Valley People

BRONWYN HANES had previously pled out to embezzling some $27,000 from the Anderson Valley PTA. Tuesday, the single mother of two and long-time local resident, was sentenced to 90 days in the County Jail followed by weekends in jail. Ms. Hanes was also placed on five years probation. Facing the courtroom in which several local women active in the PTA were seated, the contrite Ms. Hanes read a statement expressing her sorrow for her duplicity and her apologies to the PTA for stealing from it and, by extension, the children of the Anderson Valley.

THE DISPOSITION of the Hanes case seemed to take the defendant and her attorney, Catherine Elliot, by surprise. Ms. Elliot had argued for no jail time, and even the DA had insisted on a minimum of weekends in jail plus, of course, full restitution. But Judge Moorman insisted on the 90 days plus weekends and expressed her surprise that Ms. Hanes had not told her present employer that she'd been convicted of theft, an omission the judge immediately rectified by directing Ms. Hanes to “tell them today.” Ms. Hanes will have to report back to the court that she has indeed informed her employer, a Napa wine company, of her conviction.

AN ATTRACTIVE WOMAN in her late 30's, Ms. Hanes was ordered to re-pay the Anderson Valley PTA at the rate of $450 per month, which may be impossible for Ms. Hanes if her employer does not hold her employment for her while she's in jail. A 90-day sentence usually works out to about half the 90, meaning Ms. Hanes will still be incarcerated for a month-and-a-half and then face a year or so of weekends in jail.

THE JUDGE and prosecutor Paul Sequiera made frequent reference to a prior conviction involving a forged check that Ms. Hanes sustained in 1997 in Sonoma County, the implication being that Ms. Hanes seemed given to financial chicanery. Ms. Hanes will be back in court on Wednesday, February 13th, at which time she will be told when to report to the County Jail.

ALL THESE YEARS I'd thought Ray’s Road, Philo, was called Ray's Road after Ray Falleri, who owned the property at the river end of the Road most of us knew for years as Wellspring. But Marshall Newman tells me the road was named for the Ray family, which owned the original Ray’s Resort. “Avon Ray was the old man – I am not sure whether he founded the resort or not. He was married to Don Van Zandt’s sister (he also had a second wife) and died in 1959. The property became Wellspring and now is River’s Bend Retreat Center. Now I may be wrong about this, but I remember Galletti and Falleri as owning the market northwest of Philo proper, in the turnout southwest of 128 where Charmian Blattner’s Style Shop was located. More recently, the building was – maybe still is – an auto shop.”

DARIUS at the Boonville General Store says the popular deli will be back open this weekend after a thorough, and I mean thorough, cleaning. New floor, redone furniture, the works. He was loading fixtures onto his truck last week when I encountered him, explaining he was hauling them off to be re-done.

BELATED CONGRATULATIONS to first team all league soccer players, Christian Mendoza and Erik Martinez, and the honorably mentioned Justin Soto. (Pictured below)

BASEBALL GLOVES! Coach Ben has 31 prospects out for the high school baseball team but only 8 gloves. Anyone out there with an old glove they no longer use? Please either call the coach at 895-2762 and he'll pick it up or drop the glove at the high school office.

ENJOYED my first dinner at Boonville's thriving Aquarelle restaurant last week, and am here to say it is very, very good. Chef Christina Jones can surely rattle those pots and pans! My dinner partner wasn't dressed appropriately for fine dining in his greasy field jacket and layers of cold weather garments, but the friendly young guy at the door waved us on in, and The Major soon confidently pronounced that the risotto that came with the scallops “a potato cake.” Even I recognized it as not potato-related, but was also stumped as to what it was. The waiter, “waitperson” if you prefer automatons to humans, and they were all human, identified the dish as risotto, “which is rice.” (The kid knew she was dealing with people who don't get around much.) Since I was paying, The Major also pounded down a couple of quality beers and a dessert. As we left the restaurant we encountered Wayne Hiatt. “I get the feeling I'm not in Boonville anymore,” I said. “Not like the old Horn of Zeese, is it?” Wayne replied. It sure isn't, but it's a heckuva restaurant, and Christina, a local girl, is a heckuva fine cook.

KALI! ALISHA! Live at Lemons! That would be Kali Johnson and Alisha Ornbaun overseeing the bake sale on the deck of Lemons Market on Sunday, which is this Sunday, February 10, from 10:00am to 3:00pm to benefit the Pop Warner cheerleaders. Baked good donations are very welcome. If anyone has questions, please contact Kali at 894-2825.

THE ANDERSON VALLEY Cancer Support Group has established an account for Henry and Rainbow Hill at Boont Berry Natural Food Store, Boonville. Just tell the counterperson to add whatever amount to Henry and Rainbow's account. Henry is quite ill. The long-time Valley couple has always been there for us, and The Valley being the special place it is will now be there for Henry and Rainbow.

DEBORAH SARSGARD may be relatively new to The Valley but is well known at the Unity Club and as a volunteer with the local schools. She's temporarily confined to the hospital in Ukiah, room 117. Ms. S would enjoy visits, and can be reached at 462-3111.

LINDA MacELWEE reminds us of what's happening in the embattled Navarro watershed, beginning with a workshop on Tuesday February 19, 2013, 8 a.m. to noon, at River's Bend Retreat Center, 18450 Ray's Rd, Philo. This, first in a series of workshops, is primarily geared for vineyards, orchards, and farms. The workshop will provide Anderson Valley farmers with updated information about current and future water needs in the Navarro Watershed, research on wind machines, recent fish population surveys and resources available to help farmers implement conservation practices. Speakers and topics will include: Irrigated Agriculture Water Needs in the Anderson Valley- Glenn McGourty, Viticulture Advisor, UCCE Mendocino/Lake Counties; Frost Protection without Sprinklers- Temperature Condition Requirements: Mark Battany, UCCE Viticulture Advisor, San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Counties; Navarro River Fish Populations- Mendocino Redwood Company, NOAA Fisheries; Conservation Resources- Laurel Marcus (Fish Friendly Farming), Carol Mandel (NRCS), Linda MacElwee (MCRCD), Jason Pelletier (The NatureConservancy) This event is co-sponsored by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, Natural Resource Conservation Service, The Nature Conservancy and the Anderson Valley Winegrower's Association. There is no charge for the event. Coffee/Tea and pastries will be offered. R.S.V.P. to Linda MacElwee (MCRCD); lsmacelwee@hotmail.com or call (707) 895-3230.

THE YORKVILLE STORE is closed and up for sale, as is the Hopland Superette. I bring it up because both markets were important to our weekly sales, your beloved community newspaper being the only in-county media apart from the Press Democrat to boast readers in every Mendo community. Add the loss of these stores to the demise of newsstands and book stores, the prevalence of handheld gizmos, the grim fact that young people read absolutely nothing, and the reduction of the national attention span to three seconds, steady inflation, and darned if we aren't being slowly forced into an exclusively on-line paper, which doesn't have us LOL-ing.

THE INTREPID STAN ANDERSON, swimming upstream in a sea of Obamiacs, soldiers on. Stan says the Mendocino County Republican Central Committee will meet Saturday, February 16, 2013, 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon at the Little Lake Grange, 291 School Street, Willits. For further information contact: Stan Anderson, 707-321-2592.

FLOODGATE FARM is expanding the permaculture orchard up on Laughlin Peak in Redwood Valley, and we are having work parties to get the trees planted before the next rains. You can enjoy the great views while getting a workout creating diverse plantings. We will feed you dinner too! We'll be at it from 9 AM until 5 PM all 3 days: Sunday Feb. 3, Monday the 4th and Tuesday the 5th. If you want to come or have questions, please call us at 707-272-1688. Please RSVP so we can give you directions and gate codes. Any arrivals before 3 PM are welcome; just let us know when to expect you. Salad University is returning from winter hibernation for a late winter/early spring Secrets of Floodgate Farm Salad Mix class on Sunday March 10 from 2 until 5 PM. We will sample the early spring greens, discuss medicinal properties of the plants, and enjoy a potluck that includes salad, kimchi, a main dish, and whatever participants bring to share. Cost of the class is $20, which includes informational handouts and seeds. The class takes place at Floodgate Farm on Laughlin Peak in Redwood Valley, convenient to the US 101 freeway. To reserve your space in the class, please email edibleland@earthlink.net, call 707-272-1688, or send a check to Bill Taylor, P.O. Box 848, Ukiah CA 95482. Lastly, in the vein of our salad mix, Jaye Alison Moscariello and Bill Taylor will host the February 18 Farm and Garden Show on KZYX from 1-2 PM. Our guest will be John Kallas, PhD, author of Edible Wild Plants. This comprehensive guide covers just 15 plants, but does so very thoroughly so readers can indentify them and look-alikes, know at what stages various parts are best, and how to cook with them. The show can be heard live at 90.7 or 91.5 FM, at kzyx.org. This show will be archived for later listening as has been done with past shows which can be found at kzyx.org.

LOTS OF POSITIVE comment about the recent junior high school trip to San Francisco. Chaperones John Toohey, Madeline Gasaway, Logo Tevaseu, and Ana Karen Carrillo did a great job shepherding the young un's around the city. The next trip, already in the planning stage, will probably include a Golden Gate Bridge walk and a trip to Alcatraz. The Recreation Committee is entertaining suggestions for future destinations. Drop a line to dpp@mcn.org. (email address for Donna “Donna The Inevitable” Pugh) with your ideas.

WELL, DONNA, off the top I suggest Jack London State Park, the SF Historical Society, Fort Point under the bridge, the ballpark tour, Haight and Stanyan for an object lesson in what happens to young people who get into drugs, Cafe Trieste to meet some OB's (original beatniks — go early and you might meet the great poet, Jack Hirschman) — City Lights Book Store, the Ferry Building, dim sum on Clement. Jack London's ranch is the only place worth seeing in Sonoma County, but just across the Napa-Sonoma county line there's the absolutely must-see di Rosa Preserve, the most interesting collection of outdoor (and indoor) art in California, maybe the country for all I know. It's certainly more interesting than SF MOMA, for a fact. There's no reason to even pause at Marin. But right here in Anderson Valley, of course, you could take the kids to Charles Manson's house in Navarro, Leonard Lake's place on Ray's Road, Tree Frog Johnson's home on Redwood Ridge, Kenneth Parnell's kidnap cabin on the Manchester Road, Jim Jones' classroom at the Elementary School, and the Moonie Ranch southeast of central Boonville. Name another community anywhere in the world that can boast this many world class lunatics! I'll bet the young ones have no idea how interesting their home really is. I'm available, Donna old girl, to do the audio for the Great Maniac's tour if you can ease it past the CSD.) The Recreation Committee is also looking for proposals from anyone who wants to sponsor or present a summer recreation activity/instructional program. Now is the time to get started thinking about summer programs whether they be athletic or educational. Donna, I've got my thinking cap on and by golly it'll stay on until we come up with an interesting few hours for the little buggers. Working together we can do it!

SEVERAL PEOPLE at last week’s Recreation Committee meeting commented that they are hearing from the students that the best thing the public can do to support local recreational and sports programs would be to attend home games. We pointed out that if the school made at least a minimal effort to publicize the games, the results, the schedules and individual upcoming games in their local paper there might be more of a turn out. As it is we have to go to great trouble to even get the scores, much less upcoming contests.

SHERIFF ALLMAN will be appearing on the radio twice this week to discuss both his book 'Out There in the Woods,' co-authored by Steve Sparks, that gives a detailed account of the Aaron Bassler double murder investigation, and also the related topics of Mental Health care in the County, gun control, and marijuana. He will be on KZYX & Z with host Norman de Vall at 9am on Thursday, Feb 7 and then KGO 810AM on the Pat Thurston Show that airs at 6.05pm on Sunday, Feb 10...

LAUGHING DOG BOOKS sends along their thanks to everyone who bought books from their “Give-a-Book” trees over the holidays. “This week, we were able to deliver 50 books to the Anderson Valley High School and Elementary School,” said Proprietor Loretta Houck said. “With budget cuts limiting the amount our school libraries can spend, it's nice to have these contributions from generous holiday shoppers. Thank you!”