The Healdsburg Tribune 4-20-2023

The Healdsburg

SUPERVISOR’S MESSAGE REGARDING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

Chris Vanden Heuvel

By

Last month, I wrote to our Healdsburg Unified School District families in an attempt to address the overwhelming concerns about safety that I know have been surfacing in response to the recent tragedy at Montgomery High School, as well as to the horrifying acts of violence that continue to occur across the country. In an effort to keep the greater Healdsburg community informed of the district’s efforts to support our students, I want to share part of that message here as well.

Healdsburg Lumber Moves Into Future

VINTAGE BUILDERS’ SUPPLY MAINSTAY GOES MAINSTREAM IN NEW LOCATION

I know the trust parents and the community place in schools. You trust us to keep your kids safe, to teach them to read, think, analyze, share and be kind. You trust that we are going to do everything we can to ensure that they come back to you better in some way than they were when they bounded away toward the playground on the first day of school. Know that we take that trust seriously. There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students and staff. Given the concerns that have justifiably arisen over the past few weeks around school safety, I wanted to reach out to inform you of some initiatives we’ve undertaken to support student safety and well-being.

By Christian Kallen Healdsburg history

was remade this week as the long-standing location of Healdsburg Lumber Company closed and a new 43,000-square-foot complex of home improvement services opened less than a mile to the south, toward Highway 101.

“Healdsburg Lumber has been at that facility since 1875 or ’76,” said Eric Ziedrich, looking at an early 20th-century photograph blown up into a mural behind the service desk at the new store.

“That’s A.F. Stevens who bought the site in 1907.

The lumber yard had just burned down. He bought it, rebuilt it—he was an ambitious, motivated entrepreneur.”

A description which

could easily fit Ziedrich himself, a three-time city councilmember, two-time mayor who is currently embracing real estate as a second career. He pulled himself out of the day-today operations of Healdsburg Lumber when he turned over the reins to his daughter, Jill Ziedrich Gaylor, in 2020.

She and her two daughters were on-hand at the 13534 Healdsburg Ave. location on Monday morning as Ziedrich cut a yellow caution-tape “ribbon” to mark the unofficial opening of the new site. Gaylor said the official opening would be June 15, once all the bugs are worked out, but her father had organized the Monday morning ribbon cutting to recognize the staff and contractors who made the move possible.

“It’s basically just for all the tradespeople that worked on it,” said the gregarious and popular Ziedrich. “We’ll have a little

hokey ribbon cutting and a thanks to everybody that made it happen. And give them a chance to see the final product.”

The hours posted on the new store’s frost-glass doors announced a change many have long sought: Healdsburg Lumber will

now be open on Sundays, 8am to 4pm.

“I think we’ve always been very contractorbased,” Gaylor said. “Opening on Sunday is a big move toward developing a retail base.”

The retail-contractor dichotomy is significant,

CLIMATE FEST BRINGS EARTH DAY HOME PLAZA EVENT WITH MUSIC, SPEECHES, GAMES AND A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

Christian Kallen

By

Earth Day dates back

to April 22, 1970 when Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide environmental “teach-in” to bring awareness to the threats that unbridled development held for the limited resources of the planet.

More than 50 years later, the need for environmental

because with the expansion and move Healdsburg Lumber now plays in the same ballpark as the area’s “big box stores” many home hobbyists frequent on weekends—Lowe’s and Home Depot.

education has become secondary to the imperative for environmental action.

Climate Action Healdsburg, a local citizens’ group of volunteers that grew out of Healdsburg 2040, takes that responsibility seriously and is organizing a focused environmental fair, called Climate Fest, to be held at the Healdsburg Plaza on April 22, from 1–4pm.

For early risers, the event can begin at 8am with Rise and Shine Yoga upstairs at Little Saint, where Shannon Donovan will lead a vinyasa class. A $10 admission for this morning program will be donated to Climate Action Healdsburg.

As the 1pm start time approaches, local musician and city council member Chris Herrod will play some of his original songs from the gazebo stage.

Photo courtesy Fitch Mountaineers

EARTH MUSIC The Fitch Mountaineers, shown here on the Railroad Bridge in Healdsburg, will play at the Climate Fest on Earth Day, April 22 at the Plaza.

Courtesy Healdsburg Museum

ORIGINS A.F. Stevens (left) and crew at the lumber yard he bought in 1907. It eventually became Healdsburg Lumber, finally closing down in April 2023.

Photo by Christian Kallen

BUILDER On opening day, Eric Ziedrich explains the features of the

Healdsburg Lumber Company building on

former home.

Chris Vanden Heuvel

A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS IN HEALDSBURG

Great Redwood Trail Public meeting of the Great Redwood Trail Agency board of directors, to be held Thursday, April 20, at 10:30am at Healdsburg City Council Chambers, 401 Grove St.

Not Kansas?

Join Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road to Oz, with her friends Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion and Toto, in this musical production of The Wizard of Oz, from St. John’s Catholic School at the Raven Performing Arts Theater. Opening night is Friday, April 21; also Saturday and Sunday matinee this weekend and next, April 28-30. More at raventheater.org

Gran Fondo

Sonoma County’s annual bike event, officially Levi’s GranFondo, begins at the Windsor Town Green at 7:30am. Five different routes for cyclists of different skills explore the vineyards and

vistas of Wine Country and the coast. Post-race party at the Town Green; for details and routes see levisgranfondo.com

Car Show

Seventh Annual Healdsburg Car Show at Healdsburg High on Saturday, 9:30am to 1:30pm. John Chevalier, HHS media instructor, plays classic and country rock to keep it fun. No cost, 1024 Prince St.

Earth Day

Climate Action Healdsburg and the City of Healdsburg combine forces to hold a Climate Fest on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 in the Healdsburg Plaza. Interactive displays, events for grownups and kids, music and speakers from 1-4pm. More information at climateactionhealdsburg. org

Classical Trio

The Zodiac Trio, a leading international performing group of piano, clarinet and violin, takes listeners on a musical journey at 222 Healdsburg Ave. on Saturday, April 22, starting

at 7:30pm. Tickets $35$75, at the222.org

Seniors Meet

The next scheduled meeting of the Senior Citizens Advisory Commission will be Wednesday, April 26, at 4pm at City Council Chambers, 401 Grove St.

Final DEI Meeting “Is the Dream Alive and Well in Healdsburg?” is the title of the fifth and final encuentro in Healdsburg’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion series. This meeting explores contemporary and historical experiences of the AsianAmerican and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in Healdsburg and Sonoma County. Thursday, April 27, 6:30pm at Healdsburg Community Center. healdsburg.gov/ dei

Book Sale

The Friends of the Healdsburg Library (FoHL) holds their spring book sale from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29. Sales from book donations support the BiblioBike and other library projects. In the

Meeting Room, Healdsburg Library, 139 Piper St., hours vary.

Opening Night

The Alexander Valley Film Festival throws an opening night block party on Cloverdale’s First Street, home of the Clover Theater, on Friday, April 28. Opening Night Film will be Blackberry, about the world’s first smartphone. Tickets $100, 5pm, 121 E. First St.

Duo Plus One Bassist Nilson Matta and multi-instrumentalist Jovino Santos Neto combine forces to create a dynamic Brazilian duo, with guest percussionist Ami Molinelli adding contagious rhythms for this rare collaboration. Two shows at 7pm on Friday, April 28, and Saturday, April 29, at 222 Healdsburg Ave. Tickets $50-$75 at the222.org

Country-Rock

The Rowan Brothers, originally formed by the brothers Chris Rowan and Lorin Rowan, perform their tight brotherly harmonies at the

Music on the Piazza

Elephant in the Room on Saturday, April 29. $10 at the Elephant, 177 Healdsburg Ave., 8pm.

Island Music

Traditional and contemporary Hawaiian music from Faith Ako, a resident of the “island of Rohnert Park,” who brings her heartfelt performance to the Healdsburg Regional Library on Saturday, April 29, 2pm.

139 Piper St.

Stellar Sculptors

Nine Sonoma County artists in a single show to celebrate International Sculpture Day. Art, food and drink from 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30. T Barny Gallery & Sculpture Gardens, 4370 Pine Flat Rd.

City Council

Healdsburg’s City Council will meet on Monday, May 1, for their regular twice-monthly meeting. The agenda will be posted a week before the meeting. Attend live at 401 Grove St., 6pm, or view on Facebook/ CityofHealdsburg.

Live music every first Saturday of the month at Bacchus Landing, including May 6 from noon to 4pm. Wine available from seven wineries, plus wood-fired pizza. 14210 Bacchus Landing Way, next to the Humane Society.

Band Classics

Healdsburg Community Band Spring Concert will take the audience on a musical journey through compositions for military bands, swing bands and Hollywood ensembles. Tim Ellis conducts. Sunday, May 7, 3pm at Healdsburg Community Church, 1100 University Ave. Free.

May Day

The Geyserville Chamber of Commerce throws an old-fashioned May Day Celebration on Sunday, May 7, from 11am to 4pm. Maypole dance, ballet folklorico, wine and beer, kids games and a Kiwanis rib cook-off. At Draxton Wines (formerly Clos du Bois Winery), 9410 Geyserville Ave.

Photo courtesy of The Zodiac Trio

BREAK TIME The Zodiac Trio will perform from their classical repertoire at The 222 on April 22. From left, clarinet (Kliment Krylovskiy), violin (Vanessa Mollard) and piano (Riko Higuma).

Healdsburg Lumber

Ziedrich took over Healdsburg Lumber— which previously went by several other names—in 1985 from his parents, David and Dolores Ziedrich, who bought it in 1972 from Pacific Lumber. Healdsburg’s core area used to be unapologetically a lumberyard, where the former Nu Forest and Healdsburg Lumber adjoined along the railroad tracks.

Moving down the road wasn’t just a real estate opportunity, however—Healdsburg’s construction industry has changed, as the abundance of high-grade lumber has all but disappeared. Access to the highway and the market is now more important than access to the resources.

Diversification

and Unification

Over the years Healdsburg Lumber has diversified its services, and the new location allows those four different businesses to be in the same place for the first time.

As well as the lumber yard at 359 Hudson St., the company also owned a home-design showroom across the street at Hudson Street Design for the past 20 years. That in addition to the longstanding Healdsburg Door plant on Grove Street, and a warehouse business for storage, also on Grove.

Those four businesses are now all under one roof, and a big roof it is: a 33,000-square-foot lumber warehouse purchased from Capital Lumber next door and the new 43,000-square-foot, twostory flagship store that opened this week with about 20,000 square feet of retail space plus more than enough space for Hudson Street Design— the now-onsite doormanufacturing operation—office space and a huge lumber warehouse.

If that sounds big, it’s still downsized from Home Depot’s stores, which are typically larger than 100,000 square feet. Lowe’s are even larger on average, but Ziedrich has no illusions of beating the big boxes in scale. He’s focused on service.

“We’ve always been known as a kind of contractor, a professional yard. Our focus wasn’t the retail business,” Ziedrich said as we toured the large new facility the weekend before it opened. But he had some strong ideas on how a retail business should operate.

“I shop in Home Depot and Lowe’s, so I know the dynamics,” he said. “I would say of critical importance to us is the ease in the shopping experience. So we’re small enough that you could still navigate, whereas Home Depot, it’s a maze and it’s a challenge to figure out where you want to go. And of course, we all pick on the quality of their staff.”

Ziedrich spent months convincing his architect— Ken Lafranchi of Santa Rosa—to break away from the grid pattern of most big-box stores, looking for something different.

“It’s boring. There’s no there there,” he said. His team traveled around the country looking at other retail operations, and was struck by places like Pro Bass Shops and Cabela’s.

“They’re sporting and hunting, sure, but they have wild animals on the walls, and cliffs with mountain goats staring down at you,” he said. “Every department felt like a new experience. It could be a little over the top, but at least breaking it up a bit was important for us.”

As the different businesses have merged into the new location, the staff has focused on how to make the shopping experience better for everyone. “The minute you walk in the door, there’s somebody who can help you find what you need,” Ziedrich said. “We have folks that have been in the trade that can advise you how to fix something, or make recommendations. I think it’s the kind of thing you rarely get at a big-box.”

It sounds like a smaller hardware store, like Garrett’s on the other side of Healdsburg. “We never even exchanged conversations about our business plans,” said Ziedrich carefully, “but always Garrett’s was kind of focused on the consumer, and we were always focused on the contractor trade.”

Still, with a much larger footprint and the existing customer base of the 150-year-old lumber icon, Ziedrich doesn’t seem worried about the local competition. “I think by definition we should appeal to a larger customer base. And we expect that.”

Healdsburg Lumber Company, 13534 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg. Open Mon–Fri 6am to 6pm, Sat 7am to 4pm, Sun 8am to 4pm. 707.431.9663. www.hlc-inc.com

STOCKING David Thayer, usually a buyer for Healdsburg Lumber Company, helps stock the shelves with power tools just inside the front door of the new Healdsburg Avenue store.

MOVING DAY Trucks and forklifts make deliveries in the days before Healdsburg Lumber Company opened in its new location on Healdsburg Avenue.

Photos by Christian Kallen

OVERSIGHT Eric Ziedrich surveys the operation of Healdsburg Door inside the new Healdsburg Lumber Company store in town.

Pinot Wine Lounge With a Live Soundtrack

ALL THE WORLD’S

A WINE BAR AT FURTHERMORE IN HEALDSBURG

By Christian Kallen

It doesn’t always take a stage to put on a show.

At Furthermore Wines in Healdsburg, there’s simply a corner inside the front doors where the talent—the singer/guitarist, the jazz duo or trio, the five-piece soul band or the stand-up comic—sets up, and just like that it’s a venue, a new place in

town to hear live music.

It’s not exactly the sort of place where the band cranks it up to 11. “There’s an intimacy to that room, and part of it is the long, narrow nature of it,” said Chad Richard, co-owner with Bob Zeches of Furthermore Wines. A jazzguitar musician himself, Richard is conscious of the advantages of such a location.

“Some couches are six feet, eight feet away from the musicians, so you get this real up-close-and-personal feel,” he said. “It’s a

little bit more ‘lean forward and listen’ than you get in some other settings.”

That vibe makes it perfect not only for guitarbased music, but also for comedy. Every first Sunday of the month is Comedy Night at Furthermore, with regional talent trying out their latest shtick or reliable routine. Salsa lessons and dancing happen every other Thursday, while folk and jazz prevail most Fridays and Saturdays.

Most of all, though, the location just half a block from the Plaza is like somebody’s long— very long—living room, 105 feet long with 30-foot ceilings, actually, large enough for a bowling alley with some room left over.

Several large sofas line the walls, a big triptych of vineyards in the Santa Lucia Highlands faces the brick wall just 14 feet away, and down the hall sits a well-stocked wine bar— well stocked with Furthermore wines, of course.

It’s hard to tell if the venue is a wine bar or a tasting room, which is an increasingly common confusion in downtown Healdsburg. Several businesses on the same city block share the hybrid business model; Banshee Wines, at 325 Center St., was the first, in 2013, with its relaxed casual furnishings that quickly drew weekend afternoon crowds.

Then BloodRoot Wines opened around the corner at 118 North St., and likewise began cultivating a clientele that liked a good time as much as a good wine. A pandemicera wood-deck patio helps expand their living room outdoors on balmy days. Noah Dorrance, one of Banshee’s co-founders, started BloodRoot with his wife, Kelley Dorrance, in the early days of the pandemic.

Like those businesses,

Furthermore focuses on pinot noir. The famously fickle grape has a loyal following throughout the wine world, even in big red-friendly Sonoma County. Several premium Russian River vineyards lie within a few miles of the Healdsburg establishment and still more surround the primary tasting room and wine-making facility near Graton at 3541 Gravenstein Highway North in Sebastopol.

Richard and his college friend Zeches began making wine as part of the “urban winemaker” movement of the first decade of the millennium, when budding winemakers would truck in grapes from Bay Area vineyards to warehouses, industrial courts or mini-malls. When it comes right down to it, a vineyard view is unimportant in the stages of pressing, fermentation, aging and bottling.

After a couple of years in the East Bay, the duo purchased the former Graton Ridge winery in 2015 and moved their operations into the

welcoming embrace of Sonoma County. “We have one of our two estate vineyards there, and our actual winery production is there as well as a tasting room,” Richard said, clarifying that the Healdsburg location is a “tasting lounge.”

The Graton winery hosts live music, too, on Sunday afternoons from April to October, but it has a distinct summer party vibe as opposed to the cozy-performance vibe offered at Furthermore Healdsburg.

The long, narrow room that comprises Furthermore’s Healdsburg location is half of a full downtown business lot; the other half is currently occupied by the real estate offices of Engel & Völkers. The building was recently painted with the name Sam Meyer Hardware, based on an old photograph of the location. Richard is pretty sure it was once used as a bowling alley, too, and the length of the narrow room certainly has that quality.

More recently—within the memory of many in

Richard’s own cohort—it was Bergamont Alley, a slightly funkier wine bar with a fondness for LPs before they were quite so hip.

“We’re definitely a pinot house, as you’ve noticed,” Richard said. Furthermore’s default welcome is an introductory flight of pinot noirs from different California regions, sometimes curated into a northto-south theme.

“We get really excited about the different ways that pinot noir really reflects the place that it comes from, and its terroir or a kind of sense of place, if you will,” Richard said. He extrapolated his way through the full line of 18 or 19 pinots and the single chardonnay Furthermore makes, exhorting visitors to “go on that journey with us” and discover the micro-regional character of their wines, which surprisingly total only about 5,000 cases a year, “definitely on the small side.”

Regardless, when the musicians are playing in the cozy Furthermore Wine lounge, it’s simpler to order a glass of the wine that’s most appealing— after a journey of discovery, of course—and savor it as the music unfolds.

“There’s so many great, talented artists hanging out in Sonoma,” Richard said. “So I think we’re pretty blessed to have a lot of talent in, and we’re happy to be helping to contribute to stages that they can play on, for sure.”

Furthermore Wines, 328 Healdsburg Ave., Ste A. 707.395.0374. furthermorewines.com

Photo by Christian Kallen

A PINOT JOURNEY Furthermore co-owner Chad Richard enjoys a glass of his pinot noir with regular customers Tom Stekkinger and Michelle Maffia.

Photo by Christian Kallen

WINE BAR BAND The five-piece SoulShine Blues Band plays for the early evening crowd at Furthermore Wines, Healdsburg.

Photo courtesy of Furthermore Wines

LAUGH TRACK Comedy Night at Furthermore Wines in Healdsburg is held every first Monday of the month.

Softball Girls Turn It Around

YOUNG TEAM BEGINS TO WIN AFTER SLOW START

By Christian Kallen

Healdsburg’s varsity softball team is putting the pieces together as the season swings into its final month. After losing their first five games, sometimes by embarrassing scores, the Hounds turned around in April and are on a winning streak as we go to press.

It wasn’t until the sixth game of the season, on April 4, that the young Hounds team came up with a victory—and a big one, an 18-1 win over Elsie Allen. A loss to Ukiah (120) and a forfeit against Santa Rosa set their record back, but thankfully Elsie Allen came to town for a double-header on April 14.

Once again Healdsburg dominated, winning the games 15-0 and 13-4. Still, there was some doubt that the success the team had against one hapless opponent was a fluke,

until Piner’s Prospectors showed up at HHS on Tuesday, April 18.

After a scoreless first inning, the home team scored in every inning until the bottom of the sixth. Aggressive baserunning kept runners in scoring position and the porous Piner defense was unable to staunch the mayhem.

The game ended 12-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the 10-point threshold having been reached with one out.

“We hit the ball pretty well, pitched well, played defense well,” said a pleased Coach Brian Osborn. “So yeah, it was a pretty clean game for us.” It left the Hounds with a winning 4-3 record in the Redwood league, a 4-7 record overall.

Osborn is in his third year coaching this time around, though he coached for eight years before he had kids of his own and decided to take a break. In 2021 he came back to the team as softball coach only two days before the season began,

when the previous coach quit. This season did not begin well. The first game was on Feb. 23, a 23-4 loss to Kelseyville. Runs were hard to come by, as were clean outs, and the scores reflected a team still learning the game.

“We’re a really young team, so if we make a couple mistakes, they can kind of snowball. And that’s happened in a couple of those early games,” he said.

He pointed out the youth of the team: a sophomore shortstop; first, second and third base all freshmen. The only senior starts in center, between two more sophomores in the outfield, and both pitcher and catcher are juniors. A very young team.

“So you’re going to have those games where things go well, and you’re going to have those games where things can go sideways pretty quickly,” Osborn said.

Osborn has been around the game long enough to know things

go in cycles; a young team can have a poor season, but the next year turn it around and make the playoffs. That’s what he is hoping happens here.

“You know, with the size of the town, it’s hard to get two teams,” he said, meaning fielding a JV squad as well as varsity. “Ever since Covid, it’s been pretty hard to get numbers, and the school population numbers are down. I mean, we’ve had years we won 17 games. We’ve gone to the second, third round of the playoffs a couple times I’ve been coaching. So, hopefully we get back to that.”

Thursday afternoon at 5pm, the varsity softball team takes on Tomales in a non-league game at Healdsburg High, before heading out of town to Piner for a league rematch on Friday, April 21.

“This year our goal is to make the playoffs so all these young kids can see it, get an experience, and feel it,” Osborn said. “Next year, hopefully we should be able to start a trend of going back to the playoffs.”

Photos by Michael Lucid

FOCUS Healdsburg’s starting pitcher, junior Laurel Heaney, prepares to deliver a strike to a Kelseyville batter early in the 2023 season, as Ashley Jenkins stands ready at third base.

LEGGING IT OUT Healdsburg’s Ashley Jenkins makes it to first base before the throw in the April 3 game against Lower Lake. The Hounds lost, 19-8.

Climate Fest

“I’ve temporarily put aside my musical pursuits to focus on my Council duties,” he said. “The Climate Fest will probably be my only performance of the year. I’m looking forward to it!”

At 1pm, Erica Gutierrez from Corazon and

EARLY AM CAR CHASE ENDS IN CRASH, ARREST CHICO TEEN HAD SAWEDOFF SHOTGUN, BOOZE AND AMMO

Shortly after the Healdsburg Tribune went to press last week, on April 13 at about 1:30am, Healdsburg Police officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle on Dry Creek Road near Highway 101. After the driver failed to respond, the officer activated his emergency lights and siren, and the suspect vehicle turned onto the freeway and fled southbound on Highway 101. An early-morning car chase followed, with the officer in pursuit at

Ty Benoit from Climate Action Healdsburg will welcome the attendees and give brief comments. Mayor Ariel Kelley and others from the City of Healdsburg, as well as major sponsors including Clint McKay, the Pomo leader from the Dry Creek

Rancheria, will have their moment on stage.

Kelley and others will orient attendees to the special events of the day, including a Bicycle Rodeo put on by the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, a City of Healdsburgsponsored drawing for an electric bike and free bicycle helmets for kids donated by Mill District Velo.

Earth Day cookies and snacks, an electric vehicle show, and many interactive and informational activities from participants continue through the afternoon. More than 50 booths will be set up to represent the many local and regional donors and partners of the event, including Recology, Land Paths, Indivisible Healdsburg,

Pepperwood Preserve, Preston Farms, Jackson Family Wines, Healdsburg Fire, Sonoma County Master Gardeners, Sonoma County Library, Healdsburg Unified School District and many others.

At 2pm, an Earth Protectors Parade will meet at the northwest corner of the Plaza for everyone who wishes to dress up as the earth, wind, fire, water, plants and animals.

Other expected speakers include Assemblyman Jim Wood and representatives from North Bay Jobs with Justice, service organizations such as Rotary and Kiwanis, and others.

Starting at 3pm, the Fitch Mountaineers will entertain from the gazebo while attendees continue to visit the sponsors’ and participants’ booths. The five local musicians started playing bluegrass

and Americana songs about nine years ago, having begun at Speed of Sound Music in town, but it’s their first time playing for an audience from the gazebo stage. Speaking in public comment at Monday’s City Council meeting, Climate Network Healdsburg’s Bridgette Mansell—herself a former councilmember—said the Climate Fest is an educational project. “Changes in behavior and changing habits to benefit the Earth is really the focus of Earth Day,” she said.

On April 22, all Sonoma County Transit routes will operate fare-free, providing transportation to Earth Day events at the Healdsburg Plaza (route 60) and in downtown Santa Rosa as well (routes 20, 30, 44/48, 60).

speeds approaching 100 mph. The suspect turned off the freeway at the next exit onto Westside Road. Soon he lost control of his vehicle and crashed in the rural 4000 block of Westside

Road, after about five miles of pursuit. The suspect was not injured and was immediately taken into custody without further incident. However, during a search of the vehicle, a

loaded sawed-off shotgun was located in the front-right passenger seat. A large amount of rifle, handgun and shotgun ammunition was also found inside the vehicle.

Two open bottles of alcohol were also recovered, according to a photograph released by Healdsburg Police on their Facebook feed.

The suspect was a 17-year-old out of Chico.

After medical clearance, the juvenile was booked into Juvenile Hall for possession of a short-barreled rifle, felony vehicular evasion and possession of a loaded firearm by a prohibited person.

EVIDENCE Healdsburg Police posted this image of evidence collected from the scene of an April 13 vehicle crash on Westside Road, where a 17-year-old juvenile was arrested and booked.

Changes in behavior and changing habits to benefit the Earth is really the focus of Earth Day.

BIKE RODEO Fourth graders line up for a Bicycle Rodeo to navigate a skills course with obstacles to learn safety and bike-handling skills.

Courtesy Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition

Spring Is Busting Out All Over

THIS BUD BREAK IS FOR YOU

By Pierre Ratte

Bud break is a harbinger of spring’s warming.

It’s been rainy and cold the last couple of months.

Now that the sun is rising earlier and days are getting longer, Mother Nature is responding.

Bud break occurs when warmth and sun encourage nutrients to swell hard nodules until they bust

out leaves. Leaves harvest light and manufacture energy. Pictures clockwise from left: zinfandel (Vitis vinifera) vine budding; western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), one of the first flowering trees, unmistakable with its redbuds covering bare branches; and blueblossom (Ceanothus thyrsiflorus), a native plant which is drought tolerant and thrives from coastal chaparral to wooded slopes from California to Oregon.

Activities in the ’Burg are also busting out all over.

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts held its annual fundraising event with the Art of Dessert gala featuring over 100 children singing “It’s a Wonderful World.” The children celebrated LBC bringing musical instruments and art into their lives. The evening featured Susan Preston, board chair, and Rekha Skantharaja, a board member who spoke about

how art enabled her transformation from a shy minority girl to a confident young woman.

LBC is more than a concert venue; it’s a community-based educational force changing children’s lives. Reportedly, the auction busted through fundraising expectations.

Speaking of music, expectations and busting it out, four Grammy Awardwinning artists took the stage Friday night at the Elephant in the Room, KC Mosso’s local pub. Willie

Waldman’s sultry trumpet tones favored creating music over playing songs. His band and guest artists slayed it.

Drummer Tony Austin supplied a driving backbeat like a Ferrari engine motoring city streets growling to find an open road. Seriously, YouTube this guy. Effortless speed.

Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila tore it up, as well as guitarist Eric Devaney. Special guests included a young rapper from the audience; Willie

brought him on-stage for a tryout—amazing! And then, special guest, MC Radioactive. This guy is a band in a body. It bends the mind to recognize he makes music solely from his breath. Kudos KC.

Fun facts: Here’s the difference between a rapper, an MC and a DJ—a rapper rhymes and focuses on songs; an MC guides and leads an audience; and a DJ primarily chooses, transitions and mixes songs.

BUD BREAK A zinfandel vine budding, western redbud and blueblossom.

GRACE ELIZABETH “BETTE” LOPEMAN

May 27, 1933 - April 6, 2023

Bette, 89, passed away April 6, 2023. Bette was a long-time resident of Windsor and a staple at Healdsburg High School for over 30 years. She touched the lives of many students as a teacher’s aide, coach and statistician for every sporting event she could attend. She was married to her high school sweetheart and love of her life, Richard “Dick” Lopeman, for 45 years before he preceded her in death. She will be remembered for her quick wit, infectious laugh, soft spot for her dogs and love of Bette Boop. She is also preceded in death by her son, Kevin. Bette was a sports enthusiast, a passionate SF Giants, 49ers fan, avid knitter and never met a slot machine she didn’t like. She loved family and attended every event she could. She is survived by her three children, Susan, Chuck, Shari (Mark), ten grandchildren whom she adored and eight great-grandchildren that she could never see enough pictures of.

A graveside burial at Santa Rosa Memorial Park will be held on April 21, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. and will be open to anyone that would like to attend. A celebration of life will follow at the Holiday Inn in Windsor from 4:00 - 6:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the Humane Society in Healdsburg.

First, we’ve taken several important steps to make sure we are addressing the anxiety and other mental health challenges students are facing postpandemic. Two years ago, we brought in two highly qualified therapists who work with our district’s counseling team and psychologists to address our students’ needs. We’re using regular screening tools with students to gauge where they are emotionally so that we can act swiftly and prescriptively. Next year, we’re excited to announce that we will be opening a wellness center at Healdsburg High to increase our capacity to help students and make appropriate referrals.

We’ve also shifted our training for emergency intruder situations to follow new models that are encouraged by the Department of Homeland Security. This year, we adopted the AVERT training model that teaches staff how to act in emergency situations. We are working to refine our practices, procedures and communications strategies as well. We’ve partnered with the Healdsburg Police Department and are bringing officers on campus in an effort to familiarize them with the district should an emergency arise. Furthermore, we work with HPD leadership regularly on both training and collaborative problem solving.

Finally, we are in the midst of creating MultiTiered Systems of Support (MTSS) for our students. MTSS is a system of problem solving to ensure every student grows academically, socially and behaviorally. This comprehensive system is widely recognized as being an essential component of building safer schools.

As parents and educators, we take your children’s safety and wellbeing seriously. We know the trust you are putting in us and we are continually examining and improving our practices. Given the events of the past few weeks in Santa Rosa, I encourage you to ask questions and provide input. And if you do have questions, please feel free to reach out to me. Together, we can ensure that our kids are not only safe, but thriving at school.

The Healdsburg Unified School District has been seeking input from HUSD families and staff for our LCAP (Local Control Accountability Plan) through a short survey. We would also welcome input from the Healdsburg community at large. If you are willing to take a few minutes to fill out our brief survey, you can access it here: tinyurl.com/99pt8cm6

Chris Vanden Heuvel is Healdsburg School District’s superintendent

INSTALLATION Members of Healdsburg High ceramics class at their Uvalde memorial, at Center and North streets in Healdsburg. From left, Alejandro Sanchez, Jovanni Guzman, Christopher Ramos, Edgar Campos, Tomas Jaimez and Bernardo Pimentel. Each mini-desk in the installation represents a student death from gunfire.

Photo by Christian Kallen

As parents and educators, we take your children’s safety and wellbeing seriously.

CHRIS VANDEN HEUVEL