‘Formula Businesses’ Get a Hearing
A formula store is defined in the General Plan as, “A business that is required by contractual or other arrangement to maintain any of the following: standardized services, menu, decor, uniforms, architecture, signs or other similar features and is not part of a locally- or regionally-based group of businesses...”
Postcard From the DNC in Chicago
Ariel Kelley attended the DNC last week, and found the current political excitement possible not only because of the Harris-Walz campaign and the Democratic Convention—"to me it’s actually about something so much bigger than a few days in Chicago," she wrote....
State Windfall Brings $21 Million to Healdsburg
Stephen Sotomayor, the housing director for the City of Healdsburg, announced last week that Freebird Development, in partnership with Jamboree Housing, has been awarded $21.1 million in funding from the State of California’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) program.
This funding, approved by the...
HHS Alum Returns as Principal
Healdsburg High School’s new principal is a fifth-generation Sonoma County native—and third- or fourth-generation Healdsburg native—Tait Danhausen. He's been here before ...
‘Factory Farms’ Measure on the Ballot: Yea or Nay?
Measure J, the initiative on the November ballot to shut down a number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) or “factory farms” in Sonoma County, has encountered widespread opposition among public governing bodies, most recently including the Healdsburg City Council...
Final Review for Shiloh Resort & Casino
The Koi Nation of Northern California—a tribe not usually associated with Sonoma County, and with fewer than 100 members—is moving ahead with its proposal for a large resort and casino on the southeastern edge of Windsor, on Shiloh Road at Old Redwood Highway. An open public meeting July 30 may be the last chance for the public to weigh in...
Foppiano Winery Sold to Graton’s Martin Ray
In 1926, Foppiano Wines was forced by Prohibition revenue agents to discard 140,000 gallons of red wine into a ditch next to the highway, where the current winery is located. From there, it flowed into a nearby creek and then into the Russian River—but not before locals scooped up buckets full of the illegal beverage...
Montage Parking Lot Challenge Gets Results
Montage Healdsburg’s plan to remove 107 blue oak trees to build a new parking lot has been withdrawn by the developer. The plan, approved by the Planning Commission at its May 28 meeting, drew immediate protest from a group of local environmentalists, who took the formal measure of filing an appeal of the approval....
Point Fire Torches Dry Creek Valley
As thick smoke poured across Sonoma and Napa counties, more than 300 residents of the northern Dry Creek Valley and its foothills rushed to evacuate, along with hundreds more lake and tasting-room visitors...
Riverkeeper Head Recalls Local Icon, Activist Marty Griffin
Environmental pioneer and Westside Road winemaker Dr. Martin Griffin died this week at his home in Belvedere, Marin County. He was 103 years old. One of his proteges, Don McEnhill of Russian Riverkeeper, tells of the impact Griffin had on his life.
Arts & Entertainment
Plaza reclaims its place as Healdsburg’s hub
Returning for its 10th year is Dia de Muertos, the Mexican folk holiday that has found a new home north of the border since 2016. Sponsored by the City of Healdsburg’s Community Services and the local nonprofit Corazón Healdsburg, Dia de Muertos was first recognized locally to mark Corazón’s inaugural community event, where it introduced the newly established organization to Healdsburg.
