A burned-out air-conditioning fan caused alarm but no injuries this afternoon at the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center in Sonoma. “We just started noticing smoke in one of the exam rooms, coming from the ceiling,” site manager Claudia Urbino said, adding that the incident happened... Continue

Had it been an actual emergency, they wouldn’t have stopped for pizza. The group lunch yesterday inside the Sonoma Police Department’s Emergency Operations Center came halfway through “Operation Silver Sentinel,” an eight-county Bay Area disaster drill set two days after a pair of massive quakes... Continue

The picnic table on which the dying Luis Miranda lay a year ago was strewn with flowers and candles and surrounded by a quiet crowd of nearly 100 people last night at Maxwell Farms Regional Park. “It is good to be together tonight, and it... Continue

In a small office at the Sonoma Police Department, YWCA counselor Yuka Kamiishi shows off a few T-shirts bearing various messages of pain and healing: “LEFT ME ALONE IN THE DARK” reads one, while another proclaims, “I am strong!” The shirts – neatly packed into... Continue

Once upon a time in Sonoma, community healthcare actually worked. The functioning model was a locally owned, nonprofit, physician-oriented health maintenance organization called Health Plan of the Redwoods (HPR), and last Wednesday, Sonoma Valley Hospital strategists called on the memory of its success – and... Continue

Submitted Photo Members of various organizations involved in the Highway 12 improvement project broke ground during a ceremony on Monday, Oct. 20.  From left to right; Tom O’Kane representing county public works, Kathleen Kane of theCommunity Development Comission, Eric Schen of CalTrans, Rich Lee and... Continue

A s the world economy continues its tailspin, like many, I am wondering how we got into this mess. While it’s easy to point fingers and demonize politicians and government, target deregulation and find fault in the global capitalist system, assigning blame is always easy... Continue

An online poll and town-hall meeting will soon be gauging the public’s sentiment over whether or not Sonoma should change its official designation from “city” to “town.” “I look forward to a fun discussion on this one tonight,” said Sonoma City Councilmember August Sebastiani, in... Continue

Ryan Lely/Sonoma Valley Sun The city council has approved the addition of a class 3 bike lane from Second Street West to Highway 12. Despite resident concerns about potential parking and traffic problems, Sonoma’s City Council voted 4-1 Wednesday night to remove 91 parking spaces... Continue