‘Kitchen Witches’ a tasty confection

When two female cable-access TV chefs, rivals as bitter as bad wine, are forced to work together things heat up faster than hand-held chocolate. The recipe for disaster results in the delicious comic confection “The Kitchen Witches,” a Sonoma Stage Works production playing the Sonoma... Continue

Happy foodie Fourth of July

The Fourth of July, for me, typically conjures happy thoughts of sketchy Southern roadside stands hawking cheap fireworks, late night bonfires at my family’s rustic mountain barn, the little - and not so little - kids running crazy with sparklers, writing our names in the... Continue

Fourth of July in Sonoma

Agoston Haraszthy – Father of the California wine industry The self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista,” Agoston Haraszthy, was a vivacious and eccentric pioneer with deep and unending commitment to California wine. Born into a wealthy, land-owning family in Hungary, The Count grew up amidst famed... Continue

Spitzer joins Altimira staff as VP

Come August, Mary Ann Spitzer will join the team at Altimira as middle school’s new vice principal and academic coordinator, pending board approval. Spitzer has worked in the District since 2003 in various capacities including special education teacher, curriculum and intervention coordinator, and volleyball coach. Most recently,... Continue

Garden workshop: proliferate and prosper

Learn how to reproduce and grow plants in your home garden at an Introduction to Plant Propagation workshop on Saturday, July 14, at Sonoma Garden Park. Michelle Vesser from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center (OAEC) will lead the 10 a.m. to noon session. The interactive... Continue

Sprinkler bandit nabbed

The law has rained down on Thomas Barnick, 48, the Sonoma Valley man suspected of stealing 407 sprinkler heads from area vineyards. Barnick was under surveillance early Monday when, after a gambling stint at the River Rock Casino, he drove into a nearby vineyard at... Continue

City delivers balanced budget

Not dipping into reserves for the first time in three years, the Sonoma City Council approved a balanced budget Monday of $12,936,065. The document states that revenue from the increase in the city sales tax, under Measure J, will generally offset the loss of redevelopment... Continue

Community pool group ‘serious and moving forward’

The informal working group focused on building a community swimming pool in Sonoma Valley, Citizens United for a Sonoma Pool (CUSP), has formalized its efforts by attaining not-for-profit status, an important step for membership and fundraising. The move resulted from the election of CUSP members... Continue

Write-In Election Strategy…Hidden Pitfalls

Editor: There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth by some folks in the Sonoma Valley about the fact that the run-off for the 1st District Supervisor’s seat will not include one of the three Valley candidates. I know that is mind-boggling to those... Continue

Great Lobby Hero

Editor: (Not sure if this is really a "letter to the editor" subject, but here goes.) I wanted to commend the Sonoma Community Center for its production of Sonoma StageWorks' Lobby Hero. It was an outstanding local theater experience combining a strong, thoughtful play with... Continue