By Anna Pier (Note: Firefighters pictured in a photo taken in 2024; they are not the team that went to L.A.) Sonoma Valley Fire District has sent two engines and eight firefighters, including one volunteer firefighter on each engine, to Los Angeles to assist with... Continue
LA fires could drastically drive up insurance premiums — and test California’s new market rules Continue
My son Matt took Satchel to Mountain Cemetery on Veterans Day to honor Satchel’s great-grandfather, Calvin Frost, and dropped him off afterward to spend the day with me. In great excitement, Satchel bursts through the front door. “Oma! Oma! Did you know that Grandpa Cal... Continue
In 1979, as OPEC embargoed Middle Eastern oil, the price of gasoline rose 52 percent, groceries rose 9.5 percent, Citibank’s prime rate was over 15 percent and inflation rose 13.3 percent. Unemployment, meanwhile, was nine percent and the American economy became the solemn soundtrack to... Continue
Why are we still arguing about the health effects of moderate drinking? Observational studies are inherently ambiguous Continue
As of January 6, 2025, both Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino, primary water supplies for Sonoma County, are at or above 100 percent capacity. This is good news. Rainfall this season has been well above normal, although forecasts for January are indicating a dry rest... Continue
Elected to the Sonoma City Council in 2022, Patricia Farrar-Rivas will serve as Mayor in 2025. The Sun's Anna Pier sat down with her to find out her background and her goals and aspirations for her service. Born and raised? I was an Air Force... Continue
Rebecca Hermosillo took her oath office this week as First District Supervisor of the County of Sonoma. The oath was administered by her mother. Hermosillo is the first Latina to occupy a Supervisor's seat; a Valley native, she previously worked in the office of Congressman... Continue
Planting the wrong trees in the wrong places can diminish their cooling benefits. Researchers discovered that in hot, compact cities, narrow species and sparse planting strategies work best Continue
The only Americans who’ve not heard of Luigi Mangione have been resting in the nation's cemeteries for some time. So there’s no need to rehash here the events of that December 4 morning in New York City when young Luigi shot a health insurance CEO... Continue