 us if we knew why a helicopter was flying low and slow around central Yorkville late Sunday night with all its search light on. We started asking around and heard one guess that police were looking for a missing person. Another guess had it that it was a medevac helicopter trying to find a safe place to land. KZYX reported that the helicopter was being used to search the area for survivors of a vehicle accident. That report seems to have confused a Santa Rosa disaster with a helicopter in Yorkville. Safe to say it was a medical flight, but we’re still looking for confirmation of what it was.
ON SATURDAY, the 24th of September, at the Anderson Valley Fair Grounds between 1 and 4, the friends and family of Loretta Jean Houck are invited to gather to celebrate her amazing life. There will be food, beverage, cigars, pictures and more. We will tell our favorite stories and remember how blessed we are to have known her.
THE USGS reported a 2.7 magnitude earthquake @ 7:38 pm Sunday night with an epicenter located three miles south of Boonville. The quake was a surface quake - 0.3 miles deep - and generated six responses from four zip codes of "feeling it." There were three responses were from Boonville, one from Gualala (8 miles from the epicenter), one questionable response (to say the least) from Healdsburg (36 miles from the epicenter) and an outright liar from San Francisco (95 miles distant from the epicenter).
BACK in April, young Bobby Kuny, then a senior at Anderson Valley High School, was forced to shoot a knife-wielding drunk named Lorenzo Rodriguez who’d threatened Bobby’s mother and Cathy Gowan in their home near Hendy Woods. As Lorenzo clouded up and was about to commence storming, Bobby herded the 8 young children in the home to safety before confronting the raging Rodriguez whom Bobby soon shot point blank with an antique.22 pistol. Responding police immediately determined that Bobby Kuny had shot Rodriguez in defense of the two women. Rodriguez, who miraculously not only survived his several wounds, one of them to his head, but was on his feet and out of the hospital and back in Anderson Valley in two days was arrested on several mayhem-related charges. The apparently invincible Mr. R has since been sequestered at the County Jail where, poised to take a sweetheart deal that would get him time served and probation, jail house lawyers convinced Mr. R that he’s not only completely innocent of all wrongdoing but, you, Mr. R are the victim! Take your case to a jury! Which Lorenzo will do on Monday, the 26th of September. And get himself more jail time when the jury finds against him after twenty minutes of deliberations.
ROBERTO LOPEZ-YOCANA-GUADARRAMA of Mountain View Road in Boonville was arrested on Sunday, September 4th for reckless driving, pot cultivation and pot possession for sale. His case is still under investigation for more serious drug activity. Can we say ‘crank’ class?
STRIDING up Lambert Lane the other morning at the literal crack of dawn, who should I see lumbering up out of the mists? None other than the mayor himself, Tom Cronquist. We exchanged mutual compliments on our commitment to exercise and moved on, the only two fully ambulatory residents of Boonville at 6 ayem.
THERE will be a memorial gathering for Herb Ruhs at the Caretaker’s Garden, Lambert Lane, Boonville, on Sunday the 25th of September, time to be announced.
  Why not throw some water on it instead?
WE TRY to leave national affairs to better informed people, but gotta say I don’t understand why the candidates appear late night with comedians. Well, you say that’s because the candidates are comedians. Yes, but still. Call us old school when we hold out for gravitas, even from these two candidates. You expect high seriousness along with their crimes and misdemeanors from people running for the top spot don’t you?
AV FIRE CHIEF ANDRES AVILA told the Community Services District Board this week that volunteer firefighter staffing is down and he plans to institute a recruitment drive to try to bring staffing back up. “AVFD is lacking the necessary volunteer staffing in several areas throughout the district. Boonville is a major concern due to this low staffing and it provides the highest call volume. We have historically leaned heavily on several steady hands, but they have either retired or are entering into retirement. AVFD will be moving into a much needed recruitment drive as we enter October to see if we can improve the numbers of volunteers on our roster. The largest recruitment challenge is the decreasing number of willing volunteers due to time and capabilities. Ideal volunteers are young adults who are engrained into our community with an in-district job and who own an in-district property. Individuals who fit this category and are willing to spend the required time in training and participation are difficult to find.” Avila told the Board that a food-based recruitment event is being considered as well as some as yet unspecified increase in fire department publicity. Anyone interested can check out the Fire Department’s comprehensive website at andersonvalleyfire.org.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Boonville’s Ross Murray who just turned 98. Anderson Valley’s most senior citizen? Freda Fox is 99.
THE WATER CATCHMENT SYSTEM at the Philo Station is under construction. The pump, tanks, and underground plumbing was delivered last week. Local contractor Jeff Wall, of Wall Construction, has volunteered to provide the manpower and the equipment to level the ground, dig the ditches, and build the base foundation for the ten 3,000-gallon tanks that will (eventually) be positioned behind the station. Mr. Wall’s generous contribution and his crew’s willingness to start right away quickly put this important project into motion.
FRIDAY NIGHT, Anderson Valley’s fast and scrappy Panthers beat the visiting Laytonville Warriors, 36 to 16 in the traditional Apple Bowl. After a close first half during which the Panthers dropped several catchable, likely touchdown passes thrown by our all league quarterback, Tony Pardini Jr., the Panthers’ overall hard-hitting defense and speedy offense wore down the visitors, as Boonville pulled away for the win. The Panthers will face Laytonville again at 7:30 Friday night in Laytonville for a rematch.
COACH TOOHEY summed up the victory over Laytonville this way: “It was the consensus of the players and coaches alike that we severely underachieved during the Apple Bowl — far too many turnovers, some mistakes in blocking assignments and a break down of gap integrity on defense. I'm fortunate to have a group of kids who are holding themselves to a high standard. Their reserved attitude after the victory speaks to their bigger aspirations for the season. That said, Tony Pardini added two more TD passes to his stat line, one to tight end JT Carlin and one to wide receiver Christian Natareno. Manuel Franco had another big game rushing, earning player of the game honors on offense, and our two defensive tackles, Ethan Reed and Miguel Barajas, played with great leverage all game and took away Laytonville’s ability to run up the middle."
A SHARP-EYED Yorkville resident called 911 after seeing lights on his otherwise darkened property a couple of weeks ago. Responding Fish and Wildlife and Sheriff’s Department staff found only a large dead buck that had been shot by spotlighting poachers. Law enforcement rightly suspected that the poachers would return for their trophy kill, and sure enough the next night the unsporting sportsmen came back for their ignobly taken deer and walked straight into the trap laid for them by deputies and Fish and Game wardens. The arrest team spotlighted a Rohnert Park father and son, and soon the poaching pair was booked into the Sonoma County Jail.
DEPUTY WALKER has cited two drivers for driving past a school bus with its lights on and stop signs out. The deputy had said that too many drivers were ignoring school buses stopped to disgorge their young cargo. One of the drivers arrested was hauling a visiting crew of Mexican grape harvesters. This driver didn’t speak much English, but flashing red lights on a school bus is virtually a universal directive to passing motorists to stop until children are safely off and away from the bus.
SUNDAY’S FAIR PARADE was a disappointment to most observers. No floats to speak of and most of the entrants were undecorated pick-up trucks with local people in them, hardly worthy of special attention in a parade. The Mexican horseback riding contingent was its usual entertaining self, but they’re imports from Sonoma County who specialize in parades. And even they didn’t bother to dress up and only appeared in depleted numbers of less than a dozen. The popular and ubiquitous Sheriff Allman, probably on a first-name basis with most County residents, waved from a new Sheriff’s Department jeep, a silent argument against pot legalization as everyone, from the cops to the courts to the growers themselves make money from illegality. Legalize and here comes the Marlboro Man with his phactory pharms.
TERRY RYDER REPORTS: The People's Choice Award for best garden in the Hall of Flowers floriculture display went to Brenda Hodges for her impressive "Cinderella's Coach."
So in your singling out of Tim and Michele Mullins with your misplaced invective, you admit to trespassing on their