Improving access to your library: Library eliminates fines for 80,000 patrons
On July 1, the Sonoma County Library went “fine-free” and eliminated overdue fines for items returned late. In addition, all past fines were waived. In all, more than 80,000 people — 30 percent of all library borrowers — had their overdue fines waived.
Jordan Vineyard & Winery acquires Meola Vineyard
At the end of May, Jordan Vineyard & Winery announced the purchase of Meola Vineyard in Alexander Valley just north of Geyserville. The purchase price was not disclosed, according to a press release from a Jordan spokesperson.
Taste of Tea co-owner was a pillar of warmth in Healdsburg community
Donna L. Tokugawa, the co-owner and host of The Taste of Tea, wasn’t just known in Healdsburg as a restaurant co-owner, she was known as an outgoing and compassionate community member and a friend to all, the kind of friend who accepts everyone with...
Housing Market Shows Sharp Divide
What makes Healdsburg’s market particularly unique is the continued dominance of non-primary residence purchases. In 2024, 61% of all purchases were for second homes or investment properties, with rural properties showing an even higher rate at 76%. This tracks with 2023 when 64% of properties were purchased as non-primary residences, writes a local realtor.
Regional Pizza Group Mombo’s Brings East Coast Pizza to Healdsburg
It would be unfair to several Healdsburg restaurants to say “At last, there’s pizza!” just because Mombo’s finally opened up in the Vineyard Plaza, where several previous pizzerias rose and fell over the years. After all, we have Pizzando, La Pizza, Vera, Campo Fino...
Sidewalk sale coming back for second year
One-day event will include all sorts of businesses and nonprofits
‘I went against a dragon’: Salon moves to survive impacts of COVID
The owner and operator of Vanity the Salon, a Healdsburg beauty parlor, has moved to a new location, after nearly two years of struggling to keep her business — in an industry particularly hard hit by the pandemic — alive.
County’s hospitality industry hit hardest in COVID outbreak
The welcome mat for Sonoma County’s wine country was rolled up several weeks ago in the midst of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, and there is no prediction of when it might be rolled out again. Only a little over one quarter (27.8%) of the county’s 7,000 lodging rooms were occupied at the beginning of this month, down from an average occupancy rate of 78% from a year ago.
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.
