Proposal For Healdsburg Roads + New Kung Fu School + Grape Check

Hello, Healdsburg! Missed you yesterday. Can you believe it's almost Labor Day Weekend? As this crazy week winds down, here's everything you need to know about what's happening today in town.

First, today's weather:

Cooling off a little. Fog, clouds and widespread haze before noon, gradually clearing to sun. High: 83 Low: 45.

Here are the top 5 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. Check out what's been going on out at Bishop's Ranch on Westside Road in Healdsburg. A local nonprofit called First Responders Resiliency, Inc. has been hosting three-day holistic "resiliency conferences" at the ranch for thousands of frontline workers in local police and fire departments, hospitals and more to "address the psychological, neurological, physical, emotional, and relational impacts of stress and trauma exposure." Says the org's founder, a former paramedic: "We are beginning to see a culture shift where these men and women are placing importance on their own health and well-being." The next session is coming up in early November. (Healdsburg Patch)
2. After five seasons as the Healdsburg High School boys' basketball coach, Yasha Mokaram is stepping down due to "family considerations." In his time as head coach, the Greyhounds reportedly won three straight league titles and several other tournaments and championships. Mokaram tells the Trib: "While a part of me is heart-broken, I’m also embracing being able to be there for my family. This was not the case over the past five years while I was coaching basketball at HHS." His assistant coach, Kevin Leffew, will now take over. (SoCoNews Healdsburg)
3. As many Healdsburg-area winemakers begin to harvest their grapes this week, it looks like they may have avoided the smoky-grape curse of 2020 so far in 2021. "The value of last year’s wine grape crop was cut in half" due to contamination from wildfire smoke, according to the PD. But because smoke only really damages grapes when it's fresh and direct, and this season's big fires have been farther off, optimism is in the air. "We are not seeing any effects in the vineyard at this time," the owner of Healdsburg's Bucher Wines said last week. "There have been a few hazy days, but nothing too bad." Everyone's still on guard though, as they've still got a month and a half left of harvest. (North Bay Business Journal & Wine Industry Advisor & Press Democrat; paywall)
4. The City of Healdsburg just released another important doc for your perusal and feedback. The latest 58-page draft of the Healdsburg Local Roadway Safety Plan has been updated to incorporate a previous round of public input. It includes an "analysis of the roadway system in Healdsburg comprising of the current collisions patterns and high-risk roadway characteristics," and proposes "safety countermeasures to help mitigate the City’s primary crash type trends and reduce the overall collision severity." There are proposed upgrades in there to Healdsburg Avenue, March Avenue, Matheson Street, Dry Creek Road and more. Your comments are due by Sept. 19. (Facebook & City of Healdsburg)
5. A new martial-arts school called Great Sage Martial Arts just opened in the old American Karate Academy space at 424 Moore Lane, in one of those long buildings behind Healdsburg City Hall. The owner, Billy Thomas, used to teach martial arts at local parks before securing a brick-and-mortar space in town. "Been interesting seeing us go from a bare bones warehouse to a warm, inviting, Academy of Martial excellence," he wrote on Facebook this week. The grand opening celebration will be held this Friday from 4-6PM. (Facebook & Great Sage Martial Arts)

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Today in Healdsburg:

• Good Morning, Healdsburg: Sonoma County Economic Development Board Update (8-9AM)
• Hot Dog Thursday at Sonoma County Airport Museum (11:30AM-1:30PM)
• Season's First Harvest Lunch at Jordan Vineyard & Winery (12-2PM)
• Wicked Queers Presents: Queers & Crafts at Healdsburg Plaza (5-6:30PM)
• Healdsburg FFA & Healdsburg High School Ag Dept. Welcome Back BBQ (6-7:30PM)
• Trail Sisters Panel & "Trails in Motion" Film Festival at Coyote Sonoma (6:30PM)

Healdsburg Patch Notebook

• I think we're overdue for a local COVID update. August was the deadliest month since February for coronavirus victims in Sonoma County, with 21 deaths and possibly more that haven't been reported yet, county officials say. Of those, 13 were unvaccinated and eight vaccinated. Case numbers also took a major upturn yesterday, with New York Times data showing a seven-day average of 220 new cases per day in Sonoma County as of Sept. 1. That's the highest it's been since late January. (NY Times & Press Democrat; paywall)
• A band of firefighters from Sonoma County, including some from the Dry Creek Rancheria Fire Department, are helping battle the staggering Caldor Fire in the Lake Tahoe area. "Last night crews worked diligently to protect structures in Strawberry and Twin Bridges," Northern Sonoma County Fire District officials posted yesterday. "We know all too well the importance of mutual aid and are always glad to provide assistance when communities need us." (Facebook)
• Wednesday's two-hour Healdsburg Parks and Rec meeting is available to watch online in full. It's got lotsa local park and trail updates, pretty renderings of future projects, etc. (Facebook)
• Check out this video a neighbor shared in the "What's Happening Healdsburg" Facebook group of the fire-abatement goats (and sheep) going totally nuts on a tree branch near Parkland Farms. (Facebook)
• Black Oak Coffee, the Ukiah-based coffee shop that recently moved into the Goat's old space near the plaza, is on a hiring spree. (Black Oak Coffee)
• FYI, there's a group of locals who play pickup basketball every Tuesday night at different courts around Healdsburg. (Facebook)
• Did you know Healdsburg is home to a "microbiome therapeutics company" called ISOThrive, headquartered on Toyon Drive by the river? They make gut-health supplements, and apparently just got approved to make a similar product for pets and livestock. (PRNewswire)
• Healdsburg Councilwoman Ariel Kelley's reaction to Dominic Foppoli, ousted Windsor mayor, running for the position again: “He’s under investigation in multiple states for heinous acts of sexual violence against women. ... I would say he should return peoples’ money ... or donate it to a nonprofit working to support victims of sexual violence.” (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Bacchus Landing, Healdsburg's new "curated collective of winery tasting rooms" on Westside Road near the animal shelter, has a bunch of cool events lined up for fall. (Wine Industry Advisor)
• The search is ramping up for a 17-year-old senior heeler named Queenie, who went missing over the weekend around Foreman Lane and Westside Road. She reportedly can't see, hear or walk very well, so her owners are very worried. The latest update, from yesterday: "We have a possible sighting of Queenie in the area of Mill Creek near Westside Rd. Please continue to share to help get this girl home!" (Facebook)

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Alright, you're all caught up for today! See ya round. If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider bringing some of your 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? Email me at simone.wilson@patch.com.