🌱 Senior 'Justice League' + COVID Wave + Weed Shop Proposal + Mom Day

Hello, my friends — Simone here with your Mother's Day weekend edition of the Healdsburg Daily. Looks like we've got some possible rain on the forecast over the next few days, along with cooler temps — should make for a nice, cozy weekend in town. Much love to all the moms of Healdsburg! Here's everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

First, your weekend weather:

• Friday: Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High: 67 Low: 48.
• Saturday: Sunny and windy. High: 68 Low: 42.
• Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds, with another chance of rain. High: 57 Low: 39.
• Monday: More possible rain! High: 60 Low: 35.

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Air over Healdsburg:

Here are the top 3 stories today in Healdsburg:

1. COVID cases are creeping up in Healdsburg and the rest of the county right now. Sonoma County's daily average of new cases has more or less tripled over the past month, from around 40 new reported cases per day in the beginning of April to around 115 per day now. Dr. Sundari Mase, the county’s health officer, tells the Press Democrat that the increasing caseload — which she says is "not a surge, it’s what some people are calling a wave" — is being fueled by "subvariants of the omicron variant that caused such havoc in December and January." A UC Berkeley expert adds that it's mostly the BA.2 variant, but that "a new descendant of omicron, BA.2.12.1 — even more transmissible than BA.2 — is now vying for dominance" as well. In Healdsburg, where county data shows there are currently 67 active cases, city leaders are feeling cautious enough about it that they decided to hold their budget meeting Monday virtually instead of in person, "for the safety of our staff and community." Local health officials seem confident that this wave won't be as dramatic as what we saw over winter, though — especially if people continue to get their boosters, wear masks when possible, etc. (Facebook & NY Times & Sonoma County Government & Press Democrat; paywall)
2. Healdsburg city leaders reviewed a proposal for allowing cannabis shops in town at their council meeting Monday. The city staffers charged with drafting the proposal referenced a cannabis survey recently circulated among residents, but mainly filled out by older white women. In the survey, respondents said they would indeed support — by a pretty slim margin — some commercial cannabis operations within city limits. However, they said they would rather it not be a fully free market, and should be subject to "caps, distancing and other zoning limits. The people who supported the idea thought two storefronts would be a reasonable cap, so city staffers went with that number. The draft policy also proposes that dispensaries should not be allowed in the "downtown commercial core" surrounding the plaza — nor within 600 feet of schools, other youth centers and maybe even parks, libraries, churches, etc. And the permission process for who gets to set up shop would have to include individual approval by the city. There was no official vote on the cannabis proposal at Monday's meeting; instead, next steps are to "continue to fine-tune" the draft based on continued feedback and bring it back to the council for a decision. "We're leaning into this issue," said Mayor Ozzy Jimenez. (Facebook)
3. A team of renegade financial-sector retirees from across Sonoma County, including one Healdsburg grandmother who used to be a banker, is reportedly working behind the scenes to help local law enforcement catch thieves who target senior citizens. "Think of the FAST team as a kind of Justice League, minus the skin suits, working to defend — and composed primarily of — the elderly," the Press Democrat writes. Launched in 2015, the team is composed of "a legion of accountants, fraud examiners and assorted other sleuths, most of them retired, who volunteer their specialized services to help area police and the Sheriff’s Office prosecute complex financial cases." One of them is Healdsburg 70-year-old Nancy Palumbo, who used to work as a lender in the wine division of Silicon Valley Bank. But after a while, she said, "I just wanted to help someone." Now look what Nancy's up to, as reported in the PD: "The first case she worked on led to a conviction. 'This guy really liked sushi,' she recounted. 'And massages. And exotic cars.' Like her fellow FAST team members, Palumbo discerns a vivid story where those with untrained eyes would see mind-numbing rows of digits. 'The debits and the credits, the way they flow onto the balance sheet, the way they work together and tell that story — it’s a beautiful thing.'" (Press Democrat; paywall)

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This weekend in Healdsburg:

Friday, May 6

• Mother's Day Market at Westside School (All Day)
• Healdsburg City Zoning Administrator Hearing on Converting Two East Street Residential Units to Short-Term Vacation Rentals (9AM)
• Healdsburg Library Family Storytime at Giorgi Park (11AM-12PM)
• Sonoma County Barrel Auction: Lunch & Live Auction at MacMurray Estate Vineyards (11AM-4PM)
• New Miniatures Exhibition at Healdsburg Center for the Arts (May 6-June 19, 11AM-5PM)
• Funeral Mass for Former Healdsburg Police Chief Kevin Burke at St. John's Church (11AM)
• Celebration of Life for Kevin Burke at Healdsburg Plaza (12PM)
• Alexander Valley Film Festival (AVFest): Screenings of "After Yang" & "Women of Slender Means" at Healdsburg Community Center (1PM, 4PM)
• AVFest: Screenings of "Stateless" & "Hit the Road" at Orsi Family Vineyards (1:15PM, 4:15PM)
• UFO Night at Purls of Joy Healdsburg (4:30-7:30PM)
• Healdsburg Running Company Friday Night Kids Run to Wicked Slush for Free Slush (5PM)
• First Friday Cigars at Viszlay Vineyards (Monthly, 5PM)
• Happy Hour Crafts at Riverfront Regional Park: Discover the Magic of Clay (5-6:30PM)
• Opening Night: Friday Evening Wine & Song Series at Hudson Street Wineries, Featuring Live Music by Rootstocks (5-8PM)
• Summer Night Sweets + Sips at GrapeSeed Wines, Featuring Live Music by Garrison Krohn (5-8PM)
• Sonoma Shakers Live at Coyote Sonoma (6-9PM)
• Marshall House Project Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)

Saturday, May 7

• Sonoma County Human Race in Santa Rosa (7AM)
• Saturday Healdsburg Farmers Market (8:30AM-12PM)
• Read to a Dog at Healdsburg Library (11AM-12PM)
• Little Monsters Culinary Cooking Class: Kids Make Mother's Day Brunch (11AM-12:30PM)
• Mother's Day Weekend Spring Bazaar at Bacchus Landing, Featuring 13 Vendors & Live Music on the Piazza by Carlitos Sabor de Mi Cuba Trio (11AM-3PM)
• Kendall-Jackson's Kentucky Derby Party in Santa Rosa (11AM-5:30PM)
• Healdsburg Custom Crush: Spring Open House & Tasting at Cadle Family Wines (12-3PM)
• Opening Reception for New Group Show at Hammerfriar Gallery: Art of Ink, "The Embodied Line" (2PM)
• Celebration of Life for Healdsburg Resident Fern Naber at Trinity Baptist Church (2-4PM)
• Live Music by Jeff Pierce Jazz at Spicy Vines (3-6PM)
• Artists' Reception for New Miniatures Exhibit at Healdsburg Center for the Arts (5-7PM)
• Cinco de Vino at Viszlay Vineyards (5-8PM)
• Live Jazz at Hotel Healdsburg Fireside Lounge: Robb Fisher Trio (5-8PM)
• AVFest: Latinx Creators Celebration / Celebración de Creadores Latinx at Orsi Family Vineyards (7:30PM)
• Rose Haze Live at the Elephant in the Room (8-11PM)
• Outdoor Community Dance Party at Coyote Sonoma, Feat. DJ Glitter Fox With "All the Best Funk, Disco & House Music" (8PM-12AM)

Sunday, May 8 (Mother's Day! 💐)

• Dailey Method Healdsburg Barre Class for Moms & Kids at Barbieri Park (10AM)
• Mother's Day Brunch at Bacchus Landing, Feat. 4-Course Food & Wine Pairing (10AM, 2PM)
• Maison Porcella Pop-Up Brunch at Lioco Wine Tasting Room on Matheson (10AM-2PM)
• Mother's Day Brunch on the Patio at Breathless Sparkling Wines (10AM)
• Free Choir/Organ Concert at St. Paul's Church: "Choral Evensong for the Feast of Julian of Norwich" (5PM)
• Free Mother's Day Show: Uncle Live at the Elephant in the Room (6-9PM)

Monday, May 9

• Healdsburg City Council Special Meeting: Virtual Budget Study Session (4-6PM)

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Events:

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• Hire A Pro To Tackle Mom's To-Do List (May 8)
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You're all caught up for now. See you back in your inbox next week!

— 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