The Apple Basket

Sebastopol gets its third Starbucks, movie stars of Sebastopol and a succulent star

Starbucks opened in North Sebastopol last week to a chorus of raspberries on Nextdoor. (A not-unusual sound on that platform.) Why, folks asked, did the city ever approve such a thing? City Planner Kari Svanstrom explained that the city’s ban on formula businesses (e.g. mega-chains like Starbucks) applies to most of the city, but that its four shopping centers, including Redwood Market Place and SouthPoint Center, where the Starbucks are located, are exempt from that rule. Got a problem with that? Take it to the city council.

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My Country, ’Tis of Thee: Sunridge Charter School’s 5th grade class created this needle felted map of the US. While they learned geography and geology in their main lesson, they made this map in handwork. This beautiful piece won the most bids in the school’s recent auction. We bet it did—beautiful!

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Stars of Sebastopol: Loretta Castleberry reports in the Analy High School Alumni Group on Facebook that there are two new movies featuring actors from Sebastopol: ‘A Man Called Otto’ features Cameron Britton (Netflix) and a series remake of ‘Fatal Attraction’ (Paramount) features Alyssa Jirrels (below). Alyssa is the daughter of Skip Jirrels, Sebastopol’s Public Safety Outreach Coordinator.

Alyssa Jirrels

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Need an Emergency Ride Home? Thanks to a post from the city of Petaluma, we just learned of a cool service the county provides that fits right in with May’s National Bike-to-Work Month. Did you know about Sonoma County’s Emergency Ride Home program? Anyone in Sonoma County using active transportation (like biking or even taking the bus) to get to work is eligible for a reimbursement of up to $120 for a taxi/Uber/Lyft trip up to four times a year. You can use the program if you have an emergency while at work and need to leave urgently (e.g., if your child is sick, bike was stolen, carpool partner unexpectedly left early, or you’re saddled with unscheduled mandatory overtime). Find out more here.

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Please don’t feed the weasels

New signs went up in Ragle Park—part of an attempt to keep the weasels wild. The first admonition—stay at least 25 feet away—must be aimed at local wildlife photographers, who often descend on Ragle in search of frolicking fauna.

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Now that’s a succulent! Or is it? Do you know where this humongous plant is located in Sebastopol? The first person to identify its name and location wins a bouquet of roses. (I’d offer a bouquet of succulents, but I don’t grow those.) I’ll deliver if you live in town, but if you’re farther flung, you’ll need to pick up your bouquet at the newspaper office.) Email your answer to sebastopoltimes@gmail.com.