🌱 New B-Ball Coach + Healdsburg City Council Hopeful + Wildfire Watch

Hi, everybody! I'm back in your inbox to walk you through everything you need to know about what's happening in Healdsburg. Here we go...

First, your daily weather:

• Tuesday: Some fog and clouds in the morning, turning to sun. High: 80 Low: 54.
• Wednesday: More fog and clouds turning to more sun. High: 83 Low: 52.

Shoutout to the awesome local businesses who keep this newsletter running:

• Looking to buy or sell a luxury property in Sonoma County? Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s International Realty is a local firm with global reach that specializes in luxury real estate, vineyards, wineries and land in Sonoma County. Healdsburg's Sotheby's: local expertise, deep market knowledge, and a passion for the community. Whether buying or selling, it pays to work with the best. Call Healdsburg’s Sotheby’s at 707-433-4800.

• Have you stopped by Amy's Wicked Slush near Memorial Bridge lately? Amy's has Slush in glorious flavors like root beer, mango, and orange cream and soft serve in flavors like Cupcake, Blueberry and Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Can’t decide? Get the Split — half-slush, half-soft serve layered up like a parfait! Do yourself a favor and stop by ASAP.

• Looking to rent in the Healdsburg area? Stacey Bernd at Healdsburg & Artisan Sotheby's International has lived in Sonoma Co. for 48 years and been in real estate for 30. She knows the market the way only a local can. Thinking of listing a property for rent? She can help with that too. Contact Stacey and work with Healdsburg's best.

• Considering a fire-safe metal roof or siding for your home? Metal Roof Company has specialized in metal roofing and wall panels in the North Bay area for nearly 30 years. They work with homeowners, architects and general contractors on everything from single-family homes to commercial installations — and take pride in getting the job done right. To see a gallery of projects or to learn more, visit Metal Roof Company today or email metalroofcompany.com@gmail.com.

Click here to see your business featured in this spot.

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. A few small wildfires broke out just to the north of Healdsburg over the past couple of days. The "Knights fire" out Highway 128 in Geyserville burned around five acres yesterday afternoon before firefighters put it out. And the day before, two separate fires collectively called the "River fire" in Cloverdale also burned around five acres, near Cloverdale River Park — even reportedly jumping the 101 at one point and "burning in the center divider." Luckily, fire crews were able to contain both pretty quickly. That hasn't been the case for another fire burning out of control right now in central California: the "Oak fire" down in Mariposa County, east of Merced. A group of our local firefighters from the Northern Sonoma County Fire District, the Cloverdale Fire Protection District and a few other nearby agencies were just deployed to go help fight the 18,000-acre Oak fire as part of a "strike team specifically designed for wildland fire operations," county fire officials say. (Healdsburg Patch & Mendo Fever & Cal Fire & Sonoma County Fire District via Facebook)
2. The Healdsburg High School boys' basketball team has a new coach, according to the Press Democrat. Coach Jacob Pruitt, a relatively recent HHS grad himself from the Class of 2017, is reportedly "replacing Kevin Leffew, who stepped down from the role at the end of last season. Pruitt, 23, was on varsity for three years during his playing days and has been an assistant coach in the program since he graduated. This will be his first varsity head coaching job." The Hounds' new b-ball leader tells the PD: "I’m excited. It’s going to be fun. I mean, I know a lot of these guys and I know they want to win. So, we’ll try and keep that going." The boys' basketball team reportedly had a huge winning streak from 2018 to 2020, winning three straight league titles. Then last year they played pretty well but stumbled a little in the standings, finishing fourth in the league. We'll see how they do under their new coach this fall! (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. Healdsburg native and man-about-town Chris Herrod says he's planning to run for one of three open City Council seats this November. One of the seats was recently left vacant when councilmember Skylaer Palacios decided to step down, and the other two are opening up because Evelyn Mitchell and Ozzy Jimenez' terms are ending. Evelyn has announced she's running for re-election, but Ozzy hasn't said anything yet, that we've heard. As for Chris Herrod: You may know him as the face of Luthiers Mercantile, which used to be headquartered in Healdsburg but has since moved to Windsor; as the director of the Healdsburg Guitar Festival; as the winner of the Mr. Healdsburg pageant at the Raven in 2012; or as a longtime commissioner for the city's Parks & Rec Department. He says in a press release that in his role at Parks & Rec, he was "instrumental in both preventing the Fitch Mountain preserve from being allowed for special events and he also took a strong position against allowing a major ticketed wine and food event from taking over the city’s iconic Plaza" — because "these places should remain open for everyone." You can read more about his positions on local issues on his freshly launched campaign website. (Inbox & Facebook Groups & ChrisforHealdsburg.com & Healdsburg Tribune)

Healdsburg pic of the day:

Want to see your local photo featured in the Healdsburg Daily? Send it to me for consideration. Please just confirm in your email that you took it, and that Patch has permission to republish it. 📸

Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, July 26

• Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market (9AM-12:30PM)
• Back to School Donation Drop-Off Event at the Healdsburg Community Center (July 26-27, 9AM-5PM)
• Ullage Wines Tasting Event at Little Saint (4-6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Pub Run to Fogbelt Brewing for Grand Opening (6PM)
• Tuesdays in the Plaza, Featuring Live Music by Reggae Band Sol Horizon (6-8PM)
• Comedian Dave Chappelle Live at the Luther Burbank Center (July 26-28, 7PM)
• Dan Marting & the Noma Rocksteady Band Live at the Elephant in the Room (7-10PM)

Wednesday, July 27

• Bird Walk at Riverfront Regional Park (8:30-10AM)
• Sonoma County Government Presents Virtual Home Resiliency Workshop: "Understanding Residential Heat Pumps for HVAC and Water Heating" (11:30AM-12:30PM)
• "Universal Yums" for Teens at the Healdsburg Library (2-3PM)
• City of Healdsburg Senior Citizens Advisory Commission Meeting (4PM)
• Sabor De Mi Cuba Performs Cuban & Latin Music at the Healdsburg Library (6PM)
• Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Game Vs. the Lincoln Potters at Rec Park (6PM)
• Sonoma Water Agency Presents Virtual "Zero Water Waste" Webinar (6-7:30PM)
• Corazón Healdsburg Hosts Spanish & English Conversation Group / Conversación Intercambio (Weekly, 6-7:30PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)
• Super Secret Band Live at the Elephant in the Room (7-10PM)

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Housing:

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Alrighty, you're good for today. See you soon!

— 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