We’ve got some more potential controversy brewing in the halls of Napa County government. Here’s the deal: A rare proposal for a giant new vineyard in the Napa Valley, where vineyard space is limited (and therefore coveted) and grapes are selling for more money than ever, is getting some pushback from an Arizona-based nonprofit called the Center for Biological Diversity. The developer, KJS & Sorrento, wants to build an approximately 100-acre vineyard called Hyperion along the eastern slopes of Napa Valley, kind of near Anguin. At the outset, it seemed like county officials were leaning toward approving the proposal — just like they were last year, when another developer wanted to set up a new 28-acre vineyard called Le Colline nearby. But then the nonprofit reportedly stepped in and appealed — just like it did last year with Le Colline — because of possible negative effects to the local watershed and wildlife. Back then, county supervisors listened. They backtracked on Le Colline and rejected that proposal in a tight 3-2 vote, according to the Napa Valley Register. Which then caught the eye of other local groups protecting ag interests, like the Napa County Farm Bureau. These groups “questioned whether the county is following its policies to protect agriculture and said emotion is trumping science,” the Register reports. So “the upcoming KJS & Sorrento case should give further clues as to how supervisors will balance county laws promoting agriculture with other county laws protecting the environment.” As you may know, this latest vineyard proposal comes at a very sensitive time for county government officials. They just got hit with a heap of subpoenas from federal investigators — as did the Farm Bureau — apparently relating to various approvals and land deals, including ones affecting the environment, as well as relationships with wine-industry magnates and other local power players. So everyone is watching very closely. Here’s some more info from the Register: “Napa County supervisors have set May 7 as the day to hear their first appeal on a proposed vineyard in the Napa Valley watershed since the controversial veto of the Le Colline vineyard last year. At issue this time is the KJS & Sorrento vineyard project along Sage Canyon Road near Chiles Valley. Also called Hyperion, it is to be an 81-acre vineyard, with a total development area of 112 acres, on a 950-acre property.” (Source: Napa Valley Register; paywall)

A midnight fire a couple of ago, at the spot where Memorial Bridge meets the east bank in the small town of Healdsburg, burned out the old Amy’s Wicked Slush building — once a hotspot for frozen desserts and other Boston favorites. Sonoma County photographer Tenaya Fleckenstein was at the scene of the fire Tuesday night. She says she watched firefighters from four different agencies — the Healdsburg Fire Department, the Northern Sonoma County Fire District, the Sonoma County Fire District and Cal Fire — fight back the flames. Healdsburg’s city manager says that “the damage to the structure is significant,” but that “there were no injuries and nobody was in the building.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation, he says. Amy’s was an especially popular spot at the onset of the pandemic, when locals would drive through, pick up or eat outside in the large patio area. Still, Amy Covin, the woman behind the Wicked brand, had to shut down her riverside slush stand last fall after six or so years in business, due to what she called “serious infrastructure issues” that made it “too difficult and too expensive” to keep the location open. “It’s sad enough to see Wicked not survive the pandemic,” she told the Press Democrat yesterday, after the fire. “To see this at the very end of it is just heartbreaking for me.” The property has been on the market for more than a year now, reportedly fluctuating in price from $1.5 million to $2.5 million, and will presumably be even harder to sell now. BTW, I’m not saying this means anything, but it seemed like there were a strange amount of fires reported in Sonoma County on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week — including the Amy’s fire, a vegetation fire in the hills west of Healdsburg, a roof fire at the Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park and another roof fire at a big “Sonoma West facility” in Sebastopol. (Source: Tenaya Fleckenstein Photography via Facebook & Ariel Kelly via Facebook & Sonoma County Scanner Updates via Facebook & Press Democrat; paywall)

Waiting along the shore during Sunday’s big Russian River rescue, terrified for her own reasons, was the girlfriend of Sky Daniel O’Banion, the Guerneville blues musician who disappeared without a trace exactly five weeks prior. Sky has deep roots in the Lower Russian River area, and his disappearance has caused a real stir in the community. His girlfriend, Nicole, says she heard someone was in the river that day, and thought it might be Sky. Indeed — his loved ones say they’ve gotten false lead after false lead since they first started posting “MISSING” fliers online and around town in late January. Still, they’re trying not to lose hope. Nicole says she’ll be hanging more fliers around Santa Rosa this Sunday, and is trying to organize a “search party along the embankments of the river.” If you’d like to volunteer for that — or have any other information about Sky — you can call her at (707) 494-6734. Along with Sky’s four siblings and two teen daughters, she’s also raising money via GoFundMe to hire a private investigator and fund a “reward for information leading to the location of our dear Sky.” The fundraising page says: “Sky is a talented blues musician, a father of 2 daughters and a beloved brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He has experienced some major challenges in this life and if you know him, you know what they are. He also made great strides to overcome them and realize his true nature as an artist and loving human being with great emotional depth. Many of us are extremely distraught at his disappearance and would be grateful to see resources generated in the aid of his return.” For decades, Sky has been a regular gigger at music venues across the greater Bay Area, oftentimes playing blues harmonica and singing alongside guitarist Derek Irving. One of Sonoma County’s most famous blues musicians, Charlie Musselwhite, writes on Facebook: “We used to communicate regularly and then he just disappeared and I’ve been wondering what happened and haven’t heard a thing.” Sky’s girlfriend Nicole says the last time she saw him, he was leaving her place on Sunday, Jan. 21 to go for a walk — and someone else told her they saw him later that night in downtown Guerneville, near the bridge. A week ago, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook: “We are asking our communities for help locating missing Guerneville area resident Sky O’Banion. Sky is 50 years old, 6’3″ tall and approximately 190 pounds with brown hair and green eyes. If you have any information or have seen Sky after 1/21/24, please get in touch with the Sheriff’s dispatch at 707-565-2121 or the River Substation at 707-869-0202.” And Sky’s loved ones tell me the specific detective assigned to the case can be reached at (707) 565-1612. (Source: GoFundMe & Sonoma Sheriff via Facebook)

Three people almost drowned over the weekend during a chaotic afternoon water rescue in the Russian River, just downstream of Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff. Officials say a flailing 38-year-old woman from Santa Rosa attacked the two responders who tried to rescue her. They say they got a 911 call around 4:20 p.m. about a kid being swept down the river, which was “high due to recent rains, resulting in rapids and debris in the water” — not to mention “very cold.” Here’s what happened when they got to the scene, according to the sheriff: “Sgt. Gary Lawson was the first deputy to see the person in the middle of the river, struggling to stay afloat where Fife Creek enters the river. Sgt. Lawson removed his gear and went into the water. Deputy Anthony Powers had a life vest in his patrol car. He threw it to the sergeant, who put it on. Sgt. Lawson reached the person, who turned out to be a woman later identified as Lacey Mosher. Mosher immediately began fighting Sgt. Lawson and pushing him under the water. They struggled in the water, with Mosher continuing to fight him as he was rescuing her. Sgt. Lawson was able to control her enough to swim across the river and hold on to a bush about 15 feet off the shore. Deputy Cody McCready found them, removed his gear, and swam over to help control her. Mosher continued to fight both deputies as they were rescuing her. There was deep, fast-moving water between the deputies and the shore; they could not swim back to land. Sonoma County Fire District firefighters arrived by boat and, due to the small size of the boat, first rescued Mosher and then returned to rescue the deputies. Sgt. Lawson was in the water for about 25 minutes. He and Deputy McCready were treated for exposure and released at the scene. Mosher was transported to a local hospital for treatment and continued to assault first responders and medical personnel. … This was an extremely difficult call for our deputies and dispatchers. Deputies on land lost sight of the two deputies in the water. Both deputies came close to losing their lives while they rescued Mosher, which ultimately saved her life.” After this whole ordeal, the woman was reportedly arrested for “felony resisting arrest, felony battery on a peace officer, misdemeanor being under the influence of drugs, and felony violation of probation.” Meanwhile, Sheriff Eddie Engram has been talking up the sergeant and deputy who risked their lives to save her Sunday, saying they “exemplify what it means to be a Sonoma County deputy sheriff.” (Source: Sonoma Sheriff via Facebook)