🌱 Redwoods Reborn + Teen 'Ghost Gun' Arrest + Skate Park Oak Update

Morning, everybody! Simone here with your fresh copy of the Healdsburg Daily, overflowing with all the local news you need to know right now. Let's dive in...

First, your daily weather:

• Tuesday: Mix of sun and clouds, with some wind and a chance of rain. High: 60 Low: 39.
• Wednesday: Sunny and windy. High: 68 Low: 41.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories in Healdsburg today:

1. A teenager was arrested in Healdsburg over the weekend by Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies for allegedly carrying a "loaded ghost gun." This is the sheriff's account of what happened: "On May 7 at around 6:00 p.m., a deputy was patrolling in the area of Front Street and Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg. He saw three people wearing gang colors and drinking beer near the railroad tracks where the tracks cross the river. Deputies approached the three people and discovered two of them were men and one was a 15 year old male. In the teenager’s backpack, deputies discovered a loaded 9mm ghost gun with a high-capacity magazine." Back at the station, the teen was "cited for misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon," the sheriff says, along with "the following felonies: minor illegally possessing a concealed weapon, felon or addict in possession of a firearm, and possession of a large capacity magazine." He has since been "released to a parent." (Sonoma Sheriff via Facebook)
2. The Armstrong Redwoods state preserve in the mountains just west of Healdsburg is making a slow but exciting recovery after it was ravaged in the Walbridge Fire of summer 2020, along with many homes along Mill Creek, Sweetwater Springs and Big Ridge. A few months ago, park staffers noticed the redwoods were "releasing millions of seeds" that had been "produced in the cones that erupted after the fire and matured over the previous year," the Press Democrat reports. And now, "tiny seedlings are scattered about the valley floor — supple, inch-high plants that, if they survive, may one day produce towering redwood trees to support the ecosystem and eventually wow visitors." Other signs of life include "bright green, bushy growth called epicormic sprouts" on charred trees, as well as thriving redwood groves and grassy meadows where surviving plants no longer have to compete with the ones that burned. All in all, park leaders believe "the wildfire probably did more good than damage, clearing out a century of excess fuel and inspiring fresh regrowth." And local fire officials are using this as a "special opportunity for purposeful fire to eliminate hazard fuels" in the area, the PD reports. In the words of Northern Sonoma County Fire District Chief Marshall Turbeville, a big prescribed burn advocate and Healdsburg celebrity-of-sorts: “We see the Walbridge fire as now a reset on the landscape. We need to take advantage of what’s happening and not let this happen again.” (Press Democrat; paywall)
3. The giant oak tree at the Healdsburg skate park — the one situated "right above a favorite hangout area for park users — isn't doing quite as well. In fact, city officials say the tree has reached the end of its storied days here in town. They announced yesterday that "the mature Valley Oak located at the Carson Warner Memorial Skate Park will be removed this Friday" after showing "signs of stress" for the past five years or so. During that time, officials say they tried to save it via "an enhanced monitoring and management program" that included "selective structural pruning to reduce the weight of the tree canopy" and the "removal of dead and weak branches." But alas! "Unfortunately, our efforts have been unsuccessful in restoring the tree's health," the city now says. "The tree continues to decline and has started losing more branches, creating safety concerns." R.I.P. to a real one. In a comment on the city's big online oak announcement, resident Laura Heppner had a great idea: "Maybe a bench or something similar can be made from the wood? The beautiful tree can maintain its presence in the City in a different way(s)." (City of Healdsburg via Facebook)

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Today and tomorrow in Healdsburg:

Tuesday, May 10

• Foss Creek Pathway Closed Between Grant Street & Healdsburg Community Center (7:30AM-5:30PM)
• Corazón Healdsburg "Mi Bebé y Yo" Taller / Workshop: Parto / Childbirth Pt. 2 (4:45-6:30PM)
• Sangsun Pop-Up at Lo & Behold (5-9PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Magnolia Loop Run, Ending With Pop-Up Pilates (6PM)

Wednesday, May 11

• Healdsburg Airport Runway Closed for Engineering Evaluation (May 11-12, 8AM-5PM)
• "What Moves You?" Spiritual Reflections & Communal Meal at THE 222 (5:30PM)
• Healdsburg City Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting (6PM)
• Canon Book Group at Healdsburg Library: "Why Read Moby-Dick?" (6-7:30PM)
• Trivia Night at Coyote Sonoma (7-9PM)

Healdsburg pics of the day:

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From my notebook:

• It hailed in some parts of Healdsburg yesterday! Eric Hall, admin of the "Beverly Healdsburg" community group, uploaded a video of little frozen pellets coming down hard in Dry Creek Valley. Did you see any? (Facebook Groups)
• Skylaer Palacios abruptly stepping down from the Healdsburg City Council is part of a "worrying trend" of young elected officials leaving their posts, writes the Press Democrat's editorial board. They're calling it "the Sonoma County version of the 'great resignation.'" (Press Democrat; paywall)
• A Healdsburg-based "women, spirit and business" conference will be held late next month at the CraftWork co-working space on Center Street. "Welcome in summer and circle with us in community to honor our abilities to transform & create!" organizers say. The event will feature live music, yoga, food, wine and more. Early-bird tickets are $33. (Facebook Groups)
• Healdsburg history buff Robert Muller is "on the hunt to obtain a 1963 Sotoyoman" yearbook from the high school, according to the Healdsburg Museum. "It's really important to him," the museum says. "Does anyone have one?" (Healdsburg Museum via Facebook)
• Mark your calendars! There's a big cleanup planned for the Healdsburg cemetery starting bright and early on Saturday, May 21. It's a joint project between the Healdsburg Museum and our local Kiwanis and Key clubs. "A team of volunteers is getting together to rake and sweep the grass and weeds that are getting mowed earlier in the week," they say. "Our job will be to fill two dumpsters with the debris." Here's how to get involved. (Facebook Groups)
• The Press Democrat has a slideshow of all the fabulous hats at Kendall-Jackson's Kentucky Derby party in Santa Rosa over the weekend. Healdsburg distillery Young & Yonder Spirits was in charge of the mint juleps. And from the pics, it looks like Healdsburg resident Maggie Curry, the winery's head of marketing, was belle of the ball... (Press Democrat; paywall)
• The latest crusade of Healdsburg's state senator, Mike McGuire? To "protect California's beloved craft breweries" from "a significant loophole in state law that threatens their livelihood." (KymKemp.com)
• Starting next month, the weekday SMART train schedule will grow by 10 more trips per week between the Santa Rosa airport and the Larkspur Ferry. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Have you spotted the nonprofit Botanical Bus, a "bilingual mobile herb clinic," roving around the county lately? The bus offers services like "massage therapy, somatic therapy, acupuncture, support for diabetes prevention and care, art therapy, clinical herbalism and foot care" — and it's reportedly getting more and more popular by the stop. (Press Democrat; paywall)
• Looks like the Selby Tasting Room on the south end of Center Street just redecorated their outside tasting area. (Facebook Groups)

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Annnd now you're in the loop. See you right back here tomorrow...

— 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