in a beer, wine and spirits market that is increasingly controlled by a handful of big companies," the Business Journal reports. The 30-plus craft breweries across Sonoma County could be among the winners of this one. (North Bay Business Journal)
5. We kid you not: Avelo Airlines is selling seats on its recently debuted flights from Santa Rosa to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for $29 a pop right now. The deal ends Aug. 31, according to Sonoma County Airport officials. (Facebook)

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Today in Healdsburg

• Sonoma County Online Workshop: Conserving Water to Combat Drought (10:30-11:30AM)
• Dry Creek Peach Farm Stand Open (12-4PM)
• Healdsburg Community Blood Drive at Villa Chanticleer (1-5:30PM)
• First Day of School at Healdsburg Unified School District (Half day)
• Tween Writing Workshop via Zoom at Sonoma County Library (4-5PM)
• Free Workshop for Farmworkers: How to Protect Yourself From Wildfire Smoke and COVID-19 / Como Protegerse del Humo de los Incendios y del COVID-19 (5PM)
• Conversaciones Comunitarias Con La Policía De Healdsburg / Community Conversations with Healdsburg Police Department (6PM)
• Healdsburg Unified School District Board Meeting (6-8PM)
• Healdsburg Sen. Mike McGuire’s Coronavirus Town Hall on the Delta Variant and the Latest Surge (6:30PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• Tonight's Healdsburg school board meeting will be the first one held in person since the pandemic hit — but you can also still watch online. The agenda includes COVID-19 regulations, drought management and student achievement at Healdsburg schools. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
• Sonoma County families with friends and relatives in Afghanistan are panicking and grieving along with the rest of the nation right now. Also among the devastated are local families whose sons and daughters died in the Afghanistan war — now seemingly in vain. (Press Democrat & Press Democrat; paywall)
• That scary "EMERGENCY ALERTS" screamer we all got on our phones this morning was about a fire way up in the Willits area, over an hour north, FYI. The fire has since been contained. (Nextdoor & Mendo Voice)
• Do you know your Healdsburg-area wildfire evacuation zone? The zones have changed a little since last year, so make sure to take note. (Facebook)
• It is also worth noting — not to jinx anything — that so far this fire season in Sonoma County, firefighters have managed to nip little outbreaks in the bud with minimal damage and few evacuations (that we've heard of, at least). Major props go to Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, especially. (Facebook)
• Healdsburg resident Angelica Cobb Parker says she's planning a "family charity zombie walk event" at the plaza in October, and it sounds amazing. She's looking for volunteer makeup artists, dance instructors, crossing guards and more. (Facebook)
• Here's the class schedule for the first three days of school. (Facebook)
• The Healdsburg Museum gallery is temporarily closed while museum staffers take down the "Picturing Healdsburg" exhibit and prep for the very awesome-looking Dry Creek Pomo exhibit opening at the end of September. To hold you over in the meantime, the museum is hosting an online exhibit called Hannah Clayborn's History of Healdsburg; it's filled with the former curator's picks of the "most compelling stories from Healdsburg’s past." (Facebook & Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update. If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to follow along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— 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 email me at simone.wilson@patch.com.