RoundUp: One way or another
Romping weasels, one-way or two, remembering the howling and an invitation to a Memorial Day ceremony
Weasel watching at Ragle
A student at the SRJC who said photography is a hobby of his, Jacob Banks recently spent time photographing the long-tail weasels at Ragle Regional Park in Sebastopol, and he posted them on NextDoor. We got permission from Jacob to post some of his great photos here.
Jacob wrote: “The weasels are so entertaining to watch. I stayed for hours at Ragle watching them jump, play and pop out of their burrows. It made me so happy the day after my initial post to see a group of photographers and spectators there taking pictures of them as well (respectfully giving the animals space). The weasels are bringing our community together.”
“The close-up shots were the result of me being very still and quiet; eventually they got curious and came within feet of the camera.”
Signs placed at Ragle Park recommend staying 25 feet away from the weasels.
Remember the Howling?
Dale’s wife, Nancy Dougherty, writes notes in cookbooks when she uses a recipe. When she was looking to make dessert, she found a recipe for Lemon Sponge Custard, and then saw her note from April 2020, five years ago during COVID. Her note read: “Excellent. We ate it after the 8 pm HOWLING.” It felt pretty good to go outside in the evening and howl while hearing others howling as well. (Laura wrote about the howling in Sebastopol in 2020.)
Reimagining the Downtown Core
There were a fair number of people at the Reimagining the Downtown Core public meeting on Thursday, which ran from 3 to 7 pm. Traffic consultant Geoff Rubendall of Fehr & Peers gave the same PowerPoint he’d shown to the Sebastopol Planning Commission the week before.
The images on the walls contained detailed mock-ups of what one-way, two-way and no-way options for the downtown core might look like. I don’t think that the name “no-way”—for the option that involved closing a block or two of Main Street downtown—was meant to be a comment on feasibility, though “no way” is what I heard a couple of people opine, looking at that option.
The option with the highest vehicle miles saved was 2D—which saw both Petaluma Avenue and Main Street returned to being a two-way, with all the bike path on Main Street. Fehr & Peers projected this would save 530,000 miles of driving a year, which was projected to save 530 vehicle miles travelled and 3 years of vehicle hours travelled. (This is a long public process however, and there is no guarantee this option will be chosen.)
Here are the three circulation options: (Note: these will be far more satisfying on a computer than a phone.)
Here’s the timeline, going forward:
VFW Post 3919 to honor fallen heroes and widows on Memorial Day with airplane flyovers, ceremony and band
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3919 is holding a Memorial Day ceremony on May 26, 11 am at The Sebastopol Memorial Lawn, 7951 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol. This year’s ceremony includes airplane flyovers and music by the Sebastopol Community Band. The VFW will also present a certificate to Mary Ellen Boyd on behalf of all widows of fallen soldiers.
Mary Ellen Boyd lost her husband Ted James Rule in Vietnam in 1968 when he was serving as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Ranger Corps. He was just 25. To this day, she wears her Gold Star Lapel Button at special events, a button given to family members of those who died in combat. Mary Ellen’s now husband, the Honorable Robert S. Boyd, also served in Vietnam, as the officer in charge of a Navy underwater mine disposal team. He’ll join his wife in honoring those lost and the families they left behind.
“I’m humbled by the opportunity to accept a certificate on behalf of the many widows and other family members who lost a loved one in Vietnam or elsewhere,” said Boyd. “I encourage others to join me at this special event so we can pay our respect together.”
Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and a hat. Active duty, reserve, and military veterans are permitted to wear their dress uniforms, and civilians are encouraged to wear casual patriotic attire. A simple lunch will follow, free to the public, at the Sebastopol Veterans Memorial Building and Center for the Arts.
About VFW Gold Ridge Post 3919: The West Sonoma County VFW Gold Ridge Post 3919 is a community of combat veterans that meets regularly to support all veterans and their families and to take part in community activities. To learn more, visit vfwpost3919.org.
What’s in your yard?
It’s rhododendron season, and here’s a lovely example from the therapy office located right behind the Sebastopol Times office. So convenient: when the news drives us crazy, we can just walk next door and ask for help. Or maybe, just looking at their yard would do the trick.
What’s your yard looking like right now? Send us a photo and, if we like it, we’ll include in next week’s RoundUp. It’s been such a gorgeous spring. Show us what you’ve got!
Sebastopol Police Logs, May 12-18
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
10:19 a.m. Battery on a person on school property (misdemeanor) at Analy Avenue. Suspect arrested.
12:06 p.m. Violation of post-release community supervision (felony) at Norlee Street. Suspect arrested.
5:08 p.m. Petty theft (misdemeanor) at Bodega Avenue. Cleared by circumstances beyond police control.
TUESDAY
2:23 a.m. Violation of post-release community supervision (felony) and possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor) at South Main Street. Suspect arrested.
3:51 p.m. Served a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Barnes and Sebastopol avenues. Suspect arrested.
7:01 p.m. Violation of probation, trespassing, and lodging without an owner’s consent (misdemeanors) at South Main Street. Suspect arrested.
THURSDAY
1:20 p.m. Shoplifting (misdemeanor) at North Main Street. Suspect arrested.
1:26 p.m. Causing injury to an elderly dependent adult (felony) at Laguna Park Way. Charges unfounded.
FRIDAY
10:38 p.m. Traffic offense at Sebastopol Avenue. Suspect arrested.
SATURDAY
12:16 p.m. Grand theft (felony) at Florence Avenue. Cleared by circumstances beyond police control.
4:50 p.m. Violation of post release community supervision, possession of a controlled substance with two or more prior convictions, served with a felony arrest warrant for an outside agency (felonies), giving a false identification to police, possession of a controlled substance, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and violation of probation (misdemeanors) at Sebastopol and Llano roads. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
12:39 a.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 percent (misdemeanors) at Gravenstein Highway South. Suspect arrested.
10:53 p.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 percent (misdemeanors) and driving without a license at Sebastopol and Petaluma avenues. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 159 events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
The week of May 19-24
"You write really interesting and informative articles, affirming the best in our local community and keeping us informed of its resilience, charm and out-pouring of community events and celebrations. Thank you!" - new subscriber Claire Noble
I’m inspired to go see the weasels! Also to look at the proposed traffic options. The Sebastopol Times is a treasure. It’s important to support and subscribe.
I was hoping to find Nancy’s recipe for lemon sponge custard somewhere in the post. It looked delicious!
I was here before the current configuration; basically you could not make a left turn anywhere in downtown. The problem is traffic volume, full stop (as they say).