Chris Smith: In The Orchard, neighbors are doing what true neighbors do

Things are popping at The Orchard, the 55-and-older community of manufactured homes and tight neighbors that's right next to Coffey Park and hurt plenty by the firestorms in October 2017.

The Orchard lost 69 of its 233 homes.

The other day, at one of the greatest parties ever in the community hall, residents danced and ate - and neighbors whose homes burned helped themselves to tables stacked with housewares and linens and all sorts of things.

Everything was donated by residents of The Orchard who came through the fire OK and are eager to see their burned-out neighbors restored.

A sweet sight: the 36 new homes at The Orchard that every day are closer to being ready for move-in.

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KUDOS TO KZST for being awarded the Distinguished Service to Journalism prize for its valiant performance during the firestorms.

The award by the regional Society of Professional Journalists cited KZST staffers for using their own cars to ferry evacuees. Once satisfied the studios on north Mendocino Avenue were safe, the award's judges noted, the KZST broadcasters “then returned to work and rolled up their sleeves, changing the station format from music to news to serve their community's immediate need for information about the fires.”

It's been a big year for KZST. In July, station president Gordon Zlot was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.

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A NURSE, LORI, or perhaps Laurie or another variation of the name, stopped on Montgomery Drive last May to help a woman who'd been hit by a car.

Today that woman, Lisa MacDevitt, still is recovering and is desperate to speak with Lori.

“I want to thank her,” MacDevitt said. “And I need her.”

MacDevitt said she opened her eyes as she lay alongside Montgomery near Spring Lake and, “All of a sudden I had someone standing over me, telling me not to move.”

MacDevitt said the good Samaritan told her also that she was a Kaiser Permanente nurse and would call for an ambulance. Quickly, MacDevitt was whisked to a hospital for treatment of injuries inflicted when a car struck her after she'd shooed a mother duck and ducklings off of Montgomery.

She said the driver claims she was standing in the roadway, but she's certain she was off to the side. She hopes the nurse who aided her saw what happened and will reach out to her at lisamacdevitt@hotmail.com.

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“SUSHI MEETS BORSCH” is a go, even though some key invitees to the international dinner and celebration Saturday in Sebastopol can't get out of Ukraine.

The feast and festivities at the Enmanji Temple hall will mark 25 years of sister city friendship between Sebastopol and the Ukrainian town of Chyhyryn.

The hosting Sebastopol World Friends was stung to learn that none of the seven Ukrainians will be there Saturday because five were denied visas by the U.S. Consulate in Ukraine.

Why the visa denial happened isn't at all clear. It's especially odd, says Steve Levenberg of Sebastopol World Friends, because three of the five Ukrainians visited the U.S. and Sebastopol in recent years.

Despite the disappointment, the dinner and music and sister city celebration will go on. If you're interested, check out sebastopolwf.org.

You can reach columnist Chris Smith at 707 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.