🌱 Price Increase In Healdsburg Wine Tasting + Heat Brings More Snakes

Hello, everybody! I'm back in your inbox this morning with all the most important things happening these days in Healdsburg.

But first, today's weather:

Mostly sunny. High: 90 Low: 51.

Here are the top three stories in Healdsburg today:

1. According to the 2023 Sonoma Wine Tasting Report by the Sonoma Wine Tasting Blog, the entry-level price of a Sonoma County wine tasting has risen by 11 percent from $36 in 2022 to $40 in 2023. The city of Healdsburg witnessed a 9 percent increase over the last year. Despite the Federal Reserve's efforts to control inflation with interest rate hikes, Sonoma wine tasting room prices continue to outpace inflation, with 30 percent of rooms increasing their prices in 2023. (Yahoo! Finance)
2. The County of Sonoma has favored DEMA Consulting and Management, a contractor that addressed homeless issues during the pandemic, by awarding them no-bid contracts and paying them $26 million to operate care sites. The Press Democrat is raising questions about their billing practices, particularly regarding a director of nursing position that some current and former employees claim they never saw. Despite the scrutiny, the County of Sonoma continues to work with DEMA, which now manages a tent site for homeless individuals on Ventura Avenue for $120,000 per month. (KSRO)
3. As warmer temperatures increase in the North Bay area, rattlesnakes are becoming more active along trails and properties, leading to an uptick in demand for professional rattlesnake catcher, James McCloskey. He is experiencing a surge in inspections, approximately three to four a week, and an increase in calls for rattlesnake removal in Napa and Sonoma counties. Equipped with snake gaiters and snake poles, McCloskey diligently searches for and safely removes rattlesnakes to address the rising concerns of residents and hikers.(CBS Bay Area)

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Today in Healdsburg:

Friday, July 28

• Bilingual Storytime At Giorgi Park (10:30 AM)
• Free Live Music By Steve Pile At Davis Family Vineyards (3:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Blue Note Jazz Festival will take place from Jul. 28-30 in nearby Napa Valley and focuses on jazz music while celebrating its influence on hip-hop over the past 50 years. The festival offers an intimate setting for guests to experience up-close interactions with artists during performances and activations. With the addition of Dwyane Wade as the first-ever Director of Culture and Vibes, attendees can expect an elevated experience with a larger footprint, more amenities, and improved viewing areas. (Napa Valley Patch)
• Acre Pizza is opening a third location in Sonoma County! You can find the new location at 8175 Gravenstein Highway in nearby Cotati. (Sonoma Magazine)
• CAL FIRE is allocating $47 million in grants to create green spaces on school campuses through tree planting and other vegetation projects, as well as activities that encourage children to connect with nature. The initiative aims to mitigate the impact of extreme heat on children at school by providing them with access to cooler and greener environments. (County of Sonoma via Facebook)

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Featured events:

• Free Live Music by Steve Pile (July 28)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday. Simone will be back with your next newsletter. Enjoy!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.