According to Santa Rosa's mayor, SMART rail should reach Windsor by 2025 and Healdsburg by 2026. Friday morning, Mayor Chris Rogers said in a Twitter thread that a ruling this week by California's supreme court means $40 million dollars in funding specifically for the extension of the SMART train will soon be available. Ending a five year legal struggle, the California Supreme Court Wednesday let stand an appeals court decision, essentially ending a case that sought to reclassify voter-approved bridge toll increases as special taxes, which would have required a two-thirds majority. The case, brought by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, has resulted in nearly half a billion dollars in… read more

More trees are dying and drying out in California's forests due to a hotter temperatures and prolonged droughts, which is causing more severe wildfires and a mass altercation in how forests store carbon. That's according to Cal Fire-backed researcher Marissa Goodwin at a research webinar Wednesday. Goodwin, a graduate student at the University of New Mexico, serves as project manager for the Teakettle Ecosystem Experiment, a long-standing study that tests how repeat burning and thinning affects an experimental, old-growth forest in the Sierra Nevada. Goodwin said the recent increase in size and severity of wildfires in California partially has to do with a legacy of fire suppression in… read more

Responding to years of financial pressure worsened by declining enrollment, Santa Rosa school trustees are pushing ahead with a study on consolidating ten school districts into one. The proposal is almost certain to drum up controversy over fears of a loss of local control and the possibility of school closures. That, and a re-naming controversy raised much ire during a recent school closure and consolidation in west Sonoma County that continues generating disagreement and anger to this day. "That entire process was managed so very poorly by most of the members of the West County High School Board and their previous superintendent. There was a lack of transparency and communication and an… read more

More than three hundred county workers briefly picketed and rallied in front of Sonoma County's administration building this morning, as contract talks continue. The rally occurred as county supervisors met inside, and a day ahead of the next bargaining session. Amos Eaton, a county employee who provides help to the elderly, said many staffers have departed for better pay and benefits elsewhere, leaving those who remain overworked and stressed. "We are terribly short staffed, there are departments running twenty-five plus percent vacancy, just in our units." Eaton said stagnant wages have turned Sonoma County into something of a farm team. "They do two or three years, they get training,… read more

Facing an uncertain and highly variable water future, a group of landowners in Alexander Valley are talking about forming a new water district. That's according to wine industry figure and former Santa Rosa mayor, Mike Martini, who addressed the Healdsburg City Council about the proposal at recent meeting. "The purpose of which would be to partner with the landowners, but also with the city of Healdsburg, the city of Cloverdale, and the various small water contractors to ensure a resilient and sustainable water supply for the Alexander Valley," Martini said. Speaking to the Healdsburg City Council on behalf of the Russian River Property Owners Association, local land use planner Walter… read more

For some, public libraries are meant to be neutral ground when it comes to civic disputes over culture, values, and identity in America. That's not always the case, including in Sonoma County. Walk into any one of the 14 different public libraries around Sonoma County and you’ll likely see Pride and Black Lives Matter banners. After a Black Lives Matter display was vandalized in Sebastopol a year ago, library leadership sought to reaffirm the library as an inclusive space, according to interim county library director, Erika Thibualt. "The library administration had some signs created, and this was the former director Ann Hammond's decision," Thibault said. "We had a Black Lives Matter sign… read more

How are local performing arts venues faring after the dark days of the pandemic? In Healdsburg, the return of live performances have breathed new life into the Raven Theater. Their latest production: Cesar Died Today from playwright Gabriel Fraire. "As a writer, people always come up to you and say, I got this great idea for a book," Fraire said. "You know, so I learned early on to say, man, that is a terrific idea. Here's what you do. You go home, you type out 200 pages and we'll get started. Well, no one ever comes back" For Fraire, a local writer, playwright, and longtime Healdsburg resident, that rule holds true…unless he’s talking about his brother and co-playwright, John. "He cornered… read more

While state and federal disaster recovery groups like the Red Cross and FEMA are still mobilizing, the nonprofit Russian River Alliance is already handing out aid. Through fire, flood, personal setbacks and tragedy, gift cards handed out from a minivan is often the first bit of help offered. "Larger organizations will come and start allocating resources and they generally have a lot more resources. But it takes them a little bit. My place has started to become immediate needs for disaster relief," said Jen Wertz, fund manager of the Russian River Alliance. "I was out helping the evacuees get their trailers towed out of the flood zone and giving people gift cards. We purchased some… read more

Special county relief funding had already run out Wednesday as a few people were still turning up at Guerneville's community health center, hoping to get help. Waitress Anna Haynes was among them. She said riding out the storm itself had her on edge. "The trees falling all around us. That was scary, hearing the trees crack and those break, but luckily, our home was not damaged. The water ended up not coming in the back." But, she says, she's probably out more than $600. Just about everything in her refrigerator and freezer wound up tossed. And she and her three children had to shell out for a hotel room. "My apartment, people from 2-1-1 came by, was like, 'we're offering rooms.' I tried to… read more

Napa police are trying to find whoever owned a pick up truck that was destroyed Saturday night when the Napa Valley Wine train slammed into it. No one was injured either in the pick-up or aboard the train, according to Lieutenant Chris Pacheco of the Napa Police Department. Pacheco said the train was rounding a slight curve, and as it approached a trestle, the engineer noticed something very out of place. "Somebody parked the truck right across the tracks." Pacheco says from its position, investigators believe the red, 2005 Dodge Ram was left there intentionally, and had not broken down. While what happened next was hardly Hollywood, it was almost certainly harrowing for those involved.… read more

The series of atmospheric rivers hitting the west coast have caused serious damage to infrastructure. The storms are also being studied extensively, including by Ryan Torn. "My work relates to understanding what is the predictability of landfall atmospheric rivers on the west coast of the United States," Torn said. Torn is the chair of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences at the State University of New York at Albany, and a researcher of atmospheric rivers at the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes. "What are the factors in the processes that allow us to predict those features well in some circumstances," Torn said. "And what are the circumstances and processes that create a… read more

Authorities have identified the woman killed when her vehicle was apparently swept off of Trenton-Healdsburg Road Tuesday as 43-year-old Daphne Fontino of Ukiah. Fontino's body was found Wednesday morning in her vehicle under eight to ten feet of water in a vineyard, about 100 yards off the road, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Fontino's husband Marc, is struggling to come to terms. "It's like a nightmare for me and I haven't came to the reality yet that it actually occurred, because, in my mind she's going to be driving home and knocking on the front door." Rescuers in boats and helicopters were unable to locate the vehicle during a search before night fell Tuesday.… read more

The consistent stream of rain and mountain snow that’s rolled through California has raised lots of questions about drought conditions and groundwater levels. Marcus Trotta, groundwater expert with Sonoma Water, said it’s complicated. "Groundwater recharge is really one of the more challenging things to really understand and characterize," Trotta said. Rain is of course a good thing for replenishing groundwater, Trotta said. "In general, groundwater recharge occurs through a couple different mechanisms," Trotta said. "One is when precipitation falls on soils and some of that precipitation will run off. Some of it will get used by plants and vegetation." "Some of that water will infiltrate… read more

The Army Corps of Engineers has been busy during the recent barrage of rainfall. Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino under normal conditions are co-managed by the Corps of Engineers and Sonoma Water, but with the influx of rain, that’s changed at Lake Mendocino, according to Nick Malasavage, chief of operations for the Corps' San Francisco office. "Taking over control is basically the decisions on how much to release into the Russian River based on how high the pool is," Malasavage said. "So we crossed over that threshold on Monday. Now it's the flood risk management of our flood control pool." "So what are we looking at when we're making our decisions? Just like everybody else, the weather,"… read more

Just a few days ago, Guerneville and just about every low-lying community along the Russian River were on edge, awaiting cataclysmic flooding that thankfully never arrived. A forecast issued Tuesday morning expected the river to jump its banks in Guerneville around 4 pm Thursday. According to a revision Tuesday afternoon, that's no longer the case. Flooding is still expected in Hopland midnight Sunday. The Napa River isn't expected to see flooding, while the Navarro River will go two feet over flood stage at Navarro Saturday night at 9. Turns out, a lot goes in to making these predictions, and the complexity means their reliability isn't always perfect. Predicting how a river will behave is… read more

Each year Santa Rosa takes public input on goals and priorities for the city budget. One group is pushing the city to make good on previous promises. Cris Eggers is a volunteer with that group: Bikeable Santa Rosa. "Bikeable is a volunteer group who think that Santa Rosa is ready for a protected and connected bike network so that people who want to ride their bikes to go to places [can], not just the fearless riders," Eggers said. "But we're talking about the other 70% of people who would like to ride their bikes, would like to see their kids riding their bikes to school, but just feel that the city's not set up to do that." She said the group is calling for bike ways that have a divider… read more

A Ukiah woman was found dead on Wednesday after her vehicle apparently became submerged in flood water in Forestville, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's dispatch received a call at about 10 a.m. Tuesday from the California Highway Patrol reporting that a car was stuck in flood waters in the 6000 block of Trenton-Healdsburg Road. The caller had reported that there was water in the car and then the line became disconnected, and multiple attempts to call back yielded no response, sheriff's officials said. Multiple agencies were dispatched to search for the car and driver, including the Sheriff's Office, CHP, and the Sonoma County Fire District swift water rescue team.… read more

There's something of a rare sight to see right now in the hills north of Napa. Thanks to a string of atmospheric river storms, Lake Hennessey has risen high enough to reach the dam's spillway, something celebrated by more than a few locals. Joy Eldredge is deputy utilities director for the City of Napa, which owns the reservoir. "First of all, it hasn't spilled for four years, so we're pretty happy that we have reached the point of spilling, right? On the water supply side, that's a good thing, everyone is welcoming that, at this point." There's also a dark side. Three quarters of a century old, the dam was rated in 'fair' condition following its most recent inspection. It is considered an… read more

If you're feeling a little weather whiplash, you're not hallucinating. The switch from a desiccated landscape to an inundated one has been swift. Officials with the state department of water resources say more storms are on the way. That's after five have slammed into California since late December. "California is experiencing, coincidentally, both a drought emergency and a flood emergency," said Carla Nemath, director California's Department of Water Resources, at an online press conference Monday afternoon. Statewide, rivers at nine sites were exceeding flood stage. She said crews have been busy shoring up a levee along the Consumes River. So much rain has fallen up north, that the… read more

The muddy water keeps flowing and county work trucks keep moving along River Road, but earlier flood predictions failed to materialize on a sunny Monday afternoon in Guerneville. Pre-staged service trucks remain in place though, while cars and RV’s have been moved to higher ground in spots along River Road. Sandbags barricade the doors of the Monte Rio Theatre in anticipation. County spokesperson Ted Appel, who was traveling along River Road taking photos of flooded areas Monday afternoon, said the break in the rain has been well utilized. "There's been a big effort on trying to get crews into place before they're needed so that they can respond quickly, keep roads open, work in conjunction… read more

This week’s powerful storms battered the landscape and wreaked havoc on power and communications infrastructure. While this storm wasn’t unprecedented, its impact on trees across Sonoma County was, Johannes Hoevertsz, Sonoma County's Director of Public Infrastructure said. "Yeah, it was an unprecedented number of trees that went down," Hoevertsz said. "Absolutely overwhelmed everyone with power lines down; there were firefighters, road workers trapped in between trees, so that kind of slowed down the response, but we were going all night. Excellent partnership with Cal Fire and with our fire district." Hoevertsz said the break in the rain has allowed crews to clear debris and make repairs.… read more

Sonoma County experienced a tragedy this week when a 2-year-old boy died during Wednesday's storm after a tree toppled and crashed down on his family's home in Occidental. While fierce storms aren't new to the North Bay, the number of downed trees so far is unusual. One local arborist has insight. "Advice is your best friend," Fred Frey said. "Get someone who really understands trees to come out and look at them with you." Frey is a certified arborist and owner of Vintage Tree Care in Santa Rosa. "If that's not something that's at your disposal, look for those anomalous features in the tree," Frey said. "Is it leaning in a direction? You don't recall it? Is it missing a limb? Is a limb in a… read more

With so many trees coming down from high winds and rain, many people in Sonoma County might be thinking twice about that birch, oak, or redwood in the yard. Fred Frey is a licensed, certified arborist and owner of Vintage Tree Care in Santa Rosa. He said even in the midst of stormy weather, it’s not too late to take precautions around vulnerable trees. "The best thing to do right now is watch your trees," Frey said. "Do you notice anything anomalous? Are, are you looking out and seeing a lean that you don't recall seeing?" "Do you see a branch that's in a position that you don't recall seeing? Let your intuition speak. Oftentimes, the property owner or the people who repeatedly view the… read more

All photos by Lauren Spates Guerneville resident Tommy and his dog, Waylon, enjoy the Russian River during a break in the rain. The iconic Highland Dell hotel sits high and dry over the Russian River in Monte Rio. Under new management since 2022, The Monte Rio Theater and Extravaganza staff prepared sandbags to protect the spruced-up lobby. The lower Russian River rises underneath the Monte Rio bridge as the increased flow from the atmospheric river drains from the watershed toward the Pacific Ocean. The Russian River is high as it heads downriver, passing under the Monte Rio bridge toward Duncan's Mills. The riverbed is flooded here in Monte Rio, just east of the Monte Rio bridge, on a… read more