News

Healdsburg last week added an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) to its library of planning documents that outline future projects and growth in the city, after more than a year’s study, conversation and preparation. The final plan ATP was presented by Public Works Director Larry Zimmer and Senior Project Manager Michael Harrigan to the City Council on Jan. 21...

Monday, Jan. 13 • 7:33am: The Reporting Party (RP) on Prune Tree Drive indicated his car was stolen. One key was in the car and another key was in his house. Officers responded and looked for the vehicle.  The vehicle was entered into the stolen vehicle system. Subsequently, the license plates were removed and replaced with stolen license plates. The vehicle was later recovered by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office on Hwy 101 at the Central off-ramp. The vehicle was towed and the RP was notified.

Now when most winemakers talk about “clones,” they’re talking about varietals selected for specific qualities, such as flavor, color or intensity. The Dijon clones of pinot noir or chardonnay are well known; but the canine clone of a winery dog is a new thing entirely.

As of Jan. 13, the DistrictR tool was live and functional, and anyone can draw up a city map of four, five or six districts, with the five-district model the only option for a rotating mayor, as Healdsburg has at present. Various tools are located in the upper right corner, as is common in such applications—a hand tool to move the map, a pen tool to select a district and color it, an eraser tool to fall back on. Residents have another three weeks to work with the mapping tool....

At 12:25pm, petty theft occurred at Big John’s Market on Healdsburg Avenue. A man stole a sandwich worth $10.74. An officer responded, spoke to the RP and subsequently contacted the suspect at his residence. The theft may have been accidental, and the suspect went back to the store to settle his tab.

Koi leaders asked that around 70 acres of vineyard land they own along the southeastern edge of Windsor be placed in “federal trust”—and the Bureau obliged. This means the Koi are allowed to move forward with their plan to build a giant new Wine Country casino on the plot...

What makes Healdsburg’s market particularly unique is the continued dominance of non-primary residence purchases. In 2024, 61% of all purchases were for second homes or investment properties, with rural properties showing an even higher rate at 76%. This tracks with 2023 when 64% of properties were purchased as non-primary residences, writes a local realtor.

The Border Patrol conducted unannounced raids throughout Bakersfield on Tuesday, Jan. 7, descending on businesses where day laborers and field workers gather. Agents in unmarked SUVs rounded up people in vans outside a Home Depot and gas station that serves a breakfast popular with field workers. "It was profiling; it was purely field workers,” said the manager of a local gas station.

On Jan. 3, at 12:30am, a man on University Street at Haydon Street stated that two teenagers were in a vehicle driving erratically. While on the phone, dispatch heard the RP and 2 other subjects in a verbal dispute. Officers arrived on the scene and contacted both teenagers. An 18-YO man was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit a felony and committing a hate crime. The other 18-YO man was arrested for conspiracy to commit a felony, committing a hate crime and battery. They were brought to county jail.

It was Assistant City Manager Andrew Sturmfels' last meeting in Healdsburg before he begins work for Sonoma County, but the same old City Council was on the dais to double-down on their controversial decision to set a 5-district limit for Healdsburg's new government....