News

There are lots of big topics dominating the news these days. We’re getting pretty darn tired of most of them, like the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the open-shut door carousel at our local schools, renewed sheltering-in-place orders, a drought that comes with a tsunami warning and muddy feet and distant drumbeats about what’s being called “existential threats” to our democracy. But the biggest — and most real — current news topic is probably inflation, an economic menace we haven’t had to face for almost 40 years. 

The annual Cloverdale Citrus Fair is being postponed until April, the fair announced Wednesday morning. The Citrus Fair will now be held April 21-24, 2022.

The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) voted in closed session Wednesday night to remove district Superintendent Toni Beal from her position, effective immediately.  Donald Evans, a former superintendent for Berkeley Unified School District, will serve as the district’s short-term superintendent.

The Sebastopol City Council is moving toward approval for an ordinance to limit recreational vehicle parking and the growth of establishments like Morris Street’s RV encampment, opting not to create a permitting process as of its Jan. 18 meeting.

Blood drive

Moving into the new year, Windsor COPE is working on becoming more known around the Windsor community. Community involvement is the disaster preparedness organization's main goal for 2022 and forward. 

In their first meeting of the new year Jan. 20, the Windsor Unified School District (WUSD) Board of Trustees will hear about marketing its recently announced expanded PreK-TK program, decide whether to add a senior project to graduation requirements (except for students on independent study) and likely select an architectural firm to conduct its Facilities Master Plan update.

At its regular meeting Wednesday, the Cloverdale Unified School District (CUSD) Board of Trustees is slated to discuss a handful of items relating to district construction and the school accountability report cards for all of the district’s school sites. Additionally, the board will be holding a public hearing to possibly approve the housing plan and use of pupils grants to help fund a gymnasium at Washington School. The meeting will be held in person at 6 p.m., pending completion of the board’s closed session. The full agenda can be found here.

Despite having to modify designs for wetland mitigation and other site constraints, the overall design and look for the Burbank Housing affordable housing development at 155 Dry Creek Road is coming along.

The City of Sebastopol is inviting community members to help the city set its climate priorities, ultimately helping create a Climate Action Framework. According to an announcement about an upcoming climate priority workshop, the framework will help provide a roadmap for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for the impacts of climate change in Sebastopol. Those who want to participate in the priority-setting process can do so at a virtual meeting on Feb. 2.