100 years ago:
January 10, 1924
Dry Act Offenses Net City $1,150
Arrests for intoxication in Healdsburg, once one of the largest items in the business of the police department, have now almost been passed in total by arrests under the prohibition law. According to a report filed with the city clerk, there were only 13 arrests for intoxication here during 1923, while there were 11 arrests for violation of the Wright act or the local anti-sales ordinance during the year. The 13 intoxication arrests resulted in the collection by the city of $105 in fines and forfeitures. Nine of the 11 persons arrested under the dry acts were convicted and they paid a total of $1550 into the city treasury, an average of better than $172 each. The total fines collected by the recorder’s court during the year amounted to $1890, the following other offenses being included: Reckless driving, 18 cases, paid $190; disturbing the peace, four cases, paid $20; breaking seal on water meter, one case, paid $25.
75 years ago:
January 7, 1949
Television in Healdsburg Is Assured
Will Healdsburg have good television reception? A definite affirmative answer was given to Sonoma County distributors by television engineers at a meeting held in Santa Rosa Wednesday evening. A television set was operating in the Occidental Hotel for the benefit of the merchants present. Even the puck in the broadcasted hockey game was at all times visible, Quinto Barbieri, a member of the group, said.
Reception has been received at the Barbieri Home Furnishing Company, Western Auto Store and Lowrey’s Radio Shop in Healdsburg. “The pattern received on our set,” Barbieri said, “was not as clear as that received at the Occidental Hotel, but we were assured that with the proper adjustment, television in Healdsburg will be as good as was received Wednesday night. We have been assured that it is just a matter of getting the aerial hooked up right,” he declared.
50 years ago:
January 10, 1974
Pre-dawn school proves risky
It didn’t take many cold mornings of the new winter daylight saving time for Healdsburg area schools to decide that sending students to classes before the sun came up was a bad idea.
Protests from parents kept phones ringing Monday at schools and the Healdsburg district office. By Tuesday morning the district was ready to change all opening times to allow the sun to peak over the mountains before students had to catch a bus or walk to school. All Healdsburg public schools started 30 minutes later beginning yesterday because of what Superintendent Robert Malone described as “extreme hazards of walking and waiting for buses” before daylight.
A talk with students at Fitch Mountain School early Tuesday morning showed that pupils weren’t too enthusiastic about the early arrival at school, either. What do you think of coming to school in the dark, we asked? “I hate it” was one young man’s quick reply, as he stamped his feet to keep warm. Several reports were received that parents had refused to allow their children to meet the school bus in the dark, bringing youngsters to school by car instead. That doesn’t seem likely to cut down on energy consumption.
Research and materials provided by the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society. The Museum, located at 221 Matheson St., is open 11am to 4pm, Thursdays through Sundays.
