Valley People (June 14, 2017)

RASTAFARIA comes to Boonville this weekend, all weekend. Take it away, Jimmy… A one and a two, and a doobie doobie do —

Your love, lifting me higher

Than I've ever been lifted before

So keep it up

Quench my desire

And I'll be at your side, forever more

 [Chorus]

You know your love (your love keeps lifting me)

Keep on lifting (keeps on lifting me)

Higher (lifting me)

Higher and higher (higher)

I said your love (your love keeps lifting me)

Keep on (keeps on lifting me)

Lifting me (lifting me)

Higher and higher (higher)

THE BOONVILLE SCHOOL BOARD, emerging at 11:50pm Tuesday (June 6) from yet another four-hour closed session, announced only that Jared Candelaria has resigned from the job he was offered, and may have held in theory, as a teacher at AV Elementary. There was much opposition from parents to Candelaria's appointment because the 31-year-old Cloverdale resident had been arrested in February of 2016, while teaching at Yokayo Elementary in Ukiah, and charged with “felony possession and transportation of a controlled substance, specifically Oxycodone, a Schedule Two narcotic opioid pain medication.”

THE REST of the closed session had to do with the legal battle between the district and two of its discharged administrators. High school principal Keri St. Jeor was not re-hired for a second year as principal, but was offered a position as a Spanish teacher. He has hired an attorney to contest his demotion, the reasons for which have not been revealed. Elementary school principal, Dr. Katherine Reddick, was placed on paid administrative leave after a confrontation with school district superintendent, Michelle Hutchins. Dr. Reddick has also hired an attorney. The school district is haphazardly represented by an office of lawyers based in Santa Rosa funded out of educational dollars.

DESPITE the ongoing battles at the top of local school administration, high school graduation ceremonies begin at 7pm tomorrow night (Thursday, June 15) in the gymnasium.

PHILO RESIDENTS were surprised last Wednesday to see that Caltrans had raised the speed limit through town from 30 to 35 mph without so much as a by-the-by. Not that the irresponsible increase in legal speed was a surprise, but several locals were still engaged in a review of Caltrans’ badly flawed survey upon which Big Orange based its decision to post the new upwards limit, which was improperly noticed and opposed by everyone but Caltrans. Locals thought they had more time because of the delayed Caltrans back and forth. Opposition to the Philo move now becomes a rear-guard action.

BOONVILLE RESIDENT GUY KEPHART helps rescue abandoned children near Ocean Beach in San Francisco: http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/SF-Police-Searching-for-Couple-Who-Abandoned-Child-Near-Zoo-426859441.html

ENJOYED THE REAL SARAHS latest album called Afternoon with the Dirty Birds which, from what I garnered from half-heard lyrics, seemed to refer to males generally. I enjoyed the music even more knowing that it was a Made In Mendo production led by Sarah Larkin and Sarah Ryan.

SAY CHEESE. A cheesing-making workshop right here in Boomsville: “As part of our Homestead Series, Mendocino County Farm Bureau is partnering with Pennyroyal Farmstead, Boonville, to bring this class to our members and community. This will be a two and a half hour workshop. Reservations are required by July 7th, for the class which is on Thursday, July 13th, 2-4:30pm. Reserving early is recommended as there is limited space. Cost: $25 for Farm Bureau members $40 for non-Farm Bureau members and a tenner to the AVA for running a free ad. Checks should be made out to Mendocino County Farm Bureau. 707.462.6664 or membership@mendofb.org

THE ANNOUNCEMENT didn’t arrive in time for last week’s paper, but the County’s Boonville marijuana track & trace workshop is today, Wednesday, June 14, at 3pm in the Senior Center/Vets Hall. It’s guaranteed to be a laff riot.

COUNTY CEO, Carmel Angelo explained what the Boonville pot tutorial will do: “The program will allow the County to track and trace medical cannabis products throughout the supply chain. This will assist the County’s code enforcement program and provide the County with a unique brand identifier for Mendocino County cannabis products.”

PURE FANTASY, of course, as outlaw grows, large and small, continue to proliferate everywhere in Mendocino County, even here in Little Healdsburg, formerly known as the Anderson Valley.

MALCOLM MACDONALD on Hop Flat, once a bustling little community at the ocean end of the Anderson Valley complete with its own hotel and telephone exchange, now so thoroughly disappeared some of us are confused about where it was: “The railroad associated with the Albion Lumber Company (ALCO) ran beyond Navarro and Floodgate to Christine Landing, approximately where Clark Road is on flat rise is, east of Gschwend Road. There was a large hop farm on the south side of Navarro River, but less than a mile east of the bridge, near mouth of Navarro River. It was a sizable production, large enough to have its own dance floor. Macdonald and Robertson ancestors attended dances there in late 1800s- early 1900s. What you are probably referencing was a large hop farm west of the town of Navarro/Wendling, on the west side of the current highway. This hop farm extended as far west as what used to be the Boy Scout Ranch Road (Masonite Tree Farm). Whether it was also on the south side of the river I don't know - could be? When I was little (late 50s) there were still remnants of hops in open area west of Navarro, south of highway(128). The railroad came into town of Navarro just north of there then more or less paralleled modern 128 from the east side of Navarro/Wendling on out past Floodgate to Christine Landing. There was some sort of hop operation near Christine Landing as well. I believe there was another good sized hop farm approximately where Mountain House Road (near Yorkville) takes off to head toward Hopland - don't know any off hand details about it - there were hop farms of varying sizes all over the county at one time. Remains of small hop operations just west of Macdonald Ranch on south side of Albion River. It dated back to 1800s as well.”