Hey yo, Healdsburg! Simone here with your long-awaited scroll of all the biggest news stories playing out in our wee corner of the world. If you, like me, sometimes prefer to pretend you live in a romantic TV drama, you could think of this scroll as the pearl-clutching pamphlet that Lady Whistledown sends around town in the “Bridgerton” series, or the catty stream of narration from the god voice in “Gossip Girl” — with the important distinction that everything you read in these pages has passed my journalistic smell test, and is not borne of revenge or pettiness, LOL. With that, here’s some of what you’ll find in this week’s dispatch:

Local rainfall totals and reservoir levels so far this year
The Healdsburg artist raising funds to rebuild his flooded shop
An alleged assault rifle sale attempt in the Safeway parking lot
The ugly public battle playing out between state politicians in Louisiana and California, tracing back to little old Healdsburg
An elaborate Hooters hoax staged at the empty Rite Aid space
The ICE protest movement ramping up around our area
Two more prominent wineries leaving Healdsburg
A new-and-improved sparkling wine hub on Moore Lane
An unexpected sky visitor for Geyserville Elementary
And other local stories sure to dumbfound and delight 🤯

But before we begin, a quick reminder that I could use your help growing this newsletter into a resilient community resource that will stand the test of time. (Seeing as I haven’t figured out how to make the “Bridgerton” and “Gossip Girl” business models work for me yet!) These are the main ways you can lend your support:

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Villa Chanticleer

Voted Healdsburg’s best wedding venue

The Villa’s still got it! Our historic community event space, built along Fitch Mountain’s northwestern slope in 1910 as a country resort for French elite from the city, was recently named best local wedding venue in the Healdsburg Tribune’s annual “Best of Healdsburg” reader poll. This, after the Villa Chanticleer underwent hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations over the past couple of years, as part of a unique partnership between the City of Healdsburg and the Milestone Events Group. (Every last nook and cranny of the 17-acre, indoor-outdoor Villa grounds have gotten a total glow-up; see pics here.) When the “Best of” award was announced, the venue’s managers wrote in a message to the community: “The Villa has been a place of love, celebration, and connection for generations, and thanks to you, that legacy lives on. We can’t wait to welcome you back and create the next chapter of cherished memories!”

Indeed, the public has been taking notice. Weekends in 2026 are getting booked up fast, according to venue managers, with “only a handful of peak-season Saturdays” still available for 2026 — so if you’re eying the Villa as your dream venue, make sure to grab a date before they’re gone. This is the perfect spot to host a big party that still feels cozy and intimate — not just weddings, but also reunions, birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, memorials and other gatherings. And even now that it looks like a million bucks, the Villa is still one of the most affordable options around; you can check out pricing here. Also, keep in mind that Healdsburg residents get an extra 20% off! Learn more and book your next event on the Villa Chanticleer website. 🥂