News

Many people have shaped the apple growing industry of western Sonoma County over almost 150 years. They have put down deep roots in their orchards and beneath their family trees. They have been the primal forces that have met and endured both nature’s surprises and multiple market upheavals with multi-generational resolve and resourcefulness. All these individuals possessed many strengths and talents but only one was endowed with a major-league worthy fastball and a knee-crippling curveball. And that farmer-pitcher was Graton’s Lee F. Walker Jr.

Every year, Healdsburg Junior High’s (HJH) leadership class plans a fundraiser to benefit a local Healdsburg organization. This year, students decided to raise money for local animals in need — they raised roughly $1,000. Bethany Carlson, guidance counselor at the junior high, said students chose to start a monthlong school-wide coin drive for the Humane Society of Sonoma County in Healdsburg.

Cloverdale’s cannabis businesses are going to see a decrease in city taxes, following a 3-1 vote by the Cloverdale City Council on March 23. The council gave the green light to a resolution that amends the city’s existing blanket cannabis excise tax rate of 4.5% for cannabis businesses in favor of a tiered tax rate that varies tax amount by type of cannabis business.

Sonoma County Sheriff detectives are currently investigating a murder and a separate but related stabbing incident that occurred in Guerneville on March 23.

The City of Healdsburg will be receiving an over $7 million California Department of Water Resources grant to add 4.5 miles to its municipal recycled water distribution network and expand recycled water deliveries, a big win for the city when it comes to building drought resilience amid another year of dry conditions.

Masks will no longer be required, regardless of vaccination status, for attending Healdsburg City Council meetings. Instead, masks will be optional for both attendees and city council members.

Following recent vandalism incidents, trespassing and inappropriate use of school facilities at the Brook Haven School in Sebastopol, the Sebastopol Union School District (SUSD) is sending a letter to district families reminding people of the rules and expectations for use of campus facilities and urging community members to be responsible when using the new artificial turf and other campus amenities.

There’s a new art installation at the front of the Sebastopol Regional Library, a 3D piece called “Gray Matter” by Sonoma County artist Michael McGinnis. The art piece celebrates the rational and the creative through a precise and complex swirl of metal.

The right ambiance and environment can help a student want to do homework — but it can also give space for relaxation and fun. That is what Corazón Healdsburg's new teen center is trying to do. The center, located inside of the Healdsburg Community Center, was created in order for high school students in the area to have a place where they can do homework, study or socialize.

On March 22, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to allocate $950,000 in capital funds for the L&M Village in Healdsburg and $600,000 for The Studios at Montero in Petaluma, both of which are Project Homekey sites. The funding commitment ensures that the two sites will secure additional matching allocations from the State of California to assist with funding gaps.