RoundUp: Everybody look what's going down

No Kings protests, a memorial at Ives Pool, countdown to Halloween and more

Oct 19, 2025

West County shows up for the No Kings protest

Photos by Laura Hagar Rush

Roughly 1,100 people showed up for the No Kings protest in downtown Sebastopol on Saturday, Oct. 18. (Thanks to Robert Uleman for the count!) This protest was part of the national “No Kings: National Day of Defiance.” Here are a few pics from the day:

Folks also turned out for No Kings in Graton…

Photos by Sebastopol Times subscriber Marcy Greeley

And don’t forget No Kings in Forestville…

Photos by Laura Hagar Rush

Remembering Jennifer Nichols with a Jenny Jump

Mr. “Learn to Swim” and former Ives lifeguard Greg Jacobs wrote us about an unusual memorial that happened at Ives Pool this week:

“On Monday, Oct. 13, there was a ceremony for 94-year-old swimmer Jennifer Nichols. She had used the pool for many years, despite suffering from severe arthritis. She was always there, and I had many conversations with her about the news of the day when I came to swim laps at Ives. She had a bright wit and never complained about a condition that caused some bodily deformity. She even wrote a poem about it, saying, ‘I have outlived my twisted spine.’ She was British and quite proper, but she also had that same British sense of humor. She even wrote her own epitaph, and in a Twilight Zone moment had a letter to the Press Democrat published the day after she died. As you can see by the photos, quite a few folks came out on a rainy day—although the rain stopped for the memorial—and then everyone took the Jenny Jump into Ives Pool.”

Leaving

By Jen Nichols

I’m leaving this world soon
better get organized
tie up loose ends

I’ve outlived my twisted spine
pain spoils the sunset
I can no longer visit the ocean

Time to move on
I wish I was Egyptian
so my cat could come with me

Jen Nichols with Ives Pool executive director Ricardo Freitas.

Thanks to Greg Jacobs and Ricardo Freitas for finding and pulling together all the pieces for this story.

Getting ready for Halloween

The countdown to Halloween has begun, but it’s going to be hard to beat the window display, above, at Pine Grove General Store on Main Street.

The Sebastopol City Council pledged to do a little more holiday decorating this year, and true to Interim City Manager Mary Gourley’s word, the city added some fun decorations to the downtown plaza for Halloween:

Video music credit: SoundGalleryByDmitryTaras

TLC Gala raises $251K for at-risk youth

TLC’s 50th Anniversary Gala at Balletto Vineyards, covered in last week’s RoundUp, raised $251,400 for at-risk youth in Sonoma County, according to Susan Fette, CEO of TLC Youth and Family Services in Sebastopol.

Group photo from TLC Gala on October 11, 2025

Corrections

HOW MANY HOMELESS PEOPLE?

There was a typo in our article, “Who will live in Gravenstein Commons and how will they be chosen?” The number of homeless people on the west county subregional by-names list is 123, not 23.

ANOTHER PRESS DEMOCRAT CORRECTION

The Press Democrat sent a correction to our correction about the number of journalists that have left or been asked to leave since Alden Capital acquired the Press Democrat and other Sonoma Media Investment papers. We were initially told that that number was 15 by a former high-ranking Sonoma Media Investments executive. We thought he was talking about job losses at The Press Democrat per se, but we were wrong. In our first correction, we wrote, “It turned out that he was speaking not about journalist positions at The Press Democrat in particular, but current and planned journalist positions across all Sonoma Media Investments newspapers.”

We thought that covered it, but the Press Democrat’s Community Journalism Lead Amie Windsor didn’t think so. Preferring to count only filled positions—which, honestly, I can see her point—she wrote, “We have lost 9 across our entire newsroom staff, which includes The Petaluma Argus Courier, Sonoma Index Tribune, La Prensa, Sonoma County Gazette and the NBBJ.”

We genuinely wish our fellow journalists at the Press Democrat and other former Sonoma Media Investments papers all the best. Large regional dailies like the PD are essential to understanding what’s going on in the county where you live. We are and will continue to be loyal subscribers to The Press Democrat.

Sebastopol Police Logs, October 6-12

The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.

MONDAY

8:33 a.m. Grand theft from a motor vehicle (felony) and petty theft from a motor vehicle (misdemeanor) at Valley View Drive. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.

12:30 p.m. Threatening to commit a crime with the intention of terrorizing (misdemeanor) at Healdsburg Avenue. Charges unfounded.

1:13 p.m. Violation of probation (misdemeanor) at Sebastopol and Llano roads. Suspect arrested.

WEDNESDAY

3:02 p.m. Violation of probation (felony), violation of probation (misdemeanor), driving while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08%, driving with a suspended license, committing a traffic offense, and possession of a substance similar to toluene (misdemeanors) at Sebastopol Avenue. Referred to District Attorney for review.

5:16 p.m. Purse snatching (misdemeanor) at McKinley Street. Pending further information.

FRIDAY

8:05 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol (misdemeanor) at Taft and Wallace streets. Suspect arrested.

SUNDAY

4:43 a.m. Vandalism involving defacing property (misdemeanor) at Sebastopol Avenue. Suspect arrested.

11:26 a.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia and violation of probation (misdemeanors) at Petaluma and Abbott avenues. Suspect arrested.

OTHER POLICE ACTION

The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 142 events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.