Press "Enter" to skip to content

What’s Happening
Local Sonoma Valley News

Common household cleaners can make pets sick

Dear Dr. Forsythe: Our bulldog got very sick this week and began acting like he was poisoned. The only thing my husband and I could recall that was out of the ordinary was our cleaning lady used a Swiffer mop in our house. A friend... Continue

Gnarly newts

Volunteers both young and old jumped out of bed early Saturday to help with the annual newt count at Bouverie Audubon Preserve. Adult volunteers paired up with students, ages 13 to 18, and combed the trail along the creek, measuring and identifying the wiggly newts.... Continue

School board focuses on English-learners

Sonoma Valley Unified School District still has a ways to go in serving English-learners, according to a report presented to the board of trustees on Tuesday. Louann Carlomagno, director of curriculum, said the district has made great progress and the students get better every year,... Continue

Hospital board and city council meet together

The Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board of Directors and the Sonoma City Council came together for a rare joint meeting on Wednesday night that Mayor Ken Brown dubbed the best one they’d ever had. The two groups used to meet on a regular basis,... Continue

Student of the year

Creekside student of the year Ivo Monna (left) with father Luis and sister Eletra. Photo by Ryan Lely. Creekside student of the year Arely Bernal (right) with mother Oralia Estrada and Robbyn Jr Guzman. Photo by Ryan Lely. Continue

Scam alert: Property tax review

The Sonoma County Assessor’s Office suggests, Don’t pay! According to a press release issued Tuesday, local property owners have been receiving solicitations by mail for payment to pursue a reduction in their property taxes. The assessor’s office sought to clarify that there is no charge... Continue

Parked cars targeted for burglaries

Three burglaries from cars early last week make a pretty persuasive case for not leaving your purse in the car when you go for a walk. Deputies said that parking lots at wineries are frequently targeted and another hot spot is parking at trailheads, such... Continue

State delays tax refunds, payments to county

Don’t expect your state tax refund to show up on time. California may owe you a few hundred dollars, but the state owes Sonoma County a lot more, and the frustration and anger increases accordingly. California State Controller John Chiang announced this week that he... Continue

Hospital issues $12 million in bonds

The Sonoma Valley Health Care District has sold the first tranche of its general obligation bonds. Six underwriters bid for the $12 million issue, with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. submitting the lowest true interest rate cost of 5.81 percent. The bond sale was approved by... Continue

Water shortage will hit wine industry hard

Last weekend’s rains did little to alleviate the massive water shortage in the North Bay. While the lack of rainfall is a problem for everyone, it weighs heavily on grape growers, who depend on water not only for irrigation but also for frost abatement in... Continue