What kind of a society penalizes its sick, poor and elderly? According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, our own -- if the Trump/Ryan AHCA is enacted into law. The CBO estimates that health premiums for the average 60 year old would skyrocket to $16,000... Continue
By mid-morning, news of the forgery reaches the attentive ears of a Felix Echeverria in Los Banos, California. Felix is a man of both questionable fortune and exquisite taste -- a man who, at the start of his seventy-first year, has washed up on the... Continue
The celebration of America’s independence is right around the corner and the Sonoma Volunteer Firefighter’s Association is now accepting applications for the July 4th Parade and Plaza Festival. The application can be completed online at sonomavolunteerfirefighters.org. This year’s parade theme is “Honoring Our Local Heroes.” The... Continue
I am a 43-year resident of Sonoma Valley. I’ve worked at Sonoma Valley Hospital for five years and with Sutter Health for 18 years in Administration as well as directly with patients and their families. I strongly support Sonoma Valley Hospital. However, I do not... Continue
Does the Springs remind you of where you grew up? Absolutely. Woodland was small then. I’ve returned to a small town environment. It gives me a sense of connectedness, I don’t feel isolated. You’re always running into the people you live and work with. We’ve... Continue
The poor Springs. Borrowing a famous dictum about Mexico – “so far from God, so close to the United States”– we might say of this large unincorporated area where over 60 percent of the Valley resides, “so far from Santa Rosa, so close to Sonoma.”... Continue
There are two issues facing our Highway 12 commercial corridor that could create lasting negative consequences if the community isn’t proactive. Possible tearing down of the historic Big Three building The building has sat empty for 14 months since the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn closed... Continue
The appeal of the Sonoma Planning Commission’s decision to certify the Environmental Impact Report on the Hotel Sonoma project, coming one way or another to the 100 block of West Napa Street, has been set for June 22. The City Council will consider if concerns... Continue
Now in its 15th year at 18330 Sonoma Highway, the nonprofit Friends in Sonoma Helping continues the Clothes Closet program started in 1974 at the Faith Lutheran Church. Providing free clothes, and now books, toys and housewares for those who need them is now handled... Continue
Sonoma Valley Hospital has released its three-year rolling strategic plan, a document designed to define strategic priorities for the near future and identify the tactics Hospital staff will use to achieve them. “It’s a very important document that leads us to step back and look... Continue