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What’s Happening
Local Sonoma Valley News

Council approves water plan

Two back-to-back and unanimous approvals last week by the Sonoma City Council took different looks at the same ongoing concern. The first, Sonoma’s 2005 Urban Water Management Plan, is a state-mandated strategy for assessing municipal water supply and demand – a “living document” that may... Continue

$4 gas in Sonoma

By Friday, a gallon of regular gasoline was still a bit under the $4 mark at eight stations in and around Sonoma. But seven of them were offering high-grade gasoline at $4 a gallon or more: $4.15 at the Union 76 on Broadway, $4.07 at... Continue

New superintendent: Pamela Martens

Pamela Martens, Ph.D., new school chief for Sonoma ValleyThe trustees of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District met Sunday and made official their selection of Pamela Martens, Ph.D., as our new superintendent. She comes from the Coast Unified School District in Cambria, where she has... Continue

Council tackles nonprofit funding

After years of wrangling over how and whether Sonoma should fund local nonprofits, the City Council Wednesday night agreed to try settling the matter once and for all. Mayor Joanne Sanders and Mayor Pro Tem Ken Brown will head an ad-hoc committee composed of city... Continue

City announces loans for energy efficiency

On April 16, 2008, the City of Sonoma’s Community Development Agency (CDA) approved a new loan program to provide financial assistance to businesses that wish to install energy efficiency upgrades, including but not limited to photo voltaic installations for electricity generation (solar power). To promote... Continue

Hospital ponders: what now?

Even given short notice, the Sonoma Valley Hospital Board of Directors’ post-bond meeting Wednesday night was packed. Fifty or 60 “usual suspects,” some standing, some lined up outside the door, listened to the board, grumbled among themselves about the time–were the board members trying to... Continue

Hospital looks to what’s next

This [failure of Measure F] makes [our task now] even more challenging,” said hospital board president Dick Kirk. “We need to be assertive, move on with the business plan, make sure people get the care they need.” To him, the priorities are immediate and obvious:... Continue

Sonoma’s Taylor Serres crowned Dairy Princess

Taylor Serres was named the 2008 Dairy Princess. She is accompanied here with her cow, Liberty, and her dog, Tinker Bell. Photo by Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley SunAgriculture is the heart of Sonoma,” said Taylor Serres, who was crowned the fifty-first Dairy Princess at the Dairy... Continue

News Briefs

Deli section at fig pantry, after removal of sedan. Photo by Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley SunDriver totals fig pantry deli Sonoma Police and the California Highway Patrol are investigating an early morning crash Thursday at the fig pantry on East Napa Street in which the driver... Continue

Roberson to represent local cyclists

Following Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, Sonoma cycling enthusiast Chip Roberson could soon take his bicycle advocacy to a higher level, At presstime, the council was expected to appoint Roberson as Sonoma’s representative to the Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The committee advises the... Continue