🌱 New Traffic Signal + HHS TikTok Drama + No More Recycled Water

Good morning, people of Healdsburg! Simone here with your Tuesday edition of the Daily, full of everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

First, today's weather:

Cool and cloudy again, with a little rain. High: 59 Low: 53.

Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 5 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. Healdsburg is in a very different water situation than it was last week! In the last 48 hours, since Sunday morning, we've gotten about 8 inches of rain, according to national weather officials. The Russian River is "once again rushing," CBS reports: "Last week, it trickled at 35 cubic feet per second, now it’s in the tens of thousands." Lake Mendocino, our water reservoir, just shot up another four feet; it's now at about the same level as a month ago. Given all this, the City of Healdsburg has decided to end its famous recycled water program early "due to historic levels of rainfall last week," because "soils throughout Healdsburg are saturated and the rain has eliminated the need to haul recycled water." So the program is now over, effective immediately. From the city: "We appreciate the high level of water conservation achieved this summer and your participation in the recycled water hauling program. Should you have further questions regarding the suspension of the recycled water hauling program please email: conservation@healdsburg.gov or call: (707) 431-3122." (CBS San Francisco & NOAA & CA Dept. of Water Resources & Facebook)
2. Starting today, there's a new traffic signal on Dry Creek Road between Grove Street and Healdsburg Avenue, at the railroad tracks. The new signal is "part of the Foss Creek Pathway Project," city officials say, "and will allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross Dry Creek Road while vehicle traffic is stopped." They claim it's optimized to coordinate with the other nearby signals along Dry Creek Road to minimize car buildup, "allowing traffic to flow similarly to pre-project conditions." This also means the Foss Creek Pathway project is finished! It's now a 4.1-mile bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfare through Healdsburg, connected to bike lanes at the north and south ends of town. It will serve as our very own stretch of the planned 316-mile Great Redwood Trail from Humboldt Bay to San Francisco Bay. There's a big Grand Opening celebration planned for Saturday, including a "Run, Walk and Roll lead by Healdsburg Running Company from City Hall to the Healdsburg Community Center." (City of Healdsburg)
3. At the height of the storm Sunday morning, a Sonoma County sheriff's deputy and his "K9 partner" made a huge fentanyl bust off the Old Redwood Highway freeway exit in Healdsburg. Two people in their mid 30s with outstanding arrest warrants were pulled over and found with "approximately 40,000 pills of suspected fentanyl" hidden inside their car, according to the sheriff. The suspects — Cesar Olvera-Cornejo of Orosi, CA, and Jennifer Zografos, a transient — have been booked in county jail on three felonies each, the sheriff says: "possession of narcotics for sale, transportation of narcotics for sale, and conspiracy." (Facebook)
4. The bathrooms at Healdsburg's high school and junior high reportedly fell victim to a nationwide "damage school" challenge that got popular across the TikTok social network last month. There were also some items stolen from classrooms, according to Superintendent Chris Vanden Heuvel. He tells the Trib that students "would take soap dispensers and there were random acts of vandalism too. We had over $3,000 worth of damage between the high school and the junior high." In response, the district "coordinated very quickly with our insurance who put up reward money for any information leading to finding out who did this," he says. "There were posters put up with a $250 reward at both schools and as soon as it got put up it came to a standstill.” School officials are keeping a close eye on these types of social media "challenges" now, and have encouraged parents to talk to their kids about it. (SoCoNews Healdsburg )
5. The Press Democrat has an update on the tragic crash that killed 53-year-old Mark Graham Osborne, "an enologist with Gary Farrell Winery in Healdsburg," earlier this year in Sebastopol. The man who hit him — 27-year-old Sebastopol resident Ulises Valdez Jr., "the son of the late Valdez Family Winery founder who manages the wine-growing portion of the business" — is facing felony DUI manslaughter charges, and could reportedly be sentenced to over 12 years in prison. Osborne was hit while riding his bicycle on the shoulder of the road, and died eight days later. A 12-year-old boy also lost his leg in the crash. From the PD: "According to the CHP, Valdez, driving a Ram Rebel pickup, was speeding as he came up behind the bicyclists and lost control on a curve in the road. He drove the truck onto the shoulder and struck the 12-year-old, continued back into the traffic lane, then again onto the shoulder, where the truck struck Osborne." (Press Democrat; paywall)

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Today in Healdsburg:

• Final Healdsburg Tuesday Farmers Market of the Year (9AM-12:30PM)
• Meet the Artist at Upstairs Art Gallery: Victoria A. Kochergin, "No Detail Too Small" Botanical Artwork (11AM-6PM)
• Healdsburg City Planning Commission Meeting (6PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Tuesday Pub Run: Crooked Goat Sebastopol Run & Acre Pizza Finish (6PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• Quick correction! In yesterday's Daily, I reported that the Healdsburg High School football game last week — the homecoming game — was the last of the season. In fact, it looks like there's one more home game coming up this Friday against Petaluma at Rec Park, and one more away game next week against Montgomery. Thank you to a very helpful reader for pointing this out! (Inbox & MaxPreps)
• If you haven't heard yet, Sonoma County health officials have given us the option to go maskless indoors in certain situations, as long as everyone's vaccinated. The exception "applies to indoor gatherings of 100 or fewer people including in offices, gyms, fitness centers, employee commuter vehicles, religious gatherings, college classes, and other organized gatherings of individuals who meet regularly." Read the rules in full. (Facebook)
• Beloved HHS teacher and coach Patrick McDowell, who died at age 56 earlier this month, got a couple beautiful tributes in both the PD and the Tribune recently. (SoCoNews Healdsburg & Press Democrat; paywall)
• Did you hear about the crazy water rescue in Cloverdale on Sunday, during the storm? Four people and a dog got trapped on a river island by rising water levels. Here's a video report. (Facebook)
• Local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg just moved into a new office at 16003 Healdsburg Ave. (Facebook)
• Also: Corazón is looking for volunteers to help throw their annual Día de los Muertos event in the plaza this weekend. (Facebook)
• The Downtown Bakery is selling black-and-white Halloween cookies right now! (Facebook)
• Healdsburg city leaders and local environmentalists are waging a storm drain awareness campaign to teach residents about creek health and how to "help keep our watershed protected." (Facebook & Facebook)
• There's a cool class starting next month at the Healdsburg Center for the Arts on mastering phone photography. Nicole Schlaeppi will be instructing. (Facebook)
• The Raven Players, Healdsburg's local theater troupe, just issued a callout for "adult Latino/a/x actors and aspiring actors" to be part of an upcoming play called Cesar Died Today. (Facebook & Nextdoor)

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Now you're in the loop! I'll catch you all tomorrow morning for your next update. If you're feeling these newsletters, consider bringing some more friends and neighbors into the fold. 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? Reach out anytime to simone.wilson@patch.com.