Roundup: Rolling into the holidays
Pictures from the Sebastopol Lights Parade, those new-fangled traffic lights, Christmas dinner for all, police logs, and a lot more
Fourth annual Sebastopol Lights Parade
The fourth annual Sebastopol Lights Parade wound its way through town on Wednesday night. Throughout many of the neighborhoods along the parade route, people had set up chairs on the sidewalks—along with fire pits and even barbecues.
Thanks to Gary Saxe for these photos:
I caught up with the parade at the end of its route as it emerged from Fircrest Mobile Home Park, where it makes a command appearance every year, to the delight of seniors and others living in the mobile home park. Thanks again to Lori Jay and friends for creating this event and pulling it off another year!
Remember, flashing red lights mean “Stop, look, go”
I drive Highway 116 through town every day on my way to work, and it is clear to me that the new HAWK lights—one at Petaluma Avenue at McKinley Street near the Plaza and one on Gravenstein Highway North at Danmar Drive—have some people flummoxed.
These lights, known as high-intensity activated crosswalk lights or HAWKs, are designed to help pedestrians safely cross busy streets. Unlike regular stoplights, which are timed, HAWKs are activated by pedestrians pushing a button, so they should only be on when someone is actively crossing the street.
For the last few weeks, I have sat behind innumerable cars whose drivers sit frozen as the Hawk transitions from red (stop) to flashing red (stop, look, go), forgetting that a flashing red light is just like a stop sign—you stop, you look, and then you go.
Me: “Go.”
Car ahead of me just sits there.
Me: “Seriously, just go.” Fingers tapping on steering wheel.
Car still sitting there.
Me: “Go, damn it!” (Oops, centering prayer with long controlled exhale.)
On their Facebook page, the Sebastopol Police Department offered these instructions for HAWK lights and provided this handy cheat sheet:
For drivers:
If the lights are yellow, slow down and prepare to stop.
If the lights are solid red, stop just like you would for a regular red light.
If the lights are flashing red, stop first, then proceed with caution as you would at a stop sign and if there is no one in the crosswalk.
For pedestrians, press the button:
If you see a red hand, don’t cross.
If you see the little walking person, watch for cars and start crossing.
As the numbers count down, finish crossing, or if you’re still on the other side of the road, don’t start to cross.
Sebastopol Holiday Dinner—Free Christmas dinner for all
The Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise will serve Christmas Day dinner—turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies, salad, muffins, and desserts—free to the community on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 1 pm to 4 pm, at the Sebastopol Community Church, 1000 Gravenstein Hwy N., Sebastopol.
As usual, one corner of the hall will be set up like a toy store. There will be toys for all, and warm coats for those who would like one.
Personal Essay Contest: We got an incredible response!
Twenty people submitted essays thus far for the Sebastopol Times’ first personal essay contest. (The deadline is today, Sunday, Dec. 22.)
All entries will be posted to a special section of our website, and we’ll send out the top six winning essays (as selected by Dale and Laura) every day during Christmas week, Dec. 23-28. On Sunday, Dec. 29, in RoundUp, you’ll have a chance to vote on your favorite essay, and that author will win a basket of local goodies.
Laura and Ezra also wrote personal essays just for fun—not as part of the contest—and you’ll get to read those as well. (Honestly, we wrote these preemptively in case we didn’t get enough entries — but boy, were we wrong.)
Thanks to everyone who sent in their work. Your efforts will allow our hardworking journalists to take a few days off at Christmas.
Correction
We mistakenly conflated the role of fire captain and fire chief in our City Council Recap this week. The council agreed to hire a fire captain, not a fire chief. The paragraph in question should have read: “The second item involved a Fire Captain job description and salary range. Bray has been operating as fire chief for Sebastopol, but he said he can’t be at the station all the time and that the city should have a paid fire captain to be onsite to provide supervision.”
Sebastopol Police Logs, Dec. 9-15
The following are crimes excerpted from Sebastopol Police Department daily crime log entries and listed at the time the alleged violation was reported.
MONDAY
9:50 a.m. Possession of a narcotic controlled substance, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and disobeying a court order (misdemeanors) at Gravenstein Highway North. Suspect arrested.
TUESDAY
7:55 a.m. Driving with a suspended license, a restricted driver operating a vehicle without an interlock device and violation of probation (misdemeanors) at North Main Street. Suspect arrested.
10:58 a.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol and possession of alcohol by a minor (misdemeanors) at Johnson Street and Laguna Park Way. Suspect arrested.
1:33 p.m. Possession of unlawful paraphernalia (misdemeanor) at Hurlbut Avenue and Gravenstein Highway North. Suspect arrested.
1:33 p.m. Possession of a controlled substance in prison (felony), failure to appear in court as promised in writing (misdemeanor) and served with a misdemeanor arrest warrant for an outside agency at Hurlbut Avenue and Gravenstein Highway North. Suspect arrested.
WEDNESDAY
1:59 p.m. Failure to appear in court after promising in writing (misdemeanor) at Wallace and North Main streets. Suspect arrested.
SATURDAY
2:51 a.m. Served a felony arrest warrant for an outside agency at McKinley and North Main streets. Suspect arrested.
2:51 a.m. Resisting a peace officer, battery on a peace officer, disorderly conduct involving alcohol (misdemeanors) and threatening a crime with an intent to terrorize (felony) at McKinley and North Main streets. Suspect arrested.
4:42 a.m. Second-degree burglary at Danmar Drive and Gravenstein Highway North. Investigation suspended, leads exhausted.
10:26 p.m. Driving while under the influence of alcohol with a blood alcohol content of at least 0.08 percent at South Main Street and Fannen Avenue. Suspect arrested.
SUNDAY
2:37 p.m. Disorderly conduct involving alcohol (misdemeanor) at Johnson Street and Laguna Park Way. Suspect arrested.
OTHER POLICE ACTION
The Sebastopol Police Department also recorded 100 other events requiring police action during the period, such as lost animals, assisting citizens, parking violations, foot patrol, traffic hazards and reckless driving.
You still have time to give a Sebastopol Times gift subscription to your friends
Give the gift of connection and community to your friends in Sebastopol and West County this year with a subscription to the Sebastopol Times. If you’ve got enough jingle in your pockets, give them a paid gift subscription. Paid subscriptions make it possible for us to do what we do.
You can also give your friends a FREE gift subscription to the Sebastopol Times, by sending their name and email to us at sebastopoltimes@gmail.com. (Also include your name so they’ll know who gave them the gift!) We’ll send them a holiday e-card notifying them of your free gift subscription.