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Sep 23, 2021
Rohnert Park officers indicted in "highway robbery" case
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Federal prosecutors allege two former Rohnert Park police officers seized money and drugs they kept for themselves in a 18 month spree ending in 2018. This week's 18-page indictment accuses former Rohnert Park Sergeant Brendan Jacy Tatum and officer…
Sep 23, 2021
KRCB converse: Infectious disease specialist on boosters
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Today Center for Disease Control and Prevention decided Pfizer boosters should first go to people who received the first two Pfizer vaccines and are 65 and older, nursing home residents and people between the ages of 50 and 64 that have underlying…
Sep 22, 2021
A new wildfire breaks out in Schellville near Napa Road
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A wildfire broke out Wednesday afternoon in Schellville, southeast of the city of Sonoma. Located on the east side of Freemont Drive, near the intersection of Napa Road, the Freemont fire grew from about a half-acre to 40-plus acres in under an…
Sep 22, 2021
With wildfires come lawyers, but past survivors have a message: buyers beware
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Attorneys in the fast-growing wildfire litigation industry are racing to recruit victims of fires ravaging parts of Northern California, and they're promising to take on a familiar target: PG&E. In July, the company disclosed that its equipment may…
Sep 21, 2021
Petaluma moves ahead with micro shelters for homeless
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Assurances that counseling, treatment and other programs will be integral, Petaluma's city council unanimously approved a 25-unit tiny house village to shelter to some of the city's chronically homeless Monday night. Addressing the council,…
Sep 20, 2021
Roseland’s Mitote food truck park designed to lift up local chefs
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On a Monday afternoon in Santa Rosa’s Roseland neighborhood, chef Ezequiel Valentín prepares tacos, hot dogs and the signature mole in the Oaxacan style, the region of Mexico where he’s from. Valentín is a chef at Maria Machetes, one of four trucks…
Sep 20, 2021
Delinquent water customers could face new rules once COVID passes
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Those who have fallen behind on water bills in Petaluma may soon face new protocols as the city council considers policy changes tonight. Petaluma assistant city attorney Dylan Brady said the bulk of the changes are to comply with a bill recently…
Sep 17, 2021
Casino proposal may face long process
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When the Koi Nation revealed plans for a 200-room casino resort between Santa Rosa and Windsor this week, tribal officials said the facility could be up and running, and providing eleven hundred permanent jobs, within four years. As a sovereign…
Sep 17, 2021
Coast Guard works to contain Bodega Bay diesel spill
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The Coast Guard continues monitoring conditions in Bodega Bay following a diesel fuel spill late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning at Spud Point Marina. As of Friday afternoon, officials said clean up efforts have concluded. No marine…
Sep 17, 2021
While summer surge slows, health officials urge vigilance
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Sonoma County's case rate has decreased by more than fifty percent from the peak of the delta surge in mid-August. And hospitalizations have also dropped to 51 patients from the peak of 84. While ICU numbers have also declined, there are still a…
Sep 17, 2021
Minimum wage to rise in Santa Rosa in January
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Minimum wage workers in Santa Rosa will see a small bump in pay come January, as the second of several hikes takes affect. The slightly bigger paychecks are courtesy of Santa Rosa's city council which is raising the local minimum wage to $15.85 per…
Sep 16, 2021
Crews reduce wildfire risk while building better futures
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Along the roads in and around Occidental, you'll hear the sound of chipper/shredders, chainsaws and weed trimmers. It's part of a state-funded project to create and maintain fire-safe pathways for residents who may need to evacuate from a wildfire.…
Sep 15, 2021
Ravitch routs recall
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About 60 local politicos and supporters of Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch gathered at Teamsters Hall in Santa Rosa Tuesday night. But any fears of a nail-biter among attendees were swept away with the first results. Within minutes of…
Sep 14, 2021
Preliminary results point to landslide against DA recall
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Preliminary election results have Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch with a big win so far. Over 100,000 local voters said 'no' to the effort to recall Ravitch. That campaign was funded by developer Bill Gallaher, and just under 25,000…
Sep 14, 2021
Sonoma County considers adopting home commercial kitchen program
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Today Sonoma County's board of supervisors looked at adopting a statewide program allowing aspiring chefs to cook and sell food from home. The Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations, or MEHKO for short, was signed into state law in 2018. It allows…
Sep 10, 2021
Sonoma County DA write-in candidate Joe Castagnola
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On the Sonoma County version of the Sept. 14 recall election ballot, voters are asked if they support the recall of District Attorney Jill Ravitch. If a voter opts for "yes," there are no names on the ballot of possible replacements. Instead there…
Sep 10, 2021
Local doctors say hospital patients continue to be younger and unvaccinated
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Dr. Chad Krilich, chief medical officer for Providence, which operates three hospitals throughout the county, said they saw a slight uptick in ICU patients earlier this week, and about half of the hospitals' ICUs were filled with COVID patients. "We…
Sep 10, 2021
Windsor town manager resigns
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With Windsor still reacting to the potential return of former mayor Dominic Foppoli, more turnover is coming to town hall. City Manager Ken MacNab has announced his resignation, effective the end of the year. MacNab, 55, declined to return an email…
Sep 09, 2021
Candidate Omar Figueroa on Sonoma County DA recall effort: "I hope it fails spectacularly"
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We're just a few days away from the Sept. 14 election, which questions Sonoma County voters on whether they support the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom—and the county's district attorney, Jill Ravitch. While there are no listed names of possible…
Sep 09, 2021
Sonoma County 75% vaccinated and COVID rate begins to stabilize
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This week the county announced that 75 percent of all residents over 12 years old are fully vaccinated. And although COVID transmission is still widespread and driven by the delta variant, Supervisor David Rabbitt says cases are on a downward trend.…
Sep 09, 2021
Tanker trucks begin water deliveries to Mendo coast as wells dry up
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Emergency water supplies are flowing, or more accurately rolling, out to thirsty residents along the Mendocino Coast, after officials approved a stop-gap measure. The first trucks hauling an estimated 5 million gallons of water a month left Ukiah…
Sep 08, 2021
Santa Rosa officials hope up-armored restroom will resist abuse, prove financially wise
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There are no skylights, no heated seat or bidet. Nevertheless, Santa Rosa officials remain confident the city's new expensive public toilet will pay off. Plopped on Santa Rosa Avenue near the city's transit mall, the metal kiosk has some post-modern…
Sep 07, 2021
Arson suspected in slew of north Sonoma County brush fires
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Sonoma County police and fire investigators continue to work on finding a cause for a string of suspicious fires that started Monday night. Between 8 and 10 p.m.,15 spot fires started burning along roadsides in Healdsburg, Geyserville and one in…
Sep 07, 2021
New voices confirm low income housing fraud charges
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Press Democrat reporter Andrew Graham discusses his and Evan Varian's latest investigation with KRCB's Chris Lee. It adds evidence to the claims that state and county officials may not have explored all the evidence in a housing fraud charge against…
Sep 03, 2021
Filing hints at Northwest Pacific RR revival for coal trains
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A filing with an obscure federal body suggests moves are underway to revive the old Northwestern Pacific Rail Road to deliver coal to conceptual port facilities in Arcata. Though few details have emerged, state Senator Mike McGuire is vowing to…
Sep 03, 2021
August had the highest COVID death rate since the winter surge
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County officials reported nine additional deaths on Thursday, making August the deadliest month since last Winter's surge. There have been a total of 30 COVID-related deaths in August, just behind last February when 31 COVID deaths were reported.…
Sep 03, 2021
KRCB Converse: Epidemiologist on summer surge and fall forecast
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UC Berkeley infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg walks us through the summer surge driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. Swartzberg also gives insight to what fall and winter may look like through back to school and flu…
Sep 03, 2021
Foppoli's quest baffling, stupefying Windsor
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Resigned from office after alleged sex offenses, former Windsor mayor Dominic Foppoli filed initial papers for another run at the office, though there seems little enthusiasm among local residents. Despite the fact that none of the salacious…
Sep 02, 2021
Neighbors concerned as county again puts Chanate campus up for sale
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A big chunk of Santa Rosa will be offered to the highest bidder Tuesday, as officials again try to off-load an abandoned 71-acre former hospital campus. Largely vacant since Sutter Health relocated seven years ago, the last sale attempt failed after…
Sep 01, 2021
Santa Rosa considers amending anti-harassment policy
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Elected leaders in Santa Rosa met Tuesday to review the city's anti-harrassment policy, last updated five years ago. Officials say the current policy conforms with an updated state law, but Amy Reeve, director of human resources for the city, says…
Sep 01, 2021
KRCB FireCast Resources
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FireCast is a collection of the internet's best fire monitoring tools - all tuned for Sonoma County. The FireCast resource page is available on our website at krcb.org/firecast and on our free NorCal Public Media app. The app is available at in the…
Aug 31, 2021
New tech aiding Pacific coast fish census
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Federal marine scientists are halfway through what they are calling their most ambitious and comprehensive fish census off the west coast. Conditions in the Pacific are looking pretty good. Since early June, the Reuben Lasker, a research ship…
Aug 31, 2021
Calling for micro grids to ease pains of preemptive blackouts
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Pacific Gas and Electric is installing dozens of weather stations across Sonoma County to get real-time, localized data to anticipate and respond to wildfires, as well as working towards breaking up its electric grid into smaller pieces called…
Aug 27, 2021
Weather service predicting continuing drought, water agencies contemplating solutions
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Long range weather forecasts don't see drought-busting storms on the horizon, and local water agencies are starting to brace for the worst. If you've been following the drought intensify for two years, the words of Brad Puig, a meteorologist with…
Aug 27, 2021
Weather stations helping PG&E forecast fire danger
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Utility Pacific Gas & Electric says it has installed hundreds of weather stations, including dozens locally, to help anticipate fire danger and reduce preventative blackouts. Just off 101 at River Road, under a canopy of wires near hulking…
Aug 27, 2021
Fire prep, recovery program launched at SRJC
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Instructors are hired and students enrolled as Santa Rosa Junior College launches a wildfire resiliency program. Launched with half a million dollars from the county's PG&E settlement, officials at SRJC say the program teaches strategies to prevent…
Aug 26, 2021
Supes considering Styrofoam prohibition
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Following a largely symbolic county supervisors vote Tuesday, an ordinance taking shape here in Sonoma County could ban Styrofoam. A vote could come as soon as next month to take affect January 1st. Promoted as environmentally friendly, the proposal…
Aug 25, 2021
Housing fraud allegations raise questions
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Local developer Bill Gallaher and his companies have been accused of housing fraud. That's one takeaway from a series of stories by Press Democrat reporters Ethan Varian and Andrew Graham. The charges stem from a wrongful termination suit that is…
Aug 25, 2021
Housing in high demand as county opens lottery for affordable units
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The mailbags at Sonoma County's Housing Authority have been particularly full in recent days. Housing Director Martha Cheever said they've received more than 600 applications since opening a wait list for affordable three bedroom units last week.…
Aug 23, 2021
Santa Rosa ped overpass clears hurdle, would pair with proposed SMART crossing
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With a bit more than half the money assembled for a highway crossing talked about for two decades, Santa Rosa officials are confident they'll quickly find the rest. If built, cyclists and those on foot wouldn't feel like they're playing chicken with…
Aug 23, 2021
Concerns raised as Sonoma County considers 'micro-restaurants'
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With a statewide law letting people sell certain homemade foods considered a success, there's a push to allow budding home chefs to open their homes to diners. Already in place in a handful of California counties, some on a trial basis, the rules…
Aug 20, 2021
Young Sonoma County 'promotores' help their communities through emergencies
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“Having the youth at the center of this work is really key,” said Latino Service Provider’s director of programs Stephanie Manieri. “To make sure that our community feels that the information that is being presented is coming from trusted people and…
Aug 20, 2021
This Santa Rosa Teacher centers social justice in her classroom
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Samantha Kim teaches sixth grade at Santa Rosa's Steele Lane Elementary School. On the first day of school, Kim assigned self-portraits. “As I was watching the kids color I was like, oh my gosh some of these kids are only using orange, yellow or…
Aug 19, 2021
Sonoma County increases COVID-19 testing as cases remain high
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The demand for testing in Sonoma County has increased 60 percent in the past month as cases of the highly transmissible delta variant soar. And local physicians like Dr. Jenny Fish have witnessed how hard it's been for patients to get tests promptly…
Aug 18, 2021
What's new with the delta variant? One expert explains
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KRCB's Tessa Paoli talks with UC Berkeley infectious disease and vaccine expert Dr. John Swartzberg to understand where we stand with the highly transmissible delta variant and how we can protect ourselves. Part I: Part II:
Aug 17, 2021
Why Offshore Winds in August Raise Alarms
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National Weather Service Meteorologist Brian Garcia talks with KRCB's Chris Lee about the dangerous weeks between seasonal offshore winds (that are coming sooner) and the season's first rains (which are coming later). Fires, he says, are essentially…
Aug 17, 2021
Sonoma County requires county employees to get vaccinated or tested
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Today’s decision adds more than 4,000 county workers to the list of public facing employees that must either show proof of vaccination or get tested weekly. Police, firefighters and school staff were already required. Today's move by the board of…
Aug 16, 2021
Medical Experts optimistic right precautions can protect local kids
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Safety in the classroom has been a big topic this summer as schools across the county return to full-time, in person instruction. UC Berkeley Infectious disease specialist Dr. John Swartzberg said, with the highly transmissible delta variant, more…
Aug 13, 2021
Sonoma County covid cases continue rising, impacting local hospitals
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COVID cases and hospitalization rates remain high in Sonoma County due to the emergence of the highly transmissible delta variant. And the surge is impacting local hospitals. Dr. Chad Krilich, the chief medical officer for Providence St. Joseph…
Aug 12, 2021
Following state mandate, Sonoma County's school staff will need to show proof of vaccination or weekly testing
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For many school districts throughout the county, today is the first day of full-time, in-person instruction since March 2020. And before Governor Gavin Newsom's announcement this week about the vaccine requirement and weekly testing for those not…
Aug 11, 2021
Despite curtailment order, water still vanishing
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Despite a week-old curtailment order, water levels in the upper Russian River remain stubbornly low. KRCB's Marc Albert reports. Since the end of July, operators of the Coyote Valley Dam at Lake Mendocino have sent 115 cubic feet per second down the…
Aug 10, 2021
Sonoma County schools are back to a sense of normalcy this fall
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This year's back-to-school throughout the county resembles a more normal year, with full-time, in-person instruction and full class sizes. “With the elimination of social distancing, we no longer have to have smaller classes,” said Sonoma County…
Aug 10, 2021
Wastewater conundrum sparking west county controversy
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Neighbors are suing to block a sewage transfer station north of Sebastopol, arguing Sonoma Water and other agencies swept environmental concerns under the rug. Currently, sewage from the small west county town of Occidental is trucked 18 miles to a…
Aug 06, 2021
Much local progress on carbon emissions, more left to do
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While the nation and world bickers about climate change, Sonoma County at least has been making headway. Statistically, the gains are fairly impressive. We're a bit late, but Sonoma County is meeting targets established by the 1997 Kyoto…
Aug 06, 2021
More COVID recovery aid available for small businesses; nonprofits
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Another round of emergency funding will start becoming available to small businesses next month after California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate announced additional funds became available. Non profits, cultural institutions, and sole…
Aug 05, 2021
Sonoma County tells emergency personnel get vaccinated or tested weekly
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Sonoma County is now requiring vaccine proof or weekly tests for its four thousand firefighters, law enforcement, emergency medical service workers and disaster shelter staff, starting September first. This health order expands on last week's…
Aug 05, 2021
Railroad crossing impasse may be heading for resolution
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According to some neighbors, the train that was supposed to weave the north bay together has instead chopped a community in two. Instead of a quick jaunt across the tracks, those on foot must walk nearly a mile via Guerneville Road to cross. As a…
Aug 03, 2021
Sonoma County Resiliency: the pandemic through the eyes of a local ICU nurse.
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“I don't think a single medical team member will come through this and say that their life has not been forever changed,” said Andrea Nofi, a clinical staff nurse at Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital. Nofi has been an emergency medical technician,…
Aug 03, 2021
In water emergency, Healdsburg residents ponder if everyone is doing their share
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While California's housing crisis is prompting a lot of construction, where is the water for all those new homes and hotels going to come from? That was among the questions facing the Healdsburg council Monday night, one of Sonoma County's most…
Aug 03, 2021
Red Cross calling for blood donations to alleviate shortage
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The American Red Cross says there is a blood shortage across the country, and that it needs thousands of donations a day just to meet current demand. “We're experiencing a severe blood shortage because the number of trauma cases, organ transplants,…
Aug 03, 2021
No more water to support water rights along the Russian River
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Unprecedented drought conditions have forced state water regulators to take the drastic step of officially suspending water rights along the Russian River. Sam Boland-Brien with the state water board said conditions have continued to worsen in the…
Aug 03, 2021
Will mask mandate drastically change local behavior?
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Prior to the new announcement, crowds seemed ready to mingle as bands played and beer poured last Thursday evening at the Barlow, a commercial development in Sebastopol. On Friday a cook at a nearby Thai restaurant, who declined to provide their…
Aug 02, 2021
Sonoma County reinstates indoor mask mandate
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Sonoma County, along with six other Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley, has re-instated a mask mandate for all indoor work settings and public spaces. The decision comes less than a week after state officials recommended all people,…
Aug 02, 2021
Additional aircraft join CalFire roster, with more on the way
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A dozen extra firefighting planes and helicopters joined CalFire last week. Each has taken to the air since in what's shaping up as California's worst fire year ever. The air assets, a mix of planes and choppers, aren't exactly new, but state…
Jul 30, 2021
Local pediatrician talks trust, listening and collaboration to overcome vaccine hesitancy
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Dr. Brian Prystowsky is a pediatrician at Sutter Santa Rosa and has spent the last decade talking to concerned parents about vaccines. When the pandemic hit, Prystowky started collaborating with doctors, outreach workers, businesses and artists to…
Jul 30, 2021
Local Ag group urges state financial aid as drought slams farming
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About two dozen small farmers gathered on a withered field on Santa Rosa's edge Wednesday, hoping to pressure state officials for financial relief. "We don't know when our well is going to say 'no' can't take this drought anymore," said Yael…
Jul 29, 2021
Supervisors pursuing big move; thounsands of county jobs could be transferred to downtown Santa Rosa
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Saying it is time for the county to walk it's own talk, the Sonoma County board of supervisors have agreed to consider relocating most county offices to downtown Santa Rosa. With deferred maintenance on its more than half-century-old campus…
Jul 28, 2021
County vows major outreach efforts to assure federal COVID relief cash is equitably distributed
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Though decisions won't be final before December, elected officials are moving forward with a strategy to ensure people, businesses and groups often overlooked get a fair share of $96 million in federal funds Sonoma County has or will receive. While…
Jul 27, 2021
"COVID isn't done with us," cases continue to rise in Sonoma County
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Sonoma County's overall daily case rate has risen to three times where the county was a couple months ago. Case rates are more than four times higher among unvaccinated people. And new cases are disproportionately high among Latinx and Black…
Jul 27, 2021
Sonoma County grapples with new mask recommendation
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Sonoma County, along with six other Bay Area counties, has gone back to recommending all people, vaccinated or not, wear masks indoors because of the highly transmissible delta variant. Sonoma County COVID-19 hospitalizations have more than doubled…
Jul 26, 2021
Despite pandemic, hundreds do their part for new Santa Rosa mural
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The pandemic hasn't slowed down Santa Rosa-based youth art organization ArtStart. In late March lead artists and young students painted a quarantine-themed mural in downtown Petaluma. And now the group is finishing up a second mural in a…
Jul 23, 2021
Local coalition calls for safety and respect for Sonoma County farmworkers
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A local coalition called North Bay Jobs with Justice is leading the campaign for farmworker safety and respect during wildfires. And it started with intensive interviews with farmworkers about their needs. “As an organization, this work is worker…
Jul 21, 2021
New PG&E CEO vows to bury thousands of miles of power lines
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In a dramatic shift, Pacific Gas & Electric Company has announced a new effort to bury powerlines underground in coming years. The company said, since 2018, it has completed demonstration projects aimed at converting overhead power lines to…
Jul 21, 2021
Sonoma County eyes further constraints on vacation rentals
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Sonoma County is a tourist destination for people from all over. But it's also a place with unpredictable, severe weather and a lack of affordable, permanent housing. "People are increasingly being priced out," Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said. "We are…
Jul 21, 2021
Loan fund pitched to speed housing construction
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A multi-million-dollar revolving loan fund for housing construction will likely move a bit closer to reality Tuesday evening, as Santa Rosa officials work on finalizing agreements. If all goes smoothly, over the next four or so years, the funds…
Jul 19, 2021
PG&E opts to remove downed trees left behind
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Pacific Gas and Electric has abruptly changed course and will remove logs burnt and cut down in 2019 and 2020 in Sonoma county. The giant Northern California utility has had an on-again, off-again policy concerning wildfire-damaged trees cut down by…
Jul 19, 2021
Wetlands improvements coming to Sears Point
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A new phase of a wetlands restoration project is set to get underway at Sears Point in August. The 1,000 acre project, fallowed grazing land once eyed for a casino, is instead creating habitat for shorebirds, a refuge for salmon smolts and other…
Jul 17, 2021
How do COVID breakthrough infections occur? One expert explains
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COVID numbers have doubled in Sonoma County this month and this week there has been a reported outbreak at Santa Rosa's Samuel Jones Hall Homeless Shelter, where over half the residents tested positive and almost half of those were fully vaccinated.…
Jul 15, 2021
Do your part." Coffey Park residents plead with city to complete fire recovery
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More than 70 residents of Santa Rosa's Coffey Park neighborhood asked the council to spend the $27 million PG&E settlement money fixing streets damaged in the fire. Because FEMA denied the city's request to repair damaged sidewalks, these funds…
Jul 15, 2021
Ravitch recall floundering as no challengers emerge
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The campaign fliers keep landing in local mailboxes, but unlike the gubernatorial recall, there aren't dozens of colorful characters angling to seize the office of county district attorney. "Interestingly enough the deadline for the district…
Jul 13, 2021
Despite improvements since Tubbs Fire emergency notifications remain imperfect
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One of the most glaring lessons from the Tubbs Fire was the failure to warn those in its path. Concerned that blanket alerts would cause massive traffic jams, officials hesitated. The results were tragic. Much work has been done in the close to four…
Jul 09, 2021
Outrage, finger-pointing as redwoods fall to chainsaws
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Even as firefighters fan out across California to battle new blazes, crews are still working in areas burnt in last year's fires. Along Mill Creek Road west of Healdsburg, where the Walbridge fire left devastation, there's also plenty of…
Jul 09, 2021
Local environmentalists call for reassessment of forest management
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As local fire prevention and mitigation efforts race against collective fear of a season of flame, members of the Sonoma County environmental community are calling for priorities to be reassessed. After a century of fire suppression, authorities…
Jul 08, 2021
Petitioning for farmworker rights in Sonoma County
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North Bay Jobs With Justice is a growing coalition of 32 labor and community organizations working on economic, racial and climate justice. The group is circulating a public call to enhance protections for farmworkers ahead of late summer harvests…
Jul 08, 2021
COVID cases and hospitalizations rise in Sonoma County
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Sonoma County's current case rate is fluctuating between five and six cases per 100,0000 residents, increasing from four on June 15. And Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase says unvaccinated, young people make up the majority of new cases. "Yes I'm…
Jul 06, 2021
Sonoma County launches river revitalization project
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Sonoma County and the Russian River Confluence launched a revitalization project to improve the health of the river this summer. The idea is to collaborate with organizations, businesses, residents and visitors to all be good stewards of the beloved…
Jul 02, 2021
A rise in COVID hospitalizations across Sonoma County concerns local doctors
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Countywide, there are currently 33 COVID-19 patients in the hospital. The average number of COVID hospitalization rates has almost doubled from last week. And so have the number of patients admitted to the ICU. “For a week or two it was really…
Jul 02, 2021
Film delves into 2013 Lopez case; 13-year-old Santa Rosa boy killed by Sonoma County deputy
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Nationwide outrage following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police didn't occur in a vacuum. Dozens of questionable deaths at the hands of authorities had primed the pump for a reaction last summer that played out in cities across the US.…
Jul 01, 2021
FEMA fire safety grant welcomed by local officials
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Locally, the announcement a bit of a surprise, but not entirely out of the blue. Officials say the money helps fund crucially needed work, and arrived just in time. Sonoma County officials weren't exactly astounded by Wednesday's announcement. They…
Jun 30, 2021
Restarting Sonoma County’s tourism engine
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"Sonoma County is roaring back after the COVID-19 closures without question," said Sonoma County Tourism CEO Claudia Vecchio. Vecchio said last year travel to the county was down by 50 percent because of the pandemic. And the hospitality industry…
Jun 30, 2021
Petaluma sets priorities for next 12-months
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Petaluma officials met Monday to finalize an exhaustive list of more than 100 local priorities into goals achievable within the year. Most of the items--like fixing tennis courts--are among the typical and mundane operations of local government.…
Jun 29, 2021
PG&E burying lines in Rincon Valley
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When noise disrupts the typical suburban quiet in Rincon Valley, there will probably be few complaints. The area, just east of Santa Rosa, is perhaps where the most visible utility strengthening work going on in the county, is underway. The burying…
Jun 28, 2021
A new, highly transmissible COVID-19 variant explained
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Just when it seems the coronavirus pandemic is waning in California, we hear about new variants. But what does that mean? To learn about one variant that’s been identified in Sonoma County, we asked Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert…
Jun 25, 2021
Sonoma County Resiliency: Lockdown thwarts privacy and connection for therapists working with kids
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“It's been a roller coaster,” said Meghan Nunez, clinical supervisor at Social Advocates for Youth. Social Advocates for Youth, or SAY, is a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit that provides counseling, housing and career services to children, teens and…
Jun 25, 2021
Ag insurers recalculation of wildfire risk leaving growers in the lurch
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The chaos, stress and anger many fire survivors have endured trying to re-up their home insurance following mega-fires that have ripped through California the last five years are stories pretty well known. But, there's also parallel crisis locally…
Jun 25, 2021
Receding Sonoma Valley aquifers could prompt big changes in how wells are used
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There's likely a vast, unseen reservoir beneath your feet, built by centuries of rain percolating through the earth. Problem is, it's not limitless. In the Sonoma Valley, one of the county's three basins, that invisible supply has sunk 10 feet in…
Jun 24, 2021
Many Bodega Bay restaurant workers are still keeping their masks on
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It's been a week since Governor Gavin Newsom signed the executive order allowing fully vaccinated employees to ditch their masks. But some businesses are still treading cautiously. "I think it's ridiculous. We have been careful all this time, to…
Jun 23, 2021
The days of 'freeways' could be numbered
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A long range plan could add tolls on many local highways. It's far from a done deal, and officials anticipate widespread displeasure, but sometime in the future, driving down 101 could cost you. A half million dollar Caltrans grant will allow the…
Jun 23, 2021
Using open space for fire resiliency
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The Greenbelt Alliance is an organization that advocates greenbelts, or open spaces like parks, preserves and agriculture lands to create natural buffers between communities and wildlands. "We believe that there is huge potential for the Bay Area…
Jun 22, 2021
Delta coronavirus variant emerges in Sonoma County
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Data shows there are currently nineteen reported cases of the delta variant in the County, which has been shown to be more transmissible by 50 percent. And it's becoming more widespread in the United States. "The virus does exactly what we expect it…
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