Civil rights attorney Richard Sobol dies
Before retiring to Sebastopol, he defended the oppressed and changed state courts for the better
What’s it like losing the last half of your senior year?
In a bathroom stall on the 25th of January my life changed forever. I was at the Phoenix Theater for the first time, an old, local punk and rock and hip hop joint that has witnessed some of the greats including The Ramones, Green Day and Sublime. I was there for my friend’s band’s first show, and halfway through the show I found myself alone in a broken stall, overwhelmed with a strange and unwelcome anxiety. I pressed my back against the door and stared at the wall above a toilet seat cover dispenser, gazing at the legacy of teen angst scrawled across the walls. And then I saw it, on the green wall in all caps: “DONT WAIT TILL FRIDAY! BE ALIVE NOW!”
Yard signs honor the class of 2020
This may be one of the oddest school years on record, especially for seniors who’ll be missing out on all the usual end-of-year festivities, including (among many things) prom and graduation.
New funds for storefront businesses in Sebastopol
The Rotary Club of Sebastopol is giving money to the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce to distribute to small businesses in Sebastopol with store fronts. You will find the link at the chamber’s website sebastopol.org. Click on the Small Business Relief 2020 link. Complete the application and email to [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed and awarded.
Not out of the tunnel yet
A 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.
Public life goes dark
A 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.
Local yoga and fitness centers go online
Some local services — like therapy — moved easily online after the COVID-19 epidemic hit. Others — like massage or spa businesses — have temporarily closed up shop. Fitness clubs and yoga studios might seem to fall in the latter category – what with all the exercise equipment and hands-on coaching — but that hasn’t been the case.
A look at distance learning in local schools
Despite the difficulties that distance learning may bring, several small Healdsburg schools are getting creative with their distance learning plans and are seeing success. Some smaller schools, like the Alexander Valley School (AVS), are reporting a high percentage of student attendance and that students and teachers are starting to fall in line with the new routine of learning at home.
Shuttered businesses facing unmet challenges
The coronavirus pandemic is taking a devastating economic toll on Sonoma County’s economy: tourism, once a mainstay, is non-existent; 16,000 local workers have filed for unemployment; more than a thousand small businesses have applied for the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) Payroll Protection Plan (PPP). Meanwhile local governments continue to provide essential public health and welfare services, while their normal revenue sources trickle to near-zero.
