News

Winter is here with its clear night skies, and luminescent stars forming imaginary figures we call constellations dot the darkness overhead. The vineyards are an amalgamation of fiery colors of every hue imaginable with a backdrop of the golden hillsides interspersed with redwood, fir and oak trees.

One of two bicyclists struck by a suspected drunk driver on May 12 in unincorporated Sebastopol has since died, according to California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer David deRutte.

Sebastopol’s Patty James is back in town and ready to deliver

After staffing the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic defense for nearly a year, the health care workers at Healdsburg District Hospital (HDH) this week were being rewarded by receiving the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine that is being rapidly deployed by the federal government and its manufacturer Pfizer-BioNTech.

LOVE IS GREATER THAN FEAR — You might have noticed encouraging signs popping up around Sebastopol: “Love is also contagious” and “6 feet between us is no match for the love among us.” You can see the signs outside of Papas y Pollos, in the town square, at Highway 12 and Morris Street, across the street from Screamin’ Mimi’s ice cream (above) and decorating the home of sign maker Margaret Howe. Other sign makers include Maya Pace, Ann Hamilton, Bryan Huggins and Kenna Lee. “We wanted to make a loving connection with our community and emit soothing energy amidst the fear,” said Howe. “Also to help people smile.”

The Cloverdale Citrus Fair is a few days away. This year’s fair includes an in-person drive-thru food frenzy and a bevy of online contests and exhibit entries — some of which will be viewable from a distance during the fair food frenzy. While many of the different pieces of this year’s fair will be accessible online from the comfort of home, the food frenzy will run from Friday to Sunday, Feb. 12-14, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In a statement released May 3, the board of directors of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District (Ag + Open Space) announced it will consider the appointment of Misti Arias as general manager during its May 11 meeting. Arias was selected following a national search and has served at Ag + Open Space in various roles since 1996, starting as an Open Space planning technician and most recently as interim assistant general manager.  

An apartment fire this week caused by an out of control grease fire displaced three families — 17 people — from the Cloverdale Family Apartments on Healdsburg Avenue. Now, local nonprofit La Familia Sana is putting out a call to the community to help each of those families get the resources needed to help repurchase some of the items they lost, as well as gather additional support for the impacted families.

Education Foundation gains momentum on endowment fund plans