The Weekly Calistogan

Calistoga is taking another step toward becoming a greener community, this time by seeking recognition as an official "Bee City USA" affiliate. The City Council voted unanimously Oct. 6 to pursue the designation, joining a nationwide movement to protect bees and other pollinators through habitat conservation, reduced pesticide use and public education.

Is your house the spookiest on the block? Or do you know a neighbor whose Halloween decorations are downright frightful? The Napa Valley Register is on the hunt for the best Halloween displays across Napa County, from creepy graveyards and glowing jack-o'-lanterns to towering skeletons, haunted houses and over-the-top spooky spectacles.

Sophomore running back Abram Alvarez ran for four touchdowns as the Napa High football team opened its first Redwood Empire Conference-Bay Division campaign with a dominant win, 43-7, over Sonoma Valley on Friday night in Sonoma. It was the first win for the Grizzlies (4-2) since 2021 over the Dragons (2-4), who defeated Napa in Vine Valley Athletic League games in 2022 and 2023 before they played in different leagues the last two seasons.

Calistoga Little League is registering volunteers and will begin signing up players on Oct. 16. Cost is $75 per player. Those who sign up by Dec. 31 will receive an early-bird discount. Those who sign up after Feb. 1 will be charged a $10 late fee. Registration closes Feb. 28. All volunteers must complete online background checks and child abuse awareness training before participating in activities with Little League players. Tickets on sale for Napa High Hall of Fame’s Oct.

The effort to save the Calistoga Tribune — one of the Upvalley's last newspapers — has taken a new turn. The Napa Valley Community Foundation has taken control of the newspaper’s assets through a foreclosure agreement after its owner, Highway 29 Media, could no longer pay its debts, foundation officials said. The foundation plans to transfer those assets to a new nonprofit being formed by Calistoga residents. The group will be called Friends of the Calistoga Tribune, organizer Steven Pinsky said.

Three people were injured, two seriously, in a head-on collision southeast of Calistoga Tuesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash was reported at 7:36 a.m. on Highway 29/128 north of Bale Lane, CHP’s online incident log stated. Both lanes of the roadway were blocked by the wreck, which involved a Chevrolet pickup truck and a 2003 Acura TL sedan.

Several active soccer coaches who played for Dennis Sweeney, some of whom also coached with the skipper who put Vintage High School boys soccer on the map from 1998 to 2012, were asked how they’ve remembered him since his passing in Napa on Sept. 19. Sweeney, who was 71, guided the Crushers to nine Monticello Empire League titles, two runner-up finishes, and a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title.

CALISTOGA — Damian Sandoval is around the ball so much, it’s like he owns it and won’t let it out of his sight. The sophomore was part of nearly every Calistoga touchdown or two-point conversion on Thursday, Sept. 24, keeping the Wildcats in the nonleague game of eight-person football until visiting South Fork pulled away in the third quarter of a 68-28 win. The Cubs (3-1) scored on nearly every possession, but not on the first.

California is rolling out a new emergency information app designed to give residents direct access to verified information from the public safety agencies responding to wildfires and other disasters. The app, called AwareCA, comes after heavy traffic to Cal Fire’s website during the Eaton and Palisades fires in the Los Angeles area in January 2025. Cal Fire reported about 72 million site visits during the fires, with 85% of traffic coming from mobile devices.

Further evidence of tough times in the wine industry: another Napa Valley wine business faces foreclosure. Two Calistoga wine properties held by Calistoga Vintner Services are scheduled for foreclosure auction on Oct. 16. The notices list a combined $46.2 million in unpaid balances and other costs. Company founder Jorge H. Anguiano said the business is working on a new financial plan and the winery remains open during harvest.