With Sonoma City Hall’s 100th birthday party now but a memory, city staff will be opening it up for business tomorrow – after they spend today unpacking. The venerable Sonoma Plaza landmark has been closed since June 30 while undergoing a $395,000 renovation in time... Continue

A Rohnert Park man was arrested yesterday following an early-morning fracas among nearly a dozen young men in Boyes Hot Springs. Paul Moreno-Gutierres, 18, was booked into Sonoma County Jail for attempted murder in furtherance of a criminal street gang, said Det. Sgt. Tim Duke,... Continue

A new program is under way which could bring push-button help to heart-attack victims in a number of high-traffic Sonoma venues. “The bad news is that roughly 900 people die every day from cardiac arrest,” Sonoma Valley Fire and Rescue Authority Capt. Alan Jones told... Continue

For teens with a provisional driver’s license, the road may look rosy – but local law enforcement officials are warning that youthful enthusiasm can often turn to tragedy. Vehicle accidents are Sonoma County’s number one cause of death and injury-related hospitalization among those aged 15... Continue

In a unanimous vote, last week the Sonoma City Council – after nearly 16 months of drafts and re-drafts – has finally passed, with minor revisions, a mobilehome park conversion ordinance. “Believe me,” said City Attorney Tom Curry, “I do not recall an ordinance in... Continue

Why punish the good to protect them from the bad? How can numbers alone define the quality of a child’s education? These questions and more were mulled Tues. night at the regular monthly meeting of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District. Raised in the public... Continue

Pets Lifeline has named Desiree Stinson, a Sonoma resident, as new Executive Director. In a prepared statement, Tom Cygnar, Pets Lifeline board president, said Stinson brings a broad range of expertise from marketing, public relations, business management, facilities development, event planning, sponsorships and Web management.... Continue

As Sonoma’s backyard farming ordinance moves forward, citizens and council members continue to ponder its limits. Chickens and rabbits are in. Pigs and cattle are out. And so are bees. Why, some wonder, ban bees? Sonoma City Councilmember Stanley Cohen, citing requests from “several members... Continue

The Nathanson Creek stewards are gathering steam for a season of creekside activities for all ages, ranging from educational tours and riparian restoration to a front-on assault on litter. Recently, Nathanson Creek stewardship leaders Joyce Carlson and Stacey Ward, SVHS Earth Club co-presidents Alexa and... Continue