Commentary: COPEing with the Walbridge Fire
Four years ago, I moved out of Healdsburg proper after living there for 10 years, to Brack Road off of West Dry Creek. The Walbridge Fire came within ¼ mile of where I am living and while I am fortunate to have escaped its ravages on many levels, I am humbled by the lessons it has already taught me.
Commentary: The “new normal” needs norms
We are all doing our own risk analysis to deal with the COVID scourge. It is becoming clear that while there are many unknowns, it is not rocket science. If you are smart and accept some basic principles, then risk goes way down. If you ignore the problem, it punishes you and others near you.
Commentary: Sonoma County defies wildfire public safety standards
While many Sonoma County residents feel wildland fire fatigue, we should embrace some hard facts about the underlying factors that have contributed to the situation. California, our county, the nature of the wildland-urban interface, climate change and human factors have led us to a critical and troubling wake up call. Decisions about fire safe roads and development in high fire risk areas are being made at the state and county levels that will determine our future.
Letters to the Editor: Oct. 8, 2020
Two of the letters we received this week are about the rate increase for Cloverdale's water. Both letters have conflicting information. To view the city's announcement about proposed water rates, go here- https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/4336/Proposition-218-Public-Hearing-Notice---2020-PDF
Newspapers versus hoaxes
Above all of our more physical challenges of wildfires and a wild virus, we find ourselves also living in an age of hoaxes. A hoax is a deliberate lie told to create a false reality where the hoaxer takes advantage of the innocent and unaware. Unchecked, these false realities can spread widely enough among us to be more real than the real real.
Commentary: Domestic violence can happen to anyone
A shelter-in-place public health order is a not always a safe option for those at risk of intimate partner violence. Social isolation is a common tactic used by abusers to gain power and control over their victims. Isolation is all but guaranteed during the COVID pandemic. Studies have also shown an increase in intimate partner violence in the aftermath of natural disaster. Victims in Sonoma County are now more vulnerable than ever, with tempers fueled by the stress of COVID, wildfires, displacement, financial instability and increased alcohol and drug abuse.
Flashbacks
The following snippets of history are drawn from the pages of the Healdsburg Tribune, the Healdsburg Enterprise and the Sotoyome Scimitar, and are prepared by the volunteers at the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society. Admission is always free at the museum, open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Arts & Entertainment
Multicultural Center takes shape at Abel de Luna
Bursts of color explode from every corner and every angle of the newly repainted Abel de Luna Community Center on the north side of town. Fuchsia, sunflower, marigold, plum and chrysanthemum abut and juxtapose with one another on the many outside walls and columns, as two muralists work on their own visions of Healdsburg.
