NASCAR traffic tip: stay home

This weekend’s NASCAR event at Sonoma Raceway is all about fast cars – the ones on the track, not those stuck in traffic. The event is likely the Bay Area’s largest single-day sporting event and, along with wine country visitor traffic, usually jams the roads... Continue

Knock-Knock

Sense of "self" is just one among a constellation of mental states, and the experience of "I" varies considerably. "I" is described by some neurologists as a stable form of hallucination, which is to say, a subjective experience of being "in here" that seems to... Continue

The day all life on earth ended — for 3 hours

That wasn’t a Russian hack that knocked the Valley offline, it was more like a Eucalyptus tree. Yes, the world came to a complete standstill Tuesday when a big branch fell on a main fiber line on Eighth Street East, knocking out Comcast internet and... Continue

Where in Sonoma?

Do you recognize where this photo (thank you, Emily Marks) was taken? The location will be revealed in the June 20 print issue of The Sun. Meanwhile, take a guess! Continue

Sonoma Valley High finds new principal

Just weeks after the surprise resignation of Justin Mori as principal of Sonoma Valley High, Alberto Solorzano has been named to replace him as of July 1. Solorzano is entering his 25th year in education and is an experienced high school principal, according to a... Continue

Keys to a bright future

Denton Shields, left, takes the keys to his new car -- a 2012 Fiat donated to Sonoma Valley High School’s Grad Night party by Scott Silveira of Silveira Chevrolet. The excited teen said he went to the party hoping to win the car, staying up... Continue

Elegy to my father

Born on a Minnesota farm, you milked cows and picked corn. You hated farming; that’s why you left Minnesota, that, and your mother always telling you what to do. She cried when you left home; you were only 16. You had nine siblings, all with... Continue

Healthcare tax for citizens, free healthcare for noncitizen

If there was any question whatsoever as to whether California has gone completely off the rails, proposals in the new state budget should remove all doubt. Perhaps the most egregious of these involve changes in state law as they relate to health care. As of... Continue

My coffee with Henry Mayo

By Jonathan Farrell Nestled near a creek, on the westside of town is Sonoma Oaks - formerly called Rancho de Sonoma Mobile Home Park; almost right next door to Maxwell Village. It has a spectacular view of the hills in the distance as a backdrop.... Continue

Marching orders: join Sonoma’s 4th of July Parade

There's still time to march in Sonoma's famous 4th of July Parade -- the deadline to enter a group in the patriotic procession is June 27. The Parade of 60+ entries -- vintage cars, horses, floats, community and kids groups, fire trucks, and at least... Continue