Green thumbs all around at Sonoma Valley fire station

Sonoma Valley Wholesale Nursery owner Paul Martinez gives planting tips to Sonoma Valley Rotary volunteers during a workday at Sonoma Valley Firehouse #3. The results of the team landscaping effort can now be seen along the Highway 12 side of the fire station driveway, at... Continue

Talented young writers echo Jack London

Author and guest speaker Bo Kearns congratulated winners of the 2021 Young Writers Contest at Jack London State Historic Park (left to right): First prize winner Natali Cox, Second prize winner Keeley Graziani, Honorable Mention winner Huntyr Ammons, and Honorable Mention winner Alina Peterson. (Not... Continue

‘Prescribed burn’ back on for June 4

If you detect smoke coming from the area of Grove Street west of Carriger on Friday, June 4, don't freak out -- a controlled burn is planned for the Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Carefully modernized and managed by Sonoma Ecology Center,... Continue

Social climbers

The hiking series Senior Saunters, like this outing at Sonoma Valley Regional Park, returns with guided, leisurely walks with friendly, older adults. A different County park each time, on mostly flat trails. All abilities welcome. COVID safe protocols in place. Free, but registration is required at https://parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov Continue

Sonoma Library re-opens, launches Summer Reading program

Sonoma County Library, with a branch at 755 W. Napa St. in Sonoma, has re-opened at 50 percent capacity under its Express Services model. There is no time limit for visits, which include: Browsing and checking out books, CDs, DVDs and more Computer use, including self-service... Continue

Has Covid been good or bad for the environment?

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold last spring, a certain type of news story started to spring up—the idea that, in the absence of people, nature was returning to a healthier, more pristine state. There were viral reports of dolphins in the canals of Venice,... Continue

Student Spotlight: Christopher Rivas

For Christopher Rivas, who is about to graduate from Sonoma Valley High School, it has always been about being willing to put in the effort at school. His hard work is paying off with a full-ride scholarship to Santa Clara University to study Environmental Engineering. ... Continue

A year without knocking on doors

It’s been one year since Jehovah’s Witnesses adjusted their hallmark methods of sharing comfort and hope from the scriptures due to the pandemic. For many, the change from ringing doorbells and knocking on doors to making phone calls and writing letters expanded and invigorated their... Continue

Thoughts on distance learning from a high school senior

By Meg Jernigan, Sonoma Valley High School class of 2021 “I will finish high school in my bedroom, on a computer.” That’s a phrase I never thought I would utter when I started high school in 2017. What are the pros and cons of distance... Continue

Selling out the neighborhood

Are we willing to sell out our neighborhoods to the highest bidder? That’s indeed the question that Pacaso raises for the residents of Sonoma. Pacaso is a new real estate company backed by hundreds of millions of dollars of funding. They’re buying up properties in... Continue