In Memoriam: Shirley Nell-Galvin
On Feb. 22, a memorial service at St. John's will celebrate the life of Shirley Nell-Galvin, who was born in San Francisco and lived in Healdsburg and Windsor on and off for many years. She was 97 when she died last month. Shirley and...
Immigrant Stories Coming to Healdsburg Wine Library
Did you know that there's a "wine library" housed inside the Healdsburg branch of the Sonoma County Library? And they just got a grant to "listen to and save the oral histories of immigrant families employed in our local wine industry," according to a rep for the wine...
Despite the Name, the Elephant Is a ‘People Pub’
There’s a widespread sentiment in the wine industry: “It takes a lot of good beer to make a good bottle of wine.”
So when Paul Stokeld suggested the name, “Elephant in the Room,” to co-owner KC Mosso for their planned watering hole in Healdsburg, Mosso...
Healdsburg Senior Living’s Parent Company Goes Bankrupt
The beleaguered parent company of the Healdsburg Senior Living facility on Grove Street, a San Diego-based company called Pacifica that runs 80 such facilities in seven states, suffered another blow this week: They were forced to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to the Press...
Public life goes dark
One month ago, all of Sonoma County’s “public life” was put off limits. No schools, locked parks, barricaded beaches, no dining out or casual shopping trips. Gathering places where conversations and friendships get shared are taboo. Libraries, coffee shops, brewpubs, art galleries and any space smaller than six feet square, are now officially declared uninhabitable.
Summer’s Market Closes in Healdsburg
The owners of Summer’s Market near the high school, who’ve been keeping after-school pitstop culture alive at 555 Powell Ave. ever since the iconic Powell Avenue Market shut down a little over a decade ago, just closed up shop late last month.
“We are closed for a few...
Quail & Condor Bakery Maxed After National Press
Speaking of the press effect! There’s always been a crowd at Healdsburg’s newest and fanciest bakery, Quail & Condor, since it opened in 2020 — and if you stop by on a given afternoon, there’s usually not very much good stuff left. But Sonoma Magazine reports...
West Sonoma Coast Wines Get Own AVA
Just seven years after the West Sonoma County Vintners filed their petition, the West Sonoma Coast—where the cold marine air and heavy fog offer distinct advantages for growing wine grape varieties ranging from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to Syrah—has officially been sanctioned as a...
Retardant Dropped on ‘Point Fire’ Destroys Vineyard: Report
One more thing to add to the Point Fire damage report I gave you over the weekend: A plot of wine grapes called Lago di Merlo Vineyards near Lake Sonoma may have been destroyed by some of the hot-pink fire retardant dropped by Cal...
Healdsburg Switches Up Animal Control Services
The Healdsburg animal shelter on Westside Road, run by the Humane Society of Sonoma County (HSSC), just chose a new partner for animal control — aka, the job of responding to the wilier, out-of-shelter situations involving animals wandering around town. For the past decade,...












