The Ruse approved for abuse rehab
After two hours of discussion on Sep. 23, the commission voted 5-1 to approve the conditional use permit for the property as a “luxurious 13 bed Substance Use Disorder Facility,” to be renamed The Ruse Treatment...
Healdsburg’s Historic Simi Winery Might Get New Owners Soon
The San Francisco Chronicle made a bold prediction early last month: “This will be the year of California winery closures.” Here in Healdsburg, from where I’m sitting, the 2025 wine-industry shakeup has looked more like a Great Reshuffling — aka, wine bosses selling off certain properties or reshaping their...
Local Watch Duty App Has Been a ‘Lifeline’ for LA
I don’t know a single person here in Sonoma County who doesn’t already have the Watch Duty app downloaded and poised to start spewing notifications, in case of wildfire. But most of my Los Angeles friends had never heard of it before Jan. 7,...
‘Little Free Art Gallery’ Opens in Downtown Healdsburg
Surely by now you’re acquainted with the concept of “little free libraries” — those tiny homes on pegs, giving almost a bird-feeder vibe, filled with books you can give or take on the honor system. We’ve got a few here in Healdsburg, of course — along...
Healdsburg Community Center Stabbing Suspect Arrested in Los Gatos
Nearly a year after that frightening nighttime tire-slashing spree and stabbing in the Healdsburg Community Center parking lot, local police say they found their main suspect living under an alias in the small town of Los Gatos on the southwest edge of San Jose....
In Memoriam: Edward Joseph Perotti
Dry Creek Valley resident Ed Perotti passed away “peacefully” a couple of days before Christmas at the age of 91, “after a short illness,” according to an obituary posted earlier this month. He was born at Healdsburg Hospital in the summer of 1933 and died at Healdsburg Hospital...
Avelo Airlines Cuts Half Its Sonoma County Flights — and Pivots to Deportation
This is a rough one. Not even one year after Avelo Airlines announced it would start calling our local Santa Rosa airport one of its home bases, to much fanfare, airline bosses have decided to vacate their new hub and cut all the new flights they...
Downtown Healdsburg Gets Drone Fireworks Show
At one point, the Healdsburg City Council was discussing the possibility of switching to drone fireworks for our town’s annual Fourth of July show, largely as a fire-safety measure. Judging by the city website, it looks like they decided to stick with the old-fashioned kind....
Healdsburg Bookshop Owner Passes Away — But Levin & Company Lives On
The harrowing medical journey of Aaron Rosewater, beloved co-owner of the Levin & Company bookstore on the Healdsburg plaza, came to a heartbreaking end last week. Aaron died in the hospital Friday, according to loved ones. His wife Gwen, who shared updates throughout the ordeal...
Chain Stores Banned From Healdsburg Plaza
We’ve all been hearing about this proposal over the past year, but now it’s a done deal. Basically, the Healdsburg City Council took a final vote at their meeting last week on the proposed ban of “formula retail businesses” surrounding the plaza, and decided unanimously to...

















