A super cool summer salad

From Sondra Bernstein comes this recipe for a summery and simple Heirloom Tomato & Watermelon Salad, one of the most popular menu items at the girl & the fig. “You don’t normally think of pairing tomatoes with watermelon, but peak tomato season is usually the... Continue

A Closer Look: Philanthropy and the public citizen

Reader perspective by John Donnelly -- This is to share my thoughts and hopes concerning the recently released report “Hidden in Plain Sight: Sonoma Valley and the Charitable Sector that Services Us.” What a tremendous gift and opportunity this report provides to us. Bravos and thanks... Continue

Who’s your muse?

Josh Cutler | For The Sun -- A muse is your source of inspiration. Throughout history, people have turned to the seven Greek muses to inspire them. Today, however, we’re less traditional. Author Stephen King’s muse, for instance, is a cigar chomping weird little dude who... Continue

‘Corporate behavior’ at Family Resource Center

As members of the Elders Salon we are seriously distressed by the rapid restructuring at the Family Resource Center. This seems a top down bureaucratic decision on the part of La Luz management—corporate behavior, in other words. We are led to surmise that the decision... Continue

Sonoma Valley death notices

Death notices Stuart Glenn Anderson, 72, of Sonoma, passed away June 18, 2017. Heinz Friedrich Bertram, 83, of Sonoma, passed away June 8, 2017. Joseph Francis Browne, 76, of Sonoma, passed away June 8, 2017. Joseph William Burratto, Sr., 66, of Sonoma, passed away June... Continue

Apples for grapes; Hotel drama; and mind-blowing jazz

The Walker family, farming in Graton for over 100 years, will be honored as the Sonoma County Farm Bureau’s Farm Family of the Year. Lee Walker, 86, is a sixth generation apple farmer. He manages the farm alongside his son Lee Walker III, with a... Continue

Woman, 96, burglarized in yard-work scam

[caption id="attachment_81893" align="aligncenter" width="222"] Deputies found a small safe and a pillowcase loaded with jewelry.[/caption] The home of a 96-year-old Springs woman was burglarized Wednesday when one suspect lured her into her backyard while two others grabbed personal items and a small safe. The suspects... Continue

It’s time for action on affordable housing

We've written about creating affordable housing regularly for the past three years. We've made concrete suggestions about raising revenues, proposed new policies to stimulate housing, and offered a variety of solutions, all to no avail. At this point we've had to conclude that the leadership... Continue

Sonoma Council upholds hotel EIR appeal

In a 5-0 vote Wednesday evening, Sonoma's City Council upheld the appeal of the Planning Commission's certification of the EIR for the West Napa Street hotel proposed by Kenwood Development. The decision came on the heels of the recent receipt of a letter from Kenwood's... Continue

County’s homeless count understates Valley problem

The official 2017 homeless count just released by Sonoma County shows a two percent county-wide reduction in the number of homeless, but the count within Sonoma Valley has actually increased, according to the executive director of the Valley’s only homeless shelter. In 2016, 21 homeless... Continue